All SVU characters are DickWolf's.
**********
Elliot drove home to speak to his wife. He planned it in his head.
"I want a divorce."
"Would you allow me to have a divorce, please?"
"Kindly let me divorce you."
Any way you put it, it still hurt.
Turns out he didn't have to worry about the wording. On the kitchen table were divorce papers, already signed by Kathy. There was also a note.
Gone to my mother's. Please be out of here by tomorrow. My lawyer will be talking to yours.
Underneath was another newspaper - the Post, ironically - featuring a full-colour picture of Olivia at her arraignment, wearing Elliot's shirt, one that Kathy had picked out for him.
It took him an hour to pack his clothing and a few other necessities. It took him another hour to finish with his lawyer and to call some friends, pulling some strings to get an apartment for the next month or so. Furniture could wait to be sorted out. All that mattered was that he leave. He set the alarm and locked the door before he left. As he pulled the key out of the lock, a thought jolted through his mind. A sticky doorknob. He whipped out his cell phone.
"Fin? It's Elliot. Find out if Olivia had her locks changed recently......and get latent on her phone, her files, her whole apartment if you have to.
**********
Olivia was lying on the hard cell bed, staring at the ceiling. She could still smell Elliot on her skin, feel traces of his hands, hear him saying he loved her, that he was going to divorce Kathy. She wanted to believe it.
But he had lied before. He had saved his own ass and turned her in. She didn't know what to think. But she wanted to touch him again. She wanted to feel safe.
"Someone here to see you," the voice of the guard announced through the door. Kathy Stabler stepped into the cell. It was cold and she wondered how people could live like this. Olivia stood up quickly when she was her visitor.
"Kathy," she said obviously. Kathy looked down at Olivia and wondered what Elliot had ever seen in her.
"I don't know why I'm here," Kathy said. It wasn't entirely true. She had to get something off her chest. Olivia stood still. "I guess I should tell you that it's my fault you're here. Elliot wouldn't incriminate you, so I did it." There was no apology in her voice.
"Why?" Olivia whispered.
"He really does love you, that jerk," Kathy said, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. Olivia nodded calmly, something inside her jumping for joy knowing that Elliot hadn't lied to her.
"Thank you for telling me," Olivia said sincerely. Kathy nodded, feeling sorry for herself and her collapsed state. Her life had been slowly unravelling for quite a while, but now she was out of string. She turned around and left the cell.
Olivia sat down and put her head in her hands.
**********
Jeff Bray, the proprietor of Bray's Locks, was eating a donut and watching figure skating on a small television behind the counter when Elliot entered.
"Shhh!" Bray hissed, "It's Sasha Cohen! If she lands this next triple, she'll win the Lalique!"
"Jeff Bray?" Elliot asked, shoving his badge between the little man's face and the TV screen. Bray blinked a couple of times in disbelief, then shut off the TV hastily.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"I'm Detective Elliot Stabler. I need to know if you changed the locks on Olivia Benson's apartment about two months ago." He was so close, he could feel it.
"Let me check," Bray said, pulling out the top drawer of a filing cabinet. "Baxter, Becker, Bellvue. Here we are. Benson. What was the first name again?"
"Olivia," Elliot stated irritably.
"Right. Yes. We did that job," he said.
"May I see the work order?" Bray passed over the slip of paper.
"Can I talk with the guy who did this job? Donald McRae?" Bray nodded.
"Don? He's on a job right now. I'll give you the address."
**********
Elliot found Donald McRae opening a locked antique trunk in an eclectic shop in SoHo. He had spiky black hair and glasses and looked in his mid-thirties.
"Don McRae? Can I speak with you for a minute?" Elliot said, flashing his shield. McRae glanced up, then broke into a run, knocking over a shelf of porcelain cups. Elliot chased him, catching up a block away. He grabbed McRae by the back of the shirt and slammed him against the wall.
"Not smart, Don. You're under arrest," said Elliot, catching his breath and snapping the cuffs on him.
**********
"Look, I didn't break into no one's place!" McRae insisted.
"Oh yeah? Then why'd you run?" Munch asked, leaning over the table and glaring at McRae. Elliot stood outside the interrogation room with Cragen, watching.
"He did this, Captain. I can tell," he said, crossing his arms. He was going to get this sonofabitch for hurting Olivia. Cragen only raised his eyebrows.
"I don't know! I saw the police and I thought I was in trouble, okay? It was stupid," McRae insisted.
"Yeah, you're right," Fin said.
An intern approached them briskly.
"Captain, this just came in," she said, handing him a file. Elliot glanced over.
"What is it?"
"Did you send this guy's prints down to the lab?"
"Yeah. He had them done for a background check when he was hired," Elliot said, "Why?"
"We got a lot of unexplained fresh prints from Olivia's place, but they don't match his. Pull his phone logs," Cragen said, a smile pulling at his lips. "Let's hold Mr. McRae here for a bit longer." Elliot nodded.
**********
"What have you got?" Cragen asked later.
"Looks like McRae made several phone calls to a Mrs. Deverell," Elliot said.
"Is she married to the author, William Deverell?" Munch asked.
"No, but she is Olivia's next-door neighbour," Elliot said triumphantly.
"Good, I never liked his books."
"So McRae makes the extra keys, sells them to the neighbour. The neighbour waits until Olivia leaves, then breaks in and calls the Post from her apartment...." Fin said, laying it out. Elliot nodded in agreement, leaning up against his desk and crossing his arms.
"I've got Alex coming down here," he said. As if on cue, Alex Cabot strode through the squadroom doors.
"Here's a search warrant," she said, "But only for the keys and any confidential files. You have to prove that she had access to the apartment. If you find ones that match, pick her up," Alex said. She handed the files to Cragen, who handed them to Elliot.
"Thanks," he said, then to Munch and Fin, "Which one of you wants to come?"
"I'll stay," Munch offered.
**********
Elliot and Fin rang the superintendant at Olivia's building to be let in. The super rode the elevator up with them.
"If Mrs. Deverell isn't home, I guess I'll have to let you in. But I didn't see her go out yet," he said. As they passed Olivia's apartment, Elliot couldn't help remembering the night before, but he pushed it from his mind.
They knocked on the door.
"Police! Open up!" Fin said, holding his badge in front of the eyehole. They heard the door being unlocked and it opened to reveal Olivia's next-door neighbour, wearing a bathrobe. Her hair was wet and it looked like she'd just come out of the shower.
"What's this about?" She asked, but the look in her eyes communicated that she already knew.
"This is a search warrant. Excuse us, please," Elliot said, giving Ms. Deverell the paper. Fin shoved past her into the apartment. The lay-out was a mirror image of Olivia's apartment, but the decor was much blander; beige and white. They began going through drawers, bagging all the keys in sight.
"What are you looking for?"she asked.
"Maybe you can tell us. Do you know Olivia Benson?" Fin asked.
"Yes. She's my neighbour, but we aren't friends or anything."
"Ever been in her apartment?"
"No," she said.
"You're absolutely sure?" Elliot asked.
"Yes. I've only seen her in the hall."
"That's good, because we can check the fingerprints we pulled off her door and her phone with yours. And if we find out you've been there, you're in a whole lot of trouble," Fin said.
"I think I should call my lawyer," she said.
"Go ahead and do that," Elliot said. He turned to Fin, "I'll take these keys next door and see if they fit the lock." Fin nodded. Elliot pulled the first key out and tried it. No luck. He tossed it on the ground.
***********
"Any luck?" Fin asked. The pile of keys on the floor was getting larger and Elliot punched the door in frustration. "I guess not."
Elliot picked up another key. They both heard the lock clunk and the door swung open into Olivia's apartment.
"Who's with Ms. Deverell?" Elliot asked.
"A uniform," Fin replied.
"Pick her up."
"Oh, try these," Fin said, handing Elliot a few more keys.
"What for? These are too small for a door, anyway," Elliot said.
"Not a door. She said her filing cabinet was locked." Elliot stepped inside tentatively and turned on a light. He put the first key into the lock on the filing cabinet and it opened. He smiled in satisfaction and shut the drawer. Before he turned out the lights, he noticed that Olivia's shirt was on top of the cabinet.
**********
The door opened and Olivia sat up. It was her lawyer, Stephen Miller.
"Great news!" Miller said cheerily.
"You got a new tie for the trial?" She said flatly.
"You're cleared! They're processing you now and you'll be out within the hour," he said, as if it was his doing.
"How?" She asked, half-thinking it might be some sort of cruel joke.
"I think there's someone here who'd like to explain it," Miller said, grinning. He stepped to the side and let Elliot through. He was smiling and he wrapped Olivia in a huge hug. After a moment, she drew back.
"Hi," he said.
"Hey."
"We arrested your neighbour, Colleen Deverell, and your locksmith, Don McRae, this morning."
"What for?"
"Breaking and entering. Tampering with evidence. Obstruction," he stated.
"Thanks," she said.
"I'll wait for them to process you. I believe Munch and Fin would like your help on the Lynne Stevens case," he said.
"Elliot," she began seriously, "We need to talk."
"Whoa! I'd better be going. Nice working with you, Olivia," said Miller emphatically. She waved him off. Elliot sat down on the cot and she sat beside him.
"I'm not sure if I....." She began.
"Nothing has to happen yet," he cut her off, "I'm getting the divorce, but it's not your fault and I don't want you to feel responsible for what's going on between Kathy and I. We don't have to rush into anything. We don't even have to do anything. I mean, I'd like, at least, to be friends...." He said it hastily, assuming. She looked at him.
"I was going to say I'm not sure if I can wait."
He bent his head down and kissed her, lips parting gently. She felt a shiver of happiness pass over her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Olivia Benson?" They broke away from each other at the voice of the guard, Olivia blushing furiously. "You're ready for processing. Come with me, please. Your friend can wait downstairs." Olivia nodded and followed the guard out. She turned back to Elliot when they reached the stairs. She realized she hadn't said something.
"Elliot?" He turned. "I love you, too," .
**********
Finally finished. Let me know what you think?