Olivia looked in a couple of hours later with coffee. She was still unconscious, and Elliot was pacing the floor.
"Simple exhaustion doesn't cause someone to faint," he said, voice low. "Kathy never…"
"She's not your wife, she doesn't have the same experiences and she's been here for nearly 36 hours. I don't think I've ever seen her go home. She's been napping in her office, I think. Elliot, she was about to go out the door to go home, I'm thinking its straight exhaustion. And she…"
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, I can hear you both," she murmured. Elliot jumped, turned around and then sighed.
"How long have you been awake?"
She shrugged. "My head hurts…" she said, hand on her head. She opened her eyes, dazed focus returning into them bit by bit. Olivia handed her a bag.
"Alex says that you need this," Kara nodded, sitting up, carefully.
"Do you want a cup of tea," Olivia asked, shooting Elliot a look. Kara nodded, pulling out a test pen.
"You're diabetic?"
She nodded, as Olivia left the room. Elliot closed his eyes, starting with the pen clicked.
"It doesn't hurt, not really," she said, as she squeezed her finger.
"I don't really like the sight of blood," Elliot said, mildly. "I can deal with it at a crime scene, but…I go all….I don't like blood being drawn willingly, and I really don't like needles,"
"I'd go stand outside then," she said, waiting for the monitor to beep. "Or not, I'm still just ok,"
She put everything away again, and sighed.
"I don't like fighting Detective. You and I will have to get used to one another, so is there any possibility of starting again and trying to at least play nice?" she said, scratching at her neck.
"You'll open that up again," He crossed to the edge of the bed, about hip level and knelt beside her. Startled, her eyes widened and she scooted back, up against the wall, "Hey, hey…easy," he said, voice low. "I thought I'd come down to your level for a bit, is all," he said. Far sparked through her eyes, a galvanising current.
"What is it about me that scares you so badly?" he asked, "Other than I'm a man," he added. She shook her head.
"Adri has the same eyes as you," she muttered. Elliot jerked.
"I'm not him," he told her. "You know that," he added.
Olivia returned to the room, "Captain Cragen is going to pretend this didn't happen, though one of us have to take you home," she said, handing Kara a mug of tea, and Elliot another coffee.
"oh that's great, I'll have to let you see my scary neighbourhood. I'm sure Jack will LOVE me for that one,"
"You stay with Jack McCoy?"
"no…that's what I mean. He thinks I live somewhere marginally decent, and I don't," she said, then supplied an address.
"Yep, he would have kittens. Hell, Tuttolla won't even live THERE," Olivia laughed softly.
"Its only until Xander finds somewhere new to stay…we're thinking about coletting," she said. "he's even willing to pretend…" she began, and then her face crumpled.
"Its totally normal to be scared when you're pregnant," Elliot said, pulling a tissue out of his pocket.
"You're a man, that's EASY for you to say," she said, vicious anger snapping through the tears,
"I suppose it is, it's one of the consequences I can only understand on a mental level, but I do understand. I've got four daughters. It would kill me if they were going through what you are," he said, offering the tissue. She was shaking so much he had to reach out and catch her wrist.
"I'm…I'm sorry," Kara said, yanking back, smacking her head. She winced, a hand coming up and rubbing the back of her head again.
"One, be careful, two, what for?" Olivia asked mildly.
"I'm some ADA, passing out on the job," she sniffled.
"You're still recovering from a very traumatic incident. Elliot, back off for a couple of minutes, you're scaring her again," Olivia shot him a look and he subsided back, sitting on the cot bed across from her.
"one of us is taking you home, the other will probably be coming along because I don't think you'll get in the car with Elliot, that's IF you don't feel you want to get your baby checked and make sure that everything's ok with him or her,"
"Him," she supplied automatically. "and no, I've….I have a check-up tomorrow anyway. Thanks, I think I'll get a cab,"
"No. I live in the same direction as you anyway, I'll take you home, I just have to go down and wrap up some paperwork," Elliot said, rising from the bed and popping his shoulders.
"Ewwww…that's gross," Kara giggled.
"You sound like my eldest," Elliot smiled softly, "and from what I've seen you do with Fin's computer, I'm pretty sure she'd like you," His eyes met Olivia's and he mouthed, "FUCK"
She nodded, "Kara, you're all rumpled," she said, as Elliot left the room.
Elliot went down to his table, trembling every step of the way, and then sank into his chair. He'd seen something on her leg; her skirt had ridden up to reveal something that he'd not even thought about until now.
Six months ago
There is this nice motel on the outskirts of New York, close to being classed as out of town. It was where they were holding a couple of the witnesses for the Jordaine case. Olivia was on leave, Munch was tying up paperwork. Unless something happened, Fin and Elliot were on guard.
"I still can't believe his ex wife didn't know what was going on all those years,"
"I'm more curious as to who his seventh living victim is, given she's refused to testify," Elliot sighed, pouring a mug of coffee from his thermos.
"Remind me again why we don't always accept the fact that people don't want to prosecute?" Fin sighed, looking over the file again.
"In the case of Special Victims, sometimes we can't. Sometimes there's a questionable circumstance," Elliot paused and took a sip of coffee, "sometimes they don't want to and withdraw. Sometimes we can convince them to give evidence, sometimes we can't," he took a longer swig of his coffee then sighed, "What I cannot believe is we've been sent to guard the motel of someone that was once linked to the scumbag and that Las Vegas have sent to us, ,"
Fin snorted. "Sometimes Elliot, you're all heart,"
"You notice it's me and you that gets dumped with the mugs duty though?"
"Yeah, well…sometimes the grunts do the grunt work. What worries me is that it's the DA's office that signed off on her being watched, and Alex didn't know anything about it till the paperwork landed on her desk,"
"She tell you that?"
"Maybe. Harper-Jordaine. I'm guessing she's his wife. Or was," Fin supplied him with the orders and he read them and the accompanying file over.
"Oh, lookie, she's a lawyer," he said with a sarcastic smile. "Wonder if she's a suspect,"
The door to the motel room opened and a small figure looked out, looked directly at the car and then crossed to them.
"Jack would like a word," she told them, coming alongside Elliot's door. She didn't bend down. Fin held his breath; her dressing gown was short enough that they could see the tattoo on her hip. He could just about make out a rune, or a hieroglyph. That was some marking. Just below it was a long jagged scar, wrapping around her leg.
"Miss, I don't think you should…" She just gestured with the phone.
Fin opened his car door and got out, to have a good look at her, and was surprised at what he saw. Tall, dark hair, it looked dyed, with a flimsy, short wrap around dress on, he could see another scar that started under her chin.
"He did that to you?" he said, and she nodded, pulling the edge of her dress away from her neck.
"I don't want him to get at me again, I want away from this," she told him, eyes flashing storm grey in the light thrown as a truck passed the hotel. She recoiled slightly and Fin sighed.
"Why did Jack phone you?"
"cause I'm family. Harper. I'm his niece," she told him. Fin closed his eyes. It all made perfect sense suddenly.
"She's not testifying again," Jack said the minute Elliot put the phone to his ear.
"So we're not needed any more?"
"Nope. She's one of the silent ones now,"
Elliot spoke with him for a couple of more minutes, then hung up.
"You'll always be one of the Silent ones then?" he said, as she took the phone.
"Whatever you say officer,"
Present day
"Son of a fucking BITCH!" Fin yelled, suddenly, and threw his pen down. "She's been looking me straight in the FUCKING…..ARGH!" he yelled.
Elliot looked up. "It just dawned on you who our new DA is then?" he smiled tightly.
"Hell, fucking…"
"Detective Tuttola, we have female company on this floor, do you mind?" the Captain said, poking his head out of the office. Munch grinned.
"He's just pissed cause he said he got a good look at her legs and liked what he saw," Elliot frowned.
"I was closer though. I got such a good look, I can tell you…" A hand slapped across the back of his head.
"Could we alter the tone of this conversation given she's still upstairs. Oh Elliot, I borrowed your tracksuit for her, she's a different frame to me," she said.
"Yes ma'am, I was going to offer anyway," Elliot grinned at her and she stuck out her tongue.
"I'm jealous, she's got your name tattooed on her back," she said, the retort blazing out in an ironic stream. Elliot jerked.
"She's what?"
"Has Elliot tattooed across the centre of her back,"
"Is that what it says?" Munch smiled. I saw smudgy black something across her shoulder blades. Is it…what, Chinese?"
"Yeah, it is," she said. Kara had asked her to stand watch while she changed, and showed her it; along with the scar on her throat. Olivia could honestly say that she now appreciated exactly how atrociously Adri and his as yet unapprehended brother had treated her. She still spoke of Adrian in tones of mixed respect and hatred, something Olivia couldn't understand.
Elliot muttered into his mug.
"What was that?"
"I'm thinking that I need to change my name," he said, then smiled, "I'm kidding,"
