Disclaimer: With deep regret I must admit that I own none of the Law&Order: SVU characters, I also do not own the 16th precinct or it's likeness. All of these things are the property of Dick Wolf. I do, however, own Rochelle, this story, and the poem. Copyright Druscilla Ryan Mortenson, 2005
Rating: PG-13
ROCHELLE'S FILEChapter Three: Yellow Rose
"B-But . . . I don't . . . foster care . . . Can't you just adopt me or something?" Rochelle blurted out in frustration. She ducked her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I know that you can't—"
Elliot lifted her face with his fingers. "I want to adopt you. And I can. I just needed to know what you wanted."
Rochelle smiled. "Y-You want to adopt me? Really?"
Elliot hugged her. "Of course I do."
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"Here's the deal." Alex said in her 'don't-you-dare-interrupt-me-you-son-of-a-bitch' tone. Elliot and Rochelle had both seen it in work, they never realized she would be using it to argue their case. "You turn over legal guardianship of one Rochelle Cavier to one Elliot Stabler. I allow you to walk on a misdemeanor charge of sexual assault."
"Rochelle Cavier?" Eric asked, leaning across the table and staring at his daughter. "Unfortunately, that's not her legal name. I can't turn over guardianship of someone who doesn't exist."
Alex made a surprisingly quick recovery for the shock this put them all in. "Then what is your daughter's real name so I can draw up the appropriate paperwork?"
"If she can remember, I'll take your deal. No questions asked." Rochelle's biological father and rapist said.
Rochelle looked at the table for a minute, her fingers tracing a pattern on it's smooth surface. "Emily Lynn Dupree." she said softly. "My name is Emily."
"Why the hell would you change her name?" Elliot demanded, glaring at the man across from him.
Eric Dupree scoffed. "Do you really think I wanted that bitch sliming up my good family name?"
"You're right." Elliot said, standing up. Alex and Rochelle both looked at him. "I wouldn't have wanted your last name either." He and Rochelle left the room.
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"Rochelle Cavier Stabler." the thirteen year old said, smiling. "It sounds good to me."
"It's sounds pretty good to me too, kid." Elliot said, kissing her forehead.
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Elliot arrived with Olivia and was greeted with the sigh of Rochelle sleeping at his desk—again. He hung up his coat and gently shook Rochelle awake before lifting her up in his arms and preparing to carry her to the locker room.
"I can—" Rochelle yawned. "I can walk upstairs, Daddy." She murmured, trying to force her eyes to stay open.
"I'm sure you can." Elliot mused, chuckling softly. He carried her upstairs and laid her down in the single bed in the locker room. "'Night, sweetheart." He whispered, kissing her forehead.
"'Night, Daddy."
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"I can't figure out why she's so damned tired all the time." Elliot said, sitting down. "Where are we with Anne Conner's phone calls?"
"There are several calls on her cell phone to a Brendon Meyer. Possibly a boyfriend." John said, continuing to sift through stacks of paper.
"Half-brother." Olivia said. "Same mother, different fathers. Apparently the two were very close."
"How close?" Fin asked, raising an eyebrow over Conner's cell phone records. "She has five phone calls a week to this guy and they were all made between one and four a.m. I don't think she needed a bedtime story."
"We're on it." Olivia said, standing up.
"Keep an eye on Chelle, will you?" Elliot asked as he and his partner exited the building.
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"So when did the 'Dad' thing start?" Olivia asked once they were driving down the street.
"What 'Dad' thing?" Elliot asked, pulling his sunglasses from his jacket and putting them on.
"I'm prying." Olivia said, shaking her head. "Never mind. Next left."
"No, it's fine." Elliot said, flicking on his turn signal. "I guess it was while we were doing her room." He shrugged. "It's no big deal."
"Liar." Olivia said, smiling and shaking her head.
Elliot just smiled and continued to navigate his way through the traffic. So what if he was a liar? Was he really supposed to say Rochelle's calling him 'dad' meant the world to him? That his eyes had misted over when she call him that and he had to dismiss himself to the bathroom?
Rochelle had entered his life at a time when he was trying not to think about suicide. She had made him laugh, made him cry, and made him realize that was okay. She had made him love again.
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Rochelle stumbled down the stairs, pouring herself a cup of coffee before she sat down at her father's desk. She glanced at the name on the file and yawned. "Does she have a kid?" she asked.
"Not one that we know of." John said, looking at the girl who was looking through her father's desk, more from boredom than anything else. "Why?"
Rochelle shrugged. "There's a kid at school named Elisabeth Conner. I eat lunch with her sometimes. She's slow, but cool. She wasn't in school today and everyone says her mom died."
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"Is it or is not coincidence that every time your daughter opens her mouth we get a tip or a lead and even a confession?" Olivia asked, typing the name 'Elisabeth Conner' into her computer. "Elisabeth Brendon Conner?" Olivia asked, eyebrows raised. "That's an interesting middle name, don't you think?"
Rochelle appeared in the doorway. "Olivia, can . . . ummm, you come here? Please?"
"Sure." Olivia said, standing up. Elliot had also begun to rise from his chair.
"No, Dad. Just Olivia. Please?"
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Olivia emerged from the ladies' room a minute later. "Got a quarter?" she asked her partner.
Elliot opened his desk and handed her one. "Why?" Olivia raised her eyebrows meaningfully. Elliot's eyes widened. "Oh." Olivia rolled her eyes as she took the quarter and headed back to the bathroom, as Elliot picked up the phone.
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"It's so embarrassing." Rochelle said, washing. "You didn't tell him, did you?"
Olivia, who knew the rose ceremony wasn't far off, told the truth. "He guessed." Rochelle blushed. "Honey, calm down. Remember, he once lived with five women."
Once lived with . . .
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There was a single yellow rose by Rochelle's plate at dinner, along with a small box of chocolates. Rochelle smiled softly. "Thank you." Then she looked up, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Elliot asked, quite used to female mood swings.
"You did this for your daughters, didn't you?" she asked, trying not to cry.
Elliot nodded slowly. "Yes, I did."
"Why?" Rochelle blinked back tears. "Why are you treating me like your daughters? Why did you adopt me? Why me?"
Elliot was temporarily speechless. "I though you wanted me to adopt you."
"I did. I just want to know why."
"It's not that simple." Elliot said slowly. "I needed to adopt you. You showed up on my doorstep and . . . I was thinking about killing myself until I met you." Elliot admitted softly. "You made me remember why I needed to live. I fell in love with you, Chelle. Did you really think I was going to let you get away?"
"So, we're a family?" Rochelle asked.
Elliot picked up her hand and kissed it. "Of course we are."
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"Olivia," Rochelle whispered, making sure her dad could barely hear. "Will you marry my dad?"
Elliot's eyes went wide and Olivia choked on her laugh. "Why don't you ask me when I've had some more coffee?" Olivia said, barely looking at Elliot.
Rochelle happily left the room to go start a fresh pot. "I'm sorry." Elliot apologized. "lately she's been on this whole 'I-need-a-mom' kick and you're the mom." He chuckled. "Kids, huh?"
"Elliot," Olivia said, "she started this about a week before you adopted her. "Something along the lines of 'you two are soul mates, so just get married already'." Olivia laughed. "I told her we were having a secret, passionate affair."
Elliot's eyes widened. "You didn't."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Did you really think I would add more fuel to her fire?" She smiled as she and Elliot held each other's gaze for a moment. "You know—"
"See?" Rochelle exclaimed, entering the room with a cup of coffee in her hand. "It's a perfect cliché. You two were gazing lovingly at each other over your desks!"
"Actually," Elliot said, looking up, "we were discussing how annoying you are."
"So, will you two get married?" Rochelle asked, as Fin and John entered the room.
"All right." Fin said. "What did we miss?"
Changing from day to day
One emotion to the next
One whisper on the air
And I alone—without care
Away from your world
Away from time
Everyday a new journey
Everyday a journey's end
And someday I will become me
One emotion after another
A collage of me
A portrait of me
Just me
So, what did you think? Please R&R. I really like reviews.
In CHAPTER FOUR: DAUGHTER time has elapsed and Rochelle is now a high school sophomore. We get a major look at her life, a life we would not expect from her. Elliot has his first troubles with his daughter and she becomes a wild child, sort of.