Disclaimer: I don't own them! Jeesh.

Author's Note: No offense meant at all, but when I put that law in, I didn't mean it as an opinion toward abortion. I am pro-choice. I simply used it from a legal standpoint. If you want to win your case—and Alex does—you use laws to your advantage. Please don't hate me 57. I don't mean anything by it.

Rating: PG-13

ROCHELLE'S FILE

Chapter Eight: Alone

There was a knock at Elliot's door at six the next night. It happened to be the person Elliot would have least expected to appear on his doorstep. The blonde woman was holding a briefcase. Elliot barely had time to invite her in before she entered his house, blonde hair blowing behind her. Without so much a preliminary 'hello', Alex let the news fly. "Rochelle needs to be prepared to discuss her father's rapes as well as the other gang-rape at the trial."

"Wh-What?" Elliot gasped, his eyes going wide. "Why? That's not the case."

Alex clenched her teeth. "I know that. The defense is going to try and make it seem like she's too paranoid and naive to understand what rape is. They're going to emphasize her other rapes and make it seem like she thinks all sex is rape."

"But." Elliot paused. "Alex, Rochelle has never told me all the details. How is she going to tell the lawyer that hates her?"

"Make her tell you, Elliot." Alex said quickly. "Make her tell you. Then when she's on the stand she can look at you and tell her story. I can only object to so many things, Elliot. Rochelle has to be able to tell her story on the stand, confidently. Otherwise the other attorney is going to prey off her fear."

Elliot nodded. "Thanks for coming by."

Alex managed a very brief smile. "Remember, courtroom at two tomorrow."

Elliot grinned, shaking his head after she left. He should have known Alex would never admit to caring about this case so much. Rochelle had changed everyone, not a single soul had been left untouched, but with as much joy as Rochelle emulated, the world seemed determined to make her life the exact opposite.

Elliot walked back into the living room. I guess I met the girl who sees the glass half full.

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Rochelle was watching Eurotrip when the surprise visitors arrived the next day. She was lounging in baggy jeans and a tube top, waiting for her hair to dry so she and Elliot could head up to the courthouse. When Elliot had begged her to blow dry her hair, she had rolled her eyes. ("Daddy, do you know how damaging it is to blow dry your hair?") That's why she was still in the house at half past one.

Elliot and Olivia were in the kitchen, talking—among other things. "I'll get it!" Rochelle cried when the doorbell rang. She looked through the peephole: five people. Jesus. Rochelle swung the door open. "Can I help you?" she asked.

A woman who looked about Elliot's age, raised an eyebrow. "I'm looking for my hus—ex-husband, Elliot Stabler."

Rochelle smiled. "Oh my God! Are you Kathy?" Rochelle turned her head and yelled in the vicinity of the kitchen. "Da-ad!" she yelled. "Come here!"

Elliot appeared in the living room, smiling an wiping his hands on a dishtowel a minute later. Olivia was following him, laughing. Both of them stopped when they saw the group outside: Kathy, Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth, and Richard—Elliot's ex-wife and kids.

"Uh . . ." Elliot stepped forward, trying to smile at his wife, smiling at his kids. "Come on in."

"Olivia." Kathy said, barely inclining her head.

"Hello, Kathy." Olivia said, trying to smile.

Rochelle, who was trying very hard to ignore the strained smiles and tones, smiled and introduced her self. "I'm Rochelle."

"Rochelle . . ." Kathy got an extremely strange look on her face. "I don't believe we've met."

"No, we haven't, but I've heard about you." Rochelle explained. "I'm—"

"Olivia, would you take Rochelle . . . upstairs?" Elliot asked, looking at his partner. Olivia nodded, understanding that 'upstairs' meant 'away'.

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"What, did you think that you would adopt a new little girl and marry Olivia and have this whole new family?" Kathy hissed, arms crossed. "Did you forget that we already have a family, Elliot?"

"No." Elliot snapped, face contorted with anger. "We don't have a family. You took that away from me the day you handed me the divorce papers. The reason I adopted Rochelle have nothing to do with you and, since you have no legal rights concerning her, they're none of your business."

"And Olivia?"

"Things happen, Kathy. I would have expected you to understand that with . . . what's his name . . . Nicholas?" Elliot growled, his eyes narrowing.

"I thought you would want to see the kids." Kathy said, smiling and playing sweet.

"I do want to see the kids. That's why I've been calling you nonstop since the divorce." Elliot looked at her. "Why are you here?"

"I-I . . ." Kathy shook her head.

"We'll never be a family again, Kathy." Elliot said, firmly.

"Fine, I'll take the kids and leave you alone with your new family."

"Kathy, don't you dare!" Elliot snapped. "Don't you use the kids against me. They aren't leverage to be thrown back and forth."

"Elliot, you gave up the kids when you signed the papers."

"No, Kathy, I gave you up. I gave up the marriage. I gave up you. I have never given up the kids and I never will."

Alone for once

The quiet I longed for is now hell

The peace I longed for is now war

Alone for once

Alone again

Must I always be alone?

"Have you ever had consensual sex, Miss Stabler?"

Rochelle looked up at her dad and Alex. "Yes." she said softly.

"Your consensual sex was due to your job, correct?" Rochelle looked at her father. "Miss Stabler?" Dennis asked, stepping directly in front of her, deliberately cutting off her eye contact with her father.

"Yes." Rochelle said slowly.

"You worked as a prostitute, correct?"

"Objection, Your Honor." Alex said standing up. "Relevancy."

"Come to your point, Counselor." Judge Mahleebue said. "Answer the question, Miss Stabler."

"Yes, I worked as a prostitute." Rochelle snapped. "Two years ago for six months."

"Is it possible that you've had such bad sexual experiences you believe every man is out to rape you?" Dennis asked.

"Objection, Your Honor. State of mind. The witness can not possibly diagnose her own—"
"Withdrawn." Dennis said smoothly.

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Jessi the Cheerleader, one of Mark's many supporters, followed Rochelle out of the courtroom during recess. "Why can't you just leave Mark alone?" she yelled, shoving the ex-cheerleader against the wall. "Just because he didn't want a baby—"

"He killed my baby!" Rochelle snapped, throwing the girl off her. "He raped me, he hit me, he killed my baby, and you're just upset because Central's basketball team might lose this season! Well, guess what? I don't care! You can take your fucking basketball season and shove it up your ass!" Then, Rochelle punched her.

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Olivia rubbed Rochelle's shoulders, working out the tension. "She deserved it." Rochelle protested. "If I don't fight back, people will walk all over me."

Elliot sighed. "Do you have to fight back with your fists?"

"A battle of the wits doesn't work in high school, Dad." Rochelle snapped. "Mark's on trial and I'm the one having to defend myself. America sure is some country, where we protect the perp instead of the victim. Just because he was decent at basketball . . ." Rochelle shook hear head.

"Well, you're just lucky Jessi's parents aren't pressing charges." Olivia said. "They agree with you."

Rochelle tried not to smile. "And they're making her quit the squad."

"Not everyone's gong to be on your side, Roxie." Elliot said, tiredly. "One day you're going to meet your match. You can't hit people just because they deserve it."

"Then when am I supposed to hit them? When they don't deserve it?" Rochelle quipped. Elliot shot her a look. "Sorry."

"Self-defense." Olivia said. "That's it."

"It was self-defense. She would have eventually hit me."

"So, now you're a psychic?" Elliot snapped.

"No, I just know Jessi and the brain of high school students a little better than you, Dad. After all, I am one, in case your forgot."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Elliot yelled, irritably.

"Nothing." Rochelle said, standing up. "I'm going to bed. We have to be up early tomorrow." She disappeared up the stairs.

Olivia grabbed Elliot's hands to keep him from going after her. "Just give her some time. She's pretty damn proud of what she did."

Elliot shook his head. "And you are, too, I take it?"

Olivia shrugged. "There are worse things she could have done than punched Jessi. If the threat of you being mad at me didn't hang in the air, I might agree that Jessi deserved it."

"And we don't want me to be mad at you, do we?" Elliot asked, pulling Olivia into his lap and kissing her.

"Not unless you're going to do that." Olivia said breathlessly, returning the kiss.

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Rochelle flew into Elliot's arms. "He what?"

"They found him dead in his cell earlier. He committed suicide, baby." Elliot whispered, hugging her.

Rochelle smiled through his tears. "Oh, Daddy."

It ended with this

And everything I prayed for

And all I hoped for

It ended with this

And all I whispered to the angels about

All I kissed about

All I cried about

It ends with this.

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Please R&R. I'm having major writer's block. Any suggestions?

I may have difficulty updating for a few weeks. I will try my hardest to update from a friend's computer, but if I can't. I'll try, I swear …