Bittersweet and Salty

By

Kelsey


Disclaimer: Not mine. Though as I've said before, you'd think with all the "Law and Order"s out there, they could spare one.

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while-- it's a hectic week this time of year. And I wasn't quite sure where I was taking this story for a while. grin Anyway, here it is.

Summary: Someone comes back into Olivia's life, but someone else is already there. Will old love prevail, or does new love run stronger? Femslash, O/A, O/C.

Rating: PG this chapter


Chapter Five

Elliot is quiet as they drive to the high school, and Olivia knows that he's thinking about his own daughters. As a hazard of working the job they do, he is intimately familiar with the fact that anyone, anywhere, can be a sexual predator, but it's still been hard on him when people in especially trusted positions, such as teachers, are the abusers.

"How're the kids?" Olivia asks, knowing full well that this is the best way to get him thinking more positively. But today, the smile that creases his face is less than full.

"Fine. I think Liz has grown four inches in the past six months. She's taller than Dickie now." His smiles reaches his eyes this time. "He's taking it pretty well, so far."

"Liz is what, eleven?" Olivia asks.

Elliot nods. "She's a little young, but the pediatrician assured us that she was well within the normal range for beginning puberty."

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Olivia muses.

"Since when?"

"Since we started working together. Kathleen was eleven."

Elliot reaches across the car with his free hand and puts it on her arm. "Yeah. It's been some good times, Liv."

"Even through all the horror?"

"Even through all the horror." After a moment, he reclaims his hand, and there is silence as he parks the car and waits for her to exit it.

The principal is a short, slightly overweight, balding man in an off-the-rack suit and a gastly-orange tie. "We of course want to be of help in any way possible," he says, leading the detectives down the empty halls, "but I must say, I don't really understand how I can help. Tanya graduated last year. We haven't seen her since."

"We spoke to the rape crisis center at the college she was attending," Elliot says, holding open a door for both the principal and Olivia. "They think that she was abused by someone at one of her high schools."

"Certainly not here! We have the highest reputation, and every teacher is thoroughly screened!"

Olivia tries to soothe ruffled feathers and keep the investigation moving by changing the subject. "The counselor we spoke with said that Tanya spoke of being in two high schools. Her record only shows this one, though. Can you tell us anything about that?"

Looking suspiciously from one detective to the other, the principal nods slowly. "Tanya was a bright girl. I pulled her file when you called, and it seems that she spent her junior and senior years in our college-immersion program. She would have shown as registered here all four years, but it is a completely separate program, with its own campus and teachers and staff." The portly little man hands the file to Elliot, who glances at it and then hands it over to Olivia.

"And what is involved in this college-immersion program?" Elliot asks.

The principal straightens a little, looking like he would if talking to the parents of a prospective student, Olivia is sure. "It's a rigorous program designed for the most dedicated students to get a head start in college. They receive simultaneous college and high school credits, and as you know, the selection of classes in college is much wider than even a top-notch high school like ours can give."

"How do you manage to provide accredited college classes?" Olivia asks.

"We're associated with the local community college," the principal replies. "The program has a small part of the campus allotted to itself, where the students take basic classes such as English and living skills. The rest of their classes would be regular college classes."

"Are you the principal there, too?"

He nods. "I am, officially, in charge. But there's a director of the program who really runs it. His name is Alan Fisher, and you can find him on campus from about six-thirty in the morning until around seven at night."

"Long hours," Elliot remarks. Their own jobs often require three or four day stretches of exhaustion, but are typically followed by a few days to a couple of weeks where things are relatively slow.

The principal shrugs. "He's paid to be there from seven to four. The extra hours are his own idea, I can assure you."

"We're going to need to talk to the teachers and staff at this program," Elliot says.

"Certainly." The principal doesn't appear thrilled, but much more resigned than a moment ago. "But you have to realize that these students are, for the most part, regular college students. They are affiliated with various organizations and take various classes from every part of the campus."

"Thank you," Olivia says as Elliot rises and shakes the principal's hand. "We'll be in touch if we need anything."

Elliot waits until they are around the first corner before he sighs. "Community college," he says despondently. "Getting to anyone who knows anything at a community college is going to take days."

Olivia offers him her own response in the form of an equally put-upon sigh.

The college itself is easy enough to find, but the program hides itself away in one of the far corners of the campus. After they finally manage to locate the little cluster of buildings encompassing the program, it takes nearly an hour to locate Alan Fisher, who is apparently a hands-on type of director and moves around from building to building, trying to get things done.

"Mister Fisher!" Olivia is the first to spot him, and she holds out her badge as she lengthens her stride to reach the tall man with thick graying hair, holding a stack of loose papers in one hand and talking seriously with another man.

Fisher looks around, but stands his ground. Olivia's body, tensed in preparation for a fleeing suspect, relaxes slightly, but she stays on her guard. "Can I help you?"

"Police," Elliot says, flashing his own badge. "We need to discuss a former student."

"Oh, is this about Tanya Martin? The principal called, told me you'd be by." Fisher waves off his conversation partner and gestures the detectives towards a room. He unlocks the door with a key on a lanyard around his neck, and holds the door open as they enter. Inside is a table with six or seven chairs around it, and Fisher flips on the light and takes a seat at the head of the table. "Please, have a seat. What can I tell you?"

They each sit down, one on each side of the director. "What can you tell us about Tanya?" Elliot asks.

Fisher shrugs. "Good student, mature enough for the program, which is sometimes a problem, went off to college this year."

"Did she change significantly at any point in her time here?" Elliot asks, leaning forward far enough to rest his forearms on the table.

Fisher sighs and shakes his head. "I'm not really all that involved with my students here," he says. "There's so much administrative work to be done, and they won't hire me more assistants, so I'm usually busy with the paperwork end of things."

"The principal mentioned that you spent a lot of time working, more than you're being paid for," Olivia offers mildly.

Smiling, Fisher doesn't seem to take offense. "It's a lot of work, this job, and I could really use another of me. But I love my job."

Elliot nods. "You said you don't have much contact with the students. Can you tell us who does?"

Fisher frowns. "You might try Anna Treborn. She's the guidance counselor. Kids meet with her twice a year, minimum."

Olivia nods and rises from the table. "Thank you, Mr. Fisher."

Fisher reaches out to shake first her hand and then Elliot's. "I hope you find what you're looking for," he says. "Tanya seemed like a good kid."

Fisher heads off at a swift pace towards wherever his skills are next needed, and Elliot and Olivia trace a more leisurely path towards the administrative office. "Think he was telling the truth?" Elliot wonders.

Olivia shrugs. "He didn't seem like he knew anything about her," she says. "I think he's probably the overworked director and nothing else. But maybe the counselor can tell us more."

The counselor isn't much help. She greets them politely, and tells them that yes, Tanya started having problems about midway through her junior year, and got progressively shyer and more anxious after that, but refused to discuss it. Her parents assumed that it was normal teenage anxieties, and the counselor hadn't been sure enough that it wasn't to press the issue. Elliot asks for a printout of her schedule junior year, but when they get it, only one teacher is still teaching there, and he's on vacation.

"Well, that was a bust."

Elliot loops an arm around her shoulder. "But it's now lunch time," he says cheerily. "I'll buy."

"Food. That sounds good." Olivia ducks out from under his arm and glares up at him in mock anger. "But no hotdogs, okay?"

He laughs. "No hotdogs. Maybe I can manage to actually spring for hamburgers today."

"Wow, you do have expensive taste today, Stabler," Olivia teases, and ducks a half-hearted swing at her head.

A hamburger and large plate of fries each now in their stomachs, the detectives head back to the squad to report in and try to figure out their next move. A computer search shows that they have four teachers to track down-- Tanya's calculus professor, her English and general ed high school teacher, her chemistry professor and her American History professor from her junior year. The American History professor is working at a local four-year college now, and the calculus professor has retired. The English/general ed teacher is the one on vacation, and the chemistry professor seems to have dropped off the face of the earth.

"This chemistry professor, there's nothing on him?" Olivia asks, and Fin shakes his head.

"Nothing. The guy quit at the end of the spring semester that year, and there's been no activity on his social security since."

Cragen nods. "Okay, then. Munch, Fin, keep looking. I want to know where that professor is, and I want to know yesterday. Right now, he's our best lead and our only suspect. Elliot, Olivia, track down the calculus professor and the American History teacher."

"What about the hairbrush?" Fin asks. "Is there anything left to follow up on at the petting zoo?"

Olivia shrugs. "Maybe. But she could have just put it in her backpack by accident, or something. I think for now the petting zoo leads are dead."

He nods, and Elliot, standing in the doorway, cocks his head impatiently. "C'mon, Liv, let's go," he says, clearly anxious to be on the move again.

Olivia trots out the door after her partner, wondering why he's so damn eager to get back to work. It's not like they're just about to break the case-- in fact, it's more likely the case is just about to break them.

Hours and hours and no leads later, the detectives roll up to the front door of the squad room, tired and frustrated. "Want a ride home?" Elliot asks, and Olivia sighs.

"No thanks. I'll check out a car, or take a cab or something."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. Go home."

"Okay, if you're sure. See you in the morning." Elliot yawns widely, and Olivia smiles tiredly.

"Don't fall asleep while you're driving, El."

In response, he raises a cup of undoubtedly ice-cold coffee and takes a few swigs. Grimacing, he swallows, puts down the cup, and shifts the car into gear. "Goodnight, Liv."

Olivia closes her door, waves to Elliot as he pulls away, and wanders tiredly into the station house. She takes the stairs two at a time, trying to wake up, but it doesn't help much. Cragen's light is on, but no one else is in, something she's not surprised at, considering the hour. She heads to her desk to get some paperwork she can work on at home, and the door of Cragen's office opens. "Olivia?"

"Hey, Captain," she says. "Going home?"

He shakes his head. "You?"

She sighs. "Yeah. There's nothing left to do tonight. We can't find anything on that chemistry professor, and the other teachers don't seem to know anything. The petting zoo is dead of leads, and CSU and the ME's given us all they can find."

Cragen steps aside and Olivia glances up to see who's there. "Alex!" She says, smiling. "I thought you were going to spend some time with your mom."

Alex grimaces. "I find that there's only so much I can take of 'I'm so glad you're back,'" she says. "You ready to get out of here?"

Olivia nods, decides that she can leave the paperwork for later, and drops it back on her desk. "Want to do something for a bit?"

"Sure." Alex grabs a coat from the coat rack inside Cragen's door. "Goodnight, Don."

"Goodnight, Alex," he says, giving her a fond smile. Olivia flashes him a grin and takes Alex's arm before heading out of the station.

"Goodnight, Captain!"

"Have a good one, Detective."


Previous Next


Back to Main Page

Back to Law and Order Fic