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: Casefile this time. We'll get back to the fluff soon, but first I have to decide where it's going…

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 Seven

Olivia's happy mood is quashed almost as soon as she walks in the door of the station. Elliot looks like he hasn't slept in years, Munch and Fin are carefully staying far away from Cragen's office, and everyone looks on edge. There a more than a few half-hearted glares turned her direction when she walks in, too.

Puzzled, Olivia walks over to her partner, hoping he can tell her what's going on. "El?" She asks.

He holds up a hand. "Please. Say no more. You want to know what the hell's going on around here." It's a statement, not a question, but she nods in reply anyway. "Wellll…" he says, drawing it out, and then a door slams open and his eyes wander off towards the sound, rather pointedly-- "that's what's going on."

'That' is Casey Novak a way Olivia has never seen her-- and Olivia's seen her a lot of ways. Unlike Alex, who always seemed to need to be the ice princess in public, Casey is the stereotypical hot-headed redhead, and Olivia's seen her fuming, crying, cursing, and almost everything in between. But now… well, there's something in her stance that makes Munch and Fin busy themselves immediately with paperwork as soon as she comes out of Cragen's office, and Elliot look the other way.

Casey doesn't stop to say anything to anyone, and Olivia is a little surprised at the twinge she feels when there is no reaction from the woman who was, yesterday morning, her lover. She's so glad to have Alex back, but she does feel something powerful for Casey… maybe last night, as good as it had been, had been more about reassurance and memories than about rekindling something.

That thought makes her head swirl and her heart pound as she tries desperately to figure out both where and came from and what it means that she's even thinking that.

Luckily, she doesn't have much time to ponder these thoughts, because Elliot tugs on the elbow of her shirt and nods his head towards the door. "Ready to get started?" he asks, and she nods quickly. Anything to get her mind off the roiling emotions and twisting thoughts that are consuming her right now. He tosses her the keys, and she slides gladly behind the wheel.

"You zoned through the Captain's instructions," Elliot says, sounding a little amused. Olivia smiles lightly, glad that he's not mad, even if his amusement is at her expense.

"My head was busy," she says.

"Blonde or redhead?"

Olivia groans. "Both. Am I really that predictable?"

"How predictable?"

"That whenever I'm distracted, it always has something to do with one or both of them."

Elliot nods, a little too quickly. "Yes."

She groans and reaches over to slap him lightly. "Thanks."

He ducks. "Hey! You asked! Besides, it's only lately."

"I know I did. And I have been preoccupied recently."

Olivia's phone rings then, and she flips it open without looking down and answers. "Benson."

The voice on the other end is familiar enough that she recognizes it, but doesn't belong to someone who calls her very often. "Olivia?"

"Mrs. Cabot, hello. Can I do something for you?"

"Do you know where Alex is, by any chance? She's not answering her phones."

Olivia glances at Elliot, knows she's going to get the third degree after she gets off the phone, and decides bite the bullet and just answer anyway. "She's at my place. But she's probably sleeping, if she's still got her cell turned off. Is something wrong?"

The woman sounds perplexed. "No. Should something be?"

"No, of course not. It's just that it's early, yet."

There's a rustle, and Olivia chances a glance over at her partner while Mrs. Cabot is busy. He's smirking, trying hard to hold back a smile, and Olivia groans to herself. In for it. She's going to be in for it.

Mrs. Cabot comes back on the line. "Oh, dear. I just checked the clock-- I didn't realize it was so early!"

"Alex was sleeping on her feet when I left," Olivia replies. "She probably won't be up for a while, yet."

"Alright. Thank you, dear. I'll call her later."

"No problem. Goodbye, Mrs. Cabot."

"Goodbye, Olivia." The phone clicks in her ear and Olivia flips it shut expertly before tucking it back onto her belt with her free hand. "Don't say it," she says without even looking over.

"Don't say what?" Elliot's tone is the picture of innocence.

"Whatever it is you want to say with that big goofy grin on your face."

"What big, goofy grin?"

Olivia isn't fooled. "The one that's trying to break out right now."

There's silence for a moment, and then Elliot can't resist. "She's at your place?"

Olivia groans aloud this time. "Yes."

"You had a good night, then?"

She's about to give him some sarcastic reply, when she hears the real concern in Elliot's voice, and decides to give him better than that. "Yeah, I did."

"I'm glad." There's a pause. "But Casey sure was hell on wheels this morning."

Olivia flinches lightly. "Yeah. I figured that, from the way you guys were all cowering away from her."

"Bad break?"

One day is enough perspective for Olivia to consider talking about the subject, but not enough to actually come anywhere close to understanding it. "She said she was leaving me. So I could decide who I wanted without prior attachments."

"Oh."

Olivia pulls the car up to a red light and stops. She glances over at Elliot. "'Oh'? That's all you have to say?"

He meets her eyes with his piercing blue ones, a shade or two darker and warmer than Alex's. "It's a tough call, Liv. I'm glad I've never been there."

She sighs. "I wish I wasn't."

"But you're glad Alex is back?"

"Of course!" Her voice softens. "So glad."

Elliot doesn't respond, and Olivia lets the silence carry them all the way to the little house that Tanya's former calculus professor lives in. Professionalism slips back over their faces, and Olivia is glad to let her mind go silent and focus solely on the upcoming interview.

Professor Bates is a stooped, little old man with a cane. There's a wheelchair next to the door, motorized and apparently waiting for him if he wants to go out. He smiles up at them from where is head is approximately even with Olivia's shoulders, and motions them inside.

"Would you like some tea? Coffee?" he asks politely, moving slowly towards the living room.

"Oh, no thank you," Olivia replies. "We're here to ask you some questions about Tanya Martin? She was a high school student in the college-immersion program, and she was in your calculus class two years ago."

The professor sits himself slowly down in a thickly padded armchair, dropping the last few inches as his joints give out. "I don't think I remember her," he says slowly. "Calculus isn't a very hands-on subject, detective. I didn't have much cause to interact with my students."

Reaching into her bag, Olivia pulls out a photo-- Tanya's senior yearbook picture. "This is Tanya, Professor Bates. Does this help you remember her at all?"

The little old man pulls a pair of glasses from his breast pocket and steadies them on his nose with shaking hands. Then he takes the photo from Olivia, and peers at it intently. "Oh! Yes, I remember her. She sat in the back of class, usually on time, never a problem."

"Did you notice any changes in her behavior about halfway through the year?" Olivia asks.

"What kind of changes?"

"Difference in her body language, sudden trouble with the material, absences, anything unusual, really," Elliot supplies.

The professor shakes his head slowly. "No… not really. She might have missed a few more days than usual, but I don't keep very good track of attendance. And she always sat in the back and was quiet, so I didn't really notice her much at all." He shakes his head again and takes off his glasses. "I'm sorry I can't be more help."

Elliot rises and Olivia follows him, holding out an arm for the elderly man to steady himself on as he gets up. "Thank you," he says, and she nods.

"Call us if you think of anything, okay?" She says, and hands him her business card. He takes it with claw-like fingers and puts it into his breast pocket, behind the glasses.

"Certainly."

Olivia thanks him once more, and then follows Elliot down the short ramp to the sidewalk. "Well, that was a waste of time," he says.

She nods. "Where to next?"

Elliot pulls his phone off his belt and slides into the passenger seat. "I'll call Munch and Fin, see if they've dug anything up on the chemistry professor. If not, I guess we go talk to the American history teacher."

Munch and Fin report that they have tracked the missing chemistry professor as far as Idaho ("Who the hell wants to go to Idaho?" Munch adds) but have lost him there. He's dead, changed his name, or is in some other way managing to slip under the radar. Elliot sighs, hangs up the phone, and gestures to Olivia to start the car.

"American history teacher?" she says, and he nods.

"Still haven't found the chemistry prof," he replies. "He seems to be completely gone."

They're halfway to the college where the American history professor now works when Olivia's phone rings. "Get that for me?" she asks Elliot, and he pulls it off her waistband and flips it open before handing it to her.

"Benson."
"Liv, you okay? Elliot's not answering."

"Yeah, I'm fine. He's right here. Must be something wrong with his phone. What have you got?"

"We've got a sighting on the chemistry professor. Apparently he's come back to the city."

Olivia pulls the car over to wait. "Where?"

Fin rattles off the address, and Olivia nods to herself. "We're there. Ten minutes, tops."

She hangs up the phone, and looks over at her partner. Elliot has his phone out and is pressing buttons, trying to make it respond. "What's wrong?" she asks.

He shrugs. "No idea. It's just dead." He flattens his hand and thumps it gently. There's nothing.

"Oh, well. Least the city pays for these," Olivia says, and Elliot nods. He tucks the dead phone back onto his belt, and watches as Olivia puts the car into gear and drives away. "So they found him?"

"Yeah. They're enroute now."

The chemistry professor may have been found, but he does not want to talk with them. As soon as he confirms that they have no arrest warrant, he slams the door in the faces and refuses to open it again to Olivia's knocks. After a few moments, she turns around and looks at the other three. "So? He got a record?" She asks.

Fin opens a folder and looks down at it for a moment. "One arrest for arson when he was eighteen. Got off by convincing the judge it was a chemistry experiment gone wrong. One arrest for assault, five years ago." His eyebrows raise. "He pleaded it down from rape because there was no forensic evidence. Did a year."

Elliot nods and moves up the walkway to the door again. Olivia instinctively follows him. "Mr. Turner! We really need to talk to you!"

There's silence, and Elliot rings the doorbell once, then twice. Finally the door pops open, and Turner pokes his head out, red-faced. "Will you people just leave me alone!"

Elliot smiles, that unfailingly polite but somewhat shark-toothed smile he always gives suspects he doesn't like. "We really need to speak with you, sir."

"Are you just going to stand here until I let you in?" Neither detective answers, and Turner grumbles loudly, then opens the door the rest of the way. "Fine. Come on in." He turns around and ignores them as they follow him into the small apartment's living room, or what passes for it. "What do you want?"

"To talk about Tanya Martin."

He looks perplexed. "Who's that?"

Olivia pulls the photograph out again. "She was in your chemistry class two years ago. Do you remember her?"

Turner looks at the photograph and then shakes his head. "Nope. Don't remember her."

"You taught her for a year."

"I don't interact with my students much," he says, and Olivia wants to roll her eyes and say 'I believe you,' but with great effort she restrains herself.

Elliot has been looking around casually while Olivia is holding Turner's attention, and now something has caught his eye. He's careful to disguise it, and if Olivia didn't know him better, she'd think it was totally casual when he turned to Turner and asked to use the bathroom.

Turner does roll his eyes, and points. "Knock yourself out."

Elliot's only gone a moment, and Olivia keeps Turner busy asking him if he remembers Tanya acting weirdly, or not turning in assignments, or anything else out of the ordinary, but he insists that he doesn't remember her. When Elliot gets back, he's holding his hand curled around something, and Olivia carefully doesn't look at it for more than a split second.

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Turner," she says. "We'll be in touch."

"It's Doctor Turner," the man grumbles under his breath, getting out of his chair to show them the door, and Olivia smiles politely.

"We'll be in touch, Doctor."

When they've cleared the apartment, Elliot opens his hand and shows it to her and Munch and Fin, who are waiting. Inside is a small evidence bag, inside which are several hairs that look to have come from an animal.

"In a hairbrush?" Olivia asks.

He nods. "Let's call Novak."

Olivia does not volunteer to make the call, and luckily, Munch pulls out his phone without further prompting, and hands it to Elliot. Elliot looks a little like he'd rather be facing a prison sentence than call Casey, but he does it without too much hesitation.

From Elliot's side of the conversation, which is short and decidedly not sweet, Olivia can deduce that not only does Casey think there's nowhere near enough evidence for a search warrant, she also thinks that Elliot should know that by now and shouldn't have bothered to call her. He hangs up looking distinctly befuddled, and shakes his head once before he hands to phone back to Munch.

"I take it she said no?" is Munch's dry response.


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