To the reviewers Manhattan SVU and krazypirategurl: Thanks for reviewing my story! I'm glad you guys liked it! Thanks for taking the time to R&R!
Some how (by some miracle I guess) we got a free day yesterday during my first hour class so I had time to proofread the third chapter. So here it is and enjoy!
Central Park
Monday July 25th, 2005
"People, are you in your places?" asked Cragen on a mike.
"No, we're just getting something to eat from the local vendor," said Munch sarcastically.
Cragen rolled his eyes. Munch had been acting irritable all morning and he knew why. Munch did not like the idea of Amy going out on her own without a weapon and a person more than three yards away. Munch had tried to argue to the captain the night before, but Cragen stood his ground. It was only until Cragen reminded Munch of his place when he stopped.
Cragen and Fin gave Amy a rundown of what she needed do that morning while Benson put a mike under her shirt and a headband with a camera and a mini headset to cover the ears. This would be for listening and watching the environment around her from the van
"Try to temp this guy to come after you," Fin had said, "And if he starts to be trouble then say something that you would normally say to us only, but he won't understand it."
"Now Munch is going to be here and Fin is going to be there," said Cragen, pointing to a map on the computer screen, "You are not to leave Elliot's sight at all times. And like Fin said, if you see any signs of trouble, don't hesitate to call for back up."
Cragen would have talked to her about the argument he had with her uncle, but due to Fin and Benson being there with him and Munch shouting ridiculous statements every few minutes while reading the morning paper on the deck, he put it out of his mind.
So now they were in Central Park. Munch was across the street that Benson and Stabler had driven on sitting a bench reading the newspaper, and Fin was on top of the hill overlooking the field. Stabler was on the edge of the field walking Amy to the coach. The team was on the field was practicing. Apparently the coach had split the team in two, because they were playing a game.
"Ready?" Stabler asked.
"I'm ready," came her reply.
"Let's go then."
They walked onto the field, toward the coach. He noticed them and told one of the girls to take over the team. He walked to them.
"Hello there," said Stabler, "I believe I called this morning about putting my little girl on your soccer team?"
"Ahh, yeah. You must be that new family from Pennsylvania. I'm Martin Malthus," said the coach, putting his hand forward.
Stabler grabbed it and shook it, not taking his eyes from the man for one minute. "Ryan Woodburn," he said.
"So this is your talented daughter, then?" asked Malthus, pointing to Amy.
"Yeah, that's her. My little, talented pride and joy. If you don't mind me saying, she was the best on her team last year."
Amy resisted the impulse to step on Stabler's foot. "Go ahead, El, brag your little heart out. You know I'm not the best at this game! What are you trying to do, blow my cover already?" she thought to herself.
"Well, we'll see if she lives up to her reputation. What position do you normally play?" asked Malthus to Amy.
"Uhh…Midfielder? Sometimes I play Forward too."
"That's fine then," he said and he turned to the field. "Mifflin! You got a new teammate! She'll be playing Forward!"
The girl called Mifflin nodded then turned her attention back to the game. Amy ran to the girl in the field, while Stabler and Malthus. In the surveillance van, Benson got a good look at the girl on the screen.
"Cap, that's Tara. That's the girl I interviewed at that café!"
Amy heard Benson on her mini head set.
"You sure that's her?" asked Cragen
"Positive. Keep an eye on her, Amy."
"Got it."
First mistake of the mission: Amy had answered to one of her comrades while someone was watching. In this case, Tara was watching her.
"Who you talking to?" she asked.
Amy hid her surprise. "Oh I thought you heard me say I would get the ball."
"The eager beaver, huh?" Tara asked.
"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"
"Better not get too eager around him," and she jerked her head toward Malthus.
"Why?"
But Tara did not respond. The ball had just come her way and she stopped with her foot.
"You still want the ball?" she asked.
"Sure," said Amy and Tara passed it to her.
Amy took off with ball weaving in and out of the opposing players. It had been easy around stationary garden objects, but now the objects were moving. Stabler had warned her of this, but she did not expect it to be this hard.
"If you're not sure which way they're going block you, then feint a move in a certain direction, but then cut quickly to the opposite direction," he had said.
"Thanks," she replied sarcastically.
She did that three times, but on the last two tries, she had nearly lost the ball. So she passed it to a nearby teammate which happened to be Tara.
Tara stopped it with her foot, then took off with it. Nobody could not catch up with her; the field was hers. Amy was giving everything she got just to keep up with, considering she had sore muscles from the day before and Saturday. They were almost to the goal.
Tara at the last second passed the ball to Amy. The goalie had been focused on Tara and had not seen Amy approaching from the opposite side. The ball was in the air when Amy positioned herself to send it in the goal.
THUMP!
"Goal!" shouted one of their team members.
"Nice shot," said Tara, "How did you do that?"
"Practice," replied Amy.
Meanwhile, Malthus and Stabler had seen the whole thing.
"Your girl just managed to keep up with one of my best and fastest players on the team. Now how did she do that?" asked Malthus.
"I make her practice," said Stabler.
"Well, I guess practice does make perfect. I think I can squeeze her on here then. Tomorrow bring her here at eight. We usually end at eleven, but sometimes we end at noon. Usually depends on how well the girls practice."
Stabler could only nod and smiled, trying very hard to hide his anger.
"Practice my ass," Stabler muttered in the car.
"Huh?" asked Amy.
"Nothing. Malthus just said something to me that sorta got me steamed."
"Everything gets you steamed El," said Munch.
Everyone groaned. After Amy finished practice, they left at different times, but they had not taken their equipment off. Munch had been torturing them for the past fifteen minutes with random phrases and conspiracy theories because he and Fin were going to be the last to leave.
"Shut up Munch," said Amy.
"Why? You're not the boss of me," Munch replied.
"Shut up John. Just because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, doesn't mean you have to take it out on us," said Stabler.
"I did not wake up on the wrong side of the fing bed…"
"Doesn't seem that way," Benson replied over the mike and Cragen nodded in agreement.
"Munch, for God's sake man, just shut up. We don't wanna hear about Watergate or UFOs no more," came Fin's voice over the mike.
"It's a free country," said Munch.
"JOHN, JUST SHUT UP!" yelled everyone.
2675 House Number 89
Forest Hills, queens
Stabler sat on the deck, deep in thought. He was supposed to be watching Amy perfect her feinting moves, but for anyone who knew Stabler, he had a far away look in his eyes. There were two voices inside his head, arguing back and forth.
"You can't always protect them," said one voice.
"Yes you can," said the other.
"What happens if you're not around? Kathy will protect them just as good as you do."
"Sure, she left you. Like she'll protect your kids."
"But they're her kids too. She loves them as much as you do. You can't just take them away from her because you think you can do a better job at being a parent."
"Arrrgh, just stop," said Stabler to himself.
"Stop what?" asked Amy.
"Hmm…oh! No, what you're doing is fine. Just keep continuing what you were doing," he replied.
She shot him a dirty look before resuming.
"Are you actually watching her?" asked someone behind him.
Benson walked out onto the deck.
"Of course I am," said Stabler.
"Funny," said Benson, "I got the impression that you've been making her do the same thing over and over for the past thirty minutes."
"And?"
"Elliot Stabler, I know you. Something is bothering you so spill."
"Okay it's about Liz."
"Is this about your kids?"
"And if I said yes?"
"I would tell you that you can't always be there for them."
"But this is…"
"El, you've got to learn that if anything happen to them they would come directly to you and tell you. Otherwise, they'll have to risk the chance of you finding out some other way that they know you won't appreciate. Don't worry about them so much alright, they'll be fine."
"And I am supposed to feel better after this pep talk?"
"Well yes."
Amy stopped kicking the ball. "Well isn't this a Kodak Moment? What are you two lovebirds chatting about?" she asked sarcastically.
Benson and Stabler turned pink at this remark.
"Mind your own business!" they both shouted.
It is now Friday and everyone is getting reckless. Malthus has not done anything yet and Cragen knows that Saturday is his last day. Bronx's, Queens' and Brooklyn's SVU departments have been getting swamped with Manhattan calls and the FBI is now pushing them to leave.
"Who was that?" asked Fin.
"Friends of Huang telling me and you guys to hurry up and finish our operation," said Cragen as he hung up the phone.
"First Brooklyn, then Queens, then Bronx, and now the FBI. Who's next, the mayor?" asked Munch, "They should know that these things take time."
"They're not liking the idea that they have to handle all the major cases from our area. They're already swamped with problems of their own John," said Stabler.
"This is a complete waste of time. I told you she was lying. Now we can pick her up for filing a false report," said Fin.
"I'm telling you this Fin. I saw that kid and she was raped. She showed all the signs of being raped and once more you weren't there. So quit saying that she filed a false report!" yelled an exasperated Benson.
"Guys, I have to agree with Olivia over here. I mean look what she said to me the first day I was there," said Amy.
"Then why is she there when she knows he could harm her again?" said Cragen.
"Denial. She's pretending that it didn't happen. How many times have we seen that?" protested Benson.
Cragen sighed. "Okay, we'll finish out the week, but I don't want to leave empty handed. We're going to have to bait him."
"I thought I was doing that in the first place Captain!" cried Amy.
"Well being the best player isn't cutting it. There has to be someway…"
But Amy wasn't listening to Cragen, she was looking at Munch. He had a look on his face that she had never seen before. It was pure rage and it was directed to Cragen.
"Captain, if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then I would disagree," Munch said trying to control his anger.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want her to be by herself for more than a minute. Don't even think about moving Elliot a couple more feet away from her. What happens if something goes wrong? I want someone there to be near her at all times."
"Why?" asked Amy.
"Because, you are the smallest of all of us. Anybody the size of Fin or bigger can and will overpower you," Munch said to her.
"So you think I can't defend myself? Then why do I kick box, hm?"
"Then prove it."
She scowled at him, knowing well that no one would volunteer to get beat up. But to her surprise, Stabler got up from the sofa.
"Okay, we'll prove John wrong," he said.
"Okay," said a very puzzled Amy.
"Give me your best shot."
She gave him another puzzling look.
"Will you just punch me already?" he asked, annoyed.
It was over in five seconds. Amy kicked him in the stomach and he was bending over grabbing his stomach.
"I said punch not kick," he wheezed, "Is that enough proof for you John?"
Munch returned the scowl to Amy, still not pleased at the thought that his niece might be alone just for a couple of minutes to bait Malthus.
Munch really needs to lighten up a bit doesn't he? Or is there a reason for him acting the way he is? Oh dear, I have said too much already! R&R and post what you think might...