Title: Just Another Gamble
Author: Sara and Lizzie
Rating: T
Disclaimer: We don't own Law And Order: Special Victims Unit. If we did, our favorite detectives would be together. We don't own anything that we mention in the story that is owned by anyone else.
Author's Note: Ok, we're thrilled. Our goal was 10 reviews per chapter, and we're getting that. But we're floundering here. Please, tell us how we're doing, are we in character, where should this go, etc. Oh yeah, we promise that the action will increase.
16th precinct, 5:45 am
Elliot trudged back to the precinct, muttering to himself. He sipped the coffee he had gotten himself. He was clutching the cup he bought as a peace offering to Olivia in his other hand. He saw the door to the station swing open, and he nearly ran into Kathy as he stepped inside.
"Kathy?" he asked. It was obvious she had been crying.
She wiped her cheeks quickly. "Hi."
"Were you looking for me?"
Kathy smiled a slow, sad, smile. "I'm looking more for answers, Elliot." He opened his mouth, and Kathy knew what he was going to say before he even said it. "Stop apologizing. We had some good years, El. We shouldn't be sorry for them."
Elliot shook his head, feeling hollow. "It wasn't supposed to be like this Kathy."
She smiled sadly again. "We got married too young, and had too many things against us. But we had four terrific kids. And I'll be here for you." She hesitated, but then decided to tell him. "I actually came here looking for Olivia."
Elliot raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
Kathy continued. "She loves you too."
Elliot raised his eyes skyward, as if he was trying to thank and blame God for this all at the same time.
"So go." Kathy said. "Go do your job, go get the girl. I'll call you later about the papers. Let's keep the lawyers out of it."
Elliot nodded, leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thank you." He started the walk towards the stairs.
"Elliot?" Kathy called. "Don't let her give up on you. She'll push you away. She's scared. Prove her wrong." And without another word, Kathy Stabler, walked out of the building, and away from her marriage.
Elliot put his half-empty coffee cup on his desk and got rid of his coat. He opened his mouth to ask Munch where Olivia was, but instead of asking his question, he got cut off for the second time in five minutes.
"The roof." Munch said simply.
Elliot nodded, and went up.
Olivia was still standing with her elbows on the ledge, watching the city. Elliot walked up to her and wordlessly handed her the coffee.
"Thanks."
He opened his mouth to apologize, but for what? Sorry I kissed you Liv? It sounded ridiculous, even in his head.
"You talked to Kathy."
"She came to me."
"I know."
There was a long silence. Olivia sipped her coffee, and Elliot pretended not to watch her out of the corner of his eye. The moment he turned to face her was the moment she put her coffee on the edge of the roof. His arms wrapped slowly around her and pulled her close to him.
He held her like that for a few minutes, and then released her. She picked up her coffee as if nothing had happened. Elliot felt frustrated and turned to go. She followed him, and before they went down the stairs, she grabbed his arm.
"Elliot?" He faced her. "When you get the divorce, we're going to have a lot to talk about."
"Elliot." Cragen barked the second they re-entered the precinct, "Blair Roberts is awake at Lenox Hill. Go talk to her."
"Munch, Fin, go back to the townhouse. Find out if anyone in a nearby home or building heard or saw anything unusual."
The three of them looked questioningly back and forth between their captain and Olivia and Cragen turned his gaze to her. "Benson, you'll be staying here, working out what you're going to tell IAB at your nine o'clock hearing."
"Hearing?" Olivia repeated. "I didn't do anything."
"I know you didn't." Cragen said. "But your partner gave up a suspect and gunned down another one. Given Elliot's file, this hearing is a priority and they want you to testify as to how bad the situation really was."
"And I can't even be there?" Elliot asked.
"You've done enough for one day, Stabler." Cragen yelled. "Just go talk to the girl."
Elliot stalked off, followed by Munch and Fin, and Cragen beckoned Olivia into his office.
"Olivia." He started, but she flung her hand in the air to stop him.
"Do you know what it was like this morning? Chaos. And Elliot didn't risk me. I won't give him anything less."
Cragen sighed, and merely nodded, to let her know she could go.
Lenox Hill Hospital, 100 East 77th Streert, 6:24 am.
Elliot sat next to Blair Robert's bed, and wished that Olivia was here. She was so good with victims, and she could really relate to this one.
"Hi, Blair, I'm Detective Stabler from Special Victims. My partner, who's not here right now, and I are handling your case. We'll take your formal statement at our precinct later, but do you think you could tell me what happened?"
The girl nodded resolutley. "I was out. My friends and I went to Double Seven. Em couldn't go, cause she had to have dinner with her dad. So we were dancing until pretty late."
"How late?"
"I think I left around 3. It's uptown, so I didn't get home until almost 4."
"So you got home. Did you lock the door?"
"That's what's so weird. I know I locked the door. I forget to a lot, but Momchewed meout about yesterday morning when she came over and found it unlocked." Blair raised her voice into an imitation of her mom. "We didn't buy you a home in Piedmont, North Dakota, Blair. You were the one who insisted you wanted to move to Chelsea. Now lock your doors, or it's Lexington Avenue for you."
Elliot smiled. This girl was something else. "So you locked the door."
"I'm positive." Blair continued. "I got in the shower. I threw on sweatpants and a beater. I called Emily and she said that she went out with some girls we know after she had dinner with her dad. I decided to wait up for her, so I grabbed an Amp from the fridge and watched TV. I heard a key in the door downstairs. I figured it was Emily. But it was this man."
Elliot nodded. "Blair, these details are great. Do you remember what he looked like?"
"He was about Peter's age," she said, referring to her step father. "He had really dark brown hair. He was tall, 6 feet maybe? He had gray eyes, a straight nose and a little bit of a beard."
Elliot raised his eyebrows, looking at Blair's dark brown hair and straight nose. "What did he do?"
"He grabbed me, and forced me into the guest room." She said matter of factly. "He held me down on the bed, and he told me that my mom wasn't the first or the last and neither was I. Then he took my clothes off, and that's the last thing I remember."
Elliot nodded. "Blair, we think he might have-."
She cut him off. "Raped me? Well I figured."
Elliot raised his eyebrows again. "The rape kit will let us know for sure. When we get your test results, we'll ask you to come to the precinct to give us a formal statement."
Blair smiled. "Anything I can do to help, detective."
"We're also going to ask you to talk to our forensic pyschatrist."
Blair nodded.
"We'll call you." Elliot said, bidding her goodbye.
He paused outside her hospital room to think it all over. Blair reminded him of someone. Someone else who was that strong, and who refused to cry or betray emotion. Blair reminded him of Olivia.
IAB Hearing, 1 Police Plaza, 8:54 am.
Alex and Olivia walked to the closed door. "Thye won't let me or Cragen go in with you." Alex told her. "They're afraid we're going to feed you fake answers."
Olivia's jaw set. "You won't have to."
"You're going to lie to them." Alex said. It wasn't a question or an answer or an judgement.
Olivia shrugged. "What choice do I have? If I tell the truth, they'll get rid of him."
"If they find out you lied, they'll get rid of both of you." Alex pointed out in the same non committing tone Olivia was using.
Olivia sighed. "Choices and chances, Cabot. He'd do it for me."
Alex shook her head as the doors opened to let Olivia into the room. "Good luck Liv."
16th Precinct, 8:58 am
Elliot paced aound Cragen's office. "It was her father, captain, I know it was. Aside from what the guy told her, she matched her description of him. Same hair, same nose. And…"
"And?" Cragen prompted.
"She looks sort of like Olivia. Same face shape, same determination."
Cragen shook his head. "Elliot, let it go right now. Do not under any circumstances mention to Olivia that you have the slightest thought that this could be her father. I want her on this case."
Elliot nodded, understanding. Olivia's father was one of the few places where she faltered, and having to take her off the case would be the worst thing they could do, for Olivia and the case.
Cragen watched Elliot and looked at the clock. "Her hearing starts now."
"My hearing. The heat should be on me, not her."
"They very well may fire you, Elliot. Or re-assign you."
"Cap, if you would have been there…"
"I'm not blaming you. But if Olivia gets anymore caught in this, you shouldn't feel too good about yourself."
IAB Hearing, 1 Police Plaza, 9:15 am.
"Detective Benson, will you please describe what happened after you detective Stabler exited your vehicle?"
Olivia nodded and calmly began to recite her new version of what had happened. "Detective Stabler was punched by one of the suspects immediately after leaving our squad car. He attempted to subdue the suspect, while I attempted to place cuffs on another. He was a lot larger than I was, but Dectectives Munch and Tutuola were busy trying subdue other perpatrators while back up officers helped several girls out of their vehicle." She paused and took a breath.
"The man that I was attempting to cuff pulled my shoulder around and instantly dislocated it." She lied. Her shoulder was only partially dislocated. "It was my right arm, so I was immediately handicapped. After hitting me several times in the face and temples, he picked me off my feet and threw me into a squad car." She said, inserting lies in with the truth.
"My head hit the car and I blacked out. I regained conciousness several seconds later. The suspect in question was kicking my ribs."
Olivia took a deep breath, suffering a moment's hesitation. She was under oath and would definetly lose her job if anyone found out that she was lying….
"Detective Stabler saw what happened next. The suspect pulled a knife on me, and was holding it to my jugular vein." Olivia lied. "I have every reason to think he would have used it, had Detective Stabler not taken the action that he had."
"You would deem Detective Stabler's actions neccesary?"
Olivia shook her head. "Absolutely. I believe that had my partner not used his weapon in the manner that he did, I wouldn't be here to testify today."
16th Precinct, 11:27 am.
Olivia wandered around for awhile before she made her way back to the precinct. It was warming up, and she had a lot to think about. Regretfully, she made her way back to the station.
"Benson, where the hell have you been?" Cragen demanded the second he saw here. Without waiting for an answer he jerked his head in the direction of his office, and feeling Elliot's eyes on her, Olivia followed.
"I just got off the phone with IAB. They cleared Elliot. Apparently your back up officer's report left out the part where the perp held a knife to your throat."
Olivia looked Cragen square in the eye. "You would have done the same thing if it was your partner."
Cragen met Olivia's gaze and sighed. "Right. Anything for your partner."
He opened the door to usher her out, and beckoned for Elliot to come in. The way Olivia deliberatley avoided Elliot's eyes was not lost on their captain.
"Sit down Elliot." Cragen commanded. For once, Elliot did as he was told. "A rep from IAB just called."
Cragen was gratified to see that Elliot looked worried. He didn't want to lose any of his detectives, but he wanted Elliot to play by the rules.
"They cleared you."
Elliot stared at him. "She didn't."
"What, tell the truth, but painting you in such a heroic light they decided to clear you even though she killed someone for no relevant reason? You're right she didn't. But she did lie to Internal Affairs. She did risk her own ass to save yours."
Elliot winced. Cragen continued his rant. "I don't know what the hell is going on Elliot. But I'm having bad deja-vu. Figure it out."
Elliot nodded again, and left Cragen's office. He was met outside by Olivia. "Warner called. Rape kit's in."
And he followed her silently out the door, unable to find anything to say.
They are the 16th precinct right? Please review...we're slaves to your opinions. The action and romance and angts will pick up a little more soon. Tell us what you want, ok?