CHAPTER 13

Lies

Elliot was exhausted. He had spent the better part of the day on a stakeout for an ex-con suspected of raping his thirteen-year-old stepdaughter and her friend. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head until he had to stumble to work the next day.

He unlocked the front door and stepped in. The quiet and darkness hit him like a brick wall. It was only nine o'clock, his brood should have still been up roaming around. He flipped on a couple of lights and wandered into the kitchen.

Kathy was sitting at the table, waiting for him. The look in her eyes stopped him dead cold. He didn't even have to ask. He just knew. There weren't very many things he could have done to her to cause so much anguish, so much pain.

He sat down opposite from her and remained silent. This was her show, let her handle it the way that she wanted to.

"How long?" she croaked in a whisper. She pushed back her hair with her left hand. Her wedding ring was noticeably absent.

Elliot eyes started to well up with tears. "A few months," he whispered back.

Kathy let her own tears spill over. "I gave you everything Elliot Stabler…my life, my devotion, my love, my children…"

"I know Kathy, I know…"

"I stood by you when this job took you away from us, changed you, made you unrecognizable," she continued, her eyes wandering off. "All I asked is that you continued to love us. That's all I asked."

"Kathy," he blurted, reaching out for her hand. She didn't pull away. "I do love you, I love this family…"

"No you don't Elliot…don't lie to me…I can't take any more lies…"

Elliot was helpless. "I'm not lying…I just…there is nothing I can say to excuse what I have done to you Kathy. What I have done to our family."

Kathy started to tremble. "This isn't…this isn't a 'thing' is it?"

Elliot looked deeply into her eyes. "…No. It's not just a thing."

Kathy's faced crumbled. Elliot sat there with her and held her hand while she wept, mourning over all that was lost and could never be replaced.

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Alex opened the door slowly. Olivia was beyond upset and had begged Alex to let her come by and cry on her shoulder. She hadn't told Alex the whole story on the phone and she knew that she couldn't. She just needed someone to lean on, someone to calm her fears.

"Hey," Olivia said breathlessly. "Thank you Alex for letting me swing by."

Alex nodded. "Sure," she said simply. She stood aside so Olivia could enter the apartment. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked politely.

Olivia paused. Alex was playing it very cool. "Are…ummm…I thought you said your parents were out?"

"They are."

"Oh…" They stood there staring at each other. Olivia broke the silence first. "Is everything alright Alex?"

"What happened at work today, Olivia?" she answered with her own question.

Olivia expelled a breath. "I've been suspended until further notice…a suspect made an allegation against me."

Alex crossed her arms. "A suspect huh?" Alex leaned against the end table. "Well, that's very interesting…sounds like there were a lot of allegations flying around the SVU today."

Olivia froze in disbelief. "What? What are you talking about?"

Alex smiled humorously. "Let me tell you what I heard," she said pushing off the table. She started to pace as she ticked off the facts. "You remember Alexandra Borgia in Major Cases? No? Well, she took over after Southerlyn was canned. Anyway, she is working on a case that brought her to the Special Victims Unit today."

Olivia's blood ran cold. Alex continued. "You'll never believe what she told me when I ran into her at lunch. Some woman came in ranting and raving about how one of the detectives was sleeping with her husband, who is also a detective. When Captain Cragen questioned her accuracy, she produced photos. Can you believe that? Caught her man red handed!"

"But, this is the best part," Alex continued, raising her voice and stepping up to Olivia. "The woman, this detective that had been sleeping with her husband was actually in the squad room. Apparently her husband and the female detective are partners. They had to restrain the wife before she attacked her. Can you believe that Olivia? How dramatic is that?"

Olivia eyes started to tear. "Alex," she said reaching for her.

Alex stepped back, out of reach. "You lied to me, Olivia, and I was stupid enough to go along with your deception."

"I…"

"Are you that starved for attention that you have to pretend to like women?" Alex incredulously.

"No, Alex," Olivia said, shaking her head violently. "I never told you I liked women, I just like being with you!"

"Bullshit," Alex screamed. "It was obvious from day one that you were into Elliot Stabler! It just never occurred to me that you would actually consummate a relationship with him!"

"I love you both!" Olivia cried. "I don't know how, I don't know why, but I love you both!"

"You obviously don't know what love is! I know it's not easy to be with me, with my fears and such," she said, seething, "but that doesn't give you the right to cheat on me. With a man no less! I want and need a lesbian, someone who can understand me, relate to me, not some greedy whore!"

"Excuse me!" A booming voice exclaimed.

Alex and Olivia whirled around. George and Louise stood in the doorway, comical looks on their faces. "You want a what!" George roared.

Olivia stepped up. "A lesbian," she said in a level voice. "She wants a lesbian, like her."

"Oh my…" Louise gasped, grabbing her cheeks. "Alexandra!" Her father's face flushed a bright red.

Olivia looked over her shoulder at Alex, who looked as if she could literally kill her.

"I can understand if you don't want to be with me Alex," Olivia said calmly. "I hurt you and I am sorry. But I care about you, love you, and this is the best thing I could have ever done for you."

"I hate you," Alex whispered. Olivia nodded her head wearily and walked out of the apartment.

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