After all of the fights and the
lies
Yes you wanted to harm me but that won't work anymore
Uh,
no more, oh no, it's over
'Cause if it wasn't for all of your
torture
I wouldn't know how to be this way now, and never back
down
So I wanna say thank you
'Cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me
work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So
thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter
"Olivia can you come into my office for a minute?" Cragen asked, poking his head out of his office and beckoning her.
Olivia looked around for a sign from her fellow detectives, but no one looked the wiser. She pushed herself away from the desk and headed into the captain's office.
"Close the door," he said, standing behind his desk. Olivia looked at him quizzically, and did as she was told.
"Elliot has some concerns about your job performance Olivia," Cragen said, getting right to the point.
Olivia stilled. She was shocked but knew she shouldn't be. To put it frankly, she had been dealing with Elliot's bullshit for the past month. She had refused to heed his demand that she leave unit, instead hoping he was just blowing off steam. Instead it got her constant verbal abuse and disrespect from her partner, oftentimes in front of their co-workers.
"What exactly?" she asked in a neutral tone.
Cragen shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, he said that you are too 'emotionally involved' with the cases, particularly the Spicer one."
Olivia's eyes widened. "Sir, I'm just as passionate about my other cases…I don't think I understand where this is coming from."
"Well," he drawled, "He said that you bullied a rape victim into giving you information, and you cried after seeing one who had been maimed. As a matter of fact, he says you've cried and lost your cool on many occasions."
Olivia went cold with fury. Yes, she did lose her composure after visiting a rape victim who had been blinded by her attack. That one she'll admit to. But on many occasions? Lost her cool? Bullied a suspect? Bullshit.
"Bullshit," she said, echoing her thoughts. "Captain, I'll admit…I did lose it once after seeing a blind victim…but the rest of this? Tell me when and where! What the hell is he talking about?"
Cragen shuffled some papers on his desk and pulled out a one sheet. Handing it to her, Olivia scanned its contents. Elliot had documented and dated each of her outbursts and included it in a tidy little report for their captain. The words on the page started to blur as her fury overtake her.
"What are you trying to tell me Don?" Olivia snapped.
"Do you dispute this?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, Don. Yes I 'dispute' this," she said, mocking his tone with clenched teeth. "Elliot Stabler has a problem with me and he has gone to lengths to get rid of me. This is bullshit and baseless and I won't stand for it. If you try to remove me from this squad, I will have my PBA lawyer down here so fast, your be on your ass." Olivia sputtered to a stop as she realized she had crossed the line. To her surprise, Cragen just nodded.
"Work this out with your partner," was all he said.
Nodding tightly, Olivia flew out of the office. Spotting Elliot leaning against his desk and talking to Munch, Jeffries and Cassidy, she marched over to him. Spotting her approach, the detectives fell silent.
Olivia walked up to Elliot and gave him a brilliant smile. Then she ripped the report up into tiny pieces, grabbed Munch's coffee cup and swished the paper around in the cup until it was a mushy mess. Then she turned around and dumped the coffee and paper onto Elliot's desk, causing him to pitch forward to avoid getting splattered.
"There's your transfer asshole," she said sweetly. Grabbing her coat, she headed to the roof, leaving the four detectives gaping at her retreating form.
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Olivia grabbed the side of the wall and looked out over the side. She was seething, fighting hard to control her breathing That bastard. She couldn't believe that he would go to such lengths to get his way. Apparently he had changed over the years, into a vindictive, sneaky individual. Well, she hadn't she thought fiercely. She was more of a fighter now than ever.
"I told you to leave."
Olivia turned see Elliot standing behind her on the roof. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "You weren't cooperating so I had to give you a bit of a push."
"I'm not leaving Elliot," she said firmly. "If you don't think you can get past our history…your feeling towards me, then you need to leave. But no one, and I mean no one, forces me to do anything I don't want to do. Not anymore."
Elliot moved closer to her until they were face to face. He looked at her with his penetrating stare, trying to read her, gauge her intentions. What he got back was a steady, determined look of a woman who was not willing to backing down, not even to him.
"We can never…ever…make references to our pasts to anyone…not even the harmless stuff," he said quietly.
"I know."
"Someone might put two and two together and realize that we know each other, and even that is too much of a risk," he went on, as though he hadn't heard her. "We have to pretend that this is the first time we ever met."
"I got it," she said irritably. "Elliot I have just as much to fear as you do."
Elliot shook his head ruefully. "No, you don't. But you keep thinking that." He turned and left her on the roof.
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