Cragen turned when he reached the elevator. All thoughts of button-pushing left his mind as he watched Liv walk towards him. Liv felt more self-conscious under his gaze then all the rest of the guys put together. She couldn't help but feel like she was a teenager trying to sneak out past her dad dressed, well, like a hooker. She gave him a small half smile before dropping her eyes. That made him snap out of his daze and he jabbed the elevator button. Everyone else caught up to them then, saving them from making awkward conversation.
Back at the diner that day
Fin watched Liv's retreating form until she disappeared into the bathroom.
"Euphoria's in a rough part of town," he said.
"I know," Cragen responded.
"It's going to make surveillance a little tricky," Fin continued.
"What are you getting at, Fin?"
"If Liv wants to be in on this, she's going to have to dress up…like a pro."
Cragen looked stunned, then nodded slowly, but obviously thinking hard trying to come up with another option. Munch just tried to hide the smile on his face, but Fin caught it,
"You're a dirty old man, you know that?" he said. Munch just shrugged.
"She could just stay in the van," Cragen suggested.
"No, she won't," Fin and Munch said in unison.
"She's completely capable of defending herself, and she won't be out there alone," Fin continued.
"I know," Cragen said slowly. As Liv made her way back to the table he nodded, "alright, tell her."
"You just keep quiet," Fin told Munch.
Back to the present
Once outside the precinct, Fin, Cragen and Liv got into one of the sedans, Liv with a little more difficulty than the others. Then once she was there, she found it was almost impossible to sit without flashing some serious skin at Cragen sitting next to her. And he was uncomfortable enough as it was. She tried crossing her legs, but the skirt was definitely too short for that. 'How the hell do I get myself into these situations?' she asked herself before she realized the sweater was lumping beneath her. Happily, she pulled the tail up and around and dropped it in her lap, in the process covering up most of her thighs.
"You good, Liv?" Fin asked from the backseat. She looked up and realized they were still in the parking lot.
"Uh, yeah, let's go."
Her cell phone broke the silence of the car, startling them all. She glanced at the caller id and after a moment decided to answer,
"Hey," she said softly, "no, I'm on my way now, and I'll be leaving my phone in the car, so…," she sighed, "no, I'm not wearing a wire. I'll be fine, I promise. There isn't anywhere to hide a wire in this outfit anyway," she laughed, "maybe if you're lucky," she teased. She listened to the other person for a bit before answering, "okay, lo-me too, bye," she flipped the phone shut.
"Who was that?" Fin asked. Liv smiled,
"Someone special," she said. Fin leaned back in his seat smiling as well.
They let her out a few blocks away from the club and watch her strut away. She was about halfway down the block before Cragen spoke,
"Fin, tail her." Fin already had his hand on the handle at that point and he quickly slipped out after her.
Fin turned the corner a couple blocks later, and he couldn't see her.
"Shit."
He pulled out his flashlight and started to look between the buildings.
To be honest, she was more mad than anything else to find herself pinned against the wall in the alley. She hadn't even suspected the guy would grab her as he passed her. But he had, and here she was.
"I'm not for sale," she told him levelly.
"The hell you're not," he responded, his voice a little slurred.
"Let me go," she warned him. He laughed a little and let go of one arm to reach for her breast. She knocked his arm away and grabbed his wrist while punching him in the stomach with her other fist. Then she stamped her three-inch heel into his foot and brought her knee up into his groin. By the wrist she still held she spun him and pitched him forward onto the ground. He didn't get up, but he did let out a moan. She walked away.
Liv wasn't surprised to find Fin out in the street, looking a little more than concerned. He quickly caught up with her.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, grabbing her wrist. She twisted her hand loose and kept on walking,
"I'm fine," she lied. Fin flashed his light down the alley to see the guy limping away, in the other direction. Fin caught up with her,
"Did he touch you?" he asked.
"No."
"Look baby, I'm sorry, this was my idea," he looked her over, he couldn't see any damage, "Do you need to get checked out?"
"Fin, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me," she said.
"Looked like you did some good damage though," Fin said, a little awe in his voice. The corner of her mouth quirked up. They continued to walk in silence, but he didn't leave her side.
"Fin, I really appreciate your concern, but we're almost at the scene."
"You sure you're okay?"
She nodded, "Just a little adrenaline rush. I'll be fine."
She'd been wandering the area for almost half an hour before she spotted the pair: one guy practically dragging the other across the street. Cragen was closest to her, so she made her way to him. Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through her, maybe a little teenage rebellion, but an idea popped into her head.
Once out on the street she kicked up the swing of her hips, knowing that the long sweater would only accentuate it. His eyes almost bugged out of his head when he saw her but she didn't let up, not even when she got to the car.
"Hey sweetheart. You lonely tonight?" she managed to say with a straight face, 'did I just say that to my boss?' ran disbelieving through her mind. She continued speaking, but not without leaning further into the car, "Your twelve o'clock is a skinny kid in a black shirt and blue jeans hustling a guy in a grey sweater. Looks like he could be MKS," she said. Cragen seemed grateful to have somewhere else to look.
"Could be just going for a quickie," he suggested, but quickly ordered Fin to check it out. Cragen glanced back at her and was about to say something, but Fin's report that it was "going down," cut him off. The next second they were racing down the street to the alley, and Olivia pushed her worries about a possible reprimand from Cragen from her mind.
The running and tackling and arresting all went by in a blur. They caught three of the MKS guys, and at least one got away. The guy they'd beaten was on his way to the hospital with an optmistic prognosis.
The squad was now pinning their hopes on breaking the case through the guy with 'killer' tattooed onto his forearm. Liv jammed him into the back of a squad car and slammed the door. One of his buddies was led passed her,
"Hey, you can arrest me any day," he said with a lecherous look in his eyes. She rolled her eyes and turned away from him, only to catch two cops turning quickly away from her. She stood at a loss in the middle of everything for a few seconds before Fin pulled up in the car,
"Come on, let's go back to the squad," he said. Grateful, she got in.
The pair got off the elevator and Fin let a small smile through as he watched Liv make a beeline for the bathroom. A few minutes later she appeared before him with the same small bag he'd handed to her that afternoon. She'd changed back into her clothes, the sweater over her arm. She'd removed the extra makeup and had attempted to get her hair under control. She thrust the bag into his hand,
"Thanks," was all she said.
"Nah, keep it," he said, "You look best in it anyway." She started to protest but he just shook his head, "take it, wear it for your friend," he said. Liv could feel the blush running up her cheeks, and she couldn't help but smile.
Another cop popped his head into the room then, but disappointment quickly coloured his face,
"Your suspect is ready," he said before wandering away.
"Seems you've made quite the impression," Fin said as he walked away. She smiled at his back and quietly picked the bag back up and hid it under her desk,
"And I've got one more to make," she said quietly to herself before following him into the interrogation room, definitely looking forward to going home afterwards.
The End :)