Chapter 7
Olivia felt terrible. She had a splitting headache, her ribs were screaming in agony, and she was so fatigued, she could barely move. The furance had broken down and, since the landlord had gotten into a fight with maintance, there was no one to fix it. She was shirvering with the cold of the December weather. She looked out the window and saw that the snow had started to accumulate. She sighed in regret as she remembered how she blew up at her partner. She knew he had the best intentions, but he was severly overprotective of her and that got on her nerves. Plus, she was still reeling from the surreal experierence of talking with her mother.
She knew she was dreaming. She had to be. Either that or she was going crazy. She hoped it wasn't the latter, because if it was, she could kiss her career good-bye. She'd be damned if she lost her job because she thought her deceased mother was giving her advice. Shaking her head, she decided a hot shower would warm her up. No one had called all day, and she hoped that maybe the water would wash away the hurt, lonely feeling she was suffering through. This thought gave her a bit of hope.
She had the water temperature just right and was closing the door to the bathroom when she heard the buzz. Cursing whatever god controlled things happening at the wrong time, she stumbled to the front door. She looked out the window, but saw no car. It probably was Elliot, which is who is was praying it wasn't. Maybe not; he was working today and the only way to get to her apartment in the snow was the subway. She knew for a fact that as macho as Elliot was, he had a fear of the subway.
"Yeah, who is it? And this had better be damn good..." she growled into the intercom. Right now, she could care less who was freezing their ass off outside the apartment building.
"Olivia...it's me." Olivia let out a sigh of relief. She didn't think she could deal with Elliot's arrogance today.
"Olivia...it's cold out here and the wind's blowing..."
"Oh, sorry. Come on up" Olivia buzzed Casey in and waited in her doorway. She wondered if she would try to take the elevator. When she finally saw Casey puffing up the stairs, she guessed the elevator to be out...again.
"Jesus, Olivia, why didn't you just go for the top floor. You're certainly close enough." Casey's face was flushed.
"It's only four flights, Case," Olivia smiled. Casey was supposd to be so bad on the softball team, but she guessed it was hard to climb stairs in the giant coat she had on. "Cold out there, huh?" Olivia teased as the young woman sank into her sofa.
"Not much better in here. Damn, have you heard of a furance?" Olivia noticed Casey had stopped shivering.
"Nah,...just conserving energy..."
"You pissed your maintance off again?" Olivia had to laugh, but in doing so, she felt pain rip through her sides. Involutarily gasping, she too sank to the couch, taking deep breaths. Immediately, Casey shot forward, concern flooding her face.
"You okay, Liv?" Casey could have kicked herself. Of course she wasn't okay. The poor woman had taken a bat the ribs and then procceeded to lapsing into cardiac arrest.
"I'm...okay...Casey..."Olivia said as the pain subdued. She offered her a pained grin. "It was only a bat...my ribs can handle it." Casey chuckled nervously. She didn't know all the details, but she did know that she had been hit more than once and the bat had been a solid mix of hard plastic and steel. The doctors were still baffled that the blow hadn't beat up her lungs. Silence filled the apartment for a full five minutes. Casey decided a change of subject was in order.
"So...where's your sidekick? I was sure he'd have been here." Casey looked about as if Elliot would step out of a closet or something. She turned as Olivia exhaled.
"I haven't seen him since I got out the hospital." Olivia left it at that. It had been almost two weeks.
"Oh..."Casey decided not to probe any further.
"No, way...no way...no way...uh huh, uh huh...no way!" Elliot tapped his foot in frustration as the young receptionist babbled away in her Valley Girl accent. She obviously saw him standing there: she had purposely turned completely in her chair when she saw him walk into the lobby. She continue to talk with her friend, who was the only one who saved her from the bore of her job. She smirked as he glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. She looked at him and it was the first time she had since he had walked in twenty minutes earlier. Sighing, he could feel her grinning as he turned and sat down in one of many available chairs, think about what Olivia would have done...if she were here.
FLASHBACK
Elliot was happy to be back on the streets. Back on New York streets. He liked California (although the air quality was just as bad), but he loved New York. Something was always happening. Even more than that, it was fall and he wasn't roasting like a pig. As much as he liked the summer, he loved the winter more, especially when it snowed. Taking a deep breath, he was startled when a hand slapped him on the back.
"Don't wanna do that, El. Ya might snort in something..." Olivia howled. Elliot had to laugh, mostly because it was true. He could tell his partner was estatic to have him back. Unlike him, she hadn't had as much success in breaking in a partner who could handle her. They almost always said something wrong and, instead of crying over it like some women might, she would publicly humiliate them. It was rumored that one made her mad, and she shot him. When Elliot heard this, he smiled and agreed she probably did. She was vicious like that.
For almost three months, SVU had been trying to track down a guy suspected of brutally raping and three thirteen-year old girls. He had killed one of them, and tried to rape three other girls, who were successful in getting away. He had a slew of traffic violations, outstanding tickets, and other miscellaneous charges. Cragen warned them that the guy like to swing at whatever was available, so Elliot hoped the guy would try to hit either one of them so that he could charge with assaulting an officer as well.
The walked into the lobby of the sleazy motel he was allegedly staying at. Behind the receptionist desk sat a girl who looked a bit too young to be working and far too young to be working at a place that frequented horny drunks and paranoid ex-mafia members. Yet, there she sat, popping gum and babbling into the phone. Her California accent was very distinguishable as she puntuated each sentence with anywhere from two to five 'like' s. Olivia ignored the drunk men hitting on her (and the few that hit on her partner) and marched right up to the desk. Elliot was right behind her.
"Ma'am?" Elliot tried. The young girl ignored him.
"Miss, have you seen this man?" Elliot tried again as he pushed a picture of Andrew James across the desk. The receptionist, never looking at the picture, shook her head.
"Look, Miss, were in the middle of triple rape/homicide investigation. We'd really appreciated your help." Elliot's coaxing didn't work. By now, Olivia's patience had run out.
"Okay, Miss, we're..." Elliot was cut off as Olivia pushed him aside. She reached over the desk and cut the phone's connection. The girl looked up, shock written all over her face. She started to say something, but Olivia grabbed a fistful of the girl's shirt and pulled the girl toward her so that their faces were only six inches apart.
"Listen, I'm sore, I'm hungry, and I haven't slept for the past thirty-six hours," Olivia growled at the girl. "I'm looking for this sick piece of shit," the girl's eyes widened as Olivia held the picture in the girl's line of vision, "who brutally raped three girls, not much older than you. He snatched them right in front of their parents, took them an abandoned warehouse, forced himself on them, and held them captive for weeks while demanding tens of thousands of dollars from their parents. He murdered one of them by hanging her while her own hair. Does that sound like someone you'd wanna meet on the street? I have been searching for this ass for three months now and I'm not leaving without him. So either you can help me...or you can help me." The girl seemed to have gotten the message. Suddenly, she pulled out a sly smile.
"What's in it for me?" Elliot coughed. The room was suddenly silence and the temperature dropped several degrees. Olivia was shocked. Elliot knew she was going to do something that she was going to regret one day. He thought perhaps he should step in, but decided that anyone who had a heart that cold and could get on Olivia's bad side that quickly deserved to suffer through Olivia's wrath.
Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When that didn't calm her down, she opened her eyes, hoping that the girl would have a change of heart. But when she opened them, the girl was still staring at her, now with a mocking smirk on her face. The girl was close enough to see Olivia's face had now turned red in anger. Her eyes spewed out hatred and, before the girl had a chance to open her mouth, Olivia pulled her arm back and slapped the girl as hard as she could.
All the men in the room gasped. The girl cried out and fell to the floor. Olivia was on fire now and wanted answers. When the girl stood and told her to go to hell, she pulled the girl completely over the desk and slammed her into it. Olivia had a death grip on the girl's neck as she whispered something inthe girl'sear. Elliot thought that even this wouldn't work, but soon the girl was sobbing and shouting "Room 211" over and over. Olivia released her neck and stalked out of the room. Elliot was hot on her heels.
FLASHBACK ENDS
Elliot grinned as he remembered the incident. He looked back at the girl, and realized it was the same girl. She had gained twenty pounds and dyed her hair to match the colors of the Brazilian flag. He continued to stare at her and she must have realized the same thing because instantly, she was off the phone and waving him over.
"Is...is the other detective here?" She looked around nervously. Elliot almost laughed.
"No, she's on her way. Some guy took our parking space so she's out there hooking a bomb up under his hood," the girl eyes largened to twice their size. "That was after she shot him and made him limp down to the store and buy the supplies to make the bomb..." the girl gasped. Elliot grinned. "Can you tell me where I can find Issac Knecks?"
"Ro...room...room 359..." the girl stammered. Elliot started down the hallway. He turned as he got to the elevator and saw the girl telling her supervisor that she was taking a break. Elliot laughed out loud. Only Olivia.
"Come on Olivia, stretch!" Casey shouted. She bent over energetically and placed the palms of her hands on the floor. She pulled herself up in one fluid motion. Olivia was sure the woman's head had to be spinning. Casey then proceeded to cross the apartment in five leaps. They were in the back of the apartment and Casey was now at the front door, where she stopped to do fifty jumping-jacks. Olivia took this oppurtunity to make her escape. She tried to make a break for the bathroom, but Casey was suddenly in her line of vision, shaking her head wildly and repeatedly asking "CAN YOU FEEL THE BURN?"
The door rang and Casey sprinted towards it. Olivia seized themoment and made a dash for the bathroom. She slammed the door and locked it behind her. She slid down the door and let out a sigh of relief. She wondered why she let Casey inside in the first place. She had been wearing a long trench coat under an even longer faux fur coat. They had been sitting quietly and making small talk. Casey had said she knew a way to get rid of the pain. Olivia, ready to try anything, eagerly jumped at the offer. Casey stood and threw off her trench coat.
Olivia's mouth went into the shape of a small O. Casey stood in a hideous purple leotard over screaming orange spandex leggings. There was a green shash tied around her thin waist and a matching headband she had pulled out of her pocket. She reached down into her brief case and pulled out a pair of high-top Nikes and gray socks. She pulled these on and pulled out a small boombox. She turned the boombox's volume to the max, and proceeded to dance around Olivia's living room to Madonna's latest hit. Olivia was torn between amusement and shock.They both turned to fear as Casey danced toward her and pulled her up by the arms.
For the past hour, Casey had forced her to down sit-ups, push-up, jumping jacks and various other callestetics to the beat of outdated hits. Olivia thought she was dreaming and had to slap her self several times to make sure she was still alive. Yet, everytime, she opening eyes, there Casey stood, or rather jumped, egging her to do five more push-ups. For the past half hour, Olivia had been thinking of a way to get out of the apartment.
"OLIVIA! WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? THE TUNA ORANGE MUSTARD SMOOTIES ARE HERE!" If Olivia had a mirror, she would have seen her face turn green. Casey began banging on the bathroom door. "ARE YOU IN THERE?" Olivia sighed and almost opened the door when Casey started shouting again.
"AH-HA! YOU WENT OUT THE WINDOW, EH? WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT!" Olivia cracked open the door to see Casey practically bungee jump out the open window. There was a fire escape, but it was a good ten feet below her window. Casey landed it like a cat and sprinted down the stairs. Olivia closed her window. She sighed as the stench of the smoothies hit her nose. Grimacing, she walked back to the living room and shut off the boombox. She sank down into the couch and a sense of horror washed over her as she noticed Casey's coat still sitting on her sofa. Then there was a knock at the door.
TBC
A/N: Okay, so I didn't meet my deadline. I'm not too late and thank you for not pummeling me with hate letters. LOL anyways, this chapter has no real purpose other than to move the story along. I had a serious bout of writers block.