Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.
Olivia handed Elliot the file to look over while Cragen began speaking. When he opened it, he spotted a tiny note scrawled in the top corner.
Did you get detention?
She watched him choke on a laugh. His eyes shot up to meet hers, twinkling in amusement. She grinned.
"Alright you guys," Don said. "So here's the deal. Elliot, you're going to be going in undercover."
Olivia's face reflected the shock Elliot felt. "Alone?" she asked.
Don saw the protective look in her eyes immediately. "Yes and no," he said. Seeing her about to raise hell, he held up his hands quickly. "Will you let me explain?" She sat back, glowering.
"Your victim, Antonio Morton, owns the bar that he was found outside of as well as the penthouse directly above it," he said. "The word from the commissioner is that NYPD has been after this guy for almost two decades…he's been running a drug ring from the penthouse after hours. But every time we got close, he took off. We believed there was someone inside who was tipping him off."
Cragen stopped talking them and looked pointedly at Elliot. "Ringing any bells yet?" he asked.
Elliot looked at Olivia in confusion, then Cragen. He shrugged and shook his head.
"We almost nabbed him fourteen years ago," he continued on. "We had him cornered in his latest spot. That's when we discovered that the person who was tipping Morton on the police whereabouts was a cop named Joshua Harris. He shot an officer from his own squad and helped him escape with the drugs, and they both disappeared after that."
They watched the blood suddenly rush from Elliot's face. "Son of a bitch…" he said in shock. His eyes shot wildly to the captain's. "Mother fucker!"
"What?" Olivia asked, appalled.
Elliot took a breath and ran a hand over his face. "Harris was the captain of the 1-1 precinct in Queens," he said. "The officer he shot was me."
He looked at Cragen with an intense look in his eyes and said, "When do we go in?"
"Friday morning," he answered.
Olivia shook her head. "Why exactly are we doing this?" she asked. "This sounds more like a job for Narcotics."
"Yeah, well….given the condition of how Morton was found, the commissioner asked us to handle it," he answered wryly.
None of them had to ask what he meant.
"You two," he continued, pointing to Munch and Fin. "You're going to be looking for potential buyers. Your job is to let everyone within a thirty mile radius know about the drug ring at The Matador. Olivia, you and I will be acting surveillance with back-up officers. Once we get a contact, Narcotics will step in and bust the whole ring." He looked around. "It should be a fairly easy op."
They all sat silent when he finished, mulling over this information.
"Hold up, Cap," Fin said. He had a doubtful look on his face. Cragen looked at him. "You expect him to pass as a druggie?" He was pointing at his partner.
"Hey!" Munch said in defense. He leaned over his desk. "I'll have you know I have a dark side to my mystique."
Fin scoffed. "Please," he spat. "John, there ain't nothin' dark about yo' skinny ass. You're as pasty as Elmer's glue."
"Matrix complex," Munch continued, like he hadn't heard. He wasn't offended by his partner. "Mind over matter." He tapped a finger to the side of his head to prove his point.
Cragen watched them for a minute and rolled his eyes.
"We'll touch base about this later," Cragen said. " Paperwork, people." With that, he went back into his office.
Elliot was laughing at Fin and Munch, who were now arguing over whose paper stack was thicker. He noticed Olivia was completely oblivious, a distant look on her face.
"Liv?" he asked. He snapped his fingers in front of her and she jumped.
"Oh, sorry," she said. She started writing, embarrassed she had been caught in deep thought. She knew Elliot was looking at her, so she kept her face down to avoid his gaze.
She didn't like the idea of her partner going in undercover alone. She also didn't like the fact that she was so worried about him. Why was she? He had proven time and time again that he could handle himself; he was a great cop. She knew that. So why did her stomach refuse to unclench itself?
The rest of the day, Olivia was waging a mental battle in her mind. Should she go to the Captain with her concerns? Don Cragen was a tough boss, but he was also the most kind-hearted man she had ever known. He cared about the four of them like they were his own children.
He always checked up on them when they called out sick; one time he had even slept over at Fin's apartment when he was so sick he couldn't leave his bed. He settled fights and mended spirits when the job got too much to handle. No matter how rough of a day he himself had, Cragen always offered an ear when one of them was upset, and often times helped them solve whatever problem they were facing with sound advice. He was affectionately dubbed "Dad" for a reason.
But she also knew that going to her boss could make Elliot feel like she didn't trust him, and that wasn't true by any means. She trusted him….it was the scum he would have to interact with that she didn't.
She sighed in frustration. What was wrong with her? Something she hated more than anything was the way the males in the unit sometimes wanted to play big brother and protect her. But when it came to her partner, she found herself wanting to take on anything that dared mess with him.
Elliot was a good man; he had such a caring heart. Olivia had always been bitter and cynical towards the world until she met him. His kind spirit and compassionate nature had humbled her- he was always trying to put the good back in the world.
Coming out of her thoughts, she looked across from her. Elliot was busily working on a file, oblivious. She sat there, taking in the striking features that she knew like the back of her hand, and came to a decision. Getting up, she walked over to Cragen's door.
Elliot quickly put his pen down when Olivia got up. Looking around to make sure the others weren't paying attention, he quickly fired up his computer and typed in his password.
He looked around again anxiously as he waited for the website to come up. When it did, he keyed in for an official search and typed in Bedford Hills Correctional Facilities
After a minute, the results popped up:
26 matches found. Results 1-4
Institute for Children of Incarcerated Women….a series of non-profit facilities….
New York Police Department…School of Correctional Training
Bedford Sheriff's Department
Saint Leo Maximum Security Correctional Center for Men….Bedford Hills, New York
His eyes narrowed and he clicked on the last link.
Don looked up at the knock on his office door, his concentration on the phone conversation with the captain of Bronx SVU broken. He waved Olivia in and gestured to a chair. She smiled in thanks and waited patiently while he concluded the call.
He folded his hands on his desk and smiled at her. She was surprised to see his relaxed demeanor. "What's up, Detective?" he asked, traces of laughter in his voice. She smiled slightly; she was sure that the phone call hadn't been about business.
"Well, Captain…" All amusement fled her expression as she concentrated on why she was there. "Um…it's-it's kind of hard to explain," she said awkwardly.
He looked at her quizzically.
She held up her head with confidence that she didn't feel and said boldly, "I think putting us on this case is a bad idea."
Under normal circumstances, Don would be extremely angry if one of his detectives had the nerve to question his command. But he could tell by Olivia's demeanor that she wasn't trying to disrespect him, and he had a pretty good idea of what the problem was.
"Really," he said. He unfolded his hands and looked her in the eye. "Well…I'm sorry you feel that way."
She looked at him, trying to decide if he was trying to placate her. "I'm serious," she pressed. "It's not going to work."
She knew she was on shaky ground, and wondered briefly if he was angry at her. He didn't look angry…
She realized that she hadn't been listening to a word he was saying.
"…but I feel it is, and I want all of you to cooperate. Do I have to make it an order?"
The frustration was evident in her tone as she answered, "No." She shook her head and got up.
"Olivia." He got up from his chair, stopping her. Her eyes were pained when she looked at him. "Why don't you tell me what's really wrong?"
She shook her head, sighing, and sat back down. He sat in the chair beside her. "I just have a bad feeling about this case." He nodded and waited for her to continue. She didn't.
"Why?" he prodded.
"I don't like that we have to go undercover."
He looked at her pointedly and said, "You mean you don't like that Elliot has to go undercover."
She looked at him a minute and nodded. "I know it's crazy to be worried," she burst out, before he could say anything. "We've gone undercover hundreds of times. But we were always..."
"Together?" he finished for her.
She lowered her eyes.
He ducked his head to look in her eyes. "Olivia." Her lip was quivering, but he knew she wouldn't cry.
"I know you care about Elliot, and you don't want anything to happen to him," he said. "I don't either. I hate putting any of you in danger. Believe me; if there was a way to keep all of you in my sight all the time, I'd do it."
She raised her eyes.
"But you have to have faith that it will turn out alright," he continued. "Elliot is a good cop; he knows how to take care of himself. And he's not going to be alone…we're all going to be backing his every move. Including you."
She nodded, stronger this time. She still didn't like it, but she knew she would have to accept it. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry, Captain."
"Have you talked to Elliot about this?" he asked
. She shook her head.
"Maybe you should," he suggested.
Olivia stood up abruptly, startling him. "No," she said quickly. "No….he doesn't need to know about this. I'm overreacting." She reached for the door handle. "Sorry to bother you, Captain."
She was gone before he could think of a reply.
The detectives wrapped up at around 8:30 that night.
"See you guys," Fin said as he left.
"Munch, you coming?" Elliot asked, as he and Olivia went to their lockers.
John looked up from the report he was writing and sighed. "Not yet," he said. "Fin won…my stack is a lot thicker than his." He gave them a pointed look. "You better take that to your graves, got it?"
Olivia smiled in amusement. "Oh sure, Munch," she said, winking at Elliot. "Not a word."
He shook his head and kept writing. "What are you doing tonight?" she asked Elliot, putting the padlock back in place.
Elliot froze. "Oh…um…not much," he stammered. "I've got to catch up on those bills I've been putting off before the landlord evicts me." He smiled to let her know he wasn't really serious.
"Wow…that's um…" She grimaced. "That's really pathetic." She turned toward him and grinned to take any sting out of her words.
He glared playfully. "Excuse me?" he asked, slipping his coat on. "This from the woman who skipped out on a New Year's Eve party to watch a "Seinfeld" marathon?"
Olivia glared back. "Don't even," she said playfully. She stabbed a finger at his chest. "You came over and watched it with me!"
She laughed at his blush as they left the squad room
His thoughts were a whirlwind as he got behind the wheel of his Explorer. Sighing, he let the engine idle and the truck warm up as he dropped his face in his hands. He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to push the case out of his mind.
After a minute, he removed a piece of paper from his pocket. He stared at the address he had scrawled there, and swallowed hard as a huge knot formed in his gut. The case immediately flew from his mind as he thought about what he was about to do.
He made sure to calculate the time carefully. There was no way he could show up late again tomorrow, so he had to get this done before 9 am. If he drove straight through with no stops, he would be there in five hours.
Sighing again, he shifted the truck into drive and headed for Bedford Hills.