The Bet
Chapter Eleven
By: Lizzie Bundick
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Author's Note: I don't think anyone in the universe can do this scene the justice that Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay did. If they don't win millions of award for this, I'm protesting. And now, I'm going to attempt to do this scene justice. Whoo-boy.
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"John, Fin, in my office," Captain Cragen called, stopping both detectives in their tracks. The partners exchanged looks, wondering what crappy case they were going to dive head first into now. Shoulder to shoulder they crossed the bullpen and closed themselves off from the simmer of noise.
"What's up Cap?" Detective Odafin Tutuola asked, noticing the tense set of Cragen's shoulders.
"What's going on between Elliot and Olivia?"
"Can you give us anything more specific?" Detective John Munch frowned, glancing over his shoulder to where Elliot Stabler sat at his desk, shuffling through papers.
"Olivia just asked for a new partner."
"What!"
Cragen sat heavily in his chair and glared at a spot on the wall, "She wants a new partner. Won't tell me why, either."
"Jesus," John reached for a chair and sat down, "She's leaving?"
"Computer Crimes has an opening, so does Major Case, it won't be any hassle to move her."
"Something happened in that warehouse," Fin said, moving to one of the windows to look out onto the squad room.
"Thanks captain obvious," John snapped, sharing a look with Cragen. Their daughter was leaving. They both thought they'd retire before she would leave.
"Have either of them talked to you about it?"
John laughed at the absurdity of that idea, "Those two won't even talk to each other anymore, what makes you think they're talking to us?"
"Look, I sent Liv home for the night," Cragen leaned forward over his desk, fixing both his detectives with a hard look, "One of you take Elliot and the other one of you take Liv and you get them to talk. I want ever damn detail about what happened in that warehouse."
"What about the ESU guys? What did they tell you?" John asked, falling into detective mode.
"Reports say Gitano had Elliot at gun point, Liv had her weapon out and then it gets vague."
"Vague?" Fin asked with a raised eyebrow.
Cragen leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, "I talked with the Lieutenant in charge, from what he's been hearing from his men, El and Liv were talking over Gitano and it was personal."
John and Fin exchanged a look, could they have missed the payout day for The Bet?
"If it is personal, I wanna know. I will not lose my best pair of detectives over some sort of lovers spat, got it?"
"Loud and clear Captain, loud and clear," John said while Fin nodded.
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Author's Note: And now, my dear readers I deviate from the established post Fault timeline. Yes, Olivia will be going to Computer Crimes, but that's all I'm sticking to. Now you get to see just how creative I can be, run for your lives.