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.
It had started to rain when Olivia pulled into the precinct parking lot Monday morning. Not hard, but if the rumble of thunder in the distance was any indication, it was going to get hard soon. She dashed into the building quickly.
"Read the sports page yet?" Fin asked as he walked into the squad room. He set his things down on top of his desk and stared pointedly at his partner who was sitting down doing paperwork. Munch looked up at him blankly.
Fin smacked a newspaper down in front of him and smirked. John glanced down at the page.
A brightly colored still shot of Red Sox second-baseman Mark Loretta leaping to catch a fly ball filled the page. Printed underneath in bold red letters were the words "Sox Make Braves Quiver in Atlanta".
Munch rolled his eyes and pushed the paper away. "Whatever," he muttered. He glanced up at his partner and saw a shit-eating grin on his face. "Who has time to watch baseball anyway?"
Ducking his head again, he concentrated on writing while trying to ignore Fin's gleeful smile. He could feel his face heating up involuntarily and was sure his partner could see it.
Still grinning, Fin took the paper back and put it on his own desk without speaking.
It was sprinkling when Elliot left his apartment at quarter to eight that morning. By the time he got to the expressway, it was raining hard. He groaned when he saw the cars ahead already stopped. He never could understand what it was about rain that made people so afraid to drive….it was water for crying out loud.
Drumming his fingers against the side of the window, he sighed and eventually shifted the truck into park. It was obvious that traffic wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. He turned up the radio to drown out the sound of the rain hitting the roof and the cars honking around him.
"Olivia."
She turned around, one hand still inside her locker, and faced the captain as he stepped out of the office.
"Eddie Jackson says he needs that file back that you and Elliot borrowed on Saturday," he said.
She looked at him in dismay. "Today?" she said. "I've barely looked at it yet."
He looked at her sympathetically. He felt the same animosity towards the Vice squad as they all did, maybe even more so. "Yes, I'm afraid," he said. "He was insistent."
She scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm sure he was," she muttered. She had no doubt that Jackson just wanted to be a pain in the ass. He probably hadn't looked at that file twice since receiving it. She sighed. "Let me photocopy the information and I'll go run it back to him."
The captain smiled empathetically. "Thanks, Olivia," he said. "Trust me, I don't like dealing with them any more than you do."
She grimaced and shook her head, walking to her desk to retrieve the file.
Don turned around to face the other two in time to see Fin flick a paper football through John's outstretched fingers. His eyes narrowed.
"Do you two not have enough work to do?" he asked threateningly, striding up to their desk.
Fin jumped and snatched the paper football up as Munch swiveled his chair around quickly and pretended to be typing on the computer.
"No, Captain," he said, typing quickly. "We're good, thanks."
He suddenly noticed that Fin was looking at him with an expression of disgust. Startled, he turned his head toward him, silently asking what was wrong. His partner kept his face down, but John could see him muttering under his breath.
"Then how about getting to it," Cragen said with a raised eyebrow, staring pointedly at Munch. Fin muttered again, shaking his head slowly.
He stared at them menacingly for a minute longer before walking back toward his office, shaking his head in secret amusement.
Fin snapped his head up as soon as the captain was gone. John looked at him. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
His partner didn't answer, instead shaking his head and rolling his eyes before grabbing a report to begin. John stared at him again in confusion, totally not getting it, and shrugged.
When he turned back toward his computer, he suddenly understood. The computer that he had been so busily typing on to save face in front of the captain was turned off.
Turning back toward Fin, he smiled sheepishly. "Oops."
Traffic cleared up after about a half-hour, much to Elliot's relief. He began flying down the expressway a little faster than necessary just because he was so tired of sitting still. The rain was still relentless and after a little while he decided that maybe the speed wasn't such a good idea. Slowing to a more reasonable speed, he set the cruise control and turned up the radio to flip through the channels.
He approached the entrance ramp to Interstate 91 at 9:15. He was actually surprised because he had thought it would take him at least an hour to get there from the expressway.
He merged carefully into traffic and set the cruise control again as he headed down the long stretch of interstate that would take him to Syracuse.
Olivia stepped inside the doors to the 1-3 squad room and searched the room for Eddie Jackson. Not seeing him, she approached the nearest desk.
"Is Eddie Jackson here?" she asked.
Detective Jason Peters looked up at her. His expression showed confusion before he recognized her. His lips spread into a cocky smirk.
"Aw…where's the Incredible Hulk?" he said. "Did he need a day off from his anger management classes?"
She clenched her teeth to bite back the harsh reply that wanted to come out. "I have his file," she said, holding it out. "He said he needed it."
"Hey," a voice said from behind her. Turning around, Olivia saw another detective walking into the room. "What happened to your Siamese twin, Benson?" He grinned. "Wait, wait…let me guess…he threw a tantrum in the middle of an interrogation?"
Several laughs floated up from around her and Olivia's restraint snapped. She slapped the file down on Peters' desk and strode into the other man's personal space.
"You'd better shut your mouth," she said icily, getting right into the taller man's face. "Nobody disrespects my partner when I'm around, have you got that?"
The detective raised his eyebrows in amusement, but didn't speak again. Raising an eyebrow coldly, she stared at him a minute longer before whirling around to face the other occupants of the room. "Is Jackson here or what?"
Detective Peters smiled. "He's out right now," he said condescendingly.
Gritting her teeth, Olivia strode past him. "Give him that when he comes in," she said as she walked out the door.
Elliot glanced at the clock. It was quarter after 11. Looking down at the map lying next to him, he examined the road signs as he was flying past them. According to the directions, he should be hitting the exit for Chesterfield in the next half-hour or so.
Yawning, he stretched slightly and rolled his neck, hitting the cruise control again to give his foot a little break. He reached for the bottle of water sitting in the cup holder in front of the radio and took a long drink.
"Ugh."
Fin glanced up at the sudden intrusion of the steady quiet that had fallen over the squad room sometime during the last hour. Quiet was a blessed commodity that didn't get exercised very often. John threw down his pen and leaned back in his chair, stretching back as far as he could.
"I need a break," Munch declared, getting to his feet. "Anyone want to make a 7-11 run?"
Olivia looked over with a raised eyebrow. "Um…have you seen the weather out there?" She swiveled her head pointedly toward the window and looked in disgust at the rain pouring in sheets over the city, scoffing. "I'll pass, thanks."
He looked at her in exasperation and then to his partner. "Fin?"
"Nope," he replied automatically, without even looking up.
John scoffed loudly. "Aw, come on!" He looked back and forth between them. "We haven't had a lead all day...come on!"
Both of them ignored him as they were accustomed to doing. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "No Slurpee for either of you, then."
He watched for a sign that they were paying attention. Not even a glance. Scowling, he strode toward the doors.
"Hot dog with sauerkraut!" Cragen called out as he passed the open office door.
"Fritos and a root beer," Olivia said, continuing to write busily.
"Apple Danish," Fin said.
Munch scoffed in disgust. "Moochers," he muttered, grabbing his jacket. "That's all you are."
They could hear him still muttering as he left. Olivia and Fin looked up and met each other's eyes, grinning.
It took more like forty minutes for Elliot to find the right exit. The pouring rain didn't help the situation.
Turning off of the interstate, he glanced at the map and took a right. Fields filled with high grass and pastures stretched as far as the eye could see down the winding road. There were no other cars in sight.
Furrowing his brow in disbelief, he checked the map again. Unless he had suddenly forgotten how to read a map correctly, he was going the right way. Feeling slightly tense, Elliot nevertheless began down the desolate road.
The longer he followed the curves of the road, the further away he seemed to get from civilization. He started when he suddenly approached a dead end and stopped the truck.
Had he missed a turn somewhere? Reaching for the map again, he stretched it out on the steering wheel so that he could look closely at it and began tracing the route he had taken with his finger. He wasn't a map expert by any stretch, but after three times connecting to the same dot with his index finger he couldn't chalk it up to a wrong turn.
Hesitating over the map, he chewed on his lip as he glanced at the clock. It was 11:45 and he had no idea where Chesterfield was or where he was. He reached for his cell phone, debating on calling Kathy to get directions from her. He really didn't have a choice…who else could he call?
Sighing, he glanced up once more with his finger poised over the first number. Something suddenly caught his attention a little ways behind him….it looked like a sign. His eyebrows rose quickly and he disconnected the line, starting the engine again. Call him stubborn, but he really hated the idea of having Kathy know he had gotten himself lost.
Reversing slowly, he struggled to see out of the rain-fogged back window as the truck crawled along the dirt and gravel. He stopped beside the old billboard sign and strained to see the letters that were cracked and worn with age:
Welcome to Chesterfield
Drive slow to see the town
Drive fast to see the jailhouse
He scoffed impatiently. Figures….he had spent the last fifteen minutes trying to figure out where he was and he had ended up going the right way all along.
Shaking his head, he shifted into drive again and pressed the accelerator heavily. Now he was going to be late. That dickhead of a lawyer was going to be eating it up when he arrived.
After about thirty more minutes of abandoned fields and no living beings, he finally drove into a small town. Rundown wooden buildings lined the two-lane road on both sides and more than half had foreclosure signs. There was a pair of old black men wearing dirty coveralls walking along the side of the road looking like they were pushing 80 years old.
A small rickety vegetable stand stood by itself near an old barn. Three Ford trucks sat beside it that appeared to be 1955 models. A general store advertising black beans and sales on crawfish had a large wooden deck sprawled out onto the brown grass, with a group of old women sitting in rocking chairs barefoot watching a swarm of barefooted children scuffling around in the dirt a few yards away. Each child was soaked and didn't seem to even notice.
He unconsciously slowed his speed as he drove through. Heads all turned and stared as he passed by, and he self-consciously kept his eyes forward while covertly trying to locate the restaurant he was supposed to be going to.
Where the hell had Kathy found this place? It looked as if someone had dropped a crumb on top of a map and built a town around it, then decided to draw New York over top and forgot to brush the crumb away. He wondered if this place had even seen the major interstate that had brought him here. Hell….he wondered if this town even knew what an interstate was.
It was quarter after twelve when he finally spotted the restaurant. It was actually shocking to see such a place after driving through the town. The seafood restaurant was large and well-furnished, with cars packed alongside the curb and in the adjacent parking lot. Bustle of activity could be seen from the open front doors.
Shaking his head, Elliot pulled into a parking space and shifted the truck into park. After shutting off the ignition, he dropped his head onto the steering wheel and let it rest there for a minute. It had been a while since he had driven such a long distance with no stops. He rolled his neck and stretched out his back muscles that were starting to ache with the prolonged tension.
He cracked the knuckles in his hands and scrubbed his face, blowing out a huge breath. Finally, he sat upright again and reached behind him for his jacket. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened the door gingerly, sliding the jacket up over his head to shield himself from the pouring rain as he jumped out. Slamming the door shut, he hurried toward the porch that wrapped around toward the entrance, hitting the keyless alarm as he ran.
He ducked inside the doors quickly and stood to the side to avoid the crowd of people in line waiting for a table. The young woman at the hostess table spotted him and smiled warmly.
"How many in your party, sir?" she asked.
Elliot sidled closer while trying not to get stepped on. "None, thank you," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the bustle of the busy restaurant. "I'm meeting someone here."
The friendly-looking girl nodded, smiling. "Feel free to take a look around, then," she invited, gesturing.
He smiled. "Thank you," he said, slipping around her.
Scanning up and down the tables he could see produced nothing, as did a scan of the bar. Furrowing his brow, he stepped around a table of rowdy college-aged kids and into a corridor with more tables.
He was looking around the tables again when he suddenly felt someone grab his arm. Startled, he whipped around fast and came face-to-face with Kathy.
She saw his expression change quickly to one of nervousness as he looked at her, and knew that her own expression was probably just as nervous.
"Hi," she said awkwardly, cringing inwardly at how loud her voice sounded inside her head. A moment of awkward silence passed and her heart began to unconsciously beat faster.
Talking with him yesterday had brought home just how much she missed him. They may have grown apart after twenty years, but she still loved him. She knew that she had taken a cheap shot by leaving the way she had, and didn't blame him for hating her for it. It killed her inside, but it was just so complicated…she still didn't think she could explain it to herself.
She was relieved when he immediately smiled. "Hi," he replied, and surprised her by grabbing her into a light hug. She quickly returned the gesture, feeling like she was going to start shaking any second.
He let her go after a second and stood somewhat uncomfortably. Had he been too forward? Were you supposed to hug your ex-wife? Was it making it obvious how much he missed her? He felt his heart racing now. What if that had been a big mistake?
He was relieved when he saw that she had relaxed. Now she looked like the Kathy he had known for twenty years- the one who was always beautiful without even trying.
She was pleased to see that he looked less nervous. When he smiled again, she saw the self-confidence and charm that had always made her weak in the knees. His eyes sparkled and she nearly sobbed at seeing it….she had missed seeing those beautiful eyes light up around her.
"Well…come on," she said quickly. "We're over here."
He followed her to a table near the back. His heart immediately sank at the sight of the man wearing a three-piece suit. An open briefcase was on the table top with papers spread on the table beside it.
The man stood as they approached the table. "Elliot, this is my attorney, Dylan Simms," she introduced. "Mr. Simms, this is Elliot Stabler."
Elliot felt a pang in his heart, not missing the way she had opted not to address him with a title of any kind. The man was reaching to shake his hand, so he put on the best smile he could manage and reached forward.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stabler," Simms said.
He swallowed hard. "Same here," he managed weakly, withdrawing his hand.
The attorney sat back down and Kathy moved to sit in the chair across from him. After a moment's hesitation, Elliot sat in the seat next to her. They both had glasses in front of them, and Kathy reached over and moved the third one from where it sat beside hers.
"Here," she said, handing it to him. "I went ahead and got you a Diet Coke."
He took it, surprised. He was even more surprised when he saw the lemon slice on the side of the glass. She remembered what he liked.
Kathy saw the surprised expression and smiled lightly, guessing his thoughts. "Did you think I'd forget?" she asked softly.
Unable to come up with a response, Elliot turned toward the attorney. "Um…sorry I'm late," he said.
The man waved his hand and pushed his glasses further up his nose. "That's alright," he said and immediately got down to business. "We're here to discuss the alimony negotiations, am I correct?"
"Yes," she immediately replied.
"Yes," Elliot repeated after a minute.
He nodded and reached for some of the papers. "These are the sums of your combined incomes as of March 2005," he said as he handed them over. Elliot reached for the papers and held them so that she could see them as well. "Is everything correct?"
She examined them a minute and looked up at her ex-husband. He nodded. "Yes," she said.
Simms nodded as well. "Mr. Stabler, this is a copy of Ms. Martin's most recent tax return," he continued, reaching across the table with the paper in hand.
A waitress appeared as he was reaching for it and he was thankful for her presence, as it diverted their attention so that they couldn't see the shocked expression momentarily cross his face. He hadn't heard her called by her maiden name in nearly 22 years.
They interrupted for a brief second to order lunch and then got back to the task at hand. Elliot looked over the sheet of paper feeling sick, not really seeing what was written there. This was really happening. When they concluded with this, he and Kathy would be officially divorced.
"Now as per the court agreements, you are entitled totwenty-five percentof the combined assets accumulated during your marriage," Simms continued. He glanced up at Elliot then. "I understand that you are not filing for a reconsideration of this?"
Elliot shook his head. "No, sir," he said. "She and my children can have first dibs on everything. I'll take whatever is left."
The man nodded. "You also understand that you are obligated to pay Ms. Martin a separate sum for child support for three of your children that will not be included in the alimony agreement."
He nodded. "Yes," he said.
"Now, since your second oldest is almost of legal age, if you wanted to appeal for just the payments of your two youngest I can ask for a court continuance," Simms said.
"No," Elliot said quickly. "No, I don't want to do that. I want Kathy to have every penny she needs to care for three children."
The attorney nodded. "Alright," he said, making a note.
Kathy felt a rush of guilt that almost choked her. Elliot was being completely cooperative and selfless. Couldshe really put him through this?
"I want to change that," she announced suddenly.
Her attorney looked at her in surprise, as did Elliot. "I don't want Elliot to have to pay a separate amount for the kids," she hurried on. "I want you to cut the alimony agreement in half to include the child support."
Simms looked at her hesitantly. "Kathy…" he said, clearly not liking the idea.
"Kathy, no," Elliot jumped in, interrupting him. "You can't support four people on one income…do the separate payment."
"Elliot, you can't support yourself either if half of your income is cut," she argued, turning toward him. "Combining the two payments will take less out of your monthly income so you'll have enough to live on."
Elliot looked at her with a torn expression.
"Ms. Martin," Simms said hesitantly, trying to be as gentle as possible. "Combining the two payments will make the overall retainer lessen. That means that you will be less money each month to cover your children."
"They're his children too," she shot back quickly. "I've received primary custody. He's already being punished enough by not seeing the kids but every weekend. I'm not going to let this settlement drain his salary too." She raised an eyebrow adamantly. "If you don't do as I ask, I'll just file for a joint claim until I win."
Elliot was speechless as he listened to her. He couldn't believe that she was actually arguing for his side. By the look on her attorney's face, it was obvious he couldn't believe it either.
"Alright," he said after a minute. "That's fine, Kathy. We'll change it."
She nodded and looked at Elliot with a softness on her face that warmed his heart. "Thank you," he said softly. She nodded gently.
The rest of the meeting took approximately an hour and a half, and went rather smoothly. Her attorney went through each step of the process, with Elliot and Kathy contributing until they were both satisfied.
"Alright," Simms said at last, closing the last folder. "I believe that everything is covered. Mr. Stabler, you should be receiving a sum for the entitlement claim in the mail shortly. You can file to begin the asset process at that time." Elliot nodded.
The attorney stood, and they both followed suit. "Mr. Stabler," he said, reaching for his hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you." He turned to Kathy and shook her hand as well. "I have thoroughly enjoyed representing you, Ms. Martin. Please feel free to call anytime you need to." He looked at them. "I sincerely wish both of you the best."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Simms," Elliot said with heartfelt sincerity.
"Thank you, Dylan," Kathy said, smiling. "For everything."
He smiled. "It is my pleasure," he replied. He began gathering his things. "I'm afraid I must be going now. I enjoyed working with you both."
Elliot stopped him as he was reaching for his wallet. "I've got it, Mr. Simms," he said.
"Thank you," he said in surprise.
He picked up his briefcase, bid them each a final farewell and handshake, and then was gone.
Elliot turned rather awkwardly to face Kathy, neither of them sure what to do now. He finally decided to make the first move. "Can you stay for a little while, or do you need to head back?"
She nodded quickly. "I've got the day," she said. He pulled her seat out for her again and she smiled as she sat. "Would you like to get some dessert?"
He sat down and smiled as well. "Sure," he said.
She signaled for the waitress and ordered them each a slice of cheesecake. When she turned back to Elliot, she noticed he was staring at her rather oddly.
"What?" she asked.
He blinked once. "Thank you," he said finally, looking at her openly. "Thank you for what you said about the kids."
She blinked as well and smiled rather shakily. "It's the least I can do," she said. "I don't want you to suffer because of this, Elliot."
He sighed heavily then. When he looked at her, she saw that his face looked tired. "Kathy, what happened?" he asked softly. His eyes were imploring and honest and she found she couldn't look away. "What went wrong between us?"
She closed her eyes. It was a question she had been avoiding ever since she had first left. But after the day's events, perhaps it was time he deserved a heartfelt response.
He watched her fall silent. He knew he was opening a can of worms, but couldn't help it. It was all he had been thinking about, and the day's events had just sharpened the need for reassurance. He didn't want to leave her remembering him as a bad husband. She didn't deserve that.
"I think," she said slowly. "I think…we grew up. We each fell in love with the kid that we used to be, and we don't know how to recognize each other for the adults we became."
She was startled to see a sad look cross his face. It squeezed her heart. "I love you," he said softly. The pleading tone in his voice made her loose her breath.
"Oh, baby," she breathed. She leaned forward and cupped his cheek in her hand, a move that surprised him.
He blinked back tears and rushed on before she could say anything else. "I never wanted you to think I stopped loving you, Kath," he said hoarsely. "You are the love of my life. I wish I could have shown you that." Tears spilled out of his eyes before he could stop them. "I love you more than life itself. I just wish you would have told me what I was doing, because I had no idea. "
Moving forward quickly, Kathy wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her. Her own tears fell as she stroked the back of his head. "I still love you with all my heart, Elliot," she whispered tearfully. "I'm so sorry, baby. I never once doubted your love for me. Never once."
A small sob escaped her lips as she pressed her face into his hair. "It's not something that you did. I promise you that, with all my heart. It was me." She sighed tearfully. "I was scared of the woman I had become. I didn't know who I was anymore."
The waitress arrived and quietly set the plates down without speaking, sensing her presence was an intrusion. Elliot gulped and pulled back quickly, turning his head and swiping his eyes rapidly. Kathy swallowed hard and pulled the plates over to them. He picked at the dessert without really tasting it. He had lost his appetite.
"Alright, you guys." Cragen came out of his office. It was a little after two. "Finish your DD-5s and you can go home."
Olivia's head shot up. "Are you kidding?" she asked after a minute. Looking at Munch and Fin, she saw the same look of disbelief on their faces.
The captain looked at them in exasperation. "Do I look like I'm kidding?" he asked. He raised an eyebrow when no one moved. "Would you rather me find more work for you? We don't have any new cases, but there are plenty of files in the archives that need-"
"No, sir," Fin said quickly, standing. "You don't have to do that." He began clearing off his desk. "He doesn't have to do that, right guys?" He looked at them meaningfully.
"No, not at all," Olivia answered quickly, picking up his hint. "Nope, we're good." She stood too.
Fin glared at Munch. "Oh, uh….yeah," he stammered. "Yep. Good."
Cragen rolled his eyes. "Get out of here," he said. "Bright and early tomorrow, got it?"
"Yes, sir," Olivia said, going to her locker.
Kathy unlocked her car and turned back to face Elliot, sighing softly. He shifted weight awkwardly, twirling his keys in his hands nervously.
"So…" she said.
He sucked on his lip. "So…" he repeated.
After a minute, she moved up to him and softly hugged him. He squeezed her and breathed into her hair, closing his eyes.
They had cleared a lot of hurdles today. For the first time since the divorce, Elliot felt better about their relationship. Things would be a lot less awkward the next time they saw each other.
"Have a safe trip," he told her, kissing her cheeks softly. "Give my love to the kids."
She closed her eyes at his kiss. "Always," she said softly. She moved forward and placed a short kiss on his mouth, surprising them both. She paused. "If…if you ever want to see them…you can just come on by."
The surprise in his eyes quickly gave way to a look of delight that made her warm inside. "Really?" he asked gleefully.
She chuckled. "Yes," she answered. She smiled and smoothed his cheek. "Drive safe."
He waited for her to get inside before turning to walk towards his truck.
Starting the truck, he noticed that it was almost three. It would be a little later when he got home than he anticipated, but it was worth it. Turning toward the road, he pulled out and drove toward the town again.
He was about to hit the interstate entrance when his gas light suddenly blinked. He looked at it in surprise to find his tank was below empty.
"Shit," he said, slowing. The town was too far back to drive; he'd never make it. How had he not noticed his empty tank before this?
Slowing to preserve as much gas as he could, he looked around anxiously as he crawled over the dirt road. He approached the fork in the road that would take him to the interstate and turned the opposite direction, hoping to find something that way.
He almost shouted with joy when he saw the tiny gas station several miles ahead. It only had one pump and looked like it hadn't been used since the 40s, but he was desperate.
"Come on, come on," he breathed, willing the Explorer to make it. He sighed in relief when he turned onto the gravel.
A yellowed curtain snaked back slightly from inside the tiny store, a wrinkled hand clutching the fabric. A pair of brown eyes lit up at seeing the truck pull up to the pump.
"Well, look at this," a voice said excitedly. "We finally got one."
A pair of lips curled up into a sinister smile as the eyes watched the man hop out from the driver's side.The eyes lit up in delight and the hand moved back to shove the curtain back before the man could see the movement.
