The Fight That Almost Was
-by J.P. D'Osty-Fernandez
-dedicated to those Angels of Justice who triumph in putting the common goal above their personal differences, and, as ever, to Diane Neal, the wonderful young actress who brings Casey Novak to life.
Standard Disclaimer: The SVU characters belong to Dick Wolf.
"Uu-WHU-mmpff!"
Casey turned from Elliot to see who had just bumped into her from behind. It was Detective Dani Beck, Elliot's temporary partner, who had just walked into the squad room, and who now headed straight for her desk, seemingly oblivious to having literally run into Casey.
"Geez, Elliot," began Casey, "You'd think that walking straight is a simple thing. My four-year old nephew can do it pretty well, but it looks like there are some people in Warrants who can't even do that right!"
Dani pivoted around on the ball of one foot until she was facing Casey, a malevolent glare in her eyes.
"Well, that's rich…coming from someone who copped to Sucking in the First Degree a couple of weeks back!"
Casey's glare met Dani's, force for force. She took a step towards the shabbily dressed Detective, who, in turn, took a step towards Casey. Elliot, Munch and Fin tensed.
"And what exactly have YOU brought to the table today, De-TEC-tive?" Casey pronounced the middle syllable of Dani's title as if she was choking on a piece of rotten broccoli, "Another disaster I'm going to have to miracle your ass out of?"
"Seems to me you'd better worry about your own ass, COUN-selor!" Dani slowly responded, taking another step towards Casey. "I heard you got it kicked at least once already!"
"Oh, you SOOOOOOOOOO don't want to go there!" Casey shot back, "I knocked your predecessor flat on her ass after she shot me!"
"Oh…like you did to your fiancé?"
That was the last straw. Casey flung into action, and Dani raced to meet her.
Fin bear-hugged Dani from behind, and began to pull her away.
Munch very foolishly tried to block Casey from the front. Seconds later, he was on the ground, curved up into a foetal position, his hands on his crotch, very high pitched sounds emanating from his mouth.
Elliot grabbed Casey from behind, and, with all his force, wrestled her away from Dani's direction. Casey struggled against Elliot, just as Dani struggled against Fin. No one paid attention to the floored Munch.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUGHHHHH!!!"
Cragen's roar was enough to get both women to stop trying to claw their way to each other. Both offered no resistance to the Detectives who were holding them apart, but each was still glaring at the other. If looks could kill…
"BECK! NOVAK! MY OFFICE! NOW!!!" barked Cragen, with an authority that clearly indicated he was not playing games.
Casey and Dani forcefully shrugged off Elliot and Fin and, still glaring at each other, began to make their way to Cragen's office. Elliot and Fin bent down to try to help their grievously injured colleague.
The door of Cragen's office slammed shut with a thunderclap that could be heard in California once he, Casey and Dani were inside.
"SIT!!!" commanded Cragen. Both ladies did.
"Ms. Novak…do you want to file a CCRB complaint against Detective Beck?" asked Cragen, referring to the Civilian Complaints Review Board, the external, civilian-manned agency that investigates allegations of police brutality in New York City.
"No…I'm not a wimp, unlike Detec—"
"Detective Beck," Cragen cut Casey off. "Do you wish to file charges against Ms. Novak for Threatening a Police Officer and Assaulting another?"
"No…I don't want to give her the satis—"
"Good!" interrupted Cragen. "Now that that's resolved, the only question is whether or not I should charge the BOTH of you with DisCon…"
DisCon is NYPD shorthand for "Disorderly Conduct."
"The Puzzle Palace" began Cragen, referring to 1 Police Plaza, the headquarters of the NYPD, "wants me to 'disappear' forty-five sexual assaults for this month and re-write them as DisCons. It makes me SICK! But, while I'm at it, maybe I should give them two ACTUAL DisCons, just in case someone wants to audit their FUDGESTAT figures for this month…"
This caught Dani's attention.
"'FUDGESTAT?'"
"YEAH, 'FUDGESTAT!'" confirmed Cragen. "What else are we going to call this great tool called 'COMPSTAT' when the Puzzle Palace orders us to ignore marijuana use and 'celebratory gunfire' during the annual Murder Day Parade on Labour Day?"
"Oh…"
"Well?" asked Cragen impatiently, after a moment or two had passed. "What do you think I should do?"
Neither Casey nor Dani had a ready answer.
"No answer!" declared Cragen. "Well…here's what I'm going to do. I have until the end of next week to submit my portion of the FUDGESTAT report. That's eleven days. If we don't have another incident like this between now and then—AND if I happen to be in a good mood when I'm filling out the paperwork—then maybe, just MAYBE, forty-five DisCons will be enough for this month.
This brought some relaxation and relief to Dani. It had no visible effect on Casey's face.
"Are we clear?"
"Yes, Sir!" Dani responded almost before the last r cleared Cragen's lips.
"Counselor?"
"Yes, Captain!" replied Casey after a second. "We're clear!"
"Good! Now, get the hell out of my office!"
There was a knock on the glass of the office door. Casey's eyes snapped up from the file she had been studying. She looked at her watch and saw that it was a quarter after seven.
There was another knock. Casey slowly opened the drawer of her desk, and set her hand on the .357 Magnum Glock 33 Elliot had given her a year and half earlier, after Alex had had to re-enter Witness Protection. At first, Casey had been reluctant to accept the Glock. That changed after Milan Zegrin attacked her.
"Come in!" Casey ordered once she had the grip of the Glock in hand, her finger on the outside of the trigger guard.
The door opened, and Detective Dani Beck stood in the doorway. She stood with only one foot forward, as if she would like to come in, but was not sure she was welcome. She had one hand on the door handle, the other hand holding something behind her thigh.
"Detective Beck…"
"Ms. Novak…"
"Working late?"
"Yeah…you?"
"No…just passing by…I hope you have a Premises Permit for that…"
Casey's eyes briefly widened just a tad, startled at the sharpness of Dani's perception.
"And I hope," Casey responded "that you don't have anything that would contravene the Patrol Guide in your other hand…"
Dani pulled forward the hand in question, revealing a bottle with a rectangular body, across which there was a diagonal black, gold-trimmed stripe, an amber liquid beyond.
"Johnny Black." observed Casey as she released the Glock and slid her drawer shut. "I see you've been doing your research."
"Yeah, it turns out I'm actually good for something!" said Dani as she walked in.
"You helped me close two cases this week." commented Casey. "You're good for a lot of things."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome! Have a seat!"
"Thank you!"
Dani sat down, and placed the bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label on Casey's desk.
"Got two glasses?"
"No…Actually, I'm trying to cut down…"
"Oh…" Dani reached forward and grasped the top of the bottle.
Casey put a hand on Dani's
"No…that's OK… this might actually come in handy sometime…"
"Glad I could help!" declared Dani as she released the bottle and leaned back.
"So, am I, Dani…" There was a gentle tenderness in Casey's voice now, as she remained leaning forward, looking deep into Dani's eyes. "That was why I gave you hell about being a liability when we were getting Martin Trenway a few weeks back!"
"Huh?" This caught Dani by surprise.
"I couldn't have gotten Trenway, and those three other perps since, without your help. That's why…that's why it bothers me when you do stupid things that will get the cheese-nibblers at IAB interested in you."
Dani was silent for a few moments, not sure how to take in this seemingly sudden benevolence.
"That's…very sweet of you…Casey…" Dani replied, unsteady about using Casey's first name for the first time. "I didn't know you took such an interest in my career and well-being…"
"Dani," Casey got up, walked around her desk, sat herself next to Dani and took her hand in her own. "My boss just cares about politics and front page-type convictions. Cragen's bosses just care about FUDGESTAT. The DEA just cares about remaining on good terms with every politician in this city.
"If we don't look out for each other, who will?"
Dani said nothing for several seconds.
"I…never knew you thought like that…heck, you're the first ADA I know of who doesn't think that 'DEA' stands for 'Drug Enforcement Administration.'" commented Dani.
The Detective's Endowment Association is the union that represents NYPD Detectives, just as the PBA, SBA and LBA represent the Department's Patrol Officers, Sergeants and Lieutenants respectively.
Casey sighed deeply.
"I'd like to think that I'm not the only civilian who realises that this new, idiotic 25K salary is a gigantic disaster waiting to happen. Whatever your faults, you are a damned better cop than any…thing that slithers out of the next class with a badge will ever be! And that is why I—and what remains of this City—absolutely cannot afford to lose you to whatever b.s. Mickey Mouse crapola IAB will try to bury you with if you're not careful!"
Dani's eyes were wide now. There was a dawning, profound appreciation in them. Slowly, she began to speak.
"Casey…my God…you have no idea what it's like to hear a civilian say this…"
Dani paused and took a couple of deep breaths. Her grip on Casey's hand tightened. Casey reciprocated.
"Since…my husband was murdered…the only thing I have had is this Job…
"I know all the things that have been going on…and you don't have to wait for the first class of 25K, either…there was the rookie who emptied his magazine into his ex's door, and the other one who shot a car dealer last summer…then the one arrested for killing her partner while driving under the influence…and now the one arrested for collecting welfare while driving around in a 27K Mercedes SUV…and this is before the first of the class of 25K comes on the job…In fact, a lot of the guys at Warrants are saying that the 'A' in APD stands for 'Assailant!'"
The APD is the Applicant Processing Division of the NYPD, which investigates aspiring Officers.
"Casey…I know we are in for some very bad times ahead…it is…very nice to know that there is at least one civilian who cares…"
"I'm happy I could help." responded Casey, the beginnings of a smile starting to dawn on her face. Then, the smile abruptly halted.
"You're not the first Detective I know who got so invested in the Job because of…home…"
"But, what if it's all I have?"
"Then find something else! Take the Suffolk test, the Yonkers test, or the State Troopers test, or go Federal. Forget about Nassau, that's just the sixth borough of this City in all but name. Or just do something else altogether. The Job and the City are simply not worth your life, and it may come to that if you let this Job of Ours become your entire life!
"Because, Dani, if you get so wrapped up in this Job because that's all you have, sooner or later you're going to be in a situation where, if the cheese-nibblers don't get you, those racist jerks from CCRB will! I don't want to see that happen to you!"
"Racist?"
"Yah! One of them posted a racial slur on his blog a little while back, and he thought he was soooo clever that no one would find out!"
"Oh yeah…I remember that now…"
There was a silence that lasted for what seemed to be forever.
"Well, Casey…I don't think it will go that far. I honestly don't. But, I have to say…"
Dani's eyes began to mist over.
"I have to…say…it's sure nice to have someone who is concerned about me…I haven't had that in a while…"
"I hear you." replied Casey, respectfully looking away as Dani brushed away her tears.
"You really are something special!" declared Dani after she had regained her composure, "I came here to apologise…I was way out of line, especially that crack about your fiancé…"
"Don't worry about it!" consoled Casey. "I can see where you were coming from there…after you lost your husband…I know it's not the same thing, but…my Dad died a few years back…he was a Vietnam Veteran…and whenever I see anyone—the government, college kids—abuse our troops, it boils my blood."
"Thank you for being so forgiving…I know you said that we have to look out for each other and I understand that…but still, it's very big of you…almost more than I deserve…"
Casey simply smiled a warm and friendly smile. There was a silence for a few minutes.
"But Casey," Dani began, a note of concern in her voice, "This other Detective you were talking about who's all wrapped up in this Job of Ours…"
"Yes?"
"Are you talking about Elliot?"
Casey inhaled and drew back.
"Dani…it's not that I don't have faith in you, but…the way things are these days…this poisoned work environment our bosses and this damned City have put us in…it's just…well, anyone of us could be in a situation one day where it's either us or we drop the dime on someone else…and…"
"I hear you…But, on the other hand…theoretically, if there was this other Detective who was in the same boat… if that Detective's partner knew about it…well, the partner could look out for this Detective…you know…like the buddy system they taught us when we went swimming?"
Casey's eyes narrowed, as she pursed her lips and slowly nodded up-down-up-down, analyzing and realizing the sense of it.
"Yah…I see that working…I am sure the Detective in question would appreciate it. I know the Detective's colleagues would…"
Dani smiled.
"Thanks, Casey!"
"Thank you, Dani!"
Dani was smiling now. Suddenly, a look of mischief came across her eyes.
"You know, you really are one of a kind, Counselor! Even Munch doesn't blame you for hitting him in the crotch anymore."
"It's not as if New York lost its star batter!" responded Casey, eliciting a hearty laugh from Dani, "But a week's supply of chicken soup and an four-day pass to the Conspiracy Film Festival would have that effect on the ole' Munchkin!"