Tuesday - 9:45 AM
Amanda grabs the blonde hair tie from between her teeth as she pulls her hair into a bun, the severity of the situation weighing heavy on her shoulders. She peers to her left and sees Elliot and Olivia talking amongst themselves intensely, her Captain's hands gesturing wildly as they gear up to head to the hostage situation downtown. It involved one of the members of the Organized Crime squad and SVU's assistance was no question. Both Olivia and Fin had assured Elliot so.
Amanda had always known she had come into the squad on the heels of Elliot Stabler. A man Liv had only spoken highly of … the man who Liv herself had admitted she trusted, despite what they saw on a daily basis. Still, Amanda also knew he had, in her words, ghosted Olivia for the past decade. She trusted Liv's judgement more than anything, but the past ten years did not qualify Elliot as trustworthy in Amanda's eyes.
"Detective Rollins, you planning on joining the rest of us?"
The sound of Elliot Stabler's shoes hitting the concrete yanks her from her thoughts before his voice does. Jaw clenches as a reflex to the sound of his voice, mild irritation starting to bubble up in her chest. It would be an understatement to say that Amanda felt the need to give Elliot a sucker punch to the jaw the moment she met him nearly two weeks ago. Since, she's started to warm up to him. Sort of. A little bit.
She spins to face him, lips turning upwards in a way that represents her desire to abandon this conversation. "Last I checked, Liv was my boss."
Elliot lets out a heavy sigh, his eyes studying her carefully. He's seen the same fire in her eye a thousand times within the eyes of his own daughters when they were fuming after an argument with him. He holds his hands up as if to surrender, a quirk of his brow telling her that delivering the message was not his choice. "All I'm gonna say is there's no need to shoot the messenger." Elliot says while he offers a quick gesture towards Chief Garland.
Amanda keeps her eyes trained on him for a moment before arms fold across her chest, her hands gripping the edge of the metal table she had been leaning against so tightly that they turn white. Ankles cross over one another as her bottom lip settles between her teeth as she thinks.
"Rollins? C'mon."
Amanda abruptly pushes herself up from the table, head craning back in order to look him in the eyes. "I've already been looped in. I know what I'm doin', detective."
"Yeah?" he says, head tilting to one side. "Well I'm gonna be the one going in if need be, so I hope you're gonna have my back."
Initially offended by his judgement of her character, she decides to bite her tongue when she realizes she hasn't given him much of a reason to believe she wouldn't hang him out to dry. "You have no idea just how much I do, but you'll figure it out. I gotta go." Amanda grabs her navy blue NYPD jacket resting on the table and slips it over her shoulders.
"Oh, and Stabler? Stay clear of the damn window."
Tuesday - 8:15 PM
The negotiation turned out as well as it could have. Elliot and the hostage walked out alive while their arms dealer turned serial bomber caught one bullet between the eyes. Both squads sat scattered throughout their usual after-a-case-decompression bar, the chatter bringing life to the poorly-lit establishment.
Elliot is the last one to arrive, his tired eyes searching for a particular Georgia born detective. As he scans the crowd, he fights his instinct to walk towards the table that hosted Olivia, Fin, Phoebe, and Ayanna Bell - his new sergeant. After, he thinks. It isn't until he sees a blonde head of wavy hair that he heads in a clear direction.
Amanda is sitting with Sonny at the bar, both of them nursing a class of whisky. They're sitting a little too close and they haven't looked at anyone else in the bar except each other. Elliot slows his approach as he watches them, completely stopping when he can hear Amanda's southern drawl.
"... thank you, Dominick." Amanda's eyes linger on the ADA a little too long to be "just friends." Elliot's eyes avert to the ground as Sonny's thumb brushes over the high point of Amanda's cheek and he makes an attempt to turn away but the sound of a Staten Island accent stops him.
"Oh, hey'a detective. Were you … did you wanna talk to Rollins?"
Amanda's chin rests against her shoulder as she peers in the direction of Sonny's eyes, her eyebrow arching upwards as she realizes Elliot's answer was a clear yes. Turning back towards Sonny, she brushes her fingers against his briefly. "I'll see you later?" Sonny gives her a silent nod before offering Elliot a quick smile and heading towards Chief Garland and Kat.
"Hi."
Amanda can't help the laugh that escapes as she swirls the honey colored liquid around in her glass. "Hey."
Elliot occupies the empty barstool next to her, ordering a beer. "That was one hell of a shot, detective." He is impressed, and he definitely did not expect that kind of shot from her on a rooftop 100 yards away. "How long have you been a sniper, Rollins?"
She had a feeling he'd figure it out.
"Couple'a months. Liv recommended the training to me a year ago." Amanda's shoulders come up into a shrug before finishing her whiskey. Elbows rest on the counter while she rests her hand against the side of her neck. "Daddy had me shootin' soda cans out in the backyard since I was a kid, so I've always been a good shot. Figured I could put it to real' good use."
"Good decision, Annie Oakley." There's a hint of a smile as Elliot takes a swig of his beer, eyes looking out at the gathered group of people in the bar - his old squad and his new one. Amanda laughs too, the front she had put on with him since day one finally starting to crack.
Elliot stays silent as he spins his beer bottle around between his fingers, a condensation ring forming against the wooden bar top. "Fin says you were my replacement."
His words catch Amanda off guard and she looks down at her empty glass, now wishing there was at least a sip left. She clears her throat, deciding to scan the bottles behind the bar as though picking out her next drink of choice.
"Well ... I never really thought about it that way, but yeah, I guess. Captain Cragen brought me up from Atlanta right after you left."
Elliot keeps his focus on her, slightly amused by her desire to avert his gaze. "Captain did always know what he was doing. I have to say, you are not only one hell of a shot, but you're one hell of a detective."
Her eyebrows scrunch together as she lifts her head. Now she's glad her glass was void of any liquid, otherwise she probably would have choked on it.
"I - well, thanks. Did Liv pay you or somethin' to -"
Elliot holds his hand up before placing his bottle down on the coaster the bartender had provided. "Look, I'm just trying to say that when I left SVU, I knew there would be a spot on the squad that needed to be filled. I knew it wouldn't stay open forever and I only hoped it would be someone who could fill my shoes. Someone who the squad could count on … Liv could count on." He nudges her in the shoulder and she finally looks at him, as he'd hoped. "As it turns out, you not only filled my shoes, you outgrew 'em. Had to toss them out and upgrade to a new pair."
Amanda doesn't know what to say. She would not have believed it yesterday, but it turns out one of the most meaningful things ever said to her had come from the mouth of Elliot Stabler. Amanda knows her trust is hard to gain and easy to lose, but she also knows the loyalty she displays for those she cares about is unmatched. Her loyalty to Olivia was the reason why Amanda shook Elliot's hand with a glove woven with thorns upon first meeting him. But maybe, just maybe … he could turn into someone she could truly trust too.
"That … that means a lot. More than you probably know." Amanda purses her lips, her hands folding over one another as they rest on the bar top, the silence settling between them. Finger taps against the back of her hand before she lets out a huff.
"I know I wasn't the most welcoming when you first showed up, so I'd like to start over." Amanda rises from her bar stool, heeled boots landing on the floor with a soft thud.
Elliot chuckles as he stands too. He straightens out his jacket and stands up tall, hand extending towards her as he meets her gaze.
She really did remind him of his daughters.
"Elliot Stabler - Organized Crime."
Amanda grins, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.
"Amanda Rollins - Special Victims Unit."