"Law and Order: SVU" is the property of Dick Wolf and NBC Universal. No profit is being made from this story.
Epilogue to follow, if anyone is interested. Regardless, thanks so much for staying the (long) course with me.
Captain Cragen was trying to hide his shock. Olivia had warned him that Elliot was struggling, but the man sitting at the table in front of him was barely recognizable.
The detective that he remembered had been a metaphorical powerhouse, hot-headed and constantly fueled by adrenaline. Even at his worst, Elliot had always been vibrating with energy and confidence. It was disconcerting to try and reconcile that former image with the present one. Elliot seemed far too small sitting in the booth, the muscular frame of the past replaced with a weak-looking body unable to be overlooked even under clothes.
Even worse was how Elliot was tense and practically flinching under his stare, as if wondering if his own former commanding officer might be a threat. Olivia was drilling holes into him with a sharp, predatory gaze as if she didn't quite trust him, either.
It was a punch to the gut to be regarded that way. He had initially wanted to greet them both, but after seeing their reactions, he wasn't sure how it would be received.
"Have a seat," the attorney invited, breaking the awkward silence.
His eyes flickered toward the only empty chair left at the table, on the other side of Elliot, and saw Olivia's eyes following him like a hawk when he began moving toward it.
She jerked her head quickly over at Murphy. The lieutenant abruptly stood up and blocked him from getting around the table. Without a word, Murphy moed down and took the seat beside Elliot himself and left n other choice for Cragen than to take his instead.
The icy look that Olivia leveled at him when Murphy settled into the seat and Elliot became enclosed between the two of them made him swallow hard. Trying not to let the sting of hurt show, Cragen silently went and took the other chair. Once he was seated, the attorney looked around at all of them and let his gaze come to rest on Elliot.
"You're the only one here I don't know yet, Detective Stabler," he said. "I'm Jeffrey Watkins, Assistant U.S Attorney. I've been assigned to the state's case against Deputy Director Brent Woodhouse."
He waited a second as if expecting a reply and seemed offended when Elliot didn't meet his eyes.
"Normally, I'd do this in my office," he went on, "but I guess this will have to do, given the...circumstances."
His tone implied that he was there solely for Elliot's benefit and wasn't thrilled about it. Olivia clenched her teeth angrily when she saw Elliot's pained expression. The attorney continued on as if not even aware of how crass he sounded.
"I called you all together to make sure everyone is on the same page," he said. "And to ensure no one is blindsided."
His choice of words immediately put Olivia on alert. Muphy gave a slight shake of his head, already not liking what he was hearing.
"The grand jury returned a 'no bill' on all of the felony charges against Deputy Director Woodhouse," Watkins told them. "The case has been dismissed."
Elliot looked like he had just been sucker punched. He gripped the edge of the table so hard that his fingers turned white.
"Are you kidding?" he asked the attorney. His voice was stricken as he turned toward Olivia in alarm. "Is he kidding?"
She glared at the attorney darkly.
"What the hell, Watkins?" she questioned snidely.
"Look, I'm sorry," Watkins replied defensively, "But it's really out of my hands. You gave me a weak case and the grand jury didn't believe there was enough sufficient evidence to move forward."
He looked at Elliot when he spoke again, probably thinking he was being sympathetic. But it came out as condescending.
"You have to understand, Detective," the attorney went on. "The photographs and medical reports from Bridgeport Hospital show that you were injured, both physically and sexually-"
Olivia winced, feeling Elliot freeze in place beside her at the words that the man said without a trace of tact or discretion.
"But I saw no statements from you in any of the evidence that indicated Woodhouse was responsible for any of it," he went on. "There have been no official statements from you at all to anyone even now, nearly four months since."
Elliot swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the tabletop and not meeting anyone's eyes. It felt like the room had started to spin.
"Notes from the hospital staff indicate that several attempts were made by both their doctors and the U.S. Marshals who had accompanied you there to get one and you refused," Watkins continued. "You also refused a sexual assault exam.
No witnesses have been found to corroborate what you say happened. There was basically nothing for the grand jury to use to determine the validity of going to trial other than your word, Detective Stabler, and even that is under scrutiny, if you don't mind me saying."
He raised an eyebrow at the miffed expression that Olivia gave him.
p"It doesn't look good when the only person he spoke to about what happened to was his former partner, and not until months after the fact," he said shamelessly. "Anyone with access to a computer could look up his history with Internal Affairs and see how you both have history of covering for each other."
She could no longer take it. Olivia interrupted almost before the attorney could finish.
"I'm going to stop you right there," she said, seething.
The tone in which she spoke combined with the threatening way she was staring at the attorney made the others glad not to be in his position at that moment.
"I know you're not trying to imply that Detective Stabler is in any way responsible for the grand jury's decision, are you, Watkins?"
Her words sounded like she was subtly telling him he was about to get his ass handed to him. To his credit, the attorney stared back at her without flinching.
"I'm not implying anything," he replied coolly to her. He was lying and they all knew it. "That's not my job. I just thought you might want to be aware of issues with this case that I saw, because there's something else you all need to know about."
She looked mad enough to spit nails and seeing the attorney look around at everyone again as if he didn't care made it worse.
"Brent Woodhouse has retained a defense attorney," he said. "After I found out about the grand jury decision this morning, I received a call informing me that he intends to bring forth a defamation lawsuit against the NYPD and sue for the damages to his reputation and career that this arrest has brought."
"That's a bunch of bullshit," Murphy broke in.
His captain looked at him with disapproval, but he didn't care. Watkins shrugged.
"Whatever you say, Lieutenant," he said condescendingly. "But he's also filed an internal complaint with the department against you and Captain Benson. He is adamant that you falsely accused him and expressly stated that he expects a formal apology from you both in person."
"Fuck that," Murphy interrupted again.
"Murphy," Captain Wilkerson said lowly.
He gave his lieutenant a warning glare. Murphy's lip curled in defiance but he didn't continue speaking. Watkins regarded Captain Wilkerson.
"He also sent a letter to the Chief of Detectives asking for your entire squad to be investigated, Captain Wilkerson," he informed them. "And for Captain Cragen's retirement pension to be re-examined." He looked puzzled. "I can't really understand the reasoning behind that, to be honest."
Olivia shared a look of fury with Murphy behind Elliot's back. By his expression, she knew he was sharing her thoughts.
Woodhouse was making sure to screw over every person who Elliot may have reached out to for help. She had no idea how he even knew that she had spoken to Cragen, but at that point, she wouldn't put anything past him.
"That's just the tip of the iceburg, unfortunately," Watkins said grimly.
He looked straight at Elliot, making the detective's stomach churn nervously. Whatever Watkins was about to say wasn't good. Elliot knew it and judging by the look on Olivia's face, she did, too.
"The deputy director claims to have a video recording in his possession that he's turned over to his attorney, Detective Stabler," he said heavily. "I haven't seen it, but I'm told that it shows you engaging in-"
He paused and then decided what to say.
"Sexual crime against a number of minors," he said.
Elliot felt his throat close. Olivia's heart skipped and she lost her breath for a second.
"He's told his attorney that if any one of you refuses to submit to the investigations he is asking for," Warkins went on. "He will turn the tape over to my boss."
The attorney looked at Elliot again and then shattered him.
"I'm not here to judge anything, Detective Stabler," he said carefully. "But if that happens, you need to know there is a very real possibility that you could face criminal charges yourself if it does indeed show what he is saying it does."He
The frightened look that came over Elliot's face at the words was unbearable. Olivia couldn't stop herself from jumping down the attorney's throat, so angry that she almost shook.
"You can tell that son of a bitch to go ahead and try," she snapped. "We've got an entire website in our possession that proves Elliot was just as much of a victim himself."
They were all startled when Elliot suddenly surged to his feet. He began pushing past Murphy, nearly stumbling in his haste to leave the booth. He looked panicked and horrified.
Her heart sank to her feet, realizing immediately what she had just inadvertently done.
He hadn't known about the website.
"Hey-" she began painfully.
He ignored her, hurrying across the room like he couldn't get there fast enough and disappearing out the front doors of the diner.
Elliot stumbled outside and made his way down toward the end of the building, disoriented and not even sure where he was going. He heard Olivia somewhere behind him, calling his name, but he couldn't have answered her then if he'd wanted to.
He felt sick, his chest pounding, and had to lean his weight against the brick when his legs started shaking. He wondered dimly if he might be having a heart attack.
She caught up to him when he stopped beside the building and almost fell against it. He was using his arms as support but she could see them quivering from where she stood behind him, as if he was having trouble keeping himself upright.
Even after ten years apart, it was difficult for her to fight the instinct to physically touch him when he was in distress. She stood still, listening to his breaths as he choked them in.
"I'm sorry," she finally said quietly.
It was more than just an apology for her earlier slip. There weren't enough words in her to adequately express how much she hurt for him, not just for that moment, but for everything he'd suffered. She didn't think they existed.
She noticed movement from the corner of her eye. Murphy was slowly approaching, seeing that Elliot had his back to them and wouldn't notice. She gave him a pained stare and turned her attention back to her partner.
"I'm sorry you had to find out like this," she finally said. "And I wish more than anything that none of this was happening."
The words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
"Elliot, I promise you," she went on desperately. "I promise you that website was shut down and we're working on getting everything taken off."
He didn't reply. Olivia looked at Murphy helplessly.
"Hey," Murphy said softly, announcing his presence. "Listen to me."
He came up closer, speaking even though Elliot didn't turn around.
"I'm going to find every person who even glanced at that website," he said fiercely. "I swear I will. And everything that Watkins just said in there? It's bullshit, every single word of it."
Olivia rubbed Elliot's back gently.
"He's right," she said. "I'll go in front of the whole department, I don't give a damn. We are not about to let anyone try to punish you for any of this, Elliot. There's not a chance in hell."
When Elliot eventually spoke, his voice sounded like he had gargled ground glass. The haunted look she saw in his eyes when he turned his head to look at her made her heart ache.
"I shouldn't have told you anything," he said shakily. "This wouldn't be happening if I had just stayed away." He shook his head tearfully. " It's never going to stop. He's not going to stop until he destroys everything and everyone I have left."
They were caught by surprise when another voice spoke suddenly from behind her.
"Why did you tell her, Elliot?"
Elliot tensed suddenly, recognizing who it was, and Olivia kept a protective grip on his shoulder as she turned and eyed Captain Cragen.
Their former captain remained where he stood, not getting too close.
"It's alright if you don't want to see me," Captain Cragen said sadly. "Truly, Elliot, it is. I know a lot has happened."
He watched the conflicting emotion on Elliot's face as he continued.
"That doesn't take away what I still believe about you," he went on quietly. "The detective-the man I've had the privilege to know for so long-never did anything without a reason."
Elliot was suddenly looking everywhere but at any of them standing there. Olivia began having an odd feeling.
"What are you getting at?" she asked her former boss warily.
Captain Cragen glanced at her.
"Maybe nothing," he allowed humbly. He put a keen gaze on Elliot. "Or maybe there's a reason why you wouldn't speak to anyone at the hospital." He paused. "Or couldn't speak to anyone."
Olivia saw Murphy suddenly jerk his head toward Captain Cragen as if electrified.
"Shit," he swore in disbelief, like something had dawned on him. He looked at Olivia. "U.S. Marshals were there the entire time."
Murphy had already connecting the dots. When she saw Elliot struggle to keep his face from crumbling, Olivia winced in horror, realizing it, too. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner.
His words had said that he didn't remember Brent Woodhouse. But his actions hadn't.
She remembered with terrible clarity all of the times he had seemed overwhelmed with fear whenever he was out in public. He hadn't even wanted her to stay parked in the garage the first time they had been together again in her car, afraid he might be found there. He had told her that.
He'd had a nightmare immediately afterward at her apartment so intense that he'd almost screamed himself hoarse.
After seeing Woodhouse in the flesh at the airport, he had literally had a nervous breakdown, unable to keep from vomiting up his insides.
She thought about the seemingly permanent look of despair that was on his face every time he looked at her...as if silently begging her to understand.
Christ, he's been trying to tell me all along.
He finally met her eyes, wearing that exact horrible, pleading expression, and she almost cried.
How could I have not seen it?
"I lied before," he whispered in a choked voice. "When I said I couldn't remember anything. Most of it was true-" His face twisted. "But not the part about him. He was there the night we were rescued. He was in my room the whole time until they discharged me."
Jesus.
She looked at Murphy, sickened, and saw a dark, furious expression on his face.
"He threatened you, didn't he?" Murphy asked him quietly.
Elliot looked at him and then away again before nodding. He had to close his eyes when the memory came back.
The doctor finished updating the chart and then looked at Elliot in the bed with a friendly expression.
"We're going to keep you another night to make sure all of the narcotics are out of your system," he said. "We'll get a ride arranged and after that, you can go home."
The bright way the man said the words made tears rush to his eyes.
He knew he wouldn't go home.
He watched miserably as Brent Woodhouse spoke up from where he had been standing inside the doorway. The deputy director had lied to the hospital staff and told them that federal protocol dictated that a marshal's presence was required in every room...for the protection of the victims, of course. No one had questioned it.
"That won't be necessary," he said with a charming smile. "We'll take care of that."
His cunning eyes burned holes into Elliot as the doctor nodded. Elliot felt his heart sinking as he saw the doctor leaving and he desperately wanted to shout out.
Don't go. Please don't go.
Don't leave me here with him.
He said nothing and the doctor left without a clue. Woodhouse watched him walk away. Then a menacing look came over his face and he began approaching the hospital bed.
Unable to move because of the IVs holding him there, Elliot could only shrink back away when Woodhouse stood over the side of the bed.
"I'm going to tell you this once," the man said in a quiet, threatening voice. "So I suggest you pay attention. You will not say one word about this."
He jumped when the deputy director gripped his shoulder hard, digging his fingers in.
"You don't remember anything," he growled. "I've got more cops waiting to make a buck than you've known in your entire life. I guarantee someone will be waiting with a bullet the moment you open your mouth to anyone."
Woodhouse brought his face closer and relished the look of fear he saw had come into Elliot's eyes.
"Maybe for you first," he went on. "Or maybe someone not. You want to take the chance? Maybe you can bury the rest of your kids, too."
Brent Woodhouse stared at him coldly.
"Now...hat happened to you, Detective Stabler?" he said in a low, menacing voice. "Who did this?"
Helpless tears welled in Elliot's eyes but he answered obediently.
"I don't remember," he whispered.
Olivia was stunned. Her heart was breaking at the thought of how hopeless and afraid Elliot must have felt, sitting there so close to finally getting away from his abusers but unable to ask for help because one of them was standing next to him the entire time.
"Son of a bitch," Murphy swore angrily.
Elliot started slightly when Murphy stepped up and physically took him the shoulders, looking him in the eye.
"This is not over," he said seriously. "Alright? He is not going to win, Elliot. We can't let him."
Elliot looked at him desperately.
"But Watkins said-"
"Murphy interrupted him, shaking his head and squeezing his shoulders.
"Screw Watkins," he said. "Don't rely on him. Rely on your friends." He paused carefully. "I'm not stopping until Woodhouse goes down...and you have a whole other squad behind you ready to go after everyone else." His face softened. "With a captain ready to make sure you get justice."
Realizing what he was implying, Elliot looked over at Olivia. She nodded encouragingly.
Captain Cragen swallowed and then spoke up again.
"You can make that two," he added quietly.
Elliot glanced over at him as if surprised. Cragen gave him a tentative smile.
He didn't smile back. But his face did change.
For the first time, there was a glimmer of hope there.
Olivia stared at Captain Cragen. Her former boss stared back and watched as she seemed to soften. It wasn't much, but he could tell that her distrust was melting away. He nodded in appreciation.
She turned back to Elliot.
"Just say the word, partner," Olivia said. "SVU is ready to get behind you and take over."
Elliot swallowed nervously.
Then he nodded.
Kathy pulled the SUV up beside the curb and parked. Next to her, Elliot was looking at the building with a troubled expression.
"You want us to come in with you?" she offered softly.
Inhaling deeply, Elliot turned and faced her.
"I'll be alright," he said.
She could see how much of an effort he was making to appear confident about what he was about to do. He moved suddenly, as if unable to help it, and wrapped his arms around her.
She could feel how fast his heart was racing as he pressed his face into her hair. Kathy blinked back tears as she stroked the back of his neck.
Elliot stepped out of the vehicle and opened the back passenger door. Eliza looked up at him from her car seat, gurgling and kicking her feet. He nuzzled their granddaughter's face with unrestrained affection and then swallowed hard, looking over at his wife.
"I'll call you when I'm finished," he said quietly.
It hurt her to see how much he was trying to hide his nerves. But Kathy just smiled bravely and nodded.
Instead of going home after the meeting at the diner the day before, Murphy had instead driven to the 48th Precinct and signed out an unmarked vehicle.
Elliot had reluctantly agreed to go to the 16th Precinct the following day and work with Olivia and SVU. Murphy had felt strongly about keeping eyes on him until he was physically inside the Special Victims Unit squad room. He had made sure not to mention it until after Olivia had dropped Elliot off at home.
The last thing he wanted to do was make Elliot any more stressed than necessary. But he knew that Woodhouse would have been released from jail once the charges had been dismissed. For all of his talk about wanting to personally take on the deputy director (all of which he adamantly still felt), Murphy refused to even entertain the idea of leaving Elliot alone to face a potential retaliation.
No one ordered or even asked him to, but he made clear to his captain what his intentions were. Instead of talking him out of it, Captain Wilkerson arranged for a patrol unit to cruise around the back end of Elliot's neighborhood and keep watch on the rear of his house while Murphy spent the night parked across the street, two houses down from the Stabler residence.
He followed their vehicle when Kathy, Elliot and Eliza drove into the city and watched until the detective stepped inside the 16th Precinct. Then he pulled out his phone and waited.
About a minute later, Olivia sent him the message that he had asked for the day before.
He's with me.
Those three words told Murphy that Elliot would be more protected than he was even aware of while the next move was being executed.
Murphy scrolled through his contacts and initiated a phone call.
"Stabler is secure," he confirmed when his captain answered.
"Stand by," the other man replied.
From inside the Vice unit squad room, Captain Wilkerson set the call to speaker mode and nodded at the man sitting across from his desk.
Former Deputy Director U.S. Marshal Steven Cox looked at the captain heavily. He had initially thought the story that the captain had told him about what had happened with 'Operation Rubicon' was insane.
Then he had seen the file that Lieutenant Murphy had compiled and gqd been horrified once he'd realized it had actually been true. It had taken no convincing for him to help when the captain had explained what they were planning.
Cox silently took out his cell phone and began typing Brent Woodhouse's name into the messaging app. The current deputy director's information popped up with the autocorrect feature and filled in the subject line of a new message. He handed the phone over to Captain Wilkerson.
The captain sent a message from the phone asking Woodhouse to meet him at the U.S. Marshals field office. Recognizing the number of his former colleague, Woodhouse responded within minutes with an affirmative.
"Go," he said to the speaker phone. "ETA is about twenty minutes." He paused. "And wait for backup before you do anything, Lieutenant. Understood?"
"Always, Cap," Murphy said coolly.
The captain just shook his head and hung up, inwardly hoping the man actually kept his word. Then he looked at Cox.
"For what it's worth," he said. "I'm sorry about all of this."
The former deputy director shook his head. Just thinking about how the entire U.S. Marshals organization was going to be effected by this was enough to blow his mind.
"So am I," he replied, getting to his feet. "So am I."
Murphy sped down the street, his adrenaline racing with anticipation...and also with excitement.
The truth was, it really wasn't necessary to have the deputy director think that he was meeting a colleague. But Murphy really wanted to make sur th what was about to happen took place in full view of every person that Woodhouse worked with.
Maybe it was petty. But in his opinion, after what the man had put Elliot through, staining Brent Woodhouse's professional reputation was the least he could do in return.
He made it to the U.S. Marshal Headquarters early so that he could sit outside and watch Woodhouse arrive. Just the sight of the deputy director's arrogant strut as he walked into the building made his anger rise. He was lucky that a squad car pulled behind him and flashed its lights to indicate backup because he didn't know how much longer he would've been able to wait.
But he wasn't expecting to see Captain Cragen and former Deputy Director Cox climbing out of the back after the two uniformed officers.
They met Murphy by the front of his car. He gave the captain a silent raise of eyebrows, wondering about his presence.
Cragen stared at him darkly.
"I'm not here to interfere," he said. "But he lied to me and hurt my friend. He's damn well going to see my face."
Murphy nodded once and then addressed the other officers.
"I want this smooth and easy," he instructed. "If a gun comes out, you move, no questions. Otherwise, I take the lead. Any issues with that?"
"No, sir," one of the of them said.
They walked inside silently and made their way down the hall. Murphy casually peeked his head into each room they passed until abruptly stopping when he found the one he was looking for.
Inside, several people wearing badges were scattered, most of them working on individual laptops. A few were clustered around a whiteboard at the far end of the room discussing something. Woodhouse was among them.
Murphy gave Cragen and the officers a curt glance indicating they were at the right place. Cragen summoned the other two to stand ready outside as the lieutenant eased his way inside and then followed a step behind him.
It only took a few moments for those working to notice their presence in the doorway. The volume of conversation by the whiteboard gradually became loud enough to be offensive as everyone quieted and looked suspiciously at the newcomers. When Woodhouse realized what was going on, he looked over as well.
The expression of rage that came over the deputy director's face when he locked eyes with Liuetenant Murphy was one that took Captain Cragen by surprise. In that instant, the captain had no trouble understanding how the man would have been capable of terrorizing someone.
"You've got some nerve coming here," he said angrily, stepping through the group of agents he had been standing with.
The other marshals with him turned to see who he was addressing. Cragen saw looks of fury and contempt being directed at them and knew that every person in that room undoubtedly knew who Murphy was.
From his experience, he was willing to bet that they all believed that their deputy director had been grossly mistreated and innocent...and probably were itching to enact physical retribution. He made sure to glance at the officers just out of sight out the door to make sure they had their guards up.
"But you're about to find out why that was a bad idea," Woodhouse went on menacingly.
He approached Murphy like he was about lay hands on him and none of his colleagues moved to stop him. The lieutenant didn't move as the man came up almost toe-to-toe with him.
He stared coldly into Woodhouse's face.
"That sounds a lot like a threat," he said. He glanced over at Cragen. "Did that sound like a threat to you, Captain?"
It took a second, but the captain saw the moment that Woodhouse recognized him.
The lieutenant reached for a pair of handcuffs on his belt.
"Brent Woodhouse," he said. "You are under arrest-"
In the span of a split second, Woodhouse was lunging at him. He landed a blow right to Murphy's nose before the lieutenant was able to move away.
Cragen moved to take over but that was all the motivation Murphy needed. He twisted, gripped the man by the back of the neck, and then slammed Woodhouse's face against a nearby desk as hard as he could.
The other marshals began moving in. That's when the former deputy director stepped into the room with the uniformed officers.
"Stand down," he told the marshals.
They all seemed shocked to see him. But they had enough sense to obey the order, former commanding officer or not.
Murphy jerked Woodhouse's arms behind his back and handcuffed him.
"You're under arrest for intimidating a witness," he said. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say-"
He marched the deputy director out the door.
He's with me.
Olivia sent the text and quickly stuffed the phone in her pocket as she approached the outside doors of the precinct.
Elliot stepped inside and she gave him a soft smile as she met him.
"You okay to do this?" she asked quietly.
He looked at her wryly and she grimaced.
It wasn't the right question. Of course he wasn't okay with the current situation and neither was circumstances behind the two of them being inside the squad room of SVU at the same time after ten years were not what ideal. Seeing her best friend on the victim's side of her captain's desk wasn't something she could have ever imagined or wanted.
But at the very least, since they couldn't change anything, they were together. They had always been stronger that way.
With a small smile, she reached out and squeezed his shoulder.
"Let's go upstairs, partner," she murmured.
She wrapped her arm around him and led him to the elevator. She stepped into the car. He hesitated for a moment, blew through his cheeks, and then followed.
When it arrived on the floor, he looked down toward his former squad room and swallowed hard. Olivia watched him without speaking. He turned toward her and their eyes met.
He took a breath and extended his hand. Surprised, she immediately took it and felt him squeeze meaningfully as they walked together to the squad room.
THE END
