As the clock struck nine, Amanda was relaxing on her couch in her new, spacious apartment on the nice end of town. She was mildly excited when she had pulled in at six oclock that evening and had seen a squad car parked under the overhang three spots from her assigned space. It comforted her in an odd way that there was another cop living in the complex, made her feel safer, somehow, since she no longer had a dog to put her mind at ease when things went bump in the night. Amanda had always been a little nervous in the dark, not that she would ever admit that to anyone but herself. She laughed softly as she imagined what the guys on the force back in Atlanta would say to hearing that. Tavers would be all over that new piece of information, no doubt using it to torture her in some way.
Amanda stood, sighing as she walked to her refrigerator, deciding that she might as well head off to the grocery and buy the perishable items that she was unable to bring with her on the long drive from Atlanta. She stretched, grabbing the keys off the hook she'd hung by the door. She didn't have much, and it had only taken her five trips from her car to bring everything she owned up to her new place. She'd been fortunate to find a place that was fully furnished, though it had cost more than she probably ought to have paid. heading out to her car, she smiled widely as she saw the city lights in the distance. She was here. She'd finally done it. All of her hard work, every shitty thing she had endured, every obstacle she had overcome all boiled down to this one single moment. She was here. In New York. Tomorrow morning she would report to the Special Victims Unit headquarters and meet with Captain Donald Cragen. She was a bundle of nerves, eager to please, and for a moment, she felt like she was that girl again, fresh out of the academy, wet behind the ears, and excited to work for Chief Charles Patton. It was unnerving to her how she hadn't predicted what would happen, hadn't seen the signs, hadn't seen how he was. But that, was all in the past. He would never stand in front of her again. She would never have to see him again. She could bury The Incident under the rug, she never had to think about it again, because it could never hurt her again. Never.
Amanda was walking on air as she headed into the local Whole Foods, girlishly spinning around in a circle with her cart as she heard her favorite song blasting on the speakers as she floated down the produce isle. She grinned like an idiot as she picked out strawberries, black berries and melons for her breakfast smoothies that week. She grabbed a bag of spinach and one of kale, not even noticing when she began to sing along to John Mayer. "I'm thinking something like Olivia Could keep me through the night" She blushed a deep crimson when she saw a tall man in a long black coat staring at her,watching intently as she spun around, literally dancing with her kale leaves.
"Having a good day I see?" Normally, a strange man speaking to her in public sent her running, but there was something about his slick hair and smart appearance that put her immediately at ease. Even so, She would've been happy to crawl under a rock.
"Yeah. I just moved here from Atlanta. This is what I've wanted my entire life! Now I've got it! I'm here! In New York!" She couldn't contain her excitement and knew her face was lit up by a smile, a bigger smile than she had worn in almost eighteen months. "I've never been happier."
"Well, welcome to New York. I'm Rafael. " The man stuck out a leather gloved hand to her, and cocked his head expectantly. "I'm sure you'll fit in here, if there really is such a thing. Not sure how you'll take to the winters."
"Amanda. Thankyou." Rollins stuck out her hand, taking his and shaking it assertively. She tossed her vegetables into her cart, "I don't always hold dance lessons in Whole Foods for vegetables." She tried to joke, but it sounded lame, even to her own ears.
"Oh, I'm sure you don't, just when the song reminds you of someone." She was surprised how spot on Rafael seemed to be. How did he know? "Don't worry. People in New York don't judge. Trust me. I know." He winked at her, a smile on his face as he walked away, a bag of grapes in one hand and his briefcase in the other.
"SHIT" Amanda cursed, as she rolled over and saw the time on her clock, realizing with a sinking heart she had overslept by a good hour. She leaped from her bed, grabbing the outfit she had laid out the night before from the chair in the corner of her bedroom. She jumped into the shower, rushing to wash her hair and prepare for the day. She climbed out, toweling off, dressing in a hurry. She raced into the kitchen, tossing her fruits and vegetables into a blender, throwing a spoonful of greek yogurt into the mix as she grabbed her purse and jacket. Once the blender was finished she poured her smoothie into her to-go cup and raced out the door, making sure to lock it behind her as she raced down the stairs, leaping into her car and driving the three miles to the precinct.
"Woah... damn. " Amanda shouted as she jumped from her car, succeeding in tripping over the curb and falling over her own two feet, papers and box of desk stuff flying everywhere. She felt tears fill her eyes. So much for a well organized first day!
"Hey. Are you ok? " A frantic voice asked as a pair of strong, warm hands grabbed her own. "Let me help you alright? Fin, grab her stuff would you?" Oh God. Could this get any more humiliating? The scent of warm vanilla sugar filled her nostrils as she was pulled to her feet. She felt her face turn the same color as her blouse when she looked into warm brown eyes.
"Yeah. I'm okay. Apparently the curbs in New York are more aggressive than the ones in Atlanta. Good to know." Amanda tried to joke. "Thanks, by the way." She hoped Olivia couldn't hear how fast her heart was beating.
"You're welcome. Yeah, we have a huge problem with curb crime here. We haven't been able to apprehend any suspects though." This was new. Amanda loved how Benson's eyes sparkled when she laughed. "I'm Olivia. I work here at SVU."
"I'm Amanda. It's my first day." Amanda hated how she sounded like a rookie, compared to Olivia. She studied the pavement, marveled at how it looked the same as the pavement in Atlanta. She should know. She spent a lot of time studying the pavement.
"So I gathered." Olivia gestured to the box of stuff the man named Fin was carrying. "Don't worry. We were all new once." She smiled at Amanda, a smile that somehow put her perfectly at ease. She felt safe their, walking through the parking lot beside Olivia Benson heading into the Special Victims Unit precinct. "You're from Atlanta you said?" The look in Olivia's eyes now made Amanda slightly nervous. She recognized the change in Benson's tone that meant she had slipped into Detective mode, trying to figure something out. She had heard it often enough in her own voice over the years. It had become easier to spot.
"Uhh..yeah. I'm the new transfer, from Atlanta." Amanda thought wildly if she ought to change her accent, but decided that would only cause more suspicion. She saw a new kind of softness in Olivia's eyes, something akin to pity, but it was more than that, it was a nostalgic look.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I know you from somewhere. It's funny. I spoke to someone once, a young cop, out of Atlanta, it feels like a long time ago now, though it wasn't more than a two years ago." Amanda's heart broke at the clouded look Olivia's eyes had taken on. "I had hoped you would be her. I've often wanted to thank her, for what she did for me." They had reached the entrance now, and Amanda was sad she wouldn't have the chance then to tell Olivia what she had done for her, that night on the phone. She had the strange urge to reveal everything to the other woman, if only to be able to comfort her in person. But she settled for squeezing Olivia's arm softly, smiling at her.
"Thankyou." She said quietly, not even bothering to hide the tremor in her voice. She saw Olivia look at her questioningly, and she refused to look away.
"For what?" Olivia asked as she led the younger woman to a vacant desk, across from her own, a smile on her face. Fin set Amanda's personal box down and rushed off to get her a coffee.
"For everything." Amanda decided to leave it at that. She couldn't say anymore, couldn't speak around the lump in her throat. She felt like she needed to say something, do something, to let Olivia know how much she had done for her. But. Amanda knew, there would be time for that. As Olivia walked away, Amanda began to take her personal items from her box. She set a picture of herself and Banjo on her desk, then withdrew a red folder covered with hearts. She blushed crimson. No way could she put this in its former place of honor taped to the corner of her desk. Not here. She wasn't going to seem like an obsessive stalker. No Freaking way. She slid the folder into the top drawer of her desk hiding it under a few folders full of boring legal notes of past cases.
"Detective Rollins? Hi. I'm Captain Cragen. Welcome to the team. You'll be working with Dectective Tututola, we call him Fin. I'm sending you out with Benson for some training this afternoon while Fin is in a meeting. You start with him tomorrow. We're glad to have you." Amanda liked the bald man immediately. He was everything that Patton had not been, business like, and efficient. The captain didn't seem to care about charming her, and he didn't try to put his arm around her. This last thing made Amanda very grateful. She had never liked touch, but even more so now it made her shudder in nervousness.
"Hello. Sir. That sounds just fine." Amanda held out her hand, a smile on her face, desperately trying to look like a seasoned detective, though she feared that was impossible, as she was actually still a rookie. "Thankyou for having me here. I'm very happy to work here . This is what I've wanted my entire life." Amanda felt a blush rising to her cheeks. Why was she so nervous?"
" ." Oh. Shit. "So, You're the new Atlanta Transfer. Tell me, has your salad learned to sing John Mayer yet?" She wanted to die. Absolutely die. She silently begged him not to mention the song she was singing along to.
"Hello Rafael. " Amanda sighed, stealing a glance at Olivia's face. Well, at least she was laughing. "I trust you made it home safely." She couldn't think of anything else to say. "I didn't peg you for a cop."
"I'm not. I'm an ADA. Now. I came here to discuss the case. OLIVIA, a word?" Amanda cursed silently to herself as the lawyer sent her a meaningful glance when he addressed Benson. Shit. He knew.