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Despite the personal conversations Bobby and Thea had with Lewis and Logan the previous night, they forced those complicated and messy feelings into the back of their minds. Neither one was ready to even consider changing the nature of their relationship. When they met for their usual jog, they casually mentioned having dinner with their friends and spared the details. After she complimented the new midnight blue puffy vest, black sweat pants and navy knit cap he wore, Thea decided to change things up. She suggested they cut their run short by ten minutes and have a foot race. If she won, he would have to buy her breakfast on their next day off. However, if she lost then she would have to reveal a secret to him. This wasn't the first time they raced but adding a wager to the competition was a new twist. Previously, she had bested him every single time in spite of him having much longer legs.
Bobby was intrigued by her challenge which he eagerly accepted. When he easily defeated her he felt victorious and threw his arms up in the air. The corners of his lips turned upward once he saw the sour look on her face and her arms fold across her chest. Every time he learned a new fact about her, he tucked it away and treated it like a special gift. So it amused him to discover that despite her usually kind demeanor, she didn't handle losing well.
Although her expression was bitter, he enjoyed seeing the lovely contrast between her caramel complexion and the white knit cap she wore. Her raven locks hanged loose from the knit cap and their color matched the cap's Black Canary logo. Standing at a mere 5'6", Bobby's 6'4" build towered over her but due to the baggy Wayne Enterprises navy hoodie and matching sweat pants she donned, Thea looked bulkier than her actual size.
Milo padded in between them as they walked back to her apartment building. The Border terrier was wearing a white custom harness hoodie that had Christopher Nolan's Batman emblem on the back below the d-ring.
"Wow, you're a sore loser." His smile was cheeky.
"Obviously Bobby, obviously!" She shot back but there was more annoyance in her tone rather than actual malice.
"Well at least I know that you'll never let me win."
"Of course not. You have to earn a win and now…you have," she reluctantly admitted and then stated, "But I let you off easy."
They came to her building's stoop, "And how's that?"
"Well, the last time I lost a race I...partially pantsed the boy."
His mouth fell open and then he burst into a shocked laughter, "You pantsed a boy?!"
Thea huffed, "I said partially pantsed and I was 12, Bobby!"
"Well excuse me Detective Ma, how does one 'partially pantsed' another person?"
She sighed, "It was the summer and I was spending it at Chantra's, she's my cousin. There were these brothers who were our age and their dad was a friend of my uncle. Their names were Rithy and Rasi. Rithy was a total sweetheart but Rasi was an arrogant, obnoxious little prick who loved to win at everything. So, we were in Chantra's pool and we were racing. I was still my chubby, non-athletic self so I kept losing and Rasi rubbed it in my face every single time. We agreed to have one more race before going inside for lunch. My cousin was our starter's pistol; she'd do a three-count and yelled out 'Go!' So right before 'Go' I reached over to Rasi and… pulled down the side of his swimming shorts with my right hand. His genitals weren't exposed, his shorts were just low on his left hip but it distracted him long enough for me to get third place instead of last."
He nodded and his lips curled up, "Well, that uh, that explanation makes sense."
"I told ya so, hence the 'partially' part. Anyway, once we resurfaced above the water Rasi was justly furious with me and called me out. I denied it and Chantra had my back because she's my family and she was next to Rithy during the race. And to my and Rasi's shock, Rithy took my side! He said that I probably and accidentally bumped into Rasi. And Rasi was so devastated to see his brother not have his back. Bobby, I turned brother against brother, I was their Civil War!"
Bobby burst into laughter and surmised, "It sounds like little Rithy had a crush on you."
"He did! But I didn't know it at the time because I was the chubby girl that boys either ignored or made fat jokes about!"
"Kids can be cruel…but please tell me this story has a satisfying conclusion?"
Her luscious lips pulled into a proud smile, "Oh it does. Ten years later I told Chantra the truth and she thought it was hilarious but we agreed to not say anything if we ever met them again. Last June, Chantra got married and Rithy and Rasi were there. Rithy is still the same sweet guy but Rasi has gotten worse over years and the first thing he brought up was my cheating. And I was ready to confess but he wagged his finger in my face and called me a shameless cheater at the top of his lungs! Everyone in the banquet hall was looking at us! So I continued denying it.
But then later on, I was at the bar and he sat next to me. He said that he'd forgive me if I joined him in his hotel room and personally apologized to him. Then he winked at me and pinched my ass! So, I played along and said I would join him if he ordered me a Bloody Mary - which he did. When the bartender handed me the drink; I dumped it on Rasi's head."
Bobby laughed and wiped away a tear, "You're right, that was a good ending. At least you handle your losses better now."
"Luckily for you, I do. Come on; let's get inside so I can tell you my secret."
He suppressed the bold smile that pulled at his lips into a small grin. This was going to be the first time either of them would see the other one's home. Bobby would have been lying to himself if he denied being curious about her home's appearance.
After the elevator's doors closed, Thea pointed to him as she spoke, "Bobby, you're a worldly and cultured man so I probably don't have to tell you this but – I am an Asian woman who grew with Asian parents in an Asian household. You will not wear shoes in my home."
He held up his hands, "I wouldn't dare but-but I hope you don't mind the smell of sweat."
"Bobby, I've been to over a dozen comic book and horror conventions, believe me I can tolerate sweat and body odor."
"All right then, I warned you." He followed her off the elevator.
Once they entered her apartment, they sat down on the bench by the door, removed their shoes and placed them on the shoe rack. They walked down the small hallway then into the living room; to their right was the kitchen and informal dining room.
A pleasant expression came to his face upon seeing her abode. The colors and décor were welcoming, warm, bright and calming, just like her. In the living room the modular sofa, loveseat and chair was ocean blue, they complimented the glass coffee table and the blue and gray area rug. The walls were sky blue with white baseboards. There was a flat screen television mounted on the wall; it was between a blank spot and an art print inspired by Starry Night except it was Batman overlooking Gotham City. Beneath the television there was a shelving unit that held a DVD/Blu-ray player, a stereo and a plethora of films. On the left side, there was stood a large bookcase that was almost at full capacity. To the right, several shelving units were filled with even more films, CDs, statues and vinyl figures of her favorite characters along with framed photos and photo albums. A little farther to the right a 50-photograph picture frame was mounted on the wall.
"So, what do ya think?" She asked him while she walked over to the kitchen.
He knew that her mother was a successful interior designer and it showed, "I like it, it's very cozy and welcoming."
Thea's smile was bright as she retrieved bottled water from the refrigerator and handed it to him, "Here. I have to call my mom and I know you're gonna go through my things so keep it to the living room and don't break anything or else, you're a dead man, Bobby."
He shook his head, "I wouldn't dare."
"I'm holding you to that, Bobby…" She gave him a fake glare before walking out of the living room. Milo followed after her.
Bobby set the bottle down on the breakfast bar next to two packages and immediately went over to the bookshelf. He tilted his head to the left as his right hand grasped his left wrist. The seasoned detective's dark eyes carefully scanned the nonfiction section; he paused once he saw books by the late historian, Adlai Copeland. During their second morning running together, he had spoken about being a huge fan of Adlai and having to investigate his and his brother's murders with Eames. Three of Adlai's books were on the shelf, Winter of the Patriarchs, When Empires Fall and the posthumously released, When Gods Fail. He examined all three books and Winter of the Patriarchs seemed to be the most used with dog-eared pages and its paper wasn't as white as the two other books. It touched him to know that she highly valued his opinion.
His attention then turned to the other authors in the section. She had been pretty open about her leftist politics early on and it showed on her shelves. There were biographies about FDR, Eugene V. Debs, Kurt Vonnegut, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Theodore Dreiser alongside the writings of Noam Chomsky, Richard D. Wolff, Harvey J. Kaye, Thomas Frank, Thom Hartmann, Naomi Klein, Stephanie Kelton and Nomi Prins.
She had the writings of Jane Austen, The Bronte sisters, Mary Shelley and Theodore Dreiser. The horror, mystery and science fiction writings of Deacon Wells, Odessa Sloane, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Susan Hill, Octavia E. Butler, Lauren Beukes, Tananarive Due and Jennifer McMahon graced her shelves. There were absolutely no fantasy books but she of course had a vast comic book collection which included Marvel, DC, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Walking Dead.
One of the first things Thea said to him when they were discussing movies and television was, "Great stories and great characters aren't limited to one medium." Her statement was a perfect reflection of her DVD collection. For animated films, she had Disney, Pixar, Don Bluth's works, DreamWorks and a handful of Studio Ghibli movies. Next to the animated films was Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Daria, The Jetsons, The Simpsons, X-Men: The Animated Series, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, Doug and Avatar: The Last Airbender. When it came to live action, she was clearly a fan of Mel Brooks, Kathryn Bigelow, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Amy Heckerling, John Hughes, Adam McKay, JJ Abrams, Frank Darabont, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Joss Whedon, David Fincher, James Cameron and Christopher Nolan.
Statues and vinyl figures of her favorite characters filled one shelving unit. Disney Princesses and characters such as Mulan, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, WALL-E and EVE were proudly displayed. There was also Batman, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Black Canary, Phoenix, Captain America and Buffy Summers.
He moved onto the shelving units that contained photos and he couldn't help but smile. In a 4-photograph picture frame, there were images of milestones in her young life. In the first photo, her mother was in a hospital bed holding Thea as an infant and a smiling Captain Cragen was standing closely next to them. The next three photos were of her high school, college and police academy graduations, her mother and Captain Cragen were in all of the still images. Their love for each other was obvious; it would have been easy for a stranger to mistaken the trio as family.
One photo caught Bobby off guard; Thea was either nine or ten, she was wearing a school uniform as she held a Little Mermaid backpack in her arms while her dark hair was in pigtails. He picked up the photo and saw the school's name on a plaque on the wall behind her, Saint Anne's. When they had discussed their backgrounds she never once mentioned going to Catholic school like he had. As he placed the photo back he wondered why she hadn't mentioned this to him.
He continued looking at the photos and took delight in seeing her life progress. She had been honest when she had described herself as being a "chubby not rotund" child. Before high school she had lost the weight and dropped down to a size 8; she has maintained the weight loss since then.
Other snapshots displayed celebrations, milestones, vacations and career accomplishments. Although it shocked him that she didn't have any plaques or certificates on her walls or shelves. Based on his own research and what she had told him, she had plenty of achievements. However, it didn't surprise him that her late father wasn't in any of the photos.
His eyes went to a picture where Thea and an attractive Latina woman her age were smiling and standing on either side of a stunningly beautiful black man. A brilliant and broad smile was on his full lips; his strong jawline and chiseled cheekbones were striking. His head was clean shaven while his beard was perfectly groomed. He had large captivating dark eyes and his skin was a lovely and flawless shade of bronze.
Bobby surmised that the man and the Latina woman were Jacorey and his wife, Elena. Thea happily spoke about him and Elena to Bobby a couple of weeks ago. Jacorey had been Thea's first serious boyfriend; they had attended Hudson University together and dated during their junior and senior years. Their breakup had been amicable. She admitted that they wanted different things in life. Jacorey wanted to travel the world, meet new people and experience different cultures while she wanted to stay stateside to be close to her mother and serve her community. Jacorey had met Elena while working at an international consulting firm. At least once a month, Thea either emailed or spoke to the jet-setting couple.
Bobby then came upon a 50-photograph picture frame and deduced that the photos were captured after she had transferred to SVU. In one picture, she's happily embracing US Senator Bernie Sanders in front of a DSA sign. Next to it was an image of her in a bar with her partner John Munch, they were joyously hugging as Obama/Biden signs hanged in the background. The snapshot was taken on the night of the presidential election.
Another photograph was of a Halloween party she had hosted; he and Eames were invited but they missed it due to a case running long. In the picture she was wearing a white gown, a black leather jacket, a crucifix as she wielded a crossbow. It took him a moment to recognize that she was Buffy Summers. Next to her were ADA Casey Novak as Dottie Hinson from A League of Their Own, Logan had his arm around her waist, he was Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean. Barek was dressed as FBI Agent Dana Scully; Elliot Stabler was Die Hard's John McClane while he had his arm around Olivia Benson's shoulders as she portrayed Sgt. Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson. Munch was Detective Joe Friday, Chester Lake and Fin Tutuola were Lt. Frank Bullitt and PI John Shaft. Rounding out the group photo was ADA Connie Rubirosa channeling Holly Golightly and EADA Mike Cutter was Atticus Finch.
Another group photo was taken at a pre-Thanksgiving party that was hosted by her mother (Sambath) and Captain Cragen. Only SVU staff and their loved ones had been invited. He laughed at the image of a brunette teenage boy flirtatiously smiling and looking at Thea. She had mentioned that Stabler's fifteen-year-old son, Dickie, approached her at the party and asked, "How do you feel about dating younger men?" She told him that she'd have to arrest herself.
Bobby returned to the breakfast bar and opened the bottled water. As he drank he turned the two packages towards himself. The larger one was labeled Doctor Sweet Tooth while the smaller box read Geek Goddess Jewelry.
Thea walked in and joined him, "I'm surprised you didn't use your switch blade to open them up."
With a small grin on his lips he answered, "I wouldn't because opening up someone else's mail is a serious crime."
Her left brow somewhat lifted, "Of course, but I'll share some details. My upstairs neighbor, Ronaldo, he works from home and he takes care of Milo. So for Christmas, I bought him a custom made Nightwing necklace, the pendant has his birthstone. I also got myself a couple of pieces. Then I bought some custom made shampoo, conditioner, body wash and perfume. This particular shop specializes in foodie scents."
He cocked his head to the right, "What was wrong with your jasmine and rose perfume?"
"Nothing, I like to change things up and you know my exact scent? Because that's not creepy at all." She teased him.
"Oh come on, we've been spending a lot of time together and it was hard to miss when you first swiped my wallet."
"Right. Ya know Bobby; sometimes it's easy to forget that you're part Italian and Bloodhound."
He chuckled, "It does come in handy when I'm working."
"About that, you suggested I should follow your method of smelling the body but you didn't mention the funny looks everyone else would give me."
Amused, he commented, "I don't even notice it - but I can only imagine how your squad reacts."
"Well, Munch, Lake and Benson got used to it real quick. It took some time for Stabler to come around. But Fin still looks at me like I'm some kind of weirdo. I'm pretty sure that's not gonna change any time soon."
He slightly tipped his head to the right, "You'll get used to it. Uh-Why did you start calling them by their last names?"
She grumbled and then explained, "Yesterday the Chief of Detectives came by the squad room and he made it clear to me that he didn't like how I addressed my captain 'So informally'. Also, it's better that I start doing it now. It can get confusing if two people in the room have the same first name like Logan and Cutter. They were both at my Halloween party and they kept looking up when I called out for Mike."
Bobby nodded and pointed towards the framed photos, "Why didn't you tell me that you went to Catholic school?"
"Yeah…well, it was only for one year, 4th grade. My parents heard it was a good school and they got me in and this is…related to my secret." She took a deep breath and sat down.
"Are you sure wanna tell me?"
"I do and I promised you so…" She cleared her throat, "There was only two weeks of school left before summer vacation. We were gonna go to a theme park on the second to last day. So, in preparation, we practiced the buddy system where we paired off and held our buddy's hand…My buddy was Julie. The first two times we practiced it everything was fine and we never had problems before. But the third time – Julie suddenly became furious with me. I didn't do anything to set her off…" Her gaze briefly went to the floor.
He leaned closer to her, "What happened?"
Thea looked him straight in the eyes, "She um, she yelled at me. She thought I wasn't holding her hand tight enough so much that…she stabbed my hand with her thumbnail until I bled."
With empathy in his eyes and voice he said, "That's terrible, Thea. I'm sorry that happened to you."
She gave him a gracious nod, "The teacher saw it happen so we were both brought to the principal's office. They called our parents and once they arrived we were all separated into different rooms. The principal told us that Julie's dad abandoned his family a few days before and that her mother was an alcoholic."
"So she was taking out her anger on you…"
"She was and then, while crying, she apologized to me. Her mother, who was sober at the time, she apologized too. But once we got home, my father told me that I was transferring out after the school year ended. Then he yelled at me for not immediately punching Julie…he gave me this…so that I wouldn't make that mistake again."
She stood up then lifted the bottom of her hoodie exposing the lower right half of her waist; there was a two-inch x-shaped scar. Bobby tilted his head and examined the marking; he realized that it was a brand. He was shocked and angry at her dead father for desecrating her.
"His father did it to him, three times…"
He heard a quiver in her voice then he heard her clear her throat. Without thinking, he reached out and traced the brand with his left forefinger.
A loud gasp came from Thea as her body jerked. She let go of her hoodie.
His mouth dropped open and he immediately pulled his hand back. Eames's voice entered his mind, "Bobby, you need to stop constantly 'seeing' things with your hands because one of these days, it's gonna bite you in the ass." He awkwardly gulped. It's not as if he hadn't touched Thea before but those other times it had been in the form of a friendly pat on the back or shoulder. Until that moment, he hadn't touched bare skin let alone under her clothing.
She struggled to speak, "Uuhh..ummm..OK, I wasn't expecting you to do that…"
With wide eyes, he shifted in his seat, "I am-I am so sorry Thea! I-I should get going."
Using both hands she gripped his shoulders and stopped him from standing up, "No, Bobby, it's OK, I'm OK I'm fine, all right?"
He shook his head, "I had no right to touch you…"
"You-you didn't mean any harm and I'm OK. So..umm.." She pointed to her outer right thigh just below her hip, "my second brand happened when I was seventeen. I snuck out to a party. All I wanted to do was to see my friends. But it was a co-ed party. And he was convinced that I was going there to, quote, 'Be a slut'. Even though I wasn't allowed to date and never even had a platonic male friend, let alone a secret boyfriend."
He slowly nodded, "You weren't exaggerating when you called him a monster."
Thea tipped her head forward, "I wasn't. But I'm not showing you that scar – because even though I consider you a close friend, there's no way in hell I'm dropping trou in front of you." She smirked.
He laughed and held up his hands, "Nor do I expect you to."
"…I haven't shown Munch yet. It's not that he'll have a bad reaction…it's that, he knows almost of my personal stories of bullying, I don't want to pile it on all at once."
"I understand." He nodded at her then his eyes traveled to the empty spot on the wall.
She explained herself, "I should really fill that in. The artist who did the Starry Dark Knight print, her name is Millie Kara. I've reached out to her and tried to get her to paint this vision I have of a 1940s noir Detective Batman with Catwoman as the femme fatale. They would be in his Bat Cave; he would try to arrest her as she's picking his pocket. While this is all happening, they're kissing as a waterfall is behind them."
His brows crinkled, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Why hasn't she agreed to do it?"
"Because since she's a relatively unknown artist, she only takes jobs from big companies or corporations. And I could never match their price." She stopped to look at her phone when it buzzed, "It's Munch, he just texted me. Ya know, he and Eames had dinner last night."
Bobby knew that the two detectives had become fast friends and remained so, even after Eames had gently rejected him when he asked her out. He paused at what Thea said next.
"Bobby, I've held off on asking this question so things wouldn't be awkward…but I have to know the answer, why does Eames hate me?"
The confusion and pain in her eyes and tone was evident. He knew this conversation was going to eventually come up. Bobby had avoided it because he had held off on telling her certain things about himself. He knew it was utterly baseless, but he was afraid of alienating her if she discovered that his late mother was schizophrenic, his older brother Frank is a junkie, his nephew Donny is a bipolar fugitive and that his late father was a gambling and cheating bastard. Only his mentor, profiler Declan Gage and ME Rodgers knew that serial killer and rapist Mark Ford Brady was his biological father, he intended to keep it that way.
However, he did tell her that his mother died last year of cancer and that Frank was a gambling addict. All she knew about his father was that he left his mother and them when Bobby was eleven and he died several years ago. Thea handled it well by being supportive and empathetic. She was still unaware about his nephew Donny being imprisoned at Tate's Corrections where the warden and prison guard were starving, dehydrating and sleep depriving mentally ill prisoners to death. He also didn't divulge his subsequent 6-month suspension without pay and his undercover operation that brought down a corrupt cop named Mike Stoat and his criminal boss, John Testarossa. Although his undercover operation was a success and he got his job back, he had shut Eames out and she felt deeply betrayed. Bobby kept all of this from Thea because he feared that he would lose her as a friend and he treasured their bond.
He sighed and briefly held his face in his hands, "She-she doesn't hate you. She's not even mad at you. She's mad at me."
Her brows furrowed, "All right…what happened?"
After a brief moment of hesitation, he confessed about his rogue undercover operation at Tates Corrections, taking down Stoat and Testarossa and shutting Eames out only to have her arrest him when their cases collided. He even brought up the countless time Eames covered for him when he left during an active case to check on his mother. Then he spoke about how she stuck by him even after he justifiably discredited Det. Copa for falsely identifying the shooter who murdered her late husband's partner. The result was the brass and other cops turned against him and her for not accepting Det. Copa's bad ID. After that, he revealed the time when he needlessly twisted esteemed author's Lionel Shill's wrist to get him to admit to plagiarism and Eames didn't report it. Bobby then admitted how difficult things had been between him and temporary partner, Bishop, when Eames was pregnant. Thea's face remained still as he spoke. When he finished, he glanced down then slowly returned his gaze to hers.
Thea groaned and briefly covered her face. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Various emotions that ranged from shock; concern, horror, disappointment and understanding were running through her.
"So?" He merely asked her.
"Oooh Bobby, there's so much to unpack! First off, I get why Eames is mad at you and why she didn't like me. If Munch had done all of that I would be so pissed off and terrified. And I get why you didn't tell her about going undercover to get Testarossa but that's still no excuse to lie to her. And yes, the guards and warden at Tates are clearly evil and Donny is your family but they almost murdered you! I've only been friends with you for a few months and I'm horrified at what they did to you because I'm already emotionally attached to you but…Eames has been your partner for almost a decade. The pain and the anger she's feeling, it has to be immense!"
His eyes fell as he slowly nodded, "I know and I did apologize…"
"Yeah well, she clearly needed more and I know you're remorseful but you owe her. You messed up Bobby but it doesn't mean you can't make up for it. I mean, she didn't quit or request a new partner, so that's a good sign."
"It is…but neither of us has brought it up."
"Well one of you has to…"
He took a breath then asked, "How about Stoat? And Copa? Do you agree with them?"
She blinked and was taken aback by his question, "Of course not! You're not a rat Bobby, those two and whoever left that dead rat in your desk, well…they all can go kick an infinite amount of rocks!"
He cracked a grin when she used the same phrase that Lewis did.
With her hands on her hips and a concerned tone, she told him, "But you cannot twist another person's wrist. That's one of the reasons why a significant portion of the community hates us! And you're not a 'bad apple' Bobby, but if you do that again, you will be. And you don't want to be one. Trust me, I knew one…hell, he partially raised me….."
Bobby took her words to heart and briefly touched her forearm, "…I know and I won't."
She ignored the small tingle from his touch and said, "All right then…now about Eames, she doesn't seem like the type of person who likes getting fruit baskets…."
He chuckled, "She uh, she's not but I will have a talk with her."
"As you should…this has been a roller coaster of a conversation, Bobby!"
They both shared a small laugh and he felt lighter.
Bobby spoke, "I-I thought your secret was either going to be what your favorite novel is or why you stopped studying profiling."
She stood up and moved closer to him, he caught the pleasing aroma of her jasmine and rose scent. Her hands went to his strong broad shoulders and she looked into his eyes.
"If you play your cards right, maybe I'll tell you – but right now, we have jobs to get to." Thea smirked then realized that she was unintentionally flirting with him. She quickly pulled her hands away and stepped back.
He noticed her sudden awkwardness but didn't say anything. Bobby liked her comforting touch although he'd never admit it. Thea wasn't like the other women he usually came across in his everyday life. She was much younger, a colleague and a true friend. So, he hasn't even complimented her appearance fearing that she would see it as an advance.
Clearing his throat, Bobby stood up, "We do. I'll see ya tomorrow morning."
"Yes…unless one of us catches a case. Have a good day, Bobby," she tipped her head forward.
"You too, Thea." He happily followed her lead.
In their favorite diner, Elliot and Olivia were having breakfast and enjoying each other's company.
"So, the doctor said that Dickie will be fine in a few days but he's been having it rough. Thankfully, Eli didn't catch it. He's been quarantined off and everyone in the house, including Kathy and I have been wearing masks and gloves. But Dickie did make a special request."
"Really now?" Olivia was intrigued.
"Oh yeah, he wants Thea to deliver her mom's chicken soup to him!" He smirked.
She chuckled, "Of course he does, sure, it's the best chicken soup I've ever had but his crush on Thea is adorable and hilarious."
"It's a riot but Kathy was insulted because her chicken soup is great and then she told him to go after girls his own age."
"Like any great mother would."
He slowly nodded and decided to tell his partner the truth, "She is a great mother. Liv…Kathy and I, we ended things last night."
Her dark eyes became large as her mouth fell open. Shock washed over her. She honestly thought things were going well between the couple.
"Kathy's met someone. She hasn't…hasn't crossed that line yet but she has feelings for him. But it's not one-sided. These last couple of months, we've been distant. She had the courage to actually pull the trigger."
"Uh..I'm just-I'm sorry El." She reached across the table and gripped his muscular forearm.
A sense of ease came over him as he spoke and graciously tapped her hand, "Liv, don't be. It's not your fault. Actually, it's no one's. I know it's a cliché but in this case, it's true. We grew apart. But this time around, we're gonna handle it better because it's what we both want."
A long exhale came from her as she reluctantly withdrew her hand, "Well, that sounds good and I'm glad that you're both taking it well…have you told the kids?"
Shaking his head, he stated, "We're waiting until the New Year. We want Christmas to be normal for them."
She gave him an understanding nod, "If you ever need to talk..."
"I know," he smiled at her.
A pleasant silence fell between them until her ringing phone cut it short. She answered it.
When she hanged up, Elliot said, "Let me guess, we caught a new case."
"Yes, that was Cragen except this time…We're working it with Munch, Thea, Logan, Barek, Goren and Eames. We're being temporarily transferred to Major Case."
A cocky smirk came to his lips, "We're moving up in the world."
"Only for a couple of days. Oh and Elliot?"
"Yeah?"
"Thea and Goren are close friends and she tells me that he's a profiler, very eccentric and not like other cops. Don't be so quick to judge."
He was going to protest but he knew she was right, "Close friends?"
"Yes, they're running buddies, as she puts it."
"All right then, so she'll probably be extra cheery….greeaat."
"Oh most definitely and don't complain." She grinned as they both stood up from the booth.
He defended himself as he placed a couple of dollars on their bill, "Oh come on, Thea's great but sometimes her cheeriness, especially early in the morning, it can be a bit much. And she even likes rainy days!"
The edges of Olivia's lips barely turned upward, "Well she has a valid point, when it rains the all the plants are being nourished!"
A small laugh came from him while he opened the door for her, "Yeah-yeah, I guess having her around balances things out in the squad room. Munch isn't complaining about Fin ditching him anymore and we get free meals from her and Sambath every week."
"See? You can be cheery too El."
"It's called being cautiously optimistic, Liv. I'll never be cheery."
She playfully rolled her eyes as she walked past him.
At the Tracer Projects, Goren and Eames approached the crime scene which was located in front of a dumpster. ME Rodgers was already on site examining the body of 17-year-old Abby Dreston, the daughter of media mogul Jack Dreston. Eames was taking notes as she spoke to the patrol officers. Goren smelled Abby's neck as Rodgers spoke.
"Well, it looks to me that this teen queen was strangled to death, my best guess? Some kind of rope but I'll know more when I get her back to the morgue and check the database for a match. She was also stabbed five times in the chest, specifically, the heart post-mortem. As far as sexual assault, I can't fully undress her here for obvious reasons, but she did test positive for oral penetration and there is blood on the crotch and back of her jeans."
Goren stated after he sniffed her neck, "She smells like mint and sage."
"Yes but unfortunately for you two, the dumpster was emptied this morning so if the cause of the smell was in there, it's gone by now. Anyway, it's freezing but my rough estimate for time of death is 4 to 6 hours."
Eames answered her mobile phone and thanked the officers.
He stood up and walked around the body, "The killer just left her out here on full display; there was no care or personal connection to this victim. But strangulation is personal along with being stabbed five times in the heart, it-it shows real anger…"
Eames then hanged up, "Goren, the Captain says this isn't the only body with the same MO and most of the other victims are also trust fund kids, there are six total. The Chief of D's knows that we're shorthanded so Logan and Barek are working this with us. He's also reassigning detectives from the 2-7 and…SVU."
He perked up at the sound of her saying SVU, "Which uh, which detectives are joining us?"
She had a little fun with her partner, "Benson, Stabler and from the 2-7, Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard."
A crestfallen look spread across his face, "Oh, all right…"
"Yep; oh and Munch and Ma are also working this case with us."
He grinned, "You had to bury the lead, huh Eames?"
"Well Bobby, you should have seen the look on your face, you'd put puppies to shame."
Bobby scoffed and shook his head as she smirked.
In the south Bronx, Logan and Barek were at the Chaseman Housing Projects looking over the body of 18-year-old Jackson Malick. He was the son of Michael Malick, the owner and CEO of Bess's Burgers, one of the world's largest fast food chain restaurants.
Logan surveyed the scene, "I don't see any weapons, blood, drag marks and there are no signs of a fight or struggle…this has to be the dump site."
Barek absently nodded as she closely examined the body, "The killer left him face up right between these two housing complexes. That shows confidence because there could be so many witnesses yet he chose to put Jackson here anyway but…there are hesitation marks. About uh, two out of the five stab wounds are shallow."
"Maybe he's a first-timer?" Logan suggested.
"Yeah maybe and there's a needle mark on his neck. But he's definitely not a user. And Jackson smells like…hmm, cedar and orange."
They locked eyes realizing that the killer's MO wasn't the only distinct trait about him.
Logan spoke, "Thea called me and said that her and Munch's vic smells like charcoal and pine. And then she said that Goren and Eames's vic smelled like mint and sage."
Barek nodded, "She did and don't forget, they all had needle marks on their necks. But she didn't mention hesitation marks and neither did Goren. They wouldn't have left out that specific detail. But three different distinct scents? I've never heard of that before…"
"And he targeted teenage boys and girls, you don't see that often."
"It's rare for a killer and sexual predator to do that...but it's not unheard of."
Captain Ross's name appeared on Logan's phone before he answered it. A wry smile touched his mouth as he spoke and hanged up.
"You wanna share the good news?" She asked him.
He casually stated, "The 2-7 also found a vic with the same MO. They're joining in on the party."
"The 2-7, isn't that your old house?"
"It sure is…And I can't wait to find out who's keeping my old desk warm now…"
A slightly interested expression came to Barek's face, "Go easy on them Mike. According to Thea, it takes a long time to get rid of your ass indentations from your seats."
A small chuckle left his mouth as a grin stretched across hers.
Detectives Lupo and Bernard were in the courtyard at the Taft Housing Projects looking over Brie and Jeff's bodies when Lieutenant Anita Van Buren arrived. They were both surprised to see her at the crime scene until she explained why.
"Lupo, Bernard, the Chief of Ds just called me. You're being temporarily transferred to Major Case. It turns out, there are four more victims and with the exception of Mr. Shaw here, they're all children of the rich and powerful."
Surprised, Lupo tipped his head back, "Six victims?"
Bernard chimed in, "Someone had a real busy night."
"Yeah, well, most of the victims have signs of being sexually assaulted and Major Case is shorthanded because of this bug going around, so SVU is also working this case. Gentlemen, this is a high profile case, I don't have to tell you to mind your Ps and Qs."
"We'll be on our best behavior, Lieu." Bernard said with a playful voice and smile.
Lupo was the senior detective despite being three years younger than his partner; he joked, "Yeah, don't worry, I'll make sure B doesn't step out of line."
She smirked and said before she walked away, "I'll see you two in a few days."
They watched Van Buren approach and greet Captain Ross.
Goren and Eames politely introduced themselves then took in the crime scene.
Goren curiously looked over Jeff's body, "Well this is interesting. Jeff was shot but he wasn't stabbed or strangled like the other victims. And he is placed on his side and covered with a blanket while Brie only has a sweater and jeans, she's on her back."
"The other bodies weren't posed in a similar way?" Lupo asked.
Eames answered for him, "No, they look like Brie, exposed to the elements and whoever walks by."
"The killer, he felt remorse and had a personal connection to Jeff.." Goren spoke to himself then his mobile phone rang.
Bernard asked, "We think this is the dump site, were the other crime scenes like this?"
Nodding Eames said, "It's a little too early to tell but that's what it looks, there were no signs of a struggle or weapons. The unis are still canvassing but so far we have no witnesses."
"Thea-I mean, Detective Ma. Really? OK, thanks. I'll see ya at the house. Bye. Her and Munch's victim smells like charcoal and pine…" Goren sniffed Jeff's and Brie's necks.
Lupo and Bernard gave each other the same peculiar look.
"Jeff has no discernible scent but Brie also smells like charcoal and pine."
Bernard offered, "Maybe it's her perfume?"
With a doubtful look and tone, Eames stated, "There's no way that a teenage girl, especially one like her, chooses to smell like a burnt Christmas tree."
A light chuckle came from Lupo, "Maybe she's really into Christmas?"
Bernard changed the subject, "So, we're working this with Detective Thea Ma. I've heard about her."
Goren didn't like his tone, "Yeah well, don't believe everything you hear."
His protective stance and tone caught Lupo and Bernard off guard.
Eames stated, "Especially when most of it is bullshit."
Goren turned his head towards his partner; it was the first time he had ever heard her speak in favor of Thea. Her eyes met with his and she only broke his stare when her mobile phone rang.
Eames spoke to Goren, "That was the headmistress of Carnegie Hill Academy; she's waiting for us at the school. We'll see ya later," she said as her and Goren walked away.
With his eyes on the senior detectives, Bernard said, "I get the feeling that we're the new kids in town."
Lupo commented, "Yeah and we moved in during the middle of the school year."