Friends
Casey stormed through the Precinct doors with Trevor Langon closely behind. They were both in sweat pants and their hair was much to be desired, but they were ready and rearing to put up a fight.
"Elliot," Casey growled as she threw Elliot a thick packet of papers. "Get Liv out of the crib and take her pregnant ass home. I want to see Allen Roberts now!"
Trevor followed Elliot while explaining the next steps they needed to take.
Casey was unable to be Olivia's lawyer, but she was not about to let her department make a circus act out of the situation either.
She put her favorite lawyer on the job and marched her way towards the back of the bullpen where Allen Roberts sat intensely watching the security tapes.
Fin was slouched next to him with his eyes closed while Munch flicked tiny pieces of paper into the dieing ficka plant in the corner.
Neither one of them agreed with this procedure. They found Allen to be a pretentious screen hog.
They'd tried to pretend they were doing their job for the first two hours, but after juggling around Allen's body and holding back angry conversation, they'd taken a back seat and waited for orders.
When Casey made it to the top of the steps Allen stood up and pointed at the screen. "There. Write this down."
"Huh," Fin jerked up right in his chair and fumbled for a pen and paper.
"Allen Roberts, "Casey beckoned with her deep scratchy voice.
"Novak. Take a seat, I've got something."
Casey was not about to take it up the ass by a federal chump like Allen. She stood in front of the TV and handed Allen a law suite statement from Olivia's lawyer for erratic judgment and holding on false contempt.
Allen threw the paper on the top of the TV. "Please, that suite doesn't have a chance. Everything that I've done so far has been legal and hospitable to boot. Move Novak, your ass is in my way."
Allen pushed her to the side and rewound the tape to play it over again. "There. She leaves the office at 4:15pm; the files are in her hand, and into her bag. Novak, get me a warrant to find that bag."
Casey's voice trailed off and she looked at the screen hoping that what she saw were homework assignments.
When she didn't answer Allen prodded her. "Now Novak!"
SCENE
"Liv, we're going home," Elliot said, helping her from the bed and kissing her lips lightly.
Trevor stood at the door smiling. "How are you Benson? Never thought I'd see the day. You look absolutely breathtaking."
Olivia lifted a brow and sarcastically answered. "Langon you better be my representation because your lies are award winning."
Trevor chuckled. "I'm glad to see that motherhood hasn't effected your inability to take a complement. And yes, I'll be getting you out of this mess."
"Thank god," she replied.
Before Elliot could open the door to take Olivia home a bustle of noise and shouting burst through from the other side.
"Those files could be anything. I will not get you a warrant until you have probable cause," Casey yelled. Her face was beat red.
Allen whipped around and pointed his long thick finger in her face. "Who are you defending in the case Novak, the victim or your friend? Get me that warrant and get your priorities straight."
"But-"
"I can have you fired!"
Trevor pushed Allen to the side. "What the hell is going on?"
"Anarchy," Casey said before turning and stalking off in a fit of rage.
SCENE
Munch stood in Olivia's kitchen with a pair of rubber gloves dangling from his hands. He hadn't moved in five minutes.
Allen was in Olivia's bedroom and Fin was slowly going through her desk in the corner. "I feel dirty."
"I feel rapped," Munch said as he tossed the gloves on the counter.
He walked over to the desk and looked at the photographs next to her computer.
There were several shots of Olivia and Elliot making silly faces in a photo booth and a shot of the whole gang at Olivia's last day going away, but not too far away party.
Munch had an eerie feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd never actually been to Olivia's apartment before, but this wasn't exactly how he wanted to be invited.
Fin half-heartedly sifted through the drawers and a nearby closet shaking his head and grumbling every now and again.
On the floor of the closet laid the brown briefcase from the video. "Munch."
They stood and looked at it contemplating if they should hide it or open it.
Either way they were hoping it would reprieve Olivia of her Scarlet Letter.
Fin bent over and slowly unzipped the front part of the case.
Inside he found Olivia's everyday accoutrements; pens, erasers, cough drops, a toy from McDonald's, and a few condoms.
He moved onto the next pocket, and there it was, the red cardboard file.
Munch knelt down next to him and they both held their breath as Fin unfolded the file.
'When coco butter isn't enough'
Fin read the page out loud and they both let out a sigh. "Thank god. Olivia, you are too organized girl."
"Well, I'm glad to k now that I never got those filing cabinets for my office," Munch replied. "You see what filing leads to."
Fin grimaced. " According to this one, healthy skin and invisible stretch marks. Let's get the hell out of here before we all turn into Big Brother."
SCENE
Elliot sat next to the cell that they temporarily placed Olivia in. He held her hand and rubbed her fingers.
Olivia was mentally going through all of the things that they could have missed about this case and then speaking them out loud. "You interviewed the foster parents, the tapes have all been gone through. Did you interview Patricia?"
"No, why?"
"Because she was in the bathroom when I left. She was the one who locked up."
"That wasn't in the report. It wasn't on the tapes either."
Olivia dropped his hand. "What do you mean it wasn't on the tapes?"
"You were the last one to leave the office. That was it."
"No," Olivia shook her head. "No, Patricia was. That's why I didn't lock the door. Elliot, you have to look at that tape again. Call her in here."
Elliot ran for the television and popped in the videotape.
He rewound it just before Olivia left the office. "Ok I see her. She goes to the bathroom; you come out, and…nothing. She never comes back."
Olivia stood next to the bars clutching them like she was holding on for her life. "Something's not right. Call her in."
"No, wait."
Elliot paused and Olivia waited for him to continue. When the silence lagged on too long she grew anxious. "Elliot?"
"The tapes missing."
"What do you mean?"
Elliot pulled the tape from the VCR and unclicked the film guard.
There on the film was a cut and some clear tape holding the film together. "Somebody tampered with this tape. There's a whole fifteen minutes taken from the shots."
Elliot ran down the steps and put the tape into an evidence bag.
Olivia followed him and tried to talk from her corner of the room. "Where are you going?"
"The lab. This might have prints on it."
Elliot zipped up the bag and ran over to Olivia.
Through the bars he held her hands and kissed her over and over again. "I love you. I'll be back."
She weakly smiled. "I trust you."
SCENE
When Elliot returned Olivia was out of the pen and arguing with Allen Roberts and her boss, George Stana.
"I can't believe this. George, my name has been cleared. I did not steal the file. You've known me for how many years, George? I need this job."
George was a reasonable man.
He hired Olivia, because they had done so much work with her in the past and he genuinely like her.
He stood in the middle of Olivia and Allen, who seemed to have a hatred for Olivia's entire being, with a wrinkled scared face and sweaty palms.
"Olivia, I understand. Trust me, I would never let you go. You are one of the best workers I've ever had. But the Feds are down my back."
Allen threw his hands up in the air. "That's right blame the feds. Do you want to lose your job too Stana?"
Olivia grabbed her purse and charged for the door. She pushed past Elliot and slammed the down button on the elevator.
George timidly stuck his head around the corner and said ", Olivia, when you get a chance, your desk needs to be cleared for the new girl."
She flashed him a look of death and he shrunk in his place. "I mean, you know, when you get chance. Take your time."
She then slammed the up button and yelled without looking back at him. "Thanks George, you've got a lot of balls!"
Elliot followed her into the elevator and tried everything he could to ease the stress. "Liv, why don't you go home. I'll get your stuff."
"I'm here. I might as well do it. Unless you need to baby sit me. You know, so I don't get accused of stealing again."
Elliot placed his hand on her shoulder and rubbed the stress out of it. "It's ok, we're gonna fix this. We've been through worse am I right?"
Flatly she stared at the opening elevator doors. "I suppose."
When they entered the office a group of her co-workers were all standing around eating doughnuts and laughing about the day.
Olivia walked to her desk and they all stopped and pretended they weren't starring.
Olivia grabbed a box of paper next to the copy machine and started throwing the packaged paper into a pile next to the filing cabinets.
Elliot stopped her. "Stop."
"I need the box."
"I know. I'll get it for you. Go gather your things."
Olivia turned and the group of lackies all looked quickly in the other direction.
She glared at them and yelled towards their circle. "Yeah, I've been fired. I'm sure you all know that already. Thank you for the support."
Nobody said a word. They all uncomfortably walked to their desks and ignored the mess and noise that her angry desk banging was causing.
"Assholes," she said under her breath.
Olivia's stress level was higher than she'd ever remembered allowing it to be.
She wasn't one to stay in a state of rage for such a long period of time, but it seemed like every time the storm was over a new cloud would knock her down.
It didn't help that everyone around her hopelessly stood around and waited for something to happen.
The consciences were out of their control.
Elliot was the rock she'd always known him to be and even he was having a hard time pulling her through.
It was a time like this when she quickly found out who her real friends were.
Munch and Fin walked through the door with two boxes and a chocolate fudge ice cream cone.
"Sit," Munch said as he forced her into the chair and handed her the ice cream. "We're taking you out of this hell hole. You're talents were only being wasted in this Cracker Jack farm anyway."
Olivia smiled and an emotional tear fell from her eye. "You guys…you… you are truly the bestest friends a person could ask for."
"Damn, straight we are," Fin said. "And we know you won't forget it."
They all had a nice laugh and continued to quickly empty the desk when the office door opened a third time.
Elliot was behind the desk pulling out files and stationary from the bottom drawer when he heard the voice.
"Is this the advocates office?"
Elliot dropped the files and Olivia paused in mid lick.
She stood up and took in every inch of the tall thin nappy haired woman standing feet in front of her with a box and a backpack.
"Dani Beck," Olivia said, breaking the silence.
"Do I know you," she asked.
Fin and Munch turned around and Elliot slowly stood up from behind the desk.
"Dani," Elliot said awkwardly.
"Elliot?! Munch, Fin..what…I knew I'd be working with you, but I had no idea it would be so soon," she beamed as she placed her stuff down and hugged each one of them.
Elliot didn't return the hug. He stood stiff and motionless.
He smiled and backed away from her. "This is Olivia Benson."
Dani gave a questioned look.
"My partner. Well, my ex-partner. My, well she's my," Elliot became tongue-tied.
It was the painful reality of being old and in a more than serious relationship.
He never knew exactly what to call her.
Girlfriend was too high school, Partner was too professional, not to mention gay, and anything else was non-existent at this point in the game.
Olivia's lips tightened and she pushed in between the two of them. "I'm having his baby. It's nice to meet you."
Her blunt crass reaction was a bit of a shock to everyone in the room. But no one was going to argue with a woman who'd just been to hell and back while holding a baby to her insides.
Everybody stood in silence as she held out her hand and Dani took it for the first time with a look of jealous surprise spilling from her face.
AN: Thanks for all the R&R and let me know how you liked the new chapter PEACE OUT YO!