The Hole

September 2, 2011 9:00am

(Olivia's POV)

It was dark in the cell. There were two dull lights in the ceiling. One was flickering. The toilet was clogged and the cell smelled like shit. I couldn't put up with this for 48 hours.

I tried pacing back and forth but the cell was too small. I tried to sleep but I couldn't. I wanted a pen and paper to try working on my case, but I couldn't get anything... not a book, not a pen, not even a new light bulb.

It's kind of funny when you think about it. After what happened in the basement, I kept thinking that I would have taken life in the hole over that… I guess what they say is true; the grass is always greener on the other side.

Sealview Visitors' Entrance

September 2, 2011 9:30am

(Cragen's POV)

I pulled up in front of the prison. I didn't bother finding a parking space… it's one of the perks about being a police captain. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to see Liv. I couldn't believe I let her sit there for so long. I couldn't believe I never told her I believed her!

I ran through the visitors' entrance, pulled out my badge, and asked to see her. The guard working the door told me I couldn't, so I asked to see the warden. I figured that she'd remember what we'd done for her prison… the scum that we arrested to protect her inmates.

The warden agreed to see me, but she didn't look very happy about it. She told me to take a seat. I obeyed. Before I could even open my mouth, she opened hers.

"Captain Cragen, I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but you have no standing here. You sent a cop into my prison undercover without my knowledge, you sent a cop undercover as a CO without my knowledge… basically, you didn't trust me, so I don't really trust you. Unless you have a warrant to speak with her, you have to wait the 48 hours until her time in solitary's up, just like anyone else would."

"Wait a minute! She's in solitary? What the hell did she do?" I was shocked! I expected Liv to play by the rules. She knew that everything she did inside would be presented at her trial. I wanted to believe she was innocent, but she'd been inside for less than a week and she'd already been sent to the hole for 48 hours! It's a lot harder to see someone as innocent once they've gone disappeared into the depths of prison life.

"I'm not positive what happened, but I'll call the CO who brought her there." She picked up her radio and called "CO MaCavoy, please come to the Warden's office asap."… MaCavoy… Damn it! I can't believe Eliot did this! When he stormed out of my office, I thought it was because he was angry with me for saying no!

When he walked through the door, I immediately asked for some privacy. I knew that the warden didn't have any cameras in her office. I didn't want to out Eliot, but I sure wanted to give him hell for awhile! As soon as she closed the door I took her seat and watched as Eliot stood in the corner of the room with his arms crossed.

"Detective Stabler, sit!" I ordered sharply. I was in no mood for any of his crap! "What the hell are you doing here? I specifically ordered you to take some time off… and not to come here! How the hell did you build a cover?"

"Captain," he began… but I wasn't finished yet.

"I want your badge and weapon on my desk as soon as you finish your shift! You're officially on suspension. You no longer have any credence as an officer of the law. I can't have detectives who can't follow simple orders!"

"Captain, I know you're angry but if you would just let me explain…"

"There's nothing to explain! You went against my direct orders and have broken the law by hacking into the police database and giving yourself a new identity! You're lucky I'm not arresting you right now!"

"Captain, would you just let me talk for a minute?!" he shouted at me. I decided to let him talk. I curtly nodded to him. "I didn't hack into the system. When I left your office, I went to talk to Huang. I thought he'd make me feel better, but talking to him just made me feel worse. I asked him for a favor. I told him you'd approved it. Don't blame him. I thought that if I could protect Liv, you couldn't fault me for what I'd done. I understand the suspension and I'll do what you asked of me, but I'm not leaving her here alone. You and I both know she didn't do it, and I'm not going to let anyone harm one hair on her head!"

"I'm not going to lie to you Eliot, I half expected to find you somewhere in the vicinity of this place, but I didn't think you'd be inside! I'm not going to blame Huang for this… as long as your story checks out, but you're still on suspension…"

"I'll take whatever punishment you give me Captain. My highest priority is protecting Liv." I knew this would eventually happen. Ever since that stupid internal affairs investigation when I was told that splitting the two of them up would be the biggest mistake I ever made… I just knew that they were too close. He was throwing himself under the bus for a girl who had an awful lot of evidence pointing to her being guilty.

My voice softened… a little. "How is putting her in solitary protecting her?"

"I had no choice. It's Parker… Hey Captain, do me a favor. Look into him for me?"

"Suspension means suspension Stabler. I'm not going to investigate a man with no cause just because you don't like him."

"Captain, it's more than that. I swear, he's out to get her. He's just too… he's obsessed with her."

"Where's your proof? If you can actually give me any proof at all that he's doing anything wrong, I'll think about investigating… but I don't really think you'll find anything. I understand your vendetta against the guy. He was the reason that Harris got Liv alone. I get that… but you need to move on… Eliot, you do realize that you're throwing everything away for someone who might be guilty of murder… don't you?"

"Captain, from the sound of your voice, you don't believe that's true. I know she's like a daughter to you. I see the way you look at her. It's the same reason why you came here. You feel just as strongly as I do that she's innocent!

"Eliot… when O'Halloran reconstructed the bullet… he found Liv's thumb and index finger prints on it."

"All that proves is that she loaded the gun… which makes sense since it was her gun. Whoever framed her didn't have to load the gun, it was already full!

"Eliot, I can't guarantee that she was framed. She still doesn't remember anything that happened. Her prints are everywhere and her gun was at the scene! And Eliot, there's something else…"

"What now?"

"The knife that we found in Harris' apartment matched the set in Liv's apartment… and there was one missing."

"So the murderer stole the knife when he stole the gun! Think about it Captain. Were any of the prints smudged in any way? Was there any powder on the weapons that you would find on gloves? Was there anything that can prove someone else may have handled the weapons?"

"Right now, no. Eliot, I'm still hoping that we'll find something… but it doesn't look good right now…"

"Captain, I trust Olivia with my life! I know she didn't do this. She could never be so violent! She could never kill someone. Liv's sweet and loving and caring and…"

"You love her" It wasn't a question… it was an accusation. I was the closest thing she had to a father and I missed all the signs.

"I do… I really do. And that's why I know she didn't do this! She couldn't have. She loves me too and she would tell me if she knew anything. I know she would. We didn't keep secrets from each other!"

"Really Eliot? And how long did it take for her to tell you anything about what happened in the basement?"

"Point taken, but she was protecting me. She knew that I wasn't ready to know. To be honest, I'm surprised everyone jumped to Liv. I was pretty sure I'd be the first suspect."

"Eliot, are you…"

"NO! Damn Captain, do you trust any of us?" I couldn't even look at him. I didn't mean to imply that I believed he would do it any more than I wanted to believe that Liv was guilty, but it was my job to follow the law and prosecute anyone who doesn't. I'm as hopeful as Eliot that we'll find something to save her, but I don't know where to look.

"I trust all of you, Eliot. I want to save her as much as you do. What I was asking was if you were going to make a false confession to save the woman you loved."

There was a sudden knock at the door… then I heard the Warden call in, "How long does it take to explain why a prisoner's in the hole?"

I nodded to Eliot and he opened the door. "We were just finishing" he said. "I've admired Captain Cragen for as long as I can remember… I was just… I had so many questions to ask him."

I hate to admit it… but I trained him well. I quickly thanked the Warden and "MaCavoy" and walked out, reminding them that I'd be back in 48 hours.

I just hoped I'd have better news by then.

The Hole

September 2, 2011 12:00pm

(Olivia's POV)

I'd gone hours with no human contact, no food, no water (since there was no way I'd ever drink from the nasty sink in the cell)… I couldn't believe how quickly I was going out of my mind. I had thumb wrestled myself, tried to hypnotize myself with my hand, acted out a million different scenarios about how things might go down in court… I even did sit ups to try to pass the time.

I had no idea what time it was. I think that was the worst part. I had lost all sense of reality. There was no window, so I couldn't even guess. I just knew that it felt like I'd been in here for days, but since I hadn't been fed yet, it couldn't be after 1:00.

The cell was boiling hot. It had been getting warmer in there gradually, but now, it was so hot that I couldn't take it anymore. Since no one could come in anyways, I decided to remove my jumpsuit. I was still in my undergarments, but I felt disgusting as I sat on the cold metal edge of the bed naked.

All of a sudden, I heard a key turn and something unlock. I hid… knowing that this was Parker. I knew Eliot had lied about the whole timer thing. I couldn't believe he did that to me. What if I had fallen asleep? I wasn't going to let him do this!

I WAS GOING TO DO ANYTHING NECESSARY TO PROTECT MYSELF!