So, Alex and Olivia can now legally get married in New York. Just saying...
Thanks for reading!
Notes for November 20, 2010:
Patient Alexandra Cabot is a no-show. Will call later.
"It goes without saying that I'm taking you off the case, Olivia."
She scowled at her captain with her arms folded, though she knew he had no other logical choice. Her life had been threatened and he couldn't risk losing one of his detectives, but she was just so damn mad.
"Can we skip the part where I argue with you and get right to the part where you fold?" she replied smartly.
"I'm serious, Benson. I'm not treating this as some empty threat when everyone else who got a letter like this was killed," Cragen said coldly.
"I happen to think I have a much better chance of protecting myself than two lawyers and a civilian."
"Like hell, Liv," Alex seethed from the chair next to her. "I don't care if you can shoot a gun with both hands and feet, this is serious and you need people looking out for you! Don't be pig-headed."
"Which reminds me, I'm putting the protection detail on momentarily. You still live at the same address, right?" Cragen said.
"Actually, Don, I would appreciate it if you would send the cavalry to my apartment," Alex replied.
"Why?"
"Ah…" Alex hesitated. The only ones who really knew about the nature of the relationship between her and Olivia were Casey, Mark, and Elliot. They hadn't found a suitable occasion to tell anyone else yet, including their superiors. This didn't seem like such an occasion. "She's just agreed to stay with me as long as this threat is significant," she finished smoothly.
"Is that alright, Liv?" Cragen asked.
Olivia bit her lip and nodded. "Bastard lied. He may not be at the top of this so called pyramid, but he sure does know who is. You heard what that letter said, right? I got his brother to spill? The son of a bitch Rodriguez said he had no idea who was behind the murders."
"I just took you off the case, Olivia."
"I know that, I'm not trying to interrogate anyone or go anywhere. I'm just talking to you. It's not inappropriate," she frowned.
"Fine, continue," he shrugged as Elliot walked in the room.
"El, Caldera and Rodriguez aren't brothers, are they?" Olivia asked.
"Don't think so. They've got two different sets of parents," he replied, taking a seat.
"Then who the hell is his brother?"
"I have no idea, Liv. Fin and I checked the family history after Alex called and the only male sibling, or even half-sibling Rodriguez is reported to have died when he was sixteen."
"Well either the guy who wrote my letter is making this all up or something really screwy is going on."
"Like a case of stolen identity?" Munch asked joining what was quickly becoming a large powwow in Cragen's office.
"On whose part?" Olivia asked, interested.
"The brother, of course. That kid who 'died' at sixteen probably didn't die at all. If I know my stereotypes, the father was never in the picture for these two and the mother died when Rodriguez was just nine. He went to live with his aunt, and his dead brother was able to slip away quietly."
"So you think he's operating under someone else's name and social security number?" Elliot inquired.
"If he's even got that much. He'll be awfully hard to find unless Rodriguez tells us who his brother is these days," Munch replied.
"Which he won't," came the voice of Fin.
"Will you all get out of my office? We're operating beyond capacity here," Cragen snorted.
A chorus of murmured "fines" came from the peanut gallery. All but Alex left the room.
"He won't," Fin continued, "because I've been spending the last hour trying to get him to do just that. But he keeps insisting his brother is dead. Told me a whole story about what some police officer told him and his mom one night right before she died. Bet that cop was fake," he finished.
"Undoubtedly. But you know, there is a chance that Rodriguez really doesn't know that this brother is still alive. If he's telling the truth about hanging out at the bottom of the food chain, knowing he had a relative at the top would make him want some entitlement," Munch suggested.
"Yeah, so why should this brother tell Rodriguez anything? He's smart," Elliot smirked.
"Not smart enough for us," Olivia mused. "We bugging Rodriguez today?"
"If by we, you mean the three of us. You're staying here," Elliot reminded her.
"Oh come on," she groaned.
"Sorry Liv, you know there's nothing that can be done about it," her partner said sadly.
Back in Cragen's office, Alex was still hounding the captain about the detail being placed on her girlfriend. "Just how much protection are we talking here?" she asked impatiently.
"Two uniforms in front of the door and two in a car out front, Ms. Cabot. It's the best we can do."
"I know, and I'm sure it should be sufficient. It's just that we deal with threats all the time and of course usually either they're nothing or we're able to deflect them. But knowing firsthand that some threats are real, I'm…frankly frightened, Don."
Cragen looked up at Alex and offered her a sad smile. "I know, Alex. But it's all going to be alright this time because we know what we're up against and as long as Olivia is cooperative, everything will work out."
Alex nodded. "Yes. As long as she cooperates. Thank you."
She stood up and exited to find a disgruntled Olivia leaning back in her chair, the other three detectives having left with Rodriguez to complete his transaction. She frowned slightly at the look of tired defeat in the remaining detective's eyes, and walked up behind her to wrap her arms around the brunette's neck.
"Come on, sweetie, I brought us lunch. Let's go have a bite, huh?"
"Alright, Rodriguez. You remember all the guidelines we gave you for this?" Munch asked the nervous looking man.
"Yeah."
"Repeat them back to me."
"Act normal, like no one's listening. Make sure when I'm walking out with him to the car, he's on my right side so you all can take your pictures. Don't touch the bug, even though it itches like fuck."
"I think you ad libbed on that last one, smartass," Fin said with a small whack upside the guy's head.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Rodriguez chuckled.
"Alright, quiet real quick," Elliot said from across the van. "Okay, Rodriguez, say some random sentence."
"Damn baby, you is looking fine tonight," he said smugly, doing little to humor the three detectives.
"Great. Munch, say a random sentence."
"I'd like to wring this guy's neck," he stated very seriously, earning a sheepish grin from Rodriguez.
"Good. We're coming in all clear. Take your bags, put 'em in the trunk and move it, hot shot."
It was a good few minutes of back and forth expected chatter between Rodriguez and whomever he was talking to before the pair finally left the building bound for the car where they'd stashed the cocaine. Fin was ready with the camera, snapping several shots of the guy, even getting a few impressive facial profiles thanks to the extraordinary zoom on the digital camera. When the two were back inside, he took the camera away from his face. "Damn, they look just like each other. How did this idiot not notice something? It's got to be his brother."
"Let me see him," Elliot demanded, reaching for the camera. Fin handed it over. "You're right," he said, and flipped through the shots. Then he paused. "Aw man."
"What's going on?" Munch asked.
"Now I know why Liv thought Rodriguez looked so familiar," Elliot shook his head. "Rodriguez and this guy look a lot alike, and this guy is the man that held the door open for her when we were leaving his apartment. That's how he knew we were onto him. That's how he knew what her eyes looked like."
"Crap," Fin said solemnly.
"It's not so bad, Olivia. Be reasonable," Alex said for the umpteenth time. She may have been a lawyer, but she was damn sick of all the arguing.
"I'm trying, Alex, but I'm sure you must understand how annoying it is to have someone tell you that you can't do your own job."
"Of course I understand, Liv, I've been there before!"
"Then you have to see where I'm coming from," Olivia sighed. After lunch, Alex had suggested that the two of them head home for the day since Olivia could be of very little use at the precinct. They were joined by Casey, who was definitely feeling out of place at the moment, but she had to be there because despite Olivia's hiatus, Alex and Casey couldn't take one and damned if Alex was gonna pile more crap on the redhead.
"Hey, Liv, why don't you just take a nap or something to clear your head while Alex and I work on our case?" Casey asked gently.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Novak," Olivia spat bitterly. Casey just stared back, gaping. This was not like the detective.
"Olivia!" Alex bit back, seething. "The fact that you're in a pissy mood about being taken off the case does not give you the right to treat your colleague poorly!"
Olivia looked back at Alex, unused to being the recipient of the blonde's passionate anger anymore. Suddenly, she was being hit with images of a younger Alex with the chin length locks and stuffy attitude in the midst of one of their shouting matches. Somewhere in the middle of the flashback, the present moment inserted itself back in Olivia's mind, and she hung her head, turning back to Casey and softly apologizing. Casey just nodded back, not wanting to provoke the detective further.
Alex just shook her head. "I for one think Casey is onto something, Liv. Maybe a shower and some sleep will do you good, and I promise I'll order extra greasy pizza for you just like you love when you wake up," she winked and placed a chaste kiss on her detective's lips, only leaving it there because she was conscious of the watchful eyes of her partner.
Olivia smiled into the kiss and continued smiling when Alex pulled away. "Okay, sweetie. I'll be in the bathroom if anyone needs me."
"Enjoy your shower," Casey said lightheartedly.
Olivia looked over her shoulder at the still shaken redhead. "I really am sorry, Casey. Sometimes this job just makes me a little crazy."
"Don't worry about it."
The door to the bathroom closed and the attorneys began laying out papers until they heard the water in the shower begin to run.
"Is she really going to be alright?" Casey asked Alex.
"She gets mad easily, but she usually gets over it just as easily. But you ought to know that already," Alex smirked.
"Don't I ever!"
All was quiet in the Cabot/Benson apartment. It was exactly 2:56 A.M. according to the digital clock Olivia checked when she was sure Alex was in a deep enough sleep to be dreaming. Alex always clawed at things in her dreams—something that usually concerned Olivia but tonight, she was grateful for the clue.
Her gun was shoved in her holster on her belt loop and her pockets were full of some money, the keys to her apartment and something else. But not her phone. That remained on the nightstand.
Poor Alex continued to swat at some invisible target as she slept, but Olivia did not have time to worry about it or to kiss the terrors away. If Alex woke up, the whole thing was a bust, because Olivia had already decided what she needed to do, and Alex wasn't going to give her seal of approval.
She looked over the sleeping blonde carefully one last time, just in case it was the last time she got to do so. "I'm so sorry baby," Olivia whispered with a tear in her eye, pausing for only a second before she headed for the living room and the fire escape.
Don't kill me, I promise I know what I'm doing.