So Olivia's finding it a bit tough, where's badass Benson? Well I can tell you she doesn't reappear for quite some time but bare with me people! Ready to see Casey do her thing in the court room and bring Olivia some justice?
Olivia stood outside the courtroom with Casey, Porter, Elliot, Cragen, Fin, Melinda and Huang. She couldn't hide how scared she was and when she saw Miranda Pond walking with Tucker. Olivia grabbed Elliot's arm tight as Casey grabbed her hand but she didn't turn away. None of them did until he'd walked into the courtroom.
"Ok Olivia I'm going to go in for opening arguments then I'll call you as a first witness and you'll be surprised to see how full the courtroom is!" Casey gave her a reassuring smile and the pulled her in for a hug before rushing off to the courtroom.
Once Olivia saw the door of the courtroom close behind Casey she turned to her friends.
"I don't think I can do this." She sighed feeling frightened.
"You'll be fine Olivia just stay calm." Elliot said putting his arm around his wife.
xxx
Miranda Pond stood up. Everything about this case was different as she was fighting for the defence but hoping for a win for the people.
"The people are going to try and convince you that my Client lieutenant Ed Tucker of the Internal Affairs Bureau had just become fed up with dirty cops getting away with murder, however, we can prove to you that this wasn't the case. My client wasn't in control of his actions, we have substantial proof that he was brainwashed by the internal affairs bureau when he was still in the police academy and this caused him to believe that ALL police officers turn bad."
Miranda Pond finished and returned to her seat. She was hoping that her nerves didn't show.
It was now Casey's turn. She took a deep breath and stood up knowing that she needed to rope the jury in now to help Olivia.
"The defence attorney believes that they have proof that Ed Tucker was not in control of his actions on the day that he kidnapped and tortured Detective Olivia Benson Stabler. However, we have plenty of evidence to prove to you otherwise. From recorded phone calls to experts in different fields of medicine. What you are going to hear in this courtroom over the next few days is going to make you sick to your stomach and the things you are going to see is going to make it worse. I'd like you to think about that when the evidence is presented to you and what if it was you, your daughter or your friend that was the victim."
Casey could see that gleam in the female Jurors eyes meaning she'd caught them on the hook; all she needed to do now was pull them in.
"People. Call your first witness." Liz Donnelly called.
Casey stood up again.
"The people call Detective Olivia Benson Stabler."
Olivia took a deep breath as one of the bailiffs opened the door for her. She cast one more nervous look at her husband before trying to confidently walking into the courtroom. She saw what Casey meant. They couldn't have fit any more people inside if they tried, some of her co-workers were there, others were just officers she knew to say hello in passing and some judges, assistant district attorney's and even some defence attorney's and she felt very grateful for the support. She glanced at Casey as she made her way to the stand and sat down.
"Raise your right hand."
Olivia did as she was told, so far so good, she had done this a million times before.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"
"I do." Olivia replied and then she made herself as comfortable as she could whilst Casey stepped forward.
"Olivia can you tell us what happened in the afternoon of the thirteenth of January?" Casey asked and Olivia was quite glad to start at the beginning.
"Well I took my daughter Serena to the Special Victims Squad room." Olivia turned into a cop on the stand, somehow she couldn't be the victim.
"Why?" Casey asked hoping Olivia would have just carried on with the story like other victims, but of course that wasn't her Liv.
"I'm extremely close to my fellow detectives and they're like my side of the family to my children." Olivia answered simply, Casey was getting frustrated and just wanted Olivia to act like a victim.
"What happened whilst you were at the Precinct?" Casey asked.
"I was talking with Detective John Munch, Detective Odafin Tutuola and Captain Cragen whilst Serena ... my daughter was playing at my desk when in entered Lieutenant Tucker."
"And what did he say?"
"When he first entered he was behind me and just called "well if it isn't Mrs Elliot Stabler." And I knew it was him straight away having met him before. He then exchanged some words with Captain Cragen before saying "I see you're heavily pregnant Stabler 2." I replied with "I'm still Benson on the job. Then Captain Cragen asked why he had come to SVU and he said it was because I hadn't taken maternity leave and was still partnered with my husband three years after making our relationship public knowledge. I remember the Captain giving him the what for because my relationship and partnership with Detective Stabler was investigated and the conclusion was that we were better off and SVU was better off if we stayed as partners."
"The people direct you to people's twelve your honour." Casey said picking up the remote control as a bailiff handed out the evidence to members of the Jury and the Judge.
"This is the report you received regarding you partnership with Detective Stabler?" Casey asked.
"Yes." Olivia was back in detective mode keeping her answers short and to the point.
"What did you conclude from this report?"
"I concluded that Myself and Detective Stabler could continue to be partners on the condition we were evaluated every year."
"When was the last time you were evaluated?"
"It was November." Olivia was focusing on keeping her answers short just like she had been taught to as a detective.
"So you weren't due for an evaluation?"
"No."
"So what happened after?" Casey asked and Olivia had to take a minute to figure out where they had got to in the conversation.
"Serena came over, I guess she felt the atmosphere ..."
"Objection your honour!" Miranda Pond yelled jumping to her feet. "Calls for speculation."
"Sustained. Jury will ignore Detective Bensons last comment." Liz Donnelly said.
"Ok Serena came over then what?" Casey asked trying to get straight back on track.
"I lifted her into my arms and he said I shouldn't have her in work but Captain Cragen explained that I was off duty and that I had come in to see my husband and that wasn't breaking the rules." Olivia explained.
"Ok and what happened then?"
"He left." Olivia said.
"Then what were the events that followed?" Casey asked once again.
"Elliot Stabler, Detective Stabler came to the precinct and I told him how Tucker had stopped by and then told him I would head off and see him later. I went to my parking space placed my daughter in her car seat and locked the door and got the feeling I was being watched. Knowing my husband I called him to find if someone had put a protective detail on me, I didn't really know what cases they had been working as I had been on desk duty since I had found out I was pregnant."
"What did your husband say?"
"That he hadn't and I said I was just being paranoid."
"Then what?"
"I left the car park and headed off and decided to go round in funny patterns around the city crossing the same blocks and going around in circles, having been followed in the past this usually works."
"Did it work this time?"
"No."
"So what did you do?"
"I called Fin, I mean Detective Odafin Tutuola."
"Why?"
"I didn't want to worry my husband."
"Why did you call him?"
"Because a silver Mercedes had been following me since I had left the car park."
"Are you sure?"
"How many times do you need to pass the same pizza house with the same car behind you to figure out that you're being tailed?" Olivia asked sarcastically but so many people laughed they realised she was just explaining in the best way she could.
"Then what did you do. I pulled over called Fin and told him that I was being followed, he told me to go back to the precinct and he would meet me in the parking lot and I asked him not to tell my husband as it would worry him, I said I would explain myself."
"What happened next?"
"As I hung up the silver Mercedes drove by me at a high speed."
"And what did you do?"
"Get back to the precinct as fast as I could." Olivia said her voice beginning to shake now, this is where everything changed.
"So what did you do when you arrived at the parking lot?"
"Well Fin met me, and he asked me about the car and I told him it was a silver Mercedes and he told me that a silver Mercedes had sped past me and they had hid their faces from him..."
"Objection hearsay!" Pond yelled.
"Judge Detective Odafin Tutuola is going to be testifying in this case and he will either confirm or deny what Olivia is saying."
"Overruled go on Detective."
"So I felt myself panicking, I mean I've been followed by Perps before but I hadn't worked a case in months so I had no idea who it could be, and so Fin grabbed my daughter Serena and we went up to the SVU squad room."
"Go on."
"When we arrived I clutched Elliot and sobbed as I didn't know what to say so Fin told him and he sat me down at my desk as Detective Munch took Serena and then as he walked away I became light headed and dizzy ... and ..." Olivia began to sob she knew that this was getting to much for her.
"And... I just felt everything going black." Olivia managed to say before her hands flew to her face. She had hoped she wouldn't cry and definitely not this early on.
"Judge Donnelly may we have a recess so that Detective Benson can gather herself together?" Casey asked.
"Recess granted. Detective may I remind you that you are under oath and that you may not discuss your testimony with anyone."
Olivia managed a weak nod before Casey helped her off the stand.
"Fifteen Minutes!" Judge Liz Donnelly yelled before leaving the court. Casey sat Olivia down beside her.
"Ok Olivia I know this is hard, tell me how I can lessen the burden on you?" Casey was just as frustrated as Olivia.
"I need to stop being a cop and be a victim." Olivia said swallowing hard. "I know that's all that I need to do but it's so hard talking about things that happened to me, I am so used to it being a child a woman or a man not ... not me." Olivia whimpered and placed her head on Casey's shoulder. Detective Munch came over to them to make sure that she was ok.
"You're doing great Liv, just be strong." He said pulling her into an embrace.
"I know." She sighed.
Xxx
After what felt like hours and many tears had past it was the Defence's turn to ask questions. Olivia mentally prepared herself to be strong as Miranda Pond walked towards her trying to act like they weren't friends.
"Detective Benson is it true that you were arrested for murder?" Miranda Pond asked and Olivia felt a small chuckle inside her as she had known that this would be the first question.
"Yes." She answered like a Detective who was trained to be on the stand.
"And is it true that Lieutenant Ed Tucker was the arresting officer?" Miranda went on.
"Yes it is." Olivia replied.
"Then would it be fair to say that there is some bad blood between you and my client?" Miranda asked just as a defence attorney would.
"No." Olivia answered trying to keep calm.
"Really?"
"Objection! Asked and answered!" Casey yelled.
"Sustained, move on councillor." Judge Donnelly said firmly.
"Sorry Your Honour, Do you blame my client for your arrest?"
"No I blame the man who planted my DNA." Olivia answered.
"Did my client behave in a manner you would consider normal for him when he took you from that hospital?"
"He looked normal, yes, just the way he looks sat here in the court room." Olivia replied without even looking at Tucker.
"So you wouldn't say what he was doing was out of the ordinary?"
"Of course it was out of the ordinary, I hope it's not every day he kidnaps people who have just given birth!" Olivia felt her blood pressure rising with her anger.
"How about when you were in the car? How was his behaviour like?"
"He was talking with me, vaguely answering my questions." Olivia replied remembering back.
"Is this normal behaviour?"
"I don't understand the question." Olivia said glancing at Casey.
"I'll rephrase, would you consider that to be normal behaviour for a kidnapper."
"I wouldn't know, I haven't been kidnapped before." Olivia shrugged.
"But you have taken statements from people who have been?"
"Yes and I would say no, it isn't normal but most kidnap victims aren't cops trained to deal with those situations." Olivia said firmly.
"What do you mean?" Miranda asked now looking slightly confused.
"I'm a cop who has been trained to deal with those situations, I kept questioning Tucker about where he was taking me as I had my Husband and Captain on the phones I knew it was vital information for them to find me." Olivia answered.
"So in the car you were behaving like a cop and not a victim?"
"Objection! Relevance?" Casey asked.
"To determine the pattern of behaviour of both Detective Benson and my Client." Pond replied.
"Overruled please answer the question detective."
"Of course I was acting like a cop, it's what I am trained to do." Olivia replied angrily not understanding the relevance of the question either.
"Ok so we'll move on, can you remember what his behaviour was like in the storage unit where you where held?" Miranda Pond asked.
"Vaguely." Olivia answered knowing that she had blacked out numerous times, even if she didn't remember it.
"Why only vaguely?" Miranda asked.
"I blacked out multiple times." Olivia replied.
"What was the cause of your black outs?" Miranda Pond asked knowing that she was stepping on dangerous territory as this question could be perceived as on the People should ask not a defence attorney.
"I believe it was blood loss a combination of open stitches and being ..." Olivia took a deep breath as she tried to keep her composure. "Being sliced and burned." She managed to say eventually.
"At any point did my client give you a hint that someone else may be in the unit with you?"
"No. He didn't." Olivia answered not understanding where this line of question was going.
"And at any point did you see or hear anyone else in the unit?"
"No."
"How can you be sure that my client was the only person there?" Miranda Pond asked.
"I can't be sure but I believe he and I were alone." Olivia replied glancing at Casey for some support.
"So what was his behaviour like?"
"Strange." Olivia shrugged. "I don't actually understand what you are asking." Olivia added.
"Sorry I'll rephrase, when he was torturing you can you remember his demeanour, things he may have said or done that seemed unusual."
"It was all unusual!" Olivia yelled and the she inhaled deeply trying to keep it together. "I've never been held captive and tortured before so yeah, I would say it was unusual." It was visible to everyone in the court room that she was angry.
"Can you remember what he looked like, something, anything specific about his behaviour?" Miranda asked desperately trying to get back on track.
"His eyes." Olivia answered. "They were wider than what they normally looked like and they looked like they were angry and full of hatred."
"So when the FBI showed up can you tell the jury what you said to my client?" Miranda asked walking towards the Jury bench and leaning on it.
"I told him to use me as a shield so that he wouldn't get shot upon leaving the storage unit." Olivia sighed knowing the defence were about to tear her up.
"And why would you do that?"
"Because I want him to rot in prison not die." Olivia replied through gritted teeth.
"So you want my client to rot in prison? Why?" Miranda asked.
"For what he did to me and my family." Olivia replied.
"What did he do to your family?" Miranda asked pretending to look surprised.
"Taking me captive put my family and loved ones through hell, my husband and Captain had to listen to him torture me. My brother had to take care of my daughter whilst he had no idea what to tell her when she asked when I was collecting her. My step children had to call their mother to be with them whilst all they could do was sit and wait for news. That is what he did to my family." Olivia sobbed.
"So what did you do when he did use your body as a shield to leave the storage unit?" Miranda Pond asked.
"Thank the Lord that I would see my husband and children again." Olivia answered.
"Thank you Detective. No more questions your Honour." Miranda Pond said going to sit down.
"Redirect your honour?" Casey asked jumping to her feet.
"Go ahead." Judge Donnelly sighed glancing at her watch. It was nearly lunch time and she wanted a break.
"Olivia what was going through your mind when you were inside the storage unit?" Casey asked.
"Objection!" Miranda Pond yelled jumping to her feet. "Beyond the scope!"
"Your honour defence brought in the emotions of Detective Benson when asking what she was doing, it is only fair to find out what she thought as well as her actions may not directly connected to her thought."
"Overruled." Judge Donnelly turned back to look at Olivia and nodded for her to answer.
"I just wanted to see my kids again." Olivia stuttered.
"No more questions." Casey said before going to sit down.
"You may step down Detective Benson." Judge Donnelly said.
"We will now break for lunch, bailiffs please remind the jury that they are not to discuss anything. We will continue at 2.15pm. Thank you." Judge Donnelly left the stand and Olivia sighed with relief. She didn't have to speak anymore only listen to everything everyone else had to say.
So Olivia made it through her testimony, what do you think of Miranda Pond? I love the actress from Doctor Who but also love her as a defence attorney, she's in one of my fave episodes too. I hope I'm playing the "I want justice for Olivia but I still have to defend this jerk" thing right.
Don't get mad if I make mistakes on the legal stuff, to be fair I'm not trained in anything to do with the law and used the little knowledge I had and google for research to make it as believable as I possibly could.
Please review!