A/N - It wouldn't be fanfic if a few things weren't changed, would it? I hope you all are ok with the tweaks I made. I'm not lawyer, but I'm trying to re-watch the episodes and work around them. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated this! Thanks for the great reviews! Enjoy!
When they got back to the station, everyone else was already there, waiting for them with their badges bared and guns in their holsters. It loosely resembled a modern-day western movie. Finn and Amanda were spread around the rectangular table, each with an "all-work-no-play" expression painted across their fearsome faces; their vengeful eyes and set jaws told everyone around them to watch out if they knew what was good for 'em. Amaro, on the other hand, was less intimidating and more on edge; he kept cracking his knuckles, even when there was nothing left to crack. It wasn't like him to be jumpy, but he wasn't accustomed to the inability to control things. He liked knowing how to right a wrong, but right now, he was as clueless as an infant. If the Captain or Munch had been there, they would've known what to do; they would've been ready to protect Benson whether she wanted it or not. That's what family does.
Murphy was in the middle of Rollins and Finn, acting as a human midpoint. It was painfully clear that no one was particularly fond of the man, nor did they enjoy his presence. For the time being, he was still in command of this unit, and until that time ran out, he was going to do everything he could to keep it in order, no matter who liked him or not. The moment he left, he knew things would go back to the way they'd been: sloppy, careless, irrational. These were the big leagues, though. He wasn't going to let anything happen under his watch.
"You, out," Murphy ordered Stabler with a pointed finger; his rough beard danced as he spoke. "No badge, no authority." From several feet away, Brian smirked to himself as he bore witness to Elliot getting his bottle taken away. Finally, someone was putting him in his place.
"I've heard it all before, Scruffy. Nothin' new," Elliot said in a blasé fashion with a casual shrug.
"I don't care what you've heard before, you know the rules: you can't be present during an open investigation. Got it?" the current presiding chief questioned severely. The same age as Elliot, Murphy secretly relished in giving the former detective orders. He'd heard the stories about the hothead and there was no room for his antics in this precinct- not anymore.
"Fine," Stabler held his hands up in surrender. "You need me, I'll be at the water jug— 30 feet away." Before leaving, he peered over at Olivia, who was looking somewhat pale. Exhausted— mentally and physically— and in need of alone time, it seemed as if Benson wasn't even there.
Until Stabler was a safe distance away, not a second before, Murphy attempted to grab Olivia's absent attention. Smart enough not to reach for her, the man simply waved a hand several times before her pupils returned to their normal size and she was looking right at him. "Go ahead," she commanded, still only somewhat present. "You got some news?"
Giving Rollins and Finn a tight nod, the partners dove in headfirst with their investigation. Always the gentleman, Tutuola handed the floor over to Amanda, who was sweating like a hog underneath her leather jacket. She rolled the board towards the table and revealed the profiles of the people they'd interviewed; for only two leads, the officers of the Special Victims Unit had covered a lot of ground. "Gabrielle Harrison, early 20's, works as a guard at the prison where Lewis was sentenced. She was stationed on his floor the day he was removed by an ambulance. She didn't watch him eat the druggie desserts, but she said that he'd been acting strange in the few days before they were delivered."
"He was a model convict," Finn began, "did his chores, stayed neutral, never snitched. But, Harrison says the week before he O.D.'ed, the guy started talking back to the other guards, taunting them. He was fifteen minutes late to work, and he skipped dinner twice."
"Yeah," Rollins nodded, "and eventually he stopped going to the dispensary."
Although there was more evidence to present, Finn got ahead of himself and gestured fiercely. "According to this guard," he motioned to the second picture, "James Reese at the front desk, the only other visitor Lewis had other than his sick girlfriend, was a doctor- a toxicologist. The guy was planning this for months, Liv. He just wanted it to seem sudden so the blame would fall on the system." Even though it does, he added mentally.
"Hold on, I thought you guys were working on another assault case," Benson interrupted tiredly. She waved towards the information with both hands, "This is my case."
Seeing as Finn and Rollins weren't totally sure how to answer the query, Murphy stepped in like the gallant fellow that he was and responded on their behalf. "I instructed them not to tell you," he said, without so much as a hint of apology. "For the sake of the squad." Setting his jaw tightly, he readied himself for a round of verbal jousting with Benson.
"Sake? What sake? They've got nothing to do with this," Olivia protested defiantly. "They weren't the ones He wanted."
"It was in the best interest of everyone here. I'm sure you understand. Like I told you before, Lewis might be dead, but there's still a possibility of danger."
Scoffing incredulously at the "captain's" gall, the passionate detective shook her head. "There's nothing he can do anymore. He's gone; I watched him die. I watched him kill himself. I. Know. Him. Lewis didn't have any friends. No one's coming after anyone." Benson's nostrils flared in annoyance as she spoke as clearly as possible. Without losing her cool, which was already breaking, she scanned the group slowly. "You guys are wasting your time. Kidnapping, sure. Possible sexual abuse, maybe. Conspiracy? We all know that's a stretch."
"A much shorter one than you think Detective," a nasally voice corrected from behind. Dressed to impress, as always, A.D.A Barba waltzed through the front doors and landed in front of the unit. In a charcoal suit, a yellow-striped shirt and purple-dotted tie, he straightened his yolk-colored handkerchief. As he closed in, he felt an unwelcome gaze on his neck and turned to find the infamous Elliot Stabler leaning against the wall, staring intently at him. Barba tilted his chin in acknowledgement, but Stabler remained still. With his leather briefcase safe in his grip, the lawyer surveyed Benson's current state. He'd seen worse, but he'd also seen better. "Welcome back."
"Word travels fast."
"When it's statewide news, it certainly does," Barba said to his client. "I'd tell you to check the channels, but I wouldn't want to trigger a PTSD episode."
From far away, Elliot didn't like the guy. He could only get bits and pieces of dialogue considering everyone else in the building was talking over one another. The man's turtle-like lips and arrogant posture didn't sit right with Stabler- especially when Olivia had that look in her eye that said she wanted to punch Barba. He couldn't have been more than 5'5"; Elliot could've taken him easily. But, there was nothing he could do. No badge, no authority.
Clenching her fists, the latest victim was struggling to stay composed. Treading on thin ice, she fought to keep from sinking. "What are you doing here?" She sensed Cassidy's rising anxiety, mixed with satisfaction at the prospect of some sort of justice. But Olivia wanted just the opposite; no one seemed to understand that.
"Why is any attorney anywhere?" Barba asked cryptically.
With everyone holding their breath and awaiting Olivia's response, they weren't disappointed in the slightest. They were all ready to pounce on Barba, the second he triggered their co-worker; the moment he so much as used the wrong inflections, he was out of there. "There's no trial if there's no perp."
"You know just as well as I do that's not true." As he removed his binder from his bag, he took out a shiny pen and twisted the cap until the tip revealed itself. Barba wasn't there on a housecall, and he sure as hell wasn't there for social hour. This is what he did for a living, it's what he poured every ounce of energy into. "Brooklyn's ADA Derek Strauss has filed for your arrest."
Her eyes bugging out of her skull, Olivia pointed to herself. "Me?"
Barba nodded stiffly, rather exhausted from it all, as if he were the one who'd just been kidnapped and tortured. He always did have a flair for theatrics. "After that you show you made on live television, he's claiming you murdered Lewis." Just as Olivia started to object, Barba cut her off abruptly. "When Strauss wants something, he usually gets it. That's where I come in."
"So, what the hell do we do now?" Amaro asked sharply, emerging from behind Finn's husky frame. He'd been lingering there briefly, the picture of Olivia with that man's blood on her face and clothes replaying in his head. "Testify again? Say the same thing as last time?"
"Unfortunately, you can't do anything. None of you can. Since you're all on the same squad, and considering how the events of the last trial unfolded, you're all prohibited from intervening," Barba relayed without a hint of remorse. He was a master at hiding his true opinions- sometimes.
One step at a time, Stabler got closer and closer to the huddle as subtly as he could. It drove him insane that he couldn't hear what they were saying, especially when Olivia looked as if she were about to throw up. "Liv?" Cassidy gruffed.
"What's the timeline on all of this? When does it start? When does it end?" Benson rattled off, sure to keep a safe distance from the rest of the folks in the circle. She didn't need anyone trying to comfort her now, nor did she want any more of their already overflowing pity.
Doing the mental math, the only guy in a suit clenched his jaw. "It begins today and it ends when we win." Exchanging a brief moment of eye-contact with Murphy, Barba simply said, "Captain."
The bearded officer understood loud and clear and unfolded his arms from his chest; this wasn't an easy task, but it had to be done. From his front pocket, he uncovered a set of metal handcuffs and showed them off. However, just as he started to approach Olivia, Finn stepped forward and stopped Murphy; he physically put himself in front of him and blocked the path. "If someone's gotta do it, it ain't gonna be you," he grunted. Finn snatched the restraints away and slowly walked towards his friend with heavy regret. "Liv, I'm sorry," he exhaled.
"Don't be," she acknowledged. She offered her arms out in surrender, much to disappointment of the rest of her team. "I'd rather it be you," she winked, giving a half-assed attempt at humor. The truth is, if anyone had to arrest her- God, she how she even had to think about it- Elliot would've been her first choice. After over a decade together, this would've been the icing on the cake. Under different circumstances, it might not have been so harrowing. So, when the cold steel clicked around her skin, all she was able to do was go along.
While various officers continued on with their own duties, oblivious to one of their own being dragged down, Elliot busted into the middle of the group, further breaking the rules. Anyone else would have thought it to be impossible, but Stabler proved them wrong: he invaded Murphy's bubble only to dig himself a deeper grave. "What the hell are you doing?" he snarled, the corners of his mouth downturned in a steep frown, his eyebrows pinched together and his forehead wrinkled. He kept imagining the different ways he could take Scruffy down. It really wouldn't be that hard.
"I told you to stay out of this," Murphy growled, undeterred by the angered human in front of him.
"Yeah, well, that was before you put cuffs on my partner."
"Former partner, Mr. Stabler. And what we do here, in our own station, is none of your business- not anymore. You seem to be forgetting that you're a civilian- you have no say here."
As if he were boasting his power, Murphy puffed out his chest and pulled at his belt loops. He was enjoying this just as much as Cassidy was; it was though they shared the same vendetta. He dared the rest of the group to challenge him, which none of them did. It wasn't because they were afraid of him though. They just didn't think he was worth fighting.
Grabbing Cassidy by the wrist, Elliot all but spat in his face. "You're really gonna let them do this?"
Snatching himself out of Stabler's grasp, Brian was buzzing with the urge to clock him. One swing, that was all it would've taken. He wanted to. God he wanted to. Although, after looking over at Olivia, he thought it best not to start anything right now. She was on the verge of a meltdown, or so he thought; he never gave her enough credit and she knew it. No, Cassidy was going to stay on his best behavior. "Don't ever touch me again. You wanna mess with the law, be my guest. But keep outta things that don't concern you." Fixing his hair and tie, Brian acted like the kind of guys he and Elliot had hated back in the day: arrogant, stubborn, and completely blind to what was really going on. His distorted view on the entire situation was doing more harm than good, and unfortunately for him, it was going to come back to bite him in the ass some day.
"Olivia Benson," Amanda began unwillingly, "you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk with a lawyer-"
Elliot felt like the only sane person in a sea of deranged mental patients. Why weren't they trying to fight it? Why were they letting this happen? He didn't care how apologetic they seemed, he wasn't giving in that easily. Shoving past Cassidy, he jogged to meet Olivia's pace. He could see the dread in the dark circles under her eyes, the resignation in her posture. She walked with a slight slouch, her hair acted as a curtain over her face, and her arms were locked behind her back. "Liv-"
"I'm fine, El. It's just temporary," she said casually. He didn't have to say more than her name for her to hear the concern in his voice. On the inside, there was a storm brewing- a messy, violent storm. Lightning struck her spirit and it shrank as she inched closer and closer towards that small room. She refused to look back at everyone else, especially not at Cassidy or Stabler. She didn't want their faces to be the last thing she saw for the next however-many hours.
"Elliot," Finn exhaled, holding Stabler back from entering the space. "You know you can't go in there." Amanda lead Olivia through the door and closed it behind them. From the outside, the men watched as the women took a seat across from one another and Amanda unlocked the cuffs. It was all just a formality, really. A fucked up, painful formality.
Less than 48 hours ago, Olivia Benson was being held at gunpoint, sexually harassed, and tied to a table. A young girl's life was depending on Benson's survival. And now? Now she was being accused of murder. A once respected officer of the law, the fearless detective was trapped. In just a matter of days, she'd lost what little control she had over her life. She'd lost the sense of security she'd spent months rebuilding. She'd lost her badge that took years to earn. And, worst of all, she felt as if she was losing her mind.