Big thanks to Joanie for being my beta, and Annie who got the cogs turning in my head for a fitting end to the wizard's rule. I hope you like how our detectives deal with the wizard. Munch invites someone to join them - she really needed a piece of him too!
Olivia and Elliot stood side by side, taking in the shack that they were about to enter. Fin and Munch flanked them as the four detectives stared at the ramshackle building before them.
On a small grassy area outside, a few sheep were grazing, bumping into each other constantly as they tried to stand on the same patch of grass.
As they took in the building, and the oblivious sheep, they each contemplated the situation.
Elliot was angry - for his own treatment as much as Olivia's. He had lost so much, but felt a slight satisfaction that the wizard hadn't been able to clone him successfully. Even a copy of Stabler would have noticed something was definitely up with Olivia Benson. He read the psych profile and knew that the wizard held an unhealthy obsession with him, but he also knew that he had a fabricated view of him as a person - that face to face, the wizard would actually be afraid of him, and he planned to use that to his advantage.
Olivia felt a surge of adrenalin, she was angry that Elliot had lost so much, that his name had been smeared, that his family forgot about him, that everyone was so easy to brainwash that they all just went on with their lives as if a person just leaving without a trace was normal. Mostly though, she was seriously pissed off that the clone had been accepted by everyone who knew her as the real Benson.
Fin appeared determined, he wanted to get on with this, and didn't understand why they hadn't just kicked the door down and gone in there yet. With a sigh of impatience he turned to Munch and frowned.
"Why are you looking at your watch again? These two aren't even touching this time," Fin said.
"Waiting for one more person to join us," Munch said.
"Really?" Asked Olivia, "The wizard has ruined more lives than just ours?"
"Oh yes," Munch said sadly, shaking his head. "the wizard has totally destroyed other people too. We can't move in to take him down without letting her have a piece of him too."
As the sound of an engine began to fill the air, Olivia and Elliot glanced at each other in confusion before turning their attention back to Munch.
Munch simply wore a satisfied look, his plan was coming together beautifully. Olivia and Elliot had been rescued, they were well on their way to restoring Elliot's good name, and soon the wizard; who had been hell bent on destroying everything he and his friends had stood for, everything that had made them who they were - soon, imminently, any second now, he would have to face them all. It felt good to not only uncover a genuine, widespread clone conspiracy, but to find that people were listening to him AND about to take action. Finally. The next time he told them something important, such as his concerns about who was really watching them all through the city surveillance camera network, they would actually listen to him.
The tide. Had. Turned, for John Munch.
Just as he was already contemplating recruiting his friends as an elite squad of private investigators, working to expose coverups and mysterious disappearances his thoughts were interrupted by the realisation that the sound of the engine had become much closer and then stopped.
Munch looked up and smiled. "Dana. Now we can go in."
Dana Lewis pulled off her motorcycle helmet, and placed it on her bike, a look of pure determination emanating from her.
"Glad you called me, and thanks for breaking me out of prison - you are pretty well connected Munch." Dana said.
"I'm starting to realise that!" Olivia said.
"What were you doing in prison? Who'd you shoot?" Elliot asked, half jokingly.
"No One Stabler, I was framed, and through the wizard's mind control, made to confess to things I hadn't even done. Now everyone thinks I'm a cold blooded killer."
"Why?" Elliot asked, confused, "what reason could he have to do that to you?"
"No One really knows that Stabler," said Dana. "He just randomly picked my name out of a hat and chose to ruin my life. I'm just pissed the mind control worked on me. Thanks to Munch though, I can think for myself again. We ready to take this bastard down?"
"Oh, I'm ready," Olivia said. "Very ready."
As they approached the old, battered door to the shack, Elliot stepped back prepared to kick it down when Olivia stepped forward, placed one hand on the door and pushed slightly. The rotting wooden door creaked loudly before falling forwards easily, leaving the doorway open for them to just walk right through.
"This castle isn't quite what he thinks it is," Fin said, looking amused.
"His sense of self importance never ceases to amaze me," Munch said. "In his mind this is a glorious castle, with the sheep; his army, guarding the impenetrable door."
Elliot laughed, "he is pretty damn delusional."
"Yes, he is," laughed Munch.
They all took a moment to turn around and glance at the sheep milling around on the small patch of grass outside. The thought that the wizard thought these docile creatures were actually a fearsome army, descending them all into a fit of laughter.
Once they had finally composed themselves, they walked through the doorway, stepping over the completely penetrable door, and quickly regained their focus.
With it being a run down shack and not a palace at all, they located the wizard's lair in less time that it took to kidnap Sergeant Benson. Pushing open the door, they all moved quickly in, and within seconds were face to face with the wizard...the old wooden chair he was seated upon, creaking as he stood in surprise.
"You," said Olivia angrily as she stepped forward. "Have some serious explaining to do."
The wizard paled instantly, the sight before him causing him to feel faint;
The woman he had kidnapped, frozen and cloned, whose life he had made an unbelievable uncharacteristic pattern of repeated abuse and disjointed, forgotten memories.
The man he was overly obsessed with, who could not be cloned, so he had tried to destroy his name, his memory, the essence of who he was.
The woman who he had so randomly turned from a decent, awesome person into a killer for no reason whatsoever.
The man he had silenced by making sure he said less and less, knowing that he would be the one to uncover the truth otherwise.
And the man who pretty much remained the same - but was brainwashed nonetheless into not bothering to look for Elliot Stabler, just like all the others.
These people were standing in front of him, together, and all looking pretty damn angry with him.
His attention turned to Elliot Stabler, who stepped forward, standing beside Olivia, his anger and distaste clear. The wizard suddenly felt very afraid, his plan was failing, these people were back, and his army had just let them walk right up.
"Why the hell did you set out to destroy my life?" shouted Dana, as the wizard shrunk back in fear.
"Why the FUCK, did you do this to us all?" Elliot said, doing his best to remain reasonably calm despite wanting to rip the idiots head off, because he didn't want him turn and run away - the old shack was literally falling down around them as it was, a chase, or even any sudden movements, wouldn't do it any good.
"I...I….made you all great! Can't you see? Olivia...your life was nothing...I started a new you, a new life and it's so perfect. You've been through so much - so much at my hands, to mould you and make you grow into this...this...you've never been happier!"
"Never been happier?"
The squad turned to look at Sergeant Benson walked hesitantly into the room, Tucker alongside her, holding her hand.
Olivia's eyes widened and she shook her head at the sight "Really? He just kidnapped you, you're holding his hand now?"
"Yes," Clone Olivia smiled, "he loves me, and that's all I need to be happy...just someone...anyone...anyone at all really!"
"Oh this just gets worse," Olivia said as she looked at Elliot, who just shook his head in disbelief.
"You see?" said the wizard, feeling slightly confident. "She has a boyfriend and a baby, therefore her life is perfect! and that is all thanks to me - I did this! Five years of shaping her, and she has grown into this!"
"Five years?" Clone Olivia said, shaking her head. "Everything that's happened over the last five years has all been down to you?"
"Yes, isn't it wonderful? Arent you happy?" smiled the wizard.
Clone Olivia chewed her lip thoughtfully, before dropping her hand from Tuckers and walking purposely over to the wizard, stopping only when she was inches from him.
"I've been in the same room as Elliot Stabler and I've seen him with Olivia - he's not what you said he was - he's not what you made me believe he was!"
"He is Olivia, look, just look at him," the wizard said with urgency. "He is like a coiled snake ready to pounce and attack me - attack any of us at any moment, see - he's violent, he...he wouldn't let Olivia have a life, or...or a baby!"
Everyone turned to glance at Elliot, who was simply standing there looking bemused, in addition, of course, to exuding a special kind of hotness without really doing anything at all.
Elliot just shrugged and smiled, "I think you need to get over this crush you have on me, cause it's never gonna happen."
Dana laughed. Olivia smiled, and the wizard shook his head in sorrow.
"Everything I've been through?" Clone Olivia asked.
"She has been through utter hell...again...and again….and again….and again...and…" Tucker said.
"Yeah, we get it," Fin said, cutting him off.
"You did all that to me?" Clone Olivia asked, shocked. "Why?"
The wizard shrugged. "Because I could, and it was great to watch, and it built you up….it.."
The wizard was shocked when Clone Olivia drew back her arm and punched him squarely in the face.
He fell backwards, in a crumpled heap on the floor, as Dana stepped forward with a smirk, grabbing his arm, and hauling him to his feet.
"Nice one, Sergeant Benson," laughed Fin.
Clone Olivia smiled, the sense of satisfaction she felt at punching him, was euphoric.
"Where's the baby Sergeant Benson?" Olivia asked softly. "Where's Noah?"
"He's was in the freezer - the wizard swapped him for a clone baby - hey!" she paused, walking over to Olivia and taking her hand on hers, "I have my clone baby and my clone loving boyfriend, so I'm happy to go off into the sunset - but I don't need a real baby as well as a clone one. You defrost Noah and take him home. You and Elliot...you could be his parents."
"Thank you," Olivia whispered as she pulled her clone into a hug momentarily, before breaking away with a smile.
"What are we going to do with him then?" Dana asked.
"Well," said Elliot, stepping forward and smiling as the wizard immediately stepped back, shrinking like a frightened rabbit as Elliot stared hard at him. "I think the sentence should fit the crime."
Olivia smirked, "I agree, what do you have in mind?"
"Well, how about we stick him in a freezer then we all talk crap about him for years, and all those people he brainwashed, once they are out of his control, and can think for themselves - we can make sure they forget all about him and don't even bother looking for him." Elliot said with a satisfied smile.
"Freeze him, treat him as if he is insignificant and slate him now and again?" Dana asked, "sounds good, but I owe this son of a bitch something too."
The wizard recoiled as Dana swiftly stepped forward and slapped him, hard.
The wizard dropped to the floor in an over dramatic, exaggerated fashion, as Dana stood over him, looking down at his crumpled form. "I thought you were a big powerful wizard - but it's all smoke and mirrors -you're really just a frightened, inadequate little man."
The wizard looked up in horror as the squad gathered around him, the faces of the people whose lives he had ruined, staring down at him.
"Don't freeze me! Please! I beg you - don't do it!" he cried.
As he looked in desperation at the people around him, he saw only distaste, anger, disbelief and scorn. He would get no sympathy, no help, his fate was sealed...like he would be soon….in a cryogenic chamber.
"Noooooo! Noooooo!" he screamed in a high pitched whiny voice, not becoming of a powerful wizard at all, as Elliot reached down and easily hauled him to his feet, dragging him through an open door, where Clone Olivia indicated to a large freezer.
"I got Noah out as soon as I convinced Tucker to unkidnap… dekidnap….unabduct...err...to let me go!" Clone Olivia said, before dropping her voice to a slightly evil tone, which made Olivia suddenly take on a newfound respect for her, "It's ready for him."
"Nooooooo!" Screamed the wizard, "I'll take it all back! I'll make everyone believe the last five years didn't happen...they'll believe anything I say…."
"Not any more - I kicked the gate down and let the "army" out - even the sheep grazing on the patch of grass outside have lost interest in you now," said Clone Olivia.
"Good move Sergeant!" laughed Olivia.
"Thank you detective!" laughed Clone Olivia.
"Okay, now that's freaky," said Fin, as he turned to Munch, who only shrugged and laughed.
In less time that it took to abduct clone olivia, the wizard was shut in the freezer, and Elliot took great satisfaction in locking him in.
Turning to Olivia, he smiled and placed his arms around her, pulling her close to him and capturing her lips with his. They deepened their kiss, her hands roaming across his back, while his tangled in her hair, before travelling down past her waist, and cupping her ass.
"Olivia! Elliot!" called Fin , shaking his head.
Coming to their senses, and breaking their kiss, Olivia and Elliot glanced around, remembering where they were, and realizing they had become lost in the moment briefly.
Fin looked amused, Dana looked impressed, and Munch glanced at his watch.
"What is their make out session holding up now?" Asked Fin, "we've dealt with the wizard.
"Just checking how much longer it will be," smiled Munch, "before Noah defrosts."
Olivia and Elliot smiled warmly at each other as he took her hand in his.
"We have a baby Liv. I love you."
All that remains now is the epilogue, which is uploaded and ready now. They need to get back to the squad room to restore order to SVU - and we really should check on Carisi and Rollins!