A/N: 101 fukken reviews after only 7 chapters holy shit. Congrats to the faboo steple for being lucky 100! Your reward is...whatever you want :) PM me?
Cavak: Tut tut child. It will happen when the plot calls for it. Which is before Star Hitter makes an appearance so your wait won't be too long.
Nobot4Life: Urgh lucky bastards getting to make out with her multiple times. ALSO if you stalk SMarch's instagram there are some really adorable pics of her with Nepalese kids she's helping and I am just like you kids have no idea how awesome what is happening to you right now is.
butterfly2202: Casey Novak could not have been easy for her to play since she's a comedienne. That just speaks to her talent. But as much as Olivia cried during the show it was almost always in a situation where it was justified and bettered the scene. When Casey cried...it just looked dumb. Especially when it was due to young male suspects getting into trouble.
If you guys read Fixing What's Broken by Dark Knight's Princess, she suggested the Alex Cabot/Ziva David NCIS crossover pairing and I think I might have had a heart attack over how incredible a fic of that pairing would be. Should I write it?
"I can't do it." Lizzie's panicked whisper bounced around the spacious hallway of the courthouse, her flats clicking against the marble tiling as her harried form paced back and forth. "I can't face him."
"I know you can." Olivia stepped in her path, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're so much stronger than you think you are, Lizzie. You just have to get up there and say what happened. It will be all over before you know it."
Lizzie shrugged Olivia's hand away, continuing to pace. "But what if I say the wrong thing? What if Ethan's attorney makes me look like a liar? What if he accuses me of asking for it? What if he gets ruled not guilty because of me?" Her questions came out in rapid-fire, until she ran out of breath to ask them.
Casey approached Lizzie similarly to how a zookeeper might approach a caged tiger. "Mr. Barba and Ms. Von worked very hard with you on what to say, you can't go wrong. They are excellent at what they do, Alex-" She nodded to the Attorney General standing a few feet away. "-made absolutely sure of that. They, along with the judge will make sure Ethan -and the asshole species known as the defense attorney- stay in line." She took Lizzie's hands in her own. "And we will be right there." She lowered her voice to the murmur reserved for victims, and Alex. "You will do wonderfully, just like we talked about. I wish I could have had the chance to put my abuser away like this, don't make the mistake I did." She looked into Lizzie's bespectacled eyes, which were wide and clouded by fear.
The teenager quivered. "I guess I'm just nervous. Really nervous." Her hands went to fiddle with her hair, until her fingers found a curly strand and plucked it out.
This time, it was Alex who stepped in. "Here, why don't you come sit with me for a minute?" She gently guided Lizzie to a nearby bench, sitting her down. "Casey has a nervous habit of playing with her hair too. She really likes it when I do her hair. Will you let me do that for you?" Lizzie gave the tiniest of nods, turning her back to Alex, who began carefully combing her fingers through the honey-tinged waves.
"I had to sit in the witness chair a couple times myself." Alex began, gathering Lizzie's hair into sections. "I spent years in witness protection after a hitman hired by a drug cartel tried to kill me. I cannot even begin to describe how frightening it was, but as scary as it was for me, I felt incredible after he went to jail. And I felt even better that my testimony inspired a six-year-old boy who survived his crimes to speak out. Take it from somebody who has been where you are, it's the hardest thing you will ever do, but how you will feel when he's taken away because of it is one of the greatest feelings you can have." She pulled a tie off her wrist, finishing the complex french braid that would keep Lizzie's hands out of her hair.
Lizzie turned to look at Alex. "How does it look?" She inquired, much calmer than before.
Alex gave a small, reassuring smile. "You look beautiful, hun." She murmured softly, placing a gentle hand on Lizzie's back.
For the first time that day, Lizzie smiled. "Thank you, Alex."
"No problem." Alex pulled Lizzie into a soft hug, before bringing her back over to Olivia and Casey.
Olivia was the first to comment. "Wow, Alex, that looks wonderful!" she exclaimed, moving around Lizzie to examine the intricacies of the hairstyle.
Alex shrugged. "One of my many talents." she said simply, winking at Casey suggestively.
Casey opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the bailiff entering the hallway. "Miss Stabler?" he called out brusquely.
Lizzie began to hyperventilate again, but Casey was quick to pull her into a hug. "Deep breaths, okay?" she whispered. Lizzie did as told, and she was calm within moments. "There's a good girl." She praised, ushering her to follow the bailiff, which she did. Casey gave her a final squeeze of the hand, before taking Alex's and following her and Olivia into the courtroom, sitting in one of the rows easily seen from the witness stand.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" The bailiff recited, placing Lizzie's hand over the bible.
"I do." Lizzie gulped. Casey took Alex's hand in a death grip.
ADA Mikka Von rose from her chair, moving towards the witness stand. "Please state your name for the record."
"Elizabeth Stabler." Lizzie's voice was small, unable to be heard if not for the microphone in front of her.
"And what brings you to this court today?" Von inquired, her courtroom demeanor in high gear.
Lizzie paused briefly. "I experienced abuse at the hands of my ex-boyfriend."
Von stepped close to the stand. "Can you please describe to the court what happened?"
The teenager hesitated, eyes darting wildly around the courtroom, landing on Ethan's cold ones. Von noticed this, and stepped in between them, shielding her from his line of sight. Lizzie turned to Casey, who gave her a warm smile and a nod. Finally, she inhaled deeply, and began her testimony. "I met Ethan in one of my classes at Hudson University. He seemed very nice. And we fell in love..." She trailed off, her voice hitching. "After we moved in, he began to get angry with me. One night, I went to meet with my professor, and came home later than I thought. Ethan accused me of cheating on me and then he-he h-hit me." A few tears pricked her eyes. "That was only the first of many incidents. If I ever came home after eight, he would hit me. If I refused to perform a sexual favor, he would hit me. I was covered in bruises. He even broke three ribs in one incident. But the psychological ones are still here, long after the ones he left faded." Tears flowed freely down her pale cheek, and Alex swore she could hear Casey's heart break as she moved to wipe the lone tear on her pregnant girlfriend's face.
Von nodded, moving to the prosecution table to pick up a photo. "People's Exhibit Three, Your Honor." She stated, handing the photos to the judge and defense. "Were these the injuries caused by the defendant?" She asked, holding up the photo of Lizzie's bruises found during an exam.
"Yes."
"Thank you, Elizabeth." Von sat down at the table next to Barba.
Kressler rose from his seat, making his way towards Lizzie. "I'm very sorry to hear this happened to you. Is it true that your father is Former Detective Elliot Stabler, who worked with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit?"
Lizzie's eyes widened. "Yes."
"And is it true that the primary detective on this case is Olivia Benson, his former partner?"
"Umm, yes?" Lizzie stammered.
Kressler gave a sick smile. "So would it be possible for you to make false accusations with your connections?"
"Objection!" Barba jumped from his chair. "Badgering!"
"Sustained." Judge Ridenour deadpanned.
The defense attorney turned on his heel. "Was your sister Kathleen Stabler accused of a crime?"
"Your Honor, how is this relevant?" Barba whined.
"Goes towards the witness's character, Your Honor." Kressler rattled out.
"You're on thin ice, Mr. Kressler." Judge Ridenour warned, before turning to Lizzie. "Answer the question."
Lizzie shrunk in her seat. "Yes."
"And isn't it true that her father helped her avoid jail time?" Kressler marched towards the stand, confident that he had Lizzie where he wanted her.
"Objection! Didn't we just establish this line of questioning was completely inappropriate?" Barba yelled.
Judge Ridenour sighed. "Move on, Mr. Kressler."
Without missing a beat, Kressler turned back to Lizzie. "So what were you up to while you were out late, like you mentioned?"
"I-I was meeting with my professor usually, or out with my friends." Lizzie shakily replied.
"Were you intimate with any of these friends?" Kressler asked, moving close to Lizzie.
"No! Why would you ask that!?" Lizzie cried, tears beginning again.
"Isn't it true that you lied to my client about who you were sleeping with, and you're lying now?" He spoke, face inches from hers.
"Stop it!" Lizzie screamed, covering her eyes with her hands.
"Objection, your honor!" Barba and Von yelled in unison. Casey began to rise from her seat, but Alex and Olivia kept her in place.
"Withdrawn." The defense attorney quipped. "Nothing further."
Judge Ridenour nodded to Lizzie. "You may step down."
Lizzie couldn't get out of the courtroom fast enough, Casey hot on her heels, followed by Olivia and Alex. The teenager came to a halt, burying her sobs with her hands. Casey pulled her in tightly, tucking Lizzie's small frame under her chin, rubbing her back. "It's over, it's all over now, sweetheart." She cooed. "You did great in there, honey."
Lizzie quaked in Casey's arms. "T-they think I'm a whore! You heard what he said!"
"Hey, look at me." The redhead shushed, making eye contact with Lizzie. "You are not a whore. Not at all. All they needed to hear is what the sick bastard did to you, and you did that. I'm positive they will convict him. It's all going to be okay now, Lizzie." She pulled her back into her embrace. "You're okay, you're okay." She placed a small kiss on top of her head, rocking her slowly until her sobs quieted.
Suddenly Lizzie and Casey both jolted to awareness, looking at each other with wide eyes. "Did you just feel that?" Lizzie whispered.
Casey was shocked. "Yes! Was that-" She didn't finish, her hand going to her stomach as she felt the sensation again. "S-she's kicking! Alex! Come quick!" The tall redhead called out, tears pricking her eyes.
Alex and Olivia were at her side in a second. "Is this what I think it is?" She bubbled, moving her hand to Casey's pronounced bump. There was a kick under her hand, and the grin that resulted split her face in half. "Oh my god, this is incredible!" She trilled, taking Casey's lips gleefully, not caring that she was in a public courthouse.
Olivia approached with Lizzie. "Can we?" she prodded.
Alex simply took their hands and moved them to Casey's stomach, smile still plastered to her face. When they felt the fluttering under their palms, they both squealed in joy, forgetting where they were and why they were there.
Casey turned to her girlfriend, releasing the tears she'd been holding back. "It's going to be okay now. It really is."
Alex smiled back, tearful herself, understanding that Casey spoke of more than just Lizzie.
They all returned to the courtroom a few days later for the verdict, Lizzie keeping a hard grip on Casey's hand as they rose for the judge.
"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Ridenour drawled.
"We have, your honor." The foreman replied.
"On the count of aggravated battery, how do you find?"
"We find the defendant guilty, your honor."
Lizzie grinned widely, enthusiastically hugging an equally joyful Casey.
"I don't know how I'm ever going to thank you enough for all this."
Casey tilted her chin to look at her. "Just seeing you so happy again is more than enough." Olivia tapped her shoulder, before gesturing to the doors to the room. Casey and Lizzie turned to see Elliot standing at the door, an unreadable expression on his features. Lizzie looked to Casey, unsure of what to do. "Go on." She gestured, smiling encouragingly.
Lizzie hesitantly moved towards her father, staring at him for a short while, before finally embracing him. "Daddy." She whispered.
Elliot smiled, giving a look of gratitude towards Casey and Olivia. "Lizzie." he replied.
Alex took Casey's hand, smiling along with Olivia as they watched father and daughter reunite, knowing that now they could all heal.
