He's read the news. He knows about her life since he's been locked away from the world.
Her partner leaving over Jenna Fox. William Lewis. Joe. Mike Dodds. Sheila Porter. Rob Miller. Oscar Papa.
He's sure she's had enough trauma, but it doesn't compare to ruining his fun. His life.
It's his turn to ruin hers.
Elliot drives towards his place, wanting to grab a few things before heading to Olivia's. She's antsy, and he can see it. And he kicks himself for not being there for her 10 years ago. Her hands are folded in her lap, and she's starting ahead, seemingly lost in her own little world. She's knocking her knees together, seemingly a nervous tic. Elliot notices her thumbs moving against each other slightly as if to soothe herself, so he takes the liberty of reaching over the console and grasping one knee. He sees her breath hitch in her throat.
"I'm not leaving you. He's not going to get you. I won't let him." He runs his thumb several times over the seam of her pants and then rests. His eyes catch the way her teeth clamp over her bottom lip and pull the skin from it, yet another nervous habit of hers that obviously hasn't changed over the years. He watches her intake another breath.
"I've had time to prepare myself for events like this, you know? I've helped put away so many criminals. Something like this was bound to happen eventually. I'm a Captain now, I'm a mother. I can't just think about myself now. I've got a son, a squad, you." She's putting everyone before herself, and while he admires it, admires the drive to protect everyone, he knows she needs to protect herself and her son as top priority. That's the way he feels anyway.
"Liv, I can take care of myself. You need to focus on making sure that you and Noah are safe. If you'd like, you both can stay at my place. You're always welcome there."
She smiles softly at him and shakes her head.
"El, that puts your family at risk. I wouldn't be able to bear it if something were to happen to your kids, to Bernie. I know she's in a home now, but I just want you all safe. Noah and I live in a secure building. If anything, you can just sleep in the guest bedroom. I think I'll call Ginny and see if Noah can come up for a while. I just don't want him near this."
She's so worried, and he can tell. He's offered what he can, but he won't pass up the opportunity to protect her. Not this time. He's missed too many opportunities to do so, and this particular one was personal. He was going to see to it that Lowell Harris rotted in the next prison cell he called home, if Harris ever made it there.
"Liv, what if Noah stays with Maureen? She's got her boys and her husband too. Yeah, Noah knows Ginny and Connor, but he wouldn't be so far away. Maur lives close enough where you could still see Noah, but lives far enough away that he's safe. It's not hours long drive."
He watches her as she ponders his offer, seemingly considering it before shaking her head.
"I couldn't ask her to do that. It's-"
"You're not asking. Besides, they all want to know Noah. They wanna know Olivia Benson's son."
She smiles, and it's fitting. He loves seeing it, loves seeing her in this. Her motherhood. He will stop at nothing to make sure she stays like this. Damn Lowell Harris. Damn any consequence.
"Okay. If it's okay with Maureen, it's okay with me."
They're at his apartment packing his clothes when his phone rings.
"Yeah?"
"Stabler. It's Ayanna. Got a sec?"
"Hold on for a second, Sarge."
He looks over at Olivia and holds up one finger. Olivia looks at him questioningly, but he mouths Ayanna, and she nods in understanding and resumes packing Elliot's things. Elliot walks into his living room to take the call.
While Elliot takes the phone call, Olivia tries to rationalize this because she has experience. She knows how to protect herself. Sure, Bx9 had happened, but she hadn't been prepared then. But she was after the fact. She'd protected her son, Elliot. She'd failed Duarte, though. All of her detectives had been safe. But she'd gotten through.
Then there was Ohio. And that was just a freak thing. She survived. She'd never been shot until that damn diner. And she had even had the mindset to prepare before the tear gas hit them. No one else, not even the US Marshal had it in her to think that through. But Olivia had. And sure, she'd gotten a new scar to add to the litter of permanent marks on her chest and abdomen, but it reminds her daily that she had faced death for the upteenth time and had survived. She and Elliot.
And now, Lowell Harris has come back, and she is anything but fine. She refuses to allow her mind to journey back to that basement, the metal bars and the baton and the beating...
She doesn't realize she's tearing up until she looks into Elliot's mirror. And that's the moment when she understands that no matter what is to come and no matter was has happened, Elliot wants her. Wants her trauma, her life, everything that she can give him and more. And she's thankful. She's oh so thankful that he's waited for her. Waited for them.
Meanwhile, Elliot is in the living room, wearing the floors down with his pacing.
"Alright, what ya got? I'm all ears."
Elliot hears Ayanna's intake of breath, and it makes his stomach drop ten floors. He definitely doesn't like this already. There's a reason behind Ayanna's call, and it isn't just a friendly chat but he has a feeling he knows why she's calling.
"Do you or Captain Benson remember a female by the name of Ashley Tyler?"
Fin is wearing the floors down while he berates the man on the line. Amanda watches him, half amazed, half horrified because for one, she knows how protective Fin is of Olivia and what lengths he would go to in order to ensure her safety. But the way he is handling this phone call truly scares her because she's never seen this side of Fin, the fierce, over protective side.
"I don't give a fuck what he did or didn't do in the slammer. What he did do was assault an NYPD Captain years ago while she was undercover as a detective, and now, her life is in jeopardy because that mother fucker couldn't stand that she put him away."
Obviously Amanda can only hear Fin's side of the conversation, but judging by the wide eyes and the disbelief that flashes in them, she knows that the man on the opposite end of the phone call is oblivious to the anger etched within her friend.
"Hey stupid ass, did you not listen to a word coming out of my mouth? If anything happens to her, imma fuck him and you up. And you can count on it."
He slams the phone down on the receiver and utter a quiet, mother fucker.
"Fin," Amanda is soft with her approach to him, careful not to poke the bear. She understands his frustration because she feels it too. She feels the carnal need to protect Olivia from all of this, but she isn't going around threatening the entire judicial system.
"Yeah, Manda?" He looks up at her, and she sees the emotional turmoil in his face. She wants nothing more than to comfort him, but he isn't going to allow it, and she doesn't know if she can keep herself in check. She is nine months pregnant and on desk duty. And pregnancy hormones are a bitch.
"I know you want to protect Liv, and I am so glad that she has you. But you can't call and threaten everyone to put him back. He's gonna do somethin' sooner or later and we will get him. Guys like Harris aren't gonna let what Liv did slide."
Amanda watches Fin take a deep breath and ring his hands together, something she's watched him do the last twelve years. He's pondering what to do, when to do it, if he should.
"Look, had I been just seconds later getting into that basement, he woulda..." Fin can't even allow the words out of his mouth without feeling sick. He shudders at the thoughts of what might have happened had he not gotten to Olivia when he did all those years ago. Amanda sees the weight of the world on his shoulders, so she remains silent as Fin unpacks the burden.
"It's not just personal for her. It is for me too. That time in our lives was when I truly realized how much I cared for my girl. I woulda done anything to have kept her safe. I still would, and imma beat down every damn door I gotta to make sure that she stays safe. Stabler ain't the only one that cares for her. He just wasn't aware of the situation then. He was married, new baby. She and I, we had that trauma together, and it binds you. Tethers you to each other in a way. Just like your pregnancy with Billie. Scared the hell outta Carisi. Man thought you were a goner. He ain't ever left your side since. I won't leave Olivia's side. She's been through too damn much, and now she and Stabler are finally doin' the damn thing, and that's been years in the making. Ain't nobody gonna get in the way of that."
He lets his guard down, allows all of his worries to wash from his mind to Amanda's ears. And she laughs with him at the end because she agrees.
"Yeah, I'm afraid you're their biggest fan."
"Am now. John Munch mighta had me beat. He owes me big money. Imma have to cash in now."
Fin chuckles. They both sigh in remembrance of their friend. Knowing John is off somewhere living his best life away from all this crazy gives Fin a peace of mind, but it is quickly washed away when his desk phone rings.
"SVU, Sergeant Tutuola speaking."
"Hi Sergeant, you got a body at a scene. Looks like a homicide."
He recognizes the voice immediately. And he sure doesn't like his gut feeling at this homecoming.
"Melinda? What's it got to do with SVU? A rape victim?"
"It's got everything to do with SVU, including you, Olivia, and our old friend Harris."
Fin pinches the bridge of his nose, his calm demeanor gone, and it's place is frustration, anger, and anything else that he could feel.
"Our victim? Any ID?"
And he really doesn't like where this is going because Melinda's pause makes his stomach jump to his throat, threatening to spew his lunch all over the desks and all over a very pregnant Amanda Rollins, and she definitely would not approve of that accessory.
"Ashley Tyler."
WHOOOOOP. Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I quite literally had writers block this whole time. I'd start on it and then draw a blank. I finally just threw some things in there and hoped for the best, but then I was able to add more than what I usually did. This chapter is kinda short, but I needed to get it published and up so I could start the next chapter. Thank you for sticking with me through my little block episode.
I hope to update the many ways it could end, but I had a new idea, so I'm gonna be taking down the OG story and changing it up. It hit me while I was watching OC and SVU reruns last week and battling COVID. Thanks to Covid and sick days, my writer's block went out the window! I'm ready to keep on a trucking!
leave your reviews below and let me know what you think!