AN: I'm thinking of bringing Simon into the next chapter! What do you all think?
Olivia had been tossing and turning all through the night, the thought of her niece's torment being on the internet was keeping her awake. It was bad enough that it had happened at all! Now she would never escape it, not for a very long time at least. Hearing her bedroom door open, she startled slightly before she relaxed.
"Beth? Sweetheart..." She rubbed her eyes slightly and that's when she saw the tears. She opened up the duvet and moved over slightly. Beth climbed in and buried into Olivia's arms, she was angry and frightened. She'd been getting nonstop texts about that god awful video, telling her how much she was clearly asking for it, how much would she charge and telling her that it would happen again.
"Come here sweet girl..." Olivia pulled her even closer, allowing her to cry it out. If she could kill the animals that did this to her niece then she would, in a heartbeat. For now, she just had weather the storm and try to take away some of the pain.
"Aunt Liv... it's everywhere! They... they filmed it! How could they! Please make it go away... please!" Beth wept, clutching at her Aunt's pyjama top. Olivia's heart broke all over again, if she could make this go away then she would. In a heartbeat. But she couldn't, this wasn't something that she could fix.
"They've been messaging me! So many messages... all hours of the night... so tired... can't do this... want my mama!" Was just some of what Olivia could make out through Beth's sobs and hiccups. Olivia glanced at the clock, it was 6:30am and neither one had slept. She stroked the young girl's hair, lovingly kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears.
"I know, baby. You must be absolutely exhausted after everything you've been through, shhh. You're safe now, I'm not going anywhere! You can sleep now... it's safe!" She brushed her fingers through Beth's hair, letting her cuddle into her and close her eyes.
"We'll go down to the station later on if you want, we will do what we can about that video and those animals that hurt you!" Olivia whispered, smiling a little when she heard her niece's even breaths. She was asleep, hopefully she would sleep for a while because she really needed to. Only when Olivia was sure that her niece was actually asleep did she finally let her eyes close, slipping into a dreamless slumber.
It was 1:30pm before Olivia and Beth awoke, they both felt slightly refreshed after the sleep they had. The first one without a nightmare which clearly had done Beth the world of good.
"Good morning, sweetheart! Are you ready for something to eat?" Olivia sat up and glanced down at the small teenager beside her. Beth nodded slightly, her stomach rumbling.
"I'm starving Aunt Liv!" She admitted and Olivia smiled indulgently, this was progress. Her niece actually wanted to eat and was admitting that she was hungry. She was so proud of her.
"What would you like? I've got toast and cereal here or we could stop off on the way to the station and get some pancakes if you'd like? I know they're your favourite!" She smiled slightly, it grew even more seeing her niece's eyes light up at the mention of her favourite breakfast food.
"Pancakes please!" Beth said softly, standing up out of bed and wincing slightly. She'd forgotten about her injuries and Olivia frowned slightly, she hated seeing her in pain.
"Are you alright love? I've got some Advil in the cupboards, that's going to really help take down the swelling!" Olivia fussed over the teenager like she was a small child, rummaging through the cupboards and getting her the pain reliever and a glass of water. Beth smiled slightly in spite of herself, it felt so nice to have someone to care about her again. She took the pain killers and smiled gratefully.
"Thanks Aunt Liv..." She leaned forward and hugged her tight. Olivia swayed them both to and fro, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She pulled away and stroked Beth's cheek with her thumb.
"I am so fucking proud of you!" She whispered, pressing another kiss to her cheek and began to make the bed. Beth blushed under the praise, despite the horrific situation she could not remember the last time anyone had told her that she was proud of her.
"Thanks Auntie Liv... can I go grab a shower?" Beth fiddled with her shirt, something she always did when she was embarrassed or uncomfortable. Olivia turned towards her, a loving smile on her face.
"Of course, sweetheart you don't need to ask! This is your home too, I meant what I said yesterday! You know where everything is don't you? Fresh towels in the cupboard by the bathroom, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner is already in there and there's a spare toothbrush in the cupboard under the sink!" Beth nodded, her bottom lip wobbling slightly. She hadn't felt so at home in such a long time, maybe she really would be able to get better as long as she was here with her Aunt. Olivia noticed the little wobble but didn't say anything, she figured that her niece would come to her in her own time.
Hearing the shower being turned on, Olivia made quick work of finding Beth some clothes that would fit her and began to tidy up around the apartment. She was dreading going to the station and seeing that video, she wished that she could wrap her niece up and keep her safe from everything that could hurt her. She didn't deserve this, no one did. She shook away her thoughts when Beth came into the bedroom, seeing her bruises made Olivia want to cry.
"I'm just going to get into the shower sweetheart! Your clothes are just there..." Olivia pointed to the bed. "Oh and there's some deodorant, perfume and a hairbrush in that top drawer!" She pointed to which one it was. Beth nodded gratefully, waiting for her Aunt to leave the room before she started to get ready. She didn't know what she would do without her.
It was 3:30pm by the time they had actually got to the station, having stopped off to eat and have a breather before. Now that they were actually at the station, Beth felt sick. She didn't want anyone to see her or the video and she didn't want to talk about it at all. Olivia wrapped her arm around her, protecting her from the other detectives.
"It's alright, my love. We'll go find Elliott shall we?" Olivia whispered in her ear and Beth nodded slightly. She was very fond of her Aunt's partner and friend, he'd been nothing but kind to her ever since she had first met him. Olivia entered an empty interrogation room and quickly sent Elliott a text, letting him know where they were. Around 10 minutes later, Elliott came in.
"Alright Liv... Hi Beth, how are you doing kiddo? Stupid question I know..." he muttered and Beth could tell that he knew about the video just by the look in his eyes. Her eyes filled with tears and she did something that shocked both Olivia and Elliott; she flung her arms around his middle. It felt awkward at first, Beth felt sick and dirty being near any man so close after what had happened. But after a while, she started to weep and cling to his shirt. Elliott wrapped her up in a huge hug, a huge fatherly hug. One that he would normally only reserve for his children, but this child and she was still a child to him was wanting his comfort.
"It's ok... you're safe! Your aunt and I are with you now. We will be with you every step of the way ok?" He whispered soothingly, not letting go of her until she did first. Olivia grinned in spite of the situation that they were in, she was so lucky to have a friend and partner like him. Once Beth was calm and sat in a chair did they continue talking.
"Now first we need a statement as to what happened that night... it'll be recorded darling and you're more than welcome to have your Aunt in the room if you'd like?" Elliott said soothingly, talking slowly and calmly in the hopes that it would keep her calm. Beth nodded gripping onto Olivia's hand, indicating that she would like her with her.
"Then your Aunt and I will watch the video with Alex Cabot who is our ADA and will decide if we can use it to prosecute..." He swallowed thickly, trying so hard not to throw up. The thought of her being violated was making him physically ill. He thought about his own daughters and what he would do if this happened to one of them.
Beth nodded, biting her nails anxiously until Olivia very gently pulled her hands way from her mouth. She sat beside the teenager and held her hand, gently calming her.
"You're safe! It's alright poppet.." Olivia let Beth's forehead rest against her own and she spoke softly and calmly, whispering sweet nothings to the poor girl. Elliott grinned slightly, despite the situation; Olivia would be such a wonderful mom. Once he was sure that Beth and Olivia were calm, did he start the interview.
"It's January 10th 2024. Present during the interview are Detective Elliott Stabler and Detective Olivia Benson who is here on an unofficial basis. Now Beth, can you start from the beginning?" Elliott said with so much kindness that she almost burst into tears. Beth fiddled with her hands, trying to find the courage to speak.
"It was Saturday and my friends and I had decided to go to a frat party... nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I went with Chloe, Amy, Louise and Annabelle to our friend Bryce's apartment for a few drinks... alcoholic ones..." She clarified and looked down, ashamed of herself. She felt Olivia's hand grip hers and she looked up, all she saw was love and understanding in her eyes.
"Then what happened?" Elliott prompted gently, making notes despite the recording.
"We were at Bryce's for an hour or two, we were just having fun. Messing around and playing drinking games... it was fun. I wish I'd just stayed there!" Beth let out a small sob, it was getting hard. She wanted to stop but she knew she had to be brave.
"It was around 9:30pm when we got to the party! It was at Annabelle's cousin's house. She always throws good parties... I just wish I'd never gone! It started off the same as usual really, we all got drinks and we were dancing! Then a group of guys came over to us and we started chatting - they are on the football team and a few years older than us! We felt special!" Beth admitted tearfully and leaned into her Aunt when she pulled her into a warm hug.
"It's ok..." Olivia soothed and wiped her tears with her thumb.
"Before I knew it, I was isolated off from my friends and taken into a bedroom. I felt woozy and I couldn't move right... I'd had alcohol but not enough to make me feel like that. The football captain... he... pushed me onto the bed really hard, I banged my head on the headboard he said that I was a whore and had been looking at them all night..." Beth began to sob and Olivia picked her up and sat her in her lap, who gave a fuck about professionalism when her niece needed her!
"He ripped my clothes off and he... he started to put his penis inside of me while the other three watched! They high fived him and held me down, I begged them to stop! I screamed for help but no one could hear me... they all took it in turns after that! I want to stop... I can't do this! It went on for so long..." Beth wailed and sobbed, crying for everything she had lost in that room.
"They eventually let me go and I ran home... back to my apartment and stayed in my room. My roommate found me and took me to the hospital..." Beth was quivering in Olivia's arms, her breath coming out in short gasps. Olivia kissed her face as Elliott took a deep breath, he was livid; no one had the right to take what they wanted by force!
"Beth do you know their names?" Elliott said gently, talking to her like she was a child.
"Their name's are Connor Davenport, Theo Jones, Harry West and John Jenkins..." Beth heaved again, burying into her Aunt's embrace.
"You did so good, sweet girl! I am so proud of you... I've got you honey... I've got ya!" She rocked them both back and forth whilst Elliott stopped the interview, he smiled sadly.
"Liv we need to meet with Alex..." Elliot whispered gently and Olivia frowned, not wanting to leave her niece in this state.
"Can I come with you Aunt Liv?" She whispered, not wanting to be without her. Olivia wasn't keen on that idea either, but Elliott smiled kindly. They were there and could keep her safe now, he saw no harm in the teenager being in the room with them.
"Of course you can, kiddo!" Elliott whispered, soothingly patting Beth's hand.
Not long after the interview and Alex had arrived at the Precinct. She headed straight for the interrogation room, knowing where they were as Elliott had text her earlier to tell her. Alex immediately felt protective of the teenager from the second she stepped into the room, seeing her curled up in her Aunt's lap with Olivia rocking her and soothing her noisy tears and Elliott's look of distress.
"Olivia... Elliott! I came as soon as I could! You must be Beth, Hi my name is Alex." She said in a soft soothing voice that was so unlike Alex Cabot that both Elliott and Olivia did a double take. Beth waved slightly, not wanting to leave Olivia's arms and Alex wasn't going to make her.
"Now this video... how did you find out about it?" Alex said not asking any of them particularly. Beth looked down guiltily, she knew that she must've been the first one.
"Well... yesterday afternoon I got a load of texts from unknown numbers and one of them said that they had watched a video. I asked them what they meant and then they sent me a link... it was awful!" Beth shivered and Olivia frowned.
"Bethany Elizabeth Marsden! You knew about the video and you decided to go through that on your own?!" Olivia chided the teenager, she wasn't angry but she was so concerned about her. Alex couldn't help but smile indulgently - she loved this maternal side of Olivia.
"Sorry Aunt Liv..." Beth muttered allowing her Aunt to kiss her cheek, letting her know that it was alright and she wasn't angry with her. Alex began to get the video set up, having been sent a copy by Elliott. She waited while Olivia got Beth settled in her arms making sure that she couldn't actually see the tape. She pressed play, watching on in horror at what they were witnessing.
Olivia felt bile rise in her throat as she heard her niece scream, beg and cry. Hearing her sob for her mom and dad - god she was going to kill Simon when she got a hold of him! How dare he not bother with his child. She stared angrily as she watched the way they slapped, punched, kicked and spat on her, Olivia was livid!! She kept her arms tight around her niece, hugging her tight as the three adults watched in horror until the very end.
"I am going to fight for this to be included! Arrest them El..." Alex got up and left the room quickly, not wanting them to see her emotion. Never had she been so affected by a case before. Elliott rubbed his head in his hands, glancing at Olivia who was completely and utterly numb by what she had seen.
"It was horrible... It was awful!" Beth whimpered, burrowing into Olivia's arms. She soaked up all the comfort she was offering.
"I know sweet girl! I'm so sorry that you had to watch that again!" She soothed, pressing a motherly kiss to her cheek. Beth let out a few sobs and tentatively spoke again, it left both Olivia and Elliott gobsmacked.
"I'm frightened Mama!" Beth wept, clinging onto Olivia's shirt tightly. Hearing her cries pulled on all of Olivia's maternal instincts, her baby needed her. She may not be hers biologically, but she was hers in every other way.
"It's alright sweetheart, I know. You're safe now..." She thought about what she was doing, whether it was the right thing or not. But, looking down at the small teenager in her arms she knew she was doing the right thing.
"Mama's here... Mama's got you!" She soothed, repeating that same phrase over and over until it had calmed Beth down and made her fall to sleep again. Elliott grinned softly, helping his partner to carry Beth out.
"I always knew you'd make a great Mom!" Elliott whispered affectionately, getting them both safely into the car.
"Thanks El... I don't know how we would've gotten through today without you!" Olivia was still in awe of how kind he had been to them both, even when he didn't have to be.
"I'll always be here for you! We're partners! Give that brother of yours a slap from me!" Elliott whispered and Olivia's face darkened, she would never forgive him for this! For turning his back on his child.
"Don't worry... I will!" Olivia vowed, looking at the sleeping teenager in the backseat.