Sorry for the wait. I know I said I was putting the story on hold but I suddenly got inspired so here's the next installment. We pick up where we left off, Dick Wolf owns, I borrow. Enjoy!
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Two days now! Harlan had been sexually insatiable ever since he saw her two days ago! Renting a hotel room and destroying the three hookers he paid, now two days later, they were sore and bruised, deciding to collect their money and leave and after two days of the dirtiest sex (but was still relatively clean compared to what he'd inflicted on Olivia) he paid the hookers and for the first time in two days, he slept. Deciding that he'd head back to the Hamptons when he woke up.
As he closed his eyes and slid his hand under the covers, he thought of her and all the nasty things he would do when he had her again and in minutes he came, screaming her name and quickly drifted off to sleep.
"You were so quiet on the drive here" Elliot said as they hung their coats in Olivia's apartment and made their way into the living room where she sat down. "You're not changing your mind, are you?"
"No." She said with a smile that quickly faded. "I need to talk to you about something"
"Liv, I don't know what else to say to make you-"
"...it's not the house." She told him, now pulling her shirt down over her belly while simultaneously rubbing it nervously.
"Serena?"
"Not really, um do you remember that call I got from the DA in Pennsylvania last week?"
"What about it?"
"I... kinda didn't tell you everything…"
"What does that mean?" He asked, nervous about what she would say and reached to still her hands, looking her in the eyes. She stared at him, biting her lip then pursing them as she prepared to speak.
As he drove into Amanda with everything he had, breaking a sweat with the intensity with which he was working her, he had one thing on his mind: How much he hated Bronwyn! He hated her so much, he didn't realize how rough he had become with Amanda and was now fucking her with utter abandon and where she had been moaning in absolute pleasure just moments earlier, she was now moaning in pain.
"D… Oh god, Darrell baby, slow down!" She felt like he was ripping her apart and needed him to not be so harsh but he was so lost in his head, he didn't hear her and kept going.
"Darrell…" She called to him, trying to move from beneath him but having no luck being trapped beneath his weight. "Darrell, baby look at me; look at me… Darrell!" And suddenly, as if coming out of a trance...
He felt terrible when he realized, pulling out of her and sitting up on the side of the bed, looking over at her but unable to even speak, instead dropping his head in his hands and starting to weep. Amanda drew her knees up to her chest from where she now sat on the bed and watched him. His body shaking as he cried, he'd hurt her. The last person he would ever want to cause pain and he'd hurt her.
Coming down from her fear, she reached a hand out and put it upon his shoulder. She knew in her heart that he was sincere. His apology that he couldn't give her but his eyes said it when he looked at her, the way he now sat here in tears let her know that he hadn't meant it and when he put his hand over hers, pulling her onto his lap and burying his tear soaked face in her lace covered chest, her heart broke and she wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm so sorry baby! I'm so sorry!" He cried against her.
"Shhhh!" She soothed as she held him, stroking his hair as she held him tighter to her. "It's okay" she whispered in tears.
"Your blood pressure; it's high" the doctor said as she removed the cuff from Olivia's arm. Olivia seemed to be taking it in but she looked worried and tired. "What's going on?"
"What's not going on? I've been a little stressed; a lot stressed out lately and I guess it's taking its toll."
"Olivia, I don't want to have to remind you…"
"What stress can do; I know. It's just been really hard lately!" She said without saying too much. She just needed one area in her life that didn't fall around this rape and so far, nothing could give her that especially with Bronwyn's hearing coming up and she still hasn't answered the Pennsylvania DA on whether or not she'd be game for what she considered foolery. Why couldn't these men just take their sentences without elocution? All of that plus this mess with Brian; who still hadn't called her back so they could talk, moving in with Elliot when she still wasn't sure if he was doing it out of pity or if he really wanted her there- it was all she could do to not scream!
"...but I promise, I'm working on it. I don't want anything to hurt her!" She said as she caressed her belly lovingly. She just wished that everything could be so simple as her love for her baby, even if it wasn't very simple at all.
"Well that's good, I'd hate to have to start you on medication. Now, how about we take a look at your baby before the exam? That should get your spirits up!" Olivia smiled and nodded.
At the precinct, Nick sat at his desk thinking about Collins. Ever since that day he walked in on him in the bathroom taking that phone call, something didn't feel right. He was sitting there as Amanda went on talking and not paying much attention.
"...I got her the cutest swing set, it's so adorable- Nick...hellooo?"
"I'm sorry, what were you sayin?"
"The swing I got Olivia...where are you?"
"I'm...hey, while we're on the subject, how well do you know Collins?"
"I didn't realize we were on the subject but why?
"Humor me"
"Okay; uh pretty well."
"You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure; why are you askin me this?"
"I just figured that I haven't really gotten to know him these past couple months and I thought I should that's all; I mean we are working together." He lied.
"Uh-huh..." she gave him a side eye as he left and went into Murphy's office. She wasn't sure what Nick was getting at but she knew that she wouldn't offer up what had happened last night with she and Darrell. She knew in her heart of hearts that he didn't mean it and held no ill will towards him. Truth was if she was being totally honest she was growing to love him and last night only solidified the feeling. Even if he couldn't tell her the truth about what happened.
"The baby looks good" The doctor smiled as she moved the wand over Olivia's lower belly with Olivia looking at the screen in awe of her daughter.
"Never ceases to amaze me" She said, almost in a whisper.
"What does?"
"She does...she's come through so much and she hasn't even been born yet."
"She's strong." The doctor smiled, causing Olivia to smile equally wide as the exam continued.
"I know that early on we had some trouble with her gaining weight…"
"No worries. She had a rough start but she's okay. Her weight is good and she's healthy." She said, punching keys on the ultrasound machine. "I am concerned about her position though." She said as she helped Olivia wipe the gel off her stomach.
"She's alright though; I mean…"
"She's fine but seems to favor that one spot. It's nothing bad but I'm afraid that if she doesn't move it could spell problems at delivery; but we'll keep an eye on it!"
"Okay"
"Okay?" The doctor smiled. "Alright, ready for the exam?"
"If I say no, will it get me out of it?" Olivia half joked. She'd do anything necessary for this little girl but she was so tired of being poked and prodded; it never really ended since the day she escaped that house and she just wanted to be left alone.
"No, but nice try." She laughed. " You sit tight, I'll get the nurse and be right back!" She said and left Olivia lying there, propped up on her arms and staring at the ultrasound machine with her daughter's image on it, but suddenly, Billy was standing over her shoulder, looking at the monitor.
"You think she'll like em one by one or take em in a group, like mom?"
Frightened, she closed her eyes and told herself that he wasn't there, he couldn't be. She was relieved when she opened her eyes and he was gone just as the doctor came in with the nurse.
For two days now she's heard nothing but Olivia this and Olivia that; she was sick of hearing about fucking Olivia! What was it about this woman that Harlan couldn't seem to let go of? That William couldn't seem to let go of? Sure, she was beautiful… she was damn beautiful but so what? Her father had always told her that beauty fades eventually and it's what's underneath that counts and this Olivia; she just wasn't a good person, she'd proven that when she unapologetically did what she did to Harlan.
He didn't deserve it…and to think, I actually felt sorry for that whore!
"Bronwyn, damn it will you get your head out of the clouds and pay attention?!" Marilyn interrupted. They had been at this for two hours and Bronwyn had spent most of that time in dreamland.
"I'm listening!"
"You're listening? I asked you a question, that means I expect an answer!"
"Oh...um...what was the question?" Bronwyn asked to which Marilyn calmly shut her notebook and began packing up her things. "What are you doing?"
"I'm putting some space between us...do you plan to make my job, every time I come around you, impossible?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do I…? You know what, Bronwyn? You need to get out more, put that...thing away and immerse in life. Play your mandolin, go on auditions; find something to do that doesn't involve driving me crazy!" Bronwyn stood there trying to look innocent but came off looking crazy instead as she cradled her baby. "...of course you're not listening, why would you? You know I promised; I PROMISED your parents that I'd look out for you if anything ever happened to them and you are making it very hard to keep that promise!"
"That's because I don't need you to look out for me, I have Harl-"
"You still don't get it; he's dead, Bronwyn! He's dead and so is that baby, thank god!"
"Why thank god?"
Marilyn stopped, got her thoughts together in a flash and approached the subject in record time, without letting her composure slide even a fraction. "Really Bronwyn? Tell me, how would it have looked to everyone, especially in your circles if you'd have gone on with this pregnancy? Had the child of a sick rapist, huh? What then?" She said, leaving out the part about the baby being her biological brother.
"There is no proof that Harlan did any of tho-"
"Bronwyn wake up! Olivia Benson is proof even if they can't prove that he raped those seven girls they found buried in his barn, Benson is proof and she's alive with every scar, physically and emotionally that he gave her; how you were in that house and knew what he was doing to her and you just let it happen-"
...though she kept quiet about it, it gnawed at her because even with her convictions about the situation, they way she'd seen them treat Olivia was harsh, even cruel; even if she never actually saw what happened with her own eyes, she would hear her screams and cries but Olivia wouldn't talk about happened even when Bronwyn would be tasked with laundering bloodied sheets and cleaning blood from the floor, she'd watch as Olivia would lie in the corner, somewhere in her own head and Bronwyn would try to convince herself that this was just...
"...it sickens me because that is not the person your parents raised but at the end of the day, I have a job to do; you are living and you have very serious charges against you that you have to answer for in a very short time, you need to take this seriously!" But Bronwyn just sat there momentarily. Quiet and stoic.
"I'm going to go pump now...my breasts are full!" She stood, and after she put the baby down in his cradle and covered him, she walked off to the small kitchen area.
God help her; she really is sick! Marilyn thought.
At Olivia's, she, Elliot and Nick were in her kitchen packing things up for the move when the doorbell rang and she stopped.
"Is that the food?"
"Probably" Nick said.
"Well hurry!" She said, sitting down at the counter, massaging her belly while Nick shook his head and laughed as he went for the door, opening it to see Fin.
"No such luck!" Elliot said to her then back to Fin. "Hey man, come on in!"
"Hey" He said, walking in and hanging his coat "Am I interruptin somethin?"
"No… I just thought you were my food!" Olivia said. "Could one of you make me a sandwich while we wait?"
That same day at the Freed house in Manhattan, Bronwyn entered, her baby in a stroller and opened the drapes. She hadn't been there in so long and got an almost eerie feeling upon entering the massive home. She stopped and looked around the huge main foyer before she took off her coat then took the carrier portion from the stroller.
Harlan stood above Olivia as she lay on the bathroom floor curled up and in pain from the beating he was still in the process of giving her. After he pulled her up and threw her into a wall, she scurried backwards away from him and tucked herself into a corner, screaming the only thing she could think of while clutching her stomach.
"PLEASE…YOU'LL HURT THE BABY!" Olivia sobbed, and wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her trembling hand.
"Harlan, she's right, think of William!" She said, pleading from where she stood in the doorway after having run up to see what the commotion was about. She was genuinely concerned for the unborn child but witnessing her husband brutally beat Olivia in her condition had an effect that she hadn't been prepared to for; she felt sorry for the woman who was virtually defenseless against six feet, six inches of stocky, muscular build...
"She deserved it." Bronwyn tried to convince herself. She was starting to crack after what Marilyn had said but she couldn't. Olivia was playing mind games and she wouldn't let her control the situation. She turned to the jar in the carrier that was holding her baby. Okay my love, here we go!" She was looking for her baby books so that she could take them to the Hamptons house and since the attic there was a no go, she hoped that the attic here would be the answer as she made her way up in the elevator.
She was going through more boxes an hour later when she stumbled upon a lockbox that was stored in an old desk. She picked it up and sat, putting it in her lap where she sat in an old rocker, he baby at her feet.
There was a combination lock in place and she thought about it for a moment before she tried her birthday which didn't work. She tried again with both her parents birthdays and when both of those failed she put the box aside and was about to continue looking for her baby books but then thought of one more number and brought the lockbox back to her lap.
She was relieved when she put her parents anniversary in and surprisingly, it opened the box and she looked down at her baby, checking to see if he was asleep while adjusting his blanket. Satisfied that he was, she continued on with the box.
Opening the lid she was greeted by several large stacks of one hundred dollar bills.
"Is there anyplace you didn't keep money, father?" She laughed, amused at the memory of him continually leaving money all around then just as quickly and nonchalantly gathered and threw it aside, onto the desk from which she'd gotten the box. Upon further inspection, she came across a tiny .25 mm handgun, silver with a gold handle. She took the gun and the two clips for it and tucked them inside of the baby carrier then went back to the box where she found a picture of a beautiful young woman with gorgeous red wavy hair. Bronwyn looked at the woman for a long time, wondering who she was and why her picture was in a lockbox. She finally turned the picture over and saw simply 1984 written on the back, no name, no other information. She thought it odd but discarded the picture and continued in the box.
She came across a letter, still sealed in an envelope and three other documents, the first of which was her birth certificate. The second, which she found odd was another birth certificate, this one belonging to a Johnnie Lee Floyd who also gave birth to a baby girl, unnamed, father unknown and on the same day that she was born.
"Why did father have this and who is Johnnie Lee Floyd?" She wondered aloud. She certainly didn't know anyone with that name, didn't even know anyone with the name Floyd so who was she? She got her answer seconds later when she opened the last of the three documents inside and saw that they were adoption papers! On them the birth mother was listed as this Johnnie Lee person, the birth parents as her parents and the baby's name… Bronwyn Evelyn Freed.
"But that's impossible!" She said to herself incredulously and feeling a sense of betrayal. "I've seen pictures of my mother pregnant, she had me...this can't be, she had me!" She uttered.
The next day...
"Brian… this is the third message in a week; I really need you to call me back, please." She thought for a moment if she should add more but discarded the thought and hung up the phone. Suddenly, Elliot shot from around the corner of the high end baby store wearing a nursing sling. Olivia looked at him with laughter in her eyes and gave way to it, thoroughly amused.
"Busy?"
"Just trying to get Brian" She said laughing "...what are you doing?"
"It's a nursing sling!" He said with a smile. "I thought you'd wanna see how it looked."
"Thanks, but I think it might look a little different on me." She said still laughing.
"Well yeah, I mean…" He shrugged.
"I'm not full of muscles like you ar-I didn't mean-" But he was already grinning.
"Nice to know you still appreciate them!" He smiled playfully.
"Shut up!" he stood laughing as he removed the sling and she smiled somewhat, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, I have no idea what to buy for a baby." She said, her hands resting on her bump. "...and I'm hungry!"
"Again?" She looked at him ready to strike.
"are you trying to say that I'm eating too much?!"
"No! No, no, no! You're right." He said, easily slipping out of what was almost an argument; one that he didn't want. He had been through this four times with Kathy; he knew the rules and quickly had to remind himself, just barely escaping. "How about we go for lunch and drop the shopping until later?"
"Good, I'm starving!" She said, digging into her purse on the way out "I know I have a candy bar in here…"
...
"She nearly took my head off!" Elliot recounted the tale to Fin, Fin in tears. "Glad you find this funny."
"And you don't? Ah man Stabler, you don't ever comment on what a pregnant woman eats, I thought you knew that" he said, his laughter starting to calm.
"Yeah well, three years away, you forget!"
"So where is lil momma?"
"At her apartment taking a nap. Listen, I wanted to ask you, I'm going to DC again tomorrow…"
"Say no more, I got it."
"Thanks man, I better get goin; I just left to get snacks and she'll be up soon." Fin laughed just then Darrell came out of the interrogation room.
"That dude is not budgin!" He was working out a kink in his neck and looking annoyed when he pulled his phone from his pocket and saw that it was Bronwyn… Again!
"Lemme take a crack at him!" Fin was rubbing his hands together before he interwove his fingers and cracked his knuckles. "I'll catch you later, Stabler."
"You must be Elliot." Darrell smiled as he greeted him, hand outstretched. Elliot cautiously took it and shook.
"That's what my drivers license tells me. Uh, Collins, right?"
"Yeah"
"Yeah. Well I gotta go...nice meeting you!" As he turned to leave, Elliot had a feeling about Darrell; an off feeling though he didn't know why.
"You too." Darrell said just as his phone rang again. He knew that it was Bronwyn before he looked at the screen and slipped the phone back into his pocket, deciding that he'd ignore it. Maybe he should just go ahead and quit, right now- especially after what happened with Amanda…
"You can't think about that, Darrell!" He said to himself, then, in a more somber tone: "But if you don't, then it all falls apart!" He reminded himself, not that he could ever forget. Bronwyn had him at a standstill. It was either do as she wanted or face the consequences and the consequences, he decided were too great he thought, twisting his water bottle till it just about popped then slammed it into the trash and ran his hands down his face all while Nick watched from afar.
Now he was worried.
Two days before Olivia was all set to move into Elliot's and he was again away in DC. Thankfully Nick was there when Fin had an emergency, he had the night off and was able to spend it at her place. She didn't know what it was but lately she didn't like being alone and was thankful for the company. For him it served a double purpose; it was for him the upside to not having Zara around. As much as he missed her, he found solace in being able to be here for Olivia.
He looked over at her as she came out of her room. She was only wearing pajamas with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, it had grown so long over the last few months and he thought that she looked beautiful. She just had a look of happiness about her in spite of how tired she looked and he knew how big that was for her.
"I'm sorry" He apologized "is the TV too loud?" He was lounging on the sofa watching the game when she came down the hall.
"No, no. Actually I didn't know you'd be up; I was just gonna get a snack from the kitchen and head back to my room."
"You could always hit up these." he said, chewing on a wing.
"Yeah no; I eat those wings and I'll be in labor tonight!" She laughed.
"Come on, they're not that hot!"
"Says you, I can smell it from here!" She said with a hand on her belly; the baby suddenly kicking like crazy. "Looks like somebody's up"
"That's because she wants wings!" He grinned. She shook her head at him and laughed, continuing on her way to the kitchen.
"Suit yourself!" He called after her.
"I will!"
He still loved her; probably always would but things were different now. He knew that they would be the minute she woke up in that hospital and he'd seen the look in her eyes; then when her old partner returned... but he wasn't angry. He'd known that she'd eventually have someone in her life, he was just thankful that it wasn't Brian...he didn't know if he could handle that again, especially knowing what that jerk had done with Amanda!
Standing there in the kitchen with the refrigerator door open, Olivia was deciding what to get out when…
"Remember that time when Harlan brought you to that basement the first time? My god, you took dicks and hands and other things just everywhere! All night long...man, those were good times!" Doc smiled from the refrigerator door causing her to freeze and drop the ice cream container she was holding.
"Oh, but then you came a lot more for us over those nights, didn't you, whore? You know, even when you were all sweaty you were still the sweetest pussy I ever tasted!"
"You're not here!" She cried in a whisper, heart pounding and backing away as Nick came running into the kitchen.
"Liv...you okay?" She looked around in a daze and saw that Doc was no longer there.
"He… he's right there, I…" She pointed, terrified.
"Who is?" When she looked around the kitchen again, as her senses came back to her, she felt foolish but was obviously distressed.
"Doc…" She cried. "He was righ…"
"Liv, no one's here!" He said as he picked up the ice cream and and sat it on the counter then slowly put his hands on her back. "It's just me" She turned to him suddenly, scared and throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly as tears fell from her eyes.
It's okay; you're alright!" He soothed but she couldn't stop crying. This had been the first time she'd had one of these visits in months and the first time she'd seen someone other than William.
"Come on now honey, you can do better than that!" He said but something was off; his voice, and when she felt his hands caressing her from behind, making their way under her shirt as she tried to get away….
"Nick…" But his hands kept going, tightening and caressing the skin of her back though her shirt, slowly making their way around to her breasts. "Nick please; stop it!" She cried as she fought against him.
"Don't worry bout it baby, we'll get the boys over soon and really have a party!" He said and pulled back smiling, only it wasn't Nick, it was Doc again!
"You're dead!"
"Olivia…? Liv" Nick called.
"Don't touch me!" She cried, backing away. Nick, knowing what this was, she was caught in the throes of something pertaining to the rape and he proceeded carefully.
"Liv, it's just me!" He uttered softly, keeping his distance "I promise, you're safe!" As she stood against the wall in tears, his heart wept to see her like this and his eyes started to water but he didn't dare cry. Suddenly she came out of it; disoriented and scared.
"Nick?" He looked at her, she was glossy eyed and frightened as she stood there against the wall. She suddenly didn't trust anything around her.
"It's just me, Liv. I promise!"
"But Doc… He was you; he was…" then, as she started to come back to her senses... "oh god, I'm sorry. I thought…" she cried.
"It's okay." He said as he slowly reached out and laid his hands on her. "You're just tired, that's all!"
"I...I'm gonna go back to my room, I…" She was obviously still shaken as she turned to go back.
"Why don't you sit down a second?"
"No, I'm just…" She started to argue then suddenly hurried to her room where she locked the door and stood against it, crying silently.
This had to be over; they could stand in court and admit what they did to her, it was one day and it would be over...right?
Stay tuned.
