(no subject)
This chapter took longer to write because I had to watch Loss over and over again to make sure I was getting the dialogue as close to canon as possible. I'm not really that happy with it, because I don't like taking strict canon and putting it to text. It feels redundant. But, this needed to happen in order to get to the good stuff later. Did anyone else notice that after the car bomb explodes and Olivia goes to Alex in the ambulance, that Olivia's wrist is wrapped/braced? I had no idea until the last time I watched it. Anyway, here is chapter three. Thank you all again for your comments! I really appreciate it, especially in the company of such great writers. :D
Title: Somewhere Out There (Chapter Three)
Rating: PG, for some language and violence.
"..a woman can say what she wants to about your performance in the bedroom, and you aren't actually allowed to kill her.."
Olivia heard the snarky comment made by her girlfriend and the subsequent scuffling from inside the enclosed room. She immediately jumped up, as did Elliot and many other officers in the surrounding area. You and your mouth.. she thought as she saw Zapata being escorted out of the room by two officers as well as Lionel Granger, followed shortly after by Alex. Olivia immediately went to her. "Are you all right?" She asked, looking Alex over.
"Fine," Alex replied, brushing herself off a little as she started walking back towards the main part of the SVU squad room.
"You're out of your mind," Elliot said, following both Alex and Olivia.
"I was hoping he would think about that information coming out in open court," Alex said, shrugging her shoulders.
"...And he pissed you off," Olivia added dryly.
"That too."
The three of them bantered back and forth about how best to proceed. Elliot complained about blowing the two years of work accomplished by the DEA. Olivia interjected that the case was blown when Zapata raped and murdered an NYPD officer. Alex rationalized that either they persued the case or Zapata would walk, flee the country, and the DEA's case would be blown anyway. Putting him on trial was their only option of nothing but bad options. The only objection? Alex's cellphone ringing.
"I have to go meet with Petrovsky," she said.
"What about?"
"Nothing good."
While Alex was inside Judge Petrovsky’s office, Olivia and Elliot remained out in the hall to wait for her. No doubt Alex was fighting whatever obstacle the opposition threw at her, and Olivia hoped their tough as nails ADA would come out successful. At least, she did to an extent. As much as Olivia wanted to see justice done, she was just as worried that this was getting out of control. If they dropped it, maybe the feds could pick up the slack and slam Zapata for something else. She also worried for Alex’s sanity. The blonde’s crystal blue eyes had dulled. She looked like she did during the Sam Cavanaugh case.
“Hey, you still with me?” Elliot asked, waving a hand in front of Olivia’s face
“Huh? Wha.. Yeah. Sorry,” Olivia blinked a few times, snapping out of her thoughts. “What did you say?”
“I asked if everything was all right between you two,” Elliot repeated, looking Olivia over. “You just seem… I don’t know, tense.”
“It’s just the case,” Olivia answered, a little too quickly. “We’re fine. Just stressed. I know you can understand that.” Maybe that was a low blow, to refer to Kathy. But Olivia didn’t want to talk about the fears that were brewing in the pit of her stomach; that Alex was pulling away from her little by little. She just wanted Elliot to drop it. And he did. He would’ve had to anyway, because Alex came storming out seconds later. That was not the walk of victory.
“She threw out the search. Wasn’t her fault,” Alex explained, obviously annoyed. “They barred her from subpoenaing Donovan.”
“Can they really go over the judge’s head like that?” Olivia asked, baffled.
“I’m appealing it to the Second Circuit,” Alex said as they rounded a corner, walking down one of the crowded halls of the courthouse. “Now we’re getting into a violation of State’s rights.”
“Miss Cabot,” a voice called out from the crowd. It was Tim Donovan. He walked up to the three of them, clearly distraught. “A threat’s been made.”
Alex stared him down. He had the nerve to show up after lecturing all of them about the nature of his job, after putting them through hell and back so as to keep his identity secret. Either he was a complete idiot, or something really awful was about to happen. “Nothing came from us. We have done everything to keep your identity secret-“
“The threat was made against you.”
Olivia looked up just in time to see Alex’s gaze lock with hers. That was startling information, and yet Olivia felt she should’ve been expecting it at the same time. This wasn’t the first time threats had been made against an officer or attorney, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But this was her girlfriend, and Olivia felt a strong surge of over-protectiveness rising up within her. Alex’s expression was frightened, but only for a split second; just long enough for Olivia to catch it. “Who?” she asked.
“It’d be best if you all came with me where we can talk in private,” Donovan said, nodding towards the exit. The four of them left together, and drove separately to the DEA offices. Once there, they silently walked up to a private, dark room. All the windows were shielded by blinds. There was a table in the middle of the room, with chairs surrounding it for them to sit in. On the table was a small tape recorder, which Donovan picked up and pressed the play button once they’d all sat down. “This was recorded six hours ago.”
The sound of two voices filled the room. Cryptic, threatening messages. All Olivia needed to hear was the word “girlfriend” and her ears perked. Her eyes shot to Alex as one of the men on the tape recited Alex’s address, followed soon after by her mother’s. Beneath the table, she slid her hand over Alex’s knee. Unfortunately her gesture of affection was rejected; Alex jerked back. Olivia attributed it to nerves. This wasn’t exactly easy to listen to.
As Alex listened to the two men talk about her, her address, her routine, where she jogged in the mornings, her mother’s address, her eyes grew significantly wider. Was this the price Branch was talking about that people like her had to pay in order to see justice done? Was she going to have to have bodyguards escorting her around the city everyday for the rest of her life? That wasn’t a life Alex wanted. Millions of thoughts were speeding through her mind, overlapping and confusing her. She had nearly jumped when Olivia touched her. Alex looked at Olivia, almost apologetically for her action, but she was too nervous to really evoke any emotion. Donovan was spouting off reassurances and Olivia was now saying something about a protective detail.
“No, I just want to go home now,” Alex said firmly, somehow managing to find her voice after all of that.
“We’ll take you,” Olivia said. As if there had been any doubt.
Even after they’d gotten outside, Donovan continued on with reassuring Alex about her safety. He told her he’d go to court, testify against Zapata. Alex nodded to him and thanked him, but even with that promise, she felt little comfort. That just made him another target. It felt like they were spinning their wheels. No matter what they did, something would hold them back.
“Alex, why don’t you stay with me tonight at my place until we sort all this out, okay?” Olivia suggested, turning to face the ADA. “It’ll be safer there.”
“No,” Alex replied. “I’ll be fine.” She looked at Olivia and saw the questioning look in the detective’s eyes. She realized that her answer had seemed a little harsh. “Liv, I just think I need to be alone right now.”
“That is the last thing you need right no-“ The next thing Olivia knew, she and Alex were knocked off their feet and thrown back towards the building. Her wrist was throbbing, and she knew she must’ve landed on it. Alex. Where was Alex? …Right next to her. Olivia looked up to see Elliot was all right. It was only then that she saw Tim Donovan’s car was on fire, more like it was engulfed in a blazing fury of flames. Shit…
Title: Somewhere Out There (Chapter Three)
Rating: PG, for some language and violence.
"..a woman can say what she wants to about your performance in the bedroom, and you aren't actually allowed to kill her.."
Olivia heard the snarky comment made by her girlfriend and the subsequent scuffling from inside the enclosed room. She immediately jumped up, as did Elliot and many other officers in the surrounding area. You and your mouth.. she thought as she saw Zapata being escorted out of the room by two officers as well as Lionel Granger, followed shortly after by Alex. Olivia immediately went to her. "Are you all right?" She asked, looking Alex over.
"Fine," Alex replied, brushing herself off a little as she started walking back towards the main part of the SVU squad room.
"You're out of your mind," Elliot said, following both Alex and Olivia.
"I was hoping he would think about that information coming out in open court," Alex said, shrugging her shoulders.
"...And he pissed you off," Olivia added dryly.
"That too."
The three of them bantered back and forth about how best to proceed. Elliot complained about blowing the two years of work accomplished by the DEA. Olivia interjected that the case was blown when Zapata raped and murdered an NYPD officer. Alex rationalized that either they persued the case or Zapata would walk, flee the country, and the DEA's case would be blown anyway. Putting him on trial was their only option of nothing but bad options. The only objection? Alex's cellphone ringing.
"I have to go meet with Petrovsky," she said.
"What about?"
"Nothing good."
While Alex was inside Judge Petrovsky’s office, Olivia and Elliot remained out in the hall to wait for her. No doubt Alex was fighting whatever obstacle the opposition threw at her, and Olivia hoped their tough as nails ADA would come out successful. At least, she did to an extent. As much as Olivia wanted to see justice done, she was just as worried that this was getting out of control. If they dropped it, maybe the feds could pick up the slack and slam Zapata for something else. She also worried for Alex’s sanity. The blonde’s crystal blue eyes had dulled. She looked like she did during the Sam Cavanaugh case.
“Hey, you still with me?” Elliot asked, waving a hand in front of Olivia’s face
“Huh? Wha.. Yeah. Sorry,” Olivia blinked a few times, snapping out of her thoughts. “What did you say?”
“I asked if everything was all right between you two,” Elliot repeated, looking Olivia over. “You just seem… I don’t know, tense.”
“It’s just the case,” Olivia answered, a little too quickly. “We’re fine. Just stressed. I know you can understand that.” Maybe that was a low blow, to refer to Kathy. But Olivia didn’t want to talk about the fears that were brewing in the pit of her stomach; that Alex was pulling away from her little by little. She just wanted Elliot to drop it. And he did. He would’ve had to anyway, because Alex came storming out seconds later. That was not the walk of victory.
“She threw out the search. Wasn’t her fault,” Alex explained, obviously annoyed. “They barred her from subpoenaing Donovan.”
“Can they really go over the judge’s head like that?” Olivia asked, baffled.
“I’m appealing it to the Second Circuit,” Alex said as they rounded a corner, walking down one of the crowded halls of the courthouse. “Now we’re getting into a violation of State’s rights.”
“Miss Cabot,” a voice called out from the crowd. It was Tim Donovan. He walked up to the three of them, clearly distraught. “A threat’s been made.”
Alex stared him down. He had the nerve to show up after lecturing all of them about the nature of his job, after putting them through hell and back so as to keep his identity secret. Either he was a complete idiot, or something really awful was about to happen. “Nothing came from us. We have done everything to keep your identity secret-“
“The threat was made against you.”
Olivia looked up just in time to see Alex’s gaze lock with hers. That was startling information, and yet Olivia felt she should’ve been expecting it at the same time. This wasn’t the first time threats had been made against an officer or attorney, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But this was her girlfriend, and Olivia felt a strong surge of over-protectiveness rising up within her. Alex’s expression was frightened, but only for a split second; just long enough for Olivia to catch it. “Who?” she asked.
“It’d be best if you all came with me where we can talk in private,” Donovan said, nodding towards the exit. The four of them left together, and drove separately to the DEA offices. Once there, they silently walked up to a private, dark room. All the windows were shielded by blinds. There was a table in the middle of the room, with chairs surrounding it for them to sit in. On the table was a small tape recorder, which Donovan picked up and pressed the play button once they’d all sat down. “This was recorded six hours ago.”
The sound of two voices filled the room. Cryptic, threatening messages. All Olivia needed to hear was the word “girlfriend” and her ears perked. Her eyes shot to Alex as one of the men on the tape recited Alex’s address, followed soon after by her mother’s. Beneath the table, she slid her hand over Alex’s knee. Unfortunately her gesture of affection was rejected; Alex jerked back. Olivia attributed it to nerves. This wasn’t exactly easy to listen to.
As Alex listened to the two men talk about her, her address, her routine, where she jogged in the mornings, her mother’s address, her eyes grew significantly wider. Was this the price Branch was talking about that people like her had to pay in order to see justice done? Was she going to have to have bodyguards escorting her around the city everyday for the rest of her life? That wasn’t a life Alex wanted. Millions of thoughts were speeding through her mind, overlapping and confusing her. She had nearly jumped when Olivia touched her. Alex looked at Olivia, almost apologetically for her action, but she was too nervous to really evoke any emotion. Donovan was spouting off reassurances and Olivia was now saying something about a protective detail.
“No, I just want to go home now,” Alex said firmly, somehow managing to find her voice after all of that.
“We’ll take you,” Olivia said. As if there had been any doubt.
Even after they’d gotten outside, Donovan continued on with reassuring Alex about her safety. He told her he’d go to court, testify against Zapata. Alex nodded to him and thanked him, but even with that promise, she felt little comfort. That just made him another target. It felt like they were spinning their wheels. No matter what they did, something would hold them back.
“Alex, why don’t you stay with me tonight at my place until we sort all this out, okay?” Olivia suggested, turning to face the ADA. “It’ll be safer there.”
“No,” Alex replied. “I’ll be fine.” She looked at Olivia and saw the questioning look in the detective’s eyes. She realized that her answer had seemed a little harsh. “Liv, I just think I need to be alone right now.”
“That is the last thing you need right no-“ The next thing Olivia knew, she and Alex were knocked off their feet and thrown back towards the building. Her wrist was throbbing, and she knew she must’ve landed on it. Alex. Where was Alex? …Right next to her. Olivia looked up to see Elliot was all right. It was only then that she saw Tim Donovan’s car was on fire, more like it was engulfed in a blazing fury of flames. Shit…