A/O Fic: Needed You. ( 5/? )
Title: Needed You; another fic based on the song by Lady Antebellum, Need You Now.
Disclaimer: Same as always. I am just having fun with Dick's toys. He wouldn't treat them right, so I took over.
Rating: PG-13; no sex, some bad language, just some angst.
Spoiler(s): A little for Lead and a little for Conviction
Olivia moved swiftly down the hall and through the lobby towards the ladies room with her head down and a hand to her split lip to keep the blood from falling onto her blouse. Her hair fell like a curtain around the sides of her face, shielding her from onlookers as she moved through the lobby and finally reached the sanctuary of the restroom. Pushing the door open, she made her way to a sink after grabbing a few paper towels and wet them to press to her lip.
Her mind was a swirl of emotion and adrenaline pumped quickly through her body making her heart race. The look of fear that had crossed Alex's face, if only for a split second, played over and over in her mind's eye, taunting her. Tears stung her eyes and she bounced her fist off the counter a couple of times as she struggled to keep from breaking down in the public restroom.
She could have easily hurt Alex by striking out when she had been grabbed and had swung around on the blonde attorney. All the fears she ever had about being as violent as her father came to fruition in that one moment and the look of fear that flashed across Alex's face mercilessly stabbed at her conscious. Olivia felt the control over her emotions waning and set about cleaning her bloodied lip so she could escape the courthouse and put some distance between herself and the other woman.
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“You can't be serious?” Alex shouted, livid as she heard Steele's demand for Olivia to be arrested. “She didn't attack him, he punched her first!”
Both of the security officers looked at Steele who frowned at Alex.
“I can't believe you are defending that bitch over your own boyfriend.”
“I told you, you're not my boyfriend and she's not a bitch.”
“Unbelievable,” he huffed, throwing up his hands.
The security guards shared a glance and then the older one near Alex stepped in front of her to stop the arguing back and forth between Steele and the attorney. He motioned her down the hall, away from his colleague and Steele. As he did so, the paramedics who had been called to the scene, arrived and went to check on their patient.
“Ma'am, I need you to tell me what happened,” the guard spoke quietly as he removed a pen and pad from one of his shirt pockets.
Alex sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache starting to build. Glancing at her watch, she saw there was still 45 minutes before the grand jury would convene in her case and nodded slightly. Alex began to quickly give her side of the story to the security guard.
“Mr. Steele showed up at my office, unexpectedly, and wanted to take me to lunch. I was in my office,” she gestured toward it, “having lunch with my colleague, Detective Benson. We have a grand jury hearing at 1:30.”
She paused and looked over her shoulder for Olivia and frowned slightly when she was no where to be seen.
“Go on,” the guard urged as he jotted down her version of what happened.
Alex turned back to him and continued.
“He barged into my office and suggested Detective Benson leave so he and I could have lunch. I escorted him out of my office and told him if he couldn't respect me in front of my colleagues, then he should leave. He refused and Detective Benson, who had overheard me, came to suggest he leave or she would escort him out,” she sighed softly and nodded toward Steele slightly. “Jim told her if she touched him, he would have her badge. We started arguing again and he shouted something at me, took a step toward me and Olivia...Detective Benson stepped between us and pushed him back slightly. That's when he hit her. She defended herself and, well,” she shrugged slightly as she folded her arms back across her chest again, “here we are.”
She watched him finish his notes and rubbed a hand under his jaw, a five o'clock shadow emerging on the dark headed man's cheeks.
“You're not really going to arrest her are you?” Alex bit her bottom lip slightly and chewed on it thoughtfully.
The guard smiled at her slightly as he tucked his pen and notepad back into his uniform shirt pocket.
“We don't arrest people ma'am, but I don't think anything will come of it.” He nodded toward Steele. “I think once he cools down some more, he will realize he was as much at fault as the detective was. I do need to speak to Detective Benson however. Do you know where she went?”
The blonde lawyer nodded slightly.
“She went to see about her lip, it was bleeding. I'll go see if I can find her.”
Alex spared Steele a glance before turning to find Olivia. The paramedics had examined the man and left, confident that the blow to the head had only stunned him and not caused a concussion. She glanced at her watch again and sighed, there was only a half hour left before the grand jury hearing and, unless she found the detective right away, there wasn't enough time for Olivia to give her statement before she would have to testify. She nibbled at her bottom lip as she thought about what she could do. Asking for a continuance at this late date would be frowned upon, so, as far as she was concerned, that was out of the question. She would just have to stall until Olivia could arrive to give her testimony. Lengthening her stride, Alex headed for the most logical spot to find the detective, the ladies restroom.
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Olivia surveyed her lip in the mirror and touched it gingerly with a wet paper towel as she dabbed the blood from around the cut. Wincing slightly, she was relieved that none of the blood had dripped onto her white silk blouse and she took note of the rapidly swelling and bruising lip. Elliot and the others would have a field day when she got back to the precinct and she wasn’t looking forward to their razzing. As she finished up and tossed the paper towel into the trash bin, the door of the restroom creaked open and a blonde head peered around it.
“Good, there you are,” Alex smiled softly, then grimaced in sympathy as she saw Liv’s swollen lip. Allowing the door to close behind her, the attorney automatically reached out toward the other woman’s chin to have a closer look at the damage marring the other woman’s beautiful face. Olivia deftly avoided the touch by stepping back and turning her head away slightly. As the blonde furrowed her brow at the avoidance, Olivia lied to keep from hurting Alex’s feelings any further.
“Sorry, it’s just really tender,” she ran fingers through her hair as she glanced back into the mirror. “How long do we have before the grand jury convenes?”
“We have about 25 minutes.”
Alex looked at Olivia for a moment, wanting to take the other woman into her arms and hold her, to try explain why she had stayed away from the brunette when she returned from witness protection even though they were on a tight schedule.
“Look, Liv. Jim…what he said…you know it’s not true. I…”
Olivia met her companion’s azure eyes and shook her head, interrupting the blonde.
“Don’t…I can’t talk about this right now,” she started to brush past the attorney, but was stopped by a light touch on her arm.
“Olivia, we need to talk about this. Maybe now isn’t the time, but we do need to discuss it.”
The detective pulled away from Alex’s touch again, trying to stamp down the feelings of anger that were threatening to surface. Her dark eyes pierced the blue ones before her.
“Do we? Why Alex? Why are you so interested in talking now? I think you made it quite clear before by not returning my phone calls or letting me know you were back. I had to read about your return in the damn social section of the Ledger. So, no, we don’t need to talk because there is nothing to discuss.”
“Liv…”
“No, Alex. I can’t.”
Olivia blew out a breath and opened the door to leave the ladies room.
“Security would like your version of what happened, Detective,” Alex managed coolly, hiding her hurt and shame behind her well practiced professional façade. Olivia’s words stung and she wanted to hide from the brunette’s hurt and anger, but she squared her shoulders and mentally prepared herself for battle. She had hidden herself and her desires for far too long and it was now time to face the past and move on toward the future.
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Olivia headed back to the hallway near Alex’s office and spotted the two security guards with Jim Steele. Clearing her mind of the turbulence left in Alex’s wake, she gave the older guard a wry smile.
“I’m Detective Olivia Benson. I understand I need to give you my statement.”
She barely gave Steele a glance and focused her attention on the older guard. Steele, who had regained his equilibrium and had calmed down as he gave his own statement, seethed at the brunette’s presence and cool demeanor.
“I’m going to have your badge, Benson. You’re done!”
Olivia ignored Steele’s ranting and quietly detailed her version of events to the guard. The guard then put his notepad away and flicked his head toward the male attorney. In his mind it was quite clear, the detective had instinctively stepped forward to protect the blonde attorney and had been hit by Steele with little provocation.
“Will you be pressing charges?”
Only then did Olivia smirk and focus her gaze on the other man, then shook her head.
“I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“What!? I can’t believe you are just going to let her go! She came at me!” Steele looked at the older guard as he bellowed his displeasure.
“Mr. Steele, it is clear the detective did not attack you, as you claimed, and was acting to protect Miss Cabot when you struck her.”
“This is bullshit! I want to speak to your supervisor, now!” Steele bellowed, his body taut with fury.
“That will be enough!”
An authoritative voice cut through the din, instantly drawing the attention of the small group. Judge Elizabeth Donnelly, wearing her black judge’s robe, came striding down the hallway, her face a stern mask.
“I can hear you down the hall and in my chambers,” she glared at the group. “If you cannot conduct yourselves as professionals, I suggest you take your squabble outside.”
Steele started to speak, but the judge’s cold gaze made him quickly shut his mouth.
“I think I was quite clear, Mr. Steele.”
He nodded meekly and shifted his gaze to the floor, embarrassed at being called on the carpet in front of the others, but not daring voice his objections in front of Liz Donnelly.
The judge’s cool gaze took in the rest of the small crowd gathered in the hall and spotted Alex, who had just made her way back to the group, and Olivia.
“You two scheduled to be in my courtroom now, are you not?”
“Yes, your Honor,” Alex quickly answered and she glanced to Olivia, who wisely kept her mouth shut and buttoned her suit blazer in preparation to go to the courtroom.
“I just need to grab my attaché,” the blonde informed the judge as she headed back towards her office.
Donnelly nodded curtly and glanced to her watch.
“I will see you both in five minutes,” her tone leaving no room for argument. After a duet of ‘Yes, your Honor’, she gave the rest of the group a meaningful glance and turned on her heels and marched confidently back to her chambers.