Casey/Olivia - episode based series

[tennya]

Title: Collide
Working Title: How Casey and Olivia became Casey and Olivia
Sub title: Season five Episode 5 “Serendipity”
Series Summary: A series based on what could have happened before, during, or afer an episode. My version of how Casey and Olivia could have realistically come to be.
Episode summary: The unit's got their hands full on a case when they get a new ADA...
Length: Six pages in Word, basic font, size 12
Rating: Just to be safe, over all this series should be considered R, but this particular episode will be TV 14. Because even though they don't swear in the show, we all do in real life.
Disclamier: I do not own the show Law and Order, SVU or the charcters or the scripted episodes, I only have fun with them ;)
Thanks: I would like to thank whatever DVD stuido produced season five b/c if it wasn't for them, closed captioning and the pause button I would never be able to get parts from the episodes right.
I also wanna thank whatever fan fic author (I'm so sorry I have no idea her name) who wrote several Olivia/Alex episode sentric fics that gave me this idea.
Notes: I don't know if you ever notice but based on the dates in the episodes, there's several cases going on at once, I do not have the time to work that in so for this story let's just assume the episodes come right after another, time-wise.
Second note: I like to play with this in my other Casey/Olivia fictions but in this one Olivia and Alex NEVER had a sexual/romantic relationships.
This episode only note: I have only written what happened in this episode, mostly because this is the first episode Casey was in and there were so many important subtext stuff I felt for this first episode I would stick to what actually happened.
Last note: I've read this through, and did my best on typos and grammer but I'm not a very good editer so if you feel the need to let me know about it, go right ahead, I won't take offence. As always, I love feed back, I live for it, please let me know how I'm doing!!! Thanks!

I'm having so much fun writing this and as I do I find myself diving deeper into the charcters of Casey and Olivia then the show ever did, only hinted at. It's a love story and I am a sap for love stories.



Season five Episode 5 “Serendipity”

Assistant district attorney Casey Novak, newly assigned to the “sex crime’s” unit, made her way through the crowded front entrance of the hallway where uniforms wearing gloves were combing every section. Several glanced her way, but she didn’t bother to look at them, approvingly or non-approvingly, she just simply moved on.
Only a few feet into the apartment she heard a voice, clearly female, crisp and full of confidence, must be Detective Olivia Benson, one of the leads on the case.

Casey had heard of her, a little through the grape vine, some of the information she got through reading the papers. Several papers had featured more than just one story about her, not so much the particular case but more about her. She had never been interviewed in any of them and Casey had also heard that every major reporter in the city was gunning for one on one with the famous die hard officer of the law. But Olivia Benson had never given one; it was easy for Casey to see that because of this it wasn’t Olivia Benson’s style to be in the spot light.

Casey had liked that. She had found, through experiences in the past, that officers who only cared about what they could do to end up on the ten o’clock news were never very good investigators.

“Then what are these?”
“I don’t know.”
Casey stepped into the room just in time to see a tall, slender woman with short wavy hair holding up a small veil.
Even from behind her Casey Novak could easily recognized Detective Olivia Benson.
“They look like pharmaceuticals to me.” Casey announced her presence, raising her voice slightly to make sure everyone heard her. She turned slightly, making eye contact for the first time with the legendary detective. “It’s in the warrant, bag it.”
Olivia wore a simple dumbfounded expression on her features for a moment. “Who the hell are you?” Her voice was low with just enough warning to be taken seriously but just not enough to be taken too seriously.
Honestly Casey was taken slightly aback. She hadn’t been expecting a welcome banner but this guarded, almost insulted tone that the lead agent was taking with her was far from what the ADA felt was necessary.
Before Casey could introduce herself another voice, male, strong, also loud, called out. “That’s our new ADA, Casey Novak, Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is Casey Novak.” Eliot Stabler wore a smiling, welcoming expression.
Casey felt her insides calming down a little, now that the sudden rudeness was over. Casey nodded in Olivia’s direction, a low ‘hi’ on her lips even as Eliot walked towards her. But it seemed Olivia Benson had already forgotten her, turning away.
“Do I know you?” Casey asked, Eliot’s face looking familiar.
“Yeah short stop, cop’s team. Come here.” Even as he spoke Eliot had his hand around her shoulder, pulling her away from Olivia’s area into another section of the apartment.
Not thinking anything of this Casey smiled at the memory. “Oh right, didn’t recognize you when you weren’t covered in my dust.”
Eliot laughed slightly, politely; Casey could see that now, as he got straight to the point.
“What are you doing here?”
The question seemed ridiculous but Casey decided to answer anyways. “It’s my case.”
At that moment Olivia walked up behind Eliot, pulling her gloves off. “It’s not your job, we’re the detectives.”
Casey could instantly sense the tension as it grew. She felt like she had suddenly stepped into enemy territory. Well that was just fine, Casey didn’t mind a challenge. She had been given this assignment and she was going to follow it through, she had no intension of backing down. “And I’m very hands on.” She fixed Olivia with a hard look. “I like to see my cases through from beginning to end.” She hoped Olivia had heard how she had said that it was her case. It was her case, just as much as it was there’s.
“Well things are being handled just fine here.” Eliot put in.
Sarcasm dripping Casey turned back to him, “Great. Tell you what? Let me take a quick sweep, then we can go to the crime scene together.”
“It’s already been processed.” Now Olivia was being polite.
Casey felt her lips turning upward in a slight smile. “Not by me.” She moved away.

The three of them went to Brianna Morris’ apartment. Olivia and Eliot tag teaming her, battling her all the way.
But Casey still didn’t back down, through each passing minute with the two of them began to irk her more and more.

The next few days were a struggle. Everyone at the unit seemed to take unkindly to Casey. The questioning of Mr. Newland didn’t sit right with Casey. It went against her gut, the law that she had relied on so strongly for so long. When she called Eliot and Olivia out on it they had managed to turn the tables around, make it her fault. She hadn’t like feeling guilty to begin with and didn’t like the fact that their words had gotten to her.
It was all building up when they found another rape victim. She was eight and sweet with big brown eyes. Casey, wanting to make this case, brought in Alicia for a line up against everyone’s judgment.
But as she walked out of the viewing room with her small hand clasped tightly in Olivia’s, and looked up at Casey, tears threatening to spill as she cried out, “I’m sorry.” That was just enough for Casey.

She had never had to deal with kids before. Not just kids, but innocent children who were no longer innocent, who were, in some sense, no longer kids.
It made Casey think back to her own childhood. Climbing trees and playing hide and seek in the back woods with her brothers. Those were fond, wonderful memories from her childhood that in some way were a part of who she was today. But what if she hadn’t had those? What if her childhood had been ripped away, just like it had been from Alicia and Molly? They would never be the people they would have been six months ago, five years ago because of what had happened to them.

It caused a horrible pain in the bottom of Casey’s stomach and made her head swirl chaotically. When she got back to her office she cancelled all of her appointments for the rest of the day. Move aside the unpacked boxes from the sofa and coffee table and spread everything from the case out. She had a new desire to solve this.
But the minutes wore on and as much as Casey tried to concentrate she found she couldn’t. She couldn’t get that little girl’s mournful eyes out of her mind.
Just when her vision got blurry did she hear the door opening and a now familiar, angry voice say, “Could you have been any tougher on that little girl? Like she hasn’t already been traumatized enough?”
Casey forced herself to look at Olivia. “I’m sorry.” What more could she say? She got up and moved to the other side of the office. She wanted to get as far away from Olivia as she could. She didn’t like her, she knew she had to work with her and she would but she didn’t like the way Olivia so easily, so effortlessly got under her skin, making her feel so lousy.
The only other person who had ever been able to do that had been her father and she had never liked it when he did that either.
“Nobody thinks they can do this at first.” Olivia’s voice was softer now.
Casey pressed her lips together; nodding, sucking up her emotions and pushing them back down. “I wanted straight homicides you know? All the glory, no living victims.” Olivia was now giving her such a sincere, gentle look that Casey couldn’t help but get out a real smile, sad and miserable but her smile was real. And it was for Olivia, in gratitude now that she wasn’t giving her a hard time anymore.
“Lesson number one.” Olivia moved closer to her. “Nobody can handle the children.”
There was silence between for a moment before Casey felt her protective walls coming down a little. “How do you?”
Olivia looked away; Casey’s questions had hit something, which was clear. “Well I’m not going to lie to you. It doesn’t get easier.”
Casey felt her stomach turn over. “It’s all this sickness and perversion. I mean what do you say to your boyfriend when you go home at night?”
Olivia’s mouth opened slightly for a moment. “I don’t actually have one.”
Casey’s voice lowered slightly. “Because of the job.”
“I try to date. Things go great until they ask what I do.”
“Not exactly dinner conversation, huh?”
Olivia nodded knowingly. “The ones that don’t pull away immediately, uh, lean in way too interested wanting to hear all the sick, twisted details, and, um…” Olivia looked away, pausing. “Either way it’s always the last date.”
“It must be easier for the male detectives.” Casey said without thinking.
She had a bad habit of doing that and it usually got her in trouble.
“Well let’s see.” Olivia now had her arms crossed. “Fin never talks about his love life at work, and Eliot doesn’t talk about work at home. And - and Munch has just given up.”
“Then why do you guys do it?” Casey stepped closer, now the space between them only mere inches. Casey couldn’t understand how she felt so drawn to Olivia now when only moments before she wanted to be as far away from her as she possibly could.
Olivia’s answer was short, to the point and very true. “Because somebody’s has to.” Olivia uncrossed her arms, reached out and gave Casey a buddy slap on the arm and walked out of her new office.
Casey watched her go, her heart sinking, actually surprised to feel how disappointed she was now that Olivia was gone. She had liked having her here. It had made the pain not so horrible, the reality fade away for just a minute.
Casey turned back to her desk, staring at nothing, knowing her weakness, admitting it to herself, and hating herself all the same for it. Damn pretty girls.

No more than ten minutes after Olivia had left Casey backed up and left as well, her destination in mind, her conscious clear, her intentions true.

Things actually seemed to be going smoothly in the case, as smooth as smooth could be in the case of a dead twenty two year old girl and her new born child and two little girl’s lives ruined.
Until Newland ended up dead with a bullet to the back of his skull.
And then soon after the discovery of his body a six year old girl by the name of Courtney Jones had gone missing and when a stirrer, the kind used to dispense honey, was found near the spot where Courtney had gone missing, the worst was feared.

Later on the day as Casey was able to get a phone call, giving her the newest information. That Newland’s blood wasn’t Newland’s blood but actually one of his patients, a man named Peter Nestler whom was the real “Honey Rapist” as the papers were now calling him.
When Casey had also been told that Olivia and Eliot were heading over to his apartment to look for the missing girl Casey got her search warrant as quickly as possible and made her way over there as fast as she could.
Before she even stepped into the small, dank apartment she asked, “Any sign of Courtney Jones?”
Eliot turned and the look on his face was clear, aggravation at seeing Casey. “What are you doing here?”
“Search warrant.” Casey held it up from where it was limp in her loose fist. She had a feeling she might be having to get use to this kind of tone.
“No, really, you’re here to supervise us?” Eliot stalked angrily towards her.
It wouldn’t have been easy to answer Eliot’s question truthfully. To tell him that Casey’s best friend in kindergarten was named Courtney as well. That Casey couldn’t stand the thought of another child’s life getting ruined.
So instead of telling him these very real reasons she still answered with honesty but the kind that didn’t cause her mouth to close up and her chest to ache.
“I’m not here to make sure you can do it. I’m here to see if I can.”
“Kiddie porn, closet’s full of it.” Before Olivia had even finished all of her words she came into the room, throwing down a hand full of magazines. “What is she doing here?” She pointed at Casey but her question had been aimed at Eliot like they were all six years old again, playing that run around game where you didn’t speak directly at the person you were mad at even though they were standing right there.
Casey didn’t want to get mad or angry or upset. She didn’t want to take Olivia’s attitude hostile through it clearly was.
So instead she glanced away from the beautiful brunet as she steamed with anger. “He’s a fishermen. Plugs, poppers, reels loaded with fifty pound test.” She said as she noticed the equipment. Her tone was detached; Casey didn’t need to be conscious of what she was saying to be able to spew off all of the rules, warnings, procedures and equipment needed for fishing. She had had it all drilled into the brain for years on end when she was growing up. Fishing, hunting, baseball, anything her father felt would make her better, stronger, because God knows Casey being just Casey wasn’t good enough for the single parent.

She moved towards it, looking it over for a second, voicing her findings. “It’s rust. He fishes in salt water.”
Olivia grabbed a nearby frame. “He’s got a boat. Honey Do. Peter Nestler on his boat The Honey Do. Caught a forty pound striper.”
“Where?” Eliot’s voice was fast as everyone could feel the urgency that followed them all throughout the day pick up.
“City Island. Looks like he’s got a slip there.”

Casey and Olivia had raced off and when Casey ran after them they didn’t object. They even let he ride over but once they got to the dock she was given a very stern, “You stay here.” And a finger in her face for emphasize.
Casey did as told, watched as the proceeding seconds unfold as Olivia searched the boat and Eliot “subdued” Peter Nester.
But it was clear that hope was lost. It was a tiny boat and Olivia’s search was done in mere seconds and Eliot was clearly not getting any answers the way he kept pushing Nestler back underwater.
Casey felt her optimism sinking and shrinking until it was nothing and fear began to overtake every part of her body. But still her mind was racing and then she noticed the forgotten cooler that Nestler had abandoned. It was a good fare size, and could fit the body of a small child.
Without even realizing it Casey found herself full out running at the cooler, praying for Courtney to still be alive. She had no doubt that Peter Nestler had it in
him to murder a child.
She lifted the lid of the cooler and tucked inside was a tiny body, unmoving. Casey’s breathe stopped but even as she had no air in her lungs she still managed to cry out fearfully. “Courtney!” And leaned forward, scooping her arms around the small body. And miracles of all miracles the moment Casey had her hands on her Courtney came to, grabbing for Casey desperately.
Her heart breaking in two Casey Novak took the tiny, almost unconscious girl in her arms even as Courtney weakly held onto Casey, her energy evaporating.
“Is she okay?”
Casey looked up to see Olivia running towards them. “She’s alive.” There was nothing more Casey could say.
Olivia checked her pulse and then looked at Casey.
Their eyes locked and for one split second Casey could have sworn she saw something there. But the moment passed and Olivia was nodding hurriedly.
Casey didn’t have to be told twice to wait one more second and she rushed off, clinging to Courtney as tight as she could.

It was over a half a week later when Casey found herself in her the office of Anther Branch, her boss, the man who had recruited her.
“Got a minute?”
He smiled warmly at her. “When you rescue a little girl you get two. Have a seat.”
Casey stayed where she was, needing to be quick and to the point. “I can’t do it.”
“Sure you can just bend your knees and let gravity take over.”
Casey stared at him for a moment, bewildered, before her lips tinted upward and she chuckled a much needed laugh. “That’s not what I’m talking about.” She ventured a few steps into the room.
“I know.” He sighed.
“I want out.” Casey had to be clear.
“Why? When you’ve got a slam dunk on your very first case.”
Casey realized that getting out of this wasn’t going to be as easy as she realized, it looked like she’d have to be more clear. “I can’t get what that little girl went through.” She took a seat on the edge of the chair.
Branch sighed, thinking for a moment, sitting back. “I was watching you for this job when you were in white collar. Knew you were tough but wasn’t sure you were the right person.”
“I’m not.” Casey said without hesitating. It was all too much, this last week had told her that, the detective’s attitudes, the case it’s self. She hadn’t signed up for this; she couldn’t believe that any sane person would.
“The fact that it affects you like this tells me my first instincts were right.”
“What are you talking about?” Casey blurted.
He grew even more serious. “This case was the ultimate test and you passed with flying colors.”
“But I don’t want it!” She pleaded.
He gave her a small knowing smile. “You will.” He got up moving on to other things.
She stayed where she was for a moment, hoping he’d catch on that she wasn’t done, wasn’t will to accept that answer. When he didn’t turn back to her she got and left, shutting his door.
Even as she did so she couldn’t help but ask herself, How could I ever want this?