Fic: All That's Left You (6/?)
Title: All That’s Left You
Fandom: Law & Order: SVU
Pairing: Olivia/Alex
Summary: When the body of an unidentified woman is discovered, Alex finds herself thrown back into a familiar world. But can anyone really go home again?
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me etc. etc. They are the creation of Dick Wolf and Co. and I use them without permission for entertainment purposes only. Please don’t sue.
Spoilers: If you’re aware of events up until the advent of “Conviction”, you’ll be fine.
Status: On-going
Archive: Ask and ye shall (probably) receive.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
A/N:Heh, a mere week between updates. What's that about? :p Thank you to everyone for the overwhelmingly positive comments you've left me. I hope I can live up to your expectations. *gulp* And thanks once again to beurre_blanC for taking time out of her hectic schedule to beta read. It's much appreciated. :) Anyway, on with the show....
All That’s Left You
“Long ago, it must be; I have a photograph
Preserve your memories; they’re all that’s left you.”
Chapter 6
Monday 3rd July 2006, 1-6 Precinct, Special Victims Unit.
“So, where are we up to, people?”
Captain Donald Cragen’s voice echoed commandingly across the squad room as he stuck his head out of his office briefly before joining his four detectives, whose eyes were all glued to the computer screen in front of them. Munch was seemingly in the driving seat, but it was Olivia’s voice which rose above the rest as she stabbed her finger toward the screen, directing her comments to no-one in particular.
“You mean there’s no record?”
“No.”
“At all?”
“No.”
“Nothing?”
“Zilch. Nicht. Nada. Bupkiss…”
“Okay, we get it John,” Elliot cut in. Having silenced Munch, he turned to their boss. “We pulled Julie Ericson’s records on the system. Born March 19th, 1968. Citizen of New York City. Driver’s license, social security, the usual.”
Cragen’s gaze was steady. “Any priors?”
“Nothing. She’s clean.”
“Too clean.”
Cragen’s attention turned to Fin.
Tutuola shrugged. “Not even a speeding ticket. No debt. Hell, no credit cards. A savings account opened last August with three grand in it, but before that, nothing. Two addresses on the lower east side - the first around the time she opened the bank account, the second, Walker’s place around the time he said she moved in. It’s like, until twelve months ago, she didn’t even exist. Don’t add up, s’all I’m saying.”
“Could just mean she’s smart.”
Munch ducked the paperclip heading for him.
Cragen sighed. “And you’ve run the social security number?”
“Phoney.”
“So, I guess we’re thinking name change? New identity, new life?”
“Makes you wonder what she was running from.”
“Must be something pretty serious if it made her abandon her entire life.” Elliot twisted a fresh paperclip between his fingers. “I’m just saying. If you believe Todd Walker’s story, whoever Julie Ericson may have been, she had no idea that he was gonna swipe the necklace for her. According to Walker she was always looking at it in the store like it was really important to her, but she couldn’t afford it… I mean, in his version our vic sounds more like a desperate housewife than a hardened career criminal.”
“She was an accessory to a homicide.”
“Accidental. She called 911.”
“Well, look who’s Mr. Optimism today.”
“Detectives.” Cragen’s tone held a warning.
Elliot sighed in acknowledgement. “Okay, so I admit even though Julie Ericson’s only current indiscretion appears to be playing house with a smitten eighteen year old, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t into something bigger, despite her apparent clean break. Even Walker admitted he didn’t know much about her job, and he did mention some ‘erratic’ behaviour. Maybe whatever, or whoever, she was running away from finally caught up with her?”
“Just because she was Donna Reed in this life, doesn’t mean she wasn’t Martha Stewart in the last.”
The detectives’ attention turned to their colleague.
Olivia shrugged. “People change, or maybe they’re just not who you thought they were in the first place.”
“Well, our job is to find out.” Cragen’s voice cut into the silence that had suddenly descended. “Munch, Fin, go talk to her last super. See what you can find out. Benson, Stabler, you go search Mr. Walker’s apartment.”
“One problem, Cap’n.” Elliot took a sip from the coffee mug in his hand. “Walker still wouldn’t give us permission to access his place.”
Elliot looked at his partner for back-up, but she sat staring, suddenly frozen in place.
“I don’t anticipate that being a major concern.”
All four men swung around toward the voice at the door, and a genuine smile spread over Cragen’s face.
“Alex. Welcome home.”
~~~
Elliot was the first to recover. Stepping discreetly in front of his partner, he stuck out his free hand. “It’s good to see you, Counsellor.”
The pause before she returned his gesture was fractional, but didn’t escape his notice. Holding her hand in his grasp a moment longer than their previous professional relationship allowed for, Elliot forced her to meet his gaze. What he was looking for, he wasn’t sure, but he was struck by an unexpected pang of sympathy for the woman. Releasing her hand, but keeping his eyes on hers, there was genuine warmth in his voice.
“It really is good to have you back, Alex.”
She took a step back. Before Elliot could process her reaction, Fin and Munch were on their feet.
“Nice to see you again, Cabot.”
“Alex. I expect you missed me.”
As she lifted her eyes once more, the lawyer’s shoulders appeared to straighten. Her gaze wandered around the squad room. By the time she finally replied, the area had fallen almost silent.
“It’s good to be back.”
The growing quiet was jarred as Cragen cleared his throat.
“So, I’m assuming you’ve come bearing good news, Counsellor.”
“One warrant to search the home of Todd Walker - no restrictions.” She smiled.
“Nice to see you’ve not lost your touch.”
At Elliot’s comment, the expression disappeared.
“Well, it looks like you’ve all got work to be doing. I’ll be in my office if any further legal assistance is required.”
Turning back toward the exit, she briefly caught the eye of the only detective in the room with whom she had not yet spoken. The tired whir and click of the overhead fan seemed magnified in the sudden silence.
She paused, as if bracing herself, before nodding curtly. “Olivia.”
As the doors swung closed behind her, Cragen watched. The look on his face suggested he was suddenly reconsidering his earlier assertion to the District Attorney that this particular course of action was somehow the right move for all involved.
~~~
“Liv. You okay?”
After Cabot’s abrupt departure, Elliot noted rather bitterly, Cragen, Munch and Fin had all been hastier than usual in their retreat, meaning that, once again, he and Olivia were glaringly alone. In more normal circumstances, he would at least have given his partner time to brood in silence over something so inherently personal. But it was clear to all involved, that what had just transpired did not qualify as normal circumstances.
Although not one to discuss her feelings freely, normal circumstances certainly did not involve Olivia Benson sitting mutely in the presence of her partner and anyone else who happened to walk in, looking as if she’d just been hit by a train.
“Liv?”
Olivia’s head jolted up, and Elliot was shocked to see she’d made no attempt to mask the pain in her features. In an uncharacteristic display of understanding he allowed his hand to rest briefly on the back of her neck, squeezing gently, before lowering it to rest on her desk chair.
“I’ll go wait in the car, okay?”
A final glance over his shoulder saw his partner sitting, unmoving, in the empty bull pen.
~~~
Ducking into the ladies room at the far end of the precinct, Alex secured the flimsy latch on the stall door. She leaned back against the grimy wall, her breath coming out in shaky gasps as she sank slowly to the floor.
TBC...
Fandom: Law & Order: SVU
Pairing: Olivia/Alex
Summary: When the body of an unidentified woman is discovered, Alex finds herself thrown back into a familiar world. But can anyone really go home again?
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me etc. etc. They are the creation of Dick Wolf and Co. and I use them without permission for entertainment purposes only. Please don’t sue.
Spoilers: If you’re aware of events up until the advent of “Conviction”, you’ll be fine.
Status: On-going
Archive: Ask and ye shall (probably) receive.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
A/N:Heh, a mere week between updates. What's that about? :p Thank you to everyone for the overwhelmingly positive comments you've left me. I hope I can live up to your expectations. *gulp* And thanks once again to beurre_blanC for taking time out of her hectic schedule to beta read. It's much appreciated. :) Anyway, on with the show....
All That’s Left You
“Long ago, it must be; I have a photograph
Preserve your memories; they’re all that’s left you.”
Chapter 6
Monday 3rd July 2006, 1-6 Precinct, Special Victims Unit.
“So, where are we up to, people?”
Captain Donald Cragen’s voice echoed commandingly across the squad room as he stuck his head out of his office briefly before joining his four detectives, whose eyes were all glued to the computer screen in front of them. Munch was seemingly in the driving seat, but it was Olivia’s voice which rose above the rest as she stabbed her finger toward the screen, directing her comments to no-one in particular.
“You mean there’s no record?”
“No.”
“At all?”
“No.”
“Nothing?”
“Zilch. Nicht. Nada. Bupkiss…”
“Okay, we get it John,” Elliot cut in. Having silenced Munch, he turned to their boss. “We pulled Julie Ericson’s records on the system. Born March 19th, 1968. Citizen of New York City. Driver’s license, social security, the usual.”
Cragen’s gaze was steady. “Any priors?”
“Nothing. She’s clean.”
“Too clean.”
Cragen’s attention turned to Fin.
Tutuola shrugged. “Not even a speeding ticket. No debt. Hell, no credit cards. A savings account opened last August with three grand in it, but before that, nothing. Two addresses on the lower east side - the first around the time she opened the bank account, the second, Walker’s place around the time he said she moved in. It’s like, until twelve months ago, she didn’t even exist. Don’t add up, s’all I’m saying.”
“Could just mean she’s smart.”
Munch ducked the paperclip heading for him.
Cragen sighed. “And you’ve run the social security number?”
“Phoney.”
“So, I guess we’re thinking name change? New identity, new life?”
“Makes you wonder what she was running from.”
“Must be something pretty serious if it made her abandon her entire life.” Elliot twisted a fresh paperclip between his fingers. “I’m just saying. If you believe Todd Walker’s story, whoever Julie Ericson may have been, she had no idea that he was gonna swipe the necklace for her. According to Walker she was always looking at it in the store like it was really important to her, but she couldn’t afford it… I mean, in his version our vic sounds more like a desperate housewife than a hardened career criminal.”
“She was an accessory to a homicide.”
“Accidental. She called 911.”
“Well, look who’s Mr. Optimism today.”
“Detectives.” Cragen’s tone held a warning.
Elliot sighed in acknowledgement. “Okay, so I admit even though Julie Ericson’s only current indiscretion appears to be playing house with a smitten eighteen year old, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t into something bigger, despite her apparent clean break. Even Walker admitted he didn’t know much about her job, and he did mention some ‘erratic’ behaviour. Maybe whatever, or whoever, she was running away from finally caught up with her?”
“Just because she was Donna Reed in this life, doesn’t mean she wasn’t Martha Stewart in the last.”
The detectives’ attention turned to their colleague.
Olivia shrugged. “People change, or maybe they’re just not who you thought they were in the first place.”
“Well, our job is to find out.” Cragen’s voice cut into the silence that had suddenly descended. “Munch, Fin, go talk to her last super. See what you can find out. Benson, Stabler, you go search Mr. Walker’s apartment.”
“One problem, Cap’n.” Elliot took a sip from the coffee mug in his hand. “Walker still wouldn’t give us permission to access his place.”
Elliot looked at his partner for back-up, but she sat staring, suddenly frozen in place.
“I don’t anticipate that being a major concern.”
All four men swung around toward the voice at the door, and a genuine smile spread over Cragen’s face.
“Alex. Welcome home.”
~~~
Elliot was the first to recover. Stepping discreetly in front of his partner, he stuck out his free hand. “It’s good to see you, Counsellor.”
The pause before she returned his gesture was fractional, but didn’t escape his notice. Holding her hand in his grasp a moment longer than their previous professional relationship allowed for, Elliot forced her to meet his gaze. What he was looking for, he wasn’t sure, but he was struck by an unexpected pang of sympathy for the woman. Releasing her hand, but keeping his eyes on hers, there was genuine warmth in his voice.
“It really is good to have you back, Alex.”
She took a step back. Before Elliot could process her reaction, Fin and Munch were on their feet.
“Nice to see you again, Cabot.”
“Alex. I expect you missed me.”
As she lifted her eyes once more, the lawyer’s shoulders appeared to straighten. Her gaze wandered around the squad room. By the time she finally replied, the area had fallen almost silent.
“It’s good to be back.”
The growing quiet was jarred as Cragen cleared his throat.
“So, I’m assuming you’ve come bearing good news, Counsellor.”
“One warrant to search the home of Todd Walker - no restrictions.” She smiled.
“Nice to see you’ve not lost your touch.”
At Elliot’s comment, the expression disappeared.
“Well, it looks like you’ve all got work to be doing. I’ll be in my office if any further legal assistance is required.”
Turning back toward the exit, she briefly caught the eye of the only detective in the room with whom she had not yet spoken. The tired whir and click of the overhead fan seemed magnified in the sudden silence.
She paused, as if bracing herself, before nodding curtly. “Olivia.”
As the doors swung closed behind her, Cragen watched. The look on his face suggested he was suddenly reconsidering his earlier assertion to the District Attorney that this particular course of action was somehow the right move for all involved.
~~~
“Liv. You okay?”
After Cabot’s abrupt departure, Elliot noted rather bitterly, Cragen, Munch and Fin had all been hastier than usual in their retreat, meaning that, once again, he and Olivia were glaringly alone. In more normal circumstances, he would at least have given his partner time to brood in silence over something so inherently personal. But it was clear to all involved, that what had just transpired did not qualify as normal circumstances.
Although not one to discuss her feelings freely, normal circumstances certainly did not involve Olivia Benson sitting mutely in the presence of her partner and anyone else who happened to walk in, looking as if she’d just been hit by a train.
“Liv?”
Olivia’s head jolted up, and Elliot was shocked to see she’d made no attempt to mask the pain in her features. In an uncharacteristic display of understanding he allowed his hand to rest briefly on the back of her neck, squeezing gently, before lowering it to rest on her desk chair.
“I’ll go wait in the car, okay?”
A final glance over his shoulder saw his partner sitting, unmoving, in the empty bull pen.
~~~
Ducking into the ladies room at the far end of the precinct, Alex secured the flimsy latch on the stall door. She leaned back against the grimy wall, her breath coming out in shaky gasps as she sank slowly to the floor.
TBC...