Vigilante 1-2/?
Vigilante
Chapter One
"What we got?" Olivia asked, pulling on her latex gloves and squatting down beside the medical examiner.
"Multiple stab wounds, lacerations, bruising..."
As Olivia looked up she caught the eye of a young woman peeking out from behind a nearby dumpster, and as soon as she saw the detective looking she took off down an alley like a shot.
Liv was after her, pounding asphault, Stabler right behind her, and they caught up to the girl quickly. Not wanting to tackle a possible minor, Olivia just grabbed her by the arm and the girl spun around, wide eyes terrified, and slipped in her haste, falling to the ground.
Liv quickly knelt down with her, using that soothing voice she was so good at. "We're not going to hurt you honey, we just want to ask you a few questions. We're the good guys, okay?"
The girl's eyes shot suspiciously to Elliot and then back to Olivia, almost pleading with her, and Liv immediately understood. She nodded to Elliot, and he got the picture as well, backing up slowly and then turning to head back to the scene.
"Okay honey, it's just you and me. Can you tell me your name? Mine's Olivia," the detective said with a warm smile.
The girl nodded, calming down visibly, even relaxing a bit. "Sloane," she replied.
"That's a pretty name. How old are you Sloane?" Olivia asked, taking in the girl's appearance in finer detail now that the action had come to a rest. She looked young, definitely a minor, and her clothes were dirty and worn. Her hands and face were dirty as well, though she wore quite a bit of makeup underneath the dirt. Olivia's first thought was that she hadn't intended to get dirty - it didn't seem like a way of life for this girl, it seemed like something had happened. Call it instinct - or just the fact that one didn't usually apply such perfect makeup if they made a habit of ruining it.
"Fourteen," Sloane replied. "Am I in trouble?"
"I don't think so, unless there's something I should know?" Olivia asked, her brow raising just slightly.
Sloane shook her head, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them, resting her chin on them as well. "I didn't do nothin," she said, brown eyes flicking to Olivia's.
"Did you see what happened to that man?" Benson asked, nodding her head in the direction of the crime scene. She didn't miss the fleeting terror that haunted Sloane's eyes before the girl closed them to hide herself away.
"I didn't wanna see," she whispered, so softly that Olivia had to strain to hear her. "But I couldn't look away. He was... he was tryin to hurt me, he had me on the ground and he was gonna... you know... hurt me... an I was all ready for it when I heard him scream, and then he was offa me an he was fightin with somebody else. Then I guess the other one started stabbin him, cause he was screamin some more and there was lotsa blood. By that time I was hidin, an then when he was dead, the other guy ran off. I mean I think it was a guy, but I dunno for sure cause I didn't see him or her real good. Just they were wearin a hood pulled tight, I didn't look at nothin else, I ran behind the trash, an then not too long after that you showed up."
Olivia stared in shock as the teen related the story. That was not at all what she'd expected to hear. Well, she didn't know what she'd expected to hear, but that certainly wasn't it. So the vic had actually been a perp... and the perp was saving a girl from being hurt. It wasn't too often she got a case like that. And of course, she being Olivia, the first thing she thought to ask was, "what were you doing out here by yourself, honey?"
Sloane looked at Olivia, chewing her lower lip. "Do I gotta tell you that right now?"
Liv shook her head and patted the girl gently on the shoulder. "No, that's not a requirement... but I am going to have to take you with me to the station and get an official statement, all right?"
Sloane clearly didn't like that idea, and it showed in the sour look she adopted. "I can't read or nothin, I can't write neither. I just wanna go home."
Well this just kept getting better. "You don't go to school?" Olivia asked, concern etched all over her features as she looked at the teenager.
Sloane was becoming more distrustful as the questions went on, and Olivia didn't want to press her luck. "Nevermind sweetheart, you don't have to tell me that if you don't want to. But I do need you to come with me. You won't be asked to read or write... just to sign your name."
"I don't wanna go with you," Sloane said, scowling at Olivia now. "I told you what happened, leave me alone now, okay?"
"Sloane," Olivia started, but changed tactic before the next words left her mouth. Maybe if she could find out where the girl lived, talk to her parents, she could figure out why she had been out alone at night in a bad neighborhood. "I'll give you a ride home."
The teenager's eyes popped wide open and she frantically tried to back up away from Olivia. "No, you can't go there!" she said, shaking her head as she scrambled to her feet.
Liv was on her in a heartbeat, gently taking her arm again but gripping it tight enough so she couldn't take off. "Sloane, listen to me. Someone tried to hurt you. You got very, very lucky. I am not going to leave you here by yourself. You are either coming with me to the station, or I am walking you to your door, telling your parents what happened, and making sure you get safely inside your house. Those are the only two options I'm willing to consider."
Sloane stomped angrily on Olivia's foot. "Fuck you!" she yelled, trying to break free, but Olivia held her expertly and started making their way back to the cruiser.
"I don't want to have to cuff you," the detective said pointedly, and her words had the intended effect, because Sloane stopped struggling and started walking toward the cruiser on her own now. Once Olivia had the girl in the back seat securely, she turned to Elliot. "Well... the vic was apparently attacking our girl here, and some hooded, genderless stranger came to her rescue."
Elliot stared at Olivia. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Olivia replied. "We've got a vigilante."
Chapter Two
"Our only witness is a fourteen year old prostitute?" Cragen asked, staring in disbelief at the detectives.
"I didn't say she was a prostitute," Olivia pointed out, though she knew the boss was right.
Cragen looked at her. "No, but you know she is, Olivia," he said in his 'way'.
Olivia shrugged. "Well, she's not talking about why she was out alone, and she definitely freaked out when I offered to give her a ride home. But the thing that got me most, Captain? She said that she was 'ready' for him to hurt her when our vigilante swooped in."
"Ready?" Cragen asked.
Elliot ran a hand over his forehead and exhaled a slow breath. "Jesus," he finally said, absorbing the information.
"Find out who the hell she is, and where she lives. I don't care if she's resistant, just get the information," Cragen said, giving both detectives the Cragen look before disappearing back inside his office.
"Gonna be you, Liv. She wouldn't even talk with me five feet away," Elliot said, holding up his hands in a gesture indicating there was no choice in the matter.
"Yeah," Olivia said, a bit annoyed but she knew it wasn't her partner's fault. She just didn't want to push the girl so hard, but Cragen's word was law. She got a coffee for herself and a soda for Sloane, then made her way into the interrogation room and sat across from her.
Sloane eyed the drinks and then Olivia. "One of those for me?" she asked, though the answer was fairly obvious.
Liv almost handed over the soda, but then asked, "coffee or soda?"
Sloane raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I don't wanna steal your coffee."
"Naw, you wouldn't be stealing it. There's more where this came from. If you want it, it's yours."
Sloane took the coffee and looked inside the cup. Satisfied with the amount of milk and sugar, she looked back at Olivia. "You bein nice to me so I'll tell you what you wanna know?"
Olivia regarded her for a moment and then broke into a grin. "Yep. How'd you know?" she teased.
"I can't read words but I ain't stupid. I can read people," Sloane said, taking a sip of the coffee and setting the cup back on the table, resting her hands in her lap. "What you wanna know?"
Liv went for the soda, more out of a need to do something with her hands than out of actual thirst. "Well, the first thing I need to know is what you were doing out alone at night."
Sloane flinched almost imperceptibly, then looked at her lap. "I wasn't alone. I was with the dead guy."
"I'm not going to judge you," Olivia said suddenly, and quite sincerely. It was the truth. She wasn't about to judge this girl who obviously had a life that she herself could have ended up having. "I just need to know everything that happened. How you knew the man, if you've seen him before tonight. Things like that."
Sloane took another sip of her coffee, swallowing slowly, and then folded her arms on the table. "I never seen him before tonight. An I think you already know what I was doin with him, don'tcha?"
Liv nodded. "I need to hear it from you, honey," she urged gently.
"All right, fine, fine, he was gonna pay me for a good time. Except..." here she paused, her eyes darkening the slightest bit before she continued. "Except what he wanted wasn't somethin I'll do. So he was gonna do it anyway, and there ya have it."
"What did he want to do?" Olivia asked gently, setting the can of soda on the table and trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. She didn't want to spook Sloane out of telling the whole truth.
Sloane made a disgusted face at her. "He wanted to... I ain't even gonna say it, you better ask somethin else."
Liv nodded, she could always go back to that later if need be. "How did you meet this guy, Sloane?" she asked instead.
Apparently that question was no better than the last, because the girl shrugged and looked away. "I dunno."
"Come on Sloane, how'd you meet him?" Olivia pushed. She had to push on some things or she'd never get anywhere. "I'm not going to judge, remember? You can tell me."
"Can I have a cigarette?"
"You're too young to smoke."
"Don't gimme that, come on lady... you're stressin me out, I need a smoke."
"My name's Olivia, and you can have a cigarette when we're finished here. Now how did you meet this guy, Sloane?" she repeated, unwavering.
"Met him at home."
"Was he a friend of your parents?"
"I ain't got any parents!" the teenager yelled, standing up from her chair. "Would ya quit askin me about them? They ain't nowhere, they never wanted me an they ain't nowhere! Gimme a fucking cigarette or I ain't talking anymore!"
Olivia had had enough. She stood up as well. "Do you want to spend the night in jail for obstruction of justice?" she asked, her voice slightly raised.
"I don't have any parents!" Sloane screamed. "I met him through the guy I live with, okay? Are you happy now? He finds guys that want somethin an he sends me to give it to 'em! I give him the money and he lets me stay there, an feeds me an buys me nice clothes, okay? My life SUCKS, okay?! I hope you're fucking happy now!" The teenager had tears streaming down her face as she stood staring at Olivia with a mixture of rage and grief. "I hate you!" she screamed, sinking back down into her chair and covering her face with her hands.
"Shit," Olivia cursed under her breath, sitting back down as well. She looked at the miserable girl with a sigh, wishing she could have somehow been more sensitive... but she needed the information sooner than later, and Sloane just wasn't going to speak up unless she was pushed. "I'm sorry Sloane," she finally said. "I'll get you that cigarette now."
Sloane looked up at Olivia, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Better get me a whole pack," she managed to say.
Olivia opened the interrogation room door and poked her head out. "I need a pack of cigarettes in here," she called.
"Now is no time to start smoking, Liv," Fin said. "This case ain't that hard."
"Thanks for the PSA, now would you please find me someone that smokes and get me a pack of cigarettes?" She shot him a look and ducked back inside, closing the door. "On its way," she told Sloane, walking over to stand next to her. She had to resist the urge to put an arm around the girl in a protective gesture, because she didn't think the action would be well-received. Instead she walked back around the table and sat down across from her again. She opened her mouth to speak but Sloane interrupted before she could get anything out.
"You better not put me in social services, cause I'll run away. I been through that before an it was worse than what I got now."
"There are some really good families out there, Sloane..." Liv answered carefully. She couldn't promise what the teenager wanted to hear, because there was no way she would let her go back to life with a pimp. There was just no way. Not to mention the fact that she was going to have to find the asshole and arrest him for turning out a fourteen-year-old.
"Spare me the bullshit, I know how it works," Sloane said angrily, just as the door opened and Fin came in with a pack of cigarettes.
"Thank you, Detective," Olivia said, taking them from him and watching him leave before she turned back to her witness. "All right... here you go," she said, laying the smokes down on the table.
"How the fuck am I supposed to light'em?" Sloane asked, pulling one out and putting it between her lips.
Olivia found some matches in her coat pocket and lit one, holding it up so Sloane could light her cigarette, then she extinguished it with a shake and tossed it in the trash. The smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her senses and she fought the urge to choke. She hated that smell.
At that moment, with Sloane exhaling her first drag and Olivia wishing the teenager didn't smoke, the door opened and shut, and Casey Novak's voice rang through the small room. "Hello Detective..." she said to Olivia's back, and then looked at Sloane. "And you must be Sloane. My name is Casey Novak, I'm the Assistant District Attorney."
Sloane took another slow puff of smoke and exhaled through her nose, looking at Casey for a minute before she spoke. She also didn't miss the change in the detective's body language when the other woman spoke. "Don't know what the fuck you just said except your name's Casey and my name's Sloane."
"She's a lawyer for the state of New York," Olivia explained, turning her head to give Casey a smile. She stood and offered her chair to the attorney, which was hardly noticed by Casey as she took the offered seat, but was acutely noticed by the teenager sitting across the table.
"I hate lawyers," Sloane stated flatly, inhaling deeply from her cigarette and eyeing Casey warily.
"And I hate smokers, so we'll get along great," Casey replied without missing a beat.
Olivia tried to swallow past her heart in her throat as she turned and headed for the door. She was halted by Sloane's words, however, and couldn't make a clean getaway to collect herself.
"Don't leave me alone with the lawyer, she's gonna eat me for dinner!" she called, hiding her smirk behind another drag of her cigarette.
"I already ate, thank you," Casey shot back, turning around to look at Olivia, unaware of the internal battle waging itself in the detective's body. "Are you staying or going, Detective?" she asked, trying not to get lost in Olivia's deep brown eyes.
"Going," Olivia said quickly, striding to the door and stepping out before Sloane could say anything else. She leaned against the closed door and tried to calm her racing heart, closing her eyes and breathing in and out as evenly as she could. She really had to do something about her reaction to Casey... it was starting to interfere with her work, and that was not something Olivia would let happen. Her job was her life, and Casey was just a woman. A straight-edged attorney, all business all the time, no room for socializing and certainly no room for Olivia. Not to mention that she'd never given any indication of even being into women in general. It was a lost cause, and Olivia knew she needed to just get over it and get on with it.
"What's wrong, Olivia?" Fin asked as he caught sight of Benson leaning against the door looking flustered and breathing hard. "That girl give you a run for your money?"
Olivia chuckled. "Yeah," she answered, running her fingers through her hair and forcing a smile toward Fin. "Yeah."
Chapter One
"What we got?" Olivia asked, pulling on her latex gloves and squatting down beside the medical examiner.
"Multiple stab wounds, lacerations, bruising..."
As Olivia looked up she caught the eye of a young woman peeking out from behind a nearby dumpster, and as soon as she saw the detective looking she took off down an alley like a shot.
Liv was after her, pounding asphault, Stabler right behind her, and they caught up to the girl quickly. Not wanting to tackle a possible minor, Olivia just grabbed her by the arm and the girl spun around, wide eyes terrified, and slipped in her haste, falling to the ground.
Liv quickly knelt down with her, using that soothing voice she was so good at. "We're not going to hurt you honey, we just want to ask you a few questions. We're the good guys, okay?"
The girl's eyes shot suspiciously to Elliot and then back to Olivia, almost pleading with her, and Liv immediately understood. She nodded to Elliot, and he got the picture as well, backing up slowly and then turning to head back to the scene.
"Okay honey, it's just you and me. Can you tell me your name? Mine's Olivia," the detective said with a warm smile.
The girl nodded, calming down visibly, even relaxing a bit. "Sloane," she replied.
"That's a pretty name. How old are you Sloane?" Olivia asked, taking in the girl's appearance in finer detail now that the action had come to a rest. She looked young, definitely a minor, and her clothes were dirty and worn. Her hands and face were dirty as well, though she wore quite a bit of makeup underneath the dirt. Olivia's first thought was that she hadn't intended to get dirty - it didn't seem like a way of life for this girl, it seemed like something had happened. Call it instinct - or just the fact that one didn't usually apply such perfect makeup if they made a habit of ruining it.
"Fourteen," Sloane replied. "Am I in trouble?"
"I don't think so, unless there's something I should know?" Olivia asked, her brow raising just slightly.
Sloane shook her head, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them, resting her chin on them as well. "I didn't do nothin," she said, brown eyes flicking to Olivia's.
"Did you see what happened to that man?" Benson asked, nodding her head in the direction of the crime scene. She didn't miss the fleeting terror that haunted Sloane's eyes before the girl closed them to hide herself away.
"I didn't wanna see," she whispered, so softly that Olivia had to strain to hear her. "But I couldn't look away. He was... he was tryin to hurt me, he had me on the ground and he was gonna... you know... hurt me... an I was all ready for it when I heard him scream, and then he was offa me an he was fightin with somebody else. Then I guess the other one started stabbin him, cause he was screamin some more and there was lotsa blood. By that time I was hidin, an then when he was dead, the other guy ran off. I mean I think it was a guy, but I dunno for sure cause I didn't see him or her real good. Just they were wearin a hood pulled tight, I didn't look at nothin else, I ran behind the trash, an then not too long after that you showed up."
Olivia stared in shock as the teen related the story. That was not at all what she'd expected to hear. Well, she didn't know what she'd expected to hear, but that certainly wasn't it. So the vic had actually been a perp... and the perp was saving a girl from being hurt. It wasn't too often she got a case like that. And of course, she being Olivia, the first thing she thought to ask was, "what were you doing out here by yourself, honey?"
Sloane looked at Olivia, chewing her lower lip. "Do I gotta tell you that right now?"
Liv shook her head and patted the girl gently on the shoulder. "No, that's not a requirement... but I am going to have to take you with me to the station and get an official statement, all right?"
Sloane clearly didn't like that idea, and it showed in the sour look she adopted. "I can't read or nothin, I can't write neither. I just wanna go home."
Well this just kept getting better. "You don't go to school?" Olivia asked, concern etched all over her features as she looked at the teenager.
Sloane was becoming more distrustful as the questions went on, and Olivia didn't want to press her luck. "Nevermind sweetheart, you don't have to tell me that if you don't want to. But I do need you to come with me. You won't be asked to read or write... just to sign your name."
"I don't wanna go with you," Sloane said, scowling at Olivia now. "I told you what happened, leave me alone now, okay?"
"Sloane," Olivia started, but changed tactic before the next words left her mouth. Maybe if she could find out where the girl lived, talk to her parents, she could figure out why she had been out alone at night in a bad neighborhood. "I'll give you a ride home."
The teenager's eyes popped wide open and she frantically tried to back up away from Olivia. "No, you can't go there!" she said, shaking her head as she scrambled to her feet.
Liv was on her in a heartbeat, gently taking her arm again but gripping it tight enough so she couldn't take off. "Sloane, listen to me. Someone tried to hurt you. You got very, very lucky. I am not going to leave you here by yourself. You are either coming with me to the station, or I am walking you to your door, telling your parents what happened, and making sure you get safely inside your house. Those are the only two options I'm willing to consider."
Sloane stomped angrily on Olivia's foot. "Fuck you!" she yelled, trying to break free, but Olivia held her expertly and started making their way back to the cruiser.
"I don't want to have to cuff you," the detective said pointedly, and her words had the intended effect, because Sloane stopped struggling and started walking toward the cruiser on her own now. Once Olivia had the girl in the back seat securely, she turned to Elliot. "Well... the vic was apparently attacking our girl here, and some hooded, genderless stranger came to her rescue."
Elliot stared at Olivia. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Olivia replied. "We've got a vigilante."
Chapter Two
"Our only witness is a fourteen year old prostitute?" Cragen asked, staring in disbelief at the detectives.
"I didn't say she was a prostitute," Olivia pointed out, though she knew the boss was right.
Cragen looked at her. "No, but you know she is, Olivia," he said in his 'way'.
Olivia shrugged. "Well, she's not talking about why she was out alone, and she definitely freaked out when I offered to give her a ride home. But the thing that got me most, Captain? She said that she was 'ready' for him to hurt her when our vigilante swooped in."
"Ready?" Cragen asked.
Elliot ran a hand over his forehead and exhaled a slow breath. "Jesus," he finally said, absorbing the information.
"Find out who the hell she is, and where she lives. I don't care if she's resistant, just get the information," Cragen said, giving both detectives the Cragen look before disappearing back inside his office.
"Gonna be you, Liv. She wouldn't even talk with me five feet away," Elliot said, holding up his hands in a gesture indicating there was no choice in the matter.
"Yeah," Olivia said, a bit annoyed but she knew it wasn't her partner's fault. She just didn't want to push the girl so hard, but Cragen's word was law. She got a coffee for herself and a soda for Sloane, then made her way into the interrogation room and sat across from her.
Sloane eyed the drinks and then Olivia. "One of those for me?" she asked, though the answer was fairly obvious.
Liv almost handed over the soda, but then asked, "coffee or soda?"
Sloane raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I don't wanna steal your coffee."
"Naw, you wouldn't be stealing it. There's more where this came from. If you want it, it's yours."
Sloane took the coffee and looked inside the cup. Satisfied with the amount of milk and sugar, she looked back at Olivia. "You bein nice to me so I'll tell you what you wanna know?"
Olivia regarded her for a moment and then broke into a grin. "Yep. How'd you know?" she teased.
"I can't read words but I ain't stupid. I can read people," Sloane said, taking a sip of the coffee and setting the cup back on the table, resting her hands in her lap. "What you wanna know?"
Liv went for the soda, more out of a need to do something with her hands than out of actual thirst. "Well, the first thing I need to know is what you were doing out alone at night."
Sloane flinched almost imperceptibly, then looked at her lap. "I wasn't alone. I was with the dead guy."
"I'm not going to judge you," Olivia said suddenly, and quite sincerely. It was the truth. She wasn't about to judge this girl who obviously had a life that she herself could have ended up having. "I just need to know everything that happened. How you knew the man, if you've seen him before tonight. Things like that."
Sloane took another sip of her coffee, swallowing slowly, and then folded her arms on the table. "I never seen him before tonight. An I think you already know what I was doin with him, don'tcha?"
Liv nodded. "I need to hear it from you, honey," she urged gently.
"All right, fine, fine, he was gonna pay me for a good time. Except..." here she paused, her eyes darkening the slightest bit before she continued. "Except what he wanted wasn't somethin I'll do. So he was gonna do it anyway, and there ya have it."
"What did he want to do?" Olivia asked gently, setting the can of soda on the table and trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. She didn't want to spook Sloane out of telling the whole truth.
Sloane made a disgusted face at her. "He wanted to... I ain't even gonna say it, you better ask somethin else."
Liv nodded, she could always go back to that later if need be. "How did you meet this guy, Sloane?" she asked instead.
Apparently that question was no better than the last, because the girl shrugged and looked away. "I dunno."
"Come on Sloane, how'd you meet him?" Olivia pushed. She had to push on some things or she'd never get anywhere. "I'm not going to judge, remember? You can tell me."
"Can I have a cigarette?"
"You're too young to smoke."
"Don't gimme that, come on lady... you're stressin me out, I need a smoke."
"My name's Olivia, and you can have a cigarette when we're finished here. Now how did you meet this guy, Sloane?" she repeated, unwavering.
"Met him at home."
"Was he a friend of your parents?"
"I ain't got any parents!" the teenager yelled, standing up from her chair. "Would ya quit askin me about them? They ain't nowhere, they never wanted me an they ain't nowhere! Gimme a fucking cigarette or I ain't talking anymore!"
Olivia had had enough. She stood up as well. "Do you want to spend the night in jail for obstruction of justice?" she asked, her voice slightly raised.
"I don't have any parents!" Sloane screamed. "I met him through the guy I live with, okay? Are you happy now? He finds guys that want somethin an he sends me to give it to 'em! I give him the money and he lets me stay there, an feeds me an buys me nice clothes, okay? My life SUCKS, okay?! I hope you're fucking happy now!" The teenager had tears streaming down her face as she stood staring at Olivia with a mixture of rage and grief. "I hate you!" she screamed, sinking back down into her chair and covering her face with her hands.
"Shit," Olivia cursed under her breath, sitting back down as well. She looked at the miserable girl with a sigh, wishing she could have somehow been more sensitive... but she needed the information sooner than later, and Sloane just wasn't going to speak up unless she was pushed. "I'm sorry Sloane," she finally said. "I'll get you that cigarette now."
Sloane looked up at Olivia, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Better get me a whole pack," she managed to say.
Olivia opened the interrogation room door and poked her head out. "I need a pack of cigarettes in here," she called.
"Now is no time to start smoking, Liv," Fin said. "This case ain't that hard."
"Thanks for the PSA, now would you please find me someone that smokes and get me a pack of cigarettes?" She shot him a look and ducked back inside, closing the door. "On its way," she told Sloane, walking over to stand next to her. She had to resist the urge to put an arm around the girl in a protective gesture, because she didn't think the action would be well-received. Instead she walked back around the table and sat down across from her again. She opened her mouth to speak but Sloane interrupted before she could get anything out.
"You better not put me in social services, cause I'll run away. I been through that before an it was worse than what I got now."
"There are some really good families out there, Sloane..." Liv answered carefully. She couldn't promise what the teenager wanted to hear, because there was no way she would let her go back to life with a pimp. There was just no way. Not to mention the fact that she was going to have to find the asshole and arrest him for turning out a fourteen-year-old.
"Spare me the bullshit, I know how it works," Sloane said angrily, just as the door opened and Fin came in with a pack of cigarettes.
"Thank you, Detective," Olivia said, taking them from him and watching him leave before she turned back to her witness. "All right... here you go," she said, laying the smokes down on the table.
"How the fuck am I supposed to light'em?" Sloane asked, pulling one out and putting it between her lips.
Olivia found some matches in her coat pocket and lit one, holding it up so Sloane could light her cigarette, then she extinguished it with a shake and tossed it in the trash. The smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her senses and she fought the urge to choke. She hated that smell.
At that moment, with Sloane exhaling her first drag and Olivia wishing the teenager didn't smoke, the door opened and shut, and Casey Novak's voice rang through the small room. "Hello Detective..." she said to Olivia's back, and then looked at Sloane. "And you must be Sloane. My name is Casey Novak, I'm the Assistant District Attorney."
Sloane took another slow puff of smoke and exhaled through her nose, looking at Casey for a minute before she spoke. She also didn't miss the change in the detective's body language when the other woman spoke. "Don't know what the fuck you just said except your name's Casey and my name's Sloane."
"She's a lawyer for the state of New York," Olivia explained, turning her head to give Casey a smile. She stood and offered her chair to the attorney, which was hardly noticed by Casey as she took the offered seat, but was acutely noticed by the teenager sitting across the table.
"I hate lawyers," Sloane stated flatly, inhaling deeply from her cigarette and eyeing Casey warily.
"And I hate smokers, so we'll get along great," Casey replied without missing a beat.
Olivia tried to swallow past her heart in her throat as she turned and headed for the door. She was halted by Sloane's words, however, and couldn't make a clean getaway to collect herself.
"Don't leave me alone with the lawyer, she's gonna eat me for dinner!" she called, hiding her smirk behind another drag of her cigarette.
"I already ate, thank you," Casey shot back, turning around to look at Olivia, unaware of the internal battle waging itself in the detective's body. "Are you staying or going, Detective?" she asked, trying not to get lost in Olivia's deep brown eyes.
"Going," Olivia said quickly, striding to the door and stepping out before Sloane could say anything else. She leaned against the closed door and tried to calm her racing heart, closing her eyes and breathing in and out as evenly as she could. She really had to do something about her reaction to Casey... it was starting to interfere with her work, and that was not something Olivia would let happen. Her job was her life, and Casey was just a woman. A straight-edged attorney, all business all the time, no room for socializing and certainly no room for Olivia. Not to mention that she'd never given any indication of even being into women in general. It was a lost cause, and Olivia knew she needed to just get over it and get on with it.
"What's wrong, Olivia?" Fin asked as he caught sight of Benson leaning against the door looking flustered and breathing hard. "That girl give you a run for your money?"
Olivia chuckled. "Yeah," she answered, running her fingers through her hair and forcing a smile toward Fin. "Yeah."