DISCLAIMER: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and all characters are
property of NBC and Dick Wolf.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Other than Anya, I don't own anyone from the L&O universe. This story starts in Season 1, which means pre-Alex. Also, I'm not going to even attempt to translate Russian into English, so if I indicate that the language is Russian, but the typing is in English – use your imagination. :-) Feedback is welcome and encouraged.
SPOILERS: Starts in Season 1, after/during Contact. Many other spoilers later.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Delicate Balance
By brighteyedcat
Ch. 6
Almost exactly an hour later, Olivia heard the buzz coming from the front stoop where she assumed Anya was waiting. Instead of letting her up, Olivia spoke through the speaker to her to say she'd come down. Anya told her to make sure she was wearing a jacket because it was a little chilly out. Thoughtful.
When Olivia came through the front doors, she saw Anya waiting in a sleek black coupe, illegally double-parked. She was certain that Anya looked even more beautiful today than she did on Tuesday, but she was going to have to stop thinking about her like that because she knew Anya would pick up on it and she didn't want to end up disappointing her. But her hair was pulled halfway up, allowing certain slow curls to frame her face, and she looked irresistible.
Olivia must be trying to kill me, Anya thought to herself as she watched the woman approach her car. She's wearing that sexy brown leather jacket again. This time she wore the coat over a black, low-cut shirt, and tight, dark-colored jeans, not so different from her own that she wore tonight. It made Anya more than flustered just to look at Olivia. Yep. If she's not interested in me then she sure as shit is trying to play games.
"Nice car." Olivia acknowledged.
"Thanks." Anya checked her mirrors, changed gears, and then took a glimpse over at Olivia. "You look beautiful."
Wow, she's not wasting any time. "Thank you." Olivia blushed a little, but turned away so Anya couldn't see it. She consciously ceased her fidgeting hands and shoved them into her pockets after buckling her seatbelt. "Um, so do you." She said nervously. It was true, after all.
Anya acknowledged her compliment with a smile. When Olivia reached into her pockets, she found a ballet program that John had given to her. "Oh, uh, before we go – and before I forget – I have kind of an embarrassing favor to ask of you." Olivia kept her head down and shook it.
"Shoot." Anya remarked, putting the car back into park.
"Well, one of my co-workers was hoping he could get me to ask you for an autograph on this Giselle program to win some brownie points with one of his ex-wives."
She's already told her co-workers about me? Wasn't expecting that. "Wow, Giselle, huh? That was a few years ago. He must be in some trouble to go digging this one out." Anya thought back to the year when ABT had done that production and where she was in her life at that time. It seemed like ages ago.
"Knowing him, he probably will always be in trouble with someone." Olivia said rolling her eyes. "Would you mind?" Olivia held out the old, curled up program for Anya to hopefully sign for her so they could move on with their evening.
"No, I don't mind." Anya took the program from Olivia and reached into her purse for a pen. Her signature was violent, entirely illegible, and left deep creases on the page. Completely opposite of Olivia's very careful and legible signature. "Even if this is just to get some brownie points for your friend, it's still flattering." She put the pen back into her purse and handed the program back to Olivia, who set it aside in the car making a mental note to not forget about it later. Anya shifted the car back into drive, checked her mirrors, and pulled the car forward. The car moved so smoothly Olivia barely noticed that they were moving at all. She wished her squad car was this comfortable, being that she spent many hours in it with Elliot staking out an area.
"John's a fan of yours as well. In fact, he'd be pretty jealous to know we were going to be hanging out again tonight."
Hanging out? Ha! Who is she trying to kid? Anya tried to bite her tongue and her pride, but failed, "Lots of people would be jealous of you right now, Olivia."
Olivia looked back at the sandy-haired woman and smirked, letting out a slight chuckle. Her confidence was unbelievable. Must be a performers thing. "So where are we going?"
"Brooklyn." Anya replied, glancing at her mirrors before changing lanes and heading downtown towards the Brooklyn Bridge.
"Brooklyn!? What the hell's in Brooklyn?"
"You're from New York, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Then I'm sure you've been there before." Anya turned her attention back to the road as flocks of taxis, service cars, and New Jersey resident cars wove in and out of lanes like seagulls attacking a sandwich on the beach. She leaned forward and turned on the radio. Olivia was still staring at Anya with a tinge of questioning fury in her eyes; uncomfortable with the lack of control she had with the situation at hand. "Relax, Olivia," Anya said as she allowed her right hand to leave the steering wheel to rub and then lightly grip Olivia's thigh. Oh my god, she's touching me. Do I want her to touch me? I can't tell, but I know I can't relax with her hand on me? "You'll enjoy this little trip, Olivia, I know you will."
Anya turned her attention quickly back to the road, and removed her hand from Olivia's leg. She was growing frustrated with the lack of competent drivers on the road. "Shit," she said under her breath. She swerved quickly to the right in order to get onto the ramp and was compounded with a series of car horns blaring at her from all angles. Someone called out some kind of an obscenity at her. Anya yelled out the window at another driver, except that her obscenities were in a foreign language Olivia didn't know. She shouted at the driver as she reached out the window, flipping her middle finger up at whoever had cursed at her before speeding towards the ramp. She let out a deep sigh as she accelerated onto the ramp. Olivia had to do a double take; she could swear she was driving with Elliot.
After they managed to get onto the bridge, Olivia asked Anya, "Was that in Russian or…?"
"Yes, Russian." Anya looked over at Olivia with a timid smile. "Excuse me. I guess I should have warned you, but I'm not a very friendly driver."
Olivia reassured her with a smile. "It's okay. I'm used to it."
"Do you find my accent hard to understand?" Anya asked, looking towards the beautiful woman.
"No, not at all."
"Okay, good." Anya shrugged, "Some people do."
Her accent makes her all the more intriguing, Olivia thought. She turned her attention back to the tinted passenger side window to watch Manhattan move further away from her, wondering what this woman had in store for her this evening.
Ch. 7
Anya took the first exit from the bridge and after driving around a few blocks, she whipped her car into a tight parking spot on the street.
"Ah, so you do know how to park legally?" Olivia joked, referring to Anya's previously double-parked car.
"Oh, it's not like you've never double-parked in your life, Olivia. Please. This is New York." Anya laughed at the cop while she locked theft-deterring equipment on her steering wheel. She reached behind her seat, her body turning dangerously close to Olivia's, to grab a light sweater jacket, but couldn't reach it. She sat back down and started to get out of the car.
"I'm a cop. I can park wherever I want, but that doesn't mean that you can or should." Olivia reprimanded her. She reached behind herself for the jacket and handed it to Anya.
"Thank you." She acknowledged the kind gesture from the dark-haired woman before getting out of the car.
Olivia closed the shiny black door behind herself. She never really thought twice about grabbing the jacket for Anya, it was just in her nature, but it was nice for someone to have noticed. "We're going to a deli?" Olivia asked sarcastically, observing her surroundings.
"Well, that wasn't the original idea, but I have a feeling that you'll quash a critical part of my plan." Anya said walking towards the small bodega.
"And what was that?" Olivia said, following.
"Check the backseat."
Olivia hesitantly walked a step back to the car, as Anya clicked the keyless entry to unlock it. She opened the door, and looked down towards the floor where she found a bottle of white wine wrapped in a paper bag. Knowing that Anya had told her to wear a jacket tonight, she assumed they'd be outdoors and followed her thoughts. She shook her head and closed the door again. Anya relocked the doors. "Anya, don't put me in a position where I'm going to have to arrest you for consuming alcohol in public."
Anya shot her an aghast look, "Olivia, you wouldn't!" She studied the woman's face for an answer. "Would you?"
"Without even giving it a second thought." Olivia answered and walked back to Anya to head for the deli for a non-alcoholic beverage. "Surely you knew that was illegal and wasn't going to happen when you're out with a cop." She walked a half-step behind Anya and as they approached the door, Olivia opened it for her and guided her in by pressing her hand lightly onto the small of Anya's back. Anya couldn't help but blush at how gentle Olivia was with her. She's so old-fashioned and doesn't even realize it.
"Not just any cop…a detective." Anya said pointing an accusing finger at Olivia as she canvassed the aisles.
"All the more reason for me to not get in trouble. I've had enough of that this week." Olivia sighed.
Anya sighed, whimsically and melodramatically. "I guess I was just hoping you weren't so 'by the book.'" But I love that she is.
"Sorry to disappoint."
Anya reached into one of the refrigerator doors, pulling out a non-alcoholic beverage. "I guess seltzer will do." Anya winked and headed towards the counter to pay. "Do you want anything?"
"Yeah, I'll have a coffee, I guess." Olivia said walking towards the station with multiple flavors and types of coffee. She stuck with the standard Columbian roast, hoping the flavor wouldn't be atrocious. As they walked out of the deli, she took a sip. Eh, not bad.
Anya started walking down Clark Street and Olivia stood next to her, following her lead. "Will you tell me where we're going now?"
"Olivia, we're going to the Promenade." Anya reported as if she had expected her to figure it out. "Haven't you ever been?"
"I'm sure I have; it's just been a really long time." Olivia replied.
"That's what I thought." Anya said, leading the way.
After only a few blocks, the two women strolled down a path through the park before reaching the Brooklyn Promenade. The sun had already set and the moon hung low, but was rising over the water. It had been a long time since Olivia had come out here and after she saw the spectacular view of Lower Manhattan from the sidewalk, the sight took her breath away almost as if she'd never seen the city before that moment. The buildings sparkled in their watery reflection between the boroughs and despite that other people were present and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway was above their heads, it was so peaceful there that she almost forgot that she was still in Brooklyn. Olivia took a seat on one of the park benches to just take in the view for a moment. She took a deep breath and another sip of her coffee, feeling a warm comfort wash over her.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it? Anya asked, walking away from Olivia. She leaned on the iron fence and was equally in awe of the view.
"Yeah, it is." Olivia answered. "I had forgotten all about this place."
"I come here all the time, even if it is a trek from my apartment." She said, not turning away from the city. "Sometimes I just need a reminder as to why I live here. A reminder that I belong here, maybe. There's so much negativity, so much struggle, and so much pain that you see all the time just by living here…" Her voice drifted, "sometimes I just need to fall in love with the city again to get a fresh start. So I come here." She laughed to herself. "And it works every time."
Olivia watched Anya as she spoke without reservation. She was either a very trusting individual or a very honest person with both herself and with others regardless of who was around. Olivia didn't think she could ever be like that, but she had a lot of respect for the woman in front of her because she was.
"When I met you this last Tuesday," Anya continued, turning around to face Olivia, "you seemed like you needed to fall in love with the city again too. I don't know what you do as a detective, and it's not my business unless you want to tell me, but I imagine that you deal with some pretty despicable people and see things you could never express with words. That's why we're here, Olivia, and I hope you don't mind." Olivia stayed quiet, but felt her words cut through her. She could not be more right. Anya approached Olivia on the bench and reached out her hand. "Come on," she said grabbing Olivia's tentative but outstretched hand, "let's walk." She had gotten so comfortable that she didn't really want to do anything, but Anya managed to lift Olivia from the bench with little struggle.
Ch. 8
The two women walked slowly side by side and shared small talk about New York in general. Nothing personal or even reminiscent. They paused between conversations and enjoyed the silence. Olivia thought about telling Anya that she was right about her job and considered telling her a few details about her life, most of which revolved around her work, but she was still trying to deflect the attention off of herself. She had finished her coffee and looked around for a trashcan.
"Are you finished with that?" Olivia nodded to Anya's almost empty bottle of seltzer.
"Yes, but I'm going to hang onto it until I can get home to recycle it."
Olivia smiled and left their path for just a moment to throw her paper cup into the trash. When Olivia walked back to meet up with Anya, her hands returned in her coat pockets, as usual. She decided to try and lighten the mood a little. She knew she had been so quiet with Anya and didn't want her to think she wasn't having a good time, because she was. "So…do you have a girlfriend?" She asked knowingly.
Anya laughed, hooking her left arm into Olivia's right, "Why? Are you interested in filling the position?" When Olivia avoided her question, she continued, "No, I don't." After a few paces, she went on. "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?" She intentionally left out any gender-specific pronouns in her question and her eyelashes fluttered at Olivia when she looked back at her. It made Olivia's heart skip a beat.
"I don't know." Olivia answered, somewhat honest, somewhat teasing the desperate woman. "To be honest, I haven't had much luck in a while." Hold on a minute, is Olivia actually going to start talking about herself? Anya thought, getting a little excited to hear what was going on with this woman. She wasn't about to interrupt; she knew the floodgates were about to open. "I either meet total idiots or my job starts to interfere too much. Or men just fall for me way to quickly and, well, my job is too important to me so I'm not looking for that right now." She looked over at Anya.
"Can you blame them?" Anya's eyes bore into Olivia's before pinching her waist with her sharp nails.
Olivia gasped and jumped to the side still holding onto Anya's arm. She fretfully cleared her throat to regain her composure. She shrugged with a smirk, and turned her attention forward again, "I guess not." They had reached the end of the Promenade. Olivia took a glance towards the skyline again, before turning them around to head back in the other direction. "Mostly, though, men can't handle what I do for a living. I don't know why. Well, I guess that's not true. I have an idea, but…" Anya didn't speak for a second. She didn't want to encourage or discourage Olivia from opening up to her, but she could tell Olivia was having a hard time finding the words, if any.
"You don't have to talk about your work unless you want to, Olivia. I'm not the type to get off on gossip or pry into people's business. I get plenty of that working with queens and divas all day. Whatever you want to tell me, I'm here to listen, but if you don't want to go into it, that's okay too." She gave Olivia a reassuring smile, but half-heartedly, she was hoping Olivia would just talk to her. She fascinated her.
Olivia took a deep breath, then exhausted her answer to Anya, "I investigate sex crimes. All day, everyday, and oftentimes at night and on weekends." There. It was out. The prima ballerina could take it or leave it, but at least I got it out. When Anya didn't speak, Olivia continued out of nervousness, because she found that she really did care about what Anya thought of her. "It interferes a lot with my life because I'm essentially on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."
"You must be a living saint to so many people." Anya commented finally.
"Heh, I don't know about that." Olivia looked around and spotted a bench up ahead. She needed to sit down. Anya felt the change of pace and unhooked her arm from Olivia's and walked to the bench where they both sat down a little ways from each other. Olivia faced the city, but Anya sat with her back against the arm of the bench, her knees pinned up against herself with one arm laying on the back of the bench for balance. "You were right in what you said back there, though." Olivia rested her hands in her lap, interlinking her fingers. "I see immeasurable amounts of pain in this city, everyday, and as hard as I try, I have a hard time not taking it home with me. The most recent date I went on to try get my mind off of my work, ended up being the most repulsive dating disaster I've ever experienced."
"What happened?" Anya asked cautiously.
"This is…somewhat confidential, okay?" Olivia looked over to Anya as she spoke. She wasn't going to reveal any details that hadn't already made it into the Post, but she still felt the need to forewarn Anya. She nodded. "My partner and I – his name is Elliot – we were investigating that subway rapist. You've probably read about it in the paper." Anya nodded again, remembering some of the terrible details. She kept her eyes on Olivia as she spoke, but Olivia directed her attention back towards the sparkling city lights. Olivia explained that she had agreed to go on a date with a reporter who was covering snippets of the story. They had gone out for dim sum and drinks before heading back to Olivia's apartment, which she admitted was a brazen thing to do on a first date, but wasn't going to apologize for it. She went on to tell how things were going all right until he started to ask her strange details about her job, which made her uncomfortable, but she was just trying to get laid and so she brushed off his somewhat inappropriate comments.
"Until he decided that he wanted to play rape with me." Olivia bellowed, turning an angry and disgusted face over towards Anya.
"Oh my god!" Except it was in Russian. Anya covered her mouth with her hands after letting the words slip out, unfiltered. She couldn't help herself; she was shocked. "Olivia, are you okay?" Concern etched into her face as she reached out to the other woman to touch her shoulder.
"Yes, I'm fine." Olivia answered, frustrated and ticked off, but not at Anya. "I kicked him the fuck out!" Anya was relieved. "But it's not over yet."
"Oh." Anya said, concern coming back to her face and sitting back again against the bench arm.
"While I was in the bathroom washing every trace of my body that he had grazed his filthy fucking hands on, he found the confidential case file in my apartment and that's how all those details got into the Post." Olivia snarled at herself, wringing her hands. She was getting angry all over again, although she confessed to herself that it was nice to have someone to talk to about it. "And because of that, I was almost on an unpaid suspension. I managed to get out of that, thank God, but I'll have to earn that lost respect back from my Captain. I screwed up and I screwed up big." Olivia laughed in spite of herself, trying desperately to turn this into something positive. "Like I said on Tuesday, it's been a helluva week."
"I'll say." Anya shook her head. "What an asshole."
"You can say that again." Olivia sat back against the bench, allowing one arm to lie on the armrest and she moved the other to lie on the back of the bench. As her arm fell, her hand dropped onto Anya's and she quickly pulled it away as she felt her soft skin brushing against her own hand. "Sorry."
"It's okay." She smiled and returned Olivia's hand to the back of the bench before it went too far away. Olivia allowed her fingers to cover Anya's hand, but she was unable to move. "Well, I hope your week has gotten at least a little better since then." Olivia didn't answer, but gave the city a lopsided smile. We're back to the silence again. Well, it was nice while it lasted, Anya thought.
"You're hand is freezing, Anya…" Olivia looked over to the beautiful, quiet woman. "Are you cold?"
She smiled sheepishly, "A little. We should probably head back."
Olivia heard her, but made no moves to walk back to her car. "You didn't heed your own advice to wear a warm jacket."
"I know. I'm good at that." Anya took her hand back from under Olivia's and rolled herself up a little to keep warm.
Olivia had a feeling she was going to regret allowing her thoughts to be vocalized, but she didn't want to leave. "Come here, my jacket is much warmer than yours."
Ch. 9
Anya shook her head and tugged at her own sweater to cover herself more. "I'm not taking your jacket." Although she wouldn't have minded, really.
"No, you're not, but you can come here and be warmer for a little while since I'm not ready to leave." Anya hesitated for a moment, but brought her legs down from the bench and slid over to Olivia, trying to remain calm. "It's okay," Olivia reassured her as she moved Anya's arms around and underneath the bottom of her jacket. Anya's hands moved upwards beneath Olivia's jacket so that the soft leather would cover her arms. She was so warm, but Anya kept her hands still as to not make her uncomfortable. She knew at any moment that Olivia would pull away if she weren't careful. Olivia took her arm around Anya and pulled her closer and Anya allowed her head to fall onto Olivia's shoulder. Ok, I'm warm now, but perhaps a little too warm. My head is spinning…so much so that I'm starting to feel a little drunk. Oh, Olivia, you really are torturing me.
This was a bad idea, Olivia thought. What was I thinking? I don't even know. It's true that I didn't want to leave and I really am enjoying my time with her, but now she's leaning on me with her hands under my jacket and…Olivia held her breath as she felt Anya's fingers lightly touch the skin underneath her shirt. She inhaled quietly to kick start her breathing again and try to relax. Her hair smells like roses and her fingers are softly touching me at my side. I know I'm not gay, but why does everything just feel so right with her? Maybe I should just let it be. What am I so afraid of anyway? Olivia moved her hand slowly from Anya's back and gently ran her fingers through her hair. Casually and soothingly, she returned her hands to the top of her head and ran her long fingers down through the curls, brushed the back of her neck with her nails, before continuing halfway down her back where the curls ended. She repeated the combing and smoothing of Anya's hair again and again, growing more tender and relaxed with each touch.
Her fingers felt like honey dripping down Anya's back and she couldn't help but tense up and feel her heart racing. She wanted to lay Olivia back onto the bench and lay on top of her, kissing her, making love to her. It was clear that Olivia was starting to let go of her inhibitions, but she was unsure how long it would last.
The silence between them had become obvious to Olivia. Somehow she wasn't uncomfortable about it, but she could tell that Anya was. She could feel her heart beating quickly against her own chest and her hands were gripping the leather as if she'd fall over if she let go. "Now who needs to relax, hmm?" Anya snickered into Olivia's jacket until Olivia's other hand came for her chin, directing her face to look up at the beautiful, sable-eyed detective. She gazed into her green eyes and tucked one of her fair locks behind her ear for a better look at her face.
"Thank you for bringing me here with you." Olivia said with a smile.
Anya averted her eyes playfully, "The pleasure was all mine."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Olivia answered; leaning in to what she knew would result in a kiss. She had never kissed another woman before, but she was finding this one completely irresistible. She was not like the other women that flirted with Olivia in bars or on the job. She was sincere with herself and with others, she didn't have shallow intentions, and she was passionate about her work…and, of course, she was gorgeous. As she closed her eyes, she watched as Anya did the same, turning her head slightly to the right in order to catch Olivia's lips with her own.
Olivia's phone started ringing and she fluttered her eyes open and found that Anya had opened hers with a look of utter disenchantment seeping from them. Olivia backed away from Anya and gave her a sorry look as she reached into her pocket for the phone. It was Elliot, of course. Who else in the world would know to call in the perfectly wrong moment but someone from the precinct?
Exasperated, Olivia answered the phone, "Benson."
"Olivia, hey, it's Elliot."
"Yeah, I know. I thought you were taking a long weekend."
"You know how that goes, Liv." He said with a deep sigh. Obviously his plans had been ruined just like hers had.
"What time is it?" Olivia asked.
"Almost 11, did I wake you?"
"No, I was just wondering. So what's up?"
"We've got a 16-year-old vic here. She won't talk to me, but I think she'll talk to you."
"Okay, where is she?"
"St. Vincent's on 11th. How soon can you get here?"
"It might take me a little while, El. Is Jeffries available to cover until I can get there?"
"I don't know. I haven't called her, why? You can't make it?"
"No, I mean, yes, I can get there, but I'm in Brooklyn."
"Brooklyn?"
"I'm just over the bridge. It may not take that long."
"Okay, just get here as soon as you can, Liv."
Olivia closed her phone and turned over to Anya. Her shoulders sunk as she let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Anya, but I have to go."
"Don't apologize. Really. It's okay." Anya stood up from the bench, and pulled her sweater tighter around her waist and tied the knit belt over her belly.
"Can I trouble you for a ride to St. Vincent's?"
"No, I'm just going to leave you here freezing on a park bench," she remarked with sarcasm. "Of course you can have a ride." She reached her hand out to Olivia, who was not budging from the bench. "Come on, Olivia."
She took her hand and rose from the bench. Anya instinctively hooked her right arm around Olivia's left as they walked back towards her car. Before getting into the car, Anya stopped into the deli again and bought Olivia another cup of coffee so she could stay awake for what was sure to be a long night ahead.
Anya drove as furiously as she had before, heading in the direction towards the hospital. She was disappointed that her night with Olivia had been cut off so abruptly and with such ghastly timing, but she was pleased that Olivia had opened up to her a little and was confident that they would go out again. She smiled to herself, enjoying Olivia's hand resting on her leg as she drove, affectionately caressing her.
She pulled up to the emergency room and saw someone standing outside in a long coat as if he was waiting for someone. Anya assumed that he was probably Olivia's partner. He didn't see Olivia sitting in the passenger's side as she pulled around the emergency room entrance. Anya put the car in park a little past the door to allow room for emergency vehicles and turned to Olivia. Olivia opened her mouth to speak. With the look in her eyes, Anya knew she was probably going to apologize.
"Don't, Olivia." Anya cut off her thoughts. "Please." She paused, before reaching her hand out to Olivia's face. "As much as I want to be with you, someone else in there needs you far more than I do right now. I understand. You don't have to apologize or explain."
"I had a great time, Anya." Olivia said. It's been too long since I've had a great time with anyone.
"I know."
Olivia held the back of Anya's neck and brought her face closer. She paused only for a second before she leaned in to kiss her. Anya accepted her lips on her own, locking them together. She tangled her fingers into Anya's hair as she opened her mouth slightly, breathing her in and deepening the kiss. Her heart was tight and her stomach was in knots, she wanted this kiss to continue to see where it would lead to, but she knew she had to go.
Anya pulled back from Olivia and brushed her thumb lightly over Olivia's wet lips. She smiled. "I think Elliot is waiting for you."
Olivia smiled. She opened the car door and stepped out with her coffee. "Goodnight."
"Liv!" Elliot called out to her when he saw her emerge from the black car.
Olivia turned around to see Elliot rushing over to her. He stopped before getting too close to the car, not wanting to invade her privacy. It was time for her to swallow her emotions and put her game face on. Anya noticed the change in her posture and attitude the second she turned to see Elliot coming. Just before Olivia closed the car door, Anya grabbed the ballet program from the side pocket of her car and called out to Olivia. Olivia turned back to the car and pulled the door back again, ducking into the car.
"You forgot this…for your friend." She said, handing her the program.
Olivia thanked her, gave her a quick smile, and then turned her attention to Elliot who was waving her to get into the ER.
Ch. 10
Olivia's night in the ER with Elliot, the victim, and the victim's father went well on through the night. The victim didn't want to speak with her father or Elliot in the room because she was overcome with shame and embarrassment. She didn't want her father to know anything about the suspect, which had Olivia wondering if perhaps he knew the person that had attacked his daughter. The look on her father's face was just as shattering as the girl's as she screamed at him to leave so she could talk to Olivia alone. Olivia knew she recognized the man's face, but couldn't place it.
Once Elliot and the father left her hospital room, the girl fell onto Olivia's shoulders and sobbed. After a few moments, she was able to tell Olivia as much as she could about what had happened only hours before. The attack was violent, but it was a pattern that Olivia had heard on many occasions and felt confident that she could locate who had done this to her. She wasn't able to describe the man, but her behavior indicated that she did have an idea of who it was. She wasn't ready to divulge that information and Olivia wasn't going to push her right away, but knew she would have to draw it out of her later. They didn't keep her until morning, but there were of course many details to go over at a later time after the girl had gotten some rest.
After they made certain that she would get home safely with her father, Elliot gave Olivia a ride home before making the much longer trip out to his home in Queens. Both of them were exhausted so the only noise for a while were raindrops that started to fall onto the car.
"The father…" Olivia's voice trailed off, trying to place where she had seen the young girl's father before. "Should I know him? I feel like I should."
"Yeah, I'm sure you know him." Elliot remarked. "He's a defense attorney, but we don't really see him much. I'm almost positive that the perp was one of his clients."
"It's a good place to start anyway." Olivia sighed. She was so tired and despite how dramatically the mood of the evening had changed, she was looking forward to collapsing into her soft bed to sleep for hours. "So how much time did you get with the family before being called back to town?" Olivia asked.
"About two and a half days, which was more than usual." Elliot said, turning on the windshield wipers. "But I of course ruined the weekend. I'm not sure who's angrier: Kathy or Maureen. Either way, I don't know if I'll go back and meet up with them tomorrow."
"They're still out on Long Island?" Olivia asked.
"Yep."
"But you have the car."
"Kathy knew I'd get called back to the city. We drove separately." He turned the car around a corner, approaching Olivia's apartment building. "Who was your friend in the fancy car?"
Olivia looked back out the window and smiled to herself. "Just a new friend."
"Yeah? The dancer?" Elliot said slowing the car to a stop in front of her brownstone.
"Maybe." Olivia buttoned up her jacket and had her hand on the door handle to get out. "Are you all right to get home? You can sleep on my couch, you know."
"Naw, I'm all right."
"Suit yourself. Goodnight." Olivia got out of the car.
"'Night, Liv." Elliot waited for her to wave at him as she went through the front doors before he drove away.