FicWad

Olivia took a seat in front of Mr. Toppin, and stared at him for a moment planning how she was going to this.

“So let’s talk about Virginia.”

“I told you it was a mistake.”

“A mistake? That’s a pretty big mistake.”

“Yeah, big mistake.”

“So why were you brought in again?”

“I don’t know, some thing about my fingerprints at one of the murder scenes.”

“Really and how did you explain that away?”

“We were at the same bar. I touched her purse when I moved it out of the way,” he replied. “The dumb bitch was drunk off her ass. She had her shit all over the place so I made room.”

“Odd, I didn’t think that a big guy like you would need her that drunk to rape and murder her in the parking lot?”

“I told you I had nothing to do with it!”

“So what about last night, Alexander?” Olivia spat back at him purposely trying to escalate the conversation hoping to get him to slip up. “Your DNA was found at two of the crime scene’s. Was she drunk too? Did you get her drunk? Is that how you get your rocks off? You get them drunk so they can’t fight back and then you rape them?”

“You’ve got nothing on me!”

“Did you not hear the part about the DNA? Because I do. I have you at the scene, and you have no alibi,” Olivia explained in a patronizing tone. “Maybe we should go over this again, because I want it to be clear. I want you to be very clear in the fact that I am going to shove you in a hole so deep that hell will only be steps away.”

“You are gonna be begging for it!” Toppin glared at her, his eyes raging with lust and contempt in the same moment. “Begging.”

“Really,” Olivia replied cocking her head in amusement. “Is that a threat Mr. Toppin?”

“A fantasy,” he replied with a sadistic smile.

Olivia’s spine shivered. She rose from the table walking toward the window as the suspect continued to hurl insults at her.

Her entire body tingled and her head swam in a sloshing pain. She glanced down at her shaking hands before folding them into her arms.

It was the adrenaline.

It had to be the adrenaline.

She needed to focus, she was getting close. She needed water. God, she was thirsty. She prayed that Elliot wasn’t watching closely. She didn’t need him reading too much into her getting some kind of bug.

She forced air into her lungs as her world suddenly became uneasy and a little blurred. She debated her next move. She turned and faced to the man who continued to swear at her, and he seemed appropriately riled.

The wife, let’s talk about his wife.

*

Elliot watched from the booth his focus on the interrogation. Liv had decided before he had time to object to take the first session. The glassy expression he’d seen during the initial interview with Toppin seemed to have disappeared. He wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Hey,” Fin greeted as he entered the booth.

“Hey,” Elliot replied, his gaze focused on Olivia. “How’d it go with Lane?”

“Guy’s got an air tight alibi, so no deal,” Fin replied looking into the interrogation room. “How about Toppin?”

“His house is the buyers guide for sexual repression. We have DNA and the alibi he did have was bogus. Just need a confession.”

“Liv got first crack?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothin’,” Elliot replied as he crossed his arms in front of his chest re focusing on the conversation in the adjoining room. Olivia had risen from her chair and was circling the room as she spoke.

“Something up with Liv?”

“Why?”

“Nothing in particular she just seems off.”

“Yeah I…”

Elliot’s cell rang and he saw Kathy’s name pop up. He answered it, and half heard what she was saying, something about the water heater. He turned from the interrogation window briefly to try and focus on the conversation he was having.

“Yeah,” he replied as Kathy asked him if he’d heard her. “I’ll come by later and look at it.”

Elliot hung up and saw Fin move to the door of the interrogation room.

"Elliot,” Fin said and Elliot immediately looked through the window. Liv kneed their suspect in the groin. Her back to the wall his hands around her throat. Both he and Fin rushed the room. Toppin bent in agony as they walked in. Liv brought her hands up and made contact with the man’s jaw. He was sent stumbling back into Fin. She got out of the corner. She aimed for the man’s lower back with her heel. Elliot grabbed her arm pulling her away just in time. She fought his grip. Her elbows jabbed his ribs. His arms wrapped around hers as he tried to subdue her.

“Get off!” Olivia yelled.

Fin had Toppin under control so Elliot released his hold on her.

“You wanted it you fucking whore!” Toppin spat out.

“Shut up!” Fin commanded as Elliot escorted Liv out of the interrogation room.

Elliot led her into the booth. His hands unconsciously went to her arms to get her attention, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Liv snapped as she once again pulled herself out of his protection.

“What happened?” he asked as he took a deep breath, abating his patience.

“Son of a Bitch grabbed me by the throat,” Olivia exclaimed at him in confusion. “You didn’t see him?”

Elliot regretfully shook his head as she looked away from him. Her focus went back to the interrogation room where Fin was harassing the suspect.

“It doesn’t matter,” Liv replied without anger. Elliot looked to her reflection in the mirror and noticed something odd.

“Liv, turn around,” Elliot said as he touched her arm. She turned to look at him and he saw a line of blood gushing from her nose. “Jesus.”

“What?” she replied suddenly alarmed. Her hand immediately went to her face, and she felt the warm stickiness. Elliot grabbed tissues off the counter handing them to her.

Olivia took the tissues and rushed out of the booth. Elliot watched her go and felt the deep concern turn to anger. He turned to the interrogation room. He entered, slamming the door against the wall.

“Now you’re in the shit,” Fin said to Toppin.

Elliot went straight for Toppin. He pulled him up off the chair. Smashing his body against the wall Elliot could feel the rage building. “Did you get off on that you sick fuck? You get off on hurting women?”

Toppin just laughed at him, “You know you want to tap that.”

Elliot thrust him harder against the wall this time. He then pulled him closer to look at him eye to eye. “You ever touch my partner again and you’ll wish I’d snapped your neck.”

“Elliot!” Cragen said from the doorway of the room.

“Cap,” Elliot said as he released the man.

“Outside.”

Elliot left the room followed by Cragen and they stopped in the booth.

“Cap…”

“Forget it. I’m just thankful you didn’t do more.”

Elliot just nodded his head, adrenaline racing through his body. “I should check on Liv.”

“I sent her home.”

“Okay,” Elliot replied as he turned to leave the booth.

“Elliot,” Cragen called as he followed him to the bullpen. Elliot turned and waited for him to approach. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

*

Elliot continued to work at the case with Munch and Fin. They did several more interviews and obtained the warrant to search his premises as well as Willis Towers. While they still hadn’t gotten a confession, the evidence was starting to fill in the pieces.

He was unable to stop thinking about Liv. It annoyed him that he didn’t know what was going on. She was shaky, irritable, and he hadn’t actually seen her eat anything in two days except for a goddamn protein shake. Then there was the fainting spell, a carefully hidden headache, and her nose bleed. All could be completely unrelated, but it seemed like a big coincidence.

If he didn’t know his partner so well he would’ve sworn she was on drugs. He’d known his share of addicts and a lot of the signs were there. That was, in fact, completely crazy. His Liv would rather spend a year in jail than do any kind of drug. Hell, she never drank soda, very little coffee, and rarely indulged in the occasional sweet.

His Liv…

So all of that being said, he was no closer to isolating the problem. Was it stress? Had the work load gotten to her that much? He knew their last case hit her hard. She’d said she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Had it meant more than either of them realized?

The day finally ended at a little after midnight. Elliot debated whether he should go by her apartment. He was actually still debating as he walked up her stairs. He heard the pounding bass of music. He followed the noise, trying to figure out where it was coming from and it led right to her door. He knocked loudly on the door and waited. When there was no response, he pounded on the door. Abruptly, the door down the opposite end of the hall opened. A burly man stepped out giving him a dirty look.

“Can you tell her to turn it off?” He yelled to Elliot, not in anger but because neither of them could hear the other. “I gotta work tomorrow!”

“I’ll take care of it,” Elliot yelled back before continuing to pound on her door. “Liv!”

Just as he was about to become concerned, the door opened and the music hit him at full volume. She stood staring at him sweat covered, in a navy two piece yoga suit, a grin on her face.

“Hey!”

“Hey!” he replied with a small smile while trying to protect his ear drums. She looked at him in confusion. “Can you turn the music down?”

“Oh,” she replied as she seemingly just realized it was still on. “Yeah, sorry, come in.”

He stepped into the apartment as she ran across the room turning the music down to barely a whisper.

“What’s up,” she asked with overwhelming energy as she walked past him into the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Yeah I’ll…” he was about to ask for a beer but something made him stop. “I’ll take a water.”

He took a look around the apartment and everything seemed fine. Nothing out of place, although he wasn’t sure what he thought he was looking for. She returned with a water in one hand and a nutrition shake in the other. She handed him the water as she grabbed a towel off of the chair and began wiping her neck.

“You got out early.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“How’s the case?”

“Getting there.”

“Did you get a confession out of Toppin?” she asked. She walked to her bookshelves, idly looking through the small collection.

“No, Fin and Munch worked him for a few hours but didn’t get anything.”

“So what’s our next move,” Liv asked turning to him. “I can get changed and we can head out…”

“Liv, it’s after midnight.”

“Oh,” she replied looking uncomfortable as she sipped on her shake again. “I must have lost track of time.”

“It happens,” Elliot replied wanting to give her an out. He watched her continue to occupy herself with the stacks of books. “You get any sleep?”

“Nah, I was too wired after what happened with Toppin.”

“What did happen,” he asked, trying to make it as casual a question as possible. He was treading on uneasy ground but he had to see where she stood.

“El, I told you what happened.”

“I know. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”

“You think I’m holding something back?”

“Not on purpose, but you and I both know that memory is impaired by lack of proper nutrition and sleep,” he said plainly but could tell by the way her face went from confusion to fury that he’d hit a nerve.

“El…”

“You lied to me,” Elliot hammered, not breaking her gaze.

“I…” she tried to start but he cut her off again.

“You said you slept last night and you didn’t,” he saw her eyes flinch away and he immediately stood walking toward her. “You told me you ate and you didn’t.”

“Are you kidding me?” she asked turning back to him with a look of annoyance. “Are you seriously confronting me because I missed a meal and a night’s sleep?”

“When was the last time you slept?”

“Elliot…”

“Answer the question.”

“Why, what difference does it make?”

“Liv,” he said silently demanding and answer with a stare.

“Back off!”

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why haven’t you slept?”

“You know why.”

“No I don’t. Tell me,” he said as he followed her into the kitchen.

“Elliot,” she said in protest as she stopped at the counter slamming her hands.

“Liv,” he said, gentler this time as he approached slowly. “Why can’t you sleep?”

He patiently waited for her answer as he watched her shoulders rise and fall in rhythm with her breath. She turned, her head down as she leant against the counter.

“I don’t know.”

“Liv,” Elliot started again stepping toward her.

“Elliot, I…”

“Just talk to me.”

“This coming from the king of emotion bottling,” she snapped as his phone rang and Olivia quickly pushed past him back into the living room.

“Stabler.”

It was the CSU team. He’d asked they call him with the result of the analysis on fibers they found at Toppin’s house. He finished the conversation quickly and hung up the phone. He walked into the living room and found her sitting on the couch. Her head in her hands, he was alarmed to see she was in pain.

“Liv,” he said kneeling at her side, and she unexpectedly jumped back in fear. She leapt away. Her eyes wide with fear as she knocked over the vase on the coffee table,.

“Get out.”

“Liv,” he said softly not sure what was happening. The fear in her eyes was raw and uncased.

“Get out!” she yelled at him her entire body shaking. “Go away!”

Elliot immediately backed away from her putting his hands up.

“GET OUT!” she screamed picking up a bookend from the shelf and hurling it at him. He dodged it and continued to back toward the door. “Leave me alone!”

She stood staring at him as her body continuing to tremble. He kept his hands up and nodded before he opened the door and left. He shut the door behind him, as he strained to hear her through the wood. There was only silence.

Elliot pulled out his phone before heading down the hallway. He realized he was shaking as well. Quickly dialing, he waited for an answer.

“George, I need to talk to you, now,” Elliot said into the phone as he started down the steps and out the door.

*