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“Why don’t we track McGrath and circle back to Donnelly” Amanda interjects.
“Because Donnelly will suspect something if I don’t show up” Elliot replies harshly.
It’s been like this all day, the two squads merged into OCCB and Elliot/Amanda throwing verbal punches. Olivia had already warned Amanda to cool it twice, and could see all the anger management working inside Elliot’s head.
“Well stabler since he’s your best friend why don’t you come up with something!” The blonde shouts.
“Alright, Enough! Rollins take a walk!” Olivia finally shouts, Amanda rolls her eyes and lets out a tensioned “fine”, retreating out through the back stairwell.
“Why don’t we all take a 15min break. Come back to it then” Bell reasons, dismissing the two squads.
“Liv?” Elliot reaches for her arm
“Save it. I have to check on Noah” she raises a hand to him.
He watches as she goes, rubbing his face tiredly while everyone disperses
“She went to the loading dock” Cho says, passing by with a kind smile
~~
It’s a nice day, sunny but not hot. Amanda sits on the edge of a garage opening, peering out onto the city. She tried to call Sonny, but he was in court. She hears him first, heavy footsteps through the empty space.
“Can I sit?” Elliot asks
“Free country” she replies
He chuckles at that as he sits. She's got a bite.
“You really don’t like me do you?” He says matter of factly
Amanda scoffs; “why would I.”
“You don’t know me.” He defends
“I don’t need to know you to know you’re a jackass”
“Excuse me?”
“You know when I started working at SVU? Three months after you left. I saw it. What it did to Olivia when you left.” She shakes her head, memories of an angry ghost of a woman filling her mind. “She was always on her phone. Thought maybe she had a boyfriend. But she was just waiting. Hoping you’d call.” She looks at Elliot, whose head is hung, eyes sad but stern. “And she just kept looking over her shoulder... Hated Nick and I, Nothing we could say or do was good enough. It was… it was like you’d died and she’d been widowed.”
“I never meant to hurt her” he whispers
“Maybe. But you did…. she’s been through so much… and then you come barreling back into her life.. it’s not fair.”
“I know..”
“Do you? I don’t think you do.”
“Liv and I talk. I know. I know what I missed”
She’s surprised by that, unaware what Olivia and Elliot’s relationship had grown to be in the past few months
“Well then you know she’s been through hell.”
“Yea…”
“And that Noah is everything to her”
“Of course”
Silence
“You don’t deserve her” Amanda sighs
Elliot laughs, “yeah.. yeah I know that too”
“I don’t know why she trusts you. Or how. But she does”
“She trusts you to... cares a lot about you actually. She talks about you and your girls a lot.”
She can’t not glare at him, it’s second nature to her now. “She’s like a sister to me. An aunt to my girls.”
“I know…. And I’m glad she has you. And I’m glad Noah has you. Sonny too. You take care of Liv, watch out for her. I’m glad she has that.”
“You don’t deserve her” Amanda repeats
“No, no I don’t” he responds “but I’m trying. I’m here now and I want to be in her life. In Noah’s life. I know I have no right. But I..” he loves her, everyone knows it. “I care about her. More than anything. And I’m not leaving Amanda. So you can hate me but I’m not… that won’t change how I feel about Liv”
They sit in silence, listening to far away cars pass by
Amanda sighs “we should get back”
“Yeah.” Elliot stands first, offering a hand. She glares but allows him to help her up.
He begins to walks away
“Stabler” she stops him, getting into his space “If you hurt her. If you disappear again. If you make her cry. I will kill you. Fin will help and Sonny will make it look like an accident.” She pokes his chest “got it?”
“Understood”
“Good.” She cocks an eyebrow at him as they leave the dock.
~
Back in the squad room Fin and Bell sit talking about the case, they both catch the seemingly toned down atmosphere.
“Are we all good here?” Fin asks
“Yup.” Amanda takes her seat
“Rollins threatened to kill me” Elliot says Matter of factly
Fin smirks; “good.” Causing them all to chuckle
Olivia re-enters the room to their laughter “I see we’ve calmed down. What’s so funny?”
“Don’t worry about it Liv, let’s get started” Elliot squeezes her arm, before continuing their briefing