Chapter Text
August 1999
It was Olivia’s first day at SVU, and she was equal parts terrified and elated. Ever since she became a cop she knew she wouldn’t stop until she made it here- a detective in the Special Victims Unit of the NYPD. It would be hard but worth it. It was in her blood. Learning from her mother at a young age that she was the product of a rape had fueled her obsession with getting justice for these victims.
She walked through the doors of the 16th precinct, cardboard box in hand, and stopped for a second to take in her surroundings. It was busy. Very busy. Phones were ringing off the hook. She stepped into the bull pen area and walked towards the captains office. She had met Captain Cragen when she interviewed for the job and had taken a liking to him immediately. Now he sat behind his desk, looking visibly stressed.
“Captain?” Olivia asked hesitantly, knocking on his door frame lightly.
“Oh Olivia! You’re here. Come in, come in. Thank goodness. We just got this massive case, all hands on deck. You mind jumping right in?” Cragen asked.
“Not at all. Where should I put my…” Olivia started, before a man with piercing blue eyes stormed in the door.
“Cap, he’s not talking. Lawyered up immediately. The son of a…” The man shouted.
“Ah Elliot! Perfect timing. This is Olivia Benson, your new partner. Olivia, this is Elliot Stabler.” Cragen interjected. “Elliot, can you please show Olivia to her desk?”
She studied her new partner. Handsome, she thought. Her eyes drifted down to his left ring finger. Married. Good, no temptation. He was looking at her now. His features softened slightly.
“Oh…uh…hi.” Elliot stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Um yeah, sure. Follow me.” He turned and walked back out towards the bull pen. Olivia followed him towards a desk in the back corner near the lockers.
“This is yours.” He motioned to the desk closest to the lockers. “I’m here right across from you. Sorry about that back there. Our perp is a sorry excuse for a man and I know he did it but can’t get him to talk.”
Olivia gave him a small smile as she began emptying the contents of her box onto her desk. “That’s alright. What’s the case?” She asked him.
He sighs and sits down across from her with his hands on his face. “Guy climbs up the fire escape to the fifth floor of the apartment, breaks in the window, and rapes the eleven year old girl sleeping in there. Duct taped her legs and arms together. Then stabbed her.” He looked up then to meet her gaze, as if trying to gauge her response.
She shuddered. “Did she.. did she make it?” Olivia asked.
“Unfortunately no. DOA. Mom found her in the morning.” Elliot responded. “So how long you been a detective?” He deflected.
She laughed. “A couple of weeks. Patrol cop for three years.”
“Ah, I thought that badge looked awfully shiny.” He quipped.
“What about you?” She asked him.
“Detective for six. Patrol for eight years before that.” He responded.
“Wow. Been here the whole six?” She asked.
“I did two in homicide. Then came here. Why did you want this job?” He asked.
Olivia stared back at him, “I didn’t know I was gonna have to interview again” she joked. Then shook her head. “That’s a long story, maybe for another day. Don’t we have a perp to collar?”
Elliot chuckled. “Yeah. Yeah we do.”
Olivia smiled. She liked him. There was some sort of instant connection between them, and she was pretty sure he felt it too. Partners, she thought to herself. This was gonna be fun. Ever since joining the force Olivia had felt sort of isolated from her friends. Not that she had that many to begin with. Her friends from college had moved away. The only family she had was her mother- and that was a stretch sometimes. When she wasn’t drinking, they could have a lovely conversation. But that was few and far between. The years of Olivia cleaning up her messes while growing up had put a big strain on their relationship. Here at SVU she already felt like maybe this could be her new family. It was different than her patrol unit. She couldn’t really explain it, but this felt like home.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Elliott was sitting across the desk from his new partner. Trying not to be too obvious when he kept glancing up to look at her. She was beautiful. Absolutely stunning. That’s not what he should be focusing on, but from the moment he laid eyes on her that’s all he could think. She seemed pretty grounded too. She was new to being a detective, but he sensed she wouldn’t be like the usual green officers he encountered. There was a connection between them already that he couldn’t really explain.
“You want to come help me take a crack at him?” He asked her.
Olivia looked up at him again, a question in her eyes. “I thought he lawyered up?” She asked.
He nodded to a figure approaching behind her. Fancy suit. Expensive looking. “I smell a lawyer.”
She turned over her shoulder and then turned back to face him, laughing. “Let’s get him.”
He walked over to the interrogation room and she followed. When they got to the window he stopped, turning to face her. He handed her the case file in his hands. He liked his new partner so far but he couldn’t let her waltz in there with no background on the guy.
“I’ll go ahead in, you observe for a minute. Read over the case file. You don’t have to come in at all but if you feel comfortable and want to you can.” With that he turned back around and walked into the room.
After a few minutes of back and forth arguing, mostly with the lawyer, the door swung open and Olivia walked in. He looked up to meet her gaze and she gave a slight nod of her head.
“I see you like them young Stan.” Olivia engaged the perp as she took a seat next to Elliot and across from the perp, slamming the case file down on the table as she did so.
His head flew up, taking in Olivia. “You’re pretty.” He said, a smile on his face. “What’s up darling?”
“That would be Detective Benson to you.” She glared back at him.
Elliot sat back, letting her take the lead. The perp looked angry now. Letting out a huff and crossing his arms.
Olivia glanced over at Elliot. “It seems Stan here doesn’t like a woman in charge.”
Elliot immediately understood what she was doing, and decided to play right along. He looked over at her and rolled his eyes. “Who does?” He hissed. “I thought I told you to stay outside?”
“Excuse me Detective Stabler, but I believe this is my investigation? Besides, Stan here clearly didn’t do it. He doesn’t have the balls.” Olivia asserted. “But go ahead, waste your time with him.” She yelled as she got up and walked towards the door.
“Do not ever yell at me in my interrogation room again!” Elliot boomed as he stood up and got in her face. “I know you’re trying to prove yourself as a new detective, but this is not how things work around here sweetheart. You’ll see. Now go and work on typing up that paperwork, that’s all you’re good for anyway!” Olivia glared at him and turned on her heel, slamming the door as she exited.
Elliot sat back down and looked at Stan. “Women am I right? Gotta learn their place sometimes.”
Stan smiled up at Elliot. “That’s what I’ve been saying! You know, this is why I like them young, the younger they are…”
“Stop talking Stan.” His lawyer interjected.
“Ahh don’t stop on his account Stan. You were just about to tell me how the younger ones are easier to control, huh? Smaller, easier to handle. Can’t fight back as hard. Just about the only people that you could overpower huh Stan?” Elliot got in his face.
“I can control anyone I want!” Stan shouted back. “Those little ones are just more fun. Easier to break!”
“Stan!” His lawyer shouted. Elliot smiled, grabbed the case file and stood up.
“Good enough of a confession for me.” He shrugs, and walks out the door. Olivia is standing there with a smirk on her face.
“I hate being called sweetheart.” She muses. Elliot just looked at her and chuckled. He was amazed at their fluidity already. He has had a couple of partners since becoming detective, and has had great rapport with both of them. But nothing like this. They had met an hour ago.
“How did you know that would work?” He asked her, a hint of appreciation on his face. “How did you know I would catch on?”
“Just a feeling” she smiled.