Chapter Text
“Who do you sleep with, Miss Cabot?”
An interesting question. Truth be told, Alex couldn’t remember the last time anyone had asked her straight out. Of course, Captain Cragen was unaware of the history and meaning that question exactly held for her, but nevertheless, it struck a chord.
Was SVU a place where they had no secrets? No, everybody has secrets. And Alex was going to hold onto hers until disclosure proved absolutely necessary. At the very least, this assignment was going to be an interesting one.
-
Olivia closed the car door behind her, ready to return to the precinct.
“So, about the Morris Commission – ”
“Olivia,” interrupted Elliot, exasperated, “I don’t wanna talk about it. Not Maureen either.”
Olivia refocused her eyes on the road. “Okay then,” she began, “what do you want to talk about?”
Elliot’s eyes lingered out the window for a minute, deep circles visible beneath them. “Why’d you cut your hair?”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Really? That’s what you want to talk about?”
“C’mon, throw me a bone here,” he replied.
She shrugged. “I guess I was bored. New millennium, new hairstyle?”
Elliot laughed. “Yeah, that would’ve worked if you’d cut it in January.”
“Seriously, there’s no deeper meaning here. I just wanted a change.”
-
“You guys, find the Lexus, find the boy. Munch, Jeffries, let’s find out how good this new ADA really is, huh? We need a search warrant for Radial Velocity.”
Olivia stopped short at her desk. “We’ve got a new ADA?”
Cragen nodded. “And it looks like this one’s a permanent fixture. Name’s Alexandra Cabot.”
Olivia cocked an eyebrow. “Huh, as opposed to our usual rotating cycle? Well, when do we get to meet her?”
“Later,” said Elliot. “C’mon, those phone calls aren’t gonna make themselves.”
-
What an embarrassment. The look Jeffries gave her as the two detectives left her office was a familiar one: old money. But she figured it was better to make nice with the new detectives than stonewall them, even if it did mean calling in a familial favor. Besides, wasn’t Jeffries the promiscuous one anyway?
Alex sighed, sinking down in her chair. No, she was not going to start thinking ill of her new unit already. Besides, even if Munch was a bit of an oddball, he seemed alright, and Captain Cragen was a decent enough man. Hopefully the other detectives would prove to be at least cordial, if not friendly.
-
Elliot stormed out of the precinct without as much as a “see you later.”
“I can understand where he’s coming from, but jeez, the guy could at least fake a smile,” quipped Munch.
“Coming from you, that’s serious,” Olivia joked. “Lighten up Munch, he’s had a rough week.”
“Right,” said Munch, “back to scouring the hidden paraphernalia of the missile geeks.”
“So, how did you manage to get your hands on all this anyway?” asked Olivia.
“Cabot, the new ADA,” he replied.
“Wow, how’d she manage that?”
“Friends in very high places,” said Munch. “By which I mean family in very high places.”
“Oh, come on,” said Olivia. “She can’t be that bad. What’s she like otherwise?”
“Tall, blonde, younger than you even,” answered Munch. “Why do you want to know so badly anyway?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there aren’t a lot of women working in SVU,” said Olivia, a little peeved. “It’d just be nice to have another female on the team, that’s all. Change the subject.”
“Alright,” said a bemused Munch, “what prompted the nouvelle coiffure?”
-
“So, where is she?” said Olivia, leaving the interview room.
“You just missed her!” Munch called out gleefully.
Olivia sighed, exasperated. “What, do I have all the bad luck or something?”
“Nah, I’ve got my fair share,” said Elliot, right behind her. “And you’re not missing much, she’s a piece of work.”
-
“How’d it go in there?”
Wow, how did it go.
“Oh…”
Well, she’d finally met the new ADA, the elusive Miss Cabot. Never mind that she couldn’t look her in the eye during her testimony. Cabot exuded confidence and her voice never wavered. That, and she was about a thousand feet tall and beyond gorgeous. The first time Olivia had ever testified, she’d harkened back to the first oral presentation she’d given in grade school. She’d felt like she was going to wet her pants. This? This had been much, much worse for entirely different reasons.
“Kid’s toast.”
-
Alex exited the elevator just as Cragen and Stabler were heading down the hall to leave the precinct.
“Oh, Detective!” she called out. “Congratulations on the Morris Commission.”
“Oh yeah, thanks. See you later.” The two men hurried past her.
“Sorry about him.”
Alex turned to see Detective Benson leaning on her desk.
“Should I always expect such a warm reception?” Alex asked.
“Nah, give him time,” said Olivia. “He’ll warm up to you.”
Alex folded her arms. “I’m not so sure about that one.”
Olivia smiled. “Trust me, I was the new girl last year.”
“Does it get easier?” asked Alex.
Olivia thought for a moment. “The cases don’t. But you’ll warm up to the unit. We’re not all bad.”
Working with SVU was turning out to be an interesting prospect indeed.