Chapter Text
She was rushing through the lobby of her apartment building, double checking inside of her purse for the fifth time since walking out of her place. She'd been filled to the brim with the sensation that she was forgetting something, but nothing looks lost.
"Hey, Liv." A scratchy voice echoed against the floors and walls.
Maybe nothing was missing, but some one should be.
She waited a moment before lifting her eyes to meet those of the last person she wanted to see. Her gaze instantly became icy, annoyed even.
"Brian. What are you doing here?" She asked, letting her bag fall back against her shoulder so her hands could cross over her chest.
"Can I get a 'hello' at least?" he protested
"You can get a 'goodbye' for free," she replied, hardly moving a muscle
"Look, Liv," he scratched his neck anxiously, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I'm in a bad place right now, I could use some help."
"The only bad place you're in right now that concerns me is my apartment. Get lost, Brian." she growled, pushing past him.
Before she had a chance to react, he grabbed her by the bicep. She felt herself being pulled back as he leaned into her face. "Liv, c'mon. I mean it this time. I got in wrong with some bad guys at the tables. They thought I was cheating them out of twenty large, I'm fucked."
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to count cards?" She glared at him, hissing through her teeth and under her breath.
"Nah, she was the one teaching me to count 'em," he whispered back with a sneer, keeping his grip tight. "They're gonna kill me, Liv. You wouldn't let me die, would you?"
"Tell it to the train tracks," she grunted, loosening herself from his hold. "I gotta go."
"Oh I see," he called out after her. "You're one of those kinds of people now."
She spun on her heels, turning back to face him. "What kind of people?" She always hated how he knew just what to say to drag her attention back to him. Even more so, she hated how easily she gave into it.
"The ones who forget where they came from," he stepped closer to her, his voice tangling around her throat like vines meant to choke her. "I haven't forgotten where you come from."
She glowered at him.
"You're one of the rare ones, you know that? The system threw you to the wolves and you come back as if you're leading the fuckin' pack. Now you're too good for the rest of us. Never thought Baseball Bat Benson would be the snob who turns her back on everyone who used to be there for her. How could I be surprised though? I mean, look at where you're living." Cassidy grinned as he gestured to the lobby around them, knowing that he was burrowing himself under her skin like the mite he was.
Before she could wrangle her temper, she launched across the granite floors and pulled him by the collar of his hoodie. "Listen up, you fucking prick —"
"Olivia?" A familiar voice called at the front doors of the lobby. Now she remembered why she had been in such a hurry. Elliot had made arrangements to pick her up for work. The weather had taken a turn and he never trusted cabs in the slush-covered streets. At least, that was his usual excuse for five extra minutes with her.
She turned to face him, her teeth barred as she kept her grip on Cassidy's collar. Elliot's face turned from casual confusion to unbridled fury just from one look at her.
"Who's the suit?" Cassidy asked, bobbing his head in Elliot's direction as best as he could with Olivia holding him in her grasp.
"Me?" Elliot furrowed his brows. "Whose the guy in need of a shower?"
Olivia felt Cassidy try to rush at Elliot, restrained by her as she held him back. "Knock it off!" she howled at him, shaking him by the collar to reiterate. "That is my boss."
"Your boss?" he looked at her in disbelief, glancing back between Elliot and her. "The hell is he doing here? You two knockin' boots?"
She refrained from calling him an obnoxious pig because her facial expression said it for her. "Work trip, dumb ass. We're carpooling," she said as quickly and smoothly as she could. She pulled him in closer, whispering in his ear. "Now, I'm gonna leave. If you do not also leave, I won't just call the cops. I will personally call your probie officer and watch as he hauls you off for the numerous violations you've racked up in the last three minutes. Got it?"
When she let him go, she saw his face drop into that of defeat and disgust. He tried to reposition his stance, brushing off his jacket.
Elliot protectively put an arm out behind Olivia as he kept his eyes glued on Cassidy. He glared at the man, shutting the glass lobby doors behind him as they neared towards the car. Cassidy watched as Skylar opened the SUV door for them. "Is there a problem here, sir?"
"No, we're fine. We can go," Elliot shook his head, straightening his tie as he stepped into the back of the car.
Cassidy stayed still, watching the black vehicle ride off into the weathered streets. Once they were out of sight, he pushed past the glass doors and started walking in the opposite direction that their car had gone. Watching his feet instead of the sidewalk in front of him, he saw a pair of expensive shoes come into his view. He looked up, seeing an unfamiliar man in a finely tailored blue suit staring at him with a hardened face.
"So, I hear you're in a bind with some money issues?" the man said to him, startling him with his deep and raspy voice.
"Who the hell are you and why is it any of your business?" Cassidy spat, taking a defensive step back.
"I'm someone in a position to help you. If you help me, of course."
"So, the settlement agreements would be sealed, correct?" she asked, trying to fix her slightly smudged lipstick in the view of her compact mirror. The car hit a pothole in the road, causing her fingernail to drag across her lip and smear the fresh coat of lipstick on herself. She grumbled inwardly, already completely over this day before it even had time to start.
"Yes." Elliot answered, tapping the tip of his thumb to his tongue before gently reaching over, wiping away the smear of dusky pink lipstick off of her skin. "If we settle out of court, it will be private. But that doesn't mean the depositions can be dodged. CDG Airport likely won't settle unless all seven of us who were on that plane sit down and recount the events."
Her stomach twisted and her throat felt as if it were beginning to tighten up. Even in the moment of the plane losing altitude with masks dropping from the cabin ceilings, it didn't feel as real as it was starting to now. Now that it was evolving outside of the seven people who were there, feeling the plane as it started to fail midair.
"Who's to say the depositions won't be leaked?"
"I trust my team, Liv." he said, looking at her with an expression he hoped would instill confidence in her. "But, the ICAO report being leaked isn't something that I want to see become the first of many."
As if on cue, the car hit another pothole on the city street, as if God himself was ironically trying to send them a reminder of that day. "CDG Airport could still reject a settlement even after we've gone on record and stated exactly why we were on that plane to begin with. If Tucker gets his hands on those depositions like he did with the report…"
They were standing on the precipice of a life changing decision. One could send everyone home with a happy check and the past put where it belongs. The other choice could send both of their lives into a downward spiral, crushing dreams and everything else in its wake. All in the pursuit of justice against someone they don't even know the identity of. CDG Airport was just the unlucky group of people who let such a criminal cause something like this through pure negligence. But what sort of example would it set for the future if there wasn't hell to pay? It was about so much more than just Olivia, it was about the crew, it was about his business, and it was about whoever the hell it was that had such a grudge against him.
They could bury this right now. Signed checks to the five other people on the aircraft as a goodwill gesture. No court, no depositions or lawyers, no paper trail that put their relationship in the crosshairs. Except, that wouldn't really solve anything, it would only enable the problem even more.
The noose around their necks was tightening. If not just with the lawsuit, then with everything else. The wiggle room for their relationship was becoming smaller and smaller, and now they were at a stage where they couldn't hide from the consequences.
"I don't want everything to change," Olivia whispered quietly, partially to Elliot but mostly just to the universe if it was listening. They could go to HR right now, come clean about their relationship. She'd likely be moved out of her standing position as his assistant. She'd never see the inside of the CFO office she was working towards. The board would never have her in that seat, not in a million years if they knew the truth. Everything would become a conflict of interest between herself and Elliot. Even if she left SE, no business would ever trust her.
"I keep looking for the right answer, but there isn't one." Elliot sighed, thinking of all of the same things she was. They had put themselves right into a hole they couldn't escape from.
He could go to the board, sweet talk them into voting Tucker off of the board entirely. Then that left the hurdle of getting Olivia into that position. She was more than qualified with her education, but lacked experience and even though he trusted her, he wasn't sure that the board ever would. Office politics would kick into high gear, half of the board seeing it as him playing dirty and the other half too busy playing dirty themselves to care.
One thing was for sure, they were all money hungry. Every last seat on the board was reserved for someone who hoarded wealth like it was a lifeline. None of them would have the patience for a new CFO learning the ropes without formal training. They'd no doubt vote to hire someone new but experienced, leaving the spot filled for God only knows how long. If HR found out about their relationship too soon, they'd never allow her to fill a position in the accounting department to secure the experience she needed. Not if they knew her intentions would be to be sitting at that very board table.
There was an answer in there, somewhere. One that didn't require bribery of the board or favors that Olivia didn't want.
He just had to find it.
But first, he had to sit down with the lawyers from CDG Airport before lunch. The conference room was already reserved, and he was dreading every moment.
"What do you mean he just showed up?" Monique asked on the other end of the line. Olivia was downstairs in the empty design studio, poking her fork at a salad that she wasn't very interested in eating. Everyone else had rushed off elsewhere for their meal, and she was left with her privacy. "Cassidy? Brian Cassidy, wandering in our lobby?"
"In the flesh," Olivia grumbled, pushing the food away from herself. "He wanted money. Something about a bad gamble, I guess. Elliot showed up to give me a ride and I'm honestly not sure if that made it worse or better. Cassidy fucked off after that but I just wanted to give you the heads up in case you ran into him today."
"Jesus, Liv." Monique sighed into the phone. The loud honking of taxis echoed in the background of the call. "Was nobody at the front desk when it happened?"
"Nope. But then again, when are they ever? He probably slipped in after someone else and waited until I came down." she tapped her fingers anxiously on the table, wanting nothing more than for the day to come to an end. "Do me a favor, if you come home and someone from management is at the desk, let them know not to let Cassidy in, please."
"Of course." Monique responded. She must've reached her destination because Olivia could hear the sudden cease of city noise on the call. "Are you coming home tonight?"
Her stomach did a somersault, and not in a good way. "It depends on how this meeting goes with Elliot and the lawyers from Charles De Gaulle." she glanced at her watch. "It should've been over now, and I'm headed back up that way after lunch. If it goes badly, I may just hitch a ride out to Jersey and start my life over."
"Ha, you're funny." Monique deadpanned. "Sounds like you need a vacation."
"Yeah, because the last one went so well." Olivia huffed. "Anyway. I'll keep you updated. I hope you have a good day because one of us has to and it isn't looking good over here."
"I'll make sure the scumball stays away from our place. Love you, Liv. Stay strong."
The line went dead, and the sudden silence made Olivia's ears ring.
"Everything okay?" a voice asked from across the room. Olivia's posture shot upright like a bullet. It was Freddie Washburn, carrying some sort of package into the studio. Not the most incredible timing for him to show up.
"Yeah. How long have you been here?" she asked, trying not to look like a deer in headlights.
"Just walked in," he said as casually as possible, dropping the package onto his desk. "I had to go up to storage, we ran out of paper for the printer and a few other things. You look upset, are you sure everything is okay?"
"Just… life." she sighed, trying to relax so she didn't drop dead of a stress-induced heart attack right there at the table. "I'll be okay."
"Well, for what it's worth," he started to say as he unloaded the reams of paper from the box. "I think you're doing this life thing pretty awesome. At least here. Not many people can juggle two jobs at the same time, but you find a way to make it work. Half your time here, half your time upstairs working for Mr. Stabler. I don't know how you manage it."
The mention of Elliot made her stomach flip again. "I'm lucky that he's understanding and has given me a chance to do what I need to do here. Most bosses wouldn't have allowed me this opportunity the way he did, and most of them would've filled my position upstairs in a heartbeat." she felt herself rambling without any inkling that she should stop. "He likes to see his teams thrive. He might be the only person in this entire city who gives a damn about other people's aspirations and finding a way to help them get there."
Freddie seemed to take her information in without sparing a detail. He slowly nodded his head as he continued unpacking the box of office supplies. "You speak highly of him." he stated simply.
"I think highly of him," she answered back, almost defensive.
"Well, for what it's worth, I still think you should be heading the design studio full time." Freddie said, staring intensely at her. "Think of all of the things you could make down here. All of the projects you could create and have power over. You wouldn't be stuck with all of Stabler's errands, you'd have so much more freedom. No more having to work two jobs at once. This is a place you can grow."
His words brought waves of nausea to her. She couldn't pinpoint what is was even if she tried, but something about what he said made her very uncomfortable.
Elliot watched, slack jawed as the lawyer for Charles De Gaulle Airport walked casually from the conference room. "What… what just happened?"
Liz Donnelly was in the back of the conference room, leaning against the small coffee counter with her arms over her chest, just as aghast as he was. "I don't know."
Elliot's head snapped in her direction, his eyes wide and his jaw still hanging. "Have you ever seen that happen before?"
"Never in my career as a corporate attorney," she said as she shook her head. "I have never witnessed anything quite like that."
"But… why?" he gaped.
Liz rounded the table and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't question it, Elliot. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, and never question a check sitting in front of you with that many zeros on the end of it. Just be glad it happened." With that, she left him to stare down at the dried ink on the check.
Five o'clock came around and everyone in the building practically ran before they would be left to work any longer. However, with a fleet of people going one way, Olivia was heading in the direction they were all leaving from. Her stomach churned as she neared Elliot's office, having told him earlier that she was swamped in the design studio and had to remain down there for the rest of her shift.
She wanted to push the inevitable just a little while longer. But the clock had reminded her that time was up and she had to face what came next.
As she walked down the open office space towards him, she could see what looked like a frown on his face. He was staring down at his desk, almost as if he were deep in thought. Now she really didn't want to face it. Still, she forced one foot in front of the other until she reached the glass doors that lead to his office.
"Do I wanna know?" she asked, forgoing the usual greetings and instead opting to sit in the chair across from him.
"Liv," he started, but stopped as he was interrupted.
"Wait, just…" she put her hands up, as if she could use them to stop time itself and just slow the moment down. "I'll do the deposition. I don't want to, and I know that it'll likely risk my entire future and put my career in jeopardy, but I'll do it. Hell, I'll even hand over a signed copy to Tucker myself."
His brows furrowed, interested in where she was going with this. "Why would you do that?"
"Because," she swallowed harshly, preparing herself for what came next. "Because, I love you. Because, today I realized that you have worked so hard to build this business. Sure, you had a head start with the background you came from, but that doesn't mean it took any less of your time and patience and dedication. Despite what our relationship may look like, you're one of the most ethical people I know. I know that if you don't stand up and fight for the five other people you employ who were on that plane, that you'd be sacrificing your dedication to being a good boss to them. That if you let this go for the sake of our own privacy, that it'll eat you alive for the rest of your life. You are so loyal to every single person who works here, El, and that's part of why I love you so much. Because everyone who works here knows that you give a damn and that you value them as a part of what you've built. "
He felt himself getting choked up at her words.
"So, if I need to sit down in front of a judge, a jury, and an executioner to tell every detail of what happened and get justice for those other five people, I'll do it. Even if it means that our relationship gets outed in the process. Even if it means I'll never be the CFO of this company. Even if it means that Tucker has a chance to get his slimy hands on a copy of those depositions and share them with the world, I'll do it. Because I never want to stand in the way of you being the best version of yourself, Elliot. And when you strive for the people you care about to be well taken care of, that's the best Elliot Stabler there is. I love you too much to see you sacrifice your morals as a business owner and employer for me."
"Liv, there isn't going to be any depositions."
Her face dropped and went pale. "But… there has to be. You can't give up on th—"
"There won't be any depositions," he interrupted her, his hand raised. "Because they've already settled."
Silence flooded the office, quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she could get the words out. "What? Why? I don't understand wh—"
A small grin blossomed on his face. "They signed a check today. No depositions. No negotiations. No hearings. They're taking full responsibility for allowing what happened to happen at all."
"But isn't that… isn't that completely unheard of?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Yeah," he nodded. "Pretty much. The way they explained it was that they didn't want this dragged out in court any more than we did. Not to mention that fighting this suit would make them look as if they didn't care about the safety of passengers with their personnel. The FAA and ICAO are still finishing up their investigation, they wanna find the guy who managed to get on the tarmac past security. But, CDG didn't want to waste their time with all of the legwork when they knew the outcome was going to be in our favor anyway, so they asked for a number and I gave it to them."
"Holy shit," she whispered, feeling like all of the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. "How much did they pay you?"
Without saying anything, Elliot picked up the check and handed it to her over the desk. He watched as her vision trailed over the writing and as her eyes went comically wide at the number.
"Twenty four million dollars?" she shrieked. "They just… they just wrote a check for… for twenty four million dollars?"
He chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "It's all there. Four million for each person on board, myself not included."
"Wait a second," she frowned. "Twenty four divided by four… that's enough for six people."
"There's that Columbia MBA hard at work," he mused playfully.
She set the check down and pushed it towards him carefully, suddenly acting as if the paper was dipped in poison. "Five crew members and then you and I. El, I told you I don't want any money. We talked about this."
He sighed, sensing that this was coming. "You told me that if I were to drop the suit and pay everyone out of pocket that you didn't want any. This is different, Liv."
"I still don't want it, El." she pressed harder. "I don't take handouts."
He leaned forward and interlaced his fingers together. "Liv, sweetheart, listen to me. Odds are, you would have been on that jet no matter what. Even if we weren't together. Even if it was just me going on a personal vacation, I'd probably still have tagged you along as my assistant. And if anyone finds out about the fact that you were the mystery passenger, then that's what they'll think too. Whether you and I are involved with each other is irrelevant, because you were on company property and your life was put at risk."
She sighed and eased back into her chair, mulling over his words with consideration. He isn't wrong, exactly. If she weren't dating him when all of this happened, she'd take the check. She just couldn't shake the fact that it still felt wrong.
"Four million is a lot of money to me, El." she spoke quietly. "Especially when I didn't work for it."
"You don't have to spend it." he said, matching her quiet volume. "Put it in a savings account or a mutual fund and let it sit and earn interest. Donate it. Give it to Monique. It's yours to do everything or nothing with. But like you said, I value the people I'm around. Whether you're in a relationship with me or not, you fit that category. Not just as the woman I love, but also as an essential part of this company."
Her resolve was wearing thin against her own objections.
"If you don't take it, I'm still gonna set it aside for you."
"Fine," she conceded. "You win."
"Liv, I love you," he said, spotting the look of defeat on her face. "Thank you for getting me through this whole ordeal. I couldn't do it without you."
She stood up, moving around to the other side of his desk before sitting down in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as her head rested on his shoulder. He held onto her with one hand under her knees and the other pressing her closer to his chest. With Olivia curled up in his lap, he turned the chair to face the skyline. The sun was setting later in the evening now as the autumn season progressed.
"We got lucky this time, didn't we?" she asked, her breath warm as it rose up his neck and chin. "There were gonna be endless depositions and mountains of evidence suggesting exactly what we've tried so hard to hide."
"Yeah," he whispered, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "Yeah, we dodged a bullet. A big one."
"We aren't gonna be able to dodge the next one, are we?"
The skyline of New York twinkled in the window, an array of different lights and different colors moving in sync with each other as the day neared its end. It was beautiful and sad and everything all at once. "I don't know," he answered back. Except, they both knew that he was just saying that so that he didn't have to say 'I don't think so,'
The time for them to do something was nearing. The pressure on top of them was reaching a point that neither of them could withstand much longer.
A change was coming. One that neither of them were ready for.