Black eyes, Blue tears

12

It had been 3 days since the swat team had entered the Cassidy home and arrested everyone. Olivia and eve had been at a hotel awaiting her time to testify against her now ex husband since bell had divorce papers pushed through quickly over the last few days. Olivia was extremely nervous that morning knowing today was the day she had to testify. Eve and olivia had been guarded by elliot and a couple other detectives from the organized crime unit but she still feared Brian or someone connected to him would come after her or worse thier daughter. She was in the bathroom with shaking hands as she tried to apply light makeup with 4 year old eve watching her. "Are you going somewhere mama?" She asked.

"Just for a bit baby but Ms. Jet has offered to watch you. You like her right?" Olivia asked with a fake smile to hide her fear.

"Yes mama she's nice. So is Mr. Elliot" she giggled "he played tea party with me yesterday."

Olivia smiled rwbering the encounter between Elliot and her daughter the day before. He seemed great with kids. "Yes he did and that was very nice of him."

"Daddy never plays tea party with me. He says pretend is stupid." Eve said looking down.

Olivia hated that not only had Brian destroyed her self esteem but had been trying to do the same to eve. "Playing pretend is nice sweetheart it doesn't make you stupid. " She said running her fingers in her daughters hair.

A knock came to the bathroom door as a male cops voice said "Mr. Stabler is here to escort you and your daughter to trial ma'am."

She cleared her throat and said "yes I'll be out in just a moment." She replied and quickly did her daughters hair in to pig tails and took her hand "ok my love let's go." She said and walked out with her daughter in toe.

After arriving to testify, jet took eve and went to distract her as elliot stood with olivia hopeing to calm her nerves. "Just tell the trust olivia and everything is going to be ok." Elliot said.

Olivia looked up at him and nodded as thier hands touched slightly and olivia felt butterflies in her stomach.

As olivia walked in and sat at the witness stand the prosecution started thier questioning. Once she had answered all his questions truthfully then the defence attorney stood to begun his questioning. The whole time the lawyer questioned her Brian was stareing at her drilling his angry eyes right in to her as her hands were shaking slightly and a few of the questions got jumbled and confusing due to her brain being split between the lawyers questions and Brian's glares. Once she was let go she rushed out of the courtroom and to the nearest bathroom. She leaned over the sink trying to steady her breath. She hadn't realized just how terrifying it had been to go against a man she was so scared of to begin with.

Elliot sighed seeing her rush away to the bathroom and he waited outside the bathroom door for her to finally emerge. When she did he touched her arm gently a like always she flinched slightly. "You did great olivia." He assured her.

"It didn't feel like it. It felt like he was ready to jump over the table and kill me right there." She sighed wiping the few tears that escaped her eyes.

"Well he'll be going to prison and you and eve can start a new life and do what you want." He said.

She shook her head "and what's that going to look like? I've never even had a job in my life....Brian never let me work...unless you include passing me around like a party favor to all his friends and clients." She said looking down.

Elliot lifted her chin. "I will help you figure it out. I promise I won't abandon you like everyone else in your life has." He said only then realizing how intimate that sounded.

She looked in his blue pools that were his eyes and smiled softly. "I don't know why your so kind to me."

He half smiled "because....you deserve so much more than you've ever been given."