Killer

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"Why don't we start from the top? Hm?" Tucker began, his eyes blue piercing into her soft brown ones. The room was cold and her chair was a little wobbly, tactics her partner used on their suspects.

"Fire away." Olivia declared, slightly narrowing her eyes at him. Tucker tightened his lips, questions ready to roll off of his tongue.

"Let's talk about Detective Stabler," he stated. "How would you describe him?"

Olivia leaned forward a bit, never talking her eyes off of Tucker. "I would describe Detective Stabler as determined, professional, and loyal." She answered.

"How long have you known him?" He asked, already knowing the question.

"Almost fifteen years."

"And in these fifteen years, has Detective Stabler ever used unnecessary force on suspects?" Tucker quickly fired, his voice growing harder at Olivia.

"No." She spat back. She couldn't believe that they were accusing Elliot of a crime he couldn't commit. He was doing his job. Didn't they understand that?

"Never?" He repeated, his voice slightly razing a few octaves. "Not even when he nearly drowned a man?"

"He did that to save a little girl's life. She was trapped in a cooler and the perp was going to get away." Olivia quickly defended. She hated when the IAB took everything out of context. They loved trying to find way to get Elliot fired.

"What about the time when he nearly snapped a man's neck?" Tucker questioned, his blue eyes hardening at Olivia. He couldn't understand how she was defending Stabler. "Didn't Detective Stabler prop chairs against both doors to stop anyone from entering the interrogation room?"

"Detective Stabler was getting the killer to talk. He got the perpetrator to confess to killing his girlfriend, his wife, and his children. Stabler was doing his job." Olivia growled, her fists balling up and closing again and again. She wanted to leave the room. She thought this was ridiculous.

A soft smile played onto Tucker's lips as he slightly leaned back into his chair. "Didn't Stabler confess to a company psychiatrist that he thought about ways he could get away with killing suspects?"

Olivia narrowed her eyebrows while she tightened her jaw. "Those analyses were supposed to be confidential," she snapped, her brown eyes locking with Tucker's blue ones. "And he said perps, not suspects."

"Like there's a difference."

"You know there's a difference. You choose not to see it when it comes to Stabler."

There was a long silence. Olivia figured Tucker was trying to figure out a way to snap back at her, but decided against, since they were being recorded after all. "All of this evidence, Detective Benson. It all adds up, pointing to Detective Stabler as our murderer."

Olivia tensed up, anger coursing through her veins. "My partner's not a killer." She defended.

Tucker glared into her eyes. "We'll see about that."

xxx

Olivia knocked on the door, praying he was still awake. She as expected, Tucker kept her interview longer than planned. She didn't understand why the IAB couldn't see what everyone else could. What happened out in the field wasn't Elliot's fault.

The opening of the door slightly startled Olivia, bringing her back from her thoughts. "Hey, Liv." Elliot sighed, a tired smile on his face.

"Hey, I decided to come check up on ya. Mind if I come in?" She asked.

"You're always welcome, come in." He replied, opening the door wide from her. She stepped inside, slightly kicking off her shoes. She hasn't been in the Stabler household in a long time. New pictures were everywhere and it was updated recently.

"It's quiet in here." She stated, looking around at the place. Elliot lead her to the living room, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's what happens when your kids go off to college." He chuckled, sitting down on the couch. Eli was playing on the floor, quietly sucking on his pacifier. He grabbed a two cars, smashing them together, liking the noise.

"Where's Kathy?" Olivia asked, looking around the house. Usually, she's the one to answer the door. Liv and Kathy got along fine most days, but she had a feeling that Kathy never fully trusted her, even after she help her deliver Eli.

"She's upstairs sleeping," Elliot explained, leaning back against the couch. "She's tired from all of the news reporters coming to the house, demanding answers. She just wanted a little time to herself."

Liv nodded her head, understanding. She knew how annoying reporters were. She had her fair share with them. Olivia turned to look at Elliot and saw him swing back his bottle of beer. To each their own coping mechanism, she assumed. Elliot with his beer and Kathy with her sleep.

The tv was replaying the recent news, highlighting Elliot's arrest, which everyone argues was aggressive, killing the suspect. "El, why are you doing this to yourself." She asked, furrowing her eyebrows at the tv.

"I'm trying to find where I went wrong." He explained, putting down his beer.

"You shouldn't be putting yourself through this, you know you didn't kill him."

"That's not what the autopsy says." He quickly argued, his voice slightly raising.

"Warner is running more tests. We all know that you didn't kill him. I've seen you use more force on your son than you did today!" Liv defended, her voice louder than his.

"Then how did he die, Liv? Explain that to me." Elliot shouted back, his blue eyes locking with hers.

"I don't know, El, but I know it wasn't your fault. You would never kill a guy!"

"Yeah, on purpose! I would never kill someone on purpose unless it was necessary!" Elliot bellowed making Eli began to whine, crawling towards him. Elliot's face softened as Eli stood against the couch, raising his arms above his head to be held.

"Look, Liv," Elliot began in a calmer voice as he placed Eli on his lap. "I've been watching this on repeat for the last three hours. I watch myself do everything right. I don't know how he died. All I can assume is that I get too rough with him and killed him. What else could it be?"

Liv bit her lower lip, watching Eli snuggle against Elliot's chest. "I don't know, El. All I know is that it couldn't be your fault. There has to be some other explanation," she sighed. She gently rubbed Eli's head, his blue eyes looking into her brown ones. "And we're going to find it."

xxx

"I've got the results from the tests." Warner declared as she entered the squad room. Everyone quickly ran towards her, nearly plowing her over.

"Was it El's fault?" Liv quickly asked, trying to read the papers in Warner's hands.

"Nope. This guy was overdosed on every type of drug except the ones found in common tests. This guy was trying not to get his drugs found." She stated as Liv and Captain sighed in relief.

"So Stabler should be back in the next twenty four hours?" Munch questioned, hoping someone would answer him.

"Yes. IAB will let him back by tomorrow." Liv widely smiled, looking back at him and Fin. Liv quickly pulled out her phone,calling Elliot. She had to tell him the good news.

~~~~~~~~~~

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