the heiress ( law & order: svu fanfiction )

chapter four

Chapter Four – Standing on A Frozen Lake

Maddie was grateful to Amanda for letting her stay at her apartment while her life had fallen apart, but she knew that it was time to go home.

And that was where she found herself. Standing in the courtyard that she'd avoided for two weeks, staring at the spot where she was attacked.

"Maddie? Are you alright?" Walter, the doorman, asked as he walked over to her.

Nodding, she looked up at him. "Yes, I'm okay. Thank you." And she was, for the most part. "There's just a lot of emotion I wasn't prepared for in being back here."

Truth be told, no matter how prepared she thought she was, Olivia had warned her that it would still be a big step. How right she was.

Making her way into the building, Maddie made sure to press the button for the elevator opposite the one she'd taken two weeks prior. "Maddie. There is a letter here from the Board of Directors at your company. They dropped it off for you last week." Walter walked over to her, the envelope outstretched in his hand.

"Thank you, Walter. Also, if a woman named Rita Calhoun happens to come by, can you make sure that she is escorted off the property?" She asked, holding the elevator doors open.

Walter nodded, tipping his cap. "Of course, Maddie."

Riding the elevator to the top floor, Maddie fiddled with the envelope for a moment before opening it.

Quickly reading it over, they had apologized for allowing Daniel to run the company as long as he had. They also apologized for what had happened to her, stating that if she needed anything, they would do their best to help.

Unlocking the door, Maddie had expected the place to be tossed from top to bottom. But instead, she saw her friends standing in the kitchen, making what she could tell was jambalaya and everything else in the apartment was spotless. And new.

"Hey..." Maddie raised an eyebrow, setting the letter and her bag down on the kitchen island. "What's all this?"

Maya, who'd been reading the recipe aloud, turned when she heard Maddie's voice. "You're home!" She smiled, rushing towards her friend and wrapping her up in a tight hug.

Maddie smiled, hugging her back as the rest of the group came over to them. "You know one of you should make sure you don't burn the jambalaya." She laughed, looking around at her friends.

"Well we wanted to make your homecoming as easy as we could. The Board of Directors reached out to us and they had everything in here replaced, after they got permission from the DA's Office and the NYPD." Becca explained.

Maddie smiled softly. It truly amazed her how much her friends cared for her. "You guys are amazing. Thank you, for everything."

Tyler threw his arm over Maddie's shoulders, still being mindful of the fact that she could still be uncomfortable. "Mads, as long as you have us, you don't have to do anything alone. Now, go change, we'll finish up dinner."

Walking up the stairs, Maddie could feel her heart sinking further and further with each step. Closing her eyes at the top of the stairs, she took a few deep breaths.

"Mads?" She heard Maya's voice behind her.

Turning around, she looked to her friend, tears falling down her cheeks before she let out a choked sob. "He ruined my life."

Wrapping her arms around Maddie, Maya carefully led her into her room. "No, he didn't, Mads. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. You aren't doing this alone, you have us. And you have Amanda, and from what we could see, the detectives on Lieutenant Benson's team are ready to take Daniel down."