Fragile (Broken #2) SVU

Chapter Twenty Eight

**Olivia's POV**

I hold Sky's hand as we walk from the car to the courtroom. Sky has spent the last day or so insisting I bring her to Elliot's trial. After countless fights I'd given up trying to convince her otherwise. So here we are, click clacking down the corridor, ready to watch Elliot go down for something I did.

I haven't spoken to him since the night he came to the hospital. It's not that he's refused to see me or that I didn't want to, but I had been focusing all my energy on getting Sky better.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask her, stopping outside the courtroom door, hoping in my heart she'd ask to go home.

"Yes." She replies, staring me dead in the eye. "It's the least I can do."

I nod my head and we walk into the courtroom. There aren't many people present. Everyone has tried to keep the media away from the investigation. Even though they believe he committed a crime not one person thought what he did was wrong.

Elliot is sitting with his back to us but even from this angle I can see his dishevelled hair and weight loss. I want nothing more than to run up to him and hug him. I have to stop myself from jumping out my seat and diving into his arms.

We take a seat and almost straight away the judge bangs his hammer down. The room goes quiet, the air so silent you could hear a pin drop.

As the trial goes on I find myself zoning out, unable to listen to Elliot's lies. Lies about the crime that was in fact committed by me. A little while later, the jury disappear into the back room, about to make their decision, one that could make or break Elliot's case.

Even though I know my prayers are futile I try anyway, hoping the jury will find him not guilty. The chatter of the courtroom folds around me, tears spill down my cheeks. I look over at Sky - my beautiful daughter - who has been through so much pain. Who still, despite everything Elliot has done or not done, still wants to be here to support him. I grip her hand in mine and she looks at me, tears falling down her own cheeks.

As the jury file back into the courtroom, Sky grips my hand even harder. We stare straight ahead, as one of the jurors steps up, an envelope griped in his hands.

"How does the jury find the defendant?" Judge Barth says.

"On the count of murder, we find the defendant, Elliot Stabler, not guilty."

I suck in the biggest breath of air I can and Sky falls into my shoulder. I stroke her hair, my hand still gripped in hers.

"On the count of involuntary manslaughter even with self defence, we find the defendant guilty." The juror continues.

"No." Sky yells, getting to her feet. "He was protecting me, he was protecting everybody. No."

"Sky." I whisper, trying to pull her back down.

"No, please. Judge Barth, you can't take my dad away from me, not now I've found him again. Please."

I try to pull Sky back down but she refuses to move. I stand up, preventing her from running forward, knowing nothing good will come from it. 

"Skylar Benson, control yourself."

"Baby, come on. This isn't helping." I said, physically pushing her back down into her seat.

She puts her head in her hands, and her body begins to rack with sobs.

Elliot stares at me, and I can see that he's crying too.

"Elliot Benson. I sentence you to serve 2 years imprisonment. Take him away."

I don't have any words but Elliot stares at me, dead in the eyes and nods, before he is gone. Sky is sobbing and I wrap my arms around her.

"It's ok baby." I whisper. "It's ok."

**Elliot's POV**

I'm not shocked with my sentence - in fact it's better than I could have imagined. I expected longer but the jury seemed to have sympathy after what he did to Sky. They'd agreed to put me in solitary - at least to begin with - with me being a police officer and everything. I wasn't exactly happy about it - spending 2 years in solitary confinement is not my idea of safety.

I don't regret it, not at all. Sky needs her mother, it's going to be a hard enough battle to come back from this and Olivia needs to be there for her.

My hands are in handcuffs and I spin around to take one more look at Olivia and Sky, before the officer leads me down to the cells.