A/N: Let me just say it's been quite a fun ride. I had a kick in writing the Joker and adding Penguin to the story. Your responses have been what kept me going and I love ya'll for that!"

Now, we come to the last chapter of the story, which all of you have been patiently waiting for. Several things get wrapped up here, yet there will be some foreshadowing for the sequel.

As a note, what the Joker reveals in the trial will explain a main plot point in the sequel. Also, Penguin's lawyers are a mixture of SVU defense attorneys and real life ones from the OJ, Casey Anthony, and Kermit Gosnell (worst one of the bunch) murder trials.

Disclaimer: As you already know…

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Chapter 42: At Last

1.5 Years Later

The courtroom descended into a chilling silence as the twelve ordinary men and women entered, taking their seats to the left of the judge. Oswald C. Cobblepot, the man who had ran Gotham and many cities on the East Coast (a month after taking over several crime bosses mysteriously disappeared across the country) virtually singlehandedly for the past one-and-a-half years, sat in his chair with a smug grin on his face, confidant in an acquittal.

What chilled Captain Olivia Benson of Gotham City MCU to the bones was the fact that an acquittal was likely given the circumstances. The month-long trial had been a virtual media circus, drawing press attention from as far away as Japan and Israel. Special Prosecutor Casey Novak had presented the city's case quite well, going in depth in Penguin's rise to power, his alliance with the Joker, and the atrocities committed since assuming sole control of the Gang of Seven after the end of the Joker's reign of terror and the demise of Harvey Dent. Lead defense council Trevor Langan (backed up by a who's who of celebrity lawyers such as Marvin Exley, Bayard Ellis, Carl Douglas, Jose Baez, Jack McMahon, Orville Underwood, and Marty Berger) shredded several key eyewitnesses on the stand, including Elliot, Lt. Jim Gordon (the primary on the case) and herself. Then the asshole had the gall to ask her out to dinner afterwards. 'What a slug.'

Bringing out their case, Underwood and Douglas all hammered MCU over police misconduct, dredging up old cases making Briscoe, Fin, and Dana all look like dirty cops. Witnesses were brought in and subjected to passionate questioning by Ellis regarding the corruption of the MCU detectives Breslin and Beck; Casey had preempted them by connecting Penguin to the dirty cops through Elliot's testimony but Olivia was certain there was enough doubt in who they worked for to confuse a jury. Baez and Exley challenged the DNA evidence, bringing in a collection of credentialed European and American scientists with lists of awards as long as her arm to discredit the prosecution. Casey brought several rebuttal witnesses with similar credentials but Olivia knew when it became a battle of the experts even judges got headaches. McMahon played at the heartstrings of the jury when Penguin testified, trying to paint the waddling megalomaniac as some kind of humanitarian. To her credit Casey fought back hard but Penguin wouldn't crack on the stand.

Lastly, in a legal masterpiece, Berger brought in the defense's star witness, the Joker. Clad in chains with four MP-5 armed officers surrounding him, the crazed psychopath recounted how he was the one responsible for everything and how Sal Maroni and the others were the ones who hired him. A scene from Casey's cross played in Olivia's mind time and time again.

Casey: "So you're saying that Mr. Cobblepot was not a participant in your deal with the Gang of Seven."

Joker: "That's correct [licks side of mouth]."

Casey: "So how then were you able to get a dime so to speak on people like Darius Parker or Andre Bushido?"

Berger: "Objection! Speculation."

Casey: "The witness opened the door your honor."

Judge Mourdock: "Overruled. Answer the question Mr. Joker."

Joker: [grins evilly] "Everyone has their price Miss Novak. To get what they desire, lest it be what people like you would call good or evil, everyone has a price to which they will gladly sacrifice their loyalties or convictions."

He had then stared at Olivia in a way that made her cringe, his black eyes twinkling with knowledge. 'He knows,' was all she thought. Casey's next question was met with howling laughter forcing the judge to remove the Joker, but that look haunted her till this very day. He might not know about Bruce but he knew about her, she was sure of it.

Each side, Casey for the people and Langan for the defense, made their closing arguments the next day and the matter went for the jury; that had been nearly a week ago. Now it was the moment of truth.

The foreman handed the verdict to the bailiff, who took it to Judge Mourdock. He unfolded it, read it with a face that betrayed nothing, and had the bailiff take it back. "Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have your honor."

"Will the defendant please rise." Still grinning, Penguin rose along with his eight lawyers and the prosecution, Casey and her second chair Rafael Barba, interim Gotham DA. "On the first count of the indictment, Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the death of EADA Alexandra Cabot, how does the jury find?"

"We find the defendant, Oswald C. Cobblepot, guilty."

Penguin's face contorted in complete, disbelieving shock as every cop in the room let out a whoop. The Judge and the jury foreman continued with the list of charges which included three more murders, several kidnapping counts, and a conspiracy to commit wire fraud but getting him on Alex's murder alone was enough to see him out of commission forever.

Olivia reached over and shook hands with Lt. Gordon, the rookie detective now her second in command with a bright career ahead of him. Turning to shake hands with Elliot she let out a slight gasp as he enveloped her in a huge hug, not that she minded much. He had been the only stabilizing factor in her life in the past year with all that was going on with Bruce; hell, she was godmother to his year old son.

By the time the Judge was ready to impose sentence, Penguin was fuming, his eyes red with anger. "Mr. Cobblepot, according to the newly enacted provisions of the Harvey Dent Organized Crime Act, I sentence you to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, while someone convicted of this offense would normally spend their days rotting in Blackgate Prison, I believe you are too much a risk to society to warrant such leniency. Therefore, after careful deliberation with Attorney General Gonzales, I sentence you to spend the rest of your life in Florence Supermax Penitentiary in solitary confinement (A/N: This is a real prison which holds the Federal Government's most dangerous criminals, such as World Trade Center Bomber Ramzi Yousef and Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols). Bailiff, take the prisoner into custody. This court is adjourned."

As the court officers strode forward to cuff and remove Penguin, the former mob boss turned around and glared at the three cops in the front row as well as Casey. His cheeks and forehead were red with anger, but his mouth was formed into a smirk. "So you think it's done? You think you can take me down? Ha. You'll see, I will rise again. Not you, not your buddy prosecutors, nor those two caped fools will be able to stop me when I do. Waugh, Waugh, Waugh, Waugh…" The guards hauled him out while he chuckled.

"Well," breathed Elliot once Penguin was gone, "Thank God that's over!"

"You said it commissioner," replied Gordon. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go home to Barbara. Jim Jr. is teething and it's my turn to deal with it." He groaned and rolled his eyes, earning a sympathetic chuckle from Elliot.

"I'd like to say it gets easier Gordon, but it doesn't." The Lt. glared at his boss before leaving. "Good job Casey," said Elliot to the read-headed special prosecutor, who was gathering her things.

"Thanks Elliot. I'll tell you, it was nice getting back into the swing of things for a bit, but frankly fundraising for DAs is far less tiring than being one." Both Elliot and Olivia laughed at that, walking out together into the hailstorm of press outside.

The media were all angling for Elliot, who as Police Commissioner outranked the two ladies. "Commissioner, what does today's ruling mean for the future of the Dent Act?"

Olivia could notice the split-second grief behind Elliot's eyes regarding that. He had banged himself up countless times in the last eighteen months regarding the circumstances of Harvey Dent's death (though he had no idea she knew). Any lesser man would have been happy at the good it did and not lost a wink of sleep but Elliot was Elliot, a moral man to the core; that was one of the reasons Olivia respected him as much as she did. "Today's sentencing is a shining example of how the criminal justice system is supposed to work. Thanks to the Dent Act city, state, and federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies have cut the very heart out of organized crime. Oswald Cobblepot is the latest of over 5,000 convictions since the Dent Act was passed…"

Escaping the media feeding frenzy, Olivia and Casey scrambled outside to the courthouse steps. In the time passed since Alex died, Casey and Olivia became fast friends working on the Dent Act prosecutions, Olivia confiding in her things that she had only confided with Alex before. "So Case, what's on the agenda for tonight?"

"Well, I think a certain basket of wings has my name on it. Care to join me?"

Before Olivia could respond, a tall figure with brown hair and a stoic face strode up to them. "Congratulations on the verdict Olivia, Miss Novak."

Olivia looked at the figure and frowned. "What are you doing here Dean?" she asked.

Dean Ported scowled back, his eyes not masking his anger. "I was just being polite, now if you will excuse me, I have to talk to the Commissioner." Rudely, the head of the FBI Gotham field office brushed passed them into the courthouse.

"What an asshole," said Olivia. He had acted this way all throughout the Dent Act investigations, obviously still pissed at how she rejected him the night the Joker first made his appearance. She still hadn't put a finger on what made him so familiar to her, but she had decided long ago that he wasn't worth it.

"I have no idea what you saw in him."

"Me neither."

"Hmph. Anyway, are you in?"

"While nothing sounds better to me than a platter of hot wings Case, I have somewhere else to be right now."

"Are you sure?" At Olivia's nod she smiled sadly at her. "You should tell him Liv."

"Huh?" asked Olivia, not knowing where Casey was taking this.

"Your Billionaire friend. You should tell him you love him."

Olivia blushed bright red; she had told Casey this in confidence eight months ago when Bruce's depression was at a very bad point, and she had rarely talked about it since. "Case, I… I can't."

"Why? Come on Liv, it would save you a whole lot of heartache. I may not have known Cabot that well, but I certainly know she wouldn't want you to suffer nor him to stay depressed over her forever. Tell him."

"It's not that simple Casey. He's in a very dark emotional state right now. Me telling this might set him over the edge."

"You're killing yourself Liv. Even if he doesn't love you back, which he'd be an idiot to do, then maybe it'll be just the kick he needs to get on with his life."

Her heart was palpitating out of control. "I need to go," she stammered, running away. Casey rolled her eyes. 'When is she going to realize the obvious?'

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The church was empty as always on a weekday afternoon. Light streaming through the stained glass windows to form colorfully twisted shapes on the tile floor, Olivia sat in the back row of pews, her mind racing. She came here every time she needed a quiet place to get away from it all, a habit picked up in those dark days in her abusive mother's care. Now, as it did back then, the very same church always comforted her just being in it.

The last year and a half since Alex's death had been the worst time of Olivia's life, topping her late childhood and the seven years Bruce left. The man she loved had cut his public appearances down to the bare minimum (neither of them had made any "spelunking" excursions since Harvey Dent died), his heart not in it anymore. He spent most of his days locked up in his suite of rooms at Wayne Manor, living the life of a recluse. It had been a while since she'd seen him last, and every day was a day hoping, praying that the inevitable suicide didn't occur.

Sobbing quietly, she bent her head to pray. "God, please, show me what I have to do. I am so lost. Help me realize what you want of me. Please." After nothing happened for about ten seconds, she put her face in her hands and wept.

Olivia was startled out of her sadness by a warm hand on her shoulder. "Need some company?" she heard Elliot say, seeing a sad smile on his face through her watery eyes.

Nodding, he slid beside her and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, Olivia snuggling into his chest. "Thank you El," she whispered, silently thanking God for his friendship. "I needed that."

"That's what friends are for Liv. Never thought I'd see you here though."

"What? A church?"

"You seem to give off the impression that you aren't religious."

Now she was a bit miffed. "Just because I don't go to church every Sunday like you Elliot doesn't mean I'm an Atheist. I just prefer that my relationship with God be just between me and Him, no one else."

"Well said Liv, I'll be sure to remember that. Now, please tell me what's bothering you."

She looked away, "Nothing."

"Is it about your friend Bruce Wayne?"

Shocked, she looked him in the eye. "Casey told you?" He nodded sheepishly. "I'll kill her."

"Relax Liv," Elliot replied chuckling. "I am a detective remember."

"I don't follow."

"The way you talk about him, how you defend even his most ridiculous actions like getting drunk and burning his house down or renting a whole 747 to take himself to South Africa for three hours." She tried not to blush at the last one, which was only a cover to get her unseen into Cape Town so she could capture an arsonist connected to Bushido. "I'm surprised you haven't said anything yet, it being so obvious to anyone who knows you well enough."

"It's not that obvious," she whispered, suddenly embarrassed.

Elliot grinned the cocky Stabler grin. "I'm sorry Liv, but it is. Don't be embarrassed by it. Love is a beautiful thing that is always worth the risk. Go and tell him."

"I can't Elliot, what if he doesn't love me back. We're best friends; I can't jeopardize that."

Sighing, Elliot leaned back into the pew and stared at the carving of Jesus on the cross hanging over the altar. "Liv, I know that your life has been full of hardships and stuff that no one should ever see. Believe me, I know. It can sometimes make you want to always take the safe route and never risk anything. Sort of like 'Never try never fail.' Please Liv, for your own sake don't do that to yourself. You of all people deserve to be happy. As we used to tell the rape victims, no one who tells the truth ever regrets it."

Olivia looked at the Elliot, then at the cross, then back at Elliot again. He was right. Smiling softly, she kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks El. You always had my back."

"You're welcome Liv." As she exited the pew, only stopping to cross herself, he called out to her. "Oh by the way, when you have your wedding, can Eli be the ring bearer?"

A sly smirk crossed her face. "Don't cross your chickens before they hatch El, but why wouldn't my godson be my ring bearer?" She left with a smile on her face and a determined spring in her step. Church always made her feel better.

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Scrambling down the staircase, Alfred wondered who was at the door. Not many people had come to pay Master Bruce a visit since Wayne Manor opened its doors again, not that he blamed them. If he didn't care for that man like his own son he wouldn't want to spend time with him either. The bell rang again.

"Coming," he called out, straightening his blazer and tie. Opening the door, he smiled at the one person he wished would come more often. "Miss Olivia do come in. It's always a pleasure to see you."

"Thanks Uncle Alfred," replied Olivia, taking off her coat and hanging it on an ornate mahogany coat hanger. "I'm sorry I haven't been visiting as much as I could."

"That's quite alright. I know you've been busy what with the trial and all, and I must say good show with that. Bastard got exactly what he deserved."

"That he did." Olivia's eyebrows furrowed. "You watched the trial?"

"Every day on court TV with Master Bruce. The only thing that can get him out of his state is you Olivia."

She was floored by this. "What," she said with the tears returning.

"Yes, the only times he gets out of his study and does anything besides sit around like a bedridden invalid is when you're here or something regarding you is on the Telly. When the Joker said what he said during the trial, I swear he went as white as a sheet. Kept mumbling, 'Please let it be me, don't let it be Liv.'"

Olivia couldn't believe her ears. Could she have been wrong about him all these years? Did he really love her? 'No,' she shook her head mentally. 'No one could love me.' She was going to tell him the truth but she was under no illusions. "Where is he now?"

The old butler beamed and pointed upstairs. "He's in his father's study." She hugged him and ran upstairs, feet leaping two steps at a time. Alfred couldn't help but smirk, for it appeared to him that Alex had been right all along and he wrong. He just hoped against all hope that the two would figure it all out and live happily ever after, no matter how cheesy it sounded.

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A/N: And now the moment you all have been waiting for!

Hesitantly, Olivia touched the knob to the study for the seventh time in the last ten minutes. 'For Christ's sake Benson! You've tangled with mobsters, serial rapists, and crazed psychopathic mass murderers; how could you be this scared?' It was just... it was Bruce, the man she loved more than life itself. She was about to confess that love to him and it terrified her.

Sucking in a deep breath, she turned the handle and walked in. The sight before her made her do a double take. The curtains were drawn, plunging the room into darkness. Bruce sat in an armchair in the darkest corner, clad in a ratty bathrobe that made him look like some homeless guy (she still found him so handsome it was a sin but that wasn't the point). Alfred was right he did clean up for her. "Oh Bruce," she said heartbroken.

He looked up sadly, quickly looking back down. "Please leave me Liv. Go celebrate your victory with someone less broken." She didn't deserve to see him in the mess he was in, the guilt he felt over Alex's death. She deserved to be happy and she would never be that way with him in her life.

"Why do you say that? You're my best friend."

"I'm a mess Liv. I betray the people I care about the most and turn them into target practice for the scum of Gotham."

Olivia knelt down in front of him, eyes welling up with unshed tears. "That's not true Bruce. Alex's death was not your fault. She loved you and she wouldn't want you to live like this. Please let me help you."

"I'm beyond help Olivia, so please leave me. I wish I was a better man for your sake but God knows I'm not."

This was breaking her heart. "Bruce please!" she begged, willing him to look at her. "I have something to tell you. Lord knows that it might ruin our friendship since you don't feel the same way, but if it has just a miniscule, greater than zero chance that it might help you out of this mess then I have to say it. I… I… I…" In her mind, she heard her mother yelling "You are nothing, you are a useless piece of trash that no one could ever love!" while another voice that sounded like Elliot screaming even louder "Tell him Olivia! You deserve love!"

She blinked away the tears and practically shouted "I love you!" (A/N: Finally!) He looked at her with the green eyes she found irresistible, but for the first time in her life she couldn't tell what was behind them. "I love you Bruce. I have since we were young. I may not have realized it for so long but I do, I do." He just sat there, his mouth closed and his eyes still the enigma she had no experience with. "I'm sorry. I just had to say it," she said through the tears and the sobs, standing and motioning to leave.

A forceful grip on her hand stopped her in her tracks. Before she could say anything Olivia was roughly turned around and a set of lips crashed into hers. She was completely and utterly stunned, but soon closed her eyes and melted into his embrace. 'He's kissing me. Bruce Wayne is kissing me!'

The kiss was chaste but passionate at the same time, but eventually it had to be broken. Bruce had a sweet smile on his face. "I love you too." (A/N: Again, finally!)

Her mouth hung open. "But, but… no one could ever love me," she whispered the last part.

"Your mother was wrong Liv. There is no one in the world that is more deserving of love than you."

"But you love Alex." She just couldn't believe it.

"It was always you Olivia, from the beginning. That was why I could never go the extra distance with her, because I couldn't get a certain gorgeous detective out of my mind."

Olivia blushed at his comment. He was such a charmer. "I'm not gorgeous."

"You are Liv, and I am going to prove it to you for the rest of my life. I do not deserve you in the slightest, but I love you so much and am never letting you go."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his. "Listen to me Bruce Wayne, you are a good man who deserves the best in life, and I promise to do my best to give it to you. I love you and am never letting you go either."

They smiled at each other for what seemed like hours. "Is this real?" he asked.

"I hope so, but I am going to say yes," she said back, leaning in to kiss him again.

The kiss started out like the last one and then it deepened, both melding themselves to the other. They both knew that this was where they belonged.

To be Continued

A/N: And that is that! Congratulations to all that waited patiently, but I'm afraid the fun hasn't ended. The sequel is coming up, and you all know what that means! BANE! Also, Penguin will make his return and a major SVU character will be batting for the League of Shadows to avenge Cragen. Stay tuned for Law & Order: The Dark Knights Rise next week.

As you all know, I'm also branching out of crossovers into mainline SVU, and to all the fans out there I will have a new story out soon called Prey. It's an EO story because except for crossover shenanigans that's the only main ship I will ever do for SVU. It's going to be an action packed ride mixed in with fluff just like this one, so please check it out.

And now for the ending quote:

"Come now [my fanfiction fans] now is not the time for fear. That comes later."

Please Review!