AN: This is the first part of this fic. It's not all I have written, but since all I have is the first part and another part that goes somewhere in the middle...I'm just posting this. Anyways, I'm kind of eh about it. I mean I think it sounds good, but idk if anybody's going to like it lol. Anways, read it if you like, reviews aren't necessary but would be appreciated, and I'm always open to suggestions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Law & Order: SVU or anything affiliated with NBC. If I did, Elliot and Olivia would have been paired up ALONG TIME AGO.
Also, I do not research about the towns in which my stories take place. I have no idea if they really contain the hotels/hospitals/stores/etc. that I place in them. The towns may be real, but everything else is a product of my imagination. If this offends anybody in anyways, well sorry, all I can say is don't read it then. But I hope this is not the case at all :). Enjoy.
It was your typical weekday morning in New York City; the sidewalks were crowded with people as they began their day. Men in business suits hailed cabs, the vehicles fighting to get to the curb. The sounds of engines running, horns honking, and the occasional siren filled the hazy air. Doors tinkled as customers came in and out, already making the employees work for their money. Scraps of conversation could be discerned from the city noises as people passed, either chatting to a companion or yelling into a cell phone. Just a normal morning in the big city.
Detective Olivia Benson stood on the sidewalk, leaning against the car behind her. Though she looked calm and relaxed, she was far from it. In this city, letting your guard down for even a second could prove to be an ignorant and fatal decision. Even for a Detective of the Special Victims Unit. Her long red-brown hair was kept back in a ponytail, though she occasionally flicked the stray strand out of her face. She was dressed casually; a white, long sleeved, button-up blouse, a pair of old comfy blue jeans, and the brown leather jacket she loved so much. Her brown eyes constantly moved, watching the area around her out of habit. Working for the SVU had definitely paid off after all these years, and had saved her life a time or two.
She was brought back to the present when a man approached her. He had come from the small kiosk in front of her, just off the sidewalk, two cups of coffee in his hands. He was an attractive man and, as always, Liv couldn't help but watch him. Though his hair was thinner, it was still as dark as it had been the day they had met. He too was dressed casually; a black jacket over a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He'd retained his muscular and toned self well, hadn't shrunk or wrinkled any. Lucky for him, since Olivia was fairly tall herself, and still looked to be in her early thirties. And that smile of his could still make her melt, that smile that would reach his ice blue eyes just for her. God help her, she couldn't help but drool over Elliot Stabler.
Elliot handed her one of the coffee's and stood next to her, sipping his warm brew carefully. "So what do you think this is all about, Liv?"
She shook her head and gingerly sipped at hers, feeling the warmth spread to her toes. "I have no idea, Cragen didn't go into detail. All he said was that we needed to come in when we had the time."
Elliot pondered this a moment, his eyes studying the news stand in front of him. "Sounds a little strange, don't you think?"
Olivia nodded and shrugged her shoulders. "Yes it does. I don't know El, it sounded as if he was….bewildered, I guess."
"Huh." He shook his head and turned around, setting his cup on the top of the car. He clasped his hands together, his forearms resting beside the cup. "Well, I guess we're bound to find out sooner or later." He looked over at his partner and studied her carefully. "You think he's in trouble?"
"God I hope not." She finished her coffee and looked over at Elliot, meeting his gaze. "How'd it go with Kathy last night?"
He looked down, staring at a speck of dust on the car instead, not really taking the image in. "It didn't." he finally said. "Once I finally got around to calling her back, she accused me of blowing her off. I realized then and there that it just wasn't meant to work out." He straightened up and drained his cup, his eyes returning to Olivia's. It was no secret that his marriage had been going down the drain for a long time, but for the sake of his kids he'd tried to keep it together. But, as he had said, some things are just not meant to be.
Olivia wanted to tell him that she was sorry, but the words just wouldn't come out. Instead she placed her hand on his arm and squeezed it lightly before she took their empty cups and threw them away. She walked back to their car and tossed him the keys. "Let's go before he issues a missing persons ad for the two of us."
"Well it's about time you guys showed up, I was about to get worried." Donald Cragen seemed a little irritated, but happy to see them regardless. He got up from his desk and motioned for the two to follow him.
"You did say to come when we had the time, sir." Elliot said with a slight smile.
"The two of you know better than that."
Elliot winked at Olivia behind their bosses back. "Next time we'll get you a coffee too."
"Good." He led them to the room adjacent from the interrogation room, a young woman seated at the table on the other side of the two-way glass.
Olivia studied her for a moment and looked at Cragen as the door snapped shut behind him. "What happened to her?"
"Don't know, she wouldn't say. All I do know is that she showed up about an hour ago."
"And you didn't question her?" Elliot asked incredulously. "She's been sitting in there this whole time?"
"She insisted on it, Stabler. I did question her, but she refused to say anything. I tried to get her to wait in a more comfortable room, but she said she felt safer here." Cragen shook his head and stared at the girl. "Poor thing looks scared to death. She can't be any more than fifteen."
"Why us?" Olivia asked, finally tearing her eyes away from the young woman.
"Because she asked for you two by name."
Both Elliot and Olivia stared at their boss for a moment before they looked at each other, speech eluding them. Elliot frowned slightly and Olivia arched an eyebrow, before she took one last glance at the woman. Finally Olivia took the initiative and opened the door, Elliot following close behind.
The young woman was startled at first, but was reassured by the smile on Olivia's face. Elliot let Olivia take the only empty chair in the room and stood beside her. The girl studied them carefully, as if they looked vaguely familiar, but couldn't quite place where she'd seen them before.
Olivia took the time to observe her more closely. She was a pretty blond, her hair kept back in a ponytail, like hers, only shorter. Her shirt was black, long sleeved, and snapped up the front. And she wore green cargo pants, all the pockets slack and empty. Her big blue eyes were wide, and slightly fearful, but they were also very calculating and observant. Olivia stretched her hand out to her, the smile still on her face. "Hello, sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm Detective Benson, and this is Detective Stabler, my partner."
She grasped Olivia's hand and sighed, a look of relief washing over her momentarily. "Oh thank goodness, I was afraid you were someone else. My name is Lydia Walker."
"All right Miss Walker, maybe you can fill us in on what's going on here." Elliot said kindly. "Our boss informed us that you needed to see Detective Benson and myself because it was urgent."
Lydia nodded her head and took in a deep breath. "Yes. I've come here because no one else will help me."
"Lydia have you been raped?" Olivia asked gently.
"Yes."
"Have you been to the hospital?"
"Yes ma'am, and I was treated, then asked a few questions and that was it." She said quietly.
Both Elliot and Olivia frowned at this. "I'm not sure I quite understand sweetie, what do you mean that was it? And please, call me Olivia." She added with a small smile.
Lydia smiled slightly and sighed, a frown creasing her brow. "The police that questioned me didn't find it necessary to pursue a case. There apparently wasn't any evidence where they found me, and I guess the guy wore protection, gloves, the whole nine yards." She broke off and shrugged, looking from Olivia to Elliot. "When they found me I was tied up and blind folded, and had been knocked out, but I got a half-assed glimpse at the guy, and could kind of remember what he sounded like."
"So did these cops have a sketch made up of what you could remember, or have you listened to any voice recordings? And before you call me sir, it's Elliot."
"Apparently, the guy I described didn't exist, and when they had me listen to the recordings I picked him out instantly." She shook her head and snorted disdainfully. "Only they laughed at me, because it was some politician or something. So after I was treated, the hospital released me the next day."
Olivia and Elliot were both disgusted. He grabbed the back of Olivia's chair to steady himself; he was so angry, his fingers were turning white under the strain. "And where exactly was this?"
"Quantico."
"Then why did you come here, instead of reporting it to a unit closer?" Olivia asked in disbelief. "I'm sure Quantico of all places would have a SVU unit as well, and people more qualified than the cops that questioned you."
"I did go," Lydia said in a small voice, her eyes downcast. "But they wouldn't hear me out."
"How long ago were you raped Lydia?"
"A week ago." Suddenly her demeanor changed, and she was staring at the two, her eyes hard and her body rigid. "But that's not why I'm here."
"It's not?" Elliot asked, an eyebrow raised.
"No. Yes, it was a horrible experience but there's no use dwelling on it because it doesn't do me any favors. Please believe me when I say that I have been everywhere in Quantico that there is to go, but no one will help me because no one will believe me." She leaned forward in her seat, her eyes boring into Olivia's. "I came here because the two of you are the best, and I believe that you can help me. Your faces are all over the papers, the news, magazines, everything." She looked at the two, both Elliot and Olivia nodding their heads slightly.
"You have to find this guy, because I think he's been at this for a while. I don't think I was his first victim."
"Okay, and what makes you think that sweetie?" She was silent for a moment and Olivia squeezed her hand slightly. "It's all right, you can tell us."
"When I was in the hospital," Lydia started, hesitating slightly. "Two girls were brought in. Both were young, raped, and…"
"And what? Go on, you're doing just fine." Elliot said softly.
"And they had been….mutilated the same way. I saw them when they were being rushed to the ICU. Neither of them made it." She chewed on her bottom lip and looked at them.
Elliot straightened up and eyed her doubtfully, now starting to become slightly irritated with her story; it just wasn't making much sense. "Okay so how does that connect them to you?"
Lydia closed her eyes for a moment and looked from one to the other, before looking at the two-way glass. Though it reflected the three of them, she knew Cragen was on the other side. "Because," she said finally, standing up and unsnapping her shirt. "They looked like this."
All doubts were wiped from their minds after that. Olivia covered her mouth with her hand, feeling tears well-up in her eyes. Lydia's body, from her neck down to her abdomen, was covered in gashes and scars. There was a scar that went across her jugular, the line deep and ragged. A deep gash stretched from her collar bone, across her chest, to her left side. There were deep rakes all along her ribs, and some of them were over a deep scar that ran across her stomach. Her arms were scarred and torn to ribbons, and her wrists were wrapped in bandages. She was bruised, swollen, and all the gashes were stitched, some of them healing slightly.
"Would you like to see the rest of them?" Lydia asked quietly, her own eyes glistening.
Elliot forced himself to look away, and hated himself for ever doubting the girl. He placed his hands on the table and hung his head, his arms starting to shake slightly. "And the police didn't see this as enough evidence to begin an investigation?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"No," Lydia whispered, shaking her head and snapping her shirt back up, the tears sliding effortlessly down her face. "They said it was all self-inflicted."
Olivia wanted to vomit, badly, and she did. She got up and hurried from the room, Elliot watching her go sadly. He wanted to follow her, but knew it was best to leave her alone. She came back shortly after, whispering an apology and shakily took her seat. "Do you think that the three of you, you and the two Jane Doe's, are the only ones?" he asked, rubbing Olivia's back slightly.
"No sir, I don't. From what I've read in the newspapers and heard from random conversations, there have been nearly thirty rape cases that have gone cold. They've spanned over the past five years, and there could even be more. I don't know the specifics, but I believe it's the same guy."
They all fell silent for a moment before Olivia broke the silence. "Why did you tell Cragen that this room made you feel safer?"
Lydia blushed slightly and looked down at the table. "I know that this may make me sound paranoid, but I think I'm being stalked."
"By who?" Elliot asked sharply.
"I don't know, but I see him everywhere I go, and he's always wearing a dark hoodie with the hood up. I saw him the day I got raped." She sighed and ran her hands down her face, her head back. "I had gone for a run, and saw him three times; once at the end of my street, the second time outside of an abandoned factory three miles from my house, and the last time by a newspaper stand thirty minutes the opposite direction of the factory. Then on the last stretch home I decided to take a short cut through an alley, and that's when the guy hit me." Lydia clasped her hands together and leaned forward in her seat. "The two girls that were brought in were in the same two areas I saw the mystery hoodie man."
"Was that the only day you've seen him?" he asked.
"No, like I said, he's everywhere I go. Grocery shopping, the mall, the movies, the park, the school…" she broke off and was chewing on her lip slightly. "And I think I saw him here too, across the street."
At this Elliot looked up at the mirror and nodded his head, knowing that Cragen understood. "To be honest, I'm glad that he might be here since my mother and daughter are both in Quantico."
Olivia smiled slightly, but behind it her mind was whirring. "What's your daughter's name?"
Lydia smiled and rested her chin in her hand. "Isabella, but we call her Izzy. The nurse that had been treating me in the hospital was the only decent person there, and she called my mother so someone would be at the house with her."
Elliot laughed lightly. "Was her father working at the time?"
Lydia clasped her hands and rest them in her lap, her eyes avoiding the two Detectives'. "I umm….I don't know who her father is."
Elliot frowned, but somehow Olivia had already guessed it. "The scars."
"Wait…you were-?" Elliot started, but was cut off by Lydia.
"The first time I was raped I was sixteen," She said quietly. Lydia looked back at the two, the full brunt of this poor girl's life hitting them hard. "That was three years ago. The police couldn't find my attacker then either, but at least they gave a damn when I was younger."
Their minds had been made up before they had even made it into that room. "Lydia we're going to do whatever it takes to help you, all right?" Olivia said, getting to her feet to go and kneel beside Lydia's chair, her hand squeezing the younger woman's lightly.
"You're damn right we will, and you can bet that those cops, doctor's, detective's, anyone that had been involved in your non-existent case, are going to be answering some serious questions." Elliot said angrily.
Lydia was so overwhelmed with gratitude that she threw herself into Olivia's arms, breaking down completely. Olivia held on to her tightly and rubbed her back soothingly, her own tears finally breaking free. A hand squeezed her shoulder and she looked up, Elliot gazing down at her intently. He brushed a tear from her cheek away, and nodded his head. "We're going to catch this son-of-a-bitch Liv, I promise."
