Subway

Disclaimer: I do not own any Law and Order: SVU characters.

A/N: A little J/O one piece.

John Munch leaned against the metal pole, surveying the crowd through shaded eyes. The subway train smelled of food, urine and too many sweaty bodies packed into one place at once. He could see Olivia across the row, reading a magazine while surreptiously looking over the top every few minutes. She wore her growing hair in a ponytail, showing the sharp angles of her face and the soft curve of her neck. She was supposed to be undercover, but her hand kept straying unconsciously to where her gun was and she kept a rigid posture. No one was fooled. She just exuded cop.

Meeting his gaze, she raised one eyebrow. They have been riding for about 3 hours, and they had no luck with their subway rapist. Hooded jacket, sunglasses, it could be the Unabomber for all they knew. Their only chance was catching him in the act.

On the next stop, a young man got on the subway. He wore a hooded jacket and dark sunglasses.

Bingo.

Looking around, the man spotted a blond girl lounging on the seat next to the door, who was a policewoman deployed to lure him. Looking at John, Liv inclined her head toward the man. He nodded and casually made his way through the car, while Liv folded her magazine and also made her way towards him. The young man looked nervous now, his eyes darting between them. Crap Munch thought, he knew something was up. They started to close in on him and……he went sprawling on the floor as the subway suddenly lurched to a stop. Getting up, he caught a glimpse of the man sliding through the connecting door to the next car before the lights went out.

The lights flickered back and forth, and the train lurched and groaned along the track. Finally it gave a long moan similar to a dying beached whale and lurched to a stop. The lights flickered off.

Munch crawled around, hunting for his glasses which he was blind without. Finding them after about 10 minutes hunting around, he put them on, and the medley of blurred shapes sharpened into the restless people in the dim train. The restlessness and rustling increased as the interior got hot and uncomfortable. Getting up he saw Liv slip through the door and just by looking at her face he knew they had lost the possible perp. Offering her hand she merely said "Come lets get out of here before we all die of heat stroke." Taking the proffered hand, he got up.

Making his way through the dim interior, Munch felt for the door. Perspiration ran in his eyes as he struggled to open the door. Slim hands appeared besides him and with their combined efforts the door creaked open. He stepped precociously onto the platform, taking care not to touch the slimy walls, followed by Liv and many other people who were on the train. They were making their way on the slimy platform when there was a squeak, followed by a scream and a hand gripping his. Olivia, tough ass cop who could wrestle down three hundred pound men and look at things that would make most grown men cry like babies, screamed like a schoolgirl as a rat scurried through her legs. Munch couldn't help but grin, his eyes full of mischief as he looked at Olivia.

"Rats? That's what you're afraid off?" He said in a strained voice as he restrained laughter. Looks like he owed Fin some money.

She gave him a cutting glare, cut short by another scream as the vermin twined around her legs. "If you tell anyone about this, I will cheerfully find you in some alley and make you regret your words." She warned. Looking sidelong at her through his glasses he thought he wouldn't mind meeting her in a deserted alley somewhere, but he wisely held his tongue in fear of what she would do to him if he dared utter such a comment.

"Don't worry; this is way too great to share with Fin and the others. Besides, I'm afraid to think about what you would do to me if I told" He shuddered in mock terror, and succeeded in getting a bark of laughter from her.

Followed by a troop of people, they slowly made their way in the dark subway. Through the dim lights he saw Olivia mutter under her breath, a sheen of sweat on her face. Munch had to give it to her, she had guts. She never screamed again, just shuddering when a particularly wicked rat brushed her. Though he didn't have a watch, he guessed it was about half an hour before they found the grubby door marked To Street Level opening it, they made their way up to the glaring sunlight.

Blinking in the light, he knew that Liv was vainly looking for the man on the subway, but he was long gone. Hope wasn't lost though, he would come back and when he did Fin and Elliot would be there to greet them.

It wasn't until they had walked three blocks towards the precinct that they realized they were still holding hands.

So? Reviews welcome! .