He's lost count of the number of calls that have led him to a place like this. And he isn't sure that he wants to figure it out. If anything, it'll probably make things worse than they already are. But as far as he's concerned, things can't possibly get any worse than this.
Their latest victim is a child. As sad as it sounds, cases like the one he and his partner are about to investigate aren't rare. And it annoys the hell out of both of them. They understand a lot of things, but how anyone can hurt a child is not one of those things. It probably never will be.
So they cross the crime scene tape and as they do, he looks over at her, but says nothing. The expression on her face is unreadable, but he knows what she's thinking. After all, he's thinking the same thing.
The Crime Scene Unit technicians ignore them, but the medical examiner doesn't. As she begins to speak, he allows his eyes and thoughts to wander, knowing that his partner is listening. Their latest scene is a peaceful one, oddly enough, considering what has taken place here. It's raining, so the nearby playground is deserted. The swings move back and forth with the wind. He watches them, and from where he is standing, he can hear the chains rattling.
He can also hear Olivia's voice in his ear. It's obvious that she knows he wasn't listening to Melinda and now that the body is gone, it's up to her to tell him what they're not supposed to know. This time, he listens. After all, it wouldn't do if he didn't now what she knows when they return to the squad room.
It isn't long before she notices that he's distracted by something, but by this time, she's finished relaying information, and so she falls silent. At this pint, her eyes follow his gaze, and upon realizing that he's looking at the playground, she gives a faint smile and reaches out to lace her fingers through his. He looks down at her, but remains silent, and after a few seconds, he looks back towards the playground and closes his eyes.
And for a minute, he can hear the sound of innocence…the sound of laughter.
A/N: For the record, if you're thinking that the partnership in this is Elliot and Olivia, you're wrong...It's Munch and Liv. Anyways, now that I've said my piece, let me just say that SVU is not mine and I shall go.