She was terrified. As her captor's hands abused her skin, his face leered at her. Suddenly, a strong voice interrupted the man's brutal crime.
"Let her go!" Her savior yelled viciously.
Her captor pulled the scarf around her neck tighter, so that she was struggling for air. She vaguely thought both voices were familiar, but was still rather groggy from the chloroform she had been forced to inhale.
"No!" The man yelled, "Please, just let her go, I'll do anything. Just let her go!" He pleaded once more.
Her captor stared at the man; he really had no idea of what he had fallen into. The captor decided to entertain the man's hope.
"You'll do whatever I say, if I let her go?" The captor asked, still holding the scarf tight around her neck.
"Yes," the man said quickly, "I'll do anything."
Coming out of her catatonic state, she recognized the voice trying to free her.
"No," she whispered, using most of her strength, "No, Elliot, go. I'll be fine. Go!"
Elliot stared at her in disbelief. Did she honestly expect him to leave her with a rapist?
"Liv, I'm not leaving. I don't care what you say. I'm not leaving you here with this animal." He stated strongly.
"Shut up!" the man yelled, "You," he said pointing a gun suddenly at Elliot; "You go over there and enjoy the show." He motioned for Elliot to take a seat across the other side of the room.
Elliot remained motionless. He was not about to let this pig rape Olivia in front of him, he wasn't going to let anyone rape Olivia, period.
"Come on," he said coaxingly toward the masked man, "If we end this now, you can come out of here unhar-". He didn't get to finish his sentence as the man had charged at Elliot with a cloth soaked in chloroform.
The last coherent thought he had was he had to save Olivia.
Captain Cragen walked into the squad room feeling distinctly happy and enlightened.
"Morning Munch," he said exuberantly, "Morning Fin."
"Morning Cap," they echoed simultaneously, obviously suspicious of their captain's sudden good humor.
As the captain entered his office, his good mood evaporated instantly.
"Munch, Fin. Get in here now" he screamed anxiously.
Both Munch and Fin shared a confused look and headed toward the captain's office. However, just shy of the door, both stopped, unable to believe what they were viewing.
Inside the captain's office, a TV had a live feed from another source. On the TV, was a man engaged in sexual activity with someone who was obviously fighting him. As they heard the woman yell and the man moved, all three occupants of the room gasped, shocked at the identity of the woman.
It was clear the woman, Olivia, was fighting a loosing battle as her struggle became less vicious and her kicks, punches and slaps lacked energy. The three men watched the images in a horrified trance, only stepping out when a voice in the doorway gasped.
"Oh God," Casey whispered, horrified "Oh my God!" She suddenly burst into hysterical sobs, sliding down the wall, until she sat with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, which were drawn up against her chest.
"Munch," Cragen said, issuing commands "help Casey and call Elliot. Fin, you tell Huang and contact TARU."
Both men nodded solemnly before leaving with Casey.
The captain sunk at the desk. He couldn't believe it. How had he let the woman he considered a daughter get captured?
A sudden ring from the screen alerted is attention back to the disturbing images. He quickly looked outside his office to see Munch on the phone, obviously talking to voicemail. If Elliot wasn't answering his cell, he was in trouble. And considering that he and Olivia were rarely apart, Cragen was willing to bet his pension that Elliot was somewhere in the same room as Olivia.
A voice came across the video feed, which Don quickly identified as Elliot's.
"Get away from her you son-of-a-bitch!" Elliot screamed racing across the room and into view of the camera.
Don watched in horror as two of his best detectives were brutally beaten and Olivia was once again raped.
"Captain," came Munch's voice, sounding more troubled than before, "I can't get hold of Elliot on his cell."
"Munch," Don interrupted before the worried detective could continue, "Elliot's with Liv. Look," he said quietly.
Munch's gaze immediately shifted to the television screen.
"No," he muttered, "No, it can't be!" Munch was clearly distraught, his gaze not trained on the unconscious detectives but the man still beating them.
"What?" Cragen asked anxiously, "What is it?"
"That guy. I know that guy. He was one of Olivia's ex-boyfriends." He paused, "Damn it! I can't remember his name. Liv said he was a bit paranoid and jealous but it was nothing to worry about. I should have insisted she have him charged or at least have a restraining order against him. Damn it!"
"John," Don said firmly, "There was nothing you could have done. You know Olivia, she's headstrong. She would have just ignored you. Now, please, just try to remember the guy's name instead of beating yourself up."
Munch nodded dejectedly and walked over to his desk before staring into space, obviously in deep thought.
Before Cragen's gaze could return to the screen, Fin walked into his office, closely followed by Huang.
"George, any idea's what he might do? Who he is? What he wants? Cragen asked the psychiatrist quickly.
"Let me watch for a little while, and I'll have a better idea. Do you know anything about him?"
"Munch recognized him to be one of Olivia's old boyfriends who he suggested to Liv to take out a restraining order, or to be arrested. But you know Liv, stubborn as can be. She refused. Said it wasn't a problem. He's trying to remember who he is now." Cragen answered quickly, hoping it would be of help to Huang in his psychological insight into the perp's behavior.
Upon hearing this, Fin raced out the door and headed to Munch, who was still thinking desperately. As Fin whispered something, Munch gasped and nodded before both of them headed in the direction of Cragen's office.
"Cap," Munch began, excitedly, "his name's Nick Ganzner. He's a reporter for the New York Ledger. He dated Liv during the 'Subway Rapist' case but wouldn't let go of her when she broke up with him. During a couple of other cases, he's harassed her, threatened her among other things.
Cragen nodded, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth, "You and Fin go pick him up and Huang –"
Don was abruptly cut off by a loud booming voice coming from the television set.
"So now that you know who I am, don't try to find me. You won't. I didn't leave a paper trail, I used aliases, and I'm not going to familiar ground. You won't find me, and don't try to analyze me, it won't get you far." He said mockingly.
"How does he -?" Cragen was once again interrupted by the booming voice.
"Oh, I bugged your office while I was there last night. You know, you really shouldn't let Liv work that late by herself. She was too tired to really fight me. Wasn't much fun, so I called Elliot. He's an angry, possessive one, isn't he?" Nick asked rhetorically, "Anyway, we had some fun then didn't we?" he asked. When she refused to answer, he hit the back of her head heavily, drawing away his gun soaked in Olivia's blood.
"Well, she obviously doesn't want to answer that, do you Livvie?" looking at her body, bloody and broken as it was, appraisingly.
"No matter. Now for the rest of my story. Fell free to ask any questions. I'll be more than happy to answer them. Since I got them here, they haven't been much fun." He said dejectedly.
"Why?" Munch asked brokenly, "Why'd you have to do this to them?"
"Livvie shouldn't have rejected me. She's too in love with her stupid partner, that she couldn't see we were soul mates. That we belong together; I think she knows that now though!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Huang asked, "Are you going to kill Elliot and force Liv into a relationship with you? Because if you don't get her to a hospital soon, she's gonna die and I am sure you don't want that. Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of your wonderfully crafter plan?"
"Shut up, you stupid shrink!" he yelled causing Olivia to cringe in the background though this went unnoticed by the enraged man. "I don't care if she lives or dies. I just wanted to experience her, and I wanted to experience me, you know, find out what she missed."
Munch bit back a retort that was dying to burst forth from his lips.
"Now, that I've explored everything. I'll be going. By the way, if you want to find them alive, you'll have 264 hours to find them before they run out of air, if they haven't already passed away from their grievous injuries." He said mockingly.
He waved sarcastically and raced off in the dark leaving a barely conscious Olivia gingerly trying to say something, and a still unconscious Elliot.
As they were about to leave the office a weak voice came from the television.
"Gitano," she mumbled, almost incoherent, "ware…ware house" she stated, obviously fighting to stay awake.
"You stupid bitch!" Nick yelled from off screen, before puling the trigger of his gun, the bullet lodging firmly in Olivia's arm, which she had moved at the last moment, to protect her stomach.
She yelled in pain, before cradling her bleeding arm to her body. In the background they heart the distant clatter of footsteps running.
"Hang on, Liv!" Cragen stated, trying to comfort her, "We're coming to get you!"
Olivia was clearly distraught. She was mumbling something continuously while rocking back and forth, eyes darting wildly, frightened around the room.
Munch and Fin had both taken off the moment, she had uttered the word 'warehouse'. Huang had stayed stationary, critically analyzing Olivia's behavior. It was readily apparent she would need extensive therapy to overcome this enormously traumatic event.
She was so strong, but to see her so broken broke both Cragen and Huang's hearts. They both doubted if she would ever be the same. George knew that to overcome this, she would need to completely break in order to repair all the damage that had been done to her, not only in the last 24 hours.
Casey walked into the office, obviously more collected than when she had left.
"What's going on?" she asked quietly, "Munch and Fin raced out of here. They wouldn't tell me what's going on."
"We know where they are. The warehouse where Gitano was holding Elliot at gun point. Munch and Fin are going to pick them up."
"Oh, thank God!" Casey sighed, grateful, "I can't image what they are going through. I've never seen Liv so broken."
"Cragen and Huang nodded, before the three of them sat by the desk anxiously awaiting the rescue.