Title: Blind Run

Chapter 1: International

Captain Don Cragen entered the work area and walked to the front of the room. "Can I get everybody's attention please? I have just been notified of a case involving a pedophile ring." Cragen scanned the room.

Everybody's eyes were on Cragen. Olivia, Elliot, Finn, and John stood up from their desks at joined Cragen at the digital case board.

Cragen began putting pictures on the wall. One was of a little girl about ten years old. She had bruises on her face. A map was also brought up.

Elliot crossed his arm and shifted his weight. "What kind of pedophile ring are we lookin' at here Cap'?"

Cragen answered, "A big one. This group is known to traffic young girls and boys from all over the globe into hot spots like New York City, Los Angeles, and the like. They hand them off to single women who help operate the ring. They typically live in upscale neighborhoods with lots of acres and fenced in communities. The women keep them down in the basement until someone comes by. . . to rent them."

Finn didn't hide his disgust, "These perverts are running kiddie brothels."

Olivia walked up to the board to get a closer look at the pictures of the little girl. "She looks like she's of Mexican descent. How did she escape?"

"She's from Mexico City and speaks only a little English. She was down in the basement with two other kids, siblings named Jonathan and Joana. The little girl is very sick and has been coughing up blood. So, Jonathan, made a distraction when their Madam came downstairs. Esmeralda, the girl in the photos, made her escape before the door could close. She came to find help for that little girl."

"Let me guess." John chimed in, "She was found wandering a highway and had no idea where she came from or which direction she was headed."

Cragen stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Actually she was found here." Don pointed to the red dot on the map. "She was lying near a ditch and was found by some fisherman. Other than that, you're right. She had no idea where she had been held captive."

Olivia looked at all the little dots on the map. "She couldn't have traveled very far, but there are three large upscale neighborhoods within this twenty mile radius. I'll head to the hospital to see if there's anything else she can remember."

"Good idea." Said Cragen, "And Elliot, you can go see if we got any DNA from the rape kit. Munch and Finn, you guys go canvas the neighborhoods see if there's anything suspicious."

Everyone started heading back to their desks to gather their things when Cragen interrupted them, "Oh, and one more thing. We're going to need help on this case. We'll be working with The International Task Force Bureau Sex Crimes Division."

"Which means you'll be seeing a lot of me." A tall blonde walked into the precinct. She was wearing a long kaki trench coat and a black button up underneath as well as a pair of fitted black slacks. She walked up to Olivia's and Elliot's desk.

"Alex." Olivia said, "It's good to see you again."

Alex looked around the room. "I've really missed you guys."

Olivia didn't miss the lingering look at her when she said "you".

Alex had hoped that Olivia had caught her subtle hint. It had been over a year since she had seen anyone at the 1-6, and she really did miss her old colleagues; but it was Olivia she missed the most.

Alex continued her assessment of the case as she walked toward the case board. "Esmeralda's father is probably here illegally. That could be one reason she wasn't reported missing. I've been speaking with the police in Mexico City. They found her mother who said she paid someone to smuggle her across the state lines to be with her father."

"Do we know anything about the other two kids that she was rooming with?" Olivia asked?

"Unfortunately, no. Our best bet is to try and find the place she was held captive. This is only one of an estimated ten 'pedophile brothels' in this city alone." Alex said.

"All right people let's get on this." Cragen said as he headed back to his office.

Olivia picked up her coat as Alex walked up to her. "Hey, Alex. How's it been working with the Bureau?"

"It's been amazing. I've mostly stayed here in the states, but I've also gotten to travel to Bosnia and I just got back from working with Scotland Yard in England. Actually I wanted to see if you wanted to meet me for dinner, so we could do some catching up."

"Sure." Olivia smiled. "I probably won't have any stories that compare to yours." Liv laughed as she pulled her jacket on, "I'll give you a call this evening."

"That sounds good to me." Alex answered as they both headed to the elevators.

It was close to eight o clock when Olivia and her co workers decided to take off for the day. Elliot had said they found DNA from two different perp's, but neither were in the system. Finn and John had been talking to neighbors and looking for moving vans or frequent visitors all day, but had come up short. Liv talked with Esmeralda some more. Knowing some Spanish had helped her talk with the girl and find out more about what happened inside the house, but she couldn't remember anything that happened once she escaped.

Olivia got out her cell and dialed Alex's number. She thought about going home to change first, but it was already so late. They decided to meet up at a little Irish pub not far away.

The two sat down in a small booth. Alex was wearing the same thing as earlier, so Liv didn't feel as bad for not changing anymore.

"So how do you know there are about ten more brothels?" Olivia asked Alex when they first sat down.

"We caught a coyote in the middle of a smuggle. He had five kids with him at the time, and was already halfway across the states." Alex said looking up at Olivia.

Liv shook her head as she looked down at her menu. "At least you saved those kids."

Alex nodded in agreement. "It's too bad we hadn't caught him earlier. We could have saved more of them."

Alex had looked up from her menu and was staring at Liv who was deciding what she wanted for dinner. God, she's beautiful, Alex thought to herself.

"Can I get you lady's a drink?" the waiter had come up to the table and snapped Alex back to attention.

"I'll take whatever is light on tap." Said Olivia.

"A hot tea for me, please." Alex said.

The waiter walked off.

"Hot tea?" Olivia slightly scoffed.

"Yes." Alex smiled as she laughed at herself. "I picked up a few 'bad' habits in England." Alex smirked as she looked down at her menu again. "Everything in here sounds delicious!"

Olivia looked over at her friend. She had changed a lot in the past year. "So tell me about your work in England."

"Well, I actually went there to lead a class on International Sex Crimes. I stayed about three months, traveling to different academies for Scotland Yard. I met someone there."

"Oh, anything serious?" Olivia asked.

The waiter brought back their drinks. "Ready to order?"

"I'll take the Rasher deli." Liv answered and handed her menu over to the waiter.

"Chicken Caesar for me." Alex handed off her menu as well.

The waiter walked off with their order and Alex continued. "No, it wasn't anything serious; he was just a little fling."

Olivia didn't miss the disappointment that was left on Alex's face.

Eager to change the subject, Alex questioned Olivia. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to her question, but she asked anyways. "How about you? Have you seen anybody this past year?"

Liv nodded her head, "I've been on a couple of dates; but you know me, nothing serious." Olivia could tell Alex had something else on her mind, but wasn't sure exactly what it was.

"Do you think there's someone out there for everyone?"

Liv sat back unsure of how to answer the question. "I don't know. I'd like to think that there is, but experience tells me otherwise."

"A few months after I started working for the Bureau, I met someone and we soon started dating. They thought that there was someone for everyone, but most people weren't looking in the right direction."

"So how'd it end with him?" Liv asked.

"We went to Bosnia together. There was an orphanage there with reports of abuse. When we got there, we found infants that had been left in cribs since birth, toddlers were running around without shoes or diapers, and the kids would turn and fight each other over even a small amount of food. After we got things back in order," Alex took a breath and tried to judge Olivia's reaction to her next words. "She stayed behind to continue working there with the orphans."

Olivia tried to hide her surprise, but she was sure it registered on her face. She? Did she just say she?

"We were only together a few months." Alex continued after she detected the small shock on Olivia's face. "It may have been the most intense and passionate relationship I have ever been in. And, I think she may have been right… most people are looking in the wrong direction for the one they love."

"Here you go." The waiter laid down a deli plate in front of Liv and a salad in front of Alex. "Enjoy your dinner ladies."

A/N: Thank you for reading my first chapter. Please review! I love to know what you think. The next few chapters will get really intense!