Based off the most recent episode. Don't know what it was called, 13. 04- if you haven't seen it, some things might not make sense. By the way, Sara and others, you might find this interesting. I had Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way take a Mary Sue test. A score of 71= irredeemable sue. Guess what Tara's character got? A 230.

*bursts out laughing*

"How the hell did this happen?" Olivia demanded as she ducked under the crime scene tape, glaring at Nick Amaro as he shrugged helplessly.

"We're not sure. We think she was out running like Amanda but we're not positive, she's not saying too much. Maybe he's seen Amanda on the news before as a cop, and if she's been running here the past three days as well, maybe he focused on her instead and we just didn't notice... well, on the upside, at least we've got him now. High priority vic against this lowlife; shouldn't be a problem."

"Oh, yes, as long as there's an upside," she snapped before turning to look at the victim. Sitting alone in the middle of the swarm of cops, she continued to fidget with the edge of the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and occasionally glanced up nervously. Sighing, she turned back to Amaro and said, "Get Rollins and then go talk to the Captain. He wants to see you both."

Amaro left, making Olivia momentarily wish Elliot had been on this case instead of these two. Amaro was good, if a little inexperienced. Rollins, on the other hand- what the hell had she been thinking? She had gotten too far ahead of Amaro and he'd been forced to pay more attention to her location then their suspect's. If she had just controlled herself, then maybe they could of stopped this from happening altogether. As it was, at least Amaro had managed to make it before he had actually raped their new victim- just sexual assault, no penetration. Well, that's what the rape kit would prove, if she could manage to convince the woman to go down to the hospital- none of the other cops had had any luck thus far.

She cautiously approached the victim, sitting slowly down on the arm of the bench. The woman looked up jerkily and, when she saw who it was, managed to give a tiny smile before saying in a small voice, "Hi, Olivia."

Olivia smiled back and said quietly, "Hey, Casey."

The ADA sniffled and brushed her hand hurriedly across her cheek before raising her eyes to meet the detective's. She managed to hold her gaze for a second before looking away uncomfortably and wrapping her arms tighter around herself. "How'd you find out what happened?" she muttered without looking up.

"Amaro called me after he'd secured the scene."

Casey nodded and ran a shaky hand through her hair, momentarily revealing the cut Amaro had told her about on her neck. It wasn't so deep as to require immediate medical attention, but she would probably have to go to the hospital to get it checked out. Olivia grimaced and was about to ask her if she wanted to go the hospital now or wait when Casey glanced up at her and started talking. "It was our guy, Liv. Same M.O... I knew who it was the moment he said that I should smile more often. I couldn't recognize him, it was dark, that's why I couldn't see who it was. And when he told me I should smile, I tried to run away, or scream, or... something. Anything. But he was too.. t- too fast. He, uh... he told me not to scream, and then he made me look at him. He said... he s-said, 'look at me, mommy.' He laughed when I couldn't get away. I promise I tried, Liv. I promise I tried to get away. He wouldn't let me."

"I know, sweetie. I believe you," Olivia comforted, reaching over to hold her hand. Casey just shook her head, allowing her gaze to drift over to their suspect had shoved to her to the ground and then proceeded to...

"Casey," she called, trying to pull her out of her trance. The ADA jumped, jerking to stare at her for a moment before biting her lip and looking away. Olivia grimaced, then said, "Case, let's get you out of here, okay? I'm going to drive you to the hospital so you can get-"

"No!" Casey exclaimed, shaking her head fiercely and looking up again. "No, I don't need to go the hospital. I'm fine!" Her adamant statement was followed by a dejected sigh as she rested her head on her hand, gazing off into the distance. "I just want to go home," she murmured.

"I know. I know you do, but, Casey, you should probably have a doctor check out. He cut you pretty bad."

"No he didn't. If he had I'd be dead by now."

Olivia sighed, then reached over a lifted a curtain of blonde hair out of the way so she could see the cut on her neck. "Casey. Come on, at least let the paramedic check you out. If he clears you, then I can drive you home and we don't have to go to the hospital."

Casey hesitated, then looked up at her and said in a small voice with wide, childlike eyes, "So... I don't have to get a rape kit? Your partner said that I did, but..."

Olivia paused as she tried to come up with the right response. Technically, they didn't need a rape kit to prove that their perp hadn't raped Casey, just sexually assaulted her. They had Casey and the perp's word, and, according to Nick and Rollins, the ADA's sweatpants had still been on when they'd arrived at the scene. And the tearful look in her eyes told her that Casey probably wouldn't be able to handle going through a rape kit.

Shaking her head, Olivia stood up and offered her hand to Casey. "No. No rape kit."

Sighing in relief, Casey tentatively rested her hand in Olivia's and allowed the detective to lead her towards the ambulance, stumbling through the maze of cops as if in a fog. Olivia held her hand as the male EMT examined her neck- it was her warm grip that kept from screaming when the man continued touching her hair and her skin...

"I'm going to take you down to the hospital. I think you need the stitches."

Casey immediately looked at Olivia worriedly, who responded by squeezing her hand and trying to give her a comforting smile. It was going to be a long night.

SVUSVUSVU

"Don't I have to come down to station first and give my statement?" Casey asked worriedly as Olivia led her out of the hospital.

The detective shook her head. "Not right now. I called the Captain, and he said that you could go home for tonight; give your statement in the morning. Besides, we've got him now. For all the rapes in Georgia, the ones in the city- Alex and Cragen pulled some strings and he's being arraigned tomorrow."

Casey sighed, instinctively reaching up to scratch her neck where the stitches were pulling at her skin. She'd been at the hospital for nearly an hour- of course, her doctor had been male, like this evening couldn't get worse- and, with instructions to return in a week to get the stitches removed, she was finally on her way home. This hellish day was about to be over.

"Alex... so, she's prosecuting now." Casey frowned, looking down at her feet as she waited for Olivia to unlock the car.

The detective looked up at her in surprise. "Yes. She's good, too. She'll make sure you and the others all get justice; the bastard won't get away with this."

"No... no, that's not what's wrong. I know she's good at this; I don't have any doubts about her. It's just... her prosecuting this, that means I won't be." Olivia continued to watch in confusion as they got in the car, not sure where she was going with this. "It means I'm just another victim in this case."

Olivia sighed and glanced at her as she started to back the car up. "Casey... I don't know what to say; I'm-"

"Don't bother, Olivia. I don't want your 'victim speech'. I've heard that speech before. I can recite it in my sleep, and yet... I just never thought it would apply to me."

Olivia frowned before saying softly, "Case, why don't you take a couple days off work. Alex can handle your caseload; I'll even talk to your boss for you. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

"No. No, I can't take any time off. I'm fine; nothing's wrong. I don't want to take time off," Casey said adamantly, then looked away and sniffled slightly, rubbing away the tear slipping down her cheek.

Olivia reached over and rested a hand on top of hers comfortingly. "Case, I really don't think it's a good idea for you to go back to sex crimes so soon after... look, take Thursday off. Friday is your day off anyway, so, then you can decide if you want to take some more time off, all right?"

The ADA hesitated, then smiled weakly at her and nodded. "I... well, I mean, I suppose I could take the day tomorrow to clean up my apartment, or, something..."

Olivia smiled and chuckled to herself. Of course, Casey would give that excuse for taking a day off tomorrow- because, saying out loud that she wasn't going in was because of the events of tonight would be admitting weakness... admitting that something was, actually, very wrong.

Olivia pulled up outside Casey's apartment building, watching the ADA carefully as she unlocked her seatbelt without looking at her. Casey rested a hand on the door, then looked apprehensively outside, paling slightly as she stared out into the dark. God damn it, Casey. You are a grown woman. It is dark outside. How the hell does that equal a problem? What on earth is wrong with you?

Nevertheless, she couldn't gather up the courage to step outside. She was too scared.

"Want me to walk you up? Olivia asked gently, squeezing her hand gently.

Casey bit her lip, then nodded, still keeping her gaze firmly focused on her hand, too embarrassed to look at the detective. Trying to stop trembling, she got out of the car and pulled her coat tighter, shivering as a cold wind blew down the street.

Olivia walked up next to her, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders and leading her inside. "You want me to stay with you tonight?" she asked when they were alone in the elevator, but Casey shook her head.

"No. No, that's okay." Casey knew it wouldn't be too good an idea for Olivia to stay in her apartment tonight- now with her current house guest. She'd run into him at the airport a month ago and managed to convince him to stay in New York. He was still staying with her, sleeping on her couch and occasionally going job hunting, though, most of the time, he would just go to a bar and stay there for the entire day. Though Casey had threatened to call Olivia and have her talk to him if he didn't straighten up, her houseguest knew she most likely wouldn't. Telling Olivia her secret of the past month would most likely ruin their friendship.

"Case, I'm not sure you should be alone tonight."

"Thanks, Liv, but I won't be," Casey told her and smiled at her. "I have someone staying with me. He'll be my knight in shining armor, don't worry."

They both laughed, though Olivia was more concerned about her male houseguest. "Caesy, are you sure you want him with you tonight, though? I mean... he's a man, I'm assuming, and..."

Casey chuckled and nodded. "You don't have to worry, Olivia. This one's experienced in anything and everything I could possibly ask him for. Besides, he doesn't have any other place to stay."

Olivia sighed unhappily as she led Casey over to her apartment. "Well, if you're sure." She waited while the ADA opened her door and stepped inside her darkened apartment. "Take those pills the doctor gave you to protect against infection, and I want you to call me if you need anything. All right?"

Smiling as she wearily set her briefcase down and slipped out of her high heels, Casey teased, "Yes, mother. Thanks for getting me home."

"It's not a problem. I'll call you tomorrow to see how you're doing." Casey nodded her thanks before shutting the door and walking slowly over to her couch, where her friend was already fast asleep. Shaking her head, she turned to walk into the impenetrable darkness of her bedroom, then froze.

Well, staying out here wasn't such a bad idea, was it? She could just go to sleep on the floor, and, tomorrow morning, make up some sort of excuse. That wouldn't be too terrible. And her bedroom was all the way over there...

Casey sighed, then took off her jacket and curled it into a ball, groaning when a bottle of pills fell out. Because the knife the perp had cut her with her probably wasn't the most sterile weapon in the world, the doctor had given her some meds to protect against infection. With another sigh, she took one, then curled up on the floor, using her jacket as a pillow... and yet, she couldn't close her eyes.

Closing her eyes meant going to sleep; continuing the cycle from one day to the next. But how could she just keep going like nothing at all had happened, like nothing had changed? Everything had changed.

Casey closed her eyes tightly, struggling not to give into the tears she felt coming. She hadn't cried all night and wasn't about to start now. Still shaking, she pulled herself upright and surveyed her unconscious guest. He had the only blanket, and it was cold. She couldn't take it from him; that would be rude. And she didn't want to turn the heat up anymore; that would cost money.

Only one solution, then. Casey climbed on the arm of the couch and crawled over so she was trapped between her guest and the couch... okay, wrong word. She wasn't trapped, she could get out of this situation any time she wished.

As she pulled part of the blanket over herself so she was snuggled up against his side, her friend's only response was to roll over so he was facing her and drape his heavy arm over her side. Burying her head in his chest, Casey closed her eyes and allowed his warm, if unintentional, embrace to carry her off to sleep.

SVUSVUSVU

When Elliot woke up, he thought this past month had all been a horrible nightmare. That was the only explanation for the blonde currently attached to his side.

But the blonde didn't look like Kathy, and he was still on Casey's couch. No, this wasn't a nightmare, it was still his life. Still his pathetic excuse for a life.

Still, though, that didn't provide an explanation for why Casey was currently asleep next to him, her hand lying on his chest. He groaned sleepily, propping himself up on his elbows and pushing the blonde's head off his shoulder, but her only response was to whimper quietly and roll away from him. Her hair remained trapped between the cushions, though, allowing him to see the stitched up cut on her neck.

He frowned, starting to get worried now. "Casey," he called, shaking her shoulder lightly. "Case, wake up."

"No," she muttered, pushing at his hand as she moved even farther away from him. "Stop... don't make me smile."

Elliot stared at her in surprise. "What? I never said anything about smiling- just wake up, Casey. You're starting to make my arm fall asleep."

"No!" she exclaimed, louder this time, twisting her head away from him. "Don't make me look at you... you are not my mother."

"Um... well, I certainly hope not," he chuckled, still trying to wake her up. "Casey? What-"

Without warning, the ADA turned back to face him, her eyes still closed tightly and shoved him away. Elliot hadn't been expecting it and he'd already been lying on the very edge of the couch, so she managed to push him right down to the floor. "Novak!" he exclaimed as he landed on the

ground, groaning in frustration. "What the hell?"

Casey woke up in a panic, the images of the assault still fresh on her mind. Trying to hold back a sob and failing miserably, she forced herself to sit upright, looking around frantically, trying to make herself realize that she was home, and not back in the events of last night, not back with...

Elliot sat up to see that Casey was wide awake and struggling to remain in control; she stared at him with confused, tearful eyes, breathing hard and holding herself upright with shaking hands. "Casey?" he asked in confusion, pulling herself back onto the couch and tentatively sitting down

next to her. "Case, what happened?"

What happened? No, he wasn't supposed to ever know what happened last night. No one could ever know what happened last night.

It was easier not to tell him. But the comfort he was offering her right now certainly did sound nice...

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Casey curled up against his side and started sobbing into a very shocked Elliot's shoulder. For now, she would be selfish and ask for comfort. But later, she wouldn't. Later, she would be in control of herself and wouldn't let anyone see this side of her... wouldn't let anyone know what happened. That horrifying nightmare would remain in the past, where it belonged. No reason for her to trouble anybody with it now.

Thanks for reading. Currently a oneshot, unless someone leaves me a review that gives me an idea for what to write next or my muse won't settle down.