Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, they belong to NBC and Dick Wolf.
A/N: I've been watching entirely too many L&O reruns on my break from school...and this is the consequence. I hope that I can do the L&O universe and its characters justice with this (hopefully) exciting take on what could have happened in Season 21. For argument's sake, LOLA never happened :)
Amidst the red and blue glow that illuminated the dim city street, Detective Lupo flashed his badge at the patrolman. He ducked beneath the crime tape, shadowed by his partner. They were met by Officer Torres, one of the first responders. Noting the unusual amount of manpower on the scene, Lupo questioned, "What have we got?"
"Homicide. Looks like the guy interrupted a rape-in-progress. Multiple stab-wounds to the chest and torso. SVU's here to talk to the female who was attacked," she nodded toward the ambulance a few feet ahead.
"Hey, Lupes," Bernard interrupted. "Does that look like the Lieutenant to you?"
Exchanging suspious glances, the duo curiously approached the emergency vehicle. "Hey, Lieu… What's going on?"
Lieutenant Van Buren turned her attention away from the indistinguishable woman, perched on the tailgate, huddled beneath a thick, gray blanket. "Detectives," she greeted, moving toward them. "We got a real messy one, here. You might as well get back in your car. SVU is taking over for the time being."
"Right, they'll handle the sexual assault, we'll handle the homicide," Lupo nodded, his gravelly voice accentuated by the onset of a cold.
"No," Anita put a hand up to emphasize her point. "This one's personal."
Lupo brushed past his superior, propelled by the spirit of inquiry, yet terrified of what he would discover. Bernard followed, irritated by the ominous ambiguity. The humid summer air turned to ice when they recognized the slight frame being gently interrogated by SVU personnel. Detective Bernard noted the heels that he had heard clicking down the steps of the Courthouse earlier that afternoon, now scuffed and shattered. She still had on the same skirt and blue sweater, now soiled by blood and wet earth. He felt sick to his stomach, a sensation that his partner shared, visibly. Lupo's face read disgust and ire; his fists were clenched with a hunger for revenge.
"We need to run a kit on you," Detective Olivia Benson explained, in her ever-solicitous style. "It can be overwhelming, so I'd like to go to the hospital with you, if that's okay?"
Connie peeled her gaze from the asphalt and nodded impassively. She briefly eyed her colleagues, but there was no indication of recognition. Her eyes were lifeless, their defining gleam eradicated by trauma. Detective Benson helped her up into the ambulance, and then shifted her assistance to Lupo and Bernard.
Before either could ask what had happened, Benson asserted, "Listen, I know you're angry, and you want to get this guy… but I need you to let me do my job."
"Let us talk to her," Bernard replied. "She trusts us."
"And I need you to trust me. I know what I'm doing. I'm more than willing to cooperate with you, but these next few hours are critical."
"Where's she going?" Lupo asked, accepting that as much as he wanted to find the bastard and make him suffer, this was temporarily out of his jurisdiction.
"Downtown Hospital. I'll be in touch." She lugged the doors shut, and the vehicle slowly edged its way through the maze of squad cars.
Lieutenant Van Buren reappeared, wielding a walkie-talkie. Her expression was stern, but the frailty of her voice revealed that she, too, was deeply distraught by the events of the night. "We got a possible match for our suspect in a drug store on 4th and Broadway. Check it out. And boys? Keep your cool. He's no use to us dead, and frankly, I don't feel like doing the paperwork."
Suppressing a poignant cry, she held her breath as her chief investigators rushed toward their Crown Victoria.