Chapter One- Tough Luck
"Benson Stabler," called Don Cragen in an irritated voice oblivious to the argument that had been going on between his two best detectives just moments ago. The detectives looked up at their captain expectantly. "Got a vic at Mercy. She's pretty rattled and it seems to be the same MO as our perp," he said as he handed them the slip with the vic's info on it. Once in the car Olivia read off the vic's info from the slip as Elliot pulled out into the traffic. "Her names Lilly Davis, nine years old, white, four feet and eight inches tall, red hair, and green eyes. Just like the others," Olivia said with a sigh. She couldn't wait to catch this SOB. Elliot glanced at his partner and best friend of twelve years now automatically picking up on her distress. "Liv were gonna get him. It's not your fault that we didn't catch him the other day. We had no way of knowing which warehouse he was in. He's getting sloppier with each of his next victims. He was stupid enough to use his real name when asking about those old warehouses so, with this victim we might have enough to catch him with this time. Alright," he said trying to tred carefully while still trying to reassure her as this was the cause of their argument not long ago. He reached out and grabbed one of her hands and laced his fingers threw hers. He stopped for the red light and looked over at her. She was studying him unaware of his eyes on her until she looked up to meet his. Once their eyes locked he could read the tiredness, frustration, hope, and was it confusion in her eyes? She read the reassurance and was it love in his eyes? No, it couldn't be. She vanished the thought immediately. She looked down and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and tried to look in her eyes again. She looked up again and what he saw in her eyes made him want to pull her into a hug but, just then a horn sounded officially ending the moment and he regretfully dropped her hand to continue driving. Olivia shifted her gaze back to the road and let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "I hope your right," she said. They walked in and flashed their badges to the frazzled nurse at the desk. "Lilly Davis' room please," she said not bothering with introductions as it was the usual nurse at the desk. "Room 213," she said as she picked up the ringing phone greeting the person on the other end with a hurried 'Mery Genral, Linda speaking how may I help you'. They walked down the all too familiar hallway and entered the young girls room. Olivia flashed a smile at the girl and then said, "Hi Lilly. I'm detective Benson but you can call me Olivia and this is my partner Elliot. If it's okay we'd like to ask you a few questions," she said softly. The girl nodded her head and her eyes flickered between the two detectives. "Okay," she said uncertainty present in her voice. "Alright well why don't you tell us what happened," Olivia said. The girl nodded. " I was walking home from school and this guy that bumped into me a couple days before saw me and asked me if I wanted a ride home," she drew in a shaky breath. Olivia placed a hand over Lilly's and gave her an encouraging nod. "I said no thanks but he said it was the least he could do after knocking my books out of my hands the other day. I didn't think he would… kidnap… and rape me… he seemed so nice," Lilly was now crying and Olivia hugged the girl while murmuring its okays and it'll be alrights' to her. Olivia handed over the pad of paper and pen to Elliot so she could hold onto the crying girl in her arms struggling to tell them what happened. "He asked me what my address was and I told him….. He rolled up the windows and hit the lock button. I started to get worried when he….. went in the wrong direction but he said it was okay that they had to go a different way because they were doing…. road work the other way. I relaxed again and he offered me a chocolate bar and I refused at first…. But he insisted so I ate it…. After a few minutes I asked where we were going because I didn't recognize anything. I was getting tired and my sight clouded…. He said something but I had fallen asleep and next thing I know I'm tied up in some dark room…..," she sobbed harder and couldn't get anymore out so they waited to see if see was able to continue. "Lilly we can continue a little later when you've calmed down. Where is your family," Olivia asked. She looked up at Olivia and said, " I don't have one anymore. I was staying with a foster family because my family was killed in a car cash but I survived. They don't want me now because I was raped! I'll be sent back in to the system to god knows where else," she sobbed and clutched Olivia to her. Olivia looked down at the sobbing girl in her arms and then over to Elliot with a helpless expression. She was always good with the victims but this little girl was different but she didn't know why. Waiting a few more minutes so that Lilly could calm down she told Lilly that they'd be back in a minute and walked into the hallway with Elliot silently closing the door behind her. " El if Kim will help us out and Lilly doesn't mind I'm going to have Lilly released into my care temporarily. I have a feeling that once she is able to tell us the rest of what happened she's going to make our case. I think she could be in danger too. The other girls' had their families to protect them but she doesn't have anyone and lord knows where she could be sent to if sent back into the system right now," Olivia said hesitantly awaiting his reaction. " Okay I'll make the call and talk to Kim. I think she's going to make our case too. As for the danger better safe then sorry. Good instincts Liv," Elliot said with a smile. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead and hurried down the hallway whipping out his cell phone along the way. Olivia stood their shocked for a second. She knew things had been strained between them sense his marriage began to crumple yet again and Elliot filed for divorce. Olivia was confused on her feelings for Elliot and more importantly about his feelings for her. Olivia sighed as she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind to confront them later. Olivia walked back into Lilly's room and gave her a small smile as she felt a tug on her heart at seeing the girls red rimmed eyes. She sat down next to Lilly and began to talk, " Lilly I understand you may not want to and that's okay but, if it is alright you would be staying with me at my apartment until we catch the bad guy and we put him in jail. Then I'll make sure that you get put in a good foster home. How would you feel about that," Olivia asked as she watched Lilly carefully. Lilly beamed and some of the pain faded from her eyes. "I would love that Olivia!," Lilly exclaimed cheerfully as she launched herself towards her. Lilly knocked Olivia back at the force of Lilly throwing herself at her. Olivia smiled and wrapped her arms around her as she said, "Well I'm glad to hear it," Olivia pulled back and smiled at her. Lilly smiled back. After a moment Olivia sighed and said, " I have to finish asking you about what happened now sweetie and then after that we'll go for ice cream and talk about you staying with me okay," Olivia said gently. "Okay," Lilly said. After Olivia finished getting Lilly's statement she told her she would be back in twenty minutes and for her to let the doctor check her over one last time then to get dressed and wait for her. Olivia went in search of Elliot and found him in the hallway sitting on a bench. Just as Olivia reached him he was putting his phone in his pocket. She smiled at him half heartedly. "Hey so what did Kim say," Olivia asked. He smirked and said, "She said that you and me were assigned as her temporary foster parents. She also said a lot of legal mumbo jumbo and that you either had to stay at my house or I had to stay at your apartment to make sure she was as safe as possible." He smirked before continuing, " So Liv your place or mine?" " Well aren't you supposed to have the kids this weekend? If so that means yours. But you still only have the one guest bedroom too. Well I guess I'll have to sleep on the couch. No biggie. Problem solved," she said. "Liv you are not sleeping on the couch you could share my bed it's big enough for the both of us," he said. Olivia's eyes snapped up to his as she failed miserably at trying to stifle her gasp of shock. "Relax Liv. Just sleeping," he said as he wondered about her reaction. She was his best friend and he knew her better then anyone else but at that moment he couldn't recognize the emotion in her eyes because that would change everything. " We need to talk to the doctors' and then I told Lilly I would take her out for ice cream so we could discuss her staying with me for the time being. I guess your coming too now though right," Olivia asked. "Yeah of course," Elliot said as they began to make their way to the desk to talk to Lilly's doctor. "Hi I'm Detective Benson and this is my partner Detective Stabler. Could you fill us in on her injuries," Olivia said. "Sure I'm Doctor Lasker," she paused to give Elliot a smile. It didn't go unnoticed by Elliot when Olivia tensed beside him. He'd have to ask Olivia about it later. "She has bruises on her inner thighs and her stomach looked like someone took a knife to it but only applied enough pressure to break the skin and cause a great deal of pain. You'll need to inform her parents that she'll need her bandages' changed once daily and to apply this ointment once daily to ward off infections and ease the pain," she said finally looking up at them to hand them a prescription. Doctor Lasker then turned her attention to Elliot. "So Detective what do you say we grab a drink later this evening. My shift ends at eight," she said giving him a flirtatious smile. Olivia couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had started hoping that maybe Elliot loved her too but seeing him smile at the doctor she felt like someone had ripped her heart out and stomped on it. Feeling tears well up in her eyes she turned and headed towards the ladies room. She stopped but didn't turn around when she heard Elliot call her name. She took a deep breath and trying to keep her voice from shaking asked, "What Elliot?" Despite her attempt her voice cracked. She sighed and continued walking but then she felt a hand on her arm. "Liv? Look at me," he pleaded. She shook her head. He sighed and moved in front of her. She hung her head. "Liv please?," he said. "Not now Elliot," was her response as she pushed her way past him and into the ladies room. "Damn it!," Elliot swore under his breath. In that moment he knew he would have to tell Olivia everything that night. He couldn't loose her but it was becoming obvious that he would if he didn't talk to her soon. He sighed and waited for her thinking about how everything was about to change.