Author's Comments: This is a continuation of my last two stories—Twenty-Four and I Wanna Dance Without You. I'm keeping the story-line going, where Elliot and Olivia are living together after she was attacked by Lewis and didn't want to go back to her own place. So they're in a secret relationship, for those of you who haven't been following along (which is fine, because this story stands on its own).

So I've been feeling compelled to do an AO story, and I know there are a few of you out there not too happy with that. But hear me out—I am a true EO'er at heart, so Elliot angst plays a big part in this story as well, as there will be jealousy and gnashing of teeth. I will leave you guessing about the ending though, tee hee.

I couldn't resist the AO story—I feel it needs to be addressed at some point. What can I say, I go both ways, lol. I love the shipiness between the two, and I thought it was cute how Olivia started asking Elliot about her "vibe" in P.C., and he even started to wonder by the end of the episode, after her interrogation of the suspect. Good times. So—ready? Let's do this.

Let Her Go

Chapter One

"So, this latest victim is only the last in a string of rapes perpetrated against gay women," said Olivia, pointing to a picture of Gracie Ellis on the interactive board. The eyes of her colleagues stared attentively at the four faces of recent rape victims posted on the board. "We have no leads, and no apparent connection between any of them, other than the fact that they're all lesbians."

"Have we looked into hate groups in the city?" said Munch.

"That would be a good place for you to start, Munch. Elliot, you help him," said Captain Cragan.

Elliot said, "Have we looked at the locations to see if there's a pattern?"

"Yes, we have," said Olivia. "One in Central Park, one in Harlem, and two in different locations on the lower East Side. None in the same neighborhood."

"What's the M.O.?" asked Fin.

Nick replied, saying, "All of the victims were attacked in public places, except for the last one. She got hit in her home. They were all taken at gunpoint by an assailant who wore a black mask. He pointed the gun at them, and then held a handkerchief in their faces that caused them to partially lose consciousness."

"Partially?" said Amanda.

"Yeah," said Olivia. "All of them were half-awake when they were assaulted. We're getting ready to talk to Warner about the lab results to see if the chemical used has been isolated."

"The assailant then rapes his victims," said Nick, "although two of them were very fuzzy about the actual assault, and the other two said he inserted items inside them. There's no fluids, and no DNA left behind in or on any of the victims."

"So, no way to identify him because of the mask," said Elliot, folding his arms.

"Yeah," said Olivia, "and he stays silent too, so he couldn't be identified by a voice line-up either."

Cragan put his hands on his hips and said, "Okay, well, any idea where to go from here?" When all he got was blank stares, he said, "Then we need to re-interview the victims. Liv, you and Nick take Ellis and Sparks, and Amanda and Fin can take the other two."

Olivia cast a glance in Elliot's direction, hoping that nobody would notice, and especially Nick. She didn't know if her partner had any idea that she and Elliot had a "thing," but she wanted to keep it hidden from him as long as possible. She longed to work with Elliot again, but she knew it would cause problems, as close as they had become.

Alex, who had walked in on the tail end of Olivia's presentation, approached her at her desk now and said quietly, "Olivia, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Olivia looked around and said, "Sure, go ahead."

"In private?" Alex jerked her head in the direction of one of the interrogation rooms and headed toward it. Olivia raised her eyebrows and followed.

Once they entered the seclusion of the dark mirrored room, Alex shut the door. Olivia put her hands on her back pockets and said, "What's up?"

Alex paused for a moment, as if searching for words. Then she said, "I have a friend, and I think she was assaulted by the same man as the other victims."

Olivia's mouth dropped open, and she said, "Why didn't she report it?"

Alex put her hands out in front of her defensively and said, "I tried to get her to, Liv. She's embarrassed. But she's also scared, for more than reasons than one. She's not out to anyone—not her family, and not at work."

Olivia locked eyes with her and said, "Alex, we're not talking about you, are we?"

"No!" Alex said. "I wasn't raped."

Olivia nodded. Alex was quiet for a second, and then said, "But there are things about me that you don't know. Things nobody knows."

Olivia tilted her head and said, "What?"

Alex sucked in her lips and said, "Liv, my friend that was raped—she and I used to date."

Olivia's eyes widened before she could stop herself. She tried to hide a smile and said, "You . . . okay, you're right. I didn't know that about you." Unable to subdue the smile any longer, she said, "I think I need to sit down."

As Olivia backed up to the table to sit on it, Alex said, "Is it that shocking?"

Grinning from ear to ear now, Olivia said, "No, my feet are killing me. But seriously—are you still—"

"Seeing women?" Alex said. "I haven't seen anyone since Kara, but yeah. I think I'm done with men."

Olivia nodded, still smiling, and said, "We'll discuss this later, but let's go see your friend."