A/N: I will update my other stories, I promise. I am working on all of them. I had an idea that I had to go with. Bear with me and my muse.

He watched from afar, ducking behind a dumpster. He waited for the opportune moment. He calmed his breathing and stilled his shaking hands. He wiped his sweaty palms on his sweats and pulled the knife from the waistband of his pants. Slowly, he emerged from the alley. He approached the two women who were oblivious to being followed. One threw her head back and laughed while the other rested a hand on her forearm. In a matter of seconds, their laughter would transform into screams of pain. They deserved to suffer for the filthy lives they led. He lengthened his stride, reaching them quickly. He gripped the handle tighter and grabbed one from behind. He held the blade to her neck and wrenched her arm behind her, effectively removing any chance of fighting back. He watched her companion grow still as the gravity of the situation hit her. She wouldn't leave her lover; he knew that. He jerked his head toward the alley and retreated into the darkness. Lit only by the dim street light above the dumpster, it was the perfect spot.

"Look, you don't want to do this. Let her go. Take me instead, okay?" She held her hands up in surrender, trying to diffuse the situation.

"You're going to be a problem, aren't you?" He stole a glance at the woman and her companion.

"Just relax. Here." She held her hand out and stepped forward slowly. Before she could brace herself, she was pulled forward and into the arms of the man. She was spun around and her arm was held in place behind her back.

"It's your lucky day. Get on the ground. Lie down on your stomach and put your hands behind your head. If you move, I'll break her arm." He pulled the woman's arm up tighter. He could feel the muscles straining against the awkward movement of the limb.

"Please don't hurt her. I've got some money in my account. You can take it all, just please don't hurt her." She did as she was told, all the while pleading for their safety.

"Shut up. I don't want your money. I want you and your kind to learn a lesson. Spread the word, because I'm only going to tell you once. You're polluting our society, littering our streets with your filthy lifestyle. I saw you and your little friend getting touchy-feely. Dirty vermin. That's what you are, all of you." He moved slightly, making the blade dig into the woman's skin. She hissed as a small trail of blood began to trail down her neck.

"Pl…please don't do this." She rolled onto her side and clamped her eyes shut at the sight of her friend being hurt.

"I said shut the hell up. Open your eyes. I want you to see this." He felt his charge start to squirm and yanked her arm once again. He heard the pop and had to hold her up when her legs gave out. He shifted his hand to partially cover her mouth.

"Stop it, you sick bastard! Help! Somebody help us!" She cried out to anyone that would help her. Tears ran down her face as she stared at her injured friend.

"Damnit, lady!" He shoved the wounded woman to the ground and gave her a swift kick to the side. He repeated the motion a few more times before leaning down to whisper into her ear. She nodded and let out a sob. He gave her one last kick, a well placed blow to her injured arm and took off. He hadn't reached the street when he heard her scream out in pain.

"Oh, god." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed as her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She rattled off her location and hung up.

"Ar…are you…okay?" She gasped, unable to get enough air into her starved lungs. A shooting pain coursed through her chest and she dug her fingers into the concrete.

"I can't believe you're asking me that." She kneeled down on the ground and touched her lightly on the arm. The muscles beneath her fingers tensed and she heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Don't touch me!" She whimpered and bit her bottom lip as to not cry out.

"Oh Go…I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She sat down on the ground as close as she could get, hoping to provide the comfort that she could not physically give.

"It…it's okay. Bus gonna' be here soon?" She clenched her hand, wishing she had something to hold onto to help ride out the excruciating waves of pain.

"Pretty soon, sweetie. Why'd you do it? Why?" She sniffed and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her jacket.

"I th…thought I could reason with him. I…I thought you could get away." Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and she tried to take her mind off of her current situation.

"I wasn't going to leave you there. Just take it easy. I'll chew your ass out later, you stubborn woman." She let out a nervous chuckle, hoping to ease her friend's pain.

"'Kay." She nodded and tried to remain as still as possible.

"I think I hear them coming. I'll be right back." She picked up her phone from the ground and scanned her phone book until she found the right number. She walked out onto the sidewalk and searched for the source of the sirens. Suddenly, she realized where they'd been walking when they were attacked. She saw the flashing lights dance off the glass windows as the ambulance raced down the street. Holding up a hand, she walked to the curb and flagged it down. It pulled to a stop and the driver and passenger immediately got out.

"Ma'am, did you report an assault?" The paramedic saw the woman nod and grabbed his gear as his partner came around the front of the ambulance. They followed her into the alley and began working.

"Her shoulder is dislocated. She has some trouble breathing. She was kicked in the side. She has a cut on her neck, too." She stood back as the men did their jobs. They held the injured arm and lifted up the dirt-covered shirt on one side before letting it fall back into place.

"Can you tell me your friend's name?" The young paramedic hadn't received a response from the injured woman. She was shocky and in pain, making it difficult for her to speak. With the help of his partner, he held onto her arm and helped her to stand so they could walk her to the ambulance.

"Uh…Oli…Olivia." She followed the paramedics as they opened one of the back doors. She waited anxiously while the younger paramedic stepped into the back and got in position to help his patient. It seemed like several moments passed by as they gently eased her friend up the step.

"We'll take good care of your…of…" The older man glanced from the building to the woman standing before him.

"Friend. We work together, sort of. I…we were coming back from a movie and this guy came out of nowhere. He…I thought he was going to kill her." She began sobbing once again as the image of her friend flashed through her mind.

"She's been through the wringer but she's strong and healthy. I can see that just from the preliminary examination we did on her. She's in a lot of pain so I don't want to aggravate her injuries by taping her arm. Why don't you ride along and help keep her calm?" The man saw her nod and held out his hand to help her up the step. He shut the door behind her and jogged to the driver's side door. He got in and flipped on the siren before pulling out into the street. He gazed in his rearview mirror and shook his head. He'd seen his share of hate crimes in the past. Didn't matter to him what people did with their lives. He had a feeling that the two women in the back of his ambulance had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Frowning, he turned his attention to the road ahead and sped down the street.

ooo

"Casey!" Elliot ran up to her as she walked through the emergency room doors. He grew concerned when she immediately melted into his arms.

"I tried to stop it. He…he grabbed me. I didn't have time to react. I was scared to death and she…she just let him have her." Casey's mind raced as she struggled to piece together the night's events.

"What happened?" Elliot went to the window and grabbed a clipboard before leading her to a chair in the corner of the waiting room.

"We went for a girl's night out. She said she'd been really stressed lately and I thought we could both use a night out. We went to a late show and we were walking past this bar and a guy came up behind me and grabbed me. He had a knife and he…he…we went into this alley." Casey took a deep breath and sat on her shaking hands to still them.

"Jesus…di…are you hurt?" Elliot set the clipboard down and studied the woman before him, searching for signs that she'd been injured as well.

"N…no, that's just it. She…she told him to take her instead. She just…and I thought he was going to kill her, kept spouting off all this stuff and he I couldn't watch after he cut her. I pissed him off and she tried to get away and he pulled her by her arm. She was in so much pain and I yelled at him to stop. I tried to get help and he shoved her down and started kicking her. He got scared and left. I…I can't believe this is happening. I mean…we see this kind of thing every day. It just…it's so real this time." Casey wrapped brought up her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.

"Son of a bitch. What did the guy say?" Elliot scooted his chair so that it touched hers. He leaned in so that they were nearly touching heads.

"He just kept saying how we were dirty and he went on about how he should teach us a lesson and made some reference to our lifestyle or something. I…I didn't realize it until later. I didn't really understand what he was talking about until I realized where we were. Elliot, this guy severely dislikes homosexuals. He thought we were together." Casey grew sickened with the thought of him roaming the streets, attacking unsuspecting people.

"We need to call Captain. Was there a unit there? Did you give a statement?" Elliot sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he felt exhausted after hearing what had happened.

"Damn. I didn't even think. I…I don't know. I…there should have been. It was called Splash. On West 17th'." Casey frowned as she tried to remember. She'd only heard one distinct siren of an ambulance. No one else had responded.

"Yeah, there should have been. I'll call Cragen. Will you be okay? Can you fill this out?" Elliot handed her the clipboard and walked out of the waiting room. He pulled the phone from his jacket pocket and fought for control over his emotions.

"Cragen." Don held the phone to his ear as he signed the numerous forms before him.

"Captain, we have a situation. Olivia and Casey were attacked. Olivia's pretty banged up but Casey is fine. She's shaken up but she was able to give me a statement. I'm outside the E.R. now. I need a squad sent and I want to know why no one showed up when Casey called it in." Elliot gave Cragen the location and leaned back against the wall.

"So this is a hate crime. I'll find out who responded to the call. I want an update from you later." Cragen jotted down the name of the club and set his pen down.

"Got it." Elliot hung up and went back into the waiting room. He noticed Casey hadn't gotten any farther than the name and address. Carefully, he pried the clipboard out of her hands and quickly filled out the rest before motioning for her to follow him. He handed the clipboard to the nurse and pulled out his badge.

"Wh…where are we going?" Casey followed him mutely down the corridor.

"Radiology." Elliot navigated the hallways until he found what he was looking for.

"Detective Stabler, Special Victims. Can you tell me where an Olivia Benson is?" The nurse at the window smiled and typed the information into her computer.

"Looks like you're at the right place. She'll be out shortly, Detectives. The double doors on your right will take you to the waiting room. I'll have someone come and get you when she's been checked into her room." The nurse eyed the two before her. The woman looked frightened. Whatever had happened had shaken her.

"Thank you, that'd be great." Elliot let Casey take the lead. He wanted to keep an eye on her. She was too quiet for his liking.

"I…I'm sorry. I keep thinking it should have been me. I couldn't have done that…given myself up for someone else. She's my friend. I don't know if I could do that. Even for her." Casey slowed her steps until they were side-by-side.

"It wasn't your fault. You know Olivia, Casey. And I've seen you before. I wouldn't want to cross you." Elliot grinned when she rolled her eyes.

"Let's go wait some more. I love waiting rooms." Casey sat next to Elliot on the small couch and tapped her foot nervously.

"What movie did you see? What was it about?" Elliot saw the worry lines on her face ease a little as she gave him a run-down on all of the good parts. It was the distraction she needed to take her mind off of what had happened. If only he could concentrate on what she was saying.