Disclaimer: This is my first ever LAO: SVU story. It's E/O all the way. I do not own the characters of Law and Order or anything else that is known to be someone else's. R&R, please. I just want to know what everyone thinks. That way I can tell if I'm any good at writing SVU stories. Enjoy, ya'll! PS. This is post Undercover.

I'll Be Here To Catch You

By Julia

It was a warm NYC night, and for the first time all week, Olivia Benson was off work. She wasn't sure what to do with herself. It was warm for the first time all spring. She wanted to see her partner, Elliot Stabler, but he was finishing up some work on a case that they had just solved. They were both detectives with the Manhattan Special Victims Unit, better known as SVU. Her wanting to see Elliot was nothing new. She always wanted to see El. Who wouldn't? He was gorgeous, with a great body to match. He and Kathy had just called it quits, too, which meant it was too soon to make a move. She closed her eyes as she pictured El's smiling face.

She was jerked out of her torturing herself when the phone rang. Her heart pounded at the possibility that it might be Elliot. It wasn't. It was Casey Novak. ''Hey, Case. What's up?''

Casey replied, ''I just wanted to let you know that Harris got life, so you won't have to worry about him ever again.'' Casey was the DA, and she had managed to put Harris, a man who had nearly raped Olivia, away.

It had been three weeks, and it still bothered her when she thought about it. ''Thanks, Casey. I appreciate that.''

Casey leaned back in her desk chair. ''So, you're off today. You're not going to see Stabler. Poor Liv.'' She teased. Casey was the only one who knew about Olivia's feelings for her partner.

''No, and I hate it. Casey, I see him the majority of every day, and it's never enough. I want him to be with me every day, all day. It's completely pathetic, I know.'' Olivia groaned.

Meanwhile, at the station, Elliot Stabler was going through some paperwork. He looked at Olivia's empty desk. He missed her. He ached to be holding her right now...no. He stopped himself. He wasn't going to do that to himself. Olivia was never going to feel that way about him, no matter how much he wanted her to.

Fin Tutuola, one of the other detectives, came back from getting some coffee. ''Hey, El. How's the paperwork coming?''

Elliot rolled his eyes. ''Slowly. But I'm almost done.'' He caught himself looking at Liv's desk again.

Fin caught him, too. ''Not seeing Olivia tonight, I take it?'' He sat down at his desk and took out some of his own paperwork.

Elliot shook his head. ''No, she was off today. It's been pretty lonely without her today.'' He got up and got himself another cup of coffee. He suddenly needed a jolt of caffeine.

Fin smiled. He knew that Elliot loved Olivia. He could tell without El having to tell him. He could also tell that El ached to talk about it. He had almost brought it up to Fin several times. ''Well, you could always go and see her after you're off. Or go and get coffee with her.''

Elliot sat back down, trying not to look like he thought that was a good idea, because he did. ''Yeah, I guess. I could do that.'' He said noncommitally.

Munch, Fin's partner, joined them, carrying his own cup of coffee. ''Are we mooning over the missing Benson?'' He asked, sitting down at his desk.

Elliot jerked his head up so fast Fin thought he was going to get whiplash. ''What are you talking about, John?'' He asked.

Munch sat down at his desk. ''You've been looking at Olivia's empty desk all day. You have a thing for her, don't you?'' Munch had thought so as long as Fin had. They talked about it a lot. Well, Munch talked, Fin listened. Sometimes, Fin opted to work with the other dectective, Chester Lake, just to get away from Munch's jabbering. Not that he didn't care about John, he did. John just liked to talk a lot.

Elliot knew there was no point in denying it. He'd been acting like a lovesick fifteen-year-old all day. ''Yeah, I do. For years now, actually. I just miss her when she's not here.'' He couldn't believe that he had finally said it out loud.

Fin said, ''Do you want to ask her out? I bet she'd go. I'd recommend taking it slow, she's had a lot of bad relationships. But I'd guarantee that she'd go with you.''

Elliot tried to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. ''I don't know. Just don't tell her. I want to myself, my own way.'' He knew that he was going to have to work up the nerve first.

Fin laughed. ''You don't know how long the rest of us have known about this. You guys have been making puppy dog faces at each other for years. Lake even noticed it after he had only been here a few days.''

Elliot groaned. ''Great. That's the last thing I needed to know. Do you think Liv knows?''

Fin shook his head. ''No, she's been too busy hiding the fact that she loves you to notice.'' He really hoped that El made a move soon. The sooner that they got together, the happier Liv would be.

Munch agreed. ''Yeah, Liv's been in love with you since she saw you, practically.'' He personally thought that they were dumb for not noticing. They had been partners for nearly a decade now.

Elliot ended the conversation as he headed into Cap. Cragen's office to give him the paperwork. ''Hey, Cap. I think I'm going to go home now, unless you need something else.''

Cragen smiled. He knew that Elliot just wanted to go see Olivia. ''Sure, El, we'll call you if we need you.'' He too, had been waiting for Olivia and Elliot to realize their feelings for each other.

Elliot smiled like an idiot as he left. He was going to go see Olivia. He wanted to just be with her. To smell her shampoo, to look into her beautiful eyes. He wanted to run his hands through her lovely, soft brown hair...no, that wouldn't be possible. Olivia would never love him that way, no matter what Fin said. Olivia did care about him, but only like a partner, and best friend. He wished they could be more. Was it too late?

Olivia was sitting on the couch in her apartment, dressed in her sweats, eating a tuna fish sandwhich. She was surprised when there was a knock on the door. She went to get it, and was shocked when Elliot was standing there. For a brief moment, she was upset she was in her sweats, but he had seen her at worse states than this. ''Hey, El, what's going on?'' She asked.

Elliot stared into her beautiful eyes as she stepped back to let him in. She still hadn't told him what had happened with Harris. It looked like it was still bothering her. She looked a little weary. But for the moment, she seemed alright, and he didn't want to press her. ''I just wanted to see you.''

Olivia asked, ''You want something to drink? I've got water, coffee, tea. The usual.'' This was highly unusual, Elliot coming over just to hang. Even now that he and Kathy had split.

Elliot shook his head. He had all he wanted. To see Liv, to talk to her. ''What have you been doing all day? Enjoying your day off?'' He sat down on the chair next to the couch, trying not to look nervous. Liv would pick up on it.

Olivia shrugged. ''Guess so. I talked to Casey on the phone for like, an hour, which I have never done, so it was nice to have some girl talk, and then I took a long hot bath. Which was amazing. My joints felt so much better.'' She sat back down, so she could finish her sandwhich.

Elliot tried not to imagine Olivia in the tub, 'cause he really wanted to. ''Well, if you want, we can just hang out for awhile. We could get a pizza, watch some movies.'' They had never done that before, but he was hoping that if they spent as much time together as possible, then maybe he'd get up the nerve to kiss her.

Olivia tried not to blush. That sounded like heaven to her. ''Well, OK, sure. You're not seeing any of the kids tonight?'' She asked. Elliot had five kids with Kathy.

Elliot shook his head. ''No, not till the weekend. I can go rent a couple of movies, if you want.'' He said, smiling at her.

Olivia said, ''I'm not a total hermit, El, I do have some DVDs.'' She took her plate into the kitchen, and Elliot watched her, drinking her in. She really was in great shape.

Elliot took a look through the few that she had, and they agreed on Die Hard and When Harry Met Sally.

Olivia called for the pizza and then sat back down on the couch, hoping El wouldn't notice that she had sat a little closer to him than before.

Elliot took in a breath, and when he did, he took in her scent. She smelled like vanilla. It was intoxicating. One of the best smells in the world. It was starting to remind him of home. He again, felt like a teenager, as he fought with the desire to put his arm around her. They both sat nervously on the couch. They were both itching to make a move, but they were both scared of being rejected.

Elliot didn't want to do the fake yawn, so he leaned back into the couch a bit more, and then ever so casually put his arm on the back of the couch. If Olivia leaned back, she'd be in his arms.

Olivia tried to concentrate on Bruce Willis and the terrorists as the temptation to sink back on the couch into Elliot's strong arms intensified. She was still sitting on the edge of the couch. She ran her hands through her hair nervously.

''Liv, you OK? You look so tense.'' Elliot said, breaking her concentration.

Olivia tried not to tense up as he rubbed her back softly, telling her to relax. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his touch. Then, her mind flashed back to the last man that had touched her, and she cried out.

Elliot knew she had to have had a Harris flashback. He didn't want to press it. He just pulled her back gently, and carefully slipped an arm around her shoulder. She didn't pull away, which was good. She actually leaned her head against his shoulder. That was a sign that he should go for a kiss.

He carefully lifted her face to his amd pressed his lips to hers. It was soft at first, and then they really got into it. Elliot slowly parted her lips with his tongue, which caused a moan from Olivia.

Olivia took the next move by pushing El back on the couch and climbing on top of him. She ran her hands up El's chest as he ran his hands through her hair.

They were both startled by the knock on the door. Olivia broke the kiss and said breathlessly, ''It's the pizza. I'll go get it.'' She climbed off Elliot reluctantly and went to get her wallet.

Elliot, also a little breathless, sat up and went to the kitchen to get some paper plates. Then, he hunted around for some beer or wine or something. That was one of the most amazing makeout sessions he'd ever had. He hoped it was as good for Olivia.

Olivia brought the pizza box into the kitchen, finally having caught her breath. ''Oh my God. Why haven't we been doing that all along?'' She asked, straightening her shirt.

Elliot laughed. ''I don't know, but I want to do a lot more of it.''

Olivia nodded. ''Yeah, I do too.'' She put the pizza down and kissed Elliot again. She pulled him closer and slipped her hands onto his tight little behind.

Elliot pulled back and said, ''Do you want to eat the pizza or see where this is going?''

Olivia thought for a second, and then said, ''Forget the pizza. It'll wait. I'm not waiting any longer for you.'' She quickly turned the oven on, low, put the pizza in, and yanked Elliot down the hall to her bedroom.

She sat him down on the bed and crawled into his lap and resumed kissing him. He pulled her shirt off and began unhooking her bra. Elliot scooted back on the bed and pulled Liv on top of him. Then they really got down to business.

An hour later, they were both lying on the bed, breathing hard. Olivia planted a light kiss on El's cheek and said, ''OK, that just burned about 6,000 calories.''

Elliot laughed. He turned to look at her. ''Liv, I want to make it clear that that wasn't just sex for me. I love you and I want to be with you.'' He brushed her hair back from her face lovingly.

Olivia took one of his hands in hers. ''I love you, too, and I want to be with you. So we're agreed.'' They kissed again and headed back into the kitchen to eat the pizza.

Elliot turned off the television and DVD player as Olivia turned off the oven and pulled out the pizza. She got the paper plates. Elliot asked, ''Do you want some beer or something? Wine's a little fancy for the pizza.''

Olivia was staring at the pizza box. A few tears had glittered her eyes. She turned to look at Elliot. ''El, is this really happening? Are you really my boyfriend now? 'Cause you don't know how long I've wanted you.''

Elliot said, ''Hey, hey. You don't have to question this, Liv. It's really happening. I'm really your boyfriend. I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours for life.''

Olivia let him wrap his arms around her and they stayed that way for awhile. By the time they got around to eating the pizza, it was cold. But neither of them cared.

After they finished eating, Olivia put the pizza box in the fridge and threw away the plates. ''El, please tell me you're staying, 'cause I don't think I'll sleep unless you do.''

Elliot had moved out of Kathy's and had been staying at the station basically. They had showers and beds, and no one really noticed how long he was there. Well, Cap did, but he didn't say anything. He knew that Elliot hadn't found a place in his price range yet. ''I had no intention of going anywhere else.'' He told her.

Olivia found something for Elliot to sleep in, and they climbed into bed. As she snuggled up against him, for the first time in her life, Olivia thought she could have something permanent.

She fell asleep pretty quickly. She had her hand resting on El's chest and her head on his shoulder. It felt so wonderful, she never wanted to move again.

Olivia began to dream. She was back at Sealview, trapped in the basement with Harris. He was attacking her. She awoke with a scream, and sat bolt upright in bed.

Elliot woke, and sat up, pulling her close to him, telling her it was alright. ''Ssh, baby, it's alright. I'm right here. What did you dream about? Talk to me.''

Olivia sobbed against El's chest. She loved him, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him what happened. She knew that Elliot felt guilty for not trying to stop her from going undercover. She took a deep breath and said, ''I dreamed about Sealview.''

Elliot wiped the tears off her face. ''What happened at Sealview? If you want me to help you, Liv, you've got to tell me what happened. It's OK. I love you.''

Olivia took El's hands in her own and took another deep breath. ''I found out Harris was the one who had been hurting all those women. Then, they closed Sealview off because of the outbreak. Which you already know. I, and a couple of the other inmates, got into the officers' faces, wanting to know what was going on. Then, Harris took me down to the basement, where he tried to rape me. If Fin hadn't come along, he would have.'' She stopped for a second to take another breath. ''El, I'm a cop. I should have been able to protect myself.''

Elliot kissed her forehead. ''It's not your fault, Olivia. It's mine, for not trying to talk you out of going undercover. And Harris is going to jail, so he won't hurt you again. It was my job to protect you, and I failed. Trust me when I say that it won't happen again.''

Olivia kissed him softly. ''This is no one's fault but Harris'. He's the one who tried to rape me. You know how I get. You can't talk me out of anything. I love you. Let's just work this out together.''

Elliot wrapped his arms around her, and they laid back down. She laid against him and tried to go back to sleep. Elliot stroked her hair until she fell asleep. He was awake long after she dozed off, angry at himself that he hadn't been able to be there for her before this. He should have pressed her, made her tell him. He loved her, that's what he should have done. He finally fell asleep in the middle of the night.

The next morning, Olivia awoke from the best sleep she had ever had. She looked at her boyfriend; he was still sleeping. Liv checked the time. It was 8:30. She wondered when El had finally fallen asleep. It had to have been late.

She got up and headed off to the shower. She stood under the water for twenty minutes, letting it soothe her sore body. It had really been good sex, because her entire body ached.

After she had washed her hair and face, and scrubbed the rest of her body, she got out and tried off, wrapping the towel around herself. She went back to the bedroom. El was still sleeping. She was getting some clothes when the phone rang. ''Benson.'' She said, answering it quickly before it woke El.
It was Fin. ''Hey, Liv. Cap's wondering where you two are.''

Olivia replied, ''We had a bit of a late night. We'll be there in an hour, I promise.'' She started to get dressed, holding the phone on her shoulder.

Fin said, ''Liv? Can I ask you? Are you guys together now? We told El to tell you his feelings yesterday.''

Olivia smiled, and looked at Elliot sleeping peacefully on her bed. ''Yeah, Fin, we are. Thanks. It was the best night of my life.'' She said bye and hung up before he could ask what happened. She wanted to keep it between her and Elliot a little bit longer.

As she was finishing getting dressed, El was stirring. ''Mmmm, Liv, come back to bed.'' He said, yawning and sitting up, giving Olivia a nice shot of his well-defined chest.

Liv shook her head. ''Can't. Fin just called. Cap's wondering where we are. Go shower. You can change clothes at the station.''

Elliot groaned and climbed out of bed. ''I'll take a quick rinse off and then we'll go get some breakfast. I'm starving.'' He kissed her and headed off to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth with his finger and got undressed so he could step in the shower. As he was getting in, Liv entered, holding some deoderant. ''I have some deoderant you can use. It's for men, before you fuss, and it's brand-new. Don't ask who it was for. Just use it.''

A few mintues later, Elliot emerged from the bathroom, tightening a towel around his waist. ''I smell like Polo.'' He said, making a face.

Olivia said, ''I'm going to blow-dry my hair. I'll just be a minute. Then we'll go get some breakfast real quick.'' She kissed him lightly. ''And you smell like you. You smell amazing.'' They kissed again and she headed into the bathroom.

Elliot dressed and towel dried his hair. He used the comb sitting on the dresser and headed out into the living room. He sat down on the couch and checked his cell. No missed calls. A few minutes later, Liv left the bathroom, and El was taken away by how amazing she looked. He stopped her as she went for her keys. ''You look breathtaking.'' He said, giving her a kiss.

Olivia kissed back, as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt herself wanting to take him back to the bedroom, and she broke the kiss. ''El, believe me, I want to keep doing that, but we've got to go. Come on.''

They arrived at the station a half an hour later, after getting breakfast for the others and Cap. Lake was staring at Elliot a little too closely, and just as El was going to say something, Lake said, ''El, you've got lipstick on your cheek.''

Elliot looked at Olivia, who laughed. He groaned and grabbed a tissue off Fin's desk to wipe it off. ''Thanks, Chester.'' He grumbled as he lightly hit Olivia on the arm. She just smiled at him.

Chester looked at Munch and Fin, who were both laughing. ''What's so funny?'' He asked, looking flabbergasted. While he had been aware of El and Liv's feelings for each other, he hadn't known that El and Kathy had officially split.

Munch said, ''Don't worry about it, Chester. You'll figure it out eventually.'' He turned to Elliot. ''You guys are lucky. Cap had to go court, so he won't know how long it took you to get here.''

Liv said, ''I thought he was wondering where we were? Fin called to let me know.'' She leaned against her desk and folded her arms.

Fin said, ''Oh, that was totally a joke, ya'll. We just wanted to see how quickly we could get you here.''

Elliot tried to look peeved, but Olivia's laugh stopped him. He laughed, too. ''Very funny, Tutuola.'' He said dryly.

Fin grinned happily at him. ''Yeah, I thought it was, Stabler.'' He took the coffee that El had handed him. ''So ya'll are an item now?'' He asked for Lake's benefit.

Olivia blushed deeply. ''Yes, we are. But we're not going to let this affect our work. We're going to be as professional as we can. Nothing is going to change.'' Munch, Fin, and Elliot looked at her. ''Well, except El and I might act like a couple from time to time.''

Lake's head snapped up from some paperwork he was doing. ''Whoa. You and El are dating? When did this happen? And where was I?'' He asked.

Olivia said, ''Well, I guess we're talking about this now. It happened last night at my apartment. That's all you need to know.''

Elliot held her gaze as he said, ''It was one of the best nights of my life.'' Olivia tried to keep the tears out of her eyes. It was sweet of him to say that.

Munch said, ''OK, you guys. We're going to change the subject. We're getting too mushy.''

The phone rang on Liv's desk, and she snatched it up. ''Benson.'' She said. She listened, and then hung up. ''Guys, we've got a rape victim at the hospital. El and I will go to the hospital and talk to the victim. Munch, Fin, you guys go to the crime scene.'' She gave Fin the address and picked up her car keys. ''Let's go, El. Girl's name is Jordie Stevens.''

It took them a few minutes to get to the hospital. Elliot opened the car door for her and instinctively took her hand. Olivia took a glance at their entwined hands. They had held hands before, but it had always been because one of them had been hurt. This was different. She liked it. Their hands looked nice together.

El stopped for a second as they went inside. ''Liv, what's up?'' He asked, and she flicked her gaze up to El's.

Olivia replied, ''Just looking at our hands.'' She tightened her grip on El's. ''It feels natural, right.'' She added.

Elliot grinned at her and then they approached the desk. Elliot pulled out his badge with his free hand. ''I'm Dect. Stabler, and this is my partner, Dect. Benson. We're here to talk to Jordie Stevens.''

The nurse told them where to go, so they headed to the second floor. Olivia wondered if she was going to be able to question this girl with El in the room and looking so good. She hoped this wouldn't make it more difficult to do her job.

Elliot was thinking along the same lines as they headed to the elevator. He hoped that they would be able to do it. They had before, but they hadn't been dating before. This was going to be interesting.

Jordie was lying in her hospital bed, awake and wiping her face with a wet wash cloth. She looked up when Elliot and Olivia entered. ''Hey, I know you guys. You're Elliot and Olivia.'' She said, putting down the wash cloth.

Olivia went to sit by her bed. ''Yes, may I ask how you know that?'' She felt rather than saw Elliot walk to her chair and stand beside it. She could smell him, and he smelled amazing.

Jordie replied, ''My uncle John works with you guys. I take it you're here to ask me about my attack?'' She couldn't bring herself to say rape.

Elliot nodded. ''So what happened? You can take your time giving us details.'' He was faintly aware of Olivia's vanilla shampoo. It was driving him insane.

Jordie said, ''Well, it happened last night when I was on my way home from a party. I was going the long way home, but I only live six blocks away. I wasn't going to take a cab. Plus, I really like to walk.'' She paused to take a drink of water. ''I think whomever it was knows me, because they were waiting for me by my building. He pushed me against the building and...'' She took a deep breath, ''raped me. He wore a mask and a condom, and then, pushed me on the ground and took off.'' She wiped a few tears from her face.

Olivia said, ''Did he say anything? Do anything that would make him stand out?'' She was still aware of El standing next to her, and despite what they were doing, she was finding it hard not to throw him down on the floor.

Jordie shook her head. ''No. He didn't say anything at all and he didn't have any weapons at all or anything.''

Elliot asked, ''Did you get a sense that you might know him? You said he might know you.''

Jordie shook her head again and wiped her face. ''No, he did smell like vanilla coffee, though. I thought that was a little weird. How many people in the world smell like coffee?''

Elliot started, and tried to cover it. Liv smelled like vanilla. That was a weird coincidence. ''Did he have anything with him that could have had coffee in it?''

Jordie replied, ''No, he just had that faint aroma of coffee. Like he had just drank some.''

They thanked her and left, figuring there wasn't much else they could get from her. Olivia's hand found El's again, and sighed at how right it felt. She wanted to bury her head in his shoulder and smell it. He smelled like Old Spice and soap. Plus, the Polo deoderant. It all together was one of the best smells in the whole world. It reminded her of home.

Elliot looked at Olivia. ''Let's find out where she works and go get the names of the people at that party.''

They went back to the precinct. Fin greeted them as they came in. ''When we got there, we talked to her roommate Karen Kolchek. Says Jordie works with social services. Gave me a list of people at the party.''

Munch added, ''We talked to the CSU team, too, and they said that the guy left no evidence at all. This'll be fun.''

Elliot took the list that Fin handed him and began to look it over as Olivia watched him. His brow furrowed with concentration. She thought it was totally sexy. ''Munch, this is your niece, isn't it? She said her uncle John works with us.'' He said.

Munch nodded. ''I wondered when you guys would figure it out. I've got a couple of pics of you guys at the apartment. She asked who you were. I told her.''

Olivia said, ''Yeah, she knew us. Is this going to be something you can handle? I'm sure Cragen'll be cool if you want to let us catch him.''

Munch replied, ''I'll be fine, Liv. I just want to find this guy. Fin and I can handle the party kids if you guys go to the work. Or vice versa.''

Elliot looked at Olivia. ''You want to do that? Or do you want to check out the party kids?'' He watched as a lock of hair fell softly over her eye. It was so sexy.

Olivia said, ''Why don't we handle the party kids? Munch and Fin can do the office. Come on.'' She took El's hand and they headed out to her car. ''Do you want to drive?'' She asked, holding out the keys.

Elliot said, ''It's your car, Liv. You can drive if you want.'' He did stop for a minute and take her in his arms. ''I've been wanting to do this all day.'' He kissed her deeply.

Olivia gave in for a second, because it was hard not to, she loved him. But then she broke it. ''Come on, El. We've still got kids to interview.'' One last kiss, and she got in the car.

They didn't talk much on the way there. But that was OK. It was a comfortable silence. Elliot was trying to concentrate on the questions he had to ask, but Olivia's vanilla smell was intoxicating. He couldn't get her off his mind. He had been jonesing for her for years, but it was totally different now that he actually had her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He had loved Kathy, but it just felt right with Olivia.

Olivia was thinking along the same lines. She had been in love with El for so long now that it was second nature, like breathing. But now that she had him, it was ten times more amazing than she could ever have imagined. That sounded so cliche, but God help her, it was true.

They arrived at the home of Jordie. Liv wanted to talk to Karen, get the addresses of these people, ask her if she had gone. She might know something. ''Come on, El. Let's go.''

Elliot followed her to Jordie's apartment building, still overwhelmed by Liv's scent. For some reason, he still couldn't shake the bad feeling he had about this rapist. It was too weird to him that the perp smelled like his girlfriend. He couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't a coincidence.

They walked up to Jordie's and knocked. Karen came to the door. ''Hello, may I help you?'' She asked.

Olivia and Elliot flashed their badges. ''Hi. You Karen Kolchek?'' Olivia asked.

Karen nodded. ''Yes, and whom may I ask are you two?'' She stepped back and let them in.

Olivia said, ''I'm Dect. Olivia Benson, and this is my'' she paused as she almost said boyfriend, ''partner, Dect. Elliot Stabler. We're here to ask you some questions about the attack on your roommate.''

Karen said, ''OK. I'm happy to help. I'm so sorry it happened. Jordie and I have been best friends since high school.'' She tossed long hair back over her shoulder.

Elliot asked, ''Did you go to the party with her last night?''

Karen shook her head. ''No. I was sick. I just wanted to stay at home. But I knew all the kids at the party. I gave it to Dect. Tutuola.''

Olivia nodded. ''Yes, we also want addresses for those people. Jordie thinks the rapist knew her. She said he was waiting for her outside. Did you hear anything or go outside at all?''

Karen paused a minute. ''No, I guess I didn't. I heard our neighbor's dogs barking, but that's all. Does she think it's someone from the party? We've known these people since college.''

Olivia asked, ''And how long has it been since college?'' It couldn't have been that long ago, Karen didn't look much older than twenty-five.

Karen said, ''A few years ago. Jords and I are twenty-seven. We were all freshman together, so we've known them nearly ten years. Does she really think that one of them could have done it?''

Elliot shrugged. ''It's a possibilty. We're going to check out the people she works with, too. We don't have a suspect right now.''

Karen said, ''Make sure you check out Kevin Davis. He has always been obsessed with Jords. He was at the party last night. I called our friend Deila Anderson, she gave the party, and asked her. She said Kevin hung around Jords all night long.''

Olivia asked, ''Did Kevin leave before or after Jordie? The rapist was here waiting for her, so he had to have gotten here first.''

Karen shrugged. ''I forgot to ask. I wouldn't put it past him. Kev's always been a little weird. Oh, and then there's Mitch Oglemeijer. He's always had the hots for Jords, too.''

Olivia quickly checked the list for both Kevin and Mitch's names. They had both gone to the party. She had Karen give her addresses and they headed out. Liv decided they'd head for Mitch's first. It was only a couple of blocks away.

Elliot observed, ''It wouldn't have been hard for this Mitch guy. His apartment's right inbetween Jordie's and the party. He could've left a little early, stopped by home to get into the black getup, and then gone to Jordie's to wait.''

It took them only a few minutes to reach Mitch's. Olivia hurried up to the building and was buzzed in by Mitch's sister. Elliot quickly followed.

The sister opened the door. ''I'm Mitch's sister Evelyn. He and I are rooming together. Is this about Jordie Stevens? My brother didn't rape her. He wouldn't ever rape anyone.''

Olivia introduced herself and Elliot. ''We talked to Karen Kolchek, Jordie's roommate, and she said Mitch had a bit of an obsession with Jordie. Is he home? We'd like to speak to him.''

Evelyn shook her head. ''He's at work. he works with Jordie. We all went to college together. He wasn't even at the party that long.''

Olivia asked, ''Did you go with him? We've got a list of the party goers, you weren't on it.''

Evelyn sat down, and waved her hands for Liv and El to follow suit. ''No, I was at home the whole evening. But I saw him leave and come home again. He was only gone for an hour.''

Olivia replied, ''We'll check with the others, see if he was there the whole time. Did Mitch ever ask Jordie out, that kind of thing? Was there ever any issues of stalking or anything like that?''

Eveyln vehemently shook her head. ''No. Mitch did like her, but he never stalked her. They were friends. They even worked in the same department. My brother isn't a rapist.''

They asked her a few more questions, and then left. ''Well, if he did it, she's either lying or doesn't know a thing about it.'' Elliot said.

Olivia replied, ''Well, he's definitely a suspect in my book. If he only stayed gone for an hour? He may have been there and then gone home tp get his stuff. Or stashed it first. His place isn't that far from the party.''

Elliot said, ''We need to go to the party hosters', see who came and stayed awhile and who left early.''

Olivia agreed. ''Who hosted the party?''

Elliot checked the list. ''Deila Anderson and her boyfriend Kyle Davidson. Let's go.'' He opened the driver side door for her.

Olivia thanked him and got in. This was different, but it felt the same. She liked it.