Legal: I only play with Olivia and the others when Dick Wolf and NBC aren't holding them hostage… I own nothing. I also don't own Nickelback.. or their amazing talent….

Author's Notes: I haven't written a fanfic for SVU before. I hope that you will like and please do review and let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks for taking the time to pop by and check it out.

Chapter 2 ~ Something in Your Mouth ~ Two Weeks Prior

"Benson, Stabler, I need you to get to the Prickly Pear for a homicide." Cragen called from his office. "Warner's already on scene."

I nodded to the Captain, grabbed my jacket, keys, phone and headed for the car.

"You going to wait for me?" Elliot called after me.

I just rolled my eyes and yelled over my shoulder,

"I am not the one taking my sweet time. Are you going to move any faster?"

I just kept walking, knowing that he would make his way to the car eventually, and at least this way, I would be able to drive for once. Since returning from Oregon, I had realized that my partner's idiosyncrasies were more annoying than nails on a chalkboard to me. His antics have just become more than I can tolerate. I had thought about asking Cragen for a partner swap, but being the determined person that Detective Benson is, I decided that it was an unacceptable option. I was determined to make this work and to make it work well. I have overcome more professional obstacles than most, and was just going to add this to the list of things I overcame.

I looked in the rearview and caught a glimpse of Elliot sauntering towards the car, wearing his new standard uniform of a pair of jeans and long sleeved t-shirt with the denim jacket on top. I still could not get used to the idea of him not wearing the standard suit every day, but then again I guess I shouldn't judge because I had also gone a little lax on my wardrobe since returning. I revved the engine to signal my impatience with his pace and he took off running towards the car.

"Well, aren't you in a hurry this evening?" he said breathlessly as he slid into the passenger seat.

I huffed, "I don't know about you, but I would like to do my job before this becomes a cold case."

He returned with, "You know, Warner is not going to leave until we get there."

I was tired of his lackadaisical attitude tonight, like he had better things to be doing than his work. "Elliot, knock it off. I am in no mood for your quips."

We completed the ride to the Prickly Pear in complete silence. Upon arrival, we saw that the CSU team was there as well, and had gotten started on processing the exterior of the building. I imagined that they would be inside processing the scene as well. This would help to save some additional trips to the lab, and would help move things along so we could get the case solved.

I got out of the car and surveyed the scene as I walked quickly towards the officer standing at the door. The Prickly Pear was a strip club with a bright pink pear atop the building. It was located in a less than desirable neighborhood, as was to be expected. He noted that there was a bouncer at the door, but there was practically no lighting in the parking lot and no other obvious security measures outside the club. I flashed my badge to the officer and he pointed to a set of stairs on the side of the building. I turned around to see if I could locate my partner, and saw that he was getting the details from the first on-scene officers. I headed up to find Warner and check out the crime scene. At the top of the stairs, I found the most elaborate crime scene I had seen in the many years I had been on the force.

The victim was hanging upside down on a stripper pole. Her hands and feet were tied behind her, and her feet were also tied to the rafters, which was keeping her suspended in the air and to the pole. She had been blindfolded and was dressed in only a bra and pair of boyshorts. She had a number of small incisions scattered all over her body, but nothing that looked deep enough to have killed her. I spotted Melinda coming from behind the body, and walked over to get the story.

"Hey, this looks like an elaborate one."

Melinda looked up from her notes and said, "Yes, its definitely something. I am putting her time of death at just a few hours ago, but will have a better idea once I get through the whole examination."

"Any ideas on the cause of death?" I asked.

"She doesn't have the usual signs of asphyxiation, and the cuts aren't deep enough to have caused her to bleed to death. There are no signs of sexual trauma per se, but as you can see she definitely suffered."

"This is definitely some kind of torture." I said as I continued to walk through the crime scene to see if I could get any further clues on who she was and who may have committed the crime.

The room appears to have been a practice studio for the strippers as there were about 8 poles scattered through the room. Additionally, the walls were lined with mirrors, as was traditional with dance studios. I noted that there was no real splatter along the mirrors, but that there were some small droplets on the floor below the body, which was consistent with the cuts having dripped after being inflicted while the victim was still alive. I saw that there was an office area off to the side of the room. I walked over to see if there was any identifying information in the area. It was very neat, hardly a piece of lint out of place. Not only was nothing out of place, but there was also no identifying information as to who our victim was. I heard the heavy footsteps of my partner on the stairs and turned to face him, to catch his reaction to the scene, and see if he had any information from the officers outside. He paused just as he hit the top step and got the full effect of the scene, I saw the shock and awe hit his face, and then the quick transformation back into his detective mode. We were all like that, we would all have a personal reaction and then push it to the side. It was accepted as professionalism, but I often wondered how healthy it really was in the long run.

"What did you get?" I asked him as I walked towards him. I hoped that he would have some sort of clue about her identity, at least.

"Wow, that's a scene." He commented quickly. "She was found by one of the ladies downstairs, said her name was Bubbles. The officers didn't get much information because once they saw the state of the body, they knew it would belong to us. You know how they get, don't want to put in too much effort when they won't get the credit." He chuckled. I just rolled my eyes, understanding all too well what he was speaking about.

"Well, I think I am going to head downstairs, and find Bubbles. Do you think you can concentrate in front of a bunch of naked women?" I asked with a chuckle as I walked to the stairs.

"Liv, give me a break." He said as he followed closely behind. "It will be my pleasure, even though after working here for years, it does nothing for me anymore. Side effect of the job, I suppose." We both laughed at that one, knowing that there were far many more side effects that we rarely spoke of, but dealt with often. They were things that other people would never understand, unless they had experienced them as we had. It was one of the common bonds amongst our team that was silently understood.

I walked into the Prickly Pear, and heard the song, Something in Your Mouth. I just chuckled to myself, pulled out my badge, and leaned into the bartender.

"Where can I find Bubbles?" He nodded towards the stage.

I looked and saw a cute little blonde working her magic on the stripper pole, and thought back to the victim upstairs. I nodded to Elliot and headed towards her. When I got up to the stage, I was approached by a burly man, who was obviously on security detail. I flashed my badge, and said,

"I need to speak with Bubbles." He nodded gruffly and pointed towards a door off to the side.

I headed that way and found myself behind the stage. I waited patiently as I heard the last chorus of the song cursing through the stereo system. I looked around at my surroundings and realized that it was obvious, the show was on the other side. This side was barely taken care of with peeling paint on the walls and a general just gross appearance on all levels. As my eyes came back around to the stage area, I was greeted by a pair of huge naked breasts.

"Who are you?" asked Bubbles.

"Detective Benson," I said, once again flashing my badge instinctively, "I need to speak with you about the woman you found upstairs. You can get dressed first though."

"I thought that they already had everything they needed. What do you want?" She asked as she grabbed a t-shirt and sweatpants from a nearby chair.

"I am from Special Victims Unit. My unit has taken over the case and so I need to get the details from you directly. Can you tell me the name of the victim?"

"Mistress of Hotness," she replied simply.

"Okay, do you know her real name or just her stage name?"

"That's the only name I know. But you may want to speak with Lacey, she knew her better than anyone. I only took her class." I took out my pad and began taking down the notes.

"What class?"

"She taught us how to work the pole."

"Did she perform here often as well?"

Bubbles laughed aloud. "Definitely not. She was highly against the idea of performing here. She always told us that we could be doing better things with our talent."

"So, why did she have her studio above the club if she was against the idea of stripping?"

"I am new here, so you would have to ask Lacey about that one. Listen, I have to get ready for my next set, are we done?" She asked impatiently.

"Where can I find Lacey?" I asked quickly.

"On the bar by the fountain, if she is still performing. Otherwise, you will need to wait until she returns." She said slowly.

"Listen, I am not going to bust her on anything, I just need to learn more about the victim. Here is my card, please call me if you think of anything else." I handed her the card.

"Fine," she said taking the card. "If you don't see her on the bar, ask the bartender how long she will be." With that she walked away and disappeared behind a curtain blocked by yet another security professional. I took that as my cue to leave and returned to the main floor to find my partner. I saw him speaking to one of the bouncers and walked over to see how he was making out.

"Hey, so what have you got?" I asked.

"Hey. This is James. He said that the victim owned a dance studio upstairs, but to find out anything pertinent, we need to speak with Lacey. Seems our victim was not an employee here."

"Yea, I hear that we can find Lacey by the fountain. Care to take a walk with me?" I asked as I headed across the room. I did not see any women by the bar, but figured that I would give it a shot anyway.

As I got closer to the bar, I noticed that the patrons were all as far away from this area as they could be. It was like a ghost town near this bar, which was unusual when the regular bar was packed. Upon arriving at the bar, I noticed that it was not your standard bar. It was more like a store for sexual activities. I saw the "bartender" attempting to get things hidden. I walked faster and flashed my badge. He quickly ducked behind a curtain in the back of the bar.

"Interesting, think he has something to do with this?"

"No, I think he doesn't want to get busted for pimping out the ladies." Elliot laughed. I decided to see if I could reach out to whoever was behind the bar.

"Hello, anyone back there?" I yelled to be heard over the music but I did not get a response back. I turned back to Elliot,

"Well, it does not look like this is the best time to reach Lacey. Any suggestions?"

"I can talk to my bouncer friend and see if he has any further information." I shrugged my shoulders and followed him back to James knowing that no one would come from behind the curtain as long as I was present. I reached James and Elliot.

"James, we need to find Lacey. We are trying to solve a case, and we could make a lot of trouble for the club if you decide to impede our investigation. However, if you are willing to cooperate, we are willing to look the other way regarding the illegal activities going on in the fountain area." Elliot tried to reason with the bouncer.

"Fine, don't get your knickers in a bunch." The bouncer responded gruffly. "She's probably busy at the moment, but what if I promise to have her come down to the station after." Elliot looked at me and I figured it was worth a shot at least.

"If you don't, my partner will be sure to come down here with every police officer in New York, the Prickly Pear will be no more and you will be performing those favors in Rickers." I commanded to ensure that he got the point that not complying would not be in his best interest. Elliot handed him his card and said,

"I expect to see you both in the next couple of hours."

With that we walked outside, and headed to the car. I turned and looked to see if CSU was still processing, but it appeared that they had also completed their task.

"Back to the house?" I asked as I got into the driver's seat.

"Yes, let's see if Melinda has anything for us yet. Speak to Cragen and the guys to see if they have any thoughts on the matter."