Disclaimer: I own MY characters who will be mostly introduced in the next chapter. Other than that, I am NOT Mr. Wolf, nor do I work for NBC, so you KNOW nothing else is mine.

A/N - This chapter isn't very exciting, and has only one maybe two mentions of Olivia, but it's critical for the case. The next chapter definitely has Olivia, and will start to pick up, I think. Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas, TELL me! I know where I want this story to go, and I already have an ending, but if you have some ideas that I can incorporate, tell me! I'll add them, if I can. I'll accept EO ideas, but make them mostly Liv-Centric, as that's what I want this story to be. And SHOUT-OUT's to… xxkimyxx, mia66, Sara Hudson, and .Fanx8x. Thanks for the reviews! *hearts u*

A/N - This chapter is EDITED! Thanks for all the awesome reviews, but I didn't deserve them because I left off HALF the chapter. I went back and read it like wtf?! This was originally supposed to be two chapters, but since I screwed up I made it one LONG chapter. I'm so sorry guys! But you *can* count this as an update, though it's just more background for the story.

Chapter Two

Background

The Medical Examiner wasn't at the scene when they arrived, so the pair of detectives approached one of the responding officers, flashing their badges.

"I'm Detective Stabler. This is Detective Benson." Elliot nodded in Olivia's direction. "What have we got?" He asked, pulling on a pair of latex gloves as Olivia did the same.

"Neighbor called it in. Said she heard shouting and several large thumps. The door was closed, but unlocked when we got here and we could smell smoke out in the hallway, though the fire burned itself out before we made it inside."

The apartment was immaculate, like something out of a magazine. There were expensive paintings and portraits as well as statues, other expensive artwork and such, but to Elliot's trained eye something was missing though he didn't immediately know what.

As the uniformed officer spoke and walked them through the scene, he led the detectives to what turned out to be the master bedroom. The bed was unmade, the sheets and blanket wet with blood, and there was a blood covered butcher knife protruding from the pillow next to what appeared to be a mound of human flesh. On the floor near the dresser were remnants of a broken lamp.

"Body is in the bathtub in the master bath. It's pretty bad." He warned, shaking his head as he stopped next to the bed, making no effort to return to the connected bathroom. The door frame and door were both splintered, as if the door had been kicked in, and the doorknob had blood on it.

Upon entering they were met with a gruesome sight. There was blood splattered across almost every surface, and crouched in the bathtub was the body of what appeared to be a woman, judging by her hair and build. She was slumped over, hair covering her face, and was completely nude.

Cuts and bruises melted in and out of one another over her entire body. Scattered about her body were what looked to be burnt documents and pictures.

"Jesus." Elliot whispered. The scene was horrible. He couldn't believe that someone could do something like this to another human being no matter how many times he witnessed crime scenes similar to this one.

Upon looking at the burnt remains of what were once pictures, he realized what had been missing as they walked through the home. There were no personal pictures on the walls or tables throughout the house. Their perp had decided to burn them all.

Olivia stood, eyes watering with her hand over her mouth, attempting not to gag and prepared to turn away when a small movement caught her eye. Instantly the bathroom bathed in blood and the woman's body seemed to disappear.

"Elliot!" she cried, leaning over in the tub, grabbing hold of the little hand she'd just seen twitch underneath the dead woman's arm. Elliot turned to see what his partner was doing just as she gently pushed the woman's body back, reluctantly, in order to gain access to the little one obviously hidden below. As the body fell back Elliot gasped.

There underneath the corpse was a little girl, covered in blood, wounded, but very much alive.

**********

While Olivia went to the hospital with the little girl, Elliot finished up at the scene and headed back to the precinct to await the rest of the report from the ME. When they'd moved the body, the woman's head had fallen back. She'd been beaten about the face so severely that she it was completely unrecognizable. Not that there were any photos to compare her face to had it been recognizable.

Melinda said she'd been stabbed several times with a kitchen butcher knife as well as beaten with a blunt object. Judging from the removal of the breast, she guessed there was also a sexual assault, but would have a positive answer upon further examination of the woman's body. She informed Elliot that the mound of flesh on the bed turned out to be a woman's breast.

Back at the precinct, Elliot relayed the information to his superior, while giving his own theory of some of the evens.

"I'm thinking she was alive while he was removing her breast, but probably unconscious, but he was interrupted. Perhaps by the little girl."

"Why do you say that?" Cragen asked.

"Well, she was in the bathtub when we found her, arms wrapped around the little girl. I think she came into the room, and our perp went after her. The woman wakes up, hits him with the lamp, panics that he's not unconscious and locks herself and the little girl in the bathroom. He breaks the door down, and finishes what he started but without the knife. Maybe he used an object, maybe his fists. Neighbors said they smelled smoke and heard the fire alarm going off, so maybe he panicked and decided to make a run for it before the police came. Left the little girl, figuring whether she fingered him or not, it wouldn't matter because he'd be our prime suspect."

Upon searching the house, they found that Elliot's earlier assumption had been right. All the personal photos in the house seemed to have been destroyed.

"So the little girl was still alive?" Shock registered on Cragen's face as he absorbed the information Elliot had just given him. The detective nodded at his captain.

"I'm guessing the woman was her mother. Looks like she was trying to shield her from the attack. Liv called. Should be back soon. She said the doctor found some cuts and bruises on the kid. Her hand was burned and she had a pretty nasty blow to the head. That's the worst of her injuries. They don't know if she'll regain consciousness, and so far we don't have anyone to notify."

"What about the father?" Cragen asked.

"I'm liking him for our perp. Initially I assumed it could have been someone taking revenge by going through his family, but the destroyed pictures seems too personal. Also, there was a computer hookup, but no computer. No cell phones or address books. There wasn't even any mail, but we caught a break as we were leaving the building, the mailman was making his rounds."

"So…"

"So, according to the neighbors, they're new to the building. No one knows their names. I have no idea where he works, or who his family is, and whoever killed that woman made sure we'd have to work to find her identity." Cragen nodded, absorbing the information.

During their investigation, Elliot and CSU had, due to the neighbors statements and the evidence they found, that there was a family of at least three living in the apartment on the 12th floor. They'd just moved in 2 weeks earlier, and while the husband was seen coming and going, the mother and child stayed home usually. Before the police had been called, they'd heard arguing, some loud thumps and then silence. The police had only been called when several neighbors smelled smoke.

"The woman, if that was in fact her we found, is named Mrs. Elena Margolis according to the bills. Aged late twenties, earlier thirties. The caretaker is out of town, so we've yet to confirm it with him. The little girl looks to be about three, according to the neighbors. One woman recalls her being addressed as Mariah by the mother on one occasion. The man, Michael Margolis is conveniently unaccounted for."

While Olivia went to the hospital with the little girl, Elliot finished up at the scene and headed back to the precinct to await the rest of the report from the ME. When they'd moved the body, the woman's head fell back. She'd been beaten about the face so severely that she it was completely unrecognizable. Not that there were any photos to compare her face to had it been recognizable.

Melinda Warner told the detective that the woman had been stabbed several times with a kitchen butcher knife as well as beaten with a blunt object. Judging from the removal of the breast, she'd ventured a guess that there was also a sexual assault, but would have a positive answer upon further examination of the woman's body. She informed Elliot that the mound of flesh on the bed turned out to be a woman's breast.

Back at the precinct, Elliot relayed the information to his superior, while giving his own theory of some of the evens.

"I'm thinking she was alive while he was removing her breast, but probably unconscious, then he was interrupted. Perhaps by the little girl." Elliot commented as he looked at the crime scene photos CSU had just delivered to the precinct. He couldn't imagine what the little girl had witnessed, and though it was his job, he didn't want to.

"Why do you say that?" Cragen asked, also looking over the photos with a knot in his stomach.

"Well, she was in the bathtub when we found her, arms wrapped around the little girl." Elliot would never be able to erase that image from his mind.

"I think the little girl came into the room, and our perp was startled and went after her. In the mean time, the woman wakes up, sees him assaulting, or attempting to assault the kid, hits him with the lamp, panics when she sees that he's down but he's not unconscious and locks herself and the little girl in the bathroom. He gets up, breaks the door down, and attempts to finish what he started but without the knife. Maybe he used an object, maybe his fists. She 's dead and the little girl is unconscious, so he realized what he's done and starts to plan his getaway. Gets the cell phones and address books, then goes through the place, collecting all the personal photos to set ablaze." Elliot is speaking, but the captain can tell he's mostly talking to himself.

"Neighbors said they smelled smoke and heard the fire alarm going off, so maybe he panicked when it first went off, and decided to make a run for it before the police came. Left the little girl, figuring whether she fingered him or not, it wouldn't matter because he'd be our prime suspect. He was just concerned with getting out of the apartment… maybe even the city/state."

Upon searching the house, they'd found that Elliot's earlier assumption had been right. All the personal photos in the house seemed to have been destroyed. That's where he'd come up with part of his theory.

"So the little girl was still alive?" Shock registered on Cragen's face as he absorbed the information Elliot had just given him. The detective nodded at his captain.

"I'm guessing the woman was her mother, but Melinda will have to confirm that. To me it looked like she was trying to shield her from the attack, or try and prevent her from witnessing what was happening. Liv called just before I got here. She should be back soon. She said the doctor found some cuts and bruises on the kid. Her hand was burned, but it was minor, and she had a pretty nasty blow to the head. That's the worst of her injuries. They don't know if she'll regain consciousness, and so far we don't have anyone to notify."

"What about the father?" Cragen asked.

"I'm liking him for our perp. Initially I assumed it could have been someone taking revenge by going through his family, but the destroyed pictures seems too personal. Also, there was a computer hookup, but no computer as well as a wall charger for what could have been a laptop. No cell phones or address books. There wasn't even any mail, but we caught a break. As we were leaving the building, the mailman was making his rounds."

"So…"

"So, according to the neighbors, they were new to the building. No one knew their names. I have no idea where he works, or who his family is, and whoever killed that woman made sure we'd have to work to find her identity. But the mail at least gave us an idea of who lived in the apartment." Cragen nodded, absorbing the information.

Upon their investigation, Elliot and CSU had, due to the neighbors statements and the evidence they found, that there was a family of at least three living in the apartment on the 12th floor. They'd just moved in 2 weeks earlier, and while the husband was seen coming and going, the mother and child stayed home usually. Before the police had been called, they'd heard arguing, some loud thumps and then silence. The police had only been called when several neighbors smelled smoke.

"The woman, if that was in fact her we found, was named Mrs. Elena Margolis, according to the bills. Aged late twenties, earlier thirties. The caretaker is out of town, so we've yet to confirm it with him. The little girl looks to be about three, according to the neighbors. One woman recalls her being addressed as Mariah by the mother on one occasion. The man, Michael Margolis is conveniently unaccounted for."