Author Note : Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and put in their two cents. This chapter seems kind of drabbly to me, but it'll pick up in the next, I'm sure. Continuance is based on reviews so please do so! As always critique is greatly appreciated, as well as suggestions and comments.

Initial shock combined with sleep deprivation made her wound dressing abilities less then admirable. It clung loosely from Olivia's shoulder, and the more she looked at it the more she wondered how she had messed up so badly in the first place. Then again her place was in the courtroom, not a hospital and her apartment was certainly no medical center. The most she had, tool wise, was gauze and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, neither of which was suitable for a bullet wound of any degree. It had taken her an hour to clean away the blood and apply the bandages without causing great discomfort, certain that her small armchair would never be the same again.

She had thought about calling Cragen as soon as Olivia had dozed off, but she had promised no calls and as soon as the brunette was up and about she had a long list of questions she expected to be answered. It wasn't everyday that a wounded detective showed up in her apartment via illegal methods, and she rather hoped it was a once in a lifetime event. She had been shot personally, with much of the credit going to the underground mob infesting the city, and she knew the terror and pain associated with such events. Olivia? She shrugged it off as if she had stubbed her toe on the desk at work. Her breathing was even and hardly noticeable, a few coughs breaking the silence from time to time.

The red letters of her digital alarm clock told her it was nearing five in the morning, when she had requested to be awoken up. Alex played with the thought of giving her a few hours extra, if for nothing more then her shoulder and the deepening bags beneath her eyes, but she'd rather not face the shit storm that would inevitably follow in such a scenario. Instead she chose to kneel down next to the detective, grabbing onto her good shoulder as she gently shook her away. "Olivia." She tried slowly, gaining no response aside from a confused mutter. "Detective Benson, where are the interview documents on the Owens Case?"

Her eyes fluttered open immediately, dull and hazy, reaching out as if she were at her computer. "Alex, I don't think I printed those out yet..." Rubbing at her eyes, she immediately dropped her bad arm, cursing through a bad cough. "Alex?..." Her eyes trailed around a moment, tenderly touching her shoulder, earlier events rushing back at her in a chaotic stream. "Sorry I'd forgotten. Please tell me you've gotten some sleep?" She felt terrible for putting Alex out like this without so much as an explanation, despite the situation.

"Lucky for you I have an assistant to do my bidding and as of an hour ago, all of my cases have been transferred for the day in order to clear my schedule. Also lucky for you, I decided to take a sick day though I'm curious as to the events surrounding my mysterious illness..." Pushing over a cup of coffee she had brewed a little bit ago, she watched as Olivia took a hearty sip from it, keeping it in her hands for added warmth.

Finally setting down the empty cup, she gave her an apologetic smile, shrugging her good shoulder in a white flag attempt. "What are the chances I can make a call first?" Alex simply stared at her, waving her hand as if to say, fine. What was another ten minutes at this point? She punched the speed dial in quickly, not noticing she had stopped breathing as each dial tone rang in her ears. The line picked up. "We are the all seeing, all dancing crap of the world."

"Thank fucking god." She could hear him sigh on the other end, and both of them visibly relaxed. "Where are you?"

"Would you believe Cabot's? It seems my career as a common criminal would go awry from the very beginning."

"Did you..."

"Not yet. I think it's fine though. Are you okay? I heard shots and..."

"A couple of those shots were from me. I think I nailed the bastard but I don't know for sure."

"Andrews is dead but he nailed me in the shoulder. I didn't go to the hospital. If they have people in the academy and in the force, they're bound to have medical staff at Mercy. Especially overnight. I think it's safe to say keep it to our people and our people only. No more outside help from here on in. We don't want them suspicious though."

"Keep Cabot in the loop and I'll call the Captain and see what we can work out. This is some really fucked up shit, Liv. If worse comes to worse we could always play dead and work from the shadows." He could only imagine Kathy sitting with her new husband, his face flashing on the screen under the caption 'Two of New York's Finest Slain' more at eleven.

"Where are you, anyways?"

"Construction site. I met a hobo named Steve downstairs. We're going to have beans for breakfast."

She let out a light laugh. At least they weren't too worse off. "Alright. Call me back once you hear from the Captain. Same phrase, just until we can regroup." Alex mouthed something, finally catching on. "You're welcome to meet up here if you feel it's safe enough. I'll text you the address."

"Will do."

They hung up with little else to say, Olivia content and feeling refreshed with the news. One step back and two steps forward, whatever the reason. Her shoulder stung like a bitch though. "I'm assuming he's a little less comparable to Swiss cheese then you are?" Alex's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "I'm guessing there was a shoot out between you and the two officers from homicide, for whatever reason?" She leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. "What case are you guys even working on, because none of this has even remotely crossed my desk." She was annoyed to be so far out of the loop, and equally annoyed that there seemed to be a fracture between detective and prosecutor. For the system to worked the way she needed it to, it had to be an unbroken line of information. Was she really that untrustworthy?

"Visual stakeout only, dealing with the Owen case. We wanted a better feel for him so we set up shop at a diner near his house, to see who was coming and who was going between the places in question. Cragen ordered if off the books and the backup was more training then anything else..." Her voice trailed off, letting out a sigh at Alex's stern gaze. "We didn't mean to go behind your back or anything. We never expected anything to come out of it in the first place. It was quiet and out of nowhere Anderson and Jake came out guns blazing. Elliot and I ran for it. It seemed like the best option at the time, especially since they were in uniform and we were in street clothes. If civilians had intervened..." She sighed. "Either way we need to figure out who's involved and who the hell left us out to dry. If it really was Owens then we've stepped into something deep."

"I thought he didn't have a record?"

"No record, not even a speeding ticket. With the toys he has and the slum he lives in though, I think that only makes him twice as suspicious at this point. I want his balls in a damn vice by the time this is over." Leaning back in the chair, she withheld a groan. Her shoulder was mass murdering her slowly but surely. "Sorry you got involved. I'll pay for the window and the chair when we get this mess sorted out."

She had always fancied meeting Alex in her apartment under more favorable circumstances, but there was no time like the present to take in her surroundings. It was simple, spacious, and lacked any personality what so ever. Everything was stark white or stark black in alternating themes and patterns, leaving little to the imagination. No personal photography made itself known, no notebooks by the telephone or jars of unsorted pens. From what she gathered there was a living room the size of her own apartment, adjoined kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom along with a small study towards the back. She hadn't moved from the chair since she arrived, most of her information gained from listening to Alex restlessly move around the apartment. Before she had fallen asleep, of course. She had pictured Alex living in a more...secured area of New York, then again the chance of a break in at such heights were low. Herself being a stand alone case, of course.

"Don't worry about it. I already called the repair in and should have a new window by the end of the week. For now the blanket will work just as well. The view wasn't that favorable to begin with." She paused, folding her arms over her chest yet again. It was becoming a habit she wasn't particularly fond of. "It's not..."

"No, it isn't connected to Zapata." It was as if Olivia was reading her mind, though she doubted the connection was hard to make. "We aren't sure who the players are yet. To get cops, though? We're guessing bigger...wider...maybe out of state even, depending." She adjusted herself, using her good arm to push up off the chair, supporting herself as she secured her footing despite being on level ground. She felt like she was going to pass out or hit someone, she wasn't sure which. "Where's the restroom?"

Alex debated whether or not to lead the way, but thought better of it. "Down the hall, first door on the right. There's some fresh towels hanging on the rack and a spare tooth brush underneath the counter." As Olivia excused herself rather quietly, Alex noted the slight limp to her step and the constant cradling of her shoulder. She should be at a hospital, not playing cloak and daggers like it was type of games. There were legal ramifications for actions like this, and none of them were good. The shooting of a cop, off duty, by detectives in a surveillance op not approved through the attorney's office? If they couldn't prove the mob connection they'd be out of jobs quicker then the media could gather on the doorsteps.

Sometimes she wondered if the detectives ever thought past the next hour...

Elliot had managed to make his way over into the appropriate neighbor within the hour, the call to Cragen lasting the entire way there. He stuck to back roads and alleys, a seemingly familiar decision lately, satisfied that nobody knew what he was talking about to begin with. Just another New Yorker out at an unfortunate time. The captain's initial reaction was utter and complete rage, almost positive he heard something smash on the other side though he couldn't be certain. Second came more rage, and third came the passive aggressive regrouping he had been looking for. The first suspect was IAB, the seeming mortal enemy of SVU but the thought quickly passed. As much as they hated Tucker and everyone that worked for him, he wouldn't stoop so low as to know about mob members in his own group. The next suspect was homicide, and after that Owens himself though they were both positive the two were tightly intertwined to pull off such a stunt. Cragen had sent Fin to pick up the car and had Munch doing some much needed digging. He'd call again in an hour, and told Elliot to lay low and assess Olivia's wound. If it was too bad? They'd bring her somewhere.

Knocking on the door, he paused, listening to the rustling on the other side. The door slid open ever so slightly, revealing Alex through the chained slot, shutting it as it opened without the added security. "Elliot." She greeted briskly, ushering him inside as she shut and locked the door behind him. "If you plan on bleeding in my apartment, kindly do so on the same chair Olivia's been occupying." It was meant to come off as a joke, but it fell short into awkward territory, causing her to run a hand through her hair. "Sorry, long night. I suppose you've had your fair share of that as well. Make yourself comfortable, Olivia's freshening up."

"Sorry to put you out like this, Alex." Taking a seat on the couch, he cast a sideways glance at the chair in question, frowning at the amount of blood soaked into the cushions and back. "How bad is it?"

"Depends." She took a seat opposite of him. "It's a clean wound but I'm not a doctor and she isn't the easiest patient. I have no idea though. What did Don say?" They all needed guidance in this mess, even if it wasn't from her own office in question.

Elliot rolled his head back and forth before answering. "IAB is something we've ruled out completely. Homicide seems our best option for the leak though Don hasn't ruled out any other possibility. Would anyone in your office..."

"I'm not the most sociable of their employees but we have taken on a few new faces recently, younger. I don't know their names but I'll text the list to him once I get it. Three, maybe four? Nobody long standing though, I can assure." Thinking back through the faces, her office was entirely big and they took on weekly interns and studies at a whim. Could it be a security breach on their part? She'd have to talk with her bosses once everything was cleared. Maybe tighten things up a bit. They couldn't afford a scandal, it would jeopardize everything they worked for.

"I doubt it's a leak in the attorney's office. Things are tight there and background checks are a lot more extensive then for cops." Olivia made her way back onto her chair, feeling rather protective of it, seeing as to how well she bonded with it during the night. It was an expensive chair, too... "Are we lying low or can we actually get off our asses and catch these guys? We have Owens to worry about, too, if this isn't related." She bit the corner of her thumb, something which Alex couldn't help but notice with an amused smirk. Had she always done that?

Elliot's phone went off, digging it out of his pocket as he shoved it to his ear. "Stabler."

"Your esteemed colleagues have been digging their asses through the information super highway, and as luck would have it your boy Anderson has an extensive history." Munch, who else? "Of course he wasn't Lee Anderson, but rather Marcus Anderson. Three charges of assault, one charge of attempted rape, four charges of breaking and entering. Most violent and stupid crimes, nothing big time and nothing that held him for very long, unfortunately. There's a set of prints on record that we'll compare as soon as he gets down on the table with Warner."

"You guys are already processing the scenes?"

"We found Anderson but there's no sign of Jake anywhere, so we're assuming he's hiding low, same as you guys. Cap' wants one of you back for testimony. Rumor has it the feds have somehow caught wind of this."

"Shit." Olivia sent him a glance as he mouthed the word 'feds' which immediately caused both their blood to boil. Damn it all to hell. "I'll go. Unmarked car, pick me up at the corner of 5th and Romero Street, by the payphone." He clicked it off, letting out a laugh. "This is exactly what Munch needs for his conspiracy theories."

Olivia groaned. "We'll never hear the end of it at this point."

"It hardly sounds like a conspiracy at this point." Alex had her cellphone out, a rather nice and expensive looking blackberry, one she had grown to love over the years. It held her files like a charm, perfect for quick meetings and unplanned problems. "It seems our offices were broken into. Particularly? Mine. Unfortunately for them I never leave my files out of sight." Her eyebrow was raised in a mixture of irritation and surprised. "Whoever it is, they have balls. I'm known for my rather dangerous stilettos, you know." A particular suspect had tried rushing her during a plea agreement. Without thinking she had kicked him in the groin, successfully taking him down in time for officers to subdue him. Needless to say, he never did get that plea.

"Balls is right. Attacking cops and going after documents? They obviously want something and I bet you it's Owens. Covering their tracks in the worst way possible." Elliot muttered darkly. "How's your shoulder, Liv?"

"Fine. It stings but I borrowed some of Alex's pain pills so hopefully those will kick in soon. Clean shot, it'll just take a few weeks to heal up. Nothing new." She kept brushing it off as if it were nothing. "I heard a pick up point, are we heading back in?"

"I am. You're staying put with your shoulder. Plus both of us going in is going to draw too much attention, especially with the feds getting involved and Anderson being dead. If we keep you out of the picture we won't have to push you through an interview with them quite yet." It made sense, but it pissed her off and he knew it. "At least you don't have to ride in a car with Munch for the next hour?"

"You deserve it, ass."

"I can't believe he left me here." Olivia was now sprawled out on the couch, Alex coaxing her out of her dingy dirty chair with the excuse it would stain the sweats she let her borrow. She didn't personally mind the day from court, she would have had to take it anyways after the break in, but she was on edge with the entire situation in question. Too much in the dark with little to look forward to. It'd been two hours and Elliot hadn't called yet. A text from Munch told them that he was still in with the feds, for whatever reason. They had no jurisdiction in the case, as far as anyone was concerned. They were just trying to muscle their way in for the hopeful fame they were counting on. The only fed she could stand was Huang, and either that was stretched trust at times.

"I didn't know my apartment was that much of a bore, detective. There's an assortment of movies beneath the television if you feel so inclined, as well as cable and satellite though I'm unsure of what's on at this hour." She was never home during the day, and on her days off she was working anyways. In all honesty, she wasn't sure why she payed the cable bill or had satellite. It was easy to go without both, having the internet at her fingertips.

Olivia smiled. "I would imagine Judge Judy or something along the lines. If we're lucky? Maury."

"Do people really watch that?" She laughed.

"I'd rather be watching another scum in the interrogation room hang himself." Back to muttering. "The feds have no right to be involved in our case. Are they jutting in on the break in at the office?"

"No, thankfully. We are launching our own investigation though. Whoever's stupid enough to break into a room full of lawyers is stupid enough to leave behind evidence in the process, I'm sure. I'm more concerned if anything else was taken from the other rooms. We have so many files and books it's hard to keep track of sometime." She had her own book in hand, reexamining her closing arguments for the same case she was working earlier. Open and shut, and now delayed until next week. Hopefully not much longer then that. "Your shoulder?"

"Alex." She sighed. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. The pain pills didn't do much but I'm sure they'll kick in eventually."

"How many have you even taken?"

"Seven?"

"Olivia! You're suppose to take six at maximum in a twenty four hour time period. And that's two every two hours, you haven't even been here for six!" She chastised immediately, snatching the pill bottle and tossing it in the garbage. Empty. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to monitor your self medication as well as your wound." Pinching the bridge of her nose, she finally set aside her book. "I made a call." She paused. "Technically not a call, more of a text. I'm not a doctor Olivia, and I'm not going to pretend I am and hope that it doesn't become infected. Enough laws have been broken tonight."

"Alex..."

"No, it's fine. No leaks, no question of moral ethics, and nobody I don't trust. You should be just as trusting, I'm sure. I didn't mean to go behind your back about the manner but you aren't exactly forthcoming about your physical condition." Five cups of coffee and she still didn't feel awake. When had she last slept? She wasn't sure. A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts, finally removing herself from the chair. She answered the door with a smile, leading her into the living room.

"Warner?" Olivia was a bit more then taken aback. She stared back at Alex. "I'm shot, not dead."

Melinda laughed. "Despite working on cadavers all day, I am medically trained, 'Liv. Don't worry about it. Now how about you show me the wound so I can see what's going on here. No questions asked, nothing on record. Just to make sure you're fine." As she grabbed onto her arm, she looked up at the detective. "You should of gone to a hospital, regardless." With that, she went to work. "The dressing is fine and it's clean but I see signs of a slight infection. I'm guessing you were out in the cold a little too long?" Olivia nodded briefly. "I have some pills you can take.."

"She's had several ibuprofen already." Alex voiced much to Olivia's disapproval.

"Wait three hours, take one. I'll give the bottle to Alex just to be safe. Other then that it's fine as long as you redress the wound every few hours and don't use it for difficult tasks. Desk duty for the next week, preferably. Otherwise you're going to tear at the wound and infect it further. Which, in the end, means more desk duty later down the road." She knew detectives were difficult when it came to taking care of themselves. Olivia was no exception the rule, if not a reinforcement to it.

She packed up her kit, leaving the pills and dressings on the table next to Alex. "My assistant is taking a look at Anderson. Two clean shots, it was instant death. In all honesty he was going to die in a few years thanks to advanced liver failure from alcohol poisoning. Past that, nothing suspicious. Figured I'd let you know."

"Thanks Melinda." Olivia gave her a warm smile. She left after a few goodbyes and hurried thanks, realizing she was due for more examinations in ten minutes. Not enough time to get across town in traffic, but she'd make up an excuse. The bodies weren't going anywhere, anyways.

Her shoulder throbbed from the contact and change of bandages, throwing her head back as she stared at the ceiling. "Thanks, Alex." She finally gave in. "What are the chances of you giving me a pill early?"

"Zero to none."

"I can't believe Elliot left me here."