Thanks for all the great reviews so far. You guys rock.

This chapter is pretty long, but kindof eventful.

Disclaimer: Not mine

Chapter 3

Olivia woke up as her clock turned 7.30. The radio automatically came on and began playing what was probably the perfect song to get up to in the morning but after a night of hardly any sleep Olivia found it quite irritating.

Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen

Pour ma'self a cup of ambition

Yawnin, stretchin, try to come to life

Jump into the shower and the blood stars pumping

Out on the street the traffic starts jumping

With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5

Working 9 to 5

What a way to make a living

Just getting by its all taking and no giving

They just use your mind

And they never give you credit

It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it

9-5, for service and devotion

You would think that I

Would deserve a fair promotion

Want to move ahead

But the boss won't seem to let me

I swear sometimes that man is out to get me

Olivia just tried to ignore the far-too-chirpy-for-this-time-of-the-morning song and carried on getting ready for the days work. She filled a mug with coffee and took a long swig, needing the brew to wake her up. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

After her shower she had changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt and put on some boots. She had applied the usual makeup and re-dressed her cut hand. It probably needed some stitches but she couldn't be bothered going to a hospital. The current case was far too important. Plus it had stopped bleeding so as long as she kept the hand as still as possible she hoped it would heal quickly.

She was just running her comb through her hair when there was a knock on her door. At this time it would most likely be Elliot with a lift to work. She opened the door and wasn't surprised to see him standing there. "Just let me grab my coat." she said, not bothering to ask him in.

However, as she went off in search of her jacket Elliot stepped inside. He took a look around the apartment just to make sure everything looked to be in order. Olivia emerged with a jacket covering her bandaged hand. She knew she would never be able to hide it all day but she was sure as hell going to try. "You coming?" she asked Elliot as she stepped out of the apartment before him, waiting by the door to lock up. Elliot just nodded and followed after her.

- - - - - -

The car ride to the station house was pretty much silent except for the radio that was quietly playing away to itself. Elliot was looking out at the miles of noisy traffic ahead of them whilst Olivia was buried in the case files going through it all, hoping to find anything to help get the case moving.

Having become very irritated by the silence Elliot reached over and turned the radio up then sat back in his seat. Olivia quickly reached forward and turned it back down. Elliot huffed then turned it back up. This time Olivia reached forward and turned it off, then sat back and continued looking through the files.

"You like this silence?" Elliot asked.

"I can't concentrate with that noise, besides its just some guy informing us about traffic that we already know about because we're stuck in it. You should have just gone the way I suggested." Olivia said coldly never looking up from the file.

"Sorry I guess I forgot you're always right." Elliot shot back sarcastically.

"Grow up El." Olivia spat back at him.

"Me grow up?! You have been acting like a total witch since you answered the door to me." Elliot informed her.

"Oh so now you think I'm a witch, gee thanks El." she said flatly.

Elliot turned to face her and took the files from her hand, as she tried to pull it back from him, he noticed her bandaged hand, he dropped the file but quickly grabbed her wrist, keeping her hand where he could examine it. "What the hell happened?" he asked her, never releasing the grip on her wrist.

She didn't bother to answer him but she tried to pull her hand free, her efforts were all in vain however. "Liv just tell me what happened?"

"Get off of me Elliot!" she warned him, but he just looked at her waiting for his answer. "Get the hell off of me Elliot!" she yelled at him.

Straight away he let go of her wrist. He didn't however, expect her next move. She unclipped her belt and grabbed the files and her jacket and got out of the car. "Liv. Liv!" Elliot yelled after her.

Olivia ran across the street and onto the sidewalk, making her way on foot to the SVU. Elliot had jumped out of the car, it wasn't like he would be moving in it anytime soon anyway, and was running after her. He eventually caught up to Olivia and grabbed her arm and spun her round to face him. "Is this about Harris or the case?" he asked her boldly.

"Leave me alone Elliot." she replied, not daring to answer his question.

"Tell me Olivia!" he said firmly, "We're supposed to partners. How can I help you when you won't tell me what's wrong with you?"

"It was my job to put Harris away Elliot and I failed! I failed all those women in prison who he's abused and I've failed Risa and Ashley!" she reluctantly shot at him, trying desperately to hold back the tears threatening to fall.

"Protective detail is already on Ashley, and there is no prison within its right mind that would re-hire Harris, plus Liv, you didn't fail anyone. You did your job. Blame this on the sleazy lawyer that got Harris off and the dumb judge that allowed it." Elliot said sensitively.

Olivia just looked at him. She had listened to every word he had said but she refused to let them register. "Everything that happened was for nothing. All we did was piss Harris off more. Do you really think he's going to go home and re-think being a rapist?"

"No," Elliot answered honestly, "I think he's going to keep on raping until we can stop him, which is exactly why we are going to fight this Liv. I promise you I won't let him hurt Ashley or you or any other woman."

Olivia just looked at him. The tears she had been fighting so hard to keep in suddenly spilled free from their banks and she began to cry, right there on the sidewalk. Elliot quickly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him and let her cry against his chest. With the other arm free he began to stroke her hair before promising her again everything would be okay.

- - - - - -

Ashley and her uncle were driving fast down a long and quite secluded road. They were putting as much distance between them and Manhattan as they could. The moment they had been informed that Harris had been released they were packing their bags and preparing to leave. Ashley looked over at her uncle. He had been caring for her for the last few months and had been doing a great job. Every now and then he checked the mirrors but so far he had only seen one other car, it had been black and had zoomed past them almost twenty minutes ago and the road had otherwise been quiet since.

Ashley wanted to ask where exactly they were going but her fear of Harris had kept her mute for hours. The radio wasn't on and the silence was just making her more scared and nervous so she turned it on. The music began to calm her slightly. She turned and continued looking out of the window, wiping a stray tear that had fallen. Her uncle turned to look at her, checking she was doing okay. He just looked at her for a second but the second he turned back to face the road his heart stopped.

A black car pulled out from behind some bushes and slammed right into the side of their car, hitting his side. He screamed in pain and was unable to stop the car from driving right through a fence and off the side of the road and down into a ditch. Ashley screamed and tried to hold on to anything she could but she was thrown around like a rag doll. The car came to an abrupt stop as it hit a tree.

After a moment Ashley looked over at her uncle. He was slumped lifeless over the steering wheel. Her airbag had gone off but for some reason his hadn't. She was jammed tight in the car, until that is the door flung open. A hand reached in and pounded the airbag just once, quickly deflating it. Ashley was too dizzy from a gash on her head and her eyes too filled with tears of pain and fear to see who it was that had now dragged her from the car and was carrying her up the ditch and across the road.

She was roughly stuffed into the trunk, her hands and ankles were tied painfully tight with cable ties then the trunk door was slammed shut leaving her in total darkness for all of a few seconds before she gave into unconsciousness.

Lowell Harris walked back over to the side of the road. Ashley's uncle had yet to emerge from the car wreck, and by the time he did, if he did; he knew that he would be well gone with Ashley. Harris couldn't help but smile, he hadn't planned on it been this easy. He just hoped getting the other person he really wanted would be this easy. He turned and walked back to his car. He climbed in and grabbed a photograph from the pile on the chair next to him. It was one of Olivia standing outside her apartment her hand buried into her purse, looking for what he assumed was her keys. He had almost had her then, but her partner had turned up.

"Almost." he thought out loud to himself. He then turned the key in the ignition and quickly sped off, away from the crash, away from Ashley's uncle.

- - - - - -

In the squad room everyone was sat still working on the current case. "How many women have gone missing now?" Fin asked, needing to be reminded.

"26." Munch informed him.

"28." Olivia corrected him.

"We're never going to get this guy." Munch said, disheartened.

"We'll get him." Elliot said enthusiastically.

"Yea, when, after another 26, sorry 28 women have gone missing." he argued, "Our perp leaves no evidence behind, he's smart, way smarter than us as much as I hate to admit it."

"He's bound to mess up eventually."

"We don't even know for sure if it's a he, or even if it's just one person. Think about it if it was just one person, a serial killer, surely they'd want us to know it's them." Fin stated.

"Not necessarily," Huang added, "Not all serials like to be caught. Some do it for the thrill but otherwise lead normal lives, work normal jobs. More and more serial killers are proving to be happily married Dr's or police officers even." he offered.

"So what we're saying is we think this is bigger than just some serial killer?" Elliot said, trying to make it all as clear as possible.

"It's an option." Olivia said.

"You' know underground black markets are said to sell people as slaves. The Government denies all knowledge of it but that's because…" Munch began.

"We get it." Fin said wanting to shut his partner up quickly before he went off on one.

"Maybe Munch is right. What if someone's taking these women and selling them off as sex slaves. It would make sense why there has only been women taken and not men." Olivia asked.

"What makes you think that women don't do their shopping at black markets?" Fin protested.

"Well if they do, our perp's not interested in selling them." Olivia said.

"Maybe they're just not tough enough to take on men." Munch muttered.

Olivia heard him and looked at him. The wheels in her head began turning. She knew someone else who couldn't take on men so preyed on women…Harris.

Cragen walked out of his office and straight into the middle of the squad room. It immediately went quiet and everyone in it turned to look at the older man. "Another girl went missing today." he informed them all.

"Another one for the market," Munch mumbled.

"What's her name?" Olivia asked him.

"It was Ashley." he said.

TBC

Cruel cliffhanger I know. I still love them though, they add so much suspense.

Thanks for reading, please review.