The detectives entered the Medical Examiner's office having received a request from Melinda Warner.

"Hey Melinda, this is Detective Charlotte Van Horne, our new recruit. What you got for us?"

Melinda reached over and shook Charlotte's hand, smiled and said, "wow you guys make detective younger and younger these days. Either that or I'm getting old."

Charlotte smiled a little stiffly, "you said you had something interesting for us?"

Melinda glanced at Olivia who smiled encouragingly. Melinda cleared her throat, "right well, no hits on the system, but your perp has a low sperm count and has had a recent bout of chlamydia."

Charlotte's eyes widened. "How recent?"

Both Olivia and Melinda looked at her with interest before Melinda answered, "within the last eight weeks."

Charlotte paled slightly, "anything else?"

"The sample is not what you would usually expect, the low sperm count could mean one of a few things; he could be infertile or have a 'performance' related condition; he could have had a vasectomy; or be pre-pubescent."

Olivia looked at her friend. "So you're telling us that our rapist could be an older man?"

"It's a possibility, but I'd be more inclined to think that he is younger and just has a medical condition or has had the snip."

Olivia nodded. Charlotte had remained silent through this last exchange. She looked as though she was in a world of her own and only responded when the two women left the morgue and Olivia asked, "so when did you sleep with our suspect?"

Charlotte opened her mouth and then shut it again. Eventually she responded, "about three months ago."

"Is that why there is some tension?"

"Believe it or not no. I couldn't care less about that, in fact I'm the one who made it clear that it would never happen again. He's just a jackass."

"You looked worried when Melinda mentioned about his STI."

"Just couldn't believe I was so stupid. I'm not usually careless."

"You didn't use protection?"

"Oh we used protection. But I knew what he was like and I still did it anyway."

"You realise that as Nate is pretty much our prime suspect you'll have to declare your prior relationship to Murphy? Just in case the defence makes something of it."

Charlotte sighed, "three days on the job and I'm not making a great impression huh?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well I'm the Park Avenue Princess, rubbing Amaro and Rollins up the wrong way, and well you have met two of my previous sexual partners already, and I'm about to declare my sex life to the entire squad."

Olivia put her hand on her partner's shoulder, "don't worry about it. Amaro and Rollins are far from perfect. You're entitled to a private life, you couldn't have known that any of your friends would be involved in case that you had to work. I mean what are the chances that someone like Nathanial Tanner would hang around Manhattan? You're doing a good job rookie, you're good with the victims and you know how to talk to people."

Charlotte gave her a small smile. She appreciated the words, but she didn't believe them. For someone who had lived the charmed life she had a low opinion of herself. But what made her feel worse was that she didn't think that she had any right to. She was expected to be this confident, rich, outgoing bitch, however in reality she never truly believed that she belonged to the world she had been born into. She just played her part well. But no one knew the pain and emptiness she felt every day.

Back at the station house Charlotte felt like she was in the headmaster's office as she sat across from Lieutenant Murphy. EADA Raphael Barba was also present and was looking at the new detective with great interest. Olivia was in the chair next to her, appreciating how hard this conversation would be for her colleague. No one wanted their sexual history to be paraded in front of their co-workers, especially not when they hadn't even been in the job for a week. And no one expected their sexual partners to come back and haunt them.

"So you're telling me that you've been in a relationship with our suspect," Murphy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Define relationship," Charlotte said in a small voice.

"You've been with him?"

Charlotte sighed, "I've slept with him, yes."

"Recently?"

"Three months ago."

Barba scoffed, "this just gets better and better."

Charlotte cast him a glance and Olivia rose to face him.

"Give her a break Barba."

"One of our lead detectives on this case, not only is friends with one of the victims, but now has had a one night stand with our main suspect and I'm meant to be ok with this?"

"If I'd known he was a rapist I wouldn't have slept with him."

"This totally messes up our case. She has to be pulled. Otherwise the defence will go to town."

Charlotte nodded but Olivia protested. "She has done pretty much all of the work on this case. She has a relationship with both of our victims, she knows how to handle the suspect, she made the connection that lead us to Tanner in the first place and she is the reason that we have any leads at all due to her quick action at the crime scene. And you want her off the case?"

"With all due respect Liv, her relationships are precisely the issue. I don't dispute that she has done good work on this case, but the defence will make anything that she does concerning Nathanial Tanner into some kind of vendetta because he didn't call her back."

Charlotte stood up, "excuse me? Vendetta? I must not have heard you right councillor because I'm sure you know better than to make assumptions without knowing the facts."

Barba had the good grace to look embarrassed, "I didn't mean… Look, whether that was the case or not his defence lawyer will make that the case. They'll make you seem like the scorned woman, who was pissed because they slept with you and used you. It could be damaging for the case."

"Fine. But for the record, he didn't use me. It was something that happened after a few drinks, I was a little drunk and then I told him it would never happen again. But I will not have you look down on me when a) I had no idea he was a potential felon, b) this night occurred before I began working in the unit and c) because I had casual sex and didn't instantly assume I was dating the guy I slept with. I'm a big girl councillor and it should not be any of your business who I have sex with."

Murphy stepped in as he could see Barba was about to retort, "what do we do here councillor?"

Barba considered for a moment, and then said, "Benson is the lead detective on this. She makes the decisions. It's not the end of the world, and you've disclosed to me and your CO before this investigation has become too serious."

Barba made to leave but when he was at the door he turned back, "detective?" Charlotte turned to look at him. "No more surprises please."

Charlotte nodded. She was relieved that Barba was not calling her professionalism into question, but was also aware that she now had to watch her step on the case. She didn't want things to become more complicated than they already were.

SVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVUSVU

Charlotte was almost home when she had the feeling that someone was following her. She turned and walked down a different street to the one her apartment building was on to try and shake of the person she thought was tailing her. She kept walking and walking, finding herself on a deserted side street. Suddenly she noticed a man approaching her, wearing dark clothes and a hoodie that hid his face. Charlotte instinctively placed a hand on her gun, ready to draw it if the situation arose. The man kept advancing towards her, and she noticed another couple of men standing across the street, also both wearing hoodies. Finally the man who had been advancing towards her was feet away, and stood blocking her path. He moved as though to pull a weapon on her but she had pulled her gun before he succeeded.

"Move," she said with authority, "this is a bad idea buddy, I'm a cop."

"I know who you are bitch."

"I don't know what you think you are doing here, but trust me this isn't a good idea. Think about what you're doing."

Suddenly a hand from behind her snaked around her neck and a knife was pressed to her throat.

"We've thought about it Charlotte," hissed a voice in her ear, and she tried not be repulsed by the sensation of his breath on her skin. "Scream and you die."