We own no one but our on people. Proudly co-written by Bellatrix Wannabe 89

"You have got to be kidding me," Olivia snarled as she looked from Dean from Cragen. "Captain what's he doing here?"

"He came down here to help with the investigation," Cragen began.

"Take over more like it," muttered Elliot darkly.

Dean walked over to them his head held high ignoring Olivia's heated gaze.

"Detective Stabler," said Dean as he offered his hand to the detective; a subtle white flag in hopes of cooperation.

Elliot looked at the offending hand as if it were a poisonous snake about to strike. "Don't Detective Stabler me! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Stabler, knock it off!" barked Cragen before the two men came to blows.

Elliot took a step back and moved closer to Olivia, he ran his hand over his face

"He is going to take this investigation from us!" he shouted pointing right at Dean.

"Agent Porter," said Cragen with an air of caution as if to remind them both that they were dealing with someone who outranked them all, "has come to help us in about the Johnston investigation."

Olivia and Elliot exchanged looks of slight panic. They knew anything involving Dean Porter couldn't be good.

"He has information on the case that you may find interesting," finished Cragen with a nod towards the smug agent.

Elliot scoffed in disbelief that anything Dean Porter knew could be interesting. "What information could he have that we don't?"

"There is a lot more victims than our six here," Cragen told them quietly. "The killings have been going on for at least 25 years."

"We saw you were looking for information and I was told to get the first plane out here," added Porter.

"So we find more victims and more information and you think that gives you the right to walk in here and take all the credit if anything comes from it?" demanded Olivia.

"What we have on this case wouldn't even begin to come close to what you have," Dean shot back as his eyes narrowed slightly. "Or have you forgotten that the FBI ALWAYS outranks even the almighty NYPD?"

Cragen saw both of his detectives hands ball into shaking fists at the way he was treating Olivia and he felt his own anger boil inside him at how he was talking to one of his best detectives. The CO cleared his throat and nodded towards Dean. "Agent Porter, would you mind giving me a moment alone with my detectives?" Cragen asked pointing out the door.

"Sure," muttered Dean as he glared at Olivia who fired back her own look of intense hate at the agent. "I'll be right outside."

Dean was the first to look away from the lock he had with Olivia and walked out the door and all but slammed the door shut behind him.

The moment they heard the door latch both detectives words were mixed into a loud jumble of insults and pleas that Cragen could barely understand.

"I'm not working with him!"

"That rat bastard is going to steal the case!"

"It's too personal!"

"He's a prick!"

Cragen was forced to shout over the partners and he had to strain to be heard over their incessant uproar.

"I don't like it anymore then you do but we have orders to cooperate with him!" yelled Cragen as he handed Elliot a piece of paper stating that in fact FBI where now in charge.

Olivia and Elliot gave the official federal judge signed paper a once over before Elliot threw it back on Cragen's desk disgusted.

"This is crap! We can't just hand it over!" shouted Elliot.

"We aren't handing it over we're joining with them," stated Cragen as calm as he could manage.

"Like that'll work! He won't tell us anything!" barked Olivia

"Look as much as you two hate him you both know that the FBI has more resources then we could ever hope. He may be a prick but he's a prick that has connections and can help get justice for all the victims and help save a lot more little girls." Cragen turned to Olivia who still looked less than thrilled to be working with him but it was obvious that Cragen's words had an effect on her. "And if it gets too personal then just suck it up, be the bigger person, and drive on."

Olivia nodded at his words. "I'll work with him."

"Good. Elliot… Will you do the same?"

Elliot cleared his throat and rolled his sleeves up revealing his toned muscles and crossed his arms in front of his broad chest. "What'll happen if I don't?"

"I'm not giving you the option not to detective," Cragen said harshly. "Either work with him or you're off the case."

A tension thicker then what any of them were comfortable with filled the room and Elliot uncrossed his arms and stood at ease. "Fine, Sir, I'll work with him as well."

"Good now go get caught up on the case."

"Yes, Sir," both detectives muttered before they left the small confines of his office shutting the door behind them.

"Get your feet off my desk!" Elliot snapped at the dark haired agent who was sitting in the confines of Elliot's chair with his 900 dollar Italian leather shoes resting on top of Elliot's desk.

Dean raised a brow in mock confusion before Elliot went over and slapped his feet off the top of his desk making him nearly stumble out of the chair. Dean quickly rose from the chair and the two men squared off, both aching to throw a punch at the other ones face.

As fast as she could Olivia forced herself in between the two men and the familiar posh cologne that Dean always wore filled up her senses and engulfed her in hot steamy memories of the two of them in bed.

And, as much as Olivia would rather die than admit this to anyone including herself, Dean was one the most amazing lovers she ever had. He knew exactly what to do and say to turn her on and his hands and lips worked like magic touching and kissing her just the way she liked it.

As she stood there with her hands on his well built chest that was now pressing up against her in an attempt to get closer to Elliot and looked up at his dark brown almost black eyes filled with the fiery intensity that she couldn't help but love after he hurt her more than any other man had, she licked her suddenly dry lips and shifted her legs as to ease some of the discomfort between her legs

Dean looked down at her and his face contorted into a smirk and a blush rose to the surface of her skin. He knew exactly what he did to her and there was not a doubt in her mind that if he really wanted to he could have her literally begging on her knees for him in a matter of minutes.

But she knew that as much as he still turned her on, and vice versa, they both know she would never forgive him for what he had said to her when they were still dating.

They had been together for nearly five months when Dean showed up at her apartment so drunk he could barely remember his own name. He started to kiss and grope her and Olivia pushed him away several times not in the mood to have sex with someone who smelled like a bottle of whiskey. She could tell he was getting angrier each time she said no to his drunken advances and she hoped he wouldn't try to hit her. But when he shouted the cruelest thing he could have thought of, she deiced that him hitting her would have hurt a thousand times less.

"Maybe I'll become a corrections officer since you like getting on your knees for them!"

Olivia punched him as hard as she could and left her own apartment to stay with Elliot and Kathy for the night. She broke up with him the next day.

The memory of that cruel night replayed in her mind and any want she had for him that moment disappeared with a heavy splash.

Olivia cleared her throat as she forced the two men apart looking up at Elliot. "I don't like what we have to work with either but unless you want Cragen to come out and suspend both of us we need to work with him!"

Elliot glared at Dean but never the less took a step back from his nemesis with Dean doing the same although both men refused to drop their heated gazes. Olivia took a deep breath before she turned back to Dean, not leaving her place in front of Elliot incase either men made a move to attack one another again.

"What do you got to tell us?" Olivia questioned.

Dean never took his eyes from Elliot as he reached over on Elliot's desk and grabbed three files handing Olivia and Elliot one each. Olivia opened the file and all the pictures were the same as the five girls that had come across their desk. As she looked at the young girls, all under 10 with angelic faces, she thought about what horrors they must have seen and been through at such a young age.

"As I said," began Dean breaking Olivia out of her thoughts, "the killings started 25 years ago. We couldn't enter them into any computer system until about a year ago and even then we were limited what we could share without outside sources."

"Why so long?" Olivia asked sharply.

"Too many corrupt officers in the NYPD and we didn't want to chance them getting their hands on it," said Dean as if it were a well rehearsed line in a play and both Olivia and Elliot knew it was.

"Yeah because the FBI is always squeaky clean when it comes to corruption!" barked Elliot. "What's the real reason, Porter?"

Dean licked his lips and shrugged. "We didn't want anyone screwing up what the FBI was trying to build."

Both detectives' eyes widened and Olivia's mouth fell open in astonishment

"If you made more available you might have got the sick freak behind bars already!" Elliot growled.

Dean closed the front cover of his file then looked up at Elliot.

"Look the reason I have been sent here is because you two have been asking too many questions and someone might find out and everything we have built up would have been for nothing!"

This time it was Elliot's turn to hold back Olivia. "Nothing? Nothing! Are you serious!" Olivia shouted at him as she struggled against Elliot's iron clad hold. "All these children are dead and you call that nothing! If you weren't so worried about the damn glory they could have been saved"

She wrenched out of Elliot's grasp and stormed up to the board and pulled down the pictures that covered it and put them in front of him.

"The youngest was 6 years old, Dean! How the hell you can you say she means nothing!" She pointed to their newest victim only vaguely aware that the rest of the precinct had stopped what they were doing to look over at the irate woman at the board. "This girl; her name is Amber. She was forced to have three children only to have them snatched away the second they were born! Is she nothing?

She was tortured and raped for years and she died alone in a hotel room and we could have helped her if you weren't worried about your case being blown for 'nothing'! "

"Calm your ass down NOW!" Dean snarled as he started to go over to her but Elliot grabbed his shoulder and twisted him around. Dean would never admit it but Elliot's look frightened him.

"Don't you ever," he growled lowly, "talk to her like that again."

Dean jerked away from Elliot and turned towards a heavily breathing Olivia whose eyes were alit with flames of rage.

"What about her children who are probably being raped and tortured as we speak? Are they nothing too, Dean?"

He narrowed his dark brown eyes at her before he stormed over to her and got an inch away from her but she refused to back down.

His voice was low but Elliot could still hear the agent's words that he spoke to his partner. "They're probably better off with whoever they're with now then if they had you as a mother."

Olivia felt her heart break at his cold cruel words. She stood her ground though, staying strong she bit her lip and her eyes began to sting with un-cried tears that were building up.

"You unbelievable bastard." Her voice just above a whisper and breaking with tears that began to fall.

Elliot narrowed his eyes in both hatred and confusion. He knew it was a cruel thing to say but he also knew that Olivia had been insulted a lot more horrifically before by different perps and never once had they made her shed a tear. He knew Dean had said vindictive things to her before but he had never seen her cry over his words before.

In fact, Elliot thought miserably, the only time he had ever seen her cry in public was the night that Vivian and the ACS worker came and literally ripped Calvin from her arms.

Elliot was about to go over to the pair when they heard Cragen clear his throat and the trio looked over at the Captain who was looking at Dean with nothing but bitter hate.

"I can see you all need a break," he spat as he narrowed his eyes at Dean. He too had never seen Olivia cry besides that fateful night. "I want you to go home and rest. Come back tomorrow when tensions aren't so high."

Without a word to anyone Olivia almost ran over to her desk and grabbed her purse and coat and nearly sprinted out the door.

"Olivia, wait!" Elliot cried out as he raced after her.

"Leave me alone, Elliot," she demanded in a voice that threatened to spill more tears.

"Not until you tell me what's going on with you!"

She ignored him and Elliot ran up to her and grabbed her wrist and twisted her around so she faced him. She threw a punch with her free hand but Elliot grabbed that wrist as well.

"Let me go!" Olivia shouted as she struggled to get out of his grasp while trying her best not to fall down the steps.

"You're the one that tried to hit me. Tell me what's wrong with you and I will!" Elliot yelled back, struggling not to fall down the stairs as well.

"Let go of me or I swear to god I will sue you for sexual harassment!"

"You forgot that threat doesn't work on me," Elliot reminded her, "I know you would never use that unless you were really harassed."

"Fine," she growled darkly. "Let me go or I'll kick you in between your legs so hard you won't be able to walk for a week! How's that for a threat that I HAVE made good on before!"

Elliot swallowed hard before he reluctantly let go of her wrists, steadying her as her foot slipped.

Olivia stared up at Elliot, both of their breathing heavy and her eyes were glossed over with tears. "Tell me what's wrong," he whispered softly.

"I can't."

"Yes you can. Whatever it is I'll understand. You're my best friend, Olivia, you can tell me anything."

"Not this." Her voice cracked as tears made their way down her face. "Now please, for the last time, leave me alone."

Tearing her eyes away from Elliot's she headed down the stairs and out of the building.

Hours later Olivia sat alone in a little hole in the wall bar a block away from her apartment slowly sipping on her third beer. She wanted to get as drunk as humanly possible, forget what Dean had said to her, forget that the faces of the young girls she could have helped if the FBI had shared information, forget everything in her screwed up miserable life.

But she couldn't. She couldn't because getting drunk when she was upset always frightened her. Her mother drank to wipe away the pain of her rape and of having to deal with having to raise her rapist's child all on her own. Olivia knew the alcohol would ease her pain but she also knew that the prospect of getting drunk every night to escape her demons would prove much too tempting.

So instead she would slowly nurse her beer just enough so she would be able to sleep a dreamless sleep where the faces of the young girls wouldn't haunt her, Dean's words wouldn't scream at her, and she wouldn't have to hear Calvin's voice crying out for her to save her and she could do nothing for the boy she loved more than life.

Olivia sighed as she took another swallow of the drink as she watched the football game on the flat screen TV hoisted high above the bar. She wasn't paying attention to it but it gave her something to do so that she didn't look as pathetic to the others around her.

She heard the door open and shut but she didn't pay any attention to the person who had just entered the bar and she continued to pretend to watch the game.

The newcomer took a seat beside her and Liv rolled her eyes but didn't turn to the person. The bar was half empty and they could have chosen any seat in the bar. Why did this person have to sit right next to her?

"Who's your team?" a familiar voice spoke and Olivia jumped slightly before turning in her chair to look at the source of the recognizable voice.

With his nine hundred dollar suit and short neatly styled hair and small silver rim glasses Trevor looked truly out of place in the small hole in the wall. He had a soft smile on his clean shaven face but she wasn't amused. "Are you stalking me or something?" asked Olivia a bit shortly as her eyes fell on Trevor.

His smile faded and he cleared his throat and took off his silver glasses and tucked them into his coat pocket. "One of my clients lives around the corner. White collar crime guy, only targets businesses, don't worry," he assured her as he watched her eyes widened. "And I thought I'd get a drink before I headed on home."

Olivia relaxed some at Trevor's explanation and he nodded towards the TV. "So who's winning?"

"Honestly I don't really know," she admitted. "I wasn't really paying attention."

"Gotcha. Just looking for something to do so you didn't look as alone?"

"Nice word exchange for pathetic," said Olivia with a humorless chuckle as she took a swig of her drink.

Trevor's eyes narrowed in confusion. "I would never think of you as pathetic."

"Yes because being a single woman in her forties with no family sitting at a crappy bar all alone at night is something to aspire to right?"

"Being someone who puts her life on the line every day to protect innocent people from the scum of the earth is. As for not having a family who says that has to define who you are? You're an amazing woman even without one."

A blush rose to her cheeks that she struggled to hide. She cleared her throat and looked down at the long faded wood bar for a moment before she turned back to him and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you. Believe it or not that's exactly what I needed to hear."

"You're very welcome," he said with his own smile. "So, Detective, what are you doing here all alone?"

"I think we've moved past 'detective', Trevor," Olivia said with a soft laugh.

Trevor chuckled and nodded. "Olivia it is then. So, Olivia, same question. What are you doing here drowning your sorrows in a." He looked up at the prices before he looked back at her. "Two dollar beer?"

Olivia withheld a groan at his question. She had gotten enough prying from Elliot; she didn't need it from Trevor as well. "It's a long story," said Olivia dryly before she took another drink of her beer.

"I feel ya. Not really a first date kind of story. So who do you like in the super bowl?"

Olivia raised her brow at his answer and felt a tug on the corner of her lips as she looked at him and she could tell he was hoping she had caught his statement. "Who said this was a date?"

Trevor appeared to be considering his words before he nodded in agreement. "You're right. This would make a horrible first date. I mean you had to pay for your own drinks and that's like a 30th date action. Let me make it up to you by, say, taking you out to dinner on Friday?"

Olivia struggled to hide the shock in her features as well as her voice. "Did… did you just ask me out?"

"Well technically we're already 'out'. I'm asking you if I can take you out to someplace better at a later date in time."

Olivia laughed at his explanation and flashed him a grin with a kiss of flirtation in its edges. "Sure. I'd like that."

Olivia could see him struggle not to beam at her answer. Instead Trevor cleared his throat and smiled at her. "Terrific. I'll pick you up at your apartment around seven on Monday?"

She nodded and grinned at him once again. "I can't wait."

Trevor looked at his watch before he looked back up at her. "You know it's only ten. I'm sure there's someplace still open if you wanna get a bite to eat."

"I actually gotta get going," she said with a sincere apologetically tone. "I have a long day tomorrow with someone I'm not all that fond with and I figured that being both tired and annoyed wouldn't be pleasant for anyone. Me just being annoyed that'll work out bad for that one guy."

"I like how you think," Trevor said with a short laugh.

The attorney and detective grinned at one another before Olivia finished off her beer and stood up as did Trevor. He cleared his throat and he smiled at her with the same small degree of flirtation that she had given him. "Do you need a ride home?"

"I would say that's a first date action."

Trevor reached in his wallet and pulled out a twenty and laid it on the bar. "I paid for your drinks, there for this is technically a first date."

Olivia laughed at his declaration before she smiled at the tall man in front of her. "I'll see you Monday, Trevor."

He nodded in understanding and stepped away so she could walk past him. "It can't come soon enough."

Once again a soft blush rose to her cheeks as she began to walk in the space he had made for her, his hand grazing hers as she walked past him.

For the first time in days she left for her apartment with a smile.

The next day Olivia was the first to arrive in the precinct. She put her coat on the peg and took her seat, picking up the file that lay at the top of a very large pile.

Even with Trevor asking her out last night the moment her eyes landed on the crime scene photos of the young girls any happiness he had given her melted away. God she hoped that whatever Dean had to say would help them catch this bastard.

Even though the pain was nearly faded Olivia reached in her purse and this time only took one of her pain pills, grateful that this cycle was almost over and she would have three beautiful pain free weeks.

She put the pills back in her purse just as Elliot arrived. Olivia looked even more closely at the photos in a desperate attempt to ignore her partner. He walked past her, pausing only for a brief moment at her desk before he sat down in his own respective desk.

A tense silence surrounded them as Elliot pulled out the file he found most helpful and began leafing through it not looking at anything in particular but it helped to look at something when you were desperately trying to ignore looking at something else.

After minutes of the uncomfortable silence Elliot sighed and threw down the file, some of the photos spilling onto Olivia's side. She didn't look up from her own folder.

"This isn't working," muttered Elliot as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"What isn't?" Olivia asked, knowing full well what he was referring to.

"You and me not talking, you not telling me what's going on with you, me having to literally hold onto you in hopes you will tell me…"

Olivia sighed as she closed the file and looked up at her desk over him. "Elliot-,"

Cragen stepped out from his office and interrupted the detective. "Benson, Stabler, I need you two in here."

Olivia, relieved at the fact that she was let off the hook of Elliot's constant questioning for at least for a few minutes, stood up and quickly made her way into his office.

Elliot, annoyed for the same reason, got up much slower and followed her into Cragen's personal area shutting the door behind him.

Both were thankful that the surprise that was there for them yesterday was nowhere to be found today.

"Porter asked me to tell you two something," Cragen announced, "figured it would be safer for him if it came from me."

"What is it?" asked Olivia.

"The FBI has put together an undercover operation regarding the Johnston case and Porter requested that you two are the leads on it."

"Why us?" inquired Olivia who tried not to seem disappointed in the fact that her diner with Trevor would have to be cancelled. "Why not someone in the FBI?"

"Turns out what you said yesterday got to him. Porter and the FBI know they can trust you since you worked for them before and you're already involved in the case."

"And Elliot?"

"They need a married couple."

The two detectives nodded in understanding as Cragen handed them each brown folders thick with the information they would need with a huge red 'confidential' stamped onto the front.

"What's our cover?" Olivia asked as they both opened their files.

"Olivia, you're a loving housewife named Baillie Tearny who doesn't know that your physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive husband Craig Tearny, Elliot, is involved in anything illegal."

"Oh this is gonna be fun," muttered Olivia darkly. Elliot reached over and gently rubbed her shoulders before he turned back to Cragen. "Elliot, you're a high end real estate agent who has been known to make a few shady deals and is willing to take money from anyone no matter where it comes from." Cragen swallowed hard before he continued. "You're also willing to sell his wife and… children for any price."

Both of them looked up from their folders with their eyes wide.

"Captain, the kids," Olivia stuttered. "We can't put minors in danger!"

"They won't be. Not as long as they stay by one of you at all times. Your target is a pediatrician that the FBI thinks is one of the lead guys in the operation, you won't be able to get at him without having children."

"Is he the head guy?"

"No. No one knows who that is and they're hoping that if 'Craig' is willing to sell his wife and children to this guy, the head guy will wanna talk to him. We find out who that is mad we can take the whole operation down."

"Okay but, Capt, there's another hurdle we gotta get over much less training two kids with no police experience in undercover work. Who the hell is gonna give up their kid for this?" asked Elliot with a small scoff.

Cragen looked at him for a moment and Elliot's eyes widened, knowing what he was asking. "No! No way in hell!"

"Elliot, you said it yourself no other parent would let their children volunteer for this?"

"My children are not going to be a part of this," snarled Elliot.

"Elliot, we don't know what they're looking for," explained Cragen. "We need a boy and a girl, Dickie and Lizzie are ten years old, it works out perfectly. Not to mention your kids know how important undercover work is to your job."

"Lizzie is away at camp for the summer she isn't not gonna do it anyway; all I would have is Dickie. And what if something happened? What if... what if he got hurt? If one of those bastards got a hold of him, I couldn't…"

Olivia looked down at the ground as she heard her usually strong partner's voice break a tiny minute amount as he spoke just about the prospect of his son getting hurt.

Cragen tactfully ignored the tears that had built in Elliot's eyes. "You and Olivia will be right by Dickie and whoever we get to be the girl every moment of the day. Nothing will happen to him, I promise."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes I do. Elliot," said Cragen softly. "This goes deeper than any of us thought. Their other undercover agent said there are at least a hundred victims all under the age of fifteen, not to mention at least thirty women and girls being forced to make new victims who probably never even have the chance to hold their children before their snatched away. What if one of those victims was your children? Or what if Kathy or Olivia was forced to get pregnant just to create more victims? Wouldn't you do anything to save them?"

"They are not the victims!" Elliot shouted but Cragen could sense his stubbornness break down.

"Dickie won't be hurt. They won't get anywhere near the other criminals, only the doctor. The night of the pickup we'll have a car come get them before the perp even leaves his office."

Elliot bowed his head and Olivia finally looked over and for a brief moment she could have sworn he was praying. "I need to talk to Kathy and Dickie first. If either of them say no then you need to find someone else," he muttered with an air of shame.

"Of course," said Cragen with a sympathetic nod.

Without another word Elliot grabbed his folder and left the room.

"There has to be another way," said Olivia softly. "He's gonna blow this if the perp gets too close to Dickie."

"We just gotta hope that he's going to keep a cool head for the first time in his life when it comes to his kids. Now the bigger problem; we gotta find a girl."

"Olivia!"

Cragen jerked his head towards the doorway and Olivia wrenched around in her seat and with a gasp saw Sofia standing in the doorway.

Sofia sprinted into the room and all but jumped into Olivia's lap with so much force it made the detective drop the folder in her arms.

The young girl wrapped her arms tight around her neck and Olivia couldn't help but beam when she hugged her back.

"I missed you so much," Sofia muttered as she buried herself in her shoulder.

"Hey, sweetie," greeted Olivia. "How you doing?"

There was a noticeable length of silence before Sofia answered with a very forced "good."

Not releasing the detective from her grasp Sofia turned towards Cragen who was trying his best not to appear agitated at the intrusion of the girl he ordered Olivia to stay away from.

"I wanna help," Sofia told him with an air of confidence.

"Help with what?" asked Cragen, struggling to sound kind and nurturing to the small girl in his office.

"I heard you need a little girl and I wanna help catch the bad doctor."

Olivia closed her eyes and groaned as Cragen's eyes widened in astonishment. "Sofia, how long have you been listening?"

Sofia bowed her head in shame and her bottom lip trembled. "A while. Am I in trouble?"

Olivia looked up at Cragen and silently pleaded with him not to scold the young girl in her arms. Cragen sighed and forced a smile on his lips. "No, Sofia, you're not in trouble. But… maybe there's a way you can help Detective Benson."

Olivia knew at once what he was talking about and she shook her head almost violently. "Captain, no!"

"Do you like to play pretend?"

"Captain!"

"Sofia!"

All three turned towards the door once again and saw Carla, looking frantic with tears in her eyes, sprinting up to the office with Fin by her side.

"Don't you ever run away from me like that again!" Carla scolded as she ran into the office.

Tears welled in Sofia's eyes and she bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I just wanted to find Olivia."

Carla sighed as Olivia, somewhat reluctantly, released her hold from around the young girl as Carla scooped Sofia in her arms and hugged her tightly. "I know, Mija. And I'm sorry I yelled but Mommy just got scared."

Carla gave a timid albeit tear filled smile to Olivia. "I'm sorry, Detective, but my little girl seems to loves you. I don't know what you did to earn that gift but I'm grateful."

"Its fine," Olivia said with her own smile towards the younger woman. "You have a very special daughter."

Carla chuckled kindly and kissed the top of Sofia's head. "Thank you."

"Mama, I wanna help," Sofia muttered softly.

"Help with what, baby?"

"Find the bad doctor."

Carla looked from Cragen to Olivia in confusion. "'Bad doctor' what is she talking about?"

"My two lead detectives, Detective Benson included, need to go undercover and their cover requires them to have a young female child," explained Cragen calmly.

Carla's eyes went wide as she looked from Olivia who was looking so hard at the carpet she was surprised she didn't burn holes into it to Cragen who was hoping both for her to say no as well as say yes.

"You… you want my daughter to go undercover with them?" gasped Carla. "She… she can't! What if she gets hurt?"

"She won't," assured Cragen. "She'll be with Detective Benson and her partner, Detective Stabler, every minute of the day. Detective Stabler even allowed his son to be a part of this operation."

Carla shook her head defiantly. "I don't want to put my daughter in harms way. Not with Samuel after us. It's too dangerous."

"Actually," said Fin as he came to a realization. "This will be the perfect way to protect her from Samuel. He won't know where she is, she'll be with two great cops 24/7… Carla, it'll be perfect."

"What if she's hurt?" asked Carla as she turned to Fin although they could see that Fin's words had softened her some to the idea.

"She won't be," Fin assured her. "Both Detective Benson and her partner saved me on different occasions. There are no two better cops here. And it'll let me and Sergeant Munch put all of our energy in protecting you."

Carla opened and closed her mouth several times before she swallowed hard. "Wha- what would she be doing?"

"Acting like a normal seven year old girl," Cragen explained. "She'll have to remember to stay 'in character' sort to speak when she's around anyone who isn't the Detectives but other than remembering another name as well as remembering the very basics of the Detectives she's staying with covers she won't have much to memorize."

"How dangerous is it?"

"It'll be hardly dangerous at all," he assured her. "The day that'll put my Detectives in the most danger Sofia will be in a cop car on her way back to Manhattan along with the other boy."

Carla swallowed hard as she hugged Sofia close to her as tears filled her eyes. "How long?" Olivia could hear the same degree of shame in Carla's voice as she had heard in Elliot's and she was reminded of the time when Olivia herself felt ashamed that she was not able to stop Vivian from taking Calvin from her.

"A month at the very most; if the Detectives are unable to acquire the target in that time we'll pull them out."

Carla sniffed and kissed the top of Sofia's head once more. "Am I allowed to know why you need my daughter?"

"I'm sorry, that's confidential," Cragen explained softly. "But know that she'll be helping us save a lot of innocent victims.

Another tear ran down her face and into Sofia's hair as she gently placed her down in the chair opposite Cragen. She kneeled on the floor next to Sofia and turned her so she was looking her in the eye. "Mija, are you sure you want to do this?"

Sofia nodded solemnly. "Please, Mommy. Let me help."

Carla sighed as she closed her eyes and nodded. "Okay… Okay, baby, you can help."

Sofia smiled brightly as she threw her arms around her and Carla hugged her back just as tight letting out a sob.

"I love you, Mija," she whispered just loud enough for Sofia to hear.

Carla released the hug and turned to Cragen. "If my daughter is hurt in anyway," she snarled low as she wiped away the tears from her eyes. "You're going to wish you never met me."

Olivia stood up from the chair and Carla looked up at her. "Ma'am, you have my word that I won't let anything happen to her. She'll come back to you safe."

"Do… do you promise?"

"I promise," said Olivia with an air of confidence that had the mother believing her that her daughter would be safe with this woman she hadn't known for more than ten minutes.

Carla nodded again and gave her a teary smile. "Thank you."

Cragen cleared his throat and Carla turned towards him. "Ma'am, I need to brief your daughter. I'm sorry but..."

Carla nodded in understanding. "Of course."

She turned back to Sofia and kissed her once more. "I'll be right outside, Sofia. You have to listen to this man, okay?"

"Okay."

Carla gently stroked Sofia's cheek before she left the room with Fin following, shutting the door behind them.

The moment they were outside the office Carla looked up at Fin, her eyes wide with terror. "What have I done?"

She let out a sob and threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder. Fin, momentarily stunned, tentatively wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back in smooth circles. "It's gonna be okay," he told her, his voice a soft whisper, "She's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay…"

Later that night Olivia sat in her tiny apartment nursing yet another cold beer as she looked over the case file, trying to memorize everything they needed to know before tomorrow. The sound of her door buzzer tore her from her thoughts.

She got up from her couch and made her way over to her door. She had just enough time to look through the hole before the person on the other side all but slammed the door open making Olivia cry out in fright and jump back from the door.

"Elliot, what the hell are you doing?" demanded Olivia as Elliot slammed the door shut and rounded on her.

"Tell me what's going on and tell me now," he growled.

""What the hell gives you the right to barge in here like that! Get out of my apartment!" she shouted but he wasn't fazed in the least by her yelling.

"You're going to help protect my son against a pedophile ring. I have every right to know if there's something going on that might hurt him."

Olivia looked at him in loathing. "Nothing that is going on in my life will prevent me from doing my job!"

"Bull shit!" he snarled. "Ever since you came back from your appointment you've been acting different! Tell me what is going on now or I swear I will call up Cragen right now and pull Dickie!"

"You can't!" cried Olivia. "You'll screw up the operation!"

"This is my son!" he roared making her jump back a step. "I'm not letting him do this without knowing he's safe and right now I don't think he will be with you!"

"He will be!" Olivia shouted back. "I can take care of a child! Just because I can't-." She caught herself just in time and she furiously wiped the hot angry tears from her eyes. "Just leave me alone!"

She turned away from him and made her way to her liquor cabinet but Elliot grabbed her wrist and twisted her towards him. As she prepared to kick him where she had threatened yesterday she looked up at him, expecting the same raging anger that he showed moments ago and was surprised to find hurt and confusion in his eyes. "You can't what, Liv?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "Just go. Please."

"No. I know something is wrong, and I'm not leaving until I know."

"Elliot, just drop this okay?"

"No."

Olivia glared furiously at him as she wrenched out of his grasp. "If you won't go then I will."

She pushed past him and made her way to her door but Elliot ran to the door and got there before she did.

He stood in front of her and blocked her exit ignoring the livid anger in her eyes.

"You are my best friend, my partner, and the person I care more about then anything else on this earth besides my wife and children. You know everything about me and not knowing what hurting you… it's killing me, Liv."

"El, please," she pleaded as tears appeared in both their eyes. "Just stop."

"No. Not this time. Tell me what's wrong."

Olivia narrowed his eyes at her partner. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?"

"I learned it from my partner."

Olivia rolled her eyes at his answer as she sat back down on her couch with Elliot following.

A full minute passed where neither of them spoke. Olivia's hands began to shake as she closed her eyes in defeat. He wasn't going to give in. She was going to have to tell her nightmare to him…

"A few weeks ago," she began so softly she wasn't even sure Elliot could hear her. "I went to the Doctor's office for some tests"

"What kind of test?" asked Elliot, his voice soft and patient.

She took a shuddering breath before she continued her story. "I have been having this pain since god know when."

"What kind of pain?"

Olivia shook her head and swallowed hard before she answered. "Once... once a month," she muttered hoping he would get the message, "I have incredibly painful… cramps. Worse than contractions," she explained. "I could barely get out of bed some mornings it hurt so bad."

"Jesus, Liv," mumbled Elliot. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

She shrugged as she reached forward and played with a gouge in her coffee table. "I didn't want you thinking I was weak. But a few weeks ago I finally went and got it checked out. That's what the appointment a few days ago was for."

A bone chilling crippling fear overtook his entire self. He struggled to breathe much less breathe. "And ... what did they say?"

"They told me what was wrong and gave me medication to help," she answered.

Elliot placed his hand gently on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Tell me what's wrong, Liv. Please," he pleaded.

She sniffed as more tears rolled down her face. "I have Endometriosis."

"What's that?"

"It's… the cells…" She let out a groan as she struggled to explain it in a way that didn't cause her even more embarrassment. After a moment she decided to tell him the simplest way she could. "I have tissue growing where it's not supposed to grow down there."

Elliot nodded in understanding at her oversimplified explanation. "Is it… I mean is it fatal?"

Olivia shook her head and she saw Elliot let out a breath of relief. "No but the doctor…" more tears leaked down her face and her eyes closed in defeat. "The doctor said I can't have children."

The brunette stood up and made her way over to the kitchen where she came to a stop. Elliot watched as Olivia cast her tear filled eyes to her flat stomach and tenderly ran her hand across it. "Every hope I had is gone," she whispered mournfully "Every one of them..."

Elliot got off the couch and slowly walked over to her. "Liv, I'm so sorry. Isn't there… isn't there a cure or something?"

"Surgery to remove the cysts and scar tissue but they only do that in the most severe cases. Right now my only option is to take pain pills and medication that'll stop my period."

Elliot reached out to rub her shoulders but she jerked away from him. Tears flowed down her face as she turned to him. "I want a child more than anything in the world and every chance I've had to be a mother has been ripped away from me. The adoption agency refuses to approve me, I'm not able to get pregnant on my own, and Vivian took Cal- Calvin away from me and I'll never see him again!"

A sob escaped her lips and Elliot reached out and hugged her tightly and she threw her arms around him.

"What did I do to deserve this?" she sobbed as she allowed herself to break down in front of the man she had struggled for over a dozen years to prove herself to.

"You didn't do anything," he whispered softly as he stroked her soft brown hair. "None of that is your fault. You would make a great mother, Liv."

He held her tighter as her sobs continued feeling his own tears fall silently, hating that the woman standing before him who did so much for everyone else every day was rewarded with cruel hands of fate. "It's okay," he told her as he continued to hold her. "Everything's gonna be okay…"

Olivia didn't believe a single word he spoke to her.

Trevor sighed happily as he finished the last bit of paperwork for the evening. All he had left on the agenda was to make the reservations for dinner tomorrow night but he would make those at home when he had an opportunity to look at the various places in the phonebook to see which was the most romantic. He would make sure his first date with Olivia would be one she remembered for years to come.

He stuffed his files in the briefcase along with his IPod, stuffed his phone in his pocket, and stood up as he grabbed his jacket and strolled out of the corner office shutting the lights off and locking the door behind him.

Trevor walked down the deserted hall giving a quick glance to make sure that he was the last one to leave the building, his father had always told him that if you were important enough to have your name on the building you were important enough to make sure no one worked longer then you, happily surprised that he didn't have to order any of his attorneys to go home after assuring them that the same web sites and book pages they were looking at now would be there in the morning.

He was just about to get on the elevator when he heard a low muttering coming from one of the darkened offices he had assumed was empty. Trevor silently walked over to the door and put his ear to it trying his best to stay out of the way of the window.

"I'll take care of it," the voice muttered followed by a short bout of silence. "They're not gonna get anywhere, trust me. Give me the names again. Don't worry about Carla; I got her being taken care of." Another moment of silence. "Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson, Manhattan SVU." The unknown man let out a malicious chuckle. "Only if I get to do the cop bitch first."

Trevor slammed open the door and flipped on the lights in the room as he stormed into the room.

Alexander Parrish slammed down the phone and looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights. "Who the hell were you talking to?" Trevor demanded, his gray eyes flashing with fury.

Alexander quickly straightened out his jacket and looked at him with a look that screamed authority. "What do you want, Langan?"

"I want you to know who the hell you were on the phone with talking about Detective Benson like that!" growled Trevor. While Alexander tried his best to appear smug and superior, he found it was a lot harder to appear that way when the man he was trying to intimidate was a whole head taller than him.

"Attorney client privilege," said Alexander with a smirk.

"Bull shit," he snapped, "what case are you working where it involves her?"

"You may be Partner, Langan, but I don't break confidentiality even to you."

Trevor glared down at the man who smirked up at him. "Tell me or you're fired."

"I have tenure."

""And the only reason you have that is because my father was too blind to see what a dirty rat bastard you are and by the time I took over it was too late to fire your sorry ass."

"Well then that proves that your father is just as big an idiot as you are."

Trevor grabbed him by the jacket and threw him up against the wall with a loud crash as easy as if he was a feather getting an inch away from his face.

"Get your hands off me or I'll sue you and the firm for harassment!" Alexander snarled.

Trevor ignored his idle threats. "Tell me what you meant when you said you got to be the first to 'do' her!"

"Serve her with a subpoena," Alexander said with a smirk. "Let me go now."

Trevor glared at him for several seconds before he let go of the man and took a step back. "If I found out you hurt her, Parrish, you're dead," he growled deep in his throat.

Alexander smirked as his boss's warning. "I'll keep that in mind while I'm… serving her."

Trevor went to seize him again but Alexander ducked out of his reach and out the door.

Running a hand through his normally neat and well styled hair he swallowed hard. What if what he overheard WAS confidential? He could lose his license if he told anyone.

Trevor took out his phone and for a brief moment contemplated what to do before he texted the number Olivia had given him months ago when he defended her for murder. He quickly typed three short words before he pressed send and stuffed the phone back into his pocket and headed out of the office.

But what he didn't know was ten minutes ago the phone company shut off his phone because he had been too preoccupied today to pay the monthly bill. The message that contained nothing less than "please be careful," had never been sent.

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