A/N Ok, haven't got much to say on this chapter, except review if ya get the chance, always good to know what people are thinking…

Chapter Nine: Domestics and disappearances

OLIVIA BENSONS CAR, MANHATTAN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

Olivia picked up all three lawyers, dropping off Casey's two friends at their respective apartments before driving back to Casey's place. Casey sat in the back seat, conspicuously silent, eyes set to the window.

She didn't want to give Casey a hard time about this, there were times when she wished she could just forget all about her job and go out and have a damn good time with abandon. But they didn't have any normal job, and with the murder of ADA Bassett literally hours ago, her actions weren't just irresponsible, they were downright dangerous.

"You do realize you would have been an easy target for M.I.T.P. Nick Vander's last editorial was a tirade against the governments treatment of rape cases, then a sex crimes ADA shows up dead. You better believe you're on their radar." Olivia said. Casey glanced at her in the rearview then away again. "Casey going out tonight was a bad idea. Getting drunk was just idiotic."

"I'm not drunk." Casey snapped. Olivia had to admit, Casey was good at feigning sobriety. But Olivia knew how to spot the little signs. She'd had to learn that young, if she wanted to stay out of trouble.

"Bull Casey." Olivia replied. The other woman stayed silent. "El's at your apartment. Don't expect him to be a happy camper when we arrive back."

"Olivia, it was my choice to go out tonight, I took the risk, no one else." Casey said in a level tone.

"Casey there are people who care about you, but I guess you didn't give that a second thought, did you?" Olivia snapped back.

"You mean Elliot?" Casey said. The words hung between the two. Olivia was sorely tempted to blurt out what she knew, that would certainly end the argument. But she knew better than that, she couldn't use it just to win a stupid argument, which was only getting heated because one party involved was far less than sober, however much she was trying to hide it.

"Yeah, I mean Elliot." Olivia sighed, parking outside Casey's apartment building. "I'll see you to the door." She said, following Casey who was already alighting from the vehicle.

THE APARTMENT OF ADA CASEY NOVAK

Elliot was incensed when he found the note on the coffee table from Olivia. She had gone to collect Casey without him, though in his current state, she could see why his partner wouldn't want him for company. He paced his girlfriends apartment, consciously tempering his anger. The last thing he needed to do was put one of her windows out. That might cause more than a little friction in their still budding relationship.

Still, Casey was managing to do that herself. Sure, he could forgive her for being stubborn enough to go out despite imminent threat to her life, but not even answering her phone?

He heard the lock turn over and her headed into the Living room, finding Casey locking the door behind her, expression more than a little sheepish. Olivia was conspicuously absent.

"Where's Liv?" He asked, conversationally. Casey shot him a surpringly evil glare.

"How did I guess that would be the first question you'd ask." She muttered, pacing over to the couch and flopping down. Elliot followed her, taking a seat. "She went home."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elliot asked, doing his best to remain calm. Sat this close to Casey, he noted that her eyes had a telltale glossiness, and she looked drowsy. She had definitely been drinking.

"Nothing." She muttered, shuffling away from him on the sofa.

Elliot decided to get down to business, "what the hell were you thinking Casey, my teenage daughters are more responsible…"

Casey cut in, "I don't need this right now El, Olivia's already given me the lecture on the way over here. Besides, I'm not one of your kids."

"You're sure acting like one! You could have been kidnapped Casey, or worse, and we wouldn't have known where to start looking for you, the least you could have done was tell Olivia where you were going…"

"She didn't ask." Casey shrugged.

"Don't give me that!" Elliot yelled. Casey didn't flinch. "I've been worried sick."

"Elliot, I do not owe Olivia an explanation, I'm an adult, I can do what I want."

Elliot shook his head, "don't you think you owed me one?"

"What, because you're screwing me?" Casey said cocking a challenging eyebrow at him.

"Don't talk like that." Elliot growled.

"What then El?" Casey asked. "Every time I bring it up you change the subject! What are we doing here? Am I your girlfriend or just a convenient place to stay when Kathy kicks you out?"

"Kathy and I are over, you know that!" Elliot yelled, moving closer to Casey. She held his gaze, eye narrowing. He made an effort to slow his breathing.

"Fine." Casey said. "I guess I'm just a poor substitute for Olivia then."

Elliot had enough, "yeah Casey, that's it. You're just a good fuck. A nice little diversion until I can get back with Kathy or into my partners pants." He yelled. He knew he this was not the sort of conversation he should be having with the ADA while she was drunk, but she had pissed him off. The whole day, sitting at home waiting for the goddamn IAB to decide his fate, then waiting, heart in his throat, for hours to hear back from Casey, worried sick, only for her to show up at nearly four in the morning, drunk as hell and with a bee in her bonnet. She had hurt him with her accusations, and he was just firing back. Though it seemed he had fired back too harshly. Casey stared at him, tears welling up.

"Get out of my apartment." She said, voice catching.

"I'm sorry Casey, I didn't mean that." He said, back-pedalling. But the damage was done.

"Get out, now." Casey said, getting up from the couch and wrenching the door open.

"If I go, don't expect me to come back." Elliot said. Casey shrugged. "fine." He said, steaming out and hearing the door slam shut behind him.

THE NEXT DAY

THE OFFICE OF DOCTOR GEORGE HUANG

Working in New York for as long as he had, there wasn't much left that surprised George Huang. But as he sat at his desk, reading over the document that Detective Olivia Benson had just handed him, he had to admit, he was shocked.

"Have you had Melinda double check this?"

Olivia nodded sadly from the other side of his desk. "Yeah. I made her run it three times. I thought she was going to kick me out of the lab."

"All right. Any thoughts about what you're going to do about this?" Huang asked, placing the manila folder down on his desk.

"That's kind of why I'm here." Olivia said, giving him a tight smile.

"Olivia, I can't tell you what to do here. Does any one else know?" He asked.

"No, just you and Melinda." Olivia answered. She looked like she hadn't been getting much sleep. He would have suggested relaxation tapes or other therapy to the detective, had he not a thousand times previously, and always been met with polite refusal. Olivia was someone who dealt with things her own way. Which was why he was surprised that she had brought this to him at all.

George knotted his fingers together and considered his answer carefully, "Olivia, I can't tell you what to do, all I can suggest is that you think about whether or not you'd want to know, if you were in Casey's shoes."

"I have no idea." Olivia said.

"I think you have a better insight on this then I ever could, but Casey strikes me as a very ordered person. She has shown time and again that she likes issues to be black and white, and when the waters get muddy, she becomes uncomfortable." Huang said. Olivia seemed to be weighing it up.

"Thanks George. I'll let you know what I decide to do."

THE SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT SQUADROOM

Olivia arrived back in the squad room, glad to see Casey stationed at Elliot's desk. The Captain had requested that McCoy have enough of Casey's office transferred over to the squadroom, so that Casey could do her days work under the watchful eye an entire building full of law enforcement officers. McCoy had been quick to agree, either keen to avoid one of his ADA's being snatched, or keen to avoid having his office populated by concerned police detectives all day.

"Liv, about yesterday," Casey started Olivia took the seat opposite her.

"It's fine Casey, you'd had a little too much to drink, and I was worried. How was Elliot?" She added in a low voice, the rest of the squad still blissfully ignorant of their coworkers relationship. The other womans face told her it hadn't gone well.

"I tried calling him this morning. He's not answering his cell." Casey said, dejectedly.

"That bad?"

Casey grimaced, "worse. By the way, I managed to get the Bassett case transferred to our division. The Staten Island team weren't exactly in any fit state to follow it up."

"Good," Olivia nodded.

"Liv, can I see you for a minute?" Cragen said, hanging out of his office door. Olivia got up and followed him inside.

"Have you heard from Elliot today?" Cragen asked. Olivia shook her head.

"No." She answered honestly. She had called Elliot's cell when she had first arrived at the squad room, but it had rung out to answer phone.

"The IAB are in today, he was scheduled to meet with them, but he hasn't showed up." Cragen said. "Are you sure you haven't heard from him?"

Olivia nodded, worry starting to build, "yeah, I really haven't heard from him."

"You would tell me if you had, wouldn't you?" Cragen asked. Olivia knew why he was asking, but she still couldn't help.

"I'll drive by his apartment, see if I can find him," Olivia offered.

"Do it." Cragen nodded. "And send Casey in on your way out. I need to have a word with her about yesterday."

HOURS LATER

Olivia was worried.

Elliot wasn't in his apartment, wasn't answering his cell or home phone, and in desperation, she had even called Kathy. She was pissed at him too, apparently he was due to pick up the kids but hadn't arrived. Something was off. At 4pm, she had returned to Cragen's office, requesting that he be reported missing. The Captain had given her a knowing, sad look and told her that Elliot was under a lot of pressure at the moment, and there was no reason to think that his disappearance was suspicious.

Olivia thought otherwise though.

She knew her partner, and there was no way Elliot would disappear like this, and he wouldn't endanger the job he loves by not attending the meeting with the IAB, and he definitely wouldn't miss out on time with his kids. By the time six pm had rolled around, she was eager to get out of the precinct and begin her own search. Unfortunately, she had to drop Casey home first, and arrange for a uniform to be on her door.

"Why, where are you going tonight?" Casey asked, once they were outside the building, headed for Olivia's car. She rubbed her hands together vigorously, even after seconds outside Olivia's ears were starting to get cold and she cursed her decision to get her hair cut short again before spring had set in.

"Out." Olivia answered briskly.

"I think you're going to look for Elliot." Casey said. Olivia started at the other womans perception. Then she added. "And I want in. Where do we start."

Olivia unlocked her car, getting into the drivers seat, "Casey, you just need to keep yourself safe until this blows over."

"Come on Liv," Casey said, climbing into the passenger seat. "This isn't like him. He wouldn't just disappear without a word about where he was going. I know you're going to look for him, so where do we start?" Olivia sighed. She knew she wasn't going to be able to shake the young lawyer. Plus, if she didn't let Casey help, there was every chance she would turn Olivia in to Cragen. It would be somewhat fitting payback.

"Alright fine, you're on board. But first off, you need to dress the part."

"For what?" Casey asked, perplexed.

"You'll see." Olivia said, firing up the engine.

THE APARTMENT OF ADA CASEY NOVAK

Olivia looked Casey up and down, slightly disturbed.

"Casey, I said dress like a cop…" She said, words trailing off. Casey stood in front of her in a outfit which mirrored Olivia's own almost identically, except that the open button down Casey was wearing over her own grey vest was blue where Olivia's was purple, and her jeans were a marginally different cut. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

Casey shrugged, "You're a cop." Olivia blinked slowly but decided to let it slide.

"All right, you'll need this," She said, handed Casey Elliot's shield, which she had borrowed from Cragens office earlier. Casey snapped it onto her belt.

"Ok, we good to go?" Casey asked. She looked excited. Olivia supposed it was a bit of a novelty to the Lawyer.

"Not so fast." Olivia held out a pistol to Casey, Elliot's own sidearm, held inside a holster with a belt fastening. "I don't want you pulling this out unless absolutely necessary." She added. Casey frowned at her, attached the holster, whipping the gun out, sliding the clip out and back in expertly, then chambering a bullet before thumbing the safety back on and returning the gun to the holster.

"My Dad taught me to shoot as soon as I was old enough, he's something of a gun enthusiast." Casey explained. Olivia nodded.

"You've never mentioned your Dad." Olivia said, taking a cue she might not get again.

"He's a good guy," Casey said, distractedly, adjusting the badge on her belt. "fought in the Vietnam war before I was born. I was kind of lucky he came back alive."

Olivia carried on, "what about your mom?"

Casey shrugged, "she married my Dad right after High School. After he came back finished his service she went to college to become a nurse. Unfortunately for her, that's when I came along. She had to take a few months out, but she said she never regretted it."

Olivia nodded, "where did she study?"

"Columbia, sorry Liv, what's with the third degree?" Casey asked. Olivia took a deep breath.

"Casey, would you rather be lied to or know the truth, even if it was more awful than you could ever imagine." Olivia asked.

Casey looked understandably bewildered, "Um, that's a very strange question. Is there something you know about Elliot you're not telling me?"

Olivia shut her eyes, "no, it's nothing to do with Elliot, please Casey, just humour me."

"All right then. Yeah, I'd rather know the truth." Casey answered, after little or no deliberation. "Are you going to offer me the choice between a blue pill or a red one now?" She asked, referancing the Matrix, one of only a few films of that ilk which Olivia had actually seen.

"That's all I wanted to know. Come on, we've got work to do." Olivia said, heading out the door, the secret on the tip of her tongue, but still not ready to come out.