Location: Hospital.
"You ready?" Elliot asked Olivia.
"I've been ready since I awoke from my coma," she called as she emerged from the bathroom.
She stepped out dressed in blue jeans, a beige camisole tank top, and a brown cardigan. Her hair was neatly brushed, and her face adorned with make up. Olivia walked over to the bed and sat down as she tucked away her brush and make up inside a black duffel bag sitting on the chair next to the bed. She looked up to see Elliot grinning at her. Just like old times.
"What?" Olivia inquired, even though she was sure she already knew.
"You look beautiful," he complimented her.
"This is the way I always look," she zipped up her bag. "You've never said anything about it before."
"I know," he stood up and grabbed her duffel bag. "It's just...well its a fresh change from watching you sleep these past few weeks. It's nice to see you returning to normal. I've missed it."
"Maybe on the outside," she confessed. "But on the inside I've got a long way to go before I get my life back. Even so, part me isn't sure I'll ever get it back."
"Yes, you will," Elliot put her bag down and sat next to her. He took her hand and held it in his own. "It's gonna take some time though. And I'll be here for you every step of the way. A good friend once made the same promise to me. And I have to say, I don't think I'd be where I'm at today if it hadn't been for her."
Olivia smiled and gazed into Elliot's eyes as she thought of the promise she made to Elliot when he lost his family. As she became lost in his ocean blue eyes, Elliot leaned in and kissed her. Olivia closed her eyes as she kissed him back. For a moment it was wonderful, but then Dennis Granger's image popped into her mind, causing her to pull away from Elliot.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered, trembling. "I can't..."
Her voice trailed off.
"It's okay," he put his arm around her. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have...but...I, uh, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Olivia lied, unconvincingly. "I just want to go home already."
"Well," Elliot started. "With Granger still in the wind, you can't go home just yet."
"I'm so tired of motel rooms!" she whined. "Not too mention I was raped and nearly killed the last time I was in one!"
"I know," he said, trying to push back the anger raging inside him. "But it's gonna be different this time. The Feds are taking over the case. Warner ran Granger's DNA through a nationwide database and it matched cases in nine states. So it's now a federal crime. You're being placed in a better hotel. But we arranged it so that either Fin, Munch, or myself will be with you at all times. We convinced the Feds that having their unfamiliar agents watching over you would affect your recovery, therefore affecting your testimony. Also, it was the only way we could stay on the case."
Before Olivia could comment, a nurse entered the room with a wheelchair.
"Are you ready?" the nurse asked Olivia, opening up the wheelchair. "Have a seat."
"Uh..., thanks," Olivia told her. "But I can walk just fine."
"Sorry, but it's standard hospital procedure," stated the nurse. "Please sit down, detective."
Olivia opened her mouth to argue, but Elliot stopped.
"Liv," he put a hand on her shoulder. "Just do what she says. I had to go through this too. I know how you feel, but there's no sense in arguing because you can't win."
"Fine," she gave up and sat down in the wheelchair.
Elliot grabbed Olivia's duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. He followed the nurse as she wheeled Olivia out of the room and down the hall to the nurses station. There, Olivia received her discharge papers, prescriptions, and any other necessary paperwork. Then they made their way to the elevators which took them to the main floor where they proceeded out the hospital main entrance. Once outside, the nurse finally allowed Olivia to get out of the chair. Elliot escorted Olivia to his car, where they got in and finally drove off to the hotel.
At the hotel, they checked in at the concierge desk and then took the elevator to the fifth floor where Olivia's room was located. Since the Feds had more money, they had arranged for Olivia to stay in a suite, under a false name, of course. The suite was more like an apartment, complete with one bedroom the size of the motel room she had stayed in before. There was even a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small dining area with a table and four chairs.
"We brought your stuff over from the motel room," Elliot handed her the duffel bag. "It's all in the bedroom. I'm gonna call Cragen to let him know we made it here safely."
Olivia took the bag from him and walked into the bedroom. She unpacked the duffel bag along with the rest of her belongings and put them away. Once she was settled, she plopped down on the bed. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. It felt so good to lay in a normal bed. Although she wished more than anything to be in her own bed in her own apartment. She started to relax and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. She dreamed.
It was night, and Olivia found herself walking down an empty street. Not a single car or pedestrian was in sight. No street vendors, no street performers, nor any homeless. It was barren, and quieter than a cemetery. She also noticed there were no street lights. It was so dark she could barely see in front of her, but somehow she kept on walking. Something willed her to keep moving forward. She had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that wherever she was going, she had this feeling she needed to get there.
"Olivia," a familiar voice called from behind her. "You can't hide from me forever."
She spun around only to find an empty street behind her. She spun around again. Still no one there.
"Who's there?" Olivia called out into the darkness.
She instinctively reached for her gun but it wasn't there. Suddenly, she felt helpless and afraid, but tried not to let it show.
"You know who I am," the voice taunted her. "You'll never forget me as long as you live."
Olivia finally recognized the voice. It was Dennis Granger. She turned around, searching up and down the dark street, but couldn't find him.
"You're wrong!" she shouted, confidently. "I will move on and forget about you. You, on the other hand, will rot in a prison cell. And you will think of me every day for the rest of your miserable life!"
Granger's voice chuckled menacingly. His chuckle echoed throughout the street, filling Olivia's ears. It was so powerful Olivia thought her eardrums would burst.
"You wanna bet?" he scoffed.
A strong force pulled her down as the scene suddenly changed. The street disappeared altogether and was replaced by the motel room. Olivia was laying on the bed, naked. Granger's figure towered over her. She tried to fight him, but found herself unable to move. He sensed her fear and grinned sinisterly as he watched her struggle to move. He easily nudged her legs apart and entered her body. Olivia opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
"I own you," he whispered in her ear, as he stroked her hair. "I have a piece of you. And as long as I have it, you're mine, bitch!"
He grunted and panted louder as his thrusts became more powerful. He wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed hard. Olivia struggled to breathe and to fight him off, but she was still unable to move or scream. Granger continued to thrust harder and faster as he wrapped his hands tighter around Olivia's neck.
"AAAAAAAAHH!" Olivia screamed as she awoke, cold and drenched in sweat.
Elliot burst through the door to find Olivia on the bed, crying and shivering with fright. He ran to her side and cradled her in his arms.
"It's okay," he comforted her. "It was just a dream."
"It felt so real," she rested her head on his shoulder and wept.
"Do you want to tell me about it?" asked Elliot, although he felt he already knew.
Olivia nodded and sat up. She told him all about her dream.
"I'm not sure I can do this," Olivia confessed, sobbing and looking down at her hands.
"Yes, you can," Elliot lifted her face to his and looked her in the eyes. "Do you have any idea how strong you are? Liv, you are fearless. You've helped a countless number of victims over the years. Not too mention you've put away God knows how many perps. And you've had more than your own share of troubles that you overcame, and you still standing here."
"But this time the perp is still out there!" she cried. "And he's probably watching me from somewhere, waiting to make his move!"
"And we will find him," he assured her.
"You said the same thing before you searched the storage facility," she reminded him. "And he wasn't there."
"I know," he remembered. "Just because he wasn't there doesn't mean we won't find him eventually. And the guys and I aren't giving up until he's behind bars. Liv, don't do this to yourself. You're gonna get through this."
"I'll try," she whimpered.
"That's all I ask," he kissed her forehead. "You should really speak to a counselor. It might help."
"I will," Olivia told him. "Just as soon as all this is over and I can go back home."
"Good," he smiled. He changed the subject to try to ease her mind. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. How about we order some room service?"
"Sure," she answered, quietly.
Location: SVU Squad Room.
"Munch! Fin!" called Cragen as he walked to their desks. "Have we got names to any of the bodies?"
"Still working on it," replied Fin. "CSU is still running DNA. Fin and I are going through the missing persons database."
"And we're gonna be here for a while," groaned Munch, as he hung up the phone. "That was CSU. No hits yet, but they've finished sorting through all the bodies."
"How many bodies are talking about?" inquired Cragen.
"Thirty-four bodies," Munch answered. "Thirty-two women and two men, most likely the real Harris and Tucker. Some of the bodies were recent, maybe several weeks. And there are others that are likely years old. Which means Granger has been using his IAB authority to rape and kill for years."
"Has anyone re-interviewed Alan yet?" asked Cragen. "We need to know what he did with that bloody shirt."
"He was supposed to come in earlier this morning," Fin responded. "But he didn't show. And I've been calling him, but getting nothing but voicemail. I'm thinking Granger scared him off."
"And I'm thinking you're not far off," said a familiar voice.
Cragen and his two detectives turned around to see FBI Agent Dana Lewis entering the squad room and walking toward them.
"You're the FBI agent assigned to this case?" asked Munch.
"I requested the assignment," replied Dana. "You all helped me catch my rapist. Now I'm here to help you catch yours."
"Okay, then," said Cragen. "What do you mean we're not far off? Do you know something we don't?"
"Yep," she confirmed. "Alan Grady is dead. My agents went to question him last night and found him dead in his hotel room. He was stabbed to death. His body is now at our lab and we're still processing the crime scene."
"But I talked to him last night," Fin told her.
"What time?" Dana asked.
"Around seven o'clock," Fin answered.
"My people got there at nine," she said, thinking out loud. "Which puts time of death anywhere in that two-hour window."
"You thinking Granger killed him?" suggested Munch.
"I'm thinking it," Dana responded. "But I can't prove it."
Cragen had a sudden thought and spoke up. "If Granger did indeed find out where we stashed Alan and killed him, then that means he may know where Liv is. We have to move her."
"And we will," Dana assured him. "Tonight. Detectives Stabler and Benson are supposed to meet me here. We're gonna move Benson to an FBI safe house outside the city. Are they here yet?"
"We're here now," answered Elliot, as if on cue.
He and Olivia entered the squad room and joined the rest of the unit and Dana at Munch and Fin's desks.
"So, what's the plan?" Elliot inquired.
"Well," Dana began. "My car is parked out back by the emergency exit, along with three other agents' cars. You and Benson will ride with me. One car will drive in front of me and the other two will drive on either side of us. And I'll need Munch and Fin to follow behind us."
"Sure. No problem,"agreed Munch and Fin.
With that, Elliot, Munch, and Fin left the precinct and went to their cars. Dana escorted Olivia out the back exit of the precinct.
"How are you holding up?" asked Dana, noticing that Olivia had been particularly quiet that evening.
"I don't know," Olivia spoke quietly, staring into space. "Some days I'm okay. Other days, I'm an emotional wreck. I just want this whole thing to be over so I can move on with my life."
"We're gonna find the bastard," Dana assured her as they walked down a flight of stairs. "Don't you worry. And when we do find him, he's a dead man. Seriously, we have enough evidence to put a needle in his arm. His body farm at the storage unit, the video footage, DNA and prints from the Stabler residence, DNA from your rape kit-"
"My rape kit?" Olivia looked up. "But Elliot told me it wasn't back yet."
"It came back while you were in your coma," Dana stated. "Why would he tell you it wasn't back yet?"
Dana saw the troubled look on Olivia's face and realized she said the wrong thing. She put her hand on Olivia's shoulder and tried to console her.
"He lied to me!" Olivia gasped. "How could he? And why?"
Olivia didn't know whether she felt more angry or hurt. But she knew one thing for sure. She felt utterly betrayed.
"Look," Dana spoke gently. "Maybe he was trying to protect you. I don't know. But either way it was wrong of him not to tell you."
Dana realized nothing she said was helping. For Olivia remained silent and stared down at her hands.
"I can see that I'm not helping, am I?" Dana put one hand on the door. "I think I'll just shut up now."
"No!" Olivia spoke up suddenly. "My rape kit. I want to know the results. Tell me. I need to know."
"As I said before," Dana began. "We obtained DNA-"
"DNA?" Olivia interrupted her. "As in hairs? Or skin or blood?"
"No," continued Dana. "DNA as in semen."
"No," Olivia shook her head. "No, that's impossible. He used a condom. I saw him pull it out of his pocket and put it on before he raped me."
"And it broke during the rape," Dana informed her. "The rape kit found a condom fragment and semen inside of you."
"Are you sure?" asked Olivia, completely shocked.
"Yes," answered Dana, solemnly.
"Oh, God!" Olivia gasped and shuddered, tears forming in her eyes.
Dana suddenly realized something.
"Olivia," Dana said. "Were you given the morning after pill at the hospital at any time?"
"No," Olivia replied. "I was in a coma for three weeks. And besides, it was too late anyway. I was supposed to have taken it within seventy-two hours of the rape."
Frightening thoughts overwhelmed Olivia's mind. Could she really be pregnant? Just the thought of Granger's baby growing inside of her devastated her.
"It's gonna be okay," Dana saw the look of distress on Olivia's face.
"What if I'm pregnant?" she sobbed, her body trembling. "I can't have his baby! I just can't!"
"Let's not worry about this now," Dana insisted. "Let's just concentrate on getting you the safe house and getting you settled in for the night. Tomorrow I'll get you a home pregnancy test. And then we'll figure it out from there. Okay?"
"Okay," Olivia nodded silently. "Thanks, Dana."
"No problem, honey," Dana gave her a hug. "Now let's get moving."
Dana opened the door and escorted Olivia outside. There they met up with Dana's team of FBI agents and Elliot, Munch, and Fin. Elliot opened the car door for Olivia, who stepped inside without looking at Elliot. She was still way too upset with him for lying to her. Elliot noticed something was bothering her but he figured it was her usual anxieties and the stress of being moved again. He felt that it wasn't the right time or place to ask her. He decided he would talk to her when they were settled at the safe house.
"Is everybody ready?" Dana asked the team.
They all nodded and got into their assigned vehicles.
"Hey, Dana," called Elliot. "Do you mind if I drive? It's not that I don't trust you. It's just every time I'm near you, I get hurt."
"As a matter of fact," Dana answered. "I do mind. Now get your ass in the car. We don't have time for petty arguments."
"It was worth a shot," he said, getting in the car. "Can you just promise me that you'll get us there in one piece?"
"Don't you worry your pretty little head," she chuckled, starting the car.
They drove through the city in formation. Olivia was seated in the back seat, silent and staring out the window. She spoke not a word nor did she look at Elliot during the entire car ride as they continued on their way to the safe house.
Stay tuned! More to come soon! Please feel free to read and review!