Chapter 10

Olivia watched through the window as trees rushed by in a blur. They had been driving through a forest for what seemed like an hour, but she didn't know which one. She didn't even know where they were anymore. There were no landmarks; no signs. She didn't even know if they were still in New Jersey.

"We're almost there, Olivia!" Mike grinned from the front seat. "I have some friends who want to meet you."

Olivia remained quiet. What could she do? Every second she spent in this van was another second she was being taken father and farther from those she loved. Everything she cared about was now lost to her. Everyone she called family.

"Why the long face?" Mike taunted. "I thought you liked meeting new friends."

If the tape hadn't been tightly slapped over her lips, Olivia would have uttered things to Mike that would have made a sailor blush. But instead, she was forced to remain painfully silent, watching as he smiled smugly up in the front seat. Olivia wanted nothing more than to smack it right off of his face. Suddenly, the van jolted to a stop, and Olivia was slammed forward.

"Careful!" Mike snapped from the front seat. "You're gonna break something!"

Olivia fumed in the back seat. It was a completely empty back seat! What in the hell could she break? The air?

"Hey Mike!" someone greeted on Mike's driver-side. Olivia couldn't see him, but his voice sounded eerily familiar. "Did you bring what we asked for?"

"I couldn't get it," Mike replied. "My dealer was out of it, and he isn't going to get anymore for a few weeks."

"The guys are gonna be pissed," the voice announced. "They've been on edge all week."

"Tell them to relax," Mike told him. Olivia could hear the smile in his voice. "I brought something better."

Olivia gulped. This couldn't be good.

…..

Cragen huffed at his desk and crumpled his papers into a tight ball. Throwing them against the far wall, he grumbled to himself and glared at his clock. It was still early in the afternoon, and he hadn't made any progress in the past few hours. All of his leads had run dry, and witnesses had been unreliable. Hell, the psychic had even called back, telling him about how 'the cat wanted to play with his little bird' but Cragen had hung up on her. That was the last thing he wanted to hear.

"Captain Cragen."

Cragen sighed and looked up at the man standing before him. "Police Commissioner Smith. It's been a while. How is the new office treating you since you were promoted?"

"Fine," the commissioner replied. He sat in the chair across from Cragen and crossed his legs. "But it has come to my attention that the press is buzzing about how an officer from your precinct has been kidnapped? Why did I not hear about this?"

"I sent my reports in," Cragen replied shortly, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes. "If you didn't hear about it, it wasn't my doing."

The commissioner nodded.

"Well," he replied, "I'd still like to know how far you've gotten on this case. If we can't protect our own officers, how are we going to protect the public? At least, that's how the press are going to go on about it. I need to know you're working this case to the best of your ability."

"We've been working this case nonstop," Cragen told him shortly. His voice seemed to drip with venom. "I haven't slept in two days. My officers are worn down to a nub, and yet they're still going. My witnesses are unreliable. My leads have run dry. The minute you tell me I'm not working on this case to the best of my ability will be the minute you wind up face-first on the ground with a footprint on your ass."

The commissioner laughed.

"Good to know," he smiled. He began to get up out of his chair. "Now I just need you to do one thing for me-"

"Is there a Captain Cragen here?" The two officers turned around to see a young woman walk through the door. "The officers at the door told me you could help me."

Cragen paused. "And what is it I can help you with, exactly?"

"I want to know if you've found my boyfriend," she replied.

Cragen raised his brow. "And who is your boyfriend?"

"This man," she answered. She held up an article from the New York Times about the Mike Jergens case. She pointed to the picture of Mike. "My name is Cora Kennison. Mike Jergens is my boyfriend."

…..

"So can I check out what you got?" the man asked.

"Sure," Mike smiled from the front seat. "Be careful though. She's a feisty one. Watch her while I go sort some things out."

Mike hopped out of the front seat, and the doors to the back of the van suddenly opened. Olivia scooted as far away as she could from the man who climbed in, but when she hit the barrier she knew there was no other place to go. The man approached her slowly in the back, and Olivia noticed something really familiar about him. There was just something about the way he talked, and moved, and smelled that seemed familiar. She just couldn't seem to put her finger on it.

The man got closer, until they were face to face. But Olivia didn't flinch. Something was off. She didn't need to be scared of this man. And for some reason, she wasn't. Even though sunglasses masked his eyes and the glare of the sun made her nearly blind, she knew, deep down, that he wasn't going to hurt her. He even took the time to take the tape off of her mouth.

"Olivia?" How did he know her name? "Olivia, is that you?"

"Who are you?" Olivia asked quietly. "How do you know my name?"

The man removed his sunglasses and looked at her. "Don't you remember me?"

Olivia squinted, and suddenly, she found she was staring into a very, very familiar pair of brown eyes. Suddenly it struck her, as she found herself staring into the eyes of the man who had played with her heart years ago. The man who had saved her life… and now might save it again.

"DEAN!"

Notes: Updating from a random network it took me ten minutes to get on. -_-" Only for you guys...

Regarding the story...SURPRISE! :D Bet I surprised you guys, didn't I? Next chapter we step things up a notch. You'll wanna stick around. ;)

You wanna know what happens next? Well then review pretty please! ;) Haha thanks!