Chapter 10- All POV..

Olivia reached over to the coffee table for the remote and turned on the TV. It was some cheesy cop show that had little to no truth in it, "If only we could close cases that fast." she whispered to herself. 4 hours and 5 cop shows later, Alex finally got home. Liv had tried to ring her as soon as she realised Dylan never left but in all her panic Alex had left her Cell phone at her apartment.

"L-l-liv we didn't f-find her." Olivia could tell by her tone of voice that she was still really panicking. "Alex it's OK-" Liv spoke calmly and quietly which wound Alex up. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? SHE COULD BE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE, FREEZING COLD, SCARED, OR EVEN WORSE...HER MOM COULD HAVE FOUND HER!" Olivia could feel Dylan stirring in her lap and mentally slapped herself for not starting by saying that she was there. "MAYBE SHE'S GONE BACK TO HER. WELL IF SHE DIDN'T WANT TO COME HERE SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO. I DIDN'T FORCE HER. SHE COULD HAVE JUST-"

"ALEX!" Alex's rant stopped mid swing as she looked at Liv "She is fine OK?" Alex looked like she was going to talk but Olivia carried on before she could. "She never went anywhere. She came out of her room upset then fell asleep on me, she didn't leave. We just assumed she did. I tried to ring but you left your phone here. She's an abuse victim Alex and from what we know, which isn't very much, her mom beat her or hurt her almost every time she saw her, she was just hiding. Something bad happened so she ran and hid. And your stupid rant almost woke her up."

"No it didn't. I don't sleep for very long, it can be dangerous when you live with an addict. You have to check them a lot. I was just comfortable, I felt wanted, you didn't push me off. You held me closer and played with my hair. I can't remember the last time my mom did that." she sat up and refused to make eye contact with either of them. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean for you to get so worried. I didn't think anyone would care , they never have before."

"Dylan look at me." Olivia reached out and gently lifted the girl's chin so she could see her face. "you don't have anything to be sorry for. And you don't need to hide any more. We aren't going to hurt you." Dylan's eyes filled with tears but she refused to let any of them fall. "My mom is out there, I'm stuck in here until you find her and I don't know why! I've lived with this for years, why do you only notice now!" the tears began to leak down her face. "I don't want to be hurt any more. I want to live somewhere that I can feel safe. I've can't remember ever feeling safe." Alex sat down and pulled her into a hug.

"You are safe here Dylan. She doesn't know where you are, she can't hurt you any more." Olivia stood up and stretched. "I'm going to make some hot chocolate with marshmallows, anybody elsse want some?" they both nodded. When Liv left, Alex turned to Dylan.

She looked in Dylan's eyes. "Please...tell me what she did. You told me before, I can't help unless you tell me. Without your testimony, I can't charge her with anything!" Dylan just blinked, "You can't charge her with anything anyway. You don't even have her." Alex grasped her upper arms but loosened her hold when the girl flinched away. "Dylan if you don't tell me then I will have to subpoena you, my Boss will make me. I don't want to have to do that. It will be much easier on you if you just tell me like you did last time." Dylan looked down and whispered, "the longer I hold it off, the longer I can stay. I don't want to go into foster care Alex, and I have no relatives who will take me. They all rejected us when Riley was murdered and Charlie was arrested for it. That's when my mom started doing drugs. I haven't heard from any of them in over 7 years. I don't even think my grandparents are still alive."

With that Alex, the ice-queen herself, shattered into a thousand pieces, "They knew? They knew and not one of them did ANY thing. They left you with her. Why would they do that!" Dylan shrugged and continued looking down. "Dad was still alive then. They all said she was his problem, but he was in Afghanistan."

"Didn't you see them all at your dads funeral?" Alex was curious. 7 years was a long time without any family but a junkie mother and a father who wasn't around. "I didn't go. I was...errr...working. And his mom and brother organised the funeral but forgot to tell us where it was being held. I don't even know where my own dad is buried." Alex knew exactly what she meant when she said working and it outraged her. The thought of somebody doing that to their child, selling them, allowing adults to do whatever they wanted to them. Not being able to cry rape because you're being paid for it. "Dylan, by working... you mean you ha-" Dylan interrupted "don't say it!"

Olivia had heard parts of their conversation from the kitchen but not enough to make any sense of it. But she heard Dylan's plea for Alex not to say anything. She walked into the living room with a tray laiden with drinks. "Don't say what Dylan?" She looked to Alex expecting an explanation. Dylan looked to Liv then back at Alex, her eyes pleading her to stay silent. "Alex? What were you talking about? What were you gonna say?" Dylan's eyes got a little teary and she shook her head. Olivia came forward and sat next to her, "Dylan it's OK. You can tell me, it isn't going to change anything. It's all in the past, nobody will judge you." Dylan took a deep breath and held it and shook her head. "I know it's hard but if you tell me, it will help to relieve a lot of your stress... and if you don't tell me here, we will just have to do it at the precinct..." when she got no reply she looked to Alex for help. "Alex? Would it be easier if you told me so that I know what you're talking about?"

Dylan stared at Alex and shook her head but Alex sighed and continued, "We were talking about family. The fact that she didn't attend her father's funeral because she was...'working'..." Liv looked at Alex confused. "What Lex?" Alex rolled her eyes, for a sex crimes detective sometimes Olivia was a little slow. "She was busy getting drugs for her mom in whatever way she could." Olivia frowned and looked to Dylan. "She means Prostitution! I'm an effing prostitute OK? Judge me, hang me, throw me out! Do whatever the hell you want, it's not as if I'm not used to being unwanted!" she got up from the couch and walked over to the corner, she stood facing the wall, her arms crossed over herself protectively. Olivia had noticed that she did the same thing earlier in interrogation. She also remembered that when they had found her in her apartment, she had been curled in a ball in the corner with her arms cuffed. It puzzled her, but people cope with things differently, maybe facing the walls in the corner helped Dylan to feel like she was alone when she was never allowed to leave a room without permission.

"Dylan, I would never make you leave! I said I was going to help you and I will! You aren't going anywhere apart from here and the precinct so that I can always know you're safe." Alex walked over to her and rested a hand on her back as she spoke. "I want you here with me! I always wondered if you were OK! I never knew what happened to you, one day you were there, the next your house was totally empty. I always felt guilty for letting you go without helping you like I promised you I would." Dylan turned and looked at her, "it wasn't your fault Alex. You didn't let me leave, my mom made me leave. It had nothing to do with you. And you did help me, you gave me confidence. for a little while, I had the strength to shout back and threaten to tell. But that stopped. I never ever blamed you, you shouldn't either." She yawned and started to close her eyes, Alex led her back to the couch and sat her in between her and Olivia. She shot a smile to Liv and picked up the TV remote. "How about we watch a film?" Dylan nodded and quickly swiped the remote from Alex so that she could choose one. They sat and watched 'Ace Ventura Pet Detective', Dylan fell asleep 30 minutes in but Alex and Olivia stayed to watch. Olivia slipped one arm under Dylan's knees and the other under her shoulders and picked her up. She was expecting her to be light, but she was horrified by how light she actually was. She walked down the hall holding her with no trouble, put her in bed and pulled her covers up and over her. She looked out the window for a second before closing it and leaving the room, totally oblivious to the car outside, watching her every move...