AN: I'm in a weird sad mood, because my dog jumped out of our car today and got hurt pretty bad. He's gonna be fine, but it sucks and I needed a drink and a good laugh to end the day on, so this chapter may be a little goofy. Just giving you a heads up...But please review it anyway. It's fun.

Blind Sided

"SLUTZ Pharmacy" could be read in faded letters on the wooden sign of the town drug store in Plainsville, OH. All seemed quite and normal in the small town. In fact, the only thing out of place thus far seemed to be the missing K, which was apparently vandalized and stolen, when Mr. Sklutz first hung it there some 20 years ago. Olivia sniffled and sneezed her way through the store following Old Abner Sklutz himself, as he "helped" her find the exact medication for her sudden cold.

"I keep meaning to fix that sign, but you know how it is. At first I didn't have the money, then I didn't have the time, and now my back gives out to easily, so there it stays." Old Abner Sklutz chuckled to himself as he slowly poked around the shelves.

"I reckon after all this time fixing it would change the whole store. I might even lose a few costumers."

Olivia smiled and searched quickly for the medication. "You're probably right. I'm sure the name is fine the way it is. Oh here, Thera- Flu and Sudafed. That should do the job."

"Oh yes, that's it sweetheart."

As Abner shuffled his way around the counter to ring up the medicine, Olivia took the opportunity to ask a few questions. "So have you seen any new people moving in recently?"

"New people? No, no, everybody who lives here has been here since birth. I can't imagine why anyone would voluntarily move here anyway."

Olivia nodded and pulled out a photo of Michael Herman. "How about babies? Do you recognize this little guy at all?"

SCENE

Dean and Elliot sat in the car outside of "SLUTZ Pharmacy." Elliot dumped a few Sunflower seeds into his mouth and spit them one at a time out of the passenger side window. Dean flipped through the case file.

"So what's the plan, Cap?"

"We have a town and a date. The Sheriff has given us a list of everybody in the town, so we dig."

"What do you mean we dig? Don't you have a perp?"

"Yeah, we have two blurry pictures and a few untraceable screen names."

"That's the evidence you got out of Sedrick? How is that a lead?"

"Sedrick had a lot more to tell us, but it's not technically valid."

"Um, is it me or am I missing something here? You mean to tell me that you brought us all the way to Ohio on a crazy man's story? "

"I brought Olivia and I to Ohio on a man's confession."

Elliot spit out all of the seeds out of his mouth and let down his annoying act to sneer at Dean. "Oh, I see. I didn't mean to ruin your agenda."

Dean's calm assertive demeanor quickly started to diminish as Elliot agitated him.

"What do you mean by that?"

Elliot crossed his arms and sat tall in his seat. "Ahm, I think you know what I mean."

"No, actually I don't. You want to explain it to me?"

Elliot scratched the side of his nose and spit out the window. "If I have to explain it to you then the trip really is a waste of tax payer's money."

Dean turned to Elliot with furry in his face. "We needed to keep this investigation quick and unnoticed. You're already a third wheel, so cool it with the questions."

"First of all, questions is my job."

"A job you're not supposed to be at."

Elliot raised his voice. He hated to be interrupted. "And secondly, if you think the Anglo Saxon locals weren't going to notice a half Hispanic woman and your perfect hair from a mile away, then you need glasses and a pitch fork buddy."

"That's enough out of your mouth. This whole conversation is out of line. I will and can have you sent back on harassment charges."

"Oh come on, it's ok. I'm not gonna tell Olivia." Elliot wasn't the least effected by Dean's threats. He smiled and continued to push as many buttons as he could. " I get it, you wanted her to yourself, so you allowed this washy evidence to make it through the cut."

"Are you mocking my decisions?"

Elliot turned in his seat and bore a hole through Dean with his piercing blue eyes. "Are you trying to waste our time and money?" His class clown act faded into antagonism. "Why did you bring us here? Where is the evidence?"

Dean's sharp features flared with anger. "There's plenty of evidence." Dean shook the case file at his face. "Do you need me to sound it out for you?"

Elliot crumpled the empty bag of sunflower seeds and grabbed the case file from Dean's hand. "Listen, Porter, I don't know how they run things at the FBI, but at the SVU we have little time and small lives to save. You don't go to Ohio on a hunch."

Dean grabbed the file back from Elliot. "You think I'm daft. Do your research Stabler." Dean started pulling out photos and throwing them at Elliot's face. "Plainsville, OH. Michelle filmed her last movie here, we got a parcel photo of the perp's license plate, also in Ohio, and an e-mail written to Sedrick about the area."

"Yeah, thanks for the kiddie lesson Captain Kangaroo."

"That it's I've had it with you." Dean opened the car door and got out.

Elliot followed his lead on the other side of the car. "Hey, I'm just trying to get the facts."

Dean pointed at Elliot and headed for the trunk of the car and opened it. "You want the facts. The facts go like this Elliot. You just talked your way into a harassment violation." Dean dug in his suitcase for his cell phone.

"What do you mean? Harassment. Dean, this is crazy. I'm just trying to do the job right. "Elliot put his arm around Dean's shoulder. "Let's just talk this out. I'll zip my mouth and give it a chance. You're right, there could be something here. Hey, if you want me to I'll go back to the hotel and hide out unless needed."

Dean stood frozen and clenched his jaw. Elliot saw the look in his eyes, but didn't think he had it in him. The punch came in slow motion, but it was too quick for Elliot to dodge.

SCENE

Abner took the photo of Michael and contorted it around his face until his bad eyes finally brought it into focus. "mmm. Can't say that I've seen a handsome devil like him before. Is he yours?"

Olivia flipped the photo out of his hands and glanced at it. "Ah, no, but he's a cutie. Thanks for the medicine."

"Anytime sweetheart. Anytime."

Olivia waved goodbye and headed for the car. She slipped into the back seat and tilted her fuzzy stuffy head back. "Oh, god, that took forever. Let's get to the-" She stopped in mid sentence to notice the blood coming from Dean's nose.

"Dean?" She sat up and looked closely at his bruised face and then turned to Elliot who was sporting a nasty black eye and a fat lip. "What in the hell did you two do to each other?"

Neither man said a word. Dean started the car and Elliot spit a loogy of blood out the window.

"Fine. You know what, don't tell me." Olivia sat back in the seat and blew her nose. "It's better that way. I don't want to know. You're both ridiculous. I'm surrounded by idiots. Idiots with testicles. Ahaaaaaaaa," Olivia moaned in the back seat. "The worst of it is I'm on so much cold med's that I don't even care. The hay and the corn and the woods in this god forsaken flat land, is making me sneeze. Not to mention the cows. How many cows does a person need? I don't even like hamburgers all that much. " She opened the fresh box of cold medicine and took a chug from the bottle. "Blah, terrible taste. Ah, god I can't remember the last time I was sick. I am the healthiest person Elliot knows. That's what he told me. That's what you told me, right Elliot."

"It's true", Elliot quietly spoke from the front.

"Achoo!"

Both Dean and Elliot spoke at the same time. "God bless you."

"Thank you. You know, those cuts are gonna get infected if you don't stop and get something for them. There's a grocery store to the left there."

Dean pulled into the parking lot and headed for the store before anyone could say or do anything.

When he was out of site Olivia smacked Elliot on the head. "Ouuwww. What was that for?"

"What did you say to him, Elliot?"

Elliot spun around to look her in the eye with his one eye. "I didn't say anything. I- he took it the wrong way. He started the whole thing. I was only trying to do my job. I asked him a few questions and he got upset at my answers. Next thing I know he hits me."

Olivia looked at Elliot's eye and started to laugh a little. She felt drunk. The medicine made her tilt to the side and then in a southern old-timer accent she teased Elliot. "Oh darl'n, you look terrible. Why your face looks like the backside of a mule."

"Yeah, well you're not looking so great yourself little lady."

Olivia was so high on medication that she giggled and leaned her head around the seat next Elliot's. They sat face to face. Olivia smiled at him and whispered, "I think you upset Dean."

"You think."

"You really need to not do that."

"Thanks for the warning."

Olivia teased Elliot with the movement of her lips. They were so close to his. All he had to do was lean in a little closer and she would be his. She continued to stare at him. She didn't know if it was the medicine or the right moment but she leaned in and touched her lips to his. Elliot brought his hand to her head and held her as close as he could. The whole moment was clumsy and contorted. Elliot struggled to reach his neck around the headrest and squint through one eye, while Olivia tried to breath from her mouth and lock her lips to his at the same time. The kiss grew silly and intense. Olivia tried to lean closer on the seat and ended up head butting Elliot on the nose. "OOOOOO," he cried, "Can we not hit my face any more today."

"I'm sorry," she protested innocently.

They continued the kiss slower this time. It was like light touching and nose snuggles. Olivia's nose scrunched up and she smiled, while Elliot lightly kissed her neck. She squealed and grabbed his lips with hers. A car door opened next to them and Elliot paused. He spoke softly as she drunkenly kissed his lips, "Liv, the window is open and Dean's gonna be back."

"No, I know, just I can't stop. You taste so good."

"Mmm" Elliot sucked her bottom lip. "God, I want you."

BANG

A woman with a shopping cart hit their car. "Sorry", she said as she ran for her car and backed out of her parking space.

Olivia and Elliot looked out the windows. Olivia watched the woman in the car as Elliot got out to examine the damage.

"Elliot, we need to follow her."

"It's a tiny scratch. The rental place will never know."

"No, we need to follow- get Dean. That woman. That was her."

"The perp."

"No- I mean-yes. That was Karol Pinkerton. That was Michelle's assistant. That has to be the perp."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Why else would she be in Ohio?" Olivia grew frantic. She tried to open the car door, but it was locked. She jumped over the seat to see if Dean had left the keys but they were nowhere to be found. Elliot was already running for the store. Olivia finally able to get out of the car waved at the store windows trying to get Dean's attention. Olivia's congested head pounded as she jumped in the air. "Dean! Dean!" All of her comfortable kissing angered her stubborn will to always be alert. She hit the side of the car trying to keep her cool, but all her mind could think about was the fact that she missed the perp. "Stupid. All you have to do is stay focused. He was right there! How could you be so stupid!"

PS--Sklutz Pharamcy in an actual pharmacy from the town that I grew up in. Not in Ohio but in PA. And it was vandilized. We always joked about them having the best penecillian and that's why it was called slutz. He ha ho. We were so funny.