Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns Law & Order SVU.

Author's Note: Hope you like this update. Wanted to get something out pre-storm!

Happy Trails…

Chapter 25

"Ben? What are you going to do about these detectives?" The thin, pale younger man asked as he stood in front of the dark wood desk of his boss. Everything in the room was dark, clocked in various shades of deep reds all the way down to the thick carpeting. The color saturated the room. Blood. Power. Pain. Red.

Ben leaned back in the dark cherry red leather chair, one leg resting casually bent across the other. His smile slid slowly across his face.

"What?"

"Don't worry our friends will get what is coming in time. They have something that belongs to me something that they will give up to me. First things first though we are going to New York."

"Do you think that is wise?"

Ben's eye narrowed, his smile faded. "Are you questioning me?" Ben's voice was low his Italian accent thickening as his temper flared

"No, no sir. I wouldn't do that."

"It would be unwise to do." Ben said as he leaned back again. "New York is a city to get lost in my friend. A city even the famous can disappear in. Besides, I already have my new home right next to New York's finest. I will be very safe."

Ben's staff member paled slightly as Ben's smile grew along with his laughter.

"They will never see me coming," Ben grinned widely.

Elliot blinked sleepily his body fighting the morning. He stretched his arm out from underneath his head, hand gliding along the starched white cotton sheets. He sat upright abruptly when it failed to come into contact with Olivia's warm soft skin. Elliot reached for his glock sitting on the hotel's nightstand. He stood quietly letting the sheet fall from his body, his bare feet hitting the carpeted floor. He took note of the light shining from the hotel's bathroom. He didn't bother with clothes his only thought was Olivia. Elliot swallowed hard as he walked slowly to the door his back against the wall. Inwardly, his throat constricted with fear for Olivia. Where the fuck was she? He slowly turned the corner with the safety off.

"Olivia!" Elliot shouted as he dropped onto his knees on white linoleum bathroom floor. Olivia was lying across the floor with her eyes closed. Elliot shook her softly while scanning her body for injury. "Liv! Come on, baby! Wake up!" Elliot pleaded.

"El?" Olivia muttered groggily her eyes struggling to open. "Mmm?"

"Thank God!" Elliot whispered as he gathered her in his arms. His fingers gently gliding over the back of her scalp, furtively looking for injury. "You're okay?"

"El," Olivia replied her mouth dry as she pulled her head back. Her head hurt from hitting the tile, but she was pretty sure that she was okay otherwise except for the now rising bile in her stomach at the memory of what caused her to pass out. "The bathtub."

Elliot turned his head to the tub and gagged. Sitting in their bathtub was Monique Jeffries head.

"Is she?" Olivia whispered against the nape of Elliot's neck.

"Close your eyes," Elliot whispered.

"I am cop, El." Olivia said softly even as tears slipped warmly down her cheeks.

"This is different, Olivia." Elliot scooped her legs up under his arms before standing up. "I am going to take you in the next room and you are going to get dressed. I am going to get dressed. Then we are going to call Cragen."

Olivia nodded.

"Okay?" Elliot whispered.

Olivia nodded again. "Elliot, he was here. In the mirror, Ben left a message."

Elliot's jaw tightened as his eyes connected with the bright red lettering. "I see it, Liv. I see it."

An hour later, their room was filled with police and FBI agents milling around. Olivia stood next to Cragen and Elliot, balancing the coffee that Fin had so graciously picked up that morning. Her head was throbbing and the caffeine was doing nothing to help neither was the constant nagging from her colleagues to get checked out.

"Liv!"

Olivia turned at the voice coming from the door. She would recognize it anywhere. "Casey," she called out, threading her way through cops and agents.

Casey grabbed Olivia into a hug barely missing covering them both in coffee as Olivia lifted it out of the way.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked her as they pulled apart. She smiled at Chester who was standing behind Casey.

"We're fine. Are you guys okay? They said you were, but I had to see for myself." Casey reached forward as she hugged Olivia again.

"Hey, Novak." Fin said as he made his way through crowd. "Good to see you."

Casey hugged Fin, hard. "It is so good to see you, Fin!"

Fin smiled at Chester and extended his arm out to him.

Chester gripped Fin's hand in a warm shake.

Elliot approached them. One hand came to rest gently on the middle of Olivia's back while the other reached for her coffee. "You should not be drinking this," he chastised lightly.

Olivia rolled her eyes in affectionate mock surrender. "My head is fine, El. However, since it is so important to you, I will let you finish my coffee, okay?"

Elliot smiled at her softly. Glad that she was sounding more like Olivia. He had been more than a little worried when they were getting dressed after their bathroom discovery. Olivia had been uncharacteristically quiet. He lightly ran his hand up and down her back, reassuringly.

Olivia smiled at Elliot. She was feeling slightly better than this morning except when she thought of Monique. Her stomach turned and her heart ached when she thought of her friend's last moments, last hours of life. It literally and figuratively made her sick. She wanted to wrap her arms around Elliot. To escape from this mess with him and their friends to leave behind this nightmare, unfortunately they were going to spend the rest of the day reliving it when they joined Porter and Dana at the house site.

Cragen approached the group, rubbing his own tired eyes. He had been up have the night on the phone with the Chief of Detectives and various factions of the FBI including Dana Lewis. He nodded at Casey and Chester. "Benson, Stabler, Munch, and Fin, are you all ready to head out? Porter wants to get a couple of hours canvasing before dark with the four of you to lay out the structure of the house and where they need to concentrate."

"Yeah," Elliot nodded before tipping his head back to swallow the last of Olivia's coffee.

Fin nodded. He kissed the top of Casey's head and looked over at Chester. "Get her home safe and sound, okay?"

Chester smiled at Fin. "You got it, man."

Munch grabbed his long trench off the back of the hotel chair. "Ready, Captain."

Olivia nodded at Don. "I am good."

"You're sure, Liv?" Don asked his eyes serious.

"I am fine, Don." Olivia laced an arm through Munch's. "As long as I get to drive."

"No way, Benson. You drive like a crazy person." Munch groused as they walked out the hotel door arguing about who would drive.

Fin and Elliot followed. Don reached for Elliot's arm pulling him slightly back from the others. Elliot gave him a questioning look.

"I know you two did not spend the night here in separate beds, Elliot." Don whispered.

Elliot swallowed hard.

"It doesn't matter right now, Elliot. I just need to know everything that happened between the two of you and this man. Everything so I can protect both of you, okay? We can sort out the rest later." Don said his eyes concerned.

Elliot nodded. "I will tell you everything, Captain. I promise."