Title: One of Their Own

Author: SVUFanatic611

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: SVU and its associated characters are not mine.

---
Norman Thomas High School
Mr. Joseph Blake's Classroom (Room 145)
December 5, 2003
-9:02am-

"I don't understand why I have to go to your precinct. I didn't do anything wrong," said Joe Blake to Olivia and John.

"Well, there are questions we have to ask…" Olivia started, but she got cut off by Blake.

"Ask them here," he said, becoming more insistent.

"This really isn't the best place to do it. We have a lot to go through."

"I'm not going to leave."

Olivia tried to persuade him the same way she had with Phillip. "Sir, we understand that this could be an inconvenience, but it doesn't look good when someone doesn't talk to the police when it could clear him."

"And if you insist that you're innocent, what do you have to hide?" Munch added on.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"Then come down to our precinct," Olivia said simply.

He looked up at the two detectives and sighed. "I have to go check with the principal to see if I can get out."

"We already talked to Mrs. Leonard when we first came back. She's fine with it. So, let's get going," Olivia said, making her way to the door.

SVU Squadroom
-9:13am-

Olivia and John led Blake to the interview room and asked him to wait. They went to find Cragen to tell him that he was there. They found him in the bullpen, watching the television in the corner.

"Cap, he's here. We got him to come without using force," Olivia started.

"I must say, Olivia's powers of persuasion are amazing," Munch commented.

Cragen looked away from the TV and his face looked pale. "Well, don't wait around here; go talk to him."

The room fell silent as every eye and ear fixated on the television.

"…but we have yet to hear anything from the detectives investigating the kidnapping of Kathleen Stabler, daughter of Detective Elliot Stabler with the Manhattan Special Victims' Unit. Sources say that the detectives have interviewed a couple of students and staff members at Norman Thomas High School, where the teenager attended. We will keep you updated as soon as more information is released," said the blonde reporting. "This is Molly Granger reporting for W-KBV news."

Olivia, Cragen, and Munch continued to stare at the screen until Cragen shut it off. "Well, you heard me; go talk to him," he said, not wanting to talk about what they just saw.

"Alright, Cap. If you wanna check anything out, we're in the interview room," Olivia mentioned blankly, while Cragen seemed to be gathering his thoughts, oblivious to what was going on around him. It seemed to Olivia that reality finally hit him.

Olivia and John made their way to the interview room. They entered and found Blake sitting at the table. Olivia started the conversation.

"Mr. Blake, we've got some things we need to clear up."

"What things?"

"Well, for starters, we need to discuss the threat you made against Kathleen," Olivia said.

"I never made a threat against Kathleen."

"Really? Then why would someone say that you did?"

"I don't know. I'm not really the most popular teacher. Some student that probably has a failing grade in my class told you a false story to get revenge on me."

"You know, I didn't like a lot of my teachers, but I never heard of anyone getting revenge on them by falsely accusing them of verbal abuse," Munch added.

"Well, Detective, when you went to school, there were a lot of things that didn't exist; however, everybody would find them normal today."

"So, you really think this is just someone screwing around with us?" Olivia asked.

"It's got to be. I've never made a threat against a student."

"Alright, well can you explain your alibi?"

"What do you mean?"

"You told us when we first talked to you that you were out with your girlfriend from five until seven."

"I was."

"Try again, Joe," Munch said, getting into Blake's face. "We talked to Susan. She said you left at five."

Blake seemed to become intimidated. "I…I…I must've given you the wrong name by accident."

"What are you talking about?"

"I had another date…with Jenna Stark."

"So, you were cheating on Susan?"

He took a quick glance at each detective, and then looked down at the floor. "Yes," was all he managed to get out.

John and Olivia shared a glance. "We going to need her number to confirm your story, but you better not be lying to us, Joe," Munch said, remaining firm.

"I'm not lying to you!" he yelled.

"Then explain these," Olivia said to him, pushing the paper that listed his priors on it.

Blake took the papers and stared at them. "These are lies. The domestic abuse allegation was made by my ex-wife when I couldn't pay her alimony on time. She came to my house and started screaming her head off. The neighbor heard everything and thought I was beating her."

"Why didn't you or your ex-wife say anything when the police arrived?"

"I tried to explain to them, but because my ex was so pissed off, she didn't contest to anything the neighbor had said. It turned into a he said-she said and I guess they believed her over me. She came to her senses two days later."

"What about the rape charge?"

"I had sex with a woman. She wanted commitment, I couldn't give it to her, and she got pissed. She cried rape the next day."

"What did you do?"

"I told the cops the truth. But, because I had that domestic abuse count against me, they didn't believe me."

"What made her drop the charges?" Munch asked.

"The ADA told her that she was going to have to testify to make the case and she wasn't going to allow perjury in her case. I guess she got apprehensive about lying in open court."

"How convenient…"

"It's the truth! I don't know why we're talking about these ridiculous lies, but I didn't hurt Kathleen! I never touched her! I never threatened her!" Blake yelled, getting up form his seat, his voice rising with every syllable.

Before either detective could say anything, a knock came at the window. They knew what it meant and excused themselves. They made their way out of the interview room and met up with Cragen in his office, where Casey Novak was also present.

"What's up?" Munch asked.

"I figured I'd get you out of there and give him a minute to cool down," Cragen started. "What do you think of him?"

"I don't know, Cap. He seems to have an answer for everything," Olivia said.

"What about you, John?"

"I agree. It still feels like he's hiding something."

"Well, I can tell you right now that we don't have enough to arrest him. We need real physical evidence that he had anything to do with Kathleen's kidnapping," Casey chimed in.

"Do we have enough for a search warrant?" asked Cragen.

"Well, you said someone told you that Blake threatened Kathleen. You need to corroborate that, give a list of specific things you'll be looking for, and, even then, I'll be calling in a big favor."

"Can we put a sixteen-year-old girl whose tied up and frightened on the list of specifics?" Munch said, becoming extremely annoyed with the legal system.

Cragen ignored Munch's comment and moved on. "Alright, here's how we're going to play it. Munch, you said you think he's still hiding something. I want you to talk to him more, get that Jenna Stark's address, check his alibi, and then see if you can find anyone that can corroborate Gabby's story," he said, dismissing him. This left Olivia just standing there, waiting for her part. Before he could say anything to her, Casey spoke up.

"I'm gonna start working on that warrant. Call me if you get anything else."

They both said their good-byes and Olivia started to leave, but she stopped when the captain spoke up.

"Olivia," he began.

"What is it, Cap?" she asked as she turned around, looking at him expectantly.

"Kathy Stabler is here."

Olivia's face went pale quickly, wondering why Kathy was there. Her mind filled with innumerable questions.

"Did she say what she wanted?"

"Well, when I asked her if there was anything I could do, she requested your presence. So, I'm going to say she's looking for you."

"Alright…I'll be back soon."

When Olivia turned to leave, Cragen spoke up. "Olivia, I don't want to be rude, disrespectful, or anything like that, but you've got to help John sooner rather than later."

Olivia nodded. "I'll make it as quick as possible, Cap."

Olivia left, and when she walked out of Cragen's office, sure enough, Kathy Stabler was sitting at Elliot's desk, with what looked like the picture of Kathleen that Elliot had on his desk in her hands.

"Kathy."

"Olivia," she started, standing and putting the picture back on the desk.

"What is it, Kathy?" she asked gently.

"I wanted to know how things were going," she said, with a mix of pain and fatigue in her voice.

"We're doing the best we can. We're chasing a few leads." Olivia wanted to tell her everything, but her fear got the best of her. She couldn't bring herself to say that it was possible a teacher had kidnapped her daughter.

Kathy simply nodded, not knowing what to say. Olivia continued. "She's going to be okay, Kathy. We'll get her home," she said. A feeling of confusion overwhelmed Olivia. She kind of regretted saying what she just did. She didn't want to get Kathy's hopes too high. But, then again, Olivia wanted to believe it.

"I don't know, Olivia. As much as my husband doesn't want to believe it, I do know the statistics. I know that kidnapped kids don't have a good chance of coming home…alive."

Olivia nodded, not knowing how to reply. She took a quick look around her, looking for her partner. "Where's Elliot?" she asked gently.

"He's…He's at home with the kids. I…I had to see how things were going," she stated with tears threatening to fall with every word.

Olivia remained silent, knowing that if Kathy was going to break down, she'd be there to offer what little solace she could. Then a man walked in. "Well…speak of the devil," she said softly.

Kathy turned around and found Elliot standing in the doorway with the twins in tow.

"Elliot? What are you doing here?" Kathy whispered.

"I…I couldn't stay at home without you. I need to be with you right now. All of us need to be together right now," he said, gently putting a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Elliot…I…" Kathy wasn't able to finish. She fell into Elliot's arms, crying. Elliot held on tight to his wife, trying to control his own emotions. Pain was evident on the twins' faces, not knowing what to do, how to feel. After a tense moment, Elliot acknowledged Olivia.

"Olivia."

"Hey, Elliot."

"How are things going?" he asked, going into full-father mode.

"We're following the leads we're getting," she answered simply, with the same feeling she had when she said that to his wife.

"Olivia, please don't pull that crap on me. Tell me what's going on," he pleaded quietly, moving closer to her.

She sighed. "We've got one guy, but we're still checking up on things. We have nothing definite yet."

Elliot nodded, not knowing how to reply. "How's the press down here? Have you told them anything?" he asked anxiously.

"They're swarming outside, but we haven't talked to them."

"I had a feeling they would be…that's why I came in the other side," he said blankly. "They want to talk to us, but I don't know if we should."

"I…um…" Kathy started, finding her voice. "I…want to talk to the press."

Olivia remained calm and laid a reassuring hand on Kathy's shoulder. "Are you sure?"

Kathy nodded. "Yeah…it could get her back, couldn't it?" she asked, looking worriedly at Olivia.

Olivia let out a soft sigh. "I'm going to be honest, Kathy. Sometimes it does, but a lot of the times, the press can be more of a burden. They're like cats. You feed them once and they keep coming back."

"There's gotta be something I can do," she said in a hoarse whisper, due to her oncoming tears.

"Do you really want to go to the press, Kathy?" she asked, looking into her red, swollen eyes.

"I…I don't know."

"Elliot, what do you think? What do you want to do?" she asked gently.

"I don't know."

Olivia nodded. "Listen, I'm right there with you guys if you want to do this. I just have one suggestion." After both Stablers looked up, she continued. "Whatever you guys do, you gotta do it together, especially if you talk to the press. Anything that looks like there's discord in your household will make front-page news."

Kathy and Elliot shared a glance. "Do you think it'll help, Liv?"

"I honestly don't know, Elliot. You just gotta be prepared for anything…especially when it comes to reporters."

"I want to do it, El," Kathy spoke up.

Elliot nodded and glanced at Olivia. "You heard her. We've got a date with the press."

"Not yet, you don't," Cragen spoke up from his office doorway. "I'm coming with you."

"What do you mean?" asked Kathy.

"I've decided to call a press conference. It starts in five minutes. Why don't you guys just sit and catch your breath."

"Are you serious, Cap?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't kid around with something like this."

"Cap, are you sure?" Olivia asked.

"It's getting down to the wire, Olivia. We need to do something," he replied.

"Alright…well, do you need me there?"

"We should be fine. Go find John and get to work," he said, firmly and professionally.

Olivia nodded, turned to look at her partner, his wife, and his two children, and started to leave.

"I'll keep you guys updated. I promise," Olivia said, making an exit. She didn't get far when she heard small footsteps run up towards her and felt a hand on her elbow. She turned around to find Dickie staring up at her. She knelt down to get to his eye level.

"Liz told me you're trying your best to find Kat. That's true, right?" he asked cautiously.

"I would never lie to you or your sister, Dickie."

"Thank you, Olivia." He stared at her for a moment and then hugged her, wrapping his arms around her neck. She returned the hug, letting a few tears fall from her stinging eyes. Liz started crying from where she was standing and when she saw the tears from Olivia's eyes, she ran up and joined the hug.

Liz and Dickie pulled away, causing the twins to see Olivia's face and the tears that stained it. Liz reached her shaky hand out and wiped them from Olivia's face. Olivia did the same to the twins and offered a weak smile. "It'll be okay, guys. Everything will be okay," she whispered, trying to offer comfort.

"Olivia," Cragen said, reminding her that she needed to get back to the case at hand. She looked up and acknowledged him.

"I gotta go, guys."

"Okay," they answered in unison. She got up from her kneeling position and gave another glance at Elliot and Kathy. She left to look for John by walking to the interview room, hoping he was closer to finding Kathleen than she was.

---
Olivia silently slipped into the interview room to find John talking to Blake.

"…then you wouldn't mind writing down her address so we can confirm that," he said, referring to Jenna Stark's residence.

"I'll only give it to you if you promise to be discreet. She's got a husband and two kids."

"You know, you should really think about those things before you kidnap and rape a teenage girl."

"I didn't kidnap or rape her!"

"Then give us Jenna's address!"

"Listen, we're not interested in your affairs. We're just trying to find Kathleen," Olivia stepped in. "We'll be discreet."

"Alright," he started, looking suspiciously at the two detectives. "Here it is." He took the notebook and pen on the table and jotted down the address.

"You better not be lying, Joe. If I find out that you've wasted our time, there will be hell to pay," Olivia said, getting into Blake's face, never breaking eye contact.

"Like I've told your partner a million times, I'm not lying to you," he replied through gritted teeth, handing her the piece of paper.

Olivia took it and she and John walked out simultaneously and closed the door behind them.

"Olivia, are you okay?" he said, realizing her red eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Olivia…"

"The twins…they…they just got to me," she answered reluctantly.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Look, John, I promised them that you and I are trying our best. Standing here and talking about the personal aspects of the case isn't our best and it sure as hell doesn't find Kathleen," she calmly. "After we've got Kathleen with her family, we can all talk until we're blue in the face. For the time being…I'm fine. I'm dealing."

Munch studied her face. "Alright. How about we go check out this Jenna Stark."

"Alright, let me get my coat."

She walked into the bullpen and the voice of her captain caught her attention. She turned, not to find him standing there, but to find the television on. On the program, showed Elliot and Kathy standing off on the side while Cragen spear-headed the press conference.

"…if you have any information concerning this case, we ask you to call the NYPD. You will remain anonymous, but we do need your information."

"Please…please help us bring her home. We need her here with us," Kathy said, her voice shaking. "The detectives are doing their best, but we need your help."

Olivia grabbed her coat and before leaving, she walked over to the television and shut it off. She stood, staring at the black screen, before John came in.

"Olivia, you ready?" he asked, knowing just what happened.

"Yeah…yeah, let's go," she said, taking her eyes off the screen. She knew she needed to get back to work.

Stark Residence
Upper East Side
-10:17am-

Olivia and John walked up to the neatly-kept house and rang the doorbell. A man in his thirties came to answer it.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"I'm Detective Benson and this is Detective Munch. Does Jenna Stark live here?"

"Yes, she does. I'm her husband. Why do you need to know?"

"Is she here now? We need to talk to her."

"About what?"

"I'm sorry, but we can't disclose that. We just need to talk to her."

He looked confused, but he complied. "Jenna! Some detectives are here to talk to you."

They walked in and saw Jenna. They talked to her and she had confirmed Blake's alibi. After trying to make sure she wasn't lying to them and covering for Blake, they let themselves out.

"Of course the bastard's alibi got confirmed. It's always the arrogant ones," Munch commented.

"Yeah…okay, where do we go from here?" Olivia asked.

"Back to the station. Maybe with Cragen's press conference, we've got something else to go on."

SVU Squadroom
-10:25am-

Olivia and John walked through the bullpen to find the swarm of people that had come to the aid of the unit and manned the phones.

"Anything new?" Cragen asked.

"Stark confirmed the bastard's alibi. We came back to see if anything new had come up. We need a new lead."

He wasn't lying. They needed something to go on. They needed anything.

---
A/N – well, here's another long one. I know Cartly will appreciate it. ) I promise that at least half of the next chapter will be in Elliot's POV. I know some are waiting for Fin's chapter, but his is coming…don't worry. The next chapter will bring up alternative things that could've happened to Kathleen. I hope I'm staying up to par and you're enjoying it. Until next chapter, adios! -Jessica