AN: I love y'all! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Okay, I'm changing a minor detail in this story- in the first chapter I said, "Mary woke up on a Tuesday morning." Scratch that, it was a Friday morning. Tuesday doesn't work with my next chapter, hahaha…I'm sorry it took me this long to update- I didn't have access to my stuff for a few days…anyways, here's the next chapter; enjoy!

Disclaimer: By the way, I do not own the characters of or associated with SVU. Which sucks They belong to Dick Wolf. However, I did create Mary, Matthew and Rebecca…but who wants them?

Elliot walked into Mary's hospital room, and sat down at the bedside, smiling slightly at the knowing look on her face.

"You already know what's coming next, don't you?" He said

"Ask away." She said, sitting up in the hospital bed.

"Mary, can you tell me what happened?" He asked.

"What do you want to know specifically?" She whispered.

"Everything you can remember."

"Got three hours?" Mary asked, all her bitter memories flooding her.

"I have all the time it is you want to give me." He said. "Go ahead."

"My parents are religious fanatics. But they have some pretty twisted views…they believe that when you get your period you're screwed in the afterlife, and they also believe that from whenever you get it, you're meant to make babies…that's your only purpose. Making more children who just get tortured within their twisted religion as time goes on." She said, holding in her tears. "They home-schooled us, so we never learned anything different. And whenever you questioned the religion…you had to be punished."

"How did they punish you?" Elliot asked softly.

Mary's eyes started watering.

"Mary," Elliot said, taking her hand between his, "How did they punish you?"

"You already know about the fasting. They'd make us do it extensively for forgiveness of sins. Literally, anything. If you so much as curse, you don't eat anything for 24 hours, from the time you turn ten that is. Before that they consider you pure enough to be forgiven without doing anything other than asking."

There was something about this case that made Elliot want to run home to his children…no, wait, it was now to Kathy's mother's house, and hold his children in his arms and tell them how much he loved them. It wasn't as though that made up for the hell Mary and her siblings had gone through, but…God…he needed to see his children. Thank God, Elliot thought, remembering that it was his weekend with his children.

"You're doing great, Mary. Keep going."

"The day I turned thirteen I said I hated it…the religion, and all the crap that went along with it, and…they beat me half to death and tied me up in the closet." She said, silently crying, Elliot fighting back his own tears, "They left me there for a week."

She looked up…and finally broke. After years of it, she was finally telling someone. But it hurt so much.

"I…I…I…I'm sorry," she gasped out through her sobs, "I can't…I'm so scared…"

Elliot felt his heart breaking. He'd seen crap on the job, but this was too much.

"Shhh…" He said, sitting down beside her and holding her, rocking back and forth. "It's okay, it's okay. Honey…Sweetheart…"

God, give me the words! What do I say, what do I say? Elliot prayed desperately.

"Mary, I know you're afraid. You have every right to be. Every person you were supposed to be able to trust has made you live in fear. You don't have to be afraid anymore, because I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. And you've been strong for so long, but you don't have to strong anymore. Let it out, Mary. Let it out. It's okay."

She started shaking from her sobs. Elliot stroked her hair, praying what he was saying was coming through.

"No one's going to hurt you anymore, Mary."

She continued sobbing for several minutes, letting Elliot comfort her, then it hit her what she was doing. She was crying on a mans shoulder, crying in front of someone she barely knew. She'd never given away her trust like that. Ever. But…she had to start sometime.

"Okay," She said, "I'm ready to keep going."

"Go ahead." Elliot said, gently putting an arm around the child.

"There's a passage of scripture in Sirach, Chapter 30…verse one." Mary whispered, "'He who loves his son will not spare him the rod.' My parents took that verse literally. They called beating me, starving me and, as of today…having sex with me…discipline.

"They went on about how much they loved me as they…burned me with cigarettes- naturally, she needs to know how much hell hurts so she'll know she doesn't want to go there-" Mary continued, surprising even herself with her bang-on imitation of her mother. "They used to…use the belt on me practically daily- Hey, Jesus went through it, didn't he- and, well, then there was the fasting…"

"What's the longest period you've fasted for?" Elliot asked, his rage rising.

"Umm…a week when I ate nothing…I was allowed to drink as much as I wanted, but…"

Elliot wanted to go the people who had done this to her, pick up his gun, and…Cut it out, idiot! He told himself, God doesn't like child abuse committed in his name, but he doesn't exactly like murders, either.

"Did they ever lock you in the closet any other times than that one…"

"Yes. Two other times, for three days. And they beat Matthew and me. I should have tried to save him from it, but…I don't know why I didn't. I guess I thought it was right. I was wrong." She whispered, on the verge of tears again.

"It wasn't your fault, sweetie." Elliot said, then knew where he had to go before he could do much else, "I'm going to be back in an hour. Can you write some of the stuff you told me down on paper?"

"Yeah." She said, quietly picking up the pen and writing pad on her bedside.

"Good girl," Elliot said, walking out of the room. Running to the chapel. Looking at the statue of Jesus, and kneeling at the altar to pray, Elliot shouted out what had been on his mind all day.

"Oh my God," He whispered, then shouted, "Why?"

"Why?" Elliot whispered, fully aware of the fact that he was crying. "Why does this happen? How can you let it? You, the One who's supposed to be the Creator of all things good? Why, God? Why?"

"Elliot," Olivia whispered, kneeling next to him.

"She's just a little girl, 'Liv. She's just a child, but she's seen so much crap in life…why couldn't He stop it? God, I mean?"

"Elliot…he did." Olivia said. "You took Catechism. You've heard the whole God works through men speech. What do you think possessed Casey to live next door? She could afford a nicer apartment than that, yet…"

"You're right, Olivia," Elliot said, "Thanks. When did you become an expert on this stuff?"

"I've gone to mass. I read. I believe in God, Ell. I just keep my faith separate from the job, to keep it held together."

"I see. So, what did you get from the younger ones?"

"Rebecca, thank God, has only gone through the trauma of seeing what Matthew and Mary have gone through. But, Matthew…they beat him with a belt, burnt him, made him fast for up to five days. They beat him…what about Mary?"

"Um…all that and worse. Mary's had to fast for up to a week and they've…kept her tied up in a closet three times…oh, God…" Elliot whispered, "I want to kill her parents. Literally…I want to-"

"Don't do this to yourself, Elliot. Casey's going to nail their asses. If you want to help them, testify, and find as much evidence as you can, and…pray…" Olivia said, whispering the last word.

"Thanks Olivia," Elliot offered, "Let's get on it."

Elliot felt his faith flood him again as he walked out of the chapel. And as he looked back, he looked at Olivia.

Who could know? He thought, walking back to Mary's room.

Please forgive me for doubting…he prayed, then heard Mary whispering the exact same thing, as she sat up in bed, clutching her rosary.

God would answer their prayer. He knew it.

AN: Okay, people, let's see some reviews! I hope you all have an awesome New Year!I'm going to give you guys some say in what happens next:

Do you want me to add an E/O romance? Note from the start that I under NO circumstances will do a smut scene. Ever! Or just leave them as friends? Tell me via the review!

If you guys have anything you want to see happen in this story, or suggestions, please either tell me via the review or e-mail me- I'd love to hear your ideas!