Disclaimer: Maybe if I ask REALLY nicely, Dick Wolf will let me write an episode. Until then, I'm not associated with SVU in any way.

CHAPTER NINE

DOINK-DOINK

"All right, Munch, thanks."

Elliot hung up his phone as Olivia turned on to the street where Daryl Sedivi lived.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Amy Solwey identified Daryl Sedivi from the array. She said he was talking to Maria at the reception."

"Now why wouldn't she have told us that? I thought she didn't even know he was out of the ward."

"Maybe she's scared. I mean, she was raped. Maybe she thinks something else will happen if she tells."

"Yeah, well, I'd like to hear what this guy has to say for himself."

Daryl Sedivi was on his porch, tending to a potted plant. Elliot and Olivia got out of the car and approached him.

"Daryl Sedivi?" Olivia said, pulling out her badge.

Daryl took off running at top speed. Elliot chased him and pinned him a block later against the side of a brick building and began cuffing him.

"I didn't do anything!" Daryl shouted.

"Yeah, that's why you ran? Try again. Daryl Sedivi, you are under arrest…"

DOINK-DOINK

"This doesn't look good, Daryl. You mute your wife with a claw hammer, spend time in a psychiatric ward, and you're not even out for six months before you go after her again," said Elliot, circling Daryl in the interrogation room.

"You just couldn't stand that she'd taken control of her life again, could you?" Olivia chimed in.

"She'd gotten a job, was wearing what she wanted, she even dated a few times. You didn't like that very much, did you?"

"From what I understand, you didn't even allow her to call her mother when you were married."

"Now she talks to her – excuse me, her machine talks to her – at least once a week."

"How's it feel, Daryl? Losing control like that?"

"Look," said Daryl. "I'm sorry for what I did. I never meant for it to get to that point. I went there that night to talk to her and apologize, but it just got out of hand."

Elliot and Olivia exchanged glances.

"Is that a confession?" Elliot asked.

"A confession to what? I didn't do anything I could confess to!"

"You saw your wife at that lecture. She was there to re-able herself. You didn't go there to talk to her, you went there to take what you wanted from her. You wanted to disable her. Again."

"No."

"How many times did you rape her while you were married, Daryl?" asked Olivia.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you allowed her a headache now and then."

"She did as I said. And how exactly do you rape a wife, anyway? Sex is part of the deal."

"No means no…jackass," said Elliot with poison in his voice.

"I want my lawyer," said Daryl. "And I want him now."

DOINK-DOINK

Caroline bolted into the stationhouse, her braids flying behind her. Munch allowed himself a chuckle at her wardrobe: a red plaid shirt, jeans, and brown sneakers.

"Howdy," said Munch.

"I was painting, you ass," she shot at him. "So, what's this I hear about Sedivi?"

"Elliot and Olivia brought him in a few hours ago. He lawyered up."

"Damn it!" said Caroline, collapsing into her chair. "I wanted to get a piece of him before then."

"Quit whining, you'll get your turn," said Munch.

Caroline leaned back in her chair and pulled a candy bar out of a drawer. She broke it in half and handed one half to Munch.

"Thanks," he said.

"You need to up your caloric intake," said Caroline. "My mother would have a field day fattening you up."

"Hey, you feeling okay?"

Munch had just noticed how exhausted Caroline looked, not to mention that her eyes were slightly puffy. He wondered if she had been crying.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said. "Oh, there's Cragen. I needed to talk to him…"

With that, she stuffed the rest of her candy bar into her mouth and rushed up to Cragen, who then signaled her into his office. Munch wrestled with himself. On the one hand, eavesdropping was not only wrong, it would land him in a lot of trouble. On the other hand, he was very concerned about Caroline. The other hand won, and Munch made his way over to the door of Cragen's office under the pretense of searching for a paper he'd misplaced. He could just barely make out their conversation.

"Have you decided anything?" Cragen was saying.

"Well, it's not like I'll be able to work after a certain point…possibly later, but in a few months, it'll be next to impossible," came Caroline's worried voice.

"What did the doctors say?"

"There are a couple options, none of which I like…I'll be okay, Captain, really. I will. It's just a matter of figuring things out. And having Catherine here will really help out. She'll take care of me."

Munch's heart stopped for a split second as he realized what Caroline was talking about and he barely had time to rush back to his desk before she came out of Cragen's office, stony-faced once more.