I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for the reviews. I actually did this story for the Third Watch section using Bosco and Faith and decided to try it out on Elliot and Olivia…I'm glad I did, it seems to work a bit better I never finished loading that story on but I plan to complete this one with a different ending. Things have been mysterious up to this point, but now you will start to piece things together.

And oh yeah: I don't own any of these characters, but if Dick Wolf wants to give me a late Christmas present, I wouldn't object 

CHAPTER EIGHT

Elliot and Olivia rolled up to Ron Forester's apartment building. Elliot threw a worried look towards his partner. For the past week or so, Olivia had been looking a little frayed around the edges and she periodically would reach up and rub her temples. Elliot had been forcefully pushing back concern for her to focus on this case, especially since the ninth body had turned up two days ago, this time the hapless victim taking a six story dive off a balcony. But, now he could see that a talk was in order.

"Let's talk to Ron, then go grab a bite to eat, alright?" Elliot suggested as they rode the elevator up to the third floor.

"I'm not hungry," Olivia said shortly.

"Well, I am. Ah, here it is right next to the elevator."

Elliot knocked rapidly on Apartment 301. A graceful elderly man opened the door. "Can I help you?" he asked tentatively. "I've already told everything I know to the other cops that were here."

"Ron? Hi, I'm…I'm Detective Elliot Stabler and this is my partner Detective Olivia Benson."

The old man's face lit up with recognition. "Of course, of course…Anna's policeman nephew? Come in…"

They sat down in his cozy living room. From the corner of his eye, Elliot saw Olivia discreetly rub her right temple. He then spotted a picture of Ron and Anna sitting on the mantle.

"I can't say how sorry I am," Ron began. "Anna and I had only been together for three months, but it was gonna work. I could feel it. She had wanted me to meet you, she said she was gonna call you..."

Bosco nodded, smiling gravely. "I'm also sorry," he said, "but I need to ask you a few questions about where Anna was heading that night. If you could remember anything that you might have forgotten to tell the detectives."

Ron shook his head helplessly. "I was so tore up, I just told them she went out for a little while, but I couldn't remember where she had gone... maybe shopping? We mostly stayed here, Anna couldn't stand New York. But she said she had to go somewhere."

He snapped her fingers. "That's right! She wanted to hunt down an old friend...Paul…Peter...Perry…Perry!"

"Perry Williams," Elliot supplied, excited. "Yeah, they used to be neighbors back in Jersey."

"I'm sorry, I don't have a number or an address."

"You've been enough help," Elliot assured him. "Thank you so much Ron."

"No, thank you. Just get this guy, will ya?"

×××××××××

Olivia and Elliot sat on a bench in the park, Elliot hungrily wolfing down his tacos.

"So we just run this guy's name and come up with an address, yeah?"

Elliot nodded. "If not, I remember the bar where he now works," he said mouth full of shells and beans, "it's on the upper east side. We could drop in on him."

Olivia nodded absently. Elliot wiped his mouth clean and started in on her. "Talk to me."

Faith looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"I know my head's been full of this case, my cousin, but I'm worried about you," he said sincerely.

Olivia smiled thinly. "I'm okay, my mom needs to be shot, but I'm okay."

Elliot stared deep into her eyes, fighting off a sense of dread. "It's something else…you can tell me you know. I'm your partner, Liv?"

Olivia pondered this question. Should she tell him? She had been keeping it to herself for so long, she didn't quite know how to voice it. But the look of worry on Elliot's face sealed it for her.

"I don't know…" she said in a low voice, "it's weird. I don't know...it's really weird."

Elliot prodded her with his eyes. Olivia sighed. "I get these...migraines. They're kinda scary."

"Scary how?"

"Well, they come on little then they just build and build until I literally...shut down."

"Shut down?"

"Yeah," Olivia said with a half chuckle. "I pass out."
Elliot stared at Olivia, horrified. "You...pass out!"

"Or fall into a deep sleep," Olivia reasoned quickly. "Whatever you want to call it. Then I wake up and I'm fine. But every once in awhile, like today, I get little spurts of pain, but they aren't debilitating or anything."

"I think now would be a good time to go to a doctor Liv," Elliot ordered. "How long has this been going on?"

"A couple of months."

"Aw, Jesus Benson."

Olivia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Should she tell him the other thing? It really wasn't anything, just a mere coincidence.

"What?" Elliot demanded. "There's something else."

Olivia shook her head. That was it for today. "Nothing, I'm just tired and fed up."

"Why don't you take off early? I can look up Perry myself," Elliot offered.

She nodded, taking him up on the offer. She would see a doctor as soon as possible.