Pathway to Happiness

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

A/N: I think that inspiration has struck again but I will need your feedback.

Olivia found herself feeling dizzier by the second. She slowed her pace but the dizziness didn't subside. She stopped and leaned up against a building. She took slow even breaths but still the world swirled in front of her eyes. She was beginning to feel nauseous when she heard a man's voice in her ear.

"You feelin' ok?" he asked, sounding not at all concerned.

She turned and focused with all her might on the man's face. She gasped "Carl James," she remembered him all to well but he was supposed to be in prison.

"That's right," he responded in a sing song voice as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley.

She tried to fight him off but he was strong and in her present state she wasn't. She managed to scratch his face pretty badly though but that wasn't enough to stop him. She tried to scream but he put his hand over her mouth.

"So," he said to her as he became impatient with her futile struggling "You're gonna be difficult," he picked her up and knocked her head into the side of the closest building.

'I should have stayed in the hospital. I'm sorry Elliot' she thought sadly as once again she was banished to lonely darkness.

"What?" Munch and Fin both screamed at the top of their lungs. They had never made it to the crime scene. When Cragen had informed them of Olivia's determination to leave the hospital they had left Sutton and Williams and rushed to find her. They now stood in Elliot's hospital room shaking angry fists at their Captain.

"How could you just let her leave?" Fin asked.

Cragen through his hands up in defense "Have you ever tried to get between that woman and what she wants? You can't."

"Not if you care enough about her not to use excessive force," everyone in the room turned to Elliot who lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. They all knew he was right, none of them would go to such lengths to detain Olivia but those three men out there would.

Elliot lost himself in thought and worry after that remark. He remembered those three men. Each one had added an assault of an officer charge to their list of crimes while being interrogated by Olivia and Elliot.

Flashback

It had been a hot July day when they brought Eric Strand into the interrogation room the last time. The interrogation room had seemed especially hot and tempers ran high.

"You raped and shot those kids!" Olivia had shouted. She had been especially pissed off that day. Three raped and murdered junior high students would do that to just about anyone though.

Strand stared at Olivia, sizing her up. Elliot watched Strand very carefully, afraid of what his next move might be.

"I didn't touch any one," Strand had answered in a low 'don't mess with me' tone.

"We have your DNA in all three," Olivia responded. It was amazing, Elliot had thought at the time how she had matched Strands tone perfectly.

"That doesn't prove that I shot them," Strand countered.

"No," it was Elliot's turn to speak "but the ballistics evidence says that the bullets came from your gun."

"Plus," Olivia added smugly "with the rape charges you wouldn't be going anywhere for a long time, even if we couldn't prove that you were the shooter," Olivia got up close to Strand and spoke her next words very deliberately "Which, we, can."

That was the last straw for Strand. Elliot didn't even know how it happened so fast but the next thing he knew, Olivia was on the floor and Strand was standing over her.

"You asked for it," Strand said angrily "You get what you deserve just like those little whores I shot."

Elliot quickly cuffed Strand and read him his writes, Munch and Fin came in to take him away to be booked, and Olivia picked herself off the floor.

"We got him," she smiled as she dusted herself off.

"You okay?" Elliot asked her concerned.

"Of course I am," she responded, although Elliot could see that she seemed to be cradling her left side.

"I think we should go to the hospital," he told her.

"Elliot," she said, trying to sound confident and in control although she was wincing "I'm fine," and that's when she threw up.

End Flashback

"Get out there and find her!" Cragen ordered.

Elliot's head swam back to the conversation. His head was killing him but for some reason his heart was killing him more. Sure he cared about Olivia, sure she was his partner and friend, sure he looked out for her and could never imagine anyone hurting her but did he care for her more deeply than he had thought. Could it be possible, after so many years together, after so many late nights, after being privy to each other's inner most thoughts whether they were openly shared or not, after all of that was it possible that he could have fallen in love with Olivia Benson?

Munch and Fin left the room again, hell bent on finding Olivia.

Olivia slowly regained consciousness 'Knocked out twice in one day' she thought with distain 'some cop'. As the world around her came into focus, she remembered just how it was that she had lost consciousness the second time.

'Oh God!' her head screamed. She frantically attempted to take in her surroundings. She was lying on her back in an alley, it was broad day light but she saw no one around.

'Carl James' she remembered 'he's the one who brought me here. Where is he? Where is anyone?'

She attempted to move her hands but they were bound with duct tape as were her feet. She felt cold, she realized that she wasn't wearing a shirt or a braw but she was as she gratefully noticed, still wearing pants.

She attempted to wriggle to the opening of the alley but the dizziness had returned and she couldn't move with out her head screaming at her to stop.

It was at that moment that Fin followed by Munch entered the alley. Neither man was looking forward to the prospect of finding Olivia in one of these places. Neither man wanted to think about the things that one of these sick criminals could do to her if they caught her. Still the horrific thoughts managed to creep into the foreground of there minds.

Fin was the first to spot her. In spite of all the things he had seen over the years this particular site made him want to weep.

"Over here!" he called to Munch as he ran towards Olivia.

The first thing that Fin did was to remove his coat and throw it over her exposed upper half.

"Fin," she moaned as she managed to focus on his face.

"Its ok," he reassured her as he cut her loose from the duct tape "You scared us girl."

"You feel ok?" Munch asked her as he knelt by her head.

"Dizzy," she mumbled as her eyes began to close.

"Listen to me Liv," Fin said with a hint of panic in his voice "You gotta stay with us. Here me? Don't close your eyes. Okay?"

Olivia nodded.

Munch suddenly pulled away from his place by Olivia's head and picked up a piece of paper that lay just beside her right shoulder "Look at this," he said to Fin.

"What is it?" Fin asked, not taking his eyes off Olivia for a second.

"Looks like a note," Munch said as he began reading "Dear Detectives Stabler and Benson, This is not the last time you will here from us. Next time we'll really have some fun. Sincerely, CJ, JP and Strand."

Munch stuck the note in his pocket as he stood up. Fin was already standing, holding Olivia in his arms.

As they walked back to the hospital Olivia moaned into Fin's shoulder "Its me."

TBC

A/N: This will be EO but Elliot was in a hospital bed with a concussion so he wasn't gonna be the one who found her. Plus I wanted to show how much the unit is like a family and how they all care about each other. Please review, I am in dire need of feedback.