AN: I really have no idea where I'm going with this lol Hopefully it'll all work out. I'm trying real hard to keep Elliot and Olivia in character as much as possible for it being set in the future – I'm not a fan of portraying Olivia as a helpless victim since she's one of the strongest female characters on television. Still, she is a woman and I don't want to downplay the after-effects of sexual assault. Let me know what you think – feel free to e-mail me with any suggestions/comments/encouragements, etc. Thanks.

Returned

Chapter 2

Elliot pulled the curtain aside to allow himself entrance into the curtained area Olivia rested in. She smiled when he walked in, giving Elliot hope that pushing him away earlier had only been a knee-jerk reaction. He glanced around quickly and not finding a chair or stool, opted to simply stand close to Olivia's bed and take her hand into his.

"Hey, sweetie," he said softly. Elliot leaned over and kissed her, his lips lingering a bit. Olivia sat up a little more to deepen the kiss, but only for a second. She pulled away and smiled before looking down at their joined hands.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Olivia spoke up. "I'm sorry. I didn't – I mean, if I had known…"

"It's okay, Liv." She shifted a bit and he sat on the offered portion of her bed, squeezing her hand. "You can talk to me about anything, you know that." She nodded.

"They did the rape kit and a full exam."

Elliot nodded slowly, taking everything in. "I thought, when they found you, they did an exam."

Olivia let out a quick laugh. "So did I." She shrugged and then dropped her shoulders, leaning heavily against the pillow. "I don't know, El. Maybe they were checking on the bruises… I didn't ask a lot of questions."

Elliot leaned forward and kissed her once more. "It's okay. We'll figure it all out. Has the rape kit come back?" She shook her head. "Is someone from the squad coming to take your statement?"

"They said Cragen was on his way." She paused and looked into Elliot's eyes. "I don't know how I'm going to tell him what happened. He's like a father to me." Before he could respond, she continued on. "Will you stay with me when he gets here. I just – I don't want to be by myself and…"

"Liv, of course I'll stay. If I could take the report for you, I would."

"I know."

"Detective Stabler?" Elliot turned around and saw a young doctor standing at the curtain. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

He looked back at Olivia who wore a confused expression and then nodded. Elliot got up and followed the doctor out. "Is this about Olivia?" he asked the moment the curtain separated them from his wife.

The doctor nodded. "It turns out that our preliminary exam was not as thorough as it should have been. We found something thing on her body today. Detective Stabler, does Detective Benson have any tattoos?"

Elliot's eyes narrowed. "No, why?"

"We've found a marking on Detective Benson's lower back."

"What kind of marking?"

The doctor pulled a picture out of the file folder she was holding and handed it to Elliot. He immediately looked away, composing himself. "It's relatively small, found in the middle of her lower back. Most of the time when we get these, the markings are much larger, but perhaps this will help narrow down suspects."

"Thanks. Have you told Olivia about this?"

"No. Would you like me to?"

"No, no. I'll do it." The doctor walked away, quickly commenting on the rape kit being finished soon. Elliot looked down at the picture in his hand. Every inch of Olivia's body was memorized in Elliot's mind, but this picture showed a back he didn't recognize. Carved into the ivory, smooth skin of Olivia Benson was the word MINE. It was slightly scabbed and Elliot feared it would leave a scar.

Taking a deep breath, Elliot looked up, preparing to reenter Olivia's curtained room, but instead came face-to-face with Captain Cragen. "How is she?"

"She's alright. Except I have to go break some news to her."

"What kind of news?"

Elliot showed the picture to Cragen. "The doctors found this when they did her exam today." He saw Cragen's eyes widen at the sight. "It's not large, but I want to get it to Munch and Fin asap so they can work on putting together a profile and we can find this bastard."

"I'll put it with her statement. Ready to go in?" Elliot pulled back the curtain and Cregan walked in, with Elliot close behind.

"Hey, Captain," Olivia greeted, trying to keep spirits up.

He smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Olivia shrugged. "Fine. A little tired and ready to go home, but I'm alright."

"Olivia, I need to talk to you about something that the doctors found," Elliot said softly. She looked at him, confused, and he continued on. "Whoever did this to you left a mark on your back." She looked so confused and, suddenly, scared. "Do you remember that at all?" She shook her head, unable to speak. Elliot stepped closer to the bed and handed the picture to Olivia.

She gasped in shock and immediately reached around to her back. Her arm pulled away as though it had been burnt the moment she touched the raised skin. Horror was etched across her face and Elliot sat down on the bed, waiting for her to reach out to him. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked softly.

Cragen re-announced his presence by stepping forward. "There's no rhyme or reason to it, Olivia, but we can help you."

"Let's get the questioning over with," she said.

"Liv, maybe we should wait and do this tomorrow…"

"No. I want to know who did this to me and that won't happen until I talk about it."

Cragen pulled out his notebook and a tape recorder and sat on a doctor's stool near her bed. "Whenever you're ready."

Olivia sat up a little more and took a deep breath. "I don't remember much from my two day disappearance, but slowly things are starting to return." She reached over and grabbed Elliot's hand, plunging forward into her memories.