Chapter 6 "Fighting Demons"

The next few weeks seemed to of zoomed by. Jessie settled in fairly well considering she'd never worked sex crimes before. In the two weeks that had passed since Jessie's cover had been blown they hadn't had a major case. A few rape reports but they were always closed fairly simply.

Jessie thanked God for that. It helped her get used to all of her changes. She'd even unpacked most of her things with the help of Elliot. They'd spent hours going through her boxes, sharing stories, looking at photographs, and laughing. They did a lot of laughing. She loved hearing stories about his kids.

She felt bad for Elliot sometimes though. In the two weeks she'd been living with him not one of his kids had come to the house, partly because they weren't at the house much anyway. They worked from early in the morning to late in the evening. But almost every night one of his four children would call him. She could tell it made him very sad to hang up the phone at the end of their calls. He loved his children very much.

Jessie was sitting at her desk, a cup of coffee in hand, just relaxing, when Cragen burst out of his office. Jessie jumped, nearly toppling out of her chair.

"Just got a call from a couple of uniforms who say they found a kid badly beaten behind a dumpster." Cragen was speaking to Elliot and Olivia. Jessie, Fin, and John paid close attention.

"I want you two and Jessie to go to the hospital and see about the kid," Cragen said, turning to Jessie. She nodded and rose from her chair and put on her jacket. It was getting pretty cold outside and she knew she should have a heavier cote on but she just couldn't part with her jacket! It was like a lucky charm.

"I want you two at the scene." Cragen gestured toward Fin and John. Cragen gave them all the address and they were out the door.

Jessie felt a sense of familiarity as they entered the hospital. Jessie seemed to of spent a lot of time interviewing stab and gun shot gangsters in these places… then she remembered her own somewhat long stay in a hospital back in Dallas. Two weeks of hell. Two weeks of planning her next move. And she'd made it. To New York City.

Jessie shrugged off the memory and followed Elliot and Olivia down a long, white, sterile, pine smelling hallway.

"I hate these places," Jessie mumbled. Elliot glanced over at his shoulder.

"Get used to it. You'll be here a lot." He said.

"I've already spent a lot of time in hospitals. I'll never get used to it." She said, her voice hard and hollow. Before Elliot could reply they reached their destination.

They were standing outside a room with a huge glass window so that they could see inside. Lying on a bed was a motionless little boy. Jessie's stomach flipped as she saw all the wires and tubes around the kid.

A tall flaming red headed woman stepped out of the room, a sad look on her face.

"I'm Doctor Park. You must be the detectives." The woman said, her voice light but sad.

"Yes, I'm Detective Stabler and these are my partners Detectives Benson and Harper. We'd like to ask you a few questions." The Doctor nodded.

"He's unconscious as you can tell." Jessie looked at the little boys face… or what looked like a face. It was so swollen and purple that she couldn't see much of it.

"Has he been awake at all?" Jessie asked. Elliot and Olivia glanced at her and took a mental step backward. Jessie sensed that they wanted to watch her operate. Time to step up to the plate, Jessie thought.

"He mumbled some. Nothing anyone could make out. His eyes are swollen shut." The doctor looked angry. "Someone nearly beat this child to death." She growled. Jessie nodded.

"Is there any sign of sexual trauma?" She asked. The doctor nodded.

"That's the sickest part." The doctor said. "Whoever did this ripped his backside wide open."

"Will he recover?" Elliot jumped in. The doctor's face darkened.

"He's had multiple blows to the skull. Detectives, this boy is in very serious condition… I honestly don't think he'll make it." She looked at Jessie, tears brimming her eyes. "Is there anything else I can do?" She asked Jessie.

"Notify us if anything changes." Jessie handed her one of her cares with her cell number on it. "Take care of him ma'am." Doctor Park nodded.

"Catch the bastard." She said, then turned and walked down the hall.

"Count on it." Jessie mumbled as they turned and left the building.

"You alright?" Olivia asked Jessie from the front seat. They'd been called down to the scene to help John and Fin. "This is a tough job." She added kindly. Jessie laughed.

"Believe it or not I've seen worse than that." Jessie said. It was true Gang Division was no walk in the park.

"I didn't just deal with your typical street gangs. Our jurisdiction also covered crimes committed by religious groups and groups like the Klan. I've seen a lot of weird shit." Jessie explained.

Olivia turned around in her seat and looked at Jessie with curiosity.

"What kind of religious groups?" Olivia asked.

"Well," Jessie sighed. "We've busted groups out in the woods making human sacrifices." Jessie shuddered as she told Olivia and Elliot of one of the most disturbing cases she'd ever worked in her life.

Jessie had crept through the woods toward a clearing lit up by an eerie glow from dozens of torches. She knew that they had the group surrounded but pure fear had crept into Jessie's heart. Jessie was many things but she was no coward and had learned that she didn't scare easily…but the sight she witnessed would of frightened even the bravest of men and women.

There was a group of what looked like nearly thirty people dressed in long flowing black robes all in a perfect circle. Hoods covered their faces and the only sound Jessie heard was the sound of the group chanting something she couldn't quite place.

Even though she couldn't understand what they were saying Jessie could still feel the evil vibrating from the words. Jessie couldn't see what the group was standing around but she knew in her heart they were too late…

The investigation had started out with odd disappearances off teenage boys and girls. Soon a connection was made. All these kids were church members and all respected leaders in their youth groups. All made a vow to stay virgins till they were married.

That's when the case was handed over to Gang Division. The connection to religion made them the obvious choice. Jessie and her partner had worked the case, finding small clues here and there. All the evidence had lead them right to that portion of wood.

The group they witnessed was performing an ancient ritual. A virgin sacrifice.

Jessie said a quick prayer as she whispered into the walkie-talkie that she was moving in. Jessie took a deep breath and walked out of the woods, the silver cross necklace she was wearing glistening in the firelight. She had her gun aimed at the head of the nearest black robed psycho.

"Turn around slowly! We have you surrounded!" Jessie yelled over the chanting. She nearly thought she'd faint when the entire group turned and looked at her. The rest of her team burst from the brush and the black robed figures got on their stomachs.

Jessie was in shock when she looked at what the group had surrounded. Nothing could have prepared anyone for that sight. All five missing girls and all five missing boys lying there…. in pieces. It was the bloodiest scene she'd ever witnessed.

"I've never taken this necklace off since that night. Not once." Jessie showed Olivia her silver cross.

"I don't know how you handled that." Olivia said, her voice shaking.

"I pray a lot." Jessie shrugged.

Elliot was speechless. Jessie had definitely been exposed to more than he thought she had.

"Blood, beatings, psycho crap isn't what is going to bother me. I can deal with just about anything. It's rape…" Jessie looked out the window, willing the memories away. "I've dealt with rape also, but never like this. Rape is going to be difficult." Olivia nodded, fully understanding, being a product of rape herself.

"Do you mind if I ask if you've known someone personally who was raped?" Jessie nodded.

"Yeah, I knew someone." Jessie's voice was distant. Before Olivia could ask any more questions they arrived at the crime scene.

"Whoever did this dumped the kid here." Fin pointed to a pool of blood in the alley. Fin and John filled Elliot, Olivia, and Jessie in on the details.

According to the crime scene investigators the kid had been raped and beaten there in the alley and left for dead. They got a good set of prints in blood that they could use and they also had the DNA from the rape kit that was performed on the kid. Right in the middle of the briefing Jessie's cell rang.

"Jade Harper," She answered. Elliot, Olivia, Fin, and John waited patiently till she got off the phone. She'd gone pale and looked extremely sad.

"Prints came back on the kid. They were in the system from a safety day at school." Jessie sighed, trying to regain composure and keep her voice from shaking. "His name was Chance Jones. He was ten years old…and he died ten minutes ago."

Jessie hesitated before ringing the doorbell of the Jones' residence. Elliot and Jessie went to inform the family of their son's death and get any information that may help solve the case. They had reported him missing the previous morning.

Elliot put a comforting hand on the small of her back as the door opened. A petite, small framed, dark headed woman answered the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her voice weak and tired sounded. She had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept.

"Yes ma'am. I'm Detective Harper and this is my partner Detective Stabler. Are you Mrs. Jones?" Jessie tried to collect herself and keep her emotions at bay.

"Yes I am. Are you here about my son?" She exclaimed as she opened the door. The two detectives stepped inside.

Before they answered Mrs. Jones lead them to a classically styled sitting room and asked them to sit down. She sat down in the love seat opposite of the sofa where Elliot and Jessie tensely sat.

"Please, tell me what you know about my son." Mrs. Jones looked desperate.

"Um, yes ma'am, but is Chance's father home? I feel like we need to have him present also if possible." Elliot asked. Mrs. Jones shook her head wearily.

"No, Chance's real father passed some time ago. His stepfather, my husband Rodney, adopted him two years ago. He's at work right now." Jessie sighed and looked at Elliot who in turn nodded solemnly.

Jessie stood up and went to sit next to Mrs. Jones. She'd informed many parents of their children's death but it never got any easier.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Jones," Jessie began. Tears were already filling the mothers eyes but she remained silent as if waiting to hear verbal confirmation of her worse nightmare. "Your son Chance was found today by police and rushed to the hospital. They did all the could but… I'm so sorry. He didn't make it."

Jessie had her head down on her desk. She could hear others talking around her but she didn't lift her head or open her eyes.

After Jessie had told Chance's mother the details of her son's death the poor woman had fallen to pieces, clinging to Jessie for dear life. Jessie and Elliot waited there until a friend of Mrs. Jones arrived to take care of her and call her husband.

They had spent the rest of the day tracking down leads and interrogating suspects till one of them finally cracked and Jessie enjoyed doing the cracking.

Jessie had stridden into the interrogation room where the suspect, Jacob Lawson, was sitting calmly in a chair, looking amused. He'd lied about his whereabouts at the time of the murder and a witness had pointed him out of a picture array. Alls they needed was DNA or a confession.

"You're a business partner of Jones', correct?" Jessie asked, glancing into the file in front of her.

"Yes, though I don't…" Jessie waved him off.

"Any bad business ventures here lately?" Jessie watched the man in front of her closely. He was handsome, in his late forties, and was cool as a cucumber. Or so he seemed. Jessie noticed a slight twitch of his mouth and tilting of his head.

"I don't see why that matters." He said calmly. Jessie half expected him to ask to call his lawyer but he didn't. That would make him appear guilty.

"You must have been pissed at Jones' when your stock plummeted into the toilet last month." Jessie pushed the file toward Lawson. "Pissed enough to beat and rape a little boy."

"You can't prove a thing." Lawson smiled and folded his hands over the file.

"Actually I can. See, a witness places you at the scene when you said you were at a business meeting. You weren't at any meeting Mr. Lawson." It was Jessie's turn to smile.

"The witness is mistaken." He said smugly.

"Prove it. Give us a DNA swab."

"You must take me for a fool Detective Harper!" He leaned back in his chair and laughed heartily.

"No, just a sadistic baby raping bastard." Jessie fired back. Lawson cocked an eyebrow and gave her a million dollar smile.

"Such a waste," He said, staring at Jessie will cool blue eyes. "Such a pretty face and yet you waste it being a cop. Why?" Jessie leaned over the table and slammed her hands down in front of Lawson, almost making him jump.

"To put sons a bitches like you in jail." Jessie rolled her eyes. "We have an eye witness you freaking idiot! That means we're going to put you up for a line up, she's going to finger you, and you're going down for rape and murder!" Jessie continued to yell. Lawson was beginning to look nervous.

"You can hide behind that fancy suit but we both know you are broke off your ass! Once the witness identifies you I'm gonna arrest your sick sorry ass, stuff the damned q-tip down your throat, and escort you to death row." Lawson visibly paled. He sat for several seconds as if weighing his options. Jessie began walking out the door.

"Okay," He sighed. "I confess. I did it. I killed Chance."

Her co-workers congratulated Jessie on a job well done. The truth of it was that Jessie had bluffed her way through that interrogation. The witness was an old man with not so good vision but, of course, she didn't have to tell Lawson that. He'd never asked for a lawyer so he didn't really know his options. He could have gotten away with it if he'd have been just a tad bit smarter.

"Dallas P.D was right about her." She heard John say to Cragen.

That had been a good three hours before. It was now six in the evening and Jessie had finished all of her paperwork. She wanted nothing more than to lay her head down and have everyone leave her the hell alone.

"Jessie, my office please." Damn, she thought. No such luck. She got up and went into Cragen's office, where Cragen and a short Asian man in a business suit greeted her.

"This is Doctor George Huang. George, meet Jade Harper." Jessie gave him a halfhearted grin and shook his hand, hearing the word Doctor and becoming leery.

"Call me Jessie." She said.

"I'm the resident psychiatrist here and I have come to evaluate you." He said cheerfully, clapping his hands together. Yes, very funny asshole, she thought angrily. She hated these things. She'd had enough of them over the past few years.

"You're kidding, right?" Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Afraid not Jess. Our psychiatrist has to evaluate you and it has to go on file. I put it off as long as I could." Cragen said apologetically. "I'll give you two some privacy." Cragen left his office and shut the door. Huang and Jessie sat in the chairs in front of Cragen's desk, maneuvering them so they were face to face.

"I'm apologizing in advance. I'm a little difficult." Jessie said smiling. Huang smiled in return.

"I'm used to it. I work with Elliot." He said laughing. "Your accent is interesting. Very Southern." He remarked. Jessie raised an eyebrow.

"As is yours. Very Chinese." Huang laughed. "Have you read my file?" Jessie asked. He nodded. "So you already know about my little incident?" Jessie said dejectedly.

"Is that how you feel about it? It was just an incident?" Huang asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs.

"It's easier to think of it that way now." Jessie replied.

"Go on," Huang said, urging her to talk.

"I took six months off the job. Okay, well, I was ordered to take six months off the job." Jessie sighed. "I had plenty of time to think and to heal on the matter. I decided to transfer somewhere far away and here I am."

"So you feel like you've moved past it?" Huang asked. Jessie took a moment to think before answering.

"Yes sir, I believe I have."

Jessie and Doctor Huang emerged from Captain Cragen's office a half hour later, both hysterically laughing.

"I think things went well." John commented to Don.

"Is she mentally capable?" Don asked. Huang simply nodded.

"I'll write up the report tonight." He said, almost gasping for breath. Everyone was astonished. They had never seen Huang like this before. Jessie definitely had some unique qualities.

Cragen and Huang hung off to the side, both observing the five detectives crowding around Jessie's desk, no doubt asking what she'd done to make the Doc laugh so hard.

"She certainly has a way with people." Don shrugged.

"Yes, she does." George answered.

"Elliot said was sort of shaken up after they got back from the victims home. He said she approached the situation with amazing sensitivity though." Don peered at George. "Do you think she's really capable of this job George?"

Huang almost laughed. Jessie had told him horror stories from her job in Texas. Stories of gangs, drugs, religious cults, and racial crime… her own personal encounter. And yet she seemed happy. No, she was happy. She still had demons to fight, they all did, but she seemed to do very well at keeping a mental distance even if her emotions were plagued.

"Don, she's more capable then any of us here, including me." Don wasn't surprised. He'd sensed something in Jessie from the moment he shook her hand. She as special and everyone saw it.

"Has she told them about why she really came here?" George asked. Don shook his head. "She will," George said. "She just needs a little time to keep fighting her demons."

Authors note: Yeah, this one didn't have much romance in it, but I had to add a little bit of actual detective work didn't I? So, I get a lot of hits on this story, but have only six reviews? That's sad. Lol. Thank you to all that have reviewed! I really appreciate it. I need the feedback. This chapter may seem a little out of place with the story but I felt I needed to introduce Huang into the story and get a good vibe going on Jessie's mental capacity. Oh, and to one of the reviewers lol. Actually, more Texan's consider themselves Southern than you would think, including myself. I'm pure Southern dear lol. Texas was an independent state for a while but hasn't been for a very long time and not many of us (that I've seen) are arrogant enough to still consider it so. So we count ourselves as part of the dirty South baby! I don't have a Texan accent, I have a VERY Southern accent lol.

Okay, so that said, please keep reading and reviewing people!