Infamous
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.
11:50am
Jenna ran so fast that she lost both her shoes. Her breathing came fast, she felt like she couldn't run anymore but she knew she couldn't stop. She wasn't even sure if the man was still following her but she didn't want to find out. She had no idea where it was she was running to, all she needed to know was what it was she was running away from.
She tripped over a branch that lay on the ground in front of her. She went flying and landed on her face. She tried to pick herself up and stumbled a few more feet before collapsing again. She crawled to a nearby tree and leaned against it. It was at this point that she realized that no one was following her. She sighed and pulled her naked legs up to her chest.
She listened to the sounds of the forest. Birds and squirrels were the only things she heard. There was no sound of footsteps and while that meant that the man was not in pursuit, it meant that salvation was not on its way either.
'They must know that I'm missing by now' she thought to herself. She knew that Gary would have reported her missing as soon as he came over and found out she wasn't there. Gary, she knew he would have to be worried out of his mind. She wished Gary was with her. He would know exactly what to do. He would help her. She leaned her chin between her knees and drifted off to sleep.
12:00pm
Olivia and Elliot stood in the midst of a group of local uniforms they were coordinating the search operation with "The man we're looking for is extremely dangerous!" Olivia began, raising her voice so that all assembled could hear her.
"He's been shot in the leg!" Elliot continued "We believe that he kidnapped Dr. Stevens for her medical expertise!"
"We'll split up and cover these areas!" Olivia said, pointing to a map that Munch held up that effectively blocked his face from everyone's view.
"Remember!" Elliot called out as the group began to disperse "This man is extremely dangerous! No one is to attempt to apprehend him without calling for back up first!"
All the local officers took off in their separate directions and Olivia made as if to follow them. Elliot put a hand on her arm. She turned to him "Elliot, what is it?"
"Do you think you should be out there?" he asked.
She stared him down with a hard defiance that he was very used to by now "I will not stay behind while White is still out there," she turned and took a few steps before she spoke again "You can either come with me or stay here."
"Munch, Fin!" Elliot called over his shoulder as he went after Olivia "You stay here and coordinate the search!"
Olivia walked down the street of the small town at a healthy clip. She just had to find this woman and soon. Olivia knew that it was her that White really wanted any other people were just obstacles in his path. She would take him down, no matter what the cost to herself.
Elliot walked beside her. He knew what was going through her mind, that she was blaming herself for this, that anything that happened to Dr. Stevens would make Olivia feel like her heart had been ripped from her chest and shown to her. Elliot knew these things because this was how he felt.
In his mind a million different scenarios played out in his head. But in the end there would have been no way to make sure Olivia was safe without shooting White. It all came down to fate, if the bullet had missed White entirely instead of hitting him in the leg, Elliot might not be walking beside his partner at this moment or ever again. He hoped that they would find Dr. Stevens in time. He didn't want to have saved one life by sacrificing another.
Olivia stopped suddenly she turned to her right and stepped off the sidewalk and into what appeared to be an expanse of trees and undergrowth.
"What are you doing Olivia?" Elliot asked.
She turned her head towards him "Doesn't this just seem like the perfect out of the way place to hide?"
He nodded in understanding and followed her down the crudely marked path into the trees.
12:30pm
Jenna's ears pricked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. She wasn't sure who it was and fear prickled her skin. Was it the man again?
She struggled to her feet and peered in either direction. She couldn't see anything through the thick trees around her. She started to inch around the tree that she was leaning against, in hopes that it would provide a suitable hiding place. She strained to hear anything more. She heard two sets of footsteps. Was there another man?
No. She heard voices. A man and a woman and the man was not the one who had kidnapped her.
"This forest is so thick," Elliot said as once again a branch whacked him in the face.
"Poor guy," Olivia laughed as she saw a trickle of blood come from his latest scratch.
Jenna knew that this was her chance to be rescued. She couldn't pass up this opportunity. She stepped out from behind the tree "Hello," she called tentatively at first.
"Did you hear that?" Olivia asked as she stopped.
"Yeah I think I did," Elliot answered, turning in the direction the sound had come from. All he could see was trees.
"Is anyone there?" Olivia called.
"Yes!" Jenna called "I need some help!"
"Dr. Stevens?" Elliot asked.
"Yes!" Jenna answered again "Who are you?"
"I'm Olivia Benson," Olivia began in a softer tone as she approached the place where Jenna stood "That," she pointed back behind her towards Elliot "is Elliot Stabler. We're detectives," she finally reached Jenna and reached a hand out towards the woman "Are you okay Dr. Stevens?"
"Please call me Jenna," the half naked doctor said shakily "and yeah he didn't hurt me."
Olivia removed her jacket and gave it to Jenna to wrap around her waist "C'mon, Lets get you out of here."
"Thank you so much," Jenna said as she followed Olivia.
Olivia took in Jenna's appearance "Jenna," she said kindly "What happened to your pants?"
Jenna wavered and Olivia could see tears forming in her eyes "He held me down," she said softly "He ripped them off," the tears fell "I ran."
Olivia held the woman close to her as she cried "Where is he now Jenna?" Olivia asked. Normally she wouldn't push a victim this hard, this soon but she really wanted to find White and make him pay.
"Back there," Jenna pointed in the direction that she had run from.
"Okay," Olivia said softly as she continued to walk back to where Elliot stood "Let's get to the police station and you can give your formal statement there."
Elliot started up the path with Jenna following and Olivia bringing up the rear. They walked in silence for a long time. When they had almost reached the road that signified there return to civilization, Elliot turned to ask Olivia something but Jenna was the only one there.
"Olivia!" he called as he and Jenna emerged from the forest.
"Where did she go?" Jenna asked "I didn't notice her leave or anything."
Elliot pulled out his cell phone and called Munch "We found Dr. Stevens," was the first thing he said. Quickly he provided Munch with their location and then his voice slowed "and Munch… I think Olivia's gone after White on her own."
12:40pm
Olivia made her way carefully through the forest undergrowth. She had turned off her phone so as not to have it give her location away to White. She kept an eye out for recently disturbed brush as she crept carefully past the place where they had found Jenna.
About fifty yards later she found what was obviously one of Jenna's missing shoes another couple hundred yards along, she found the other one. It was clues such as this that told her she was on the right track.
She was sure that White still had access to Jenna's car and could very well be speeding away to God knows where at that very moment. Olivia was hoping to get the jump on him before he did, although she knew that it was a vein hope.
She could almost hear the conversation that she would have with Elliot efter this latest move of hers.
"What were you thinking?" he would say, probably angrily.
"We knew he had the car Elliot and he hadn't gone after Jenna. He wasn't just gonna sit around and wait for us to find him," her defense would be shot back with force equal to that of Elliot.
"And if he had been waiting and you found him without backup, what then?" would be his next question.
"I had my gun," would that be a good enough response?
"Your gun didn't do you all that much good the last time," would be Elliot's defense to the gun explanation. His voice would crack, his eyes would mist over.
As Olivia crept through the undergrowth she imagined the pain that she had just caused Elliot. Dam it she was an idiot. In her overwhelming desire to find White, in her need to get justice for the victims she was turning Elliot into a victim. She was turning Elliot into a victim of her own stupidity.
It was too late to turn back now she realized as she came upon a pair of pants that had been discarded among the brambles. Her heart gave a small jump of sadness when she thought of the fear that Jenna must have felt when White was pinning her down.
She sat on the forest floor and pulled the pants into her lap. She thought of Elliot, she had abandoned Elliot, she had promised to be careful and she had just taken a stupid risk. Luckily she thought, nothing bad would come of this risk.
"I'll be back safe Elliot," she said out loud, forgetting that she might not be alone in the woods "and then I'll tell you just how sorry I am, just how much you mean to me, I'll tell you that I-" she was cut off by a sharp blow to the back of her head.
TBC
A/N: I'm evil. Please review.
