A/N: I saw how much you all wanted to know what was going to happen next and how Alex is doing. So I quickly wrote this chapter so I could post it. Thanks to all of you that reviewed. I don't have much time to thank you personally like I usually do, but I want you to know that I'm very grateful to get each of your reviews. Thanks a bunch!

As always, enjoy!

Chapter Nine

A Silver Lining

It was four in the morning and the Special Victims Unit gang sat in the waiting room in uncomfortable plastic chairs waiting for news of Alex's condition. Each one trapped in their own little bubble. Elliot and Olivia sat closest to the nurse's station. Elliot had his arm wrapped around Olivia's waist as a sign of comfort and his other hand held her hand tightly in his own. Cragen stood in front of the window across from Elliot and Olivia starting out into the early morning of the world. Fin was in a plastic chair watching the TV in the corner that didn't seem to have any sound, but he couldn't focus his attention on the news. Munch sat next to Fin with his hands crossed over his chest as he pondered conspiracies to take his mind off the than and now. They were the only one's in the waiting room. Dr. Connor, Alex's doctor, had promised that she would be out any minute to give them an update of Alex's condition. Just as everyone had almost lost hope a short woman emerged from double doors that led to the ward Alex was on. She wore blue scrubs and her jet-black hair was tied in a tight bun. Her green eyes conveyed a sense of sadness that words would never be able to express. As she approached Olivia, Elliot, Munch, Fin, and Cragen rose to meet her.

"Is Alex going to be okay Dr. Connor?" Cragen asked.

They waited in silence for Dr. Connor to answer Cragen's seemingly simple question. But nothing was that simple anymore. Not when they were dealing with the Alphabet Rapist.

"Ms. Cabot was brought in here with extensive wounds. She had several lacerations on her face, arms, stomach, and legs. She had two stab wounds in her stomach both barely missing her stomach. The one thing I was glad to find was that she wasn't raped," explained Dr. Connor.

The all sighed in relief thanking whatever God there was that Alex Cabot hadn't been raped.

"We were able to stabilize her, but I'm afraid to say that she slipped into a coma. We won't know the extent of damages on her physically until she wakes up," Dr. Connor went on.

"What are the chances that she'll wake up?" Elliot asked.

Dr. Connor's expression turned grave.

"There's only a five percent chance that she'll wake up and go on to live a normal life," Dr. Connor replied.

She apologized profusely for not being able to do more before she left them. All hope had drained from each of their faces. Olivia was starting to feel the exhaustion catching up to her. She hadn't been able to sleep much since the case started. Just as all hope was lost Olivia's cell phone rang. She flipped it open and put the phone next to her ear.

"Benson," Olivia said weakly.

"This is Melinda Warner from the M.E. I couldn't reach anyone else on their cell phone," Warner told her, "I have something that'll make you all love me."

Olivia briefly wondered what that could be. The only thing that would make her happy was for Alex to wake up and for her to be able to strangle the sick bastard that put Alex in a coma.

"What do you have?" Olivia asked.

"I have a finger print and with that comes the name of your Alphabet Rapist," Warner told her happily, "I don't know if it's him, but the finger print was found on your apartment wall and it gives you enough probable cause to get a warrant for his DNA."

Olivia couldn't keep the grin of her face as she realized they were seconds away from catching the Alphabet Rapist. Warner told her the information about their guy. Olivia hung up her cell phone happier that she had been in days.

"Why are you smiling like that Benson?" Much demanded, "Our friend is in their fighting for her life and your smiling."

"The shit head messed up. Warner found a fingerprint belonging to a Joseph Parker on my apartment wall," exclaimed Olivia.

The mood in the waiting room lightened as smiles spread across everyone's faces.

"Olivia, go with Elliot and pick up the scum bag and bring him back to the station house," Cragen ordered, "Fin and Munch, you guys are on standby to search his place."

It took five minutes for them to reach Joseph's apartment. When he opened the door and found their smiling faces and badges a shocked expression crossed over his scruffy face. The man they were looking at was different than they had pictured. They had been expecting a cold heartless man but they found a man in his forties with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. This man obviously had emotions given the shocked expression, but he seemed heartless all the same. They just smiled wider.

"How ya doing Joey boy?" Elliot exclaimed.

A/N: So that's chapter nine. There'll be only one more chapter left to this story, but I promise this is not the end. I love this story line and there's going to be a sequel to this. I've started to plan it out already. So I hope you stick around to read it. I just wanted to take the time out before the story ends and say how much fun I had writing this story. It was so much fun to see your reaction with every new twist and turn.

SVUAddict