Tension Point

Author's Note: Heron apologizes for the nastiness that happened last chapter, and also for this probably late update. Heron is writing this newest chapter without internet to speak of, so she hasn't been able to read her reviews, and she may be typing this without a way to post for a while, so, uh, sorry?

Suffice to say, Heron loves her reviewers anyway, and things should start getting bad for Adam White. Anyone else hate this guy as much as Heron does?

Ever since the attack, Alex had become George's roommate of sorts. George got his couch, Alex got the bed, and everything worked out okay.

George was amazed at just how strong Alex Cabot really was. Not many women could be raped, have the stuffing brutally beaten out of them, and then go back to work as soon as they could walk unassisted. He'd profiled rape victims before, and almost none of them could handle life as normal, even years after their attack. The ones who could cope usually couldn't cope soon, and none of them ever went straight back to work when their bruises were still fresh.

But here they were, discussing how best to nail Adam White, the child-rapist that had also gone after Alex. Alex wasn't going to be able to prosecute him, but she knew the case was in good legal hands with Jack McCoy. Currently, Alex was pointing out that White's lawyer was going to say that it was a tragic thing, the attack Alex had survived, but White wasn't the perpetrator. Somehow, Alex's anger at loosing White's other case had made her put Adam's face on her attacker, and she was accusing the wrong man.

Besides, wasn't Adam White supposed to get off on children?

George listened in on the discussion listlessly. He kept silent, though, stewing in his own self-doubt. Guilt and anger threatened to tear him apart from the inside, especially the guilt. The worst trauma for a profiler is to watch someone precious to them be hurt because the profile was flawed. George had to live with the fact that Alex had been attacked because he had been wrong.

If George Huang had stopped feeling worthless just long enough to profile himself, he'd have known that he was being irrational. Then again, if he had profiled himself, he'd have probably written the profile off as wrong anyway. He didn't know if he could still do his job. This event had him questioning every profile he'd ever done, every criminal that had ever been caught because he'd been the one to tell the detectives what they were looking for. Were all those guys really innocent?

"Dr. Huang!"

George snapped out of his trance when Olivia Benson snapped her fingers in front of his face, but he didn't have the energy to be startled. He still didn't speak. He just regarded Olivia with hollow eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Olivia demanded, wondering who this zombie was and where the real Dr. Huang was. She knew he was a quiet man by nature, but even when he was silent, he was always paying attention, and he always had something to say when his opinion was asked for. This…just wasn't him.

Instead of answering, George turned and left the room, probably heading to the roof of the building to dwell on his thoughts without outside interference.

"I'd say the shrink needs to see a shrink," John Munch observed, cocking an eyebrow. "He's out of it."

"He probably thinks it's his fault I was attacked," Alex said, staring sadly at the door George had left through. "I needed advice on how to crack White on the stand, and I took the advice I was given. What neither of us counted on was White putting off blowing up at me until he was a free man."

"That's one miscalculation. White would have come after you anyway," Olivia protested, not believing that the doctor that always told them not to internalize their errors was going against his own words. If White would have attacked Alex anyway, how could Huang see it as his fault the attack had happened?

Then again, if something bad ever happened to Elliot, she'd feel guilty unto jumping off the roof, but Olivia and Elliot were partners. What bond was there between the ADA and the forensic psychiatrist other than they both worked together…? Oh, wait, were they…?

Olivia wasn't going to finish that thought, because if she was wrong, it would be just plain rude to jump to false conclusions. People jumped to rude conclusions about her and Elliot all the time, and it got annoying after a while. She had enough respect and courtesy not to inflict her pet peeve on anyone else.

Just then, a messenger pranced nervously into the room, made skittish by the pictures that had been taken of Alex's injuries and the fact that Alex herself was standing in the room, managing to look imposing and graceful in all her black-and-blue glory.

"Uh, e-excuse me?" the messenger squeaked. The boy couldn't have been more than seventeen, his young face still plagued with legions of pimples, his limbs not yet the right size for the rest of his body, making him look like a scarecrow in an olive colored hooded sweater and baggy cargo pants as he held out a yellow envelope. "I was told to deliver th-this to an Al-Alex Cabot or a Doc-doctor Huang?" He was so nervous that even his statements were phrased as questions, as if he was asking the detectives why he was sent to see them.

"I'm Alex Cabot," Alex announced, stepping forward and smoothly relieving the quaking teenager of his yellow burden. His task complete, the kid high-tailed it out of there before anyone could ask him who told him to deliver the envelope, not that he'd know anyway.

Alex opened the envelope, one of those yellow, padded varieties with the bubble wrap on the inside, and emptied the contents into one hand. Inside were two letters, one addressed to her, the other addressed to George, and a packet of pictures fastened with a rubber band.

Dear Alex, the note addressed to her read.

How are you doing? I heard on the grapevine that you weren't feeling so well after our last conversation, hmm? Needless to say, I was less than pleased with the things you said about me in front of all those people, but I knew you were put up to it, and that it would have been stupid to ruin the flawless character my wonderful lawyer created for me. I sent you some pictures of my latest conquests. Most are from my original domain, but, Alex dearest, you have convinced me to broaden my horizons.

I do so hope that you feel better soon.

Love,

Adam White

Alex snarled when she read the note, and the detectives around her startled at her feral reaction. She threw down the note and reached for the pictures, tearing the rubber band off so fast that the poor thing snapped. Thumbing through the pictures, Alex discovered that Adam White was back at his old game, only now, he was being violent about raping children. And it wasn't just children anymore. When Adam had written that he'd been convinced to broaden his horizons, he meant that he had also included older women in his victim list.

"Shit," Alex cursed, once again finding the situation appropriate for strong profanity. "Bloody hell, he's at it again." She passed the photos off to Olivia and then ran as fast as her injuries would allow to the nearest restroom to lose the last meal she'd eaten.

After she finished cleaning herself up, Alex went up to the roof to talk to George. She debated with herself over whether or not to hand him his letter. Finally, she decided to tell him that it was there for when he felt up to reading it.

"I'm sorry," George told her when he sensed her presence behind him. He didn't turn around. "This, this is all my fault. If I hadn't…"

"Shut up," Alex interrupted bluntly. "I didn't come up here to hear you beat yourself up. Adam White is an asshole, and that's his fault, not yours. Apparently, I'm the one who convinced him to broaden his horizons."

"What?" Now George turned around, alarm replacing his earlier apathy.

"He even sent us pictures, and letters. He's getting violent with the little girls, and he's moving on to older targets."

Author's Other Note: Whoa, Heron is so sorry about being gone for so long, especially in such a sucky place to stop, but her internet was down for so long… Also she is sorry about the shortness of the chapter, but Heron thought she should get something up after making all y'all wait for so long. And don't worry, Adam White will suffer later, but we can't rush the story now, can we?

And to Heron's reviewers:

Thank you one and all! So you don't hate Heron? Heron loves you all. Free hugs everywhere!

Next update should be sooner than this one came up, but Heron's internet likes being bratty and not letting Heron do anything. (insert nasty snarling noises here)

Later!