Thank you so much for all the reviews :). All the E/O stuff will be explained eventually, I promise.

Elliot

It wasn't until the doctor had finally gone in that I sat down to really talk to Rick. He was a tall guy, dressed in khakis and a dress shirt. He looked too smooth. I already didn't like him.

"Is Christine okay?" he asked as we sat down in the empty waiting lounge.

I shrugged. "We won't know anything until after she's examined. So, you were the one who found her?"

He nodded. "I didn't know what to do. I just brought her here."

"You just happened to be coming by as soon as the attacker was gone?"

"I heard someone scream. It didn't even sound like Christine but I went to check on it anyways. I got there and she was just lying on the sidewalk."

"Did you see anyone when you were going towards her?"

"I bumped into a group of drunken freshmen but I didn't think they were even coming from the same way."

"You didn't see anyone trying to get away? Keeping their face down?"

He thought about it. "Not that I can remember."

"Why did you think it was Christine that screamed?"

"I had just been out with her, I guess she was the first person that came to mind."

I looked up from the notes I was half-assedly writing down. "Are you and Christine dating?"

He shook his head. "No, sir. She's in first year, and I'm a grad student and TA. I could get in trouble for dating her."

"You're a grad student?"

"Criminology. I'm working on my dissertation."

"That makes you how old?"

"Twenty-seven."

Criminology. Damn. That would make it harder to get him to slip up. "Where we you two this evening?"

"There was forum at the University Centre, and we went out for drinks later."

"You let her go back alone?"

"I was walking her back when I realized I had forgotten my jacket and keys. I offered to walk her the rest of the way back, but she said she's be fine. The bar was about to close, I wouldn't have been able to get into my apartment."

"So you let her walk back alone?"

"You think I don't know how stupid that is? I have four younger sisters. I would never do anything I thought would put them in any danger, and I feel the same way about Christine. I was an idiot, okay? I had had a lot to drink, and I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Detective?" a voice came from behind me. I turned to find the doctor standing behind me with the rape kit tucked under one arm.

I looked back at Rick. "Stay here." I followed the doctor across the hall, well out of earshot.

"How is she?"

"She's shaken up, but had almost no injuries. Her thighs are bruised, she had a torn hymen, and swelling. Evidence of vaginal trauma."

"Fluids?"

"Yeah. I'm sending them down to the lab. I'll put a rush on it so we can get it back before everyone leaves for Christmas."

"Thanks."

"Is there anything else? My shift ended half an hour ago."

"No, thank you." Behind me the door opened and Liv slipped out.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"She was raped." No matter how long I had been doing this job, there was still something so unsettling about the phrase. I could handle killed, but raped seemed so much heavier.

"The friend give anything up?"

"Nothing. Still not convinced he didn't do it though. He's doing his PhD in criminology. He knows how to play us."

"Do you think he is?"

"I think he's hiding something. Is she doing okay?"

"Yeah. She's changing, she wants to give her statement tonight."

I nodded. I trust my voice to say anything else. Her face was leaned in towards mine, close enough that I could smell her shampoo, her skin. Looking at her jacket I remember slipping it off of her shoulders. I blinked hard and snapped myself out of it. I couldn't be thinking about that.

God, she was beautiful.

"Liv," I began, not quite sure what I was going to say.

"Don't," she replied quickly. "Not now."

"Are you just going to pretend that it didn't happen?"

"I told you that we'll deal with it when we can. Not now."

I didn't know if I was relieved or disappointed with what she said. Yes, we needed to talk about what had happened, but after everything that had happened between us over the past year, I didn't know what would come of it.

The door opened and Christine came out wearing a pair of blue scrubs.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Liv asked her. "We can take you home, let you get some sleep."

She shook her head. "I want to get this over with." She looked behind me and I turned around- Rick was coming towards us.

"You didn't have to wait," she said softly.

"I wanted to. Are you okay?"

She nodded, keeping her head down. "Do you want me to take you back?"

"Actually, she's coming back to the police station with us," Liv told him.

"Do you want me to come?"

"It would be better if you didn't," I told him. I wanted the kid gone. I wanted to hear what she had to say without him around.

He nodded. "If you think that's best. Um, is there anything I can do?" He looked over at Christine. "Can I get anything for you? Call someone?"

She shook her head. She still couldn't make eye contact with him.

"Okay. Thank you, detectives. Christine, call me if you need anything, okay?"

She finally looked up at him. She didn't look scared like I had expected her to. . . she looked sad, I guess. I couldn't quite figure out what it was. "I will," she said in an almost-whisper.

He nodded again, took off his jacket, and draped it over her shoulders, very careful not to get to close, to touch her, or to crowd her. He looked like he was performing surgery. "It's cold out."

She gave him a half-hearted smile. Or tried to, at least. It was probably all that she could muster up at this point. She held the jacket tightly around her and I led her out to the car.

"Can I get you something to drink?" I offered once we had gotten into the interview room. She shook her head. It looked like it took an enormous amount of effort. "Coffee?" I offered Liv.

"Please." I slipped out and started the coffee maker, then went to watch them from Cragen's one-way mirror. Though her eyes had brown circles beneath them, they weren't red- she hadn't been crying. I had seen a lot of stranger rape, a little less date rape, and each of the victims seemed to have a certain behaviour about them. I was looking for something- anything- to tell me that it was Rick who had attacked her. But she didn't act like either of the stereotypes I had set in my head. I sighed, picked up two coffee mugs, filled them, and brought them in.

She filled in the details of the attack for us. She managed to remain fairly composed throughout the whole thing. She had to stop from time to time, but never once shed a tear.

"Did you notice anyone watching you?" I asked her once she was done. "Someone at the bar maybe?"

"I was out with Rick. There's always girls watching him. I don't even pay attention anymore."

"Have you two been friends for awhile?"

"Yeah, basically since I started here."

"He mentioned he's a grad student. How do you know him?"

"Young Democrats on campus. We're both really involved."

"And are you two dating?"

She shook her head. "He's got a bunch of younger sisters. I think he just thought of me as one of them."

Liv learned forward. "Can you describe him?"

She closed her eyes. "I think he was my height." She opened her eyes. "When he pushed me into the wall, he pressed against me. He didn't seem much taller." The colour was starting to drain from her face.

"What about hair colour? Eye colour?"

"Dark, I think. I didn't see is eye colour. It was too dark."

"What about what he was wearing?"

She closed her eyes again. "I didn't see much. He wasn't wearing a jacket though. A sweater maybe?" She opened her eyes again. "His pants. . . there was no zipper or button on them. Sweatpants, maybe?" I was astonished at the calm she was keeping, then noticed she was digging her nails into her hand.

"Did he say anything?"

"He told me not to scream, that he wouldn't hurt me if I didn't try to fight him. I offered him my purse, my jewelry, but he didn't want it. He said the only thing he wanted was me." She was shaking now. "Could you excuse me for a minute?" Liv nodded. Christine stood up shakily, but only made it as far as the garbage can in the corner and threw up. I sprang into dad mode and went to get her a bottle of water. When I got back, she was sitting on the floor beside the garbage with Liv crouched down beside her. I opened the bottle and handed it to her, then pulled out the garbage bag and knotted the top.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, for the first time looking like she might cry.

"It's okay," Liv assured her. "It's a common reaction to the morning after pill." She put her hand on Christine's shoulder, and Christine quickly flinched. She looked up at both of us with her big brown eyes, and a look I had come to know all too well washed over her. She realized what was happening was real. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"It's okay," Liv assured her again, then offered her hand to help her up. She looked at it apprehensively, then slowly took it and stood up.

It was well after four by the time we finally left the station. While we drove her back to her residence, I kept looking at her in the mirror with her head against the window. She looked out, an empty gaze on her face. We arrived at her dorm, passing by the crime scene that had been cornered off, and Liv got out with her.

"This is the number for victims services," she said, handing her the business card that she always kept in her wallet. She pulled out a pen and scribbled something on another card. "This is my card, my cell number's on the back. Call me if you need anything."

She nodded. I was almost positive she would never use it. "Do you want me to walk you up?"

She shook her head. "I'd have to sign you in. It's too much of a hassle. I just need to be alone."

Liv nodded and walked her to the door. She waited until she had disappeared, then came back into the car.

"Should you have done that?"

"Done what?"

"Given her your cell number?"

"She doesn't have anyone, Elliot. You would have done the same thing. Look, we're not going to get anywhere with this until the morning, Munch and Fin are probably done with the crime scene, why don't we try and grab a couple of hours of sleep?"

I nodded and headed back to the station. I was exhausted, and sleep seemed like a good idea. We got back, I scribbled a note for Cragen telling him where we were, then I headed after Liv into the crib.

And of course, despite my exhaustion, I couldn't sleep.