Sealed
Disclaimer: I own nothing; Dick Wolf owns everything
Rating: M
Summary: I hate writing anything not cannon, but I just couldn't pass this up. A/U, Elliot never reconciled with Kathy. They have an amicable relationship, but his eye is on Olivia. Post Undercover, circa PTSD. Olivia finally comes clean about what happened in the basement, but she's having trouble with romantic relationships.
Elliot woke to the sound of Olivia whimpering next to him. He turned and saw her thrashing weakly, but he knew that she was just getting herself worked up. Her movements picked up speed and they became more violent.
"NO!" she screamed. Elliot was fully awake now and reached over to shake her awake.
"Liv. OLIVIA! Wake up!" Her eyes flew open, but she didn't stop her frenzied movements. Her arms were jerking, but she wasn't using them to attack. That's when he saw what had set her off. Somehow, in all of her tossing and turning, she managed to tangle her wrists in the sheets so that she couldn't pull them free. Her own sheets were acting as cloth handcuffs. Elliot pinned her arms at her sides.
"Olivia! Stop moving." Her eyes met his. She stopped thrashing, but her body remained tense, on high alert. "Please let me go…" she pleaded. He moved his hands to her right wrist.
"Your hands are tangled in the sheets." He freed her right hand and repeated the process with her left. She pushed herself up and held her hands to her chest, rubbing each wrist in turn. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the familiar surroundings. He moved over to her side.
"Come on, hon, come here." he said, reaching around to hold her. She pushed the arm coming at her chest away.
"Don't touch me." she seethed. He pulled back.
"Ok, ok…I won't." he said, backing farther away. She knew she had hurt him, but her demons were so strong, she couldn't let him in. "I'm sorry, El." She got up and walked into the kitchen without looking at him. She got herself a glass of water and drank it slowly. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"Liv, are you ok?" Elliot asked quietly from the other side of the counter.
"No. No, I'm not." she said, staring into her glass. She dropped the glass in the sink and walked back into her bedroom. She stood at the bed, staring at the jumbled mess of sheets and blankets.
"Liv, do you want to try to sleep again?" Elliot said from behind her, causing her to jump. She glanced at the clock. 4:36.
"No. We need to be back at the House by 7:00. I'm not getting anymore sleep tonight." She retreated into the bathroom, showered and dressed. Elliot watched her as she slipped her belt around her waist. She clipped her gun, cuffs, and badge to it, and she seemed to regain a little more composure and resilience with each piece she attached. "Be sure to lock up when you leave." she said as she turned on her heel and headed out the front door.
XxXxX
She walked into the squad room. It was empty except for Fin. She waved at him as she walked over to her locker to stow her purse.
"You ok, Liv?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?" she retorted.
"You look like you didn't get much sleep last night." he replied, as she sat down at her desk. He stood and walked over to her. "Anything you want to share?" She sighed and set down the pen she had picked up.
"I'm fine." she said, with a half smile.
"C'mon. There's someplace I want to take you."
XxXxX
"The shooting range?" Olivia said as they walked through the doors. "What are we doing here. Fin checked them in and steered her towards an open stall.
"You're going to get some of that rage out. Trust me." He place the gun in her hand and turned her toward the target. He lifted her arms, guiding them toward the target.
"Look down there. Look at his face. Get the image solid in your head." he told her, and lifted the ear protectors to her head. She heard nothing more. She steeled herself toward the target. She hesitantly took the first shot, planting it squarely into the chest of the paper target. Fin stood back. She fired again, planting the shot close to the first one. She fired again, and again, emptying her clip into the target. She unclipped the gun as Fin handed her a new one. She jammed it back into the gun, cocked it and emptied the clip into the target again, letting out a scream as she reached the end. She placed the gun down, took the ear protectors from her head and spun back towards Fin.
"How did you know?" she asked.
"I got my ways." he replied. "Feel better?"
"Yeah, actually." she said.
XxXxX
Elliot walked into the squad room about an hour after Olivia should have arrived, noting her desk was empty. He furrowed his brow, but didn't give it much more thought. He sat at his desk, staring at her empty chair. He turned his attention to the stack of paperwork on his desk. About 15 minutes later, Fin and Olivia walked through the door. The were both smiling as they exchanged casual banter.
"Morning, El." she said cheerily, and they split up and headed for their respective desks. He shrugged the pang of jealousy off and turned his attention to the case at hand.
"TARU located the other 13 women on the list we found in Harris' house. 3 live in Cincinnati, 3 in Cleveland, 2 in Boston, 2 in D.C., and 3 more in Miami."
"Ok, well that shouldn't be a problem since we have Harris in custody."
"You haven't checked your messages yet, then." he said.
"No, why? What happened?" she replied.
"Harris made bail last night."
"Ok, let's get an alert out to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Boston, D.C., and Miami, just to be safe."
"Liv, we have to be incredibly careful. He may risk leaving the city, but if he doesn't, you're the next woman in New York on that list."
XxXxX
A week had passed, and reports from the other 5 cities hadn't stopped pouring in. 12 of the 13 women between their last victim and Olivia's name on the list had been found dead. The problem was, it didn't entirely match Adam Harris' M.O. None of the new victims had been raped, and the numbers had been carved post-mortem.
"Ok, let's run this again." Olivia said to Munch, Fin, and Elliot. "Harris has been in New York the entire time these murders occurred, right?"
"We've had a tail on him since he made bail. He hasn't left Manhattan." Munch said.
"Then how did this happen?" she asked.
"Copycat?" Fin suggested.
"Can't be. The targets are too specific. We never released that detail to anyone except the other affected precincts."
"Dirty cop?" Elliot threw out.
"I'd buy that in one city, but 5?" She paused for a moment, contemplating. "Partner."
"Who else could it be? Harris only has one brother, and Huang says it's unlikely he'd trust anyone but a family member." Ellot said.
"We've been focusing on the males. Munch, can your buddy get us his female relatives too?"
"Sure, but do you honestly think a woman could be capable of this type of crime."
"Yes, I do. Look at the recent crimes. The victims were strangled, not cut. There's no evidence of rape, and the numbers were carved post-mortem instead of pre-mortem. This killer just wanted them dead, not suffering."
"I'll get on it." Munch replied.
"Olivia, we have bigger problems. Elliot, you'd better come too." Cragen said, motioning her to follow him into his office.
"What?" Cragen found himself at a loss for words. He sighed and forced himself to speak.
"D.C. cops just found Number 19." Olivia's eyes widened slightly, unnoticed by anyone except Cragen. "We need to find a way to protect you."
"No, I'm fine. I can take care of myself."
"Because you're a cop? So were Numbers 14 and 18. They had advanced warning, and now they're in morgues. This time, it isn't optional." Cragen said. He handed her a set of keys. "You're going to a safehouse. No one goes in or out. Two officers will be stationed outside your front door, and 3 cars, 1 marked and 2 unmarked, will be stationed outside the building at all times." He handed her a cell phone. "From now on, that's the only phone you use. The only people here who know where you are are in this room. You need a guard inside, too. Elliot, I assume you'll volunteer?" he asked.
"Of course." he said without missing a beat.
"Good."
"Captain, I'm due in court. I have at least 3 rape cases that need my testimony."
"I'll talk to Greylek. You go down the back way, with Elliot. One of your door guards will escort you into a car. You'll come straight to the courthouse, testify, and leave. You have to stay out of sight, Olivia. Your life depends on it."
"Ok, look, I'll stay somewhere else, but I don't really need the whole dog and pony show. As long as I'm not alone, I'll be fine. Just let me do my job."
"Elliot, take her to the safehouse. If she resists, restrain her." Cragen sat down in his chair and turned his attention to the file on his desk. Olivia's jaw hit the floor.
"C'mon, Liv. Let's go."
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