Fooling Ourselves

Chapter 16: Unbending Cruelty

A/N: I'm back. I dealt with my issues and I wrote the next chapter in this story. I'm not completely over what happened, I don't get over things easily anyway, but I'll try not to let it affect my life too much.

A/N2: This chapter has some parts that involve violence against children. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.

Elliot walked into the morgue, trying to remind herself not to be angry with Melinda "What's so important?" he asked in a less than enthusiastic tone.

"Hey," Melinda held up her hands in defense "You aren't the only one who has family waiting for them you know."

"Sorry," Elliot mumbled.

"Anyway," Melinda continued "Remember the DNA from the B&E at Olivia's house in New Jersey?"

Elliot nodded "Yeah, it was Nash wasn't it?"

"I took DNA from his body for comparison and I also compared the sample," Melinda told him "It wasn't a match."

Realization hit Elliot. Nash's right hand hadn't been cut at all. In fact, none of the men he had seen that night had had a wound in their right hand. Someone was still out there who was after Olivia. "Thanks for the heads up," he told Melinda.

"No problem," she shrugged.

Elliot was about to say something else when his phone rang. "Stabler," he answered.

"How's your thanksgiving?" a dark voice asked.

"Who is this?" Elliot demanded.

"You should get back to Simon's house detective. I think your little ones are missing you about now," the man said. In the background, Elliot could hear the sounds of muffled screaming.

"What did you do you bastard?" Elliot hissed.

Dark, evil laughter came across the phone line "Tick tock Elliot," there was a click and the line went dead.

"I have to go," Elliot said, not even turning to look at Melinda as he ran out of the morgue.

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The man shoved Olivia head first into the back seat of his car. Her hands and legs were bound and she was trying to scream through a wadded up piece of paper towel. He smiled at her and tossed the bratty baby boy and the little girl he had found in the playpen in after her. He slammed the door and went around to the driver's side. He got in and started the car.

After a few blocks, Olivia managed to spit the gag out "Why are you doing this?" she half sobbed, the image of her brother lying unconscious on the floor and bleeding from the left side of his head, still fresh in her mind. He'd only been trying to protect her, protect all of them.

The man laughed "I have my reasons," he answered.

"Why them?" she asked, looking over at her son and Rose who cried loudly.

"Kids make good hostages," he replied coolly "They're portable and cute. Good bargaining chips."

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Elliot burst through the door of Simon's house, followed by Munch, Fin and half a dozen New Jersey cops. The hall was empty but as they moved through the house, it became clear what had happened. In the kitchen, Lucy lay on the floor, bleeding from one side.

Elliot bent down beside her "She's still alive!" he yelled "Get the EMTS!" he leaned in close "Lucy?" he asked. She moaned and he continued "Lucy, what happened?" she began crying as two paramedics took her and loaded her on a stretcher.

Elliot moved into the living room. There was a lot of blood. He spotted Simon on the floor, flailing around, trying to pull himself up. Elliot bent down beside him "Simon," he whispered, putting a hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Lucy, Olivia," Simon moaned "Where are they? What did he do to them?"

"Lucy's fine," Elliot reassured him "The paramedics are taking care of her. Who did this?"

"I don't know who he was," Simon murmured as medics loaded him onto a stretcher "He broke in. There was a scream in the kitchen and then silence. He came into the living room. He had a gun..." Simon trailed off, finding it hard to remain conscious.

"What happened, Simon?" Elliot asked desperately "Where are the kids? Where's Olivia?"

"Oh God," Simon murmured as the paramedics started to carry him out of the house.

"Simon-" Elliot tried to follow the stretcher but one of the paramedics stopped him.

"I'm sorry sir but you have to back off so we can work on him."

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"Please," Olivia was begging her captor now "They're just babies. You have me, please just let them go."

The man had pulled up in front of a cabin and had picked Zack and Rose out of the car. He carried them inside as they screamed. The sound of their crying, more than anything else, tore Olivia's heart into pieces. The man returned to retrieve Olivia and smiled down at her "I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. Once I've gotten what I want, I'll just throw them in the river and let nature take it's course."

"No," Olivia whispered as he brought her inside and threw her down beside the children. "Please," she begged again "At least untie me."

The man snorted "So you can escape?" he asked, kicking Zack as if he were a football. The baby hit the wall and dropped to the floor, crying even louder now.

"Please," Olivia was crying now too; she'd tried so hard to remain strong for the kids but this was all just too much "I won't run, just please let me hold them."

"Why would I do that?" he asked, sneering as he picked up Rose. He held the little girl high in the air above Olivia's head "Do you know the most wonderful thing about little bones?" he asked.

Olivia's wet eyes grew wide with terror "No!" she screamed "Please don't!"

"They break so easily," he snapped Rose's left forearm in two and dropped her in Olivia's lap.

Olivia looked down at the little girl. Big blue eyes, eyes she knew all too well, pleaded with her for help but Olivia was powerless even to provide the child with even the smallest amount of comfort. "I'm so sorry," she whispered through her tears. She looked up at the man "Why?" she pleaded "Why did you do that? She's just a child. She's not even two years old yet."

He knelt down in front of her and smiled wickedly "Her pain is your pain Olivia. I'm going to make you watch me torture these poor defenseless beings until you beg me to be able to take their places then-"

"I'll take their place now," she said quickly "Just don't hurt them again, please."

He laughed again "You didn't let me finish. After you beg me, I'll just keep torturing them until either they or you are dead." He reached out and plucked Rose from Olivia's lap.

"Please," Olivia nearly sobbed "Please, don't do this."

The man bent down, holding Rose's small hand against the floor of the cabin. He reached for a nearby toolbox and pulled out a hammer.

"Please," Olivia begged "I swear, I'll do anything you want, just please…" it was too late. With one blow of the hammer, the man had shattered every bone in Rose's tiny hand. The child shrieked and he threw her against the wall.

He knelt in front of Olivia again "You see, I own them and I own you," he stood up and walked towards where Zack lay.

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The cops had found Charlie and Elliot's children, with the exception of Rose, bound and gagged in the basement. They'd all been taken to the hospital to get checked out.

Elliot sat in the waiting room with Maureen, Kathleen and Dickie who had all been medically cleared; they waited for news on Lizzie, Simon, Lucy and Charlie. None of the kids had been able to say anything about what had happened in the house.

A doctor appeared and approached Elliot "I've just come to inform you that Elizabeth is fine. I tried to get her to come out here and wait with the rest of you but she insisted on staying with the Marsden child since both his parents are still in surgery."

"Was Charlie hurt badly?" Elliot asked.

"The assailant broke his leg, his arm and a few other bones," the doctor explained.

"Can I speak with him?" Elliot asked.

The doctor paused and scratched his head "Alright," he said finally "Follow me."

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"Hi there guys," Elliot said as he entered the room.

Elizabeth looked up from a book that she had found and had been reading to Charlie while he had his arm set in a cast "Daddy!" she exclaimed, hopping up and hugging him tight.

Elliot hugged her tighter and rubbed her back "It's okay honey," he whispered as she started shaking in his embrace "You're safe now."

Elizabeth finally pulled away and sat down again, her stare directed at the pages of the book which she placed in her lap.

"How're you feeling Charlie?" Elliot asked, pulling a chair up beside the little boy.

"I hurt a lot," he said softly then held up his arm "I got a cool cast, wanna sign it?"

Elliot smiled softly "Sure buddy."

Charlie became serious again "Are my Mom and Dad okay?" he asked.

"I don't know anything yet," Elliot said honestly "But I'll tell you what, when we're done talking I'll see if I can find out okay?"

Charlie nodded "Okay."

"Charlie," Elliot began "What happened today?"

Charlie's face fell "A bad man came. He hurt my mom and hit Mau, Kathleen, Dickie and Lizzie on the head. They all fell down. Dad and Aunt Olivia tried to stop him but he had a gun. He grabbed Aunt Olivia and tried to hurt her but Dad punched him. He knocked Dad down and then shot at him. He tried to tie Aunt Olivia up but I grabbed his legs. That's when he hurt me. Aunt Olivia cried and told him not to but he did anyway. It got dark and then I came here."

Elliot nodded "Charlie, did you see what happened to Zack and Rose," Elliot was almost sure that the man had taken them with him as well as Olivia but he wanted to be certain.

"Before it got dark," Charlie began slowly "I saw him go over to Zack and Rosy. Aunt Olivia screamed at him to stay away from them but he hit her then it got dark." Charlie's eyes were full of tears "Are my Mom and Dad gonna be okay?"

"I'll go find out right now," Elliot said, standing up and giving Charlie a pat on the head "You were a brave boy Charlie," he smiled faintly at Elizabeth before he left the room "I'll be back later, okay sweetie."

Elizabeth nodded and went back to reading the book to Charlie.

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"Leave him alone!" Olivia was sobbing now as she watched her captor place her son's tiny body on a table "I promise I won't run away. Please stop this."

The man left the baby on the table and went back over to where Olivia was. He knelt down and laughed right in her face "You don't like being powerless, do you Olivia?"

"Who are you?" she asked in a whisper. She felt like she could almost place the face.

"Just an old friend," he smirked "Nash promised you would be mine as long as he got what he wanted." He laughed again and stood up, walking back over to where Zack was. He withdrew a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it.

"No," Olivia couldn't find the energy to scream anymore "Please, please don't do this."

"What's the matter Olivia?" the man asked with a gleam in his eye "Too many bad memories of your mother's drunken rampages?" he grabbed hold of one of Zack's bare legs and drove the tip of the lit cigarette against the soft flesh.

The baby screamed and Olivia felt her heart being obliterated. She would much rather have this man beat her, rape her, torture her, not her son or Elliot's little girl. She would die for them but that was the one thing this man would not allow her to do. She began to silently pray, harder than she had ever prayed in her life as the continuing screams of her infant son filled her ears.

A/N: I'll try to update again soon. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far and hasn't killed me yet. Keep those comments coming, they really help me, more than you guys will ever know.