Things between Elliot and Olivia changed after that, as the weeks passed and Olivia got better and eventually she was released and returned to work, the only time they communicated was when it involved a case. And never did they talk about Richard White, his name was never mentioned. Olivia had used the Captain to question him about the assault, and he was charged for brutal assault on a police officer and would serve a maximum of eight weeks in prison, minimum security, it seemed like a joke.

Olivia took a cab home every night, and not unnoticed, she saw Elliot's car follow her and once she was inside he disappeared again, no doubt, heading home to Kathy. It was not mentioned, what he did, they never argued about it, and Elliot never offered her a ride home, had he, she would have only refused it.

The relationship it had taken them nine years to build seemed to crumble over the weeks after the attack and the bond they once had no longer existed. They were colleagues, co-workers and partners with-out emotion. Though she never said it, Olivia missed her friendship with him, sharing her thoughts and opinions, sharing her passion for the job and listening when he spoke about the same things, adding Kathy and the kids to the conversation. Nothing personal was said between them since the late night at the hospital.

It was a Thursday afternoon, two and half months after Olivia's attack, when a young girl in her early twenties walked into the precinct and approached Olivia. Her hair was matted and she looked like she'd been in a fight with a vacuum cleaner. "I've been raped," she cried quietly with devastation.

Olivia reached out her hand to comfort the short blonde girl. "Let's go and talk somewhere more private," she urged gently leading her to an interview room. "Okay…" Olivia smiled encouragingly once both of them seemed comfortable enough.

"What do I say?" she asked unsure of the procedure it took to report a crime like that.

"Just be yourself," Olivia replied. "I'll ask you some questions and all you have to do is answer them honestly." The girl nodded. "Do you know who attacked you?"

"Yes," she answered. "Richard White."

Olivia's blood ran cold there and then and the blood drained from her face until she was a pale cream color. It was as if the whole world came to a stop at the mere mention of his name. Olivia still had a graze on her head that time hadn't yet healed. Richard had only been out of prison a week, she had kept track of his whereabouts, afraid that once he had his chance he'd be back for her, to finish the job that should have raped and killed her. When Richard had attacked Olivia, she'd been laying in the hospital bed with, three broken ribs, a fractured elbow an unrecognizable bruised face and a broken leg. She was lucky it hadn't been worse.

Unsure of what to do, she politely excused herself and approached Elliot's desk. "A woman in the interview room, is claiming she was raped by Richard White," she whispered unable to say the name any louder than that. Richard White still haunted her mind.

Elliot looked up at her without hesitation and his expression said it all, he stood from the desk and followed her back into the room where the victim was waiting. Elliot took over the interview, as the woman nervously told her story and Olivia stood back and listened.

"…When he was finished, he made me take a shower and then he scrubbed me vigorously with a scouring brush to make sure there was no trace of him left… then he… I think he was going to kill me, but someone came to the door, and it scared him away, he threatened me not to go to the police or he'd come back for me," she said in obvious terror.

"Do you think you can identify him in a line up?" Olivia asked with hope. All she wanted was one victim, enough so that White got a needle in his arm.

"Yes," she nodded.

When it was over and the woman was free to go home, Elliot and Olivia remained in the interview room. "All we have to do is get her to pick him out of a line-up and he'll be ours," Elliot told her.

Olivia sighed. "I want to get this bastard," she whispered looking at Elliot closely for the first time in two months, the way she did before Richard White had come back into their lives a second time. Surely, third time had to be the charm. They had to catch him on this.

"We will," he said with absolute calmness. "I promise." Olivia nodded, for some reason she believed him. Then he walked out without another word, leaving Olivia standing in the interview room trembling with the hope that the man who had attacked her and raped and killed several other woman would finally get justice.

An hour later, Olivia knocked on White's door, Elliot stood right beside her. And once he opened the door, she shoved her foot in the doorway so that when he tried to close it, he couldn't. Olivia stepped forward and smiled, reaching for her handcuffs.

"Olivia…" he tried to hide the surprise from his face but Olivia saw it there. "To what do I owe this wonderful pleasure?"

Olivia grabbed him forcefully and shoved him against the wall pulling one arm behind his back, Elliot grabbed hold of the other. He flinched in pain and Olivia cuffed him forcing his arm higher up his back. "This is indecent assault," he barked in pain.

"So sue me," Olivia replied completely un-phased by his comment. "I told you, you would screw this up… you made your last mistake when your latest victim alive, and she is going to pick you out a line-up. Just wait and see. Richard White you are being arrested for the rape of Alexandra Hall, you have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law, you have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you…" Olivia shoved him hard towards the hallway and out the door.

Olivia offered to wait with Richard White, while they prepared Alexandra Hall for the line-up and when they were alone, he turned to her and smiled. "You sure are cute when you're scared," he said. "You were so far from the woman I see now, crying and begging for me to leave you alone… I thought you had more guts than that, Olivia-"

"It's Detective Benson, to you."

"I thought you were tough as nails, you told me you couldn't be broken, that you weren't afraid of me. Were you lying… Olivia?" he seemed satisfied in mocking her.

"You might have had me for a moment, but don't think for one minute I'm scared of you now, you son of a bitch," she cursed.

Richard was called into line-up. Olivia watched him go in and then went around to the other side of the mirror where she could watch him, and he couldn't see her. The victim identified him without hesitation and Olivia smiled, knowing it was almost over.

A few minutes later, Olivia, Elliot, Richard White and his attorney sat in the interview room across from each other. Casey Novak, who was prosecuting him stood beside the table. "I want a deal," Richard stated.

"I don't want to give you one," Olivia replied. "we only make deals for people who have something we want, and all we want fro you dead… you have an appointment with a needle in a while," she had to watch her tongue while Richard's attorney was sitting beside him.

"My client will drop the charges he's made against Detective Benson for indecent assault," Richard's attorney explained. Olivia frowned. "My client says she illegally arrested him with force, when he wasn't resisting."

"No," Olivia disagreed. "It's his word against mine. He raped four innocent woman, and killed three, that we know of, who knows how many other women are out there. No deal will change the fact that he'll be executed."

"We can go to the judge," he pointed out looking at Olivia.

Casey allowed Olivia to decide what she wanted the out-come to be, she knew how tough it had been in the last few months and she was happy to see him locked away or executed, either of them meant women were safer with him isolated.

"You've got nothing," Olivia shrugged. "I'll take my chances of being disciplined. My sole purpose in life is you OUT!" she told Richard.

Casey refused to make a deal.