Chapter One:
Olivia Benson awoke early the following morning, quickly showering and dressing for work. She locked the door behind her and began the short familiar walk to the station. As she passed by the alley, she heard the sound of stifling sobs. She turned into the alley and caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye, behind some garbage bags.
When she rounded the corner, she saw two small children holding onto to each other for dear life, trying to stifle their sobs. She crouched down to their level before she spoke.
"Hey there. My name's Olivia, what's yours?" she asked gently.
Both children looked at her, wanting to answer but dreadfully afraid.
"I'm a police officer, I can help you." She said holding out her badge to the older of the two children.
He reached out and grasped the badge, holding onto it tightly. Then he pointed to himself and said "Josh", then pointed to the little girl beside him and said "Bella".
"Okay, Josh, do you and Bella want to go to with me to work, and then we can find your mommy or daddy."
"Don't wanna go home." The little boy stated, looking scared.
"Okay, do you want some breakfast? When was the last time you ate?"
"Mommy gave us bake beans before she said g'bye" the little girl said, curling up contentedly in Olivia's lap.
"When was that, honey?"
"Long time ago. Bella got hungry before it got light. I wanna get something to eat but Mommy said we had to stay here. Then it got dark again and you found us." The little boy looked at her, as if asking for help.
"Okay, why don't you and Bella get something to eat?" Both children nodded. "Okay, come with me."
She looked down at the little girl who had curled up in her lap while she had been talking to Josh. The little girl looked back up at her and said quietly, "Uppie".
Olivia nodded, and picked up the little girl, resting her on her right hip. Bella quickly wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck, holding on tightly. Olivia reached down with her left hand and took Josh's hand in her own.
As they exited, the alley, both children tightened their grasps on Olivia.
"What are we gonna have to eat Livvy?" Bella asked her quietly.
"Well, first you and Josh are going to go to a hospital so that I can see if everything is okay, then we'll get you something to eat, okay?"
The little boy stopped dead in his tracks, as soon as he heard the word hospital. When she finished speaking, he said adamantly.
"Not going to hospital!"
"Why not, sweetie?"
"Mommy said that bad things happen to people who go to hospitals. That me and Bella won't be together anymore. I wanna stay with Bella. Don't wanna go to hospital."
"I promise that nothing bad will happen at the hospital and that you and Bella can stay together. Will you come then?" she said bending down to his level.
The little boy looked intensely at her, and then reluctantly nodded.
Olivia stood up and flagged down a taxi. They all piled in, and they headed to the hospital. Once they arrived, she moved to the desk and explained the condition. The nurse seemed reluctant to put the children before other patients, but when Olivia showed the nurse her badge, that was still clutched in the little boy's hands, she quickly amended her attitude.
While they waited, Olivia called Elliot on her cell, and asked him to quickly make his way toward the hospital with a large coffee and two bagels, as well as two apple juices.
Elliot arrived at the hospital and quickly spotted Olivia, but the two children clinging desperately to her was something that he had not expected. He walked over to them, but as soon as he came into view, the children tightened their grasp on Olivia, and tried to bury their faces in her shoulders.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Olivia asked Bella gently, sensing her distress. Bella quickly pointed to Elliot before burying her face further into Olivia's shoulder.
"Bella," she said gently, "That's Elliot. He's a friend of mine, he's gonna help you."
Bella shook her head stubbornly, and whispered quietly, "Men hurt."
As Bella whispered the last statement, Josh's head jerked up off Olivia's shoulder and he said sternly "Bella, no tell!"
"What do you mean?" Olivia asked, while signaling to Elliot to stay away for a little while. She sensed that there was something that both children were hiding from her, and she was determined to find out what it was as gently as possible.
"Man do bad things," Josh said quietly
Olivia knew she had to get the information, but was rather reluctant for the child to go through anymore heartache and abuse than they had all been through.
"What bad things, sweetie?"
Josh pointed to his genitals and said "push, push, hurts lots"
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," she said gently, subconsciously tightening her grasp on the children and hugging them.
"What did they do to Bella?" she asked Josh gently, seeing that Bella wasn't going to raise her face enough to talk for a while.
Josh pointed to his genital region again and then said "taste yucky, and they hurt her real bad. Bella crying." He said once more before burying his face further in her shoulders.
Before she could say anything, a nurse called out "Benson". Olivia stood up, carrying both children in her arms. Elliot followed her through the door and into the examination room.
A thin, intelligent looking woman walked through the door and both children clung tighter to Olivia.
"Shhh, honey. It's okay. I promise no one here is gonna hurt you. Now, Josh, can you be brave and let go of me, so that we can get you checked up."
Josh slowly looked around the room once more and nodded. He let go of Olivia's neck, but remained seated on her lap and held her hand closely.
Half an hour later, both children had completed their check up, and had hungrily eaten the bagels that Elliot had brought to the hospital.
As they walked out of the hospital and piled into the car that Elliot had parked outside the hospital, both children looked up at Olivia anxiously.
"Where we go, Livvy?" Bella asked.
"We're going to work, sweetie" Olivia replied gently, before seating both children on either side of her in the back seat of the car.