A/N: Hello all, I've run out of title ideas so this is just Chapter 10. I know it took a while. Hopefully you like!

P.S. I know I haven't disclaimed this whole time but I think it is goes without saying that someone who spends their free time writing SVU fanfiction does not actually own any part of the series. Like, seriously.

Elliot was in an intense stare down with a seemingly un-intimidated rapist. The perp throws a sarcastic comment his way and Elliot opens his mouth to reply with a threat when his phone rings. He looks at it, frowns at the name on the caller ID but decides to answer it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey Elliot, it's Ted Keillor."

"I'm a little busy right now Ted, can this wait?"

"Elliot, something happened to Alex."

The color drained from Elliot's face. He got up from his seat across from the perp and walked into a corner of the room; his brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Is she ok?"

"Somebody hurt her El. I think she's ok but she's really upset. She needs you man, can you come here?"

Elliot's heart was thudding in his chest, his blood was boiling. Somebody put their hands on her, I'll kill him.

"Elliot, you there?"

"Yeah, tell her I'll be there in 15 minutes ok? Tell her I'm coming." He hung up the phone and stormed out of the interrogation room. He heard his name being called as he barreled into the squad room to grab his car keys. He just ignored his coworkers and headed for the exit. He took the stairs down two at a time and threw himself into his car before speeding towards his apartment building.

He got there in record time and took the stairs up to his floor. He jogged down the hall to towards his neighbor's apartment without even glancing towards his own. When he knocked Ted immediately opened the door. "That was quick". Elliot gave him half smile and shook his hand. "Thanks for calling me Ted. How's she doing?" Instead of answering, Ted motioned for him to follow him toward his living room, Elliot found Alex curled up on Ted's sofa, clutching a throw pillow.

Elliot walked toward her slowly so he wouldn't startle her. She looked at him but didn't move a muscle. He sat next to her on the sofa. "Hey sweetie, are you ok?" She nodded but didn't say anything. Elliot decided to push just a little. "Do you wanna tell me what- oh my god." He just noticed the thick purple bruises covering her neck. He brushed her hair off her shoulder to get a better look and she winced. Elliot drew his hand back, horrified. "I'm sorry baby. Where does it hurt?" Alex sniffed. "He pulled a chunk of my hair out", she whispered. She dropped the pillow and threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

Elliot rubbed her back, careful not to touch her hair, and tried to get her to calm down. She relaxed a little and El looked over at Ted who was sitting in a chair opposite them. "What did you see Ted?" Ted cleared his throat. "When I came out into the hallway this guy in a ski mask had her up against the wall. He was choking her, she was crying. I just reacted; I yelled and he took off." Ted had an edge to his voice and kept looking at Alex like she was a scared little puppy. "I went over to her, she said she was ok, so brought over here, and I called you." Elliot nodded. "Thanks Ted. I really appreciate you helping her."

Ted nodded back. "Don't worry about it, I'm just glad I decided to go for a jog right then," he paused, "Elliot, have you seen the inside of your apartment?"

Elliot gave him a confused look; Alex suddenly buried her face in his chest. He looked down at her, then back at Ted.

Ted's face looked very apologetic. "I'm sorry man, but your place is trashed, it looked like the guy was looking for something, very angrily."

Elliot held Alex a little tighter. "Yeah...and he found her."

The Lakes were having a very quiet car ride home from the doctor's office. Casey was in a foul mood after seeing her doctor although the appointment itself went fairly well. She'd had to take a few needles but the nurse had told her she was doing fine. However, the ultrasound had been different. Dr. Berggren had needed to touch her belly a lot and it had clearly made her uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough to snap at him and her husband.

Chester was driving five miles under the speed limit and watching Casey out of the corner of his eye, two things she hated, which didn't help her mood. He couldn't understand what was wrong with his wife. He couldn't understand any of the things she'd been doing the past couple months. It was like she hated being pregnant. He decided to talk to her about it while she couldn't run away from him.

"Sweetie, tell me what's wrong."

She continued to stare out of the window. "Nothing's wrong."

"Something's wrong or you wouldn't be ignoring me right now."

"I'm not ignoring you. I just don't feel like talking."

"Well I do. Hun I just want to know, are you having some kind of...feelings about the babies?"

"Feelings?"

"You know like are you getting scared or nervous or having second thoughts?"

"I think it's a little late for that Chester."

"I know, I mean just like ever since we found out we're having quints you've been more emotional than I've ever seen you."

Casey didn't say anything. Chester continued.

"And I don't just mean emotional I mean...depressed. You hardly sleep anymore, your mood changes at the drop of a hat and now, now you're getting mad at the doctor...honey I want to help, I really do but you've got to talk to me."

Casey finally looked at him and felt a pang of guilt. "I love my babies Chester."

"I know you do sweetie,I know you do, I'm not saying that you don't, I'm not saying that at all."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying that I think something about this pregnancy is driving you crazy and I want us to talk about it." He was starting to feel like this conversation was going nowhere.

"It's not about the babies all right? I'm fine. Just drop it."

"Sweetie-"

"I said drop it!"

Chester had just stopped the car in front of their house. Casey threw open the car door and climbed out. She started walking briskly toward the front steps and Chester got out to stop her. "Casey, slow down!" he called. She didn't listen and all the sudden she slipped on an icy patch in their walkway. Chester ran up and caught her before she hit the ground. As he pulled her back upright she wrapped her arms around his neck and they hugged in front of their house for a good five minutes.

"I'm sorry" Casey murmured. Chester smiled and gently rubbed her belly, "I'm not mad, I just- I hate seeing you like this. I want you to be happy baby; I want you to be excited about the kids."

"I am, really, I promise." Casey replied, though she pushed his hand off her. Just then Casey's cell phone chirped. She pulled it out of her pocket, it was her mom, and she answered it with a grimace.

"Hey mom...yeah we just got back...fine, everything's fine...no, I don't know yet...why...um okay hold on". She covered the receiver on the phone and looked at Chester. "Hey my mom wants us to come up to Williamsburg tonight for dinner; apparently they want to tell us something really important. We don't have to go."

Chester smiled. "Do you want to go?" Casey shrugged. "Maybe a little. I haven't been home in a while."

"Ok, then we'll go. As long as you feel okay and take it easy until then. Remember what the doctor said."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I know I know... Hey mom?... Yeah we'll be there...mmhmm...love you too, bye." She hung up and barely stifled a yawn.

"Uh, oh, nap time." Chester chided. Casey pouted. Chester kissed her lightly on the forehead and took her inside.

Elliot had made a few phone calls and in a matter of minutes his apartment was swarming with CSU. He'd called Captain Cragen and brought Alex down to the station to talk to him.

Alex was trying really hard to hold it together, but Elliot could tell she hated every minute of this. Cragen had invited them in to talk in his office. He was sitting at his desk and they were in chairs opposite him. All eyes were on Alex.

"Lexi just tell us what happened. It's going to be okay" Elliot coaxed. Alex shook her head and tried to smile. "Elliot we really don't have to make a big deal about this. I-I'm fine."

Elliot held her hand comfortingly. "You're not fine. Somebody tried to kill you. Please honey; tell us what he did to you."

Elliot was right, she had to tell him; she had to tell him a lot of things. Alex took a deep breath. "When I came home the door was unlocked. I went in and...there was stuff everywhere, the bedroom door was hanging off, I backed up out of the apartment and he grabbed me." She took a breath. "He put his hand over my mouth...he spun me around and stared at me for a second...his eyes were so angry...then he shoved me into the wall. He put his hands around my neck. I-I tried to scream but I couldn't breathe. And then..." She stopped.

"And then what?" Elliot asked. He gave her hand a little squeeze. She pulled it out of his grasp. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"Lexi, it's ok."

"No, Elliot I don't-I don't want to do this. I'm fine okay, I really am. I just want to go home."

Elliot sighed. He had to get her to open up. "Well, we can't go home Lexi, not for a while anyway. We have to talk about this. I don't want this guy to hurt you again."

"El, you don't understand. This is my fault; it's all my fault." She was looking down at her hands on her belly and Elliot saw a tear drop onto them.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Lexi, you were attacked. That isn't your fault"

"Yes it is, I should have told you about him a long time ago."

Elliot's mouth gaped and he blinked a few times in silence. Cragen decided to jump in. "Alex, did you know your attacker?" he asked gently. Alex nodded. "He's been...stalking me since late July."

Cragen looked at Elliot who still couldn't seem to find words. He refocused on Alex. "Has he hurt you before?"

Alex finally looked up and met Cragen's eyes. "No... I hadn't...ever seen him until today. I was hoping he wouldn't find me after I came here..." she trailed off.

Cragen cocked an eyebrow. "Then how did you know that it was him."

Alex looked down again. "When he was choking me he said "You made me look for you, I didn't like that." I-I remembered his voice. I told him I was sorry and I begged him not to hurt me."

"Did he do anything else?"

"He ripped out a chunk of my hair, it hurt, then he said 'I'm gonna kill you'. I was scared, and he...started laughing. That's when Ted, our neighbor, showed up and he ran away". A shiver went through her body that had nothing to do with the open window.

"Is that everything?" Cragen asked gently. Alex nodded. Cragen nodded too. "Ok, then."

Elliot leaned forward to rejoin the conversation. "You did really good sweetheart. Now, I want to take you to the hospital, just to get you checked out."

"Elliot-" Alex protested.

"I know, you're fine, but just indulge me ok, let me be overprotective." He gave her a loving smile and she smiled back.

They stood up simultaneously. Elliot thanked the captain before he and Alex left the office. Cragen picked up his desk-phone the moment they disappeared.

Later that night…

Casey and Chester arrived at the Novak's large house on Canterbury road at exactly 6:30 pm. Casey gazed out the window as they parked, memories flooding back to her. Chester helped her out of the car and held onto her tightly as they went up the front steps.

Upon ringing the doorbell, they were greeted almost immediately by Evelyn Novak who had a huge yet fake smile plastered on her face. "Hello angel, how are you?" Mother and daughter hugged. "I'm really good mom; I'm so glad you invited us over, I miss this house". Evelyn's smile melted into something genuine. "Well we're always here dear. Now come in, it's chilly out there."

Evelyn stepped back to let them in. She managed a cordial greeting to Chester as she took their coats and hung them in the hall closet. She then led them down the hall past a bathroom and through a swinging door into the family room. Casey stopped dead in her tracks and unconsciously slipped her hand into her husbands and squeezed it. Chester looked down at their hands and then at his wife's face with confusion. He then noticed that her twin sister and brother-in law were sitting on the sofa facing them. He watched the color drain from Casey's face and something clicked in his head. He'd seen that look before. She's afraid of him.

Evelyn looked at Casey apprehensively. "Sweetie-"

"You didn't tell me they were coming, mom" Casey interrupted, not letting go of Chester.

"Yeah, my sentiments exactly!" Sarah snapped from the sofa. She was sitting with her arms and legs crossed looking very pissed off.

Evelyn was wringing her hands and looking nervously between her two daughters. "Well girls, I just wanted to see the both of you together, maybe we can...work out this silly spat you two are having."

Sarah stood up and advanced toward her mother. "Silly spat? Are you serious?"

Suddenly Casey Sr. came out of the kitchen wearing a "kiss the cook" apron. He frowned at the sight of his wife and daughters' faces. "Well what's going on in here? Sarah Jane, why are you looking at your mother like that?"

Sarah took a step back and a deep breath. "Daddy, I didn't know this was going to be some kind if intervention and frankly I'm not interested."

"Well are ya interested in dinner because the pot roast is ready. Let's go." He motioned to his wife who followed him into the kitchen. Sarah huffily marched after them. Danny got up and followed her, smirking at Casey as he passed her. Chester looked at Casey and gave her arm a little tug. "Honey, are you okay? We can leave if you want." Casey looked at him like she was considering it but shook her head. "No, I'm fine..." She sounded far away but started walking toward the dining room, so Chester went with her.

They all sat around the dining room table rather stoically while Casey Sr. brought out his famous pot roast. Casey and Sarah sat on opposite sides of the table with their husbands and Evelyn sat at one end, nobody was talking. Casey Sr. blessed the table and ordered everyone to start eating, so they did. After about 5 minutes of silent munching Mrs. Novak decided to break the ice.

"What is the matter with you two?" She blurted out. "Why am I just now hearing that you girls haven't been talking?"

Sarah mumbled something under her breath. Evelyn noticed. "Speak up Janie, I want to know what's going on right now."

"No mom, you really don't, trust me. How did you even find out anyway?"

"Well, it seems that my dear son-in-law has more trouble lying to me than the people I gave birth to." Evelyn responded resentfully. Casey started to fidget in her seat. Sarah looked at her husband, horrified. "What did you tell her?" she hissed. Daniel shrugged innocently. "Nothing that wasn't true,"he replied. Casey fidgeted again. "You two really shouldn't hold a grudge this long." Sarah stared at him in disbelief. "A grudge! You think what she did was okay?" There was a clatter of silver on wood and Chester stooped down to pick up Casey's dropped fork. Sarah shook her head and threw her hands up. "Look mom, it was a long time ago and you wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway," she said shooting a glare at her twin.

Casey was staring at the table intently with one hand balled into a fist on the table and the other on her belly. Chester gently touched her shoulder and she jumped nearly two feet in the air. "Casey what's the matter?" Chester asked. He did not like the look on her face.

She swallowed the huge lump in her throat and pushed backwards in her chair. "I…have to go to the bathroom." She got up slowly, declined Chester's offer for help and hurried out of the room.

Casey walked as quickly as she was able through the kitchen, the family room and out into the front hallway. She wanted to get as far away from that room as possible, far away from him. Sitting in there so close to him, felt like being smothered; she couldn't breathe, she thought her throat was going to close up with all the tears she refused to shed in front of everybody. She went straight for the hall bathroom and barely made it inside before she broke down.

Back at the table, Evelyn was not backing down. "Janie, I just don't understand what your sister could have possibly done to make you so angry with her."

"Of course you don't mom, you never believe your precious angel can do anything wrong. That's why I didn't tell you, cause you'd call me a liar!"

"Oh well that would be totally inaccurate now wouldn't it! Because you haven't spent the last three years lying to me, right?"

Casey Sr. looked back and forth between his wife and daughter as if trying to decide whose side to be on. Chester wanted to say something in Casey's defense but couldn't think of a thing, not knowing what had gone on.

"Are you still jealous of your sister? Is that what this is about?" Evelyn said accusingly.

"Jealous? You think I'm jealous of her?" Sarah shrieked back.

"Evie-" Casey Sr. was giving his wife a warning look.

"No, Casey let me say this! Every time June accomplished something, this one had something negative to say about it. Well what has she done now Jane, won the Nobel Peace Prize!"

Sarah's bottom lip trembled. She hadn't been yelled at like that by her mother in a long time. She decided to come clean. "Do you really want to know mother? Do you really wanna know what happened?"

"Yes I do!"

Sarah took a deep breath. "My twin sister, my best friend in the whole world, watched my alcoholic husband get drunk and then tried to seduce him."

There was a crushing silence. Both of Sarah's parents were staring at her. Chester's blood ran cold as a horrible realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

Sarah sat back and crossed her arms in satisfaction. "You asked, and that's the truth. That slut ruined his sobriety and tried to get into his pants all in one night! That's how much she cares about me! Are you happy now!"

It was at that moment that everyone noticed that Daniel Keagan had left the room.

Casey was trying to pull herself together. She couldn't go back in there all puffy-eyed and crying. She pushed herself off the toilet seat she'd been sitting on and ambled over to the sink to splash some cold water on her face. The cold felt good and she suddenly wanted another shower.

She heard the bathroom door creak open and she looked up to see Danny creeping in through the mirror. She whirled around and Danny gave her a big smile. He sauntered toward her and she braced herself against the sink wanting nothing more than to disappear into the wall. "Go away" she squeaked. Danny got even closer and leaned his hands on the counter behind her. "Hey, don't be that way. I just wanna talk." Casey bit her lip and shook her head. She couldn't go anywhere, she was trapped by his arms. His face was so close she could feel his breath. "I want to make sure our little secret is gonna stay between us Junie, you know some people just wouldn't understand."

He was so close her swollen belly pressed against his abs. Casey was trembling violently, the proximity of his body to hers made her want to scream. Then she felt his hand slide under shirt and rest just below her belly button. She tried and failed to bite back a sob. "Danny, please don't, I won't say anything, I promise." He kissed her on the forehead and whispered "Good girl."; then his face dipped, she tried to pull away but he leaned forward and kissed her right on the lips. His hand moved to her thigh which he caressed, Casey was in tears. "Stop it, please," she whimpered. His hands felt white hot against her skin. Her heart was pounding and she started to hyperventilate. Danny finally let her go and took a half step back with an almost concerned look on his face.

Out of nowhere Chester appeared in the doorway. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted. Daniel turned around to see Chester charge at him. Chester threw a punch that hit him square in the jaw. Danny stumbled to the left and into the wall. Chester hit him again and again. "You stay the hell away from my wife, you bastard! Don't you ever touch her again!"

Chester heard a groan and abruptly stopped his rampage. He turned around just in time to see Casey sink to the floor. He rushed over and knelt down beside her. He put an arm around her shoulders and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it as hard as she could as she started to sob. Chester was terrified. "Baby, what is it, what's wrong?" Casey tried hard to catch her breath. "I th-I th-I think I just had a contraction!"

So, I hope ya'll are satisfied with this one. Let me know will ya? Also, I want to ask my readers if you like these long chapters or if you would rather me update shorter chapters more often. I can't decide which is better myself. Drop me a review if you care! xoxo