Disclaimer: I didn't own Law and Order or SVU last week. I still don't own it this week. I probably won't own it next week either, but one can always hope.

Authors Note: Still rated T for now, but this may go M soon. Sorry for the inconsistencies with using the detectives first and last names. I am trying to figure out which I want to use in what contexts. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Thank you to everyone who had read the story. Special thanks go to all those who have added it to their story alerts or favorites. It means a lot to me. In particular thank you to Ray27 and HAZMOT for reviewing, and to Anywhere Else, who has taken the time to review both chapters. It means a lot to me.

"NYPD," Benson announced as they knocked on the door. A bailiff opened the door and they stepped into the room. She turned to find Abbie sitting at the end of a short conference table and her mouth dropped open in shock.

Abbie looked like hell Olivia thought as she entered the room. The bailiffs started to leave the room as Olivia slowly looked Abbie over, taking in her injuries. Her hair was wild and tangled and she sported numerous cuts and scratches on her arms and face. She was staring straight ahead with a vacant look in her eyes and Olivia could see that her lip was split and bleeding slightly. Bruises were beginning to form all over her body and from the size of her swollen left wrist it would appear that it was fractured or broken.

What disturbed Olivia most, however, was that Abbie didn't seem to notice her injuries, or if she did, she was completely indifferent to them. She had not noticed the detectives entrance either, or at least she had not given any sign that she had noticed. Elliot spoke quietly to one of the bailiffs as Olivia slowly approached Abbie. She would try to talk to her for a minute, Olivia decided, and then they would take her to the hospital. A full interview could wait until after her injuries were tended to.

"Abbie," Olivia said quietly, "I need to ask you a few questions about what happened. You know the drill."

Abbie didn't respond. She just sat there silently staring off into the distance as Elliot approached.

"Abbie," Olivia repeated a bit louder. "I need you to talk to me." When Abbie still didn't respond, Olivia softened her voice as she reached for Abbie's uninjured hand before remembering that they were still cuffed. Instead she settled for putting her hand on Abbie's shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

The combination of the soft words and gentle touch finally got through to Abbie. She turned towards Olivia as she began to sob. At first she tried to conceal her tears, but soon she realized how futile it was and just gave herself over to crying. Olivia took Abbie in her arms and stroked her back softly. As Abbie continued to sob, Olivia attempted to comfort. It felt a bit strange to her, comforting someone she was supposed to be arresting, and yet she still couldn't bring herself to think of Abbie as a perp. She seemed so much more like a victim.

After a few minutes Abbie stopped crying and pulled away from Olivia. "Sorry," she whispered, embarrassed that she had collapsed sobbing on the detective.

"It's okay Abbie," Olivia assured her. Sometime while she had been crying, Elliot had come over and sat down at the table. He reached for her hands to remove the handcuffs and she flinched for a second before she realized what he was doing and relaxed, allowing him to take the cuffs off.

"We're going to take you to the hospital and then question you later," Elliot informed her, confident that Olivia would agree. "We'll hold off on arresting you, if we need to, until afterwards. I know it's not protocol, but it should make things go easier at the hospital. At least one of us will have to stay with you, though."

"Okay," Abbie murmured softly. "It's okay if you want to arrest me now though. There's no need to treat me special."

Elliot and Olivia looked over at each other. Of course they would treat Abbie differently, even if they shouldn't. Technically they probably shouldn't have even been working the case since they knew her, but it seemed that Cragen thought they were far enough removed to get away with it. "Why don't you go with Abbie," Elliot suggested to Olivia. "Depending on where all she's injured it could be less awkward for you than for me. I'll go check in with Cragen about seeing the other guy."

At the mention of Tucker, Abbie seemed to shrink into herself. She pulled away from the rest of the world a bit, although not nearly to the extent of earlier. Elliot got up and went over to open the door. He held it open as Olivia helped Abbie up and walked her out of the room. The three walked together in silence down the hallway, trying to ignore the stares of all those who had heard the latest courthouse gossip.

When they got to the car they settled Abbie in the back and then stopped for a moment to discuss plans. "I'll drop you two at the emergency exit," Elliot suggested, "and then call Cragen. That way if he lets me go see the guy she got, I'll already be at the hospital."

"Fine," Olivia agreed. "It just seems weird though, doesn't it? Abbie's not acting like any perp I've seen. She's acting like a victim."

Elliot nodded. "There's got to be something going on here." After a brief pause they got in the car and headed to the hospital.

The car ride was quiet. It didn't feel like the right time to question Abbie and Olivia and Elliot both felt like it would be rude to just make small talk. Instead he put on the radio quietly so that there wouldn't be total silence. Nobody really listened, but it made the ride a bit more bearable. When they arrived, Olivia let Abbie out of the back seat and walked with her into the emergency room. Elliot took off to park and call Cragen.

"What's going on Elliot," Cragen asked when he picked up his phone.

"Abbie hasn't said anything yet, but she seems pretty upset. We just brought her over to the emergency room. Olivia is staying with her. After she gets fixed up we'll arrest and interrogate her. When can I talk to the guy she beat up?"

"The guy has been identified as Michael Tucker and you can go talk to his doctor, but you'll have to put off talking to him until he wakes up. He lost consciousness shortly after the bailiffs took Abbie away, and the hospital says he's in a mild coma right now. He should recover, they think, but they don't know when he'll wake up. She really did a number on him. You should have arrested her. It won't look good if the public finds out we're giving special privileges to ADAs or to people we know. People will be watching this one, so you've got to play by the rules from here on out." Cragen's voice was stern but still had a trace of sympathy in it. He didn't like this case any better than his detectives, but he could not allow it to reflect poorly on the unit.

"Sorry Captain. I'll go talk to the doctor and I'll pass your message along to Olivia next time I see her. Have Munch and Fin gotten anything yet?"

"They're still over at the courthouse, but they should be back soon with the videos."

Elliot began walking towards the hospital as the Captain continued to fill him in on the details of the case. He hung up shortly before he reached the front desk.

"I need to find a patient's doctor," he informed the receptionist, holding up his badge. "Michael Tucker."

The receptionist looked at him nervously as she typed the name into the system. "He's in room 507," she told him. "His doctor is doing rounds right now, but he might have a few minutes if you catch him in between patients. He should be up on fifth floor."

A half an hour later Elliot finally spoke to the doctor. Tucker was in pretty bad shape, but would likely make a full recovery. He had some broken ribs and was covered in bruises and cuts. The worst was his head injury likely from his head slamming on the floor when Abbie knocked him down. He was in a coma right now due to swelling in his brain, but it was unlikely to leave permanent damage. The doctor promised to call Elliot when Tucker woke up. With that taken care of, Elliot headed back to the station.

The wait was much longer for Abbie and Olivia. Abbie's injuries were nowhere near bad enough to merit immediate attention- they were very painful but not life threatening in the least. Olivia and Abbie sat in silence for the first thirty minutes, but as the wait went on they began to chat. Not about anything relating to the case of course. They talked about stupid things that didn't really matter right now like the weather or tv shows they watched as if they were just two friends hanging out. It was a bit surreal but it relaxed both of them and Abbie started to look a bit less dead although she still seemed exhausted and a bit out of it. After an hour and a half Olivia was beginning to consider using her badge to speed up the triage. Before she could make up her mind, however, Abbie was finally called in.

Olivia was allowed to accompany Abbie after she explained that she was with the police and an incident had occurred. She was careful not to identify Abbie as the perpetrator although after they watched the news that night everyone would know. Olivia had a sneaking suspicion that the doctor assumed Abbie was the victim, which was only aided by her requesting that all of Abbie's injuries be documented. While traditionally procedure for victims it made sense in a case like this where they could try to see if the wounds Tucker had inflicted on Abbie were reasonable in the context of self-defense. If not, then they could possibly charge him as well.

Abbie quietly answered all the doctors' questions about her medical history and where it hurt, but when he asked what had happened she got suddenly quiet. After a minute she simply responded "there was an incident earlier." The doctor was about to ask another question when Olivia gave him a stare that told him he didn't really want to continue on this line of questions. Instead he instructed her to ice the larger bruises, and especially her split lip, and told her that someone would be in soon to take her down to x-ray for her wrist which was likely broken.

A few hours later Elliot came back to the hospital to pick up Olivia and Abbie, whose wrist now sported a large cast. They took her back to the station and Elliot started the process of arresting and processing her while Olivia went to talk to Cragen, who was sitting with Munch and Fin.

All three shared what they had found out with the captain, and he informed them of Elliot's news about Michael Tuckers condition. The man had not yet woken up so they couldn't get his side of the story, but the videos made one thing painfully clear: Abbie had attacked the man with absolutely no provocation; he really had just fought to defend himself. Abbie must have known him from somewhere though, the look on her face in the videos had made that obvious. Munch and Fin were told to go find out how Abbie knew the lawyer and Olivia went to find Elliot.

Elliot and Olivia brought Abbie into the interrogation room, apologizing and explaining that Cragen had ordered they follow exact protocol so they couldn't do the interview somewhere more comfortable. Abbie said that she understood and that she should be treated like anyone else. They mirandized her and began questioning her. Elliot was a bit shocked when she didn't ask for a lawyer, but he continued anyway.

"What can you tell us about the incident earlier today," he asked her.

Abbie pushed her hair away from her face with her uninjured hand as she responded. "Don't you already know. There were plenty or reporters there. I'm sure you've already been told exactly what happened. Besides, it's a bit fuzzy for me." In an odd way that was true. The actual fight was a bit unclear to her, but the moments before she attacked him were perfectly clear. She could remember every detail of seeing him until the panic had taken over.

"Yes Abbie," Olivia informed her, "we know what happened. We still need to hear it from you. Besides we should get your side of the story as well."

"I attacked him, okay," Abbie said a bit aggressively. "I don't remember exactly what I did, but he turned around and then I attacked him. I didn't really mean to. It just happened. I couldn't control myself or think." She hung her head in shame at the last part. Abbie Carmichael was always in control. She always thought about what she did. Except around Tucker.

"Why did you attack him," Olivia asked softly. Elliot was staring at Abbie as if she had grown a second head. This Abbie was nothing like the Abbie he knew.

"I didn't plan to. I just reacted to seeing him."

"So, you had met him before today." Elliot had gotten over his shock and joined in the questioning again.

"Yes," Abbie admitted reluctantly. "We attended the same university. I was an undergraduate and he was a Law student."

"How well did you know him?"

"Oh, I knew him pretty well," Abbie said bitterly.

"What was the nature of your relationship with him?" Olivia asked.

Abbie froze upon hearing that question. She wouldn't let her mind go there, and frankly she didn't know exactly how to define it. "I can't," she said sounding both firm and terrified at the same time. "I really can't."

"Abbie," Olivia said. "It would help us if we knew why you attacked him. It could help you in court and help us decide which charges to keep and which to drop."

"It doesn't matter why I did it," Abbie responded coolly. "You know exactly what I did. It's assault plain as day. Any jury would agree with you on that. All that will matter is how badly I injured him. That might influence jail time a bit. This is an easier case than the one I was trying this morning. Besides my actions are what should determine my sentence, not my reasons."

The detectives asked a few more questions after that, but Abbie sat there quietly unable to answer. After a few minutes they gave up and took Abbie down to lockup for the night. A brief conversation with another officer ensured that Abbie would have a cell to herself. She was to be arraigned first thing in the morning.

It was evening and the detectives were getting ready to leave for the night when a man burst in demanding to see Captain Cragen. The gray haired man was quickly let into Cragen's office, fury radiating from his features.

He was barely in the door when he began yelling. "Why," he demanded of Cragen, "why am I not informed when your people arrest one of my ADAs. Why did I have to find this out from the gossip mill at the courthouse? And where is ADA Carmichael? I would like to see her." He finished a bit softer than he had begun, some of the anger leaving his face.

"I'm sorry you weren't informed. I never meant for this to be kept from you. Carmichael was taken to a cell for the night, but I'm sure that if you go there, you'll be allowed to see her. " Cragen looked over at Jack McCoy with sympathy. He sure wouldn't like it if nobody told him one of his people had been arrested and he empathized with both the pain and fury he saw in eyes of the DA.

A short while later Jack McCoy was ushered into a conference room where Abbie had been brought. He looked at her in silent shock for a moment. She seemed fairly composed for someone who had been arrested although she was still nowhere near as composed as the Abbie he knew. There seemed to be a distinct coldness and distance about her- more even than usual.

Still, she did seem pleased that he was there even as she informed him that he needn't have come.

Jack was not one to waste time with pleasantries. "Of course I came Abbie," he informed her. Then dispensing with any subtlety he informed her "I looked up this Michael Tucker once I heard the news. It seems he was a law student at University of Texas at the same time as you were there. In fact it seems he would have been a third year law student when you were a freshman. So unless I'm missing something here, good for you for getting him."

"Good for me," Abbie said derisively. "We follow the law Jack. We don't take it into our own hands. We know that better than anyone. We let the law take its course but we don't exact personal revenge. It isn't okay when someone else does it and it isn't okay if I do it despite everyone wanting to treat me differently. I'm not special. I'm not above the law."

"True, although you are special, just not in the eyes of the law. He had everything you did coming to him. If you explain that to the detectives they can help you out."

"No, Jack. I'm not going to get let off easy for this. I'll take the punishment I deserve. I can't get away with just attacking someone no matter what they've done in the past."

"That's not how you looked at the Simonelli case. You cut her a deal."

"I felt for her. I shouldn't have. That's not what a prosecutor does."

"You did the right thing then. Now I need you to do the right thing now. You don't need to punish yourself anymore. You said you were done blaming yourself but you aren't. You blame yourself for what happened then and you blame yourself now. But neither were your fault. I'm not saying you shouldn't take any responsibility for what happened today, but why it happened is at least as important. So, help yourself and stop begging the legal system to punish you for what you falsely blame yourself for. And I don't mean what happened today."

He paused to give her a minute to think about what he had said. Some of the coldness seeped from her demeanor and she relaxed a bit. Wearily she realized that most of what he said was true.

"Talk to the detectives," he told her. "Let them help you." There was a brief pause, then he added, "And get yourself an attorney. If you don't have one by tomorrow there will be one waiting at your bail hearing. I'm not letting you go undefended."

He turned and walked away. As the door swung shut behind him, Abbie softly spoke two words: "Thanks, Jack." Alone, she let herself cry once more, bitter tears mixed with a bit of healing.

Authors Note: Wow that was a long chapter. I don't think most of them will be this long, but the lengths will vary based on when it feels right to stop. Remember, reviews are highly appreciated.