Helpless

(Chapter Two: Misunderstanding)

Olivia felt the sting of the early morning dew covered grass under her bare feet like tiny shards of broken glass. Her toes were almost numb to the harsh earth beneath them now. They had probably walked nearly a mile down the hill and through the woods and trees, before they had even reached the field. Now, almost half way across the airplane hangers still appeared as tiny little buildings far off in the distance.

Elliot reached over and slipped his hand in hers. Olivia's legs were almost trembling with the adrenaline that now filled her body. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go home and take a hot shower and climb into her own bed and sleep. To wake up the next morning and realize that this was all some horrible dream. But it wasn't a dream. This was real, very real and if they didn't get someplace soon and get some help their lives could be in danger as well.

Elliot looked over at Olivia. Her hair somehow still held neatly in place, her freshly manicured set of fingernails were now missing two that had broken off in her struggle with him, her blue jeans were dirty and torn over one knee now where they had caught on the barbed wire at the bottom of the hill. She wore no shoes and her painted toes were covered in little cuts and scrapes and mud. The bottoms of her jeans were soaked now from the dew on the grass and she had spots of Kate's blood dried on her face and in her hair and on her clothing from kneeling beside the body and feeling for a pulse. Elliot knew that she was hanging on only by a thread and he was not about to let her slip over the edge.

Finally they approached the airplane hangers and office buildings. This was a tiny private airport and it appeared everything but the large light over the runway was shut down for the night. They climbed the steps to one of the office buildings, but it was locked and there was no one in site. Elliot looked back at Olivia as she sat down on a step and pulled her knees to her chest to rest for a few moments. He pressed his forehead against the glass to look inside.

There was a CB type radio and a telephone, they had to get into this room. He looked around for a moment for something to try and pick the lock with. Finding nothing he looked down at Olivia staring back up at him. She was depending on him to get her through this. Elliot turned back around and kicked the door open without a second thought. He turned back to Olivia and reached for her hand and helped her inside.

Elliot picked up the phone.

"Thank God," he said hearing a dial tone and dialing 911 to contact the nearest police department.

He hung up the phone and closed the door then took a seat beside her in the floor of the small room.

"They are sending someone here to get us," he said as he brushed his thumb across her forehead.

Olivia turned her weary eyes to look at him. Elliot wrapped his arm around her and pulled her head against his chest once more.

"We're going to get out of here, Olivia. I promise you."

She nodded her head, but said nothing.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied softly.

Several minutes later they could hear the sirens of the police cars as the approached the house up the hill. They stood and looked out the large glass window that overlooked the runway and could see the flashing red and blue lights as they began to surround the house where Kate and her family had been killed. Another minute or two and two police cars raced up the runway toward them with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. Elliot took her hand in his and lead her out to the pavement in front of the building as the cars approached them.

"Put your hands on your head and don't move," an officer barked at them as he drew his gun.

They both raised their hands to their heads and waited as a deputy approached them patting them down.

"They are clear." he said as he stared at Olivia. "She's covered in blood. But she has no wounds."

Olivia lowered her hands and turned to explain.

"We were in the house…." was all she got out before the officer yelled at her to put her hands back on her head and held his gun on her.

"We're police in New York," Elliot said with his hands still on his head.

"I don't care if you are Santa Clause, mister! I got four bodies up that hill and your little girlfriend here is covered in blood from my crime scene. In my book, that makes you suspects."

"That is ridiculous! She has blood on her because she tried to help one of the victims. But she was already dead. They all were. And we barely got out of the house before the killers came back. We climbed down the hill and came here and I called you. That is why you are even here."

"We're here responding to the silent alarm triggered when you chose to break into this building. Now back in New York breaking and entering is still against the law isn't it?"

"Yes," Elliot replied obviously annoyed.

"Then save it for your fancy lawyer, buddy. You're under arrest for breaking and entering and trespassing on private property."

"This is bullshit!" Elliot protested as the deputy cuffed his hands behind his back and lead him to the car.

"You too princess," he said looking at Olivia as she lowered her hands behind her back peacefully so he could cuff her.

An hour later they sat in separate interrogation rooms being interviewed by the sheriff and his deputy.

Olivia gave up the information she knew freely three different times, not changing a single detail of her story. The fourth time she was questioned about the details she asked for her lawyer.

Elliot however didn't give anything up at all. He lawyered up as soon as they sat him down. He sat and listened as the officers trampled on his constitutional rights and insisted that Olivia had flipped on him. Just how stupid did they think he was? There was nothing for her to flip on. He leaned back in his chair and said nothing except that he would speak only in the presence of his attorney, as he crossed his arms in front of him.

One of the officers rolled his eyes and cuffed Elliot again as they lead him to the telephone to call his lawyer. Elliot called Casey of course, but only got a voice mail. He left a message with the contact information to the jail where they were being held and hung up the phone.

They walked him back toward the holding cells. As they rounded the corner he saw Olivia standing with her hands against the wall as one of the arresting officers frisked her. Elliot watched closely as the mans hands smoothed over the curves of her body and he turned and smiled at one of the other male officers across the room as he cupped her breast in his hand above her gown.

Elliot jerked free of the officer escorting him and punched the man in the jaw for assaulting her. He shoved the man against the wall and hit him again in the nose causing it to pour blood all over the floor.

"You keep your fucking hands off her!" He yelled as he slammed the man against the wall a second time.

In the next second Elliot had a knee in his back and had fallen to his knees on the floor as a fist caught him in the bottom lip, pressing it against his front tooth and splitting it. Olivia watched silently as two officers demanded Elliot lay against the floor and they cuffed him again. They jerked him around and tossed him into a cell in the back of the jail house, closing the iron bars behind him.

Olivia however, they escorted the other direction walking her into a small area and making her remove all of her clothing and take a three minute shower to wash away the blood. She stepped out as a female officer handed her a towel and walked her across the room.

"Where are my clothes?" She asked looking at the woman.

"They are evidence now," she said handing Olivia a pair of orange pants and a matching button down shirt.

"Even my underwear?"

"Everything. Just get dressed and don't give me any trouble."

Olivia nodded and dressed herself, then used the flimsy black plastic comb the woman had given her to try to tame her hair. The woman gave her a pair of socks and thin slippers, then handed her a blanket and guided her to the back of the cell block. She unlocked the cell and nudged Olivia toward the door.

"No funny stuff," she snapped.

Olivia stepped inside and watched as the woman slid the bars shut in front of her. Elliot raised his head as the door slammed shut.

"Liv," he said rising to his feet, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said softly raising her fingertip to touch his busted lip.

"I'm fine."

"You shouldn't have done that Elliot. We are in so much trouble already."

"I don't give a damn! I am not going to stand there and watch an officer of the law sexually assault you and do nothing about it!" She blinked her dark eyes at him and he realized he had been yelling at her. Elliot backed up a little bit to give her a little space. "I tried to call Casey, all I got was a voice mail. But I left a message with the contact information."

"She's catching a red eye flight. She'll be here in the morning."

"You talked to her?"

"Yeah."

"Good. She'll get here and get all of this mess straightened out. If anyone can get us out of this mess it is Casey. She does this for a living. She has tried harder cases than this and won them, no problem."

"I hope you're right," Olivia said sitting down on the edge of one of the beds in the room.

Elliot sat at the top of the bed and leaned back against the wall. He looked up at Olivia's exhausted eyes.

"You should try to get some sleep."

"I can't sleep. Not now. Not here, after what we have seen." She took a deep breath.

Elliot reached out for her hand.

"Here Liv," he said as she placed her palm in his. He pulled her gently across the bed and against his chest. We wrapped his arms tight around her waist, holding her against him. He cupped his hand against the side of her face and combed his fingers through her hair.

"You're safe now. I'm right here with you, Olivia. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Close your eyes sweetheart and get some rest."

She stared up into his eyes for a moment. Elliot placed a soft kiss against her forehead. Her heavy eyes struggled to stay open for a few more seconds then she nestled her face into him and fell asleep.

Elliot closed his eyes and tried too get some sleep as well. There wasn't anything else they could do, but wait for Casey to arrive.