A/N: Hi everyone, thanks for the reviews. I'm going to keep this short and sweet, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, if you have time please review.

I raced home to find Marni gone, I looked in my bedroom and the bathroom. I saw Alex milling in the doorway to my apartment, "She's not here Alex."

"She's probably just gone for some fresh air, Liv." Alex assured me but my gut was telling me otherwise.

"She promised she wouldn't leave, something's wrong Alex. I can feel it..." I felt a surge of sickness wash over me as worry and concern started flowing through me. Alex smiled at me softly, her eyes were soft and beautiful as always. She folded me into her arms and held me. "I've let her down Alex."

"No you haven't, you don't even know what's happened to her yet. She could be fine."

"But she might not be." I pulled out of the hug and smiled at her, she raised her hand and cupped my cheek in her hand.

"You need to get back to work, I'll look for Marni."

"Are you sure?" I asked feeling very thankful to Alex.

"I'm sure," she replied, "It's better I go, she trusts me and knows me."

I felt like my insides were twisting themselves in knots, but like Alex said, I had work to do. Now facing up to the fact that I had two child rapes most likely by the same perp. I looked at Alex, "I'm going to get back to work, please call me if you find her."

"I will, just try and keep your mind off Marni, you need to concentrate on your cases."

I smiled and kissed Alex softly on the lips, I felt my hands automatically go to her waist, she smiled beneath my lips, as I pulled out of the kiss I noticed she was still smiling. "I'll see you soon."

"You will." Alex said still smiling.

I wondered what Alex was really thinking about when I left my apartment, but the truth of the matter was, I couldn't be thinking about Alex when Grace and Emily needed my attention. I got in the Crown Vic that sat outside my apartment and drove back to work. When I got there I saw something I wasn't expecting, Elliot. It had been three years since I last saw him, damn, I hadn't even had contact with him in years. My mouth must have dropped open slightly because Elliot walked over to me and pushed my chin up. "What are you doing here?" I blurted.

He looked rather shocked, but I could feel resentment bubbling inside of me as he smiled; "I'm back!" he stated.

"Back in New York? Or back here?" I asked.

"Here, I work here... again." he said. He leant in for a hug but I stepped back, I didn't say anything, I couldn't find the words to say anything. "Can we talk?"

Elliot looked pathetic, almost like he was begging me with his eyes. "I have nothing to say to you."

"I have a few things I need to say to you though, please. Just five minutes."

"You have two." I said, I watched as he walked over to the interrogation room, my legs followed him, even if I wanted to stop myself, I don't think I could have.

Elliot held the door open for me, then shut it behind him. "Liv, I need to apologise." he started, I raised my eyebrows. "Don't give me that look, I know I should have called or emailed, but life got busy. I had to sort my head out."

"So it took you three years to sort your head out? And in that three years, you couldn't pick up the phone?" I spat angrily.

"Honestly, I couldn't call. For a while I was ashamed, confused, guilt ridden, then I was embarrassed I hadn't called and it was easier not to call than to pick up the phone. I tried though, I dialled your number a few times, I just couldn't press the call button."

I rolled my eyes, "You have thirty seconds before I walk out of here. I have two cases, and right now I don't care about your excuses."

"Olivia I love you." he blurted. I looked at him, my mouth was dry and a lump rose in my throat. "Please say something." he begged.

I looked at him, I was completely caught off guard. "How dare you?!" I felt the rage in me bubble and then spill, "How dare you ignore my calls for three years, you didn't call me, for all I knew you were dead, and you come in here and tell me you love me! It's been three years Elliot, not three days, three years!"

"Olivia please, please don't be like this. I came back because clearing my head after the shooting made me realise just how much I love you. I always have! I know I made a mistake, but everyone makes mistakes. Why can't you forgive me?"

"Because I loved you!" I screamed. I looked at him with so much anger inside me, "I loved you! I wanted us to be in a relationship, I wanted everything with you, but you made me feel like I was a nobody, like I was nothing to you. One day you just left without a call or text and you expect me to forget how I felt, how you made me feel?" I walked to the door and opened it, "I'm in love with someone else, and no one, not even you is going to mess this up for me. I'm finally happy, I have everything I've ever wanted and more. Please, just leave me alone." I walked out of the interrogation room, straight over to my desk. I sat in my seat and sunk, I was just about to let my mind wander when I heard Cragen barking my name, I looked at him and forced myself to my feet.

"Olivia shut the door behind you." he said, I slipped inside the door and closed it.

"I have some bad news regarding Grace Palmwood and her mother, Jessica." I looked at Cragen pleading with him with my eyes to continue. "They're both dead, their house was bombed five minutes ago."

I looked at Cragen, my body riddled with shock again, I couldn't count on one hand how many times I had been put in a state of shock today. "How?" I squeaked.

"We don't know yet, the fire department is there now. The paramedics pronounced both Jessica and Grace dead at the scene."

"Oh God." I sighed softly, I ran both of my hands over my forehead and through my hair. "Sir I know I have another open case, but I need to get down there. I need to know what happened."

"Go. And take Elliot."

I stood up and then glared, "Sir, I'd really rather not."

"It's not a question." he told me.

"Please sir, I know I can't work with him."

"You were partners for twelve years Olivia, there's not an SVU partnership that's ever lasted that long in police history." Cragen could see the pain in my eyes, or the tears, either way he sighed and nodded, "Okay, go."

I left the one – six with a headache. I drove the nine blocks to the Palmwood house, or what used to be the Palmwood house. All that was left was a pile of rubble, I tried to imagine what their house looked like before the bombing. I couldn't, I couldn't focus at all. I got out of the car and signed in with the uniform at the tape. I walked over to the fire captain who was talking to the Arson chief, "Detective Benson, SVU." I introduced myself.

"I'm Captain Alec Marshall, this is Chief Matthews. How can we help you?"

"Do you know what caused the explosion? My captain said it was a bomb."

"What is an SVU detective doing here?" Matthews asked me.

"One of the victims was a rape victim, I'm working her case." I explained.

"Right." Alec said knowing Matthews was touchy about who was at his crime scene. "We found this," Alec waved his hand at a young male who brought over what looked like stuffing and what remained of the wires. "We think it was a stuffed animal, there's not a lot left of the bomb itself, or the stuffed animal, but we recovered an ear of a brown bear."

Shit! The bear, it was the thank you gift from the rapist. "That's your bomb!" I said quickly, "And if I'm right, there's another one on the way, is there anyway you can spare someone. I have another victim I believe is connected to this one, if I'm right, she'll have a bear too." I talked too quickly, Alec looked confused until my words sunk in.

"I'll come with you, I'll call someone from the bomb squad too." Alec ushered me to my car and got in. I turned on the lights and sirens and raced to Emily's house.

I got out of the car in a panic, I banged on the front door. I turned to Alec in despair. "I can't lose another one."

Alec banged on the door harder than I had, Michael Wilson opened the door. "Detective Benson, is everything okay?"

"I need to see Emily, now." I told him.

"Of course, you know where she is." he told me as I ran through to her bedroom. I could hear Alec explaining to Mr Wilson about the bear.

"Emily!" I shouted, I burst into her room without knocking. "Emily, where's the bear?" I asked.

"What? Get out!" she screamed.

"Where's the bear Emily, you need to tell me, it's a bomb!" as I said it, a member of the bomb squad had found Emily's bedroom and stood behind me. He was wearing full padding and tried to push me out of the room. "Emily you need to tell me where it is!" I felt like I was begging.

"It's right here." she said holding the bear close to her chest. "I know what it is, I can feel it."

"Please Emily, you need to give the bear to this man, he can stop it. You need to get out of here now. Please come with me." I looked at Emily and then I saw the look in her eyes, she wanted to die, she knew exactly what the bear really was and she was waiting for it to kill her. "Emily this is not the answer, I can help you but you have to leave with me now." Emily stared at me, it looked like she was looking right through me, I let my instinct take over, I pulled her off the bed, threw the bear on the ground and ran with her screaming in my arms. "OUT!" I shouted as I ran through the house with Emily.

I put Emily down outside, she was still shouting at me. She tried to run back into the house when her father grabbed her. I heard a loud bang, my body was thrown backwards and then a loud ringing took over my sense of hearing. I could hear muffled screams but they were twisted with the ringing. I felt debris hitting me on the back and legs, I scrambled to get further away from the house. I turned to see Emily in her dad's arms, both alive. I saw Alec moving, the only person I couldn't see was the guy from the bomb squad. I stood up shakily, my balance was off completely; I stumbled with the first few steps I took, but soon found my feet again. I felt around for my cell phone, I took it out my pocket and saw three missed calls from Alex, my stomach dropped further, had she found Marni? I called her back and only when the calling cell phone screen changed to the seconds mounting up screen did I start talking. "Alex, I can't hear anything, there's been an explosion, I'm fine just cuts and bruises. Meet me back at the one – six as soon as possible. I love you." I didn't know if Alex was speaking, but she hadn't hung up, I tried so hard to hear her, but it was no use. I'd have to wait to find out if Marni was okay, or not.