Thanks for all the reviews guys. I'm really glad you like it! Unfortunately I'm going to be without the internet for a few weeks while I move. But that just means a good update when I get back.

Chapter 2

Olivia's mouth figuratively hit her desk but she managed to retain a professional exterior in front of the ADA.

"Counsellor, I'm…" Olivia tried to get something, anything, to come out to comfort the woman in front of her. The steely blue gaze and a raised eyebrow stopped her dead in her tracks. It was almost as if the Counselor was daring her to say something and suffer the repercussions, which Olivia imagined would be something along the lines of desk duty, coffee runs and more paperwork than the DMV saw in a year. The Detective knew better than to try her luck.

"If that is all, I am heading back to my office. I still have to complete my closing argument and meet Donnelly. I'll write down his home address and number to save you some time. It looks like I got you out of that paperwork after all. Goodbye Detective."

And just like that, Alex Cabot scribbled on Olivia's pad and breezed out of the station with as much composure as she had entered without uttering another word, leaving the Detective to stare after her retreating form.

A multitude of questions ran through her mind, with no answers being particularly forthcoming. How could Alex react like that? Actually, how could she not react at all? It might as well have being another unknown face in the growing sea of victims.

Olivia closed her eyes and took a breath. Releasing it slowly, she got up from her chair wondering why everyone thought taking a deep breath helped. Because it didn't. Not at all. Making her way to the evidence board she grabbed her fellow Detective's attention.

"Got an ID on Vic three. Fin can you run it through DMV just to confirm?" She managed to get out in a relatively calm voice; though she was pretty certain her expression looked like her mother's ghost had just walked in and asked her to lunch.

"Can do, what's the name" answered the fellow Detective without looking up from the screen in front of him.

"Wallace Cabot." The three men finally looked up at her with expectant eyes, but she didn't offer any explanation. Hell, she couldn't offer any explanation; Cabot hadn't given her one.

"Cabot as in ADA Cabot? Is that why she rushed outta here without even saying goodbye?" asked Elliot as he gazed at the exit the Counselor had used only moments before.

"She had a meeting to get to. We all know what Cabot is like, guys. She barely even blinked. She gave me an address. Elliot you wanna head over there with me? Someone has got to break the news."

Elliot nodded and began gathering his jacket while Olivia headed over to Fin's computer with her notepad. A picture very similar to the one currently pinned on their increasing line of victims flashed up on the screen after a few seconds.

"That definitely looks like our guy minus the bullet hole." Munch peered at the open notepad in Olivia's hand. "Match on the address too. You'll still need to get the wife in for an ID."

"No problem Munch. While we're gone could you two do a little digging? Criminal record, banking records, phone records. The usual stuff for now. Cabot doesn't seem too concerned but let's try not to bother her anyway."

"Didn't she say anything about the guy? I mean, he is her family. Not even she can be that cold" asked Fin. Olivia took objection to anyone other than herself bad mouthing her A.D.A.

"I think our dear Miss Cabot just got upgraded from Ice Princess to Ice Queen." added Munch before she had a chance to answer the previous question.

"Guy is married, one kid and a pretty important stock broker. Now you know what I know." Olivia told her fellow detectives, unable to maintain eye contact with any of them. "And let's not be too hasty calling her cold Fin. People deal in different ways; you should know that by now. This isn't another family member to deal with, this is Alex, our colleague. You guys would do well to remember that, yeah?" She added defensively, the guilt at her omission causing her to deflect attention away from the current situation as quickly as possible.

The Detective wasn't quite sure why but she kept the information about the origin of the deceased's scar to herself. She had a niggling feeling that sharing that little tidbit with the other detective's would lead them straight to Cabot's door as a possible suspect. The mere thought of Alex having every aspect of her life put under the SVU's microscope made Olivia's stomach churn. She would do anything for that not to happen, even if that meant withholding evidence from the squad. As she caught up with her partner leaving the office she almost managed to convince herself that it was female solidarity that made her protect the A.D.A. Almost.

"I know that look Liv, you not telling me something you should have? Now's your chance. You got a lead on this?" asked Elliot as he started to climb into the driver's seat.

"I got nothing El, I'm just thinking about Alex. She's probably pretty upset about all this and just didn't want to show it in front of the people she works with. Got to be a little uncomfortable, you know? It's not like any of us know her particularly well and now we are going to be up in her family's business? Now move your ass, who said you were driving?" she deflected before Elliot could question the uncertainty in her voice. It hadn't been a complete lie. She was thinking about Alex and her reaction, but nothing about it convinced her that the A.D.A. was in shock or felt awkward.

She recalled the glimpse she had caught. The flash of something in Alex's eyes before she got the façade back in place was just a brief glance, nothing much at all, but it worried Olivia. It worried her because what she saw definitely was not sadness of grief. It looked more like the look a perp got on their face when they had zero remorse for what they had done, like they took some sick pleasure in it. Yes, that look definitely worried her.

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