Author's Note: Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter!

Chapter 4

"You're late." Serena's voice came from the couch as Olivia entered her apartment.

"We got a case." She didn't have the energy to explain anything more to her mother. It usually didn't matter what the explanation was anyway. Serena would be unhappy regardless and Olivia didn't have it in her to care about her mother's feelings right now. She was worried about Kathleen and Elliot.

On top of that her mind kept going to her old friend Michelle and all of the memories that came with her, both good and bad. And that reminded her of the fact that she had just lied to Elliot for the first time ever. Then she worried some more about him and his daughter. It was a relentless cycle she couldn't shake. She sighed as she dropped her keys on the table by the door. It had been a long day.

She was unclipping the holster from her belt when she saw the newest additions to her kitchen. Four brand new bottles of her mother's favorite were lined up next to one half empty bottle. "What's this?" She asked immediately, trying not to raise her voice. "How did you get these?" She knew there was no way her mother could have carried them and still been able to use her cane and without the cane she couldn't go far.

Serena didn't have to ask what her daughter was referring to. "I found a place that delivers!" She announced from the living room. "Isn't that nice? You won't have to pick any up for me anymore!"

Olivia didn't know what to say. She definitely wasn't feeling her mother's enthusiasm and wondered if the deliveries were even legal. She looked from the alcohol to her mother who was still facing the television engrossed in whatever was flashing across the screen. The one thing Olivia had been able to control was the amount Serena drank at home. Apparently that just went out the window and suddenly the only thing she had any desire to do was to sleep. "Night Mom." She said as she retreated to her bedroom. If Serena replied Olivia didn't hear her.

Her dreams started off normal enough. Normal for her anyway. Olivia was eight years old again and her mother was listing all of the reasons she preferred alcohol to her daughter. Then she was back to her late thirties coming home after a particularly difficult case. She opened the door to find every flat surface in the apartment was full of alcohol. There were bottles of vodka on the counters, whiskey on the tables, glasses of rum somehow managed to stand upright on the couch, and the floor was covered in beer cans.

Things eventually shifted and Olivia found herself in Elliot's house, but she couldn't find any of the Stablers. She searched every room and became more frantic each time they were empty. She started with the basement and worked her way up. Finally she made it to the second floor hallway right outside Kathleen's room, the last room in the house. She pushed the door open and Kathleen was there in bed, asleep. Olivia let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know where everyone else was, but she felt so much better knowing she wasn't alone. She went to ask the girl if she knew where her father and siblings were, but when Olivia approached the bed she realized it wasn't Kathleen at all. It was Michelle lying there exactly as she had the last time Olivia saw her. She was pale and cold, lifeless.

Olivia woke with a start. She sat up and ran her hands down her face. She was embarrassed to find she'd been crying in her sleep and she swiped the tears away angrily. She sat there for a while. Her breathing calmed and her heart rate returned to normal, but she knew there was no way she was going back to sleep any time soon.

Elliot sat his partner's coffee on her desk next to her keys and a half empty mug that looked like it had been there a while. He looked around, but didn't see Olivia anywhere. Her computer screen was black, a result of the machine shutting itself down after sitting idle for too long. "You guys seen Liv?" He asked as he took his seat behind his desk.

Fin was getting settled at his own desk and shook his head as he listened to the voice messages left on his desk phone over the night. Munch hadn't seen her either, but her things were already on her desk when he arrived almost an hour ago. Surely she would show up soon.

Elliot busied himself with his phone messages and emails, but when he finished and there was still no sign of Olivia he began to worry. She had to be here somewhere, but what could she be doing that would keep her out of the squadroom for so long? He went up to the roof where they often went to get away, but she wasn't there. She wasn't in the gym either or the connected locker room. He even stuck his head in the women's restroom, but found it was empty. Finally he ventured up to the cribs and there she was.

Olivia was sound asleep on her favorite bunk and Elliot wondered how long she'd been there. He knew she must have been tired. She hadn't bothered to pull the covers over herself or even take her boots off. "Liv?" He asked from the doorway. When he got no response he entered the room and tried again. Still nothing. He took a seat on the bunk next to her and shook her shoulder gently. "Livia?" She stirred and he withdrew his hand.

Olivia blinked a few times before opening her eyes and when she realized she was looking into the concerned face of her partner her heart rate shot up along with the upper part of her body and she swung her legs over the side of the cot. "Shit!" She exclaimed. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry!" Elliot tried not to laugh. "I didn't mean to." He watched as she raised her arms above her head and stretched the muscles in her back and shoulders. "You ok?' He asked.

She nodded and held back a yawn. "Why are you here so early?"

"Liv, its almost nine." Her eyes grew wide. "How long have you been up here? Munch said he saw your stuff when he came in, but you were already gone."

"A few hours I guess." She shrugged and could see he questions in his gaze. "I couldn't sleep last night so I finally decided I'd come in and make myself useful. After a while I couldn't keep my eyes open so I came up here." She explained. "I planned to be back at my desk before anyone else got here." She looked down at her watch and shook her head. She couldn't believe she'd slept so long.

"Its ok." He told her. "You've got to sleep sometime. You sure everything's ok?" He knew she'd been coming in early sometimes, but she'd never mentioned trouble sleeping before.

She nodded. "I had to deal with Mom being Mom when I got home last night." She explained. "You know how she gets when I'm late."

He did know and he hated that she had to put up with it. "Call me next time, huh? We could have kept each other company. I didn't sleep very well either." He admitted though he struggled to look her in the eye.

Olivia suppressed another yawn and shook her head trying to wake up. "I'm sorry." She said, hoping he could tell that she really meant it. She felt terrible for not checking in with him after the day he had yesterday, but she'd been too focused on other things. "You ok?" She asked. "How's Kathleen?"

He nodded. "I'm good." He assured her. "It's just a lot to digest. We talked some more last night and she said she wants to get better. That's good right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She said. "It might take some time, but I know she's going to get through this. So will you."

Elliot went back to the squad room to cover for her while she took a few minutes to freshen 's dream from the night before was still at the back of her mind. She sat for a moment before heading to the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror Olivia was pleased to see she didn't look as tired as she felt. She sighed and splashed cold water on her face. She ran a brush through her hair and applied a small amount of makeup. The sleep she got in the cribs was very much needed, but she wished she had gotten up earlier. She knew Elliot would worry and that was the last thing he needed to be doing. She checked her reflection in the mirror one last time and willed away all thoughts of Michelle. Her friend was gone, had been gone for a long time, and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.

She needed to focus on the present. Kathleen and her siblings. Elliot. Her mother. Olivia cringed remembering Serena's discovery the day before. She needed to find out if the alcohol deliveries were even legal. But first, work. She headed down the stairs and into squad room hoping she could slip in quietly. She was in luck as Fin and Munch were too busy to notice her late arrival. Elliot greeted her with a smile as she took her seat

The rest of the day was uneventful as no new cases came in. All four detectives were happy to have the rare opportunity to catch up on paperwork. Olivia filled Elliot in on what she learned the night before about Sierra's rapist. This guy had definitely done this before and she was sure it was only a matter of time before he did it again.

Elliot agreed. Given the length of time since the last known victim was found there were probably others they had yet to find. Cause of death didn't match in the first two cases and Sierra was still alive, but there were enough other details linking the three girls together, the biggest being the perpetrator's DNA. They put photos of all three victims up on the board and began to list the similarities. They were all raped, beaten, and kept alive for a while after they were taken. They had a partial print from the first case and now a sketch thanks to Sierra. Now all they needed was someone to compare them to.

"Do you think he actually works with runaways or is he faking it to gain their trust?" Munch asked from his desk. All four detectives were staring at the evidence trying to figure out where to go next.

Olivia shrugged. "Sierra didn't recognize the logo, but she said it was on the flyers and his shirt. If he's faking it he's going the extra mile to make it look real."

"What about the first girl?" Fin asked. "She wasn't a runaway."

"She might have been his first." Elliot explained. "Maybe she was a victim of opportunity and after all the media coverage on her disappearance he decided to look for girls who wouldn't be missed."

A thought came to Olivia and she went over to the city map on the wall after grabbing Sierra's file off her desk. "Unis found Sierra in this neighborhood." She checked the file and pointed to the corresponding area on the map. "Where was Ashley from?" Elliot gave her the address and she found the home in question was mere blocks from where Sierra was found. "Most perps start close to home. Maybe this guy did too."

They were on the right track, but there were still a lot of missing pieces. The brainstorming session was interrupted by Elliot's desk phone. Munch and Fin went back to their own case. "That was Sierra's parents." Elliot informed his partner after finishing the call. "She's being released tomorrow and they want to take her home as soon as possible."

Olivia sighed. She understood the desire to get their daughter home after she'd been missing for so long, but Sierra was the only witness they had and home for them was several states away. Once she left they probably wouldn't see the girl again unless she was needed to testify at trial and there was no way that could happen if they couldn't find him.

"I talked them into stopping by with her before they leave. We should make a list of questions for her so we don't forget anything." Olivia nodded and the two partners spent the rest of the day working on the list. They didn't want to overwhelm Sierra, but they needed to get all the information they could while they had the chance.

Five o'clock came much too quickly for Olivia's liking. She didn't even notice the time until Elliot started getting ready to leave and she found she was disappointed the day was over already. She looked at the baskets on her desk – empty. With all the extra time she'd been spending at work lately her paperwork never sat for very long. Unfortunately Elliot's was all gone too. She'd helped him finish everything that morning. She was debating on going home and dealing with Serena or staying and hoping she could find something to do. She glanced over at Fin and Munch. Maybe they had some paperwork she could steal.

"So...um...you heading out?" Elliot's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She gave a noncommittal shrug and he continued. "I didn't know if you wanted to come over." He said. "Maybe talk to Kathleen?"

Elliot didn't know why he was suddenly so nervous. He'd been fine all day, but now the thought of going home and possibly saying the wrong thing to his nearly teenage daughter who was so clearly hurting was terrifying. He also didn't want to put too much on his partner. He could tell things weren't going great for her either, but right now he didn't think he could do this alone.

Olivia smiled. "That sounds good." She gathered her things and turned off her computer. They walked out of the squad room together and on the way to the elevator she elbowed him in the ribs. "This means you're feeding me, right?" She teased him knowing the first thing he did every night was get dinner ready for his kids.

Elliot laughed. "If I must." He joked.