Title: Butterfly

Author: RaeAnne

Rating: PG-13 (for themes of an adult nature)

Feedback: please!

Spoilers: Not really… I don't think, but I'm not positive

NEW NOTE 4/27/05: ALL LYRICS IN THIS STORY HAVE BEEN REMOVED (see main ff page for reason) thanks RaeAnne

Authors Note: Hey, this is my first SVU fic and first Profiler fic, so please be kind. I love the shows so much and have enjoyed so many wonder fic that it's inspired this. What every this is, lol. I use songs a few times through out here, I'm sorry if it gets bothersome, it you thinks its too much drop me a line and I'll try to cut back, it's just I took a lot of inspiration from them. Anyway now that I've bored you stiff with my long note here I hope I don't with my story! Please leave a review, it's greatly appreciated! Thanks RaeAnne

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Law and Order nor their spin offs (SVU, CI) nor do I own Profiler. All characters and such copyrights belong to their respective owners of which I'm not. This is a source of entertainment done for my pleasure and for fellow fans of these shows; I am not seeking or collecting profit from this venture. The songs used again are for entertainment and are not my own. Butterfly is done by Delta Goodrem, Someday by NickelBack, First Cut Is the Deepest by Sheryl Crow and Every Breath You Take is by Sting. No infringement on these rights is intended.

Butterfly

By RaeAnne

Chapter 1:

Peace Unfound

Quite a rare occurrence, empty desks, full trash cans, dirty floors Munch and Fin lost in a deep sleep in the crib at the Special Victims Unit precinct. 3:05 am in New York. While the busy movement continues somewhere beyond here, while across town crimes go on here there is a moment of quite, not peace, that will have to come another day, but the quiet they will accept thankfully.

Emptiness dirty dishes in the sink, out dated milk in the fridge, empty week old take out containers on the table, Elliot in a tangle of sheets on the floor where his bed used to be. Exhaustion bringing sleep, turmoil causing no rest. Escape from the work but no relief to be found in a house filled only with whispers of memories.

Noise, late night talk show on TV, a bottle of wine on the table, a gun on the floor, Olivia pursing the elusive sleep cycle but finding an alcohol induced haze. Moments of time whirling in the mind, ever present never fading always there terrifying images never fleeting.

Each detective wrought with conflicting emotions, each at a stand still, trying to block the past unwilling to face the present and unsure of tomorrow. They were forced to realize their own mortality a week ago, the memory of that burned forever into their concisions. They try to escape, try to move on. For three it would be a slightly easier battle but for the forth death would be the only release. But one thing in all the pictures of this night will always ring true… for each of them their worst nightmare is coming true… and they don't even need to close their eyes.

One Week Before

"Elliot I can't do this!" Kathy screamed as she slammed the suit case lid shut.

"Honey don't do this…please!" Elliot pleaded reaching out to take her arm.

"Don't touch me!" he spat her skin turning icy under his hand.

"I have had all that I am willing to take from you! There is nothing you can do to stop me!" she froze him with her glare as she moved through the door of their room and started down the stairs.

"Kids lets go!" she called moving briskly down the worn the steps.

"I am going to my mothers… you will get the divorce papers with in the week, until then don't contact us!" she glared.

Elliot unable to fully realize what was going on only stared blankly. The twins and Kathleen followed their mother silently fear making them speechless. Maureen hesitated on the top step and looked at her father sadness filling her eyes.

"I'm sorry Daddy," she whispered rushing over to him hiding her head into his chest. Elliot felt a dam break inside of him and he embraced her fiercely.

"It's okay honey… just take care of your brother and sisters okay…" he whispered into her hair the lump in his throat allowing no more.

"Maureen, hurry up!" Kathy's voice came. Maureen pulled away despite Elliot's resistance.

"I love you Dad," she whispered before she started down the stairs.

"I love you too…" he whispered feeling his heart ache. She only looked back once and when she did Elliot felt his heart rip beyond repair.

Meanwhile on the other side of town Olivia was just entering the SVU precinct carrying two Styrofoam cups of coffee. "Morning Munch," she smiled as she took a sip from one cup as she sat behind her desk before placing the other cup on Elliot's desk across from her.

"And what a fine morning it is," he replied dryly as he came down the steps from the upper floor.

"Do we have any new information on the Dawson case?" she asked retrieving said file from her bag, flipping it open.

"No, but Huang is supposed to be coming by later to day with some new insight. He just got back from that meeting in Atlanta with that profiler," he commented sitting in his chair propping his feet on the edge of his desk. She nodded.

"Hey Liv, have you heard from Elliot yet?" Fin asked as he came in from the file room. Olivia didn't look up as she answered.

"No, he's probably got some project the twins sprung on him this morning and he's trying to get them off without a F," she laughed remembering the early morning helping hand she had given in the twins joint science project when Kathy had been out of town.

"Well I don't care if he's trying to make time travel relevant or volcanoes erupt, he better get in her soon! I just got a call from Anita Van Buren, seems her detectives have a possible match for our Jeremy Dawson, I want you and Elliot to head over there the second he gets in!" the Captain Donald Cragen barked as he emerged from his office.

"Are they sure it's him?" she asked getting excited.

"No, and frankly from the sounds of it I doubt it is, but it's worth a shot, we have little leads at the moment." He said solemnly. She agreed

Ten minutes passed and still no Elliot. "Olivia head over, we can't keep them waiting all day. John, Fin, head over to the crime scene, I'll deal with Elliot when he gets here," the captain grimaced.

"Got it," Fin said grabbing his leather coat John following. Olivia hesitated, it wasn't like her partner to do this, to be this late and not even call. She worried, she didn't want to but she did, there had been trouble brewing between Elliot and Kathy, that much she could get out of him, but other then his unusual tense manner she couldn't figure out what was going on.

"I'll send him over when he gets here," Cragen said seemingly reading her thoughts. He knew that this guy more then any of the others was getting to her.

"No rush, I can handle him," she said with a small grin.

"I know you can," he nodded. She grabbed her jacket and was out the door.

Cragen looked around his empty squad room and sighed, it was going to be a long day of that he was sure. Not five minutes after the other detectives left an unshaven dazed Elliot entered Cragen's office. "She left me…" he said with a matter of fact tone.

"What?" Cragen asked irritation springing as his overly late detective burst into his office. But the moment he saw the pained face and the statement registered he knew.

"Kathy… she took the kids and left." Elliot said with a dry sarcastic laugh as he sunk into a chair.

"Elliot I'm sorry," Cragen said hand hesitating on the handle of the drawer that housed his scotch, of which he never touched but on occasion his detectives did, but then rethought his idea and thought better of it, alcohol was not what he needed.

"She just left…I…I don't know what to do…" Elliot moaned gravely.

"It's going to be okay…" Cragen tried unsure what to say.

"Is it?" Elliot pushed eyes fiery. Cragen stared silent, unsure of the answer. Elliot's head went into his hands with doubt filling him.

Olivia entered the busy precinct moving by a few officers she knew, saying a few hello's before emerging at Lieutenant Van Buren's office. "Detective Benson, we think we may have your perp in custody. Detective Briscoe and Green did the pick up," the lieutenant spoke when Olivia arrived in the door way.

"How did you find him? My captain was a little vague on the details," Olivia asked as she walked with Anita towards the interrogation room.

"He was in the process of rapping a thirteen year old girl… wealthy family, very methodical in his actions, the girl suffered a server mental breakdown along with physical injures and we haven't been able to speak to her yet. Lennie and Ed can fill you in on anything else," she said as she left her in the viewing room with her two lead detectives.

"Thanks," Olivia said before stepping to the window.

"Hey Olivia, where's Elliot?" Lennie asked.

"Good question, he hadn't shown up for work when I left. But here's a question for you…who is that?" she asked pointing to the man sitting at the table in the stark questioning room.

"He isn't Dawson?" Edward Green asked. She shook her head heart falling. She had so wished it could be so simple, that her uneasiness would disappear with the capture of this man, but with once look she knew that this wouldn't be the case.

"Are you sure?" Lennie asked.

"Yes, the guy we are looking for is tall late thirties, blond, medium build… the hair doesn't matter so much as that tattoo on his forearm, our guy is clean shaven…perfectly harmless looking," she sighed her hand on her forehead.

"I'm sorry for dragging you here…we thought we had him," Green said.

She shook her head, "It's all right, the MO was right, and the placing was right…"she was growing agitated and was angry with herself for letting this case get to her.

"Is he still active you think? What we have heard so far is he hasn't made a move in over three weeks…" Lennie shrugged.

"It doesn't matter, as long as he is out there the city isn't safe," Olivia said with all the commitment she could muster.

"I hate to burst your bubble Benson but even when Dawson is gone New York is still gonna be anything but safe!" Lennie chuckled. Olivia snapped her head away from the suspect to Lennie,

"Safe maybe not, but safer it will be once he's off the streets!" she glared throwing open the door and walking out… straight out, out of the building and onto the street.

Olivia pulled out her cell phone and called the station to inform of the bad ID before climbing into the squad car. She leaned against the car trying to regulate her breathing and tame her anger. She shouldn't be so upset with Briscoe or Green but they had no idea what this guy was like. She least of all wanted to the think about it either, but the picture of the girls raped and murdered by the man were all she could see… the brutal killing… the way in which he got close, playing upon their deepest desirers in ways that only women dreamed of… a man so seemingly safe, but so mortality dangerous. Cragen answered the phone took her statement and hung up without so much as a word about Elliot.

"Well that was a bust!" she said as she walked into the squad room where Fin and Munch were seated. They said nothing.

"Is everything okay? Have we heard from Elliot yet?" she said concern increasing. "Kathy left me," Elliot said coming up behind her. She jumped not expecting it.

"What?" she choked.

"This morning," he said evenly.

"I am so sorry…" she said hurting for her partner. He just nodded his head. Still the room remained quiet.

"You got a package," Fin said handing her a small brown box. She took it as she sat and examined it. Her name was clearly written but there was no return address… and more cursorily it had no post mark.

"Thanks… I wasn't excepting anything..." she pondered. She pulled the brown packing tape away from the box and carefully pulled back the flaps of the cardboard box. There was a strange smell emitting from the box.

"Sure isn't new perfume!" Munch exclaimed though the smell did spark his interest. There was white tissue paper on the top which she pulled away. She screamed in disbelief at what she found.

"What is it?" Elliot was at her side instantly. She felt her pulse pound as she silently with shaky hands handed him the box. Elliot shrunk away at what he saw.

Inside the box was a human hand…it had been severed for a while because it was a bluish color and very little blood had soaked the surrounding tissue. Fin and Munch looked at it without moving it for fear of ruining any possible evidence.

"What is that laying on top of it?" Fin asked lifting an object off the hand with a tip of pen.

"It appears to be a rare Blue Diamond Butterfly… a bad specimen of one... but one none the less." Munch said in disgust.

"A butterfly?" Olivia said in confusion.

"There is a piece of paper under the hand…" Elliot exclaimed.

"How are we going to get it out?" Fin asked.

"Well if we had some tweezers we could lift the hand up and use them to grab it…" Munch said.

"Or I could just grab it…" Olivia said slipping a gloved hand under the hand and bringing the partly soaked paper out.

"Or you could do that," Elliot said. She gave him a look and carefully unfolded the paper.

Olivia,

I hope you like your gift! The butterfly I mean… I know how much you like them. This is just the first in many I plan to get you! As for the hand consider it a bonus. The body you'll never find, but good luck in the hunt though. I've been quiet for a while, but I've been watching you and will make my more soon! Until then my sweet, keep this butterfly as my token of love

Jeremy Dawson

Olivia was shaking as she finished reading. She had never been in a position like this before. Elliot swore under his breath.

"Olivia he's just a sick SOB, he won't get with in 5 miles of you I swear to you that!" Elliot clenched his fists in an anger he had not felt before. His whole body shook with anger towards the man that dared threaten his partner.

"I don't understand… why me? I mean I have no idea who this man is… why would he target me?" Olivia declared.

"Because you are a woman in authority… he knows you from somewhere… probably someone from your past… school maybe, or the relative of a person you put away…" a voice said. They turned from the box to find George Huang standing in the room.

"How do you know this?" Elliot demanded.

"I just got back from Atlanta where I met with the head profiler for the FBI's VCTF, she has a very personal case that is of a similar nature as this," George said cryptically.

"That makes no sense! We had no idea what nature this case was expect it was of the serial murder rape kind!" Elliot said not trying to hide the distaste.

"I had an inclination that it possibly had a very real personal connection of some kind, though I had no idea who that person was. You see this Jeremy Dawson… which I doubt is his real name. Anyway he picks victims with some sort of authority, he needs to dominate, the reason why he rapes, not only kills them. That's the nature of rape, not the sex but the dominance. He was made to submit somehow to female authority which took advantage of him and he now feels he has to pay back. He takes tokens from his victims, strange things, like finger nail clippings… locks of hair, in return he gives something… like a butterfly. He's only recently started taking body parts… what connection he has to you I have no idea. But this man's pattern seems to fit that of the profiler's at the VCTF, if so then these people are from your past, most likely from either so far back or from such small parts in your past that you would hardly remember. In once instance an elderly hobby toy maker was killed because he once made a toy for her. I fear we are possibly dealing with a copy cat of the "Jack of All Trades" murder," George finished.

"As helpful as that is George how do we catch him?" Cragen asked coming from his open office doorway.

"I don't know, I don't know how to even tell you who is next! The original "Jack" is still yet to be caught, and he is being pursued by one of the FBI's most elite task force," George said.

"Well that's helpful! We have a maniac lose in New York and you're saying that he's basically not going to be caught!" Fin gritted his teeth.

"That's not what I am saying! He's going to be hard, not impossible and maniac he's not. Demented yes but everything he does is methodical and well planned, he's probably educated, he isn't picking his victims in any special fashion expect they are known by the object of obsession, in this case, Olivia, that makes him dangerous, he doesn't have a type, so the list is immense, how could Olivia ever remember everyone she ever came into contact with? It's practically impossible!" George said shaking his head. Olivia felt her stomach twist and she shrank into her chair.

"How did this happen? We went from our standard, albeit it gruesome rape murder case to some obsessive whacked out psycho who is after me?" Olivia cried. The room fell silent.

"Olivia…" Elliot started. "Elliot…" she said matching what she thought to be a patronizing tone.

"I suggest that you call the FBI and join forces with the VCTF, they have a team that specializes in this," George offered to Cragen.

"With all do respect to the FBI what in hell is the VCTF?" Cragen asked. George gave a half smile.

"It's the Violent Crimes Task Force, headed by Special Agent in Charge Bailey Malone. They have been instrumental in the formation of the criminal profiling movement. Their profiler is just outstanding. They could be a great deal of help in catching a copy cat such as this," George said. Cragen didn't like the mention of an FBI headed investigation at all and that thought of turning over his case was angering.

"I don't think we need to call in the feds we can handle this, if anything we could collaborate with the Major Case squad, at least we would still be staying with in the NYPD, the New York Police Department," Fin said folding his arms.

"Yes you could… but I strongly recommend you call in the VCTF, not that you can't handle it. It's not that at all, it's just I fear that the real Jack might have more to do with this then just the inspiration. I understand that you want to keep this local, but I assure you that VCTF would be more then willing to work together, not take over this case, especially since the focus of this is man is a NYPD detective," George tried to reassure.

"Thank you for your suggestion Huang, we'll keep it in mind," Cragen said bitterly before picking up the phone to call for the CSU for the hand.

6 Days Before

1:30 am, Olivia laid on the couch in her small apartment an empty wine bottle rolled some where beneath her, the muted late late night show on the TV. She tried to sleep but every time she closed her eyes she saw the hand in the box, and heard Georges words echoing throughout her mind and it was terrifying her, she could almost feel what the man's hands would feel like on her and it made her shiver. She reached for the bottle that was deep under the couch. She brought it back and found it empty. Sure the captain had offered her a watch detail, and Elliot had offered to spend the night, Munch and Fin too, but there was no way she would show weakness! Out of control that is what her life was, she was terrified and that wasn't something she allowed herself to be. She couldn't because she couldn't risk the chance of becoming vulnerable. She felt tears sting her eyes then the warm sticky wetness as the dam broke and they started to fall. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was truly the knowledge that there out there was a man killing people she couldn't remember….either way she determined being drunk had it's advantages. She tuned out the banging she might other wise suspect if sober coming from outside her window and stumbled toward the bed leaving her empty wine bottle discarded on the table, her clothes in a trail towards to the bedroom and her gun in it's holster on the side table.

"Keep calling!" Cragen barked as a groggy Munch shouldered the receiver.

"How long have we had the note?" Fin asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and put on his jacket.

"10 minutes, the boy brought it in. I've got Munch calling Olivia now, but he's getting a busy signal and Elliot isn't answering either! I've got units responding but I'm on my over there now," Cragen said as Munch hung up the phone.

"I'm coming too, the phone must be off the hook.

"Let's go then!" Cragen said a little bit of fear creeping in. What if he was all ready there with Olivia?

The little boy about 6 came pounding on the door a manila envelope in hand. Fin, Munch and Cragen had been working on trying to cross reference any connection between the victims and Olivia but had dozed for a few minutes. Elliot had been sent home to figure out what do about Kathy and had dropped off Olivia on his way. The squad room was now empty say for the empty envelope and its contents, another rare butterfly and a note. This time it read:

Olivia,

I see that you are trying to connect the dots. I'm afraid you won't. At least not till I want you to. I will visit you tonight, you know red wine really doesn't got with potato chips, nor does the late show seems like proper viewing for a woman as educated as yourself. I will meet you in the depths of your soul tonight, but don't worry the first cut is always the deepest.

Jeremy

The fire escape was easy enough to climb and offered a nice view. There he gained his entranced. He carefully shimmied the window open and slipped in, carefully to keep an eye on every moment so not to leave any trace of his entrance. Just as he thought it would be. He breathed deep taking in the scent of her. He relished it. He spotted her gun as well as the bottle under the sofa and the opened bag of chips on the table. He shook his head in disgust, how does a woman of her caliber sink this low. Aww, the real prize awaits, he walks the short distance to the bedroom door and turns the handle quietly letting himself in. He watches her, her chest moving with her every breath, he sits in a chair and just watches, she drank herself to sleep he notes with a shake of the head. He pulled out the crimson colored butterfly from his pocket and laid it on the pillow next to her camisole and panty clad form.

He left the bedroom and laid his note on the table as he heard the sirens nearing. Aww such fools, he thinks with a silent laugh. He leaves through the front door and disappears into the night.

Cragen, Munch and Fin raced to her apartment building fear escalading siren blaring. "What is going on?" an elderly woman shrieked as a dozen police officers surrounded the apartment building guns pulled and lights making it look like day light in the middle of the night.

"Its okay ma'am, please wait on the other side of the street," Fin said moving past her.

"We have the building surrounded Captain he hasn't left the building since we've got here, but we've only been here about 3 minutes," a patrol officer said to Cragen as they started in the building.

"Fine, keep an eye we're going up…" Cragen said over riding the buzz-in system.

"On my count…" Cragen whispered after discovering the door locked. They didn't want to tip off the assailant if at all possible. "1...2…3!" Cragen said voice hushed. Fin kicked in the door as Munch and Cragen entered guns drawn.

"Police!" Munch called. The apartment was empty only the window was open, the yellow light of the street lamps along with the chilly New York breeze swept through.

"Olivia!" Cragen called as he moved towards the bedroom with almost certainty that there wasn't anyone there, while Fin and John checked the rest of the apartment.

"Olivia!" Cragen cried as he saw her sprawled on the bed, unsure if she was sleeping or worse.

"We've got another note Captain…" Fin said as he and Munch entered but fell silent as they saw Cragen standing over Olivia.

"She's fine, just sleeping…. "Cragen said shaking his head.

"My guess that it is with the aide of that wine bottle in the living room…" Munch said grimly.

"He was here though…" Cragen said lifting up the butterfly with a tip of a pen. "Let's get her up and to the hospital. I want her checked out," he said lips tight.

"Olivia… wake up… Olivia!" Munch said shaking her arm gently. She moaned quietly not completely awake yet.

"What happened?" demanded a strong voice coming through the bedroom door. "We don't know, when did you get here?" Munch asked as Elliot went to the other side of the bed.

"As soon as I heard…I got a call at the hotel…" he said looking over the partly awake Olivia.

"What are you doing here?" she said sitting up pulling a sheet with her. She was disorientated, but waking up gradually.

"You don't remember? Olivia… was there anyone in here with you any time tonight?" Cragen asked amidst a horde of CSU investigators.

"No! What are all these men doing in my apartment?" she cried angrily.

"Olivia… Dawson was in here tonight… he came in the window," Cragen said shortly.

"He what?" she breathed mind dizzy.

"We got a note at the station that he was coming to visit you… Olivia we need to take you to the hospital…"

She interrupted him, "What for I'm fine!" She glared pushing her self from the bed, still wrapped in a sheet.

"Just routine Olivia, we can't take any chances…" Elliot said his temper cooling from his outburst at the thought of her being raped … or worse.

"Fine…" she said as she saw the worry and concern in her friend's eyes.

"Thank you, Elliot will you take her; we don't need any more attention drawn to this. That's what he wants…" Cragen said angrily.

"Yeah," Elliot nodded.

"Can I at least get dressed?" she asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," Cragen answered.

"Have the bottle sent down to the lab," George Haung said as he looked around the mostly empty apartment.

"Why?" Fin asked.

"Well my guess is that he's been in here before. He's watched her I think. He showed disappointment in her choice of wine and chips and television show… he knows that she makes a habit of it. I wouldn't be surprised to find the wine tampered with," he said. Cragen agreed and had the CSU bag it.

Elliot and Olivia sat in an examining room silence the only thing passing between them; it had been like that all the way from the apartment. Neither one knew what to say or how to say it.

"Knock, knock," a smiling doctor came through the curtain. "Well Mrs. Stabler you seem perfectly fine… you have a hang over but other then that you should be right as rain by morning," the middle aged woman physician said with out a pause. "I'll get you something for the head ache and then you can go, you should take better care of your wife Mr. Stabler, no more partying understand?" she smiled and was out the curtain before either the detectives could correct or comment. Elliot just sat mouth open in shock and Olivia tried to hide the smile but only giggled instead.

"I don't know which to be more upset about… the fact that she scolded me like my mother or got our names wrong..." Elliot laughed.

"I know," Olivia smiled. "Why do we get that so often…? I mean why do they see two detectives together male and female and automatically assume!" she said with a sigh.

"Well she didn't know we were NYPD for one thing, I thought it best to leave it as civilians," Elliot leaned his head on this weary elbows that propped themselves on the hospital bed.

"I see…" she said feeling the heavy weight of what had happened tonight return, the escape they had found by the relief of laughter had been short, but savored.

Dearest Olivia,

Aw, I watched you tonight. I stood over you and you looked so sweet, and tasted just as good. You may not know who I am, but you will. You know my name and you know that it is you I am after. Try and catch me… I enjoy a good chase. For now

Jeremy

The note sat in the lab along with the others. No clues to be found that would point to author. Printed on a laser printer with common ink sold in every store across the world, no fingerprints, trace amounts of powder from examining gloves. That was it. The wine had been tampered with, they found a common date rape drug residue in the bottle and in the cork, they had determined that Dawson had used a syringe to injected the drug into the bottle, leaving the trail virtual undetectable.

3 Days Before

Olivia took three days off, not by choice but rather by force. She sat in her apartment on the last day silent salty tears trickling down her cheeks. Her stomach twisted in knots and she pressed herself into her knees. Photos of her nanny and other victims scattered around her. She felt a sob well in her throat. It was her fault, she was the reason these people were dead. She was the cause, the one who was born of a mistake, now by mistake these people were dead. In all of her years as a NYPD officer she had never been more responsible for the deaths of people then now.

The SVU had received the envelopes containing the pictures of the body that was missing the hand. The ID took only moments by Olivia, her nanny, Mrs. Elsa Mannor 78 at time of death. Olivia hadn't thought about her in years. She should have known it was her, from the ring on the hand. The ring on white gold with the 3 birthstones, each representing Elsa's lost loved ones, her husband, and her two children who had passed on in a terrible car accident. He chose to reveal his victims and their connection to Olivia at the same time. Nail clippings from her high school bully. The hair of the beautician who gave Olivia her first hair cut. Ten victims over the past two months, some even without sexual overtones had now been solved. Murders they didn't even know about were now accounted for. All connected by Olivia. The press was getting wind and was having a field day. Thankfully the connection between this murderer and the "Jack of All Trades" murderer had yet to be made. The note with the pictures was yet another addressed to Olivia but this time simply said "enjoy". That is the day Cragen sent Olivia home with two officers to watch her apartment, even with her protests. She has yet to leave.

"Who is it?" Olivia answered her buzzer. "It's Elliot," came the voice. "Come on," she said buzzing him in.

"Hey," he said when she opened the door.

"Hey yourself," she said with a small smile letting him pass through the door.

"How are you holding up?" he asked as she reclaimed her spot on the sofa.

"Okay, how are you guys coming with leads?" she asked waving him to a chair.

"No where, this guy hasn't made a move since…" he hesitated unsure if he should mention the entrance.

"He came in here?" she finished for him.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Well I've got these windows taken care of as you can see," she said with a smirk at her now bared windows courtesy Donald Cragen. "How are you?" she asked. He shook his head and settled into his chair.

"Kathy has sent the papers, I haven't seen my kids, my attorney says my chances of seeing them before next month is slim," he said clenching his fists.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault. It's been a long time coming I'm afraid. She could never handle me being a cop. I mean she tried, but the job was just too much for her. Maureen, the only one I've talked to, thinks Kathy might have been having an affair…." He said releasing his now redden hands.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"What do I think? Ha, I don't know what to think! I mean it's just insane! Kathy left me, you are being stalked by some lunatic and in both situations I can do nothing about!" he said angrily.

"I'm sorry," she said voice hushed.

"It's anything but your fault," he assured. Silence followed for a few minutes, but not an awkward one. With them when they said nothing at all volumes were written on another level.

"Cragen is calling the VCTF… he's putting the call in tomorrow," Elliot said slowly breaking the silence.

"So your reason for coming is out now," she said.

"Olivia…" he trailed.

"No, its okay, if he wants to do that it's his choice. I don't want the feds involved with this and he knows it! Elliot you have no idea how out of control I feel!" she said a small tremor moving through her voice.

"Olivia I'm sorry you have to go through this…" he murmured softly.

"Elliot as much as I want to handle this internally, I want this sick twisted, disgusting…" words failed her as anger choked her.

"It's okay," he whispered sinking to his knees in front on her.

"It's not… but that is okay…" she said standing suddenly wiping fiercely at the tears she found forming in her eyes.

"I think you should go…" she said walking towards the door.

"Olivia did I do something?" he asked.

"No…I will see you in the morning," she said managing a small smile. "All right, good night," he said gruffly then left.

2 Days Before

"Thank you Agent Malone, we will be expecting you….Yes we will have the files ready…Yes… uh huh…. Right… bye" Cragen hung up the phone as his detectives stood around listening. "They will be here the day after tomorrow. Get the files ready… and let's clean up the squad room a bit shall we. It looks like a pig sty!" he said before shooing them out of the office. He dealt with the stalking of his detectives before… Olivia even, but this was different on so many other levels, the threat was more real somehow. With his door closed he sat his desk head in his hands. One more day to make it through… he thought resisting the urge to open that drawer and make the world go away.

Present Time

"No…no…stop….please…don't!" Olivia whispered as she clawed at the man who held her down. "Please don't…" she moaned as the man pressed her hard into the ground. "No!" she screamed sitting up. She looked around; drenched in sweat she realized it was a nightmare. She felt her heart pound and tipped toed to the window and looked out, the patrol car parked across the street was a welcome site. She picked up her gun, flicked off the TV and headed for her bedroom.