Semper Fi

Running on all Cylinders

Life for Olivia Benson was beginning to settle back into normalcy. After breaking up with Brian, becoming a foster mother and being rid of that psychopath William Lewis, she finally felt like she had settled into a routine. That routine included juggling being a single mother and being in charge of the Special Victims Unit. She wished she had more time to spend with Noah and sometimes she was self-conscious about what the rest of her team thought about her as a leader but overall life was good. There was still one aspect of her life that still haunted her. Or better yet one person.

She found herself thinking about her ex-partner less over the years. It had been four years since she laid her eyes on Elliott Stabler. She called him several times after he abruptly retired from the force but he didn't answer and eventually she gave up. She was hurt more than she realized by his ability to cut her off so easily with no explanation. She thought about going to his house or even mailing a letter but both of those would cause her to possibly have to come into contact with his wife Kathy and she didn't want to make things uncomfortable. Olivia knew that Kathy tried to be nice to her over the years and they were always cordial with each other especially during those times Olivia helped them through personal situations like Eli's birth and finalizing their divorce. However, she always felt like Kathy was threatened or troubled by her and Elliott's relationship. It bothered her at first but when she realized how much Elliott shared with her that he didn't share with his wife she understood why Kathy had a problem with her.

Their difficult triangle had gone on for years and Olivia was a passive participant in the trials and tribulations of the Stabler household. Now that she had no contact with Elliot she wondered if it was all a waste and why she spent so much time trying to repair a relationship that clearly went on and sustained without her presence.

"Liv? Liv? You ok?" Fin asked.

"Oh. Yeah I'm fine. What's going on?" Olivia pulled herself from her thoughts and turned back around to her desk trying to look focused.

He approached her cautiously and looked worried. "Where'd you go just now? You looked deep in thought."

She regained her composure and put her game face back on. "It's nothing, just wishing I was home with Noah that's all. You have an update for me on that co-ed rape case?"

Fin bought her story and handed her the case file. "Yeah, same MO as the others. Followed her home from the school library, raped her in one of the grassy areas near the parking lot, tons of people around but no one saw or heard anything."

"Unbelievable," Olivia scoffed and slammed the file back on her desk in frustration. She rubbed her forehead willing her newly formed tension headache to go away.

"Yeah," Fin agreed. "NYU one of the biggest campuses on this coast and no one knows or sees anything."

She stood up and sat on the edge of her desk going through another case file. "That makes 3 rapes over the last six weeks, the mayor is all over this one which means.."

"He's all over you," Fin finished for her. " We got it Liv. You know we got your back. Rollins and I are going to camp out at the hospital and try and talk to the vic again to see if there's something else she remembers."

"Thanks Fin," she said patting him on the shoulder. "Keep me posted."

As Fin walked out the room, Olivia got another call from the police commissioner asking for an update. Of course he also had a personal stake in the case. Plenty of cops' children went to NYU and having a serial rapist on the campus was starting to send a panic wave through the entire city and the force. She already heard rumors that some of the police officers were patrolling the school on their spare time. While she appreciated the help she couldn't help but feel like it undermined her team. The commissioner seemed frustrated that there were still no viable leads but she assured him that she was working with the school to make sure that girls were walking in pairs and campus security was on high alert but more than anything they just needed to catch this guy.