L&O: Crossover

~Benson's Apartment~

"Captain Benson, thank you for meeting with me," Stabler states with a slight grin on his face. He loves when he gets to see his old partner. After all, they were close and at one point knew everything about one another. Unfortunately, the grin swept away as he was greeted inside.
"Of course...and no need to be so formal," Benson jokes. She sense something was off. Stabler was respectful and formal most of the time they interacted. But from his demeanor, she knew this case must have hit home. He's usually never this serious or rather quiet unless it bothers him.
"So you said you needed my help on a case?" She questions, intentionally forgetting to mention anything about what Fin had told her. She figured it was for the best. Stabler would tell her anyway. El begins," Yea, we traced a few drug rings and low level dealers but one of the victims on my case stood out" as he opens his laptop, pulling up the information as he relays it to Benson.
"Is it a SVU Vic?"
"Not necessarily."
"What does that mean?" Liv gives him a concerned but questioning glance.
"I had Jet do a little digging, she's a lawyer. Seen her before?" Elliott asks although he knew the answer. He turns the laptop so Benson can also see the screen.
"Yea, I have. She was a prosecutor on one of my cases I worked on. She was into drugs?"
"No. She was trafficked into it. Her autopsy showed she was carrying balloons of coke and heroin in her body." He explains.
"Oh my gosh" she whispered, covering her mouth lightly and blinked slowly. She looks down, running her hands through her hair and looks back up and Elliott continues on with his case.
"It gets worse...on top of being a drug mule, she was raped and tortured...and she has a kid. He's about 18 but has a record. It was difficult to find at first. The kid wasn't in the system-"
"So how'd you find his record if he wasn't in the system?"
"He wasn't in our system. He was taken in by a family through foster care. Was in and out of houses they placed him in. He finally settled with a family in Dublin, Ohio where his records are"
"Ok, so the son has a record...how bad? And did anyone call the lawyers parents?" Liv says trying to process the information given.
"We did...both parents are dead"
"Ok what about the son's dad?"
"He's dead too. And the son is on the same war path like his father," he claims.
"what do you mean?"
"The son is not apart of the drug ring but he rapes and tortures the women who carry the drugs for hours. Once he's done, he leaves the women for dead. Drugs still intact"
"So what does he get out of doing all this?" Liv questions in frustration.
"You" Elliott states.
"Me? What do I have to do with this?"
"I didn't notice it at first but the bodies are positioned into letters. It took a while to figure it out but-"
"It spells Olivia...but why"
"Because you knew his father...William Lewis," Stabler exclaims. Liv let out a small gasp. She hasn't heard that name in years. Flashes of memories come flooding back. She holds her chest as it closes. Physically she knows she's just panicking, but mentally she's right back there with him...with Lewis. All those hours and days, watching him torture and rape that poor woman. Having cigarettes burned on her skin. Being force fed vodka and Vicodin, handcuffed for so long her skin was raw and fighting him with every once of strength she could muster up. The flashbacks when he escaped prison and held that little girl hostage. Cuffing Benson to the table, forcing her to play Russian roulette and have her watch him shoot himself.
"Liv...Liv I know what happened, what he did to you" Stabler says as he cracks a bit.
"You read my file?" She asks gaining her focus back but in a distraught tone.
"I did...Liv-"
"Elliott...don't"
"I wanted you to know before I continue this case. I need your help Liv...I want to catch this guy before someone else gets hurt. Before you get hurt" El says in a soft but concerned voice. He's hurt seeing Liv so scared. He's never seen such fear put in his partner and he feels guilty. Just as things were getting better. "Liv, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there...that I had know idea that was happening to you. I would have gotten on the next flight-"
"Elliott...you were with your family in Rome. We had no contact and even if you were there, it wouldn't have made a difference." Liv explains somberly.
"You don't know that," he rebuttals
"I do."
"But I wasn't there when you needed me, I'm here now. Liv help me help you...please...I need to help you," he pleads with glossy eyes. They hold eye contact each glossy, daring a tear to fall from either eye. "Okay Partner," She says trying to cheer him up. "Partner," he replies with a soft smile looking at his best friend and long time partner.