Olivia turned the key in the lock before opening the door to her apartment. She slouched beneath the stress of the past four days, her eyes tiring of three-hour nights. The man they were chasing was clever, and he was out there tonight, a danger to every living person in New York City. He was supposed to have been tailed - the police department, however, was not notified until too late that he had posted bail.

All they were waiting for was another attack. Maybe they'd finally get him; maybe he'd leave something behind with his next victim. She sighed, closing the door behind her and flipping the light switch on. Even in the faint light of the kitchen, she froze, feeling a presence. The silence screamed in her ears. She chuckled, shaking her head as she placed her bags on the counter.

Now you're just being paranoid, she thought.

There had been no sign of forced entry, nothing out of place in her apartment. Her eyes were so heavy that she let them rest for a moment while she took a drink of water after she filled her glass, and leaned against the counter. It was when she heard a small tap that she was alert again. Placing her glass down on the granite, she put her hand on her gun, walking slowly out of the kitchen.

Could it be Cassidy? She took a deep breath. He liked to surprise her. She played along with his game.

"Hello?" She said aloud while stepping around the pillar.

Nothing but silence answered her. Her heart began to slow, and she relaxed her grip on her gun. She expected her love to step out from the shadows, smiling at her with a glass of wine.

Then he was there. Adrenaline washed through her so fast she thought she was going to pass out. She was looking down the barrel of a gun, frozen as she stared into the wild eyes of him: The Beast.

"Welcome home, Detective Benson."

He let his teeth show behind his curled lips as he spoke in a disappointed, mocking tone. Her breath came in loud, deep exhales as her tongue lay helpless, shriveled like a fish out of water in the dry bed of her mouth. Her blackened eyes darted nervously between the darkness of the gun's barrel and the even more intense darkness in his face.

His smile faded as he pushed the gun closer to her clammy skin. If she moved, she'd be killed. There was no escape for her, so she stood in fear at his mercy. The cool metal touched her chin as she watched his mouth morph into an angry, gritted frown. Her breathing came labored as she begged him with her eyes, silently imploring him not to do what he was about to do.

Her heart pounded so hard she thought she'd have a heart attack. He pushed the gun harder into her neck, reaching his free hand to roughly grab her right arm. She jumped at the contact he made as he grabbed her, nearly taking her off her feet as he wrapped her in his strong grip.

Fin sat next to Amanda as she finished her second drink. He could tell her mind was till on The Beast. He could still feel her mood, sitting at the bottom of a deep-sea crevice, letting air bubbles of anger slip to the surface.

"Come on, Amanda. We'll get him somehow."

She shook her head and put her head back, her eyes momentarily on the ceiling before she looked at her partner. She was not about to hide her attitude, which was spiraling downward.

"With what? We have nothing, Fin."

She was filled with anger, hatred, exhaustion, and above all, fear.

"We will find a way. Listen, we gotta let this play out for a while. There's nothin' we can do."

Amanda, working her hands around her glass, felt the worry creeping into her body. She hesitated, but spoke what was on her mind.

"You think he'll go after one of us?"

Fin sighed, straightening.

"Nah. He's smarter than that. Bastard knows we would shoot him dead if he showed up at one of our doors."

She shook her head.

"That's the thing. He's smart - too smart. We wouldn't be waiting for him; he'd be waiting for us."

Fin felt the concern sink its teeth into his skin as well, the venom spreading quickly through his blood.

"We're big kids. We'll get him - just maybe not today. Come on; if he's waiting for you, I'll be ready to put a bullet in his skull."

Amanda let him pay for her drinks before they left.

Captain Cragen sat silently in his office, watching the young officers. He felt a weight pulling at his heart. It was odd watch the activity in his precinct and not seeing his detectives, his family working hardest of all. A feeling of uneasiness settled upon him. Something felt wrong. He straightened.

He had let his detectives go home alone. Why? Immediately, he took out his cell and dialed the one for whom he feared the most. The phone rang and rang. On the third ring, she picked up.

"Benson." Her voice was defeated, exhausted.

"Liv. Just calling to be sure you made it home alright."

A breath.

"Yeah. I'm just tired."

His gun was pressed into the back of her neck, inches from her spinal cord. She had to lie or he would kill her.

"I'm going to get some sleep, Don."

She hung up, hoping he had noticed something was off. She stood in the kitchen, facing the wall. He had not laid a hand on her - yet. When the phone had rang, he had thrown her back into the kitchen.

"What do you want?" She asked firmly.

He chuckled, chilling her to the bone with his comment.

"Whatever you've got."

He mocked her, using her words from their previous encounter. He followed behind her as he pushed her towards the bedroom, both swallowed by the darkness. He stopped.

"Turn around."

She did so slowly, coming face to face with his gun. He swung it, the metal smashing into her cheek bone. The pain seared through her face like electricity as the blow set her off balance. He threw her to the bed, leveling her like a linebacker would. The back of her knees hit the wood at the foot of her bed hard, and she was crushed as he landed on top of her.

Cragen hung up only to pick up the phone and call his other detectives.

He hadn't noticed.

She was as good as dead.

Nick sat down a the supper table as Cynthia poured Gil a glass of milk. It was a late supper, but a family supper nonetheless. She smiled over at him before sitting down at the head of the small table. They joined hands and said grace before they began to eat. Cynthia noticed Nick's exhaustion.

"Rough case?" She asked quietly.

He glanced at Gil and nodded.

"Yeah. But it's not our problem anymore. Judge threw it out. The guy's back on the streets." He replied.

"You have fun at the game today, bud?"

Nick wanted to changed the subject. It made him sick thinking about what Lewis could be doing to another woman at that very moment. If only he knew.

Across the city, Lewis pinned Olivia to the bed, his knees on her wrists as she struggled beneath him.

"I'm gonna make you scream."

He leaned down, pushing his lips on hers. She turned away from the contact, angering him. He tore her shirt in half and sent buttons flying everywhere as he exposed her. He grabbed at her hands, forcing them above her head. She was no match for his strength. Her wrists were tied to a spindle in her headboard, leaving her vulnerable, and painfully aware of the reality of the situation she was in.

This was bad. In her slacks and bra, she struggled. She planned to fight until he killed her.

The weight was gone, "Sit tight."

Her breathing became erratic and her chest heaved quickly. She had to think - fast - or she was going to end up just like Alice. Except she knew she wouldn't make it out alive. That lady hadn't done anything but take a picture of him. Olivia had attempted to put him in prison for the rest of his life.

She'd made his life hell. And if she escaped from the maniac, that was exactly where she planned to send him - even if she had to take her own gun and end his life herself.

Nick knew his orders to leave Olivia alone, but as he sat with his son and Cynthia, he couldn't help but listen to his heart as it told him something was wrong.

"Sorry. I'll just be a minute."

Nick held up his hand as he left the dining room for the living room. Olivia's phone rang and her voice message came on. He pressed her number again, again, and again. She wasn't answering. He paused. There were many reasons Olivia wouldn't pick up her phone, and he started back to the table. But he stopped, the feeling even heavier than before. He jumped into action.

"I have to go."

He was out the door and driving away in moments. Hesitant to blow a small situation into a large one, Nick arrived at her apartment building alone.

Lewis had stepped back into her bedroom with one of her dish rags, twisted into a gag. He smiled as he kneeled on the bed, straddling her and bending down to put it in her mouth.

She wasn't going to beg or even speak to him, not willing to give him satisfaction of any kind. She lifted her head and gave him a sultry glare as he tied the rag bend her head.

"You're going to be the best I've ever had."

He got so close to her, his breath on her face. Olivia, her mouth unable to close, swallowed and closed her lips, still holding his gaze. He had fire in his eyes, which made her shudder. What was he going to do to her? He held her eyes in his own as he leaned down and kissed her chest.

He turned his full attention to his work as Olivia looked up at the ceiling. Her mind struggled to think of anything else as her assaulter continued. His kisses moved down her left breast. When he reached the soft flesh, Lewis bit down - hard. Olivia could not hold in a cry of surprise and immense pain as he sunk his teeth into her.

She'd never forgive herself. She'd given him what he wanted.