Summary: One of Olivia's old cases lead her and Amanda to Georgia. Amanda is confronted by a lot of her old memories and being away from home changes the relationship between them. But once back in New York all that remains is the harsh truth about what can't be denied. They need to make a decision but nobody ever said that choosing between head and heart was going to be easy.

Pairing: Olivia Benson/Amanda Rollins (although there will be some mentions of Benson/Cassidy in the beginning)

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own L&O: SVU or any of its affiliated characters.

Note: I didn't think I would write another Rolivia story after the "Heart" series. But since watching season 15 I just feel the need to write something for these two. I am not too keen on how the show is ramming the whole Cassidy thing down our throats but I know a lot of people enjoy the whole happy happy joy joy thing. To me it doesn't suit the nature of the show so I save my romance for fan fiction. Also, a lot of people have asked what happened to my last Rolivia story, "Heart of Gold." It will not be coming back online due to personal circumstances. I hope ya'll enjoy "Georgia Rain." And yes, the title was inspired by the Trisha Yearwood song.

Chapter 1

The streets of New York City were both heaven and hell; a place for saints as well as sinners. In the shadows lurked evil but evil was fought by good. The Big Apple was the place where people came to chase their dreams. Some saw them come true whilst others watched them shatter. This city was full of people who had fled from their pasts, desperately seeking a new future under the neon lights of Times Square. Some had lived here all their lives, surrounded by their demons and their friends. They had found a balance between the past, the present and the future and to those people New York really was home.

Olivia Benson was one of those people. She had lived in New York her entire life. Never once did she consider moving somewhere else. She couldn't imagine ever leaving this place. This was home, with all its nasty reminders and glimmers of hope. This was where she belonged, where she lived and where she worked. Olivia lived for her work. She loved what she did. She couldn't imagine being anything but a detective with the Special Victims Unit.

In her job she saw the depravity of mankind on a daily basis but somehow she also saw the goodness and kindness in people. Beyond the sickness and perverse behaviours she also saw how people learnt to thrive after the worst moment of their lives. She saw victims become survivors and it was that transformations that made Olivia put her heart and soul into her work. Over the years she had watched women, children and men struggle through the darkness before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and making it out at the other end. She herself had been through that dark tunnel many times and it seemed that she had finally found her light too.

It was a little after two o'clock on a Sunday morning when Olivia walked into the ER of Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan whilst still clutching her cell phone. The call had come in only half an hour earlier. Dispatch had received a report of a rape and the victim had been transported to the ER. That was all Olivia knew but she also knew to expect the worst every time she walked into a hospital. It was in these situations that she often found people when they were at their most fragile. She has seen how one event could break a person's whole life and over the years she had become far more than a quiet onlooker or bystander; she had become involved and she would do anything in her power to fix what had been damaged.

The waiting room was only half full. A few of the people occupying the seats looked like homeless people seeking the shelter and warmth of the ER, avoiding the blistering cold of the New York winter. Now that they were only six weeks from Christmas, the weather had really changed. The nights had gotten colder and the days felt shorter. Thanksgiving was out of the way and shops all around the city had started to put up their Christmas decorations. Olivia did a double take at the sight of the unfortunate men and women trapped in this miserable situation before approaching the desk and flashing her badge.

"Hi, I'm Detective Olivia Benson and I'm with the Special Victims Unit. I received a call about a possible rape victim?"

The nurse behind the desk flashed a sad smile before rummaging through a stash of paperwork.

"Liv?"

Olivia turned around at the sound of a woman's voice calling her name and watched how the person behind her pulled a grey beanie hat off her head and revealed shoulder length blonde hair. Inquisitive blue eyes searched the detectives face.

"Rollins?" Olivia questioned in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought me and Nick were on call this weekend?"

"Nick's on vacation, remember?" Amanda Rollins answered as she approached the desk and flashed her badge too. "I offered to take the overtime. I errr..." She sheepishly averted her eyes, feeling an unexpected blush creep onto her cheeks. "I kinda need the money."

Olivia didn't ask why but just nodded. "Ok."

Rollins heaved a sigh as she relaxed a little into the comfortable warmth of the ER. "So, what have we got?"

"Female, early twenties, attacked on her way home," Liv repeated what she'd been told by dispatch. She glanced at the nurse behind the desk and the redhead gave her a piece of paper. She checked the information. "Her name is Emma Hamilton. EMT's found her half a block from her home. She was on the ground, bleeding. Signs of vaginal trauma and bruising on her wrists and thighs."

"Detective Benson?"

Her name was called by a male doctor in light blue scrubs. He'd just removed his gloves and pushed them in the pocket of his shirt. He had salt and pepper coloured hair and kind brown eyes. He was no older than thirty five and bore the signs of a man who was about to finish a thirty-six hour shift. There was sadness etched across his face. It was yet another night where a woman had come into his ER after she had been assaulted. Every time he pulled a shift like this one he hoped it wouldn't happen again but those nights were rare.

Olivia knew many doctors in the ER by name after fifteen years in SVU and this one was no different. They had crossed paths before and the more often she saw the same doctor in the same hospital, the more she was reminded of the violence that was out there. She crossed the ER waiting room with Amanda on her heels and shook the doctor's hand.

"How is she?" was the first thing she asked.

"Shaken up," he answered. "Like you would expect after what she's been through. We've done a rape kit and it's already on the way to the lab. She said he grabbed her from behind and slammed her face first into the sidewalk. She's got some cuts and bruises."

"Can we see her?" Rollins asked.

"Right this way."

They followed him out of the waiting room and into the ER. It was a busy night. All cubicles were occupied but Olivia was relieved to see that the doctor led them to the other side of the room where there were a few small trauma rooms, far away from the drunks that were usually brought in around this time of night. She turned to the doctor, gave him a genuine smile and then slowly opened the door. She became aware of Amanda standing closely behind her and an unexpected warm shiver crept down her spine. She shook her head to rid herself of the sudden feeling and stepped into the room.

It was brightly lit but small. On the bed sat a young woman with short cropped blonde hair. She wore a standard issue blue hospital gown and had pulled her legs up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees. Weary eyes looked up when the two women entered the room and Olivia's brown eyes were met by confused and sad looking green ones. She felt her heart break in her chest when she saw the black eye and large cut across the woman's cheek.

"Emma?" Olivia said softly and the young woman nodded. "Hi, I'm Detective Olivia Benson and this Detective Amanda Rollins." She pointed at the arm chair next to the bed. "Is it OK if I sit down?"

Emma nodded and watched how Olivia sank down in the chair. Amanda moved behind her, one hand casually resting on the back of the chair. Her fingers brushed against Olivia's back by accident and she pulled back a little before fixing her eyes on the woman sitting in the bed. The way Emma looked back at them told her that she had not yet come off her adrenaline high. She was still in fight or flight mode.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Olivia carefully asked. She'd pulled her notepad and a pen from her pocket and opened. Her well trained eyes searched Emma's face.

"I was walking home after practice. I took the subway but the station is two blocks from my apartment," Emma answered. Her voice cracked. Her hands were shaking and tears welled up in her eyes. "I err…I don't know where he came from but suddenly he was behind me and…" Panic flashed across her face and anxious eyes darted around the room.

"It's okay," Amanda said softly and circled the bed. She was careful not to enter Emma's personal but came close enough so that the frightened woman could look her in the eye if she wanted to. "You're safe here."

Emma swallowed hard. "I crossed the street to get away from him but he did the same. Then next thing, he was on top of me. I was on the ground and…" She looked down at her bruised hands. "He was talking to me and he pulled down my jeans and then he…" She didn't finish the rest of her sentence but helplessly looked up at Olivia.

"Do you remember what he said?" Olivia asked.

"You should have watched your back."

Olivia unexpectedly sat up and her eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"That's what he said," Emma answered, now staring at Olivia. "'You should have watched your back.'"

"Did you see his face?" Amanda wanted to know. "Anythin' about him that you can remember?"

"I didn't see his face. He was wearing a hood and he was behind me the whole time." Emma took a ragged breath. "But I did see his hands. He had a big scar on his right hand. Right here." She showed her hand and drew a line across the back of it. "And he wore a ring. It was big and made out of gold. Like a class ring or something."

Olivia's teeth worried her bottom lip and she glanced from Amanda to Emma. In her chest her heart was racing and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. "Emma," she began, "when he was finished, who called 911?"

"He did."

Olivia closed her notebook and stood up. She smiled. "Thank you, Emma." Her eyes briefly darted to Amanda, signalling that they were about to leave. "If you think of anything else, call me, okay?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out one of her cards. "Doesn't matter if it's day or night."

She and Amanda left the room and as soon as the door closed behind them Amanda turned to look at Olivia. The older woman's face betrayed what Amanda had already suspected. "You've seen this before, haven't you?"

"Five years ago I worked a case where three women were attacked on the street. They were walking home at night and none of them were very far from their apartments. They were all thrown face down onto the ground, raped and their attacker told them that they should have watched their backs. Then he called 911."

"A rapist who calls 911?"Amanda cocked an eyebrow at the distinctive part of the pattern. "Really?"

"We got his DNA but there was never a match in the system. We expected him to keep going but after those three he just stopped. Disappeared off the surface of the Earth." Olivia leant against the wall and sighed. The case was one of the many files still on her desk. Every file represented a case that had still not been closed. Every few weeks she'd look through them, hoping she would finally find the piece she'd been missing but so far all the puzzles remained incomplete. "I'll never forget the look on their faces when we told them the case had gone cold."

Amanda looked at Olivia in surprise. "There were never any other hits?"

"Nothing."

"What kind of serial rapists just stops raping women?"

"They don't," Olivia said and her eyes darkened. She had dealt with plenty of serial rapists in her career. None of them ever just stopped. They always escalated and eventually they would be caught but not a single one would just stop what his twisted brain was telling him to do. She looked up at Amanda. "They continue to develop their MO but they never stop. They can't."

"So you think there are more victims out there?"

"I know there are, I just haven't found them yet."

Amanda watched the dark haired detective closely. She'd been working alongside Olivia Benson a little over three years now and she'd started to learn how to read her. Olivia Benson was an enigma to her most times but in moments like these, Olivia laid her emotions bare for the whole world to see. The anger that flickered behind her coffee coloured eyes betrayed her frustration about this case. Amanda didn't even need to ask and she pushed her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"So where do we go from here?"

"We go back to the beginning. If he's back then I want to check every detail we have from the previous rapes," Olivia answered and she started down the hall. "Talk to the victims again, double check their statements and compare them to the one from tonight. Anything that could give us an idea where this guy's been and why he's back."

They walked through the waiting room and out of the building into the crisp New York night. It was bitter cold and the wind unexpectedly robbed Olivia of her breath. She turned to look at Amanda and watch the blonde detectives slip her hands into a pair of gloves before readjusting her beanie hat. The golden locks disappeared beneath the wool and suddenly a pair of bright blue eyes met Olivia's brown.

"You need a ride home?" Olivia asked, knowing Amanda hated driving in the city and would take the subway at every available opportunity, including call outs.

"It's outta your way," Amanda replied. "I'll take the subway."

"At this time of night? I don't think so." Olivia's answer was final. "I won't go back to sleep when I get home anyway."

Amanda knew that feeling. There had never been a time where she had managed to go back to sleep after a call out in the middle of the night. Most times she would go to the precinct but since they would have to wait till morning for any of the evidence to be processed, there was very little they could do now. The thought of going back to the warmth of her apartment was tempting.

"OK," she said with half a smile. "Thanks."

"Car's in the car park around the corner."

They walked side by side through the dark night until they reached the car park. Olivia fished her keys out of her pocket, unlocked the car and watched how Amanda got into the passenger seat. She slipped into the driver's side, stuck the key in the ignition and sighed in relief when the heating kicked in immediately.

"How do you cope with this weather?" Amanda groaned as she leant back in her seat, wrapping her arms around herself after buckling up.

"Georgia doesn't get this cold?"

"You're kiddin', right?" Amanda asked, eyeing the brunette detective up.

Olivia grinned as she put the car in reverse. Even after three years Amanda still found things to complain about when it came to New York. She gave her a sideways glance, taking in the sight of the younger woman's features being lit up by the golden gloom of the streetlights. Huddled into her coat and with her beanie hat covering her hair, Amanda looked barely old enough to legally buy booze. It was what gave the young detective her vulnerability, Olivia thought. Somehow, no matter how hard Amanda's mask became, her eyes always betrayed a lot of emotions were hidden underneath.

It had taken some time for her to get used to Amanda, and the same could be said for Nick. Elliot leaving changed her life and she hadn't realised just how much until he wasn't sitting at his desk anymore. Allowing other people to fill the gap he left behind confronted her with emotions she didn't even realise she had. Anger, frustration, jealousy and sadness all went hand in hand. But as the weeks turned into months and eventually years, they had found their balance and Olivia had put her life in their hands more than once.

"Do you miss Georgia?" Olivia asked, severing the comfortable silence that had lingered between them until now.

Amanda looked up. Considering it was early morning and she had been disturbed from her sleep, she looked wide awake. The question seemed to have caught her off guard and Olivia noticed the distinct flash of surprise across her face before it faded.

"Missin' is a strong word."

Olivia didn't miss the hesitation in Amanda's answer. "When was the last time you went home?"

"I don't go home," Amanda replied, her voice somewhat bitter. "I visit."

Olivia didn't touch the subject any further. Instead she drove the unmarked sedan through the quiet New York traffic. There weren't many cars about at this time of night and they reached Amanda' apartment within twenty minutes. Olivia pulled up outside the building and the blonde detective opened her door. Almost immediately a bitter cold gust wind of blew into the car.

"Try and get some sleep," Olivia said as Amanda got out. She knew her words were futile. She recognised a lot of herself in Amanda and she knew very well the Georgian detective wouldn't sleep. She smiled as Amanda leant back into the car, a quirky grin across her lips.

"I don't think I'll answer that." Her grin slightly faltered as she looked up into Olivia's eyes. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see ya later."

Olivia waited until Amanda had gone inside before she started her engine again and drove off. Now that the car was empty all that remained was the lingering scent of the blonde detective's perfume and Olivia found herself slightly sad that she no longer had company. She drove back towards her own apartment as the radio station played midnight country classics and when she finally pulled into a parking spot and got out all she wanted was a shower.

She opened the door and stepped inside, careful to be quiet so she didn't wake Brian. He had stirred when she got out of bed and mumbled something about breakfast. She glanced at the clock. It was almost four in the morning. A tired sigh escaped her as she crossed the living room down the hall towards the bathroom. Olivia stripped off, stepped under the flow of hot water and closed her eyes. Her head was spinning with thoughts about the serial rapist who had returned and when she finally switched off the shower she felt no cleaner than when she went in.

Across town Amanda was having similar problems. She'd stepped out of the shower and grabbed the nearest pair of jeans and sweatshirt she could find. With her hair still damp and on bare feet she walked through her small apartment to the living room and fell down on the couch. Her gaze was drawn to the windows; the curtains were open and invited in the view of New York at night. She was drawn back to the moment when she walked into the ER and laid eyes on Olivia. Her heart had skipped then and it skipped now. Mentally she chastised herself.

This was getting out of hand.