Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Law and Order: SVU, Benson and Stabler are properties of the genius Wolf. I offered to buy SVU from him with all my savings, but he refused! The nerve of that man, I offered him all of my 25 cents and he rejects my offer, then he goes and sends me a restraint order!

A little girl curled into a ball in the corner of the cold room. She lie on her side, trembling, her knees bent to her chin and tears streaming down her red, swollen cheeks. The little girl bit her already bleeding lip to stifle the mewling sounds she knew would escape, and what would happen if they did. Paying no heed to the broken glass, torn chairs, overturned tables, and garbage strewn across the expanse of the apartment floor, she clutched at her cream-colored teddy bear with cotton-stuffed, felt wings; hugging the plushie to her chest to ease the pain every time she took a small breath. She ached all over and gradually succumbed to the darkness that had been eating at her mind for so long.

Cigarette fumes filled every pore of the square, dank room, the smoke spiraling upwards in the naked light until it disappeared into the dark space above the hanging over light. Peanut shells and crushed beer cans littered the round table directly beneath the hanging yellow bulb. Amongst the clutter were several ashtrays holding dozens of cigarette butts and ashes. The occupants of the room crowded around the small table, reclining in battered, foldable chairs, faces hidden in the shadows. The sickeningly mustard yellow light swung slightly on its connecting chain catching gruesome tattoos on dark-skinned arms and a pair of calloused hands. A chair groaned as one man leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table, his scarred digits cradling a lethal-looking semiautomatic.

Head coming into view, greasy hair and an oil slicked face gleamed unforgivably. His dull black eyes held malice and suspicion in their hellish depths. His companions immediately ceased all side conversations and paid rapt attention to the apparent leader.

His clothes ruffled and stained due to several days of wear, to an unknowing observer, he didn't look too threatening, but his partners knew better.

"When can we leave this hellhole Rodriguez, you promised me we would leave 2 days ago," the man barked harshly with a heavy Cuban accent. The man he addressed as Rodriguez winced, only the thought that the leader was still at his mercy kept him from cringing.

"The guy got busted yesterday, boss. I didn't know until Tony told me last night, boss," Rodriguez pleaded, his Texas twang resonating through the underground hideout, which would otherwise be silent if not for the occasional 'drip, drip' from the sewer pipes running through the walls of the place.

The third man watched the conversation from the sidelines, chuckling to himself in amusement, "So the hunter becomes the hunted, how ironic," he thought. A whisper of a sound and the three men instantly froze and were on their feet in a flash. Signaling to the door, the leader crept behind Rodriguez and the other man.

"Police! We've got you surrounded! Drop your weapons and come out with your hands behind your head!"

"Shit," Rodriguez cursed, "What do we do now, boss?"

"Joey, you and Rodriguez go out first and shoot, hit whatever you can, I don't give a damn, I'll cover you two."

Joey gritted his teeth and ground out fiercely, "I ain't covering nobody's sorry ass, 'specially not yours!" The leader paled with rage, "You fool! You have no idea who you talking to, do you?" Joey didn't flinch, "I don't give a damn," he replied, mimicking the leader's words. Rodriguez listened intently to any sound outside. He heard nothing – that was what made him worry.

He turned back to his two partners in crime; he saw a hand tightened its hold on the gun in his hand. His eyes bulged in shock before he snapped out of it and shouted, "No, don't do it, boss, we have enough to worry about with the cops outside, deal with him later!" The leader glared at Joey one more time, then nodded tersely at the door. Slowly, Rodriguez pulled the crappy excuse of a door open, inch by inch, every creak increasing the anxiety levels. All of a sudden, an object flew in through the crack of the door. The leader realized it was a smoke bomb as soon as he got a clear look at the thing, the smoke billowing out of the ball confirmed that. A shuddering blast against the sheet of wood blew Rodriguez off his feet. Black figures stormed the underground alcove moving competently through the curtains of white smoke.

The leader and his henchmen couldn't see, so they did the only other thing they could do – shoot.

"BANG!"

The shot rang loudly through the small apartment, blood rapidly spreading across the surface of the woman's shirt.

The little girl was jolted awake by the thunderous noise, and through her haze of pain, she saw her father holding a smoking thing in his hand and sway unsteadily on his feet. A sharp pain shot up her left side when she tried to move.

Before she passed out from the excruciating pain, she watched the man picked up another bottle of potent liquor and take a generous swig as a pack of men bulldozed their way into the living room through the open door. She watched as her father spun on them and pointed that thing in his hand at one man who had a strange earring in his nose. Another earsplitting 'bang' and her father fell. Through her blurring vision, she saw the people running out. Then it was all black.

Detective Mike Sandalov and a couple of uniforms rushed up the stairs of the apartment complex as they heard the second gunshot from the lobby two floors down.

Mike Sandalov had been meeting with a informant when he caught sight of a gang moving down the streets, he recognized one of the gang members as the prime suspect of multiple cases of possession and selling coke, he quickly finished up the business transaction and took off to trail the potentially dangerous group.

He lost them as they rounded the corner; by the time he went around the bend, they had already disappeared. He frowned but refused to give up, as he was passing the apartment complex, two squad cars, sirens full on wailing, screeched to a stop in front of the building. He flipped them his badge, "What's going on?"

"Dispatch said there was a gunshot heard on the 2nd floor…" the uniform was abruptly cut off as another gunshot rang out, muffled due to distance, which was why Mike found himself bounding up the stairs two at a time with 4 uniforms on his heel. He saw the escaping figures and ran after them, he stopped in front of the apartment with its door swinging on its hinges; a man and a woman lay on the ground. The uniforms went after the perps and Mike skidded to a halt and quickly knelt next to the man, the man was gone, he did the same with the woman, no go. He sat back on his haunches and surveyed the damage.

Something out of the corner of his eyes got his attention; a small bundle of clothes laying in a heap in the corner surrounded by broken glass and furniture. He ventured closer.

His heart stopped in his throat when he found that the bundle of clothes was a battered little girl.