By the second day, the evening news was running pictures of Olivia Benson every ten minutes: her in her dress blues, her leading a suspect to the squad car, her standing beside Captain Cragen giving a press conference. She had been missing for almost 48 hours, abducted from her apartment by one William Lewis, recently released on bail for raping a sixty-year old woman. The police had released the details of what they believed to be the car he was driving, and urged anyone who had seen anything to call the Special Victim's Unit at their tip line.

Alex Cabot first heard what had happened after nearly five hours shut away in her office. In the year since she'd quit SVU and transferred to Homicide, she had seen some truly horrific crimes, including the one on which she was focused for those five hours, but when the DA had flung Alex's office door open and told her to turn to Channel One.

"You're going to want to see this," was all he said. Alex flipped the small television next to her desk on, and watched in horror as the reporter explained what had happened.

"Detective Olivia Benson, fifteen year veteran of the NYPD's Special Victims Unit, has been reported missing. She is believed to have been taken from her apartment by this man –" the camera cut to a mugshot of a Caucasian man, "– William Lewis, aka William Lucas, aka Louis Williams. Lewis is believed to be driving a white Chevrolet mini-van with Connecticut plates. Anyone with any information regarding the location of this mini-van, William Lewis, or Detective Benson is encouraged to contact the NYPD at the tip-line on your screen. Be advised that this man is considered armed and extremely dangerous."

Every emotion that Alex had buried since she had started working for the DA's office nearly came flying out of her at once. Olivia Benson, missing. Olivia Benson in trouble. She could be dead. The thought ran through Alex's head on repeat as she stared at the now muted television. She could be dead.

"Cabot." Alex looked up to see the DA still standing in her doorway.

"Sir?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"Those are your people."

"Yes, sir."

"You need to be with them?"

"I…" Alex fumbled for a second to find her voice. "I'm supposed to be prepping for…" She flipped through the files on her desk, trying to even remember the name of the man she was supposed to prosecute the following week.

"Sam can cover the Harman case for you if you need him to." Alex stared dumbly at the DA. "Alex, what do you need?"

"I… I'm not sure," she answered shakily. The DA stared at her for a few seconds before speaking again.

"I'm going to give Sam the Harman case. Kerry and Stephenson can get him up to speed on what they've got on Harman," he added. "You do what you need to do." He turned and closed the door before Alex could even protest. She sat at her desk for a few silent minutes, trying to process what had happened.

Olivia is in trouble. She could be dead.

Alex shook her head vigorously. She couldn't think like that. Olivia was tough. She could weasel her way out of damn near any situation. Alex had no idea how sadistic William Lewis might be with her, but she knew Olivia Benson. Liv could beat this. She could survive this… if they found her in time.

For the first time in the past ten minutes, Alex's head cleared enough to formulate a plan. She picked up the phone on her desk and flipped through the book she kept near her computer full of the phone numbers of every judicial branch and police department from Manhattan to Boston. She punched the first phone number into the phone and held the receiver to her ear.

"Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, this is Evelyn speaking."

"This is A.D.A Alexandra Cabot, New York Homicide. I need to speak to Pam."

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After nearly six hours of phone calls and one very quick takeout box of chicken fried rice, Alex finally reached the last number on her list: the Family Justice Division of the Boston Police Department.

"Detective Brandon, Sexual Assault Unit."

"My name is Alexandra Cabot. I'm an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan. I need to speak to your Captain."

"Can I ask about what, ma'am?" she could hear the slight South Boston accent in his deep voice.

"It's an urgent matter regarding the abduction of an NYPD detective."

"Hang on." Brandon shouted something indistinct, and Alex could here a muffled reply. "I'm transferring you to Captain Raymond." Alex only had to wait a few seconds before the line picked up again."

"A.D.A Cabot, what can Beantown do for the Big Apple?" The man's voice was jovial, with an even heavier accent than the detective, but Alex had no time for pleasantries.

"I apologize, sir, but I've got a matter of the utmost importance. One of my detectives was abducted from her home two nights ago, and the NYPD has reason to believe that the suspect is moving up the coast. I know how amazing your department was at mobilization this past April, and we need your help. I know I'm probably over-stepping my bounds, but –"

"Say no more." He pulled the phone away from his ear. "Brandon, get the commissioner on the phone. What are we looking at, Miss Cabot?"

"Suspect is a white male, early thirties, approximately six feet tall, weight one eighty, goes by William Lewis. The detective is Olivia Benson, forty-seven, about five foot eight, tan skin, brown hair, brown eyes. Last seen driving a white mini-van."

"Email me the pictures. I'll get the word out to toll booth operators, MBTA and every squad car from here to Amherst. If he makes it up this far, we'll hunt him down like the dog he is."

"Thank you so much, Captain. I really appreciate your help."

"Hey, we're the good guys. We look out for our own. This S.O.B can't hide forever."

Alex dropped the phone to the receiver and quickly sent the captain the mugshot, Olivia's picture and the license plate, make and model of the car they were supposedly in, before slumping back against her chair and rubbing a hand over her face. It was well past midnight, and she had been in the office since seven o'clock that morning. The little remaining rational part of her brain told her to go home and get some sleep, but the part of her that had remained lodged with the Special Victims Unit told her that sleep would not come easy.

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"Cabot?" Alex's head popped up from her desk with a jolt. "You here all night?" Alex rubbed at her eyes and squinted at the door, trying to decipher the face staring back at her.

"Yeah, must've dozed off," she said, her voice hoarse from sleep. She finally found her glasses pushed almost to the back of her desk and put them on, finally bringing Sam's face into focus.

"Didn't Scott give me your case? Why're you still here?" Sam stared at her for a while before the realization dawned on him. "This about Benson?" Alex nodded and pulled her loose hair back into a ponytail.

"You know her?" Sam shook his head and closed the door to Alex's office.

"She's somewhat of a legend, though. You remember Trevor Langan?" Alex nodded again through a yawn.

"Bane of my existence." Sam chuckled.

"Well, he's dating my sister, so naturally, I hear all about the goings on of Henshall and Langan. Benson's a bit of a legend around there, and they all hate going head-to-head with her because she's such a…" Sam cut himself off, suddenly flushing pink.

"Bitch?" Alex finished, half-smiling at him. "It's okay. I used to think so too." Sam visibly relaxed and sat down in the chair opposite Alex. "Sam, tell me she's going to be okay."

"Oh, totally. From what I've heard, that Lewis guy, or whatever his name is, has a world of hurt coming his way." Alex smiled gratefully at him. "Come on, let me buy you breakfast." He stood and offered a hand to her.

"Oh, thanks, but I've got to finish putting the Harman case together for you."

"Alex, you and I both know that Scott already gave me the entire file. I'm meeting with the detectives to get briefed on it tomorrow. You need to get something to eat, and you need to get some real sleep." He held up a hand, silencing Alex as she tried to argue with him. "You're no good to her burnt out." Alex's shoulders dropped with the realization and she nodded, accepting Sam's still outstretched hand.

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Alex woke the next morning with a jolt, mouth open in a silent scream and skin drenched in icy sweat. She scanned her bedroom quickly, trying to orient herself in space and time.

You're at home. It's… 7am. Liv's been missing for four days. Everyone from here to Boston is looking for her.

She rubbed her eyes, slid off of her bed, and walked into the bathroom. Her reflection in the mirror look about as terrible as she felt. She splashed water on her face in an effort to wake herself up, and braced her hands on the edge of the sink.

Despite the hope she had originally felt from Sam's reassurances that Liv would make it out alive, Alex's heart dropped even further. Four days of God only knew what. Even though she and Liv had been friends for over a decade, Alex wished, for a brief second, that Liv would be put out of her misery. What would be worse, making it out of a situation like that, or succumbing to it?

The thought shook Alex to her core. Liv had been one of her closest friends when she had worked SVU. How could she wish that on anyone?

Alex quickly tugged on a pair of jeans and one of her favorite sweaters, pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and was about to grab her keys and walk out the door when her cell phone rang from her purse.

"Alex Cabot."

"Alex." She recognized Sam's voice immediately. "Turn on the T.V. now."

"What? Why?"

"They found her." Alex's jaw fell open and she scrambled for the television remote, jabbing at buttons until the screen burst to life.

"Olivia Benson, the NYPD detective abducted from her home four days ago, was found alive in a beach home in Connecticut. Details of her escape have not been released, but the suspect, William Lewis, was found unconscious in the master bedroom of the house. Detective Benson has been transported to Mount Sinai Hospital for medical treatment, and she's considered stable." The camera cut to a photograph of Liv wrapped in a blanket, flanked by Fin and that new detective, Amaro, and looking like she had been through hell.

Alex let out the breath she had been holding. She's alive. She's okay.

"Alex, you still there? Alex?"

"She's okay, Sam. She's alive."

"I'm in the car right now. Scott called me and told me to take you to the hospital."

"Sam, I –"

"It wasn't a question. I'll be there in two minutes." The phone went dead and Alex shoved it into her pocket. For the first time in the past two days, she allowed herself to cry.

Sam got Alex to the hospital within half an hour of her hearing the news. He refused to leave her side as they walked through the sea of uniformed cops and plainclothes detectives, finally making it to the desk to find out where Liv was. They stood together in the elevator, riding up to the floor where Liv was being examined.

"Alex, take a breath. You look like you're about to explode." Alex looked over at Sam and squeezed his offered hand. "You can't be here as ADA Cabot. You're here as Alex, her friend. You need to take a breath." Alex nodded and followed him out of the elevator and down the hall. "She's going to look bad, remember? She's been through hell." Alex nodded again, and they came to a stop about ten feet from Liv's door. "You sure you're up for this?" Alex shook her head, and stepped around Sam to Liv's door.

Alex's stomach dropped to somewhere around the basement of the hospital when she laid eyes on Olivia Benson. Liv was asleep in the hospital bed, looking smaller and more pale than Alex had ever seen her. Liv's left arm rested in a sling across her chest, and Alex could see a black eye and butterfly bandages holding a cut on her forehead shut.

"You okay?" Sam asked quietly from the doorway.

"I've never seen her this…" She didn't want to say broken, but it was true. Olivia Benson looked completely and utterly broken in that hospital bed. "I can't be here," Alex murmured suddenly, making a beeline for the door. "Take me home, Sam." She pushed past him into the hallway.

"What the hell are you talking about? You been running yourself ragged, trying to help her for the past two days, and you can't be here?"

"We haven't seen each other in over a year. I wouldn't know what to say to her."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Alex?" Sam asked, holding her shoulders firmly. "Why not? What happened that you can't be here for your friend?" Alex stared up at him, trying to fight the tears welling up in her eyes. "Alex," His face softened. "What happened?"

"We worked together, and I left the department three times." Sam nodded and pulled Alex into a gentle hug. "I'm scared that she'll hate me for abandoning her."

"You know I care about you, right? We're friends. I always tell you the truth." Alex nodded against Sam's jacket. "She's not going to hate you. No one who knows you could ever hate you." Alex rubbed the tears off her cheeks. "I've seen how much you care about her. Go in there and be there for your friend. She needs people who love her now more than ever." Sam pushed Olivia's hospital room door open again. "Alex, go. Be with her. I'll let Scott and the others know." Alex walked back into the room and stopped before Sam could shut the door behind her.

"Hey, Sam?" He paused. "I owe you."

"No, you don't," he answered with a smile. "That's what friends are for." He shut the door with a quiet click, and Alex turned to face Olivia.

"I'm so sorry, Liv," she whispered. She pulled one of the plastic chairs up to the right side of Liv's bed and wrung her hands together. "I'm so sorry that I left you. I'm so sorry. I am so sorry." A groan drew Alex's attention away from her thoughts. "It's okay. You're safe. No one is ever going to hurt you again." Olivia's eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times against the brightness of the room. "You're okay." Liv slowly rolled her head to the side, and blinked a few times before focusing on Alex's face.

"Alex, what are you doing here?" Liv's voice was hoarse, probably from screaming, and Alex's heart flipped over in her chest.

"I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm so sorry that I left. I'm so sorry," she murmured, drawing her arms in closer to her body.

"You left, again, without warning." Alex nodded, unable to come up with a response. "Why are you here?" It wasn't an accusatory question, but Alex couldn't help but wish Sam hadn't stopped her from leaving.

"When I saw what happened, I couldn't help but feel like I owed it to you to be there for you. I called in every favor I have and then some with every police department and D.A's office from here to Boston. They were all looking for you."

"You did all of that?" Olivia whispered. "Why?"

"Because I look after the people I care about. I may not be the best at showing it, but I do care about you, Liv." Olivia's face softened into a smile and she reached out her uninjured hand toward Alex.

"I'm really glad to see you, Alex." Alex wiped the tears away with one hand and reached out for Olivia's outstretched hand.

"This time," she murmured, squeezing Liv's hand gently, "I'm not going anywhere."