A/N: IT'S DONE. Ok, guys, here's a happy little ending! Again, I think it's not all that great, but I'm my own worst critic. Sometimes, I'm not. But I'm so thankful for everyone who read and reviewed this fic! I've been out of the fanfic game for a few months, so I'm hoping finishing this fic makes up for that. Also, we all need a happy ending to take away from the fact that this upcoming Wednesday is giving us serious anxiety. Anyway, I don't own SVU or its characters. ENJOY!


DAY 5

Liv, Amanda, and Fin sat quietly in the hospital waiting room.

No one spoke. They all just sat staring at a white wall filled with information packets on various diseases, general health care and programs offered around the area. There was a flat screen in the corner, displaying Live newsfeed of the towns efforts to clean up the heavy snow fall that they would occasionally glance at, but didn't comment on.

The three of them were alone in the room, making the silence deafening. They'd been sitting there a good six hours, only moving to use the restroom and refill their coffee cups. The Feds had stepped in after state troopers responded to their call and handed the case up the chain. Understandable, given the number of deaths on their hands.

Dodds had been notified by Liv, and after being told that he didn't need to make a special trip up to see them, left them to each be interviewed separately by the agents on the case.

Five bodies were found.

Five wayward people with no real motive. They were people who wanted to kill. Nothing more.

DNA would take a while to come back, but there was almost no question that each of their own samples were going to be found at the other crime scenes. The agents didn't outright say, but all three of them knew well enough to read the silence that followed.

Fortunately, questioning didn't take all that long. Their stuff had been packed and brought for them, nestled away in their cars, that had been dug out by highway plows, that were parked out by the ER doors. The roads weren't clear enough to drive, especially after what they'd been through, and Rita and Sonny had to stay overnight for observation. Rafael would be there a day or two longer.

As the minutes ticked by slowly, they began to grow restless, but still, none of them spoke. They were all dirty and bruised up. They'd been treated each for minor injuries, but hadn't had the opportunity to clean up. Not that they would take that chance. Loved ones were beyond those hospital doors.

Rita was undergoing questioning, since she had pulled the trigger. Her injuries were minor, but they still wanted her to stay the night, anyway, just in case. Carisi had been knocked out with pain pills, but there wasn't much they could do for a severely beaten face. Rafael had to go into surgery for his shoulder, to see if there had been any real nerve damage, as well as to adjust his broken nose.

All in all, they were lucky to all be alive, according to the head agent they spoke to. The other victims had been so savaged, it was taking weeks to completely identify and inform family members, as well as perform autopsies. That had been the most startling piece of information for them all.

They'd all come so close to dying.

Too close.

Not even years on the force for Liv, Fin, Amanda, and Sonny could prevent that kick to the head. They put their lives on the line every day, but so rare it was for them to the hunted.

They looked up as a doctor and a few federal agents approached them in the waiting room, talking quietly with each other. Liv stood as they came to a stop in front of them, eager for information on the three beyond the doors.

"You can visit them now. Mr. Barba's surgery went well. No real nerve damage, but he's going to be in a sling for a few weeks. Standard broken nose, as well. We did give him a blood transfusion and he's on oxygen because he was having some difficulty, but other than that, he'll make a full recovery."

Liv sighed and nodded, the weight on her shoulders lifted. She had a feeling things were going to be ok, but she knew better than to get her hopes up completely. "Can I see him?"

"Yes. Keep in mind, he's just out of surgery so he's still under the effects of anesthesia." Liv nodded and didn't wait to hear what else was said. She didn't really care. If they wanted to question eighteen more times in the next few days, they could. She just needed to see him.

Fin knew this too, so he stepped up to the agent who insisted on interviewing Rita and gave him a look. Amanda patted him on the shoulder, reminding him they had no pull over the Feds or anywhere in this district. "You all done harassing my girlfriend?"

"Fin," Amanda sighed, shaking her head at the group in front of them. She understood Fin's protectiveness, but she was ready to go see Carisi and she knew he was ready to go see Rita. Getting the agents all worked up wasn't going to help them in doing that faster.

"Sir," the agent started, a warm expression directed towards them both, "We just asked a few questions. Which…didn't go over so well. I don't know how you handle her, but kudos to you."

For a second, Amanda really thought Fin was going to throw a punch, but he didn't. Instead, Fin chuckled and excused himself, a big smile plastered on his face as he followed Liv through the same double doors. Amanda excused herself as well without another word, forgetting everything that had happened in the past couple of hours in favor of seeing Sonny.


She was proud of herself when she saw him and she didn't cry.

He was bruised up pretty badly. His nose had been broken and she could tell with the way it was positioned slightly off center. He had a couple of cuts and scrapes along his face and arms, but the biggest injury had to be the cut in his arm. It was covered in bandages and she couldn't see it, but the doctor had promised her a full recovery, and she would take their word for it.

She stood near the door for a while, watching him slowly slip out of sleep, his eyes opening and closing for seconds at a time. She didn't make her way over until his eyes were squinting at the farthest wall, brow furrowed like he was trying to figure out what he was staring at.

Liv lowered herself onto the seat and reached out, resting her hand on his forearm. It twitched in return.

"Hey," Liv said softly. Rafael looked towards her, eyes still squinted. She could tell the moment his vision cleared up, because he sighed softly beneath the breathing mask and let his head fall back against the pillow. She shared a watery smile and leaned forward, kissing him on the forehead.

With some difficulty, he raised the hand on his good arm and pulled down the mask just so that his mouth was visible over the top of it. "Love…you…"

Liv bit back the sob that wanted to come out and instead, dipped the mask lower so she could kiss his lips. After, she slipped it back over his mouth and caressed his cheek. His lids fluttered shut as her thumb ran a familiar pattern underneath his left eye. "I love you, too, honey. So much."


Rita sat silently on the bed, staring out of the window at the falling snow.

It wasn't blowing sideways or erratically, trying to find a surface to stick to. It just fell peacefully from the clouds, landing serenely on the plowed roads outside.

Fin stood behind her, tracing the large bruises on her bare back, where she fell through the glass coffee table. When he first brushed his fingertips against her skin, she was brought back momentarily to that night when she woke up to cold fingers on her back, following a similar pattern.

It scared her that she went immediately to that and that her first reaction was to jump away from him and fling herself into the corner of the room. He looked so taken aback and hurt, but he understood. He understood well. His years on the force gave him plenty of insight to what victims of violent attacks were like.

But, this was different. He'd said so. It hadn't ever happened to someone he cared for so deeply. He hadn't had to deal with a lover tearing herself away from him because he touched her. She pleaded with him tearfully afterwards to realize that it wasn't him.

She knew, from the moment she was rolled into the hospital on a gurney, that this was a new reality for her. She'd been put through the ringer. She'd been thrown through glass and violated in such a personal manner. She killed someone. Blood was on her hands forever now.

"But you saved yourself. You saved all of us."

Yeah, maybe she did. But a life had been taken and it terrified her just how easy it was to do so. She felt no remorse for the man who's blood still stained herself. She just felt the incredibly crushing guilt her clients must have felt when they murdered someone.

"Baby," Fin said softly, moving around to sit next to her on the bed. She bit down the reaction to lean away from him and, instead, leaned into him, shoving her face into his neck and smelling his cologne. It centered quickly, so she reached up and grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling herself closer. "Let's get you covered up. You're shivering."

She nodded after a moment of hesitation, forcing herself to let him go. He helped her back into bed and then laid back with her, cuddled on the small space. She curled into him the best she could and just listened to his breathing. It was the only thing she wanted to hear for a while.


"My face hurts."

Amanda chuckled and continued running her fingers through Carisi's hair. He groaned and shifted every minute and she was beginning to grow tired of hearing him complain, but this was the Carisi she'd grown to love. He was a very bad listener, especially when it came to her.

"Well, if you'd stop talking and moving, maybe you wouldn't hurt so bad. You think of that?"

"I'm sorry…I'm hungry. It's making me restless."

Amanda snorted. She was immensely happy to see that his appetite hadn't gone away. If there was one thing she could always count on with him, was that he wouldn't say no to a meal. God, she didn't know what she would do without him sometimes. How he had seamlessly blended into her life without even trying, she wouldn't ever know, but she wouldn't have had it any other way, that was for certain.

"How is everyone else?"

"Good, I think," she said and shifted, sliding further down so their faces were eyes level. One of his eyes was swollen shut, but his other one was just black and purple. He was going to have some extremely nasty bruises for a while. "Barba had to have surgery and he's in recovery right now. Rita was getting checked out and they're making her stay overnight just in case. Fin and Liv are alright, too."

"You?"

She didn't know how to answer that, really. She'd been so distraught over being nearly strangled to death in the dark, but now it seemed insignificant in the grand scheme. She had been in plenty of messed up situations, that was for sure, but this one…this one took something out of here she didn't know she still had.

"Ok, I think. I'm just happy everyone is safe and alive and we can go home soon. They got all our stuff out of there and we have free parking out front for a few days. I suspect you'll be here probably two days. Barba, more like a week."

He didn't say anything after that and just stared up at the ceiling. Amanda swirled the lukewarm liquid in her cup, having given up on drinking it. He finally broke the silence with his stomach, that gurgled uncomfortably next to her.

"They got a cafeteria in this place?"

Amanda rolled her eyes and got off the bed, "They're serving chicken noodle soup and Salisbury steak."

"Grab me two of 'em."


"Two trays, please." The lunch lady looked at her with a raised brow, but didn't say anything as she handed them over to her. Amanda shook her head and met with Liv and Fin, who were by the coffee stand, amused at her exaggerated eye roll.

"The fourth stomach strikes again?"

"He's pushing it. He knows I'm going to get him whatever he needs." Liv nodded in understanding, holding up the two cups of coffee in her hand.

"Raf was begging for coffee as soon as the anesthetic wore off. By tomorrow morning, he'll be begging me to drive home, get his briefcase, and drive back."

"Does he know how hard it is to do anything with his arm in a sling?"

"I don't think so. He's about to find out, and oh, he's just going to be a peach about it." Amanda hated to think about Barba in a pissy attitude. He was most of the time at work, anyway, but add in a sling and general injury pain…she didn't envy Liv in the least.

"How's Rita?"

The playful tone quickly changed as Fin grew silent and his smile faded. They all knew what pulling the trigger on someone felt like. It wasn't something to be taken lightly and had serious, lasting impacts on the psyche.

"She's…quiet. I think it's hitting her, what happened. Rita's strong." He swirled the brown liquid in his cup and took a gulp. "I just hope she's strong enough to get through this."

They all stood there for another few minutes, talking and coming up with a game plan for the next few days. It was going to be difficult, maneuvering schedules and making sure they were all in contact in case something happened.

They separated a few minutes later, getting back their perspective rooms for the night. Nothing was set in stone as of yet, and they were more than likely going to be questioned by the Feds again, as sole survivors of this serial killing spree, but there was nothing more important than the one's they loved buried back in quiet rooms in this foreign hospital.


ONE MONTH LATER

Rita was proud when she didn't jump at the door to the apartment banging open.

She could hear Fin cursing as he dropped some grocery bags on the counter, along with his keys, and it made her smile, knowing he was berating himself for kicking the door open too harshly. Of course, no matter how many times she told him she was on the mend and getting better with her reactions, he still did his best to limit those loud noises or touches.

She appreciated it, though. It was sweet. They'd had a bit of an issue working past those first few days after they got back from the hospital. Rita had been so on edge, she had Fin check every corner of her penthouse apartment with his gun drawn while she buried her face into his back, shaking like a leaf.

They had a number of arguments as well, that mostly stemmed from the fact that she was grumpy over lack of sleep. The nightmares were still there, but they were subdued. Those first few nights had her waking up in a cold sweat, still vividly feeling glass cutting her skin and the gun fire ringing in her ears.

It had taken quite a few long talks and three visits to a therapist for her to start the healing process. She hated asking for help, but she would admit that those hour-long therapy sessions helped her the most, along with Fin comforting her every step of the way.

"It's ok, honey. I didn't even jump this time." Rita winked at him as he came into the room, shoeless and dressed in a nice sweater and jeans. He smiled at her and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. She didn't let him linger so she could finish putting on her makeup.

"Good. I was afraid I'd walk in here and you'd be tryin' to swing a bat at me."

Rita closed her blush compact with a snap and playfully glared at him in the mirror, "That was one time and I thought you were working a double."

She quickly applied some light mascara and some nude lipstick and double checked her hair before she went about changing. Fin hummed in appreciation when she shimmied out of her robe and revealed one of her favorite underwear sets she treated herself to over the past weekend. She smacked Fin's hand away from her thigh when she passed by him on the way to the closet.

"We're on a time limit. You can investigate my panties, later, Sergeant."

Rita glanced back to see all his focus drawn on her retreating form. Along with the healing process through therapy and other hobbies she liked to take part in, they'd been spending a lot of their free time in the bedroom, which certainly always helped regardless of the situation.

Feeling a little risqué, she pretended to accidentally knock the cream dress she chose to wear that night onto the floor and slowly bent over to pick it up. The pained moan from her bed made her giggle and before he could convince for a quick roll in the sheets, she closed the door to her walk-in closet to get dressed in peace.

She smiled at herself in the full-length mirror, content to leave the memories from a month ago in the back of her mind for the night. Tonight, she was going to have fun with good people and drink and eat good food. Best of all, Fin would be right there with her.


"I…..got you!"

Carisi threw Jesse a little too high in the air for her liking, but Amanda had to smile at the two best friends playing in the living room. Frannie ran around them excitedly, growling playfully as Jesse was let loose on the ground and picked up the pink dog bone that was a constant in the space.

"Frannie! Be nice!"

Amanda watched the two disappear down the hall and out of sight. They were all ready to go, but their Uber was stuck in traffic and there was no way the three of them were braving the cold for a ten-block walk.

"When are they getting here? I'm starving."

"You ate an hour ago."

"I have four stomachs. We've been over this, Manda," he wagged his finger at her and she reached out to slap it away from her face. She shook her head and reached up to fix one of her earrings that felt a little off. She was excited they were finally having a night away from the apartment and from work to spend time with friends. It had been a hell of a month, between the FBI investigation, their faces being plastered all over national news for the horror story, and just dealing with the after math of the whole ordeal.

She could still sometimes feel the phantom pain of a belt around her neck and the struggle for breath when she was waking up in the morning, but she had learned a long time ago to channel her negative thoughts and anger in a different way. Before, something like this would have sent her straight into a casino or a bar where she could gamble and drink her thoughts away.

Becoming a mother changed a lot of things for her, that was for sure.

"Our driver's here. Jess! Baby, c'mon, we're leaving! Can you get her coat?" Carisi jogged down the hall and scooped her up, making her giggle like crazy when he tickled her under her arms. Amanda side stepped an excited Frannie, who was sniffing the air around the bowl of pasta salad she carried in her hands.

When they were all bundled up, they took their time heading down the stairs, listening to Jesse babble about numbers and animals Carisi had been teaching her over the weekend. She marveled at just how smart her daughter was becoming more and more each day, and she couldn't have done it without Sonny. This co-parenting thing with him had taken so many stresses off her when it came to providing her daughter with what she needed.

Even if Carisi and her were the oddest friends on the planet, she wouldn't trade this little family for anything.


"For the millionth time, Raf…"

Liv bit back a smirk as Rafael rolled his eyes and passed her on the way out of the kitchen area, accepting a kiss on the cheek from her regardless of his annoyance with her, leaving her to get down the stack of plates from the cabinet.

She'd been on him all day about lifting anything higher than shoulder height or lifting anything heavy in general. He'd just gotten his sling taken off and his arm was still getting used to free movement, which meant he winced every time he tried to lift something and she was getting tired of seeing his wincing face.

"I'm not even in any pain." She gave him a look and he conceded. "I'm not in that much pain. This is ridiculous. I lose my arm for a month, finally get it back and now I can't even use it."

Rafael leaned against the breakfast bar after glancing towards where Noah sat quietly, playing with his toys. Liv met him halfway, their faces close to each other. She cupped his cheek and he kissed her palm. He knew she was only trying to look out for him and she knew he was doing his best to let her. What had happened up in that cabin was going to stay with them for a long while.

What she had seen…having to sew up his shoulder…the terror of realizing he was alone in there with a killer and no protection…

He wasn't one to be babied, but he was letting her do it a little bit at a time, and that was fine with her. It was therapeutic for her, in a weird way.

"Honey, I wish I could take the pain away from you, I really do. But, I can't. Which means you have to listen to the doctor and not lift anything even remotely heavy."

Rafael's brow smoothed out at her words. He knew she was only looking out for his best interest, but that didn't mean he had to like the fact that the doctor (who was twenty years younger than him) told him not to lift more than five pounds minimum. Rafael had tried arguing that he had single files in his briefcase that weighed more than that, but he'd been ignored.

"I'm sorry I've been a pain. I'm just not used to being so…inactive." It was true. Even when he had nothing to do, he still managed to remain busy. Whether that be with cleaning, or reading, or taking care of Noah while she got some much-needed relaxing time, he was never truly bored.

This entire month had been nothing but boredom. Not even consulting on cases kept him busy, because often, all they would need answered was a simple question. She felt bad for him, she did, but not enough that she would stand for him directly disobeying doctor's orders.

"Well…," she stared playfully, walking around the counter to his waiting arms. She wrapped one arm around his neck and played with the collar of his button down hidden underneath his black sweater. "You haven't been completely inactive"

He smirked when she kissed him and it deepened when he slipped his hand into her back pocket and she arched into him. "It doesn't count if you're the one doing all the work." She couldn't argue that one, but she didn't respond. Instead, she just pulled back and rested her forehead against his, basking in his touch. She loved this man. Every day she spent curled up on the chair next to his bed during his time at the hospital cemented that in her heart. They'd all been put through hell, but those scary events had given each of them a startling reminder of just how quick life could be taken from anyone of them at any moment.

That was the only good thing to come from any of it.

"Mommy, can we eat yet? I'm hungry," Noah said, coming to a stop in front of them. They stayed in their embrace, but eyed him as he rubbed his stomach dramatically. Liv rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through the hair at Rafael's neck. "You're rubbing off on him."

Rafael scoffed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Liv didn't answer him, because she was saved by three loud raps on the door. Noah took off and they both had to remind him not to even think about opening the door on his own. Liv chased him there and, after seeing familiar faces through the peep hole, allowed him to open it on his own.

"Hey, come on in!"

Carisi barreled through the door with Jesse, who was desperate to get down on the floor to greet Noah. Amanda was next with a plastic bowl, followed by Fin and Rita, who were carrying a few bags of their own.

Hugs and kisses were quickly passed around, as if they all hadn't seen each other in so long. It was a miracle they were all even here at the moment, dressed for a Saturday night dinner at her apartment, just because they could.

As they all settled in to eat, Liv couldn't help but feel at home. Even though none of them were blood, they all shared something that couldn't be taken from them. The fog of those events would more than likely remain with them forever, but what was important, was that they had each other. They all knew what they each went through. They all knew exactly what it was like.

They were all there for each other, just like a family was.

Just like a family was supposed to be.