"Gabby can't be my daughter...right?" Casey thinks to herself as she lays in her bed that night. She lies awake for hours, pondering her thoughts. By two o'clock in the morning, she eventually falls into a reluctant sleep.


When Casey enters the precinct, she finds everyone standing at the door, waiting for her. Even the two newer detectives, Nick Amaro and Amanda Rollins, are there.

She eyes everyone nervously.

"What's going on?" she questions, wondering if this is what criminals feel like when they're being interrogated.

Everyone greets her back. They all exchange unsure glances with each other. She hears someone murmur, "Who's gonna tell her?"

Someone gently shoves Olivia forward. Olivia shoots the person that pushed her a quick glare, then she gives Casey a small, sympathetic smile.

"Casey," she begins with a sigh. "Gabby told us that the names of the parents she lives with now and the names printed on her birth certificate are different. We ran a DNA test-"

"I need to start preparing Gabby for court. Where is she?" Casey interrupts, abruptly changing the subject. She is fearful of what Olivia might say next. She starts trying to walk around the group of people, but they block her attempts to leave.

Amanda, who happens to be the closest to Casey, gently grabs hold of the ADA's arm.

"Casey, she's going over her testimony with Huang. Please just listen," she says in a soft, nonthreatening voice.

Casey yanks her arm away from Amanda. "Touch me again, and I'll have you charged with assault!" she growls. She turns away and takes a step towards the door that she entered from. Ignoring various people trying to talk to her, she continues towards the door.

"Novak, if you go out that door, you're off the case!" Cragen warns sternly as Casey's hand reaches the door handle.

Casey pauses with the door cracked open. She takes a deep breath, but doesn't turn around. She has a firm grasp on the door's handle

"Casey, this is really important," Fin says, his voice much more gentle than it usually is.

Casey takes her hand off the door, letting it close, but she still doesn't turn around.

"Please, Casey...just listen to Liv," Munch says pleadingly.

Casey exhales slowly. She turns around and looks at everyone. "Okay. Proceed, Olivia," she concedes. She shifts her weight from foot to foot as Olivia resumes talking again.

"Casey, Liam really is Gabby's father. He legally changed his name from Charles to Liam after moving to New York," Olivia begins.

A lump forms in Casey's throat. She anxiously chews on her lip. She looks away from everyone, but doesn't stop Olivia from talking.

"We apprehended him and Lisa last night," Olivia says. She pauses, searching for the right words to continue with.

Much to her relief, Elliot steps forward, relieving Olivia of the pressure she felt to continue.

"Neither of them would cooperate with us, but Liam did say who Gabby's real mother is. He admitted that Lisa isn't the girl's mother. He told us that you are her biological mother. He refused to say anything else until he saw you," Elliot tells Casey.

Casey feels the lump in her throat grow. It suddenly feels like the walls are closing in on her. Her breaths are short and erratic. Her mind is spinning.

Olivia steps towards Casey, who flinches and backs away.

"Casey, is this true?" Cragen asks.

Casey finally lifts her head and looks at everyone. She has the wide, frightened eyes of a deer in the headlights of someone's car. She trembles as everyone stares at her.

"I thought he was dead," is all she chokes out in a barely audible whisper.