Brace yourselves...

#Tuckson #Always

Olivia had no sooner walked in the door with Lizzie, when Ed started throwing questions at his wife. He had tried to remain stoic and unaffected by the entire evening, but Olivia knew better. The man was agitated at the idea that his daughter was even entertaining the idea of spending time with his ex-wife.

"Is Lisa still there? Charlie okay?" He asked from his spot on the couch with Noah. They were both sitting, almost identically, munching on popcorn and watching a football game.

"Yeah, Tar-lie okay Mommy?" Noah asked, working to mimic everything about his father that day. Olivia just gave them a tense smile as she brought Lizzie over to them and plopped her on Ed's lap, much to the baby's delight. She just squealed and grasped at Ed's cheeks, but he was focused on the look of worry marring his wife's features.

"I don't know," she said quietly, chewing on her bottom lip and rubbing her hands together. She just couldn't stay still at the moment.

"Olivia?" Ed asked, cocking his head to the side in slight concern. He knew that she was worked up over the whole situation, with good reason, but he was trying to decipher just how worried he should be in that moment. It was possible she was over reacting a bit, but that was a rarity for Olivia, even when it came to her children. Her gut instinct was usually spot on, whether he thought she was over the top or not.

"Something wasn't right," she mumbled, shooting her eyes over to the kitchen and walking that way, signaling for Ed to follow so they were out of earshot from Noah.

Ed plopped Lizzie onto her play mat by the sofa, told Noah to keep an eye on her, and followed his wife into the kitchen. He positioned himself so I could still see the kids, while also eyeing his wife.

"Talk to me…"

"Just the look on that woman's face…" Olivia mumbled, shaking her head and looking down. She was trying to pull herself together. "And I could tell Charlie was anxious, but trying to hide it."

"Were they fighting?" Ed asked, wanting to know exactly what they were dealing with in the moment.

"I couldn't tell," Olivia admitted. "Charlie referred to me as Mom a few times in front of Lisa, and that just seemed to anger her. If looks could kill…"

"Okay," Ed said, reaching out to grasp Olivia's shoulders lightly and get her to look at him. "I need you to tell me how much of a threat you think she is right now. What do you think we are dealing with?"

Olivia looked up at Ed, her brown eyes swirling with fear and confusion.

"I want to get back up there…" she said quietly. "Something isn't right, Ed."

He just looked at her before pulling her into his chest and kissing her head.

"Okay, baby," he said. "Take a deep breath. Charlie's safe. Lisa isn't going to hurt her, physically, okay?"

Olivia looked up at Ed, her eyes once again betraying her emotions. Only this time, Ed could tell that he hadn't convinced her things were okay.

"Are you afraid Lisa will harm her?" Ed asked, his voice catching at the end as the thought passed through his mind, signaling maybe Charlie was not safe. Olivia just took a deep breath.

"I don't know," she said quietly, biting her lip again. "I just have a really bad feeling…"

"Okay," Ed said, nodding and kissing her quickly. "Go back up and check on them. Text me when you get there so I know what's happening."

Olivia hurried down the hall towards Charlie's door, taking a deep breath once she arrived. She patted her waist, and once she was reassured that her gun was on her, she went to put the key in the door.

Instead of turning to unlock it, however, the door just opened. It hadn't been latched shut. Olivia's heart dropped into her stomach as she slowly pushed it open all the way, her hand on her gun the entire time.

"Charlie?" She called, making her way into the foyer and looking around slowly. Once she got into the living room, she gasped. The coffee table was overturned, a lamp was broken, and the apartment was empty.

"Oh my god," she said, her entire being shaking as she pulled her phone out to call Ed. "Oh my god…"

Upstairs, Ed heard his phone ringing and answered it immediately, seeing that it was Olivia. If she was calling already, something was up.

"What happened?" He barked into the phone, no time for niceties.

"Ed…" her voice came out strained and terrified.

"What?" He asked again, hopping up and scurrying to the house phone in case he needed to make another call.

"They are gone, Ed," Olivia cried into the phone.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"I mean they are gone," she said again, the tears and fear very evident to Ed through the phone. "They aren't here. The place is a mess, and they are gone…oh god, Ed…"

"Okay," he said, his body tense and his heart racing. "Hang tight. I'm gonna call Fin to meet you at the apartment and Rollins to come stay with the kids. It's going to be okay…"

"Ed…" she whimpered into the phone. "Hurry…"

Half an hour later, NYPD was combing through Charlie's apartment while Carisi and Fin watched the security cameras, trying to get any idea as to where Lisa had taken Charlie. Chief Dodds was in the kitchen talking to Olivia, who was leaning back onto Ed for support as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Her eyes were red from trying to hold in her tears at that point.

"I don't know," she said quietly, her voice still shaking. "When I left, Lisa was leaning against the wall with this look of…almost pure evil on her face."

"Did you have any reason to believe she would hurt your daughter?" Dodds asked, taking notes and not paying much attention to the fact that Olivia's emotions were spiraling.

"I had a bad feeling," she said, her voice finally cracking and the tears beginning to overflow from her eyes. "I shouldn't have left her alone with Lisa. But I had to get Lizzie out of there. So I just left Charlie there. I left my daughter alone with that psycho…"

"Stop," Ed said firmly, turning his wife around and cupping her face. "Don't do that. You had no idea Lisa was capable of this. And. For all we know, everything is fine."

"CHIEF!" Carisi yelled, running into the apartment with a look of alarm.

"Oh god…"Ed whispered, clutching Olivia to him and steeling himself for the news. Carisi looked totally panicked, which was very unlike the seasoned detective.

"We got 'em on the camera," he said breathlessly, his eyes darting from Olivia to the Dodds.

"And?" Ed replied, almost snapping and then reigning himself back in.

"I'm sorry, sir," Carisi said, his eyes still on an increasingly distraught Olivia. "Looks like Lisa lead her out of the building. Fin zoomed in, and that's when he saw this…"

Sonny handed over a printed photo, zooming in on Lisa holding a gun at Charlie's side, almost hidden from view.

"No…" Olivia gasped, her head shaking.

Ed's jaw set firmly and his face turned red as he squeezed Olivia to reassure them both before speaking.

"Find them," he growled, before closing his eyes and burying his face in his wife's hair to inhale her scent.

"Got activity on Charlie's card," Carisi yelled from his desk, running into Fin's office and showing him a print-out. "Looks like she used it to withdraw funds at a downtown ATM. About half a block from Trevor's old office…"

"Shit.." Fin said, standing up and hitting speed dial 6. "All her financial access is probably in that office…I'm calling Ed. Get squad cars over there NOW."

"Hello?" Ed answered, his voice frantic. He needed information faster than the NYPD was providing it. After an earlier battle, Fin finally convinced Ed and Olivia to stay at their apartment with Noah, Lizzie, and Rollins, who had come over to watch the kids. But Ed couldn't keep still. So he paced every inch of that apartment, while Olivia just sat on the couch clutching Lizzie to her chest and humming softly to her. She was a wreck at this point, blaming herself and going between bouts of tears and bouts of angry bursts.

"Ed…we got a lead…"

"Where are they?"

"Got them on camera at an ATM downtown..right around the corner from Trevor's office…"

"Say no more," Ed said, grabbing his wallet and signaling for Olivia to follow him. She kissed at Lizzie before handing her over to Rollins and running out behind her husband, locking the door behind her.

"Keep me posted," Ed barked into the phone, reaching behind him to clasp Olivia's hand and run with her towards the elevators. "We will meet you there."

"Where are the passwords, Charlotte," Lisa snared, the gun still pointing at Charlie as she frantically went through all of Trevor's locked cabinets and files. She knew the information for his estate was in that office, and he had detailed in his Will where it was, but she was so nervous and upset that it escaped her.

"I'm looking," she said, her voice shaking in fear. "I promise it is here."

"It better be…" Lisa said, making sure that Charlie knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would kill her right then and there if she didn't get what she wanted.

"It's here," Charlie said, turning to look at her, eyes wide with fear. "I'm going to get you whatever you want. Just give me a minute to find it, okay?"

Lisa just smirked and moved to sit on Trevor's desk, gun still aimed, while Charlie searched through each and every file.

"Where is it…" Charlie muttered to herself, as her mind raced. She didn't care about the money right now. All she could think about was Lizzie. And Noah. And Ed. And Olivia. Did they know she was missing yet? She prayed that Olivia had decided to go back up. Charlie purposefully left the door unlatched, as to raise alarm if someone were to walk by. But now, a couple hours later, she was losing hope that they would find her in time.

"Got it!" She yelled, relief filling her body and turning around with the file. "It's all in here. Now what do you want to do?"

"Get on the computer and transfer money…" Lisa said, yanking Charlie by the arm and flinging her into the desk chair, keeping the gun on her.

Hands shaking, Charlie opened what used to be Trevor's computer, now used by different lawyers in the office, and logged in. As she began to work her way into all of his accounts, the door was kicked in causing Lisa to yank her up in front of her body and hold the gun at her head.

"Don't come any closer, or she's dead."

"Daddy…" Charlie whimpered as Lisa pushed the gun harder into her temple. Ed stood firm, though his face full of horror, as he watched the scene in front of him. He knew Olivia was a few steps behind him, and frantically thought about how to shield her from what was happening, but he didn't act in time.

"Oh my god…" he heard her gasp behind him, as she came into the room behind Fin. "No no no no no no," she whispered over and over again, her hands over her mouth as she locked eyes with a terrified Charlie.

Lisa slowly moved to where they were in front of the desk, facing off with Carisi, Fin, and three other NYPD officers with their guns drawn. Ed and Olivia stood off to the side, neither one of them taking their eyes off of their daughter, as Fin began to talk slowly.

"Okay, Lisa," he said softly. "Game is over. Let her go."

"No." She said firmly, taking the safety off of the gun and smirking as Charlie whimpered.

"Momma…"

"Baby girl…" Olivia whispered, heart shattered at Charlie's tone, her head still moving back in forth in total terror and disbelief at what was happening right before her eyes. "Ed..."

"Lisa," Ed said, his voice somehow steady given the circumstances. "You let her go, and I will give you anything you want."

"I want the money," she hissed. "I want it now."

"Okay," Ed said. "Name the price and it's yours. Just let her go and I can take care of it for you."

"No! Not until it's in my account," she said. Olivia's heart dropped as she began to realize Lisa had no real intention of letting Charlie go alive.

"Lisa," Ed said, his voice catching a bit. "Charlotte is your daughter. Your flesh and blood. Think about what you're doing here. I will get you the money. I will get you any amount you want. Just. Please. Please. Let her go. Let me have her…let us have her...and you can ride off into the sunset with the money."

Everyone in the room held their breath as they watched Lisa process Ed's request. Olivia felt her body begin to shake as Lisa's grip slowly softened, and she lowered the gun ever so slightly, muttering to Charlie.

"Fine," she said, as if she were giving up. "You don't want to be my daughter? That's your choice. Go to her."

Charlie hesitated briefly before locking eyes with Olivia and taking off for her. But Olivia watched in horror as Lisa's smirk grew.

"Noooooooo!" Olivia screamed, trying to get to Charlie as Lisa raised the gun. But she couldn't throw herself in front of her daughter fast enough, as shots rang out in the office.

Please don't kill me. Just trust me and leave a review.