Olivia was feeling very confused.

She loved that people found her precinct to be a safe haven, but... This was different.

Aria Miller? Holland Novak? Grace's teacher... and her big sister? Would this case ever end?

Still... Olivia kept her cool as best she could.

Directing everyone away from the room's foot traffic, she looked from Holland to Aria. "Just how do you two know each other?"

"Aria is my fiancée." Holland said proudly as Aria briefly showed off her engagement ring. "I volunteer in her class. That occasionally makes me a chaperone."

"We just came from being with Grace at the hospital. I promised I'd see her." Aria told Olivia. "Holly also needed a lift."

"So then you made the command decision to come here because we're not far from the hospital." realized Olivia. "That's good. We can all talk over here."

Amanda brought up the rear as they all pilgrimaged to Olivia's office together. She was also feeling a blatant sense of déja vù.

Holland and Aria now made the second couple who had come to them about this case. What was going on today?

But the reigning hope in Amanda's mind was that Carisi was having a better time of his assignment.

He wasn't.

The detective had entered the conference table to see DJ at the table in tears. A pile of crumpled up tissues were scattered around her. Bad news had been received.

"What happened?" Carisi quickly closed the blinds into the other room. "Anything I can do to help out?"

Pippa sighed as gave DJ a back rub. "When it rains, it pours."

DJ exhaled shakily. "I was just terminated from my job over the phone."

Carisi winced. "Oh, I am so sorry. Was there any warning?"

"Kind of. They did say that some positions were on the chopping block because times are a little hard... I just thought I'd be safe." DJ rested her hands on her baby bump. "This is really hitting me. I only just hung up two minutes ago."

Pippa kissed her on the cheek. "We'll work it out later. I promise."

Carisi turned soft for a moment. After all, DJ was his little sister's girlfriend. He'd had a feeling after seeing them together before that marriage was in their future.

"Call me if you need anything. I mean it. Our whole family will pitch in to help. All you have to do is give the word. Okay?"

DJ's heart lifted a little. "Okay. Thank you."

"Has there been a break in the case?" Pippa asked her brother. "Is there something you need?"

"Yeah. You could say that. Do either of you know of any particular place that we would be able to find Hugo just now?"

Pippa furrowed her brow in thought. "Well... Our one and only date was to the botanical garden. What?"

Carisi had shifted slightly in his chair at the mention of the garden. "Hugo tried to take a little girl, since you two have been here, and it was from that exact location."

Pippa shuddered. "Oh, Jesus, no…"

DJ looked Carisi square in the eyes. "Who did he try to take?"

"I can't divul—"

But DJ cut across Carisi, annoyed. "Have you all noticed that Hugo is oddly habitual?"

"Yes." Carisi decided not to push her.

"Pip and I go to the Novak's bakery a lot. They know us. We especially know Grace because she remembers what we like."

"And, what? You and Pip have seen Hugo there during his usual time?"

DJ nodded. "To keep it simple, yes. Has Hugo attempted to abduct Grace? Yes or no?"

There was nothing for it now but to be honest. "Mhm. Earned herself a fractured wrist in the process. My sergeant rode with her to the hospital."

"But will Grace be there for a long time?"

Carisi shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

DJ blanched and moved from her chair to a corner on the floor. That answer had not been something she'd been banking on.

"What just happened?" Carisi asked in surprise.

"Diana is afraid. Her nightmares are coming true now. Hugo is loose. He has also circled back to us before." Pippa gave a dejected sigh. "We think he's also the maniac in Central Park we've been hearing about. If he is... Then let's just say that there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that he won't try harder to actually get poor Grace. Lord only knows what he'd do if he succeeded."

"But if he misses her," DJ said from the floor. "He will try us. Again. The man just doesn't know that we're here. It'll be war if he makes that jump. We are not leaving this room."

Carisi could see that neither woman would be moved on this matter. It was time find his boss.

After some quick assurances, Carisi left quickly.

Olivia needed to be found. Now.

The sergeant's other delegation settled quickly in her office. It was a tight squeeze. But everyone made it work.

Olivia sat at her desk. Alex and Amanda stood on either side of her. Casey settled for Olivia's other desk chair. This left Holland and Aria on the couch.

"I saw a man at the garden this morning who noticed Grace to say hello." Aria said. "Grace recognized him and it was brief, so I didn't think anything of it."

"But…?" Olivia prompted.

"Then I saw him again. Twice."

Amanda said, "We understand that your day has been a major jumble. Are you able recall where you saw him?"

"By the picnic tables first, and then in the area where the event happened. Grace didn't see him because he was trying to be covert. It didn't work that well because he's just awkward." Aria paused to think. "Grace did call him by name at the first encounter..."

"Was the name Hugo?"

"Yeah." said Aria as this tidbit came back to her. "Is it important?"

"Abundantly so." Amanda said somberly. "What else can you tell us? No answer is wrong."

Aria nervously ran the pad of her thumb on the underside of her engagement ring. "I swear I spotted Hugo in the gift shop right before it happened. The whole thing felt weird. Plus..."

"What is it?"

"I was on the verge of calling for security after that second time. The only reason I didn't was because Grace told Holland that she really had to go to the bathroom."

"Yep." said Holland. "That's exactly what happened. Everything escalated when we made to rejoin the others."

At her desk, Olivia leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers. "Indeed."

Amanda opened up a new topic. "Holland, is there anything you can tell us about Hugo McArthur? We know he comes by the bakery."

"Can't help in that department, detective. Sorry. I'm usually on deliveries with my dad." Holland was almost regretful. "But Grace told me once that Hugo likes nature walks in Central Park because it's quiet. Take that as you will."

She surveyed the room full of women she hand her fiancée had been speaking with.

"Our words are beginning to feel absurd. Have we helped?"

"You really have and it's greatly appreciated. All of it. Everything's been covered." Olivia rose to her feet and came from around the desk to shake the couple's hands. "We have a lot to ruminate on. Thank you for your contribution."

"Glad we were able to help."

Casey said to the couple, "I'll walk you guys to the lift."

And they left together.

Amanda excused herself away to work in the media center.

Olivia immediately closed the door behind her young detective. There was another pressing item on her agenda.

She turned to face the remaining person in the room. "Alexandra, you and I have to talk."

"Okay." she moved to the couch. "I'm all ears."

Olivia closed the rest of the blinds and then sat with Alex on the couch. "Look—I don't want to make you sad, but… I have a question about... him."

"You mean Jude." Alex realized.

"Yes."

And because it was just the two of them, Alex dropped her shields. The moment's true colors were coming to the surface now. Alex looked afraid. Vulnerable. Older than she actually was.

"I'm waiting until I leave here to have a good cry, Olivia. I'm not even sure where I'm going to be sleeping. Never in my life have I been this emotionally exhausted before." Alex touched a hand to the side of her face, remembering where she'd been struck. "But I do promise I understand you're asking about Jude because you have to."

It wasn't lost on Olivia that Alex hadn't been in a real bed since being admitted to the hospital for her seizure episode.

Rather than wholly give in to the sorrow she felt, Olivia kissed Alex on the forehead. She felt her heart skip a beat when the other woman made a soft contented sound.

"You'll be okay. You will. And no one will ever hit you again." Olivia told her. "That's a promise."

Alex felt a weight off her shoulders immediately. "Thank you."

"Any time." Olivia paused for a beat. "How did you meet Jude? After all these years, I've absolutely noticed that your world has a hierarchy."

"That's a keen observation because it's true." said Alex. "You could call me 'top tier.' I've always been there because I was born into very old New York aristocracy."

"Is there something above that?" Olivia wanted to know.

"It's what Casey and I call 'the God tier.' Everyone on that level is... A different breed."

Olivia arched one eyebrow. "Like who?"

"Marvin Exley, Lionel Granger, Roger Kressler, John Buchanan, and even Trevor. Five men." Alex went on. "All but one came from families like mine. The last is Trevor."

"What about Trevor, then? He obviously married into money."

Alex laughed because her next words were going to sound astonishing. "Olivia, his wife is one of those those Bordeauxs."

"Excuse me? Are you telling me that her parents are Yves Bordeaux and Juliska Paget Bordeaux? The Branson-type magnate, and the actress fashion icon?"

"Yes. Yves' influence is all over this town and," Alex pointed to Olivia's footwear. "Your heels are one of Juliska's designs."

Olivia was too surprised to say anything. Alex had been right about her heels.

"Jude was yet a god compared to those men on my list. His fortune came from having people in the origins of the Texas oil boom. All of the money and power carried through the generations. He could have never worked a day and he could have been fine." Alex tightened a strap on one of her black wrist braces when she noticed it had loosened. "Being a lawyer was his calling. That's what Jude always told people.""

A blush creeped on to Alex's face as she thought about the next part of what she had to say.

"This next part is going to be so cliché. Promise there won't be any judgement?"

Olivia grew serious again. "Yes. Alexandra, was Jude your teacher?"

"Yes. Jude was also quite a bit older than me. Our relationship didn't start until after his class ended."

"And the abuse?" Olivia asked. "Were you pregnant already when that began?"

Alex heaved another sigh. "It started because I suspected Beverly was on the way. Nothing was all that special about how Jude and I met. It just... happened. Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"You have nothing to apologize for. It was Jude's fault. Not yours." Olivia told Alex. "Finding out how you and Jude met was just a missing piece of the puzzle. I am sorry for dredging it up."

"And I forgive you. Moving forward is all I want to do now because I have a family. That is worth fighting for."

"Yes, it i—"

But Olivia was interrupted by a rather urgent-sounding knock at her door.

Carisi almost fell into the room when Olivia let him in.

"Easy now." the sergeant steadied her detective.

Alex joined them. "Dominick, what's wrong? Someone light a fire under you?"

"DJ and Pippa did."

"What?" said Olivia and Alex together.

Carisi spoke directly to Olivia. "Sergeant, I'll explain in the car, but you and I have to go get Grace Novak. Now."

Olivia trusted her team implicitly, so she didn't hesitate in agreeing with Carisi's words.

But they were hardly even across the greater bullpen before—

"Olivia!"

Casey was back, but this time… Levi, Rachel, and Grace were with her. What was going on?

And Grace was wet. Like a car had splashed her from a leftover puddle outside, from the previous day's icy rainfall.

"We were just on the way to bring you three here." Olivia said in surprise.

"Why?" bleated Rachel as she took a towel from Amanda, who had brought over a stack.

"We believe that Grace may be in danger." Olivia told her honestly. "Having your daughter stay here would be for her own protection."

Grace pushed Casey's hands away from where she had been drying her hair for her.

"Olivia?" she said tentatively to the woman in charge.

Olivia greeted her kindly. "Hello again, sweetheart. I see you're a little wet. We can get you some dry things to wear."

"Thank you." Grace was taking extra care to enunciate her words well. "I'm not so loopy anymore, but… Hugo came by and said he would take me away if it was the last thing he did. I told my parents. Now we're here. I just want to hide."

"Would it be alright if we stayed here for a little bit?" Levi asked Olivia. "Rachel and I are worried about Grace being safe, so we headed here. None of us desire to be part of Hugo's endgame."

"Of course you can stay. Let's go to the kitchen." the sergeant made a herding motion. "Hot drinks are in order. We also keep clean sweats nearby that Grace can change into."

Pleased for something normal, the Novaks were happy to follow their friend. Casey walked on her family's other side. Even Alex joined the fleet. (But she didn't have anywhere else to go) Carisi walked beside her.

So… again, Amanda was left to bring up the rear… while wondering this time how her colleagues out in the field were doing.

420 7th Avenue

Residence of Marvin Exley

Murray Hill, Manhattan

Even in the rain, it seemed as though all of great New York City preferred to drive at a crawl. Nick hated this. Mostly because it reminded him of driving in an overcautious way while on patrol during combat.

Today it took him and Fin a lot longer than it should have to reach Marvin Exley's home.

"God, I hate the rain." Fin said as they finally exited their vehicle and trekked up Exley's front steps.

"Right there with y—"

But Nick's body language changed immediately when they were greeted by a foreboding sight. He even pulled his gun out. Fin followed his lead.

The front door was ajar.

Both men announced themselves as they entered the home. No reply. Even more foreboding.

They swept the first floor in a swift manner.

"Nick!" Fin called out suddenly from another part of the residence. "Over here!"

The detective entered the study to find his partner staring at a new sight.

Marvin Exley. On the floor in a pool of blood from an injury.

And… he was unconscious.

Or dead.