"Law and Order: SVU" and "Law and Order: Organized Crime" are the properties of Dick Wolf and NBC Universal.

Though not used in the same context, be aware that most dialogue is verbatim from "Return of the Prodigal Son" and several past episodes of SVU.

Olivia stood outside the entrance to the emergency room, zoned out of the present. Her mind had flashed back to an incident from nearly twelve years earlier.

She was cautiously following the car as it drove across town, staying back a few blocks while keeping it in sight. When it stopped, she pulled next to the curb on the opposite side and watched it idle.

Elliot got out of the passenger side of the car. He took a step away and then turned back as if someone had spoken to him from the driver's side.

A second later, she heard a gunshot, saw a flash through the back window of the car, and saw him drop to the ground. The car took off.

"Oh, shit," she breathed in horror.

She flipped her siren on and jammed her foot on the accelerator, nearly sideswiping a pickup as she wrenched the steering wheel to the side. She flew down the street and barely got the car into park before jumping out. A crowd had already formed, blocking her view as she ran around the car.

"Detective Olivia Benson, Manhattan SVU," she shouted into her radio. "We have an officer down at the corner of Clarence and Queens Avenue. I repeat, we have an officer down!"

The people moved as she pushed her way through and crouched next to her partner.

"Elliot?" she said. "Elliot, can you hear me?" She was choking back tears, seeing him with his eyes open but not moving. "Can you hear me?"

She laid her palm on the side of his head and stroked his hair with a shaking hand.

"Elliot," she whispered desperately.

"Liv."

Fin approached and spoke to her but she didn't seem to notice him.

"Liv."

She snapped back into the moment to see him standing in front of her. He eyed her in concern.

"You ok?" he asked.

"I met the ambulance here," she said. "I barely talked to the medics. They both-" She gestured behind her like she wasn't sure what to do with her hands. "Just went into surgery."

She looked shell-shocked.

"How did this happen?" she asked thickly. "Why-?"

She could hardly finish. Fin spoke with quiet, straightforward honesty and she appreciated it

"Rollins is at the scene," he replied. "A uni told her there was a rental car parked on the street. Kathy went to get in and the bomb went off. Arson thinks there may have been two explosions. The first one misfired and threw her clear. It looks like Elliot was walking towards the passenger side and got knocked in the opposite direction from the second, which would explain why no one knew he was with her."

"Wait-a rental car?" Olivia asked. "Where are they in from?"

"They've been living in Italy," Fin said. "Elliot had to come in for some kind of a task force meeting and he and Kathy decided to make it a trip."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up.

"He just called me out of nowhere and told me he was coming," he went on. He hesitated. "I may have spoken about your award...I thought enough time had gone down between you two-"

"Ok," she interrupted, waving him off like she didn't want to hear further. "A task force? What-" Her voice cracked suddenly and she hurried on. "Who is he working for?"

Fin regarded her with trepidation.

"NYPD," he answered. "He's the international liaison in Rome."

Olivia looked at him in shock. Her phone rang before she could speak again.

"It's the chief," she said, reaching for it.

"Captain, if you don't mind," Fin said quickly, "Can I get back to the scene?"

She nodded at him.

"No, go," she said. "Go, go." He turned and left as she answered the call. "Yes, Chief?"

"I heard what happened," Chief Garland said over the line. "How are the victims?"

Olivia rubbed her eyebrow tensely.

"Seriously injured," she replied, "but hanging on." She paused. "So you know...the victims are my former partner, Detective Elliot Stabler, and his wife."

"So I was told," he said. "I thought he left the force."

"He did," she said. The incredulity was apparent. "But, apparently, he's NYPD's man in Rome now."

Chief Garland sounded confused. "Any idea why he's in town?"

She huffed out a small breath indicating she had no clue.

"Department meetings?" she answered uncertainly. "I don't know." She hesitated. "I was hoping we could take the lead on this. I'm close with the family. I would like to stay here at the hospital until they can be notified."

"Family," the chief repeated grimly. "They've got kids?"

"Five," she said painfully. "I've known them all since they were in diapers."

"I'll put a call in to '1PP'," he said.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"To be clear," Garland sternly went on, almost interrupting, "You're running the investigation, not visiting."

She was slightly surprised at his word but made sure not to relay it.

"Of course," she replied respectfully.

Chief Garland disconnected. Olivia exhaled nervously and then made her way inside the building. She went up to the trauma wing where the medics had told her she could wait when they had arrived with Elliot.

A couple suddenly passed her in a hurry. The woman stopped abruptly and stared at her as if seeing a ghost.

"Olivia?"

She was shocked when she realized that the woman was Kathleen Stabler.

"You're..." Kathleen sounded perplexed. "Here."

Olivia nodded slightly.

"Of course," she said. "I'm just...here to help. Whatever you need."

The male with Kathleen jumped in and she immediately recognized a much more matured version of Elliot's oldest son, the beard making him seem decades older than when she had last seen him.

"What the hell happened?" Dickie asked her almost desperately.

She tried to stay composed.

"We're not sure right now, " she said. "They're alive. They're both in surgery and that's all I know. "

Dickie looked ready to cry. Kathleen couldn't even speak.

Rollins turned when she saw Fin stepping under the crime scene tape.

"Hey," she said. "How are they?"

"Touch and go," he replied. "They're both in surgery."

"Well, Arson says they're lucky to be alive," she said. She showed him the demolished front of the vehicle. "The blast went up and back, throwing them both out before the fireball."

"Any witnesses?" he asked.

"No, it's a quiet block," she said, "but there was an NYPD placard in the windshield, so local detectives are asking if anyone knew about the awards ceremony."

Fin's phone rang.

"Sergeant Tutuola," he answered. He listened a minute. "Ok."

He hung up and looked at Rollins.

"Intelligence just picked up a guy who threw a Molotov cocktail into an NYPD van about three blocks south from here. They're bringing him in."

'

Kathleen and Dickie were in the waiting room. They hadn't spoken to her again. It was awkward and Olivia felt it as she lingered uncomfortably near the hallway.

Her thoughts were everywhere, swirling around her head like bad jokes that she wanted to forget.

Rome?

Rome?

Elliot, I swear to God...I'm going to slap the shit out of you once you're alright.

Please...just be alright.

She wasn't sure how much time passed before the elevator suddenly opened near her, but she definitely wasn't prepared to see a group of people in scrubs wheel a gurney out with Kathy lying unconscious on it. She moved aside fast as they guided the gurney down the hall and disappeared into a room.

She hesitated, uncertain, and then went back to the waiting room when she saw one of them head that way.

She stood near the door, close enough to hear but not be seen as Kathleen and Dickie stood up fast upon seeing the man in scrubs.

"Are you here for the Stablers?" he asked them.

"Yes," Kathleen said quickly. "They're our parents."

The doctor nodded sympathetically.

"Your mom is out of surgery," he said. "She has a fractured pelvis and a concussion along with some burns. We're bringing her to recovery and someone will come get you when you can see her. Unfortunately, right now, hospital policy states only one visitor is allowed."

"What about our dad?" Dickie asked.

Olivia felt her chest tighten nervously.

"He is still being treated," the doctor replied. "He has two fractures in his neck, a dislocated shoulder, and a head wound that is being repaired. He's stable as of right now. As soon as I know more, I'll update you."

Kathleen sank down in the chair with her face in her hands. Dickie looked worn and overwhelmed as he pulled out a cell phone and scrolled down the screen.

Olivia slowly walked into the room and approached them.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Kathleen didn't look up. Dickie glanced at her, struggling to stay composed.

"Can I do anything?" she asked. "Is there anything you need?"

He tried to speak but ended up just shaking his head tearfully.

She didn't tell them that she had heard the doctor. She took out her business card.

"Call me as soon as you know something," she said. She held it out slowly, her tone becoming slightly pleading. "Please."

Dickie took the card from her, looking like he wasn't sure about her intentions.

That silent look hurt her more than any words he might have said. He finally nodded.

She left, feeling herself shaking as she walked to the elevator.

"Anything yet?" Fin asked, seeing Officer Tamin at her locker when he came in.

Tamin shook her head, shutting the door and walking with Fin into the squad room.

"Nothing," she said. "Car was parked under a bridge. No witnesses."

"Traffic cams?" he asked.

"Still going through footage," she replied. "Also-"

She stopped and turned slightly toward the sergeant.

"This may be unrelated, but there was a curfew protest just south on Center Street," she told him. "Bunch of guys in pickup trucks and flags met by counter protesters. Someone started targeting police officers and they lit two police vans on fire on Madison Street."

Fin immediately seized on the information.

"That's two blocks from where the car blew up," he realized. "Any arrests?"

Tamin shrugged slightly.

"Dozen or so," she said.

"Talk to all of them," he directed.

Kat headed in the direction of her desk. He heard Rollins voice behind him and turned to see her and another detective escorting a handcuffed man into an interview room.

He stepped over to the two-way glass and twisted the intercom knob.

Olivia walked into her office from the hallway and saw Fin standing inside, listening in to the interrogation room.

"If my brothers and I don't fight back now," a man was saying. "We'll lose all our rights."

"Fight back?" Amanda replied incredulously. "By bombing police cars?"

Fin noticed his captain then and immediately turned the sound off.

"How are Elliot and Kathy?" he asked.

Olivia went over to the glass and stared.

"Haven't heard anything," she said. Her eyes were fixed on the man inside. "Who is that?"

Her voice sounded somewhat odd. Almost...predatory, if he had to think of a way to describe it.

"Jacob Peters," he replied. "Unemployed, five arrests in the past year, all for protests...including D.C. in January for arson, brandishing a gun, and punching reporters. I was able to pull his Google search history and he's been going down a rabbit hole of YouTube conspiracy theories for hours a day."

"He hasn't asked for a lawyer?" she asked.

Fin shook his head. "Not yet."

"Good," she murmured. She looked at him. "Anything put him near the blast?"

"No," he replied. "But he was ID'd by multiple UCs tonight as an instigator and they found explosives, zip ties, and a Taser in his backpack."

Carisi walked in then.

"Heard you picked up a suspect," he said. He looked through the glass. "This him?"

"We just started talking to him," Olivia replied.

She clicked the sound on again.

"Doesn't matter what I say," Peters was saying sullenly. "You're just going to railroad me."

"No," Amanda said quickly, pretending to empathize with him. "That's not...that's not what we're doing. Look, I know what you're talking about when you say we're losing our rights."

Carisi shook his head.

"What's his deal?" he asked. "He's targeting cops to protect cops?"

Olivia wasn't listening. She was fixated on the interrogation.

"Maybe you saw something," Amanda was saying. She pointed to a picture of the rental car. "This car. The victims may not survive."

Peters nodded.

"That blast," he said, nodding. " Yeah, I heard it. I was half a block away. "

Amanda pounced on his words.

"So you were nearby?" she asked.

Olivia turned to Fin.

"He just put himself a half block away, close enough to see them near the car," she said.

He knew what she was thinking.

"And set off the bomb remotely," he finished, nodding. "Yeah, it's possible."

"It's an opening," she insisted. "Let's work it."

Fin got ready to enter the interrogation room. Carisi raised his eyebrows when he saw Olivia about to follow.

"Uh-Captain," he said. She glanced at him. "All due respect, but do you really think you should be in there right now? I mean...it was your former partner..."

She just raised an eyebrow sharply.

"Really, Carisi?" she said coldly. Her former subordinate looked slightly abashed. "You really think you need to say that to me?"

She strode in after Fin without another word.

"Rollins, Bloomberg," she said, addressing the other detective with Amanda. "Give Sergeant Tutuola and I the room, please?"

"No problem, Captain," Rollins replied.

The suspect looked at them suspiciously as she closed the door after them.

"I'm Captain Benson," she told Peters. "This is Sergeant Tutuola."

"Captain?" he noted. "Calling in the big guns now. You think I'm dangerous?"

Olivia stared at him.

"Didn't say that," she replied.

She sat down across from him.

Fin eyed her, wondering what she was doing.

"Tell me about yourself," she said quietly.

Peters gestured flippantly.

"Just fighting for our freedom," he answered, "like I told those two detectives."

Olivia narrowed her eyes.

"Well, I heard you tell those two detectives that you were half a block away when the car went up," she said. She paused. "Can you tell us what you saw? Anyone running from the scene?"

Fin was watching her warily. He could hear in an edge in her voice that wasn't like her usual tone when dealing with suspects.

Jacobs looked over at him instead of answering her.

"When the police arrested me, I heard them saying one of the victims was a cop," he said. "I could hear him moaning."

He saw Olivia's face darken and it was as if a light bulb had suddenly gone off in his head. He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, you know the cop?" he asked. "He wasn't your friend, was he?"

Fin opened his mouth, seeing the murderous expression cross Olivia's face, but she spoke before he could.

"Is," she said coldly to him, glaring at Peters. "He is my friend. He was my partner, as a matter of fact."

Peters exhaled.

"That's got to be tough," he said, shaking his head. He sounded slightly condescending. "Uh, so what are you doing here?" He chuckled. "Shouldn't you be with him?"

Fin saw her clenching her fists on the table and quickly tried to refocus him.

"Hey, Jacob," he said. "We've got two options here-"

"I don't think it'll help," he said, interrupting him. He spoke to Fin as if they were in a boys club together and Olivia wanted to reach across the table and deck him. "See, you guys are black and white thinkers. Instead of asking 'who,' you should be asking yourselves 'why.'"

Olivia leaned close.

"You think this is a game?" she asked.

"No," Peters answered. " No, I don't. This is as real as it gets."

She could feel her blood pulsating with anger and realized she needed to get away from his smug face before she tried to rip it off. She stood up fast and looked at Peters in disgust.

"We're done," she said abruptly.

Fin could tell she was barely controlling her anger and nodded immediately.

But then Peters spoke again as she was opening the door.

"Hey, sorry for your loss," he said. "But there's a war going on and your partner bleeding out on the sidewalk is just another casualty."

Olivia whipped around in a flash with anger on her face. Fin quickly caught her arm.

"Hey, take a breather, Cap," he said, nodding. "He's not worth it, huh? You're good, just take a breather."

She looked at Fin, clenched her jaw, and then stormed away.

He turned back toward Peters. The man had a mocking smile on his face.

"Keep it up, you prick," he said goadingly. "Next time, I won't stop her."

"You shouldn't have been in that room."

Olivia looked over darkly at Fin from where she was pacing on the roof of the precinct.

"I knew what I was doing," she said, turning her back on him.

"Yeah?" Fin said, speaking bluntly but not disrespectfully. "So did he. He was baiting you, Olivia."

She just scoffed as she circled by him.

"Look, you're raw," he said. "I get it. You're partner is in a hospital bed and he has been long gone. And you're feeling-"

"Don't tell me how I'm feeling!" she exploded. "Please." She glared at him. "Elliot went to Europe, he didn't leave me at the damn alter. I'm fine. Peters just pissed me off. Give me a minute to breathe."

Fin went silent but didn't move. He watched her with a knowing expression that grated on her nerves because it told her she was lousy at lying.

"You want me to stand down, there, Captain?" he finally asked quietly.

He was half-serious and she knew that. She also knew he was only looking out for her in a way that no one but a longtime friend could.

She stopped and shook her head.

"Fin-" she finally said emotionally.

The rooftop access door swung open just then and startled them both. Amanda came out in a hurry, wearing a pensive expression.

"Olivia," she said quickly. "Dick Stabler just called for you."

Olivia's adrenaline immediately surged in panic.

"What is it?" she asked quickly. "What's the matter?"

"Kathy is awake," Amanda replied. "And she's asking for you."