Prologue: "Shots Rang Out"

Olivia Benson stood at the window of her fourth floor apartment and looked down to the normal hustle and bustle of New York City in mid-December. She leaned against the window frame, watching the two teenagers play around in the newly fallen snow. As one of the girls slid down on the patch of ice, there was a knock on the door.

She dragged herself off the wall, surprised at how long she had been there, and pulled the door open. She flicked her brown eyes up to meet the soft hazel eyes of the ADA, Abbie Carmichael. "ABBIE!" she exclaimed, as she yanked the woman in the door, "What are you doing here? Did something happen? Is it Elliot? Munch? Fin? Did something happen to you? OH GOD! Something happened to you….."

Abbie walked into the detective's small living room and took off her knee-length leather trench coat, then put her hand over Olivia's mouth to stop the flow of words. "I wanted to see how you were, detective. Is that so bad?" She smiled a bit as Olivia wandered back to the window where Abbie knew she'd been for most of the last week. She followed her friend over to the window and looked down. The two girls were still there, fooling around.

"It's not that bad, Counselor," Olivia said, emphasizing her use of Abbie's title rather than name, "Unexpected would be the better word. You usually don't just stop by…" The way that Olivia trailed off told Abbie she was probably going to continue so Abbie waited. "It's been lonely here. I'm used to the police force…working on it, not being told to go home for a while, and I miss it. Don't get me wrong, I mean, I understand why Cragen did it, I just wish he hadn't." Olivia trailed off and listened to her best friend, but kept her eyes trailing a tall man in a black baseball cap who was watching the girls with equal intensity.

"Olivia, dear, you are my best friend in the world. He tried to kill you, not even just once either. He tried around, what? Five times? You've still got stitches on your neck where he got you last time. If I was Cragen, I would have taken you off the case and put you on paid leave after the first time. I know that you've had people try and kill you before, but this guy would have taken your eyes out. Literally."

"I know," Olivia whispered. The two women went back to looking out the window, taking comfort in the two girls. The girls were their proof life still did go on outside of the rape cases they handled every day. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the black-hated man grabbed a gun from his pocket and three shots rang out. Olivia and Abbie had both been track stars in college, but by the time the women made it down the stairs, the man was gone. Abbie fought with the holder then flipped her cell phone open and called 9-1-1 as Olivia ran to the girl. The taller and obviously older girl had the other's head in her lap.

"Help my sister, please," she begged.

Olivia found where the bullet had ripped its way in and put her hand over the hole. Abbie walked over, kneeled down, and whispered, "They're on their way." Olivia and Abbie looked down and watched as the blood ran down and stained the pure white snow a pure blood red.