WARNING: Breif, none-too-descriptivemention of nudity…ever-so-slight reference to rape.
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32 Hours Later – Three Days Since Sister Beverly Manten Vanished – 5:00am
Claire and a detail of uniformed police officers stood outside an apartment door on the 15th floor. The building was located at the Northwest end of Battery Park, overlooking the Liberty and Ellis Islands.
Claire kicked the door in. "NYPD! Freeze!"
A man, outlined by the bright sunlight in the large apartment slowly slipped his hands into the air. He was wearing nothing but a watch and was kneeling on a king sized bed, back to the officers.
Claire and her men quickly took the guy down, rescuing the woman who was lying beneath him.
While the officers were cuffing Nicholas Tilver and taking him out of the building, Claire was putting her jacket around the frightened woman.
"Miss Beverly Manten?"
Miss Manten nodded. "How did you find me?" She whispered.
"Two very special orphans figured out who it was that had you." Claire answered. They're both waiting at the station for you." She helped her put her clothes back on and escorted her safely from the apartment.
Stella paced anxiously. She had to believe this was the correct address. After all she'd been through, she wouldn't be able to handle another dead end.
She heard a commotion outside as officers dragged a ragged looking man through the doors. Stella recognized him as the man in the photo. Tilver. Right address, but where was Miss Manten? Did she make it? Were they too late?
Sister Brooke and Calista sat near were Stella was standing as the three spotted Claire, Miss Manten and Mac coming through the doors.
Miss Manten, though tired looking, and bruised, looked like she was going to be fine.
"Miss Manten!" Calista squealed as she raced across the room and into the nun's arms.
Sister Brooke was not far behind, hugging her friend tightly, smiling despite the tears.
Miss Manten smiled at Calista. "You helped find me?"
Calista nodded. "I knew who the guy was. He was talking to me before you were kidnapped, so I saw his picture and could tell Miss Stella who it was. She found you with his fingerprints."
"Miss Stella?" Miss Manten asked. Calista had said it as though she would know who she was talking about.
"Yeah, Miss Stella Bonasera. She's the detective who found the fingerprints. She said she knew you."
Miss Manten's eyes roamed the room until she spotted the one person who could be 'Miss Stella Bonasera, the Detective'. The woman she spotted was tall, dark curly hair, bluish-green eyes and an amazing smile. That was indeed her Stella. She was talking to Claire, and despite Miss Manten's politeness, she grasped Stella from the side and hugged her, interrupting her conversation.
Stella was surpsrised at first but realized that Miss Manten knew who she was now. She hugged her back as the tears she'd been fighting for three days straight caught up with her. She started sobbing and both women wound up kneeling on the floor of the 12th Precinct Police Station.
After a moment Miss Manten managed to speak. "Told you that you can do it."
Stella laughed as she wiped the tears away. "You did say 'go for it, babe'."
"Interesting." Mac was the first to speak after nearly two hours of a silent walk through Central Park.
"What is?" Stella looked
"You." He smiled at her.
Claire raised an eyebrow. "She's interesting? I thought she was kinda boring for a New Yorker."
Stella smacked the Lieutenant on the back.
"Damn girl. You're too strong to be getting away with shit like that!"
"Watch you mouth, wife." Mac couldn't keep a straight face as both women smacked him.
They arrived at the playground area. Claire and Stella each chose a swing to sit on as Mac parked himself on a bench right near the swings.
"No… I mean… I would have never guessed you grew up in an orphanage."
"Oh." Stella mumbled as she kicked the ground to gain height on the swing.
"Yeah… you have far too much class to be someone who ran the streets of Manhattan."
Stella smiled mischievously. "Careful, Detective Taylor. You have only known me for thee months."
"Touché." He smiled. "As any rate… It shocks me that you weren't adopted.
"It was horrible, Mac." Stella whispered. "Absolutely horrible. Nothing but a civil war with the morality of your conscious."
"What do you mean by that?" Claire asked as she stopped swinging.
Stella was quiet as her swing slowed on it's own. Once she stopped, she placed both hands on her knees and looked from Claire to Mac and back to Claire. "It's terrible to sit in a room and watch the latest newlyweds walk into the room and browse the whole place like it's was a giant department store and than catch yourself thinking that the person next to you doesn't deserve to be adopted and you do. It's horrible on you conscious when you realize that you're wishing your best friend does something stupid so maybe you might be chosen over her." She sighed softly. "Honestly… I'm glad it turned out this way, but I wouldn't do it again. If I got another chance to live to the age 18, I probably would've committed suicide… even knowing how my life was going to turn out."
"Why's that, Babe?" Claire put her hand on Stella's shoulder.
"Because I still have to live with those memories. Those feelings. And I have to live knowing how many countless thousands of children in this city alone, right this very minute, feel that way too."
"Aww, Stella… It's 1997… You're an amazing person who has put away countless thousands of murderers, kidnappers, rapists… you love, you hate… just like any of us. Your experiences give you more feeling for the victims than some of us." Claire leaned over and hugged Stella tight. She pulled back and wiped the tears from her friend's eyes… "I'll always be here if you need anything, darling."
"Thank you so much, Claire… you have no idea-"
"Ssh." Claire held her finger to her lips. "We both love you so much… and our door is always open… we might only have a couch, but anytime you need anything, or even just don't want to be alone, pass out at our place."
Claire fished in her pocket and pulled out a key chain with Stella's name engraved in purple dyed stone. Two keys hung from it. "The silver tone one is the apartment key, the gold padlock key is for the building gate." She put it in Stella's hand. "Anytime. I mean it."
Stella smiled and looked at Mac and Claire. "I love you both."
