The sun was barely rising over the various skyscrapers that littered Manhattan, the darkness that still enveloped the city disseminating quickly as the golden rays spread through them like wild fire. The city that never slept was eerily quiet in this part of town,the gloominess of January doing nothing to break the quiet of the neighborhood. With mostly residential buildings and small bakeries, the handful of people on the streets seemed to be hurrying back to their homes, rather than leaving them. The fact that it was a Saturday guaranteed that for some people, it was late Friday night, rather than early Saturday morning.
A shadowy figure stumbled through the street, barely able to stand straight, let alone walk in a straight line, it kept bouncing about from one surface to the other, leaning on anything its hands could reach. The brown locks slightly tinted crimson, same for the previously white top, the various cuts and burns decorating her arms leaving a trail of trickling blood, as the figure finally stumbled into the deserted street.
A middle-aged couple walked hand in hand, talking amicably with each other, as they planned their day, and what sorts of specials they can serve for breakfast at the bakery. The husband, reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys to their little shop, as he desperately tried to make his point. His wife, pleasantly annoyed with him, shook her head at his antiques, when she saw something from the corner of her eyes. She slowly turned her head, thinking that it was probably a stray dog, or someone just doing the walk of shame. But the sight that greeted her froze the blood in her veins, and she barely managed to have the presence of mind to call her husband's name, before she broke off into a jog.
Her husband, who had his back turned, only saw his wife bolting, and by the time he turned around and ran after her, she had already obstructed whatever it was that caught her attention from view. She was in the middle of the street, on her knees, hunched over something, as she yelled at him to call 911, before she went back to whispering assurances. Knowing his wife was not one to panic, he pulled his cellphone out, and was in the process of dialing, when he finally saw what his wife was holding.
A teenage girl, who couldn't have been older than seventeen, was lying unconscious in the woman's arms, her face covered in sweat, and dried blood. Various cuts adorned her arms and legs, some of them still oozing blood, and some were already all dried up. The white dress she wore stuck to her legs, thanks to a mixture of blood and sweat, and covering even more cuts and burns.
The couple stayed with her in the middle of the street, the woman cradling her close to her chest, until the familiar blue and red lights flashed, accompanied by the familiar sounds of sirens.
Olivia was hoping for a quiet day, Rafael had to go to the office for a quick meeting, and she was supposed to meet him for lunch, and then some much needed shopping. Noah was starting to outgrow the things she bought, and he was also starting to climb out of his baby bed, and Olivia had been doing her due diligence before she buys him a toddler bed. She had finally decided on one the night before, and decided to go get it, so she and Rafael can set it up over the weekend. She was sure that she and Rafael were gonna have the all too familiar argument about who gets to pay for the stuff, since he decided about a month ago that he should be paying, claiming that she should let him spoil her and Noah and take care of them. But Olivia, being who she is, and being used to taking care of herself, was having trouble letting him. For one, she was worried about what might happen if they broke up, it will take her ages to pay him back. Because not only did he have a habit of paying, he also had a habit of buying her expensive things. So if things went to hell, she will either have to give them all back, or she was going to have to pay him. Of course she had no intention of ruining this, but she was wired to expect the worse.
She knew that if this didn't work out, it won't just crush her and Rafael, and destroy their friendship, but also take its toll on Noah. The eighteen-month old had taken a liking to the ADA, and despite some initial awkwardness at first, Rafael was now wrapped around Noah's little finger. And unlike her previous relationships, it didn't start out as physical attraction, and then evolved. It started out as a friendship, and by the time she realized what was happening, she had fallen madly in love with him. And now, almost seven months into the relationship, she couldn't imagine her life without him. She liked coming home to him, falling asleep in his arms, and waking up him. Of course the fact that he was insanely good in bed, was a marvelous bonus.
And so, since they both knew that they didn't have to be up at an early hour, she thoroughly took advantage of his skills, and it was almost sun up by the time they finally fell asleep. But to her surprise, she did not sleep in as much as she thought. So now, having spent the night in Rafael's apartment, she didn't know what to do with herself as she waited for their lunch date. She had already picked up the laundry, did the breakfast dishes, and was flipping through the TV when her phone rang.
She sighed when she saw Amanda's name on her screen, not entirely sure if she should be happy that there's a case, or upset that her plans for the day were now ruined. A part of her wished that Amanda was calling to hang out, the two women had gotten significantly closer after Nick left, since Olivia had helped Amanda through it, and spending weekends together was a normal thing now. Amanda often came over and spent the day with them, or even babysat Noah if they wanted to go out or something. She had even kept him for an entire weekend while the newly coupled took a much deserved weekend away. The fact that Amanda took and passed her Sergeant's exam, meant that Olivia could lean on her more as her number two, since Fin had already made it clear that hell would have to freeze over a couple of times before he takes it. Of course the squad was scared that they might transfer Amanda, now that there were two sergeants in the squad, but then Olivia announced that she also took her Lieutenant's exam and passed it with flying colors. And seeing as they couldn't even find a regular detective to replace Nick, they weren't going to move anyone.
'Stuck together till the better end!' Lieutenant Tucker had quipped sarcastically.
"Benson," she finally answered.
The elevator doors opened, and Olivia, with a happily babbling Noah got off. Amanda, who was on the phone, beamed happily at the now grinning eighteen-month old, who flung himself at the blonde as soon as he laid eyes on her.
Despite the fact that they were on the surgery floor of Mercy Hospital, Noah was always a welcomed distraction from the horrors they saw on the job, and a much needed reminder that the whole world isn't rapists, murderers and abused kids. And since Olivia often got called in, and was not always able to get Lucy to babysit at the last minute, Noah often hung out at the precinct with her. But it was the first time she had taken him with her to the hospital where a victim was still getting treated for her injuries.
"Hi, Noah," Amanda greeted happily, as she plucked the squealing child out of Olivia's arm. "Lucy couldn't come, huh?" she cooed, but the question was clearly directed at a worried-looking Olivia.
"No, I told her that Rafael and I have the weekend off, so she went out of town with some friends," she replied. "Lucia's on her way to take him," she added, and Amanda nodded solemnly, avoiding Olivia's scrutinizing gaze, as she continued to fess over Noah.
Olivia narrowed her eyes at her colleague and friend, before sighing loudly in an attempt to get the blonde to meet her gaze, only for said blonde to actively ignore her. "You wanna tell me what was so important that I couldn't even wait for Lucia?" she wondered, and right on cue, the elevator doors slid open once more, and the woman in question stepped out.
"Oh, speak of the angel," Amanda said, now blatantly avoiding the subject, and it was starting to be unnerving.
Olivia turned around just in time to see the older woman beaming at a happily giggling Noah, who had his arms up, as he tried to squirm out of Amanda's arms to get to his 'Abeulita' as they had started calling Lucia a couple of months into the relationship.
"Nice to see you too, Gordo," Lucia cooed happily as she gathered Noah in her arms, allowing him to plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek, before she showered him with smacking kisses as well.
"Lucia, I'm so sorry to dump this on you at the last minute, but Rafael…." Olivia started to explain, but got cut off by the older woman's voice. "Rafael is still in a meeting with the DA, and you have to work," she finished for her. "I know the drill," she added good heartedly. "And besides, I was looking for a shopping companion, so how about you and I go splurge a little?" she directed her last question at Noah, softening her voice a little. And even though, they both knew that Noah had no idea what she was talking about, he nodded eagerly.
"He probably thinks you'll get him ice-cream or something," Olivia pointed out with a chuckle, and Lucia grinned mischievously at her. "Who said I won't?" she teased, winking at Olivia, who laughed softly, before she waved goodbye at them.
"So, do you wanna tell me what's going on? Or are you just going to keep avoiding me?" Olivia asked, a mix between irritation and worry evident in her voice.
Amanda was silent for a moment, trying to find a way to start her tale. She knew it wasn't going to be easy on Olivia, that it was going to open old wounds, that it was going to disrupt the peaceful life she had worked hard to build, the normality she had fought to achieve. But at the same time, she knew that they couldn't exactly go about this behind her back. She was their lieutenant, their commanding officer. She had already told Fin and Carisi to start the canvas, see if they can find any witnesses, and that she was going to handle Olivia and Barba.
"Amanda?!" Olivia almost snapped when the blonde took too long to answer, and that seemed to help her decide how to start.
She gestured towards a couple sitting anxiously in the waiting room, as she started to make her way over to them.
"This is Mr. and Mrs. Morrison, they were the ones who found our victim in the wee hours of the morning," she explained hastily, as they came to a stop in front of the mentioned couple. The woman was clearly shaken up, and while the husband was also visibly distressed, he was calmer and more collected than his wife. Turning towards Olivia, Amanda introduces her to the couple. The second Olivia's last name left Amanda's lips, the woman's face relaxed slightly, and she suddenly seemed hopeful. Of what, Olivia had no idea.
"Benson!" she exclaimed. "You're the one she asked for!" she added, causing Olivia's eyes to widen slightly in shock.
"Excuse me?" she asked in amazement, but Amanda intervened before the woman was able to answer.
"Why don't you start at the beginning?"
"My husband and I own a small bakery, so we get up fairly early, especially on weekends to prepare for the breakfast rush. We were standing outside, and my husband was opening the gates when I caught something from the corner of my eye. I looked over, thinking it was probably just someone doing the walk of shame back to their apartment, but I saw her," she said in one breath, clearly disturbed by whatever she saw, and the mother in Olivia understood how she felt. Even after fifteen years on the job, and even before Noah came along, the cases with young victims always got to her. And now that she was a mother, they took a larger toll on her, since even imagining something like that happening to Noah terrified her.
The woman, having caught her breath, continued her tale. "She couldn't be more that sixteen, she had blood all over her dress and body," she described, screwing her eyes shut at the images that were still too fresh in her mind. "I rushed over to her after I called out to my husband, and had barely reached her when she collapsed. I eased her to the ground, and realized that she was weakly mumbling something," she added, and Olivia nodded her head.
"Do you remember what it was?"
The woman nodded, "call Sargent Benson!"
Olivia's eyebrows shot up her forehead at the woman's declaration, before she furrowed them in confusion. "She asked you to call me?" she sought confirmation, and once again the woman nodded.
"Did she say anything else? How she knew me, or why she wanted you to call me?" Olivia asked, and the woman shook her head. But it was the husband who answered this time.
"I was less than ten seconds behind my wife, and by the time I made it over to her, the poor thing was out cold. She had cuts and burns all over her arms, and upper thighs, and her clothes wreaked of Vodka," he described, and Olivia felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. That description was eerily familiar, but she refused to let her demons cloud her judgement.
"Vodka?!" she wondered, and the man nodded affirmingly. "I worked as a bartender in my youth, I know my liquor," he explained, and Olivia nodded.
"That's really helpful," she said encouragingly. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Have you seen her before? Is she a customer?" she listed off her question, as both of them adamantly shook their heads.
"We already told the detectives the direction she was coming from, and believe me we wish we knew more," the husband said regretfully, and Olivia cocked her head to the side sympathetically.
"You brought her here, and you told us about the Vodka," she soothed, a sudden lump forming in her throat at the mention of the wretched drink she hadn't even laid eyes on since Lewis.
"We'll let you know if we need anything else," Amanda said politely, offering them a small smile.
"We won't leave till she's out of surgery," the woman informed them, and once again Olivia nodded her head in sympathy, before she turned to Amanda. The older couple took their seats back, and the two women walked some distance away from them.
"So the victim obviously knows me, so any idea who she is?" Olivia asked, and Amanda shook her head, as she pulled a picture of the unconscious girl, and handed it off to Olivia.
"Do you recognize her?" she wondered, and Olivia shook her head.
"But she knows me as Sargent, so I must've ran into her over the course of the past two years," she commented dejectedly, wracking her brain for a memory of this girl, and coming up empty. She didn't know what it was, but despite the fact that she didn't recognize the girl, something about her was familiar.
"I know, I can't seem to remember her either. Neither does, Fin, not even Carisi. So Fin and Carisi are both canvasing the area where she was found, and I already sent her blood back to the lab and told them to run her DNA against your cases from the past couple of years, and run her photo through missing persons. She may not have been the one to meet you, but maybe she was related to a previous victim or something," Amanda informed her of their progress so far, but Olivia could still clearly see that the younger blonde was still holding back. She had grown closer to Amanda since her ordeal with her old Captain from Atlanta, and Nick's departure. They had started to hang out away from the office, with Amanda babysitting for Olivia often, when she and Barba wanted a night out, or even a weekend getaway. So she knew how to read her, and she knew when she was hiding something.
She debated if she should just berate her for whatever it is she's holding back, but she realized that she still didn't know much about the victim, or how bad her injuries were. "The woman said that the girl was in surgery," she alluded, and Amanda nodded.
"Yeah, it's bad, Liv," the blonde said regretfully. "The monster tied her wrists with metal wires, so every time she moved, it dug into her flesh," she said softly, stopping momentarily to allow Olivia the time to push her breakfast back down, before she continued. "She was viciously raped, beaten," she listed, trailing off at the end, and that's when Olivia decided to push for whatever it is Amanda had been avoiding.
"What aren't you telling me, Rollins?" she inquired impatiently, using her last name to stress just how serious she was about getting that answer.
Amanda shifted slightly in her place, her eyes holding Olivia's scrutinizing gaze steady, before she finally said it. "Her body is covered in burns," she started warily, and Olivia nodded at her to continue. "Cigarette burns….keys…and hangers," she listed slowly, seeing the realization in Olivia's eyes, as well as demons they both thought were long gone.
"No," Olivia whispered in horror. "That can't be," she denied dejectedly, refusing to believe that that asshole was still tormenting her from beyond the grave.
"I'm so sorry, Liv," Amanda apologized, and Olivia continued to shake her head. "That can't be right! The asshole is dead," she said angrily. "He shot himself in front of me, I saw his dead body!" she argued, and Amanda put a comforting hand on her arm to still her frantic pacing, and get her attention back to her.
"I know, but I saw her before they took her to surgery. The EMT called SVU when he saw the injures to her external genitalia, so I was here before the ambulance was. Mrs. Morrison didn't even mention you until I showed up and she asked if I was Sargent Benson," she elaborated. "It's the same MO, I don't know how, but it is!" Amanda breathed out regretfully.
"How is that possible?" Olivia whispered, her voice catching slightly at the end, and she hated it. She couldn't make this about her, there was a girl inside who had gone through the same hell she did. She can't be the one they all focus on.
"We don't know yet. It might be a copycat, someone who had access to the court records and knows all the details," Amanda suggested, and Olivia nodded, agreeing that this was a good a theory as any. "I already called Barba, but he's in a meeting with the DA still, so I'll head over to his office, and see if we can find out who had access to those records," Amanda suggested, but Olivia started to shake her head, but Amanda added hastily before she could object. "You need to talk to Dodds and Tucker," she said calmly. "I don't think they'll take you off the case, but you won't be the lead. Just let us handle it, okay?" she spoke softly, and Olivia slowly nodded.
"We need to talk to the girl," Olivia commented weakly, and right on cue, the doctor emerged from behind her, and Mrs. Morrison's worried voice as she frantically asked for an update interrupted the small breakdown she was having inside her own head.
The doctor was about to argue that he can't release any information about the girl to the Morrison's, but Olivia told him that he can talk to her, and just let the Morrison's be there.
"Well, she's a fighter, I'll give her that," the doctor said, his voice betraying his exhaustion and slight anguish over what he just had to treat.
"How bad is it?" Olivia asked, and he sighed.
"She has burns over almost half her body, a concussion, broken ribs," he listed, and Olivia's face was blanching with every word he said. "She's dehydrated, her blood work showed a cocktail of drugs; Xansa, Oxy, special K, and a variety of anti-anxiety drugs, not to mention alcohol," he continued with his horrifying description, and Olivia was about to swear that Lewis had risen from the grave.
"Was she raped?" she asked, her voice a tad over a whisper, a side of her that people rarely see, and never in situations like this, which proved just how shaken up she was.
The doctor looked sadly at her, before he slowly nodded his head, saying the one word Olivia always hated to hear. "Viciously!" he all but growled. "There's tissue from a torn hymen, trauma to both her anus and vaginal canals, and bruises and cuts to her external genitalia," he said in disgust, and both women had to push the rising bile and tears back down.
"Any semen?" Amanda demanded angrily. She didn't care who did this, she was going to find them and feed them to the wolves. Due process be damned.
"No, I found lubricant, and the injuries to her external genitalia suggests that whoever did this, used tools," he explained, and Amanda nodded.
"Any idea how long she's been held captive?" Amanda asked.
"Some of the cuts were a bit shallow, so they already started to heal, so I'd say about four days," he replied, completely oblivious to the bomb he just dropped.
"Four days?" Olivia repeated in horror and he nodded.
"To tell you the truth, she shouldn't be alive, her injuries are extensive. It's a miracle her body didn't go into shock," he added, a small hint of relief making its way to his voice, one which Olivia fully supported.
"When can we talk to her?" she wondered, and he shrugged.
"There's no way of telling, as soon as she wakes up, and is up to talking, I'll give you guys a call," he told her, and she smiled gratefully at him.
Olivia drove back to the precinct, the entire drive passed by in a blur, it was as if she was on auto-pilot. She walked into her office, and slumped down in her chair, dropping her head in her hands, as she fought the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. She had put him behind her, she was finally able to be in a crowded room without flinching every time someone brushed past her. She had finally stopped seeing the sympathy in her coworker's eyes, they stopped tiptoeing around her. She had finally found the happiness she had long been searching for. As the thought entered her mind, her eyes wandered off to the framed picture on her desk. At one point, it was a picture of Noah perched up on one of the ottomans she had lying on the floor in a blue onsite, but now, it was a picture of Rafael with ruefully grinning Noah in his arms, and her four year old niece, Olivia, with her arms around his neck as he gave her a piggy back ride. Rafael wore an equally large grin as the one little Olivia had, as they all looked at the camera. She picked it up and softly traced her fingers over Rafael and Noah's smiling faces, her brain wandering back to the beautiful day at the beach, where this picture was taken.
It was a beautiful August Sunday, the sun was shining brightly over the bustling city, as she, Rafael and Noah sat in his ridiculously expensive car, making their way over to the beach. She looked back for what seemed to be the billionth time to check on a happily babbling Noah, as he played with the pop-out book they had given him. She smiled contently when she saw him engrossed in the pictures, before her eyes briefly flickered to the rear glass window, to check on the car behind them.
"They're still there," Rafael teased, knowing what she was looking for.
She sighed, knowing that she was being silly, but she couldn't really help it. "I know, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop!" she confessed, and he reached over and took a hold of her hand, squeezing it gently.
"It's going to be fine," he assured her gently, and she nodded.
This day was a celebration for Simon finally getting custody for his daughter back, and they all decided to head to the beach. They were on their way to pick up Lucia, before they can all spend a day as a family, as well as give Lucia a chance to meet Simon and the kids.
And just like Rafael said, it all turned out more than fine. Lucia and Tracey hit it off, and the kids were having a blast with Noah and Rafael. The usually stoic and put together ADA spent most of the day running around with Simon and the three kids, their laughter warming Olivia's heart as she lounged in the shade with Tracey and Lucia. She had opened up to Lucia about her past one night over wine, while Rafael worked late, and the older woman had said one sentence to ease the trepidation she saw in Olivia's eyes.
"You're not your mother, and who your father is doesn't define you!"
Her voice was firm, without a hint of deceit in it, and surprisingly enough, Olivia believed that she truly through that. That those words were not spoken in vain, or for her benefit.
She knew that whatever this case turns out to be, that it would be different than the last time she had faced this monster's horrors. It's true that she had her squad, and even Cassidy, at the time. But she'd had a rough time opening up to any of them, she didn't want them to look at her any differently, and it wasn't until she found herself in their shoes when the truth about Amanda's rape came to light, did she finally understand how they felt. And this time, she had her family as well, so she knew that she wouldn't have to face him alone. She just need to let herself accept the help when they offer it.
Her trance was cut by a sharp knock on her door, and she looked up to see both Tucker and Dodds standing in her doorway. She put the frame back on her desk, never happier that they disclosed their relationship, since now she can look at the picture when she's having a bad day to remind herself of the good that was still present in the world.
"Lieutenant, you wanted to see us," Tucker said in his usual icy demeanor, and she got up to usher them both into her office, before she closed the door behind them.
"It's about the case we just caught," she told them, and they both shared a look, before looking back at her.
After walking them through what happened since she got the call, they were both equally baffled.
"And you're sure it's the same MO?" Dodds inquired, his voice betraying how disturbed he was.
"Rollins was the one who saw the injuries first hand, and CSU should be sending us the pictures anytime soon, but from the doctor's description….yes I am," she said regretfully.
"Ah, hell!" Dodds hissed.
"But how the hell is that possible? The asshole is dead!" Tucker exclaimed angrily.
Olivia shrug her shoulder, almost in defeat. "We don't know, we're looking into anyone who was involved with the trial, former cell mates. Rollins is talking to Barba about a warrant to unseal the court records, and see who may have had access to them," she informed them, and they both nodded.
"Well, that's a good a theory as any, and until the girl wakes up and sheds some light on this, there's nothing more that we can do," Tucker pointed out, and the other two reluctantly nodded.
And right on cue, both Barba and Amanda walked in through the precinct, with Fin and Carisi in toe.
Olivia saw the worry on Barba's face, and she wanted nothing more than to just collapse in his arms, but she knew that they had to keep it professional. Even though IAB and Dodds knew about their relationship, she was no fool. She knew that they only reason why there were still letting them work together, was because they had managed to keep their personal lives out of their work.
Their eyes met, and she saw the worry and compassion in them. She smiled comfortingly at him, before they all huddled around the table in front of the flat screen. But that didn't stop Barba from taking her hand as soon as he was close enough, and giving it a reassuring squeeze. He may not be able to hold her and comfort her like he wants, but that didn't mean he can't be close.
"What did you guys find?" Olivia demanded.
"Lieutenant, you can't be the lead on this one," Tucker intervened, and she nodded.
"Don't worry, I am," Rollins interjected. "I was the first one on the scene, and have been the one barking orders all morning. The last thing we want is defense claiming vendetta!" she added.
"Why would the defense be claiming vendetta?" Carisi wondered, and they all looked at him like he had a memory problem, until it finally dawned on Amanda that he wasn't around.
"This case is…."Barba started to basically spit out the facts when Amanda interrupted him.
"No, Barba, wait," she raised a finger, as a lightbulb went off in her head.
"You weren't here during the whole Lewis fiasco," she stated, and Carisi just narrowed his eyes in confusion at her.
"William Lewis? The psycho rapist?" he presumed, and she nodded. "Yeah, I heard about him, I was still in homicide. Why?" he clarified.
"Yeah, but you don't know any of the details," Amanda alluded once more, furthering his confusion.
"No," he said in an isn't-it-obvious tone.
"Then I don't want you to hear any of this, stay away from the details of the Lewis cases, and this one," she ordered, and everyone else in the room, save for Fin, who caught on to what she was trying to do, looked at her like she was speaking Mandarin.
"If he doesn't know any of the details, defense can't claim coerced confession," Fin finished her trail of thought, and she looked approvingly at him.
"Exactly! Especially that they may even try to cast doubt on Lewis's original conviction," Tucker pointed out the obvious, ignoring how Olivia slightly paled at his words.
"Good thing the monster's dead, so he doesn't use this as a get out of jail free card!" Dodds commented, and they all nodded.
"I agree with all that, but we're short staffed, I can't sit on the sidelines while all hell breaks loose on you guys," Carisi argued, and they had to admit he had a point.
"Don't worry, you'll be doing a lot of the leg work," Amanda retorted, and he nodded at her.
He may have been the new guy, but they all had to agree that he had passion. That despite his rough start, he quickly got the hang of things, and was a crucial part of the team. He had good instincts, he knew when to push and when to back off. And this was one of the times, when he needed to just do as he was told.
"I need you to go through missing persons reports, call high-schools and see if anyone hasn't been showing up to school this past week," Amanda instructed, and he nodded.
"Public or private?" he pressed.
"Start with public, I highly doubt that a private school kid would go missing without anyone noticing. But if all else fails, start calling them as well," Olivia was the one to answer him, she may not be the lead, but that didn't mean she can't put her input.
Carisi nodded at the two detectives. "I'm on it!" he said firmly, before walking over to his desk, grabbing his laptop, and heading to the conference room, to do as he was told, and at the same time, give them the room to talk about the case freely.
"Detective Tutuola, what did the canvas turn up?" Dodds asked.
Before Fin had a chance to reply, Tucker spoke up. "I see that you have everything under control here, you know where to find me if you need me," he said, as he made his way to towards the door. "Just make sure you do this by the books, so that we don't end up having an overturned conviction on our hands," he threw in from the doorway, before taking his leave without waiting for a response.
"He's a ray of sunshine!" Barba quipped, and Olivia chuckled.
"He's not easy to work with," she conceded, and Barba scoffed. "Understatement of the century!" he snorted, and she smiled. Which judging by the look in his eye, is what he was going for.
"So the canvas?" Dodds repeated his earlier question, and Fin sighed.
"As fruitful as the desert!" he deadpanned. "No one's seen this girl before, and they don't seem to know where she could've come from," he added, and they all sighed in defeat.
"How about a blood trail?" Rollins suggested. "I saw her when they first brought her in, she was covered in blood, and some of her wounds were fresh. She's bound to have left a trail," she countered.
"Yeah, except by the time we made it to the street where she stumbled out, people had already started to awake, we followed it to an alleyway a couple of blocks away, but then we couldn't make out which blood was hers, and which ones weren't," he explained, and Olivia closed her eyes.
"A couple of blocks!" she repeated, knowing fully the injuries the girl endured and the toll it can take on her body.
"Adrenaline! Survival's instinct," Barba hissed through gritted teeth, his eyes not leaving the picture of their victim that was plastered on the board. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He didn't think he met her before, but yet, he knew he saw her face somewhere. She was so young! He hated it when they were young!
"How about we get canine unit on it?" Olivia suggested. "Have the dogs smell the bloody clothes, and see if they can pick up a trail to wherever she came from?" she continued, and Fin nodded, just as Amanda's phone beeped.
"On it," Fin declared, before heading for his desk.
"Maybe she can shed some light on that," Amanda called from behind them, and they all turned to her.
"That was the hospital, she's awake and asking for you, Liv," Amanda informed them, holding her phone for emphasis.
"I'll hold off on the canine unit," Fin offered, and Amanda nodded, as she and Olivia made their way out of the room.
"I'll drive you guys on my way to the courthouse to see where we are on those records," he said, almost menacingly, and both women knew him well enough not to argue.
So here is a super long chapter to hold you guys off while I update my other story, and to get things going in this one. I appreciate all the good response I got from this story, be it reviews, follows, favorites, or even DMs. It is much appreciated and I am glad to see that I am not the only Barson (which has come to my attention is the name of their ship) fan.
A few things to point out, I am not from the States so I may get some of the legalities and rules wrong, but for the sake of the story, ignore it? ;) (puppy eyes look). Also, I tried to find an episode where they clearly mention Noah's age, but came up empty, so I decided not to make him two quite yet, but rather a year and a half, but if someone knows a source where they stated his age, please let me know. I also absolutely hate how they just threw Olivia's relationship with Simon to the side, so I will be rectifying that in this story.
Let me know what you all think of this, since reviews motivate me to write. The next chapter is almost done, so it should be up as soon as I update my other story.