A/N: For those of you still with me, thanks so much! Let me know by leaving a review or a simple note. No, I didn't skip a chapter. Serena's experiences will be told through flashbacks in chapters to come. Once again, italics are people's thoughts.

Chapter 10

Fin hated running. He avoided it whenever he could. Nowadays, he let the new guy, Carisi do all the footwork and he just followed in the squad car, getting as close as he could. Today was no exception. The whole unit was spread out in Central Park following a lead on a male on male rapist. He just heard Rollins in his earpiece say that the suspect was apprehended, and they were handing him off to the unis for processing. Damn, I walked all the way across this field for nothin'. Wait, hold up. What the fuck am I lookin' at?

Central Park was crowded on any given day of the year. Of course with police activity, crowds had gathered to see what they could. It was so fricken hot out that all Fin wants to do is get back in the car and blast the AC. As he quickly scanned the nearest group of people, his eyes locked on a set of very familiar ones. Ones whose mirror image he has looked into almost everyday for the last 18 years; the one whom he affectionately calls "Baby Girl". In fact, he looked into this pair of brown eyes and remembered that he used to call her little Baby Girl too. But no, he had to be wrong; wishful thinking or something. Those eyes, both sets in fact, have haunted him for the last two years. This girl is probably a look alike, taller and thinner but damn there's really no mistaking those big, brown, beautiful eyes! He was just about to shake his head and turn away to clear his mind when he saw her take off her glasses and move her lips to mouth two words: Uncle Fin.

Detective Tutuola's legs may not be as strong or fast as they once were, but his brain was sharp as ever. He secretly loved being called "Uncle Fin" and he missed it terribly. As he moved closer to the statue that she was standing next to, he saw an older man gripping her bicep. He walked as fast as he could without garnering too much attention.

"Fuck me!" he spoke into his mouthpiece trying to convey urgency without outright shouting. "I need everyone to converge on the Alice in Wonderland statue now! Do you hear me? Now! Now! Now! Liv, it's her. I found her Liv. I need backup!" He moved stealthily towards the statue trying to communicate to his little Baby Girl not to draw attention. She was always so smart, he knew she understood.

He didn't like the grip the man had on her arm. One wrong move and she would be a shield or a projectile for an escape. Fin saw the man look around nervously as the crowd was talking about all the police activity. He said something in Serena's ear, shoved her glasses back on her face, gripped her tighter and tried to pull her away. In that moment, she started coughing. The man immediately made her sit on the edge of the statue and put her head down, placing the backpack she carried at her feet. He kept looking around though. Fin had the idea Serena was stalling as she was turning her head searching for him. The chatter in his earpiece became white noise as he went around to approach them from behind.

"Oh look. One of the cops is coming this way. Man, he looks pissed." Unfortunately, some bystander decided to voice his opinion at that moment, but Fin was still too far away to grab and it was way too crowded for him to risk pulling his gun. Serena's head shot up and The Doctor bolted. The crowd seemed to suddenly interlock and Fin was caught up behind it.

"Shit! Perp is on foot!" he shouted into his rsdio. "SVU portable to central, Male, late 50's, salt and pepper hair, more salt, bushy moustache wearing khaki cargo shorts, green polo, white socks with white sneakers. Headed towards 74th street exit of Central Park. Suspect in kidnapping of the daughter of police officer and a lotta other shit. MOVE!" Fin commanded as he pushed his way forward. Serena was standing looking towards the exit The Doctor ran through with an odd look on her face. As soon as Fin came closer, she moved her body to stand very close to him, without touching. He knew better and stood sentry while they both waited for the rest of the squad to catch up.

-SVU—

Liv and Elliot were down by the boathouse when they heard Rollins say they were handing off their suspect. Elliot was a little ticked off. Ever since he got his latest promotion to Lieutenant, he didn't get much time in the field. Just before Captain Cragen left, he pulled his two best detectives into his office.

He got straight to the point. "22 years Elliot. You put 2 decades of your life into this unit and other than the woman sitting to your left, no one deserves to take my place but you. Take over Elliot, you deserve it. Liv, take the sergeants exam. Be his second. You two have to stay in this unit, but I don't need to tell you that." He spoke confidently as if it were already a done deal.

Of course, there were no guarantees that once they both took the exams that they would remain in SVU. Cragen could get away with appointing Elliot to take over but Liv had no such security. New sergeants were given shit assignments so seasoned ones can be moved around. But Cragen was Cragen and here they were. Elliot had the new title and the office, but everyone knew it was Sergeant Benson, Liv, who actually ran the squad. He would have it no other way.

Since that fateful day Serena was taken two years ago, if it wasn't spent on a case, every minute was devoted to finding her. Once cases were solved, they researched. They made sure the FBI and Missing Persons kept the case active. Elliot never spent another night at Olivia's, but he was always by her side supporting her. Neither gave 1PP or IAB any reason to split them up or transfer either of them out. And when she was promoted, it was a seamless, natural transition from being Benson and Stabler, partners, to being the head(s) of SVU.

Rumors about their relationship ran rampant for years. However, once Elliot took over with Liv essentially by his side, they thought the rumors would swell, but they didn't. People knew that part of Olivia died the day her daughter was taken. She did her job as well as ever, but she was haunted. She spent all hours at the precinct, only going home to drop out cold. Benson and Stabler as partners were still a force to be reckoned with, even though they were no longer technically partners, but Olivia and Elliot were no longer worth speculating about.

After hearing Rollins, Liv couldn't help but let out a small laugh. Elliot was caught by surprise. He rarely heard her laugh anymore and when he looked at her, she really started to crack up.

"You should see the look on your face El!" she cackled. "It's like you were given a lollipop and then had it snatched away." This caused his eyebrows to furrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. He would happily suffer any embarrassment from his detectives who can hear everything over their earpieces if he could just keep hearing that wonderful sound from her. He missed her smile. He was just about to speak when they heard Fin's voice through their earpieces.

"Fuck me!"

Liv stopped laughing immediately as they both tuned back in. When they heard what he said, they took off running. They didn't have to question who "her" was. No words were spoken, but they could hear Rollins and Carisi questioning in the background. The boathouse wasn't too far from the statue, but they had to run up a hill. Elliot got to the top first and stopped. He just couldn't believe what he was seeing. Serena was standing as close to Fin as possible without touching him, and everyone gave them a wide berth. She was no longer the vibrant, smiley little girl he once knew. She was definitely taller, very thin and her hair hung straight down past her shoulders. She was wearing purple glasses that sat just below her trademark bangs. She seemed to be looking everywhere at once. After Fin shouted and barreled through, the small crowd of people dispersed, but were now on the sidelines with phones recording. Elliot didn't have time to react when Liv flew passed him. Flew is the right choice of word. Her feet didn't seem to touch the ground, she didn't even slow down when she got to the top of the hill by him. Elliot knew she couldn't see from that vantage point but she was taking it on faith from Fin. He would never say those words if they weren't true. He began to run after her.

Dear God Fin. Please don't be wrong. Olivia saw Elliot stop at the top of the hill to take in the scene. If it weren't true, she knew he would immediately stop her advance. When she dashed passed him untouched, she knew. She lifted her eyes to focus. At that moment, as if she felt her, Serena took off at lightning speed towards her mother. Not a soul was getting in their way. Liv didn't even stop to take in her daughter's appearance. She just needed to get to her.

Elliot was behind Liv, which was unusual while running since he had the longer stride, but his momentary halt slowed him down a bit. It was a good thing though. Liv needed to get to her daughter first and he would make sure of it. However, he noticed both ladies were running at full speed towards each other and neither was making any attempt to slow down. He picked up his pace a bit and was right behind Liv when she came to an abrupt stop and Serena crashed into her arms. The collision cause Olivia to take a few steps back, right into Elliot who had to brace himself unless they crashed to the ground which would have caused Liv's backside and tailbone quite a bit of pain.

You could probably hear the thud on the other end of the park. Serena was now back in her mother's arms and they were both going down. At least, thanks to Elliot's solid wall of a chest and his grip on the back of her arms, they were descending gently towards the grass. Serena had her legs wrapped around Olivia's waist like she used to when she was little, and Elliot swore Liv might break a few of her daughter's ribs with the iron grip she had around her. Not that the now teenager's grasp was any looser. They each had their faces buried in each other's neck and all he heard was Olivia wailing; from his ear and from right in front of him. Oddly, Serena was silent.

He could hear Rollins and Carisi as they finally reached Fin. All three were looking in his direction. Elliot could also see at least a dozen camera phones now pointed at the emotional reunion taking place on the grass at his feet. Always trying to preserve his partner's dignity and privacy, he reached down and removed Liv's mouth and earpieces. He spoke to his detectives.

"Carisi, get my sedan and bring it around to this spot. Fin, you saw him. Stay here and lead the search, if he's in the wind, get shots from these people who have nothing better to do than record other people's problems. Rollins, I need you over here for crowd control and contacts. Someone saw something." He heard his team's affirmations as he switched positions to try and shield Liv from prying eyes as best he could. It was taking every ounce of his self-control and every technique he has learned from the past few years of therapy not to run out of that park, find the scumbag, and tear him limb from limb with his bare hands. But Liv needed him here and so did Serena.

-SVU—

She's real. This is real. I know it is this time because Momma is crushing my ribs. Who cares? I'm not complaining because this is good. This pain shows me this moment is real. Momma won't stop crying into my neck. I've never seen her lose control like this; every time I thought about being back with her I never seemed to imagine her crying. Another good sign.

The Doctor started taking her for short outings on her birthday three months ago. Today was the longest and farthest they have ever gone. Usually they would venture to the grocery store or some other place to run an errand. Last month he even took her to the Guggenheim when they had a special medical exhibit. He said it was shit, but she loved it! Just being out was wonderful! This morning, when he came to get her he said the park would be packed with people on such a nice day and they would all be so caught up in their own distractions that no one would notice the two of them. It really was a nice day and Serena was enjoying the stroll. They had just gotten hot dogs from the cart when they saw policemen tackle a man over by the arch. The Doctor quickly grabbed her arm and moved them away. They ended up at the Alice in Wonderland Statue. This was not one of Serena's favorite stories, but this statue was such a welcome sight and what would happen next would make such an imprint on her brain that she would be willing to name her firstborn daughter Alice.

Serena was surprised to see how many people were either walking or standing around with their faces in their phones. What was on the screen that was better than the view the park provided? Every time he took her out, she never once put her head down. She wanted to take everything in, to remember for when she was inside for a long while again. She always scanned the people looking for her mother, Elliot, or anyone else she knew. Today was no different. As soon as they saw the police activity, Serena waited. If a patrolman came close enough, she was going to say something. Well, she wouldn't exactly "say something" since she learned early on not to make a sound, even the screaming stopped. She's not sure she even remembers how to make sounds come out of her throat, but she would draw attention to herself. Today would be the day she wouldn't go back to that place. True, she said this on each outing, but the police chase solidified it in her brain. The Doctor was right when he said everyone was caught up in their own lives they wouldn't notice. But he didn't count on Uncle Fin.

As soon as they stopped at the statue, Serena went about her routine of scanning the crowd. That's when she saw him, Detective Odafin Tutuola standing not 50 yards in front of her. He looked pissed off but was also scanning the crowd as he was trained to do. Once they locked eyes, she could tell he was in disbelief. He doesn't believe it's me. Say something idiot! It's okay now. Don't make any sudden moves, he'll pull you away and you'll never come out again. Maybe Uncle Fin doesn't recognize me. Glasses. Take them off, doesn't matter if you can't see squat for a few minutes. Let him know it's you before he leaves. Uncle Fin. Good, clear mouthing and that's it! Look, he knows it's me! He's moving. He's coming this way. Uncle Fin is going to rescue me!

No! The Doctor is trying to pull me in the other direction. He said we have to get out of here because it's no longer safe. People have our pictures on their cell phones. I can't go. Uncle Fin is almost in touching distance. Think. My name is Serena and I am the daughter of the smartest, bravest cop on the force. My heart is pounding in my chest and if I'm not careful, I'll start coughing and lose my breath. The Doctor hates when that happens, especially when we are out. That happened once at the grocery store and he showed me his displeasure when we got back. At least he gave me my oxygen before shutting the door. That's it! Uncle Fin just needs a few seconds to get closer. Coughing comes naturally and the burning in my lungs barely registers anymore.

It worked. Once she started coughing, The Doctor took pause. Serena's coughs came from way down in her lungs and since the toxic firework fumes, they were not the strongest organs in her body. Being kept underground and breathing in dirt and God knows what else didn't help her any; neither did screaming or the damage done to her. She could tell The Doctor was angry by the way he tightened his grip on her arm, but people were now staring and offering water and services, so he allowed her to sit. Her coughs made anyone around her uncomfortable and immediately pity the poor girl who sounded like that. This momentary lapse allowed Fin to go around to the back. Someone couldn't keep their thoughts to themselves for two minutes longer and suddenly, The Doctor ran without her. Uncle Fin was an elite and it was all over so quickly. He didn't make a move to hug or touch her in any way, but she stood as close as she could knowing he wouldn't let anyone else get close enough either. As she heard Fin talking to no one in particular, she realized he had an earpiece, which meant he was communicating with the other members of the squad. Olivia was close, Serena could feel it. There. Elliot was standing on top of the hill watching and wherever he was, she knew her mother would be right behind him, so she got ready. The moment Olivia came over that hilltop, Serena took off.

That collision hurt! I think I may have re-damaged my sore ribs. But it doesn't matter. Momma is here. Her arms are safety. I can feel her heartbeat against mine and her warm tears on my neck. She's real and I am safe. I am home.

A/N: Okay, let the healing begin for everyone!

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