Title: Unexpected, Chapter 4
Author: Sorsha711
Fandom/Pairing: Fin/OFC; Munch/OFC, O/E
Rating: M, for language and references to violence; some adult situations
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Dick Wolf. Sigh!
Summary: Across a crowded squad room… Yadda Yadda Yadda… a Fin-centric sequel to Making a Connection. The oh-so-sexy Fin, a beautiful ACS counselor, a heartbreaking case, and Munch/Arwen playing matchmaker. What more do you need? OK, a little OE.
A/N --- Sorry for the delay in updating my stories. Real life ans been way too real lately!
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Unexpected, Chapter 4
As the side door to the panel truck opened, John swiveled around to fix his partner with a knowing smirk. Seeing the look, Fin held up his hand. "Save it, Munch. Now's not the time…"
"…to tell you that you have lipstick on your collar?" John finished. "I am far too much the gentleman to ask how that might have gotten there."
Snorting with amusement, Olivia slid past Fin, taking the seat next to John. "Gentleman? Yeah right! I'll dish for you later and tell you how he got that smudge. Oh, the things I've seen tonight!"
Glaring at her, Fin retorted, "Still questioning you and your man if seeing a little kiss gets you this worked up. Maybe I do need to take him aside and give him a few pointers."
Grinning broadly, John shook his head. "In their defense, Det. Tutuola, I've stumbled onto them during a… shall we say, private moment. From the little I saw before I scurried away red-faced with embarrassment, I'd say they have a firm grasp of the principles behind a passionate kiss. In fact, they seemed to have a firm grasp on…"
"Can it, Munchkin," Elliot inserted, arriving in time to hear John's observations. Climbing over Fin to the seat next to Olivia, he continued, "Liv and her fella deserve their privacy as much as you and… is that a hicky on your neck, Johnny boy? For future reference, a sweatshirt collar doesn't hide those as well as a dress shirt does. Might want to remember that when you're dressing in a hurry."
"Actually, Fin is the one that was invading my 'fella's' and my privacy, Elliot," Olivia offered, trying hard not to laugh at the wicked gleam in John's eyes. "Fin was suggesting my man needed instruction in the finer points of kissing… was casting doubt on his virility, so I appreciate John's support. I'll let him know you were apparently siding with Fin in his unflattering assessment of his manhood."
Startled, Elliot stared at her for a moment before admitting, "I guess I need to be sure of what I'm getting myself into before jumping in the middle of a rip session. Fin… for your information, I know Liv's man and he doesn't strike me as the type that would appreciate that kind of statement being made about him… even as a joke."
Clinching his jaw to keep from laughing, Fin nodded, "No offense intended. I'm sure he comes off as a real stud to the casual observer, but her interest in my love life makes me wonder if that's all for show. A simple little kiss shouldn't have gotten her that excited. Must be her man's fault."
"A simple little kiss???" Olivia sputtered with mirth. "Casey and I were worried we would need to find a fire extinguisher if they kept that simple little kiss going much longer! I swear I heard the smoke alarms starting to hum before going off!"
Trading a grin with John, Elliot demanded, "Who finally jumped who… Fin or Chris?"
"Damn! Not you too," Fin moaned, taking his place at the front passenger seat so that he could direct their driver to the tenement. "It can't have been that obvious!"
"Apparently it was to everyone but me," Don groused, closing the door to the truck behind him as he joined his detectives. "Now that I look back… how did I miss it for so long?"
"Maybe you've been sitting behind a desk too much lately, Cap," John suggested, turning back to face the surveillance console… and to hide his smirk. "They say your skills in observation start to go if you don't use them. Paperwork can dull the best minds I hear."
Glaring at his detective's back, Cragen demanded, "Is that so? Then, what's your excuse, John? No, don't answer. We have work to do and one of your explanations could take all night. Let's get going."
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"Looks like we got here too late to get much tonight," Cragen observed. "Something's going on… but I doubt we have enough to get a warrant to go inside."
"We could try sending someone in…" Elliot began.
"No way! Until we know more, they could be dead before they get inside," his commander insisted. "We need to get more information or anyone we send inside would be flying blind. We don't have any proof… hell, all we have is a rumor that this place is a front for child prostitution. You go in asking for a kid and that's not their angle… no. We wait until we have more."
"Let me try working my way a little closer to see what I can overhear," Fin offered. "There's only one working light on this side of the street, so I could stick to the shadows…"
"And maybe walk into their lookouts," Olivia noted. "It's not likely those lights are out by accident. They are the only ones out for several blocks on either side of this place."
"Cap… I have the address of the owner of this pit… names Alexander Ryland," John inserted, looking up from the computer screen on his console. "He owns a number of properties in the area. I Googled him… he's developer… done enough he looks legit. My guess is he bought these dumps speculating on the proposed Columbia expansion. When that gets the go ahead, these properties skyrocket in value. If that's his agenda, he may not know what's happening down here. Why don't I pay him a visit and see if he'll agree to a search?"
Nodding, Cragen instructed, "Do it. If he gives you problems, let Casey know ASAP. He may be getting a kickback to turn a blind eye to whatever is going on in there. Hell, he may be part of it. If he gives us the OK, get him to sign the authorization form and leave a uniform with him… tell him it's for his protection until we're inside. I don't want to run any risk of him tipping them off we're on to them."
"If he refuses?"
Hesitating for a second, Cragen ordered, "Bring him in."
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"Do you have any idea what time it is?"
Studying the man blocking the doorway to his condo, John fixed him with an unwavering stare, fighting the temptation to flay him with sarcasm. "I'm all too aware of the time, Mr. Ryland. If this wasn't an urgent matter, I would be home in bed catching up on my sleep rather than disturbing you at this hour. Can Officer Dixon and I come inside or do we need to have this conversation down at our precinct?"
Frowning, the balding middle-aged man pushed away from the door, cinching the belt of his bathrobe a little tighter. "Yeah, come on in. Just keep it down. My kids are visiting and I don't want them disturbed."
"You have kids?" John asked, looking around the posh living room of the Upper West Side dwelling.
"Two girls… joy of my life, but I doubt they are the reason you're both still working at this hour… or disturbing law-abiding folks from their sleep," Ryland grumbled, gesturing toward the couch. "What's so important a NYPD detective is banging on my door at 1:30 in the morning?"
"You own a number of properties in the Manhattanville neighborhood," John began. "I'm with Manhattan Special Victims, by the way."
"Yeah, I do, but that's hardly illegal," Ryland agreed. "What about them? And why would SVU…"
"We have reason to believe one of them is being used by a local gang as a front for illegal activities… perhaps, child prostitution," John offered. "If there are children in there being exploited, we need to get them out as soon as possible. We need a warrant to go inside, but… given the urgency of the situation, we'd prefer to do this the quick and easy way. We came here hoping you will voluntarily let us search the building. If we're wrong, we'll owe you an apology for disturbing your sleep. If you are unwilling…"
Shocked, Ryland dropped into a nearby chair. Breaking in before John could complete his explanation, he exclaimed, "Child prostitution? Dear God! If there is any possibility of that, screw my sleep! Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it!"
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"Right. Good work, John," Cragen proclaimed. "Leave Dixon with him and get back here a'sap. I'll send Fin with part of our force to cover the approach from the south, so meet up with him at our southern perimeter."
"We have the owner's permission for the search," the 16th Precinct commander announced, pocketing his cell phone. "Fin… take a dozen uniforms and a third of the SWAT detail… approach from the south. John should be back before we're ready to enter and will meet you there. Elliot, join up with the team watching the rear of the building and go in on my signal. Olivia and I will lead the rest from here. Go."
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Blending back into the shadows south of their building, Fin watched two men enter the building. Both stood out as not belonging in the run-down neighborhood, especially in the middle of the night. Glancing over at his partner, Fin whispered, "Looks like we may get a few fish in our nets after all."
Nodding, John pressed the earpiece of his radio more firmly into place. "Cap saw them too. He wants to give them a few minutes to get into a compromising position, then we go in."
Frowning, Fin muttered, "He's right… but this turns my stomach. That means there might be children in the line of fire. Hell, one more trauma for them to endure."
"Yeah," John agreed, grimacing at the thought. "There's the signal. Let's go!"
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The gang members guarding the entrance were on the ground gagged and cuffed before they could raise the alarm. The four were heavily armed with semi-automatic pistols. Signaling the all clear, Fin stepped back to watch two SWAT officers flank the building's entrance before waving several more inside. Fin and Olivia fell in behind them, sweeping the dingy lobby for more armed suspects.
They had taken only a few steps when gunfire ripped through the quiet. Shouts from the back of the building alerted them to the fact that Elliot's team had made entry and encountered resistance. Looking to his right, Fin noted that John and Olivia were following several SWAT officers into a stairwell to begin sweeping the upper floors.
Meeting Cragen's steady gaze, Fin jerked his head in the direction of the stairs to let him know he was following the others up. A faint nod confirmed his commander's agreement that he and Elliot would complete the sweep of the ground floor while the other three detectives would oversee the rest. Nodding to the SWAT squad leader… a cop named Morris as he stepped back into the lobby, Fin slid around him and entered the stairwell.
Pausing just inside the doorway, a slight movement from behind a barricade blocking the entrance to the building's basement caught Fin's attention. Seeing the glint of metal that preceded the barrel of a gun sliding between the wooden slats, Fin gave a shout of warning to the officers ahead of him. "Get down! Gunman behind the barricade!"
The flash of semi-automatic gunfire prompted him to return fire as the unseen gunman's weapon sprayed the stairs with bullets. A hole blew through the barricade as Fin's third round hit its target, splintering the brittle wood. The face of a teenage boy… perhaps fifteen or sixteen, turned slowly toward him. Stunned, the boy stared at Fin for several seconds before sinking from sight behind the barricade, his eyes taking on the unmistakable glaze of death. His gun continued to pepper the walls and ceiling as he disappeared, before finally falling silent.
In the sudden silence, the words "Officer down!" made Fin's blood run cold.
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