Hello again! Sorry for taking this long to update, I'm trying to stay ahead now so that doesn't happen again. It has been a while, but this chapter picks up right where the last left off, time wise. Things start getting a little dark here, but we also finally see how Elliot fits into all of this.

Cheers and enjoy! Reviews of all kind are welcome.

Eliot slowly turned in his ruffled bed sheets as the ringing became persistent.

His head was pounding, but the ringing was coming from his cell.

Without fully opening his eyes, he reached for it on his nightstand. He'd had more than a few too many the previous night and was fully intending on sleeping through the morning, and the rest of the day if possible.

"Stabler." He mumbled.

"Stabler, this is Ed. Ed Tucker."

It took Elliot a few moments to process who was talking to him on the other end of the line. But when he did, it propelled him to sit up straight, eyes wide open, sleep long forgotten. What in the world could Ed Tucker be calling him about...

What followed had Elliot fully clothed and with keys in hand before the conversation was even over.

It was strange to hear from this man from his past on this day in particular, because his old squad had been on his mind the entire previous day. He spent most of it lost in thought, thinking about Olivia, drinking himself into forgetting. Yesterday morning, Fin had called to inform him that Cragen, his old boss and good friend, had passed, and the funeral was today. Eliot was devastated about the news of his sudden passing, but just couldn't get himself to get up the courage and go. He could have gone, because he happened to be in New York, staying at his Brooklyn apartment which he'd barely ever stayed in over the last three years that he'd had it. He wanted to go, to pay respect to his old mentor, but he couldn't face seeing everyone - and especially not Olivia. He wanted to see her badly, but not under these circumstances.

A month earlier he'd found out about the recent (very major) changes in her life. He'd been aware for quite some time now of the adoption of her son, hearing about it almost right after she brought him home. He'd been keeping track of her from afar after he found out about the horrific ordeal she went through with Lewis.

But he hadn't heard about her relationship with Tucker and now her pregnancy until a month ago, drinking at a local bar with old friends from the academy. Now that Liv was a Lieutenant, her personal life was even more of a topic of interest around the NYPD hum of gossip.

He was trying to grasp as much information as he could from Tucker's summary of the events that led him to make this phone call, but Elliot's brain was in overdrive, adrenaline drumming in his ears. He knew he wasn't quite comprehending what he was being told, but the urgency of the situation caused his instinct to take over. He was opening his car door less than five minutes from when he first opened his eyes.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, on my way now." Eliot let the phone fall on the passenger seat and put his key in the ignition, focused on getting to the 16th Precinct as fast as his car could get him there.

Fin, Carisi, Rollins and Benson walked one behind the other, in that order, each followed closely by their very own guard, separating them from each other by at least ten feet. Four Kalashnikov rifles were trained squarely at the detectives' and lieutenant's heads. They hadn't been walking for long, so the bright light of the early afternoon was irritating the detectives' sensitive eyes from their recent chloroform infused slumber. Olivia had fully expected to walk for at least a few miles, probably until they reach another getaway vehicle. At least that's what she hoped. The alternative was that any second they would be asked to stop and get shot squarely in the head. She found herself wondering if they'd be asked to face their captures, or get shot to death from behind, one lethal bullet...

Her dark thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the man whose gun was trained on her.

"Stop."

Olivia's breath caught in her throat, wondering if she was hallucinating. She really thought they weren't going to meet their end just yet, that they'd have a chance to form an escape plan, that they'd be found and that her baby would be...

"Stop, I said! Fucking shits. You too blondinka."

Olivia saw Rollins holt to a stop. She exchanged quick glances with her detectives. Olivia knew they were all loosing it inside, but each kept their head up, eyes sharp, feet planted squarely on the ground. In all of the fear and dread, Olivia Benson felt proud of her squad.

"That's good, now turn around. Turn around I said! Especially you Lieutenant. Can you see well? there!"

Olivia looked right into her captor's icy blue eyes. She saw something twisted there. The glossy smile of a devil. He looked nothing like him, but she saw Lewis there.

The Ice Devil grabbed her by the back of her neck, twisting her head until she was turned towards where the black Limo they came out of and the small grey SUV that followed them were still parked.

"I want you look right over there, and don't blink. I want you to remember this in case any of you idiots even think of trying any funny business." The man obviously had a temper, and his Russian accent seemed to get thicker when he got angry. Olivia noted this for later, in case there was going to be a later for them.

The man behind Fin signaled something to whoever was in the SUV, and the detectives watched as a man came out of the drivers' side. Dressed similarly to their kidnappers, his face was covered and he held a Kalashnikov rifle in his left hand. He opened the passenger door, and four more people came out, one by one. They stumbled out of the vehicle and were led to the limo that Benson, Fin, Carisi and Rollins had just come out of.

Olivia stole a glance at Fin, who seemed to confirm her suspicion. The four figures that came out of the second car, there was something strange about them. They wavered and wobbled as they walked. They all appeared to be women, and Olivia could tell from even this far away that they were street girls. If she was right to assume that their kidnappers were connected with their current case, these girls were put in this position against their will, probably stolen from their homes and sold into this life. They'd been drugged, that she knew for sure.

One of them fell to her knees, but the man with the gun must have either hit or yelled at her because she scrambled back up.

The four girls filed into the limo, and the door was closed behind them. The driver waved towards the detectives, walked straight back to the SUV and drove off, picking up dust as it took a sharp turn to get back on the road.

Olivia felt lightheaded as she started realizing what was about to happen. She felt the corners of her eyes blur and she blinked a few times to clear her sight and mind.

For a few seconds, nothing was happening. Dust had settled and the limo stayed unmoved. Maybe she was wrong?

Suddenly realizing that the Ice Devil's hand was no longer on the back of her head, she looked back just in time to see that he had crouched down, hands covering his head, as did the other three kidnappers.

The silence was broken as Fin shouted "Take cover!"

Olivia felt him grab her, pulling her down with him at the same time that an explosion rocked their world.

The four detectives hit the ground almost at the same time, milliseconds before the force of the explosion would have knocked them off their feet. Olivia wrapped one arm around her belly, the other trapped behind her own weight. Fin made sure she didn't land on her stomach, and despite a new wave of pain hitting her, she was grateful. The limo that kidnapped them from the funeral and drove them here had blown up into pieces, with four women who were forced to take their place.

She she tried to shield herself from the heat of the explosion and the flying parts, she looked around to make sure everyone else was ok. Everyone seemed alert, only a few scratches and bruises. But in all of their eyes, she saw the horror that she felt.

Four innocent women were dead, creating a diversion for anyone who might try to find them. This was a well planned, tightly executed operation. Their kidnappers may not have killed them, but they clearly wanted the world to think they were dead.

Tucker wiped the bead of sweat that trickled down his stubbled cheek. He was standing outside the precinct with a cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other. The conference call between the Chief, Police Commissioner, and several representatives of both the CIA and the FBI, had gone on for a while and he needed to get some air. He was less interested in throwing blame and worrying about the politics of the public thinking the NYPD can't even keep their own detectives safe, and more worried about a concrete rescue plan.

Ed Tucker had never felt more anxious and sick with worry in his entire life. Olivia was gone, he did not know where, he did not know if she was safe or even alive. Just hours ago he kissed her goodbye, helping her into the very vehicle that was planted to kidnap her and the three detectives. He couldn't stop himself from imagining the worst, seeing flashes of Olivia, pregnant with their child, laying lifeless somewhere. He pushed the thought out of his head, focusing back on the conversation on the other lines and reminding himself that there was no time for self pity. He was a rational man, the furthest thing from spiritual, but right now he was praying to anyone or anything that may be listening, praying that she was alive, that this was all a nightmare. He'd give anything to take her place, anything to bring her to safety.

And in all the worry, he found himself feeling angry with her. He knew it was wrong. He knew this wasn't in any way her fault, but he couldn't help his misplaced feelings.

He knew it was a lingering feeling from the arguments they'd been having about her long work hours over the past few weeks. Ever since they found that they were going to have a child together, he felt protective, responsible for her well being, after all it was their child she was carrying. He knew she was not in the prime age to be having her first baby, and he couldn't imagine what he'd do if anything happened to either of them. Olivia called him 'antiquated' whenever he expressed too much concern.

She wasn't careless by any means, she did her best to follow the instructions and suggestions their doctor had given them. She went to all the appointments no matter what was happening at work, even though she had more of them than the average woman due to her age.

The doctors seemed to think she was fine and even strong, and should be able to have a healthy baby if she keeps doing what she's doing. But right now, she was anything but fine.

Ed chucked his cigarette to the ground, putting it out with the tip of his shoe just in time to see Elliot Stabler pull over by the precinct, parking his car in red and jumping out of it. Stabler spotted him almost immediately and was already running towards him.

It was an odd way to run into Stabler again, an old enemy of sorts. On any other day he'd probably try to avoid the encounter like fire.

But right now there was no other man he wanted to see and talk to more. And that was because Stabler was their first solid lead since they learned of the kidnapping five hours ago, and possibly their only hope for a rescue mission.

Eliot saw him before he even stopped the car. Tucker looked about the same as the last time he saw him years ago. But even from afar, Elliot could tell that the elder man's demeanor was anything from how he'd ever remember him. He knew Tucker as cold blooded, merciless, poker faced.

Now, the man was nearly hunched over, shifting his weight from leg to leg impatiently, looking around as he puffed smoke out of his mouth. Elliot instinctively passed judgement on the vice, knowing that he was dating his pregnant ex partner.

By the time he caught up with him, Tucker had already notice him and was walking towards him as well.

To Elliot's surprise, Tucker had extended his hand as they approached each other. He knew Tucker needed his help, but he didn't think he'd be this warm.

"Stabler, thank you for coming so fast. I can't tell you how glad I was to find out you're in the city."

"Of course. Fill me in."

"Let's walk and talk."

By the time they reached the SVU floor, Elliot had all the basic information, which was not a whole lot more than what he got from Tucker on the phone.

Olivia, Fin, and the two other SVU detectives Rollins and Carisi, had all shared a limo back to the precinct after Cragen's funeral across town. They left around noon, and it wasn't until four hours later that the alarms started going off about their absence. People back at the precinct who did not go to the funeral assumed the four senior officers were attending the gathering at the bar, and the folk at the funeral saw them leave hours ago.

Even Tucker didn't try contacting her for four hours, because he knew they were in the middle of a grueling case.

Eventually when Olivia missed an important meeting with some key higher ups where she was supposed to give an update on the case, people started really looking.

And the case SVU was dealing with was precisely why they called Elliot. Tucker explained that they'd been cracking down on an East Coast wing of human trafficking operations, a part of a larger ring run by a man dubbed Kalashnikov. Nobody knew if it was a man or an alias, but the running theory was this went all the way up to the Russian Mafia.

Agent Stabler, as he now was called, was able to confirm that Kalashnikov was indeed an alias, but the man was very much real. Elliot himself had the pleasure of meeting him about two and half years prior for a short unpleasant encounter.

Elliot spent three years essentially undercover with the Russian mob. After leaving SVU, he'd been quickly recruited by the FBI, without much of a break in-between. It was never Elliot's intention to join the FBI, but when the opportunity presented itself it was hard to decline. After a month of meandering and feeling trapped in his own head, he was getting antsy and needed something to occupy his time and mind.

He spent most of those three years undercover, with breaks every few months, and eventually got out completely because it was deemed too dangerous for him to remain with the group. It was a disappointing ending to the operation for him, without a big climax, but there were a few small wins throughout.

When he got out for the final time, he learned about what happens to Olivia with Lewis. He was completely devastated, and had to stop himself from just showing up at her place or the precinct. In the end, he settled on a letter.

He knew she got the letter because he sent a currier, but she chose not to respond. He struggled with that, but it was his own doing that got them to this point in their friendship, and knew he had to give her the space if that's what she wanted.

Still, he kept an eye and an ear on her always, finding solace in at least knowing she was safe, and seemingly happy.

"We got something!"

Elliot came out of his daze and followed Tucker as he rushed towards the officer who shouted over the noise on the floor.

Gathering behind a computer screen, they found themselves watching a video taken by what looks like a bystander phone recording of a burning vehicle.

"It was found just off the freeway. We've matched the vehicle to the Limo that took the Lieutenant and detectives."

"Was there anyone inside?" Tucker and Stabler asked in unison.

"Yes, sir. Four casualties. No identification has been made yet."

Elliot felt both lightheaded and sick at the same time.

"We need to stop the bleeding." Carisi was saying, holding Amanda's forearm with his bound hands.

Fin, Rollins, Carisi and Lieutenant Benson were once again sat shoulder to shoulder, this time in the back of a white van. Their hands were tied behind their backs and feet tied in front of them.

They were left alone in the back, with two of their captors in the front. This allowed them to speak in a whisper to one another.

"It's ok, it looks worse than it is." Rollins said, but a wince gave away her discomfort.

Her shoulder gut cut pretty bad against a tree branch when they took the fall from the explosion. The wound looked painful not life threatening.

"I have a handkerchief in my pocket. Here..." Olivia shifted her weight to one side, giving Carisi access to her back pocket.

He was about to ask why she has a handkerchief of all things, but remembered that they had technically just come from a funeral. Cragen's funeral seemed like days ago, but it only about 10-12 hours had passed.

Carisi took the handkerchief and went to work getting Amanda's arm bound up.

Olivia slumped back, sliding lower against the wall behind her and letting her head hang to the side, eyes closed. She'd been nauseous again ever since they got forced to ride int he back of effing van, on top of feeling completely exhausted.

She'd been tired before this ordeal even started. Her pregnancy, this case, the news of Cragen's death.

Now all of that seemed far, and the main concern on her mind was that she hadn't had a drink of water, let alone anything to eat, in over twelve hours. She was worried that if she threw up again she'd become even more dehydrated. She didn't know if her pounding headache was due to that, or the punch to the face, the fall to the ground... she was just grateful that her baby was ok. At least that's what she told herself, because she didn't feel any pain in her abdomen.

She brought her palm to her belly, feeling the heat radiate back and forth.

"Liv..." that was Fin's voice.

With the touch of a hand on her shoulder, she realized they'd been calling her name for while, and looked up to meet their three sets of eyes.

"What? Oh, sorry. I'm alright. Just..." She looked around, trying to collect her thoughts. She wanted to get the attention away from herself. She felt like she had to stay strong for the others, but she saw the concern etched in all of their faces.

"Amanda, how's the arm?" She quickly asked, noticing that her shoulder was bound and the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

"I'm good Lieutenant. All taken care of."

"Good, thats good..." She trailed off, swallowing the taste of bile. "Alright, we need a plan. Let's hear some ideas."

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