Chapter Six: Enter the Sandman

Manhattan's SVU Squad Room

Monday August 17th, 12:35

Captain Donald Cragen's office was chocked full of people, too full for his liking. He held up his hands to address the seven individuals. "Alright people, enough. We do not have much time. Benson you are the Primary. Start us off."

Olivia looked around the room as she spoke. "The person we suspect is Markus Pharaoh has agreed to a meeting. Washington Square Park, by the chess tables at two o'clock. The only stipulation they had was that whoever goes has to wear a black ball cap, he would seek us out. We need someone to go undercover, a handler, a surveillance van and a hell of a good wire."

"We can talk to TARU about the wire and surveillance van", Munch said.

Fin looked at her. "Whichever one of us goes undercover is gonna have to know how to perform what Pharaoh wants. That's leaves most of us out."

Morales looked from Fin to Cragen. "You could pull someone from another squad that has the knowhow?"

Cragen nodded as he contemplated this. Jess could not believe what was being proposed. Having someone come into the case part way through? It was never going to work. "You cannot be serious about bringing in someone cold to the case? It will never fly; we don't have that kind of time to prep someone. You need someone with the knowhow of java scripting and that has a good working knowledge of the case."

Stabler met Jess's eyes with his own. "Jess, we are going to have to bring someone in from another squad. None of us can write that stuff."

The teenager raised her brow. "I can"

Elliot narrowed his eyes at Jess as Olivia's jaw dropped and Alex's normally stoic face twisted into disbelief. Benson looked at Jess. "You can't be serious."

Jess squared her shoulders as her gaze moved to Olivia, her tone remained calm. "As a heart attack. I have been involved with this case for a week now. I decoded the files on Blaze's computer and can write the type of script Pharaoh needs better and faster than anyone else you'll find and you know it."

Cragen crossed his arms over his chest. "Jess, I agree with you but you are sixteen years old. I cannot in good conscience let you go undercover in this case."

"No to mention it's illegal. If this is Pharaoh we are meeting, he is more than likely the pedophile in those videos with our victims. We will not send a child in undercover to catch a pedophile. " Alex watched as Jess met her eyes.

"Pharaoh is a smart guy. He is going to smell cop on anyone you send in to meet him that is unfamiliar with the case. If I go he won't suspect I'm working with the police."

Olivia composed herself and looked at Jess. "Leaving good conscience and legal standing aside Alex is right, this is a highly volatile situation, Jess. You can't possible think we would let you stand in the middle of it?"

Jess sighed as she looked around the room and tried to remain calm. "I am so sick of being looked at as the sickafant. I find it interesting that my involvement in this case was acceptable to everyone in this room when I was decoding those files and when Ronald Blaze was being interviewed. Now that we have a real shot at bringing our victims home to their families I am suddenly cast away and thought of as incapable of wearing a wire and writing java script for a website."

"It isn't that we think you are incapable. Jess, you are sixteen." Elliot leveled a fatherly look toward her.

The young woman maintained her composure. "My age was irrelevant up until now. You know I am the most qualified to do this. I am volunteering to go undercover, there has to be paperwork for this somewhere. I cannot be the first minor you have used in an undercover investigation."

Benson had heard enough. She was never going to let Jess near Pharaoh. The detective already felt as though the child was too involved in the case. "Jess, your age was irrelevant but now it is. You are not going undercover."

Jess rolled her eyes. She was losing the battle of composure although her tone remained even . "I can do this."

The brunette squared her shoulders to the teen. "Have you lost your mind? No, no you cannot do this. You are sixteen years old, I am your guardian and you are officially off this case!"

The young woman lost all composure. She shot Olivia an evil look as she spoke through clenched teeth. "You can't do that. I am knee deep in this case, you can't pull me."

Olivia forgot about everyone else in the room and stepped closer to Jess. "I just did. I'm the Primary on this case. You officially work for Computer Crimes, which is a division of TARU who work for the detectives of this squad at our discretion. I'm ordering you off the case. Get out!"

Jess knew Olivia had the authority to take her off the case, but she did not have to take it lightly. The short blonde leaned closer to Olivia and spoke softly through a clenched jaw. "I cannot believe you don't believe in me. I hate you for doing this to me." Jess stepped back from the detective, walked to the door of Cragen's office, opened it, walked through it and continued to the locker room around the corner and down the hall. Alex closed the door behind the younger blonde. She was the only one in the room that looked at Olivia. As the women's eyes met the look Alex shot Olivia was one of understanding, although the A.D.A. shook her head at the detective. There had been no need for Olivia to raise her voice and kick Jess off the case. The case had basically been built on teenager's back.

Munch looked around the room. "Jess has a point about bringing someone in on this case. We really don't have that kind of time. I vote Benson goes undercover. She has the most experience with computers."

Benson looked bewildered. Not at Munch volunteering her but at the way she had just spoken to and acted towards Jess. "Uh, yeah, that's fine. I will go undercover but you will have to excuse me for a minute."

Stabler looked at her. "There isn't time. You are the Primary and now you are going undercover. I'll go talk to Jess." A small grin played across his lips. "Plus I have to ask her what sickafant means."

Alex stared at the floor. While she had moved out of Olivia's apartment that morning she still cared very deeply for the detective. The A.D.A. knew what had happened to the brunette in Sealview Woman's Prison. It had been the last time the detective had been undercover. Alex was not sure if Olivia was ready; nor was the blonde sure she wanted to find out. The A.D.A. answered Elliot nonchalantly, continuing to stare at a spot on the floor of Cragen's office. "It means to be the stupidest person in a group."

Munch stepped closer to Benson. "Stabler is right. You have to stay." He looked at Elliot. "If Liv goes undercover you become the Primary." Munch put a hand on Olivia's arm. "I'll go talk to her. Fill me in when I get back." Benson nodded to him and he left the room, closing the door behind himself. It took him a minute to figure out where the teen had gone. He followed the sound of gloves hitting the punching bag in the locker room. Munch stood in the doorway of the locker room and watched the tiny blonde erratically hit the bag. Jess had no idea what she was doing; but the kid did have enough anger in her at this point to do some serious damage. "If you keep going like that you're going to break your wrists."

The comment did not stop the teenager. "So…"

Munch leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest. "So?"

Jess dropped her arms to her sides; the gloves on her hands hit the sides of her thighs as her arms fell. Her eyes went from the bag to John leaning in the doorway. "So…are you gonna just stand there and rag on me, Conspiracy, or are you gonna show me how to hit the bag?"

The detective chuckled as he uncrossed his arms, stood on two feet and walked toward Jess. "Take off the gloves. You have to learn how to wrap your hands first."

Jess put her left hand under her right armpit and yanked her hand out of the glove. She pulled the right glove off with her left hand and dropped both gloves to the floor. Munch grabbed some white tape off the top of the lockers on his way to Jess. "Hold out your hands."

The blonde did what he asked and they both looked down at her hands. The teen's knuckles' were beet red and already raised. If she had gone on much longer her skin would have torn and her knuckles would have bled. John looked from Jess's hands to her eyes, trying to get her to meet his. "Can I touch your hands? Or do you want to bind them?"

Jess looked up at the detective. As angry as she was her face soften at the kindness Munch had shown in asking her if he could touch her. "You can bind them."

John took Jess's right hand in his left. As he touched her knuckles she winced slightly. "You beat your knuckles pretty good here, Kid. Are you sure you want to keep going?"

The teenager met his eyes again. "It's either the bag or Olivia. The bag seems…less confrontational."

Munch nodded in agreement. He was going to save what he had to say about Benson for a minute. With his right hand the detective adhered the end of the tape to Jess's hand and started to slowly wind it around the small right hand. As he did John explained why he was winding the tape the way he was. When he was satisfied enough tape had been applied he bent down and bit the tape, severing what he had wound from the roll in his hand. Jess made a fist with her right hand. It was tight with the binding but she could do it. Munch took her left hand and repeated the same steps.

Once Jess's hands were bound the detective picked up the gloves off the floor and held them for the blonde. She pushed each hand into a glove and dropped her arms to her sides. "Now what?"

The detective put up his own fists in a 'put up your dukes' kind of way. Jess did the same. Munch then moved his feet so they were shoulder length apart and his left was slightly in front of his right. Jess mimicked him but looked awkwardly at him. "What's wrong? Is the tape too tight?"

Jess shook her head. "No, it just feels wrong. The way I'm standing it feels unbalanced."

John dropped his hands and moved behind Jess. "Stand with your feet together and your back straight." The teen did what he said and stood there very still for about thirty seconds. She was about to turn around and ask him what he was doing when he pushed her from behind. Jess's right foot went out in front of her to steady herself as she wheeled her head around and looked behind her. "What the hell was that for?"

Munch smiled slightly. "It's the only way to tell which foot you should lead with. Look down." Jess did and saw which of her feet was in front of her. "You felt unbalanced before because you were leading with your left foot, you need to lead with your right."

The detective and the tiny blonde resumed their stances. "When you punch with your left hand step into the punch with your left foot, like this." He stood with his feet shoulder length apart. As he threw a deliberate punch with his left hand into the punching bag he stepped forward with his left foot; making sure the foot landed on the linoleum floor just as his fist hit the bag. Munch hit the bag gently as his hands were not bound. He stood back and nodded to Jess. "Giver, Kid"

Jess stood up straight with her feet apart. As she punched with her right arm she stepped into the punch with her right foot. The kid had put her back into the punch and she actually moved the bag surprising well. With a raised brow Munch said. "Now switch and throw a left."

The teenager hopped back slightly, adjusted and threw her left arm out as she stepped forward with her left foot. Her hand made contact with the bag on its upswing, sending the bag back down but forcing Jess to draw her hand back in pain. Munch grabbed the bag to make it still. He looked at the young woman. "What did you learn?"

The blonde looked at him shaking her left hand. "That I can't throw a left?"

John looked at her over his glasses. "Which would be easier: Hitting the bag on the upswing like you just did." Munch moved the bag towards Jess. "Or on the downswing?" He moved the bag away and Jess threw another left gently at the bag as it moved away from her.

This garnered a grin from the teen. "Downswing, so I can use the momentum to my advantage instead of working against it."

The detective nodded and moved away from the bag. Jess threw a right punch followed by a left and then another right; making contact with the bag only on the downswing and always leading with the correct foot. Once the bag started swinging the punching became easier and the contact much more forgiving.

As Jess moved around the bag and continued to punch, Munch said his piece on Benson. "You know, Jess, Olivia is just trying to keep you safe. There was no way anyone in that room was going to agree to letting you go undercover."

Jess delivered a left punch to the bag. "I know that and I hate it!" She punched with her right hand and never looked at Munch. "I am the most qualified to do it and all of you act as if the task is beyond me!"

Munch watched the young woman hit the bag, so far she was still concentrating. "It isn't that we think it is beyond you. No one in that room thinks you're the sickafant. In fact, Stabler was going to come in here and ask you what that means." This garnered a small grin at the right side of Jess's lips. "You are sixteen years old. There are some tasks you will be allowed to perform and some you won't. You had better get used to that if you want to continue to work for TARU and the NYPD."

Jess's punching became harder and her breathing labored. "Maybe that's true. Maybe I overreacted." The teenager was concentrated more on her emotions than she was on the bag and her rhythm. She grit her teeth together. "She didn't have to throw me off the case!" The young woman punched the bag erratically again a couple of time before John grabbed the bag and held it, making it impossible for Jess to move the bag no matter how hard she hit it. The young blonde finally gave up and pushed her entire body against the bag and pushed off it with all her strength. With her arms still up by her chest the child looked up at Munch with tears in her eyes.

John looked down at Jess. "No, no she didn't. Liv loves you, Kid, and she would do anything to keep you safe. Maybe she overreacted. Maybe she felt as though she had no other choice. Don't kid yourself though; she didn't toss you off the case because she believes you are incapable."

"Who threw you off the case?" John turned around and Jess moved her gaze around the detective to the doorway. Dick Stabler stood with his arms crossed. All he had heard was that Jess had been kicked off the case but it was enough to make him angry.

Jess raised her right eyebrow. "Livie tossed me."

Dick's eyebrows almost leaped off is face. "You're kidding! Why?"

The blonde cocked her head slightly. "I'll tell you in a minute." She looked back at Munch. "I know she loves me. I love her, too. Don't kid yourself, Conspiracy; there isn't anything I wouldn't do for her either. Blood is thicker than water but love conquers all. I may have to learn to accept my place in the NYPD, but Livie needs to accept that I do have a job here. She would have never thrown Morales off a case; they would have talked it out." Jess shoved her right glove under her left armpit and yanked her hand out. She yanked her left hand out of the glove while holding it with her right hand. "She didn't even give me a chance, she just benched me. Primary or not, she should have heard me out and then put me in my place." Jess discarded the gloves on top of the bench in the middle of the room. She started to tear the tape off her hands as she looked at John. "Do you think I should still be on the case?"

Munch looked down at her as he thought for a minute. "Yes. You worked hard to give us what we have so far. Without you we would have nothing. You have earned a spot on the case for its entirety."

Jess nodded to him and smiled slightly. "Thanks for the boxing lesson, Conspiracy. You gave me a lot to think about."

John nodded. "Anytime, Kid. Good luck at your ball game tonight."

The teenager smiled at the detective as she threw the last bit of tape from her hands into the garbage. "Thanks. Good luck with the meeting and the rest of the case."

Munch nodded and Jess walked over to Dick. The pair kissed and left the station altogether. The detective joined the rest of his squad in the conference room; they had moved the large video board and the white boards in there while he had been talking to Jess.

Washington Square Park

Southwest Corner

Monday August 17th, 13:57

With Fin's connections in the Anti-Drug Unit a surveillance van was loaned to the SVU and was parked on MacDougal Street, facing 4th Street, on the southwest corner of Washington Square Park. Munch, Captain Cragen, Alex and Morales were all in the van listening to the wire Benson was wearing.

Fin was parked in an unmarked sedan on 4th Street facing east.

Elliot was Olivia's handler. He had changed into plain clothing he kept in his locker and he had given his partner the black baseball hat she needed. Stabler sat on a bench across from the chess table Benson was sitting at; he was pretending to read that day's copy of the New York Post. He had an ear bud in his left ear in order to hear the wire this partner was wearing.

As Olivia sat at the chess table and waited she thought about what she was doing. All the checks had been made. Everyone could hear her and Elliot and Fin could see her. It had been a while since she had been undercover. In some ways she wished she had been honest with Elliot about what had happened at the women's prison. Olivia also had pangs about Jess. Everything had happened so quickly. By the time she was out of the set-up meeting with everyone the young blonde had left the station house. She hated the way she had left things with her little girl.

A tall man with salt and pepper hair approached Benson. She made eye contact with him and he nodded his head. Stabler had his eyes on the white male and Fin used his binoculars to get a better look. Elliot spoke into the microphone on his wrist. "Look alive, this might be our man."

Olivia adjusted the black ball hat on her head as she nodded towards the man. He moved towards the table and sat down across from the brunette. "How do you know Ronald Blaze?"

The detective crossed her legs under the table. "He and I met at the place he used to work. Before he got laid off we worked together every day."

The man's expression was emotionless. "How do you know about the website?"

In the set-up meeting this afternoon all of the possible questions that Pharaoh could ask were asked and answered. The detectives and Dr. Huang had come up with a back-story for Olivia in order to make the role she was playing believable. "Ron showed me the website a couple of weeks ago. He told me that when those little boys were alone they were so sad." Olivia shook her head and looked almost teary eyed at the man. "I told Ron that I wanted to take care of them when they were alone. I asked him to ask you if I could but he kept telling me it wasn't the right time. I just want to hold them and make them feel loved."

Still with a stoic look on his face the man watched Olivia act. "Let's walk and talk."

Benson shrugged, uncrossed her legs and stood up. She waited for the man to stand up. He was wearing kaki coloured cargo pants and a white t-shirt. When he stood he was a full head taller than the detective; putting him at roughly six foot three or four. He put his right arm around Olivia's waist and gently guided her away from the table and down an open pathway. He put his left hand in his pants pocket. Benson stabilized her breathing and acted as unfazed as humanly possible.

As his partner was being led away from the chess table, Stabler watched over the top of the paper. He had to stay as far away from Olivia and the suspect as possible in order to not blow the sting; but he had to stay close enough to keep this partner safe. It was a fine line given how open the path was. Elliot stood up and folded the paper in his left hand. He started to follow them; he found it odd neither person he was following had spoken in over a minute.

The graying haired man finally looked at Olivia in his peripheral vision. "If you want to take care of my boys why did you mess with the website?"

Olivia looked up at the man; by doing so she could see behind her slightly and saw Elliot following them. She instantly felt safer, although it had not gone unnoticed by the brunette that the man had not taken his right hand off her back. "I wanted to get your attention. Ron also said that it was never the right time to ask you if I could take care of your boys. I thought if I got your attention I could help keep up the website and take care of those little boys."

The pair had walked out of the park at this point and where headed east on West 4th street. "Well, you got my attention. I don't even know your name."

Benson smiled towards the man in cargo pants. "Rachel Martin. And you are?"

The man's expression changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. His face twisted from expressionless to bat-shit crazy in an instant as his right hand flew out of his pants pocket. Olivia tried to push away from the man but it was too late, he clamped his hand over her mouth. She knew instantly that he had some type of fabric on his hands. Benson struggled against him as he spoke in a demonic but controlled tone. "Me? Oh I am your worst nightmare, Detective Benson."

Everything around Olivia started to look shapeless and dark. Benson heard Stabler screaming in the background. Instead of his voice getting louder it seemed to get softer and more distant. Olivia struggled against the man but darkness took over and her body went limp.

A side door to a black SUV opened beside the man and his newest victim. Two arms stretched out of the door and helped slide the lith body of the detective in. The man slid in with her and slammed the door shut.

Fin shoved the sedan into drive and floored the gas. He tried to block in the SUV but it pulled away from the curb five seconds before Fin could get near it.

"No, NO, NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" Elliot screamed as he hit the back panel of the black vehicle with the fist of his left hand as it squealed away from the curb. Fin slammed on the brakes and yelled at Stabler through the open window. "Get in, man!"

Stabler ran off the sidewalk, vaulted onto the hood of the sedan, slid across the hood on his backside and landed on his feet on the passenger side of the Crown Vic. He wrenched the door open, flew in and before he even closed the door Fin hit the gas. They were three cars behind the black SUV that was headed East on West 4th Street. The detectives followed the van on 4th Street across Broadway and Center Street.

Elliot picked up the walkie-talkie that Fin had been using to communicate with their Captain in the surveillance van. "We are turning right on Bowery, headed south!"

Stabler looked at Fin. "Come on, Fin, drive it like you own it!"

Fin never took his eyes off the road or the SUV. "Stabler, man, where do you want me to go?!"

Elliot clicked onto the walkie-talkie again. "Still headed south, past Houston." He shot Fin another look. "That's my partner in there man, DRIVE!"

Fin veered left into on-coming traffic. As he did the window in the back door of the SUV opened and the necklace Olivia had been wearing was tossed out onto the street.

As Fin swerved back into the correct lane they were one car-length behind the SUV. Stabler hit the walkie-talkie. "We're making a left onto Delancey Street. The bastard is heading for the Williamsburg Bridge!" He clicked off the walkie-talkie. "You're gonan lose him, Fin!"

Fin squinted hard at the back of the SUV as it picked up speed and dodged other vehicles. Fin did the same until the black SUV clipped a mini van and sent it across two lanes of traffic forcing the sedan and the detectives to stop on the bridge. Stabler grabbed the handle of the car door, opened it and flew out. He hit the blacktop of the bridge running, heading towards the SUV. He jumped on the hood of a Honda Civic and from there vaulted onto the hood of a Nissan Altima that had also been forced to stop but it was no use. Elliot watched the black SUV disappear across the bridge, taking Olivia with it.

Stabler hopped off the hood of the car and stood on the hot asphalt staring at the spot he had lost sight of the SUV. He had his hands laced behind his head and he was breathing erratically. Fin was the first to join him, but it did not take long; Cragen, Morales, Munch and Alex were there within a minute.

The Captain was the first to speak. "He made us from the get-go. Elliot, there was nothing you could do."

Elliot never looked at any of them; he continued to be transfixed in front of himself. "I did this. I was supposed to keep her safe. I did this." Stabler said in an almost catatonic state.

Munch stared at the spot Stabler was looking at in disbelief. "Elliot, you can't blame yourself. We had no idea he had made us. This isn't on you; Olivia is on all of us."

Emotionless Stabler continued his stare. "Munch, that's my partner in the back of that SUV. I let this happen, I was her handler…I did this…" Elliot finally took his eyes off the spot, turned to the right and vomited on the blacktop.

15:57

Fin had called his contacts in the Anti-Drug Unit and they had come down to the Williamsburg Bridge to pick up the van. After he told them they had an officer missing they did not hesitate to come down and grab up the vehicle. The detectives, Captain and A.D.A. had argued on the bridge over what to do. Should they call in Detective Benson's abduction? Order air assistance; send out an APB, order additional units to help locate the black SUV? Or should they keep the abduction in-house for now? Find Olivia and Pharaoh on their own? The fear of brining attention to Pharaoh, his website and the case was that he could become more volatile. He could torture his victims further on his website, become more violent. It was decided that the squad would keep Benson's abduction quiet…for now.

Cragen had driven down to Washington Square Park from the squad in an unmarked sedan with Alex. Once they had dealt with their portion of the mess on the bridge, the detectives and their Captain were dismissed. Fin drove Munch and Morales up to the squad in the Crown Vic he was driving while Cragen took Alex and Elliot in his vehicle. The ride was silent between the Captain, A.D.A. and the detective. Alex stared out the passenger side window as tears fell from her eyes. There was no way to know where Olivia was or what the man that took her was doing to her.

As both cars rolled into the motor pool in front of the One-Six a horde of reporters and camera people swarmed them. Cragen and Fin did the best they could to park the cars. Alex looked at the Captain. "Don, how can they already know a detective is missing?"

Cragen shook his head. "I have no idea. We kept it on the down-low at the bridge. The only people that know are Fin's guys in the Anti-Drug Unit."

Everyone got out of the vehicles and faced the reporters. "Captain Cragen! Captain Cragen! Who is on Evan Winthrop's case? Is it the same detective on the other five victims' cases?"

Another reporter yelled, "Captain, what is your squad doing to shut down the child pornography website?!"

The individuals leaving the cars and trying to get into the station formed a group and muscled their way through the scrum of camera people and reporters.

"Captain Cragen, how close is your squad to catching the people responsible for the kidnapping and sexual assault of the six boys?!"

One of the reporters spotted Alex. "A.D.A. Cabot is the District Attorney involved in the case? Are you close to charging someone?!"

Once they had pushed their way through to the doors everyone filed inside but Cragen and Alex. They turned and faced the cameras and reporters. Cragen was the first to speak. "The Manhattan Special Victims Unit has no comment on the on-going investigations of the child pornography website or the kidnapping of the six children on the site."

Alex's face was tear stained and once the Captain had finished speaking she almost said anything. She swallowed hard. "The District Attorney's office has no comment at this time on any of these cases."

The pair turned and walked through the doors of the station, joining the others that had waited for them. Once upstairs and in their own bullpen the true gravity of the afternoon's events hit everyone. Stabler stood in front of his desk and looked across to where Olivia should be. Rage set in. With one swipe of his arms across his desk he sent everything on it crashing to the floor on the right side of it. "Fuck! How did he make us!? How did he get Olivia!?"

Everyone in the room turned and looked at him but no one said anything. Alex walked up to him. "El, we need to concentrate on getting Olivia back. This isn't your fault."

Stabler wiped his right hand over his jaw. "How are we going to find her?! We don't even know where Pharaoh took her! We have no idea where that prick is or what he is doing to her! And this is my fault Alex, don't kid yourself. I should have stayed closer!"

Fin looked at Stabler. "If you had followed any closer Pharaoh would have made you. No one knew he already had."

Elliot shook his head. "It should have been me. I should have never let her go undercover."

Alex looked at him with deep blue eyes. "Then it would have been you in that SUV, Elliot. A life is a life. Liv was the only one of you capable of doing what we thought Pharaoh was going to ask. You had to send her; there was no choice here, Elliot."

The sound of a Guns N' Rose's song interpreted the room.

"Oh, Oh, Oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh
Sweet love of mine"

Alex looked at Elliot; they both knew who was calling. The room fell silent as the tall blonde took her cell phone out of her pants suit pocket. She stared down at it not believing what she saw. Her phone wasn't ringing. She turned and followed the music; it was coming from the top drawer of Olivia's desk. Alex opened the drawer and picked up the cell phone. 'Jessie' was the name showing on the screen as the caller. She looked up at Elliot with tears in her eyes. "It's Jess. Liv and I have the same ringtone for her."

The phone eventually stopped ringing in the A.D.A.'s hand. The phone vibrated thirty seconds later indicating a text message. Alex flipped opened the phone to read it out loud. "I'm sorry. I love you, please come to my b-game 2nite. Virtual hug" Tears ran down Alex's face. How was she ever going to tell their daughter that Olivia was missing?

Cragen took a hold of the situation. "Alright people, conference room. We all need to sit down and have a long talk about what our next moves are going to be."

The detectives, Morales from TARU and the A.D.A. followed the Captain into the conference room. Alex closed the drawer to Olivia's desk but kept her cell phone.

488 Amsterdam Ave

Olivia Benson's Residence

Monday August 17th, 13:35

Dick and Jess had flipped each other Claddagh rings about two weeks after meeting. Their hearts had always been ready for the love they felt for each other. Their minds, Jess's more than Dick's had needed more time. He had been incredibly tolerant and patient with his girlfriend when it came to the physical part of their relationship. Jess had been honest with Dick about everything that had happened to her. While her story was difficult to listen to, the young man decided instantly he would let Jess set the tone in the relationship when it came to the physical part. Dick had been honest and explained this to her. The short blonde had instantly felt more at peace and relaxed about being a girlfriend.

There were physical things Dick never did to Jess. He had either been told or had asked before attempting anything. The young man knew never to come up behind his girlfriend and touch her, never call her Jessica and never touch her backside. The last thing he knew never to touch was her neck. Dick always found it strange that Alex and Olivia could do this but no one else.

For the first month and a half there had been very limited physical contact between the two teenagers. Holding hands, hugging and the occasional French-kissing session was about the extent of Jess's tolerance. Dick had accepted this with the hope that one day soon she would be capable of more.

To say Jess was confused when it came to her and Dick was putting it mildly. Her mind told her one thing and her libido told her something else. It was quite a mind-fuck how her body betrayed her every chance it got. There had come a point a month and half earlier when the kissing had not been enough. Jess had forced herself on top of Dick, straddling his legs and pinning him to the back of the couch they had been sitting on. The kissing had turned more passionate as Jess ran her hands through Dick's hair. He had ran his hands gently over her back and rested them on the small of her back. Jess had grinned over Dick's crotch with her own. The session had ended there that day, but had progressed in the days that followed. Kissing and grinding became foreplay soon and Jess took over the physical part of the teenagers' relationship.

It was on rare occasion that Jess had any time alone with Dick. The two had stolen moments here and there but today…was a rarity. They had all the time in the world. Dick had been able to take a half-day at his summer job and now that Jess was off the SVU case she at least had the rest of the day to lick her wounds. She had explained to Dick what happened between her and Olivia. He was sympathetic to Jess but confessed that he was glad his girlfriend was no longer working pretty much exclusively with the Special Victims Unit. When they had reached the elevator of the apartment building and the doors had closed, Jess practically jumped Dick. She faced him, pushed all of her body weight against him and pinned him to the mirrored side of the elevator. They kissed and Jess grinded against him. They were alone in the elevator but Dick was unsure if company really would have stopped his girlfriend from her deviant behavior. The bell dinged and the doors opened. Jess pulled away quickly, grabbed Dick's hand and they left the elevator for the apartment.

Once inside, the teenagers went to Jess's room. She connected her iPhone to her computer and it started to play Latin beats. She had grabbed some from Olivia's iPod and procured some of her own along the way. There was something about the music that made the rawness of her actions seem sensual. While their routine was different almost every time the driving force behind them was always the same person, Jess. She took great pleasure in stripping Dick of every thread of clothing he had on. She pushed him onto the bed. The blonde pulled her own shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor of her room, next to where she had discarded Dick's clothing. Jess took her boyfriend's face in her hands kissed him deeply. Once the kiss was broken their eyes meet. "Take my bra off."

Dick did what he was told, he always did. Once the bra was unclasped Jess shook it off and it fell to her feet. The teenagers had never broken eye contact. The young woman nodded at Dick and he finally looked down from her eyes to take in her breasts. They were large on her small frame and they were mesmerizing. Dick took the left one in his mouth and sucked on it. Jess put her hands behind his neck and pushed his head harder into her. She moaned as Dick pinched her right nipple between the thumb and index finger of his right hand.

She had been a good teacher and he had listened well. The blonde squeezed the back of her boyfriend's neck. "Undo my jeans."

The young man instantly halted the attention he was giving his girlfriend's breasts and looked down her flat belly to her navel and then below that to the top of her jeans. He brought his hands to the black leather belt and undid it. He did the same to the button on the jeans and unzipped them. Dick looked up into the now deep green eyes that were staring down at him. Jess nodded. "Go ahead."

He pulled the jeans down and took Jess's string bikini panties with them. The blonde stepped out of them and stood before her boyfriend. Dick was already half erect just at the sight of his gorgeous girlfriend. Jess smiled at the sight, she enjoyed the power she had over him. The tiny blonde squeezed the back of her boyfriend's neck again. "Lick me."

Dick looked up at her and saw the devilish smile that played across her lips. He knew she was having fun. He wasn't about to complain. He was just happy to be in her presence. As Jess put one foot up on her bed she pushed Dick's head closer to her but let him come the rest of the way on his own. The instant she felt the velvety touch of his tongue on her center she moaned. He continued to lick her and she arched her back as her eyes rolled back into her skull. Dick knew how far he could go; he knew exactly where to touch her. At first their lovemaking had been very calculated and instructional. Now…now it was pure ecstasy. He held onto the small of her back with his left hand and moved his right towards his mouth. He never touched her thighs as he inserted his index finger into her sex.

"Uhhhhh….more…" Came out of Jess's mouth as she leaned harder into her boyfriend's touch. Dick slid his middle finger into Jess, who was literally dripping at this point. The pair developed a rhythm, incorporating the beats from the music and their own panting as Dick slid his fingers in and out of Jess while he licked and sucked at her center.

Between Dick's fingers and tongue, the music and her own selfish desire Jess almost came right there on her boyfriend's skillful hand. She took her hands from around the back of his neck, placed them on his shoulders and pushed Dick firmly back onto the bed. As his fingers slipped out of Jess she cried out slightly, almost wishing she had let him continue for another minute. Dick shimmed up towards the head of the bed. He placed his head on a pillow and watched his girlfriend snake her way across the bed with a playfully evil smile on her face and a condom wrapper in her teeth. She looked at him as if he was her lunch and he loved every second of it - clearly, as his member was now standing at full attention.

Jess found her way up to Dick, ripped the condom wrapper open and slid the condom on his penis. She then straddled his abdomen with her center and grabbed his hands in hers. She forced his arms out at his sides and pinned them to the bed as she slid her center across his penis. It jolted at the sensation and made Jess giggle at the power she had, sprawled on top of her boyfriend. The young woman wiggled and Dick grew harder. Jess licked her lips as she expertly moved her body. She felt the young man slide inside her with ease. The blonde moved her hips slowly and deliberately at first wanting to savor the first few strokes.

"Oh…fuck." Dick's eyes rolled back in his head.

The rhythm came back to them quickly, neither being able to contain themselves. Jess had Dick pinned as their fingers intertwined. She bucked her hips against his thrusting as he slid in and out of her. It felt so good.

"Uh, uh, uh…harder, Stabler."

Dick thrust harder against Jess's hips. She finally sat up, taking him in fully. They both cried out with pleasure. Jess arched her back and set her hands behind her on Dick's knees for leverage as she thrust. Dick pushed his left hand against Jess's raised abdomen, applying pressure where he knew she wanted it. He took his right hand and rubbed her already swollen center.

"Uh, uh, uh…yes…" Jess's eyes rolled back in her head as she felt the hair on her head tickle her backside. It was a sign that she was fully arched and had completely given herself to Dick.

"Uh, uh, uh…Shit. O'Malley I'm going to come."

Jess concentrated on her own organism but pleaded with Dick. "Uh, uh…no…Stabler, don't. Hold on…don't stop…" Dick pushed harder against Jess's abdomen.

"Oh fuck! Then stop doing that."

The blonde let out a throaty giggle. "Ahahahaha…stop…doing…what…?" She panted through the thrusting as she squeezed Dick's member with her sex on purpose.

Dick rubbed Jess's center faster. He could tell she was close the more often she squeezed him and pushed him inside her. "THAT! Stop…doing…that!"

Jess growled at her boyfriend, sounding nothing like herself. "You love it don't you? DON'T…come…yet."

Hearing his girlfriend speak like that was unbelievably hot for Dick. He so badly wanted to obey but he had very little control over himself. "I'm trying…O'Malley…I know you are close. Come…for…me."

The young woman was wrapped up in her own thoughts. She was close, VERY close. She was almost in tears because she had held on for so long. Jess could tell by the tone of Dick's voice he was only going to be good for another minute at the most. He held on for her and THAT made her come.

"DON'T stop! Fuck…me…Stabler…"

Jess howled with pleasure as she came. A beat later so did Dick. It was amazing that at such a young age both teenagers had enough control to make each other come the way they did. The blonde fell against her boyfriend's chest, his member still inside her. He moaned at her movement above him. She wiggled around slightly as he ran his fingers gently up and down her back. Jess finally squeezed Dick out of herself and rolled off of him and onto her side. She curled up next to him, with her right arm draped over his chest. He had his left arm around her and was holding her close to him. They fell asleep to the music and the smell of the each other.

Manhattan's SVU Conference Room

Monday August 17th, 16:18

Everyone had taken a seat around the far side of the large table in the room. They faced the media board and white board. Captain Cragen had taken the lead at this point, Stabler was in no state to organize the squad. He tapped a couple of keys on the keyboard of the media center and it lit up. Pictures of the six male victims appeared on the screens. The Captain typed a little more and a picture of Benson appeared on one of the screens. Underneath her picture, like the other six, he had typed one word: abducted. Cragen turned to the people before him. "This case just became a red-ball. Not only will the press be camped outside until we catch Pharaoh and shut the website down but we now have a detective that has been taken hostage. I am ordering that none of you go home, everyone stays. We eat, sleep and breathe this case until we have Pharaoh in custody and our victims, all of them, are safe. All overtime will be signed off on. We play this case CLOSE to home. No one talks to the press. It never gets out that Olivia is missing. Now, what do we have on Pharaoh?"

The detectives looked at each other but no one said anything. Cragen narrowed his eyes at them. "Well, don't all talk at once."

Fin raised his brow. "We have nothing on Markus Pharaoh. Blaze said that they had been friends since high school which means that Pharaoh could only be four years older or younger than Blaze. No one with that name and age range has a driver's license, property or vehicles."

Munch looked up at the Captain. "The guy doesn't even have a social insurance number. As far as the United States of America is concerned Markus Pharaoh in his early thirties doesn't even exist."

Stabler stared past his Captain to the video monitors behind him. He focused on the picture of Olivia. "We hung all our hopes on the meeting with Pharaoh himself because we have nothing else."

Cragen looked back at all of them. "Well, we better get something, fast. Blaze lives in Chelsea. Pharaoh had us meet him in Washington Square Park those are pretty close geographically." Cragen turned and hit a few more keys. This procured a map of New York City and the boroughs on one of the monitors. There were red circles around the location where each victim was taken. He drew a red circle around the southwest corner of Washington Square Park. "The first six victims were taken from all over the city. It doesn't look like Pharaoh is particularly partial to snatching his victims from any area of the city. I suggest we look into warehouses and office spaces between the Park and Blaze's place in Chelsea."

Munch looked from the Captain to the others in the room. "Pharaoh made a bee line for the Williamsburg Bridge today. It would have taken him right into Brooklyn we should be looking into warehouses and office spaces there as well; places big enough to house the seven victims but also remote enough not to draw attention."

Cragen nodded. "Good call." He turned his attention to the A.D.A., who looked shell-shocked. "Alex, would it be possible to set up a meeting with Ronald Blaze?"

Alex had been startled out of her own thoughts at the sound of her name being called. "Uh, yeah. I mean I can ask but his lawyer and I battled it out at the arraignment this morning. It's doubtful at this point that his lawyer would even agree to a meeting with me, never mind with some detectives."

The Captain crossed his arms over his chest. "We're out of options here, Alex. We need Blaze to tell us everything he knows. Time has run out on this case."

Alex nodded. She still held Olivia's cell phone in her right hand, resting on the top of the table. It had not moved since she sat down. "I'll see what I can do."

Cragen's eyes fell from the A.D.A.'s eyes to the cell phone in her hand. One last item needed to be addressed before he dismissed the squad. "What do we want to do about Jess?"

Everyone looked at each other and then settled on Alex. She looked to all of them. "I want to take her. I'll keep her with me for as long as I can." Alex looked down at the phone. "I have no legal right to Jess. If it gets out that Olivia is missing DCFS will take Jess into their custody until Olivia returns. I can't do that to her."

The weight of the statement hung in the room. How long could they keep the detective's kidnapping a secret? Not only that but Alex was facing a possible sanction from the bar association if it came to light that she did not hand over Jessica O'Malley to her social worker when her legal guardian went missing.

The Captain looked from Alex to everyone else in the room. "We keep what happened to Olivia to ourselves for now. That includes not telling Jess about what happened today. Is that understood?"

Everyone in the room nodded. "We will meet again in the morning to discuss progress. You get anything, any lead at all you call it in. Let's go people." Cragen dismissed everyone and they immediately got to work.

146 Banker Street

Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Monday August 17th, 16:36

As her eyes opened it appeared as though she was looking through a pin-hole sized opening. Olivia fought hard to become more aware of her surroundings. The room itself came into focus first and then the six pairs of eyes looking at her. Benson recognized the eyes and the faces; SVU's six tiny victims were looking back at the detective as she woke up. How long had she been out for? What had happened? Where was Jess?

Olivia tried to move; tried to rub the sleep away from her eyes but her arms would not meet her face. The detective's wrists were bound with rope and tied to the iron slats of the headboard of the bed she had been placed on. Unable to remember how she got to where she was, she spoke to the boys in front of her. "Are you boys okay?"

The children continued to stare at her. Trey Kingston, the first of the boys to have been kidnapped spoke. "Who are you?"

The detective's face softened at the sound of the child's voice. It was soft and sweet and reminded her of Jess's tone when she was on the verge of sleep. "My name is Olivia. I'm a police officer. When was the last time you guys ate?" Asking if they were okay had be the wrong question to ask; they weren't okay, they weren't even close.

Trey answered for all of the boys. "He feeds us three times a day. Dinner will be coming soon."

Olivia looked curiously at Trey. "How do you know dinner will be coming soon?" When she had scanned the room she found no clocks anywhere, just beds and windows that were about twelve feet above the floor.

Nathan Chan, the third boy kidnapped answered her. "The shadows are getting longer in the room. Dinner always comes when the shadows are long."

The boys were smart. They had learned to adapt to their confinement. Olivia looked around at them. "Can you untie me?"

The tiny victims looked amongst themselves but eventually their eyes landed on Trey Kingston and Evan Winthrop. The two boys shrugged at each other and looked at the detective on the bed. Trey and Evan walked to opposite sides of the bed and each of them worked on the ropes binding Olivia's wrists. It took a few minutes but the boys managed to free the brunette. She rubbed her wrists one at a time with the opposite hand. "Trey and Evan, thank you very much."

The boys moved closer to the bed and the detective. Kyle Ryan looked into Olivia's eyes. He looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment. "You know our names?"

Olivia was overcome with emotion. She had to get these children out of here, out of Markus Pharaoh's hands. She spoke softly to the victims. "Yes I do. The man that took you away from your families he took me away from mine, too. I'm going to try and get you boys out of here." Olivia started to get up. She wanted to take stock of the room in order to formulate an escape plan for the boys.

Kyle Ryan was the first to break. He leapt onto the detective and threw his arms around her waist. "No…please don't leave us!" He wailed.

The brunette put her arms around the little boy and rubbed his back. "Okay, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere." Olivia looked around at the rest of the victims. They had moved closer to her. They wanted the comfort of their mothers and Olivia was the closest thing any of them had seen in what seemed like forever. "I won't leave any of you."

A deadbolt slid out of the door and Olivia heard chains scrapping across the metal. The door opened and the detective came face-to-face with her captor, Markus Pharaoh. She picked the little boy off of herself and placed him behind her. The other victims followed suit, jumping up onto the bed and crouched behind the detective. Benson narrowed her eyes at Pharaoh. "Leave them alone, Pharaoh."

Markus looked lovingly at the brunette. "I have no intentions for my sons tonight." He cocked his head to the right as he walked farther into the room. "Tomorrow though…tomorrow, Detective Benson, is a different story."

Pharaoh came within five feet of Olivia. She instinctively stood up and spread her arms out with her palms turned back towards the six boys on the bed cowering behind her. With all the courage she had the brunette looked squarely at the predator. "Over my dead body, Markus."

The man smiled slightly as he walked closer to detective. Without breaking eye contact he swiftly took his right hand and back-handed Olivia across the face. "No, no, no Detective. I have plans for you, too."

Olivia was taken off-guard by the slap and had stumbled slightly to the left as Pharaoh had followed through with the back of his right hand. Before she could regain her balance Markus did it for her. He grabbed her by the throat with his right hand and forced her to look up at him. "I heard what you did to Ronald." Pharaoh looked down at Olivia's chest and then back into her eyes. He snickered. "Now that I see them I can't really blame Ron. You have a nice set, Olivia."

Benson's thoughts immediately flashed back almost two years to Sealview. The detective's eyes went wild and her breathing became labored. The memories of her sexual assault flooded over her.

"Leave her alone!" Trey Kingston shouted at Pharaoh.

The detective snapped out of her nightmare and back to what was unfolding in front of her. She regained some of her composure. "You like what you see, huh? Why don't you leave the boys alone? I can do whatever you want, Markus." Benson would do whatever it took to make sure her victims were left alone.

Markus tightened his grip on Olivia's throat. The detective winced at the pain as her larynx was being crushed shut. "I have my own plans for you, Detective. You thought you were smart enough to shut down my website? Well, now you can maintain the site and keep the NYPD away from it!" Pharaoh threw Olivia's head back and let go of the stranglehold he had on her neck. He turned on his left foot and walk out of the room calmly. When he was outside the door he turned to the right and pulled a cart with trays on it into the doorway. He pushed the cart into the room and looked to the six little boys on the bed. "Goodnight boys." Markus shut the door, threw the deadbolt and chains across the door, securing his stars and his newest employee.

Five of the tiny victims filed off the bed and sat with Olivia on the floor of the room. Evan Winthrop walked over to the cart and pulled it closer to everyone on the floor. He passed out six dinners on separate trays and took the last one for himself. He sat across from the detective and the seven of them ate dinner.

488 Amsterdam Ave

Detective Olivia Benson's Residence

Monday August 17th, 17:30

Dick and Jess woke up a little before five o'clock. The blonde showered while her boyfriend packed up her baseball gear and set it in a bag at the door to the apartment. Jess walked into her bedroom wearing her uniform. She picked her iPhone up off her desk and checked it for messages. Dick was sitting at the desk checking his email on his girlfriend's computer. "That's like the tenth time you've checked your phone. What are you waiting for?"

Jess sighed and tossed the phone down on the desk beside the keyboard Dick had his fingers on. "I'm waiting for Livie to text me back."

Dick turned his head towards the blonde. "O'Malley, you have to learn that once that squad is on a case that's all they live and breathe. It can be days before I see my dad if they are kneedeep in a case."

Jess looked down at him. "It's not like that with Livie!" The blonde lowered her voice. "She texts me back. She always texts me back."

The brown-haired young man looked up at his girlfriend. "Okay, okay. I'm sure she'll be at your game, she hasn't missed one yet."

The young woman nodded her head. "You're right. She'll be there."

Dick smiled wearily at Jess. He hoped like hell Olivia would be at the game, but he knew what to expect. He highly doubted the detective would make the game, his father rarely made any of his growing up. "You want me to braid your hair?"

Jess rolled her eyes and smirked back at Dick. "Oh right, Stabler…like you can braid hair!"

The smile on Dick's face became genuine. "O'Malley, I have three sisters…I dare anyone to beat me in a braiding contest." He stood up and kissed his girlfriend.

The blonde slapped Dick on the backside and the two of them giggled until their lips finally broke apart. Jess smiled at Dick. "Come, let's go. I'll get Livie to braid my hair at the game."

The weary smile made its second appearance on Dick's face. As they left the apartment he prayed Olivia would be at the game.

Chelsea Park

West 27th Street and 10th Avenue

North West Baseball Diamond

Monday August 17th, 18:15

Jess dropped the bag of equipment on the fine gravel in the caged dugout of the ball diamond her team was using that night. The blonde reached down the front of her jersey and took her iPhone out of her bra. She ran her thumb over the screen and stared down at it. Nothing. No messages or missed calls. Shit. The teenager scanned the small set of bleachers behind the dugout. Dick was there but Olivia wasn't. Jess held the phone in one hand and unzipped the bag with the other. She grabbed her glove, hat and a ball.

"Hey, Shorty"

The blonde knew exactly who was addressing her. Everyone on the team called her Shorty, partly because she stood all of five feet tall and partly because she played shortstop. Jess smiled and turned around to face the strawberry blonde woman. "Hey Cass, what's up?"

Casey Novak smiled back at the young blonde. "Not much. You wanna warm up together?"

Jess nodded her head. "Yeah sure. I'm just waiting for Livie, I need her to braid my hair."

Casey shrugged. "I can braid your hair."

The younger woman walked to the end of the dugout on the inside and Casey followed her on the outside. Jess scanned the stands again. The detective was still missing. "Thanks, Cass, but I want Livie to do it."

The writer knew something was up. She knew how much it meant to her shortstop that Olivia Benson came to their games. To the detective's credit, she had not missed one yet. Most of the time Elliot Stabler dropped her off and picked her up, but she always showed up. There was something in Jess's voice that led Casey to believe that day's game meant more. "What happened between you and Liv?"

Jess's right eyebrow shot up as she smirked at the taller woman. "What makes you think something happened between us?"

Casey smiled. "You're clutching your cell as if it was your first-born child and you've checked the bleachers twice for Olivia in less than two minutes. So I'll ask you again Shorty…what happened between you and the detective?"

The teenager rolled her eyes. "You know Ally runs arguments all the time with me, right? And between Munch and Elliot at the stationhouse I am constantly getting grilled about everything. What on earth makes you think you're going to get what happened between me and Livie out of me?"

Casey was intelligent and had a knack for being able to ascertain information without seeming intrusive. She sympathetically smiled down at Jess. "For starters, I at least know now that something did in fact happen. So…do you want to elaborate on what happened?"

Jess pursed her lips. She had been had without even feeling wronged. "You know Cass, you're a pretty smart cookie." The shorter woman sighed. "We had a fight. I was working on a case with the squad and things got a little scary. Livie and I argued over how involved I should be in the case and she kicked me off it completely."

The strawberry blonde raised her brow. "Liv would have to feel pretty strongly to kick you off a case." Casey looked deeper into Jess's green eyes for answers. All she found was guilt. "Look, Shorty, Liv loves you and she will forgive you for whatever you said. She'll be here; she hasn't missed a game yet."

Jess looked back at the stands. The detective was nowhere to be found however Alex was talking to Dick. "Ally's here, that can't be good." The two women walked over to the bleachers. The shorter blonde hugged the taller one and kissed her on the left side of her neck. Jess looked at Alex. "Sooo…ummm…where's Livie?"

Alex sucked in some air and tied to appear as normal as possible. "She and Elliot are on a detail now."

The teenager shook her head. "Detail? What the hell does that mean?"

The A.D.A. took Jess's right hand in hers. "It means that a case is developing and they have to work. Liv really wanted to be here Jess; you know how much she loves watching you play. She just can't be here tonight."

Jess's eyes shut slowly as she gradually expelled a breath. Alex knew Jess felt guilty about what she had said and how she had acted towards the detective. The older blonde was also positive the tiny kid standing in front of her felt her actions earlier that afternoon where a direct result of why Olivia was a no-show at the game. "Jessie, open your eyes." The child's eyes opened deliberately and met the sky blue ones looking down at her. "Livie wanted to be here. You have to believe me she really did." It wasn't a lie. Alex knew Olivia would have done anything to be at the game. "Turn around, sweetheart, and I'll braid your hair."

She turned around and let Alex French-braid her hair. "When will Livie be done her detail?"

Alex sighed. "I'm not sure, Jessie. Sometimes these things take time."

Casey looked down at Jess, who had sat down with her back to Alex on a lower beach-type seat on the bleaches in order for the tall blonde to braid her hair. "Shorty, back when I worked with Olivia and Elliot sometimes they would be out of contact for a couple of days. If a case breaks they are ordered by Captain Cragen to stay on the case."

Dick looked between the women. "O'Malley, I tried to tell you that earlier. Sometimes I don't hear from my dad for days."

The older blonde was done with the braid. Jess stood up and stepped down from the stands to face the people that were talking to her. "This is different. Livie texts me, she always does." Jess turned and walked away.

Casey looked at Alex, who was watching Jess walk back to the diamond. Alex felt the eyes of the strawberry blonde on her and met her gaze. "Is it different?"

Alex shook her head. Casey was a writer for The Times. She knew Jess and Olivia trusted the ex-A.D.A. but Alex didn't. She didn't know her. "Casey, you know how it is in that squad. Cragen gave his orders this afternoon."

The writer nodded her head. "Yes, I remember. I'm gonna go warm up with Jess."

The game was a good one. Jess made two good catches and got on base three times. After the game Casey, Dick, Jess and Alex went out for dinner. After which the blondes said goodnight to Casey and Dick. Alex took Jess's hand in hers as they walked to the A.D.A.'s BMW X5. "You wanna have a sleepover up at my place tonight?" Alex tried to sound excited about it. The truth was she could not bear to spend the night at Olivia's apartment without her.

Jess shrugged. "Yeah sure, that would be cool. Can we pick up some of my stuff at home first though?"

Alex smiled down at the young woman. "Of course"