A/N: Alright guys! Here's the next chapter. It's getting close to the end!


"Shh, calm down baby."

Liv kept her lips pressed to Noah's temple, rocking him back and forth so he could calm down enough to let the EMT check him over.

She could tell right away that he was fine. Not a hair on his head was out of place and Amanda had confirmed that he was safely tucked away in her husband's arms when the blonde went in, so her anxiety on that issue was calmed.

But that didn't help the anxiety building by leaps and bounds as Rafael was still being held inside, probably with a gun to his head and being threatened with his life. The thought was making her blood pressure spike and the gnawing worry that this wasn't going to end well ripped at her stomach.

"Mommy," Noah breathed, pulling back so he could look up at her. He looked terrified still, with red-rimmed eyes and a red nose. His lips were a little swollen, an easy indicator that he'd been crying and it tore her heart in two. How scared had her little baby been? How did he even end up in that situation? Certainly, Rafael hadn't been the one to thrust him there.

Anger beneath the impenetrable worry bubbled deep within and she wanted nothing more to get her hands on the men raiding her home. She sat feet away from the front door and oh, how easy it would be for her to run in bust that door down and make those mother fuckers pay for what they put her family through.

But she needed to stay level-headed and calm. Her son was safe, but her husband wasn't and she couldn't, wouldn't, jeopardize any effort to get him out of there.

She just wanted to have both of her boys safe, in her arms and out of harm's way. The idea that that might not happen, though, seeped into the darkest corners of her mind, filling the empty spaces in a way nothing ever had before.

"Daddy?"

Liv felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach as Noah looked out at the crowd of people. He sniffled, still clinging to her as if she were going to float away any second.

"He's ok, honey," she whispered, more to herself than to him. He didn't understand what was going on or the gravity of the situation itself and she was grateful for it. The kind of lasting affect this was going to have on him, from only being exposed to it for under an hour, was enough. She didn't want him thinking Rafael was in any danger at all.

"Where is he? He come out now?"

Noah looked at her expectantly, eyes so full of question and hope and it chipped a tiny piece of her heart away. From day one till now, him and Rafael had been a team. The two of them against the world, it seemed like. It made sense that they were so intertwined and connected to each other, because they were one in the same. Like father, like son, even if it didn't match up in the biological sense.

"Not yet, baby. But he will soon."

Noah looked ready to ask another question, but she cradled him back against her chest and pushed his head into her shoulder, resuming her humming and rocking as she thought about her husband and what he must have been feeling.

God, she just wanted him to be ok.


"…call me back when you have an answer."

Trevor threw the phone on the couch, uncontrollable anger overtaking his being as he reached down and flipped the coffee table, the glass smashing as it hit the floor. It was deafening in the silence of the living room and Tony huffed, arms crossed as he lounged against the back of the couch.

"Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"You want me to shoot your dick off? Or how about I shove a knife through your head like Marky," Trevor gestured towards the dead body that still lie there, staring distantly at Rafael with a slack jaw. The blood had traveled in a thick stream, seeping into the hardwood floors and seeping into his socks.

The sight and feeling made him sick to his stomach, but Rafael was intent on following every order. He knew they weren't messing around now and if that was the message they were trying to get across, it worked. He had a family out there he was going to see again and that meant doing anything to get to them.

"Hey, you're the one who got us into this fucking mess in the first place, Trev. All because you couldn't keep it in your pants."

Trevor growled and drew the gun, making Rafael jump and prepare for the loud gunshot, but it stayed quiet. Instead, the tense silence was worse than the sound of a gunshot as the two men stared each other down. It was like watching two animals circling each other before a fight.

Tony backed down first, spitting near Trevor's feet but moving towards the kitchen and announcing he was thirsty.

Trevor smirked and shoved the gun back in his waist band, sending Rafael a dirty look. He traveled back to the blind covered window to peek out quickly, but withdrew when he heard the vibrating phone from the couch. Rafael heard the distant sound of cabinets slamming shut and dishes clinking together roughly from the other room.

"Have an answer?"

Trevor turned his back towards Rafael, rubbing a hand along his neck as he listened to the other end of the conversation, nodding to himself. Tony returned with a beer, taking large swigs and practically stomping back to the couch where he lounged before.

"…I want the money in the car. No cops trailing us out of the city. If we even get the hint, we open fire and I have pretty good aim."

Rafael's eyes drifted back to Mark's lifeless body and then Tony, who was busy picking the dirt out from underneath his fingernails to notice him studying him. He was a large man, muscular, with a beer belly that contradicted the rest of his frame. From his bald head to his long legs, the man was covered in tattoos. Even from his position on the floor just feet away, Rafael could make out racist symbolism and gang affiliated ink on the exposed parts of his skin. Somehow, that made him ten times scarier.

"...no, he doesn't talk until I get what I want. You got the brat for free. You won't be getting him the same way."

Trevor looked ready to hang up, walking back and forth between the broken glass underneath his boots. The crunching noise was almost unbearable to Rafael, but he clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, focusing on reciting the Constitution in his head in a desperate attempt to take him away from the reality unfolding in front of him.

"Fine. How about this? We'll video chat. You see he's fine and you do what we say. Alright? That work for you, pal?"

Trevor smiled, turning to face Rafael, who had ceased his reciting at the mention of video chatting. He watched with weary eyes as Trevor brought the phone down and tapped away, his fingernails tapping against the screen until he pulled the screen up to face him.


"Liv!"

She wanted to smack Carisi but thankfully, his excited shout from around the corner of the ambulance hadn't stirred him. Noah was pretty much dead to the world and she was happy her hummed tune against his head worked. Her back ached from the lack of support and her neck was starting to hurt just a bit, but she hadn't wanted to put him down.

Carisi came to a halt and winced, seeing Noah asleep in her arms but that didn't quell the urgent posture of his body or tone of his words.

"They got him on video chat. Trite talked him into letting Barba talk through video and he- "

Carisi stopped, realizing the woman was already two steps ahead and lying Noah on the bench where she sat previously and covered him with a blanket they provided her earlier on. She moved swiftly, grabbing a random female officer to oversee her son's care and she shut the ambulance doors, wanting to eliminate the noise. With luck, he would remain asleep.

"They're letting him talk?"

"Yeah," Carisi caught up with her, practically running, "Trite agreed to his demands as long as we could see and talk to him. Of course, he tried getting them to release him but they aren't gonna do it for free."

"I'm not shocked," she spit out, pushing her way through a crowd of cops standing around and being useless. She heard Carisi apologize as she stepped up and into the truck, stopping as soon as she saw the live feed playing on the large television on the wall. It took up the expanse of the mini screens but she could clearly see her living room.

"Good evening, Mr. Washington," Trite greeted, tone sharp and face expressionless. His thumbs were hooked into his belt loop and feet spread apart, taking up the position of the man in charge, but Trevor didn't seem to be focusing in on him at all. His eyes immediately zeroed in on Liv, who stood in view of the camera transmitting their video to his cell phone, and the big grin that split his face sent a wave of legitimate rage through her entire being.

"Lieutenant. Looking as beautiful as ever," he winked at her and licked his lips, the video swaying as he adjusted the phone from one hand to another. A large man bent down into frame, an unfamiliar face but one that could instill fear in just about anyone if he looked at them wrong.

"I'd like you to meet my good partner, Tony. He's been a huge help this evening. I would introduce you to Mark, but…he's indisposed at the moment."

No one uttered a word as Liv stepped forward, hands curled and teeth clenched menacingly. She all but demanded they show her Rafael.

"Now, now, sweetheart, you'll just to wait a moment. Let the men talk, first."

"You fucking bastard," she hissed, lunging at the screen. Trite put an arm out, stopping her from getting closer to the camera. Trevor's face dipped dangerously, the smile he once wore turning down into an evil frown that held so much contempt it was unreal. Liv regretted the words, but it was as if it was an action taken by her own body without the consent of her mind.

It was silent for a long time, but then finally, Trevor turned and nodded to Tony, who disappeared out of frame. The camera didn't sway or move from its position facing the crazed man. He continued to stare into the screen as loud, stomping footsteps drifted further away.

The sharp cry of pain struck everyone suddenly, making them flinch at the volume and the subsequent gasps of pain that followed. They sounded so familiar, Liv felt her heart seize in her chest for a moment. She choked on a plea, seeing that malicious grin return to Trevor's face.

"Mouth of to me again, and next time, the knife goes deeper," he said kindly, batting his eyes as Liv was easily moved away from the screen by hands that belonged to someone, she wasn't sure who. Trite sent her a comforting look, holding a hand out in her direction as a way to pacify her.

"Mr. Washington…"

"I didn't say you could talk, did I?"

It took all of two seconds for Liv to realize this was a power play move. This was an intentional set up and had been from the start. They never fully intended on showing them that Rafael was ok. They were going to use this as an opportunity to exploit the fact they were willing to do just about anything to get him out of there.

"…No, but- "

"Keep talking. The longer this goes the more he hurts."

"Mr. Washington, we're trying to have a conversation with you…nothing more. You have demands we want to meet and you have a hostage with a family waiting for him. We want to cooperate with you."

Trite's words were perfect, there was no doubt about it. For a man with two decades of negotiation under his belt, he was the go to guy in the NYPD. He knew how to talk to people, to get them to open up and sometimes it ended nicely, sometimes it didn't. Those instances they didn't usually always ended up involving men like Trevor. Men who felt like they needed to control the situation.

He was the classic psychotic rapist, akin to the likes of William Lewis, a man that still forced her to check the darkened corners of her home on nights she wasn't able to sleep. This was a man that wasn't able to be negotiated with because he already had his mind set on the possibility of death being very high.

He more than likely didn't have a plan for making it out alive.

"I know you're worried about this poor little lawyer…Tony, how deep did you cut him? He's bleeding everywhere. Man, you're gonna have to get a professional cleaner for these floors Benson..."

Liv felt her stomach swirl at the light-hearted joke directed at her. The mention of blood and her husband's blood at that…

"Look…I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to Benson, so if you could move your big ass over, that would be great."

She shared an unsure look with Trite for a second but he waved her over, deciding they had no time to waste. He'd more than likely come to the same conclusion as she had. People like this needed to get what they wanted, by any means necessary.

"I'm here," she said softly, standing straight and looking the man square in the eye. Her hands went limp by her side, wanting to come off as non-threatening. Having her hand on her side arm wasn't acceptable, even if she had the instinct to keep her grip on the handle the entire time.

"Ah, Benson…this lighting doesn't do you justice. I can't see those beautiful brown eyes through the camera."

She felt uncomfortable at the words tumbling from his mouth as he looked on appreciatively. Those words would have little to no effect on her in a normal situation, even after Lewis, but for some reason, she couldn't help but feel so exposed and violated. Perhaps, it was because he was standing in her home. Maybe, it was because half of her heart was inside, in pain and bleeding.

"How about you see them in person?"

Trite whispered at her angrily from the side, making sure he stayed inaudible and his wildly gesturing hand didn't show up on the screen. Liv ignored him, a little shocked at the suggestion that came out of nowhere, but she applauded herself for quick thinking.

Trevor seemed to contemplate that idea, bringing one of his fingers to tap thoughtfully at his chin. She could hear the low chuckle of the larger man and the faint, gasping 'NO' she recognized as Rafael. Instant guilt didn't last long. There was no way she wasn't going in there. She needed to see him. Now.

"No weapons. No vest. Just you."

"Deal."

The video feed cut off after an affirmative nod, plunging the entire truck into stunned silence. She felt all eyes on her as she slowly divested herself, sliding the badge off her neck first and letting drop to the counter in front of her.

"What the fuck are you doing," Trite shouted angrily, grabbing her wrist, which was the wrong move, because Liv pulled her gun so fast it nearly made his head swing. The safety was on and her hand wasn't anywhere near the trigger, but the action was enough to make him stop in fear for as the barrel pressed against his neck.

Liv continued to undue the vest slowly, the velcro sounding so loud and threatening in the small space they all stood in. The vest sat on her shoulders, open and the straps hanging loosely by her sides.

"Henry," she started calmly, betraying how she truly felt on the inside, "What would you do if Beth was in there?"

Trite backed off a little, the gun disconnecting from his neck as he looked on, eyes wide and lips parted at the mention of his wife of 25 years. He watched silently as she gently placed the firearm on the counter next to her badge.

"Would you wait out here, on the side lines?"

Liv slid the vest off her shoulder and let it sink to the floor, uncaring as it thumped loudly and scuffed against her boots. She adjusted her shirt, reaching for the necklace that securely held her wedding band around her neck and she thumbed the simple gold band.

"Or, would you try everything to get her out of there?"

Liv faced him, looking ready to defend her decision and the actions she was about to take. Trite looked ready to argue as well, but her detectives were still behind her, silent and watching the events unfold. Liv expected them to understand, even if they didn't exactly like where she was coming from. They knew better than to try and push her away from an already made decision and this, being so personal, they wouldn't dare utter a word against her.

Trite, swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, taking longer than a moment but less than a minute to answer the woman's question. Liv looked straight at him, lips pursed with a tiny, determined smirk lifting the corner of her mouth.

"I would, too. I'm going to."

Liv all but dared him to say anything against her again, but the man knew he lost. It was always a losing battle when it came to a determined Olivia Benson. He only worked with her a handful of times, but he knew enough about her to know that much.

"Fine…what do you need from me," Trite said softly, arms crossing over his chest again.

Liv bowed her head, a plan formulating between her eyes that was risky. It was stupid and it could cost her their lives, but men like Trevor Washington didn't have a plan for living. They only had one for dying.

In all honestly, she hoped they roped her into that plan, because someone was going to fucking pay for putting her family through this shit.

Finally, Liv raised her head and stretched her neck, feeling the tension leaving her shoulders the more confident and determined she became. All her focus was on the lit up front door of her family home.

"Cut the power."