Never Let Go

Chapter Three

Everything that came next was a blur, like she was watching it happen to someone else, as she had so many times. She heard Rafael call Fin and tell him what happened, there was uniformed officers at the school in a matter of minutes. Rafael's second call was to Jack McCoy who was personally obtaining the warrants that Fin needed.

"I need to go meet them at Brian's apartment." She told Rafael as the reality of the situation became clearer.

"No, Liv, we need to get you back to the squad room and out of the way. You can't be in on this it's your son." Rafael argued in vain.

"Like Hell I'm going back to the office, the bastard has my son. I'm not sitting on the sidelines. Now are you staying here or coming with me?" She asked as she made her way to the car.

Rafael sighed and followed her to the car praying by the time they got to Cassidy's apartment her team would have already found some answers, or better yet have found Noah. He doubted though that Cassidy would have taken him back to his place. All he could think about was how scared Noah must be, and what he was going to do to Brian Cassidy when they caught him.

They pulled up outside of Brian's building which was surrounded by police cars. Olivia spotted Chief Dodds outside the building.

"Are they here?" She asked him running towards the building, Rafael following close behind her. "Did you find anything?"

Dodds shook his head, "They aren't here, and so far nothing we've found helps us know where he might have taken Noah."

"Damn it!" Liv yelled.

Dodds looked uncomfortably between the two of them, "You two need to see what is inside though, but unfortunately it's not going to make any of us feel any better." He cautioned them as he head the way into the apartment. Liv felt the uncomfortable stares around her and as they entered the apartment everyone went silent.

"What the Hell?" Liv asked taking in the sight before her.

"I am going to kill the bastard." Rafael muttered.

Brian's apartment was covered in pictures of three of them. There were pictures of Liv taking Noah to school, Rafael and Noah at soccer practice, the three of them at the market on Saturday morning. Then there were pictures of Liv and Rafael, holding hands on their way into the theater one night, laughing in the rain with Rafael's jacket wrapped around her, and so many more.

"You ok?" Amanda asked quietly.

Liv just shook her head and picked up a stack of pictures knowing immediately when they were taken. She was in a short black dress she had bought because Rafael loved to see her in dresses, he hadn't been able to keep his hands off her all night, and she didn't mind. She remembered thinking that she had waited her entire life to have someone look at her the way that he did and she was never going to let go of him. In the third picture she was whispering something in his ear as they waited for their Uber.

"I was telling him I was ready for him to move in with us, to give up his condo." She told Amanda tracing the picture with her finger, "I wanted the three of us to be a family." She whispered tears beginning to fall.

Amanda took her hands, "You three are a family and we are going to get Noah back Liv."

"He doesn't have his bear Amanda. He finally gave up taking it to school this week, and now he needs it and doesn't have it." Liv thought out loud finally letting out a sob when she felt Rafael's hands on her shoulders.

"We are going to have him home with us by bedtime." He did his best to assure her, "Dodds says we need to get out so that CSU can finish up. "

Liv nodded and followed him out when Carisi came in, "We've got Noah! He's with a uniform officer at the playground near your building."

"My car now." Dodds said to Liv and Rafael who along with Carisi headed straight there.

"Sounds like Cassidy dropped him off a bock before your apartment and Noah went there and found an officer." Carisi explained.

"Just like you taught him to." Rafael did his best to comfort Liv.

"But he's all right?" Liv asked

"I appears so." Carisi told them.

"Any sign of Cassidy?" Rafael wondered.

"No, but don't worry we've got things locked down pretty tight he's not going far." Dodds assured him.

They arrived at the playground, Liv and Rafael barely waiting for the car to stop before getting out.

"He's over here." The officer called out. They spotted Noah sitting with another officer eating some popcorn from the street vendor.

"Noah, are you ok?" Liv asked picking him up and holding him close as Rafael looked him over.

"Yes, Officer Mitchell bought me popcorn while we waited for you." He answered. "Mommy, why didn't the other man take me back to Rafi's office like he said he would? When he left me I found an officer like you told me to."

"You did everything just right, Noah, Mommy and I are so proud of you." Rafael told him taking his turn to hold the boy then he noticed a sadness in the boy's eyes. "Cual es el problema Noah?" he asked him his heart racing at the thought of Cassidy hurting the boy.

"Rafi, I called you my Papi and the other man said that you don't want to be my Papi and that you don't love Mommy like he does. Is that true?" Noah asked.

For the first time Rafael felt his own tears beginning to form, " Noah I love you and your Mommy more than anything in this world and I want nothing more than for the three of us to be a family and to be your Papi forever."

Dodds tentatively approached the family. "Any sight of Cassidy?" Rafael asked him and Dodds shook his head.

"Not yet, but we will find him, don't worry. Right now though we need to get Noah looked over, you know the protocol Olivia." He reminded her gently.

Olivia and Rafael both nodded. "Noah, you and Mommy are going to get to ride in the ambulance so the doctor can check you out, all right?" Rafael explained as he handed him back to Liv.

"Are you coming too Papi?" Noah asked him.

Rafael thought his heart would burst hearing Noah call him Papi for the first time, "Si, Mijo, I will be right behind the ambulance in a car." Not carrying that Liv's entire team, Dodds, and what appeared to be half the NYPD were watching them he kissed Liv firmly. "We're never letting go of him again." He whispered into her hair before releasing them both.

Olivia turned briefly to Fin, "You guys have this right?"

"I'm not sleeping until I have Cassidy's ass in a cell." He promised her.

"Olivia, you and Noah need to go, I will drive Barba behind you." Dodds reminded again.

"Let's go My Love." She told Noah as she climbed into the ambulance with him. The paramedic closed the door and the other one started the engine. They had just pulled onto the street when Liv heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire, she looked through the back window of the ambulance just in time to see Rafael fall to the ground.

TBC