Author's Note: This chapter continues where we left off in the last chapter, and I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this out. I hope you're still with me!
I think there will be one more chapter to wrap up this part of the Yates saga before we move on to what comes next.
Thanks for reading!
[][][][][]
The few hours after Olivia's departure from Chicago had finally led Hank's unit to a suspect, someone they were certain was involved in these vicious attacks. Everyone knew it took a deeply disturbed individual to be capable of such violence, but their suspect was worse than they could've imagined.
Greg Yates.
Burgess and Roman were the first to interact with Yates, and the lies began with their first conversation. It was obvious the man immediately knew he'd been discovered, and he worked overtime to try to throw the Intelligence Unit off of his scent, to create doubt in their version of the story.
When Yates knew he was out of options, his target became the unit itself. Hank's protectiveness over Erin increased, nearly panicking when she was out of his sight, and when Erin met Yates at Millennium Park, Hank was sure he held his breath until she was safely back with him.
But while his eyes were so deeply focused on Erin, it opened up an opportunity for Yates to hit them where they least expected, and sadly Nadia became his mark, and he took her right out from under them.
When his unit, combined with Olivia's squad members that stayed behind, figured out a plan, Hank called Olivia, knowing he'd need her help when they arrived in New York in a few hours, hopefully before Yates and Nadia.
"Olivia, he's got her."
The words rushed out of Hank's mouth before Olivia could even finish her hello. There was no time for greetings, no time for small talk, not while one of his own was in grave danger.
"Got her? Got who, Hank? Is it Erin? What's going on?" Olivia questioned, and Hank knew he had to slow down, take a breath, and give Olivia as much information as he could so she could help.
"Yates. He's got Nadia. She left on an errand, and we've found evidence she came back, but the car is gone. It's Yates, no question."
"Oh no. What can I do?"
Hank paced the floor of his office, trying to burn off some of his nervous energy before he exploded. "We think he's heading your way. That's where he came from, and we're tracking the car, and we think that's his plan."
"We'll get to work and do everything we can from here," she assured him.
Just the sound of Olivia's voice helped calm his nerves, just for a moment. If there was anyone who could help figure this out, it was Olivia Benson, and he was grateful to have her on their side.
"My team and your guys are getting on a plane within the next hour. Hopefully we'll get there before he does."
"Travel safe, Hank. We'll find her."
While he'd insisted to Erin that this was no one's fault but Yates, Hank couldn't help but shoulder some of the blame himself. Nadia was just a kid, and she'd come so far since they first met her, and she was his responsibility.
He feared he'd failed her.
[][][][][]
After a few flight delays, Hank, his unit, and SVU's detectives finally arrived in New York. Immediately upon their arrival, Olivia could feel the tension radiating off of Hank. While this wasn't the first case they'd worked together, now that it had become extremely personal to him, she was seeing a rage from him she'd never witnessed before. She just hoped for his sake, and Erin's, that they'd find Nadia before Yates killed her.
The two squads worked together, following lead after lead through the city with no luck. It was frustrating, especially when two more women were attacked, and Hank was becoming angrier by the second. Olivia was worried that when they finally found Yates, Hank might actually kill him with his bare hands, and at this point, after everything Yates had done, she wasn't sure she'd try to stop him.
Sadly, they didn't get the outcome they'd hoped for. After finally arresting Yates, they were led to his burial ground, and that was where the search for Nadia came to a devastating conclusion.
Olivia's heart ached as they approached Nadia's body. Erin was heartbroken, and although Hank remained mostly silent, she could tell he was devastated they were too late. Her hands longed to reach out to him, to try to offer him some sort of comfort, but right now, she knew that throwing himself into work, into figuring out how to convict Yates would be the only solace Hank would find. She vowed to be beside him through it all, helping to find some semblance of justice for Nadia.
When Olivia finally got a moment alone with Erin, she led the girl into her office, locked the door, closed the window blinds, and gave her a hug, providing her a safe space to let out the emotions she'd been trying to hold in since her friend's body was discovered. Erin cried on her shoulder for awhile, and Olivia tried to comfort her as best she could.
"I'm so sorry, Erin. This wasn't the outcome any of us wanted."
"This is all my fault," Erin said through her sobs.
Olivia's heart broke even more. "No, it isn't," she insisted. "There's no one to blame except Yates."
Erin pulled back, attempting to wipe at her never-ending tears. "But it was my birthday cake that caused Nadia to leave the district. If she hadn't been going to get that for me, she would've been safe inside, and Yates wouldn't have been able to get to her."
"That's still not on you, Erin. You can't blame yourself. The second you figured out something was wrong, you immediately started looking for her, and without that, we might still be looking for her."
Erin shook her head, taking a few steps away from Olivia. "But we were too late. She should still be here. She's been through so much, and she'd finally turned her life around. She didn't deserve this, and she's dead because of me."
Olivia put her hands on Erin's shoulders, trying everything she could to offer some comfort to the detective. "But you did everything you could. Nadia knew you were coming for her, and she hung on as long as she could. Yates was just a step ahead of us. But none of this is your fault, Erin. You can't carry this with you."
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Erin walked over to the corner, wiping her eyes, trying to compose herself before anyone entered the office. Olivia opened the door and found Hank on the other side, trying desperately to hold in his own emotions.
"Give us a few minutes?" he asked Olivia.
"Of course." She couldn't stop herself from putting a hand on Hank's shoulder, needing to touch him, just for a moment, before stepping aside to give him and his detective a little bit of time alone.
When the door was closed, Olivia leaned protectively against it, hoping to keep the others away for awhile, to let Erin, and Hank, take their time to grieve.
[][][][][]
Hank was grateful for the time alone with Erin. Nadia's death was hitting her harder than any of the others, and he ached for her. When Erin turned around to see him, her tears came harder, and he rushed over, cradling her against him as she sobbed into his chest.
He understood her pain, as he was fighting back his own tears. Erin worked hard to help Nadia through her addiction; he was proud of how she'd taken the girl under her wing, and he shared in her devastation of losing her dear friend.
After a few minutes, Erin finally spoke. "This hurts, Hank."
"I know kiddo," he said, pressing a kiss against the top of her head.
Erin's tear-filled eyes begged him to help her understand how this horrible thing happened. "Why couldn't we get to her soon enough?"
"We did everything we could. We were just too late."
As Erin continued trying to blame herself for Nadia's death, Hank continued to try to reassure her that none of this was her fault. He knew it to be true, because he knew deep down that he held all of the responsibility. He should've seen this coming, and he should've done more to protect his unit.
When Erin was composed enough to leave the room, Hank poked his head out of the door and called for Halstead, who had been waiting around for Erin to be ready to leave. Hank ordered Jay to take Erin to their hotel, while also ordering Erin to try to get some rest. Erin hugged him one more time, and he watched her walk side by side with Jay until she was out of his sight.
After she was gone, Hank returned to Olivia's office, settling himself on her couch and covering his face with his hands. It was the first time he'd been able to take a moment and truly process the events of the last few hours.
While he hoped his unit and Olivia's squad would be able to sleep tonight, he was very sure that sleep wouldn't come easy for himself. The lifeless look in Nadia's eyes haunted him since the moment she was found, and he feared it would haunt him for the rest of his life.
The rage that had been coursing through him since Yates first came onto his radar was still very present, but the emotion he felt himself feeling the most was sadness.
Hank was sad.
It wasn't something he allowed himself to acknowledge very often. He was more comfortable in his anger, and he often masked his sadness as rage, preferring to hit something rather than shed a tear. But now, in the privacy of his friend's office, he let a few tears fall until he was interrupted by Olivia.
[][][][][]
Olivia knew Hank probably needed a moment after he spent time comforting Erin, so she continued standing guard outside of her office door, providing him with a little bit of privacy to feel whatever feelings he needed to feel. After signaling to the rest of their squads to leave, and after reassuring Fin that she wouldn't stay at the office very much longer, she decided to try to get Hank to leave as well.
"Hank, I dismissed both of our squads," she said, cautiously entering the office. It broke her heart seeing him sitting on her couch, the devastation radiating off of him. "There's nothing more we can do this evening, and everyone is exhausted."
"Thanks," he quietly replied. "They need the break. It's been…a bad day."
Olivia joined him on her couch, and slipped her arm around his shoulders. Now that they were alone, she was no longer going to deny either of them the physical comfort they needed after such a horrible few days.
After a moment, one of Hank's hands finally moved to rest on Olivia's knee. "I hate this, Olivia."
"I know, Hank. I'm so sorry."
He threw his hands up, seemingly in frustration and helplessness. "Erin is devastated, blaming herself for all of this, and I don't know how to help her, because I know how she feels. I'm blaming myself too, except I know that I'm truly the one responsible for this."
Olivia sighed, feeling frustrated herself that he was taking the blame for something completely beyond his control. "Hank, I'm going to keep saying this until you finally believe it, but no one is to blame for this except Yates. There was no way to know, no way to predict what he would do."
"I should've known!" he insisted, standing as his voice raised for the first time, and Olivia knew this was exactly what he needed. He needed to rage, to yell, to voice his anger and frustration in a place that was safe, and she could be that place for him.
"You couldn't have known," she quietly replied, knowing it would push him to release more of his anger.
"I've been after guys like him my whole career! I should've seen this coming! I should've done more to keep Nadia safe!"
Hank turned around and punched the wall behind him, leaning against it as he tried to regain control of himself. When Olivia could tell he was settling, she walked up behind him, gently resting her hands on his back.
"How about you come home with me, at least for a little while? We'll pick up a pizza on the way, and Noah should be ready for dinner by the time we get there. I know he'd love to see you."
Hank shrugged before turning around to face her. "I don't know, Olivia. I should probably just be alone with all of this tonight."
Olivia stepped a little closer, her hands gently grasping his jacket. "I happen to know that the best way to help a bad day is to spend a few minutes playing with a toddler."
She was pleased with herself when a small smile slipped across Hank's face, just for a moment.
"So, how does that sound?" she pressed.
Hank finally nodded. "Ok. I guess I can come by for a little while. I've missed the little guy."
"Great," Olivia said. "Let's get going. Everything else can wait until tomorrow."
[][][][][]
Hank hated to admit it, but Olivia was right. Spending time with Noah was exactly what he needed after the pain of the day. Although he and Olivia talked frequently, and he still saw Noah by video every few weeks, he wasn't sure how Noah would react to seeing him in person. But Hank was thrilled when, after cuddling with his mom for a few moments, Noah reached for him, snuggling against Hank's chest.
He carried the little boy over to the table, settling him in his lap while Olivia prepared their dinner. The next half hour was spent encouraging Noah to eat amidst babbles and laughs. Hank felt lighter than he had in awhile, probably since the last time he was with Noah and Olivia.
When it was time for Noah to go to bed, Olivia insisted Hank join them in his room, allowing Hank to read a book before she tucked her son into bed. Hank stood by the door as she rocked Noah, watching and listening as she held Noah close, whispering her love for him and promising that tomorrow would be a new day, and she couldn't wait to see him when the sun came up.
Surprisingly, the words offered a little bit of comfort to Hank. He needed to find a way to allow himself to accept what happened, to believe that he'd truly done everything he could. There was no way to reverse the outcome, and his focus now needed to be providing the prosecutor with whatever was needed to make sure Yates paid for his crimes. The anger and blame he was shouldering would probably always be with him, but justice was something he could provide for Nadia, and he vowed he'd do everything he could to help put her killer behind bars for the rest of his pathetic life.
When Noah was tucked into his bed for the night, Olivia turned back to Hank, taking his hand and leading him back to her living room.
"Why don't you sit, and I'll fix us something to drink?"
Hank offered her a small, grateful smile. "Sounds good, Olivia."
He watched as she poured them each a glass of scotch, recognizing it as his favorite, and he appreciated that she had it on hand, knowing it wasn't her usual drink of choice.
As she settled on the couch next to him and passed him a glass, he couldn't help the chuckle that slipped out. "Trying to get me drunk, Benson?"
Olivia shrugged. "I figured it couldn't hurt. You need something to put you in a better mood."
"I really wanted to go hit something again, but you were right. Seeing Noah, spending time with the two of you…this is really what I needed."
"I'm glad," she said. Her beautiful smile stretched across her face, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. "It was good to see you and Noah together again."
Hank reached over and took Olivia's hand, squeezing it just a little. "Thank you for this, Olivia. I've missed being here."
She threw back the rest of her drink and started toward her bedroom. When Hank didn't immediately follow, she looked back over her shoulder, a smirk on her face.
"You coming?"
Hank downed the rest of his own drink and quickly followed her. When they reached her room, Olivia helped him out of his shirt and jeans. They climbed into Olivia's bed together, and when she turned away from him and reached out her hand, he tucked himself behind her, cradling her body against his, and as he breathed in the scent of her, he felt himself immediately relax.
His eyes slipped closed as Olivia's hand drifted soothingly up and down his arm wrapped around her waist. "Sleep," she said softly, and moments later, he drifted off to sleep.
[][][][][]
Olivia woke the next morning still wrapped in Hank's arms. Her head was pillowed on his chest, the soft sound of his heart beating beneath her ear. She was surprised they'd both slept so well, as she'd expected a rough night due to the outcome of their case. But she was glad Hank was able to rest, and she knew his night with her son was responsible for the peace that blanketed her room overnight.
It felt good having him in bed next to her. It had been awhile since his last visit, and she didn't realize how much she missed having him in her space. Their evening with Noah had been beautiful, her little boy bringing a light they both needed after such a dark day.
Unfortunately, there was still a mountain of work ahead of them. Although they were certain of Yates' guilt, and they had an overwhelming amount of evidence, getting the justice that Nadia deserved wouldn't be an easy feat, and Olivia worried about the stress this would put on Hank, as well as his unit.
Deep down, she did feel some relief that they'd finally found the man responsible for the deaths of women whose cases she investigated years ago. She and Elliot had worked hard to figure out who was responsible, but every lead brought them to a dead end until the cases finally went cold. Even though he hadn't been a part of this current investigation, Olivia knew Elliot would be proud of her for remembering these women from so many years ago and connecting their cases to this new case. But as good as it felt good to know she'd finally be able to bring their killer to justice, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to actually make those charges against Yates stick.
But there would be time to wade through all of that, and for now, Olivia wanted to enjoy this moment, being in the arms of someone she cared deeply for, who cared deeply about her, as well as her son.
Just as she began drifting off to sleep again, the soft sounds of "Mamamamama," came from Noah's room.
"Not yet," Hank mumbled, tightening his arms around her, his eyes closed tightly.
"Sorry," Olivia said with a laugh. "He only gets louder the longer he has to wait. But you should sleep."
"I'm awake now, so it's too late for that."
Olivia untangled herself from Hank's arms, sitting up and turning back to let him know of her and Noah's morning routine. "If I bring him in here, he'll usually lay down with me and sleep another hour. Is that ok with you?"
Hank smiled at her. "Another hour with you, plus your kid? Can't think of anything better."
They rested as long as Noah allowed them to, but he was too excited seeing his friend, so their day started earlier than either of them wanted. But it was nice to have a morning together, something normal before the hell they knew was waiting for them at the office.
Before getting out of Olivia's car, Hank put his hand on her arm, letting it slide down until their fingers were intertwined. "Thank you for last night, Olivia. I couldn't have made it without you, and I appreciate you trusting me with your son."
"I'm glad we could help you. I know today and the days ahead are going to be difficult, but I'm glad we had last night together."
Hank sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned against the head rest. "Your ADA…is he going to be able to handle all of this?"
Olivia was confident in Rafael Barba's ability to try this case, but she was also confident the two men would absolutely butt heads. "Barba? I can't think of anyone who would be better to take this case. But I'll warn you, I don't think you'll like him."
"I don't need to like him. I just need him to do his job and put Yates in prison for good."
She squeezed Hank's hand. "We're going to figure this out. I promise you, we're going to get justice for Nadia."
Hank finally opened his eyes, and they immediately met hers. Olivia saw the return of the anger and pain in them that had dissipated while he was in her home, and she knew it was time to get to work.
Hank squeezed her hand again. "Let's do this."
They exited Olivia's car, and as they walked into the precinct, they both slipped back into sergeant mode. It was time to do what they did best.
It was time to put Yates behind bars forever.