-000-

Kathleen flopped on the couch dramatically and rolled her head towards the preteen sitting in the corner armchair. He seemed so engrossed in his book that he barely clocked her dramatic display. He was a beautiful boy, and he looked so much like Liv.

She didn't know a lot about Noah; hell, she didn't even know he existed until her dad mentioned something about him a few months ago. She was at his place when he got a call from Olivia asking him to pick Noah up from his half-brother's house. Her dad offered a hurried explanation as he rushed out the door.

Olivia has an eleven-year-old son. Noah. I'm headed to Woodstock to pick him up for her.

Kathleen had so many questions at the time, but her dad seemed in a hurry, so she kept them to herself. Later, she tried asking about the kid, but her dad's answers felt protective and a little cagey. She left it alone at the time, but now she sat in the living room with the kid, and her curiosity was burning hot.

Eleven. She let out an internal sigh of relief. It was super unlikely that the boy belonged to her father. She hated herself a little for even considering it and doing the mental math. She trusted her father, but the kid looked exactly what she would imagine a Benson-Stabler love child to look like.

His legs draped over the arm of the chair, swinging mindlessly. In her current position, she had a clear view to observe him discreetly. Maybe Olivia had a thing for blue-eyed men because the child's features were strikingly beautiful. His bouncing brown curls amplified the intensity of his blue eyes, and he was just so damn adorable.

When his eyes flicked up from his book nervously, she realized she was probably staring like some sort of creeper. She hurried to explain herself. "You look a lot like your mom," she explained with a smile. "I'm just so happy she has you. She was the best when I was a kid, and I always thought she'd be a good mom."

Noah closed his book and pulled his legs up onto the armchair so he could sit cross-legged. "Yeah, people tell me that all the time."

The boy seemed warm, friendly, and open, so she thought maybe she could get some answers to her slightly nosey questions. She wouldn't make it weird, but maybe the kid could quell some of the mystery surrounding him. Her first question was about his brother. She reasoned that they must have a shared father since Olivia obviously only had one child. "My dad mentioned a while back that you have a brother?"

"Yup," he answered confidently. "Connor."

"Do you see him much?"

"Off and on. He doesn't really live close, so it always has to be a planned thing. I get to talk to him a lot, though." He set the closed book on the end table nearest him. "We game together."

"Oh cool. My little brother is really into gaming." Probably too into it. She knew how much time her brother spent on that thing, and it was surprising that he passed his classes his first semester.

"Elliot told me that he has five kids." His voice betrayed a sort of disbelief. "That's crazy," he said bluntly.

Kathleen let out a laugh. "Yeah, well, it was madness growing up, but I love it now. Well, most of the time."

"It's just me and mom." He grinned wryly. "I'm not sure my mom could have had that many kids."

Kathleen laughed at that. She couldn't imagine it either. Five kids hanging off of Olivia seemed comical. "Yeah, it's not for everyone. My mom stayed home with us. I don't think it would have worked if she worked too. It would have been too much, I think." It was funny how she felt like she was talking to a mini-adult. The kid was probably surrounded by adults all the time. Hell, most were probably cops. "So does Connor live with your guys' dad? Or does he just live with his mom or something?"

Noah seemed genuinely confused by the question. It took him a minute to process what she was asking, but then he began to laugh. "Oh! You thought..." he smiled. "I forget that it's not something everyone knows about, and I look so much like my mom. I guess people just assume that..." he laughed again. "I'm adopted. So is Connor. I don't know a lot about our birth father or whatever. Mom, kinda..." he paused as he tried to find the words. "I would say she kinda freaks out, but it's not that intense. She just, I don't know, stresses when I ask."

Kathleen felt a little stupid for a moment, but it was uncanny how much the kid resembled his mom. It must be fate or something. Kathleen thought about it for a moment. If life progressed the way it should and both of their parents got their shit together enough to actually be together, this kid could be her brother. Maybe she could build a little trust while she spent time here. "Do you want me to ask about it? Sometimes adults tell other adults things they don't tell kids."

"Maybe? I don't want my mom to feel bad, and I don't want to keep secrets or whatever, but I really want to know about my parents. I get that they are or were people who broke the law or something, but I kind of think I should at least know their names or who they were." He thought for a moment. "You would ask for me?"

Kathleen nodded. "I'll ask, but I'm not sure if she will give me any better answers."

"I know, but maybe if someone else brings it up, then it won't be; I don't know. I guess it would probably be less weird for her coming from someone else."

"Maybe," Kathleen agreed. "And to be clear, I'm not going to lie to her. If she asks why I want to know, or if you were asking about it, then I'll tell the truth."

Noah nodded. "Good. I don't lie to my mom. I don't think I could actually get away with it."

Kathleen laughed out loud. "Probably not. She pretty much pulls the truth out of liars every day."

"Yeah," Noah said with a grin. "Wanna play a game or something?"

Kathleen's heart grew a little at the request. Noah was such a warm, genuine kid. "Yeah, I'd like that."

-000-

Upon their approach, the group noticed a man standing watch at a back door. He was messing around on his phone, and Bruno was able to take him out easily enough. He managed to subdue him without any shots fired, allowing them to maintain their stealthy entry. With the first threat neutralized, Fin pushed the door open and carefully stepped inside. As expected, the back hallway was dimly lit and silent. Another door stood in the way of access to the main lobby and the staircase that led to the "living" quarters.

Fin pressed a flat palm against the surface of the heavy door and nodded in Bruno's direction. He would take the lead, and Reyes would cover. They held a collective breath, hoping that the door's hinges wouldn't creak loud enough to give them away.

The door gilded open easily enough, but a man standing behind a desk caught the movement and immediately fired in their direction.

"Damn it," Fin muttered. He clicked the radio. "All units move in."

The trio exchanged a series of looks and nods before busting through the door.

-000-

The firefight on the main floor was short-lived. The second team, led by his sergeant, clipped the two men immediately upon forcing entry into the building.

"We'll check out the upstairs; is your team good to cover the basement?" Fin barked out the question as he moved quickly towards the stairs.

"Yeah." She nodded to the officers behind her. "This way."

From across the room, Bell caught his eye. Reyes felt like she was trying to communicate something to him, but it wasn't clear, and they didn't have much time to talk before someone decided to investigate the source of the commotion.

She glanced back at him once more, but dropped out of sight as she led her group down the stairs.

Reyes shook it off. If it was something important, she would have just told him or let Fin know. The stairs leading to the adjoining building and its second floor sat in the opposite corner of the main entry. Reyes followed Fin and Bruno up the stairs, keeping their movements quiet. The two blind corners made his adrenaline pump, but the stairway proved to be empty. After assuring themselves the upstairs hall was clear, they crept forward, checking the first two open doors as they moved.

"Clear!" Bruno's voice remained low as he cleared the second room.

The toe of Reyes' boot kicked something as he moved down the hallway. The item skated over the hardwood floor and nicked the wall before coming to a stop. He wasn't sure why it caused him to pause, but curiosity made him approach whatever trinket his boot had kicked.

He lifted the item from the floor and almost couldn't believe what he saw. He had only seen the thing once before, but it was a unique sort of momento that one doesn't easily forget.

Laying flat in his palm was a broken ornament with worn-down paint. Liv, Laugh, Love.

He couldn't puzzle over it for long because the pop of a gunshot sent the trio running for the closed door ahead of them. A scream, followed by yelling, immediately echoed through the long hallway. Reyes dropped the ornament in his pocket and quickly drew his weapon. The group rushed towards the door at the end of the hallway, where the screaming came from.

Bruno was the first through the door, with Fin providing cover. They barreled into the room and assessed the scene quickly. A man, probably Javi, with a gun pressed to a woman's head. In the opposite corner of the room stood Diego. His gun was pointed directly at Javi, but his hands were trembling. The situation was already bad and had the potential to burst into flames.

"NYPD!" Bruno announced.

Bruno and Fin kept their firearms aimed squarely at Javi, seeming uninterested in the teenage boy who also held a weapon. Reyes didn't pull his firearm and the kid, but he kept a wary eye on him. Accidental or not, that gun could go off and someone could end up dead. With that thought in mind, he slowly inched in Diego's direction while the other men engaged with Javi.

"Drop it," Fin commanded.

Javi's eyes darted around like a scared animal cornered by a flock of predators. It had to be a strange feeling for a man who was usually the hunter and never the hunted.

"Nah. I think I'm good." He smiled wickedly. "'Cause as long as I got this and this," he shook the woman's arm, "you won't risk the shot."

Fin took a slow step forward, but Javi pressed the gun deeper into the woman's temple, causing more tears to pour down her face. Her eyes moved to her son, who still stood poised to shoot, but Reyes read uncontrollable terror in the young man's face. They needed to deescalate the situation soon before someone shot someone.

"Get out of here, Diego!" The woman pleaded through her tears.

"Shut up!" Javi shook her roughly, making Diego step closer, eyes trained on his mother's attacker.

"You promised me she'd be safe. You told me if I did what you said, then no one would hurt her!" The boy was practically seething. "You lied!" She spat.

"There are consequences for an unfinished job. I was just enforcing our rules." Javi smiled at the woman he held captive. "Maybe you should fail more often," Javi cooed. "I wouldn't mind more nights with a woman like this."

The minute Diego lifted the gun higher, resolve written all over his face, Reyes made his move. But he wasn't fast enough. Diego popped a shot off milliseconds before Reyes' body collided with his, taking him down to the floor. Then there was blood. Lots of blood.