Steven was looking at his paperwork, he was working late, he didn't have much of a choice. He already called Billie who understood why he wasn't coming home for dinner.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Come in." Hmm. Where was that brief?

"Steven, it's after nine. Go home."

"I like to Dad. But I can't. I gotta get this brief done before tomorrow." The trial of Nelson Karl was on hold, his lawyer told the judge he was currently a patient at the UCLA Medical Hospital for exhaustion. Even so, the trail was still going without Nelson. Steven shuffles the papers on his desk, when Ned stopped him.

"Steve." Steven looked up. His parents only called him Steve when they were worried. "We got this, go home and see your family." Both were currently in Los Angeles, Billie didn't want to be without her husband and brought Austin with her. All three were currently staying with Ned at his rented apartment their law firm provided.

"Believe me Dad, I want nothing more. But there is something here, something that can help our case." Steven swore he seen something, something he missed. Ah ha! "See, look at this." He hands Ned the folder.

"I don't see how this can help." Ned hated Karl, but hated his estranged son more. "This guy nearly killed your sisters, all to get back at me." That case haunted Ned for months. Karl was a major criminal, but Marin was a serial killer. He always suspected John killed more than those two girls back before he was prosecuted. Ned felt stupid believing he drowned all those years ago. Bastard was clever.

"I know." Steven was in Sacramento at the time for a internship. He always felt guilty that he couldn't protect his sisters. "Once we get Karl, we'll get Marin this time. Make sure he's locked up for life in solitary."

"I'll make sure of it." Ned skims the folder. "There isn't anything new here, might as well pack it up. I'm sure Billie and my grandson misses you."

"Yeah, you're right." Ever since Steven worked this case, he was rarely home. Billie was complaining that Austin never got to see his daddy.

"Have a good night son."

"Night Dad." Steven had no idea why he was so invested in this case. He worked on several cases, he was the one that helped the DA convict Charlie Cashman for that drunk driving case. However, this case was huge, really huge. Steven knew there was a election coming up, his dad was talking about running for the District Attorney's office in a few months.

Thankfully the LA traffic wasn't too bad, he managed to make it back to their shared condo on under forty minutes. He made sure to text Billie first, that was their rule, for safety reasons.

'I'm home now, I'm just downstairs.'

'C U soon, dinner is in the fridge.'

Steven hoped he made it before Austin went to bed. He wanted to give him a bath before his bedtime story. After he put away his phone, he gets out of his car.

He was on his way to the elevator when he felt a chill.

"Hello?" Steven takes out his pepper spray, he always carried one whenever he was in LA.

Other than the LA traffic, the garage was completely silent.

Steven turns around and quickly walks towards the elevator and when he saw a shadow appear in front of him, he instinctively sprays forward.

"Argh!" The man screams.

Steven runs. He would have fought, but he had a family upstairs.

"Steven! Steven, wait!"

Huh? Steven didn't want to turn around, but that voice.

"Nick?" He saw Nick Fox wiping his eyes. "I'm so sorry!" He wished he had tissue, he would have handed it to him.

It took Nick a minute to compose himself. Once he stopped crying from the spray, he looked blurrily at Steven.

"Sorry, I should have called first."

"Please do, I have a wife and son." Steven puts away his spray. "What's up?" He heard what happened in Italy with Marco.

"Karl, he passed info to Marco. Marin, he isn't the only player."

"Not here, my dad's apartment." Never knows who's listening. Once they step in the elevator, Steven asks what happened to his job. He and Ned heard about his suspension.

"Got sloppy, I don't know when I'll be back. I'm just a private citizen now." Nick looked disgusted. "Marco, he was just a fall guy."

"He was no saint. This was on him." Cara, she was deeply hurt by him.

"True, but he was following daddy's orders. But he wasn't the brains behind all this." Once they reach Steven's floor, both were silent till they went inside the apartment.

"Make yourself at home, I'm gonna check on Austin first."

Nick sat down on the couch. This was a nice place, he saw pictures of Steven's family, as well as Ned's. When he saw a picture of Jessica, he carefully picks it up.

Nick regretted letting her go all those years ago. But for her safety it was for the best. Jessica, she wanted nothing more than to see excitement, plus be the hero. Unfortunately, her naivety almost cost them their lives.

A few years ago, Nick was investigating a major crime ring. Karl was on the radar, but it was his lackey Nick was trying to put behind bars. They fought in a old building, and Nick ended up unconscious. Unbeknownst to either, his then girlfriend Jessica was listening to his confession to his role in the death of police officer of Steve Rivera. He was bragging to Nick how he enjoyed Rivera's suffering and death, plus saying how he was going to get away with everything again, believing Nick was unconscious. Luckily he walked away from Nick, he was too high on drugs.

Once Jessica and Nick were alone, she told him about Clay's confession. Nick was understandably furious, Jessica wanted to testify. He and Jessica fought, even though her confession was weighed in gold, it was a death sentence for her. He and the DA plus his bosses made a plan, that Nick was going to be "shot to death" once he made his testimony.

Leaving was the hardest thing he ever did, he regretted leaving her everyday. But now, looking at her picture, Nick wondered if it wasn't too late for another shot. When he heard Steven's footsteps, he quickly puts back the picture.

"Sorry about that." Steven was disappointed that Austin was already asleep, but he and Billie both tucked him in. "Will this take long, dad is on his way home, we have to be at the office bright early tomorrow morning."

"This won't take long." Nick hands him a paper. "Remember this guy?" It was a picture of a average looking man, thick glasses with greasy hair.

"No. Who is he?"

"Celine Boudreaux's ex." That pathetic freshman that was infatuated with the southern belle. He was the unknown middleman in her scheme to sell drugs.

"What about him?" Steven remembered that trail, that guy was expelled from SVU after the trail ended. Last he heard, he was still working at a call center. Poor bastard ruined his life for a pretty face.

"He's dead." He saw Steven's face.

"Huh? How?" Other than Celine, he wasn't on Karl's or DiPlama's radar.

"Heart attack. His mom found him dead in her kitchen."

"Poor guy. And that helps us how?" A heart attack was barely a murder.

"He wasn't the only one. Karl's associate, the one you helped put away was shanked in prison. Davis Suui, his lieutenant, died of a drug overdose."

"Plus Marco's suicide." Steven was starting to see a pattern.

"Don't get too excited. The heart attack, he had heart conditions since birth. The other two made lots of enemies. Suui, his autopsy was confirmed to be cocaine overdose."

"Hell of a coincidence though." Steven had to tell his dad. "So what now?"

"Since I have some free time on my hands, I'm a free agent." The time off made Nick think. "Is there any way I can get into law school?" Nick was attending law school at SVU for a few months, but stopped when Jessica threatened to break up with him. She was too infatuated with Nick's job as a cop.

"If you do, SVU is cheaper than Stanford."

"Maybe I'll think about it." Nick could help put scum like Karl away, but from the courtroom this time. "Have a good night Wakefield."

"Night." Steven waves him out.

While he was brushing his teeth, Steven wondered what Nick said. That guy from SVU who was dating Celine was dead. Nick says it was a heart attack, which was plausible. However, Karl's two associates are dead too. He needed to think.

Once he got in bed by his wife, Steven took a quick peek on his phone.

Nelson Karl Continues To Maintain Innocence

Steven scoffed and hung up the phone. He hated fast journalism, they never checked their facts.