23Hey y'all! I wanted to write a two part story centering around the episode premiering on January 3rd and I asked my fellow SVU fanatics on twitter if I should wait until the episode airs or if I should just wing and the decision was unanimous. So here is me winging it ;) hope you all enjoy!
Shifting the gear of his SUV into park, Ed took a deep breath as he took in the scene in front of him. He watched as a dozen or so HNT officers setting up a perimeter and a mobile command post in the opening of the secluded woodlands.
Ed had gotten the call a mere three hours ago, the call stating that some crazed man kidnapped Noah and brought him to this remote cabin upstate. He was in the car before he even hung up the phone.
As he hopped out of the vehicle, Carisi quickly approached him. "Thanks for coming up, Cap. She wanted the best."
"Don't mention it." He muttered, slipping on the NYPD winter jacket he retrieved from the back of his SUV. His eyes were immediately drawn to Olivia who was several yards away with Fin by her side. She was looking ahead with a blank look on her face, trying her best to pay attention to the comforting words her partner was saying. "So what do we got?" He asked, tearing his eyes away from her.
Sonny's eyebrows pulled together, unsure how he should approach this debriefing but the no nonsense look on Ed's face told him he was all business. "Noah Benson, five years old." He began and they stalked towards the command post. "Kidnapped from the department store while shopping with his grandmother."
That caused Ed to stop in his tracks. "Wait, what?" He implored, confusion marring the features of his face.
"Ellie's mother." Carisi clarified. Ed blinked rapidly, shaking his head as he tried to wrap his mind around this information. "The assailant, Jake Keller, thirty two years old. We have had some contact with the him but it's been extremely limited. He seems hyped up, not sure if it's the situation or if he's tweaking."
The older man nodded, absorbing every morsel for information given to him. "Did he give any clue to what his motive is?"
Sighing, Sonny shook his head. "He's not cooperating much. But he said something about being Noah's father."
"The courts said that Johnny D..."
"We know that." He interrupted. "I just don't think he does."
Scaling the steps of the mobile command post, Carisi went to go open the door of the trailer but stopped when he noticed he wasn't being followed. "Cap?"
His fierce blue eyes were trained on the cabin in question about a 100 yards away. "See if you can bring the portable out here. I want to keep an eye on the perimeter as well." He explained as his eyes fell to the woman that has invaded his mind everyday for the last eighteen months.
"Sure thing", Sonny nodded before disappearing into the trailer.
Less than a half an hour later, the pitiful hostage negotiation team that the small town provided had debriefed Ed before heading back into the trailer to monitor the impending communication. He secured the headset on his ear while the remainder of the SVU squad gathered around him. There were several moments where he could feel Olivia's eyes on him but he tried his best to avoid them. Nothing could affect him quite the way she did and he knew that he had to stay sharp and focused.
One of the local officers stuck his head out from behind the open tin door of the command trailer. "We're ready when you are, Captain Tucker."
Inhaling deep through his nose, he nodded as he heard the dial tone echo through the headset. Olivia was standing behind him, holding a receiver tentatively up to her ear. Sensory overload had almost overtaken him. The sound of the phone ringing through the small speaker was deafening, the tension from Olivia's body coming off her in waves, the feeling of the balmy air nipping at the exposed skin of his neck.
His heart stopped as someone picked up the line. "Who is this?" The harsh voice snapped from the other end.
"Jake, this is Captain Ed Tucker." Ed answered, his voice was cool silk. "I've heard that you have some demands. I'm here to see that everyone gets what they want."
The line was quiet save for the haggard breathing coming from the opposite side. "You're gonna help me?" His rough voice was skeptical outlined with the slightest bit of hope.
"I am but you have to do something for me first, bud. I need to know that Noah is unharmed." Jake scoffed into the receiver as he paced back and forth. "Just let me hear his voice."
There was a shuffling on the other end of the line and he felt a jolt of electricity as Olivia steadied herself by pressing a soft hand against the lower back of his winter jacket. "Tell them you're okay." Jake demanded in the background. When nothing but silence followed, his voice became more harsh. "I said tell them you're okay!"
"I'm okay." Noah whimpered quietly, his breathing pattern interrupted by his hiccuping cries.
A soft sob escaped Olivia's lips as her fingers gripped the rough material of his jacket. His breath caught at the feeling of her being so close, so dependent on him. "That's great. Thanks, Jake." Ed responded when he finally willed himself to breathe.
"Enough with the phone." Jake growled. "You want to talk, you come in here. No wire, no gun. Just you, only you." And then the line went dead.
Sighing defeatedly, Ed ripped the headset off and hung his head. He turned around and was met with red rimmed eyes, eyes that have seen into the depths of his soul. All of his instincts were yelling at him to stay professionally composed, not to let her get to him but his resolve was cracking.
Placing a reserved hand on her shoulder, he looked her in the eyes. "We'll get him." He reassured. His voice stoic as if he were talking to any other mother of a victim, not someone he once thought was the love of his life. He couldn't bring himself to look at her for long so he brushed passed her and headed into the trailer.
His brain had won this battle but his heart was still a strong contender in the war.
The loud tear of the thick velcro echoed through the command trailer as he looked into the mirror, securing the bulletproof vest to his body. The door of the trailer creaked open and Ed's eyes as well as the eyes of the other officers inside were drawn to Olivia as she entered.
"Can you give us a minute, guys?" Olivia requested. Her voice held the authority it always had despite the sadness weighing it down. The officers nodded and murmured their compliance as they exited.
Ed forced himself to look back at the mirror as she approached him. He felt the heat of her body close to him as she took hold of the velcro straps at his side. "Will you at least look at me?" She pleaded, pulling the straps taunt and securing the teflon armor to his body. Exhaling, his eyes fell closed as his body jerked slightly at the force of her fastening the vest. "Ed?"
His eyes opened and he looked down at her, her red eyes pleading with his while her hands stayed at his waist. Her eyebrows knitted together as her eyes studied his face. His lips were a hard line and his eyes, the eyes that used to regard her with such adoration, were distant and cold. "Look, you can hate me all you want." She began. "But I want you to remember that this is Noah. The same little boy that you would take to Yankees games, the little boy that refused to go to sleep unless you tucked him in."
The sound of his pulse pounded in his ears and he took a step away from her, trying to calm the irritation that rose inside of him. "You think I forgot that?" He scoffed, shaking his head.
Shrugging, her eyes widened as she watched him stand rigid a few feet away from her. "You could barely look at me."
"Because If I let myself remember that the boy in there is the one I wanted to raise as my own, I don't think I would be able to breathe." His voice broke and turned away, trying to hide the emotion evident on his face.
Walking over to him, she wrapped her hands around his forearm. "Ed?" She whispered, trying to get his attention. When he didn't respond, she slipped her hand down to intertwine with his. Taking a deep breath, he turned his head to her and her eyes softened when she saw the sorrow that radiated from his blue eyes. "I'm sorry, okay?" She began softly. "I never got to tell you how sorry I am for how we ended. But I've already lost you, I can't lose Noah too." Her voice cracked into a sob as she buried her face in his bicep, her arms hugging his.
Ed felt his resolve cracking and he turned towards her to embrace her fully. She gripped the teflon that covered his back and buried her face in his neck. The feeling of her hot breath against his skin made his body to shudder against hers. "You're not going to lose him, okay?" He whispered into her hair. She nodded her head against him before he gently pulled back to hold her at arms length. "Nothing is going to happen to him." He insisted, crouching slightly to insure her eyes met his.
"You promise?", she asked, her voice small and pitiful as tears littered her lash line.
Pushing her hair behind her ear, he pressed his lips against her forehead. "I promise you." he whispered against her skin. She folded into him, her fingers gripping the straps of the vest. "I promise you." He reaffirmed as she shifted against him, causing his lips to fall against her temple. He repeated the words over and over again and she pulled back slightly, his lips brushing against her cheek before they were mere millimeters away from hers.
Olivia's hot breath surrounded them, coming out in short pants. He couldn't tell if it was from the emotion running through her or their proximity, something was telling him it was both. "I will protect him with my life." he stated, his lips so close she could practically feel them move as he spoke.
Moving her hand to the back of his head, she pulled him to her. His nose pressed against hers, their sweet breath mingling between them. "Liv", he exhaled.
"Please", she breathed.
And just as her lips closed around his the door flew open, revealing Sonny. "They're, um, ready for you, Cap." He shifted awkwardly where he stood.
Olivia had moved away from him, burying her face in her hands as she turned her back to Carisi. "I'll be right there." Sonny nodded and quickly ducked out of the trailer, leaving them alone once again. "I, uh, better get out there." He stammered, gesturing to the door.
Nodding, she wiped the tears from her flushed cheeks. He turned to leave when she grabbed his hand. "When he gets anxious or scared, uh, massaging his palms always calms him down." she disclosed, demonstrating by rubbing patterns against his calloused palm.
"I remember." He muttered, offering her a sad smile.
She watched as he shrugged on his NYPD winter jacket over his bullet proof vest. The sight him how she remembered him from all those months ago making his heart clench. "Be safe", she instructed as he reached the door. "Keep him safe."
With one hand on the door, he turned back to her. His eyes a great deal softer than they had been when he looked at her earlier. "With my life." he promised, placing his hand over the left side of his chest.
With that, he slipped out the door. Olivia couldn't help the wave of emotions that washed over her, sobs taking over her body as she slid down the wall.
And that's part one, Ladies and Gents! I could not help sprinkling some Carisi interruptus in there! I'm dying to know what you guys think, so hit that cute little review button down there and let me know!
