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sea-side-scribbles · 4 years ago

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Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/70950861

Chapter 47

It was still nighttime when the stream of memories finally released him. The house was quiet, only his own breath blustered in his ears. His glass was empty, but his head was full of thoughts. Everthing he had revisited now demanded an appropriate reaction, but Nick had no idea what to do. He only felt a heavy weight on his chest. The night is ruined, he thought, and he felt tempted to silence his misery with another dose of Joy. But he didn't want to make it worse. He had wanted to make it better.

When he left the kitchen and made his way upstairs to his bedroom, he tried not to make a single noise. He wanted to keep the peaceful silence that made his surroundings look invulnerable, as if at least in this precious moment nothing bad could happen. In front of the bedroom door he stopped, listening in awe. Then he fetched a pen and paper from the side room and wrote a message to Morrie, that he shoved through under his door.

Some time later he sneaked through the dark and dank town, that was his second home by now. It still attracted him, even though the person he had been looking for was now sleeping in his bed. Perhaps he hadn't been looking for Morrie, he wondered. Perhaps he had been looking for his sense, his ability to make the right decisions. Or he had been trying to run from himself. He didn't know what he wanted now. He only believed that there was nowhere to run anymore. Instead, walking around aimlessly was exactly what he needed. He knew the routes where he was most likely safe from the patrols and drones. And just in case, he carried a bottle of brandy with him.

"Strolling around at night again?", asked the Bobby who was really hard to avoid. Fortunately, Nick got along with him. "I was hoping you'd feel better now, Mr. Lightbearer." "I'm alright, Constable", Nick replied. "I just thought you might miss me." Saying this, he pulled out the brandy and handed it to the man, who was visibly delighted. "Well, I can't deny that I miss attentive Wellies like you. One is so alone in these eventless nights." He opened the bottle. "But you're going home now, right?" "Of course", Nick said with a confident smile. Then the bobby surrendered himself to the brandy and forgot about the whole endeavour. Nick passed by him and walked into an alley that led into a small park. Scurrying through the meadow, his footsteps were much quieter. At a favourable spot he sat down in the grass and looked up to the starry sky. Why can't I do anything right?, Nick asked himself. A trickle of tears ran down his cheek.

He remained like this, with his hands clawing the grass, and trying to get rid of all the unnerving thoughts in his mind. Then he felt something. It was about time he took his next dose of Joy. Pulling out the package, he considered to take two pills. But after musing for a while, he only took one out and put the rest away. The pill was as black as the night. He popped it and soon he was given the pleasant, vitalizing feel of a new Joy-phase, while the stars twinkled in all colors. Slowly, he relaxed.

After sitting around like this, he again felt something different. As if someone was approaching him. Even though he didn't hear any sound. He dived deeper into the grass, searching the park with his eyes, but he didn't find anyone. Now certain that it had been an illusion, he sat back up and looked at the stars again. "You really have sharp ears", a quiet voice suddenly said. "Only your eyes fail you." Nick jumped and span around until he stared into a shiny silver mask. "James", he gasped. "My goodness...I didn't hear you. I only felt that someone was there." James smiled a secret smile. "In that case you have trustworthy feelings." Nick's hearbeat slowly calmed down. "And you are a trustworthy agent. As soon as the golden calf breaks the rules, you're on the scene. How did you find me?" "I simply followed the trail of alcohol." "Hey", Nick faintly protested, "It was only a present for a good friend. That's not a crime, isn't it?" "No. I figured you made him rather happy. That's a virtue." Nick smiled. He liked that agent who took liberties with the rules.

"Come here, join me if you don't plan to snitch me. Unless sitting in the grass is too vulgar for a classy man like you." James didn't seem to mind because he promptly accepted the invitation. "Looks like you're in a good mood tonight, beacon of hope," he said as he sat down next to him. "Oh...", Nick sighed. "It's the end of my time. That's making things easier." James eyed him. "What gave you that idea?" "I remembered more of my past", Nick answered wistfully. "You are right, this stuff really helps." He tapped the package of Joy in his jacket. "I got my past back. And you know what? I didn't change one bit. I'm in the same shit as before. I made the same mistakes without knowing." He blinked. The tears wanted to come back. "This time it's even worse. I'm hurting two wonderful people." He shook his head. "I'll end up all alone again. And this time I won't get a second chance." "You forgot something, Nicky", James said softly. Nick looked at him. "You're not alone. Not this time."

Nick gulped. A storm was raging in his chest. He felt like he should give in to it. Carefully, he leaned sideways, into James' direction, and laid his head on the other man's shoulder. It was comfy, and when his cheek touched the fabric of his suit he felt a cozy warmth spreading inside his body. Tensely, he waited for James' reaction. First, the man didn't move, so Nick assumed it bothered him, and now there would be awkward silence between them. But then he felt how James leaned his head against his and relaxed. He gave him a sense of conversance he had thought he would never feel for another person again. Perhaps he was still able to find new friends. Perhaps his fate wasn't as set in stone as he had believed. He wasn't alone. And the stars twinkled at him.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?", James whispered. "Oh, yeah...I haven't seen such a clear sky in a long time", Nick affirmed quietly. "Would you like to have a walk?" "An illegal walk?", Nick giggled. "With you?" "The illegal ones are the best." "Huh...yeah, I'd like to", Nick said and slowly lifted his head. They got up and left the park. Soon, Nick's thoughts were wrapped into a pleasant, untroubled fog.

He was standing in a dark alley, motionless, watching closely how James finished his work. "Do you want to hold it, Nicky?", the other man suddenly asked and showed him his shining, sharp cleaver that was dripping with blood. Nick cautiously accepted it. He noticed it was heavier than he had imagined. The blood that was dropping on his hand was warm. "I think I held it before", he said to James, who eyed him. "Do you know how to use it?", the man asked and put an arm around him to lead him closer to the lifeless body on the ground. Nick followed, knelt down next to the body, just like James used to do it and inspected it. Asking, he looked back at James. "Go ahead," the man said and gave him an encouraging smile. Nick raised the cleaver and took aim.

Light was blinding him, yelling and the noise of applause were roaring in his ears. Nick blinked. He was standing on a stage, but the audience didn't look at him. A second later, Uncle Jack entered the stage from behind a heavy curtain, solemly smiling. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a new episode of 'Love Wins'! Today's candidate is no less a figure than Nick Lightbearer himself!" Now Jack gestured towards him, drawing the attention to him. Nick waved and blew kisses, trying to hide how confused he was. "I promise you, today's guests will give you a very thrilling episode," Jack announced happily. He made an expansive gesture towards a corner. "On the left side we have: Nick Lightbearer's great love, the light of his life, the title holder Morrie Memento!" The audience cheered when Morrie arrived on stage and walked towards Nick. Nick's heart missed a beat. He had a bad feeling, but Morrie didn't seem to mind. He confidently winked at him, with his head proudly raised, and looking gorgeous. "On the right side: the man who stole his heart, the king of his dreams, the challenger Arthur Hastings!" Now Nick's heart raced when Arthur walked on the stage, looking a bit shy amongst all the fuss, and awkwardly waving at him. Nick would've loved to jump up and yell at Jack to stop the show. He didn't like the way Morrie glared at Arthur. But something paralyzed him. "Oh, yeah, this is gonna be one hell of a fight!", Jack rejoiced. "But this wouldn't be 'Love Wins' without a special guest." Oh, no, Nick thought. Whos next, Virgil? "Let me introduce you to...you know what? Let's cut this short. See for yourself!" The man who walked through the curtain was wearing a black suit. His face was covered by a mask with sharp edges. His eyes blazed at Nick him from underneath it, glowing red like blood. Nick screamed now, but his voice was drowning in the cheers of the audience.

A second later he found himself in a room that looked familar, but before he could look around someone was pressing him down. "Stay down," that someone hissed, then they whooshed past him. Nick closed his eyes and tensed, waiting for the fight to break out. But it was quiet. So quiet that Nick dared to take a look again. He saw the man who had pressed him down, searching the room. Then the man turned around. "No one there," he said and sat down on the bed that Nick had apparently slept in. "We're alone. It was just a bad dream, Nick." His hand carefully touched Nick's back. "A...Arthur?", Nick stuttered. "Yes, it's me," the man said, looking tenderly at him. Nick jumped up again. "Where am I?" "Ssshhh...In your tunnel...Our tunnel...It's alright." "The tunnel...", Nick sighed, sinking back into the pillow. "Yes, you came back." "How long did I sleep?" "Not for long, you just had a nightmare after all", Arthur joked, then he furrowed his brows. "Aren't you happy to see me? Didn't you want to come here?" Nick froze. Arthur hung his head.

"I'm sorry. I thought...when I saw you lying in your bed...I thought you wanted to visit me. So I laid down next to you. I didn't mean to bother you." Nick now acted just as quickly as after the nightmare. He hugged Arthur tightly. "It's alright", now he sad, as if they had swapped their roles. Looking into the other man's eyes he tried his most charming smile. "I was just puzzled...It happens to me a lot. Please don't worry about it." He hugged him again. "You can join me whenever you see me lying somewhere. Except when you see me in a grave, then you don't have to follow me." It had slipped out of Nick's mouth. Arthur made a choked noise that sounded like the hint of a giggle. "You have quite a morbid sense of hurmor for a Wellie." "That's because of the crazy life I'm living...Sorry." Arthur didn't answer. He looked like he was hesitating and pondering. Then he pecked Nick's cheek. Nick was melting. Arthur was so shy. The kiss had felt like a question. Nick pulled him closer and kissed his black hair that was a bit tousled. Now that he was here, he couldn't just run off. Arthur was so happy to see him after all. Nick decided to spend time with him before he would start back.

#we happy few #Wehappyfew #arthur hastings we happy few #whf arthur #whf nick #whfnick #nick lightbearer #foggy jack #whf foggy jack #foggyjack #nickxmorrie #nickxarthur #whfarthurhastings

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lovemesomerafael · 5 years ago

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El Amor Todo Lo Puede Chapter 36: Rescue

Source: @fortheloveofbarba

Chapters 1-35

Laura was not alone in being sick with worry, fear, anxiety and frustration. The entire squad room full of cops and investigators were tired, edgy, and ready to explode. They all knew what Andrew Rhee, the newly-paroled violent criminal who had threatened to kill Rafael, had done to other people whose sins against him were far less than putting him in prison. And he’d had Rafael under his control for the past fifteen hours.

Rhee’s girlfriend, Dina, was much luckier than she knew that D.A. McCoy had remained to assist in the effort to recover his prosecutor. More than half the people in the squad room would happily have burst into the interrogation room and beat information out of her if he hadn’t been there, and that included Chief Dodds.

It wasn’t that Dodds was particularly fond of A.D.A. Barba. He could take him or leave him. For Dodds, the problem was Dina. She was a piece of work. Her nasal Long Island accent was made only more irritating by the whiny, entitled tone she used to say pretty much everything. She had as little respect for cops as her boyfriend did, and was enjoying her moment in the spotlight. Dodds, who was used to going home at a reasonable hour, was about to ask McCoy how strongly-held the Mayor’s position on waterboarding really was.

Laura had stopped being able to listen to the interrogation some time before. First, she’d spent time talking with her team, trying to come up with something – anything – that would help them narrow the search. They were getting nowhere, and were now only irritating one another going over old ground. She’d just decided to offer her help to the investigators trying to find connections between Rhee and real estate on Long Island when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned around, jumpy, cross, and ready to bite the head off of whoever was unfortunate enough to have made that mistake. The angry words died in her throat when she saw that it was Peter Stone. The look on his face and his defensive posture told her that she’d obviously betrayed her annoyance and readiness to fight.

“Damn it, Peter, I just about decked you.”

“I see that. I guess that answers my question about how you are.”

Laura sighed and looked sheepishly up at him. “I’m sorry. Bad night.”

She let him pull her into a brief hug.

“I heard about Barba. I thought you could probably use a friend.”

She led him to her desk, which one of the on-loan detectives had just vacated, and offered him her chair. She perched on the edge of the desk. “Do me a favor,” she said quietly. “Don’t be nice to me. I’ll cry. And right now I need to be pissed and ready.”

“I understand. Anything new?”

“Not a fucking thing. We got Rhee’s girlfriend in the box, but she’s having the time of her life and not saying jack. Damn, I miss Voight.”

He grinned. “I bet.”

“Fin and I got some good results earlier today in ways he would approve of.”

“Don’t tell me details I can’t know, especially in front of my boss,” he looked in the direction of the D.A.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She smiled for the first time in hours. “All we know right now is there’s some house on Long Island, in the middle of hicksville, that may or may not be where he’s being held.”

“Hicksville? You’ve narrowed it down to the town he’s in?” Peter looked surprised.

“What?”

“Hicksville. It’s a town on Long Island.”

“Fuck!” Laura jumped up from her desk to run into Lieutenant Benson’s office. Dodds sat at Benson’s desk, with Carisi and Rollins, as well as a couple of his on-loan detectives, standing around.

“Hicksville!” She shouted. “She said the house was in Hicksville, but I thought she just meant the boondocks. I’m not from here, I didn’t know it’s the name of the town!”

Dodds jumped up and stormed into the interrogation room to refocus the questioning. Carisi and Rollins took two of the other detectives to the squad room table to work out the time window while Laura went to shout orders to the investigator using Fin’s computer.

“Hicksville! We need all the traffic cameras in and around Hicksville. Now!”

Peter came to stand behind Laura as she vultured over the investigator’s shoulder. She could feel his comforting presence just barely touching her. She turned to look up at him, giving him a distracted one-armed hug. “You’re a genius.”

He hugged her back. “Because I know the name of a town on Long Island. Low bar.”

A tortured look crossed her face. “Remind me to kill myself for not knowing that. God, Peter, how much time did I just cost him?” Tears formed in her eyes.

“Pissed and ready, Sunshine. Remember?”

“Right. Right. Pissed and ready.” She squared her shoulders, clenched her teeth, and turned back to the investigator isolating traffic cameras.

******

Andrew Rhee had actually pulled up a chair to watch Barba’s agony. He wasn’t quite sure what the large dose of epinephrine he’d given Barba would do to him – his cellie at Riker’s had said it depended on the person – but it was apparently terrible, and that was good enough for Rhee. Severe headaches and chest pain were supposed to be pretty much a given, and he could see that Barba was writhing, sweating and shaking with chills, all the while fighting to breathe.

Rhee had torn the duct tape from Barba’s mouth so that he could hear him scream. That would’ve been nice, but once again, Barba disappointed him.

Huh. It probably sucked, but somehow, even with the foamy mucus Barba was coughing up, this wasn’t quite as much fun as Rhee had hoped. He hurled insults and taunted Barba, but couldn’t tell if the detestable shit could even hear him.

*******

Carisi and Rollins had worked with the other detectives to calculate a rough estimate of the time it would take to get from Manhattan to Hicksville at the time Rhee had abducted Barba. McCoy split the assembled cops and investigators into teams of two, each team using that half-hour time span to narrow the amount of footage they needed to view. Laura had looked a question at Peter, who had instantly pulled her visitors’ chair next to where she sat at her desk to team up with her watching the footage from her assigned cameras.

“Let’s get your boyfriend back,” he murmured.

“Remind me to tell you how much I love you,” she murmured back, leaning her shoulder into his. They didn’t notice the several raised eyebrows around them.

*******

Olivia continued to try to get information from Dina, but despaired of getting any results. She had tried most of the techniques she could think of, but there wasn’t much she could do with a woman like that. So when Dodds had knocked on the window to let her know they were closing in on the SUV, she decided it was time to go nuclear. She called Carisi in.

“You want me to what?”

“Charm her. Give her those baby blues, get the dimples goin’, you know. And heavy on the Staten Island.”

“Oh, man, Lieu, couldn’t we just let Parker loose on her?”

“Get in there. And be charming, damn you.”

Benson had never heard Carisi drop the F-bomb, which made the string of profanity he let go that much more expressive. But she didn’t relent.

She and Dodds watched as Carisi settled in at the table with Dina, all limbs and awkward apologies for the long interrogation. He offered her a drink by way of a compliment.

“Girl like you, I’m guessing some kind of fancy tea, am I right?” He leaned on his forearm, braced on the table, so that he was looking up at her from a few feet away. Even Olivia could feel that smile. I need to be using him more often. That’s carnal, what he’s doing right now.

Dodds made a noise. Olivia stole a look at him, expecting to see derision on his face, and was amused to see something that looked surprisingly like admiration.

When he had brought them both a cup of tea – I’ll have what she’s having, that’s good, too, Liv noted – Carisi settled in with his chair just a touch too close to Dina for professionalism. “Listen, Dina, I’m guessing you know what this is all about, why we brought you here.”

“I know, Detective, but I can’t tell you anything I didn’t awready tell that othuh chick. I dunno wheah Androo is.”

“Hey, can I ask you? That accent, where you from? Me, I’m raised in Staten Island, always like to hear someone who sounds like home.”

“Lawng Oiland. Massapequa. I thawt I heard some Staten Island in theah,” Dina preened.

Olivia mentally cringed, both from this woman’s desperate need for attention, and from her own failure to send Carisi in two hours ago.

“Massapequa, that’s near Hicksville, yeah? I got some cousins in Hicksville.”

Dina may have been needy, but she was also wary. At the mention of Hicksville, she cooled a bit. “Yeah, well, ya’ can’t expect me to know everyone on Lawng Oisland.”

Sonny’s hurt look was so genuine, even Dodds wanted to comfort him. “Naw, I wasn’t tryin’ to… I know you been through a lot tonight. I was just makin’ conversation.”

“It’s OK, Detective… what was your name again?”

“It’s Carisi, but everyone calls me Sonny.”

“Sonny.”

“It’s Dominick, but my father’s Dominick, so…”

“I must know twenty Dominicks,” Dina said, leaning closer to him.

“Well, now it’s twenty-one,” Carisi smiled, dimples fully deployed.

*********

Rafael was freezing. All of his muscles hurt from shivering, and he felt like he’d run a marathon tied to the back of a speeding truck. He was exhausted. At least he could breathe again. His heart still thundered in his ears, but he didn’t think his head was going to explode with each heartbeat anymore. Now that he knew he wasn’t going to die right this minute, he was pissed. He’d lost track of time as he’d heaved and cringed through what he had been sure was a massive heart attack. The waves and waves of adrenaline shooting through him had felt like lightning and, though he had been very preoccupied, he’d also heard Rhee’s mocking voice through the ordeal.

He was not going to give Rhee the satisfaction of any reaction he could possibly contain. That, he thought, was something he could control here. And he knew Rhee was keeping him alive so he could enjoy those reactions.

He saw Rhee get up and start rummaging in the boxes stacked against the wall across from the makeshift cell. Rhee took out something that might have been a whip. Rafael started to sweat again, even though he was in only his shirtsleeves in the unheated stable.

Well, now it’s a party, he thought.

*********

Half an hour later, Fin and the investigator he was working with had found the black SUV exiting the Long Island Expressway at Hicksville. They had been able to follow it past the mall and caught it turning onto Broadway, but where the area turned residential, the cameras thinned out and they lost it again.

Olivia asked Dodds to let Carisi know where they were. As Dodds knocked on the door and stuck his head in, she noticed Carisi move his body so that he put his arm around the back of Dina’s chair, as though Dodds was talking to both of them.

Jack McCoy had stepped to the window to watch the interrogation now that they had exhausted the traffic cam footage. Several teams were still working real estate records, and he had sent three different investigator teams out to talk to C.I.s who might be able to provide information about the location of a former brothel in Hicksville. When Dodds re-closed the door after giving his message to Carisi, he nodded to McCoy and Benson and went out to the squad room. They were getting close.

“We’re going to need IRT,” Dodds said to the room in general, picking up the first phone he came to.

********

“You robbed me of five years of my life,” Rhee told Rafael as he lay, sweating and bleeding. “That was a mistake. Now it’s time to pay.”

“You’re right. You robbed at least three people of all the years of their lives. I should have been able to convict you on that.” It was hard to choke those words out past the pain in his chest from the kicks Rhee had delivered. He hadn’t yet used the whip. Given how much the kicks had hurt, and continued to hurt, Rafael was kind of hoping he’d switch to the whip.

“You think you’re so clever. So superior. And yet here I am with all the power, and there you are, crawling around in the dirt like a worm. I bet you’re thinking about what it will be like to die.”

“I don’t usually get existential when I’m sober. But if you got any scotch…”

The whip whistled through the air and tore a hole through the shoulder of Rafael’s shirt that went into his flesh. Rhee was obviously not an expert with it, or maybe it was a cheap S&M toy, but it stung quite enough. Rafael hated that he’d let out a yelp when it hit him, but it had been more from surprise than real pain.

*******

Dina didn’t know the address of the house in Hicksville. But she did know the name of the shell company that owned it. Within ten minutes of getting that information, the NYPD had the address, and Dina, to her great disappointment, had been locked in the squad room lockup to be dealt with later.

Chief Dodds took charge of the assembled cops, communicating with the Incident Response Team to plan a rendezvous outside Hicksville. Fin had an arm across Laura’s shoulders, while Peter held her hand on the other side. She wasn’t fooled by the show of support. She knew it was just as much preparation to restrain her in the likely event that became necessary. IRT took forever to assemble and brief, and Hicksville was over an hour away. She was coiled so tight Fin wondered whether she was going to launch herself across the room at Dodds.

When the interminable briefing was finally over, Olivia pulled the SVU squad together and tried to make more detailed plans with them. Each of them was too tense, angry, and restless to tolerate much more waiting.

Olivia pointed into Laura’s face. “You gonna be able to do this right?”

“Holy shit, Lieu, let’s just go already! There’s five of us, there’s no need to wait for fucking IRT. We can have him back long before they can get rolling, and you know that.”

“Detective, I understand you’re upset. But we will do this by the book. Don’t make me lock you in with Dina.”

Laura squeezed her eyes – and her mouth – shut.

“All right. Let’s go.”

The squad burst from the squad room like someone had lit a fuse. Just before leaving, Laura turned to Peter where he still stood next to her desk. She pointed at him and mouthed across the room, “Best. Friend. Ever.”

********

The whip was actually kind of fun. But it turned out to be a piece of crap that broke as soon as Rhee started to get into it. He was going to have to go back to his toolbox to find something else to torture Barba with. Before that, however, he thought he’d spend some time telling Barba what he thought of him. Barba was cold there on that floor. That could be enough pain for now while Rhee explained to him what a piece of shit he was. More duct tape first, though. Barba was apparently a smartass no matter what condition he was in.

*******

The drive to Hicksville seemed to take a lifetime. Fin tried everything he could think of to get Laura to spool down a little. Finally, when he reasoned that she needed to save her energy for what was coming, she made a sincere effort to breathe deeply and calm herself down. Whenever visions of what might be happening to Rafael threatened to break into her consciousness, she imagined his smiling face and chanted to herself, “Pissed and ready. Pissed and ready.”

When at last they reached the rendezvous, Dodds and the IRT team commander were arguing about whether the multiple police vehicles should have their lights on right now. Laura sent a pleading look at Olivia, who made an “I got this” gesture and stepped over to them.

“Gentlemen, I will be happy to officially measure them later. But for right now, put ‘em away. One of ours is being tortured one mile from here, and we have a job to do. We have a plan, we’re all here now. Let’s douse the lights and get this done.”

Much of the team ran the last quarter-mile, splitting up so that they came upon the house from different directions. That way, the few vehicles that drove closer would be less likely to catch Rhee’s attention. Laura was glad for the run. It helped her burn off some of her nerves, and let her feel she was doing something.

But then all activity ceased. They were all instructed to keep absolute radio silence except for commands and emergencies. From behind a tree fifty yards in back of the outbuilding, which looked like a barn or something, Laura looked through the dark over at Olivia. Crouched behind her own tree, Olivia made a pushing down motion. Laura did not want to be told to relax. They could see lights in the barn. There were none in the house. Rafael had to be in the barn. Why are we not storming that shit like the goddamn apocalypse? She bounced up and down with anxiety. She shot a distressed look, hand lifted in pleading, toward her Lieutenant. Olivia scowled and made the pushing motion again. Laura stamped her foot.

Olivia rolled her eyes, looked around, and ran in a silent crouch to where Laura was.

“Wait for instructions. There’s a reason the IRT is here,” she whispered harshly. “Don’t make me knock you out when we’re this close.”

Laura swore under her breath, shooting a look at the barn.

“Parker…”

At that moment, they heard a cry of pain that Laura knew was Rafael. He’s alive! And he’s fifty yards away. How many times have I told him I’d never let anyone hurt him?

She turned to Olivia, eyes hard. “You want my shield, fine. But you’re gonna have to come get it. You know where I’ll be.”

Laura silently and warily, but quickly, crossed the empty yard between the treeline and the barn. When she reached it, she flattened her back against the wall beside the door. The door was a simple series of wooden planks on hinges; the latch was mounted on the door and just lifted up to sit in a catch on the doorframe. It wasn’t latched.

Olivia’s voice came through Laura’s earpiece, alerting the team of what she’d done. When Dodds’ voice came on, ordering her to stand down, she pulled it from her ear and let it hang down onto her shoulder. Here comes career number three, she thought.

She used her foot to ease the door open ever so slightly, listening for a squeak. There was none. She moved the door a bit more, as slowly as possible, waiting for any telltale resistance that might lead to a squeak. When it was open enough, she dropped to her knees, then her stomach, and took the quickest possible peek through the crack.

Fuck! There were two rooms, and the door to the first wasn’t in line with the door to the interior room. She wouldn’t be able to just shoot Rhee from where she was. She elbow-crawled back, slowly and silently, until she could stand up. Again, she flattened herself against the wall and used her foot to open the door, a few millimeters at a time.

When she had the door open just enough that she could slip through, she moved away from the door and took off most of the tactical gear she was wearing. She would have liked to remove the vest, but it was secured with Velcro, which would make too much noise. She left everything but her weapon lying in the light snow on the ground. She wondered why Olivia hadn’t crossed the yard to join her, but didn’t have much time to care.

Slowly, slowly, she slipped through the crack in the door. From where she stood, she could see that the inner room was a stable, with stalls for horses. She stood for moments, thinking and listening to Rhee’s voice as he berated Rafael. She was glad. His monologue would hopefully cover any noise she made. With deliberate, precisely controlled movements, Laura stepped to the side, leaning her head so that she could see into the stable. She crept close to the wall between the tack room and stable, and peered around the doorframe as far as she dared.

She saw the makeshift cell, but couldn’t see Rafael because of the wooden walls of the stall. She stayed where she was, because she could see from the shadows that Rhee was in the stall with him, standing over him. She heard a noise that sounded like Rhee stomping on Rafael, followed by a loud groan. She saw red.

She heard a sound she couldn’t identify, followed by Rhee’s taunting voice. “Let me get that tape off, just in case you want to scream for me.”

C’mon, Rafa, make some noise. Piss him off. Get him yelling. I need some cover here.

Rafael began to trash-talk Rhee in Spanish. It was perfect. Rhee, who didn’t speak Spanish, became enraged, demanding that Rafael speak English. Laura noticed that some of the things Rafael was saying were distinctly funny, and hoped that she wasn’t going to betray her presence by something as stupid as laughing at the wrong moment.

“All right, you fucking beaner,” Rhee cried, “That’s it. It’s playtime.”

Laura heard Rafael make a sound that was half laugh, half groan, as he told Rhee in Spanish that he was Cuban, not Mexican, and he really wasn’t in the mood to play. Rhee wasn’t really his type.

Laura risked a look around the doorframe. Rhee was squatting down, looking into boxes that sat on the floor across from the cell where he was keeping Rafael.

With his back to her.

In three strides, Laura was across the room and throwing a forearm across Rhee’s throat. She jammed the muzzle of her Glock into the back of his head before he could react. He startled, but quickly froze, knowing his situation for what it was.

With her forearm, Laura put just enough pressure on his trachea to restrict, but not completely block, his ability to breathe. She leaned down and placed her mouth near Rhee’s ear, hissing in a voice dripping with fury. “The only reason you’re not dead yet is I wanted you to know it was me who killed you. You pissed off the wrong bitch.”

She looked over then and saw Rafael, bloody and shivering but alive, where he lay on the dirty, straw-strewn floor with his hands behind him.

“You can’t shoot me. You’re a cop.” Rhee’s effort to sound cool and amused was belied by the shake in his voice.

“Oh, but I can,” she cooed nastily, turning back to him. “See, that’s the other thing you did wrong. That guy?” She indicated Rafael. “He has lots of friends. Lawyers, judges, cops… all with one thing in common. They hate your ass. You’ve provided me with the perfect witness. When he and I say you got killed trying to resist?” She leaned even closer and whispered, “How many questions do you really think they’re gonna ask?”

She knew she had him when he didn’t respond or move.

“So you got one chance. One -” She jerked her forearm roughly across his throat. “Of walking out of here. And that’s to do exactly what I tell you, and nothing else. You speak, you surprise me, you piss me off in any way and they’ll be scraping you off that wall. And you know what I’ll do then? I’ll go out for drinks with half the cops and lawyers in the city and we’ll laugh and drink to your demise. Nod if you understand.”

He hesitated, but eventually nodded slightly. He looked livid.

“Excellent.” Without looking away from Rhee, Laura called out, “Rafael, puedes andar[1]?”

“No. Estoy esposado.[2]”

“Cómo?[3]”

“I’m cuffed,” he said in English.

“Did you just say you’re engaged?”

“It means handcuffed, too. It’s not a pun in Spanish. Just… can we talk about this later?”

She leaned in to Rhee again, and her voice completely changed, back to the hate-filled growl she had been using on him. “Oh, bitch. At this moment, I want you dead almost exactly as much as I want to see you die in prison. Please do something stupid, I beg you.”

Rhee said nothing, just knelt seething with her arm across his throat and her gun to his head.

“You’re gonna very, very slowly put your hands behind your back. Fuck up. Please fuck up.”

She took her arm from around his throat and moved slightly back, reaching behind her to pull her handcuffs from the back of her slacks. Rhee hesitantly, shakily put his hands behind him and allowed her to cuff him. When she’d done that, she raised her arm and knocked him unconscious with the butt of her Glock. What the hell. I’m already out of a job.

Laura saw Olivia enter the stable just as she stood up to go to Rafael. Which meant Olivia had seen Laura pistol whip Rhee when he was already cuffed.

Laura quickly released Rafael from the handcuffs and helped him sit up, groaning and trying to move his excruciatingly stiff shoulders. She put her hands on his forearms, looking into his bruised, cut face. His right eye was fairly well swollen shut and she could see the white was stained with blood.

“How bad are you hurt?” She asked, reaching up to touch his face, half to examine his wounds, and half simply to be touching him. He put his hands on her waist, trying to comfort her even though he was the one injured.

“You know something?” He asked, his voice hoarse and ragged. “And I mean this in the best possible way. You’re a scary bitch.”

Laura actually laughed at that. “You just noticing that?”

She put her arms gently around him and tried to hold him without hurting him. He grunted a little, but held her close for a moment. She lightly kissed his split lip as they heard Olivia radio the all clear, notifying the team that the suspect was in custody and the scene secured. Olivia also called for the medics to come immediately.

Leaning on the bars at the entrance to the cell as she holstered her weapon, Benson said, “The cavalry will be here in a minute. It’s good to see you alive, Rafa.”

“Thank you.” The depth of his gratitude was evident in his face as he looked up at her, and in the fact that he didn’t bother to add any sarcastic commentary.

Olivia went to check on Rhee, who was beginning to make noises as he returned to consciousness, giving Laura and Rafael privacy as they waited on the floor for the few moments it took for the team to arrive. They simply sat, close together, foreheads touching, occasionally kissing softly.

“You knew I was coming, right?” Laura whispered, smoothing down a lock of his hair.

“I knew.”

“You really do have a lot of friends, you know. Every second, half the NYPD and most of the D.A.’s office were trying to find you.”

He didn’t answer. He seemed too emotional to try.

She had very little control of the emotion in her own voice as she whispered thickly, “Te amo, Rafael. Tanto[4].”

“Me di cuenta que[5].”

“I should’ve told you a long time ago. When I thought you were going to die without knowing…”

“I knew. Shhh… I knew.”

Although there were a few looks between those who were surprised to see Parker kissing and holding hands with Barba, the cops were in full-on business mode. Gossip could wait. Fin and Rollins pulled Rhee roughly to his feet and began escorting him out.

“Hey, I want to make a complaint. That bitch threatened to shoot me in cold blood, and then she cold-cocked me!” He whined.

“My girl,” Fin said, smiling over at Laura. “Now shut up before I kick your ass in cold blood and knock you out again.”

As the paramedics tended to Rafael, Laura stood just outside the cell next to Olivia. She knew what was coming, and she appreciated Olivia’s willingness to wait to fire her until Rafael was safely on his way to the hospital.

“That was really stupid of Rhee, coming at you like that.”

Laura blinked her attention away from Rafael. “What?”

“After you cuffed him. When he tried to rush you and you had to knock him out.”

Laura gaped. “It was, um…”

“I know what it was. I saw it when I came in. Remember?”

The tears that Laura had ruthlessly squashed down pooled in her eyes. “I remember. Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“We’re gonna talk about this again. But let me handle Dodds. You go to the hospital with Barba.”

Laura left tears and the last of her makeup on Olivia’s bulletproof vest as she hugged her with all the relief and gratitude she felt.

*******

Late the next morning, as she sat next to Rafael on his hospital bed with her legs tucked under her, Laura traced the line of a cut across his arm where the whip had laid his skin open. Fortunately, it was one of only a few, but it was going to leave a scar.

“I have so much to say to you,” she began. “But I know you’re tired. We’ll talk about it later. Just… I love you.”

“So you said.”

“I meant it.”

“I know.” Rafael’s eyes twinkled as he smiled the teasing, pleased smile that belonged only to her.

Laura smiled the first real smile since Rafael had been abducted.

[1] Can you walk?

[2] I’m handcuffed.

[3] What?

[4] I love you, Rafael. So much.

[5] I noticed that.

#law & order svu #law & order: special victims unit #rafael barba #raul esparza #olivia benson #peter stone #sonny carisi #fin tutuola #amanda rollins #Law & Order Jack McCoy

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