Objection | SVU

Chapter 32

[A/N: Hey everyone, so I think I'm going to end this story at around Chapter 40 or 45. My ideal goal would be to have it all finished by Christmas, but I leave Australia in 6 days and I have a lot of things to deal with when I get home, plus I'll be getting over some crazy jet lag. Thank you for bearing with me and for being patient, I really appreciate it! Also, if you get a chance, you should take a look at the two Harry Potter stories I've started, called Veritaserum and The Sacred Twenty-Eight. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!]

I arrived home and heard Rafael in our bedroom, and I walked in and said, "Hey, how was your day?" He turned around and smiled at me, and replied, "I actually had a really good day, cariño. Thanks for asking. How was yours?" I smiled back at him and replied, "It was great. I had a great day." Rafael was beaming at me, and we were both smiling like idiots. He enveloped me in a hug and kissed my cheek, saying, "I love you, cariño." I replied, "I love you too, Rafi."

We got ready to go out for dinner, and I was wearing a blue dress that went down to just above my knees with a pair of wedges and my hair in its natural curls. Rafael was wearing a suit, which I was used to. As we went out to his car, he held my hand and said, "You're beautiful, Jess." I blushed shyly and we got into his car.

We arrived at the restaurant that Rafael had chosen around 20 minutes later, and we were seated quickly. I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea, and Rafael ordered a scotch. As we waited for our drinks, I said, "Rafi, I have some good news to tell you."

His eyes were immediately on me, waiting excitedly for the good news. I nervously said, "I got a call back from the Nassau County DA's Office... They offered me the job." 

I carefully watched Rafael's facial expressions as they shifted from curiosity to pure happiness. I felt the breath I didn't know I was holding in escape me, and Rafael replied, "Jess, that's fantastic news! Congratulations!" I smiled widely at him, and our drinks were brought out to us. Rafael raised his scotch and said, "To you, and your new journey as a lawyer."

Just as Rafael and I were finishing up at dinner, my phone began to buzz. "You've got to be kidding me..." I mumbled as I grabbed my phone and saw that it was Fin. I locked my phone and ignored the call, and Rafael asked, "Everything okay?" I replied, "Yeah, it can probably wait until tomorrow-" My phone rang again, and it was Fin. "I don't think it can... Just take it," Rafael said, knowing that it was probably urgent.

I answered the phone and annoyingly said, "Mitchell." When I heard what Fin was telling me on the other side of the phone, I nearly dropped it. My eyes grew wide and I felt my breathing stop for a moment. "Yeah, I'm on my way. I'll bring him," I said, my tone of voice suddenly grave and serious. I hung up, and before Rafael could ask any questions, I said, "Something big just happened with that FBI case... They need all hands on deck, including you."

*

We all met at the precinct, and I saw Finnigan, but no Thompson. I suddenly realised the magnitude of this situation and I was pretty sure that I knew what the big news on this case was. Rafael and I walked into the briefing room, and I saw Fin, Rollins, and Carisi, but no Liv. "Where's Liv?" I asked, getting slightly worried. Fin replied softly, "She went to follow up on a lead on the case, and she's in a hostage situation with Thompson... He's the perp of your FBI case." I turned to Finnigan and Carisi and said, "That makes sense. He was so withdrawn, not social, not willing to help build the case, and the timeline all adds up... Where do we thing that he has her?"

What Finnigan revealed next sent chills down my spine.

"He's in the FBI New York Field Office... It's in lockdown. He has it rigged with explosives and he said he's ready to let it blow unless you and Carisi come up to get Benson, and only you and Carisi."

My mind began to spin as I asked, "Do we have any way to contact him?" Finnigan replied, "He called me from his cell phone, but there's also the landline at the FBI Field Office." Rollins intervened and said, "Either of those could have a trigger to start a detonation." I realised that Rollins was right, and we'd have to wait for him to reach out to us again.

I turned to Finnigan and asked, "What do you have on Thompson? Where's his file?" Finnigan pulled up Thompson's file on the FBI employee database, and Fin and I took a closer look. Rafael was standing behind me, and he asked, "Should I let the DA know about this?" I turned around and replied, "Yeah, and let him know that one of our own is in there." Rafael nodded and went out into the bullpen to make the call, and Fin clutched my shoulder.

"It's Liv, Jess. She's strong. She'll be okay."

I clung to Fin's words as I looked frantically through the file on Thompson. "Ex-Navy Seal, honourable discharge... Top of his class at Quantico, skilled in anti-explosives and semi-automatic weapons..." I trailed off, reading the highlights of his file. A lightbulb went off in my head, and I turned to Finnigan and asked, "Are there any quirks or personality traits about Thompson you or the other agents have been able to pick out?"

Finnigan replied, "Now that you mention it, yeah..." As we talked about Thompson's history, personality, and the likelihood of casualties on this raid and the hostage situation, Rafael came back inside and said, "I just spoke with the DA, he said he's ready to offer any services that he can. He also said that he got intel that the FBI Field Office is surrounded by SWAT and Special Ops Agents."

I thanked Rafael, and we began to draw out our game plan.

About half a hour into coming up with a plan, Finnigan's phone rang. As soon as he saw the caller ID, he silenced everyone and beckoned me and Carisi to the phone. He answered it, and I heard the chilling voice of Thompson say, "Hello, Finnigan... I trust you have Carisi and Mitchell with you?" Finnigan replied, "Yes, I do..." 

Thompson began, "Carisi and Mitchell, I speak directly to you. If you want your Captain back alive, you'll come to the FBI Field Office, unarmed and alone. I know that I'm surrounded by snipers and SWAT buffoons, but they can't harm me unless they infiltrate the building... And I have access to all of the security cameras in the building. So, Carisi and Mitchell, if you choose to come and save your Captain, I expect you here no later than midnight."

Before he could hang up, I said, "Thompson, we need proof of life. Let us hear Benson." I held my breath, like everyone else in the room, as the silence consumed us. I heard some rustling around, and I heard Liv's voice say, "Carisi, Mitchell, I'm all right..." Suddenly, Thompson returned, saying, "That's all you get. You have until midnight."

The line went dead, and I looked over at Carisi in shock. We both knew what we had to do.