Twenty One.

                                    

                                          
Olivia's POV. 
                          
Today has quite possibly been the worst day of my life. 
                          
I woke up to find Amanda had already gone to work, and I spent most of the day fighting temptation to go and join her. I'd wished this was all a bad dream, but my baby was still gone. 
                          
I scrubbed Amanda's apartment from top to bottom in a bid to silence my racing thoughts. The smell of bleach wafted around me as I resisted the urge to cry. 
                          
At 7pm, Amanda strolled through the door, sighing, and tossing her keys onto the countertop. I continued to pace up and down the living room, my thoughts starting to take over now there was no distraction. 
                          
"Oh, wow. You cleaned up." Amanda said, as she regarded the apartment. "Thanks, Liv." 
                          
"I needed to do something. I can't stop thinking about all the horrible things that could be happening to Sky." I stated, my feet aching like I'd walked on fire plates.
                          
"Did you find anything?" I asked, my heart speeding up with anticipation. 
                          
"Liv..." Amanda started. "I don't think you wanna know."
                          
"Amanda, please. You know I would tell you." I said, desperate to hear any news, any at all, even if it was bad. 
                          
I thought Amanda would turn around and point blank refuse to talk to me. But to my surprise, she sat down on the couch, and I perched next to her.
                          
"Liv. Someone installed a camera into Sky's air vent. They'd been watching her. We've sent it off for fingerprints, and tech is going to see what footage is on there." 
                          
I started to jiggle my leg as my stress levels surged through the roof. 
                          
"I'm also convinced she sex traffickers took her. I think the ones we've been investigating." Amanda continued, as she squeezed my shoulder in support. 
                          
"Do you think she's dead?" I asked, as sweat started to drip down my neck. 
                          
"No, but I do think they took her because we've been investigating them." 
                          
I stood up, but my legs trembled and I collapsed to the floor, my eyes burning with tears, Sky's echoing voice reverberated around me. 
                          
*Help me, Mommy. Please help me. *
                          
I put my hands over my ears to block out the screaming, and I crawled over to the bathroom. 
                          
"Liv, are you okay?" Amanda yelled. "Liv, Liv!!!!"
                          
I ignored her, and slammed the door behind me. I clicked the lock shut and curled up into a ball. I thought my brain would explode like a firework on New Years Eve. 
                          
Amanda knocked on the door, begging me to come out and talk to her. 
                          
"Go away." I sobbed. "Please leave me alone." 
                          
I heard Amanda exhale and mutter something, but she walked away without another word. A few minutes later, I heard her bedroom door slam. I pulled my knees up to my chest and started to sob. I've tried to keep it together, but I knew my mask wouldn't last much longer. I would never forgive myself if Sky didn't make it home. , 
                          
                           *************
I woke up on the bathroom floor. My legs sprawled out before me, my neck stiff, and my bones aching from spending the night on the floor. 
                          
I didn't mean to lose my shit at Amanda last night. I knew she was doing everything possible to find Sky. 
                          
I stood up, stumbling to one side as I gathered my bearings. I stared at myself in the mirror, and I didn't even look like me. I looked like a ghost, my eyes swollen and red. 
                          
I turned the tap on, splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth. I refused to sit around any longer. I was going to help find my daughter and no one could stop me. 
                          
I drove to the station like I had a mission to complete. And in a way, I did. Somewhere, my daughter remained in trouble and she needed me. I would stop this son of a bitch from hurting anyone else, ever again. 
                          
I arrived at the station at 10.30am. As I made my way to the squad room, I knew everyone had their eyes on me. I ignored them, even though the urge to yell at them grew in my throat. 
                          
I took the elevator, and as I walked into the squad room, I caught the video everyone had their eyes on. For the first time, I laid my eyes on the disgusting bastard who had taken my baby girl. Finn spotted me and a look of shock grew on his face. He turned off the video so I wouldn't see it. 
                          
"Put it back on." I said.  
                          
Finn and Amanda looked at each other, neither of them seemed to know what to do. 
                          
"Liv... You don't wanna see it. You shouldn't even be here." Amanda said carefully, like I might bite her head off at any given moment. 
                          
"Well, I'm here. I can't be a sitting duck at home anymore. Put it back on." I said.  
                          
Amanda looked at Finn and nodded, he bit his lip but didn't disagree, then he turned the video back on. 
                          
The man appeared back on the screen, his eyes blacked out and a smirk plastered across his face. 
                          
"My name is Peter." He said. "Detective Olivia Benson, I have your daughter. If you don't stop investigating me and back the fuck off right now. I will kill your precious baby girl."
                          
The screen then flashed from Peter's face to a tiny cell. 2 girls appeared, seated on a mattress. On the right, was Sky. Except it didn't look like my daughter, it looked like all the life had drained out of her. My poor defenseless child. Peter appeared back on the screen, he tapped his watch and then the video ended. 
                          
I stood there, emotions coursing through my body, anger bubbling in my abdomen. I let out a cry that sounded more like a dying animal than a human being. 
                          
My legs gave way, and I collapsed to the floor. Finn caught me just in time and helped me onto a chair. 
                          
"We will find her, Liv." Finn said, although he didn't sound convinced. 
                          
I looked up at him and threw my arms around his neck. Finn seemed taken aback, but he comforted me anyway. 
                          
I couldn't believe I had such an amazing team and friendship circle. If I didn't have them, I would have fallen apart completely.
                          
I released Finn and he gave me an awkward nod. Everything hurt, and I'd never feared losing something this much before. 
                          
"Thank you." I mumbled, the panic in my chest beginning to subside. "Please find my daughter." 
                          
"We will." Amanda said, confidently. "I promise."