Daddy - An SVU fic

75. Back from the other side.

The realization of what Amanda had been implying suddenly hit Eugenia like a brick, though she gave no outward cues to let Amanda know this. She would admit to nothing until she knew exactly where this was going.

"Faking cancer??"

"You really wanna go this route?" Amanda said, smiling incredulously while trying to keep her voice down. "You were talking to Catherine and I heard you. You were talking about getting my babies away from me,"

Now Eugenia was worried. There's no way she could have heard that conversation; but then how does she know?

"In case you need reminding, I am their mother!"

"And Darrell was their father, Amanda. There are legacies to protect!"

"Legacies?" Amanda said, not believing her own ears. "I have agreed to everything you wanted- private schools, Jack and Jill, even the christening that your son didn't believe in, because I respect those legacies and I want them to grow up being part of them; I've never tried to shy them away from embracing their culture!"

"Yes, unfortunately in every way but the biggest one,"

"That's all that's important to you. Your son found someone who loved him beyond anyone or anything else in this world and it doesn't matter. I happen to be white; I can't change that! Even Darrell knew that you'd have a bad reaction to us so he tried hard to keep it light, we both did. But we fell in love. Why isn't that enough for you?"

"I-"

She cut Eugenia off when her office phone suddenly started to ring. "I have to take this, some of us have to work for a living." She said as she picked up the receiver and covered it. "See yourself out... Amanda Rollins..."

...

After yesterday, he was just completely worn out mentally. To already be worried sick about his fiance, only to be called on what may be her body, just for it not to be...

He'd spent the rest of the night trying to get in touch with Carolyn. He called all of her friends, he tried places he knew she would frequent, even tried her cabin upstate, but he couldn't pin her down anywhere. Now, standing out back in the alleyway, he stared at the cell phone in his hand. There was one last-ditch call he could make, and honestly he had been dreading it since last night.

"Just do it, Nick..." he said in his head. But it was evident why he was so hesitant. If they said that Carolyn had been missing work, then what? It seemed like he paced around that alley for hours, but in reality it was just a few minutes. Finally, he stopped and swallowed the lump of dread that had lodged itself in his throat and called her work.

He was heartbroken to hear, minutes later, that not only had Carolyn not been at work, but they had no idea that she'd even left. Apparently, they too had been calling her cell phone only to be met by voicemail that was met with no return calls.

Now he had no choice but to call her family.

"Did the fresh air help?" Fin asked as Nick appeared in the frame of his open office door.

"Nit really," he said quietly then came into the room. "I just told Carolyn's family that she's missing..."

"Nick, we don't know that yet,"

"I know it. I couldn't even leave her a message this morning. Her mailbox was full, which means she must be getting calls from everyone. Not to mention that her work had no clue that she was even taking a few personal days. Come on Fin, does that sound at all like Carolyn to you?"

"No." He admitted truthfully. Somberly. "Nick, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you-"

"There's no time to apologize. I already called the missing persons bureau, they're sending their detectives over to meet me. Her family is gonna be here later, I just want her found, and to be okay."