Stabler tells his therapist he feels like he's betraying the dirty cops. It's because of his dad, who has been dead 30 years. His dad was a decorated cop who gave him the cross when he became a cop too. That was the first time his dad was proud of him. His therapist thinks obeying the law is part of the code and Stabler's dad would be proud of him.

 A woman gets a call saying don't come down from the Marcy Killers. She tries to get a woman out of Rikers and gives the cop  on duty a business card. She's buzzed through. (What was that?)

The woman takes her client home and tells her she's doing the right thing and she thinks her client should stay off the streets. She gives her some money. The woman seems scared to talk to her. Beth walks her inside but a gunman is waiting for them at the door and shoots them both dead...

Jett has upgraded Stabler's special burner phone as he preps for going back undercover. Brewster tells them about Beth and Angelica's murder. Bell knows Beth. The case may be connected to the Marcy Killers. Beth had received a call from Hugo.

Hugo meets Nova and fills her in. He says he has an alibi but his cousin has a record. Two cop cars pull up and Nova sends Hugo away before leaving herself. The cops nod at her as they come in.

Stabler goes to a new precinct where other cops don't want to talk to him but the desk sergeant seems to like him and invites him to play cards at McHunchins.

A co-worker says Bonnie spent a year getting Angelica's trust. She doesn't know if Angelica was being trafficked. She doesn't know anything about the Marcy Killers.

Stabler meets a new sergeant who warns him he'd better be on his best behavior and puts him on desk duty with about a thousand folders of paperwork to get through

Donnelley comes in and banters with Stabler who says a cop without a gun is dead weight. He doesn't think it's a good idea to go with Donnelly but Donnelly poo poos something. Donnelley  uses illicit tactics to get the bad guys. He also sells drugs on the street and uses CIs to facilitate drug sales. He doesn't run girls. Stabler questions him and Donnelley is onto him but Stabler covers. He give shim fake credentials.

Nova returns and tells Bell Hugo is innocent but doesn't trust the cops.  Nova and Bell have words when Nova insists Webb wouldn't traffic girls. Nova thinks Bell thinks too much like a cop and Bell thinks Nova thinks too much like a gangster.

The cops talk to a CI who says Angel worked for herself and there was this one guy who used to come around a lot. She describes him and says she has to go. The cops  make her give her phone number. She promises she's clean these days.

Donnelley shows Stabler a kid who deals drugs at the same time every night. They arrest two guys for no reason. Donnelley tries to get a kid to tell him where he gets the stuff from. He says they can seize his mom's property if the kid is arrested.

Elsewhere a MK makes a bunch of girls clean up a drug manufacturing area before the cops get here.

Stabler claims to have Donnelley's back despite having no weapon.  They break into an abandoned house and find the drug lab abandoned. Donnelley and Stabler find a ton of drugs that they bag up. There's a gunman lurking around a corner and Stabler shoots at him. Donnelley gets hit.

Stabler comes to see Donnelley in the hospital. Donnelley is fine and Stabler ribs him about his wound. Stabler thanks Donnelley for saving his life. He says the Sarge was asking questions. This isn't gonna blow over. He wants Stabler to move some guns with a guy named Van Aller and keep an eye on him.

Jett looks at security footage and runs plates. Stabler asks for her to look up Van Aller but he's clean. Hugo has been connected to the murders.

Stabler's new captain wants Stabler terminated for not staying on desk duty but the cops all applaud Stabler.

Leon Popov, the owner of the car, is arrested and says he doesn't know Angelica but they have pictures of her in his car. He doesn't remember the last time he saw her. Maybe a week ago. He says so fine me or whatever. Mondalnado infoms him that Angelica was killed. Turns out Val Aller used his car.

Van Aller picks Stabler up.

Nova calls. She'll tell them where Hugo is but she thinks they're wrong about him.

The cops search for Hugo at his home. They find him hidden inside a mattress and arrest him.

Van Aller writes down serial numbers despite nerve damage in his hands. He says they don't know Stabler's face so it's better STabler stays here. Van Aller goes and Stabler takes photos of handwritten pages.

Hugo says he and Bonnie were friends and he was helping her bring peace on the streets. He pretends not to know Webb. Hugo says he's being set up and that a cop took this gun from him last year. He called Bonnie to warn her about a cop who was running a prostitution scheme. Bonnie and Angelica were building a case against this cop. Bell says all the evidence points to Hugo so he needs to give a name.

Bell calls Stabler. Hugo has fingered Van Aller. Van Aller comes back and Stabler returns. All is well. Van Aller gets a call and seems upset  but says everything is fine.

Van Aller drops Stabler somewhere. Stabler gets back in the car and tries to get Van Aller to talk, saying he's his brother so Van Aller can trust him. Van Aller says no one can find out about this. Van Aller says the lawyer was causing a lot of trouble and found out about the Brotherhood. If IAB noses around they'll find it all out. Stabler says he has Van Aller's back and they should have a drink together. Van Aller says give me a minute to call my kids. Stabler says okay and goes in A woman greets him and asks if everything's okay. Stabler goes back out just in time to see Van Aller get shot.

Bell and Stabler talk. Val Aller was scared out of his mind. That was a dying man's confession. No reason for him to lie. Bell has passed on the info about trafficking to SVU. She asks if Stabler is okay. He says he's fine.

Nova and Hugo talk to Webb, who doesn't care about the cops, he cares that Hugo didn't tell him about his friendship with Bonnie. Is Hugo a Judas? Nova tells Hugo that she will talk to Webb but Hugo doesn't trust her.

Nova complains to Bell that now Webb doesn't trust her. Bell says she'll win him back. She cares about Nova.

Donnelley shows up at the bar. Stabler offers him a drink. They whisper about what happened.

Donnelley tells a story about how Stabler's father faked an injury to cover for another cop who was dirty and that's how he got that cross. Stabler drinks to them being like their dads.

The next day, Stabler is looking at the cross. His sergeant comes in and says TPTB want to give him back his gun. He warns him that he has the wrong kind of friends.