Elliot Stabler pushed threw the crowd, knocking over anyone in his way.

" Why wasn't I told?!?!" Elliot exclaimed, getting in Cragen's face.

Cragen, frowned, displeased.

" Elliot relax," he tried to calm him.

" I can't relax, damnit! I want to know right now why the HELL I wasn't informed the SECOND this went down!" Elliot screamed, but his superior had had enough.

" Stabler you better watch it, or your ass is going to be suspended. The way you two left off, I wasn't sure it was a good idea to tell you anyways!" Cragen spat.

Elliot took a deep breath.

" Fine," was all he said, and he turned, continuing to push through the crowd.

This time, he didn't knock anyone over.

Elliot was feeling a little numb, so he sat down for a second on the bench. The constant sirens were hurting his ears, and the flashes of light from the police cars were nearly blinding him.

Everything seemed blended together, the huge crowd of civilians, the police; there had to be someone he could talk to. He stood up again, searching for a familiar face. He felt his knees buckling under him, and he was about to fall to the dirty, New York pavement, before a pair of firm hands caught him.

" Be careful, man you're gonna hurt yo self," Fin picked him up, and patted him on the shoulder. " This is pretty fucked up right?"

Elliot nodded, and tried to smile, the icy wind whipping his face. The cold seemed to freeze his ears, but at the moment, that was the least of his concerns.

Munch strolled up behind Elliot, and put a comforting arm around his shoulder.

" Now it's a party!" Munch exclaimed.

" Yeah it just wasn't the same with out you," Fin replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

" So what's the deal, who's the perp?" Elliot questioned, sliding away from Munch's grasp.

" No one's entirely sure yet, that seems convenient, considering they've had an hour to figure the damn thing out," Munch rolled his eyes.

" Yeah, an hour that I wasted sitting on my ass watching reruns of Full House with my daughter!" Elliot snapped, not sure who he was directing it at.

Munch looked at Fin.

" Hey man, cap said it would be to much for you right now, with the divorce an everything. He was lookin' out for you," Fin tried to explain Cragen's thinking to him.

Elliot sighed and buried his head in his hands. The pit in his stomach was growing larger by the second, and he knew the only thing that would be able to comfort him.

He looked straight ahead, and saw the yellow " Police Line Do Not Cross" tape, which burned his eyes almost more than the police lights.

Looking up, he saw the building. Looking higher he thought he could make out her face. The perp had his gun pressed firmly against her temple, and he could have sworn he saw her eyes flicker down, and catch his. Probably just his imagination.

This is all my fault, he thought in despair. He hadn't quite figured out how yet, but he would find a way to blame himself.

Hold on Liv, I'm gonna make this right. And with one last look at his partner on the balcony on the 13th floor of a tall building a few blocks for Time Square, he set off to save her.