Captain Olivia Benson had only ever been in hell once before— twice if you count her night undercover in the women's prison. But this was different. This was worse. She'd seen the Devil himself— his fiendish hazel eyes, his evil smirk used to win over innocent victims, and his sadistic, thirst for blood. She'd escaped Satan's clutches the first time, but just barely. It'd taken all of her strength and all of her courage to rid herself of the demon and his intent for murder. And, for a brief while, she'd started to feel like herself again; she'd started to believe she was going to be ok. Then, in the middle of her recovery, He returned. No warning, nothing to prepare herself with. William Lewis was back— he was back for Olivia.
She had a plan. Benson had created a battle strategy in her head, one that she couldn't reveal to anyone, not even her partner. For, if she told a soul of her arrangement, she had no doubt they'd all be held responsible for her choice. Because, as much as hated to go behind her squad's back, this was precisely that: Her choice.
Somewhere between finding Amelia held up by rope around her wrists and getting tied onto a metal table, Olivia's plans had gone horribly awry. She felt the Devil's hands on her body, violent and repugnant. He forced his lips upon hers and jerked her neck for a better reach. Yet somehow, as sick as she was, as tired as she was, she never gave in. Olivia never fed into Lewis's twisted games and she could tell it was aggravating him. But then, the unexpected happened— the unforeseen: Lewis raised the stakes even higher. A round of Russian Roulette was underway, and Olivia had no other option but to participate. She instructed the girl to look away, always putting others first, no matter what the situation may have been.
Five times the gun should have fired, and five times she and Lewis had gotten lucky. They were on the sixth bullet. Every time the steel mouth of the pistol touched her flesh, Olivia said a prayer. And every time her finger touched the trigger, she saw another memory of her short, but long-lived existence flash before her. Lewis with his knowing smile, taunting her, would forever be engrained in her conscience. It was his last turn, but Olivia knew he was smarter than to use the remaining shard of ammunition on himself. She braced herself for the shot to pierce through her, her entire body shaking, sweating profusely. Lewis grabbed her cheeks, not to steady her, but to force her to watch. After all this was his endgame and he wanted an audience.
She gaped up at his ugly grimace, cringing at the crescent-shaped scar she'd bestowed upon him almost a year before. She saw the empty gaze in his eyes, the surrender, as he lifted the gun to his own head. No more than five seconds passed before Lewis killed himself, his blood splattered onto Olivia's face and clothing, his lifeless form crumpled to the floor. Amelia screamed, Olivia screamed, and footsteps came barging into the dilapidated room.
Her ears ringing from the shot, Olivia only watched as men and women in black uniforms stormed their shelter, lead by Amaro and Rollins. Lieutenant Murphy followed closely behind, already giving orders. Within moments, Nick was carrying his partner away from the crime scene, supporting her down the stairs, shielding her from the outside world, and towards their state cars. Olivia had already gone into shock; her mouth was open, but she wasn't saying anything, her heart was racing a mile a millisecond, and she was dripping buckets of ice. Everything around her was moving in slow motion, except for herself.
But that's when she saw him; waiting for her with the door open, baby-blue button down, sleeves rolled up, loosened tie, receding hairline and exposed tattoo on his forearm. The familiar vein pulsating in his temple and his brows furrowed, Elliot Stabler stood before Olivia Benson with an outstretched arm, careful not to make any abrupt contact. He'd seen enough in his years to know what not to do with a victim— he hated to see his old partner as such. He could tell by her gently moving lips that she was more than confused. Stepping aside and giving her room to get in the back seat, he nodded to Amaro in acknowledgment. It'd taken everything he had inside of him not to charge through the building with the rest of the squad; he no longer had a badge, meaning he couldn't have. When Olivia fell into Elliot's hold, he didn't protest. "Come on, Liv, let's take a little trip."
The car ride was a blur. Arriving to the hospital was a blur. Hell, getting examined was a blur. Olivia hadn't said anything in over two hours. She'd gotten the blood washed from her being and even received a fresh pair of clothes from Amanda, who had made a quick stop at Olivia's apartment with Finn. Amaro hovered outside of the room and paced back and forth like a nervous wreck among the three guards appointed to Olivia. All the while, Stabler was the one at the woman's bedside, clenching his jaw and resting the urge to a punch a hole in the wall. She'd fallen asleep after the IV was inserted, but only after given a sedative. It wasn't so much that she was getting belligerent, but more, she was hyperventilating and loosing her touch on reality.
Another long while passed with Olivia sleeping on the thin hospital mattress. In the jeans and the long-sleeve shirt that had been delivered, Stabler had pulled the covers up to her chin and said a quick, but meaningful prayer for her before going into the hall for some air. The pristine, while tiles blinded him and the fluorescent lights weren't making it any better. Elliot had always detested these places; people die in hospitals, and death was something he couldn't stomach. Given his prior job, one would have assumed he'd have gotten used to it.
Everyone was there, clustered together in a blob: Finn, Rollins and Amaro, who were still in their kevlar vests, Cassidy, even Cragen and Munch in his signature black suit. They all looked ragged with worry, as if they hadn't gone anywhere, not even to get some food. In his time away from the unit, Elliot had missed this kind of solidarity, and it was clear to him that the newbies were doing just fine— especially that Amaro guy. It was evident that he cared about Olivia, which mattered a great deal to Elliot. And Olivia must've cared about Amaro if she didn't let him in on her secret; she didn't want him to get dragged down with her.
"How is she?" Brian asked hurriedly, his forehead glistening with perspiration. He'd gotten there as soon as he could and was more than a little disappointed when he saw Elliot with Olivia, when it should've been him.
"What's the deal, man?" Finn questioned on the tips of Cassidy's inquiry, his lisp never more apparent.
"Has she said anything?" Rollins wanted to know, her blonde hair swayed from side-to-side. At Elliot's taken aback posture, she corrected her own. "Detective Amanda Rollins," she introduced brusquely, broad-shouldered. The older guy shook her hand, though never letting down his defenses. "Benson?" she pushed, redirecting his attention.
Elliot ran a hand over his neck and glanced at the stone-faced SWAT members lined against the walls. They may not have known Olivia the way the team did, but Elliot knew she wouldn't want her business just flung around casually— no matter who was in ear-shot. "Hey fellas, we're all here. I think she's good," he said to the men in uniform.
"Sorry. Our orders were to keep surveillance until the Lieutenant gets back," the lead helmet replied coldly. None of them moved from their posts, not even by a centimeter.
Cragen put a hand on Elliot's shoulder, sensing the man's budding anger. Completely bald now, the former captain motioned for them to convene in the corner. All seven of them shuffled to the empty space between food carts, still in that sluggish clump. Looking up, Elliot felt the heat of everyone's gazes upon him, begging for the slightest bit of information. "Doc said she's stable and that they're keeping her here overnight for observation. She's hooked up to some fluids to get her hydrated again. They said shock can do that."
Munch scoffed, "According to them. These doctors, they just want the money. I betcha she could've gone home hours ago."
"Whatever the case," Cragen intervened, always the voice of reason, "she's safe here, with all of us."
Several folks nodded in agreement, but Elliot wasn't so easily assuaged. "Is he dead? That son-of-a-bitch really did it?" Rollins and Amaro exchanged an awkward glance, both of whom were unsure how to answer. Stabler waved it off, then, and shook his head. "Forget it. I don't have authority. They just better be sure he's actually dead because I swear to—"
"Elliot," Cragen shushed.
A moment of silence fell over the group, one in which they all thought about Olivia. It was surreal for all of them to be in the same place at the same time— the old and new. Elliot had been the first one to leave, followed by Munch and the Captain. But since resigning, Stabler never forgot about Olivia, not once. He'd hoped to visit her soon, but not like this. Not ever like this.
A nurse who had slipped into Olivia's room while the group conversed came out in her purple scrubs and butterfly barrettes. "Elliot? Elliot Stabler?" However old she was, she had an unnaturally high tone.
"Yeah?" he shoved through the mob quickly and stood at attention.
The medical personnel, whose name tag read "Kylie," smiled gently. "She's awake. She's asking for you." Elliot peered over at Cassidy, who looked let down, but not angry. The younger man nodded for Elliot to go ahead.
Her eyes were open, she was sitting upright, and she was fiddling with the plastic tube connected to her arm; a rhythmic beeping emanated from the machines signaling her steady heart rate. Closing the door behind him, the macho man swaggered over to the brunette. "Elliot!" she exhaled, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks. Open for a hug, he leaned down and obliged cautiously. "You're really back." In her foggy state, Olivia feared that it had all been a dream. But here he was, Detective Stabler in the flesh.
Releasing each other, Elliot fell back into the hard chair and searched the woman's features. "It's not fair," he commented. "I'm getting older and you're getting younger." Through her sporadic cries, Olivia laughed softly. However, soon afterwards, the events of the last 36 hours replayed in her mind like a horror movies and she was paralyzed once again. Her breathing became shallow and uneven, her torso started to tremble, and her vision started to blur. "Slow it down, Liv. Come on, in and out." Alway quick on his feet, Elliot ran a towel under cold water and nudged Olivia gently until her back was against the bed; he pressed the damp material against her exposed skin and sat in front of her. He was going to let her make the first move; if she wanted human contact, then she would initiate it.
Slowly but surely, Olivia's pulse evened out. She took the cloth from Elliot and played with it in her, her bottom lip quivering. She never needed anyone to take care of her before, she didn't want to start now, not in front of Elliot. They'd seen each other through some low times, but this… this was the lowest of the low. "When'd you get in?" she asked quietly, never meeting his eyes.
"This morning. Finn broke the rules and called," Elliot said, though it wasn't the complete truth. Olivia could tell he was holding back. She noted the way he pursued his lips together, the way he usually did when he lied. "Hopped the first bus I could." Silently pleading for forgiveness, he picked back up. "Liv, I'm sorry I wasn't here before. I wanted to be, I swear to God," he never used the Lord's name in vain. "You know I would've if I could have."
Sitting nearly frozen-like, the dedicated officer blinked only once. "Who's out there?" she asked, making a slight gesture towards the door.
"Who isn't out here?" Elliot chuckled. "We're just missing Huang and our ADA."
"Which one?" Olivia half-heartedly jested.
"All of them," the devout Catholic replied.
"Brian… is he…?"
"Yeah. Want me to get him?"
Olivia peered down in shame. "Not yet. I…" Elliot lifted himself up and transported to the plastic seat with a strained sigh. It was weird, for as long as he'd been gone, in that moment, it felt as if she'd never left at all. He looked just as he always had, save a few a couple of gray hairs and a larger stomach. Other than that, though, Stabler really hadn't aged a bit. After so many times of being in his position, Olivia was now on the other side— she hated it. She hated the pity she sensed radiating from him and those outside the door. She hated being the object of so much consideration. "I need to get out, El. You know I don't belong here. I need to go home."
"You will, in the morning."
"No," Olivia said sharply. "I need to go. Now."
"Ok," Elliot conceded as he stood up again. He took the towel and freshened up the temperature before giving it back to Olivia. "Sit tight. I'll see what I can do."
One corner of the woman's mouth curved upward in gratitude and before Elliot had completed disappeared, Olivia stopped him. "El," she rasped. Stabler craned his neck slightly in anticipation. "Thanks."
Elliot winked at his friend. "Partners for life, right?"
Although Elliot didn't have any leverage anymore, the rest of the squad sure as hell did. When Murphy arrived in the heavily guarded wing, he was ambushed by the team, each member petitioning to get Olivia home. It turns out, Murphy had spoken with the doctor earlier and asked that they keep Benson through the night to ensure her own safety. Munch had been partially correct.
"Not a chance," the bearded man refused, walkie talkie on his belt loop. "Lewis may be gone, but the media's waiting for a press release and you know they won't hesitate to attack the moment they see her."
"How could they with all of us surrounding her?" Finn grunted, his arms crossed defensively. "Come on, no one's gonna try anything if we're there."
"You can't know that," Murphy countered.
Elliot curled his fists at his sides and concentrated on keeping his temper controlled. "Look, Olivia wants to be at her own place, and when she wants something, she eventually gets it. Now, you can either help us, or get out of our way."
Unfazed by his new adversary, Murphy took one step closer to Elliot; very few had done that in the past and had survived without injury to tell the tale. "No, you look, Mr. Stabler. You may have played a role here before, but things change. Rules solidify and security gets tighter. There's no room for careless mistakes. As of right now, Benson is not a sergeant or a captain, she's not even a detective. She's a witness to kidnapping and a suspect in the death of William Lewis. She's also on mandatory leave, effective immediately."
"Suspect?" Rollins scoffed. "What— are you arresting her?" At Murphy's silence, Amanda bared her fangs. "That's bull! You know she didn't do it!"
"She was battered," Amaro chimed, the velcro of his vest splitting as he jutted his chest out. "She was hardly moving when we got to her."
"Olivia couldn'ta done it," Finn reasoned.
"You can't just kick her outta the division," Brian snarled.
Shutting the conversation down before it turned into a full-blown debate, Murphy waved his arms in the air. "It doesn't matter what you all believe or what you think, especially not after that stunt she pulled. Giving a live confession doesn't exactly earn you brownie points for trust." Scanning the small crowd, the scruffy fellow spoke with just a hint of sympathy. "Olivia Benson isn't going anywhere. Not tonight."
As if on cue, everyone turned and gawked at the woman standing in the doorframe, gripping onto the metal pole she was connected to; the wheel had caught on the small metal ramp and rattled through the corridor. This was her worst fear come to life: Olivia was officially a victim of her own unit.
A/N - Hey, there! So, to my usual followers, I know that this is very different from what I usually write. I've been wanting to branch out for a while, try my hand at fics for other shows. And then viola, I came up with something for SVU. I hope you liked this chapter! How believable it is, well that's up to you all. As of now, I'm planning for this to be a chapter story, as there are many things I'd like to include here. Also, welcome to my new readers. As I said, this is just the beginning! I hope you stick around to see what happens next!