Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Law and Order: SVU that may be mentioned in the following story.

Author's Note: This is my first SVU fanfic, so please do not massacre me. I tried my best.

You never planned your life this way. Somehow, though, you know you should have seen this coming. After all, it is your own fault that you are now here.

It doesn't always take a life-threatening situation to make people realize exactly how much you care about someone, and one day, you suddenly discovered how much you really loved your partner. Slowly, a secret relationship formed, and the two of you thrived on the thrill of keeping your secret from everyone else, trusting one another with everything. At the time, it seemed that your life couldn't get any better, that things were finally falling into place for you.

Unfortunately, people never truly change, and you began to keep secrets from one another, choosing to run away rather than accept the comfort of love. Fear crept in unnoticed, and you began to cling jealously to your partner, terrified that at any second, you could lose what you cherished so much; yet, in the end, your fear drove your love away.

Anger flourished, inviting in rage, as you turned on each other, flinging barbed words full of hate that dug too deeply to be healed by tender words. Your inability to keep your job from following you home made you retreat even further into yourself, viciously attacking the only one who tried to help you.

Now, you only try to dull the pain, desperate for relief from the memories and the guilt that plague you day and night. Some may say that fate never intended for the two of you to be together, but you know that your own choices tore you apart. You wish for a second chance, then realize that even given one, you would do the exact same thing, no matter what your intentions. You chose your path long ago, and now, you can only sit and watch as your world crumbles into dust, leaving you broken and alone.