A/N: So this story is going to be kind of gory I suppose in some parts. Just a fair warning if you don't like that type of thing. I don't own SVU or any of the characters. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter and thank you to everyone who is liking it and commenting so far!

The first thing Liv saw when she woke was smoke and Ralph's dead body staring up at her, impaled on a tree limb that had cut its way through the body of the jet plane.

She was hung upside down, held only by the small seat belt she could feel her body slowly slipping out of. Her head was delirious, as well as her eyes and as she tried to focus in on her surroundings, the world moved in slow motion with it.

Smoke curled through the cabin in small, transparent clouds, along with the heavy scent of gasoline and fire, mingling with nature. The leaves of the branch fell to the roof of the plane, dancing through the air until they landed on a heap on top of the pilot's body. Liv gasped when she saw the man's body had nearly cut completely in half.

Liv grabbed for the arms rests of her chair and pulled on them, trying to keep her body from slipping completely out of the chair before she could find a way down. She looked around the entire cabin, trying to find a suitable way to maneuver herself down safely when she spotted Barba, passed out cold, still strapped to his chair and a blood dripping down his face from a cut that started from an eyebrow and ended near his hair line.

"Barba," she called out, voice raspy. It was the only word she could utter before her seat belt snapped unexpectedly and sent her hurtling towards the roof of the plane. It wasn't a far drop, but she landed in a heap on top of broken glass and she all but hissed in pain when the glass cut into her skin. She could feel the embedded fragments sink into the exposed flesh near her collar bone from the impact.

"Fuck," she murmured, immediately getting to her knees. She felt small droplets of blood run down her arm, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. She rubbed her ribs where her body had slammed into and stood on shaky legs. The cabin of the plane was small before, but it was even smaller now. The roof had been dented inward, making it impossible to stand.

Liv was hunched over, almost squatting as she stepped carefully across the plane roof, avoiding looking over at the dead body. The smell of iron from the blood draining was enough to make her want to vomit, other than the tailspin of events that had just happened.

She landed on her knees right in front of Barba and grabbed his suit jacket. Her hands curled around the fabric and shook him, pleading with him to wake up. It took a minute or two of shaking him and slapping his bloody face before he jerked awake and yelped in pain. His teeth ground together and he tensed up, groaning in what she could only think of to be pain.

"Barba," she said, grabbing his chin and breathing harshly, "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"My arm," he hissed through his teeth, eyes opening just a bit to look at her. They widened when he saw the glass still embedded in her skin. They widened even further when he saw the wreckage they were in.

"Can you move it?"

Liv snapped her fingers in his face when he didn't answer immediately, having found the dead body of their pilot impaled on the tree limb. His face grew a deadly pale and she only had a few seconds to move out of the way as he leaned forward and threw up in the spot she had just been sitting in. She moved to his side and held his neck as he emptied his stomach, her mind focused on getting him unstrapped and finding a way out of the plane.

He groaned, head between his legs and it gave her the opportunity to see out of the broken window where his head was covering just moments ago, seeing the thick black smoke curling into the air. Beyond that, she could only see wood and leaves. She wondered how high up in the trees they were, because it was going to be crucial knowledge in finding a way out of there.

"Liv," Barba gasped, he spit a couple of times and leaned back, eyes watery. He rubbed his mouth on the dirty sleeve of his suit jacket and looked at her with confused eyes. She rested her hand on his cheek, and wiped away some of the blood still dripping from the cut on his forehead.

"We need to move. We have to find a way out of here and get some help."

He nodded, hanging on her every word with startling clarity, "Can you move your arm?"

"Yeah," he nodded and moved it, but winced, "It just hurts when I do it. But, I can move it."

"Good," she said and reached down to his lap to undue the seatbelt, "Because we're probably going to have to climb."

Rafael looked unsure, but got out of the seat and ended up on his hands and knees, avoiding the mess he made on the dented ceiling floor. Liv looked around, trying to find an exit, but saw only one. There were only two emergency doors on the small plane, one had been completely smashed in and covered by Rafael's former seat. It would be impossible to move, since it was lodged in there completely. The only other exit that was even remotely possible for them to maneuver out of, was where Ralph's body was hanging on to.

Liv licked her lips, tasting blood and soot as she crawled forward. She had every intention of bypassing the dead body in favor of getting a better look of their only exit, but she froze when she felt the plane creak and slide. She heard Rafael's panicked gasp the moment it happened and just as she was about to turn and tell him everything was ok, the tree lurched forward, the cracking of the limbs it rested on breaking under the weight.

There world spun around them, throwing them every which way until the plane halted again, slamming into the earth as well as slamming their bodies into the plane ceiling once more.

Liv coughed and sputtered, trying to regain the wind that was knocked out of her, gasping for air as she tried to sit up again. She looked to her right, vision clearing as she saw the mini fridge that had been in the back of the plane, tipped over with the door open, revealing a few bottles of water still and a bottle of wine that had managed not to break in all of the tumbling.

Rafael, somewhere a few feet from her, cursed loudly, catching her attention. She rolled over and sat up, seeing him struggling to move the dead body of their pilot off of him with his injured arm. He looked panicked as he wildly tried to move the heavy body, that had sheared in half completely, off of him.

Liv crawled over to him as fast as she could, still disoriented, but clear enough that she was able to help push the body off of him completely with little help. Rafael sat up, catching his breath as well.

"Liv, you're bleeding," he said, voice shaky as he nodded towards her head. She reached up to feel the blood, but it was inconsequential, still. They weren't in the tree anymore, but they still needed to get out of there.

"We need to get out," she said and turned around, looking for anything they could take. The water had to be grabbed and she did spot a first aid kit strapped to the side of the plane still, managing to also stay intact through everything. There was a yellow box below it, and she had to guess that it was full of supplies they could potentially need.

"Rafael," she reached behind her and grabbed his suit jacket, "I need you to grab the water in the fridge over there. Grab as many as you can."

He nodded, taking deep breaths, his eyes focused on the blood and whatever else was covering his clothing that had transferred from the body that landed on him. He hissed in pain when he used his arm, but he did as she told him while she crawled towards the first aid kid. It was easy to remove and she rifled through the yellow box, finding a small blanket, some matches, a knife and some tape. She wasted no time in ripping the box off the wall and flung it across the ceiling.

There was a sufficient amount of space open where the tree branch had sliced through the metal body of the jet and Liv expertly shimmied her way through the opening and landed in a heap on the dirt ground outside. Thick black continuously poured from the plane and a dark liquid spilled from the torn engine, the gasoline making her eyes water. The yellow box and first aid kit were thrown to the wayside, momentarily forgotten as she helped Barba slide out.

She could tell he was biting back the urge to groan in pain with his arm as he joined her on the ground outside, throwing the few water bottles he was able to carry in his good arm while climbing through the plane.

"C'mon," Liv urged, standing on shaky legs and holding her hand out to him. It took some time, but he eventually joined her and the two staggered with their supplies out into a clearing where the sun beat down upon the Earth, no trees to filter the light.

Liv slammed to her knees with the box in her hands and exhaled heavily, suddenly feeling so exhausted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Barba fall next to her, flipping over on his back and resting his head in the dirt. He was covered in blood and dirt, some of the vomit from earlier had dripped down his suit jacket, which was cut and sliced open in different parts.

She supposed she didn't look any better. There was still glass embedded in her skin, making it sting with every movement she made. Sooner, rather than later, she was going to have to pick it out and clean those small, jagged cuts she knew she was going to have. She was also going to have to clean the cuts on both of their heads and whatever other injuries they sustained.

But first…

Liv glanced over her shoulder from her hunched over position and nearly doubled over in shock. Her fight instincts hadn't allowed her to realize the gravity of the situation they were in until that moment and she felt her heart accelerate in her chest and sweat bead under her the collar of her blazer. Next to her, Rafael propped himself up on one elbow with great difficulty and Liv realized that he was thinking the same thing she was.

"My God…," he whispered, seeing one of the propellers from the engine spinning slowly, sparking as it scrapped against metal. The other engine sat a few feet from the rest of the wreckage, smoking and propeller face down in the dirt. It looked so surreal, seeing the jet they had just been on in the air, crumpled like a toy in the ground of a forest.

Liv wanted to believe she was dreaming and that this wasn't their worst nightmare come to life. She wanted to desperately believe she was still asleep on the plane, safe and sound and only 45 minutes away from their destination. She didn't want to the reality that they had just survived a plane crash and were stranded in some unknown forest, in a completely different state with the clothes on their backs and a first aid kit, no food, little water…

"Olivia," Rafael's stern voice brought her out of her thoughts and she felt a tear slip down one cheek. It stung and she wiped it away, blood smearing with it.

"Olivia…we…," Rafael trailed off, a breath of disbelief following his whispered words. He fell back against the ground again, eyes focused on the blue, cloudy sky that hung above them. The thick black smoke reached towards it, curling in large tendrils that dissipated into white flames halfway through the tall, towering trees.

"I need water," she said, voice thick and raspy. She sniffed and reached for a water bottle near his foot, taking heavy gulps. She resisted the urge to down half the bottle then and there, the startling realization that they may need this water to last stopping her before she could.

"Liv. I don't even know what's going on. This can't be real."

But, it was. Liv looked around the clearing, brown eyes blown wide as she saw a few birds flying through the trees and squirrel climbing up the trunk of one directly in front of her. There was little to no grass and it was cool as a light breeze brushed through her hair, feeling good against her hot skin for the moment.

"Oh God, no one knows where we are," Rafael groaned, sitting up. Liv could begin to feel the panic rolling off him, starting from the way his breath picked up to the jerky movements of him loosening his tie. Liv watched him for a moment, seeing his head dip down past his shoulders. She curled her lip in irritation and crawled over to him with all the strength she could muster.

He wasn't doing that to her. No. Way.

"Barba," she said sternly, leaning on him more than she wanted to as she jerked his shoulder back and forced him to look at her. His green eyes were glazed over and his lips were parted, shooting ragged wheezes out that blew back the hair falling in her face.

"Calm down. Fucking calm down and think. Don't panic on me. Please, don't," she pleaded with him, falling down on her backside next to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder where her hand had been and breathed in his scent. His cologne, mixed with the smell of smoke and dirt and blood centered her enough that she felt calm for the first time in the past couple of minutes.

She felt his head rest against the top of hers and they sat there for the longest time, the sounds of nature and the hissing sound of wreckage the only thing keeping them company. Liv allowed the contact to last only until she felt her eyes dipping closed and felt herself slipping dangerously close to sleep.

They needed to gather themselves and assess their situation, before it was too late and they were left alone, in the dark, with no plan.

"What time does your watch say?"

Liv looked up, face hovering close to Rafael's. His eyes were half-lidded and she could see the pure exhaustion seeping into his bones as well. He mumbled something and lazily brought his hand up, squinting down at the face.

"Quarter to four," he replied and Liv nodded. The sun was going to start setting just a few hours, which meant they only had a good few hours of daylight for the smoke from their plane to signal someone, which was what she was counting on. Someone, anyone, had to have seen them gone down or, at least, seen the smoke rising from the forest. They were near a state park, or so she thought…the chances of those rangers seeing it were in their favor.

She hoped, anyway. Which immediately made her think of her cell phone. She patted down her jacket and pants pockets before she asked Rafael, "Do you have your phone?"

Thankfully, he pulled out his cell phone, in pristine condition from his pants pocket and the screen lit up, also lighting up her hopes. She grabbed it and unlocked it, easily knowing the passcode to get into it. There were zero bars in the corner. Shit.

"I'm going to try and get a call through."

He nodded, leaning back into her, which she welcomed. The need to comfort him was strong, because she could tell he was trying not to freak out as badly as he had been. She scolded herself for being so aggressive with him earlier, but she needed calm and quiet to think. She certainly couldn't blame him for freaking out, though. She was two seconds from doing so herself.

Especially since every call she had made, including to 911, failed to even connect. She slid the phone away from her ear, gripping it limply as she let her hand fall to her lap uselessly.

"Nothing?"

The question was quiet, almost inaudible to her ears, but she heard it and she nodded. He didn't say anything after that, not even when she moved away from him and dropped his cell phone on the ground. She crawled back to the yellow box and opened it, seeing the supplies she saw back in the plane.

Blanket. Knife. Matches. Tape.

Four simple things that could easily be the difference between life and death. The fact that they were even in a life or death situation was still baffling to her. What the hell went wrong? The pilot was dead before they even crashed. It happened so quickly…

She was broken out of her thoughts yet again by Rafael reaching up towards her with a cotton ball. He'd moved out of his spot and now sat on his knees, open first aid kit next to him as he dabbed lightly at the cut on her cheek. She thanked him silently, taking the time to relax while he wiped some blood away from her face. She briefly considered taking one of the bottles of water and cleaning her face with it, but they had a limited supply and it wouldn't be wise.

Four bottles of water were all they had. Two each. How long would they need to save the water? What about food? There was virtually none other than the wildlife around them, but they didn't know how to hunt. They were from the city.

"We need to get to a location that has cell service…I wish I knew where the nearest town was…"

"Can't be far," he responded, unwrapping a small, round band aid from its package and sticking it to the cut on her cheek. His eyes found the embedded glass still stuck to her upper chest, small droplets of blood trailing down into her shirt. Liv winced, knowing that had to be taken care of and something had to be done with his arm.

Their growing list of worries wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

Liv suffered through a painstakingly long time of helping Rafael pick glass out of her skin and biting through the fabric of her dirty blazer through the pain of rubbing alcohol cleaning her cuts. The sky had darkened over the time they sat there, attending to their wounds. Crickets and nocturnal wildlife had started making their presence known as soon as the sun had started to set. The light dimmed faster in this small clearing than it would have had the tall trees not been there to cover the orange glow.

By the time they were finished, the smoking of the wreckage calmed down considerably and the moon sat low in the sky, signaling the impending nightfall. Liv shook her head, knowing they had no other choice but to stay there overnight. She contemplated leaving the entire time they sat there in the middle of the clearing, but they both ruled against it with the waning daylight overhead. Plus, they had no idea of the area surrounding them. Finding another clearing like this wasn't highly likely.

It was unanimously decided upon to use the plane wreckage as their form of shelter for the night, despite the smell of gasoline and burnt metal and the dead body still waiting inside. It was the only choice they had.

"We'll try and sleep tonight. We'll start walking first thing in the morning."

Rafael nodded, trying not to look at the pilot's dead half body lying just feet from them as they curled up together in the corner of the plane. It was cramped back there and they were touching from head to toe, curled up underneath a blanket, but it was the only comfortable position they could find themselves in. The blanket was just big enough to cover them both and their jackets cradled their heads from the hard ceiling.

As nightfall sank in and the sounds of the forest grew louder, Liv was getting ready to doze off when Rafael's harsh whisper broke her from that state. His arm curled around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. Something about the action comforted her so immensely, it was shocking.

"Are we going to be ok?"

It was the first-time Liv had heard this man sound so meek and broken. His voice was normally strong, sure and confident. Seldom did she ever witness a soft-spoken side to one Rafael Barba, and when she had, it was always followed by the version of himself he chose to mostly display to the world.

This was a version of him she had heard before and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Liv turned in his embrace and wrapped her arm around his back, understanding the need to be close to each other. She pushed her face into his chest and sighed, "We're going to be fine."

She waited until Rafael fell into a fitful sleep to really think about what she had just said. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't a truth. It was merely meant to placate his exhausted mind so they could both sleep in the wreckage of this jet plane they found themselves in. She didn't know if they were going to be alright, but she had the tiniest spark of hope in her chest that someone had seen the smoke.

Otherwise, they were screwed.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was sure they already were.