Thank you to the people who have read and commented. I've really been thinking about where this story is going to go and what kind of journey this is going to be. I love reading reviews and it makes me happy to know people like it.
Elliot hadn't gotten much sleep since he started looking for Olivia again. He stopped by her last known address and saw that her name was no longer on the buzzer. He began to wonder if she was even in the same state anymore. He declided not to inform the squad of his plans in case they wanted to stop him. He knew that they all loved Olivia, but wouldn't know what to do if she ever came back. He knew that they tried to hide that fact that they noticed how much harder Liv's departure was on him than the rest of them. She had touched so many lives in that precinct and now she was gone. He thought back to how he used to make her flick her lights on and off when she got inside her apartment so he knew she was ok. His phone ringing took him out of his thoughts as he stared down at the unknown number on the phone. Every time he got these he secretly wished it was Olivia. He answered, "Stabler". He sat waiting patiently for a response, but only heard light breathing. After a second Elliot spoke again, "Hello?" He would have been annoyed if he didn't feel something was wrong. He was about to speak again when the voice finally spoke. "Hey Stabler, it's Huang, I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to tell you I caught sight of Liv around Hell's Kitchen." Before Elliot could play it off and act like it didn't matter Huang continued, "It's obvious to the squad that you are looking for Olivia again. A few of them called to say they were worried about you falling down this rabbit hole again and to see if I would give you a call and see how you were. I debated telling you this, but if this could help you in any way I'm glad I did." Elliot sat in thought for a moment before responding, "No, I'm glad you did tell me. Do you remember about how long ago you saw her?" Huang contempled telling him for a few seconds before sighing and answering honestly, " I saw her only a few hours ago. I believe she may live around there. Or so it seemed." This was Elliot's first real lead and he couldn't be more grateful. "Thank you so much. That really helped me." Huang lowered his head, the phone still attached to his ear and hoped he made the right choice before telling Elliot to take care of himself. Elliot leaned back in his chair and released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He felt like he could feel her presence again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and her image came to his mind. She was so bright and beautiful. He thought about the little things about her that gave him butterflies. The way a little strand of hair stayed out when she tucked her hair behind her ear, the way her laugh could fill a room, and the way she could say so much with just her eyes. Then her image began to change in his mind and he remembered that she didn't smile after Lewis and when she did smile, it didn't quite meet her eyes. Her eyes that were once so full of life and spark seemed hollow. He wanted so desperately to grab her in his arms and hug her so tight that all her broken pieces would be forced back together, but he couldn't get himself to move. He was in love with his partner from the first time he shook her hand. The kids asked about her all the time. They knew something bad happened, but Elliot couldn't bring himself to say what. He wouldn't expose hem to that kind of evil even though they were no longer children. Maureen, Lizzie, Dick, and Kathleen had already grown up and left the house. The only one left was Eli and he was already ten years old. Time was flying by and he didn't know how to make it stop. He glanced at his watch and it read 1:56 pm. He rubbed his hands down his face trying to decide if he was going to go to Hell's Kitchen now or wait. He couldn't fully process what was happening until he was in the car headed that direction. "This is fucking crazy" he said to himself out loud. How was he supposed to just find her? Was he going to hope she was just on the street waiting for him? He had no idea where to even start. What he needed was coffee. His brain was basically a poorly trained monkey at a keyboard right now and he needed something to wake up. Elliot parked his car and laughed to himself picturing a tiny monkey, in a suit, sitting at on office desk in his brain. He really needed caffeine. He got out and made it to the side walk when he noticed someone watching him out of the corner of his eye. He made eye contact and they froze. He saw them tense and he had to shake his head to get a clearer view. He began walking towards them and he could tell they wanted to run. He picked up speed and tried to get to them just as they turned away. "Olivia!" He yelled picking up speed to catch up to her retreating figure. She turned down an alley to try to lose him just as he caught up enough to catch her arm. She whipped around and began to fight his grasp. "Olivia! Oliv OLIVIA STOP!" He ended up yelling as he trapped her in his embrace. He put his head on her shoulder and whispered " please. Just stop" Olivia looked at his face and the pained expression made her heart break. She closed her eyes before whispering softly back to him, "why didn't you just give up?" Elliot met her eyes with a shocked expression. How could she ask him that? What would make her think that he could ever 'just give up?'. He took in her appearance. She had grown out her hair like she had during her undercover stint in Oregon. She was still as beautiful as she had ever been, but she felt different. Her eyes didn't have the same shine. "Olivia. I could never leave you. You left and a piece of me died. I can't live with you" he choked out the last sentence as his eyes began to overflow with unshed tears. Elliot was never a man who showed his emotions and Olivia could count on one hand how many times she had seen him cry. She couldn't fight the overwhelming urge to hold him to her and let him cry...so she held him. He sobbed into her for a few minutes before stabilizing his breathing and looking into her expectant eyes. "You pushes me away once and I'm not letting you do it ever again" he told her confidently while maintaining eye contact. Olivia put her hands on his chest and stared at the space between their feet trying to think of something to say. Elliot cupped her chin and brought her watery gaze to his. She buried her face into the crook of his neck and choked out, "I missed you so much." A car horn from the street took them out of the moment and he gently took her hand and lead her to his car saying, "Come to my place and let's talk." She followed him in a daze not sure if she should have given up so quickly. She spent all of this time running from him, but right now she didn't have the energy. Elliot got her in and bucked up. He sprinted to his side and got in. The whole drive back to his place he kept looking over at her like she could just disappear again. He couldn't believe she was here with him. After parking the car on his block and getting up to his apartment he sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him to signal for her to sit. He looked her deep in the eyes and asked her the question that haunted him since they had found her, partly dressed, and beaten bloody, "What did he do to you?"