NYPD vehicles were flying into the beach house driveway one after other, support vehicles and unmarked cars too. The flashing lights caught Olivia's attention, she stood up recognising the cars as the ones that would be holding her colleagues. Elliot sat nearby, after dealing with Lewis they had been stuck in a silence, occasionally El would go and check on him but still no words between them.
Amaro entered the room wrapping a grey woollen blanket around Olivia. "I've got you". He started to lead her out of the room when the unfamiliar man spattered with blood captured his gaze. "Scuse me, who are you and what are you doing here?". Letting go of Olivia he moved towards the man, shoulders raised slightly as men showing dominance often did, like a peacock displaying his feathers. Elliot looking up answered "Elliot Stabler, and i'm just here to help."
"Looks like you were doing more than that." Amaro quizzed, reaching into his pocket he found his notepad and quickly began writing. Uniformed cops swarmed the house at this point and were busy dealing with a wounded Lewis. Olivia noticing what was going on placed her hand on Amaro's shoulder with a sigh, even in this situation she was taking care of other people. Some things never change she pondered. "Nick, it's okay. He's my old partner."
"Ahh.." Realizing that Stabler was a name familiar to him he decided to just get Liv out of the house and to somewhere she felt safe. "You stay here." He motioned Elliot back on to the couch so he could be interviewed, and attempt to figure out how all this went down. How did Elliot get here before them and why was he covered in blood too.
Shortly after Fin entered the living room where Elliot was waiting and sat opposite him. "Never thought i'd be seeing your ugly mug again Stabler." he chuckled, throwing his hands onto his lap. Elliot lifted his head to see his old colleague sat before him, bulletproof vest still on, tiredness all over his face from pulling double, triple shifts trying to find Olivia. Aware that Elliot still hadn't said anything he leaned forward so they were eye level. "Hey man, do you wanna tell me what happened here. Why you're here?"
Elliot's brow furrowed trying to make sense of it himself. "Livia called me..."
"Okay. What was that phone call about?" Fin had his notepad also, indicating that this was turning into an interview. An informal one, but an interview nonetheless.
"Isn't that obvious?" Elliot bit back becoming more irritated with the situation as it progressed. "She was fuckin' kidnapped and tortured. She needed help."
Sensing Elliot's increasing anger he tempered his emotions , he knew from experience the calmer he was when dealing with Stabler. The calmer Stabler stayed, especially when it comes to Olivia. "I know that Elliot. I still gotta know what went down."
"She told me what happened, that a man called William Lewis was in her apartment and took her. I've seen that man all over the news...". His voiced cracked slightly for a moment. Thinking of what she went through. Fin didn't interrupt but just listened intently.
"I told her to go outside and tell me what she could see. She found the mailbox and gave the address and I basically floored it on the highway from Queens. I kicked the door in." He gestured to the front door swinging on its hinges. "Went into the back bedroom where Lewis was, I then handcuffed him to the bed and gave the guy what he deserved."
"You handcuffed him?" A doubtful look fell on Fin's face briefly, it was apparent that Elliot had none of his police gear with him. Unless he carried handcuffs around all the time which didn't seem likely.
"That's what I said." Elliot's voice was getting louder and sharper the more the questioning persisted. "I'm going to go find Liv. He stood up and strode straight for the doorway but found Fin had blocked his path.
"Elliot, you are covered in blood man."
"Fine. Have my shirt. I am going to Olivia." He tore off his shirt and threw it at the detective. He exited the house seeing all his old squad members, some new ones, but more importantly Cragen. Their eyes met causing Elliot to freeze on the spot, yet Cragen was in motion approaching Elliot quickly, flicking his eyes over the topless detective with dots of blood on his tracksuit bottoms. "Stabler." Cragen gestured encouraging Elliot to follow him towards one of the unmarked vehicles. He opened the back door and Elliot slid himself inside, Cragen leaned in then blocking the view of them from other police on the scene. "I don't know what happened here. Or how you got here but I have gotta say thanks."
Elliot nodded in response to his old captain who shut the door on him quickly, hearing a knock on the roof the driver pulled out of the drive way. Assuming he was on the way to the precinct he watched Olivia get into the ambulance. Which promptly followed behind them until they had found the freeway. Looking out the back window until the ambulance was out of sight he slumped into the leather seat, hands falling onto his lap, he hung his head exhaling deeply. To think only hours before he was sat in his apartment alone after his shift at the District Attorney's office, to finding Olivia again and beating a man senseless. Somehow it felt familiar, engaging with his rage that he had pushed aside for the past year. At SVU it's how we would feel everyday until he had less and less control. That's why he had to leave, to get a hold of himself, learn to manage his emotions.
However he knew that if anybody could get him back it would be Olivia. Dusk was colouring the sky a shade of cornflower blue weaved between grey wisps of clouds. Elliot stared out of the window to his side letting the motion occupy his mind instead of the thousand thoughts of his old partner, his old squad. His old life.