A/N: Sorry I haven't posted in a while…I'd defend myself, but I really don't have an excuse to put forth. All I can say is: On with the show and I hope you enjoy! By the way, I've declared this story officially AU, for reasons you will soon discover, and because this piece pointedly ignores everything after Undercover. Maybe you'll have to use your special Willing Suspension Of Disbelief on this one, depending on how critical you are of the Criminal Justice System. Sorry to the purists out there, but the plot would have died here if not for this one prison and it's very ineffective, incompetent staff members. You'll see what I mean.
Oh, and please comment :)
Elliot is sitting on her couch reading a chick magazine when the call comes. He lazily sets aside the latest edition of People, the one sparse piece of literature lurking around her apartment, and sighs while heaving himself out of his comfortable spot. He thinks that this had better be good, because Olivia is sleeping and he was indeed quite relaxed sitting there, immersed in Lindsay Lohan's latest rehab excursion.
"Hello?" He answers on the third ring, picking up quickly because the last thing he wants is for Olivia to wake up. She needs her rest, desperately, and he also finds it mentally exhausting. He's glad for the reprieve.
"Elliot?" John Munch's voice is confused, yet professional all the same.
"Munch, hey."
"Didn't know you'd be there, everything okay?"
Elliot inhales deeply, and exhales harshly, the result a heavy sigh. "It's…getting better."
And that wasn't a total lie. Things had been moving foreword, for a few weeks, until two days ago when she crashed again.
Elliot can almost hear Munch's scepticism. "Alright, then."
"Munch- ."
"No, really, Elliot. A man can tell when his nose is not appreciated in someone's business. Just…tell her we all have her back, will you?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that."
"Good. On the other hand, not to be the bearer of bad news…"
"What?" Elliot feels his skin crawl and he unconsciously shoots a furtive glance out the window. There is really no other reason for Munch to be calling Olivia on her vacation time…it has to be serious. And, it has to concern Harris. Elliot can almost taste the impending disaster.
"You know, the government should really pass more tests, pick out all the incompetent little rats that can't be bothered to do their jobs-."
"John! Just tell me, okay?" Elliot's voice has accidentally risen to a louder, angrier pitch, and he hopes he hasn't woken his partner.
Munch sighs through the phone. "Alright, but are you near anything breakable?"
"Damn it, John," His fellow detective's attempt at humour concerning his lack of physical control is not in the least bit amusing.
"Harris has disappeared off the radar."
"What! That impossible! He's locked in some rat-hole prison up north!"
"Not anymore…security cameras catch him busting through a window on the second floor janitor's closet…and conveniently, no one seems to know how he got to said janitor's closet in the first place. A team's only as strong as it's weakest player, and in this case, there's a security officer who screwed them over and no one wants to take the heat."
Elliot is stunned. In his lifetime, he can count on one hand the number of times he's even heard of someone breaking out. It couldn't just be a coincidence that the one man who dares lay a hand on his Olivia gets out. He presses the heel of his hand to his eye, wondering how the hell he's going to tell her.
"Okay." He breathes a deep breath to steady himself. "So, where are you in the investigation?"
"Well, that's really not our job."
"John! I don't want some first-timer Fed handling this. So you and Fin get your asses down to that prison." Elliot's voice is a loud threat.
Munch's tone hardens. He's willing to be chewed out when he's being a pain in the ass, but he knows when to draw the line with Elliot. "Stabler, calm down."
"You can't tell me to fucking calm down – he could be anywhere!" Elliot yells.
From the hall, he hears a door open. "El?" Her voice is grainy and sleep slurred, but he hears her loud and clear. "What's going on?"
Elliot moves quickly to the kitchen and speaks several tones quieter, "I'm gonna have to call you back. Get on it, John. Please." And then he hangs up before the older man can reply. Or complain, knowing Munch.
"Who was that?" Olivia asks, her arms crossed over her chest, her hair rumpled from sleep. Elliot sighs again and closes his eyes, trying to digest this information.
"Uh…" He opens his eyes and replaces the phone in its cradle. "It's nothing, Liv. Go back to bed."
She scowls. "Like hell I am, you look like you've just seen a ghost." She shakes her head and lets out a humourless chuckle.
"It's fine."
She places her hands on her hips and looks at him with an expression that states that she is totally not falling for his lies. But it's Olivia, and she's learned not to push him, and so she clears her throat (displaying her discontentment) and sits on the couch.
Elliot walks over and sits down beside her. He's lost in thought. He knows for a fact that her door and her windows are locked, and now his next step is to put a detail on her building. She'll hate him, but he has to protect her. And what's worse, no one has seen Harris since. He could be right around the corner, for crying out loud! He is probably planning his newest way to torture Olivia. Oh, God. Elliot's hands rub over his face.
"Doesn't look fine to me…" Olivia states, and leaves the door open for him to continue.
"Liv…Just…Give me sec, okay?"
She looks at him, and then nods surreptitiously. She knows to give him space when he needs it.
So he sits and frantically worries, while she sits in the dark, confused. It stays that way for about ten minutes.
"Alright, Elliot. Enough. Tell me what's going on."
Elliot sighs and touches her shoulder. "Liv…"
"God, Elliot. You're so frustrating." She bounces up and picks up the phone.
Elliot closes his eyes and asks, in an irritated voice, "What are you doing?"
"I'm checking who last called, if you must know." She concentrates for a few seconds, and Elliot sits in the wake of the rhythmic beeping noises, ready for the bomb to drop. "Munch? Elliot, why did work call?" She walks over to where he is restlessly sitting, and places a hand on his shoulder. " Please tell me."
"Olivia, listen." He takes her hand and stands, putting an arm around her waist. "Stay calm, okay?"
She pulls back from his embrace slightly, because now she's really confused and yes, she's just been distant lately. She looks into his eyes, searching his gaze. "Okay."
"They, um…there was a breakout in the prison up north."
It doesn't click for her as fast as it did for him. "And?"
"Olivia, I'm so sorry."
Now she laughs for real, a small, worried little sound. "Elliot, what?"
"Lowell Harris escaped…they can't locate him. He's…gone."
She immediately tenses in his arms. But, on the contrary to how she acted in the previous weeks, she stays silent. No tears, no screams, no punching or kicking. Just…silence.
"Olivia?" He whispers, looking at her cautiously.
Her face is blank. Her eyes stare straight at the wall behind him, and he shakes her shoulder gently to get her to come back to Earth.
She pulls away from his gentle grasp, and walks directly to the window. She folds her arms around herself and looks down at the street. She shakes her head slowly, and then inhales deeply. She reaches up and draws the curtains tightly closed, and moves around the room doing the same to all the other windows. Checking the street, then closing the shades.
When she reaches her already locked door, her shaking hands make the door chain jingle as she slides the deadbolt into place. Elliot walks over to her, and puts a hand on hers to steady her. Because he knows that even if she looks calm, she's a violent storm on the inside.
Without talking, he slowly turns her around. She goes into his embrace willingly, tucking her face into his neck and grasping his shirt with her fingers. Her warm breath hits the side of his chin, and it's the first real physical contact they've had since The Incident three weeks ago. It feels so good to be close to her again.
Elliot smoothes his hands over her back when she inevitably starts to sniffle, and he wonders just how much it's going to take for her to finally be left in peace.
A/N: Please review! Thanks for reading!