Sorry for the delay. I didn't want to post this chapter until I got a little closer to finishing as I don't want to catch myself up to quickly and this has a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thank you to everyone that's reading. This story has kept me sane for the past year by giving me a place to immerse myselfn so I'm really glad I can share it

chapter 10

They returned to the less stressful practice of using the people in their cell phone contacts lists to check in. Avoiding direct communication was easier - Munch was weary of the accusations of his role in removing Olivia from the hospital and enabling her apparent mental collapse, and Olivia was unwilling to argue with Cragen anymore. She also hated the tinge of concern in his voice - she needed everyone to stop responding to her with such caution, as if she were fragile, and respond the way that seasoned detectives should; with action.

Six days had passed by when Munch and Olivia had almost reached the coordinates, crossing the border into Mexico with ease. Olivia made one more call to Cragen, expecting another tirade of anger directed at both her and Munch for their lack of a firm grip..or any grip at all on reality.

This time though, Cragen sounded defeated, his worries for her welfare were running him down and she hated that she could hear it in his voice.

"We are close now Don," she said, "very close to the coordinates, we will find him soon."

"I visited Kathy." Cragen said, dismissing her words. "The kids asked about you. They want to see you. Kathy said she would like you to come over and spend some time with them. You're a major connection to their dad - she thinks it would help them."

"I am helping them Don," Olivia said, matching his weary tone, "I'm bringing their father home."

Cragen sighed, asking to speak to Munch. Munch accepted the phone as Olivia handed it to him, leaning back against the car as he sat in the shade, the hot Mexican sun, wearing him down more and more as the day went on.

Olivia stood and walked a short distance away and looked out across the horizon, not wanting to remain close enough to hear the conversation.

There was really nothing left to be said.

"She believes this," Cragen sighed, "she is completely consumed by this - you need to show her that he is not there, and bring her home John. I put you both on medical leave - damn sure you both need it, so your jobs are still here, your lives are still here - just come home. You both need help, Huang explained how dangerous these types of delusions can be…"

Munch took a sip of bottled water, placing it back onto the dry patch of grass that he was sitting on, before slipping off his glasses and closing his eyes as he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Olivia absconded from an involuntary stay in a psychiatric hospital. There is no way that she is coming anywhere near home. You'll have her taken in on a 9.41 on the spot. She isn't coming back without Elliot. Neither of us are delusional Don, Elliot's out here, and he reached out to Liv for help. When she got too close they tried to kill her. This is fact, not delusion from either of us."

"What happens John, when you don't find him?" Cragen asked wearily, "What's that going to do to Liv?"

Munch glanced at Olivia who had walked away a little, her eyes scanning the vague outlines of buildings far into the distance, as she pulled her hair into a ponytail, easing the heat from her neck.

"Then we do what we do best - what we've been doing all along; we investigate. We will find him. Stabler's not dead, and I'm damn sure we are going to find him, imminently. He needs our help."

He ended the call, and they were soon back on the road. Another hour passed, then another.

Munch glanced at Olivia, who had finally fallen asleep in the passenger seat. He had assured her that he would wake her after an hour, but she had let him sleep as they drove over night, and so he decided to do the same.

They had left the long empty stretches of road quite quickly and made slow progress through the crowded, busy streets, where their American car seemed to shout 'tourist' to the locals, who rapped on the windows every time the car slowed down, offering everything from fruit to jewelery.

Olivia barely stirred, so Munch just kept going, passing through the town and out past another long empty stretch of road. The drive was not as smooth just outside of the town, the roads were in need of repair and he was aware that he needed to go very slowly, to avoid damage to their car. Being stuck without a car, miles outside of a populated area was not a problem they could afford to have.

After the road stretched on, the drive became smoother again and Olivia woke, looking with interest at the affluent houses they now passed.

Stretching as best as she could in the confines of the car, she rolled her neck, realising from the ache, that she had been asleep longer than she intended.

"Where are we?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"We are extremely close to Elliot's coordinates - his distress beacon if you will."

"We are?" Olivia said, as she sat up straight and became instantly alert.

"Another hour or so and we will be there, let's take a break and discuss contingency plans - we have no idea what we are so blindly walking into here Liv,"

"I know, and that's hardly filling me with confidence - let's call Cragen and Fin, tell them where we are, and they better start believing us and get their asses in gear."

Munch smiled as he parked the car at the side of the empty road, unfolding and smoothing out the now worn map across the steering wheel. "I like that attitude Liv, I see why Stabler fell for you."

Olivia opened her mouth to reply but paused, shaking her head slightly, "Munch, it's not like that - he's my partner. He doesn't...I mean we don't…"

Munch watched her stammering over her words with an amused glint in his eye, before finally cutting her a break and speaking, "It's okay Liv. Attending a person's funeral has a way of making you reevaluate your feelings. In your case, you got honest. You stopped denying your feelings and you realised what you'd lost. There's nothing wrong with that. If it's any help, it's blindingly obvious that Stabler feels the same way about you. The man is madly in love with you. The sooner you two get honest with each other, the sooner you can move forward. Thirteen years Olivia - you've both loved each other for thirteen years and neither of you would ever say it. That's quite possibly the most tragic love story of all time."

Olivia sighed and looked at him quizzically, "You think he feels the same Munch? Really?"

"I believe I used the words, 'blindingly obvious' Liv." Munch said with a smile, as he turned his attention back to the map.

They had spent much of their time on the road, taking turns driving as the other either rested or looked through records and notes. They discussed theories and probabilities and plans of action. The area they were both only too aware that they would fall short on however; was action. Unarmed, out of U,S, territory, and without the support or backup from the local law enforcement or their own people. They were both increasingly aware of the danger they could be walking into, but their choices were limited, and they both felt compelled to just keep going. Each day had brought them closer to finding Elliot, and as unsettled as they both felt at having no well thought out plan, not even knowing what the situation he was in could be, it had not swayed them.

The had resumed their route, this time with Olivia driving, and she focused on the road ahead, trying to shake the thoughts that Munch had left her with after going into great detail about various apparently well known government controlled disappearances. She wanted to look at him and laugh, to make a joke of his words - to be left with humor, and not this horrible unsettling feeling that she had now.

"I just want to know why'." she said suddenly, her gaze still focused on the road.

"Questioning is always a good thing Olivia, but can you elaborate?"

"Why Elliot? Why would anyone want to do this to him? He's just a cop - he's not a government spy, he hasn't uncovered a major tax scandal, or been involved in state secrets. Why would the government do this to him? "

Munch looked at her and smiled, amused by her words.

Olivia glanced at him, "What? What's funny about that?"

"Nothing Liv, it's just good to know you've been taking in the cases I've been telling you about. It might not be the 'good guys' - it could be the bad guys, but the two can become quite intertwined and hard to separate at times. Why do you think it's the government? "

"You're asking me to explain why I think the government are involved?" Olivia said incredulously, "Isn't that your faute?"

Munch gave a laugh, "Yes Olivia, tell me your theory on why the government abducted your partner and faked his death. I promise not to laugh or dismiss your words as conspiracy theories or jokes,"

Despite the humour in Munch's words, Olivia felt a tinge of guilt. "John, I'm sorry if I ever did that. I just...we lived our lives, and these things - they don't happen to people like us...I mean I didn't think they really happened at all….I swear the next time someone doesn't listen to you I'm going to set them straight."

Munch smiled and returned his gaze to the empty stretch of road ahead of them, "Well, if the NYPD don't let you have your job back, you can always be: Olivia Benson, Public Relations Officer to Crazy Conspiracy Theorists."

Olivia turned to Munch and laughed, then paused as the lights of a truck approached them fast from the rear.

"Liv," Munch said cautiously, "speed up a bit, they're too close,"

Olivia put her foot on the gas and accelerated rapidly, creating some distance between their car and the truck behind them.

"So what will your new job title be? If they think I'm too crazy to hold a gun there's no way you're getting back in," Olivia said glancing at Munch as she gave him an amused smile.

Munch returned her smile and laughed, then flinched as the car became flooded with light, "Liv, hit the gas hard...NOW!"

Olivia slammed her foot down on the pedal at almost the same moment that the car jolted forwards - a sudden bang startling her. The light faded fast, as the side of her head banged hard against the window next to her, her hands propelled from the steering wheel as it spun dangerously out of control.

Munch lunged over and tried to reach the steering wheel, cursing as he hit the button to release his seat belt, grabbing the wheel just a fraction of a second too late as the car swerved and careened down the embankment.

Amazingly, Munch remained conscious as the car slipped alarmingly fast down the steep slope, coming to sudden stop with a loud bang, jolting the car so roughly that he was propelled forwards, the glass of the windshield shattering on impact with the tree it had collided with. His shoulder took the brunt of the impact against the large trunk of the tree, his head knocking with far less force against the harsh cushion of shattered glass covering it.

Stunned, he shifted, turning to look at Olivia. Each movement sent a wave of pain through his shoulder, and he was certain he had shards of glass embedded in his neck.

"Liv," he said, much quieter than he intended to, realizing how fast his strength was ebbing, "Olivia. Wake up up Liv, you can't sleep here."

Dropping back onto the seat, he leant over, unclasping her seatbelt and putting a hand on her shoulder shaking her slightly, noting the trail of blood running down her face and neck, "Come on Liv, Stabler's gonna be seriously pissed at me if I take you on this road trip and you die on me."

He reached toward her neck, his hand shaking as he pressed his fingers against her skin, struggling to find a pulse as his fingers slipped, her blood coating his hand. "Liv, come on now, don't do this. This isn't how this ends for you. When I said yours was a tragic love story I didn't think you'd take it literally."

He felt lightheaded as he pressed harder, desperate to find signs of life, "You didn't come this far to die in a ditch Olivia. You came this far to save your partner, and damn well tell him you're in love with him. So you can't die."

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, "You can't die Olivia. You've gone through too much, you've spent years denying your feelings. So you can't damn well die right now, in a ditch. You just…..you have to get up and out of this car and go to Elliot. You'll tell him, and he'll tell you, and it'll be...how it was always supposed to be for you two…..so you can't die Liv, because you've never even kissed the man you love, and that's a tragedy that can't happen."

He took a breath, tears prickling behind his eyes, his voice fraught and pained, "That can't happen. You…..you have to wake up. You both deserve this chance...to be happy….to be loved. Dying - that's not part of your story Liv, it's just not. So stop...stop this. This isn't how it's supposed to be for you…"

Closing his eyes briefly as another wave of dizziness swept over him he steeled himself, before placing his fingers back against her neck.

The last thing he felt was a pang of reassurance as his touch was met with a weak pulse before the back of his head was an agonisingly sharp pain.

He collapsed, his body bent forwards across the side of the steering wheel, as the man behind him placed his gun back into his holster.

Chapter 11 - are they both going to be ok? what just happened?