I've been gone, I know and I'm sorry.

But here's an update!

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Where's Liv?!

I need to find her.

And then a gunshot rang out.

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The bang stopped Elliot in his tracks. For one horrible moment, he believed he had been targeted; he expected to feel a familiar searing pain in his body, a pain that would cloud his mind and prevent him from doing anything.

Would prevent him from helping his partner.

He instinctively held his breath and expected the pain to strike at any moment, but suddenly he realized that it didn't. He didn't feel the familiar, warm, wet warmth spreading through his clothes from where the bullet had pierced his flesh, and at the same time he realized he hadn't been shot.

He turned around and that's when he saw what had happened.

Julia was laying lifeless on the floor in a pool of blood that was slowly spreading beneath her.

Before Elliot could think about his actions, his police instincts took over, and he leapt over to the woman and crouched down next to her. On her neck he looked for a pulse, but soon found it useless.

Julia was dead.

He stood up and took a shaky breath. He didn't understand what had just happened. Who had shot Julia? And where was Olivia?

Liv.

Suppressed by the startle, the memory returned to his mind like another gunshot, causing his already trembling body to flinch violently. He knew he should be checking the restrooms for the shooter, but regardless, he turned on his heels and stormed out the door. There was no time now, Olivia in trouble completely filled his thoughts, clouding his discretion as he carelessly pushed himself into the crowd and frantically eyed the space.

However, despite his efforts, he didn't see Olivia, and he grabbed onto the shoulder of the man standing closest.

"Hey, h-have you… Have you seen my fiancée Sharon?" He asked with a trembling voice. "Purple dress, brown hair, damn pretty…" The last words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them, but he didn't bother to correct them. It wasn't a lie; it was a fact he had been aware of ever since his partner had first stepped through the precinct doors.

The unknown man raised his eyebrows. "She is your fiancée? Poor guy," he grimaced in sympathy, causing Elliot to tighten his grip on his shoulder.

"Why? Where did she go?"

"She left with Ralph to his "private room", where no one else has access," he gestured towards the back of the club. In a second, Elliot had turned and headed in the direction the man pointed, ignoring his shouts of "he doesn't like interruptions". On the back wall of the club, he found a door that was locked as expected, but his distress gave him strength, and with two kicks that he knew he would feel tomorrow, the door gave way and he stumbled into the room along it. It was dim in the room, and he blinked as he turned his head, but there was no one in the room.

But then he heard a muffled scream that made his blood freeze in his veins.

"No, please!"

Liv.

The sound seemed to come from the other side of the wall on the right side of the room, and furiously Elliot began looking for the doorway. He knew he didn't have much time; Julia had surely already been found and breaking the door had attracted attention, but at the same time he was painfully aware of what was happening to Olivia, and he didn't have time to come up with a better plan. Tears clouded his eyes as he fumbled in the dark for the doorknob, muffled voices from the other side of the wall made distress fill his every cell, and for a moment he was sure he wouldn't be able to help his partner in time.

But then, miraculously, his fingers landed on an almost imperceptible recess that held a button. He pressed it, and the door clicked open.

And then his instincts took over his actions. He saw Olivia on the bed, half-dressed, mascara smeared on her face, and over her he saw Mr. Reed, who had just unbuckled his belt, holding her in place. And the next thing he knew, he was throwing himself full force at the man, falling off the bed with him to the floor, and Mr. Reed didn't have time to do anything when he got the taste of Elliot's fist striking full force into his face. As if in a trance, he poured out his anger-turned-anxiety on his target, until a faint voice beside him finally snapped him back to reality.

"El, we gotta go!"

He released his grip on Mr. Reed, who fell down on the floor moaning and bleeding, and Elliot turned his gaze in the direction of the voice. Olivia was standing beside the bed, shaking in her half-torn dress, and he quickly took off his suit jacket and helped it over his partner. Then he grabbed her hand, which made Olivia flinch, but she didn't pull her hand away, and together they started walking with quick steps towards the door.

The atmosphere in the club had completely changed, people were rushing around nervously, and Olivia and Elliot gulped. Although they didn't say anything, they both knew that getting past the door guard was a huge risk, but one they had to take. They knew of no other way out, and every second that passed lessened their chances of getting out.

But then something happened, and they couldn't believe their luck. The door guard rushed through the door and headed straight for the bathroom, and as if by unspoken agreement, Olivia and Elliot quickened their pace, all the while afraid that someone would stop them. However, luck was on their side, because finally they reached the door that was left ajar, entered, and after closing it, they broke into a run.

Without looking back, they ran through the dim bathroom and cozy cafe, they kept running through the freezing cold New York night, their legs burning and their lungs stinging, but they didn't stop. Only the grip on Elliot's arm kept Olivia, who was wearing heels, from tripping from time to time.

And they kept running until the oncoming car turned in front of them onto the sidewalk. Elliot wrapped his arms around Olivia, ready to protect her, but then the blue lights of the car flashed, and two men stepped out, pointing guns at them.

"Police! Put your hands up!"

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The police officers had just finished interrogating Elliot when Cragen arrived, tires screeching. The cops that had stopped them had taken them a little further before more detailed measures had been taken, and while Elliot was being interrogated, the ambulance had arrived and taken Olivia on board. Throughout the interrogation, Elliot's thoughts had been on his partner, and just as he thought he was finally going to get to her, the commanding voice of their captain stopped him.

"Stabler!"

Reluctantly, Elliot stopped and turned to look at Cragen, who was jogging over to him.

"What the hell happened?!"

"We were exposed."

Cragen's eyes widened, and his voice was stifled as he asked:

"How?!"

Elliot let out a deep sigh and glanced at the ambulance, which attracted him like a magnet. He wanted to see his partner, wanted to make sure she was okay, only after that he would have time to answer questions.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Reed's girlfriend might recognize me. Everything escalated so quickly and…"

However, Cragen's gaze had moved past him to the ambulance, and Elliot didn't have time to finish his answer when he was interrupted by his captain's new, frightened question:

"And why is the bus here? Where is Olivia?"

Suddenly, Elliot felt a lump rise in his throat for the first time since the incident, and he had to fight back the tears that tried to force their way into his eyes. This caused a flash of distress in Cragen's eyes.

"What happened to Olivia?!"

"She… Mr. Reed… He tried to… R-…" Suddenly the words got stuck in his throat, and his voice broke. He had said that word countless times before, it was part of his everyday life, but now he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not when it was about his partner.

His Liv.

Cragen closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Elliot wiped his eyes.

"It was my fault, I shouldn't have left her alone. But I had to go to the bathroom and…" However, Cragen didn't hear him, because he had started leaping towards the ambulance. Tears clouded Elliot's eyes as he looked after him, and suddenly the need to get to Olivia disappeared.

He couldn't face her. It was his job to protect his partner, and he had failed. He had betrayed Olivia.

And realizing this, the strength left his legs, and he collapsed to sit on the cold pavement. His suit jacket was still with Olivia, and the freezing wind was blowing through his shirt, but he barely noticed it. His body felt completely numb, and tears rolled down his cheeks as he pressed his forehead against his arms.

And that's where he would have stayed if he hadn't suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and ignoring the tears streaming down his face, he raised his head and turned his gaze. Cragen's voice was soft, almost warm, as he stated:

"She wants to see you."