We are (possibly) living in dark, dark times in this fandom (if you haven't seen the latest Organized Crime promo video, do yourself a favor and don't). I like this parallel universe better at the moment, and I hope it gives you something else to think about.

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Elliot didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around her shaking body and pulled her tighter into his arms. Tears clouded his eyes as he buried his face in her hair and let her cry.

And for a while there were only the two of them in the world.

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Olivia was sitting quietly as the ambulance was making its way to the hospital. She glanced at Fin, sitting next to her, who had arrived just before the paramedics had started to transport her, and he had offered to go with her, as Elliot had been forced to stay for further interrogations.

And she hadn't liked it one bit.

Not that Olivia wasn't grateful for Fin's company. Fin was a dear friend to her, like a brother who always stood by her side and was always worthy of trust. He had arrived on the scene like his tail had been on fire, worried and angry, and immediately started asking how she was. It had been obvious that he had left with her to the hospital.

But as much as she loved him, the thing was, he wasn't Elliot. He couldn't bring that same peace inside her, he couldn't convince her with a single sentence that she was safe now. The farther the ambulance got from him, the more the knot inside her tightened, and with a shudder, she wrapped Elliot's coat tighter around her.

"Is something wrong?" Fin had turned his worried eyes on her and was looking at her appraising.

"What do you think?"

"I'm fine," Olivia answered, but had to bite her lip, because tears began to burn in the corners of her eyes. Fin said nothing, but gritted his teeth, and for a moment he remained silent, before growling:

"I told you I didn't like that plan."

"Well, good for you!" Olivia suddenly snapped so loudly that she startled not only Fin but also herself. Her thoughts and feelings were so all over the place that she couldn't control the anger that exploded inside her before she could do anything. Along with the anger, she also lost the battle against the tears that began to roll down her cheeks. "You were right, I was a stupid fool when I thought I was professional enough to handle the situation! That's probably what you wanted to hear. Are you happy now?!"

"Liv…" Fin's expression had softened, but that didn't help Olivia, who couldn't control her emotions when they once got out of hand.

"How could I be so careless?" Her voice had quieted down to sobbing, and Fin moved to sit next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. It wasn't the same as Elliot's embrace, but it comforted her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "How am I supposed to help people if I become a victim myself? I shouldn't have believed him. And now Elliot's in trouble, just because I couldn't do my job and…" Her voice broke and turned into nothing but sobs, and Fin squeezed her shoulder tightly. He didn't know what or who Olivia had meant by 'she shouldn't have believed him', but he decided he would ask later. Cragen had told him that Elliot really was in trouble, and that meant that he and Munch needed to get her statement as soon as possible.

But while listening to her sobs and feeling her body tremble against him, he decided that right now, she needed a friend more than a cop.

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After thorough interviews and examinations by the nurses and the doctor, Olivia was lying in a semi-sitting position in her hospital bed. Despite the doctor's pleas, she had refused the rape kit, as Mr. Reed had only had time to tear her dress.

But it had been a matter of seconds that Elliot had come to help in time.

However, the doctors had taken her dress to give it as evidence to the police, and Olivia had been put on hospital clothes, which made her feel sick. They reminded her of the countless victims they'd interviewed, and she felt like wearing them was blatant proof of what had happened to her.

Fin had gone to get coffee and wait for Munch during the doctor's examinations, because his partner was supposed to arrive at the hospital to interview her, so Olivia was alone in the room. The nurses had asked if it was okay for her, and at that moment it had been. The strangers milling around the room had made the uneasy feeling in her guts grow stronger, and for a moment she had been relieved that they had left her alone. But when the anxiety caused by the presence of the nurses had eased, it had given way to those flashbacks that hit her consciousness against her will, blocking her breath, and causing the choking feeling in her throat to tighten.

"If you scream, your fiancé will die."

Without thinking, her eyes wandered to her hands and to the ring, which was glittering in the bright lights of the hospital room. She was just about to take it off, but then changed her mind and rested her head on the pillow behind her, sighing. She was exhausted, and a lump started rising in her throat again as she thought about Elliot, who she couldn't help at all. All she could do was hope that he would control his temper and not get into even deeper trouble.

The longer she sat in the empty room, the more her head began to spin, and she had to close her eyes. However, that only made the situation worse, as it immediately brought Mr. Reed's greedily glaring eyes back to her mind as if she was once again lying helpless beneath him, and she quickly opened her eyes. Suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe properly anymore, and just as she was about to press the nurse call, her eyes fell on the black coat next to the bed.

Elliot's suit jacket.

They didn't take it.

Slowly, she lifted the jacket onto her lap, and without a second thought, she buried her nose in it. Even though the jacket was pretty new, she could recognize the faint scent of his aftershave on it. And as she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, she could picture herself back in Elliot's arms.

And that was the only thing that truly comforted her at that moment.

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"So, what happened after Elliot went to the bathroom?"

Olivia sighed tiredly and rubbed her forehead. Fin, who had entered the room a moment earlier, had sat down on the edge of her bed, and Munch, who had been following him, had pulled a chair next to the bed. They looked at her expectantly, Munch holding a notepad, and even though she wanted nothing more than to sleep, she knew that her statement was important to Elliot. So, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"It had probably been 10 seconds since he left when Mr. Reed appeared out of nowhere. He pulled me aside and told me that 'my beauty made him want things he hadn't thought about in ages'," Olivia swallowed. "I tried to leave subtly, but he blocked my intention, and eventually he pulled me tightly against him." The memory caused nausea to rise in her throat.

"But..." Fin looked confused. "Why didn't you just beat his fat ass and get the hell out of there with Elliot?"

"Well, the thing is..." Olivia licked her lips. "He said he had a job offer for me. That I had "potential for the industry" and he would like to tell me about it in a calmer place." She glanced at her colleagues, who frowned as expected. "I know, it was reckless, but I thought... I thought I could handle it. But as you all can see, I clearly couldn't."

"Did he have a gun?" Munch asked. "Or what happened?"

Suddenly the words seemed to get stuck in Olivia's throat, and she looked down at her hands. She knew it was clear to everyone that Mr. Reed had had no intention of offering her a job. At least not in the industry she had hoped for. But the reason he had gotten the better of her wasn't something she wanted to tell everyone about.

But she had no choice.

"When we got to the back room, he... He attacked me immediately. But when I tried to defend myself, he…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "He said he'd kill Elliot if I resisted."

"Yeah, you heard right. If you resist, your fiancé will die. Or should I say, Detective Stabler."

The memory felt like it turned her guts upside down, and she swallowed. "His girlfriend Julia had apparently recognized us, and I… I couldn't do anything. I didn't know where Elliot was and… I thought he wouldn't find us, but somehow, he rushed into the room at the last minute. He saved me and got us out, and I…"

Then she fell silent, and even though she had dropped her gaze to her lap, out of the corner of her eye she saw Fin and Munch glance at each other, and after a short silence she felt Fin's hand on her leg.

"Thank you, Liv. I'm sure this will help him," he smiled weakly. "We're really glad you're safe. We're going to leave you to rest now, if that's okay?"

Olivia nodded, even though the thought of falling asleep terrified her. Tears began to burn in the corners of her eyes again as she asked quietly:

"Where's El?"

Fin glanced uncertainly at Munch, who was clearly better informed about things going on outside the hospital.

"He is being interrogated now, because the shooting of Miss Yellowstone is in particular needs to be clarified and..."

Miss Yellowstone.

Julia Yellowstone.

Munch's words hit Olivia like he had punched her.

"W-what?!"

"That Miss Yellowstone's incident. Someone shot her in the bathroom at the same time Elliot was there."

Olivia couldn't get a word out, just stared at him with her mouth open, and Munch frowned.

"You don't know about it?"

"No! As you well know, I was busy while Elliot went to the bathroom. Someone shot her? Why? Or did someone try to shoot…" The words got stuck in her throat, and her heart clenched in her chest.

Did someone try to shoot Elliot?

"We don't know, and that's why they interrogate him so closely. As far as I know, they were going to go to the club again to look for Mr. Reed, as they have a warrant for his arrest, and the club has a search warrant. Elliot is supposed to guide them."

The knot inside Olivia started to tighten when she thought of her partner returning to the club, from which they had miraculously managed to escape only a moment before.

"But... It... Why? It's... Dangerous!" Her voice was stifled, and Munch waved his hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the club has been emptied in the meantime before they even get there. They know that two cops got away. And that's why you, too, have been put under 24-hour security until we catch Mr. Reed." However, when his efforts of reassurance didn't seem to work on Olivia, he added: "He's out there surrounded by the cops, and the mission won't take long. I'm sure he'll come here as soon as he can."

Fin looked at her thoughtfully and tilted his head. "Are you sure you're okay? I can stay here with you if..."

"No, it's fine," Olivia found herself shaking her head. "I'm sure sleep would be good."

"Sure," Fin and Munch stood up, and Fin squeezed her knee. "I'll be right outside the door, let me know if you need anything."

And then they disappeared through the door and left her alone in the bleak room again. But this time she was accompanied not only by anxiety, but also by fear.

Fear for Elliot.

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Olivia realized she had dozed off only when she snapped awake. To her surprise, the room was dim, as the bright ceiling lights had been turned off, and she had to blink.

But then she heard a knock on the door and realized that the first knock was the reason for her waking up.

"Come in," her voice was hoarse, but apparently audible enough, because the door opened immediately. And when Olivia saw the comer, a wave of relief swept through her so strong that tears welled up in her eyes.

Elliot.

"Hey," he smiled weakly as he walked over to her bed. "How are you?"

"Better," Olivia answered quietly, and Elliot sat down on her bed next to her.

"Good."

"How were the interrogations?"

Elliot groaned as he kicked off his shoes and lifted his feet onto the bed so he could lean against the wall behind it.

"You can imagine. They tried to eat me alive, but I was finally allowed to leave."

"Did you find Mr. Reed?"

"No, we didn't. The whole club was empty, Julia's body was also gone. You may not have heard but…"

"I know that Julia is dead, Munch told about it."

"And you know that I didn't do it?" Elliot's voice was suddenly uncertain, and Olivia snorted.

"Of course."

Olivia leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. It felt so natural that it was strange to think that just a couple of days earlier it would have been unheard-of. The room that had earlier felt cold and empty had gained softness, security with Elliot, and sleep began to creep back into her limbs slowly but surely.

It was as if Elliot had read her mind because his voice was low and soft as he said:

"You can sleep, I'm not going anywhere."

And his steady breathing and the warmth radiating from him drove away Mr. Reed's face from her mind as she drifted into peaceful sleep.

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Olivia felt like she had closed her eyes only a couple of minutes ago when there was another knock on the door of the room and without waiting for an answer it opened quickly. She felt Elliot startle, and she was sure he had dozed off too.

But then the bright lights were turned on and they lit up the room, making them both blink. And in the bright light they saw Ed Tucker standing in front of the bed with two police officers.

"What the…" Elliot narrowed his eyes. "I thought the interrogations were over for today."

"Yeah, me too. I also thought I could sleep on Saturday. But yet here I am," he crossed his arms. "Stand up."

Elliot frowned but slowly obeyed. Confused, he looked at Tucker, who first shook his head slightly, then waved his hand at the officers standing behind him.

"Handcuffs."

Elliot's mouth dropped open as the officers moved to behind him and grabbed his arms.

"Wait! What…"

"What's going on?!" Olivia had stood up and was about to take a step towards her partner, but Tucker stopped her with his hand. "He hasn't done anything wrong!"

However, Tucker didn't listen, because he looked at a confused, handcuffed Elliot, took a deep breath and announced in a clear voice:

"Elliot Stabler. You have been arrested on suspicion of murder of Julia Yellowstone. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will…"