Olivia leaned her head back against the wall, fighting to stay awake. She
was vulnerable enough as it was, and to fall asleep would be a major
mistake on her part.
Instead, she glanced at Elliot. She could not believe that she had let it slip out that she loved him. Olivia regretted the words the second they left her mouth... then again, maybe regret was the wrong word. There was no denying her feelings. She just thought that maybe, just maybe, being held hostage by a maniac in some storage room was not the right time to profess her love.
On the other hand, it had saved Elliot, at least for the moment. The ramifications of having to explain what she said certainly beat having to watch her partner and best friend be buried. Still, those thoughts didn't improve when she saw the cut on his lip and the bruises forming against his face.
Elliot caught her look, and smiled at her gently. "You okay?" he mouthed.
She nodded, closing her eyes for a second before reopening them. Olivia noticed that he was still looking at her, worried. She smiled weakly at Elliot, nodding again.
Elliot was worried about her, no denying it. Her eyes looked glassy and he could tell that she was fighting to stay conscious. A dark bruise was forming below her eye, the cut on her forehead caked with blood. He didn't even want to think of the pain that was probably coursing through her wrist. Instead, he focused on working against the ropes. He could feel the thick twine starting to slacken only a little. Elliot tried to form a plan if he did get the ropes undone. He was trying to be discreet about it. Wald was amped enough as it was; Elliot certainly didn't want to get caught trying to escape.
"Wald, we're willing to negotiate with you," Cragen's voice cut through the tense silence.
Still, Wald jumped out of his seat, tightening the grip he had on the weapon. "Shut the fuck up! I'm not willing to negotiate right now!"
"Wald, the sooner we talk, the sooner you can leave. What do you want, man? A plane to Mexico? Half a million? We're willing to get you anything you want."
Wald took a deep breath, trying to control his anger slightly. "Look... right now all I want is to be left alone with my two friends here. When I want to talk, we'll talk."
"Okay. You know where I am," Cragen called back. "Shit," he muttered, turning to Fin and Munch.
"This is bad, Cap. The longer they're in there the worse," Munch pointed out tensely.
"I realize that, John. But I'm not going to push him into killing Olivia or Elliot because I was too forceful."
"I wonder if there's any way to get through the vents to get a shot off," Fin said.
"The building is too old," an officer spoke up. "We were thinking of that but it's just not safe. The vents would collapse with even our lightest sniper."
"Thanks," Cragen replied absently.
"So what do we do now?" asked Munch.
Cragen sighed, glancing at the closed off area. "We wait."
~/~
Olivia took another deep breath, glancing at Elliot once again. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to talk to Wald. She knew Elliot would kill her if they came out of this alive... no, not if. When. She had to think positively.
She cleared her throat softly, getting the reaction she hoped for. Wald jumped and swung his gun towards Olivia. She smiled nervously, trying not to show her fear.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "My throat is getting dry."
"Swallow your fucking spit, then," Wald growled, turning away from her.
"Andrew, don't you want to live?" Olivia asked suddenly, regretting the words the second they left her mouth. It wasn't a good way to start a conversation.
Wald, however, didn't react in the way Olivia expected. Instead, he chuckled wryly, shaking his head.
"You never stop, Olivia," he said with a laugh. "You just don't give up, do you?"
"I guess it's the detective in me. Or the woman," Olivia pushed. She wasn't sure why she was having this conversation, especially with the undeterminable actions of Wald.
"Olivia," Elliot hissed through his teeth.
She glanced at him, her look telling him that it was okay. He hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. He was going to have to trust her, as stupid or not as her plan is.
Wald laughed again, ignoring the long look that had passed between the two. "Women... I'll never get it. They're so... pathetic. Defenseless... weak... afraid of their own shadows..."
"Not every woman is that way, Andrew," Olivia replied gently, choosing to stick with his first name since he didn't react to the use of it. "Why do you think that?"
"My... mother. We grew up in this apartment building. She was... she was a slut. She always had men over... I would lay In bed listening to her fucking random men. It made me angry that she would just let all those men take advantage of her. I learned... I learned at a young age that women are whores... useless whores who spread their legs for anyone."
Olivia winced at his harsh words, ignoring the anger that bubbled in her blood at the way he spoke of women. Instead, she asked, "Why do you brand your victims, Andrew?"
He closed his eyes, setting the gun down in his lap. "The only peace I got while listening to her... having sex was from the Bible. I read passages over... and over... and over... and I became the new Savior. I became Jesus Christ."
"So they were saved," Olivia stated calmly.
"Yeah... God wanted me to save them from their pain of being a woman. So... I took their dignity... I took their life... and I took their soul."
"What are you going to do now? We ruined your plans," Olivia pointed out, glancing at Elliot to make sure he was okay. He nodded at her, encouraging her silently.
"Yeah, you ruined my plans," Wald said in a bored tone. "But you're... ah, you're here now, so we can have fun."
Olivia's heart skipped a beat at his implications, and she quickly said, "You know, Andrew, it's not often that negotiation teams offer someone a deal. You should really think about taking them up on their offers."
"Then we can't have fun, Olivia."
She shuddered inwardly. He sounded truly sad about that. "I'm willing to leave with you, Andrew," she said softly.
"Olivia!" Elliot moaned softly, realizing that she was implying.
"Shut it, hero," Wald growled at Elliot. "Do you really think I'm going to fall for that, Olivia?"
"What do you mean, Andrew?"
"I walk out there with you, your little friends shoot me down, and we don't get to fulfill our destiny."
"I'll tell them to back off," Olivia said calmly. "Andrew. I won't let anything happen to you. Don't you think that I might want this as much as you do?"
"Olivia, you are the worst liar I've ever met," Wald chuckled. "I'm not falling for that shit."
"Andrew-"
"Shut the fuck up!" he screamed, aiming the gun at Olivia. "Shut the fuck up! I'm not falling for your bullshit lies. You're just like any other slut whore of a woman!"
Olivia flinched, trying not to show her fear.
"Leave her alone!" Elliot yelled at suddenly, yanking even harder at his ropes. "You touch her again and I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!"
Wald moved quickly, striking Elliot against the face with the butt of the gun. "Stop!" Olivia cried hoarsely when she saw Elliot's head drop. "Stop you pathetic son of a bitch!"
Wald turned his attention to Olivia, his eyes flashing dangerously. He stepped over to her, pressing the barrel of the gun to her forehead. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," he whispered, his breath rancid against her cheek.
'This is it,' Olivia thought. 'This is the point where I die.' She stared at Wald, refusing to say anything.
"Fine, have it your way, slut," Wald chuckled, cocking the safety.
Olivia closed her eyes, waiting for the deafening pop to come and everything to end.
However, it never came; rather, a loud grunt rang out through the small room. Olivia opened her eyes in time to see Elliot tackle Wald full force. The two went crashing to the floor with a thud, Wald's gun skittering near her feet.
Elliot regained his balance first, kicking Wald in the face. Wald shook his head, stunned, and got to his feet. Elliot threw another punch, only to have it blocked by Wald. Elliot was thrown off balance and Wald drove his elbow into the back of Elliot's neck.
Elliot dropped to his knees, pain ringing through the back of his head. 'I'm getting too old for this shit,' he couldn't help but think wryly. He didn't have long to muse, however. Olivia's warning cry brought him out of his trance.
He managed to dodge out of the way, using Wald's momentum to push the large man into the water boiler. Wald was only slightly dazed, and Elliot leveled another punch against his jaw when he stumbled around. Wald fell near Olivia and unbeknownst to Elliot, his gaze falling to the gun near her feet.
Without thinking, Wald dove for the gun. His fingers gripped the handle, only to have Olivia's heel strike him on the hand.
Wald cried out in pain, drawing his hand to his stomach. Olivia stretched her leg, kicking the gun a few feet away.
"You stupid whore!" Wald yelled, slapping Olivia hard, snapping her head back and splitting her lip. Elliot drove his shoulder into the larger man's stomach, knocking himself and Wald to the ground. Elliot mounted Wald's chest, striking the larger man several times in the face.
"You fucking asshole! You fucking, pathetic asshole!" Elliot screamed, wailing Wald in the face with all of his strength, his frustration and anger displayed with every punch. After the seventh punch, Wald laid still, his arms falling to the side.
"Elliot, stop," Cragen ordered as he entered the room. "He's finished!"
Elliot kneeled over Wald, hatred evident in his eyes. The gun was inches away, and his fingertips were itching to grab it and shoot Wald. A slight moan broke his concentration and he turned his head quickly to Olivia.
He jumped up and moved to Olivia, pushing Munch out of the way gently and reaching behind her to untie her ropes.
"Are you okay?" Elliot whispered, aware of the fact the room was swarming with officers. Still, he was unable to resist bringing his hands to her cheeks and stroking her jaw line with his thumbs. "Are you okay?" he repeated softly.
Olivia reached her good hand up, gripping Elliot's wrist tightly. "I think I am," she replied softly. "I owe you a big thanks."
"It's really no problem," Elliot said softly. "I'd do anything for my partner."
Olivia chuckled softly, oblivious to the people in the room as she stroked his cheek. Without thinking, their faces moved closer.
Their lips had barely brushed against each other's when a panicked voice yelled out, "Gun!"
Without thinking, Elliot threw himself in front of Olivia, knocking her to the floor and covering her with his body as a gunshot rang out. A second gunshot rang out and Olivia watched as Wald fell to the ground as a bullet pierced his stomach.
"Thanks, Rambo, but can you get off me now?" Olivia asked softly, using her uninjured hand to push at him gently.
Elliot, however, didn't move from above her. It was then that Olivia realized that a warm liquid was soaking her shirt. She watched numbly as Munch and Fin gently pulled Elliot off her. She saw the blood dripping from the bullet wound to his shoulder, a bullet that was no doubt intended for her.
It was then that Olivia Benson cracked. With a scream, she threw herself over Elliot's still body.
Instead, she glanced at Elliot. She could not believe that she had let it slip out that she loved him. Olivia regretted the words the second they left her mouth... then again, maybe regret was the wrong word. There was no denying her feelings. She just thought that maybe, just maybe, being held hostage by a maniac in some storage room was not the right time to profess her love.
On the other hand, it had saved Elliot, at least for the moment. The ramifications of having to explain what she said certainly beat having to watch her partner and best friend be buried. Still, those thoughts didn't improve when she saw the cut on his lip and the bruises forming against his face.
Elliot caught her look, and smiled at her gently. "You okay?" he mouthed.
She nodded, closing her eyes for a second before reopening them. Olivia noticed that he was still looking at her, worried. She smiled weakly at Elliot, nodding again.
Elliot was worried about her, no denying it. Her eyes looked glassy and he could tell that she was fighting to stay conscious. A dark bruise was forming below her eye, the cut on her forehead caked with blood. He didn't even want to think of the pain that was probably coursing through her wrist. Instead, he focused on working against the ropes. He could feel the thick twine starting to slacken only a little. Elliot tried to form a plan if he did get the ropes undone. He was trying to be discreet about it. Wald was amped enough as it was; Elliot certainly didn't want to get caught trying to escape.
"Wald, we're willing to negotiate with you," Cragen's voice cut through the tense silence.
Still, Wald jumped out of his seat, tightening the grip he had on the weapon. "Shut the fuck up! I'm not willing to negotiate right now!"
"Wald, the sooner we talk, the sooner you can leave. What do you want, man? A plane to Mexico? Half a million? We're willing to get you anything you want."
Wald took a deep breath, trying to control his anger slightly. "Look... right now all I want is to be left alone with my two friends here. When I want to talk, we'll talk."
"Okay. You know where I am," Cragen called back. "Shit," he muttered, turning to Fin and Munch.
"This is bad, Cap. The longer they're in there the worse," Munch pointed out tensely.
"I realize that, John. But I'm not going to push him into killing Olivia or Elliot because I was too forceful."
"I wonder if there's any way to get through the vents to get a shot off," Fin said.
"The building is too old," an officer spoke up. "We were thinking of that but it's just not safe. The vents would collapse with even our lightest sniper."
"Thanks," Cragen replied absently.
"So what do we do now?" asked Munch.
Cragen sighed, glancing at the closed off area. "We wait."
~/~
Olivia took another deep breath, glancing at Elliot once again. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to talk to Wald. She knew Elliot would kill her if they came out of this alive... no, not if. When. She had to think positively.
She cleared her throat softly, getting the reaction she hoped for. Wald jumped and swung his gun towards Olivia. She smiled nervously, trying not to show her fear.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "My throat is getting dry."
"Swallow your fucking spit, then," Wald growled, turning away from her.
"Andrew, don't you want to live?" Olivia asked suddenly, regretting the words the second they left her mouth. It wasn't a good way to start a conversation.
Wald, however, didn't react in the way Olivia expected. Instead, he chuckled wryly, shaking his head.
"You never stop, Olivia," he said with a laugh. "You just don't give up, do you?"
"I guess it's the detective in me. Or the woman," Olivia pushed. She wasn't sure why she was having this conversation, especially with the undeterminable actions of Wald.
"Olivia," Elliot hissed through his teeth.
She glanced at him, her look telling him that it was okay. He hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. He was going to have to trust her, as stupid or not as her plan is.
Wald laughed again, ignoring the long look that had passed between the two. "Women... I'll never get it. They're so... pathetic. Defenseless... weak... afraid of their own shadows..."
"Not every woman is that way, Andrew," Olivia replied gently, choosing to stick with his first name since he didn't react to the use of it. "Why do you think that?"
"My... mother. We grew up in this apartment building. She was... she was a slut. She always had men over... I would lay In bed listening to her fucking random men. It made me angry that she would just let all those men take advantage of her. I learned... I learned at a young age that women are whores... useless whores who spread their legs for anyone."
Olivia winced at his harsh words, ignoring the anger that bubbled in her blood at the way he spoke of women. Instead, she asked, "Why do you brand your victims, Andrew?"
He closed his eyes, setting the gun down in his lap. "The only peace I got while listening to her... having sex was from the Bible. I read passages over... and over... and over... and I became the new Savior. I became Jesus Christ."
"So they were saved," Olivia stated calmly.
"Yeah... God wanted me to save them from their pain of being a woman. So... I took their dignity... I took their life... and I took their soul."
"What are you going to do now? We ruined your plans," Olivia pointed out, glancing at Elliot to make sure he was okay. He nodded at her, encouraging her silently.
"Yeah, you ruined my plans," Wald said in a bored tone. "But you're... ah, you're here now, so we can have fun."
Olivia's heart skipped a beat at his implications, and she quickly said, "You know, Andrew, it's not often that negotiation teams offer someone a deal. You should really think about taking them up on their offers."
"Then we can't have fun, Olivia."
She shuddered inwardly. He sounded truly sad about that. "I'm willing to leave with you, Andrew," she said softly.
"Olivia!" Elliot moaned softly, realizing that she was implying.
"Shut it, hero," Wald growled at Elliot. "Do you really think I'm going to fall for that, Olivia?"
"What do you mean, Andrew?"
"I walk out there with you, your little friends shoot me down, and we don't get to fulfill our destiny."
"I'll tell them to back off," Olivia said calmly. "Andrew. I won't let anything happen to you. Don't you think that I might want this as much as you do?"
"Olivia, you are the worst liar I've ever met," Wald chuckled. "I'm not falling for that shit."
"Andrew-"
"Shut the fuck up!" he screamed, aiming the gun at Olivia. "Shut the fuck up! I'm not falling for your bullshit lies. You're just like any other slut whore of a woman!"
Olivia flinched, trying not to show her fear.
"Leave her alone!" Elliot yelled at suddenly, yanking even harder at his ropes. "You touch her again and I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!"
Wald moved quickly, striking Elliot against the face with the butt of the gun. "Stop!" Olivia cried hoarsely when she saw Elliot's head drop. "Stop you pathetic son of a bitch!"
Wald turned his attention to Olivia, his eyes flashing dangerously. He stepped over to her, pressing the barrel of the gun to her forehead. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," he whispered, his breath rancid against her cheek.
'This is it,' Olivia thought. 'This is the point where I die.' She stared at Wald, refusing to say anything.
"Fine, have it your way, slut," Wald chuckled, cocking the safety.
Olivia closed her eyes, waiting for the deafening pop to come and everything to end.
However, it never came; rather, a loud grunt rang out through the small room. Olivia opened her eyes in time to see Elliot tackle Wald full force. The two went crashing to the floor with a thud, Wald's gun skittering near her feet.
Elliot regained his balance first, kicking Wald in the face. Wald shook his head, stunned, and got to his feet. Elliot threw another punch, only to have it blocked by Wald. Elliot was thrown off balance and Wald drove his elbow into the back of Elliot's neck.
Elliot dropped to his knees, pain ringing through the back of his head. 'I'm getting too old for this shit,' he couldn't help but think wryly. He didn't have long to muse, however. Olivia's warning cry brought him out of his trance.
He managed to dodge out of the way, using Wald's momentum to push the large man into the water boiler. Wald was only slightly dazed, and Elliot leveled another punch against his jaw when he stumbled around. Wald fell near Olivia and unbeknownst to Elliot, his gaze falling to the gun near her feet.
Without thinking, Wald dove for the gun. His fingers gripped the handle, only to have Olivia's heel strike him on the hand.
Wald cried out in pain, drawing his hand to his stomach. Olivia stretched her leg, kicking the gun a few feet away.
"You stupid whore!" Wald yelled, slapping Olivia hard, snapping her head back and splitting her lip. Elliot drove his shoulder into the larger man's stomach, knocking himself and Wald to the ground. Elliot mounted Wald's chest, striking the larger man several times in the face.
"You fucking asshole! You fucking, pathetic asshole!" Elliot screamed, wailing Wald in the face with all of his strength, his frustration and anger displayed with every punch. After the seventh punch, Wald laid still, his arms falling to the side.
"Elliot, stop," Cragen ordered as he entered the room. "He's finished!"
Elliot kneeled over Wald, hatred evident in his eyes. The gun was inches away, and his fingertips were itching to grab it and shoot Wald. A slight moan broke his concentration and he turned his head quickly to Olivia.
He jumped up and moved to Olivia, pushing Munch out of the way gently and reaching behind her to untie her ropes.
"Are you okay?" Elliot whispered, aware of the fact the room was swarming with officers. Still, he was unable to resist bringing his hands to her cheeks and stroking her jaw line with his thumbs. "Are you okay?" he repeated softly.
Olivia reached her good hand up, gripping Elliot's wrist tightly. "I think I am," she replied softly. "I owe you a big thanks."
"It's really no problem," Elliot said softly. "I'd do anything for my partner."
Olivia chuckled softly, oblivious to the people in the room as she stroked his cheek. Without thinking, their faces moved closer.
Their lips had barely brushed against each other's when a panicked voice yelled out, "Gun!"
Without thinking, Elliot threw himself in front of Olivia, knocking her to the floor and covering her with his body as a gunshot rang out. A second gunshot rang out and Olivia watched as Wald fell to the ground as a bullet pierced his stomach.
"Thanks, Rambo, but can you get off me now?" Olivia asked softly, using her uninjured hand to push at him gently.
Elliot, however, didn't move from above her. It was then that Olivia realized that a warm liquid was soaking her shirt. She watched numbly as Munch and Fin gently pulled Elliot off her. She saw the blood dripping from the bullet wound to his shoulder, a bullet that was no doubt intended for her.
It was then that Olivia Benson cracked. With a scream, she threw herself over Elliot's still body.