How Does it Feel

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See every other chapter.

Olivia nearly fell asleep at her desk twice that day, and Elliot actually did once. Olivia caught it though, and woke him up before the Captain saw. Each of them had gone through countless cups of coffee that wasn't doing either of them any good. Munch and Fin were sure having fun though, commenting on what they thought could make them so tired.

"You know," Munch said, "I've noticed a pattern in the last few days...one of you stays at the others place and all of a sudden you're coming to work exhausted. Why is that?"

"You really want to know?" Olivia said seductively.

"I don't think you should tell him," Elliot old her, having no clue what she was doing but wanting to play along. Munch was getting on his nerves.

"Tell me."

"We've been so tired because we've been conspiring with the people behind all of those government conspiracies on ways to kill you and get away with it. You see, you're coming too close to the truth, so they want you dead. And, we want you dead 'cos you're annoying the hell out of us."

He threw her a dirty look and went back his work.

"She got you there, man." Fin said with a laugh.

There were a few more friendly banters throughout the day, but Munch never brought up the tired thing, he figured that if they wanted to talk about it they would tell him. And, Elliot had told him that she hadn't been sleeping well since that man got out of prison. He knew that that was probably it.

Olivia and Elliot stayed at work a little late, finishing up the last of their paperwork when they had finished they went out for something to eat. Elliot asked Olivia if she wanted to go to the restaurant they had eaten breakfast at the other day. They went to Jesse's and were seated by Sarah, the same girl that had served them the other morning.

"Nice to see you again, detectives," she said as she handed them their menus, "do you know what you want to drink?"

"Diet Coke." Olivia told her. Elliot got a regular.

"Diet?" He said when Sarah had gone.

"What? I like it better."

"Ok, whatever," he flipped through the menu, "what do they have here that's good."

"Their cheeseburgers are good, so are their chicken fingers. Which is what I'm going to get."

He nodded and looked back through the menu, when Sarah came back to ask them if they knew what they wanted Olivia ordered the chicken fingers and Elliot got a cheeseburger with everything sans mustard.

"You think he's given up on me?" Olivia asked when Sarah left to get their orders ready.

"Albertson? I hope so. Maybe he realized he'd go back to jail and didn't want to. Who knows."

"I wish I did, it'd make me feel a bit better. I don't want to have to stay with you for the rest of my life."

"Why? Is my company that bad? I don't smell do I?"

Olivia laughed, "that's not it...although a shower wouldn't hurt you," he made a face and she shrugged her shoulders, "what? Just a bit of friendly advice."

"You're joking with me, right?"

She sighed, "yes, I am. Don't worry, you smell fine. I just don't want to rely on you to feel safe, Elliot. I should be able to feel safe even when I'm alone, but these damn dreams keep creeping up on me."

"When did they start?"

"They actually started the night he got out, but they kept getting worse and worse, and then suddenly you were thrown into the equation. Everytime he killed you it got worse and worse, more painful and horrible than before. I'm surprised I only screamed out in the last two. The ones before were bad enough."

He reached across the table and took her hand into his, "Liv, don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Trust me, I won't let anything bad happen to you, or me. Ok?"

"How can you promise something like that Elliot. You don't know what could happen any more than I do."

"I know I wouldn't leave you. That I can promise."

She smiled weakly and drew her hand back, "I wish it was that easy."

Sarah brought their food to them and they ate in silence, neither wanted to break the uncomfortable silence. When they finished Elliot paid the tab (after arguing with Olivia about it) and they left. When they got into the car Olivia turned the music on to further the silence between the two of them.

They listened for a little bit before Elliot cut it off. "Do you want to talk?"

"About?"

"The dreams."

She inhaled sharply, "them again, huh?"

"Maybe it'll make you feel better to talk about them."

She nodded, "Ok. The first scared me enough in itself. You weren't in that one. I came home and he was already in my apartment. He attacked me, and chloroformed me, I passed out. The next thing I know I'm awake and he's on top of me. That's when I woke up. The second was a little more brutal than the first, he beat me until I passed out instead of drugging me, and well, then the same thing happened as in the first. The third one was I came home to find you tied up and passed out on the floor. I went to check on you and he hit me over the head, when I woke up you and I was tied up like you. Then...well you get the picture. You know about the last two."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She shrugged and he pulled into his driveway. Kathleen's Grand AM was in the same place it had been the day before. They got out of the car and made their way into the house, which was still pitch black although it was apparent that at least Kathleen was there. Elliot figured she had fallen asleep in her room or was on the phone.

When he opened the door he flicked the lights on and immediately gasped and Olivia saw his hand travel to his gun and unclip the holster. Since he was still in front of her she couldn't see what he was gasping at, "what?"

He ran into the house and Olivia could finally see what was wrong. There in the middle of the room was Kathleen, bound and tied to a chair, blood trickling down the right side of her head. She too took her gun from it's holding place and she made her way into the house, gun raised. Elliot was busy trying to wake his daughter up from an unnatural slumber. When she finally did she looked at him terrified. Since he had already taken the tape off of her mouth she could speak. "Leave!" She yelled.

Her father cupped her face in his hands, "what?"

"Get out now! Hurry! He's still here!"

Elliot didn't have time to react before the bullet hit him, he flew backwards onto the floor and Kathleen began to scream. Olivia's eyes traveled from her partners bleeding body to where the bullet had come from. There standing in the entryway of the kitchen was George Albertson, a smoking gun in his hands. He smiled evilly at her, "guess Prince Charming can't save you after all."

a/n: DUN DUN DUN! Now this is what I call a cliffhanger! dunks at a shoe being thrown from a reader.

Hope ya like.