This morning, I woke up in a cold sweat. I was thinking about him. In my dream, I was running. Just running. It was foggy. I couldn't see who I was running from or even where I was. When I opened my eyes, I recognized the dream from every night this week. Elliot figured it out last night--he was after me.
I got up and found some clothes. In the bathroom, I looked in the mirror.
"You are Olivia Benson," I told my reflection. "You can deal with this."
I was pouring orange juice when Elliot arrived. For a minute, I thought it was him. But it wasn't. It was just Elliot. I thought of telling him my worries, but I decided not to. He would probably just go into overprotective mode. It wasn't until he drank some of the juice that I realized that we were partners--paired together forever, no matter what. He was my strength, my better half, my protector. We would always share a bond closer than the best of friends. Come hell or high water, he would definitely have my back. I could tell Elliot anything, and I usually did. This just felt...different. I wasn't sure if it would be wise to confide in him this time.
When we were in the hallway, I finally lost it. I stopped dead in my tracks and fell against the wall.
"Liv?" Elliot said. "You okay?"
I opened my mouth to give my customary "fine" when I stopped.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm not. I'm afraid, El. I'm worried. He's trying to break me down, and it's working. He's winning, and that scares me."
"It's okay," Elliot murmured, hugging me. "It's okay. I got you. And as long as I'm here, nothing can touch you."
As we got into the car, I realized something. In my dream, I wasn't trying to run away from someone. I was trying to run to someone. And I made it there.