Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU. It belongs to a genius named Dick Wolf. No profit is being made from this story.
Fire engines were blocking the hotel entrance. Munch steered the sedan onto a small patch of grass and parked with a screech, throwing the door open. He took off running toward the building with the other two hot on his heels.
Olivia's heart was in her throat as she looked up at the building. Thick smoke curled out of a window on the sixth floor. God…please don't let him be in there!
They sprinted toward the entrance. Firefighters blocked the doors, and immediately stopped them.
"You folks get back!" one of them yelled quickly. "No one is allowed inside the building."
Firefighters wearing helmets and fire suits ran inside. John pulled out his badge quickly. "We need to get in there, now," he said anxiously. "There's an officer inside."
"Everyone is being evacuated," the man said. "We're getting them out as quickly as we can, sir. Now please, step back!" He grabbed his arm and began dragging him toward the parking lot where the hotel guests were standing.
Olivia felt herself being pulled toward the grass by another firefighter. They deposited the three of them with the other people and turned back toward the building again. Olivia looked at the other two anxiously. "We have to get in there!" she cried.
John looked around frantically. Something around the side of building caught his eye. "Guys!" he shouted, getting their attention. "Come on!" He took off running.
The heat was scorching every inch of Elliot's body. Smoke was so thick that it blanketed the room in darkness. Flames surrounded him from all sides; he could feel it creeping up closer. Sobbing hysterically, he curled his legs up against his body as best he could, trying desperately to escape being burned.
He could hear the faint piercing of the fire alarms over the crackling of the flames, and the footsteps of people in rooms around him going for safety. The gag was still choking him every time he tried to scream out.
The window behind him suddenly shattered from the intense pressure. He ducked his head frantically as shards of glass sprayed all over his body. Flames immediately devoured the wall where the window had just been, beginning to eat away at the desk.
Four squad cars pulled up across the street and the detectives ran toward the hotel. Captain Cragen squealed to a stop beside John's car and jumped out.
Running ahead of them, he got to the parking lot first and looked around frantically. He didn't see the three of them anywhere. A knot formed in his stomach and he whirled around, heading for the other side.
A firefighter stopped him as he ran. "Sir, you need to get back," he said urgently. "It's not safe."
"Is there anyone on the other side?" he asked quickly.
The man shook his head. "Everyone is being evacuated to the parking lot," he said, pointing back where he had been.
"I can't find three of my detectives," he insisted. "You're sure there's no one in the back?"
"I'm positive, sir!" the man cried impatiently. "Now please…get back!"
A sudden shattering noise made them both jump. Looking up, Don saw a window break and smoke come pouring out.
His stomach dropped to his knees. "Christ," he whispered.
"Captain!"
Someone yelling his name made him turn around. A group of detectives was sprinting toward him.
"What?" he said quickly. "What's wrong?"
One of them pointed behind him. When he turned around, he saw Sean Stabler getting into a red Ford Focus parked toward the back.
"Shit!" he exclaimed.
A few were trying to run after the car. The rest stopped and looked at Don frantically.
"Go!" he screamed at them. "Go get him!"
A large group of detectives took off in the other direction toward their cars.
Munch skidded to a stop at the side of the building and reached up for the collapsible stairs that served as a help's entrance. Fin hurried to help him pull and steady them. Their footsteps clanged loudly as the three of them thundered up.
Olivia's lungs burned and her calves ached, but she kept going. Dear God…let us be wrong, she begged again. Tears welled in her eyes. Please don't let him be in there!
"What the hell-?"
A loud clanking made one firefighter run toward the back of the building. His eyes widened when he saw three people running up the stairs.
"Hey!" he shouted desperately. "What are you doing? You're going the wrong way!"
They didn't appear to have heard him. He ran quickly around to the front again. "There's some more back here!" he yelled urgently, and turned back again. The three closest to him ran to help.
Hearing the commotion, Don ran back there as well. His gut was churning. He knew it was his three detectives…it had to be.
Reaching the sixth level, John leapt off of the stairs and began running down the steel grates that served as rain gutters for the building. He heard Olivia and Fin only steps behind. The smoke ahead told them they were going in the right direction.
"Damn it!" Sean exclaimed, hearing sirens behind them. "Go, GO!"
The other man shifted the car into third gear and floored the accelerator. He blew through the red light ahead of them. Sean gripped the door handle as they narrowly missed a speeding truck.
There was a screech of tires and an explosion of metal as one squad car was creamed by the oncoming truck. It spun around with the impact and crashed into a nearby telephone pole.
Two squad cars following it immediately stopped. The last one kept giving chase. Traffic stopped abruptly, some cars swerving to avoid the wreck. Three detectives from one car sprinted toward the crushed vehicle, calling for their colleagues frantically, while the ones from the other car headed for the truck.
The car chasing after the Focus swerved into the other lane, quickly passing traffic while trying to keep the red car in sight. Most people pulled to the side to let them pass, but there were some that were being either ignorant or defiant and refusing to move out of the way.
"All units…suspect on the run heading north on Highway 12….red Ford Focus," the detective driving said into his radio. "Repeat, all units be advised of a suspect on the run….Highway 12 heading north, over."
"Turn here," Sean said quickly, twisting around to see where the cop car was.
The man made an expert 360 degree turn in the other direction and zoomed into a nearby parking garage. They sighed in relief when the sirens zoomed past them.
The detective looked around frantically. "I lost him," he shouted into the radio. "Suspect no longer visible!" He threw the radio down and cursed, reversing to turn around. He zoomed back the way he came, hoping they hadn't gotten away.
Skidding to a stop outside of the broken window, Olivia jumped inside quickly. The others were about to follow when a huge rush of fire came blowing out into the air.
"Watch it!" Fin yelled.
He and John flattened themselves against the side of the building, narrowly avoiding the flames. Olivia threw herself face first on the carpet. She could feel the heat of the fire as it raged right above her. Terrified, she covered her head and curled into a ball.
The fire was quickly sucked back inside. John pushed away from the brick wall and jumped down into the room. Fin mimicked his movements.
"Olivia!" Munch yelled. He bent down and lifted her to her feet, holding her upright. "You alright?"
She had a dazed look on her face. Blinking, she realized that she hadn't been burned. "Yeah," she choked out shakily. "I'm okay. I'm okay." Pushing away from him, she slowly steadied herself.
The three of them were huddled next to the ruined window, shrinking away from the flames raging around them. Fin was struggling not to let the others see how scared he was. His heart was hammering so hard that he thought for sure they would be able to hear it.
He took a tentative step to his left and jumped back again quickly when he saw more flames shooting up from the ground. "Shit!" he exclaimed, nearly barreling into his partner.
John looked around in a panic as he clambered closer to the window. The fire was huge and surrounded almost every available inch space. They had to get out of there right now.
"Come on," he said urgently, beginning to pull Olivia toward the window. "We can't stay here."
"No- John!" she protested, jerking away from him. "We have to find Elliot!"
He grabbed her shoulders. "Are you insane?" he cried. "There's no way anyone could survive this…now, come on! We have to leave now!"
In the midst of their arguing, an unfamiliar noise caught Fin's attention. He froze.
"I'm not leaving," she yelled. "He has to be-"
"Guys, guys!" Fin pushed between them quickly, his head snapped to attention. He waved his hand frantically. "Listen!"
They stopped and went silent. Amidst the crackling of the flames around them, another noise suddenly became audible: muffled whimpers.
Olivia's eyes widened. "Elliot!" she called out.
She immediately began feeling her way around. John and Fin began mirroring her movements. They gingerly circled around the small space, trying to locate where the noises were coming from while at the same time trying to stay clear of the flames.
Getting down on the carpet, she began crawling on her elbows, her eyes stinging from the smoke. The whimpers sounded close. As she fumbled around, her hand suddenly came in contact with something soft. Gasping, she clutched it frantically and yanked it to her face.
Cotton.
Continuing to pull the material to her, she felt around and brushed across smooth skin.
She clawed quickly at the cotton, pulling it forward until she suddenly was face to face with Elliot.
Her eyes widened and she nearly let go. He was crying and looked absolutely terrified.
"Guys!" she screamed, scrambling to her knees. She took his face in her hands, unable to see any other part of him.
He was choking, his eyes wide as he tried as hard as he could to cry out. Tears coursed down her face as she tugged on the gag. She couldn't get it loose.
Fin got next to her. "I can't get it off," she sobbed. Elliot suddenly yelped at her next attempt and she quickly took her hand away.
John was reaching around behind Elliot, looking for whatever was binding him to the desk. He encountered the wires and began trying to untwist the complicated coils.
Elliot yelped again in agony, and she nearly lost it. "Hold on, Elliot," she gasped, trying to get control of her tears. "Just hang on."
A sudden cracking noise startled all of them. John jumped, dropping the coils in his hand.
A sudden surge of déjà vu ran through Olivia's veins and she froze. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw a huge chunk of the ceiling fall towards them.
Scrambling around Fin, she screamed out "Get down!" and threw herself over Elliot, covering him with her body.
John and Fin dropped to the ground a second before a flaming piece of plaster crashed on to the desk.
Throwing his head up, Munch looked around. The fire was going to devour them. Getting to his feet, he ran over to the side of the desk and began yanking on the wire again.
Elliot cried out in pain, and John felt his heart shattering, but he kept going. Fin got next to him quickly and tried to help him, but neither could get his hands free.
"We have to get help," Fin gasped painfully. "There's no way we can do this."
He met the anguished eyes of his partner. They both knew that by the time they reached any of the firefighters, Elliot was going to be dead. John's eyes filled with helpless tears.
"Olivia," he croaked.
She was still covering her partner, gripping him so tightly that her knuckles were white. He whimpered.
"No," she sobbed. "I'm not leaving him!"
All of the sudden, John was yanked upward. He yelled in surprise, and then he was on his back, blinking up at the sunlight.
"What the he-?" he cried, jumping up.
A man in a fire suit pulled his partner out in the same abrupt fashion before jumping through the window.
Olivia squeezed her eyes shut and clutched Elliot tighter, desperately praying that he wouldn't feel it when the flames closed in on them.
A cracking sound next to her head almost made her pass out. Looking to her left, she saw a firefighter chopping at the desk with an ax.
A minute later, she was being pulled away from Elliot.
"What-?" she cried, reaching desperately for him.
"Come on, miss," a man's voice said urgently. "I've got you."
The other firefighter quickly slid the handcuff off of the wooden bar and lifted Elliot up. "I've got him!" he shouted. "Let's get out of here."
Olivia's form came flying up out of the window. She was screaming and flailing in the grip of the firefighter.
"Let go of me!" she screamed. "I can't leave him!"
"Liv!" Fin cried, reaching down to grab her. "Liv, they've got him! They've got him!"
John quickly yanked her up as she whipped her head around. A firefighter was coming out with Elliot draped over his shoulder.
She sighed in relief. A second later, she was being pulled down the steel gutters so quickly that she almost fell.
Don was sprinting up the stairs as fast as he could. He made it past the fourth floor when Fin suddenly plowed into him. John was at his heels, pulling Olivia with him.
"Oh, thank God!" he cried. "Guys-"
"RUN!" came a shout from behind them. A firefighter began pushing them. "The building is going to ignite any second!"
Turning around, Don ran back down the way he had come.
Olivia felt herself flying through the air as John yanked her toward the ground. She lost her balance and crashed onto the concrete on her back.
She felt the other two landing beside her and looked up to see two more firefighters scurry off of the fire escape. A minute later, she heard a gigantic whoosh.
"Guys!" the captain yelled, getting to his feet quickly. He hurried over to them. "Are you alright?"
John was lying flat, his hands clenched, breathing hard. It took him a minute to respond past the shock he felt.
"Yeah," he stuttered. "I-I think so."
Fin dropped his head into his hands and breathed a huge sigh of relief. That had been way too close.
Olivia blinked rapidly, her body shaking. With trembling hands, she felt for her face quickly. Her eyes slid closed as tears slipped involuntarily down her cheeks. She was alive…she was still alive.
The captain was so busy making sure that they were alright that he failed to notice that the firefighters were coming towards them. They gently placed Elliot down on the concrete. The three detectives scrambled to their feet as the captain rushed over to him.
The firefighters didn't even get a chance to position themselves around Elliot before Olivia was flying at them and pushing her way past. She dropped to the ground beside him, gasping frantically for breath.
The tears she had been fighting came out as Olivia began hurriedly pulling at the knot at the back of his neck. Her fingers trembled as she listened to his intensifying whimpers. "Hold on, Elliot," she gasped tearfully. "It's alright."
Seeing her working on the gag, the three men started on his hands.
"Hold him up," Don directed.
John gripped Elliot's shoulders and waited for Fin to wrap his arms around his waist. "Ready?"
Fin nodded. Together, they lifted their friend up a few inches and turned him to give the captain better access to his bonds. Cragen eyed the tangled mass of wire and hesitantly began untwisting it.
Elliot moaned tearfully, and he jumped, pulling his hand back. He rocked back on his heels and turned his head. "Somebody get me wire cutters!" he screamed as loud as he could.
The firefighters around them instantly got to their feet. Two of them ran back toward the fire truck.
Olivia sighed in relief when she was finally able to work through the knot in the bandanna. Swiftly untying it, she took it in her hands and pulled it out of her partner's mouth. She winced when Elliot choked and gagged loudly, gasping.
"I'm sorry," she said tearfully, quickly removing all of the material and tossing it aside. "Here, baby….here we go. It's gone. It's gone."
He dry heaved a few times in panic before gulping in breaths frantically. As soon as he could breathe normally again, he started to weep hysterically. Olivia quickly wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly, breaking down herself.
The firefighters returned with the tool and handed it to the captain. After a few tries, Don was able to fit it around the slender wire. It gave instantly, and he was able to pull it gently away. He winced when he saw Elliot's hands and wrists covered in blood.
Keeping his grip on Elliot's waist, Fin maneuvered him so that he was sitting up. He moved quickly and took over for John, holding his shoulders so that he wouldn't fall back.
Olivia felt his arms flying forward a minute before she was almost tackled to the ground. He clutched her middle tightly, shaking and crying uncontrollably. She nodded quickly at Fin before leaning forward and reaching around him.
Getting the message, he let go of Elliot's shoulders when she pulled him gently forward. She continued to pull him to her until he was in her lap and wrapped him in a warm hug. Getting her balance, she knelt down and sat on the concrete.
Looking up at the people gathered around them, she jerked her head discreetly and sent a pleading look to the firefighters. They got the message, nodding at her sympathetically and standing.
"Come on, guys," one said. "Let's get the hose rolled up."
Olivia met the eyes of the captain, Fin, and Munch as the group of firefighters moved away. They were each asking her silently if she needed any help. She gave them a warm smile of thanks and shook her head slightly. They nodded and moved off as well, heading back toward the front of the hotel.
Once they were alone, she turned her focus back to her partner. He had his face pressed into her abdomen, hidden from her view, and she could feel him sobbing. Her shirt was beginning to soak from his tears. She moved her arms to circle his back and began rubbing slowly, dropping her face so that he could hear her.
"It's alright, Elliot," she soothed quietly. She stroked through his hair, feeling him shiver. "You're okay."
He gulped in tearful breaths as he cried. Olivia began swaying him gently back and forth, keeping up the gentle assurances.
"You're fine, baby," she said. "I've got you. You're just fine."
"I thought-I thought…" He hiccupped and sobbed as she rocked him, struggling to complete the sentence. "I thought I was dead." He trembled so badly that he almost couldn't sit still. Elliot had never been so afraid in his entire life, and didn't know how to process the feeling.
She didn't blame him a bit for his reaction….the fraction of a minute she had been near that fire had terrified her to the very core. Rubbing circles all over his back, Olivia continued to soothingly rock him and make calming sounds in attempt to shush his cries.
The sound of sirens drew the attention of the three men away from watching the firefighters continue to try controlling the fire. Turning away, they saw two squad cars pull in and five detectives start running towards them.
"Did you get him?" the captain immediately asked, hurrying to meet them with John and Fin on his heels. "Where is he?"
The lead detective stopped to catch his breath, shaking his head. "No," he said breathlessly. "We lost him."
"What?" Fin exploded. "Where did he go?"
"How did he get away?" John said almost in the same breath.
"No…guys," the detective struggled to say, having to stop and gasp for breath. "It's not-"
"What happened?" Don asked, struggling to keep his head.
"Guys!" he shouted, interrupting them. "Listen, there's a bigger problem right now. There was an accident…Jones and Bill are on being taken to the hospital."
The captain's eyes widened and the other two stopped speaking abruptly. "What happened?" he asked in trepidation. "Are they okay?"
Blowing out a breath, he nodded. "We chased Sean through a red light and they got clipped by a truck," he said. "But they're alright, just a little banged up."
"Good," Don said in relief, but his mind was racing trying to figure out what his next move could be.
Another detective came up beside him with a worried expression. "Did Elliot get out alright?" he asked in concern, looking past Don at the burning hotel. "Is he okay?"
"He's alright," the captain hastened to assure. "We got to him in time."
Looks of relief passed all of their faces. John looked at him anxiously. "Sean is getting a head start," he said. "We'll lose him if he makes it to Jersey."
They all looked to the captain frantically. His eyes hardened with resolve. "That's not going to happen," he said. "That bastard is ours." Turning on his heel, he began striding back towards the hotel.
A firefighter had joined Olivia, and was kneeling next to her as Don approached. He saw the man take Elliot from her arms and carry him toward an ambulance parked nearby. She got to her feet with wobbly legs and reached down to brush the gravel from her knees.
"Olivia," he called as she started to follow after them.
She turned around. Behind her, the captain saw the man sit Elliot down on the back of the ambulance. He reached for a medical supply kit and began tending to the wounds on his hands.
"Captain," she said, glancing quickly back toward her partner. "What's going on? Did they arrest Sean?"
"No, he ran," Cragen said. "They think he's headed for New Jersey."
Disbelief flashed in her eyes, followed quickly by fury. "You'd better get going then," she said. "Don't let him get away, Captain."
He nodded. "We are," he assured. "I just wanted to make sure you guys are alright. Will you be okay with him or do you want me to stay? Do you need anything?"
She waved her hand quickly. "No, no," she insisted. "Go, sir. I'm fine. Go after Sean…I've got it under control."
He smiled. "I know," he said. "You always do, Olivia."
She blushed slightly but returned his smile. "Go," she repeated. "Please…please get him."
He nodded. "You can make bet on it," he said firmly. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'll call you when we catch him. Take care of yourself….and Elliot."
"Always, Captain," she responded. "Be careful."
"You got it," he said.
Turning around again, he ran back toward the cars. The others were already waiting with engines running. Getting inside, he put his seatbelt on quickly and rolled down his window.
"Let's go!" he yelled, flipping on the flashing lights.
Gravel flew up and sirens blared as the cars tore out of the parking lot.