Chapter Ten

Elliot drove Olivia back to her apartment. He had texted Kathleen to pick up Emma and Noah and Eli and take them back to her place. When Olivia and Elliot walked into her apartment Liv sat down on the couch, and Elliot made his way to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, empty, he opened the pantry, empty.

"Liv, your kitchen is completely empty, how do you expect to feed two kids?" Elliot said, closing the pantry door.

"There's this glorious thing called 'take out'. And that is none of your business." Olivia replied.

"I'll buy," Elliot said, grabbing his phone.

"You know I don't think I can eat anything right now." Liv said.

"Ok, how about tea then?"

"Cabinet to the right of the microwave." Liv said.

A few seconds later Elliot came into the living room handing Liv her tea. "Thanks," Liv said, taking the tea.

"Liv, what did Langan say to you?" he said sitting on the coffee table.

Olivia sighed before starting the long awaited story she didn't want to tell him. "So, about two years after you left we caught a case. This one really got to me. Even more so when we lost the case and he was a free man."

"Damn, I'm sorry Liv."

"There's more," Liv paused to take a sip of tea, "After court Cragan had suggested I take a few personal days, since he knew how much I cared about this case. I came home and he had broken into my apartment." Elliot looked around her current apartment, putting two-and-two together. Olivia continued, "He hit me, burned me, and tied me down to a chair, and held my own gun to my head." Elliot started clutching his fist. Olivia took another sip of tea, trying not to cry. "He eventually made me get in his car, made me take a Xanax with liquor to wash it down. Put me in the back seat, and told me if I made a noise I was dead." Elliot was still trying not to punch something. "El, I saw him kill a cop in cold blood. No remois. Anyways, I was then put in the trunk of a different car, and was driven all over the place, without even knowing where we were headed."

"Where was the squad when this all happened?" Elliot asked, interrupting.

"I honestly thought they weren't looking for me, that they didn't care. I was even surprised that Brian wasn't worried."

"Cassidy?" Elliot asked, wanting clarification.

"Yeah, we were kind of seeing each other at the time. Didn't work out." Liv added. "I was able to break my necklace off my neck and leave it in the trunk for evidence. To let them know I was there." Liv touched her neck, as if she had lost it again. "I was forced to watch him rap and murder another women." Elliot rubbed his hand on his chin still trying to comprehend all of this. "The last place he took me was to this beach house where he cuffed me to the bed, burned me some more…" she sighed again, taking another sip of tea. "He even burned me, with the fidelis medal you had given me.. And he took the necklace. Anyhow, I was able to break the metal bar from the bed and hit him, grabbed the key and uncuffed myself."

Elliot's emotions were all over the place, he wasn't sure if he should be angry, sad, or all of the above. He was happy though she had gotten both presents he had gotten her. "What were you thinking about, while this was all happening?"

"Whether or not I was going to live or die… and you…"

Elliot looked up from his hands, and looked her straight in her eyes. "I'm sorry Liv," he whispered with tears forming in his eyes.

"It's ok," Liv said, "I never wanted to think about you again, especially in what I thought were the last few days of my life. But he had said something and I instantly thought of you."

"Why?"

"I told him that you would've killed him. I also thought to myself, that if you were still my partner you would've been the first person to find me."

"Liv, if I would've known-"

"They found me that same day after I brutally beat this man almost to death. Then his court date came, he was charged. But then he escaped from jail and luwered me into his bait by kidnapping a little girl."

"Liv-"

"He made me play Russian Roulette, with his gun. Then he shot himself making it look like I killed him"

"Liv, I- I'm sorry. I should've been there."

"El, you didn't know. How could you have? You were in Italy at this point."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Elliot, I wanted to, it's just I thought you didn't want to hear from me. Considering you were answering any of my calls or texts."

"I would've been there."

"I know."

"So what happened with you and Cassidy?"

"We just didn't connect, I wanted kids, he didn't. He was more invested in the relationship than I was."

"And you and Tucker?"

"Tucker and I just kind of ended, nothing personal, just didn't feel right. El, Tucker committed suicide about year or so before you returned."

"Liv, I'm sorry."

"Me too, he had brain cancer and just didn't want his wife to have to deal with him."

"Liv, I'm sorry I wasn't there, for any of it. Your abduction, your brother, Tucker, if someone had told me, I would've been on the first flight out."

"So what was Italy like?" Olivia asked.

"It was nice. Kathy, Eli, and I had a nice little apartment overlooking the city. Eli started school while living there, he was sad to leave his friends when we moved back to the city." Elliot paused, "Liv, I wanted to call and text you back, I honestly did. It's just that whenever I thought about it, I knew if I heard your voice, I would drop everything and come back. I just, I just couldn't do that to Kathy and Eli."

Liv took Elliot's hand, "I know," she said.

"So what was your new partner like?"

"Nik? He was different, felt the need to fill in your shoes, didn't exactly do that well, but he was a good partner."

"Why did he leave?"

"Well, he's the one who actually shot and killed Noah's father. He got shot in the leg himself, decided that he would probably be forced to retire after he healed, so he decided to move out to California with his wife and daughter. He also has another son with another woman whom he got pregnant with when he was undercover, who also just so happened to be out in California."

"Damn," Elliot said.

"Yeah, and that's when I moved to Sargant and so on."

"I'm proud of you." Elliot said. "Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you have taken the promotion if I had stayed?"

"El,"

"Would you?"

"I don't know…"

Olivia and Elliot spent the rest of the night talking about some of their favorite cases they worked on together. Olivia had told Elliot she was about to go to bed, but he could stay as long as he would like. Elliot said good night to Liv and made himself a bowl of cereal. Just then he heard a knock on the door.

"Dad," Kathleen said