Olivia laid flat on her back in bed, staring at the ceiling. Elliot had taken her home, walked her in, and was edging out the door when she called for him.
"Stay," She'd said. "A little longer?" He was sitting in a chair at her bedside before she'd finish talking.
"What's the matter?" He asked breathlessly, her anxious vibe worrying him. She smiled weakly.
"I'm scared." She answered honestly, her small voice tugging at his chest.
"Of what?" He asked her, his muscles tense. Her gaze dropped from him.
"Of finishing therapy. After all this... That when we confront what happened to us the damage will be too large to overcome." Elliot opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He was just as scared as she was and barely holding it together. Olivia was all he had, what would he do if he lost her again? What would she do? He sighed and tried to find words to comfort her, comfort himself.
"I think the fact we made it this far means we can make it." He answered carefully. Olivia nodded, her eyes darting around the room.
"I don't blame you, at all. For any of it. I never have." She said suddenly, making Elliot suddenly feel small. He exhaled, clasping his hands together and leaning forward on his knees.
"I know that." He said after a moment.
"I wish you'd stop blaming yourself." He fought the urge to say 'I can't.' He looked into Olivia's large, dark eyes and wondered what he ever did to deserve her. Anybody else would've filed for a new partner a long time ago, not fight tooth and nail to keep him. He chuckled helplessly, the bags under his eyes feeling especially large.
"I'll try." He said, his smile tense. Olivia laughed to herself and looked at her own twiddling thumbs.
"Would you..." She paused, her eyes sliding to Elliot. "Would you get in bed with me, Elliot? I haven't been in bed with someone and not..." She cut herself off, suddenly embarrassed and worried she'd upset him. She was surprised when he stood silently and shuffled near her, hesitantly laying on the bed. She watched him carefully, surprised he had complied at all. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. He was happy to find her proximity comforting, not alarming.
"Thank you." Olivia said tiredly, turning over on her side and shutting her eyes. Elliot just grunted, watching Olivia's sleeping form like a hawk.
When Elliot was done he felt a void in his chest. He was so ashamed and alarmed at himself for having complied with anything Simon Tate had asked. It was a secret blessing that Olivia was barely conscious towards the end. Elliot had been dutiful, mindful of her many injuries and afflictions at the hands of Simon. But he had ravaged her there was no way around that. It felt as right as it did wrong. They had both been certain, especially after Kathy had left and come back, that if this hadn't happened then it would never happen. How wrong they were...
His shirt was still on and his pants and underwear were around his ankles. Olivia's had been removed a long time ago. Her blood stained blue button up hung open, her bra hanging off her in tatters. Streaks of dry blood had made their way down most of her exposed skin. She stared at the ceiling and struggled to keep her eyes open, her head pounding. Simon clapped, breaking the moment.
"Not the best but not bad either." He growled. Olivia whimpered as her vision tunneled, catching Elliot's attention.
"Liv-" She sobbed, causing him to take off his own shirt and drape it around her. He wiped blood off her face with his hand and noticed that her eyes were lidded and blank. "Olivia." He snapped, shaking her gently. The motion shut her eyes, making him realize she had been drifting in and out of consciousness. "Olivia come back to me." He said, anxiety seeping into his voice.
"She's better off where she is, when she wakes up she's gonna remember what you did to her." Said Simon gleefully. Elliot gently slipped his hand behind Olivia's head, glowering at Simon.
"I didn't do anything, Simon. You did. Whether you realize it or not." He turned back to Olivia who was moaning with her eyes shut. Fear panged Elliot's heart. How he regretted not filling everyone in when he received the text message (that was Simon). He needed to do whatever it took to save Olivia and he couldn't risk a strong police presence. Now he was kicking himself. They were banking on TARU tracing their cell GPS or things were about to get even darker.
"Liv..." He said, his voice cracking. "You gotta open your eyes, I can't do this without you." She tried her best to comply, cloudy eyes focusing on Elliot with great effort.
"El." She said, smiling dumbly. Her vision was doubled so she saw two of him. He laughed nervously and put more support behind her head. It was then the faint sound of sirens stole his attention. Finally. They had honed in on their location. Elliot leaned Olivia's head on to his chest and looked desperately at Simon.
"Simon. It's over. They tracked our cellphones. They know we are here." He pointed the gun at them in retaliation, causing Elliot to hunch over a vulnerable Olivia.
"You think I'm gonna let you leave not in a body bag? After what my brother went through?" Elliot shut his eyes, praying they somehow made it before he executed them, at least Olivia. "Now you've killed two people." Without a second thought he shoved the weapon in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
"NO-"
"NYPD! MOVE! MOVE!" It was Fin's voice Elliot heard after the swat team busted into the storage container. "I got two NYPD down and one dead! Let's go!" He screamed, rushing over quickly to his squad mates. Cragen and Munch weren't far behind but Elliot didn't notice them, hurriedly wiping Simon's blood and Brain matter away from Olivia.
"Jacket," He grunted, his voice hoarse. Fin slipped quickly out of his and replaced Elliot's shirt with it.
"There we go," Fin said, watching Elliot carefully. He was shaking with adrenaline his eyes staring off blankly. It was PTSD if he had ever seen it. He nonchalantly kicked the gun far from the both of them, motioning over for the CSU and the paramedics to come over. "We gotta get Liv to the doctor, okay?" He said gently. Elliot barely heard him, his stare dropped to the unconscious Olivia in his arms.
Cragen knelt down beside Elliot with great effort, unshed tears in his eyes. "You did good. You both did good. Now it's time to get you both looked at." He said, like a father comforting their child. He finally shook his head, breaking his stupor. He slowly covered himself, pulling his pants and underwear up.
"I can't... I'm not leaving her." He flinched when he felt Munch's hand on his shoulder.
"You look alright to me." Munch said, trying to smile. It was hard with Olivia laying there in bad shape."Why don't we get Olivia ready for transport and I'll see who I can bribe to let you ride along." Elliot's eyes drifted to Simon's brutalized head. Munch pulled him away gently. "C'mon. Let's go see."
"Elliot. What do you think is the hardest part of this whole ordeal?" George asked after a long moment. Olivia was inconspicuously wiping moisture from her eyes. Elliot's were pretty watery too. He sighed, leaning back on the couch.
"That I went there to rescue my partner myself. And the only reason we are both still here is because they tracked our GPS signal. I might as well have," He cut himself off suddenly, rage making him stand and take a lap around the couch. He was breathing like a bull, so angry and hateful towards himself. "If I had just waiting a god damn minute I never would've done that to her!" He cried out, tears finally leaking down his face.
'"Elliot. You saved my life." She stood, not afraid of Elliot's outburst and quite relieved he was emoting. "I would do many more things to save my own and yours." She stared up at him unflinchingly, reaching out for his hand and grabbing it. He didn't flinch. He grabbed back, staring down at the miraculous woman in front of him. "And we both know I would've done the same thing. Rush off to find you." Elliot chuckled, thinking about how stubborn they both were.
"You would, wouldn't you." George stood, grinning.
"Elliot, you don't seem uncomfortable or put off by Olivia touching you." They both looked down at their joined hands. "I think it's a very good sign."