Oh God, this was a long, long chapter, but I hope it's worth it…

* in the last part means suitable music for it: "His Brightest Star Was You - Thomas Bergersen"

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Next to the wall, he found a loose iron pipe, which he grabbed, closed the door from the outside and barred it with the pipe he had found. Then he coughed, smirked, and the three of them started jogging towards the exit.

"Good night, Pretty Boy. See you in Hell."

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Helplessness.

Helplessness was the overriding thing Olivia was feeling as she watched the police officers and ambulances gather at the prison gates. Everyone seemed to have a plan, and at the same time, no one seemed to really know what they should to do; according to information from inside the prison, it was total chaos inside, and they didn't have enough cops by any measure to handle the riot-ecstatic inmates.

Anxious, Olivia was pacing back and forth, peering the clock, growing more frustrated by the minute that there was nothing she could do. Fin and Munch had also arrived at some point, Cragen was helping with the action plan, and Robin was standing in front of the gate looking a little uncomfortable.

And just when Olivia thought it couldn't get any worse, a sharp ringing cut through the air. The heads of everyone present automatically turned in the direction of the prison, she stopped in her tracks, her blood freezing in her veins as she realized what was causing the sound.

It was a fire alarm.

In a second, she was next to Cragen, the panic brewing inside her beginning to rear its head, and she tried to peer in the direction of the prison to see if there was any smoke coming from somewhere. Fear flashed in the Captain's eyes as he glanced at her, quickly he tried to cover it up but it was too late, she had noticed, and she had to really focus her strength to keep her thoughts together and not start spiraling.

"What's going on?" She asked in a stifled voice, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Fin, Munch and Robin starting to approach them as well. Cragen pursed his lips and turned his gaze to the prison.

"That's the thing. I don't know, because nobody seems to really know what's going on. The power is out, the fire alarms are running on reserve power, and the only information that has leaked from the inside is that there are injured warders, the prisoners are on the loose, and the situation is chaotic."

"But what set off the fire alarms?" Munch's voice was serious, his usual cool composure gone, and real concern reflected in his expression. "Did the prisoners set off the alarms on purpose, or is the building really on f-..."

However, he did not have time to finish his sentence, because then an exclamation echoed from behind them:

"Call the fire department! There's a fire inside!"

Olivia's knees buckled.

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Elliot was just sitting on the floor against the wall, drawing his finger along the seams of the wall tiles when he smelled it.

Smoke.

It was the first real evidence of the world outside the solitary confinement; that the world had not really stopped or been stuck in some kind of a loop, where the only sign of the passing of time was the food that appeared through the hatch at regular intervals.

The smoke was the first thing that changed in his unchanging little prison for the first time in forever, and he didn't even believe it at first. It had to be just some new trick his brain had arranged for him, a memory from somewhere far away, a tangible feeling that he really was still alive. But the more the smell grew stronger, the more strongly he began to believe that it was the real thing, and he turned his eyes to the door.

But the sight made him gulp.

The smoke didn't just smell, it was also visible. A small, almost imperceptible wisp of smoke had begun to creep in from some tiny crack between the door, and Elliot stood up. He walked to the door, listened, and was so surprised that he flinched because he heard something. Fire alarms. Then he started pounding on the door with his fists.

"Hello? Excuse me, I can see smoke. What's going on?"

But as usual, he didn't get any kind of response. Instead, the amount of smoke began to increase, and slowly he backed away from the door, assessing the situation and trying not to panic.

Okay, don't panic.

The warder will let you out if the situation is serious.

But what he didn't know was that the warder in question was lying lifeless in his own pool of blood.

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It seemed like it had taken half an eternity for the fire department to arrive, but finally the demanding wail of the sirens began to reach their ears. There was no longer any doubt as to whether or not it was a real fire alarm of the prison, as the recognizable smell of smoke had begun to waft around them and, as it grew stronger, also caused a squeezing sense of distress to tighten in Olivia's chest.

Some of the cops had had to close the bridge leading to the island, as curious people, media representatives and relatives of the prisoners had started to arrive, and everyone was surprised at how quickly information about the situation had spread outside the prison. Because of them, the fire truck had trouble getting over the bridge, but finally it arrived at the gate, and the firefighters jumped out of the truck.

"What's the situation?"

"Honestly?" One of the warders grimaced. "Bad. The connection to the inside has been lost, the situation is presumably not under control, and we don't know how and where the fire started or how widely it has spread. Judging by the increasing amount of smoke, the fire is still spreading, and if it's not put out, there's a chance the whole damn place will burn to the ground. Those are my colleagues in there, some of them are injured and…"

"And my partner is in there," Olivia's choked, strained voice made the warder and firefighters turn their heads in her direction.

"Your partner? SVU Detective?"

"Yeah, Detective Stabler. He's… He was framed for murder, and he's a prisoner, but…"

"I'm sorry, but if he's a prisoner, then we can't help him any more than other prisoners," the fireman looked at her apologetically. "All we can do is try to get the fire under control, and that way save as many people as we can."

"But…" Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes as the firefighters turned to the on scene commander who had arrived at the gates and ignored her as they began discussing the plan of action among themselves. "He's in solitary confinement! He can't save himself!"

Fin's hand which landed on her shoulder was careful and gentle, tentative, but it still made her flinch so hard that she almost smacked him. At the last moment, however, she managed to stop herself, a feeling of utter helplessness washed over her every cell like a tidal wave, and her shoulders slumped as she tried to hold back the tears that, despite her best efforts, began to roll down her cheeks.

"Liv," Fin's voice was quiet and soft. "There is a warder in each area. I'm sure he has let them escape if the situation looks bad."

But even though his intention had only been to reassure her, his comment had only the opposite effect. The frustration caused by the distress and helplessness coalesced into an explosive flame in the blink of an eye as she turned around, and with her eyes flashing she snapped:

"How do you know that, Fin?! Tell me, how do you know that?!"

Surprised by her reaction, Fin blinked for a couple of times before opening his mouth and slowly and thoughtfully began to talk:

"Because…"

But Olivia didn't listen.

"No, Fin, you don't know that. But instead, I know you're aware as well as I am that this is a prison we're talking about now," her voice had lowered, but that didn't lessen the anger that was still burning hot, quite the contrary. "A prison with a riot going on. A prison where many of the warders don't consider the inmates human. They see them as trash, the scum of society, excluded from society, a group that has no human dignity whatsoever. And now those same warders are in there, in the middle of the chaos, trying to save themselves from the rioting prisoners and the fire. To top it all, Elliot is in solitary confinement," she had to swallow before continuing: "In the same place where the worst of the prisoners end up, these prisoners who have already done terrible things. So, if you're trying to tell me that in this situation, freeing the prisoners in solitary confinement is somehow a good idea from the warders fighting for their lives in there…" Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You know as well as I do that it's a lie."

Fin looked like the words had gotten stuck in his throat as he looked at her silently, sadness flickering in his eyes, and Olivia couldn't look at him anymore. Instead, she took a deep breath and turned her gaze to the firefighters who were preparing to go into the prison.

"Okay, listen up!" There was the voice of one of the leading police officers. "We have finally regained connection with the warders inside the prison. They have managed to guide some of the prisoners to the prison yard, and we are able to open the gates, but the situation inside is still very unstable. The fire has already spread through the structures to a large area, and more help is coming, but the task of the rest of you is to watch the exits so that none of the prisoners accidentally escape. Is that clear?"

There were murmurs of approval from all around, and then the gate opened, and the firemen began to jump into the fire truck. Olivia turned her gaze to the prison revealed by the opening gate, and that was when she felt her heart stop.

The fire was huge.

Part of the prison was already a prisoner of fire; flames licked the walls from between the bars of the broken windows, and thick, dark gray smoke billowed between the windows even further away from the flames.

No. No no no no no…

Olivia's brain was still in a shocked, frozen state as her legs started to carry her towards the last firefighter who was just getting into the car. She grabbed his arm and with tear-clouded eyes, her voice hoarse with panic, she pleaded:

"Please, save my partner. He's in solitary confinement, and he's innocent. Please, he has four children waiting for him to come home, colleagues who have been working for weeks almost uninterrupted for his acquitment, and I…"

"I understand your concern, ma'am, but as said, we are trying to resolve the situation in order of priority. Let's see what we can do."

"No… Wait!"

But the fireman unkindly shook his arm out of her grip, jumped into the truck, and the fire truck set off, tires screeching. With her mind numb, Olivia watched the truck, distress was stinging her guts like a knife, and suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore.

She needed to do something.

Anything.

She couldn't just watch the burning building where the fire spread slowly, mercilessly, unstoppable, until it would finally reach her partner who couldn't escape.

"Do you know when the prey is easiest to kill?"

"When it can't escape.

The rest of the world seemed to blur around her as she looked around and noticed a police officer studying the prison's floor plan. Quickly she leapt to him and heard herself ask, as if someone else had spoken for her:

"Is... Is the solitary confinement in the burning area?

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Fin felt like he could feel his friend's pain as he watched silently from the sidelines as the gates opened and the fire truck set off to confront the flames. He could feel it because he shared some of that pain; he and Stabler hadn't always been the best of friends, but over all these years they had grown on each other, and despite their differences, they had each other's backs.

He knew how much Elliot meant to Olivia. They loved each other; it had been clear for many years, and in these past weeks it hadn't even taken a detective to realize how deep that love was.

So deep that it had driven Olivia forward despite everything she had been through. Many would have already broken down, given up, but not her; as if she had had only one thought, only one mission. Saving her partner.

And knowing this hurt Fin so much that he was forced to look away from his friend. Her pain was so deep, her distress so palpable, that in his own sorrow, in his own anxiety, he could not confront hers too.

Despite the instructions, he suddenly felt that he needed to take a breath. He had to get away from the pungent smoke that invaded his lungs and did nothing to ease his already labored breathing. He walked a little further, for about five minutes he just kept his eyes closed and breathed deeply, and when he felt his thoughts begin to flow a little better again, he returned to the others and met Munch, who looked more distressed than he had ever seen.

"Anything new?"

His partner shook his head. "No. More fire brigade is coming, but the roadblock and the congestion at the bridge is slowing them down. I don't know, man," pain flashed in his eyes before he turned to look at the prison, which, despite the firefighting, was still a dance floor of the flames. "If Stabler survives this, he has really used all his 9 lives."

Without answering, Fin turned his gaze to where he had last seen Olivia. She wasn't there, though, so he let his gaze wander to the front of the gate, expecting to see her.

But he didn't see her.

He sharpened his gaze, eyed the surroundings, gradually his pulse began to quicken, and then he asked in a slow, hesitant voice:

"Um… John? Have you seen Liv?"

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Olivia ran. Her legs were propelling her forward like a whirlwind, an unstoppable force on its way to its destination.

Elliot.

She had a plan that she hadn't given much thought to. If she had listened to her reason, she really wouldn't be here now, rushing headfirst into a burning prison, with a map in her head that would theoretically help her navigate to the solitary confinement ward.

Theoretically.

In practice, the situation included a few other uncertainties: the fire, the smoke obscuring visibility, the fire department, the cops, the warders, the prisoners on the loose, uncertainty about who was controlling the riot, uncertainty about whether Elliot was, in fact, in solitary confinement at the moment, and her own discretion-clouding distress. The risks were huge, the probability of success very small, but the voice of her heart was so strong that it drowned out everything else and made her focus on only one thing.

If she succeeded, she would save her partner.

It was her responsibility, the payment that he was in prison because of her. She owed him, his family and SVU. His children waited for their father home, and it alone made her continue running.

But at the base of everything, at the same time the smallest of all but at the same time the strongest of all, were her own, personal feelings. Her love for Elliot. The love that was so deep, so comprehensive, so primal that its flames were not extinguished even by the countless uncertainties related to the situation or her own state of mind, on the contrary. The worse it looked, the faster she ran, and when she reached the prison door, she knew that nothing, nothing, could stop her.

This was how it was supposed to go.

Either she would save her partner or die trying.

There were no other options.

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"Has anyone seen Liv?"

Fin's voice was hoarse with anxiety as Cragen put the phone down and shook his head. Munch was standing beside him, pale as a ghost, and Robin was staring at the prison with a worried look on his face.

"No, no one has seen her outside the prison."

"But no one has seen her inside either?" Robin interjected for the first time in a long time, causing the others to turn their eyes to him. "I mean… I don't think she would intentionally go inside when she knows the circumstances and…"

"Well, I guess you don't know your partner very well," Munch snorted in frustration. "Of course she's inside."

It was as if Robin hadn't believed the possibility, because his eyes widened, and he quickly turned to look at the prison, which, despite firefighting, was still flaming.

"But... Why? It's insane!" He exclaimed. "She has no protective gear, she's not nearly in a right state of mind, and…"

"You're really asking why?" Fin glared at him and started rubbing his face. "Her partner is in there."

"I know, but why would she consciously endanger herself when she knows damn well that her chances of surviving are practically zero?"

"Because, newbie..." Fin looked up at the prison and imperceptibly wiped away the lonely tear which had rolled on his cheek. "It's the deal with Benson and Stabler. If one is there, so is the other. And if it's in fire…" He swallowed. "Then it's in fire."

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Smoke was stinging Olivia's eyes and throat as she ran forward down the empty corridor, covering her mouth with her coat. The fire hadn't spread this far yet, and she had no idea how well the fire department had gotten the fire under control, but that didn't matter much at the moment because smoke had filled this part of the building as well.

When talking about fires, many people often think that fire is the most dangerous part of it. However, many often forget that smoke, that insidious, silent killer, is often the reason people die in fires. Carbon monoxide kills a person before the fire even reaches them, and if there is a lot of carbon monoxide in the room, it may not take more than a minute.

One minute.

And so, she quickened her steps, even though her heart was already pounding as fast as it could, and her lungs needed more oxygen than the smoke-filled room could provide.

Then she arrived at an intersection, quickly trying to recall the map she'd learned in her head, panic starting to course through her veins as she realized she wasn't sure which way she should go. Turning her head wildly, she realized that both directions were as likely right as wrong, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

But then, as if someone had given her an instruction inside her head, she turned to the right, started running, and for a brief, horrible moment, she was sure she had turned the wrong way, but then she saw the stairs that would most likely lead down to the solitary confinement ward. She rushed down the stairs, was confused for a couple of seconds when she saw the iron pipe holding the door shut, but quickly composed herself and jerked the pipe off.

The sight she met made her inhale so sharply that it caused a fit of coughing, and she was forced to close her eyes for a moment due to its force. On the floor lay a lifeless man, evidently a warder, and the whole ward was so full of smoke that she could scarcely distinguish the doors of the cells farther away. With a quick glance, she saw no keys anywhere, and she bent down to the warder. Miraculously she found the keys in his pocket and straightened her back with a cough.

There wasn't much time.

And she didn't have a clue about Elliot's location.

So, she started to scream.

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Elliot was sitting against the wall and tried to breathe through his shirt, but there was too much smoke and his thoughts were already beginning to blur. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, partly from the smoke, but partly from the thought that he knew he was going to die.

He didn't want to die like this.

Another strong fit of cough shook his body, and he tried to think of anything else than dying here, alone, locked in a cell. He thought of his kids, thought of Maureen, Kathleen, Dickie and Lizzie, his four beautiful, amazing kids whom he would never see again.

He thought of Kathy, his ex-wife, the mother of his children. Kathy who would have to take care of their kids alone, Kathy with who he had argued the last time they had seen each other.

He thought of Olivia, his partner, his best friend. He wondered if she would be sad about his death - probably. He thought about how she would get a new partner, someone who would take care of her, but it wouldn't be him. He thought about how he would never get a chance to tell her how much he loved her, had always loved her, would never see her brown eyes again, never get a chance to kiss her…

And when he heard his partner's voice from somewhere far away, he wasn't surprised at all. Of course she was here now that his end was near. Her voice called him, soothed him, and even though it wasn't the same as seeing her, he was content with what he had.

Because he knew she would be there when his time came.

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Olivia wasn't sure what she had expected when she had started calling out her partner's name, but the deep, suspiciously deep silence was something she hadn't wanted to hear. Screaming hadn't really eased the sting of the smoke in her throat, and coughing furiously, relying on the idea that the prisoners hadn't heard her, she cursed in her mind and guided by her intuition, rushed to the random door and turned the key in the lock.

The door slammed open, and the prisoner, who had collapsed against it, almost fell onto her lap. Her heart skipped a beat as she first thought the prisoner was Elliot, but as she leaned towards him, she realized he was not her partner.

And when she checked his pulse, she realized that he was dead.

Panic began to grip her throat again; it was as if the seconds were ticking in her ears as she stood up and moved to the next door. The fear of the sight that would await her almost paralyzed her but gathering the last remains of willpower she managed to open the door.

And behind the door, seeing the figure sitting against the wall, a sob escaped her lips as she knelt down beside him and began to shake his shoulders.

"El? No, no, no, no… Wake up! Elliot! Please…"

Elliot's head swayed with his body, and tears clouded her eyes as it wasn't really her body anymore but her panic which was shaking her partner. She didn't have courage to try his pulse, she wasn't able to face the truth that she had failed, she had come too late, and her partner was…

But then he opened his eyes.

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The strong shaking caused Elliot to wake up from the state of unconsciousness he had already begun to slip into. At first, he thought he was just imagining it all, that his mind was trying to play games with him one last time, and he squeezed his eyes shut tighter to keep them closed.

But the shaking continued, it started to feel too real, and suddenly he heard a voice too.

Liv.

He opened his eyes and there she was. Eyes wide with distress, streams of tears coloring her smoke-stained cheeks, and that was when Elliot knew.

His time had come.

"Elliot? Oh God…"

"You came," he coughed and unconsciously a light smile spread across his face. His partner was here with him, just like the last time she had been in the cell with him, and he was already about to close his eyes again, happy that even though he was imagining it all, he could feel her hands on his shoulders. But then something in her voice made him open his eyes again.

Something was different.

"We have to go, come on," Olivia coughed and started pulling him by the arm to stand up, making him frown.

Why is she in such a hurry?

And why is her grip so tight?

"What are you waiting for?" Desperation began to reflect in her voice, and he slowly stood up. How he was able to do that, he wasn't sure, because his entire body felt heavy and weak, but as he looked at his partner, a completely incomprehensible thought began to spread through his mind.

What if this is true?

"Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed when he didn't move despite her efforts. Instead, he raised his hand, and slowly, hesitantly, fearing it was all an imagination after all, he reached out to touch her cheek.

And the moment skin met skin, the realization made his legs almost collapse.

"Are you…" He whispered. "…real?"

Confusion flashed across Olivia's gaze, but then she raised her hand to his hand which was touching her cheek, and answered:

"Yes, this is real. And we need to go."

"How? How… How can you be here?"

"I'll… Explain…" Olivia coughed and swayed in place as she grabbed his arm again. "Come…"

And coughing furiously, Elliot finally managed to get his legs moving and started to follow his partner, his shirt in front of his mouth. He didn't understand anything, this had to be imagination, but Olivia was here, and he would follow her anywhere.

Be it real or imaginary.

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Olivia's every cell felt like it was on fire as she forced her legs to carry them one step at a time towards the exit. Elliot was walking slowly, and she almost had to drag him along, which didn't make it any easier to move down the hallway, which was now so full of smoke that she couldn't see a couple of meters beyond. Her morals had been against the idea of leaving the other prisoners there, but at the same time she had known that it would have been a death sentence for her and Elliot as well if she had tried to help them, and she had been forced to make the inevitable decision.

But then she felt it.

Elliot behind her dropped to his knees coughing, pulling her along with him. Her exhausted and nearly unconscious body couldn't lift him up, a fit of cough shook her whole body, she could hardly breathe, and that was when she realized that they wouldn't make it all the way out.

They had been so close.

"El?"

She turned her tear clouded eyes to her partner who coughed and slowly, very slowly looked up at her.

"Liv, I'm sorry…"

Olivia's field of vision began to blur, and she knew she only had seconds before she would lose consciousness.

And then she knew what she had to do.

Something she knew she wanted to do before she died.

Gently she raised her hand to Elliot's cheek, wiped away the tear with her thumb, and pressed her lips to his.

She hadn't expected him to respond, but suddenly she felt his weak hand in her hair, and a sob erupting from somewhere deep within her caused their lips to almost part, and she pressed herself tighter against her partner.

Because even though she knew she was about to die, for the first time in her life she felt that she had never been so whole, so complete as she was at this moment.

And as the darkness in her eyes finally began to win the battle against her will, a black, peaceful unconsciousness started to spread within her, the sentence forming between their lips was the last thing she heard. She wasn't sure which one had said it, but it didn't matter because that was all she needed.

All they needed.

"I love you."

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Finally! I've been waiting for this moment...