Elliot waited outside the garages, getting more and more concerned as time went on. He glanced at his watch, then up and down the street, and his stomach turned over.
The girl she had gone in to help was running away from him in the distance. She was alone.
Elliot dropped the bag and ran for the door, pulling his radio from his belt as he ran.
Inside the building there was no sign of her among the piles of junk and chaos.
'Olivia? It's me, Elliot, where are you?'
There was silence. Then he heard something from the other side of the building. He ran towards it and as he passed the broken-down printing press, he saw her. A man had her pinned to the floor, choking her. Her shirt was ripped open and he saw a knife glinting in the man's hand. She was completely still.
'OLIVIA!' Elliot ran towards them, grabbed him and threw him off her almost before the guy realised he was there. He tried to sit up and go for the knife where it had fallen, but Elliot was on him, pinning him to the floor the way he had seen him pin Olivia, raining punches on him with both fists.
'You son of a bitch I swear to God I will make you sorry you ever touched her!' he screamed, hitting him again and again, feeling ribs crack and the bastard's jaw break, as he felt the rage at what this man had done, or tried to do. He kept beating him long after the man was unconscious, only stopping when he had to catch his breath, feeling the rage subsiding.
Suddenly he heard a muffled sob from behind him, jumped up and ran to her. Tears streamed down her face as she stared blankly up at the ceiling, her makeup smudged and lip bloodied. 'Liv?' Elliot put a hand on her shoulder.
It's alright girlie I'll be nice to you
'NO!' she screamed. 'Get away from me!' She struck out with both fists.
'Olivia, it's me, it's Elliot!' He grabbed her wrists to restrain her.
Stay still you little bitch or I'll hold you down by your throat
She snatched her hands back and held her arms up protectively. 'No, no, no, no, no...'
'Hey, Liv, Liv it's OK, it's me, I promise I won't hurt you.'
Olivia curled up on the floor in a ball and sobbed.
'Sssh Liv I've got you, it's OK, it's OK.' He knelt beside her, then helped her sit up and wrapped his arms around her.
mmmmm little girl you're even sexier than your slut mother
'No I won't let you do it!' she screamed, beating at his face with her fists.
'LIVVY, it's me, El!' he cried, holding her face still with one hand, forcing her to look straight at him. 'You know me, remember? I'm not going to hurt you.'
fight me bitch and I'll kill you
Olivia looked at him, tears streaming down her face. A small smile broke out. 'I know you,' she said calmly. 'I know you.'
'Yes,' said Elliot, relieved. 'You-'
don't make me tell your mommy how bad you've been
Olivia grabbed his face and kissed him full-on, clawing at the back of his neck with her hands. He broke away and held her back, shocked. 'Liv, what are you doing?'
She looked at him and stopped struggling, then dissolved into wracking sobs.
'Liv, it's OK, I'm here,' he soothed her, pulling her into his lap and cradling her. 'It's OK now, I promise.'
'I'm good El, I tried to be good, I swear, I swear, I'm sorry, I tried...'
Elliot's stomach turned over and a cold feeling ran down his spine to settle in his gut. The vague suspicions he'd had consolidated into one heavy, nauseating lump. He looked down at his inconsolable partner, pulled her closer to him, kissed her on the forehead and held her tightly until their backup arrived.
The medics ran in, went to check the man who now lay sprawled against the far wall. Olivia refused to let go of Elliot, and as he carried her out of the building, he heard a medic behind him say 'Jeez, this guy get hit by a truck or something?'
Elliot smiled, feeling a vague sense of satisfaction.
A/N: It got a little heavy there, but a lot of it is written from personal experience so I know how these issues affect the people experiencing them. Anyway, as ever, let me know what you think, because without your reviews and feedback I don't know if I'm getting it right or not!