You guys are so nice! Thank you for your support, I will try to be a regular updater on here :)
To answer a reviewer's question, it won't happen in this chapter, but I promise Olivia will show up soon!
Review for a virtual cookie! Flavor of your choice!
Disclaimer: SVU owns me, not the other way around.
Elliot watched Cragen pull up in his black Camry, the bright white street lights bouncing off of it in a hypnotic fashion. He staggered to his feet as his old boss slid out of the car and made his way over.
"Captain," he grinned tiredly. It was Cragen, all right, but he was older, with less hair and more fine lines around his eyes. Elliot could tell that he was worried, but there was something different about him. Something more peaceful.
"Elliot!" Don clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Woah there," he steadied him. "You look like you need to lie down."
He laughed shortly, a sound tinged with bitterness. "I think I've had enough rest for one lifetime, but thanks." He felt his screaming muscles relax as he sank into the front seat, and closed his eyes angrily. He hated having his body fail him, but pushed it out of his mind, determined to lighten the mood. "So, Cap, who's Eileen?"
Don chuckled, and Elliot watched, baffled, as his old boss' serious face was transformed by a dopey grin. "She's my wife," he announced, starting up the car. Elliot could even hear the smile in his voice.
"Your wife! Jeez, Don, I have been gone a long time." He shook his head in amazement. "Tell me about her."
"Well, actually…Nobody knows we're married yet, so I'd appreciate it if you could keep it to yourself. A few months ago we went on a world cruise, and we were docked in Bali…It was just so beautiful there. I guess you could say we were inspired."
"Wow, Cap, I'm really happy for you." He was. Cragen hadn't had an easy life, and it looked like he was finally getting his happy ending. "You deserve this, you know."
"Thanks, Elliot. I really hit the jackpot this time." His smile faded as he remembered their circumstances. "So tell me again, you really don't remember quitting?"
"No," he shook his head vehemently. "And I remember everything like it was yesterday. Going home after the shooting, after Jenna. I know that I was upset, but I also know leaving SVU never crossed my mind. And then…"
"And then what?"
He chewed his lip, sighing. "Kathy and I finally went through with the divorce."
He saw Don deflate. "I'm sorry El. You two always seemed like a permanent fixture."
"Yeah, well, it was a long time coming. The thing I just can't seem to wrap my head around is how I wound up the way I did. I mean, I must have been mugged, but what was I doing in Brooklyn? And Muggers don't normally kill their victims, Don, but that's exactly what they tried to do to me."
"Do you think that somebody wanted you dead?" Elliot glanced sharply at Cragen. "We are detectives, Elliot. Sometimes…crimes aren't random."
He sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I don't know. God knows I've made more than enough enemies over the years." As he turned it over in his mind, he became aware of a familiar feeling of heated obsession. He wouldn't be able to turn off until he had made sense of it. It was what made him such a good detective; he just couldn't let go.
"Okay, hypothetically speaking, let's just imagine here that it wasn't me who put in my papers–who would want me gone that much? Who would go to all that trouble?"
"It's not just your papers, El." Cragen interjected. "There's also the badge."
"What badge?"
"Semper Fi?" he prompted, face quickly turning to horror. "Oh, no. That wasn't you?"
"What wasn't me?" Now he was starting to panic.
"A few weeks after you quit, you–somebody–sent Olivia your badge, with a note that said 'Semper Fi." You even signed it. We all just assumed it was your half-assed way of saying goodbye."
Elliot stared at Cragen, dragging a hand nervously through his hair as he put together something very important. "Captain–captain, that wasn't me. No–listen, it couldn't have been, because I saw my check-in date at the hospital. They found me the day after the shooting. "
"Elliot, are you sure?"
"You bet your ass, I'm sure!" Another thought struck him, stealing the air from his lungs. "I couldn't have quit, either, based on that timeline. Captain–somebody wants me dead." The realization was maddening. Who could have done this to him? Who could have stolen years of his life and hurt everybody he cared about? Unless… "Captain. Could it be–could it have been Lewis?"
The car jerked to a stop in front of an old apartment complex, and Cragen sighed. "That's not really his style, but if it is, your worries are over." Elliot looked at him questioningly. "Lewis is dead," he announced with a sigh.
"He's–dead?"
"Killed himself, while he had Liv. Tried to make it look like she had done it; she nearly lost her badge."
"That son of a–" Elliot had wanted to kill Lewis himself. Slowly. But the bastard had cheated death and left on his own terms. He must have known, he must have known it was over, and used his last act to incriminate Olivia.
"Elliot," he said urgently. "If this is true, we need to keep you hidden. Somebody thinks that they killed you, and if it stays that way, you're safe." Cragen stared directly at him, seeming to steel himself, and the dreaded question came. "Now, what exactly are you planning on saying to Liv?"
He blinked, tears stinging his eyes, and brushed them away angrily. "I don't know, Cap. What can I say? 'Hey, Liv, I was in a coma for the past four years. Did you miss me? Sorry for not calling you. Sorry for not being there when you were fucking abducted. Twice.'" He scrunched up his eyes to keep tears from falling out as his heart twisted painfully. "It's not okay. It'll never be okay. What she went through..."
Cragen nodded a little, and put a hand on his arm. "It broke all of our hearts. But if it makes you feel any better, she never stopped caring about you."
Elliot laughed; a short, hysterical sound. "I never deserved her."
"None of us did," he responded simply. "But all we can do is try, right? Now, do you want me to call her? I can tell her what happened before you go see her. It might make things easier…"
Don's face was pained and honest. There would have been nothing Elliot liked more than to say yes, to make it all easy, but… "It doesn't really seem fair. When I think about how furious I would have been if the roles were reversed….Don't you think she deserves the chance to yell at me? Slap me around, if it makes her feel better?"
"It's not your fault you were in a coma, Elliot."
"I know, but…" His voice trailed off tiredly. He didn't really have a response. He just felt like he deserved to get yelled at, and Olivia should be the one to do it.
"I'll respect your wishes, Elliot. I am going to say one thing, though. There is somebody to blame here–but it's not you. Somebody is trying to ruin your life, and if you want to beat them, you'd better stop trying to make things any harder than they need to be."
Elliot hesitated, miserable, but deep down he knew Cragen was right. He already had enough of the world against him, he didn't need to add himself to his list of enemies. "Alright, Cap," he sighed, resigned. "If it's not too much trouble…Maybe you could make that call."
"It would be my pleasure," he agreed grimly. "Now come on in, I want you to meet Eileen."
Next time…Elliot meets 2015 Olivia. What will happen? Follow to find out!
Thanks for reading :) . Remember to review, I love reading your opinions!