Chapter 8: Love is all you need to survive

While Olivia drove, she thought about how she would get in the warehouse where Stuckey had taken Elliot. Maybe she could get through a back door. Or just come through the front door.

She didn't know actually, where the warehouse was. There were several she had to search. And that made her feel guilty. Guilty for Elliot who had to take the pain one more hours. Oh Lord…

She arrived the first warehouse of ten. Olivia went out the car, took her gun out of the holster and headed toward the front door.

As she looked into it, there was nothing and it wasn't the warehouse she was looking for. It was incredibly freaking Olivia out, not knowing where she could find her partner.

It went on like the first warehouse. Olivia was already watching the clock. How long could Elliot take the pain? How long?

When she arrived the last, she was going to brake down. What if she searched for the wrong? What if he was at the other end of town? What if...

Calm down, Olivia Benson! She screamed in her head. Everything will be okay. You feel him here, don't you? Then he's here. CALM DOWN!

Olivia whispered that as kind of a mantra. Calm down, every time. Then she reached the back door, deciding to go in from here, she heard a painful shriek. And a gunshot.

She shook her head. That couldn't be. Stuckey couldn't have a gun, right? That couldn't be… She quietly opened the door, carefully not to make any noise. She took out her gun and went in.

As she walked through the big hall full of boxes and containers, she heard the shriek again, now louder. She made her way through, again carefully not to touch anything and not to make a noise.

Holding her gun in front of her, Olivia walked quietly to the shrieks. It was like the first time Stuckey had kidnapped Elliot. But now for sure, more worse.

Now they light went brighter and the hall went neater and then there was nothing, nothing to hide. And Olivia saw Stuckey, a gun in one and a knife, THE knife, in the other hand. She begged that he didn't hear her.

But he walked around Elliot and was away. Olivia's partner looked up, watching her with painful, wearily eyes and moving his lips, like he wanted to say: "No, go back. Don't do that. He will hurt you."

Olivia shook her head and walked silently to Elliot. When she saw the wounds over his whole chest, her stomach did a lazy roll over.

Then she heard a laugh, a harshly laugh behind her and turned.

"Ah, Olivia. I thought you would never come." Stuckey said and grinned like a maniac. "Your son-of-a-bitch partner told me so."

"Don't call him that, Dale." She groaned.

"Oh, you take care of him? Why were you away when I get him here? You could have saved him. Right?"

Olivia frowned. What should she do now? She knew he had more weapons than her and could kill her without thinking. But…

Wait.

He couldn't kill her, could he? He had a crush on her. And usually you didn't kill the man or the woman you loved.

"Hey, Dale. I want you to come over. Let me kiss you." She offered, being aware of letting him near Elliot.

Stuckey frowned, he couldn't believe that it wasn't a trick. Olivia sighed. She had to hope that he believed her trick. Maybe he wasn't as smart as he thought he was.

But thanks god he made his way over to her and laid his lips on hers. Olivia tried not to pull back when the kiss grew deeper. She had the gun in her one hand, but she knew: Stuckey had the knife still in his hand.

And he used it. As they pulled away, he shot forward and tried to cut her, but missed it. She took the gun, but he was away.

Olivia turned confused, then kneeled beside Elliot, laid her hand on his cheek and said:

"Stay awake, Elliot, 'til I come back, okay? Do it for me."

Then she walked slowly, gun in her hand through the warehouse in searching for Dale Stuckey. Once or twice she saw him sneak around but every time she pointed the gun at him he went away.

Olivia felt like she was walking a circle, when she reached Elliot again. There was Stuckey, holding the knife to El's throat and pushing lightly.

"I knew you would try to trick me again, Olivia. So I say… If you pull the trigger, your friend will die in less more than thirty seconds."

Elliot looked afraid at his partner and best friend and shook his head. "Pull… the trigger…" he whispered raspy.

She shook her head, too. She knew, Stuckey would do what he meant. And she couldn't let Elliot die. She didn't even knew if she was surviving if he would get more hurt.

But if she wanted to get out here alive with Elliot on her side, she had to pull the trigger. There was no way out. Hopeful she pointed with the gun at Stuckey.

"What if you're not fast enough?"

"I will be. I have trained in jail, Olivia. Believe me."

"I wouldn't believe even if it would save my life."

"Well… you're prob-"

He couldn't speak, just react. Olivia had , while he had spoke, pulled the trigger. Before he bled out, he sled the knife over Elliot's throat and broke down.

"NO!" Olivia cried out as she saw Elliot drop.

She ran over, freed his wrists from the chains he was hanging on and laid him on the ground. She streaked over his short cut hair and put her hand on his bleeding throat.

"No, don't leave me. No, please… Elliot… you can't… please… stay with me…" she pleaded while tears ran down her face.

Olivia pulled out her walkie-talkie she was carrying with her and cried:

"10-13! 10-13! Officer down in a warehouse in Brooklyn! I need a ambulance here! Please… my partner's bleeding!"

There was a short answer and then it was quiet again. Olivia tried to stop the bleeding with her hands and it worked out a bit. But there was coming more and more blood.

She pleaded: "Elliot… hold on… they're on their way… hold on a few more seconds… for me… please…"

She started sobbing uncontrollable, not trying to hold it back. She sensed a light touch on her cheek and when she opened her eyes again, she saw Elliot weakly streaking her tear flooded cheek.

"Don't… cry… I'm okay…" he croaked with his mouth full of blood. He smiled as his eyes filled with water too.

"I… will s-stay… honey…"

"Oh Elliot…" Olivia cried. Then she heard the sirens of the ambulance and watched her best friends eyes.

"I… love you… Liv…" Elliot whispered silent.

"I love you too, El. Now stay… stay with me… the ambulance is already here… You have to hold on for one second, El… please…"

As the paramedics came over she looked down at Elliot, streaking his hair again. Then she looked him in the eyes. They were far away, looking through the walls, through the ceiling in the sky.

"No…" she whispered. "No… Elliot… please don't leave me…"

Then soft hands hold her shoulders and pulled her up. Fin. Olivia turned and hid her head at his shoulder. She cried. Cried over her partner, over her life… Over everything ever went wrong between Elliot and her.

Now he was gone. Away. She would never see him again. Never ever. It was over. And it was her fault. Alone her's. Why she had pulled the trigger? Why had she done that?

She sobbed. And couldn't stop crying. As they drove to the precinct again, she didn't spoke a word. Even not as Munch hugged her, and Cragen, and Warner…

She walked over to her desk, sat down and buried her head in her hands. Then she looked up and took a letter, Elliot had given her on her first case. She opened it for the first time and began to read:

Dear Olivia.

I want to write something fondly so hard. Something you try to feel. Something… you can hardly touch. How you can feel the touch of a loving person on your skin. Gratitude, even if it's just thought. Even if he's thought while walking by.

Love can bring the highest which a human can reach – dreams of luck; they can also change and let the human be an animal of jealousy, which has just dreams of hate and reluctance.

A friend of mine once said: We are nothing; what we're searching is everything.

I love you, Liv. I will always do.

Elliot

Now Olivia couldn't hold it anymore and ran away. Ran through the streets, through the park, away from all the hurt she had experienced from the lost of her best friend and love, Elliot. When she reached her apartment, soaked of the rain which was falling outside, her cell phone rang. She took it, and answered, without looking on the caller ID.

"Benson?" she whispered, still sobbing a bit.

"Hey Liv." Someone croaked into the phone. "It's… Elliot."

Then she broke down on the doorsill.

A/N: now it's just one more chapter to write. And tell me if you cried when Elliot almost died... I did while I wrote it... so... please review!