All of the walls Olivia had struggled to build over the years to keep everyone out were crashing down right before his eyes.

And it was all because of the man she feared.

Elliot watched her as she paced about the room. He'd witnessed strange behavior from his partner before but nothing compared to the way her eyes shined with the terror he hadn't seen in years and her refusal to look him in the eye.

"I didn't know you moved," he said as he broke the silence. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it was necessary to inform my partner of my housing arrangements," she replied defensively. She realized too late that her sarcastic comment was uncalled for; after all, Elliot had come by to help and not hinder. He didn't deserve the prickly barbs of her words anymore than she deserved to be the target of Richard White. "I'm sorry. I'm just..."

"It's okay," he assured her, but somehow she knew he was lying. Their partnership had been rocky at best the last couple of months and the last thing they needed was another misconstruing of words to set them off. He looked back down the paper in his hands that could determine her fate and sighed heavily. "We have to tell Cragen about this."

"I know, but I can tell you right now he's not going to like any of this. Mysterious phone calls, threatening notes and me beating you with a baseball bat?" she cracked with a smile. "Not exactly his idea of just another day on the job."

He actually had the urge to laugh at her but her dark humor was just masking her true feelings. "He'll be proud to hear that some of what he's taught you about self defense has sunk in."

"I'm sorry I hurt you," she said softly as she turned his cheek in the palm of her hand to face her. "I thought you were him."

"I'm perfectly fine," he lied. Physically he was still in one piece but the close proximity of Olivia's body and her warm breath on his face as she examined him made his head spin. "But I want to let Cragen know what's going on."

She ignored his statement and went on with her thorough assessment of the injury she caused. Her delicate fingers brushed across his cheek and moved slowly up towards his forehead where a small bump now protruded. "Jesus, you have one hell of a goose egg now."

Elliot closed his eyes and prayed to the high heavens that she didn't notice the small moan he let slip. He couldn't take anymore of this torture. If she didn't stop now, he'd end up carrying out an action that was far from the realm of partnerly duties. He kicked himself mentally for even thinking that way about Olivia. "Olivia," he managed to choke out. "Stay here while I pay a visit to the old man. No one comes in, no one goes out. And I promise this time I'll show some identification or something so my forehead doesn't grow another horn."

She rolled her eyes at his failed attempt at a joke and nodded as he walked out the door. A double dose of aspirin and maybe even knocking back a few drinks would ease the physical pain to a tolerable level, but her mind raced with the challenge of trying to pinpoint why Elliot's unexpected visit had left her feeling so on edge. The majority of her concern was based solely on the fact that a madman she thought she had buried long ago had decided to resurface. But the presence of Elliot intrigued her more than the other details of the chaotic day.

Perhaps it was his voice. The voice that just screamed sex, the deep rumble of thunder ascending from his chest as it inquired, challenged, demanded and taunted. Or maybe the blue orbs that were etched into her brown ones as they stared her down with a hardness she couldn't avoid despite her attempts to. An intense glare as if she were guilty of something more than assaulting a police officer. Or even his perseverance when it came to figuring out exactly what made her tick. Especially today when the Olivia he knew so well had been scattered about due to a criminal who had it out for her; she admired him for going beyond the call of duty even times before her. And she knew it would come to that; he would stick by her side and see it through until the end because he was Elliot.

But her mind drifted away from the unprofessional thoughts of her partner and back to Richard White. The last time she had encountered him he had a knife to her throat and almost ended her life... had it not been for Elliot's rescue. He had bailed her out of so many dangerous situations that she couldn't even count them on one hand anymore.

But she hadn't been the one to call the station claiming there was a disturbance in her home. This led her to believe Richard White had been the one to place the call and send Elliot straight to her where she would inadvertently show him the note. She figured the only way for him to get her information was for him to be out of prison; released legally or as an escapee with former cellmates on the outside feeding him information and making him more dangerous than before. And now everyone involved would be in danger of the wrath that was Richard White.

He was one sick bastard.

Sorry this was so short but they will get longer, I promise. :)