Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks again to all the people who have reviewed this story, especially the ones who continue to review after each chapter! It really does mean a lot to me to hear what you guys think AND what you guys want from this story!

The precinct was buzzing that fateful morning in June – a mixture of busy detectives racing to solve their cases, phones ringing off the hook, fax machines printing evidence and files, and chatter between victims and officers. There wasn't a soul in the entire building who wasn't preoccupied that day.

That's why it was so easy for David Bardwell to sneak through the glass doors, right past the security guard who was having words with an uncooperative visitor, right up the stairs hidden away from crowds, and right into the special victims unit. No one that passed him paid him any mind because of the serene look on his face, but the emptiness in his eyes showed a soulless evil lurking within him.

His cold, dead eyes scanned the squad room as people whizzed by him, oblivious to his hidden agenda. His belt loop acted as a holster for the deadly metal piece on his hip, concealed by his jacket.

He spotted his target as she stood next to detective Tutuola's desk, discussing something seemingly serious with him. Bardwell's eyes narrowed as he lifted his hand suspiciously to his waist.

Elliot glanced up to call Olivia over to his desk when he spotted Bardwell standing still in the doorway. He noticed his hand moving to his belt, and suddenly time seemed to move very slowly. He realized the man was glaring at his partner, not even blinking, and he knew what would happen next. His heart skipped a beat then began pounding in his chest.

There wasn't enough time for him to grab his gun off of his desk to shoot Bardwell before he could shoot Olivia, so he acted impulsively.

"Liv, get down!" Elliot shouted as Bardwell quickly drew the gun from his side.

Despite not knowing what was going on, Olivia listened to her partner instinctively, always trusting whatever demand he gave to her, and fell to the floor as shots from Bardwell's gun rang throughout the station, startling every person in the building.

Everyone else hit the floor moments later as bullets began flying sporadically in all different directions, but Elliot darted to his partner, knowing she was the intended target. He crouched over her, trying to shield her as best as he could from any bullets, intentional or stray. He knew other officers would begin shooting back soon, and he didn't want her caught in the crossfire either.

All the officers in the room were caught off guard, especially because of the hectic atmosphere in the building that day, which caused nearly everyone to scramble for their misplaced guns, allowing Bardwell to shoot off nearly a full round before being stopped.

The last bullet that left the insane man's handgun pierced Elliot in the back, just as a fellow officer was able to grab his gun and shoot Bardwell in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

Elliot grunted and slouched on top of Olivia. Panic ensued throughout the precinct; the shots were heard by everyone in the building.

"El?" She backed away from him to see why he went limp, but he only slumped over on the ground. "Elliot?!"

People were rushing around, screaming, but Olivia was frozen.

Her eyes widened when she noticed crimson blood seeping from underneath Elliot's body. She choked on her own words, but managed to yell, "Bus! BUS! SOMEONE CALL A BUS!"

Fin obliged accordingly, stunned at the sight he saw in front of him.

Olivia shuffled over to her partner, lying unconscious on the ground, and pressed her fingers to his neck, only able to find a faint, slow, pulse.

"Elliot," she cried as she shrugged off her jacket and pressed it to his leaking wound, applying pressure. "Elliot, stay with me."

The blood continued to accumulate beneath him, only worsening Olivia's fears that she was quickly losing him, and that was something she knew she simply could not handle.

"What's this?" Johanna asked as she held up a picture of a piano to the four-year-old client who sat in front of her.

"Thas a tiano!" The little girl exclaimed.

"Good try." Johanna smiled. "Look at my lips," she told her as she pointed to her mouth. "Puh-puh," she sputtered. "Piano."

The girl mimicked her movements and pressed her lips together then uttered, "Pi-ano!"

"That's right! Piano!" Johanna exclaimed. "Great job, Ella!"

The little girl clapped excitedly in reaction to her therapist.

"What do you want?" Johanna wondered, ready to reward the child to reinforce the proper speech habits.

"I wan a sucka!" Ella pointed to the red lollipop on the table.

Johanna reached over and handed it to her as she heard a knock on her office door. Before she could respond, the door opened and Grace poked her head in.

"Jo, you have a phone call," her friend told her.

"Just take a message; tell them I'll call them back in ten minutes when I'm done with this session," Johanna told her.

Grace shook her head. "You need to take it. It's Elliot's partner – there's been an accident." When she answered the phone a few seconds earlier, Olivia filled her in on the situation and insisted she speak to Johanna immediately.

Johanna's heart stopped as she jumped up from her chair and rushed to the phone on her desk. "What line?"

"Line two," Grace told her.

Johanna picked up the phone and pressed the button that connected her to the correct line. "Olivia?"

"Johanna," Olivia sighed as she stood at the payphone near the waiting room at the hospital. "I'm at Mercy General with Elliot – he's been shot – you need to get down here."

"Is he okay?!" Johanna screeched, needing to know his condition before anything else.

"No," Olivia shook her head. "You need to get down here."

"I'll be right there." Johanna hung up the phone and turned to the little girl at the table, feeling guilty for wanting to end their session early.

"Go! Don't worry – I'll finish with Ella," Grace said urgently. "I'll deal with the rest of your clients, just go."

"Thank you," Johanna replied as she quickly gathered her things and rushed out of her office.

She couldn't think straight as she sprinted outside and hailed a taxi, something she typically never does, and offered to pay the driver double her fare if he hurried to the hospital.

The only thing she could do was pray that Elliot would be okay, and if he wouldn't be, she prayed that she wasn't too late to say goodbye.

When she finally arrived at the hospital, she rushed to the trauma unit and found Olivia sitting in the uncomfortable blue chairs that lined the walls of the waiting room. Her hands were visibly shaking.

"Olivia!" Johanna ran over to her. "What's going on? Where is he?"

Olivia stood up quickly; she was so thankful to see Johanna. She had been waiting desperately for someone to get there to at least sit with her in this unfortunate moment. Her fellow coworkers had to stay behind to help with the mess of a crime scene and were taking forever to get to her.

"He's in surgery," Olivia responded, unsure of how to present the news to her. "They had to revive him four times in the ambulance. I don't know much else yet."

"Oh, God," Johanna groaned. "Do they think he's going to be okay?"

"I really don't know," Olivia sighed. "I don't know."

Johanna knew that Olivia would most likely remain positive and tell her that things would be okay, even if she were unsure about the outcome. So the fact that she was openly admitting that she wasn't sure if Elliot would be okay was devastating to her. She feared the worst, but continued to pray for the best.

"What happened? How was he shot?" Johanna wondered.

Olivia sat down and sighed, not wanting to admit she was the cause of the whole fiasco. "A suspect in one of our cases came into the station and just started shooting. He was aiming for me." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Elliot was shot in the back. He was shielding me; he was protecting me."

She started to feel overwhelmed at the realization that not only was the whole situation her fault, but if Elliot had not covered her like he did, she would be the one in surgery; she would've been the one needing to be revived over and over again on the way to the hospital.

Johanna sat down beside her and placed a hand comfortingly on her arm then told her, "He's going to be okay. He has to be. You know him, he's not going to give up without a fight."

Olivia nodded, clearly in a state of shock.

The two waited for hours in those horrid blue chairs for updates on Elliot's condition. Olivia wondered if she should call Kathy and the kids, but she decided to wait until they received more concrete news, not wanting to upset or worry them if he was going to be fine. She was glad she had called Johanna though. The girl was loyal to her partner, and she appreciated that, but she also valued having Johanna there with her, to grieve and understand the pain and experience with her instead of alone. She was close to Elliot too, so she knew they shared mutual feelings about the whole ordeal.

"I'm going to go get some coffee," Olivia stated as she stood up. "Want a cup?"

"Sure," Johanna answered, looking up at her with petrified eyes. "Thanks."

Johanna watched as Olivia walked away from her, suddenly feeling very alone. She felt a familiar sting in the pit of her stomach. Once again, she knew something like this would happen. For a while, she thought things would be fine. She thought maybe she had surpassed the inevitable heartbreak she received when she opened up to people and let them in her life. She went for it, because things seemed to fully be looking up. But deep down, she expected this.

She didn't imagine it would happen this way, though.

She knew Elliot was a cop, of course, and that it came with certain risks. But he was a detective; she didn't worry about him being in danger every time he went to work. If he was an active patrol cop, she would've been constantly worried about him, but she never even thought that this would happen. She felt stupid for not realizing the danger he faced every day.

She felt so naïve.

Olivia returned from getting coffee just as a doctor entered the waiting room with a somber look on his face, which sunk Johanna and Olivia's hearts into their stomachs. They both silently prayed he wasn't there to deliver an update on Elliot, as it appeared it surely wouldn't be good news based on his dismal expression.

The doctor drew in a breath and asked, "Who's here for Elliot Stabler?"