I'm back with a new story! I really just need Dick Wolf to give me a job at this point. I have too many ideas and nowhere to share them. Except for here!

Let me know what you guys think! These are alternate/extended scenes for the 2022-23 season finales.

He sees the smoke rising before he realizes what it is. His eyes are so cloudy, and he isn't sure what's going on. He's too late to cover his eyes, and rubbing them seems to alleviate some burning. But he finds comfort in hearing Olivia's voice, even if it was only a word.

"Towel."

His eyes are burning now, and it's making his head spin. He's trying his best to clear his vision when it hits him. Someone is here to gain the bounty on their heads. He's trying to pull his gun, but he isn't fast enough, and a shot rings out. He braces himself for an impact, but it doesn't come. In fact, it hits something else. Someone else. He hears the grunt from the impact coming from his right, and his heart drops to his stomach. He can't lose her, too.

He falls to the floor, searching with his hands for any sign of her when he feels her body collide with his. Now, he panics because he still can't see and doesn't know if Olivia is dead or alive. He's trying to do anything, anything, to find a sign of life from her.

"I can't see. I can't see."

He's on the verge of losing it when he hears her soft, firm voice. He feels one of her hands encasing his and the other circling his wrists. She's trying to steady his aim and calm him all at the same time.

"I can."

He feels her finger squeeze the trigger, hears the gun go off, and listens as the thud of their would-be killer's body hits the diner floor. He sighs in relief, and their heads collide together. He's trying to regain control of his breathing when he hears the catch in hers. Damn it.

"You all right?"

He knows the answer, but he needs to hear her voice. The carnal need for her to assure him is greater than anything at this moment because if she dies right here in this diner, he will too.

"Yeah."

He hears the breathiness, the pain. He doesn't want to ask her, but he has to know...

"You get hit?"

He braces himself for her words, for her confirmation. He knows she was hit. Anyone could hear the groan she let out when that shot was fired by their perp. He hears her voice catch again and her breathing accelerating.

"I'm hit."

And just like that, he's rolling over to attempt to assess the wound that he clearly cannot see because he's just been doused in tear gas. He's feeling his way to her body and finds it once again.

"Where?"

"My left hip."

His heart is pounding against his rib cage right now, and all he can think about is how he'd almost lost her. How he might lose her if they don't get the fuck out of here. He's standing up and trying to get her to her feet simultaneously, but he still can't see and she's been shotand he'll die if she dies. He can hear her soft, pained panting, and it's killing him.

"Can you walk?" Stupid question. He should know she couldn't walk. She's been hit by a bullet, for God's sakes. She shouldn't even be standing. But he can't find his phone, and he's sure that hers is somewhere, but he doesn't have time to look for it because they need to get out of here. She needs to get out of here.

"Not really." Her breathing is laboring, and he doesn't think for a moment before pulling her arms around him and telling her to jump. He's getting them out of there. She isn't bleeding out on his watch. He reminds himself of 25 years ago when he'd promised to be her partner, for better or worse. Right now, this was his worse. He's cradling her body to him bridal-style and hauling her out of there. His steps are staggered because his eyes are still stinging from the tear gas. Olivia picks up on it and directs him out of the diner.

As they make it outside, officers rush towards them. After getting through the hustle and bustle of the tear gas attack, Elliot finally realizes that Olivia hadn't been affected by the tear gas. He vaguely remembers her saying towel, but his flash is interrupted by a groan of pain from the woman currently tucked into his chest.

His eyes are slowly starting to adjust, and while they're still burning, he can see somewhat, but he makes the mistake of looking down and sees the blood gathering at her hip.

"10-13!! Officer in need of assistance!" He shouts to the police that have just pulled in and are heading towards them. He looks at Olivia again, and when he sees the tears threatening to fall, he can feel his own starting to rise. But he's gonna have to hold it together until he can fall apart in private.

"Elliot, it hurts." She winces against him, and she's willing herself not to cry because she doesn't want to cry in front of him. She doesn't cry in front of anyone. But the pain in her left hip is excruciating, and it's taking everything in her to not let the tears in her eyes fall. She keeps her eyes closed because she's afraid. Afraid that if she opens them, she will see the same tear filled eyes swimming in orbs of blue.

"I know, Liv. I'm gonna get you out of here." His voice is laced thick with emotion, and he can't help the rising bubble in his chest. He could throw up at all the rage bubbling inside of him. He feels her grip his shirt tighter, almost tugging him closer to her. He catches the pain wavering in the crow's feet of her eyes and the wrinkles in her nose as she lets out another breath. He sees a paramedic rushing towards him and Olivia, and he lets out a sigh of relief.

"Sir, are you alright?" The paramedic asks him, and he wants to scream and cry at the man because he's obviously okay. He glances down at Olivia, her eyes looking up at him, and that's when he sees the tears running from the corners. He's swallowing down the rise of emotion because he has to be strong for her. She needs him right now.

Olivia can feel him tensing with her. He doesn't want to let her go. She tries to curl in further towards the warmth his body is bringing her through his shirt, but the pain and the warm liquid flowing at her hip reminds her that she needs medical attention now.

"Elliot, please. Take me." She doesn't care that the tears are flowing because the adrenaline of everything is wearing off, and she's in a world of pain. She grips her hip a little more, trying to alleviate something, anything. She doesn't care that her new dress shirt is ruined. She's not even worried about the damn blazer. She's in fucking hell with this pain. It tries to bring her reminders of her past, but she doesn't let it. She can't allow it because before she knows it, Elliot is barreling towards their car and placing her in the passenger seat.

"Hold on, baby. We're going. You're gonna be fine. This'll all be fine, and we can go home and-and do whatever. Whenever. You name it, Liv." He catches his slip of tongue, but she doesn't call him on it, and he's grateful as he runs to the drivers seat and cranks the car. He's out of the diner parking lot before the rest of the cops and paramedics show up. She reaches for his hand over the console of the black SUV.

"Thank you, El." She gasps. She's holding on to her hip with her right hand so she doesn't have to let go of Elliot. She needs him. She can't let go. Not now. He's gripping her hand just as tightly. She allows the tears to fall now. She's scared. She can count on one hand how many times she's been this scared, but that's definitely another topic for a rainy day.

"We'll be there soon, bab-Liv. I'm gonna get you there." He turns on the sirens, hoping that the Ohio traffic is gracious and will allow them to get to the urgent care. If not, he's going to die trying not to fall apart in front of her. She's already crying, and he's only just holding it together. But she's alive, and she's right here, he reminds himself. He keeps telling himself that while reassuring her and this drive is taking forever. But he gets her there, and the doctors meet him out front with her. He goes with her as far as he can before the doctor in the pink scrubs orders him to stay put because she's going to make sure Olivia is okay. He parks the SUV in a police car space before rushing back inside and planting himself in a chair, waiting for the doctor in the pink scrubs to tell him that his Olivia was going to make it. Because Olivia had to make it.

He put his head in his hands and wept in the open, not caring who saw. He wept in joy, yet he wept in grief because he'd almost lost her.

That's Chapter One of the Missing Scenes!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!