Prompt #14: Elliot intervening with Liv in the Townhouse Incident, it does not go as far or as dark as it did

Phone A Friend

~oOo~

Is there anyone at the NYPD who cares if you live or if you die?

One name had immediately sprung to mind. She finally nodded and reached for the phone Joe held out to her. Her greatest fear was that he wouldn't answer.

Her fingers trembled while she found his name in her contacts. Joe hovered beside her, smelling of booze. It took her back to another time when she'd wanted nothing more than her partner to come busting through the door.

Olivia tried to keep her breathing calm while she finally found him. She'd put him under a code name to avoid anyone realizing they were still in contact. Pick up, El. Please. "You're on speakerphone."

"Okay. Who am I talking to?"

"I'm here with Joe and Roxy. And…we need a little help to avoid some trouble." Olivia had to ignore the gun being pointed at her. She had to think clearly and calmly. "They've run into some trouble while attempting to get the money they feel they deserve."

"Did they? Joe and Roxy?" Elliot was being very careful not to push for too much information. "How can I help?"

"Joe wanted to get help in dealing with the NYPD. Help from…someone who cared if I lived or died. Someone invested in a good outcome for everyone in the townhome." Olivia hoped Elliot assumed that meant there were other hostages. "You know how trigger-happy ESU can be."

"I do. I do. I'm all ears. Where are you at? I'll come to you." Elliot waited for a moment while Olivia convinced Joe it was a good idea. "We good?"

~oOo~

It had taken all of Elliot's self-control to keep asking the right questions. There was a delicate balance required to avoid triggering the obviously inebriated Joe. The name felt like a bad omen.

There hadn't been too many that he'd known that were good. His dad. Olivia's father. Both Joseph's. Both…not exactly the best examples of humanity. He didn't think this Joe was going to be any better.

The drive to the townhouse took forever. Elliot hit every damn light. He wanted to scream at traffic to get out of his way, but he had to stay calm.

One of the things he'd done was to keep Joe talking. If he was focused on Elliot, he wouldn't be hurting anyone in the townhouse. He wouldn't be hurting Olivia.

And that mattered more than anything else.

Now if he could just find a way to talk her out safely.

Talking had always been something they did well when it came to snowing a perp. They'd had a vast amount of experience using their close connection to practically read each other's minds. He hoped it would work to their advantage once again.

The perimeter hadn't been set up when Elliot arrived. He could see the Sedan down the street, sitting on the place. They had a limited amount of time before it turned into a complete circus.

And it would be a complete circus.

Joe had a quick temper. He was also high as a fucking kite. Elliot had needed all of his experience to keep him on the phone and somewhat focused.

From his conversation on the phone, Elliot knew Joe was upstairs with Olivia. He was greeted at the front door by a young woman. It was time to execute the first part of his plan—divide and conquer.

She was definitely high and relatively easy to disarm. He got her cuffed and silenced with a threat. One down. One to go. He left her locked in the food pantry.

"Roxie?" Joe's shout caught his attention. "Roxie? What's going on down there?"

Elliot had hung up his phone and turned it off when he'd entered. He didn't want Joe trying to call and it going off in his pocket. He stayed out of sight and crept closer to the stairs. C'mon, you piece of shit. Investigate. Be the paranoid little fucker you are.

"Roxie?"

Elliot adjusted his grip on his weapon. He crept along the wall, wanting the element of surprise if at all possible. Just a little further.

"Where the fuck are you?" Joe was making his way down the stairs towards him. Elliot shifted back, hiding himself in the hopes of catching the man off-guard when he walked past. "What the fuck is going on? Roxie."

Elliot struck the second Joe had walked past him. He caught Joe by the back of his jacket, swinging him around and slamming him into a door frame. "Drop it."

"Fuck you."

Elliot slammed him into the bookcase behind them. He managed to disarm Joe despite taking an elbow to the face. He kicked it out of the way while subduing the man. He finally managed to get him handcuffed and on the ground. "What about you, Joe? Anyone care if you live or die?"

"El?"

"We're good. Call it in for me?" Elliot pushed Joe's arms a little higher when he tried to move. "I'm just getting acquainted with your friend here."

"Elliot." Olivia stepped up to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're safe."

Elliot kept one hand firmly planted on Joe, holding him to the ground. He reached up to grasp hers with his other just to reassure himself that she was okay. She was alive. "You good?"

"Yeah, El. I'm good. You got…you got to us in time."

There was no doubt in his mind that they'd both been taken back to several years ago when he hadn't gotten to her in time. It hadn't been his fault, but he'd always blame himself. And he'd sworn to never fail her again.

Never again.

"El? El. I'm good. I promise." She patted his hand. "We've got about five minutes before they kick the door in."

It was three minutes before the cavalry arrived. It was three hours before Elliot had any time alone with Olivia. He'd been questioned by IAB for his involvement and then released.

Fin had eyed him for a moment, then nodded toward her office. "Go on, man. I imagine she'll be done soon."

"Thanks."

After sitting on the couch in her office for a few minutes, Elliot pulled out his phone. He ordered food for both of them. He doubted she'd had much of anything given the time her morning had started.

When Olivia finally arrived back in her office, Elliot had a decent spread of their favourite Chinese food. She closed the door and blinds, then sank down on the couch beside him. He looped an arm around his shoulders and pulled her into him.

"Thank you."

"What? For caring if you live or die?" Elliot shook his head. "Always, Liv. Always. Why don't we eat and then go pick up Noah? Bet you'd like to have some time with him."

"How about we take this to my place? We can eat there." Olivia didn't attempt to move. She stayed with her head on his shoulder. "I was afraid you wouldn't answer."

"Never going to happen again, Liv. Never." Elliot tightened his arm around her shoulders. "I care if you live or die. I love you."

"El."

"I love you." Elliot squeezed her shoulder. "And this time, I'm staying."

The author of this SVU: The Rewrite story will be revealed in July