Hello guys! I know I last posted a long time ago, but my thesis has taken literally everything from me.
Anyway, consider this chapter as a Christmas present from me. Merry Christmas everyone!

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"Good evening, Detective. I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me.

Love from a secret admirer.

Ps. Do you know when the prey is easiest to kill? When it can't escape.

xoxo"

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Elliot was lying in his bed in prison and listening to his cellmate's loud snoring. Usually, the sounds didn't disturb his sleep much, but now the snoring felt tearing his every cell. He shifted on his uncomfortable mattress, trying to find a better position, but to no avail. The hard and lumpy mattress pressed against his bones, forcing him to turn back onto his back.

He was still feeling almost unreal. Only a week ago he and Olivia had been at the club chasing criminals, and now he was in prison himself, accused of murder. As far as he knew, Mr. Reed or his henchmen had still not been caught, and so Kathy and their kids had also been asked to temporarily move out of New York. He and Olivia had succeeded in infiltrating the criminal group, and it was presumably and indirectly their fault that Julia Yellowstone had died, so there was no doubt about Mr. Reed's thirst for revenge.

The thought of his kids sent guilt slicing through Elliot's heart like a knife. His job as a cop was to catch criminals and protect other people, and his job as a father was to protect his family, to protect his kids. But instead of failing just the other job, he had failed both. Because of him, the criminals had become even more dangerous, and the tentacles of danger were now extending to his family as well. On top of that, he had also managed to end up in prison, and with the cell's door closed, his chances of protecting his family from the evil he himself had unleashed, had also disappeared.

If the situation had been different, he could have entrusted his kids to his partner. His partner, who he knew would do anything for his kids. But this time he couldn't do it, because Olivia's presence would only make things worse. After the incident at the club, they had both put their lives in danger, but on top of that, a curse had been placed upon them that put everyone they came in contact with into danger as well.

Olivia. The image of his partner in the courtroom, the image of her emaciated being and her distressed eyes, returned to Elliot's mind, and suddenly began to squeeze his throat. Olivia had looked like she hadn't slept all week, and he couldn't blame her; he would have looked the same if the roles were reversed.

"I'll get you out".

His partner's last words had been echoing in his head, and not just because of what she had said. He knew she would do whatever it took to catch the real killer and get him out of jail, because that's what she was supposed to do. They were partners, best friends, and their job was to help each other.

"I'm your partner, for better or worse."

Elliot knew it even without her words, because the same rule also applied the other way around. If Olivia had gone to jail innocently, he wouldn't have rested until he caught the perp and got his partner out. Hell, even if she had been guilty, he would have done everything he could to help her, since he probably would have been involved too. That's why it wasn't her words that were haunting his mind, it was her voice behind them. It was the distress, the grief and the despair that were drowning out the words and felt squeezing his heart in his chest.

Because although no one had said it out loud, everyone knew they were in a hurry. Prison was not the most optimal place for a cop when several dangerous inmates were there because of him. It was only a matter of time before the word would spread, and then there would only be bad options. Either the other inmates would beat him to death, or he would have to defend himself, and that would lead to more severe punishments. Then it wouldn't help anymore, even if Julia's real murderer was caught.

And in addition to being worried about himself and his family, he was worried about his partner. His partner who had gone through a traumatic experience, and he was supposed to be there for her, his partner whose life was in danger, his partner he had sworn to protect. Just the thought of something happening to Olivia just because he hadn't acted professionally and made them both disappear the moment Julia had first seemed to recognize him, made him feel sick.

And at that moment he realized that for the first time in his life he was all alone in a situation where he would have needed others more than ever.

Needed someone who was always there for him, whenever he needed her.

The person he had realized he loved more than he had even understood, as some primal fear had almost paralyzed him when she had fallen to the ground holding her throat a few months ago.

The person whose brown eyes suddenly filled every nook and cranny of Elliot's mind, causing tears to burn in the corners of his eyes.

The person he didn't think he could live without anymore.

His Liv.

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Cragen arrived at Olivia's house so quickly that she wasn't sure if he had ever gone home or if he had been guarding outside her house. Panic was swirling inside Olivia like snowflakes in a blizzard as she handed the card to her captain with trembling hands and whispered:

"It's him."

Cragen's brows furrowed in concern as he read the card, and he lifted his gaze at Olivia, who looked anything but well. Then he turned to the police officers standing at the door.

"How is this possible?" His voice was menacing, and the cops in front of him moved nervously. "How is it possible that these flowers got to Detective Benson's door?!"

"We… Um… He… Uh…" The other cop tried to begin, but Cragen's gaze flaring with anger made him lose his ability to speak.

"You what?!"

"He told us he was a flower delivery man!" The other cop tried to defend themselves, but his words didn't convince Cragen, whose anger only seemed to grow, making the air in the room thick and oppressive.

"You talked to him?!"

The police officers glanced at each other uncertainly, before one of them answered, in a significantly weaker voice than before: "Yeah… We…"

"Are you morons aware of that your "flower delivery man" was probably either a henchman of Mr. Reed we are looking for or even this gentleman himself?! And you let him show up at Detective Benson's door and then disappear?! If we had caught him, we might have been able to dig up some clues from him, but you… You…"

Cragen had clenched his fists, and he had started to shake with rage. The cops in front of him looked like children who had just been put under house arrest for a month, and they were standing fearfully in front of a suffocating fury that no one in the room could escape.

Under normal circumstances, Olivia would have stayed away from her enraged captain, but the anxiety inside her was growing as she was staring at the card in Cragen's hand. It made the voices around her disappear, Cragen's speech faded to a muffled murmur in her ears, and eventually her hand reached out as if by itself to tap his shoulder.

"Cap?"

Cragen turned to look at her, a look of surprise flashing across his face at the interruption.

"Yes?"

"The card… It says that they'll… El…" Suddenly the words got stuck in her throat while the cry started to burn it. Her overworked body from the past week could no longer mask her emotions as the anxiety began to break out in tears that rolled down her cheeks. The fact that the criminals knew where she lived didn't seem to matter so much; it suddenly felt insignificant next to the fact that the enemies were after Elliot. Elliot, who couldn't escape. Elliot, who her instincts, her every cell wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do. The anger drained from Cragen's eyes almost immediately, and he raised his hand to put it on Olivia's shoulder, but when she flinched at his touch, he brought it back down.

"I know. We must take the threat seriously, and I will discuss this with the prison warden immediately. And in addition to that…" His expression changed to determined, but the softness remained. "...We also have to take seriously the fact that your home address has been revealed. For your safety, we need to arrange temporary accommodation for you, and…"

Olivia's eyes widened, and even though she knew Cragen was right, resistance flared up inside her automatically.

"But…"

"No but," Cragen shook his head firmly. "Olivia, the criminals probably just stopped by your door. The same criminals who want you dead. So, I'm sorry to have to say this, but your opinion is not being asked now. I'll call Ell-… Fin to come here tonight, tomorrow we'll arrange another place for you to stay before we catch Mr. Reed. Is it clear?"

The name had almost slipped out of Cragen's mouth, and even though Olivia knew it had been a pure accident, it stung her heart like a knife. Elliot wasn't just who Cragen would have called under normal circumstances, Elliot was also the one she, deep down, would have wanted. However, that option was now ruled out.

She hesitated for a moment, but her captain's expression told her she really had no choice, and she nodded almost imperceptibly. Cragen gave her another encouraging nod before digging his phone out of his pocket and went to make some calls, and Olivia plopped down on the couch to sit down.

She and Elliot had been partners for almost 10 years. It was amazing how the time felt like just a breath and a small eternity at the same time. Over the course of their years together, Elliot had imperceptibly grown on her, gradually crept into every limb of her, every cell of her, and eventually he had become her pillar, the supporting force upon which she had begun to build her life. She could not say when it had happened, because it had happened so unnoticed, so stealthily, that she hadn't had time to prepare or prevent it.

It had just happened.

However, it was something she still found hard to admit to herself. She had learned to survive on her own, to take care of herself, and dependence on another person was something she had tried with all her might to avoid. Because the only thing she had been able to truly rely on all her life was herself.

She was Olivia Benson, independent, strong and smart. She had learned to trust herself, to take care of herself, and above all to live independently of other people.

But why did it feel like her soul had been torn to pieces; that part of her heart was at Rikers Island?

And why did it feel like she had to get that piece back, back to her, back home?

Because what would she do if she lost the piece which completed her whole heart?

The one piece that made everything make sense.