And Elliot didn't answer anything, just imperceptibly wiped away the tear that rolled down his cheek.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Father had offered Olivia the dry meat and water he had dug out of the back of his car, she had started to doze against the wall again, waiting for something to happen.

That Elliot would somehow miraculously find her.

However, it was not a realistic wish, because about an hour earlier, Father had announced that the GPS tracker symbol had taken off from the hospital, just as he had planned. However, it was a long way from the hospital to the cabin they were in and getting the exact location of the searches required Elliot to arrive there, "probably to the head of the searches," as Father had told her with a grin.

And that was also something Olivia was afraid of. She knew her partner, knew him well enough to know that he would turn over every stone in the forest to find her. So the fear was not due to a lack of trust, quite the opposite. She didn't know how badly he'd been injured from the shooting, she didn't know how forcefully he'd left the hospital, so how dangerous it would be for him to stumble in the woods, made fear rumble in her stomach stronger than hunger.

Because if Elliot died looking for her, she would never forgive herself for it.

A chair suddenly scraped the floor, causing her eyes to snap open. Father had stood up, was staring at his phone, and Olivia could have sworn a startle flashed in his eyes. Then he took a couple of steps to her, grabbed her arm and started pulling her hard.

"We need to leave."

"Hey!" She yelped as a quick jerk almost sent her flying onto her nose, but Father didn't let go. Instead, he drew his gun from his waist and pointed it at her.

"I said GET UP!"

She fumbled to her feet, and immediately a determined arm began to pull her towards the door. Although Olivia didn't know exactly what was happening, Father's demeanor revealed that something wasn't right.

"What's wrong?"

No answer. Instead, the car door was jerked open, she was violently shoved inside, and then Father rushed to the other side of the car and started the engine. With the tires screeching, the car flew forward, began to swerve on the bad road, and sure that the car wouldn't stay on the road, she fastened her seat belt.

"Could you please tell me what's going on?!" She snapped, fear clutching her chest as the car bounced over a rock in the road, and Father barely managed to keep the car under control. She didn't expect to get an answer, but then he hissed between his teeth:

"That fucking partner of yours is exactly on the road that I thought was a safe escape route."

For the first time since Father had dragged her into the car and fled from the cops who had found the farm, hope ignited inside Olivia, dim but so warm it warmed every cell in her, causing her to close her eyes for a moment. The car bounced again, Father cursed behind the wheel, and when Olivia opened her eyes again, renewed courage made her open her mouth:

"You made a mistake, you know."

"What?" Father asked, not taking his eyes off the road, and Olivia folded her arms.

"You made a mistake."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Olivia could almost feel how her every word caused the flames of certainty, trust to grow inside her like a fire, the complete loneliness she had felt before was gone, and at the same time the fear dissipated from her cells as she answered:

"That partner of mine. You made a serious miscalculation in letting him live, and now it will destroy you."

Father didn't answer, but she knew he was listening.

"No matter what you're going to do, no matter where you're going to take me. If it wasn't for me, you might have been able to escape, but now you can't anymore. He will find me, no matter what, and there's nothing you can do."

And then she fell silent, only turned her gaze out the window. Father didn't say anything, just stopped occasionally to look at his phone, cursed, and stepped on the gas.

But then he suddenly slammed on the brake, the car stopped violently, raised a cloud of dust around them, and silence descended. Father remained clutching the wheel, staring ahead, and uncertainty swirled in Olivia's stomach.

"What?"

"I've made a mistake."

Something about Father's being made Olivia's police instincts wake up, give her a warning, and slowly, very slowly, she moved her hand to unbuckle the seat belt.

"What do you mean?"

"My first mistake wasn't not killing your partner when I had the chance. No, my first mistake was not to deviate from my principles and impregnate you myself."

No sudden movements...

"I mean, you were unconscious, so I could have done anything. I could have spread your legs, thrust into you, and made you mine. I could have brought something into the world that would be mine, my own flesh and blood. My son."

Don't move. Don't even breathe.

"Instead of chaining you to me, I gave you something that pushed you away from me. I gave you Stabler's child, even though I could have made you your mother. I could have raped you; you would have had to carry the rapist's child. Would your dear partner have loved you then? No, sweetheart, instead he would have seen that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Suddenly he turned his head towards Olivia, his gaze landed on her belly, and instinctively Olivia covered it with her hands. The fear that had subsided for a moment had begun to pulse hotly in her veins, Father's words increasing it second by second.

And then he raised his weapon, looked at it long, thoughtfully, and slowly lowered it onto her belly, an insane glint in his eyes. Olivia didn't dare move, even though her internal screaming almost made her ears ring, and fear made nausea rise in her throat.

"No, please…"

"I wonder how easy it would be to just get rid of you. Because all the problems started with you. But no, death doesn't cause enough suffering," he lifted the gun from her stomach, making Olivia inhale slightly, but then he put his hand on her belly, and continued: "It would be easier if I got rid of the baby. In this early pregnancy, all you need is a strong blow, and voilá, the oven is ready for a new one. What would Detective Stabler say when he heard that his baby was gone, just because you couldn't protect it?"

Involuntarily, tears had begun to well up in Olivia's eyes, and she slowly shook her head.

"No…"

Father's eyes flashed, and the grin that came across his face made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Or... How about we have a little fun first?" He didn't take his eyes off of her, but started unbuckling his belt, making Olivia shake her head harder.

"Please, don't do this!"

"Oh, you're going to enjoy this," he hissed, but then a voice from outside made them both freeze. It was distant, muffled, but so recognizable that there was no mistaking it.

A helicopter.

"Shit!" Father leaned back in his seat, started the engine, and stepped hard on the gas. Olivia could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes as she tightened her grip around her belly.

"Your daddy's coming, sweetie. Don't be afraid."

The car swayed violently as Father cursed again and turned the wheel so fast it was a miracle the car didn't hit a tree. The forceful movement caused his phone to fall under the co-driver's seat, and without slowing down at all, he began fumbling for it, having to bend down and take his eyes off the road.

Olivia saw it before Father could restore sight.

A pond.

Right in front of them.

The speed was too much, she knew it, even though Father grabbed the wheel and tried to save the situation in the last seconds. And then the car's tires came off the road surface, time seemed to stop for a moment, and then, accompanied by a huge splash, they fell into the water. The car slowly began to sink, Father seemed to have frozen in place, gripping the wheel, and before Olivia's brain could catch up, her instincts gave her an order.

Now or never.

Hastily she grabbed the door handle, managed to open the door of the car enough for her to get out of it, and then she started to swim. She knew that Father, who was deeper in the water, would have to take more time to get out, and every second of distance increased a little bit her chances of success.

The water was ice cold, the thick gown was pressing her towards the bottom, but the adrenaline was racing in her veins, and with each stroke she was closer to the shore. Behind her she heard vague splashes, apparently Father's attempts to get out of the car, and they only made her pick up her pace. Finally her feet hit the bottom, she scrambled up out of the water, and hastily glancing behind her, she saw that Father had already half-extricated himself from the rapidly sinking car.

And then she started running. She began to run faster than she had ever run in her life, she rushed through the uneven terrain, not caring about her shortness of breath. Panic was pulsing through her veins and made her quicken her steps even more, somewhere she heard the sound of a distant helicopter, and she started to head towards it, hoping, hoping that she would see the dark blue uniforms of the cops flashing between the trees…

But then she stopped. She couldn't say for sure why, but something, like a subconscious voice, told her to stop. Her heart pounded in her ears, she felt like she couldn't breathe properly, and then she felt it.

A sharp burning in her lower belly.

No no no no no…

For a moment the pain eased, but then it came back stronger, and Olivia pressed her hands to her belly and grimaced. The previous fear that Father would catch her, immediately gave way to another kind of fear, even deeper, more primal, that prevented her body from running again. Behind her she began to hear approaching footsteps, and only her survival instinct made her legs move, and she crouched behind a large rock. Tears were burning in her eyes, she knew her escape was over, she would lose her baby, Father would kill her, and she would never see Elliot holding their own, beautiful child….

But then she heard a voice, completely different from what she had expected.

"Police! Is there anyone here?"

A woman's voice.

Olivia opened her eyes, strained her ears, and for a moment thought she had heard hallucinations. But then she heard another voice, this time a man's.

"Detective Benson?"

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have revealed herself, but a new, burning pain in her lower belly made her stand up, causing the two officers to turn their guns on her, but realizing who they were pointing at, they quickly lowered them.

"Olivia Benson?"

And Olivia's voice was just a stifled sob as she said:

"Please, please help my baby!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Olivia didn't remember anything about the walking.

The cops had led her out of the woods to the nearest road, but she hadn't been able to think about anything but her baby, who, judging by the pain, was clearly not doing well. The cops had called an ambulance and told the other searchers that they had found her, but it was as if the whole world had disappeared around her, trapping her in her own bubble where she could only feel despair and fear, bigger fear than she had ever experienced.

"Sit here, the ambulance is coming soon," she heard the female cop say, realized her body was obeying, even though nothing felt real.

I'm gonna lose my baby.

I'm gonna lose my baby.

I'm gonna lose my baby…

She felt the police officer's hand on her shoulder, realized that tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't care, nothing mattered.

Not until she heard the voice.

"LIV!"

It was as if the bubble had burst around her, the magic that had chained her to fear and endless darkness dissolved within her, and she raised her head, looking around.

And then she saw him.

"El…"

Elliot was dashing down the road like a gale, she stood up, and then he was next to her, stopped in front of her for a moment, his blue eyes, so familiar, making her sob aloud.

"Are you okay?"

"No, Elliot, the baby…" Her voice broke, and then she felt strong arms wrap around her, pulling her into his arms, and the last of her strength left her body as she melted into his embrace, clutching his shirt, and a cry broke out inside her as if the dam holding the tears back had broken.

Elliot's one hand was strong on her back, the other warm in her hair as he held her tighter against him and whispered:

"It's okay, you're safe now. And you both are gonna be okay."