Quote Prompt #69: "Home isn't where you're from. It's where you find light when all grows dark."—Pierce Brown

All Grows Dark

~oOo~

"What do you need, Liv?" Fin sat by her bed in the hospital. He'd chased everyone away after it had become clear she was overwhelmed. He'd failed her once—it wasn't going to happen again. "How can I help?"

"I want to go home."

Fin frowned. He didn't think she was talking about her apartment. She'd damn near had a panic attack when he mentioned swinging by to pick up some of her things. "Home?"

"All I thought about in that damn beach house was going home. Home and Elliot."

"Ah." Fin had thought about the man himself. He'd done a little digging once Olivia was safe, trying to see where he was. Had he known and just didn't care? Stabler had apparently gone off-grid, according to his sources. "You've got time off coming."

"Whether I want it or not." Olivia huffed.

"How about we take a road trip?" Fin didn't take her frustration personally. He knew where it was directed. "You and me."

"You on a road trip?" Olivia scoffed. She clearly couldn't imagine him doing it. But he'd do anything to help put her back together. "Why?"

"Because I think it'd be good to get you out of the city." Fin didn't think it would be wise to tell her about Stabler. Not yet. She'd probably refuse to go with him. "I ain't saying it's my dream vacation, but maybe it'll keep me from kicking your ex-boyfriend's ass."

"Ex?"

"You going back with that fucking prick?"

"Fin."

"You deserve better, Liv. You deserve someone who's not gonna fucking stand you up and fail to notice you've gone missing." Fin didn't really want to think about how they'd all failed her. It was easier to focus on Cassidy for the moment. "Just don't be in a rush to take him back."

"I can't deal with this right now." Olivia finally waved her hand, trying to put an end to the conversation. "So this road trip? Where would we go?"

"Up the coast. There's a spot I heard about. Pretty little place. I think you'll like it."

"What aren't you telling me?" Olivia's eyes narrowed on him, but he just shrugged and stared impassively back. He was doing this for her own good. "Fine. Keep your secrets. When would we leave?"

"As soon as we get some shit packed for the both of us. I…" Fin hesitated for a second. He didn't want to trigger her, but she needed to know. "I got the door and locks changed on your place. I got things cleaned up inside. Didn't want you goin' back to a mess."

"Fin." Olivia turned her head away, but he caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

"Cassidy…."

"Fin." Olivia stopped him before he could say how her supposed boyfriend should've been the one to think of it. "I know what you're going to say. I don't even know where he is."

"I can tell you exactly where his stupid ass is. Drunk in a bar." Fin had already talked to Amaro and Munch. They'd take Cassidy in hand once he got Olivia out of the city and away from his toxic ass. "He's a grown-ass man. Let him be for now. I think you gotta focus on yourself for a while. Not some immature prick."

"Yes, you've made your thoughts on Brian very clear to me." Olivia chuckled, though he was concerned at how the laughter didn't seem to reach her eyes. "The nurse said they'll be letting me go in a few hours. What's the plan?"

"You just sit your pretty ass here. I'll get a vehicle together and pack some clothes for us. Get everything set. And we can be out of the city in a couple of hours." Fin tried to keep his voice casual. He didn't want her to fight him on this. Now that he'd started putting the plan in motion, he didn't want her figuring things out too early. "So? What do you think, Liv?"

"Fine." Olivia sank back into the pillows. She was back to the apathetic air that bothered him. "I want to pack my stuff, though."

Fin nodded. It was the best he was going to get for now. "Good."

By the time Fin packed for himself and borrowed his friend's vehicle, one specifically upgraded for comfort, Olivia had gotten released from the hospital. They drove to her apartment. It was difficult to watch her force herself to face the place.

It seemed to help that it was cleaned up. But she was tense the entire time, gaze darting around as if expecting Lewis to jump out from behind a corner. They were both relieved to leave the place and memories behind.

The drive to their final destination was only eight hours away. They could've done it in one day. But they'd left Manhattan so late in the afternoon that Fin decided to drive for five hours and then find a little hotel near the coast to stop for the night.

Sometime in the early morning hours, Fin jolted awake. He rubbed tiredly at his eyes before checking his phone. Three. He heard a sound outside of his door and sighed. He just knew Olivia had woken up early.

Fin wasn't surprised to find her sitting outside of the hotel. He stood watching for a moment as she stared up at the sky. "What are you looking for?"

"Light. Feels like the dark's trying to smother me. And I just want a little light." Olivia had a blanket wrapped around her despite the summer heat. "I don't want to let this break me, Fin."

"I ain't planning on letting anything break you. And I doubt you will either." Fin sat beside her on the curb. He was so tempted to tell her where they were heading. But he didn't want to risk her trying to back out. "Sun's gotta rise, no matter how dark the night's been."

"Munch been sneaking motivational quotes to you?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Laugh it up." Fin rolled his eyes. He nudged her arm with his elbow. "Since we're both up. Why don't we get on the road? It ain't gonna take long to get to our final destination."

"Which is?"

"A surprise." Fin chuckled when she grumbled at him. "Just enjoy the ride. I'll even grab that fancy overpriced coffee you like."

Olivia continued to stare up at the sky. "It's early."

"You tellin' me that you're gonna go back to sleep?" Fin stared at her until she finally shrugged. "That's what I thought. Let's just get ready and go. No point in hanging around here longer than we have to."

"Where are we going, Fin?"

"You can ask me ten more times. I'm not tellin'." Fin patted her on the shoulder before turning around. "Just give me a few minutes to grab my stuff, and I'll turn our keys in at the front desk."

~oOo~

No matter how Olivia tried, Fin wouldn't give her any details. As the sun rose, they had a stunning view off the coast of Maine. He eventually pulled off on a narrow road. They were just outside of Camden.

"We here?" Olivia eyed the small cabin that was surrounded by trees. She could see a staircase leading down to the beach behind the cottage. "You brought me to the beach?"

"Different beach. And…it's not the location. It's the cottage—and who's in it." Fin cut the engine once they'd parked behind a black jeep. "I'll grab our bags. Why don't you head inside?"

"Fin." Olivia rolled her eyes when he just smiled enigmatically and shrugged. "Fine."

Stepping out of the vehicle, Olivia tried not to let memories of another beach house take over. This was different. It didn't feel the same.

She tried to embrace the sense of welcome that seemed to emanate from the place. "Who's place is this?"

"Why don't you go find out?" Fin muttered before heading to the back of the vehicle to grab their bags.

Glowering at his back for a second, Olivia decided to face things head-on. She made her way up the gravel path to the cottage. The door opened as she climbed the steps.

"Elliot." Olivia grabbed at the railing to keep from falling backward. She blinked a few times, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "How the hell did Fin find you?"

"Kathleen reached out to him when you went missing. She gave him my number when he asked." Elliot took a step closer to her. He placed a hand on the railing near hers. "I was out of reach until yesterday. I had no idea what happened until Fin called me."

"I don't know why I'm here."

"Fin mentioned you were worried about getting lost in the dark."

"Yeah," Olivia whispered. She inched her fingers closer to his hand.

"You're not alone, Liv."

"I was. There was no one in that house. No matter how much I wished someone could've saved me." Olivia dug her fingers into the wooden rail.

"You saved yourself." Elliot closed the distance and covered her hand with his. "I spent a year and a half finding my way out of the darkness. I'm here if you need a map, a flashlight, or just someone to walk the path with you."

"I'm afraid I'm never going to find myself again."

"You won't." Elliot kept his hand tightly over hers. "You know better than most that trauma changes a person. You'll never be exactly who you were before. But you will find yourself again."

"How?"

"One step at a time." Elliot was a solid anchor when she threw her arms around his waist, burrowing into him. "Just one step at a time. I'll help, Liv. You're going to be okay."

The author of this SVU - Quills & Shutters story will be revealed in October