A parallel universe

Chapter Twenty Four

Jet had spent hours backtracking the footage and yet she had found nothing. The others spent their time going back through Liv's cases trying to find anyone that had been released from prison just before El met Liv in the hotel. And El had spent the last hour staring at Liv, trying to gauge how she was feeling, finally he crossed the room and leant on the desk beside her. 
"How are you feeling?" 
"I want to throw up and kill him, so" She shrugged. 
"But you can't" 
"But I tried. I should've. I should've killed him in that beach house when I had the chance and maybe a young woman might have a family on the holidays and someone to walk her down the aisle. If I had killed him-" 
"You wouldn't be you if you had killed him. You wouldn't be a captain" 
"Maybe" She nodded before she lay her head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh "I want to go home" 
"So do I. I think that we need some time apart, Liv" She lifted her head from his shoulder and met his eyes. 
"Captain, he's calling again" Jet called. 
"This conversation is not over" She bit before she crossed the room and answered the phone. 
"Hello Olivia" She could hear the smirk in his voice and that angered her even more. 
"Goodbye you piece of shit" She bit before she hung up the phone. 
"Captain, what are you doing?" McGrath bit. 
"I'm done playing his games by his rules" The ringing of the phone cut through their arguing. Liv answered the phone again. 
"That wasn't very nice Olivia" 
"You're a William Lewis wanna be, who is using someone else's fear to get to me. What I don't understand is why. Who are you really?"
"Well done. It took you longer than I thought it would, but unlike Lewis you don't know me Olivia. You don't know what I'm capable of-" 
"And you think you know me? You think you know what I'm capable of? You know what's in the report, you don't know the truth, you don't know how hard I'll fight" 
"Maybe not. But I know how hard you'll fight for Noah, for Maureen, Kathleen, Dickie, Elizabeth, Eli, Bernadette, and the rest of the people that you call your family" 
"So give me my choice. You're smart, you already know where they all are, so give me my choice" 
"Come to me. No back-up, no guns, no watchers. Just you, Olivia and the rest can go free" 
"Done" She said without hesitation. 
"No" El bit, his eyes finding Liv's. 
"Who wears the pants in this relationship?" He teased over the phone. 
"I do. You have a deal" She told him before she hung up the phone without taking her eyes off of Elliot for a second. 
"Olivia, no. I'm not letting you do this" 
"Elliot, yes I am. If this is what I need to keep you all safe then this is what I'll do-" 
"Lewis tried to rape you!" 
"He did rape me! Maybe not physically, but mentally, emotionally, he did. I am going to do what is needed to stop him" 
"And what does that mean?" El bit. 
"And what does, I think we need a break mean?" She bit back "I survived Lewis El. I survived the beast, I can and I will survive this guy too" Liv grabbed her phone off the table when Elliot's voice stopped her again. 
"And what if he gets you this time?" 
"Then I'll deal with it-" 
"Christ! You can't just screw him out of you Olivia!" She laughed. 
"There is no fucking him away. He lives inside my head no matter who I fuck, believe me I've tried. I fucked you like that because I love you. I'm going to do this because I love you. Walk away if it's too much for you, if not, I'll see you when this is done" She slipped off her gun and badge and placed them on the desk. Elliot moved behind her, taking her hips in his, he felt her lean back against his chest. 
"Please don't do this, Liv. I love you, I can't lose you" 
"I love you, El. I'll see you when this is over" She muttered and then she was gone. 

"207, 208, 209" Elliot grunted out as he did his push ups. Hours. It had been hours since Liv left and they had nothing, Jet tried to follow her through street cams but eventually lost her. Elliot was going crazy with worry and tried to work out to calm his mind, but that was failing. 
"Hey, Stabler I know that you're trying to calm your mind and whatever but can you please stop" Fin asked and Elliot got up off the floor. 
"Why aren't we doing anything to find her? She's out there all alone and for what?" 
"We tried following her on the street cams but we lost her, we can't find her, all we can do is wait. Liv's tougher than she looks-"
"Only because I wasn't here to protect her!" El bit before he kicked the nearest chair before his phone rang out "What?" He bit "Seriously? Put her on. I need to hear her, please" Everyone in the squad room watched as relief washed over him "Olivia Benson, you're going to be the death of me but, god do I love you" He squeezed his eyes shut before he opened them again "We'll be at the hospital as fast as I can get there, I promise. I love you" He repeated one final time before he hung up the phone. 
"She's okay?" Fin asked. 
"She's okay. She stopped him, he didn't hurt her. It's all over" Elliot let out a sigh of relief before he started marching towards the elevator.
"Where the hell are you going?" Fin called after him.
"I'm going to see the woman that is going to be my wife"