Control - An Law & Order SVU Fanfic

Chapter One

They arrived at the front, the flashing lights of their backup,  in the distance. The partners silently counted to three together. Detective Elliot Stabler pushed to open the door leading the way in. They searched the immediate area and continued down the hallway listening closely for any sign of life. Elliot signaled that he would go to the left, and Olivia nodded in understanding. Elliot took the first door, and Olivia took the second. After clearing the room Elliot had moved onto the third room as she entered the hallway. Abruptly, Olivia heard a small whimper and then a cry of pain.

She took off toward the noise hearing Elliot close behind her. A thick must immediately hit her nose as she entered the room at the end of the hall in hesitation. There were stacks of boxes, plenty of places to hide. She moved slowly, feeling Elliott's heat behind her. The sound of gasping hit her from behind, and she spun seeing a box. She pushed the box out of the way revealing Kevin, the little boy they had been searching for, his face bloodied and bruised, as he gasped for breathe.

"Elliott!" she called to her partner. Olivia rushed to the child's side, and lifted the frail boy into her arms. His throat, sliced half across his neck, was bleeding profusely. She immediately placed her hand over the wound to stop the bleeding.  Elliot’s deep expressive voice bounced off the walls as he called for a bus.

Olivia’s focus was on the child when she heard a thud. She twisted to see their suspect standing over Elliott with a gun. The man twitched nervously, and the gun pointed upward as he took Elliot in. Olivia watched, helpless as Elliot lunged for the man. She saw them both fall and then heard a gun fire.  She heard Elliott yelped in pain just as their counterparts, Detective Fin and Detective Munch rushed in.

"Elliott!" she called out to him, her heart stopping, fearing the worst.

"Fuck! Goddamn it!" Was her partner's reply as he struggled to his feet.

"He's good, "Fin said as he helped steady the man.

Olivia was already on her feet and out the door as Fin responded.

Hang on baby, hang on…

She felt the child's hand grip her shirt tightly.  Her feet couldn't move fast enough. The city air hit her, and she vaulted down the stairs, the ambulance Elliott had called within sight.  The pulling on her shirt lessened. His small body suddenly became heavier in her arms. Her stomach twisted painfully and she couldn’t get her lungs to fill.  She laid the boy on the stretcher, forcing herself to look at him.  His eyes stared back at her, clouded and lifeless. The paramedics immediately went to work, but she already knew…it was too late.

Her heartbeat thundered in her head. The events around her hummed as the movement slowed. She searched for relief. Plead for silence, peace. Elliott walked out of the building holding pressure on his shoulder and her heart ached again. Her eyes rested on the stretcher. The paramedics pulled the sheet gingerly over the boy's body.

It's too much, too much…

She could feel herself losing control, breaking in half.

"Liv," she heard someone say but it seemed so far away. "Olivia."

Everything moved back to real time, and she felt a hand touch her arm.  She turned toward the motion and saw Detective Fin Tutuola looking at her in concern.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked studying her face.

She immediately anchored her pooling emotions. She pushed them down as she had so many times before, into her gut away from her conscious mind.