He had her back and she knew it.
The sun was setting quickly behind them; soon they wouldn't be able to see their perpetrator.

In a strange way it was like watching the end of a movie; the movie where you know it's not going to end happily. You don't know why, or how, but you just know.

Today had just been like any other. Olivia was already at the station when he arrived. She was already sipping her third cup of coffee when he sat down across from her and asked her how her night was.

She replied with a brilliant smile that left him beaming inside.

I'll sing it one last time for you
then we really have to go
you've been the only thing that's right
in all I've done.

He could have fallen in love with her then. He probably did. Love is blind.

So was he.

The sun was gone as was any hope they had of catching their rapist. Olivia stopped in her tracks and he almost collided with her.

"Dammit," she panted.

"We'll get S.W.A.T. to do an Arial," he said, "are you ok?"

Olivia looked at him; she was bending over, clutching at a stitch in her side. "Yeah, that hot-dog is really barking."

He laughed, still slightly unsure. He could smell something in the air that night. It wasn't filled with the scent of her perfume, or her shampoo, no, this was different. And even though he didn't know it, he could smell the beginning of her demise.

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
anywhere from here

"Elliot, look!" She pointed ahead, toward an alley.

"What?"

"El – It's him, the perp!" She sprinted off, without a second word.

Elliot's reaction was delayed and as he registered he quickly sprinted after her.

"Liv, wait!" He called. He knew what she was doing, she knew what she was doing, but the anxious scent still lingered in her wake.

Light up, Light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Louder, louder
and we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say

He'd heard it so many times before; he'd heard death before he'd seen it countless times, but this time sounded so much louder.

It broke the night's air and stilled his heart. The loud crack resonated into the atmosphere leaving behind a vacant presence.

He pulled his own gun out and shot him before he could escape again, and he caught her before she hit the ground.

To think I might not see those eyes
it makes it so hard not to cry
and as we say our long goodbyes
I nearly do.

The tears overflowed with my shattered heart and leaked onto her pale complexion.

"Elliot," her whisper was weakened already and yet still managed to paste a few pieces pf his heart back together.

He brushed her golden locks from her eyes and rested her so she was leaning on him. Elliot tore off her bulletproof vest and pressed his hand on her wound.

"So much for bulletproof, hey?" She said. He allowed himself a weak smile through his tears.

"Liv, you've just got to hang on, that's all," he didn't know what to say.

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Louder, louder
and we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say

He had called for an ambulance ten minutes ago. For ten minutes her life had been draining away.

"El, if I don't make it out of here," she had tears rolling down her cheeks onto his chest.

"No," he said defiantly, "No, don't say that. Liv…"

"Will you let me talk?" It amazed him how stubborn she could be, even at the most inconvenient of times, "If I, if I don't make it out of here," her hand suddenly grasped his and linked her fingers into his, "I didn't have any regrets."

Elliot kissed her forehead and found her lips, "me neither."

The distinctive sound of sirens were heard in the distance and settled gently on the two partners in the alleyway. The wounded resting on the distraught, knuckles interlocked, blanketed by a river of crimson.

Slower, slower
we don't have time for that
all I want is to find an easier way
to get out of our little heads

Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess.

He rocked her back and forth, clutching at her vacant life. The paramedics rolled up behind him.

"Liv," he tasted the salty water and it burned as he swallowed it, "they're here," he was strong before, now he had fallen to a desperate whisper, "Liv they're here." He shook her hand, he kissed her, he gripped her hand tightly, "Liv!"

A paramedic moved forward and tried to take her from him, Elliot pushed him away.

"Olivia!" He shook her again, "Fuck no, no, no, no, I love you. Liv can you hear me? I love you." She did not look up at him, she did not respond at all. He knew she had gone, he wanted so badly for her to stand up and say she was ok. And even when he screamed her name and allowed the whole world to hear his love for her, she said nothing.

He noticed a paramedic was crying. Like she cared. He realized he had shown the world his pain. It was his pain. Is pain for her, and he was going to be selfish about it.

He was crying so hard, and kissed her cold lips for the last time and still wouldn't let them zip up her body bag, he held her hand all the way to the hospital, praying through a vast river of tears that she might, just might wake up and this will all have been a dream, no, a nightmare.

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear.

"I'm here, Elliot."

End.