Without You
Summary: Olivia's wound in "Fault" was fatal. The SVU's reaction to her death. Sequel to "In Your Arms". EO.
Author's Note: I was debating on whether or not to make this the second chapter to "In Your Arms". It's here since "In Your Arms" is really about Olivia dying. This is the aftermath of her death. Sigh. I'm depressing myself.
Disclaimer: Dick Wolf owns all the characters.
The rest of what happened at the train station was a blur to Elliot. One minute he was holding Olivia in his arms. She was bleeding, afraid. He could not believe it. The next thing he knew, the paramedics were filing into the station. They came over to Elliot and took one look at Olivia. The paramedics carefully transferred her onto the ground.
The first one felt for a pulse. He was not finding one.
"It's no use," Elliot whispered. "She's gone." He could not believe it. It was Olivia. How could this be happening? How could he have lost her? This was not supposed to be happening. She was the world to him. He was still in shock to deal with the fact that he had just lost that. He could not react to his surroundings. He just wanted to slip away into nothing. However, he heard footsteps approaching. Fin.
"Elliot," Fin started as he sat down next to Elliot. The paramedics were taking Olivia away. Elliot's gaze was cold, distant. "Elliot, I am so sorry." He did not know what else to say. Throughout the entire SVU, Elliot and Olivia have been partners for the longest amount of time. They had a well established working relationship before he even joined the unit. He could not begin to imagine how difficult this was for Elliot. He did not even know if Elliot realized it yet. The other detective still appeared to be in shock.
His phone was ringing. At first, Fin did not hear it due to all the commotion about the train station. He stepped away from Elliot before answering. "Tutuola," he stated.
"Fin, what the hell is going on?" Cragen demanded. "I'm getting calls, and I have no idea what to say. Did you get the children?"
"No," Fin said seriously. He kept his focus on Elliot. The other detective was still not moving, but Fin wanted to be there as soon as Elliot decided to move. It was for Elliot's safety. "Gitano killed the boy and ran off with the girl."
"Where's Elliot?" Cragen asked.
Fin shook his head. "Captain, now's really not the time," he stated in a more serious tone than he had just used. He hoped Cragen would get the message. He did.
"What happened?"
"It's Olivia," Fin started as his tone shifted to slight sadness and respect. "She…she didn't make it, Captain. Gitano got her. Slashed her throat."
Cragen could not believe what he was hearing. The reality he knew was shifting. He vaguely recalled saying something to Fin before he hung up the phone. Like Elliot, he was in shock. How could this happen? He had always viewed the SVU as a family. Being the captain, he served as the father role. He saw his detectives as his children. He had a special care towards Olivia. She was the youngest member of his squad, and the only female. He had a father's love for her. It hurt to know that he would never see her again. He would never talk to her.
The urge to drink again was overwhelming, but he had to fight it. Olivia would not want him to start drinking on account of her. He had to respect that.
Everyone else. They had the right to know. He knew Elliot would not want to be the one to tell them. Cragen had watched their relationship grow over the years. While neither of them wanted to admit it, Cragen knew they had something special. It might not have been a romance yet, but there was definitely something there.
Cragen exited his office in a trance-like motion. The squad room was practically empty. He glanced at Olivia's desk. It was the same as it always was. He did not disturb it. Instead, he walked over towards Munch's desk. "Munch, I want you handling the Wharton rape-homicide," he said plainly.
Munch looked up at Cragen. Something was off. Now was not the time to be making sarcastic comments to lighten the mood. "What about Elliot?" he asked.
"He's probably going to want some time off," Cragen started sadly. "Or more time focused on this Gitano guy. I'm not entirely sure." He proceeded to tell Munch what had happened.
Casey hated filing. She hated all her paperwork, but until Elliot and Olivia were able to arrest Gitano there was not much else that she could do. A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. She called for the person to come inside, and seconds later the door opened.
"Casey," Munch started as he walked over to the ADA's desk. As he approached her, Casey stood up. The look on her face could only be categorized as confusion. Munch placed a gentle hand on Casey's shoulder before he broke the news to her. "There was an incident at the train station earlier this afternoon," he began. "Elliot and Fin did the best they could, but the paramedics couldn't get there in time."
"I-in time for what?" Casey asked fearfully. She could already tell that she was not going to like the answer. Was she adding murder to the already long list of charges against Gitano? She was certain that she was. The question was over whose murder.
Munch lowered his hand and squeezed Casey's tightly for support. "Gitano had a knife there," he said slowly. "I don't know the specifics, but he and Olivia were close together. She was trying to save the girl, Rebecca. He stopped her."
Munch could see the tears forming in Casey's eyes. This was worse than having to tell a young neighbor that he had just run over her family dog. This was telling his friend that she had just lost her best friend. There was no easy way to say it. "She's gone, Casey."
That did it. Hearing those three words brought tears to Casey's eyes. Her best friend was gone. She knew Olivia had not warmed up to her right away. She was mad about the loss of the previous SVU ADA, Alexandra Cabot. After a couple months, she loosened up a bit. Olivia changed her attitude towards Casey, and it had developed into a great friendship. It was the closest friendship Casey had to anyone in the SVU and probably anyone in general. How could it be true? She was not even aware that she was crying. Munch's arms were around her back as a means of solace, but she could barely acknowledge that.
Munch kept rubbing her back soothingly. He would stay there for as long as it took. He was not about to leave Casey. Not now.