A/N: We all make mistakes, and we try, as adults, to ensure that our children don't follow our path, and make the same errors. Sometimes, trying isn't enough.

DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters, but he certainly didn't create 'em like this. TStabler© did. Story and contents belong to her. Thanks.

"Liv," Elliot whispered, brushing her hair back. "Livvy, wake up."

Olivia hummed softly, rolled her head over, and blinked her eyes open. She smiled at him as her eyes focused. "Hey, El," she whispered. Then her eyes widened and she jumped off of him. "El!" she cried. "What the..."

"Liv, calm down," Elliot interrupted, grabbing her hand. "Nothing happened!"

Olivia, her hand on her chest, took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know," she said. "I'd remember that, trust me."

Elliot smirked at her. "Me, too."

"I just, uh, thought you would have gotten up," Olivia said, relaxing. "Went to, ya know, your own bed."

"I was way too comfortable," Elliot laughed. "I would have loved to stay like that all day, but we have to get the kids up and off to school. I didn't want Katie to see us..."

"Yeah, that would be bad," Olivia said, nodding. "I gotta say, though, that was the best night's sleep I've had in..."

"Ever," Elliot said. "That was the best night's sleep I've ever had."

Olivia smiled at him. "Tell me about it," she said.

Elliot got up and yelled up to the kids, then sat back on the couch, staring at Olivia, as if he couldn't believe she was there. "Cragen's not expecting us in today. Not after last night. We can swing by your apartment," he said. "Pick up some of your things. How long, uh, how long can you stay?"

"As long as Maureen wants me to," Olivia replied. "As long as, um, you want me to stay," she added, watching his eyes.

"That might be a while, Livvy," Elliot told her. He leaned in, looking into her eyes, planning to kiss her, but he stopped. "I should call Fin, later, too. See what happened with Nick."

So close to his lips, so terribly close, Olivia sucked in a breath and said, "Yeah. You should."

They moved closer to each other, but jumped apart when they heard footsteps. They turned, and saw all four kids running down the stairs.

"We're ready," Dickie said. "What's for breakfast?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "All you think about is food," she complained, then she walked over to the couch. "Good morning, Daddy," she said, hugging Elliot. "Morning, Liv," she said, giving Olivia a kiss on the cheek.

Maureen's eyes widened as she ran over and wrapped her arms around Olivia and Elliot, pulling them together. "I love you both, so much," she said. "You stayed, Liv! Thank you so much for staying," she said, looking at Olivia.

"You're welcome sweetheart," Olivia said with a soft smile, brushing the pretty blonde's hair behind her ear.

Kathleen grunted and walked into the kitchen, rolling her eyes, wishing Olivia would just leave.

Elliot looked at Olivia as the other kids walked toward the table. "Yeah, Liv," he said. "Thanks for staying." He winked at her, hoping that tonight, she'd let him hold her again.

Olivia smiled at him and got up, heading into the kitchen to start breakfast. Elliot looked on, watching her go. He smirked, feeling a bit excited that she was still in his pants.

After getting the kids off to school, Olivia and Elliot showered, separately of course, and dressed. Then Olivia looked at Elliot, leaning up against the doorway of the bathroom as he shaved. "We have to go shopping," she said.

"You are such a girl," Elliot said, parroting her gender comment from the night before.

Olivia chuckled, and said, "I meant for things for Mo. And the baby." She saw his eyes close, and he wiped his face with the damp towel beside him.

"I almost forgot about that," he admitted with a sigh. "I was hoping that it was a bad dream. Shit," he mumbled.

"Unfortunately, it's real, El. Very real. And we have to face it, and prepare for it," Olivia told him, her voice strangely comforting.

Elliot was silent. He looked at her and nodded. "Okay," he said. "You're right. The sooner the better. Let's go, then."

Olivia watched as he tossed the towel back into the sink. She followed him out of the bathroom, out of his front door, and into his car. She tried to stay calm, but she couldn't. The grin on her face was stuck there, getting bigger as she thought about holding that baby in her arms.

Elliot saw the dreamy smile on her face and he questioned, "What are you thinking about over there, Livvy?"

Olivia closed her eyes. "The crib, the changing table, the clothes we're gonna buy," she said, her voice lilting. "How cute Baby Stabler is gonna look in all of it."

"You really are trying to make me excited about this," Elliot said. "And with that look on your face, God, Liv, it's working. You like like you're the one having the baby."

Olivia opened her eyes, surprised, and said, "I'm trying to live vicariously, El." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "This will be hard for you and the kids, I'm not saying it's not, but you're getting a gift, here."

"Liv," Elliot said, softly, knowing what she was thinking, "I know that, I just wish it wasn't Maureen."

Olivia sighed, and turned to stare out the window. "So do I," she whispered, silently wishing it was her.

They parked on a side street, got out, and walked into an upscale shop, specializing in baby furniture and designer clothes. They walked through the front, passing white wicker, dark oak and wrought iron, and when they came to the center, Olivia gasped. "Oh, my God, El, look!" she cried.

Elliot turned to see what she saw, and he smiled. He watched her running her hand slowly over the cherry wood of a beautifully carved crib. "That is..."

"Our best work," a saleslady said, stepping closer. She strolled over to Olivia and said, "Now, forgive me, but you must be shopping very early. You don't show at all! When are you due?"

Olivia blinked. "It's not for me," she whispered. She traced the intricate carving on the side and sighed. "It's so beautiful."

Elliot closed his eyes. He knew this was going to be bittersweet for her. "It's for us," he said to the woman, opening his eyes. "Look at her. She loves it, apparently. We'll take it," he said, smiling at the lady.

The saleswoman smiled back, then turned Olivia and looked her up and down. "I would kill to have your figure," she said. "You'll get it back, you know. The incredible shape you're in, you will drop the baby weight fast. I'll go get you a sales slip. I'll be right back." She walked away, smiling.

"El," Olivia said, wide-eyed, turning to him, "Now that woman thinks that I'm..."

"I really don't wanna tell people that I need baby furniture for my sixteen year old daughter," Elliot interrupted, smirking. "Trust me, I would much rather have people think you're having my baby."

"There are certain people who shouldn't think that," Olivia said with a smirk.

"Well, I'm not exactly gonna run and tell that to Munch, Fin, or Cragen," Elliot laughed. "Unless...it was true." He gave Olivia a look that scared her.

Olivia gave him a sideways glance in return. "We need a changing table," she said, changing the subject and walking away.

Elliot chuckled, taking the sales slip from the woman who just walked back toward him.

"She's going to be a great mother," the saleswoman said. "I can tell."

Elliot watched Olivia smile as she pulled open each drawer in the changing table, fingering the items that were inside as if they were porcelain. "Yes, she is definitely going to be a wonderful mother," he said, smiling. "Thanks," he told the woman. He walked over to Olivia and handed her the slip. "Look, Livvy, there's a matching rocking chair, too."

"Is Maureen really gonna sit in it?" Olivia asked, picking up the expensive baby clothes and smiling at them.

"Probably not," Elliot said. "But I will, and you will," he assumed. "We should get it."

Olivia sighed and nodded. "These are so tiny," she said. "A tiny, little person is gonna be wearing this someday."

"What's bothering you, honey?" Elliot asked her. "You're really starting to worry..."

"I couldn't do it, El," Olivia interrupted, tossing the cotton onesie back onto the table. "Dean," she scoffed. "When we were together, he wanted a baby. With me. You know I want kids. I want them more than you could possibly imagine, but I didn't want..."

"You didn't want them with him," Elliot concluded.

Olivia took a breath and said, "No, I didn't. I couldn't even sleep with him, Elliot. Every time I tried, I had to close my eyes. I always stopped him before anything even happened because I saw...I would think of..." she paused, shaking her head and trying hard to forget what she was saying. "It just wasn't him. I didn't want him."

Elliot smirked at her. "Who did you want, then? Who did you see? When you closed your eyes?" he asked her.

Olivia laughed and shook her head, taking the sales slip and a pen from Elliot's pocket. She ignored the question as she filled in the numbers for the changing table and the chair. "This is gonna cost you a pretty penny, El," she said. "Do we really need the chair?"

"Yes," Elliot said as he grabbed her arm. "Liv, we have to talk about it, ya know."

"What?" Olivia asked, pulling her arm away from him. "The chair?"

"I kissed you," Elliot whispered.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Okay, here we go. You were emotional, you were in shock, you needed some comforting, whatever, I get it."

"That's all true," Elliot said, "But that's not why I kissed you. I would do it again. I wanna do it again, Liv."

Olivia looked at him, wide-eyed. "Are you feeling okay, Grandpa?"

"For the love of God, don't call me that," Elliot groaned. "I've wanted to kiss you since I woke up with you in my arms," he told her. He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek and smiled at her.

"What's stopping you?" Olivia heard herself ask. She closed her eyes in mild embarrassment, unable to believe she had said it out loud. "Forget I asked you that," she mumbled.

"I thought you would stop me, actually" Elliot told her, furrowing his brow.

Olivia looked at him, and slowly shook her head. "I wouldn't stop you," she whispered. She looked down, then, and said, "We're good with furniture. We should probably head somewhere less expensive to get bottles, and we'll need newborn onesies. White, green, yellow, ya know? Gender neutral colors. Oh! And we have to get a mobile for the crib! Maybe Muppet Babies, or Baby Looney Tunes, or plush stars and a moon."

Elliot smiled at her and pulled her toward him. She looked up at him, questioningly. He brushed her hair back again, looking into her eyes. He moved in slowly, giving her time to pull away, and when she didn't, he pressed his lips to hers, just as chastely and gently as he had before they went to sleep. He let his lips linger on hers, brushing over them slowly as he pulled away. "Who do you see when you close your eyes, Liv?" he asked. "Because whenever I close mine, I see you."

Olivia's expression went from shock to a soft smile. She dropped her head to his shoulder and whispered, "You."

Elliot sighed and let out a soft chuckle. He kissed her forehead, and led her over to the customer service desk. As they waited for someone to help them, he pulled out his cell phone and pushed a button, the phone automatically dialing a programmed number. He grabbed Olivia's hand and squeezed, nervous about the conversation he was about to have. He waited for a moment until someone picked up. "Fin," he said into the gadget. He waited another moment, listening, then said, "No, man. Tell me everything."

A/N: What does Fin tell Elliot? What happens with the rest of their shopping day? When Olivia goes to get her things, Elliot makes another surprising discovery, then asks a surprising question, but it's not what you think. Or is it? Review? Click below or tweet TMG212 on Twitter!