Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, but I'm sure Mr Wolf won't mind.

AN: Thank you to all who stopped to review, I appreciate the effort. For those who read and alerted without reviewing, thanks for the gesture, I'd love to hear from you when you get the chance.

bitsandpieces

When Elliot awoke and heard movement from downstairs in the kitchen he quickly got up and pulled on his sweats before turning off Olivia's alarm and allowing her to sleep through the normal Friday morning rush.

"Hey Rick," he said as he entered the kitchen and placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Dad!" Rick spun around, surprised to see his father at home. "Why are you here?"

"I live here, son," he said as he moved to pour himself a coffee.

"Yeah, I know, it's just that mom never said…" Rick began.

"That's because mom never knew…I got in just after one," he answered.

"How long are you home for?" he asked, tired of existing in a house of females.

"Should be able to stretch a long weekend out til about Tuesday," Elliot yawned as he rubbed his eyes.

"Then you go back?" Rick sighed.

"Yep, but hopefully it will be all over soon and I'll be here fulltime," Elliot said sitting down at the table.

"Heard that before," he grumbled grabbing his toast and juice and sitting across the table from his father.

"Dickie…"

"It's Rick, dad, Rick," Rick corrected.

Elliot sighed. His darling twins had always been Dickie and Lizzie from the day they were born but on the evening before the move they had sat their parents down and informed them that they were no longer little kids. Moving to Washington DC was a big move for everyone and as they were nearly fifteen the names were no longer appropriate.

They issued the directive, in a manner only fourteen year olds can do, that starting the next day, they would only respond to Rick and Liz and under NO circumstance were the older Stablers to forget that.

Especially when they had friends around.

"Rick, I explained to you why I had to work on this taskforce in New York, didn't I? I know it's not ideal but we talked through this … it had to be either your mother or me and in the end we decided it would be best if it was me," Elliot explained.

"We didn't decide, you and she did," Rick grumbled.

"Hey, I want to hear more respect when you talk about your mother…" Elliot cautioned.

"Step mother," Rick interrupted.

"Step mother, then," he amended. "Where's all this coming from?"

"No where, dad," Rick sighed "No where."

"It must be," Elliot said, studying his son. "What is it?"

Rick fiddled with the knife on the side of his plate. "I used to think it was bad enough when we lived in Queens and there was Mo and Kathleen and mom…I mean mom mom, not mommy Liv. It was always girls and girlie things and everything. But it's so much worse now…probably because Molly is little and all, but everywhere you turn there's dolls and pink crap and hormones and PMS and at least when you're around there's a bit of balance…" he said, it all rushing out.

"I know it's tough, son, honestly I do…there's only so many salads and vanilla fragrances a man can handle," Elliot conceded. "Now's probably not the greatest time to mention hormones because your mom's pregnant..."

"Again?" Rick rolled his eyes. "God, dad, really?"

"Yes, really. Got a problem with that?" Elliot asked in a warning tone.

Rick rolled his eyes again but thought better of expressing his opinion that his parents were far too old to be having sex, let alone procreating. "Nuh," he finally said.

"The good news is that mom thinks this one might be a boy," Elliot grinned. "That will help even the score…"

"Yeah, but I'll probably be in college before he's even out of diapers." Rick dumped his plate and glass in the sink and headed towards the bathroom as Liz came in.

"Morning, dad," she said throwing her arms around Elliot's neck and hugging him tightly. "I'm glad you're home." She kissed his cheek.

"Me too," he replied, drinking his coffee.

"Where's mom?" she asked, looking around.

"Still asleep," he replied. "She told me her news…"

"It's going to be so great to have another baby around the house," Liz enthused. "Another little sister to…"

"Mom thinks it may be a boy," Elliot interrupted.

"Aww, a baby boy would be so cute too…" she gushed. "I can't wait til I have a baby of my own."

"You bloody well can," Elliot snapped. "You're not having se…"

"Dad!" Liz stopped him. "Don't even ask! I meant I can't wait to have one when I'm older."

"Just clarifying…" he replied, feeling five years older than he had when the conversation started.

Liz saw the relief on her father's face but decided she would have her own fun at his expense. "Besides when mom and I discussed me having sex she said…"

"When you what?" he choked, his coffee mug thumping back down to the table, some of its contents splashing onto the table cloth.

"When we were talking about me having sex… you know sex, dad…that thing you had to do to get mom pregnant…" She bit down on her lip to stop laughing as she saw her father's face contort in five different ways.

Elliot's ability to respond was impeded by his brain's inability to process his daughter's words … he was a man who could handle most things in life but there were just some things he never wanted to acknowledge. Some boy touching his fifteen year old daughter in any way sexually was one of them.

He was saved from further analysis, by his youngest daughter who came running into the kitchen.

"Daddy!" she squealed holding out her arms knowing her dad would pick her up. He could never resist his baby's demands.

"Hello Molly," he said, smothering her in kisses.

"Mommy not wake up," she said, giggling from his tickles.

"No, mommy's asleep, she's tired," he explained, throwing her onto his hip and moving to the cupboard.

"But I shaked her and she still sleep," Molly said, pointing to the Cheerios.

"You shaked...shook her?" Elliot asked.

"Yeah," she said putting her hands on Elliot's head. "I goed 'mommy, mommy wake up'," she said shaking his head.

"And she didn't wake up?" he asked, handing his youngest daughter over to her sister. Molly shook her head. "Stay here!" he warned, looking directly at Liz.

Elliot ran upstairs to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He sat on her side of the bed.

"Liv," he said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her. There was no response. "Olivia," he said louder, shaking a bit harder. Still no response. He rolled her over onto her back and watched as her head rolled back, her eyes staying shut.

"Olivia, Olivia," he said frantically, quickly tapping the side of her face. She was still breathing but as he lifted her eyelid, he knew she was unconscious.

He pulled the quilt back up over her naked form as he called for Rick.

"Yeah dad?" he said coming to the door.

"Liv's unconscious," he said as calmly as he could. "I need you to call Mrs Embley and tell her you need to drop Molly off now, okay…tell her she hasn't had her breakfast and isn't dressed …okay?"

"Yeah, is mom okay?" he asked, concern etched across his face.

"She will be..." He grabbed Liv's cell off the bedside table and called for an ambulance before grabbing her nightgown discarded during the night and dressing her again.

"Dad!" Liz ran to the door. "What's going on?"

"Mom's unconscious, I've called for an ambulance… Rick's going to take Molly to Mrs Embley and then you two can go to school…" he said.

"You're kidding, right, dad? You expect us to go to school like nothing's happened?" she questioned, her face paling.

"Ok, stay here then and I'll call you as soon as I know anything. Help your brother with Molly – grab some clothes for her and take her to Mrs Embley's. I don't want her here when the bus arrives."

With his children dispatched, Elliot's attention returned to his wife. Grasping her hands he prayed hard for her to be alright, for the baby to be alright and for her to forgive him for causing this in the first place.

bitsandpieces

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