A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews so far, especially for last chapter because I was very nervous about writing it! Shoutouts especially to phlyamchewlu, trace619, chely99, and Akalittlered2 for their consistent support :)

Some pending requests:

- Jealous Liv

- A story with one or both women being married, having an affair, and ending up together (I might have to do an AU chapter for this one, because I'm not sure if it would fit in with Always You, but will definitely try!)

- More on Alex's pregnancy with Sadie

Definitely like having a prompt, so keep them coming!

Also, to answer some of your questions, Sadie's donor is the same as Mia's (and Max's). Let's assume that after Mia, Alex and Olivia decided to keep some of the semen sample stored for potential future pregnancies (which is fairly common practice to my understanding). As you'll remember, this donor physically resembled Olivia, which is how Mia got her brown eyes and Sadie got her brown hair. As with canon, Noah is still adopted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order: SVU.

Setting: September 2011, Mia is 2, Alex is 5 months pregnant with Sadie

"In Sickness and In Health"

Olivia sighed as Nick dropped another stack of incomplete DD5s onto her desk. "Looks like we're gonna be here for a while," he lamented. The 1-6 had been absurdly crazy over the past couple of weeks, especially in the wake of the new college school year. Olivia was thankful that Rollins and her new partner, Amaro, seemed to be finding their footing, needing less and less guidance.

Still, more cases not only meant more fieldwork but also more paperwork. They were seriously backlogged. Olivia resigned herself to the fact that Nick was probably right – they had a long night ahead of them. The brunette was halfway through a case file when her cell phone rang, Alex's name and a picture of her flashing across the iPhone screen. The blonde attorney had left work early that day, having felt entirely exhausted. Normally a workaholic to the extreme, Alex had mellowed during this pregnancy. They hadn't discussed it, but Olivia knew that after losing Max, her wife was more concerned this time with having a healthy pregnancy than she was with her duties as an ADA. The detective had asked if she wanted her to spend the rest of the day with her, but Alex had assured that she was likely just drained from a busy week and would see Olivia later tonight. Thus, Olivia anticipated that Alex was calling to see if she would be home for dinner, and the brunette frowned knowing that she would have to tell the blonde that it would be a late night.

Grabbing her phone, she swiped to accept the call. "Hey, Lex."

"Hi Liv," Alex greeted weakly. Olivia's face fell. Something about her wife's voice didn't sound right. "Baby, could you come home please?"

Olivia's eyes widened, and she felt a jolt of adrenaline run through her. "Alex, is everything okay?"

The brunette heard the woman stifle a small sob. "Um – I really don't feel well. I have a headache. I've been – I've been throwing up –"

The detective squeezed her eyes shut as Alex relayed her symptoms – many of them the same as when she had eclampsia. "I'm on my way right now, baby," the brunette assured, grabbing her keys. She looked at Nick who, before she could ask, shooed her away.

"I'll tell the Captain," her partner replied. "Go to Alex."

"Thank you," Olivia mouthed before heading out of the precinct. "Sweetheart, are you in any pain? In your belly?"

"No," Alex said, starting to cry. "Liv, what if…"

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart. I'm getting in my car and will be home with you. Do you want to call 911?"

"No, not yet. I have Mia from daycare. Just please come home."

Olivia sped out of One Police Plaza to the couple's home in record time. Alex hadn't called her during the trip, which she hoped was a good sign. Still, she sprinted up the stairs to their front door. Alex and Mia were in the living room, the toddler playing with some wooden blocks on the ground. The older blonde was curled up on the couch under a throw blanket. Hearing the door, Mia looked up from her toys. "Mama sick," she told Olivia.

"I know, baby," Olivia replied softly, ruffling the little girl's wispy blonde hair before hurrying over to the couch. "Don't worry. Mama is going to be okay," she reassured, her message just as much for Alex as Mia. "Hi sweetheart," Olivia said, kneeling next to Alex. "How are you feeling?"

"My head still hurts," Alex said weakly. "I'm nauseous but I haven't thrown up again."

"Okay, that's good baby." She leaned over and pressed her lips to Alex's forehead, frowning as she felt its clamminess. "You feel like you have a bit of a fever, sweetheart." Noting the fear in Alex's eyes, she turned her attention to the toddler. "Hey Mia, can you go get Mama one of your stuffed animals to help her feel better?"

"Yeah Mommy!" Mia said happily. The gravity of the situation went over the toddler's head, and she was just glad that she could help her ailing mother. Olivia waited for the little girl to toddle down the hallway to one of her toy baskets before discussing what they should do next with Alex.

"I'm going to call Cragen. See if he can come watch her. And then I think we should take you to the hospital, sweetheart." Alex nodded solemnly before starting to cry. "I know, baby," Olivia said, pulling her wife into her arms. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. It could be something else…"

"Mama don't be sad," a little voice interrupted. "You be better." Mia walked over to the couple and handed Alex a small knit turtle.

Alex took a deep breath, forcing a small smile at her daughter. "Thank you, sweet girl," she said, hugging the little toy against her.

"Yo welcowme, Mama."

"Mia, we're gonna have Grandpa Cragen come over and play with you while Mommy takes Mama to the doctor, okay?"

"Grwanpa Cwagen!" the toddler nodded excitedly. "Doctowr make you bettewr Mama."

Alex nodded, giving the little girl a kiss. Olivia could sense from her silence just how afraid the normally verbose attorney was. Luckily, Cragen made it to the townhouse quickly when Olivia called him and explained the situation. Olivia then took Alex to the nearest hospital, having called their OB/GYN on the way. They had to pull over once for Alex to dry-heave into a plastic bag, and the detective sped along quickly afterwards, her wife gripping their daughter's stuffed toy for comfort. By the time they were wheeling Alex into the emergency room, Dr. Gil was ready to meet them there.

"Hi ladies," she greeted sympathetically. "I know both of you are very afraid right now, but let's take a look at you, Alex. This could be something else entirely." Once the three settled into an exam room, Dr. Gil took all of Alex's vitals herself as she and the brunette waited tensely, Olivia only letting go of Alex's hand when absolutely necessary. When Dr. Gil removed the blood pressure cuff, she smiled at the couple. "90/60. Your blood pressure is actually a little bit low, which makes sense if you're a bit dehydrated. But it's perfectly normal. We'll run some bloodwork and a urine sample, but it looks like you just have a bit of a stomach bug."

Alex let out a small sob of relief, looking up at Olivia who also had tears running down her cheeks. After taking the samples, Dr. Gil gave the couple one last reassuring smile before leaving the room – she had grown quite fond of the pair over the past couple of years. When the doctor left, Olivia squatted down so that she was face-level with her recumbent wife. Placing her hands on both sides of the blonde's face, she leaned over and gave her an emotion-filled kiss. "It's going to be okay, Al. I can feel it." Looking down, she placed her hand on Alex's small bump. "It's going to be okay, little one."

About ten minutes later, Dr. Gil returned with Alex's clean bill of health. "Test results are all normal except for your WBC being up, which is a normal sign that your body is fighting off a virus or other infection. I want to take a look at your baby, just to be sure they are okay, but you should be on your way home right after that." Both Alex and Olivia's eyes were glistening when small image of their child came up on the screen. This wasn't their first ultrasound during this pregnancy – but it certainly was the most meaningful. "Strong heart beat. No pain from palpitation. No visual abnormalities," Dr. Gil checked off. "You have stomach bug, Alex. Uncomfortable but perfectly harmless to both of you." Olivia exhaled heavily, finally relaxing with the knowledge that Alex and the baby were both going to be okay. That is was still a new beginning for them.

"I'm going to give you some rehydration pills because you're having trouble keeping fluids down. To air on the side of caution, don't take any ibuprofen or over-the-counter meds for the headache. Some peppermint tea is good for the pain and the nausea if you can stomach it. Your fever is about 99.8. If it gets above 101 or lasts more than 36 hours, call me immediately, but I think that you'll be feeling better within the next day or so. Blame the daycare. Those places are full of germs," the woman smiled.

Thanking the doctor, the couple returned home to find Cragen and Mia fast asleep on the couch, the older man's arm wrapped around the little girl as the sound of Tangled played in the background. Olivia settled Alex into bed before returning downstairs. She gently stirred Cragen to inform him that Alex was okay, much to the older man's relief. The captain scooped Mia up and brought the sleeping girl to her bed, Olivia in tow.

"You're welcome to stay, Captain," Olivia offered as they returned to the living room. "We don't have a guest room anymore, obviously, but the couch is comfortable."

Cragen shook his head and placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder. "It's not too late out. You take off tomorrow to care for Alex. The new blood can hold down the fort. Give her my love."

Olivia nodded, giving the man a hug before he left. Heading into the kitchen, she grabbed some Pediasure from the refrigerator as well as the rehydration pills, some saltines, and a large bowl. Returning upstairs to the master bedroom, she found Alex curled on her side, groaning. "Hi sweetheart," Olivia said softly, lowering the door behind her. She walked across the room and took a seat at the edge on the bed next to the blonde. Gently caressing the side of Alex's face, she noted that the attorney didn't feel any warmer than she had at the hospital. "Cragen left. He sends his love." The attorney gave a small nod. "You feeling nauseous, sweetheart?"

"Yeah," Alex choked out. "Liv, I – Sick"

As her wife shot up, blue eyes wide, Olivia grabbed the bowl that she had brought, holding it as Alex emptied the small bit of remaining contents to her stomach. "That's it, baby. It'll be over soon," the brunette comforted, pulling the woman's long blonde hair into a ponytail. She then rubbed some soothing circles on her back. "You done? Okay, baby."

"Ugh," Alex groaned. "Can you help me to the bathroom? I want to brush my teeth."

"Of course, babe."

After helping Alex get cleaned up, the couple returned to the bedroom. Olivia helped Alex under the covers, pressing a kiss to her belly before she tucked her in. "You both are going to be okay," she said softly. Alex smiled softly, grabbing one's of her wife's olive-skinned hands and giving it a squeeze. No other words were needed.

Olivia returned the smile and leaned over, placing a kiss on Alex's forehead. "I'm going to leave something to drink for you here while I go clean that up," she said, gesturing towards the dirty bowl. "If you need me, just yell."

Alex nodded, settling back against the pillows. "Thank you. I think I'm going to try to sleep."

"That sounds good, baby." The detective stood and grabbed the bowl, heading for the door. Just as she was about to exit, she heard Alex's voice.

"I love you, Olivia."

The brunette smiled. "I love you too. The both of you."