A/N: The baby is finally coming. Thanks for everyone who has patiently awaited my return... I love all of you guys.

"El. I-I think it's time."

"Time for what?"

Olivia's palm comes down hard on his thigh. "For the baby!"

Oh, shit.

"Get up, we've gotta go."

Elliot's on his feet in a millisecond. Gotta get up. Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go. "Right," he says, reaching for the first pair of jeans he sees, folded nearly on the dresser. Baby. The baby's coming, the baby's coming.

As soon as he's dressed, Elliot grabs his keys and her hand and all but drags her out to his truck.

"Ow, ow," Olivia says as he backs out of the driveway. "Shit, El, I need you to drive."

"I'm going as fast as I can, Liv," he says, tires screeching as he hits the gas.

His heart is pounding so hard in his chest that it's beginning to hurt. Gotta get there, gotta get there. She's breathing heavily next to him, gripping the door handle tight. Very soon, he's gonna be a father. Oh shit. The thought alone is making him dizzy.

"Hey! You just missed the turn."

Fuck. Elliot slams on the brakes and throws the truck into reverse. Multiple tours to Iraq and Afghanistan, watched men lose limbs right in front of him, acted under some of the most stressful conditions imaginable and he can't handle getting the woman next to him to the hospital to have their baby.

Fucking focus.

The rest of the drive seems like it lasts forever, but finally, he pulls haphazardly up to the curb and jumps out, leaving his keys dangling in the ignition.

Everything happens in a blur around him. One minute, he's downstairs trying to explain to the nurse that Olivia is going into labor, they need a wheelchair and a room, the next he's being introduced to a short, plump doctor whom he doesn't even remember the name of, and finally he's beside the bed, having his hand crushed as another contraction washes over the woman that lays in the bed next to him.

She curses him. She tells him that he's never going to touch her again and demands why she ever even had sex with him in the first place. He doesn't have any of the answers. He just stands next to her, sure that she's breaking his hand under her grip. And finally, mercifully, Doctor No-Name comes in to give Olivia her epidural. After a moment, Olivia's harsh gaze on him softens as tears sparkle in her big brown eyes.

"I don't want to do this. I can't do this, El," Olivia squeezes his hand tightly."I have no idea how to be a mom."

"Hey," he murmurs as she breaks off, leaning forward to nuzzle his face against hers. She's hot and sticky with sweat, but he doesn't move, simply holds his skin against hers as he feels her heart racing in her chest. And God, is he fucking terrified. This is really happening- she's really about to have his child, the child that they're going to take home and raise and… fuck. He barely had his own father, how the hell is he gonna be someone else's?

Elliot swallows the lump in his throat as he looks at her and knows that she'll help him- just like he'll help her. For now, he knows one thing. "You're gonna be amazing, Liv."

Tears stream down her face. "I'm gonna mess this up. I-I can't…"

"Stop," Elliot says, tucking a stand of loose hair behind her ear. "You're the strongest person I have ever known, Liv, and our baby is gonna love you. If anyone can be an amazing mother, it's you. You're already amazing. And besides," he cracks a small smile, letting his lips brush against hers softly, "we've got each other, right? We're gonna do this together."

She opens her mouth to answer, but another contraction hits and his hand is once again trapped in her painful vice. This time, she groans out in pain. "Oh, God."

"Alright, Olivia, it's time!" the doctor exclaims. "Get ready to push."

Olivia's tears run down her face. She's biting her lip so hard that Elliot's afraid she's going to draw blood.

"I can't do it," she says. "I can't."

"You're doing it, Liv," he says, squeezing her hand back. His heart is pounding harder than it ever has during a firefight and the world is nearly spinning around him. This is really happening. This is happening. "You're doing it, you just gotta hold on for a little while longer."

Olivia lets out a cry and Elliot can't take his eyes off of her. He's completely spellbound by her- there's sweat pooling down her forehead like she's just run a marathon. Her body is contorting in a way that he didn't even know it could- there's a baby coming out of her, she is literally giving new life. His breath is caught in his chest and he's frozen still, watching the scene unfold in front of him and he almost can't think of the words.

Finally, he squeezes her hand in both of his and whispers in her ear. "You're amazing, Olivia. Amazing. I can't…" he swallows the lump in his throat as tears prickle his eyelids. "I can't believe how strong and beautiful you are."

It seems like the length of his entire life passes in that moment, watching and waiting, suspended in a trance of amazement, infatuation and fear. The baby's crowning. The head is out. The shoulders are out. Everything is unfolding so slowly in front of him that he thinks this labor will never end.

And then the most beautiful sound that he's ever heard hits his ears. It's their baby, letting out its very first cry.

"It's a girl!"

Their baby girl.

Tears are completely blurring his vision as he drops his forehead against hers. "You were right, Liv" he breathes, sniffling as the wetness streams down his face. "We have a daughter."

Elliot blinks the tears away and looks up at their little girl. She's absolutely tiny and covered in bodily fluids as she squirms in the doctor's arms and lets out loud, strong cries. Elliot chuckles as water streams down his cheeks. She's a fighter. Just like her mom. The nurse offers him a set of scissors. "Here you go, Dad."

Dad. His hands shake as he cuts the umbilical cord. He watches, frozen in place as their little baby is weighed and measured and swaddled up into a blanket. Only when Olivia calls him over as their baby is placed into her arms, does he move. He sits on the edge of her bed, eyes glued to the face of their daughter as she rests. Her head is covered with a cap, but he knows that a little tuft of light brown hair is hidden underneath. Her eyes are closed and she has the cutest little button nose he's ever seen.

"Our baby girl," Elliot whispers, smoothing his thumb over her forehead. Olivia looks up at him, and he looks down at her, and their lips meet in a kiss. Without saying another word, he toes off his shoes and she scoots over just enough for him to slide in next to her. They both rest against the pillow and stare down at the baby in her arms.

—-

The second Elliot falls asleep, Olivia knows. He's sitting next to her, his left arm wrapped around her back and right arm under hers as she holds their little girl- the little girl that they haven't named yet. She's just about to talk to him about the name that's in her mind when his head slowly falls against the pillow behind them and his right arm drops from hers, lower and lower. She feels him startle himself awake a few times, but finally, he succumbs to his exhaustion and the sounds of his even breathing fill her ear.

While he sleeps soundly next to her, Olivia's gaze is locked onto the bundle in her arms. Her eyelids are heavy and her bottom half aches in a way that she's never experienced before, but she just can't tear her gaze from their daughter.

How did something this beautiful come out of her body?

Tears form in her eyes once again. The past twelve or so hours have been the most physically and mentally draining she's ever had- the pain that punched through her had been absolutely overwhelming. She'd been exhausted and downright terrified and the only things that had kept her going was the man by her bed (even if she did curse him out several times) and the thought that soon the child that they made together would be out in the world. The past twelve hours, the morning sickness, the body aches, the ridiculous mood swings and cravings had been absolutely, completely more than worth it for this moment. She's never experienced the kind of love that is now blooming in her chest.

She and Elliot are parents. They're Mommy and Daddy. All the love that they share between them has been embodied into this little bundle that now rests against her chest. She still has no idea how to be a mother- there is still fear locked in the back of her mind. But one thing that she knows she can offer is her undying, unconditional love.

There's a soft knock on the door and a nurse wearing purple scrubs enters. Her blonde, graying hair is pulled back into a messy bun and soft wrinkles gather in the corners of her eyes and mouth. When she speaks, her voice is quiet and comforting. "Hey there. How are you three doing?"

"Good," Olivia answers. "Sore… but good."

"Good. My name's Darlene," the nurse holds up a baby tag. "I came here to give this little one her tag."

"Sure," Olivia says.

She moves Elliot's hand gently, careful not to jostle him too much and Darlene reaches for the blanket that covers their daughter. There's a smile on her face as she says, "Looks like the birth tired everyone out."

Olivia glances back at Elliot's sleeping face. He hasn't been sleeping very well recently, and combined with being plagued by nightmares and having to wake up before the crack of dawn to come here, she's not surprised that he's lost in a deep sleep at the moment. "It did."

Darlene slips the tag around the baby's ankle. "She's beautiful. Is she your first?"

Olivia glances down, a mix of fear, excitement and love overwhelming her. She blinks back the fresh bout of tears that form. She's been crying far too much recently. "Yeah. She's our first."

The baby's eyes slowly open and she begins to fidget. Shortly after, soft cries start to fill the room. Olivia's heart jumps. What should she do?

"Aw. Is someone hungry?" Darlene looks up at Olivia, and the detective immediately wonders how she can tell exactly what's wrong so quickly. How in the world will she be able to learn that? How will she ever be able to tell what's wrong with her baby?

She knew she wasn't ready for this.

Darlene smiles. "You'll learn how to tell what she needs. It's not as hard as it seems. Here, I'll walk you through feeding."

Olivia nods gratefully. "Thank you."

It can't be too hard, she decides. She can do this. And, like the man still sleeping next to her said, she's not alone. They're in this together.

—-

When Elliot wakes up, he's half expecting a mortar to strike or a gun to fire. Instead, he hears the cooing of a little baby and her mother. He's laying on the edge of the hospital bed, half tangled in the thin blanket that had been covering Olivia.

He turns his head, wincing at the kink in his neck, and his gaze falls on the woman in question, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, hospital gown open at the top as she breast-feeds the little one in her arms. She's barefoot, ankles across lightly, practically glowing. His breath hitches in his throat as he thinks of how absolutely, completely stunning she is… especially with their little daughter resting happily in her arms, sucking away at Olivia's breast.

"Y'know, this bed is supposed to be for you," he rumbles softly, but makes no effort to move quite yet as he admires her form. She'd been amazing… witnessing her give birth to their baby has only made him fall deeper and more irrevocably in love with her… if that's even possible.

Olivia's smile widens as she looks him over with her chocolate irises. "Yeah, but it looked like you could use it more than I could. You were exhausted."

Elliot slides off the bed and drags the extra chair over to her. He palms her cheek gently, leans forward for a kiss, then turns his attention to the bundle in her arms.

"She's perfect," he says, running his thumb gently over her soft, warm, absolutely tiny forehead. Tears sprout once more in his eyes. "Can you believe we made that?"

Olivia chuckles softly, leaning in to press her lips against his gently. It has almost a new meaning now; every time he kisses her, it reminds him of this. They're a family. They're Mommy and Daddy.

"Here, why don't you hold her for a bit?"

Olivia sets her gently into his arms and his breath catches in his throat as her little eyelids slide open. Her eyes are deep blue, like little reflections of his own. He knows they may not stay this blue as she grows, and he hopes they darken and mirror Olivia's.

"We didn't think of any names," he whispers finally, as if speaking too loud would ruin the moment.

"I did," Olivia answers in her own hushed tone. Elliot looks up at her, furrowed brow, asking her silently why it had taken her so long to mention it. She just smiles softly as tears pool in the corner of her eyes. "Ella."

"Ella?" he repeats.

Her hand traces along his stubbled jawline as one of the tears that pool in her eyes breaks free. "I thought of it while you were away." She sucks in a breath, closes her eyes for a brief moment and continues, "I-I always wanted to have a piece of you… just in case…"

Elliot's heart jumps into his throat. If he wasn't holding their little girl in his arms, he'd wrap his arms tightly around her waist, pull her against his chest and hold her forever. Instead, he presses his lips against hers. There's a lump in his throat and the tears threaten to break away from his eyes as they break apart. Her brown eyes bore into his, wondering, but he can't seem to form the words to answer her.

Finally, he rasps, "Ella, then."

A/N: We're slowly coming to the end of this crazy year-long ride. I only have a few chapters left.

Thanks, leave me your thoughts, and have a great morning/afternoon/evening!

-Stabson