"When do you want to start telling people?" Elliot asked Olivia as they got ready for work.

"I want to tell the kids first, but do you think we should wait until we're past 12 weeks? I don't want them to adjust to the news then have to grieve if something happens." He squeezed her hand.

"Let's wait, especially since you're so close to 12 weeks. What about your team?"

"I want the kids to know first. Cragen knows. Nobody else needs to yet, although I think Amanda and Nick both suspect. They've both seen me throwing up but haven't said anything."

Olivia had decided to tell Cragen right after her first ultrasound, because of her concern about not being in high-risk situations. Elliot had transferred to computer crimes two years ago, a few months after they'd disclosed their relationship. He liked his new department much more than he had expected, and he felt lighter not carrying around the burden of SVU cases anymore. He knew Liv was meant to be at SVU, so he had always planned to be the one to transfer. He was surprised that he liked and trusted Liv's new partner Nick, which made the transition easier.

Elliot had a meeting at another precinct so he dropped Liv off. She leaned over to kiss him good-bye before getting out of the car.

Liv felt oddly out of breath walking up the steps. She desperately wished she could sit down in the elevator but settled for leaning against the wall.

By the time she got to the squad room, she felt shaky and dizzy. She wasn't sure if she was going to throw up but all she wanted to do was get to her desk and sit down. She made it halfway there when a sudden roaring sound rushed into her ears and everything went black.

"Liv, Olivia, Liv!"

She opened her eyes. She was on the floor, with Nick, Amanda and Fin huddled around her. She groaned and tried to sit up, but Nick gently stopped her, as Amanda propped her feet up. "Don't get up, Liv," Nick said. "You fainted. Fin's calling a bus."

"Shit," she muttered. "No bus. I'm fine."

"Olivia," Fin exclaimed in his no bullshit voice, "You passed out." He reached for his radio.

Liv pressed her hands to her forehead. "I'm not sick, I'm pregnant," she blurted out. "I need to call my OB but I don't need an ambulance." Neither Nick nor Amanda looked surprised. Fin looked shocked.

"Okay, um, no bus," he said. "You hurt anything when you fell?"

"I don't think so," she answered. "I didn't hit my head. Nothing feels sore."

Amanda had gotten her a bottle of water. "You want to try sitting up now?" Nick asked. She nodded and he helped her slowly sit up. She took a few sips of water but still felt shaky.

"You still look really pale, Liv. I think you should lie down," Nick commented. She nodded reluctantly. She didn't want to stand up but she was afraid she was going to faint again if she didn't lie down.

"You want us to call Elliot?"

"Please. Wait, he's in a meeting. Page him."

Nick and Fin helped her to the couch while Amanda tried to get in touch with Elliot. To Liv's immense relief, she made it to the couch without fainting again, although Nick and Fin were practically carrying her by the time they got there. Nick put a pillow under her feet, then asked her, "have you kept anything down this morning?" Liv shook her head. "Maria fainted a couple of times when she was pregnant with Zara, and it was because her blood sugar was low from not keeping food down. How about I get you some juice and saltines?"

"Yeah, thanks Nick."

Fin sat down next to her. "Sorry, baby girl. I wouldn't have made you announce it like that if I knew you were pregnant. I was sure you were trying to hide pneumonia again or something."

"Don't worry about it. It's probably my fault that's what you thought. We were going to tell you all next week anyway, once I was past the first trimester."

"Congratulations. You're going to be an amazing mom."

"Thanks, Fin."

Nick came back a few minutes later. "I brought a couple different kinds, in case one was more appealing. Apple, grape and apricot."

"Apricot," said Olivia. It was the only one that didn't make her stomach recoil. She sipped it and was surprised it tasted good.

"Maria drank it a lot her first trimester. How far along are you?" Nick asked.

"Almost twelve weeks."

"The morning sickness usually gets better soon."

She drank some more juice, and he handed her a few saltines.

Elliot hurried into the room, and she managed a small smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

She shrugged, "better, not great."

"She looks a lot less pale now. I brought her some juice," Nick told him, handing him the bag from the market across the street.

"Thanks for having her back," Elliot responded.

"Of course," he said. "Feel better, Liv."

"Do you really feel better?" Elliot asked, watching her closely once Nick had left. "You look pretty miserable."

"Better as in I don't feel like I'm going to faint the second I stand up anymore. Still lousy though."

"I called Dr Lee's office on the way here. She doesn't think we need to worry but still wants you to come in."

Liv sighed. "This wasn't how I planned to tell everyone."

"I hate to tell you, but nothing with pregnancy or having kids ever goes how you plan."

"That's reassuring," she responded, rolling her eyes a little.

Elliot kept a close eye on her as they walked into their apartment after going to the doctor. "You don't have to be prepared to catch me every time I'm on my feet," she grumbled.

"Sorry, Liv. I know you hate this," he said, as he helped her lie down on the couch. "I wish you felt better."

"Thanks. Sorry I'm cranky," she said.

"You feel like shit. You're allowed to be cranky about it. You going to call Cragen?" he asked, as he slid a pillow under her feet and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah."

He grabbed her phone from her purse and handed it to her. "You want a blanket?" She nodded, and he tucked a throw around her as she called.

"Liv, everything okay?" her captain immediately asked.

"Everything's fine with the baby. The doctor isn't too concerned but wants to monitor me more closely until I'm less dizzy and wants me home and resting for at least the next week and on desk duty at least temporarily after that. I'm sorry."

"Olivia, you don't need to apologize. It's no different than if you had pneumonia. Although you tried to work then too."

"Why does everyone keep bringing that up?" she asked rhetorically.

"You know we'll do whatever you need; just take care of you and the baby."

"Thanks," she answered and hung up.

Elliot sat down at the end of the couch and lifted her feet into his lap. "How did it go?"

"He was supportive. I just hate feeling so helpless."

"I know you do, babe."

"He reminded me about when I came to work with pneumonia. So did Fin."

"Well, you collapsed that time too," he pointed out.

"Not helping, El," she grumbled.

"Elliot," she said more seriously, looking directly at him. "I know neither of us cared about getting married, that it didn't change us being a family. But it feels different now. Not just because of being pregnant but having that security if anything happened with the risk of our jobs. And I want to marry you. So much."

She couldn't read his response. It almost seemed like he was trying not to laugh, but she couldn't fathom why. "I know," he said. "Hold on a second." He left the room, leaving Olivia mystified.

He came back a second later, smiling broadly. "It feels different to me too, Liv. I want to get married. Not just because of the baby, but because I love you and want to marry you with all my heart." He looked into her eyes as he took a ring box out of his pocket and pulled out a sparkling ring. "Olivia Margaret Benson, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she responded, beaming at him through her tears. He slid the ring onto her finger.

"I didn't think you'd want me to get down on one knee," he said, interpreting her horrified look as agreement. "I also knew you'd hate an elaborate proposal." She looked even more horrified at that idea. "But I did intend to ask you at your favorite spot in central park, not while you were on bed-rest." He saw her expression and modified, "okay, okay. resting, not bed-rest."

"This was perfect," she said with shining eyes. "Now today won't just be the day I fainted in the middle of the station. How long have you had the ring?"

"Three months," he answered.

"Before the owlet?"

"Yeah. But then I didn't want you to think I was proposing just because you were pregnant. I was waiting for a nicer day so we could go to the park. It wasn't exactly how I planned it."

"I thought we were supposed to be getting used to nothing going according to plan," she teased him.

He leaned over her on the couch and gave her a quick kiss. "Sorry, it's hard to kiss you while you're lying on the couch."

"It's okay, just put my feet in my your lap again."

"You want me to rub them?"

"Yeah, thanks." She gazed at the ring as he rubbed her feet. "It's exquisite, El."

"It's man-made. I knew that would be important to you."

"I love you, El."

"I love you too, Liv."