"This is crazy. I can't believe I let you trick me into this," Olivia said as she and Casey got out of the car.

Casey rolled her eyes. "I didn't trick you, Olivia. You knew what you were agreeing to."

"What if they don't like me?" Olivia tried.

Casey sighed softly, and turned to face her girlfriend. There was something in that question that made her pause in her tracks. Olivia was usually the suave, confident detective that nobody would ever expect to feel shy. And yet here she was, questioning herself. In a way, it made Casey love her even more. "Babe, how can they not like you?" she asked. "You're beautiful and faithful and loving."

"But I'm a woman. Trust me, Casey, there aren't many parents out there who want to hear 'Hi, we've never met, but I'm your daughter's girlfriend. Especially if they are a couple of homophobes."

Casey leaned in and kissed the older woman gently on the lips. "They are not homophobic. And as for their reactions to hearing that I am with a woman, well, I think once they get over the initial shock, it will be okay. Now come on, babe. Don't make me do this alone."

Olivia smiled and kissed her, then took the attorney's hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. "Come on." Leading Casey up the steps leading to the front door, she watched as Casey rang the doorbell. "I hope they like me," she murmured.

"They will," Casey assured her, though she was just as nervous. "Just relax. As long as you don't jump me at the dinner table, they will love you as much as I do." With a comforting smile, Casey turned her attention to the front door just as it opened, revealing a woman who looked just like an older version of Casey. "Hey, Mom," Casey said, breaking the silence.

"Casey, I'm so glad to see you. You haven't spoken to us in over four years." Her mother's eyes fell upon Olivia, who was standing in a very cop like way on the top step. "And you brought a friend."

Casey paused for a moment. Her mother had never been one to tap dance around things. Almost everything she said was direct, and often left people speechless and at a loss for words. "Mom," Casey replied, choosing her words carefully. "This is Olivia. She's more than a friend. She's my best friend, but…" The redhead looked at Olivia for help. The older woman nodded, silently urging her forward. "It's complicated," Casey offered, mentally kicking herself at how lame that sounded. "But I want to tell you and Dad at the same time."

"Your father's in the dining room reading the paper. I was just starting dinner. I was worried about having too much left over, but now I see that we will not have to worry about that. Oh, and Olivia? Welcome."

Casey watched her mother step aside and retreat into the house. For a few moments, she and Olivia stood outside the front door, silently gazing into each other's eyes. Finally, Olivia broke the silence. "Ready?"

"Yeah. I..think so," Casey murmured. Then she nodded. "I'm ready," she said, trying to sound more convincing than she felt.

Olivia nodded, and the two women stepped inside, closing the front door behind them. The smell of Casey's mother's homemade spaghetti immediately assaulted them as they entered the living room from the foyer. If Casey didn't know any better, she would have sworn to have heard Olivia's stomach grumble. As they entered the dining room, the first thing Casey noticed was her father sitting at the table with the paper, the way he had done her entire life. "Anything good?" she asked.

Her father looked up, surprised. "Casey? What are you doing here?" he asked, the shock in his voice nearly tangible. "We haven't seen you in ages."

"I know, I'm sorry," Casey replied as her father got up from the table and enveloped her in a more than welcome hug. "I haven't even been in the city for the last few years. I just got back not too long ago." She looked at Olivia as she broke away from the hug. "This is Olivia Benson. She's a detective I work with. But she's more than that, at the same time, and that's why I came here tonight."

Her father looked over into the kitchen. "Julie, do you know what this is about?"

"No," Casey's mom replied. "I'm just as lost as you."

Casey bit her lip in frustration. As much as she wanted to demand that her mother be somewhat nice to her for once in her life, she silently forced herself to shut up. She was not going to fight. Not at all. No fighting whatsoever. Finally, once she felt calm enough, Casey asked both of her parents to sit down. As they did, she thanked them, then took her seat next to Olivia. "Mom, Dad, when I joined SVU in 2003," she began, "I butted heads horribly with most of the detectives, Olivia included. But as the next couple of years wore on, I developed close friendships with them. One night, I was beaten by the brother of a Muslim rape victim. Olivia, who had become by best friend, was the one who saved me." Casey paused, realizing she hadn't gone into much detail. But then again, she knew that a lot of detail was not needed. "Anyway, throughout the next couple of years we went from being best friends to hearing rumors that we were sleeping together. I thought it was ludicrous at the time, but then I began to realize that maybe it wasn't. I realized, eventually, that I had feelings for my best friend, and that scared me, because I had never loved a woman, much less been with one. And besides that, how could I love a detective in my unit? It was forbidden! But then on Christmas four years ago, my boss threw a Christmas party, and I invited Olivia as my one allotted guest." She looked at Olivia, silently asking her to continue.

Olivia took the hint. "I knew that if I didn't do something that night, I would probably never have the chance to again. I, too, had been struggling with feelings for Casey. That night, after the party, I invited her back to my apartment, but not with any ulterior motives. I did, however, end up kissing her, and from there, we took our relationship to a whole new level. When Casey left after being censured, I was heartbroken, but I waited for her, knowing in my heart that the love of my life would come back someday. And she did. So I did what I vowed to do when she got back: I asked her to marry me."

Casey smiled softly, looking at her parents. "Olivia loves me, and I love her. I wanted to tell you guys because you are my parents, and I love you. I only hope you accept Olivia and our relationship, and especially our upcoming marriage."

The room became eerily silent, and the tension could have been sliced with a knife. The longer her parents went without responding, the more nervous Casey became, and she shifted in her seat. Finally, however, her mother looked from her to Olivia and back again. "Casey, you should have told us a long time ago. We would have been supportive. The fact that you made us wait so long before saying anything has made this even more shocking." She shared a glance with Casey's father, then continued. "But, despite the shock, we are happy for you, Case. And we do accept Olivia, and your marriage. Thomas?"

"Congratulations," Casey's father offered at his cue, nodding in agreement.