Long time no see! But it's this time of the year again, so the Christmas one-shots are back! I want to write a couple more that i have in mind, but if you have any ideas for what you might wanna see(including other Olivia pairings), they are welcome!

And if you feel like it, drop by mrandmrsstabler to check out their fantastic stories, including the one that we are co-writting "Home: A bittersweet lullaby"

Disclaimer: not mine, even though Santa might drop them from the chimney...ahh I wish!

It was the end of the workday on December 23. Elliot put on his coat and rubbed his face tiredly. With a sigh he thought of his warm apartment and tv that were waiting for him. But just then, a message popped to the screen of his cellphone.

"Can you please buy me some formula, soup, cheese and Tylenol? I'll owe you"

He sighed, seeing his plans of a lazy afternoon fading away but he knew that his partner needed him. And he knew that if Olivia was asking him to do her grocery shopping, that cold must be really kicking her ass.

"Hey Liv... I brought your groceries. And since I know you all too well, I brought a couple more stuff cause there's no way you just needed...Liv?"

He looked around the apartment confused. Even though it was dark and quiet, it was a mess. Clothes and toys were scattered on the sofa and the carpet, mugs and plates were piling on the sink but most importantly, there wasn't a single Christmas decoration anywhere.

Not a Christmas tree

No Lights

Not even an ornament.

"Liv...?" Elliot repeated walking further into the apartment. He saw light coming out of her bedroom and he quietly walked towards there.

He opened the door and smiled at the sight in front of him. Olivia was sleeping soundly under a blanket and on her sight holding tight her stuffed rabbit was Allie.

Allie was Olivia's pride and joy. Her ten month old daughter whom she adored and cherished to no end. She was raising her alone since that duchebag Kurt had bailed on her before she even uttered the word "pregnant". Elliot had been supporting Olivia every step of the way. He had been christened "uncle Elliot" from the first sonogram, and he was now Allie's godfather.

Olivia then stirred and when she noticed Elliot, she sat up a bit, trying not to disturb Allie.

"Hey" she said in a throaty voice "thanks"

Elliot just shrugged.

"Feeling any better?"

"So and so. Fever has gone down throat's still sore but I'm not coughing any more."

"That's good" Elliot said smiling, as she stood up slowly "where are you going?"

"I need to move a bit, I have been camped at this bed for the last three days…" She said and move towards the living room. She turned on the lights and cringed a bit.

"Ah Liv…not to sound privy but hadn't you said that this year you were going to put up a tree?" Elliot asked carefully as she was moving around, picking up toys from the floor.

She instantly stopped and dropped to the couch sighing.

"I'm a horrible mother Elliot" she said then and he noticed tears starting to form in her eyes.

Olivia wasn't a crier. Especially not in front of him. The last time he had seen her cry was during a toilet paper commercial when she was nine months pregnant and with raging hormones. Later she threatened to kill him if he ever mentioned that to anyone.

"Why would you say that Liv?" he asked gently sitting beside her. She wiped some tears that had escaped her eyes.

"After we closed the case last week, I was meaning to go and buy everything. Tree, lights, decoration, Allie's presents…but I got sick and Allie kind of got sick too and I couldn't do anything except lying on the bed and feeling miserable. And now I totally ruined Allie's first Christmas…" She said and started sobbing.

Elliot stood and watched her speechless for some seconds but he quickly recovered and wrapped his arm around her.

"Hey, you still have time…." He provided but she just shook her head.

"I'm still sick and in no position to fight the crowds with a ten month old in tow…" She run a hand over her forehead and leaned back at the sofa.

"Liv…it's fine, she won't remember it anyway…" Elliot said in an attempt to calm her.

"But I will! I'm already failing her with everything that happened with Kurt, I just wanted to create some nice memories for us…. I never had a nice Christmas or Christmas whatsoever… I thought that this year would be different…"

She sounded so defeated. But before Elliot was able to answer, the sound of a wail filled the room. Olivia immediately sat up and rushed out of the room and into her bedroom, where Allie had woken up and was whining softly.

"Come here sweetheart…" Olivia scooped the baby in her arms and started rubbing her back soothingly. Elliot appeared in the doorway and once Allie spotted him, she squealed happily.

"Here's my favorite girl…" He said smiling so wide, his cheeks hurt. It happened every time he was around her. One look at her, and his heart melted immediately.

She looked so much like Olivia. She was a mini-Liv, actually. Big and round chocolate eyes, curly brown hair, full rosy lips… Elliot found himself lost on her. He could sit and stare at her for hours. Because he knew, that he couldn't stare like that at Olivia herself.

It had started while she was pregnant and he was helping her with some jobs around her house, assembling the nursery furniture or just spending time with her. Some thoughts, images…. But it had never gone further than that. He wouldn't let himself. After all, its not like she ever expressed any interest, did she?

Elliot watched her as she was swaying Allie softly in her arms.

"I wasn't even able to breastfeed her the last days because of all the medicine… And she doesn't really like the formula but what can I do?" She was getting teary again.

"Well, I brought her some that all of my kids seemed pretty fond of…" Olivia smiled at him appreciatively and reached to stroke his arm.

"You are a life savior El, really…"

Suddenly an idea popped into his head. His eyes lit up but he didn't say anything.

"I'm gonna make you some soup and grilled cheese. You lay back down and play with Allie."

He didn't give her time to answer, he just left the room and rushed to the kitchen. There, he searched through Olivia's selves and drawers. He nearly cheered when the desired object hit his hand.

"Bingo" he mumbled as he started looking through the catalogue. Some minutes later, he took his phone out and dialed a number.

"Hey sweetie, how are you? Listen, I need a favor…"

It was around noon on Christmas Eve and Olivia was standing near the window with Allie on her lap.

"This is your first Christmas Eve baby. I'm sorry that mommy couldn't make it better. But at least I'm glad that we get to spend it together…" She placed a soft kiss on her daughter's head and her mind drifted away, to past Christmases.

"Mommy wake up! It's Christmas! I wore my pretty green dress."

Serena just kept sleeping. Six year old Olivia kept nudging her mother until she opened her eyes.

"What the hell…" She slurred

"Mommy it's Christmas!" Olivia said enthusiastically and made a twirl.

"Fuck off Olivia!" Her mother yelled and Olivia made a few steps back scared. Serena then, fell back asleep and Olivia went into her room where she spent the whole day, crying, clutching her green dress.

"Mommy, did Santa come?"

"There's no Santa Olivia, now leave me alone"

"But...but last year he brought me a doll…" eight year old Olivia looked at a very much drunk Serena with big eyes. She groaned and put her arm over her face to protect it from the light.

"There's no Santa. You are a big girl now and you have to know that. Now go away!"

Tears filled Olivia's eyes and once again she locked herself into her room for the whole day, not that Serena noticed anyway.

"You are a stupid piece of shit!"

"Mom please it was an accident!"

Twelve year old Olivia, tried with trembling hands to clean the pieces of the broken plate from the kitchen floor. Suddenly a very large piece sliced her hand. Olivia winced painfully and sat up, looking for a towel to minimize the blood.

"Look what you've done! Now you're going to get blood everywhere! You can't do anything right! Get out! I don't want to even look at you, unworthy little brat!"

Serena dropped the bottle of vodka she was halfway through, to drag Olivia out of the kitchen and at the front door.

"Mom, what are you doing, mom please! Mommy!" Olivia yelled and begged, but with blood running from her one hand, there wasn't a lot she could do. So before she knew it, her mother was slamming the door in her face.

"But its Christmas…" she whispered, clutching her injured hand in her lap. She spent the whole morning wondering around on the streets. Thankfully, the blood had stopped running and the cut was more superficial than anything else. But the wound in her heart bled non-stop.

Adult Olivia wiped a tear away from her cheek and look down at her daughter, who looked back up and smiled adoringly at her.

"You are my whole world Allie. And I promise that I will love you and protect you forever. Never doubt that, baby girl." She whispered, caressing her daughter's soft cheek.

Not long after, she heard keys on the door and Elliot got in slowly, looking around. He stopped abruptly when he spotted her on the couch with Allie on the floor in front of her, playing.

"I thought you were asleep." He stated. Olivia shrugged and smiled.

"I was feeling a little better so decided to move for a bit. But I can't move any further. The fatigue that accompanies this flu is really kicking my ass." She sighed and tightened the blanket around her.

"Hey, how about, you go and sleep for a while, and you let me clean up the living room a bit?"

Olivia eyed him quizzically.

"El, its ok, I will clean up tomorrow, I'm sure I will be feeling better by…"

"Tomorrow it's Christmas, you won't spend your day cleaning." He said while he hoisted Allie on his hip and untangled the blanket from Olivia.

"It's not like I have something better to do El!" she complained as he pushed her towards her bedroom.

"Consider it, my gift to you. Now off to bed, Benson."

He placed Allie beside her and pulled the blanket to Olivia's chin. He touched her forehead.

"You're still hot. Sleep, for the fever to drop. Sweet dreams" he said and before Olivia was able to utter another word, he had closed the door behind him.

"You uncle drives my crazy sometimes" Olivia mumbled looking down to Allie who just giggled.

A few minutes later, Elliot peeked through Olivia's bedroom door, to find both her and Allie fast asleep. He quickly took out his cell and sent a text, while he made his way back to the living room.

"Time to save Christmas" he said, smiling to himself.

Two and a half hours later, Olivia opened her eyes to find Allie pulling at her hair with a delighted expression.

"Allie baby mommy hurts" she groaned as she extracted her locks from the baby's grabby hands. She sat up on the bed, and looked at the clock on the bedside table.

"Six thirty. God, I really needed that sleep."

Suddenly she realized that the apartment was awfully quiet. She assumed that Elliot just didn't have the heart to wake her, so he just left.

"Let's go see how uncle Elliot cleaned up the living room, shall we?" She said scooping Allie up on her arms.

She padded slowly towards the living room when she suddenly stopped. Something was glowing from one corner, but she couldn't make out what from there. She slowly entered the room and gasped. A big lighted Christmas tree was taking over the one corner of her small living room. Olivia looked around the room and saw garlands and decorations around the windows and doors, at the tables and bookshelves.

"Do you like it?"

She turned and saw Elliot smiling at her from where he was sitting on the sofa.

"Elliot… I… can't believe you did this" She said, her voice a bit choked from the tears, that were gathering in her eyes.

"I couldn't let your first Christmas with Allie be ruined. So I pull some strings and…" He looked around the room.

"But…how? I mean…when…"

"Kathleen works at Macey's. I spoke with her yesterday and she helped me go and buy everything I needed. While you were asleep today, her and Maureen came and helped me put everything up."

"Oh God, I should thank them, Elliot thank you…" she whispered. She looked again at the tree and noticed several wrapped boxes underneath it. She looked back at Elliot with wide eyes.

"Are those…"

"Presents for Allie and you. I couldn't let my favorite niece without gifts on Christmas, could I?" He said and tickled Allie's tummy who giggled, while she still looked around with a fascinated look.

"Look baby what uncle Elliot got us. A Christmas tree!"

Olivia moved closer to the tree for Allie to see.

"I know that Christmas was never a happy occasion for you Liv, and I couldn't let this year be another disappointment." I love you too much, to let this happen, he thought, but he couldn't bring himself to verbalize it. Olivia turned to him and gently let Allie down to the floor. She moved towards him and before he knew it, she had him wrapped into a tight hug. They stood like that for several minutes, until Olivia moved a bit and looked at him. There was something in her eyes, her gaze, that hadn't been there before, or maybe Elliot was too afraid to acknowledge it . She cupped his face with her warm hands.

"Thank you Elliot." She said sincerely.

He didn't know what came over him, but he just did it. Because some times it's better to just do things rather that overthink them. And he had overthought this a lot. So he just leaned forward and placed a soft kiss directly to her lips. She seemed startled for a second, but then she responded and a few seconds later, they were engaged into a passionate kiss. When air became a necessity they parted, panting.

"That was…" Elliot started saying, but Olivia stopped him with another kiss.

"Merry Christmas El." She whispered sweetly. Both their gazes averted to Allie who was sitting on the floor smiling cheekily to them.

"Oh it will be" He said and kissed her again.

Thanks for reading! Review and tell me what you thought, plus if there's anything that you might want to see on a Christmas oneshot!

xoxo Kate