Thanks for the reviews. As always they motivate me and make me enjoy writing so much more.

To answer a question left in the reviews...Elliot and Olivia are not in a relationship. They agreed to give it some time to get to know one another again. Also, Elliot lives in DC, but has been staying at the house to help Kathy with Eli. Elliot and Kathy are not together either. Sorry for the confusion for those who were confused.

This is a shorter chapter, but I decided to go ahead and post since I promised to post over my Thanksgiving Break and it is almost over. Enjoy...

December 24, 2014 6:20AM

Olivia could hear the baby crying in the other room, and she slowly opened her eyes, pushing back the covers and flinging her legs over the side of the bed. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and trying to hold back the nausea she was feeling. Even without the hormone shots her body seemed to produce enough to make her feel like crud every morning, but she hadn't thrown up since a couple of days before at work, and she wasn't going to start again now. She put her hand to her stomach, gently feeling for any changes that would be apparent to only her, and deciding there weren't any, "Calm down in there you two," she sighed. "Your brother needs me now," and she forced herself to her feet and made her way to Noah's crib.

"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked, picking up her crying son and holding him close. "Mommy's got you…" she patted his back and he calmed down but when she tried to put him back in the crib he screamed again. She picked him back up and walked with him back and forth, "Shhhh…it's okay…you're okay…"

The baby calmed down, laying his head on her shoulder and sucking on his fingers and she kissed him softly. "Mommy gets to stay home with you today," she smiled. "And the next few days too…" As much as she worried about her job, she had to admit that having the extra time with her son was precious. "We're gonna have so much fun…aren't we? Tomorrow is Christmas…"

She took Noah to the kitchen, sitting him in his high chair and pulling down his cereal. Opening the box, the smell made her cringe, so she closed it without adding the needed water to turn it into her son's favorite edible mush, "How about we find you something else to eat this morning?" she asked and the baby rubbed his tired eyes with his fists. "I think we're out of bananas," she sighed, knowing the fruit was his second-favorite thing to eat in the morning. Instead she pulled down a box of Cheerios, putting a few on his tray and popping one in her mouth, "Mmmm…" she said, "They're good Noah. Mommy likes them. You try…" The baby grabbed the cereal and ate it happily and Olivia was relieved. She ran her hand over his head, tousling his dark hair, "That's my good boy…"

She walked to the stove, grabbing the tea kettle and filling it with water, and once it was back on the stove she grabbed Noah's sippy cup and filled it with milk, giving it to the little boy who smiled giddily. She laughed, thinking of how this was the first time in a while that they'd had a simple morning at home together. Usually she was rushing off to work and Lucy was arriving to take care of Noah for the day. It felt nice to do everything for him by herself. It was what she'd imagined all the years she'd longed to be a mother. The kettle whistled, and she grabbed a cup, dropping in a tea bag and then filling it with steaming hot water. Then she poured herself a bowl of cereal, putting a few more pieces on Noah's tray and sat next to her son to finish breakfast together.

Her phone beeped and she looked down at it, How are you feeling this morning? It was Elliot. Of course he would be up already and wondering about her. Before she could respond he texted again, Did I wake you up?

She laughed, quickly sending back a reply Noah woke me up and I feel fine. Just a little queasy but breakfast seems to be helping. The night before when she'd emerged from the shower, Elliot had greeted her with a peanut butter and banana sandwich he'd made using the last of Noah's bananas and a glass of chocolate milk, and she could tell by the expression on his face that something was wrong. Then he told her Kathy had texted and asked him to come back to the house because Eli was crying for him and asked her what she wanted him to do. She couldn't believe he was asking her, as if she had some sort of control over the decisions he made. He needed to be with his son…and she told him so, but he seemed to question her sincerity. She assured him she was fine and she could adhere to her doctor ordered rest-time without having him there to keep watch, and then he'd seemed hurt. She knew how much he wanted to be involved in the pregnancy, but he wasn't her husband or even her boyfriend…he was barely a friend anymore…and no matter how much they both wanted to get back what they once had, they didn't have it now and she wasn't sure they ever would.

I'll run by the precinct and get Noah's presents. Do you need anything else? He replied and she smiled.

No, I'm good, she answered back, and she reached over and tickled her son on his tummy, smiling while he giggled. She was good…for once.

December 24, 2014 10:30AM

Elliot knocked on the door, worried that Olivia wasn't answering. Maybe she'd fallen back asleep, but that didn't seem likely with Noah awake. He wondered if she was in the bathroom getting sick, but he didn't hear the baby crying and he would surely be upset if Olivia left him in the playpen or crib while she went to the bathroom. He sat the packages on the floor and tried the handle, but it was obviously locked and he knocked again, "Olivia…" he yelled, "Can you hear me?"

She pushed open the door, putting a finger to her lip to signal that she needed him to be quiet. She was on the phone, but she was silent, her face letting him know she was listening to someone else. Noah was on the floor, playing with a couple of toys and Elliot grabbed the bags and carried them into Olivia's room. When he came back he heard her, pleading on the phone, "No…I understand…" she said, doing her best to hold in her tears. "I know I should have reported it sooner…I know…I will…I'll be back in time for the New Year's shift and I won't need more time off for a while…" Elliot looked at her, and she shifted, avoiding eye-contact with him. "I understand…but I can do this…" she sighed. "Okay, no I understand you have to follow protocol...thank you Chief Dodds." She turned off her phone and looked at Elliot.

"He wasn't happy for you?" Elliot tried to lighten her mood, but it wasn't working.

She shook her head, "He was furious…said if I need to take more time off I can have it because he's already looking for a new commanding officer for SVU."

"Liv…he can't legally do that," Elliot told her. "You can fight this."

She shrugged, "He can…because I'm not the official commander anyway. I'm acting commanding officer…and now they'll simply choose not to promote me officially." She sat down on the sofa, pulling her legs up under her, "I don't know…maybe this is for the best. Before long, I'm gonna be fat and tired and moody…"

"You've got tired and moody down already," Elliot teased and she laughed.

"I'm being serious. I don't know if I can even keep up with this once I get further along in the pregnancy…and then after…I'm going to have three kids, El. Three!" She sighed, "I've had so much fun with Noah this morning and I never get that time with him. I loved every second of it…"

"So, you'll be okay if they replace you as C.O.," Elliot smiled. "That's a good thing."

She shook her head, "No one really wants to be C.O. of SVU, El…Dodds can threaten all he wants, but I think I'm stuck." She laughed. "Is this some kind of mood swing?" she asked, "Because I've gone from being upset over possibly losing my job, to being happy about it, to being upset that it probably won't happen all within a span of five minutes?"

"It's not a mood swing," he teased, "If it was…you wouldn't recognize how crazy you sound and you'd probably try to hit me with something in the process."

"Shut up," she snickered, grabbing a pillow from the sofa and smacking him with it. "There…my first official mood swing." She laughed.

"Wow," he rolled his eyes, "You think you're cute, don't you…" and he grabbed the pillow and tossed it back at her, grabbing her arm when she tried to smack it at him again. "Oh no…you're not gonna win this…" he laughed, tickling her while she fell back in his arms and laughed uncontrollably.

"Stop…" she chuckled. "El…" but he didn't stop and she couldn't stop laughing and couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard. "Please stop…" she begged and he could tell she was serious so he did.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I didn't hurt you did I? I'm sorry…I was just playing around…I forgot your supposed to be resting…"

"I'm fine," she said, standing to her feet and gasping for breath, "But I have to pee…now…" She ran off to the other room and he leaned back, smiling and waiting for her to return. She came back a while later and looked at him with a smirk, "If I sit down there…can you keep your hands to yourself?"

He laughed, "Yeah…tickling a pregnant woman is probably not a good idea. I hope you made it to the bathroom in time."

She fell down on the couch beside him, "Barely…" she smiled, "El…how's Eli doing? Is he excited for Santa to come tonight?"

He nodded, "He's excited…and tired…he was already back to sleep by the time I got there last night…but he was wide-awake this morning and asking if we could hang up stockings," he looked at Noah, who had given up playing with his toys and was laying on the floor sucking his thumb and almost asleep, "What about Noah? Is he ready for Santa?"

"I don't know…" she shook her head. "I'm not…I have to wrap all those presents…" She walked over and picked up the baby, sitting him on her lap. "You are not going to sleep now, Mr…or you'll skip your nap later and I need that time." She looked at Elliot, "When are you going back to Kathy's?"

"I don't know," Elliot admitted. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No…" she smiled, "But I need a favor from you."

"A favor?" he smirked. "What kind of favor?"

She looked around the room, "I just realized I don't have wrapping paper for Noah's presents…and I'm not really supposed to be doing anything…or going anywhere…"

"You didn't buy wrapping paper?" he asked with a chuckle. "So, you want me to go out and fight the crowds on Christmas Eve to get if for you?" He gave a playful sigh... "You're gonna owe me for this…" he stood up, grabbing his coat and pulling it on. When he made it to the door, he looked back at her, "Anything else you need while I'm out?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked pleadingly at him. "A Christmas tree…" she said.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. "You don't have a tree yet? It's Christmas Eve, Olivia. Where the hell am I supposed to find a tree on Christmas Eve?"

"I don't know," she said sadly, "But I was going to get one after work yesterday…and then the bleeding started…" she started to cry without meaning to and quickly brushed the tears away, "Don't worry about it…Noah won't remember he didn't have a tree on our first Christmas together…"

"Don't cry…" he said softly, but she didn't stop. "Liv…it's okay…I'll find a tree…" he opened the door and headed out to face the crowds. "Mood swings…" he mumbled with a sigh.

December 24, 2014 3:15PM

"Oh my God…what took you so long?" Olivia asked anxiously as she opened the door. Elliot walked in with rolls of wrapping paper under his arms and a small tree in his hand, along with a shopping bag. "I was worried sick, El."

"It's Christmas Eve, Olivia," he said, sitting the tree on her coffee table and looking at it with disgust, "This pathetic little tree is all I could find…other than a $250 dollar artificial one and you don't have room for that anyway."

"It's fine," she said. "I like it." Then she looked at him and smiled, "Thanks…for going…why didn't you answer you phone? I called…"

He shook his head, "Because after answering five calls from Kathy I put my phone in my pocket and refused to look at it. I didn't realize I'd been gone so long or I would have suspected it was you…I'm sorry…"

"Why did Kathy call so many times?" she asked. "Is Eli okay?"

"He's fine," Elliot said, sitting on the sofa. "She just wants me to come back to the house because Eli wants to watch Rudolph and Frosty and he wants me there for it. We do it every year. Even when I was in DC…we'd Skype and watch if it was a year he wasn't with me…"

"Then you should go…" she said gently. "Be with him…"

"Liv…I don't want to leave you here alone," he admitted. "It's Christmas Eve…"

"I know what day it is," she sighed, "El…go be with your son. You should be with your family."

"What about you?" he asked.

She looked over at the crib where Noah was taking his nap, "This is the first year I've had a family at Christmas," she reminded him. "And I'm so excited to spend it with my little boy…with my son…"

He listened to her and he knew she was right. He needed to be with Eli today because as much as he dreaded thinking about it, they might not ever have a Christmas to spend together again. And she needed time with Noah…time to form her own family traditions with her child. "Liv…what about the twins…" he asked.

"I don't think the twins are going to be doing much celebrating this year," she rested her hand on her stomach and smiled, "Other than enjoying the fudge I'm going to try to make later…and the candy canes…" her eyes widened, "and the pie…I have to make pie…"

Elliot laughed, "Since when are you Betty Crocker?" he asked.

"I have some talents you don't know about," she winked. "Besides, I have a cookbook to help." She stood up and grabbed a box from the corner, putting it on the table.

"Liv…is that heavy?" he asked. "You can't go around picking things up like that…"

"Relax," she said, taking the lid off the box. "It's light…" she pulled out a few delicate ornaments and put them carefully on the small Christmas tree.

"Where did you get those?" he asked, realizing he'd never seen a tree in her apartment.

"They were my mom's," she said with a weak smile. "I brought them up from storage a few days ago." She pulled out a handmade ornament, made with faded green paper and glitter and held it up for him to see. There was a picture of a little girl with short dark hair and a missing front tooth glued to the front and her name scrawled in childish handwriting across the back. "She kept this…" she said sadly. "I never knew…I didn't look through the box until a couple of days ago…"

"All these years and you never opened it?" Elliot asked.

"I never had a reason to," she said seriously, reaching to put the ornament back in the box, but Elliot grabbed it from her.

"You were cute," he smiled. "I hope our little girl looks just like you…" he said…then he laughed, "Or our little boy…cause you know, with that haircut you kind of look like a boy in this picture…"

She hit him playfully and took the ornament back, "Don't say that…" she sputtered. "I did not look like a boy." She put her hand gently on her stomach, "El…do you really think we're going to have a girl and a boy?"

"I really do," he said. "And I think they'll both be as adorable as their mommy…even with a bad haircut."

"Just as long as they don't have their daddy's smart ass attitude," she laughed.

"Oh they will," he teased. "There is no way around that. It's in the Stabler genes."

She laughed, putting a few more ornaments on the tree, and then she looked seriously at him, "El…you should get going…before the traffic gets too bad. I don't want you to miss Rudolph with Eli."

"Yeah," he stood up, pulling on his coat and then hugging her close, "I hope you have a wonderful first Christmas as a mommy, Liv," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "You deserve it."

"I will," she smiled. "You too…have fun with your family."

"You could come…" he offered. "You and Noah…for dinner tomorrow…I can ask Kathy and I know she won't mind."

"She will mind," Olivia said seriously. "And it's not a good idea."

"Why? I want to be with my whole family, Liv…and the twins are my family too," he reminded her.

"The twins are not here yet," she insisted.

"Yeah they are," he put his hand on her stomach and let it rest comfortably. "Please…think about it…"

She sighed, "You ask Kathy…and if she'd not dead-set against it…I'll think about it…"

"Thanks," he picked up the bag he brought in with her wrapping paper and tree and walked toward the door.

"El…what's in that bag?" she asked.

"Presents," he smiled. "Come to dinner tomorrow…and you'll find out." He said as he walked out the door.

The slamming of the door woke Noah up and Olivia went to get him from his crib. She brought him in and sat on the sofa with him, smiling as he stared at the Christmas tree. "It's pretty…isn't it sweetheart," she whispered, "We're gonna have a great Christmas...just me and you," she said, wondering why she felt like she might cry.

More when I have time...which might be a while so I hope this tides you over :)