Author's Note: Suvi Sides will be a collection of short stories taking place at some point after Because of Vesuvius. They won't necessarily be in chronological order, and I will be continuously leaving the collection as "in progress" so I can add some more short stories whenever I come up with an idea. Some will be a few parts and others might be little more than snippets. They likely aren't going to come at any regularity however. Another series has dragged me in deep, and honestly I've lost a bit of my motivation with SVU. I am trying for all of you readers though. I promise. This is a good place for any ideas you might really want to see with Ben, Suvi, or Olivia though.

Suvi Sides

Story One

Engagement rings burned holes in pockets far more than money did. Olivia had had the ring for less than a week and it already felt wrong not to have it on her finger. Putting it on would totally ruin the surprise though, and Olivia didn't want that. Thankfully she wouldn't have to last much longer. Amanda should be arriving any minute. The day after Ben had proposed she'd told Amanda she wanted to meet for lunch some day when it was slow at the office and she could get away. That chance had finally come today. So far Olivia hadn't shared the news with anyone so she was rather looking forward to her former co-worker's response. She sipped at her water, trying to distract herself from the endless waiting which actually hadn't spanned much time at all. The news she had to share simply made it feel that way.

When she spotted Amanda at the door Olivia waved her over.

"Hey, Liv," Amanda said as she reached out and gave Olivia a quick hug. "Hi, Suvi."

Suvi lifted his head up and thumped his tail twice on the floor before dropping his head back down. Amanda grinned. Suvi was always so good about saying hello but still remaining on duty.

"I'm glad you finally have a lighter day," Olivia said as Amanda sat down across from her.

"You and me both." Amanda grinned and then couldn't help pressing Olivia about what was going on. There had to be something or Olivia wouldn't have asked her here. Plus, something about Olivia's face told Amanda that there was definitely a big reason for this meeting. "So what's going on, Olivia?"

"Do you remember when you first came to SVU and asked me if there were any good guys left?"

"Sure. You said you hadn't given up hope."

Amanda didn't really understand what that had to do with why they were having lunch. She was probably going to find out really soon though. Olivia looked like she was nearly bursting at the seams.

"Believe in that, Amanda. I wasn't so sure I was right then, but I am now."

At first Amanda didn't know what to make of that, and then it clicked. Her eyes lit up and a grin flashed across her face. There was a good story here.

"What did Ben do?"

"He brought me to see a new apartment," Olivia replied.

She had to really restrain herself from saying anything more before she gave away the true story by accident. Thankfully Amanda seemed to think an apartment was a big enough deal on its own. She jumped on the topic without a second thought.

"To move in together?"

"Yeah."

"That's great, Liv! It's a big step for both for both of you."

Amanda had no idea. Olivia couldn't hold back any longer. She slipped her hand into her pocket and slid the ring out, though she didn't reveal it yet.

"It might be a bigger step than you think."

That said, she rested her hand on the table and set the ring down. For a moment she left her hand in place, making sure she had Amanda's complete attention, and then lifted her hand away. Immediately Amanda's eyes went wide. She fingered the ring briefly and then lifted it to inspect it.

"Oh my God. Ben proposed? You're engaged?!"

Olivia's grin widened and she nodded excitedly. It was all the permission Amanda needed to let her own enthusiasm escape. Olivia deserved this, and Ben was absolutely fantastic. Amanda was nothing but happy for her friend. She glanced back down at the ring and then held it out once she was done examining it.

"Liv, this is beautiful. It's perfect for you too."

Ben had done a fantastic job picking the ring. It really represented their relationship. Of course the ring was absolutely gorgeous too.

Olivia slid the ring back onto her finger and couldn't help looking at it once it was there. Amanda was right. The ring really was beautiful, and sometimes she still couldn't believe it was hers. It was though, and she felt so much better with the ring back on her hand where it belonged. She smiled down at it before looking up at Amanda.

"It is. I don't think Ben could have done better."

"So have you guys thought about anything yet?" Amanda asked as she scooted a little bit closer and nearly leaned across the table.

Olivia laughed. Right, because she and Ben had had so much time to consider wedding plans. About all they'd talked about was potential songs to play. Given she was engaged to Ben the obsessive music guy that topic made sense.

"No. Definitely not."

"Well, you have to have a few ideas of what you want at least."

Olivia nearly rolled her eyes. It had been a very, very long time since she'd even considered the possibility of getting married. Her engagement had come as a complete surprise.

"Amanda, the last time I thought about what my wedding would be like, besides running into a court room for it, I was a really little girl."

"You better not be planning on running into a court room with Ben," Amanda warned.

"No. That's about the only thing I have thought about. We're definitely having a real wedding, and I'm sure Ben's family will have a ton of opinions on it too."

Not that she would entirely mind that. It would be nice to have some help, especially from people who actually knew how to plan a wedding. She really had no idea how to even start. The whole thing was rather overwhelming.

Amanda must have seen the uncertainty flicker over Olivia's face because she quickly continued the conversation, though in a slightly different direction in hopes of distracting her friend.

"So are you going to tell the guys?"

"I was actually thinking of going back with you today and seeing how long it takes for one of them to notice," Olivia replied, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Now this I've got to see."

O . o . O . o . O

Olivia had figured her engagement ring would be incredibly obvious. That's why she'd taken it off when she'd met Amanda. It was turning out not to be the case. She'd been in the squad room for fifteen minutes, chatting and helping out where she could. Even when she'd walked in she hadn't done anything to hide her ring, but after ten minutes with no recognition from anyone she'd started being a little more overt. So far it didn't appear like that was having much of an affect either. Every time she passed Amanda she rolled he eyes, and Amanda had to try and restrain her laughter. Their coworkers were apparently rather dense.

"Paperwork for you," Olivia told Nick as she handed him the stack of files he'd asked her to grab.

She'd purposefully held the files with her left hand, clearly displaying her ring. At least she'd thought she'd showed it clearly. It wasn't good enough to draw Nick's attention though. Apparently her old partner was a lost cause. Fine then. She would focus on somebody else. Olivia settled onto the chair beside Fin's desk and rested her elbow on the desk top.

"You need anything, Fin?"

As he looked her way she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. It put her ring closer to eye level. That should do the trick, right?

"Nah, I'm good."

No, apparently not. Olivia nearly threw her hands up in exasperation. Instead she got up, figuring she'd try Cragen. She never got that far though.

"Hey, wait a minute. Come back here," Fin said and reached out to grab her hand.

Olivia tried to play it cool and not let her smile get too big. Holding her fingers firmly, Fin flipped her hand palm-side down. His eyes lingered there for a moment before lifting to meet Olivia's eyes. When he did, his eyes were gleaming.

"What's this, Liv?"

Olivia beamed. Well it was about time.

"Nothing much."

"Nothin' much? This ain't nothin' much!" Fin exclaimed. "This is an engagement ring!"

That drew everyone's attention. It even pulled Cragen out of his office.

"You're engaged?!" Nick demanded.

"I am," Olivia confirmed. "And you all make lousy detectives. I've been flaunting my ring since I walked in here and none of you even noticed."

She'd almost literally had to hold it right up in someone's face.

"Well we noticed now," Fin told her. "Congratulations, Liv."

Fin gave her a quick hug which Olivia happily returned. She followed that hug up with one from all of the other guys too.

"Let's see how good of a job Ben did," Cragen said once he'd released her from the last hug.

Olivia grinned and held her hand out. Ben had done a great job.