Semi sequel to my other story "Gallery"...I couldn't just leave the two all alone when they should totally be together. I know I said the story was done before but now it really is.

Disclaimer: All is owned by someone who isn't me.

Olivia stood at the back of the courtroom, leaning against the wall, barely listening to what the judge was saying. She was too busy thinking about the last couple days. A few days ago she had started a… what she didn't know. Relationship? Fling? Trist? with her commanding officer, Lieutenant Murphy. Whatever it was that they had shared Murphy had ended it when he told her he was going away for an undercover assignment, just when she beginning to think that she could potentially start something real with him.

To top it all off, after months of trying to find the parents of "baby boy doe" (whom they now know to be Noah Porter) they had accidently stumbled upon the birth mother while investigating another case. Ellie Porter was a sex worker, drug addict, thief and Noah's mother. She was also their latest perpetrator in a series of sexual assaults and robberies on tourists answering an ad looking for a "real girlfriend" experience with an American woman. Ellie Porter was also dead, murdered by some unknown person who wanted to keep her quiet about their business- which meant that baby Noah was alone…again.

"Sergeant Benson?" the sound of her name brought Olivia back to the present.

"Yes your honour?"

"You rescued the minor and you're the only one who has taken an interest on his behalf. Is there any chance you'd like to become a foster mother to this child?"

Olivia was rendered speechless, had she actually heard that correctly?

"I'm sorry. What?"

"If you agree I would order Noah Porter into your care for a year, after which you would be given the opportunity to adopt him. Do you agree?"

All she had ever wanted was to become a mother and she was finally being given the opportunity. So without so much as a moment's hesitation Olivia said, "yes".

Olivia ascended the steps to her apartment clutching a squirming and crying Noah to her chest and adjusting the diaper bag as it slipped further and further down her shoulder.

"Shhhh, it's okay" she whispered as she bounced slightly, trying to calm the baby.

Finally reaching the door she shifted Noah to her other side and fumbled around her jacket pocket to find her keys. Slipping the key into the lock she opened the door and let the diaper bag slip off her shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief to finally be home. Her relief was short lived for when she looked around her apartment she realized how utterly unprepared she was for a baby. It's not that her apartment was messy or in disarray it was that she had little to nothing of what a baby needed. No crib, no toys, no child proof latches or plugs for the outlets, not even a bottle…not that she had fresh milk anyways.

Noah's cries intensified and Olivia began to shift back and forth in a rocking motion in an attempt to quiet him.

"What's wrong baby? Why are you crying hmm?" she asked giving him a small smile and wiping his cheeks clean from fallen tears.

There was a sudden knock on her door and she turned to open it. Standing there at her door step was Lieutenant Declan Murphy, holding a white plastic bag.

"Declan? What are you doing here?" she said loudly so she could be heard over the crying baby.

"I heard you just became a mother"

"Well a foster mother" Olivia corrected, "how'd you hear that?"

"Oh you know how fast news travels. Can I come in?"

Olivia stepped aside to let him enter.
"Is he okay?" Murphy asked, nodding toward Noah.

"He won't stop crying"

Murphy reached his arms out toward Olivia implying he wanted her to give him the baby. "May I?" Olivia looked at him skeptically but allowed him to take Noah. Murphy took Noah under his arms and then cradled him against his chest, keeping an arm under Noah so that he was sitting on it.

Smiling brightly at Noah, Murphy said, "hey buddy, giving your new mom a hard time are you? Here I got this teddy bear for you." Murphy shifted the bag to his other hand so he could reach in and pick out a chocolate brown teddy bear, with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck. He presented it to Noah who stopped crying and reached out for the bear, putting its nose directly into his mouth. Despite herself Olivia smiled at the tender scene before her. She wouldn't have pegged Murphy as a baby type of guy.

"How'd you get him to stop crying?"

"I don't really know" Murphy said truthfully, beaming at the baby.

There was a long moment of silence that hung between them before Olivia broke it, "So I thought you had left for your undercover assignment?" She asked as she reached out to smooth out Noah's dark hair.

"I was but I told them that I couldn't take it"

Now that was certainly a surprise, "Oh…why'd you do that?"

"Well you're going to be pretty busy taking care of this little one now so I figured I'd stay on and help the squad out." Murphy turned his gaze from the baby to look at Olivia, "Plus, I couldn't leave you Liv"

"I…" Olivia trailed off not knowing what to say. "Declan…I won't lie I had hoped that you wouldn't leave but that was before I got Noah… I'm a package deal now you know."

"I know. I'm okay with that."

Before she could stop herself Olivia spewed out all her insecurities. "I mean I have to make decisions that are best for the both of us now. And this is all so sudden and I don't even know if I'll be any good at this and I don't even have anything a baby needs. I don't even have a crib, where is he supposed to sleep? And…" Murphy reached out and put his hand on her shoulder to silence her.

"You're going to be an amazing mother Olivia"

"How can you know that?" Olivia asked, so overwhelmed she was on the verge of tears.

"Because you're an incredible woman Olivia. You're smart, kind and so compassionate. You're going to be a great mother. I even got this for you to prove it." Reaching into the plastic bag Murphy pulled out a pink mug decorated with a cartoon drawing of a mother and her child holding hands and read, World's Best Mom.

Olivia took the mug in her hands and smiled at Murphy, "thank you" he reached out to brush a stray tear away. Olivia closed the distance between them and pulled Murphy close so she could kiss him. He hadn't even been gone for a whole forty eight hours but she wasn't afraid to admit that she had missed him. His warmth, his touch, his comfort. A small noise from Noah broke them apart.

"Olivia I can't promise much but I swear I'll do everything to try and make this work. This isn't just some sort of fling for me, I have feelings for you Liv, and I want to give this a chance" he said gesturing between the three of them.

"Me too" Olivia replied and leaned in quickly to kiss him again. When they pulled apart Olivia asked, "So what now?"

"I don't know…I could help you look for a crib?" Murphy suggested.

Olivia smiled brightly and nodded, "good idea."

And with that the three of them left the apartment. Olivia and Murphy hand in hand.

The End :)