AN: Thank you for the reviews on Green Eyes. That was a lot of fun to write, mostly because I got to use some of the hipster knowledge I gained during my brief stint as a liberal arts college student.

This next one is a request I've received several times on tumblr. They've all been anon, so they might all be from one person who REALLY, REALLY wants a Rollaro baby. I've said it before, but I'm not a fan of this accidental Rollaro baby concept. But I like to be challenged, so here's my attempt at a Rollaro baby story. I was almost tempted to make this tragic (because I can be a bit of an asshole), but thankfully, this one turned out pretty darn fluffy. The title is from the 2Pac song of the same name.

Please read, enjoy, and review! And then go check out my profile and read my new baby, Ruined Beyond Redemption, and let me know what you think. Thanks!

California Love

Shanti means inner peace; and whatever Shanti you gained from three days in Palm Springs has instantly dissolved the second you found yourself stuck in the 405 Freeway. Two cars away a horn blows, which is utterly pointless seeing as you're all gridlocked and there's nowhere else to go. One second, you think the traffic starts moving, but you just find yourself disgruntled when you accelerate a grand total of eight feet in the last eight minutes.

This traffic makes you miss New York, because even though the roads are just as congested, at least there's always the possibility of abandoning your car on the side of the road and electing to take the subway instead. No one would want to steal your car in Manhattan because no one wants to bother paying for a parking spot that's half their monthly rent.

There are a lot of things you miss about New York. You miss your old partner more than anything, and you wonder how retirement is working out for him. The moment Fin got the call from 1PP, he didn't even delay like Cragen or switch offices like Munch. Fin dropped his papers off and got out of dodge from the city, deciding to settle down in Atlantic City. Last you heard, he was getting serious with his girlfriend, who suspiciously looked like a dead-ringer for Melinda Warner.

Five years ago, you probably wouldn't imagine yourself waxing nostalgic over your time with Olivia Benson. But, now, you do miss your old lieutenant. It's amazing how far Liv has grown since you first joined the unit. She's gone from first grade detective to lieutenant; and watching her rise has given you a benchmark for your own success.

After taking the sergeant's exam and working as the squad's sergeant for a year, you really saw yourself rising up the ranks in the NYPD. It also gave you great pleasure to see your lieutenant and the department vouch for you, even when Tucker reminded them of that time you were tricked into shooting your baby sister's abusive boyfriend. But in spite of the progress you've made in the 1-6, you still felt like something was missing. You tried to ignore it for the better part of a year. After all, this thing that you were supposedly missing was something that you never thought you wanted or deserved.

With all the achievements you've made, no one would assume you were distracted during your stretch as sergeant. Your closure rate was on the rise and you were 900 days into sobriety. But every morning, your first and only thought was the fact that your bed felt empty without Nick Amaro beside you. And every evening, before you closed your eyes, the thoughts that kept you up for hours were how much you missed the feel of his arms around you, the softness of his hair that you felt under your fingers, the way he whispered Spanish phrases in your ear while you were in bed together…

When he left for California at the end of the summer, you two declared there would be no hard feelings about the necessary 'breakup' so you promised to stay in touch as friends. The first couple of months you called each other and even found yourselves laughing at each other and getting off on each other's voices as you attempted phone sex. But after Thanksgiving, the phone calls faded into text messages and by Christmas, all you got was a card in the mail with a picture of Nick, his two kids, and mall Santa.

On New Year's Eve, you made a drunken phone call and admitted that you wished he were in the city so you could kiss him when the ball dropped. He said 'sorry' and mentioned something about being at a dinner with Maria and her family. You can't really remember what he said, but you do remember Nick trying to put you down gently, which prompted you to ring in 2016 in a seedy bathroom stall in a friend of a friend's party. That was not one of your finest moments.

After that, communication between you just naturally deteriorated; and you'll take most of the blame for that because you postponed replying to any of his messages. You told yourself you'd reply tomorrow, but tomorrow turned to next week, and the next thing you knew, he was greeting you 'happy birthday' with a single birthday cake emoji.

You and Nick just drifted apart, like you suspected when he made the announcement that he was moving to California. Any new updates you heard about him, you learned from his sporadic updates on his Facebook page. But Nick was never one to share his personal life online, so you knew close to nothing. Anything else of substance, you heard from Liv. That was a friendship that continued to stay alive undeterred by distance. But you didn't really want to ask Liv how he was doing, so you sort of just waited until the topic of Nick Amaro was brought up in passing conversation.

You remembered the day Liv squealed, 'oh my god!" Your head whipped up to peer across the desk to see the equally shocked look on your partner's face. When you looked over at Carisi, whose eyes were wider than that time you two walked into a room with three dead strippers, he pouted his lips and shrugged his shoulders. The three of you got out of your desks and crowded over to her office to see what could have warranted her out-of-character, almost teenage-girl-sounding exclamation.

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and narrowed her eyes at all of you. With her phone in her hand, she motioned for you all to step inside so she could show you the picture of an adorable puppy with the sweetest green eyes. "Amaro picked him up from the humane society this morning. Looks like he has a new roommate." You were happy for him and the adorable, little guy; but for a flicker of a second you thought bitterly about how he had replaced Frannie. After that, you mentally berated yourself for projecting your issues onto your pet.

Two and a half years ago, you were staking out a suspect and you were sitting in a squad car with Liv. Randomly, she mentioned that Nick was getting surgery on his knee again. When she saw the worry on your face, she immediately shook her head and tried to reassure you with a smile. "No, it's good. They say this surgery has a good chance of bringing the full function of his knee back."

Eight months later, Liv was showing the squad pictures and postcards Nick had sent from a trip down in South America. It was as if the repaired cartilage in his knee granted him a new lease on life; so for three months he backpacked around the continent and picked up new hobbies in surfing and photography. You got a lot more social media updates in those three months, but a majority of those updates were creatively and aesthetically improving landscape shots of the salt flats in Bolivia and the Machu Pichu in Peru.

"So, I heard from Nick this weekend," Liv announced to you, Fin, and Carisi one day. "He told me he just got a job working as an investigator for the DA's office in LA. Looks like he really is following in Munch's footsteps."

That was right after he returned from his wild and crazy trip south of the border. Four months later, Liv was flying out to LA with Noah so they could visit uncle Nick and be the first to use the new guest room in his Spanish-style reno. She returned from that trip with a tan and a new suitcase of toys for Noah.

It seemed, that from the tidbits Liv told you, Nick was doing well down on the west coast. At least, a lot better than he had anticipated the months before he made the big move. You remembered his uncertainty and his feeling of inadequacy. You remembered the heartbreak, but it wasn't solely because you had to end your undefined relationship, but because you knew you were going to miss having him around as a co-worker and a friend. You just never expected it to hurt as much as it did.

The driver behind you slams on their horn and you roll your eyes as you move two car lengths forward and then stop. You're tempted to give them the finger, but instinctively, you check the back seat to make sure there aren't any children around.

Your mind drifts back to two summers ago when Liv announced that Nick was going to visit because it was his mother's 65th birthday. Apparently, he made plans to stop by the 1-6. You remembered feeling uneasy the days leading up to his visit, hoping you'd get called into a case. On the day he was scheduled to revisit the old stomping grounds, you and Carisi had to drive upstate to talk to the parents of a suspect and you didn't make it back to the precinct until after dark. You were so relieved that you didn't have to run into him, but the moment you walked into the squad room, you sensed something was different.

That was when he turned around and saw you through Liv's window. His face was covered in scruff and his skin was a deeper bronze. He actually looked like he had gotten younger since the last time you saw him.

Carisi beat you to it and practically sprinted into the squad room to give Nick a hug, while you stood outside and watched their friendly exchange. You kept your eyes on him and you noticed that even when Carisi kept talking to him, he kept glancing over at you. It took a few seconds for you to snap out of it and enter Liv's office, where you awkwardly waved at him before he pulled you in for a long embrace. His scruff scratched against your cheek as he whispered, "I've missed you."

After your reunion, it wasn't easy letting go again. Nick had to fly out two days later, but this time you made a better effort at staying in touch. Phone calls to check up on each other became phone calls to keep each other company, while he was cooking dinner or while you were walking Frannie. Skype turned from a weekly thing, to something you did every night before you went to bed; it was a good thing you slept late because the time difference ended up working out for the two of you. Nick also visited New York more often, and you finally listened to Fin and used up your vacation hours to fly down to LA so you could see his renovations firsthand. You were skeptical of his ability to use power tools and his ability to balance on a surfboard, so he dared you to witness both firsthand. But, unlike the Bensons, when you came to visit you had no use for the guest room.

You were overjoyed to return to New York with a ring on your finger. That first Monday back, you kept chewing your lip, trying to suppress your smile during the elevator ride to the squad room. Once you saw Fin, Carisi, and Liv crowding around a laptop, you just couldn't wait anymore and so you pulled your hand from behind your back and showed them that Nick had finally popped the question.

Everyone was happy for you. And although it was easy coming to the decision to leave New York and relocate to California, it wasn't easy saying goodbye to your squad. Still, you promised to stay in touch the way Nick had always stayed in touch with Olivia. That relieved your lieutenant, who was having a bit of a crisis dealing with all the sudden departures – your relocation and Fin's retirement. But you reminded her that she had Noah and they were always welcome to visit you in LA if they wanted to fly somewhere warm for the winter.

Since moving to LA, things between you and Nick moved at a faster pace than you were both used to. You'd known Nick for so long that there was no need for a long engagement. You drove up to Napa and got married in a small ceremony with close friends and family. You started your job as sergeant in the sex crimes division of the LAPD; but less than three months after getting your shield you got a bit of an unexpected surprise. It wasn't the most enjoyable experience, knocking on your captain's door and asking, "so, hey, I know I just started here, but what's the course of action when applying for mat leave?"

The sound of the radio is interrupted by the loud buzz of your phone. You press the hands-free option on your car when you see your husband's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey, babe," his voice never fails to put a smile on your face. "Still stuck in traffic?"

"Yeah, but the GPS is telling me I should be home in twenty minutes," you tell him, mentally crossing your fingers that this traffic will let up since you're two exits away from freedom. There's a commotion in the background – a jumbled symphony of two dogs barking, the gunshots from Gil's video game, and the latest Taylor Swift jam being belted at the top of Zara's lungs. "Miss me already?"

"Mhmmm… I didn't know what I was thinking sending you off on that yoga retreat." The volume of his voice lowers and you can hear him step into a quieter area of the house. "Baby, I missed you."

You smile at the memory of three days and two nights of tranquility in Palm Springs. When your husband proposed the idea as a way to de-stress and get out of the chaos of your house for a few days, you were hesitant. After all, you practically hadn't moved or averted your eyes since the day you left the hospital four months ago. But Nick promised he would handle things at home and assured you updates almost every hour – complete with pictures and video when necessary.

You ended up not being able to see those updates in real time because you were either deep in meditation or in some new asana that took you on a higher plane of enlightenment. Nick was right; you needed this retreat.

"Missed you too, babe," you admit. "But how are y'all over there? Sounds like you have your hands full."

"I'm fine," he says, and it's followed by a crash.

"What was that?"

You hear more commotion – the sound of metal clanging, the bang of a door, and the shuffling of feet. "You get back here!" Nick shouts.

All you can do is laugh as your car is filled with the auditory pandemonium of what's going on in your house. If you close your eyes, it's like the dogs are barking in the back seat. Zara's singing is starting to sound like screaming, and Gil is telling everyone to shut their mouths because he can't hear his friends through his Bluetooth headset.

"Hey, babe, how much did you like that blue vase you kept on top of the console?"

"I mean, I liked it…" you trail off, figuring out that the vase was probably the reason for the sound of the crash. "But wasn't that Liv's wedding present? One-of-a-kind piece made by her friend?"

"Shit."

"Language, dad!" You hear Zara call him out. "Put your dollar in the jar."

"You heard the little lady," you chuckle.

"Fine, fine… Jesus Christ –"

"Blasphemy!" Gil yells, which you think is quite funny considering some of the things you've heard from his friends while they're playing that shooter game Fin got him hooked on the last time your old partner came to visit. Gil's voice echoes again through the speakers, "That's another five dollars, dad."

Nick mutters something under his breath and you hear him pull out the glass jar and set it down on the kitchen counter. "Looks like the kids are getting that Six Flags trip early this summer."

"You really think we could have made it through the whole month of May without swearing in front of the kids?" You ask rhetorically. "You know, I gave us a chance by going away this weekend, but it sounds like you did a piss poor job while I was away."

"Why do you think I sent you down to Palm Springs, miss potty mouth," he teases back just before you hear another crash. Thankfully, whatever this object is doesn't shatter, but the impact causes the dogs to start barking again. Then you hear a high-pitched wail and your heart turns into a puddle of mush. "Baby, please come home," he tells you. And you can just imagine him pouting those lips and looking at you with those big, brown, puppy dog eyes. "We need you."

When you make it home, the Spanish colonial house looks completely normal and totally peaceful. You park your car on the driveway because Nick has monopolized the garage with his newest project – Zara's vanity. He's not exactly thrilled with the idea of his 12-year-old daughter saving up her allowance to earn Beauty Insider points at Sephora, but he's a good dad and he supports her even when he can't tell apart lip gloss from lipstick. But the vanity and his workspace look exactly the same as when you left a few days ago, which confirms your suspicion that your husband never got any time to work on his project during this Memorial Day weekend.

As soon as you step out of the car, you see something fly across the window. You're not sure what that fleeting streak of neon was, but you hope to god they aren't playing ultimate Frisbee in the living room. The second you step into the house, Zara's does a jete across the room and wraps her arms around your waist. Gil rapidly speaks to his online friends, says his apologies about having to die, before he chucks the headset down on the couch. He rises up and walks toward the door to kiss you on the cheek.

From down the hall, Frannie and Prado bound down your weathered hardwood floors to greet their momma. You try to give them equal attention, but this doesn't seem to satisfy your first born, who turns her nose up like a diva before she disappears into the kitchen.

"Where's your daddy?" you coo into Prado's adorable little face.

The warm California breeze streams into the room just as Nick walks in with two serving dishes of steak and shrimp that he's just grilled for dinner. After three days of juice cleanses and kale salads in your desert oasis, the smell of succulent ribeye steaks and fresh seafood makes your mouth water. Or, it could be the sight of your husband in a white t-shirt walking in to welcome you home.

"Hey, beautiful." He bends down to kiss you.

You wrap and arm around his waist and pull him in closer, which is a little hard to do with his hands full. "Hey, handsome." You never pictured yourself to be one of those couples with the cheesy pet names, but ever since you moved here, it's like your life turned into this weird, romantic comedy. Not that you're complaining; it's actually nice not having to worry about the tragedies that brought you and Nick closer together, but also ripped the two of you apart.

Maybe there's something in the water in California - the drought notwithstanding – that's gotten you and Nick in this extended honeymoon phase. Whatever it is, you're starting to feel a little parched as he kisses you again before he turns around and heads for the kitchen

"Oh," he says, stopping in his tracks. He cranes his neck over his shoulder and uses his lips to point to the baby monitor in his back pocket. You reach down for it, squeezing his ass while you're at it. He throws you a cheeky grin and raises his eyebrows; but you just cock your head to the side and feign innocence.

As you climb up the stairs, you press the baby monitor to your ear but you don't hear a thing. As a new mom, you're not sure if this should please you or unsettle you. It's funny, because you always teased Nick about being the paranoid one; but when it comes to this parenthood thing – you've got him beat on the emotional instability front.

You pass by Zara and Gil's rooms, which both look lived-in even if this house isn't legally their permanent address. Still, it's nice when they're here; and seeing what it does for your husband just makes your heart swell with happiness. Leaving your suitcase out in the hall, you gently open the door and enter one of the rooms. The soft lullaby of the mobile, the eggshell white walls, and the pastel green linens bring you back to that place of Shanti.

A soft cry comes from inside the crib and you look down to see a pair of big blue eyes staring up at you. "Hello, Alex." You pick up the four-month old boy and cradle him in your arms. You kiss the top of his head, and tell him you've missed him so much and you couldn't stop seeing his face when your guru kept repeating that mantra about finding beauty in nature. Holding him at arm's length, you smile when you see his mouth, just like his father's, curl up into what looks like a classic Amaro smirk. He reaches out for you and tries to coil his little fist around your hair.

You hear the sound of footsteps padding down the hall and the gentle creak of the opening door. Your husband's scent of masculine woods and spice fills your senses as he slips his arm around your waist and pulls you against him. Nick rests his chin on your shoulder and he reaches down to play with Alex' feet.

"He's going to have your smile," you point out.

Nick presses a kiss to your cheek. "And he's got your beautiful eyes, so you know he's going to grow up to be a charmer."

"Just like his dad then," you retort, baiting him into the compliment.

He raises his hands up in surrender and smirks cockily. That same almost-smile you received from your little boy just moments ago. "Worked on you."

The wail of a baby interrupts your playful banter. Alex stares up at you with wide eyes and you try to soothe him. "Shhh… Mommy's here."

Nick crosses over to the other side of the nursery and picks up your four-month-old baby girl. "Did we wake you up from your nap?" He picks her up and presses his nose against her tiny nose. "Lo siento, cariño."

He rocks little Noelle in his arms until her sobs quiet down and she sucks her cheeks in, showing off her daddy's dimples. You meet Nick in the middle of the room and glance down to smile at your little angel, born eight minutes after her twin brother.

When you found out you were pregnant about a year ago, you weren't exactly planning on it but you hadn't done anything to prevent it either. You and Nick came to the agreement that you'd welcome the possibility of having a child together if it were to happen. Two months after you got off birth control, you missed your period so you drove down to the drugstore to pick up four different brands of pregnancy tests. As you waited for the sticks to tell you your fate, you remembered making a joke about Nick's potent sperm.

You made the same joke (with less humor and more fear, this time) four months later when you went in for your scheduled ultrasound, and your OB-GYN announced you were having fraternal twins. Nick's swimmers had overachieved and fertilized two of your eggs. So, great job, dad! But even with all the unexpected surprises, the pregnancy hormones, and the anxiety that came with the realization that you were bringing two babies into the world, you wouldn't have traded this for anything.

Looking up to meet Nick's eyes, he shifts closer to you and lifts Noelle up so you can press a kiss to the top of her head. She doesn't have a lot of hair yet (in fact, she's got less of it than her brother), but your husband says that's probably a sign she's going to grow up a blonde like you. Nick sets her back down against his shoulder and he bounces her up and down much to her delight. Alex squirms against your arms, and it's almost like he senses he's missing out on the fun. You mimic Nick's movements and your son coos and burps into your shoulder. Nick laughs softly as he casts you a look, quietly saying, 'welcome home'.