Authors Note: this is the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy! Feel free to leave a review. I will have a new story coming in the near future, so watch out for that! enjoy :)
Olivia was in the kitchen putting away her dinner dishes. Brianne was strapped into her bouncy seat playing with her toy keys. Olivia smiled as she listened to Brianne baby talk to herself. She closed the cupboard door after she finished. She bent down and unstrapped Brianne and picked her up, carrying her to the living room.
Olivia laid Brianne down on her back on the soft rug. She sat down beside her. Brianne had just begun rolling around so Olivia had to move all the side tables with sharp corners. She had purchased the rug a couple weeks ago after Brianne had rolled for the first time.
Brianne lay on her back and chewed her toy keys. Olivia grabbed her cell phone and began taking pictures of her baby girl. She figured she must take at least 30 pictures a day. She put her phone away and sat up onto the couch and read her magazine.
Ten minutes later Brianne began getting fussy. Just as Olivia was standing to pick her up, Brianne began crying.
"Shh it's ok baby." Olivia bent down and picked up her daughter, bouncing her slightly. Olivia sat down on the couch and held her baby close to her. She looked down, Brianne was no longer crying, and she was falling asleep.
"I think its nap time." Olivia stood up and carried Brianne down the hall to her bedroom. When she entered she shut the light and closed the blind, darkening the room. Olivia picked up Brianne's favourite blanket and slightly wrapped her in it. She walked over to the rocking chair in the corner and began rocking her baby to sleep. She quietly hummed to Brianne.
When Olivia was sure Brianne was asleep she stood up, careful not to wake her, and carefully laid her into her crib on her back, slightly covering her with her blanket. Olivia softly ran her hand over Brianne's head the silently left the room, closing the door behind her.
Olivia walked out to the living room and turned the baby monitor on. She lay down and closed her eyes; she could use a nap too.
About an hour later Olivia woke up to someone knocking on the door. She sat up and checked the time, 2:23 pm. She and Brianne had been asleep for a little over an hour. As she walked to answer the door she listened for Brianne. She was still asleep.
Olivia unlocked the door and opened it.
Olivia's eyes went wide and tears filled them. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
"Happy Anniversary Liv."
Hoping this wasn't a dream she jumped into Brian's arms, hugging him tightly. She cried into his shoulder. Brian hugged her and was also crying. Olivia pulled away and led him into the apartment.
"You're not dead." Olivia hugged him again, silently sobbing. She couldn't believe what was happening.
"I was in witness protection Liv. They would have come and killed us both if I didn't go." He kissed the top of her head.
"I missed you so much." Olivia hugged him tighter; she didn't want to risk him leaving again.
"Me too Liv. Me too." Brian let go of Olivia and looked her in the eyes. They were both crying. He leaned down and softly kissed her. Olivia kissed him back.
He pulled away and held her hands. Olivia led him to the couch and they sat down, wrapped in each other's arms.
"You were in witness protection?"
Brian nodded. "They made a threat against me and my family; I couldn't risk them hurting you so I went to find them with my partner. They shot us, killed my partner and almost killed me. I had to move to North Dakota. Two days ago they arrested the guys and shot the guy who shot me."
"I thought you were dead." Olivia silently cried. She missed him so much.
"I'm sorry Liv. They wouldn't tell me how you were doing for a year, they wouldn't even tell me when the baby was born, if it was healthy, or what gender." Brian held Olivia's hands as she cried.
"You have a daughter." She smiled through her tears.
Brian felt tears in his eyes. "What's her name? How old is she? I want to meet her."
Olivia softly laughed, "She is 7 months old today, and her name is Brianne Nicole Cassidy. She's napping right now."
Brian smiled through his tears. "Brianne Nicole. I want to see her."
Olivia shook her head. "If I wake her during a nap she is cranky all day."
Brian was sad, but nodded in understanding. Olivia released his hands and walked over to the shelf and took the photo album of Brianne's pictures. She carried it back to the couch and sat down, leaning against Brian. She opened it and handed it to Brian to flip through. Olivia laid her head on Brian's shoulder, looking at the pictures while he did.
Brian cried and smiled as he saw the pictures of his daughter. She looked so much like Olivia. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes. Brian saw the picture Fin had taken of Olivia and Brianne in the delivery room. He smiled at the sight of his wife so happy.
As Brian flipped through the pictures he saw one that caught his eye. It was a picture of Olivia in a tight purple dress, cut just above her knees. Her hair was done nice and she had high heels on. She was holding Brianne. Brianne had a headband on with a flower on the left side; she was wearing a little pink dress and had white tights and white sandals on.
Brian pointed to the dress, "I bought that when you were pregnant."
Olivia smiled. "Yeah. I loved that dress."
"Where was this at?"
"Do you remember Elliot Stabler?"
Brian nodded.
"It was his daughter Kathleen's wedding. Brianne was four months old; she could hardly hold her head up. Everyone wanted to hold her, she looked so adorable."
Brian smiled. "She does look adorable."
They had just finished flipping through the album when Brianne's cries sounded from the baby monitor.
Olivia smiled, "Come meet your daughter." She held Brian's hand and led him down the hall.
Brian couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He was finally home with his wife and daughter.
Olivia opened the door and turned the light on. Brianne was lying in the crib crying. Brian and Olivia walked over to the crib.
Brianne reached up for her mom; Olivia leaned down and picked her up, turning to face Brian.
Brian wiped the tears from his eyes. She was so beautiful. Olivia smiled and kissed Brianne's head then handed her to Brian. She smiled and wiped her eyes as she saw her husband interact with his daughter for the first time.
"Hey sweetie, I'm your daddy. I love you so much." He kissed her on the head and held her close.
Brianne began fussing. "I think she is hungry. Let's go to the living room and I'll feed her there." Brian carried Brianne out of the bedroom and followed her to the living room. Brian sat on the couch holding his daughter.
Olivia picked up a receiving blanket and sat down. She took Brianne from Brian and began to breast feed her. Brian smiled and kissed Olivia softly. Olivia smiled against his lips. She was so happy her husband was here with her. They could finally be a family.
Later that night after supper, Brian was laying in him and Olivia's bed. Olivia was in the shower and Brian and Brianne were lying in the bed. Brian was watching a football game while Brianne played with her toy keys.
Olivia entered the bedroom in her pajamas. She smiled at the sight of her daughter with her dad. She crawled into the bed and kissed Brian. She lay close to him and Brianne.
Brianne was getting sleepy. "Maybe I should take her to her crib for the night." Brian began to sit up.
"No, she can sleep in here with us tonight. I want to be with my family." Olivia picked Brianne's favourite blanket up off the floor and covered her with it. Brian shut the lamp off. Brianne lay in between Olivia and Brian. Olivia held Brian's hand.
"I love you Brian."
"I love you too, Olivia."
Olivia's year had been a roller coaster ride. She chose to remain strong and keep going; she knew something good would come out of it. And it did. Her husband was alive. He was back home with her. She could have the little family she always wanted. Her, her husband, and their daughter. Nothing was going to separate Brian and Olivia this time.
Brian and Olivia had lost a whole year together, but they were had so much more to look forward to. Brianne's first steps, her first words, her first birthday. Maybe they would expand their family again. They may have lost a year, but they had many more years together. And they weren't going to waste them.
