"Here you go, babe." Brian says as he hands her a cup of hot chocolate, before stepping over her legs to sit down on the couch next to her. "So, what do you think of the tree?"

The two of them set up the Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving, because between setting up the nursery and Brian working a bunch, they weren't sure they'd have any time in the coming weeks. Plus, the baby could come at any moment, and they wanted to be prepared for everything.

"It looks really beautiful, Bri. Thank you for putting it up." Olivia smiles at him, sipping on her hot chocolate. "God knows I can barely stand up anymore, let alone help decorate a five-foot-tall tree."

Both of them giggle before falling into a comfortable silence, and for a while they just sit and drink their hot chocolate and enjoy the cracking of the faux fireplace and soft Christmas music that was playing.

Olivia's hand moves to rest on her eight-month-pregnant belly and she rubs along it softly, smiling at the slight movements she feels under her hand.

"Do you think we're ready to be parents?" She asks suddenly, and Brian shrugs his shoulders.

"Is anybody ever ready?" He asks and Olivia nods once in agreement. "But you'll learn as we go, and we'll be doing it together. And I promise that's how it will always be."

Brian scoots closer to Olivia to rest his hand on top of hers laying on her belly. "We've got this, Liv. We do. And I can't wait to hold our daughter in our arms."

"I can't either." Olivia whispers, tears forming in her eyes before they suddenly get wide. "Wait. I got you something."

Brian tilts his head and raises an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't doing gifts this year? Just saving up everything for the baby?"

"This is for the baby." Olivia says with a soft smile on her face, and giggles when Brian mouths an 'okay' at her, but his heart swells when he sees how excited she is about the mystery present.

She leans forward to set her mug down on the coffee table before grabbing Brian's hand for support while standing up off of the couch. She tells him to stay right there and heads back to their bedroom to retrieve the mystery item.

Olivia re-appears a few minutes later with a small square box in her hand, and Brian raises his eyebrow when she holds it out for him to take. She lets him open it and examine it before explaining what it is, and when he looks back up at her with mass confusion, she giggles.

"Okay, ya got me. What is this?" He lifts the object out of the box, and Olivia giggles again.

"It's our baby's first Christmas ornament! She'll be here by then, so I thought it'd be so adorable to be able to get some pictures with her next to it."

Brian laughs and nods his head, lifting the tiny pink baby booty-shaped ornament out of the box to examine it in the lighting of the apartment. "It's really cute, Liv. I'll hang it up for you." He stands up off of the couch and walks over to the Christmas tree, finding the perfect spot to hang it up.

"There. Now it's perfect." He says, and Olivia walks up to him and he turns his head to kiss her forehead softly, before leading her back over to the couch and sitting down, grabbing their warm mugs off of the coffee table once more.

"To our second and last Christmas just the two of us. Soon there's going to be a third." Brian raises his mug to cheers, and Olivia smiles and raises hers as well to touch against his before they take a sip together with huge smiles on their faces.

A baby. In just a few weeks, they were going to be holding their child in their arms. She, and the due date, felt so close yet so far away, and they couldn't believe they were soon going to be called mom and dad in addition to sergeant and detective.

What a ride they were about to be on. And they couldn't wait.

XXX

"I've always been amazed with how much stuff a baby needs from the second they are born." Amanda asks as she places the onesie she had just finished folding into the laundry basket at Olivia's feet. Olivia just nods and giggles, because her daughter already has a bigger wardrobe than she does.

"So, are you nervous?" Her co-worker asks now, and Olivia swallows hard and shrugs.

"Yeah, I mean if you're not nervous for motherhood you're not human. Plus, I didn't really have a great role model, you know? I was alone for a lot of my childhood and teenage years, and whenever my mom was home, we'd just be fighting. So, I don't really have any examples."

The blonde nods slowly and reaches out to place a hand on Olivia's thigh. "You're not alone now, though. You know that right? Between Brian, and his mom, and all of us? We'll be banging down your door to help y'all."

Olivia giggles now and blinks away the tears that are forming at her co-worker's sweet words. "Thanks, Amanda. I appreciate hearing that."

"I'm serious, Liv. You have free babysitters right here, and I'm sure once we meet that baby none of us will ever want to spend a minute away from her. She's going to be beautiful."

The two of them laugh now, and Olivia squeezes Amanda's shoulder as a thank you, before going back to folding her daughters' tiny clothing.

A while later, after Amanda had helped Olivia organize the clothes in the dresser and closet, Olivia turns to the blonde with a devious smile on her face.

"You said the guys will be here to help with anything?"

Amanda nods hesitantly, her smile growing a bit. "I'm sure they're going to jump at the chance yeah, why?"

"Because the crib is still currently in pieces on the floor and considering I can barely stand up without getting winded, I won't be much use as far as manual labor is concerned."

Amanda laughs now and taps Olivia's arm lightly. "See, this is why you are the sergeant." She says through another laugh, before wrapping an arm around Olivia's shoulders and walking out to the living room where the group of guys were sitting with beers in all their hands.

Olivia was terrified. Any new mother would be. But Amanda was right: her squad was here for her for whatever she needed. And so was Brian, her beautiful baby daddy and hopefully future husband. It was a long road to get to where she was now, but man if she wasn't grateful for every moment that brought her here.

XXX