The room was quiet, the light filtering through the partially closed blinds as Savina's eyes fluttered open. She wasn't that surprised to find herself alone in the room, she hadn't really expected Olivia to stay. After all, the woman was the commanding officer of a precinct, not to mention a mother to a toddler. She was sure that she was not on her list of priorities, she merely found out about her less than forty eight hours ago. She remembered her waking her up a bunch of times through the night, and lulling her back to sleep after the countless nightmares she had. But to her surprise, she woke up on her accord and not because of a nightmare. A part of her knew that it was thanks to Olivia, but she refused to let herself believe it. She couldn't let herself get her hopes up, couldn't allow herself to depend on her presence. Everybody leaves at some point, whether by choice, or not. She had promised her to stay, and here she was, all alone.

She sighed in frustration, she shouldn't have let herself believe her words. She was probably speaking out of guilt, or even obligation. She knew better. She could blame it on the circumstances, but she knew that she had to get used to the toll this whole process was going to take on her, since she would be facing it on her own. She hissed in pain when she accidentally pulled on her strained ribs, as she made her way to the bathroom, and closed the door behind her.

Olivia, who was right outside the door, walked back inside a few minutes later after she was finally able to get off the phone. She had been getting updates all morning from her team, Trevor, and Barba. She even managed to place a call to Dr. Lindstrom asking him if he would be willing to treat Savina when she's up to it. The latest call in the series, was with Dodds, and it was not a pleasant one. He had more or less told her that instead of giving her another regular detective, that he was handing her a new Sargent because 1PP felt like she had a political agenda of her own, since this was the second time in less than six months that she and Barba went after the Department of Child Services. She guessed that meant that Barba did find something to charge Linda McNamara with, and since she had already taken DCS in the summer, after that nine year old died due to their negligence, 1PP was none too pleased that she was doing it again. She didn't like the new situation one bit, she knew that this new Sargent won't be someone she'll be able to trust, since he's practically a spy who was there to keep an eye on her and her team, not to mention her and Barba, and report to the boys upstairs. She had half a mind to go punch Fin for refusing to take the Sargent's exam with Rollins, for if he had, they wouldn't be in this situation. The one piece of good news, was that the new Sargent – who was conveniently Dodds eldest son Mike – was still finishing his stint with Anti-crime, so she still had some time before he graced them with his presence. So not only would she be stuck showing him the ropes, but she would also be breaking some of the stereotypes cops usually have about crimes in general, and sex crimes in particular. And she really didn't need this at the moment. Dodds had told her to think of it as a gift; with two Sargents in the squad, she can focus on her daughter a bit more, but she saw right through it. She had to be even more careful now than she ever was.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the empty bed, her sleep-deprived brain going into overdrive with bad scenarios as to where Savina may have gone, and not giving the rational part any time to realize that she was standing outside the door, and therefore, no one could've gotten in or out without her noticing, least of all with an unconscious Savina.

Luckily for her, before she went too far down the rabbit hole, the click of the bathroom door pulled her out of her dark thoughts, and she looked over in time to see Savina gingerly stepping over the threshold. She saw the slight surprise in her eyes when they landed on her, and Olivia smiled softly at her, as she tried to get her heartbeat back to normal.

"Hey, how long have you been up?" she wondered.

"Um….a….a couple of minutes," Savina stuttered.

Olivia frowned slightly, she didn't hear any screams or thrashing, didn't even hear the heart monitor beeping like it did when her heart rate spiked during a nightmare. "Did you…." She trailed off, when Savina shook her head. "No, I woke up on my own accord, actually."

Olivia nodded, smiling softly, but still confused by the still present surprise in her daughter's eyes. "Do you need help getting back into bed?" she asked gently, as she moved closer.

"No, uh….I was planning on calling a nurse, see if I can go for a walk," she stammered, and it was starting to get unnerving.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Olivia wondered in concern, one hand finding the girl's back, and gently rubbing it between her shoulder blades. Savina's gaze met hers, and moved searchingly between her eyes. "Honey, whatever it is, you can tell me," Olivia pressed gently. The silence was starting to drive her crazy, how speechless she seemingly got, the look in her eyes.

"I….I just….uh….I kinda thought you left."

The simple statement knocked the wind out of Olivia. The way her voice shook slightly at the end, the hesitation in every syllable, the slight trepidation in her eyes. What broke her heart the most was that the statement wasn't a hint, it wasn't suggestive…..it was an admission of fear. She wasn't hoping that she left, she was afraid that she did, and had resigned herself to that fact.

"I told you I won't let you face this alone, that I won't go anywhere," Olivia repeated her earlier promises. She tried to keep the pain out of her voice, knowing that Savina might interpret it as it being her fault, rather than Olivia hurting for her.

Savina laughed softly, though the sound that escaped her lips was too sad to be called such, before she once again averted her gaze. "Yeah, but I'm not really wired to believe people," she admitted truthfully.

Olivia's breath hitched at her words, and she felt the tears prick her eyes, but she blinked them away, before she moved to stand in front of Savina. She used two fingers to lift her chin, as she bent down slightly to catch her eyes. The lump in her throat grew even more when those haunted eyes met her own, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her in her arms again, and not let go until she took all the pain away. But judging by how she stiffened slightly when she rubbed her back, she was sure that she was not ready for that just yet. She didn't even believe that she would stay, so she was sure physical comfort was still a long road ahead.

"Then I don't care if I spend the rest of my life proving to you that you can believe me," she told her, her voice firm but gentle.

The sincerity in her words could not be denied, not even by all the demons in Savina's head. She tried, God knows she tried to deny it, to not allow herself to fall prey to empty promises once more. She knew how they ended; with people going back on their words, and her heart broken. This wasn't the first time someone had promised to be there for her, to keep her safe, to help her overcome all the hardships she's faced; and none of them kept it. Each and every single one of them broke their promise one way or another.

"I…." she trailed off, not entirely sure how to apologize, or even what to say. She hated the pain she saw in Olivia's eyes, she hated the fact that she was bringing back old demons for her. She hated to admit it, but for a split second when she woke up and didn't find her mother there, she was genuinely happy…..for her mother. At least this way, she won't be reliving one of the worst experiences of her life all over again….at her hands no less.

"Savina, what you went through was not easy. And I'm not just talking about last week, I'm talking about things that you went through since you were four, that no four year old ever has to face," Olivia started, her hand moving from where it was holding her chin, to lovingly cup her cheek, and use the pad of her thumb to wipe away at the tears slowly escaping her little girl's tortured eyes. "You're my daughter," she stressed. "And trust me, I know better than anyone the true meaning of that word. I know that it takes more than simply giving birth to become a mom," she continued, smiling softly when Savina offered her a small smile. "I know you need some time to adjust, and like I said before, take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere. And I'm glad you told me what's on your mind," she finished, her free hand now gently pushing some stray strands off her face, and tugging it behind her ear.

Savina nodded, and Olivia's smile grew, and it was all she could do not to lean forward and kiss her forehead. "You still wanna go for a walk?" she asked.

"Um, yeah. But I think we need to get a nurse in here, see which lines I can disconnect and all," Savina commented, and Olivia nodded.

And right on cue, a knock at the door had them both looking at the door in time to see a nurse walking in. "Good morning, Savina. How are you feeling this morning?" she asked cheerfully, and Savina smiled.

"Pretty good, actually," she admitted, sounding a bit surprised herself.

"I can see that. You're out of bed and moving about already," she commented. "I'll call down and tell them to bring you some breakfast."

"Actually, I was wondering if I can go get some at the cafeteria. I've been cooped up here for two days already," Savina objected hopefully, and the nurse nodded, smiling. "Of course, dear. Let me just get some readings for the chart, and then you should be on your way."

About half an hour later, Olivia and Savina were walking down the long hallway, with Officer Gonzalez trailing closely behind.

"Any news?" she wondered, as she finished tying her hair back into a ponytail.

"They still haven't found the missing juror," Olivia replied regretfully.

Savina nodded in understanding. "She probably wasn't expecting me to escape, so I'm guessing when she came by the next day to get me, and found the place swarming with cops, she had more than enough time to plan a getaway by the time I identified her voice," Savina pointed out.

That made Olivia look at her thoughtfully. "I'll have Fin look over the crime scene photos, maybe she was in the crowd. They're still asking around where she lived, tracking her credit cards, trying to see if there's a certain place she may have gone."

"I know she doesn't come off as a criminal mastermind, but she took her sweet time in planning this. Even waited almost three years to snatch a girl, so I'm sure she had an escape plan ready. She wasn't counting on me escaping this early, but she did want me found," Savina argued.

"I know, baby. Which is why we're not leaving anything up to chance," Olivia assured her. "And actually, the timing is pretty meaningful as well; it's the two-year anniversary of the trial, so they're also looking into attempted kidnappings around the same time last year. Don't worry, we won't leave a single rock unturned until we find her."

"I know," she said simply, and Olivia did a double-take at how steady her voice was. The lack of doubt in her voice, or on in her facial expression surprised her. Especially after their little conversation by the bathroom door less than an hour ago.

"What about the baby?" Savina inquired.

"They found a familial match," Olivia answered. "The nurse was right, the mother was an escort."

"That term is loosely applied to her," Savina pointed out, and Olivia sighed sadly. "I just don't understand why you would keep the baby, if you're planning on throwing them in the nearest dumpster you see once they're born."

"Most working girls don't even realize they're pregnant until it's too late, or sometimes they think they can sell the baby. And a lot of the babies born to working girls are either stillborn, or only live for a few hours," Olivia argued sadly.

"That's harsh. I understand ending up pregnant with a child when you're not ready, sitting down, and looking through hundreds of files until you pick a family. But I could never understand how someone can just throw a baby away like that!" Savina ranted angrily.

"I know, neither could I." Olivia agreed sadly, and Savina eyed her closely. "I probably shouldn't be the one to talk about abandoned babied, otherwise I may never have gotten Noah," she reminisced, smiling wistfully at the memory of Judge Linden ordering the small baby into her custody.

Savina furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Wait, Noah's adopted!"

Olivia chuckled at the fish-out-of-the-water expression on her daughter's face, having had that reaction from many people when they find out that the little boy wasn't biologically hers. He did look enough like her to pass as her own, and she quite enjoyed the look on people's faces when she told them he was adopted. Though she didn't often correct their assumption.

"Yeah," was all she said, deciding to keep the gory details of how she found Noah to another time. "I already told you Trevor Lanagan helped me with his adoption," she reminded her.

"Yeah, but I thought you meant Rafael! Not you!" Savina retorted gently, still shocked.

"He was the second beautiful surprise of my life," Olivia whispered fondly.

"What's the first?"

"You."

The love Savina saw in her eyes as she said that simple word was both terrifying and absolutely wonderful.

"You weren't trying to have a baby?" she asked, her voice slightly choked up, as she averted her mother's gaze, so she didn't see the hope blossoming in her heart in them. It was dangerous territories, and as wonderful as it felt, she couldn't let herself get too used to it. She knew it would only end in heartbreak…..that's how her life had always gone. Nothing good ever lasted for her….it always ended. And it always shattered her hopes in the process. She wasn't ready to admit that despite all her bravado with Diana and Eddie about her birth parents, she had what she secretly referred to as 'a little girl's naïve' fantasy about meeting them. It hurt her deeply that they didn't seem to want her, that they hated her existence so much, they didn't even bother with picking a family for her….they just abandoned her. So when she found out that Olivia was actually the mother in question, it shocked her to hear that she was never meant to be given away. It gave her hope. Made her think that maybe she'll finally get the life she's always fantasized about. And the mere thought of that getting taken away…..was absolutely horrifying. And so, she did everything in her power to stop the hope from growing, to stop the small gestures from getting to her, stop herself from getting attached, stop the feeling of warmth that shot through to her heart at any touch from getting to her head. There was no way this would end happily for her.

"No, but that doesn't mean I hesitated for even a second about keeping you. I've always wanted to be a mom, and I couldn't have been happier," she recalled the day. She still remembered the day she sat on the floor of her bathroom, her back pressed against the tub, as she stared at the torturously slow movements of the minute hand on her wrist watch. She had hid the stick inside the box – which was promptly discarded at her feet – to keep her from looking at it constantly, and nearly pounced on it when the required two minutes were up. That little plus sign brought inexplicable joy to her. She didn't care that she would be a single mom, she didn't care that Jason would probably tell her that he wanted nothing to do with the baby…..none of that even crossed her mind, as she stared blearily at the stick. Short, tearful laughs escaped her trembling lips, as she pictured what it would be like to have a baby of her own.

"I didn't even realize I was pregnant, until my Sargent pointed out that my sense of smell seemed to suddenly rival that of the canine unit," she recounted, her tone light.

Savina laughed, genuinely laughed, and Olivia grinned back at her. "So that's not an urban myth?" she teased.

"Nop, I even looked at openings in the Canine Unit," she joked, and that made Savina burst out in laughter, her hand moving to her side, holding her ribs, and her steps faltered slightly.

"Sorry, baby." Olivia apologized, though her tone was not that apologetic, since she was very much enjoying the sound of Savina's laugh. She had one hand on her arm, the other on her back to keep her steady.

Savina shook her head at the apology, as she stood straight once more. "No, I think I should be the one apologizing for turning you into a human gas spectrometer," she quipped, and Olivia laughed.

"That wasn't so bad….at least not as bad as the pickle and mustard combo I suddenly seemed so fond of!" she retorted teasingly, grinning broadly at the disgusted face Savina made.

"That's gross!" Savina gagged, scrunching her nose to emphasize her point.

They had already reached the cafeteria by then, just as Olivia's phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her back pocket, and quickly read over the text. It was mainly Barba telling her that Tommy – Bella's now husband, who had started a moving company with a few of his friends – were starting to pack up the place, and that Lucy was gonna use the time Noah was in Day-Care to pack his things. He also told her that Noah was asking about her constantly that morning, and was asking her if it would be okay if Lucy brought him by the hospital for a little bit after she picked him from Day- Care. She frowned at the phone, and that got Savina's attention.

"Everything okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Um, yeah, it's Rafael," Olivia stammered, not sure how to ask Savina if Noah can come by. She knew the girl would agree out of guilt of keeping the toddler away from his mother for so long, but she wasn't sure if she was truly ready for it.

"Noah giving him a hard time?" she offered, and that gave Olivia a way out.

"Yeah, he's in an anti-jacket phase, and Rafael thinks he can use logic on a nearly two-year old toddler!" she chuckled, and Savina laughed. "So now, they're running late for Day-Care."

"I thought Lucy watches him," Savina stated, confused.

"She does, but twice a week we send him to this Day-Care, so he can interact with kids his age," Olivia elaborated. "Lucy picks him, but usually Rafael and I drop him off, or at least one of us."

"Well, tell him that logic doesn't really work on toddlers….actually, it doesn't really work at all!" Savina exclaimed. "And tell Lucy to drop him off here after Day-Care."

Olivia looked up from the text she was writing, and almost gaped at Savina. She was proud of her ability to school her features in the fraction of the second it took to look up to hide most of the surprise, but she was sure some of it was visible in her eyes.

"Look, he's nearly two, he hasn't seen you in two days, so I'm sure part of his tantrum is because of that," Savina reasoned. "So just tell her to drop him off here, and Rafael can pick him up before he heads home. I would suggest he spends the night with us, but I don't wanna scare him," she alluded.

"Savina, this is very sweet, but….." Olivia tried to argue, but couldn't really think of anything to say. Truth was, she really missed Noah too. "Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked instead, and Savina nodded reassuringly. "He's a cute kid, I adore him, and I'm sure he'll love spending some time with you."

Olivia simply nodded, smiling softly at the beautiful brunette standing before her. She was not really the religious type, but she was thanking the grace of God for her. It still amazed her how she managed to keep her compassionate and selfless heart in the face of all the horrors she faced, and she could not be more proud of her, even if she tried.

"Thank you." Was all she could say. She hated that she was choosing between the two of them, and she was overjoyed that she didn't have to….even if it's just for a day.

Alright every one, here's the next chapter. I know it's kind of a filler, but to be honest, this was supposed to be part of the next chapter, but that would've made it super long, so I cut them into two chapters.

I can't wait for the new ep, though I'm pretty sure my nails aren't all that excited for it. And since Raul is set to appear in it, I'm hoping that means he's the new love interest they're teasing us about. It better not be Tucker!

Let me know what you all think of this. Reviews on the last chapter were kinda disappointing :(