A/N: Sorry for the mix up early with the chapters! Enjoy!

Scott looked through papers he was holding when he spotted Marcus coming in. "Ran out of pills?" He teased.

Marcus smirked and went over to him. "No. Don't think I need them."

"What's wrong?"

"I was wondering what happened to Jaime." Marcus answered.

Scott looked down at his medical papers again. "He was put in foster care until they find him a home."

Marcus nodded. "How long will that take?"

"Weeks. Months. Maybe even years." He answered. "Why?"

"I was thinking about adopting him."

Scott instantly looked up at him. "Marcus that's great and everything but you have to look at reality, social services probably won't let you. What I read from your files, you don't have family, and you're single-"

"Actually, Olivia and I are back together." Marcus corrected.

Scott nodded. "Oh."

"Yeah." Marcus scratched the back of his head. "So where can I see Jaime?"

"He is at Saint Claire's Children home." He put down his medical papers. "Look Marcus, maybe it's not the best idea to go see him."

"Why?"

"He is already attached to you. His father died and Jaime sees you as his father. Going to see him will just give him hope that you will always be there."

"And I will."

Scott motioned for him to follow. Marcus followed him to this office. Scott closed the door. "Marcus…I know you're trying to do the right thing here but I have seen this happen a lot of times."

"Meaning?"



Scott sat down at his chair and motioned for Marcus to sit across him. Marcus sat down in that chair. "I have seen a lot of deaths working in neurology. Most of those deaths leave kids without parents. Some have other family and some go to social services. It never ends the right way."

"And me adopting him won't be the right way?"

"It's a lot of responsibility Marcus. If you can't handle it, you can't just give him back. It doesn't work like that."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I can't handle it?"

Scott bit his lip. "Because I couldn't."

"You adopted a kid?"

Scott shrugged. "My wife."

"You're married?" Marcus asked in shock. "Does Olivia know?"

"No. And I was. Not anymore."

"Divorced?"

"Widower." He answered and opened his drawer. He pulled out a picture and handed it over to him. "Her name was Kate."

Marcus looked at the picture. It was Scott with a woman and a small boy in his arms. "And the boy?"

"Gabrielle." Scott answered. "Kate wanted to adopt. She liked doing good in the world." He smiled a little. "We adopted him when he was three. Two years later Kate was coming home from work, she was in a pile up. She was DOA."

"Sorry man." Marcus whispered. "What happened to Gabrielle?"

"I did my best with him. I wasn't super dad though. I was always at work and he missed Kate. She was super mom, she did the whole soccer, cookie baking thing. I just couldn't get over Kate and take care of a five year old at the same time."

"So you just gave him up?" He gave him the picture back.

"I wish I didn't." He looked at the picture for a second then looked up at Marcus. "It was best for him. It didn't matter how I felt or what I wanted."

He nodded. "What happened to him?"

"He was adopted again. Gabe is now twelve years old."



Marcus nodded. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I just want you to know what you're in for. You're a good guy Marcus; I don't want you to screw up like I did."

Marcus nodded and got up. "Thanks." He turned around and left the office.

Jaime sat on his bunk bed playing with two toy cars.

"Jaime." He looked up and spotted one of the social service agents coming over. "You up for a little company?" Jaime shrugged. He was extremely shy with new people.

Marcus came into the room. Jaime instantly smiled. "Marcus!" He jumped off his bunk bed and ran over to him. He instantly hugged him around his legs.

"Hey man." Marcus kneeled down and hugged him. "How you doing?"

Jaime shrugged. "I don't like these people."

Marcus nodded and looked up at the agent. "Mind if I take him out to lunch?"

The agent shook his head since Marcus already said who he was and gave his information. "No. Go ahead."

Marcus nodded. "Thanks." He got up. "Jaime put on your shoes, were going out." Jaime did as told.

Olivia and Elliot walked to their witness's house. "How's Marcus after the incident?" Elliot questioned.

"He's good actually, making a full recovery."

"I'm still surprised he survived. He must be superman." Elliot teased.

Olivia smiled a little. "Something like that. He gotten beaten up a lot when he was little, I guess his body is just stronger than others."

"Good." Elliot nodded.

"Speaking of him, we're back together." She informed him.

Elliot nodded. "Had a change of heart?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "I rather see him once a week as a husband then never as a friend."



"I'm glad you're happy." Elliot smiled a little. She nodded at her partner.

Marcus sat across Jaime as they shared a pizza. Jaime's little legs were swinging back and forth from his chair. "Marcus?"

"Yeah?" He asked the little boy.

"What happens when you die?"

Marcus bit his lip. He knew the boy was asking just because of his father. "Well…you go to a better place."

"Where?"

"Heaven." Marcus answered. "It's nice up there."

"Can I go?" Jaime asked with a shrug. "To see my daddy?"

Marcus just stared at him. He had never experienced talking to a little kid like this before. He got off his seat and went to kneel down in front of him. "Jaime…things happen for a reason."

"So my daddy died for a reason?"

"Well…it's hard to explain but you'll understand when you're older." He patted him on the leg. "Ok?" Jaime nodded. "Alright. Want to go to the park?" The little boy instantly smiled and nodded. "C'mon." He took his hand and helped him off the chair. He took the unfinished pizza box with him.

They went to the park right across the street from the diner. Marcus placed the box on the bench and led Jaime over to the playground. "Marcus you going to play also?"

"Um…I'm sort of too big for that dude." He answered with a smirk. "But you go for it."

"C'mon." Jaime instructed and pulled him by the hand. "You can slide down with me." He climbed up the ladder. "C'mon Marcus."

Marcus let out a deep breath and climbed up with him. He sat down on top of the slide and let Jaime sit in his lap. "Ready?"

"Yup." Jaime grinned insanely as they slid down. "Let's do it again!" He jumped off and ran up the slide again.

"Don't hurt yourself." Marcus warned as he got up. "You slide down; I'll catch you this time."

"Ok!" He slid down and let Marcus pick him up. "Can we climb the monkey bars?"



"Sure." Marcus carried him over to the monkey bars and let him grab the bars. "Got a good hold?" Jaime nodded. He slightly let go of him but kept standing by him in case he lost his grasp.

"You boys having fun?"

Marcus looked over and spotted Olivia coming over. "Hey. And yes we are." He smiled a little.

"Marcus let me down." Jaime pleaded. Marcus quickly picked him up and placed him down on the ground. Jaime instantly ran over to Olivia and hugged her around the legs. "Hi Olivia."

Olivia smiled and kneeled down to hug him. "Hi Jaime."

"You want to play with us?" He looked up at her.

"Um…actually I have to work." Olivia answered and stood up. "But you guys go ahead and play."

Jaime smiled and nodded. "Ok!" he ran over to the slide again.

Marcus smiled a little at Olivia. "I took him out to lunch and now the playground." He shrugged a little.

Olivia nodded. "That's cool. Just don't get too attached." She warned and gave him a kiss. "I have to go to work. See you later."

Marcus nodded and went back to Jaime.

Olivia came into the house later that night and spotted Marcus in the living room reading. "Hey babe." He waved a little and kept reading. "You doing research?"

"Yeah." He answered.

"On your new book?"

"No. Adoption." He answered.

She took her jacket off and went to the couch. "Still planning to adopt Jaime?"

"Yeah." He looked over at her. "What do you mean by Still?"

"Nothing." She sat down by him. She took one of the books and looked over at it.

He kept looking at her. "Do you not want to adopt him?"

"I do…I'm just not sure if we're ready for it." She answered. "I mean we just got back together."



"So?" He questioned.

"It's a lot to take in that's all." She shrugged a little.

He put the book down. "I don't understand."

She rubbed her eyes. "Never mind." She got up. "I'm going to take a bath."

"You ok?" He questioned.

"Fine." She nodded and went to the bathroom.

He sat there for a while and started reading a book when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"May I speak to Olivia Benson?" A man questioned on the other end.

"She's busy now. Can I take a message?"

"Can you please just tell her that her mother's funeral arrangements are ready, she just needs to sign off on a couple things?"

Marcus sat up. "What?"

"Well the beneficiary needs to check the last minute arrangements. Its procedure."

"I know that…but…her mother died?" He gulped a little.

"Yes. I'm sorry if she didn't get the chance to tell you first."

"It's fine. She'll get the message. Thank you." He hung up the phone and sat there for a little while.

He finally got up and went into the bathroom. Olivia was laying in a bath with water but no bubbles like she normally did to relax. "Hey." He whispered.

She instantly wiped her eyes and looked over at him. "Hey."

"You ok?" He whispered and kneeled down by her. She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your mother."

She shook her head. "It's not a big deal."

"Olivia c'mon." He whispered and gently took her hand. "It's ok to cry."

"I don't want to though."



"You want me to cry with you?" He smiled a little. "I will. I can cry like a baby when I want."

She smirked and shook her head. "No. It's fine." She took his arm and wrapped it around her neck. "You can hold me though."

He nodded and simply climbed into the tub with her with all his clothes on. "I'm here." He wrapped his arms around her. "It's going to be ok. I promise." He whispered and placed a kiss on her head.

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "She already made arrangements. She didn't want anything to do with me even after she died."

"Maybe she just wanted to save you the trouble." He whispered. "You have to stop thinking like she didn't want you."

"Then why do the bad memories overtake the good ones?"

He shook his head. "It's just how it is. I have good memories with my dad but all I ever think about is the bad ones. He did me a favor and showed me what kind of person I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be like him."

Olivia nodded. "Well that's one good thing my mother did. Maybe I should say that in her eulogy unless she already wrote that also."

"C'mon stop it." He ordered. "What did I tell you about speaking ill of the dead?"

"Not to do it cause they will haunt me."

"Exactly." He smiled at her. "And I'll do the Eulogy if you want. I'm a writer, it's what I do."

She nodded. "Thanks baby." She snuggled up closer to his arms. "And I want to adopt Jaime with you."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad. I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered.