Once they arrived at Olivia's townhouse, Elliot dropped Olivia and the kids off.  "I'll stop by the house and pick up some things you'll need," he said with a smile.  "I'll be back in about an hour to set it up, okay?"

            "That's fine.  Have fun," Olivia responded with a smirk.

            Olivia led Brian and Maggie, who'd woken up in the car, up the steps to her townhouse.  She opened the door and dropped the keys on the table as Brian and Maggie followed her in.

            "Your house is big," Maggie said in an awed whisper.

            Olivia smiled.  "Why don't we sit on the couch and talk for a little bit?"  She led them into the living room and Brian gaped at her entertainment center.

            "Wow, you have a big TV!  And a VCR!  And a DVD!  Wow!"

            Olivia laughed.  "Yep.  But I don't really have any movies for kids."  Brian and Maggie climbed up on the couch and Olivia sat in the chair across from them.  "I'm really happy that you guys are going to stay with me.  I want you to be happy here.  But there's one rule that's very important for you not to break."

            "We have to be quiet and leave you alone?" Brian asked.  "That's Mom's rule."

            Olivia's eyes softened.  "Oh no, not at all.  Because I'm a police officer, I have a gun.  And it's very important that, no matter what, you don't play with it.  Or touch it."

            "Why not?" Maggie asked, more curious than anything.

            "Because guns are dangerous and can hurt people and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

            "We won't touch it," Brian promised.

            Olivia grinned.  "Good.  Why don't we go upstairs and get your rooms set up?"

            "We get our own rooms?" Brian asked in surprise.

            "Sure."  Olivia had two guest rooms upstairs which weren't used for much except storage.  Both had beds and bedding, but that was pretty much all.  She hadn't known at the time why she'd bought the townhouse; it was really much bigger than she needed.  But now she was thankful she had the extra room.  Once they got upstairs, Olivia handed Jacob to Brian and grabbed two sets of sheets from the linen closet in addition to a plastic sheet.  She wasn't sure when or why she'd bought that, but thought it might be a good idea to use it on Maggie's bad.  She set about making the beds up, Brian getting the room furthest from hers since she figured it was more likely that Maggie would need her in the middle of the night.  She plugged nightlights into both bedrooms and the bathroom, showing the kids where both her room and the bathroom were before taking them downstairs to start dinner.

            In Queens, Elliot pulled up to the house he'd lived in for almost 20 years.  Though their divorce had been fairly amicable, he wasn't sure how willing Kathy would be to help out.  He rang the bell and waited.

            After a couple of minutes, Kathy opened the door, surprised obvious on her face.  "Elliot.  What are you doing here?  It's not your weekend with the kids until Friday and today's Tuesday."

            Elliot nodded.  He hated that he didn't get to see his kids every day.  "I know.  I actually came to borrow some things for a friend."

            Kathy's eyebrows drew together.  "What do you need?  For what friend?"

            "I need some of the kids' old baby things.  The portacrib, stroller, things like that."

            Now Kathy was really confused.  "Why do you need all of that?"

            Elliot sighed.  "Can I come in to talk about this?"

            Kathy stepped back, allowing Elliot to enter before she shut the door and crossed her arms over her chest.  "What's going on, Elliot?"

            "Okay, the baby things are for Olivia."

            Hurt flashed in Kathy's eyes.  "Knocked her up already, did you?  You always did work fast."

            "Not this again," Elliot snapped back.  "And, not that it's any of your business, but no, Olivia's not pregnant.  She became a foster mother today for three little kids, one of whom is only two months old."    

            Confusion darkened Kathy's face.  "How did that happen?"

            Elliot rolled his eyes and explained the condensed version of that day's events to his ex-wife.  By the time he finished, Kathy was staring at him in shock.

            "Oh my God," she whispered.  "She doesn't have anything for the kids?"

            Elliot arched an eyebrow.  "When you were single and childless, did you?"

            "The last time I was single and childless, I was 20 and in college, El."

            "I guess you were.  But can I please take some things?  I'll bring them back when we figure out how long they're staying with her.  I don't want her to buy everything just to lose the kids."

            Kathy nodded.  Despite her dislike for Olivia, she wasn't about to punish three children who had been through far too much already.  "It's all in the attic.  Let me know what you take."

            Elliot smiled.  He knew Kathy wasn't happy but he'd hoped that she would be able to look past Olivia to the children.  "Thanks."

            Elliot headed up to the attic and began making trips down to his car with baby supplies.  He found several things he hadn't thought of, but would probably be helpful to have.  After 45 minutes he had all of the big things loaded, taking up all of the trunk and back seat. 

            "Kathy?" he called from where he was standing in front of the linen closet.  "Where are the sheets for the portacrib?"

            Kathy walked up from the basement and into the attic.  She emerged with two sets of sheets and two blankets.  "I'll put these in the bag."  She started down the stairs, Elliot close behind her.

            "What bag?" he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.

            Kathy turned from the kitchen table with a large shopping bag in her hands.  "Clothes that our kids have outgrown.  They're all clean and in good condition.  Don't worry about getting these back to me.  If she doesn't keep them, they'll still need clothes.  I put in some books too."

            Elliot smiled warmly at his ex-wife as he took the bag and set it on the ground.  "Thanks, Kath," he said as he hugged her gently.

            "No problem.  Are…are you staying with her now?"
            Elliot shook his head.  "I'll help her get everything set up, then head back to my apartment."

            Kathy nodded.  "Maureen wanted to stay with you for half of her spring break, which is this week.  She was thinking she could go over on Thursday."

            "That's fine.  I'll call her tomorrow to set it up."  Elliot grabbed his coat and the bag of clothes.  "I'll pick Kathleen, Elizabeth, and Dickie up on Friday when I get off work."

            "Do you know what time?"

            "Liv's staying home this week to get everything settled with the kids, so unless we get a big case I should be here by 5:30.  I'll call though if I'll be late."

            Kathy nodded.  "Take care of yourself, Elliot."

            "You too," Elliot said as he climbed into the car, the bag of clothes on the seat next to him.  He made one more stop at Walgreens before arriving at Olivia's townhouse.  He grabbed the bags and pressed the buzzer.  Elliot heard the knob turn, then Olivia's voice call, "Ask who it is!"

            "Who is it?" Brian asked obediently.

            "Elliot."

            The door opened and Brian grinned at him.  "Hi."    

            "Hey, Brian.  Where's Olivia?"

            "Making dinner.  What's in the bag?"

            "Let me finish bringing everything in from the car and I'll show you," Elliot answered with a smile.

            Elliot dropped the bags on a chair as Brian went back to watching "Sponge Bob" with Maggie.

            "Elliot, I'm in here," Olivia called from the kitchen.

            When he walked into the kitchen, Elliot could hear Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" coming out of the small stereo she had in there.  One look at her and he had to laugh.  Olivia looked flustered, something he'd only seen on very rare occasions.  "You okay?" he asked teasingly.

            "This is a lot harder to do one-handed," Olivia answered, nodding at Jacob who she held in one arm.

            "If we can get everything out of my car, you'll have somewhere to put him."

            Olivia's eyebrows arched skeptically.  "She actually let you have it?"

            "I told you she would."

            "I didn't believe you though.  Kathy hates me, I have a hard time believing that she was willing to lend me anything."

            "I told her about the kids.  She even sent some clothes and books."

            Olivia smiled slightly.  "That was nice of her.  Let me turn this down and I'll give you a hand."

            "Smells good," Elliot said as they headed into the living room.  "What is it?"

            "Chicken parmesan.  If you're interested in staying, I made plenty."

            "I think I'll take you up on that offer.  Sounds better than the frozen dinner I was going to microwave."

            Olivia walked over to the couch and crouched down.  "Brian, I'm going to help Elliot bring some things in from his car.  Can you hold Jacob for me?"

            "Uh-huh."  Brian held out his arms and Olivia transferred the baby.

            "We'll be right outside if you need anything, okay?  Make sure that you don't touch the stove."

            "I know," Brian said.  "I'll make sure that Maggie doesn't either."

            When she saw how full Elliot's car was, Olivia's jaw dropped.  "Christ," she said softly.  "Thank you so much, El."

            "No problem.  Shall we get started?"

            "Sure.  Let's just put it in the living room, then sort it."

            "Sounds like a plan."

            Twenty minutes later, Olivia surveyed the pile of baby things in her living room in a state of semi-shock.  "Where should we start?" she asked, completely lost.

            "Where is Jacob sleeping?"

            "I was thinking in my room, that way when he wakes up he won't wake Maggie and Brian up too."

            "Good thinking.  So you'll need the portacrib, the changing pad…"

            "The what?" Olivia asked.

            "Changing pad.  It's…here."  Elliot held up a plastic covered pad.  "It's smaller than a changing table, but this way you don't risk getting your carpet or bedspread dirty."

            "Okay."

            "The Diaper Genie should go up there too.  It's a special garbage can for diapers, it keeps them from making the whole room smell."

            "Good thinking."

            "Here," Elliot grabbed the baby seat and set it on the ground, then placed a special head support in it.  "You can sit Jacob in here and carry him around the house.  This way you can use both of your hands.  The head support will keep his head from rolling to the side."

            Olivia took Jacob and laid him in the seat.  In response, Jacob let out a little baby snuffle and waved a hand.  "I think he likes it."

            "The stroller should stay down here.  I brought the double one so when Maggie gets tired of walking you don't have to carry her."

            "Should she go in the front or back?"

            "The front, that way Jacob can lie down and not disturb her.  The baby gym should stay down here too.  The high chair goes in the kitchen, the bathtub can go in the bathroom…"

            "What's this?" Olivia asked, holding up a pouch-looking thing.

            "You put it on, pouch in front, and Jacob can ride in that if you don't want to use the baby seat.  Should we start upstairs?"

            "I guess."

            Elliot grabbed the portacrib while Olivia took the Diaper Genie, bathtub and changing pad.  Elliot set up the crib and Olivia found the sheets.  After getting set up in her room, they started on the down stairs.  Olivia took care of setting everything else up while Elliot went out to her car and installed the car seat.  By the time he got back, Olivia had all of the kids upstairs and was going through Kathy's bag with them.  She'd made neat piles of clothes for each child and was explaining where they came from.  When Elliot stuck his head in Olivia's room, she looked up at him, appreciation written clearly on her face.

            "Please, tell Kathy how much we appreciate all of this."

            "I will," he said with a smile.  "What do you guys think of your new clothes?" he asked the kids.

            "They're great!" Brian exclaimed happily.  "Do you really have a son?"

            "I sure do.  Dickie's ten.  I also have three daughters.  Elizabeth is Dickie's twin, then Kathleen is 16 and Maureen is 19.  Maybe you'll get to meet them this weekend."

            "Really?" Brian asked hopefully.  Maybe now that he lived with Olivia, he could have friends.

            Olivia raised her eyebrows questioningly and Elliot shrugged.  After she hung up Maggie and Brian's clothes and put Jacob's in an empty drawer, they all trooped downstairs.  While Maggie and Brian went back to "Sponge Bob" Olivia carried Jacob in his seat into the kitchen, setting him on the table, far enough back so she wouldn't worry about him falling off the edge. 

            "What was that about them meeting your kids this weekend?" she asked as she began boiling water for pasta.

"It's my weekend with them," Elliot explained.  "And I thought that Brian might like a friend his own age to play with."
            "I don't want Kathy to get pissed at you for this."

"She won't.  What do you need help with?"

"Well, you could make the bread."

As they worked together in comfortable silence, letting Fleetwood Mac drown out the irritating laugh of Sponge Bob, Elliot couldn't help thinking that he could get used to this.  When Olivia called Brian and Maggie to dinner, she turned off the TV and looked at Elliot.  "I'm going to get real tired of that sponge aren't I?"

Elliot laughed as he helped Maggie wash her hands.  "Yeah.  He's a bit much to take if you're over…oh about 10 or so."

They ate dinner together, and then Elliot grabbed Toy Story, which he'd bought at Walgreens and put it in the VCR so he and Olivia could clean up. 

"So what else is in the Walgreens bag?" Olivia asked as she finished washing the dishes.

            "I picked up some Children's Motrin, in case one of them gets an earache or anything and we didn't have a baby monitor at the house.  There was a little…accident."

            Olivia raised her eyebrows.  "An accident?"

            "Yeah.  Dickie threw it down the toilet when he and Elizabeth were about 2."

            Olivia laughed.  "Great.  So now I have to worry about my things going down the toilet, too?"

            "Probably not for a few years.  Maggie's too old to throw things in the toilet and Jacob won't start until he's about 18 months.  Dickie liked the sound they made when they splashed down." 

            Olivia grinned and thought again what a wonderful father Elliot was.  Despite the frustration in his voice, there was also pride and amusement.  They finished up in the kitchen and joined the older kids in the living room.  When Olivia sat down, Maggie immediately crawled into her lap while Elliot fed Jacob.  The movie ended about 7:00 and Olivia stood, holding Maggie.  "Okay, let's see if we can get baths done and everyone in bed at a decent time.  I'll take Maggie upstairs first.  Brian, you can take a shower yourself, right?"  Brian nodded and Olivia started upstairs with Maggie in her arms. 

            She filled the tub with warm water, making sure it wasn't too warm for Maggie's skin, and then lowered Maggie into it.  Olivia washed her gently, being careful to avoid the bruises and cigarette burns, then leaned the little girl back and washed her hair.  She lifted Maggie out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel.  Olivia dressed Maggie in one of her, Olivia's, old t-shirts that covered all the way down to Maggie's toes.  Olivia finished drying Maggie's hair and sent her downstairs to send up Brian. 

            Brian showered by himself and Olivia let him wear another one of her old t-shirts.  Once he was clean, Olivia took Jacob upstairs and Elliot showed her how to give the baby a bath.  Elliot had told Olivia that Maggie should probably go to bed around 8:00, Brian around 8:30, and Jacob between 9:30 and 10:00, after his last bottle. 

            "Maggie, honey say good night to Elliot," Olivia instructed as she prepared to put Maggie down.

            "Night, Elliot," Maggie said with a wave.  She still didn't approach Elliot but she wouldn't shy away as much if he came near her.  Olivia led Maggie upstairs, Maggie still clutching the Cinderella doll that Olivia had bought her that morning.  Olivia read one story and was about to leave when Maggie grabbed her hand.

            "I love you, Livvy," Maggie said softly as she raised her arms for a hug.

            Olivia bent down and held Maggie tightly to her.  "I love you too, Maggie."  Olivia kissed her forehead, and then headed out of the room, being careful to leave the nightlight on and the door cracked.  She read a chapter of Harry Potter to Brian before tucking him in.  Finally, she was able to sit in the living room and really absorb what all had happened that day.  Elliot sat next to her, rubbing her back gently as Olivia buried her head in her hands. 

            "Big day," he said gently, hoping to draw her out of her shell.

            "No kidding," Olivia answered, her voice muffled by her hands.  "What am I doing, El?  What makes me think that I can be a mom to these kids?"

            "Looks to me like you're going a great job already," Elliot said softly.  "They trust you, that says a lot.  You know what Brian told me while you were tucking Maggie in?  He said that he was glad you found them because he knew that you'd take care of them."

            Olivia smiled slightly.  "Tomorrow I have to take them to the courthouse, get the paperwork to apply for permanent foster care.  Then I have to register Brian for school.  Do you want to meet for lunch?"

            Elliot smiled.  "Sure.  I'm going to head out, some of us don't have tomorrow off," he teased.

            "Trust me, I'll be doing plenty of work," Olivia returned.  She walked Elliot to the door.

            Elliot opened it and turned, stroking his knuckles gently down Olivia's cheek.  "Call me if you need anything, okay?  You'll do fine."

            Olivia grinned.  "Thanks."  She rose on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss over his cheek.  "Thank you for everything.  I couldn't have done it without you."

            "Anytime," Elliot answered softly.  As he walked down to his car, Elliot wondered when he'd begun to think of Olivia as something more than his partner and best friend, then grinned.  This could get interesting.

            Olivia closed the door and sighed.  She'd have to be careful.  She hadn't spent the last five years hiding her feelings from Elliot just to lose it now.  If he had any idea how she really felt…well she had no doubt he'd run for the hills as fast as he could.  Jacob let out a tiny whimper, alerting her that he needed attention.  She crossed back into the living room and lifted him from the baby seat cradled him in her arms.

            "What do you think, little man?  Do think you'll like living here?"  Jacob blew a spit bubble and Olivia laughed.  "I'll take that as a yes."

            The next day, Olivia was woken up at 6:00 by Maggie staring at her intently.  By 9:30, Olivia had managed to get all three kids dressed and fed, herself showered and dressed, and had even managed a cup of coffee.  She walked with them down to the courthouse, Jacob and Maggie in the stroller, and then headed towards Brian's new school.  It was only three blocks from the station house, which Olivia was happy about.  She registered Brian for school, then took all three kids to the daycare down the block and registered Brian for before and after school care and Maggie and Jacob for all day.  By the time she finished that Olivia was exhausted.  They met Elliot for lunch at McDonald's.  When they had finished eating, Brian and Maggie ran off to play on the PlayPlace while Olivia fed Jacob and finally got the chance to talk to Elliot in private.

            "Have you had any luck tracking down Regan?" she asked softly, not wanting Brian or Maggie to overhear.

            Elliot shook his head.  "I spent all morning with Little Briscoe, talking to other working girls in the area.  They all knew Regan and the kids, said that Regan had no family and they hadn't seen her in a couple days."

            Olivia sighed.  "I don't know if I want to find her or not.  She could lead us to Zapata, and then…you know." 

            Elliot nodded, knowing what Olivia hadn't said.  Then Alex could come home.  "Even if we do find her, she wouldn't take the kids from you," Elliot pointed out.  "Fin pulled the kids' birth certificates this morning.  All of them have the father listed as unknown.  Did you get them registered for school and daycare?"

            "Yeah.  I'm thinking that after this, Jacob and Maggie need naps.  Brian can take quiet time."

            Elliot nodded.  "Good plan.  I'll give you a call if we find anything."

            "Thanks.  It's weird, you know?  How quickly you can start thinking like a parent."

            "No kidding.  Maureen's visiting me tonight, for the rest of her break."

            "That'll be nice.  How's she liking NYU?" Olivia shifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp him while she asked.

            "She loves it.  I can't believe I have a daughter who's a sophomore in college."

            "And I have a 2-month-old," Olivia said with a laugh.  "You're getting old."

            Elliot threw a french fry at her.  A few minutes later Olivia gathered the kids and took them home while Elliot headed back to work.  They had a few leads the rest of the day, but nothing substantial. 

            That night, Olivia crashed into bed not long after Jacob.  Taking care of three kids by yourself was a lot of work.  She was asleep the second her head hit the pillow, only to be woken up what seemed like moments later by the shrill ringing of her phone.  "Benson," she muttered groggily.

            "Olivia, it's Elliot."

            Olivia sat straight up in bed and glanced at the clock.  3:45.  Crap.  "Elliot, what's wrong?"

            "John just called me.  They found a body they think is Regan's.  The fingerprints match those in her file.  But we need…"

            "You need Brian or Maggie to come I.D. the body."

            "Yeah," Elliot said softly.  "I'm sorry, Liv, if there was another way…"

            "I know.  I don't want to wake all of the kids up though, and I can't leave them here alone."

            Elliot nodded on his end.  "Why don't I bring Maureen by, she can stay at your place until we get back?"

            "Okay.  Thanks.  She can sleep in my bed, just as long as there's an adult here if Maggie wakes up."

            "Okay, I'll see you in fifteen."

            Olivia hung up the phone and got dressed as quickly as she could, clipping her badge onto her shirt and tucking her gun and handcuffs into her belt.  She tiptoed into Brian's room and rubbed his back gently.  "Brian, honey you need to wake up."

            Brian moaned and rolled over, opening his eyes and squinting at her.  "What's wrong?" he asked, voice thick with sleep.

            "Elliot just called.  Brian, do you know what happens when someone dies?"

            Brian nodded.  "Yeah."

            "I'm so sorry, baby.  But Elliot said that your mom died."

            Brian nodded slowly but didn't cry.  "Is that why she didn't come get us?" he asked softly.

            "They think so," Olivia said, gathering him into her arms.  "Now I'm going to have to ask you to do something very hard.  Elliot's going to come pick us up and take us to the hospital.  We're going to go into a room and there's going to be a woman lying on a metal table.  She's going to be very pale and look like she's sleeping.  You need to tell us if it's your mom, okay?"

            Brian swallowed and nodded.  "Okay.  Are Maggie and Jacob coming?"

            Olivia shook her head.  "Elliot's daughter Maureen is going to stay here until we get back."

            Brian nodded.  "Okay."

            "Why don't you get dressed and I'll wait downstairs?" Olivia suggested gently.  She left Brian to do that and heard Jacob beginning to cry.  She went back to her own room and lifted Jacob, carrying him into the kitchen to make his middle-of-the-night bottle.  As she waited for Elliot to arrive, she sat on the couch feeding Jacob.  The baby latched on to the bottle and sucked hungrily.  "You certainly have quite an appetite, Mr. Jacob," Olivia whispered. 

            Brian walked down the stairs and crawled up on the couch next to Olivia, cuddling close.  Without a second though, she slid an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to her side. 

            "Olivia?  Is it okay to be sad that my mom died, even if she was mean and hurt us?"

            "Oh honey.  Of course it is.  She was your mom, no matter how much she hurt you, part of you still loved her.  There's nothing wrong with being sad."

            Before she could say anything else, Elliot knocked on the door.  Olivia kissed the top of Brian's head before she rose to let him in.  Elliot was accompanied by a very sleepy Maureen.         

            "Thanks for coming, Maureen," Olivia said as she let them in.  "Jacob here is just finishing up so he should be fine.  Maggie is three and she's pretty shy, so don't be upset if she's afraid of you.  Your dad and I should be back in an hour or two, so Maggie shouldn't wake up either."  Olivia led Maureen upstairs.  "You can crash in my room, that way if Jacob does wake up, you'll hear him."

            "Thanks," Maureen murmured.

            Olivia shifted Jacob to her shoulder to burp and patted his back until he did.  "That's my boy," she said with a smile, laying the now sleeping baby back in the portacrib.  "If you have any problems, I have my cell phone and so does your dad."

            Maureen laughed slightly.  "We'll be fine, Olivia."

            "Okay, I'll see you in an hour or so." 

            On the way to the hospital, Olivia sat in the back seat with Brian.  They arrived at the hospital and as they were walking down the hall, Elliot and Olivia spoke softly, hoping that Brian couldn't hear them.

            "What happened?" Olivia whispered.

            "Drunk found her in an alley.  She was raped, shot in the chest four times.  She's been dead for about three days."

            Olivia sighed.  As they approached the morgue, Brian reached up and held Olivia's hand.  Olivia crouched down at the door.  "Do you want me to go in with you?"

            Brian nodded and Olivia led him into the morgue.  The ME raised her eyebrows at Olivia, obviously surprised to see a child there to identify a body.  The sheet was pulled back and Brian stared at the body for several seconds before nodding.  "Yes.  That's my mom," he whispered.