"Do you really think that this is the best idea right now, Liv?" Barba helped the sergeant and mom down the hallway of the courthouse.

"How many times are all of you going to ask me that same question?" Olivia huffed at the district attorney. "I know that you all think it's a crazy decision, but I am doing what I can because I can."

Olivia had only been home from the hospital for a week, but she had insisted that she see Judge Linden as soon as she possibly could. The only thing on her mind since she had gotten home was her sweet little boy and the poor baby girl who had been left in an ACS home, all alone. Olivia had always had an affinity for children and knowing that not only did Noah spend time with the baby, but also that he was her brother made it mean even more. That was Noah's only biological family that he would probably ever know; she wanted him to have that.

Rafael sighed. He knew there was no arguing with Liv when she had her mind set on something and when she was always doing what she could to help others it didn't make it any easier.

"Look Liv… I don't want to question your decisions. You are an incredible mother to Noah and any child would be lucky to have you, but you've been through so much recently and we are all worried about you taking on too much."

Olivia knew that her team and, especially, Rafael, were only trying to look out for her, but there was just something about that little girl that had a feeling settled in her gut, a feeling that she just could not shake.

"Thanks for coming with me, though." Olivia told him.

When Liv has started the process with Noah, Trevor Langan had been there to help with some of the legal aspects of becoming his guardian because he had ties to Ellie Porter. So when the sergeant had realized that she was going to need the same support this time around, if everything worked as hoped, she turned to the one attorney she knew could and would help her. Rafael had been quick to say yes, as the DA himself had felt a little something with the baby girl the day he had met her in the hospital.

They promptly made their way to the end of the hallway and approached the closed door of Judge Linden's office.

"You know I wouldn't have let you do this alone." Barba smirked.

Liv wrapped gently on the door; they heard shuffling inside of the room and then the door opened to reveal a robed Judge Linden who looked as if she had been waiting for the sergeant and attorney to show up.

"Please come in." The judge stepped aside as she pulled the door completely open. With help from Barba, Olivia sat down in one of the chairs strategically placed in front of the judge's desk; Rafael sat down in the other chair.

Judge Linden moved to the opposite side of the desk and took a seat in her plush chair. Her eyes scanned both the man and woman; she was trying to assess their reasoning for needing to see her on such short notice. It was a phone call she hadn't been expecting. Her involvement with Olivia and Noah had ended as soon as Olivia was named Noah's mother, or so she had thought.

"Well Sergeant, Counselor, what can I do for the two of you?" Linden settled into her chair, looking quite comfortable in the overstuffed piece of furniture.

"You had a baby, Raegan Hayes, who you just placed in an ACS facility."

Linden nodded at Liv's statement. "Yes, that was just last week. What is SVU's interest in her?"

"Well…" Olivia hesitated for a moment. "It's not an interest from special victims. It's more of a personal interest."

"Ahh… I see." Judge Linden realized. "So what is this personal interest?"

Liv sighed. She came to the realization in that moment that she was basically asking the judge to have a baby. "When the team found the baby, she was with Noah."

"Yes, I heard about the case. I'm very sorry about what happened to you and Noah, but none of that was your fault. Nothing that happened effects the adoption."

"Oh… That's not what I was worried about. I mean I'm glad that no one is questioning Noah's placement." Olivia explained. "It's just that when our team was trying to locate a place for the baby when they first found her, we ran her DNA through the system."

"Yes, I knew that, but I there were no matches. That's why I got her case…" Linden said.

"Well there were no matches for people who could possibly become her legal guardian. There was a match to someone else."

"So who was this important match?" The judge asked.

"It's Noah. The baby is his sister, or at least his half sister." Olivia still was shocked by the words, even though they had left her mouth multiple times now.

Judge Linden took a moment before she answered. It didn't take a genius to see what the Sergeant turned mom was wanting with the baby. "I see. So am I thinking that you want something to do with this baby?"

"I guess it's that obvious isn't it?" Liv chuckled nervously at her behavior.

"Look, Olivia, I have no problem with you as a mother. As far as I am concerned you are one of my best foster parents and I am thrilled that your adoption of Noah was able to happen. But I also know that taking on Noah was hard enough with all that your job requires of you. To add another child, would be to add a lot extra responsibility at home. Is this something you really want to add on top of everything else?" Judge Linden brought up the exact same thoughts that the team and Barba had already brought up.

"Okay, here's the thing: I understand where all of you are coming from." Liv felt her emotions rising. "I get that all of this seems like a lot to add to my plate. And I understand that I will always have more than enough going on at work. But this baby needs a family. Noah is her only family as of right now. She has the right to know her brother and Noah has the right to know his sister. All I want is for some normalcy in both of their lives, for them to get to grow up together with the best opportunities they can. And maybe I don't have the best career to raise two children, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to try. I want to try; I want to help this baby."

The judge let out an extended sigh, before answering. "Alright, it's obvious that you heart is in this."

"It is. I promise you I want to make this work as best I can." Liv said.

"Well… Let me see what I can do about it." Judge Linden said. "I can't imagine there will be much of an issue seeing as you have already been through the process with Noah."

"Thank you." Olivia said in the most sincere way possible.

Rafael spoke up for the first time since they had arrived in the office. "Any of the legal aspects regarding Olivia or Reagan, I will be more than happy to handle all of them."

"Thank you, counselor. I will send anything if those matters to you directly." Judge Linden gave a small smile to the attorney.

Moments later Rafael and Olivia were walking out of the judge's office, both of them content with how the meeting had gone. Although, they hadn't been on quite the same page when they had entered the meeting, they were leaving with the same mindset.

"Really, though, thank you for being here. Your help means a lot." Olivia knew that Barba was reliable, but that had only been strengthened since he agreed to take on any legal issues with the baby.

Rafael gently helped her down the hallway, giving her his physical support. "Liv, we are all here for you. If you want to help this baby, then we want to help you."

The pair finished their excursion through the courthouse, making it back to Rafael's compact Lexus. They got in on their respective sides, but Barba made no move to start the car and Olivia simply watched as he sat in the driver's seat.

"Want to tell me what you are thinking so hard about?" Liv pressed the district attorney.

He let out one of his signature sighs; the one he would usually let out when he didn't want to share bad news about a case. "I just… When you were in the hospital and then Raegan was in the hospital… I guess I just sort of realized that besides my mother, I really have nobody else in my life. I mean nobody else that is really important to me."

The sensitive side of Rafael Barba was not one that Liv, or anyone else for that matter, saw very often, if at all. He was stoic, he was no emotions, he was very similar to Olivia in that way. She had always assumed that's why they got along so well, they understood each other and they respected each other.

"Rafael, you know that you're just as much a part of my team as anyone. But I get it; until Noah I felt the same way."

Barba made eye contact with Liv and then quickly looked away. "You know what, never mind. You don't want to listen to my problems. Let's just get you back home."

Just as he turned the key in the ignition, revving the engine of the car, he felt her touch, a gentle hand on his leg. "Rafael, if you ever want to talk, though, just know that I am willing to listen."

Rafael, with a small, appreciative smile crossing his face, nodded in response before he pulled out of his parking spot and headed in the direction of Olivia's apartment.

* There we go! Reviews as always, please. *