DR. LINDSTROM'S OFFICE. THE FOLLOWING MORNING.

"...and now? How do you feel?" Dr. Lindstrom asked.

"Liberated."

"Liberated?" He was surprised to hear her use that word. "I take it you don't mean in the physical sense."

"No." she paused to clear her throat. "He had total control of my body for four days. He burned me when he wanted, beat me when he wanted...raped me when he wanted" she swallowed a lump in her throat. "starved me, cut me, drugged me - even broke my bones because it was what he wanted to do and he was the one in control and he never let me forget. And then when I finally got away from him, he was in my head. For months, him and all the sick things he'd done to me were all I could think about day and night. But I got past it."

"Because of your husband?" This made Olivia smile.

"Yeah." She said, running her finger over her rings. "he loved me through it. I was able to put it all behind me...until we got the news."

"...the trial date.

"knowing that I would have to face him again, those thoughts came back and I felt like I was there again. It consumed me! Then suddenly...he's dead!" she said, a huge smile on her face. "and I don't know, maybe it's wrong of me to be so completely...grateful that someone's life was taken but he was an evil, sick son of a bitch and not just for what he'd done to me. There were so many victims who never got their justice but I lived. And he can never get to me again. I feel like his death is vindication for all of us. I feel like it's my place to be happy for every one of them because they can't."

"And are you...happy?" She smiled again and looked him straight in the eye.

"The only thing that would have made me happier is if I'd done it myself!"

SQUAD ROOM AT THE 31st EARLY AFTERNOON

Just after 1pm, Olivia entered Brian's squad room and was instantly greeted by everyone there as she walked through. She was undoubtedly one of the most loved and respected cops in the NYPD. By the time she'd reached Brian's desk, she'd been rubbed and/or congratulated at least fifteen times.

"This is a nice surprise." He said and immediately got up so that she could sit. "easy" he said as he helped her into the chair.

"Brian, I won't break" she laughed, though secretly, she loved the way he fussed over her.

"What are you doin out in this heat?" he said before kissing her.

"After I left Dr. Lindstrom's, I thought I'd bring you lunch." She said and handed him the bag she was carrying.

"Ahh, thanks babe, I'm starving!" he said and put the bag down on his desk. "How'd your session go?"

"Pretty good. You should eat before it gets cold." He understood that in Olivia-speak, that meant, change the subject."

"You gonna stay and eat with me?"

"No, actually the cab is outside and the meter is running and I really need to get home because I'm exhausted!" she said as she struggled to get out of his chair. He quickly helped her to her feet. "Thanks babe."

'Come on, I'll walk you out."

...

They walked out of the precinct and to the waiting taxi, once there, Brian opened the door for her.

"I'll call you when I'm home."

"Please." He leaned in and kissed her passionately before helping her into the car and securing her seatbelt, kissing her again while he held her belly. "I'll see you tonight."

"Okay." She framed his face with her hands and kissed him again.

"I love you." He said, lingering for a moment.

"I know." she smiled.

"I gotta go. Captain's gonna have my ass if I don't get these fives in!" he kissed her again before shutting the car door. He went to the front window and leaned in, opening his wallet and removing a few bills.

"Hey, pal, make sure to help her out of the car!" he said before giving him the money and stepping back as the cab drove off.

He couldn't believe that this was the same Olivia who, up until last night, was a complete nervous wreck! The change in her was incredible! When he'd gotten home late last night, she was sound asleep, and slept through the night - something she hadn't done since she'd been notified of the trial date, and when he woke up this morning, she'd fucked him so good, HE almost woke the neighbors! Her nerves had been so bad, it had been over a month since they'd had sex before that! He had no idea where she'd gotten the energy to do the things she did, but he didn't complain and walked into work this morning with a HUGE smile on his face! Now, walking back into the precinct, he wondered if, no; more like hoped with all his might that she would be able to summon more of that energy when he got home tonight!

SQUAD ROOM 16th. THE FOLLOWING WEEK.

"...just send over the paperwork and I'll take a look at it and get back to you. Yes, soon. Okay." Olivia hung up the phone and got up from her desk to walk across the room to the file cabinet. She had just pulled open the top drawer when Nick hurried over, having just gotten in.

"Okay, you really need to talk to Rollins!" he said in a hurried whisper while suspiciously scanning the room to make sure no one was listening.

"Hello to you too." Olivia said, grinning.

"Sorry. Hey, Liv. Hi baby!" he quickly rubbed her belly while smiling. "you really need to talk to Rollins!" he restated, the smile gone from his face.

"Okay, why do I need to talk to Rollins?" she was obviously amused.

"Because you were the one who set all of this in motion."

"Me? All I did was talk to you on her behalf..."

One of the other detectives made their way over to the file cabinet next to where Olivia was standing. She and Nick smiled at him as he went about his business. Nick quickly switched to speaking Spanish.

"Felicite a su vez en cuando... ¿Te suena familiar? He sido, y ahora ella está fuera de control!

"En serio, no puede ser tan malo." They smiled again as the Detective walked away and they went back to speaking English.

"It is that bad! She's been asking me out for weeks and I've been making excuses. Up until now, they've worked pretty good..."

"So what's the problem?" she found the file she was looking for and shut the drawer before waddling back to her desk with Nick behind her.

"The problem, partner, is that yesterday she caught me off guard and I couldn't come up with anything so I agreed to a movie." He said as he held her chair steady so that she could sit. Then perched himself on the edge of her desk

"Still not seeing a problem."

"You didn't let me finish... I felt violated! I should have been suspicious when she picked a horror film, but noooo. The first guy takes an axe to the brain and she practically jumps into my lap! I shoulda called bullshit right there. In our line of work, we see worse than that on good days!"

"Don't remind me."

"So, I let that one slide; big mistake because then, she lays her head on my shoulder and before I know it, her hand is on my chest and then I feel the other one creeping up the back of my neck and running through my hair!"

She pursed her lips, trying to contain the laughter that was trying to get out.

"I move her hands and we're good for a few minutes until she offers me candy."

"I don't see why that's a problem."

"You didn't let me finish."

"Carry on."

"I tell her I don't eat sweets, she knows this but, she still acts surprised. Oh, is that how you stay in such great shape? And then her hand is on my stomach feeling my abs! They're so hard! I bet you're good at gettin' things hard...and even better at gettin' em wet!" he said, imitating her southern drawl. Olivia couldn't take it and clamped a hand over her mouth while her body shook with laughter.

"Oh, I'm glad you think this is funny!"

"I don't. It's just...okay it is pretty funny, I mean, come on..." she laughed, unable to keep it in, but quickly composed herself. "I'm sorry. You're right." She cleared her throat "I will talk to Rollins, though I have no idea what I'm supposed to say... in the meantime, Rachel Mendez is awake and she's ready to give a statement. Her doctor says we can see her in an hour."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...we? You shouldn't be out in the field this far along in your pregnancy, even if it is just to talk to a victim and even if it is alright with Cragen." But knowing Olivia, she probably talked him into it. Nick knew better than anyone that she's been bored as hell being on administrative duty these last couple months.

"Before you start, knock it off. That is, unless you'd rather I send Rollins along with you."

"NO!" he put his hands up in surrender. "that's...we're good."

"Great, let's say 30 minutes and we roll?"

"Yep!" he turned to walk away, she went back to the file in front of her. after a couple steps, he stopped and turned, making his way back over to her.

"Hey Liv, just out of curiosity, you're goin on maternity leave soon."

"3 weeks."

"While you're gone, I won't be getting a temporary partner or anything, will I?"

"Maybe. Or, you and Fin will probably share Rollins. Dad's call."

"Hey Captain!" Nick called as he sped to his office. Olivia shook her head and went back to her paperwork.

MIDTOWN, MIDDAY.

"We're gonna end up calling this kid "hey you!""

"We'll come up with something."

"Liv, he or she is gonna be here in 5 weeks and we still don't have names picked out."

"Well, we would - at least for a boy if you weren't so stubborn!" the heat had finally broken and they were enjoying a nice lunch at a sidewalk café.

"We are not naming him after me, come on Liv, I thought we agreed..."

No, you agreed. I maintained that if it's a boy, I want him named after his father!"

"Why?"

"Why not?" He watched in disgust as she poured caramel sauce all over a plate of Fettuccini Alfredo and dug in.

"Why not? Because he's his own person, he should have his own name." she stared blankly at him for a long moment while she chewed. When she swallowed, she picked up her drink and sipped through the straw while continuing to stare at him.

"You know what? Fine, If it's a boy, we name him Brian." She smiled, feeling pleased with herself.

"...and if it's a girl, we'll name her Olivia."

"Like hell we will!"

"See my point?"

"No. Only self-centered women make their daughters juniors. But, naming a boy after his father is traditional."

"And since when have we ever done traditional?"

"You're determined to fight me on this, aren't you?"

"All the way to the delivery room!" he vowed.

"I don't even wanna think about those two words!"

"I know you're nervous"

"I'm terrified!"

"I'll be right there holding your hand."

"My hand is not the part of me I'm worried about..." she said while reaching over to his plate and stabbing one of his meatballs with her fork.

"No matter what, I'll still love it!"

She smirked, rolling her eyes, reaching again for the caramel sauce. He felt his stomach turn as she prepared to pour it on the already marinara sauce-covered meatball that sat atop her fork.

"Oh, Liv, come on, don't..." she poured it on and bit into it like it was heaven. "okay..." he pushed his plate away, suddenly losing his appetite.

"Hey, you knocked me up, deal with it!" she grinned and continued eating. He couldn't help but smile and he sat there watching her for a moment.

"What?" she asked when she noticed him staring at her.

"You're beautiful." He smiled. She blushed.

"I'm a swollen mess!"

"You're a beautiful swollen mess! He said, entwining his fingers with hers atop the table. They simply sat there looking at one another adoringly. They hadn't even noticed their waitress standing at their table.

"Can I get you guys anything else?" she asked, cheerily.

"No, just the check." Olivia answered, smiling at her husband and never taking her eyes from his.

"Thank you." Brian added ...never turning his attention from his beautiful wife.

"Right away." The young waitress smiled at how in love they seemed as she hurried off to get their check.

THREE WEEKS LATER BENSIDY APARTMENT.

Everything had been going great in the weeks that followed. Living life free of the shadow of Lewis was the best thing that Olivia could have ever hoped for! Two weeks ago, Casey and Alex had flown into town to surprise her with a beautiful baby shower. Unfortunately, Alex was called away the night before on business and had to miss the party she'd spent weeks planning but it was still an amazing event.

Then out of nowhere, Olivia began having strange dreams; well, one dream. Several times over the last two weeks she would dream that she was surrounded by darkness and she could hear Brian calling her name but she couldn't find him and she would run through the darkness looking for him, calling out to him. She could feel her heart pounding. Suddenly, Brian would appear in front of her and she would relax. He would smile, and caress her belly before backing away. "Babe, where are you going?" she would ask as he continued to fade into the darkness without saying a word. "Brian, don't go! Please don't go!" but he would turn his back and walk away; that was where she would always wake up, calling out his name. She was sure that it was nothing more than anxiety with the baby's due date inching closer. And though she did mention the dreams to Dr. Lindstrom, she never brought them up to Brian, especially since she never had them when he was lying beside her so to avoid them, she would try to put off going to bed until he came home. Not an easy feat with being so far along in her pregnancy, she was so tired all the time!

This night in particular, she sat up in bed watching a Repo Games marathon while eating ice cream. Brian had called hours ago to tell her that he would be very late and that she shouldn't wait up, but she'd had the dream again when she'd dozed off earlier and now she couldn't rest until he was safe at home. Two hours, a pint of Ben and Jerry's and three trips to the bathroom later, she was bored. She turned the TV off and looked at her phone, 1:17am. Should I call him? She decided to give it ten minutes. If she didn't hear from him in ten minutes, she would call him. She sat her phone back on the nightstand and picked up the baby names book, opening where she'd left off. Within seconds, she heard the door unlock and the sound of his footsteps began to fill the apartment. She exhaled, thankful that she could stop worrying at least for tonight.

"You're home!" she exclaimed, smiling as he entered the bedroom.

"Hey babe!" he greeted as he walked over to the bed and kissed the top of her head. "It's late, what are you doing still up?"

"Couldn't sleep, I was worried about you." She kissed his hand and he smiled.

"Feel better now?" he asked as he tenderly rubbed her belly.

"Lots."

"Good." He kissed her sweetly on the lips then kissed her belly before he walked to the other side of the room and began undressing. "The name book, huh? Where were we again?" he asked while pulling his shirt off over his head.

"R's" she reminded him. When he was down to nothing but his boxers, he climbed into bed with her and they proceeded to toss names back and forth for about fifteen minutes, not managing to agree on anything. He closed the book and put it on his nightstand before turning off the lamp. When they were both lying down, she snuggled against him, her head on his shoulder while he lovingly rubbed her belly.

"...two more weeks." She sighed. "...you ready?"

"Honestly? I am."

"I'm not"

"You'll do great. I can't wait to hold this little guy."

"Or girl!"

"O girl." He agreed. She smiled and looked up at him and they kissed, sweetly at first, then passionately, for a long moment. "That was nice!" She smiled, tracing circles on his chest with her finger.

"...you uh, you think maybe we could...?"

"You want to?"

"You tell me." he said, looking at her seductively. She slipped her hand beneath the covers to find him rock-hard and smiled. He leaned in to her again, his fingers in her hair as they kissed.

He took it slow, being as gentle as possible when he entered her, being careful to pleasure her without causing her pain but still, she winced when she felt him pushing into her, biting her lip to keep from crying out. He slowly began thrusting and it was already too much, every part of her was either swollen, or sore, or both, which was why they hadn't in the last three weeks, it was just too uncomfortable for her. Her face contorted and she tried to steady her breathing but after the third stroke, she was done.

"Bri, stop, please!" He stopped immediately, pulling out as he did.

"Babe, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean..."

"No, I thought I could... I want to, I just can't. I'm sorry." She was crying again, and she wanted to stab her hormones, this had to stop!

"Babe, it's ok, don't cry." He assured her as he wrapped her in his arms. "your body's working extra hard right now. It's ok if it doesn't want to be bothered."

"You're not a bother."

"No, but apparently, little Brian is." She laughed.

"There is NOTHING little about little Brian." She said as she snuggled her back against him. "I'm sorry I got you all worked up."

"Don't worry about it. I'm thinking of Cragen in a thong right now, that should kill the urge!"

"Thank you so much for that visual!"

They drifted off to sleep while he held her in his arms. She had been sleeping for a couple of hours when she began to stir. After a few seconds she jolted awake in a cold sweat.

"NO!" she cried, breathing hard.

"Liv?" Brian called to her as he sat up, "you ok? Is it the baby?"

"No." She answered as she ran a hand through her hair. "I had a bad dream."

"...you wanna talk about it?" she shook her head, taking deep breaths while he rubbed her back.

"let's just go back to sleep."

"You're shaking."

"I'm fine." He looked at her for a moment, unsure if he believed her but decided that it would be better to drop it for now. He didn't want to upset her so instead, he kissed her temple.

"It was just a dream. You're safe. Okay?"

"Okay." She nodded and settled beneath the covers, lying on her side, her back turned to him. He curved his body against hers, putting his arm around her. She knew that she was being silly for letting a dream upset her like this but it all felt so real! Not only had it happened while he slept beside her, but this time the dream itself had changed. She didn't hear him call to her in the darkness. She didn't see him appear and then vanish, leaving her frantic. No, this time, it truly was a nightmare. It was bright and sunny and then everything went red as Brian's blood poured from his body and he fell at her feet... a single bullet having ended his life! She pulled his arm tighter around her. "I love you!" she said, tears filling her eyes. She was thankful that he couldn't see them.

"Me too babe!" he kissed her again and she turned, positioning herself on her back and pulled him in for another kiss, but this kiss was urgent. It was desperate and pleading. She needed to feel him, needed to have him close and to get that terrible image from her head. Right now, her need to connect with her husband far outweighed her discomfort. Without a word, he understood and gave her the consolation she sought. Her eyes told him what she needed, her movements told him how much he should give and their lovemaking was as urgent, desperate and pleading as her kiss had been. It didn't take long for the pain she felt to give way to pleasure and she climaxed hard, twice before he followed. Afterwards, she was exhausted and finally closed her eyes.

MORNING

Brian quickly stopped the alarm before it could wake Olivia. She had had a rough night and had only gone to sleep an hour ago after they'd made love again; He didn't sleep at all, but he didn't mind as long as he could help her feel at ease. He bit his lip thinking about how hot their lovemaking had been and he smiled. He looked over at her lying there beside him. She was so beautiful when she slept, he still couldn't believe that she was finally his wife. How did I ever get so lucky? He wondered to himself. He let his eyes drink in her pregnant, naked body, completely amazed that together, they'd created a life. He could never stop being amazed, especially when that little life did things like what he was seeing.

Her belly swayed before he saw the form of their child began to move beneath her skin. He looked on in utter astonishment. He'd seen it many times before but it never ceased to amaze him. He then saw something that completely took his breath away! It was the outline of a tiny foot pushing against the tight skin of Olivia's belly. Olivia told him about this happening several times over the past month and how unbelievable it was every time, but he had never been witness to it himself. He smiled as he touched the little foot with his finger, right before it disappeared and was quickly replaced with a tiny fist print that appeared at the opposite end. He hadn't even noticed that he was crying until he felt the tears on his chin.

"Alright little man" he whispered to her belly as he caressed the little fist with his thumb. "That's an awesome good-morning stretch you got there, but daddy needs for you to let mommy sleep a little while longer. Think you can do that?" he looked on in amazement when, after a couple seconds, the tiny hand retreated and her belly remained still.

"Yeah, you're daddy's lil dude... don't tell your mom I said that!" he laughed before placing a gentle kiss to Olivia's belly then covering her with the blanket and easing out of bed to take a shower.

By the time he was showered, dressed and on his way out the door. Olivia was still sleeping. He walked into the bedroom and looked down at her. She was so beautiful and he was so tempted to wake her but he resisted, knowing how tired she'd been lately as her due date drew closer. He turned and quickly scribbled out a message on the notepad she kept on the nightstand and propped it up against the lamp so she'd be sure to see it. When he was done, he looked down at her again and smiled, moving a lock of hair from her face before leaning in and brushing his lips against hers in a soft, sweet kiss. "I love you, beautiful!" he whispered. She stirred in her sleep and shifted, turning onto her side. He couldn't help but smile as he left their bedroom, stopping in the doorway to look back at her before heading to work.

It was just after 10am when Olivia woke up to what felt like the baby doing somersaults in her womb. She groaned a sigh, her eyes still closed as she rubbed the underside of her belly. She took a breath before turning onto her back and slowly dragging herself up to a semi-sitting position, an action that quickly tired her. As much as she loved being pregnant, she would never be used to feeling so cumbersome in her own body. These last couple of months had been a challenge for her. And now, at the end of her pregnancy, she felt as if she were literally getting bigger every day.

"What's got you so worked up this morning, little bug?

The notepad on the nightstand caught her attention and she reached over to pick it up, reading the note Brian had scrawled on it.

What about 'Aidan'?

She smiled, shaking her head as she sat the notepad back in its place. He was so sure that they were having a boy. She thought back to the day he'd come home with a baby-sized Jets jersey...

"A football jersey?" she asked, holding it up.

"The season's gonna be starting soon, gotta get him ready."

"and if he's a she?"

"Still gonna bleed green!" she smiled and threw the tiny jersey at him.

"Uh, you mean blue, this kid's gonna be a Giants fan!"

"Wow! You're pretty good at that."

"What?"

"Dreaming!" she laughed as he laid his head down on her belly. "Your mom's delusional!" he said in a mock whisper to the baby, before sitting up. "but seriously, boy or girl...or boy, this kid is gonna have more love than he knows what to do with!

"Or she."

"Or she." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

"Hey." She poked the top of her belly. "you hungry?" she smiled when the baby kicked. "I'll take that as a yes." She laughed before moving her legs over the side of the bed and sighing, knowing what a struggle it would be to get up.

"This is a lot easier when Daddy's here!" she grabbed the headboard with one hand and leaned on the nightstand with the other to pull herself up into a standing position. She put a hand to her sore back and stretched before waddling to the bathroom.