1. Chapter 1

The soft ding of the elevator told Olivia she had finally reached the tenth floor where her apartment was. She stepped off the elevator and breathed a sigh of relief to finally be home. She had spent the day exploring the city with her foster son, Noah. She had taken him to central park, letting him go on a merry-go-round, the ride making her dizzy. She had had Noah for close to a year now and the date for her to finally be able to adopt him was fast approaching. Olivia couldn't believe how absolutely astonishing it was to watch a child grow and she couldn't wait for the day when she would finally be considered him mom.

By the time Olivia reached her apartment, her feet hurt and her shoulders ached from carrying the diaper bag all day. With all the stuff she had bought Noah there was no room left in the stroller for anything else, leaving her to carry the bags that wouldn't fit… She had never realized how much stuff kids need.

She tried pushing the stroller through the front door of her apartment, the front wheel on the right side catching on the frame. Cursing softly she pulled the stroller back, re-adjusting so the stroller could glide through smoothly.

"Here we are Noah. Home sweet home." She said allowing the bag to fall off her shoulder.

Moving to the front of the stroller Olivia bent down to Noah. "Did you have fun today?" she smiled when Noah's response was to reach out and grab her face. Unbuckling him she took him out and brought him to the living room. She set him down gently on the carpet and dragged one of his toys over, it rattling with lights flashing and a song playing along the way. Once Noah was busy playing with it she plopped down on the couch and closed her eyes, happy she was finally able to relax.

Her moment of peace was short lived and rudely interrupted by a knock on the door. Groaning, she slowly slipped off the couch and made her way to the door. Peeking through the hole she was unsurprised to see Lieutenant Declan Murphy standing there, she smiled slightly as she watched him shift back and forth, waiting for her to answer the door. Over the last few months her and Declan had spent a lot of time together and have become close friends. Declan was one of the first people to congratulate her on becoming a mom, even brought Noah his very first toy. A stuffed teddy bear wearing a NYPD t-shirt that Noah has since become incredibly attached to, unable to sleep without it by his side.

She remembered how rough it had been in that first week she had Noah. He had developed a really bad fever and she had been so scared she had rushed him to the hospital. She called Fin along the way, hoping he would just stay with her so she wouldn't have to be alone. When her call when to voicemail she had decided to call Murphy instead, not really knowing why. At that point they were little more than co-workers but he had shown his ability to be there for her on more than one occasion and even had said himself that if she needed anything to just call, so she did. He had promised to meet her at the hospital and true to his word he was there not ten minutes after Olivia. He had been really sweet to her that night as they waited two hours to be seen by the doctor. Bringing her coffee, telling her repeatedly not to apologize for calling, that he was glad he could be there for her. The doctor had given Noah some medicine and promised that his fever would break soon. Murphy had went with Olivia back to her apartment, telling her that he wanted to make sure that the both of them were alright. Olivia had spent a good portion of the night checking Noah's temperature every fifteen minutes, afraid it would get worse. Sometime in the night she had passed out on her couch from pure exhaustion. When she awoke the next morning she was wrapped in a blanket and when she went to Noah's room to check on him she found Murphy there sitting with Noah on the rocking chair.

"His fever broke" he had told her and she couldn't remember a time where she had felt more relieved.

And since that night the two of them have been friends. Having dinner together here and there, taking Noah to the park and even the zoo once. Murphy even babysat if Olivia was ever in a bind, keeping a few toys tucked away in the corner of his office if Noah ever needed to stay.

Pulling open the door Olivia smiled brightly, "Hey Declan" she greeted, her smile quickly fading when she noticed the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"It's Noah's father... his biological father..." He trailed off.

"What about him?" Nobody has been able to find Noah's father, nobody even knows who he is.

"He wants Noah..."

* * *

Alright so I don't really know where this story is going. I have some general idea but I guess we'll just have to see what happens. So bear with me.


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia had turned her back to Murphy, running a hand through her hair as she paced back and forth.

"No…no that can't be right…"

Murphy entered her apartment, closing the door behind him. He wanted to tell her that she was right, that everything was going to be alright but deep down he knew that it wasn't true. As he approached her he put his hands on his shoulders in an attempt to comfort her and said the only thing he could think of "I'm sorry Liv."

Olivia shrugged his touch off softly and went over to where Noah was sitting and picking him up she held him tightly against her, protecting Noah as if Murphy was a monster who was here to take Noah away from her right now.

"I don't understand...nobody has been able to find Noah's biological father. Ellie didn't even know who he was!"

"I know but this guy says that he's Noah's father and he said he's going to fight for his rights Liv"

"How can _he_ know if _she_ didn't even know?"

"He was apparently one of Elle's customers. He saw in the newspaper how she was murdered and that she was survived by a son…I guess he did some math and is assuming he's the father. Liv he came to the precinct looking for you. He said he's going to fight for custody of Noah." Murphy repeated, trying to make sure Olivia was grasping the situation.

"But I mean Ellie was a sex worker right? There's a chance he might not be the father?" Olivia said hopefully.

"Of course there is a chance Liv...but he's convinced that Noah is his son."

"But where has he been this past year? I mean it's been a year Declan! I've been taking care of Noah for a year and this guy decides to show up now!? I'll lose. If he fights for custody I'll lose. The biological parent will always win in a case like this. I don't have an rights over his biological father!" Olivia said, angry tears welling up in her eyes.

Murphy closed the distance between them to take her hand in his. "I know…look Liv, we'll get a paternity test, see if this guy really is Noah's father and if he is then… well we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I promise I'll help you in any way that I can." Olivia ducked her head and Murphy reached up and brushed away the tears that began to fall.

"This can't be happening." she said running her hand through Noah's dark hair, "I was going to start the adoption process in two weeks. I was going to be his mom...he was going to be my son."


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning Olivia woke with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had wanted to believe that everything Murphy had told her yesterday had been just a dream but she knew it wasn't true. Noah's "biological" father wanted his son and now Olivia was going to lose him. Last night Murphy had told her that they should set up a meeting with Noah's father, whose name she learned is Jonathan Johnson. _What a stupid name. Who names their child that anyway?_ Olivia thought bitterly already deciding that she didn't like this man. Throwing the covers off her, Olivia got out of bed needing all the time she could get to prepare herself for the meeting.

* * *

As she approached the precinct doors Olivia let out a deep sigh, the anxious feeling in her stomach getting worse. She made her way over to Murphy's office and knocked on the door softly, silently praying that Mr. Johnson wasn't there yet. She heard Murphy's voice on the other side telling her to "come in."

"Hey" Murphy said when he saw her.

"Hi"

"Don't worry he's not here yet." Murphy said and he could see Olivia's shoulder droop as she visibly relaxed.

"I'm scared Declan" she admitted suddenly, "what if he is Noah's father? I don't want to lose him…"

"I know. I don't want that either. I know how much you love and care for Noah…but Liv, you and I both know that if he is Noah's father than he has a right to his son."

She hated when he made sense, before she could say anything though there was another knock on the door.

Sticking his head though the door Fin said, "Hey Lieutenant, there's someone here who wants to talk to you."

"Thanks Fin" Murphy said, getting up from his desk to move to stand beside Olivia.

Fin opened the door wide and in strolled a tall man Olivia assumed to be Jonathan Johnson. Olivia eyed him up like she would a potential suspect. He was taller than she expected, easily a good foot taller than she was and his hair, which he wore slicked back with an excessive amount of gel that made it look greasy, was jet black. She couldn't help but notice it looked like Noah's. Olivia noticed that he was wearing an expensive suit and an even more expensive watch. There was something about him that made Olivia uneasy.

"Hi, I'm Jonathan Johnson" he said sticking his hand out to her. When Olivia didn't reach out to shake his hand, Murphy cleared his throat and shook his hand instead.

"Hi, I'm Lieutenant Declan Murphy, this is Sergeant Olivia Benson, she's been Noah's foster mother this past year."

"Hello Sergeant" Jon greeted attempting to shake her hand again, this time Olivia reciprocated. "Umm is Noah here?" Jon asked as he looked around the room, moving from side to side, then up to his tip toes to see over their heads, as if they were stashing Noah behind the desk.

"No, he's at daycare"

"Oh…I was hoping to see him."

"Yes well he's not here" Olivia replied, Murphy putting a hand on her arm, his way of telling her to relax.

"So you think you're Noah's father?"

"I do yes. I saw in the paper about what happened to Lisette…or rather Ellie…when I knew her it was Lisette. I uh…she and I…I was a one time client of hers." He was looking at Murphy the entire time he spoke. Whether he was purposely trying to ignore Olivia or not, it irritated her.

"You were a client of hers? So you paid to have sex with her?" Olivia asked crudely. Her way of telling him that it's her who he should be speaking to, not Murphy.

Jonathan looked to her then, "yes I did…It was just the one time. I had never been with a uh…sex worker before and it was at my friend's bachelor party. It was a really stupid thing to do but I was so drunk and my friends had already paid her…Anyway I saw her picture in the paper and I read how she had been murdered that she had a son. Given the time she and I were together and how old her son is now I figured there's a chance I could be the father."

"So where have you been this last year?"

Jon continued, fiddling with his watch and then his hands. "Well it took me a long time to process that I could potentially have a son and then even longer to know if I actually wanted to be a father. I spent a lot of time convincing myself that I couldn't possibly be the father and then when I decided that I had to know it took me a while to find out where Noah was."

"Well we can sort this all out with a paternity test. Are you willing to do that?" Murphy asked.

"Of course." Jonathan shifted his eyes so that he was making direct eye contact with Olivia, giving her what she would label a smug smile he said, "But I need you to know Sergeant, if it turns out that Noah is my son, I will be asking for custody of him."

* * *

Olivia and Murphy were heading out to Warner's office, she had promised that she could do a rush paternity test for Noah. Olivia told Murphy that she could do this on her own but Murphy had insisted that he wanted to be there for her. Olivia had sat in the passenger seat staring blankly out the window, watching the yellow lines wiz by as she remembering the past year she had spent with Noah. She had come so close to becoming a mother and again it was all coming down around her.

"You alright?" Murphy asked as he glanced at her from the driver's side. Olivia just shook her head in answer.

Sitting impatiently on the hard chairs at Melinda's office Olivia was shaking her foot in anticipation. They had been waiting for twenty minutes now for the test results but to Olivia it had felt like a lifetime. She got up and began to pace the short hallway.

"This is taking a really long time" she said stopping in front of Murphy.

"Warner said it would take a while" Murphy pointed out.

"I know but I didn't think it would be this long."

Looking down at his watch Murphy said, "Liv it's only been twenty minutes."

An hour later Melinda emerged from her office holding some papers in her hands. Olivia, Murphy and Jonathan all stood up when they saw her approaching.

"So?"

"Jonathan Johnson is not Noah's biological father"

Olivia let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and in her happiness hugged Murphy tightly, pulling away a moment later, slightly embarrassed but not really caring because Noah was still going to be with her. She felt bad for Jonathan but couldn't help but feel happy for herself.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you all. Even though he's not my son, I'm really glad Noah is with someone who really cares about him." Jon said.

* * *

Authors Note: So I've been flipping back and forth between making this guy Noah's actual father. I had started this story with all the intention on making him Noah's biological father and it was going to be about Olivia fighting for Noah and eventually losing him blah blah but I've decided to go in a new direction.

Little side note I really think that Noah's biological father will come to light next season and want Noah and Olivia will lose him. It's like the people who write the show don't want Olivia to be happy. Just saying.


	4. Chapter 4

Olivia unlocked the door to her apartment a wide smile plastered on her face. She felt like she was walking on air, she couldn't remember a time where she had ever been so happy. Mr. Johnson wasn't Noah's biological father and unless Noah's actual father suddenly made an appearance she was going to get to adopt him. A part of her was sad that Noah might never know who his real father is but there was a bigger part of her that was happy she was going to be able to officially make Noah her son.

"I'm glad everything worked out Liv" she heard Murphy say behind her.

She had invited him over to celebrate. It was also a way for her to thank him for being so supportive, not only through the last two days, but for the past year. He was always there for her when she needed help with anything.

She flashed back to a couple months ago; Murphy had invited her and Noah to his place for dinner. Noah had fallen asleep early and she and Murphy spent the rest of the evening drinking wine and telling war stories. Olivia had convinced herself that they were just good friends and co-workers but that night Murphy was looking at her in a way that was much more than that. In that moment she began looking at Murphy in a completely different light.

Through their time together Olivia saw that he was kind, funny, smart, dependable and incredibly loyal and though he wasn't as handsome as say Trevor Langan or Nick Amaro, there was something about Murphy that she was attracted to. She had been staring at his mouth as he told some story she wasn't listening to and she found herself wanting to know what it would feel like to kiss him. And before she knew what she was doing she was leaning into him, and he was leaning into her. They had only been inches apart when a sudden cry from Noah brought them back to their senses. They pulled apart and Olivia went to tend to Noah, deciding that it was time for her and Noah to head home. Murphy walked them to the door and as he said good night to Olivia he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, lingering a little longer than needed. Neither one of them had ever brought up what had transpired between the two of them that night, though Olivia often thought about it. She wondered if Murphy did as well.

"I don't know what I would have done if the results had turned out differently" Olivia said as she took a sleeping Noah out of his stroller. She brought Noah to his room and placed him in his crib and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm happy that we're not going to have to find out…but you're the strongest woman I know Liv, you would have been okay" Murphy said when she returned to the living room.

Olivia looked away bashfully; she was never good at getting compliments. "I uh can't thank you enough for all your help this last year." When he looked at her questioningly she continued, "with the whole Lewis indictment and especially with Noah…I just…I really appreciate you being here."

Olivia saw his mouth twitch up in a small smile, "I'm glad I can be here for you Liv"

An odd silence hung in the room before Olivia felt the urge to say something to break it, "so are you hungry or something? I can order a pizza or…" and before Olivia knew what was happening Murphy had closed the distance between them and was kissing her. Just like that he was kissing her. There was no big build up or romantic lines spoken, he was just suddenly kissing her. She responded quickly putting her arms around his neck to pull him in closer. His beard was scratchy against her but his mouth was soft, it was exactly how she imagined his kiss would be. After what seemed like too short of a time they pulled away for air.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that" Murphy said, his forehead rested against Olivia's.

Olivia let out a small chuckle, "you have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to do that." Murphy smiled before leaning in to kiss her again.

Their kiss increased in intensity, Murphy running his tongue along Olivia's mouth begging for entrance, which Olivia happily complied. Olivia's hands slipped under his suit jacket and running her hands up to his shoulders she helped him shrug out of it, the jacket falling to the ground behind him. He pulled away when he felt her begin to unbutton his shirt.

Reaching up he cupped her face in his hands, "are you sure you want this?" he asked.

Olivia gave him a quick peck before answering honestly, "more than anything."

* * *

This story is going somewhere I promise!


	5. Chapter 5

Beams of sunlight sliced through the blinds, shining directly onto Olivia's eyes waking her up. Groaning she turned away from the light and snuggled in closer to Murphy. She watched his chest slowing rising and falling. Moving her hand up, she lightly drew lazy circles on his chest with a fingertip.

His hand reached up to stop her movements, "that tickles" he mumbled. Olivia smirked and looked up to see Murphy still had his eyes closed. She leaned in to give him what was intended to be a quick peck but when she pulled away Murphy pulled her back in to kiss her deeply.

Olivia smiled brightly, "Good morning"

"Good morning" Murphy replied, smiling too.

"Noah should be up any minute" and right on cue, Noah's cries could be heard through the baby monitor. "See I told you, like clockwork." Olivia kicked the covers off her and getting up she made her way to Noah's room. Murphy got up too, gathering his clothes laying on a bundle on the floor. When he emerged from the bedroom he found Olivia sitting on the living room floor, changing Noah's diaper. Murphy stooped down to pick up his suit jacket that had been discarded the night before.

"Did you want to stay for breakfast?" Olivia asked.

"No thanks, I need to stop off at home before work. But how about dinner tonight?"

"Okay I'll meet you back at the precinct after I pick Noah up from daycare?"

"Perfect" Murphy said before leaning down he kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you later. Bye Liv, bye Noah." Murphy gave a quick wave before leaving.

* * *

_Another long day dealing with the depravity of people _Olivia thought to herself before leaning back in her chair and tossing her pen down. Looking down at her watch she saw it was almost 5:30, she cursed and pushed her chair back from her desk. _I'm going to be late picking Noah up again!_

She hurried toward the door passing Nick along the way.

"Whoa where's the fire?"

"I'm going to be late picking up Noah!" she yelled over her shoulder to her partner before running out the door.

* * *

Olivia pulled up to the curb outside Noah's daycare. She took the stairs two at the time and pulling back the door she hurried in, almost bumping into one of the women who worked there.

"Oh Mrs. Sykes, I'm so sorry I'm late."

The woman smiled sweetly at Olivia, "Oh that's alright, your partner came in about an hour ago to pick him up. He said that you sent him to come get Noah because you were held up at work and weren't sure if you were going to make it on time."

Olivia felt her stomach drop, "What are you talking about? I never sent anyone to pick Noah up."

The woman looked at Olivia in utter confusion. "I…are you sure? He said that you two worked together"

"Are you kidding me?" Olivia felt completely overwhelmed with fear. "I never sent anyone here to pick him up. You just let some stranger walk out of here with my son!? What did he look like?"

"I…I don't know" the woman replied clearly flabbergasted that this could be happening, "he was...I don't know average looking I guess. Tall with black hair."

Olivia turned her back on the woman and pulling out her cell phone dialed the precinct.

"Lieutenant Murphy" the voice on the other line said after the second ring.

"Declan, Noah is missing!" she said, her voice full of urgency. She felt her stomach flip and she suddenly felt nauseous.

"Olivia? What are you talking about?"

"I went to the daycare to get him and they said that my 'partner' already came and got him…I think it was that guy who thought he might be Noah's father. Jonathan Johnson"

"How do you know?"

"I don't for sure. The woman gave me a vague description sounds like it could be him. Oh god Declan what am I going to do?" He could hear her voice catch in her throat.

"It's going to be okay Liv. You stay there, we're on our way. And Liv, we're going to find him. I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

Olivia stood outside the daycare center, staring blankly out at the street, completely numb. She could hear the wail of sirens that once seemed so distant get louder with each passing second. Looking down the street she saw a small army of police cars speed around the corner. Red, white and blue lights flashed brightly as cars hurried to get out of the way. Olivia could hear the tires squealing at the hard turn, and saw white smoke drift up from behind the vehicles. A black SUV screeched to a stop behind her own car and Murphy emerged from the driver's side.

"Liv!" he called out to her as he ran up the same steps Olivia had not ten minutes earlier. Fin, Nick and Amanda followed close behind him.

"Liv what happened?" Nick asked as the small group swarmed her.

"He's gone" was all she could manage to say.

"Fin go check to see if this place has any security cameras, Rollins I want you to go talk to the employees here see if anyone saw who took Noah." Fin and Amanda rushed off to tend to Murphy's orders. Murphy then turned his attention to Olivia, "Liv, I need a recent picture of Noah." When she didn't respond right away, Murphy gently touched her arm. She seemed startled at the contact and looked down at his hand for a long time before making eye contact with Murphy.

"I need a picture of Noah" he said again.

Olivia pulled out her phone and flipped through her photo gallery before landing on a picture of Noah at the zoo, smiling brightly. She turned the phone to show Murphy.

"Good" taking the phone from her, Murphy handed it to Nick. "I want this picture everywhere."

Turning his attention back to Olivia once Nick had run off to do his job. "We're going to find him Olivia. We have practically the entire force out looking for him."

Before Olivia could say anything, Fin burst through the door. "Liv, Lieutenant, I got something!"

"Alright so the daycare only has two cameras, one at the front entrance and one at the back…"

"That's it? Only two? What about the classrooms?"

"Ya well apparently they aren't 'a jewelry store protecting anything of value'" Fin said, quoting the owner who had set him up with the security footage.

"No just other people's children" Murphy quipped "so what'd you find?"

Fin took a seat in front of the computer monitor; a thin layer of dust covered the top edge of the screen. "Alright so I went back an hour ago, here's the guy walking out with Noah" Fin paused on a grainy screen shot of a man carrying Noah. He was wearing sunglasses and the poor quality of the camera made it hard to tell exactly who it was but Olivia would have bet all the money in the world that it was Jonathan Johnson. She wanted to jump through the screen and kill the man.

"Murphy that's him"

"Fin you have a better shot?"

"Not really" the screen was suddenly whirling back in time as Fin held down the rewind button "but I went back to when he first was going in, he never takes his glasses off. But I do have the make of the car, it's a white Mazda. I also got a partial plate; I can only make out the last two letters, Y and T." Olivia stared at the screen, at the man about to kidnap her son. She saw him paused in midstride as he made his way toward the daycare, wishing more than anything to keep him paused that way forever, safely away from her son.

"Good get back to the station, send out an APB, run the car information, maybe it has a tracker and I want that screen shot blown up and sent to every media outlet there is. See what you can find about Jonathan Johnson, we'll meet you back there."

* * *

_Back at the precinct_

The precinct was bustling when they arrived, phones were ringing off the hook and police officers were running about.

"Any viable tips?" Murphy yelled over to the officers who were working the tip hot line.

"Not many Lieutenant" an older officer answered back "we have officers out tracing them down, none have panned out yet."

Murphy cursed lightly under his breath before moving on to see if Fin had had any success.

"Fin, please tell me you have good news."

"I pulled up everything I could on Jonathan Johnson. He's 35, lives in Queens. Owns a, you guessed it, white Mazda, unfortunately there is no tracker on the car but a BOLO was sent out for the car and for Johnson. The whole city is on the lookout for this guy. He and his wife have been married for 4 years, Amaro and Rollins went out to talk with her."

Olivia was suddenly walking away, he watched her turn and head into one of the interrogation rooms.

"Good. Let me know immediately of any developments." Murphy said before heading out after Olivia.

* * *

"Liv?" Murphy said, poking his head through the door. Murphy saw Olivia sitting in one of the uncomfortable chairs kept in the room, her arms folded on the steel table, her head buried in her arms. He saw her body shake as she cried. Murphy went into the room, feeling like an intruder.

"Liv" he called out gently. Olivia lifted her head off the table and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"How can this be happening Declan?" she asked. The pain in her voice and in her eyes made his heart shatter into a million pieces.

"I don't know…" He walked over to her and pulled her up from the chair. Tucking a stray hair behind her ears, he looked her deeply in the eyes, so she could see the truth in his next words "Noah is going to be okay. I promise we'll find him."

"What if we don't? I've never been so scared….What if…what if he hurts him?" Olivia said fresh tears stinging her eyes. Murphy pulled her into a tight hug, she cried into his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head.

"He's not. We're going to bring home your son Liv, safe and sound."


	7. Chapter 7

Nick and Amanda pulled up to the large brownstone, the windshield wipers whipped back and forth as the rain hammered against the car. The drive out to Queens had been silent, the entire situation so surreal neither one knew what to say. All Nick could think about was losing his own children; he couldn't even begin to imagine what Olivia was going through.

"Think he's stupid enough to come home?" Amanda asked as they exited the car, pulling the hood up as the rain pelting her jacket.

"God I hope so" Nick replied, knocking heavily on the door.

"Mrs. Johnson!" Nick called out, "it's the police!"

The door creaked open a crack and a short, blonde woman peeked out.

"Yes?"

Amanda stepped into her view, trying to assert herself into the house; the woman closed the door slightly to keep her out. Smiling sweetly she asked, "Are you Christine Johnson? Jonathan Johnson's wife?"

"Yes" the woman replied, opening the door wide, "is Johnathan alright?"

"May we come in?" Nick asked already taking a step toward the house.

"Of course"

Mrs. Johnson led them through the house to the living room. The walls were painted a deep red, bookshelves lining them. A large cream coloured sofa sat to one side, two winged arm chairs faced it.

"Please sit" Mrs. Johnson said, gesturing toward the sofa.

"Mrs. Johnson do you know the whereabouts of your husband?"

"He's in Philadelphia on business…could you please tell me what is going on? Why are you asking about my husband? Is he alright?"

Amanda leaned forward in the sofa, rested her elbows on her thighs, "we believe he's involved in a kidnapping"

"What? You can't be serious?"

Nick reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the security photo of Johnson carrying Noah outside the daycare center, "is this your husband?" he asked showing her the photo.

"Oh my god" Mrs. Johnson gasped, practically ripping the photo out of Nick's hands, she held it close to her face. "I don't understand, this has to be some sort of mistake"

"Ma'am it's not a mistake. This boy's mother was a sex worker who was murdered and your husband said that he saw her picture in the paper and he said that the two slept together at a friend's bachelor party. Your husband was convinced that he was the biological father to this boy who is being fostered by a NYPD Sergeant" Mrs. Johnson got up from her seat abruptly and ran a hand through her hair.

"I think I'm going to be sick" she said, her hand going to clutch her stomach.

Nick continued, "we did a DNA test and it showed your husband to not be the father yet he took this boy from his daycare…do you have any idea why he might have done that?"

"I…about two years ago I got pregnant…it was a miracle because the doctor said it would be nearly impossible for me to get pregnant but I did…Jonathan was so excited. He made up the spare bedroom into a nursery and bought every baby toy imaginable. In my third trimester I lost the baby. Jon was heartbroken…we kept trying but I was never able to get pregnant again..."

Mrs. Johnson began to cry so Nick got up from the couch and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Mrs. Johnson, your husband has this boy and he is in very big trouble…we need your help finding him. Do you know where he might have gone?"

"I…no! I don't know! I didn't even know he was still in New York!"

"There has to be some place he might go? Maybe somewhere you guys like to go to get away? Someplace where he would feel safe?" Amanda said, hoping to prompt Mrs. Johnson's memory.

"We rent a cabin up north…we go there every summer. He always liked going up there cause it reminded him of a cottage he used to have as a kid."

"Thank you." Nick said and turned to Amanda who already had her phone out and was making the call.


	8. Chapter 8

Olivia sat at the edge of the table, her legs dangling over the side and swaying back and forth ever so slightly. Behind her phones were still ringing incessantly and officers were running about to do…what she wasn't sure. For the last thirty minutes she watched as the news reported on the kidnapping. They cycled between stills of Johnson's drivers licence photo, the daycare security photo, the number for the police hotline and Noah's picture taken at the zoo, not even a month earlier. She sat staring at Noah's smiling face and couldn't help but think of how much she had failed him…she swore that she was going to protect him from all the horror in this world, all the horrors she sees on a daily basis and she failed. _What kind of mother am I if I can't keep my child safe? _Olivia thought to herself. Sighing heavily she buried her face in her hands.

"Olivia!" she heard her name and when she turned, Murphy was jogging toward her. "Rollins just called, the wife said he might be heading up north to a cabin her and her husband rent every summer"

Olivia jumped off the table and grabbed her coat, already out the door and heading toward the car. It was all Murphy could do to keep up with her.

* * *

A small army of police officers sped through the city streets and down the highway, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

"Liv slow down" Murphy called out, clutching the handle over his head, trying to be heard over the sirens. Olivia either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him cause she just pushed down on the pedal harder, urging the car to go faster.

An hour later the squad was pulling up a few yards away from the cabin. The once loud cars now sat idling silently, wanting to keep the element of surprise on their side. The cabin was surrounded by a thick layer of trees so much so that it was only barely visible in certain spots. Murphy was ducking his head and moving from side to side to get a view.

"I think I see his car." He whispered as if Johnson could hear him.

Olivia threw her door open and was about to get out of the car when she felt Murphy's hand drip her upper arm.

"What are you doing?"

"He's in there and he has Noah!"

"I'm well aware of that Sergeant but I'm in charge here and I will not have you doing something stupid and jeopardizing this operation." Murphy said, using her title so she would know he was very serious.

"This isn't just any operation Lieutenant. This is my son we're talking about." She spat back.

Murphy's grip on her arm softened, "I know that Olivia which is exactly why I need you focused. I know he's your son but we have to tread carefully here… we don't know what Johnson will do if he's spooked or feels cornered. Alright?"

Olivia nodded, "alright"

* * *

Officers crept through the forest, guns drawn and pointed toward the cabin as they surrounded it. Murphy stood off to the side of the front door, one hand gripping his gun, the other on the door handle.

"On my mark" he whispered to his team before bursting through the door.

Officers flooded into the cabin, some breaking to the right toward the back rooms, others to the left into the kitchen. A cry went out through the cabin and Olivia knew instantly it was Noah. She rushed toward the sound, only to have Murphy stop her by sticking his arm out and cutting off her path. She looked at him defiantly and he gave a look back as if to say _calm down._ They followed the sound, moving slowly down the long hall and heading straight into the living room where they found Johnson seated on the couch. Noah was clutched tightly against his chest and squirming, his face red from crying.

"How'd you find me?"

"Your wife thought you might be here"

"Good for nothing cow" Johnson grumbled, shaking his head.

Murphy took a step deeper into the room, his gun never leaving Johnson. "Look, we have this place surrounded…there's no way out so why don't you just let Noah go okay?"

"I won't do that, he's my son" Jonathan said as he shifted slightly and they caught the flash of metal. Instinctively they knew that it was a gun.

Olivia felt her heart sink.

"You know that's not true. The DNA test proved that you aren't his father" Murphy reasoned.

"I don't care. I spent the last year thinking that he was my son. I imagined teaching him how to ride a bike, how to throw a ball, how to shave…he's my son."

Olivia let her arms fall to her sides, and she put her gun back into its holster. She moved to step ahead of Murphy, who could only stare at her dumbfounded. She let her hand run down his arm, her way of letting him know that she knew what she was doing.

"But I've spent the last year taking care of him. I'm sorry about your wife's miscarriage but you can't replace what you lost with someone else's child…"

"You're not even his real mother!" Johnson lashed out. Those words hurt Olivia more than if he had reached out and hit her. She was left completely speechless, he was right; she wasn't Noah's real mother. Noah was no more her son than he was Johnson's. She opened her mouth to speak but Murphy beat her to it.

"Yes she is. She may not have given birth to him but that doesn't make her any less his mother. I've watched her take care of Noah for the last year and she is an amazing mother to Noah. She's changed every diaper, consoled him when he was sad or hurt or sick. She's laughed with him, fought for him, feared for him, cried for him and she's loved him more than anything else in the entire world. And if you've ever seen the way that that little boy looks at her then you'd know that he is her son."

"All I've ever wanted was to be a dad..." Johnson said, visibly defeated. He looked to Olivia then down to Noah before getting up off the couch. He reached out as if to hand Noah over to Olivia. Cautiously, Olivia moved closer and reached out to take Noah, afraid that this was a sick joke and Johnson would pull him away at the last minute, laughing. When Noah was finally in her arms she turned quickly and walked out of reach.

Murphy moved in and grabbed Johnson roughly, bring his arms behind his back Murphy pulled the steel cuffs from his belt and tightened them to Johnson's wrists, fastening them a click or two too tight. Murphy escorted Johnson to the threshold of the living room and pushed him roughly toward the other officers.

"Get him out of here and read him his rights" Murphy ordered before making his way over to Olivia. "How's he doing?" he asked smoothing down Noah's hair.

"I think he's okay" Olivia answered, wiping the tears from Noah's face and hugging him tightly as she rocked back and forth, trying to sooth him. "Thank you Declan."

"For what?"

"For what you said to Johnson and for keeping your promise and getting Noah back"

Murphy gave her a small smile and leaning in placed a small kiss on her temple.

"Let's go home"


	9. Chapter 9

Olivia sat impatiently in the waiting room of the adoption agency, absently pushing Noah's stroller back and forth. It had been five weeks since she had started the adoption process and six since the the kidnapping. The room was painted a stark white, probably the colour it had been when the building went up. Random paintings covered the walls and magazines sat scattered on the sole table that sat in the middle of the room. One corner of the room had been dedicated to the children who frequent this room. Toy cars and dolls carelessly left on the floor. A small girl of maybe eight sat cross legged on the floor playing with a rainbow coloured toy that Olivia always saw in waiting rooms. The toy was made up of wires that looped and zigzagged. Olivia watched as the little girl moved the stack of blocks along the wired path from one side to the other then back again.

She was startled when she felt a hand on her own.

"You alright?" Murphy asked.

"Never better…a little nervous"

"Don't be. There's no way they won't let you adopt Noah."

"I hope so..."

"Miss Benson" Olivia turned her head to the sound of her name. A plump woman filling the doorway smiled brightly, "we're ready for you."

Olivia got up from her chair and looked down to Murphy who gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You'll be fine" he said softly. Olivia leaned down to give him a quick kiss before following the woman.

_Forty Minutes Later_

Olivia emerged from the office, a wide smile plastered on her face. As soon as Murphy saw her he got up and went to her.

"So?" he asked eagerly.

"They let me adopt Noah. He's officially my son" Olivia said, hardly able to contain her excitement. Murphy smiled widely and pulled Olivia into a hug.

"Congratulations Liv"

_Back at Olivia's apartment_

Olivia came out from Noah's room and plopped down on the couch beside Murphy. He put his arm around her and pulled her close so she was leaning against him. He stroked her hair softly and she let out a sigh of content.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Olivia snuggled in closer to him. "I'm just thinking about how happy I am"

"Oh?"

"I just never thought I'd have this you know?"

"Have what?"

"A family"

"That reminds me. I got you something." Murphy reached into his pocket and pulled out a long velvet box.

"What is it?" she asked as Murphy placed it in her hands.

"Open it."

Olivia opened the box slowly and smiled when she saw what was inside. Inside was a silver necklace of a mother holding her child close and giving him a kiss on the forehead, the two of them altered in a way that they formed a heart. A small stone set to the side by the mother.

"It's beautiful" Olivia said taking it out of the box. She handed it to Murphy who helped her put it on. She kissed him deeply "I love it thank you."

"That's Noah's birth stone" Murphy said picking the necklace up from her chest and thumbed the stone.

"Think you could add another stone?"

Murphy frowned his eyebrows in confusion "why would you add another stone?"

"Well….there's something I have to tell you"


	10. Epilogue

_Six Years Later_

Olivia stood outside the large brick building, her back pressed up against the car as she fingered the ring on her left hand. A bell rang out and the front doors burst opened, kids came running out, Olivia could their laughs and squeals echoing across the street. She scanned the crowd, her heart skipping a beat when she didn't see who she was looking for. Ever since Noah was kidnapped losing sight of him always took her breath away until she saw him again. Then her eyes landed on a little boy just coming out from the front door, beside him a small girl with brown hair in pigtails, the spitting image of Olivia. Relief flooding through her and she watched as the kids looked around their eyes brightening when they saw her. The little girl waved enthusiastically when she saw Olivia, who smiled and waved back. The two ran towards her, their bulky backpacks bouncing up and down. Olivia bent down when they got close and they threw themselves into her awaiting arms, hugging her tightly.

"Mommy!"

"Hey guys, how was school?"

"Good! Look what I made for daddy" the little girl said handing Olivia an oversized piece of paper that was slightly wrinkled from her run.

Random colours had been splashed all over the page, the colours mixing in places to make brown. Olivia had no idea what it was supposed to be but she loved it none the less. "Oh it's so beautiful. Your dad is going to love it." Olivia said and she leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Alright let's go home"

* * *

The kids were happily chatting to each other, Olivia barely understand fifty percent of what they were talking about. She zoned out after a while and thought back over the last few years. She never thought she'd find herself here…a wife and mother of two and driving a minivan through the suburbs. She picked up the necklace that sat on her chest and touched the two stones, feeling the little bumps and ridges.

She remembered that night six years ago when she had told Murphy she was pregnant. He had been in such shock at first that he said nothing for a good two minutes. Olivia finally couldn't take the silence anymore so she begged him to say something. When at last he spoke he just said, "I love you Olivia" then kissed her. Then it was her turn to be surprised. She had been expecting a much different response. "Good cause I love you too Declan."

A week after their daughter was born Murphy had presented Olivia with her updated necklace. He had taken it to get their daughter's birthstone put in. As it would turn out, he had also taken the opportunity to get Olivia a ring. He proposed to Olivia that night and less than a year later they were married. Once they were married Murphy had told Olivia that if it was alright with her he would like to adopt Noah too, officially making him both their son. Olivia loved him so much in that moment.

Olivia pulled the van into the driveway avoiding the car on the other side.

"Dad's home!" Noah said excitingly, unbuckling his seat belt, he sprang out of the car toward the house.

Olivia watched him go then moved to help her daughter with her belt who also bolted toward the house as soon as she was free.

When Olivia got into the house she found Murphy holding the kids up and over his shoulders, pretending to be a monster who wanted to eat them, the kids laughed hysterically. He went over toward Olivia when he saw her and gave her a long kiss. The kids kicked their legs in the air and squealed.

"Ewwww!"

"Yuck!"

Murphy put them down and they ran off.

"How come you're not at work?"

"We caught a bad case…I just wanted to see you guys" Olivia hugged him then. She knew exactly how he felt. Since she became a mom each case ate away at her soul that much more, especially the ones involving kids. Coming home to her family, watching at how happy, innocent and care free her kids were made it more bearable.

"How was school?"

"Good…Evy made you this picture" Murphy took the picture from her hands and studied it.

"I love it…what is it supposed to be?"

Olivia chuckled "I have no idea"

Murphy leaned down to kiss her again when a crashing sound came from the other room. Olivia cringed at the sound.

"We didn't do anything!"

"You better go see what your terrible children just did, I'll start dinner" Olivia said turning away from Murphy and heading into the kitchen.

"Why are they only my children when they've done something wrong?" Murphy called out to her retreating back before heading to the other room.

* * *

Murphy climbed into the bed next to Olivia heaving a sigh.

"Kids alright?"

"Yup, they're sound asleep"

Olivia turned over and flicked off the lamp, throwing the room into darkness. She turned back into Murphy and rested her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest.

"Night Liv, I love you"

"I love you too" she replied before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Ta-da! The End.


End file.
