Disclaimer: I own none of the Homicide: Life on the street characters. Maria Frank and Alex are my own creation however. They are mine. Still fairly new to Homicide, so if they seem out of character, please don't hurt me. It will involve Adult content, angst, drama and romance.

5/25/10 - Doing fix ups with this fic since I feel it needs a little tuning up.

This is set around late fourth season to the beginning of the fifth season.

More then Just

Chapter one

Lieutenant Al Giardello held the phone close to his ear, listening to the person on the receiving end. Due to a rise is sex-related homicides, and one that was holding the team down, he needed an available sex crimes cop to come help. "And when do you think you will be able to transfer over?" He asked with his pen in hand, already two pages of notes had already been written down. Hearing a responds, he jotted down the responds on the other end and chuckled at something that was said. "Alright, so we shall meet you around that time, correct?" Smiling into the phone, Gee said "Alright, see you then."

As he hung up the phone, Sergeant Kay Howard walked in and saw him smiling to himself. "Hey, Gee. What are you smiling about?"

Leaning back in his chair, he replied "I have finally got a responds from a detective who is willing to come down and help with the case we have at hand ."

"For how long?"

"Maybe a year at the most or a little longer - depends on the detective." Giardello shrugged a little, his trademark smile on his face.

Kay looked confused. "Who is this person you want to imprison us with?"

"I will announce this person is a few days time. This person is due to arrive in a week."

"A week? Where is this person going to live?" Kay looked highly confused, waving her hand slightly and sat down.

Raising his hands in the air, he smiled. "Already done. Solved that a month ago."

Kay stood there, unable to say anything at this huge plan that had been planned under all of their noses. "All right, Gee. If you think we need another detective on our hands, then so be it." Felling a presence behind her, she turned and almost jumped at seeing who was standing behind her with a smile, his coat on after returning from a scene. "John, why do you do that?"

"Because I like to see you cringe." He said with a smirk. "So boss, what is the news that I happen to have overheard while passing by?"

Standing, Gee brought up his smiled a slick smile. "Now, I did say that I will announce it to everyone else in a few days. This person is needed so we know how to deal with this certain situation in this case you guys are working on. Now, end of story and out." Kay and John looked at each other before turning to leave.

4 days later...

"Everyone, I have an announcement!" Al said loudly to get everyone's attention - Meldrick Lewis almost dropped the small football Tim Bayliss had tossed to him. "We have a new arrival who is due tomorrow morning-"

"Congratulations! Who's the lucky mother?" John asked with a grin. Kay reached over and gently cuffed him over the head. "Hey!"

"Don't start that, Munch!" Gee said, pointing a dark finger at him. "I mean it. We need this type of assistance and this person is the only one free for the taking. This is her file," He said as he held up a file and handed it to the closest person. "She is one of the best SVU detectives on this side of the coast close enough to get a hold of."

"Boston, Massachusetts?" Frank Pembleton asked, seeing the file. "That's about five hours by car?"

"I guess so," Answered Kay as she took the file, "Name is Maria D. Frank. Been working at the SVU in Boston for almost 10 years, and it says here that she is also an 'SVU K-9 detective.' That's a little different then from a regular detective, isn't it?"

As John took the file from her hands, Giardello answered her," She will give more information when she gets here tomorrow."

John looked over his glasses at the Lieutenant, deep in thought. "Since she is going to be transferred here, should we be worried at all?" For the bast several years, they had lost one detective from a suicide and, some time after that, another one retired before getting his pension while another was fired. It hadn't been a good few years for them and Munch had every right to be a little nervous.

"It's only temporary. She may be staying for a year or so, however," He said. "No need to be worried either since she's not going to be replacing anyone in this department."

"Why a year? Temporary transfers are for only a few days, at least." John informed him, still not fully convinced.

"We need the help, extra help, as we seem to have a slight rise in 'Special cases'. We just need her for extra and expert eyes since this is what she's trained in." He placed a large hand on Munch's desk and leaned in, saying, "Don't freak out... I know when you freak out and start thinking up your conspiracies."

John's eyes looked back down at the file in front of him. God, do I hate change, he thought to himself.