Disclaimer: "They're not mine, but they're not yours either, so back off, biatches." (You can thank Andrea for that.) Or, you know, I don't own 'em. Way to burst my bubble.

A/N: Big thanks to ANDREA for giving me the push I needed to actually post this here. Have a stolen cupcake.

Also shoutouts to the OCOH crowd, and big hugs to Meggie-Weggie and Alleycat.

Summary: Written in response to a challenge at the OCOH board – had to be about a double date.

"Abby…"

"John…you know, all I wanted was a little time to ourselves-"

"-Abby-"

"-but nooo, and who knows when we'll get another day off toge-" My tirade is cut off by his mouth brushing gently against mine. Momentarily forgetting to be angry with him, I find myself responding before he moves away all too soon.

"C'mon, Abby…it'll be fun."

I raise my eyebrows at him, and he quickly corrects himself. "Okay, it's the nice thing to do. And it'll be fine – you'll see."

I sigh irritably. Okay, I'm overreacting a little. Sue me. It's our first day off together in weeks, and we had decided to spend the day together, just us. But then yesterday he agreed to this without talking to me, and conveniently forgot to mention it until just now. And I have to say, I'm a little disappointed at the change in plans.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I should have talked to you about it first. I just…thought it would be good for them."

Which is why I can't ever stay mad at him for too long – his heart is always in the right place, even if the consequences aren't always as I'd like.

"I know, I know. It's…fine."

I know he's not convinced, but he knows better than to push it. He leans in to kiss my forehead, whispering a 'thanks' against my hair. As I slip into his embrace, the buzzer sounds, ruining the moment, and he moves to answer it.

"You owe me," I call after him, earning myself a wink and a grin as he goes to open the door.

Susan enters the apartment, cheeks flushed from the January wind, beaming and calling her greetings to us.

"Where's Luka?" I ask, reaching for the duffel bag in her gloved hand.

"Parking the car. The streets are a mess-"

"I suggested we take the El, but somebody had a better idea." Luka interrupts as he too enters, snowflakes dusting his hair and coat. I smile at him as Susan brushes some of the snow from his shoulders, and kneel down.

"Hi, Caleb."

The little boy smiles at me. "Hi, Aunt Abby." He's a charmer already, the perfect blend of his parents, with Luka's dark looks and Susan's grin.

"Caleb!" A small voice cries out, and his gaze is instantly pulled from mine to the next room, which John has just entered from the hallway, a tiny figure dangling upside down from his arms, brown hair raining down, and a grin from ear to ear. She scrambles to untangle herself from her father, hurrying over towards us, being met in the middle of the living room by her best friend. We all look on with smiles as they each grab for the other's hand and run off towards her bedroom, excited chatter about the new Harry Potter Lego set carrying back down the hall.

Susan turns to Carter and I. "Thanks so much for this, you guys. It's just been so long since we've had some time to ourselves, you know?"

I raise an eyebrow in my husband's direction. "Yes, I know exactly what you mean."

Perhaps picking up on the pointed nature of my response, or maybe just in a hurry to get on with their time alone, Luka clears his throat, calls a goodbye to his son, and with a promise to come back to pick Caleb up the next morning before we're due at work, they're gone.

*~*~*

"Think of it as a double date."

I give my husband a withering look. "A double date? You've got to be kidding me."

"Well, it's you and me, and Em and Caleb. Technically…"

"Technically, that's just disturbing, seeing as they're eight years old, Carter."

There's a merit of truth to his words, though. Emily and Caleb have been inseparable since birth – almost literally. Susan gave birth to Caleb four months before I had Em; he was her first visitor in the maternity ward, along with his mom and dad – and they've remained that close, it seems. And Carter's 'date' joke isn't too far off base, really – we've been joking about planning the wedding practically since I found out I was carrying a girl. It wouldn't surprise any of us if they wound up dating when they're older – hell, to be perfectly honest, we're all counting on it. But for now, they're best friends, and closer than most, able to finish each other's sentences and yet to have a serious fight. I love Caleb as if he was my own, and I know Emily is just as welcome in the Kovac household – which makes me feel guilty for my agitation at being on baby-sitter duty. I just wanted one day when it was my own little family and no one else…but I guess this is close enough.

My thoughts are interrupted by a crash from the other room. John's and my eyes meet and simultaneously we call out, "What happened?"

*~*~*

"Carter!"

What the hell?

We lost. At Monopoly. To our daughter and her friend. And it's all thanks to my husband, who has just gotten us to the point of bankruptcy. Apparently, we were wrong to worry that the teams were unbalanced with two adults against two kids – rather, they're unbalanced…just not in the way we'd originally thought.

"What?" He's looking very indignant.

"They're EIGHT! We LOST to EIGHT YEAR OLDS!" I swat exasperatedly at his arm.

"It's not my fault!"

"Oh, the hell it's not!"

"Oooohhh…you said the h-word!"

I turn my attention to our 'opponents.' "Yes, I did, Caleb, and it was very wrong of me."

Emily snorts. ""But when we were stuck in traffic the other day, you said…"

I cut her off before she can repeat my rant on rush hour rubber-necking drivers. "Rematch?"

*~*~*

Ten hours, one broken picture frame (the result of a furious one-on-one soccer game in the hallway, despite numerous warnings about playing in the house), two videos, a batch of cookies, and three rounds of Monopoly later, it's almost bedtime – luckily, as I'm completely out of ideas for entertaining two restless children during a snowstorm, exhausted from working a double shift the day before and not getting to compensate by sleeping in at all this morning, and bordering on snapping at the next person who asks me for something. Carter seems to sense this, and ushers the kids down the hall to get ready for bed. I collapse on the couch, eyes closed, trying to ward off the headache I can feel coming on. Emily soon appears, and clambers up next to me.

"Mom…?"

"Mmm?" My eyes are still shut, but I can feel her looking at me.

"Can I have a hug?"

How can I refuse – or snap at – that? I wrap my arms around her, kissing the top of her head, taking in the familiar smell of her hair. My Em. My baby. I don't care how big she gets, or how old she is. Always, always my baby.

.

Caleb joins us shortly thereafter, wordlessly coming over to settle next to me as I wrap my other arm around his shoulders. We stay like this, both children resting against my chest, enveloped in my arms, until Carter calls them from the next room. Caleb jumps up and hurries off with a quick 'Goodnight' over his shoulder. I reach around for Emily with my other arm, squeezing her tightly.

"I love you, sweetie," I whisper to her.

"I love you too," she whispers back. Our nighttime ritual

"Goodnight, Mom."

I smile. "'Night, Em."

I feel her slip out of my embrace, watch her run across the room to her father, where he's been waiting for her, watching us with a smile. He kneels down to catch her, swinging her up into his arms, pretending to need a late-night snack and "eating" her stomach. Her giggles reverberate back down the hall as they go into her room where Caleb waits and my eyes shut again.

*~*~*

"Abby…"

I groan. So tired. Go away.

"Ab…"

I open one eye to see Carter, clad in boxers and a t-shirt, ready for bed, standing over me.

"Wha-?"

"Come here."

"Why?"

"I want to show you something."

"John…I'm so tired. I just want to go to bed."

"You can…just come see this first."

I groan again. This had better be good, and I tell him so as I struggle to stand up, accepting his proffered hand to pull myself off the couch, winding up in his embrace.

"Thank you," he murmurs, holding me close. "Now come on." My hand still in his, he pulls me to the threshold of Emily's room, pushing open the already-ajar door.

Emily and Caleb are sprawled on the bed, partially covered by a faded quilt that Maggie made when I was pregnant. Their legs are entangled, arms slung over each other, heads resting on the same pillow, breathing matched, deep and even.

"Oh…" I feel tears spring to my eyes at the sight. Carter's arms reach around my waist, pulling my back to his chest.

"Yeah."

"They're so…" I'm at a loss for words. I have never seen anything so peaceful, so entirely innocent.

"I know."

We stand there for some time, transfixed by the sight in front of us. I am broken from my reverie by John's chin resting on my shoulder, his voice quiet in my ear.

"Double date indeed."

I chuckle low in my throat.

"Worth getting off the couch?"

I smile, reaching my hand around to rest on his cheek as we watch our daughter sleep.

"You bet."

*~* Fin. *~*