A\N 1: So my good friend Hazell'd (who has written a number of Law & Order stories) decided we wanted to co-write a story together. This story is a sequel to my story "The Right Fit". We're going to for the most par alternate writing chapters. For example Hazell'd wrote this chapter (so she'll write odd number'd chapters) and I'll write chapter 2 (so I'll write even number chapters). However there are a fee really big chapters that we're planning that we'll both contribute on. When I post those chapters I'll put a message in the authors note about that. Also all of the ideas in the story are shard and used by both of us. I hope you enjoy this first chapter. It takes place four years after my story ended.

A\N 2: This story will mainly be about Connie, Mike & their kids. However you might see other Law & Order characters you recognize (Jack) and some Law and Order SVU and Chicago Justice Characters. In this story Mike and Connie are good friends with Peter Stone and his wife Anna. Peter Stone and Anna Valdez were characters on Chicago Justice. Now Peter is on Law & Order: SVU.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

Spoilers: None

Warinings: None


Chapter 1

"Daddy? Daddy you awake?"

The whispered voice was slowly beginning to penetrate the fog of sleep that Mike Cutter was currently resting in. He had arrived home later than usual last night, finishing up some last minute things at his office after being in court all day in hopes that he would not need to think about work again until Monday morning. The twins had already been asleep when he got home, so he had been a little disappointed, but knew that the trade-off was a work free weekend. He was looking forward to enjoying a relaxing weekend with his family, but apparently that was not to include sleeping in this morning. The tiny hand that began to pat his cheek pulled him from sleep completely.

"Daddy?" the little voice called again, even closer this time. Mike opened one eye, only to find himself face to face with his four year old son.

"James?" he asked in a sleep-filled voice. The little blond head was just inches away from his own, his son's brown eyes wide. "What's wrong kiddo?"

"Daddy I'm hungry," James answered as he began to climb up on the bed. Mike grabbed him to help him along, lifting him up to rest next to his mother. Connie was awake, too, Mike could tell from the smile on her face despite the fact that she had yet to open her eyes.

Mike propped his head in his hand and regarded his youngest son. Of all four of their kids, James was the perfect mix of his parents with Mike's fair hair and Connie's dark eyes, while his twin sister Claire was their mother made over. Andy was like a carbon copy of his father, while Maddie favored her father only with her eyes and hair color. "Hungry, huh?" Mike said quietly. "Are your sisters and brother up yet?"

"Claire and Andy are up, but not Maddie," James told him. Mike wasn't surprised. The twins were almost always up with the sun. Andy had baseball practice this morning, and was making good use of the alarm clock he had gotten for Christmas. But Maddie at almost fifteen was a typical teenager who stayed up too late at night and slept in the next morning on the with everything she's been through, Connie often reminded Mike, if sleeping the morning away is the worst we have to deal with from our teenage daughter I think we're doing okay.

Not long after Maddie's harrowing ordeal back in New York, Maddie's biological mother Melissa had suddenly reappeared in her life, just long enough for Maddie to realize that Connie was already more of a mother to her in the few short years she had known her than Melissa had been for Maddie's entire life. After that, Maddie had no trouble at all calling Connie "Mom," and their relationship had only grown closer. Though Maddie and Andy were not biologically Connie's children, Mike knew she loved them as if they were her own, no different from the way she loved James and Claire.

"Alright bud, give your mom a kiss good morning and head on down to the kitchen. I'll be there in just a minute," Mike said quietly. He watched as James rolled over to his other side, placing his small hand on Connie's cheek this time.

"Hi Mommy," he whispered

"Hi, my boy," Connie whispered back. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes," he answered. "Will you come down with Daddy, in case he can't find the tan sugar?"

Connie laughed quietly, catching Mike's eye over their son's head. They had been working on colors, letters, and counting with the twins to reinforce what they were learning in preschool. Sometimes James had a very literal take on the world. "Yes, I'll come help Daddy find the brown sugar for your oatmeal." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

As she pulled back Mike began to tickle their son. "Do you really think I'd forget the brown sugar? That's the best part!" Mike told him, as he lifted James over to set his feet solidly on the floor next to their bed before the little boy took off toward the stairs, shrieking with laughter. They heard his bare feet slap against the hardwood of the hallway, then thump down the stairs. Mike turned back toward his wife, leaning close to press his lips to hers. "Good morning," he said with a smile as their kiss ended.

"Hmm, good morning," Connie answered, returning his smile and his kiss. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Mike thought for a moment. "Andy's got batting and baserunning practice this morning." Andy had been selected for a travel baseball team a few months ago. Mike was almost as excited as his son. "I can take James with us, and then we'll meet you and the girls at your sister's for lunch."

"Sounds like a plan," Connie agreed, leaning close to kiss him one more time. She started to pull away, but Mike reached out, placing a hand on her cheek to hold her close. Until…

"Mom, Dad!" they heard Andy call from downstairs, "James is trying to climb on the counter!"

Mike sighed, letting his forehead rest against Connie's for just a moment. "He's trying to find the brown sugar."

They both moved out of bed, Connie bypassing into the bathroom as Mike headed towards the stairs. He stopped to knock on Maddie's door as he passed it, knowing it would take at least two more times before the teen would finally emerge from her room for the day. "Maddie, I'm starting breakfast," he called.

Mike waited just long enough to hear a faint, " 'Kay," from his oldest child before he made his way toward the kitchen.


Mike and James sat side by side on the bleachers inside the Los Angeles Xtreme Baseball facility. Andy had been in heaven when he was invited to join the 10 and under travel baseball team after tryouts last fall. He had spent most of the winter attending the weekly clinics that focused on speed and agility training, infield awareness, and proper throwing and catching techniques. It took no time at all for Andy to fit right in with most of his new teammates. Mike loved that the focus of the travel baseball program was not so much on winning and losing, but more about teaching the fundamentals of baseball through proper training and hardwork. He knew that the schedule was about to get much more packed as the spring season was ramping up and actual games and tournaments were about to begin. Andy was already excited about the teams first travel tournament coming up soon. They would be heading to San Diego, which brought the added bonus of Jack being able to attend and giving them all a chance to catch up during the downtime they were sure to find at the weekend tournament. Jack had retired no too long after Mike and Connie had relocated to Los Angeles, choosing not to run for another term as District Attorney. As he told Mike and Connie, he'd had all the politics that he could stomach for one lifetime. He decided that the west coast was calling to him, as well, more due to the fact that his daughter and granddaughter were there than anything else.

Mike's phone suddenly buzzed, signaling an incoming email. He looked down, a smile spreading across his face as the message loaded. It was just a "hi, how are you," email from his friend Peter Stone. Peter and Mike had become friends when Peter was tapped to take Mike's place as the Executive Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan when Mike left the position. Mike, of course, knew Peter's father, Ben Stone, by reputation. Peter taking the job that had once been filled by his own father had been like coming full circle. As they worked together during the last few weeks before Mike officially left New York, he knew right away that Jack had made an excellent choice and that he would be leaving the homicide division in a good place in Peter's very capable hands.

As the two men got to know each other, they found they had many things in common beyond their work ethic, baseball being chief among them. With Peter being a former major league pitcher with the Cubs organization, the sport was always an easy topic for them to discuss. They also learned that they had both fallen under the spell of the dark-haired and dark-eyed beauty that they worked with. It was while Peter was still an Assistant State's Attorney in Chicago that he first met Anna Valdez. She was assigned as his second chair. Peter soon found himself enchanted by her, not unlike how Mike fell for Connie. When Peter took the job in New York, he asked Anna to come with him. And the woman who had, for so long avoided long term commitments and claimed to have no desire to get married or have a family, agreed in a heartbeat. They were married about six months after their move, welcomed a son who was now two, and had recently added a little girl to their family. Mike read through the message, seeing that Peter had told him that Anna would be sending the latest pictures of the baby to Connie, before he sent off a reply.

"Hey Daddy?" James called. "When do I get to play ball?"

Mike smiled at his youngest son, grabbing the bill of the baseball cap that he wore and giving it a tug. "Don't worry, buddy, your t-ball practices start soon." This placated the youngster, who then ran down to meet his brother as practice was ending and he was packing up his gear. Mike smiled again. James absolutely worshiped his older brother, and Andy was endlessly patient with him. He watched his boys together, saw as Andy took his batting helmet and placed it on his little brother's head. James then took off running around the bases, the too-big helmet rocking back and forth on his head making him look a little like a bobble head toy. Andy and some of his teammates and coaches were waiting at home to slap their unofficial team mascot with high fives as he crossed the plate. Mike was filled with pride in watching his two boys enjoying the game that he also loved.

Andy and James finally made it over to where their dad was waiting, Andy's bat bag slung over his shoulder. They headed toward the car, Mike reminding the boys when they started making rumblings about being hungry that they were on their way to their Tia Elena's for lunch.


While the boys were enthralled with all things baseball, the ladies of the Cutter family were also spending their morning together. Maddie had, at last, made an appearance at the breakfast table just as Mike and the boys were leaving for Andy's practice. She sat down at the table, giving Connie a genuine smile when she placed a steaming bowl of apple and cinnamon oatmeal in front of her. As she dug in, Maddie realized that Connie had cut up an apple to add to her oatmeal, something that she knew her step-mother only did for her since the rest of the kids preferred brown sugar. "Thank you Mom," Maddie told her.

Connie smiled in return as she joined Maddie at the table. "How late were you up last night?" Connie asked.

Maddie ducked her head just a little. "I'm not sure," she said. "I was talking to Aislynn on Snapchat and watching a movie, and I fell asleep, but I'm not sure what time." Maddie decided for now to leave out the little detail that she was also chatting with Brenden, a boy from her history class at school. After all, it was nothing important, they had barely talked at all, and had only exchanged a handful of text messages. They were really just friends, but Maddie liked him. A lot.

Connie just shook her head. Maddie was getting older, to be sure, and Mike especially was struggling with it. They had spent lots of late nights talking about it. Connie completely understood how difficult it was for her husband to not be overprotective of their oldest child, especially considering all that she had been through with her abduction and rape four years ago. Maddie was, without question, traumatized as anyone would be. It had prompted their family to choose to relocate to the other side of the country to give them all, but most certainly Maddie, a fresh start far away from the horrific memories of her assault.

It turned out that the move, along with continued counseling, was just what Maddie needed. She flourished in Los Angeles. Connie's family had adopted Maddie and Andy as their own, so she was surrounded by a strong support system of people who loved her. She was doing well in school, she felt secure. She didn't even mind her father's overprotectiveness. She actually kind of liked that he kept her close and watched over her so closely. They experienced a return to the close father-daughter relationship that they had enjoyed when she was much younger.

But Maddie was getting older now. The bad things that she had experienced in New York would always be with her, but as she had learned from her counselor, there was so much more to her. She had started high school, was even starting to think about college, even though school had never really been her "thing."

She was also starting to notice boys, really notice them. And she was aware that they were noticing her. One thing that she had inherited from her birth mother was striking good looks, and the knowledge that she could sometimes use those good looks to get exactly what she wanted from people. It wasn't something that she had done often, but she liked the feeling of power that she derived from the few times she had been able to smile at a boy and get him to buy her a soda or flirt with her on Snapchat. Her parents kept a pretty tight reign on her social media footprint, but she was beginning to find ways around their supervision. She knew they probably wouldn't be completely happy about it, but she really wasn't doing anything wrong. It's not like she was sending nude selfies or giving out her personal information to complete strangers. Her dad often liked to remind her that once you put something on the internet it was on there forever, but Maddie really felt like her social media use was pretty innocent.

Maddie finished up her breakfast, placing her bowl and spoon into the dishwasher. She headed upstairs to jump in the shower, bypassing into Claire's room where Connie was helping her get dressed to tell her she would be ready to head to Elena's in about a half hour.


Connie and the girls were already at Elena's by the time Mike and the boys caught up with them after practice. It took about two minutes after they arrived for Andy and James to join Claire and their cousins in the pool. Mike walked along the deck towards Connie, noticing Maddie stretched out in a lounge chair with her phone in hand and her earbuds in her ears. He was just about to go over and check in with her when Andy flicked water on her, prompting Maddie to set her phone safely out of the way before she jumped in the pool, enlisting help from the younger kids as she attempted to submarine Andy. Just when I think she's all grown up, Mike thought to himself with a smile, she reminds me that she still just a kid.

He found Connie and her mother sitting at a table on the deck. Mike squeezed his mother-in-law's shoulder as he passed behind her, then leaned in to kiss Connie quickly before sitting down with them at the table.

"How was practice?" Connie asked.

"Good. He did really well," Mike told her. "Hey before I forget, you will probably be getting new pictures of baby girl Stone sometime today."

Connie snatched her phone from the table, swiping the screen to display the pictures that Anna had sent her that morning. "Isn't she adorable?" Connie asked.

Mike smiled, nodding his head.

Connie placed her phone back down on the table as she turned to Mike. "Mom has something that she'd like to talk to us about. Something she wants to do for Maddie."

Mike's eyebrows raised as he turned to Maria. Connie's family had been so good to them. He had been so nervous making that first visit to meet the all for Christmas, but her family had accepted Mike and his kids with open arms. If Connie loved Maddie and Andy as her own biological children, Maria and Hector Rubirosa loved them just as if they were their biological grandchildren.

"I know that Madelyn's birthday is coming up soon, and that it will be her quinceañera," Maria said, referring to the fact that Maddie would be celebrating her fifteenth birthday. "In our culture, this is an important birthday for a girl. It marks the transition from childhood to becoming a young woman." Maria smiled over at both of them, "I would like to help you in planning her party."

Mike looked over at Connie, who was wearing a nervous smile. He actually had heard of the custom of the quinceañera before, having seen pictures from Connie's celebration when she was younger. The thought of such a celebration for Maddie had never really occurred to him, but he was honestly touched that his mother-in-law would want to make sure that Maddie had the kind of birthday party that she deserved.

Connie had been a little worried at how Mike would react to her mother's suggestion. She knew that he realized how important her culture was to her and her family. He took every opportunity to include aspects of it into their family, including encouraging all of the kids to learn Spanish.

At the same time, she knew her husband was still quite a reserved man. A quinceañera was not the small family party that they usually threw for their children. It would be somewhat of a production, with father and daughter in the spotlight many times. Connie just wasn't sure that Mike would go for that.

At the same time, though, Connie knew that Mike had a terrible time saying no to her mother. Maria Rubirosa had not just adopted Mike's children, she had adopted Mike as her own as well. Having been estranged from his own parents for his entire adult life, Mike would do almost anything for this woman who had so effortlessly welcomed him into her family.

Mike looked over at Connie, reaching out to take her hand, before looking back at his mother-in-law. "We'd be honored."

TBC


A\N: So, what did you think? Please leave a review and let us know.