A/N: I see some of my regulars in the reviews. What's up my, homies? Thanks for sticking with me after I put you though hell with my last story. And to any newbies, welcome aboard...you're gonna wanna kill me, cuz I'm 'bout to mess with your emotions, and I am truly sorry for that. But we're not quite to "I'm gonna kill this bitch" just yet. Enjoy the happiness while you can. Because I'm like a damn suckerpunching ninja that's gonna knock you out with feels.

Chapter 2:

All You Need is Love

The night before Emily and Alison's anniversary, their girls made them dinner. And they fought the entire time. First Grace used too much seasoning on the main course that Lily was preparing. Then Lily ate some of the key ingredients that Grace was using to make dessert.

"Lily!" Grace grumbled when she opened the bag of chocolate chips to find that it was almost empty. "How am I supposed to make a chocolate soufflé without the chocolate?"

Lily wiped some chocolate away from the corner of her mouth and then looked at Grace with an innocent expression.

"In my defense, you left the chocolate unattended." Lily grinned. Grace scowled at her. "Come on, it's not that big of a deal." She chuckled. "Besides, you can't even reheat soup. You really expect me to believe you were going to be able to whip up a five-star dessert?"

"I've been working on it!" Grace dragged a chair across the floor and pushed it up to the kitchen counter. "Grandma has been helping me." She shrugged. "Who even eats semi-sweet chocolate anyway? It tastes like ass."

"Grace! Language!" Emily yelled from the living room.

"Sorry!" Grace called back. She lowered her voice and looked at her sister, a sheepish expression on her face. "I did not realize she was in there. Did you?"

Lily nodded with a smarmy smile.

"You are a terrible sister," Grace said flatly. She climbed up on the chair.

"What are you doing?" Lily questioned curiously.

Grace put her foot up on the counter and opened the top cabinet.

"Mom has a secret stash of chocolate around here somewhere." Grace felt around behind some dishes for Ali's hidden candy stash.

Her foot was closer to the edge than Lily cared to see. She stood behind her, worried she was about to fall, wondering if Grace's ass was about to topple on to her face.

"Get down before you break your neck." Lily complained.

"Oh, relax." Grace shook her head. Her fingers grazed something solid. "Ah ha." She pulled out a half-eaten bar of dark chocolate. "This will do."

"Great." Lily shrugged. "Now how about you finish up your high-flying act and get your feet back on the ground? You're not in Cirque Du Soleil."

"Circular what?" Grace glanced down in confusion.

"God, I can't believe we're related." Lily rolled her eyes.

Much to Lily's relief, Grace hopped down without incident and they went back to their dinner preparation. Five minutes later they were arguing about something again. Grace threw a handful of flour at Lily's head and then Lily turned the nozzle over the sink on Grace.

In the living room, Emily was shaking her head and laughing at her children as she tidied the living area. Over the years, Lily and Grace had their fair share of fights. Ali and Emily usually let them sort it out themselves. They mediated when they needed to, but when it came to little spats the girls usually worked it out before their moms needed to intervene.

She heard the front door open and then close and seconds later she was almost bowled over by a very happy bouncy mutt. Their Rottweiler-Husky mix, Jett, bounded into the room next to her. They had rescued him when he was a puppy. Now he was a two-year-old shedding ball of energy that never quit. He danced around her feet until she leaned down to say hello to him.

"Hey, buddy." Emily smiled.

Ali walked into the room and put their dog's leash in the basket next to the television and then walked over next to Emily. Emily stood up to greet her. Jett wandered off.

"How's it been going here?" Ali asked.

"Well…"

Before Emily could give Ali the rundown, there was a crash in the kitchen.

"Grace!" Lily shouted in irritation.

"Oops." Grace uttered.

"That's how it's been going." Emily motioned towards the noisy kitchen.

"They're at it again?" Ali questioned.

"It's like Hell's Kitchen in there." Emily laughed.

"Has it gotten bad enough where we should say something?"

"I'm not going in there." Emily scoffed. "I'm liable to get hit in the face with a potato."

There was another scuffle in the kitchen.

"Girls, is everything okay?" Ali called out to them in uncertainty.

There was a lengthy period of silence. It did not bode well. Ali and Emily walked towards the kitchen.

"Um, everything is fine." Lily peeked her head out of the kitchen, a nervous smile on her face.

"Yeah." Grace popped her head out next to her sister's. "Hypothetical question. Where is the fire extinguisher?"

"What?" Ali's eyes nearly bugged out of her head in alarm.

"I'm just kidding, mom." Grace smiled. "You two just…relax. We got this."

They disappeared back into the kitchen.

"One of these days I'm going to strangle that child." Ali muttered. She faced Emily. "You really think they have this?" She asked skeptically.

"Either they do or they're really skilled liars." Emily replied. They glanced at one another. Grace and Lily were their daughters and Ali and Emily had spent their entire childhoods lying. "You know, a little peek wouldn't hurt."

Ali and Emily waited a few seconds and then walked over to the doorway to spy on their children. Surprisingly, they found them leaning over the counter working on something intently together without fighting. Ali put her palm against Emily's arm and ran her fingers down her soft skin until she had Emily's hand in hers.

"They're something else, aren't they?" Ali smiled.

Emily pulled Ali closer as they watched their girls.

"I love them." Emily smiled at her daughters, then looked at her wife. "I mean, they drive me crazy, but I wouldn't change a thing."

She took Ali's other hand and brought their intertwined hands up between them. Ali smiled at Emily, who hadn't aged a day since she'd met her. She planted a kiss on her lips.

"I love you," Ali said as she pulled back.

"I love you, too."

Seconds later, Ali was distracted by something she saw out of the corner of her eye.

"Uh…Grace has a cleaver. We should probably…"

"Yeah." Emily agreed quickly.

But before they could pace into the kitchen and tell Grace to put the cleaver down Lily was already on it, scolding her for not getting the paring knife she needed.

"Nobody in this family lets me have any fun." Grace muttered. She put the cleaver away.

"From squabbling infants to dinner wars." Emily shook her head with a laugh. "I'd put money down on one of them throwing a roll at the other's head tonight."

"I'll take that bet." Ali nodded. She glanced at their girls through the doorway. Grace wiped her hands on Lily's shirt and Lily swatted her fingers. "Double or nothing that one of them whacks the other with a spoon."

"You're on."

Despite their bickering, the girls gave their mothers an amazing dinner with some surprises they weren't expecting. The girls went all out, putting up balloons and fresh flowers and presenting them with gifts. They had gotten them certificates to a spa, matching necklaces, and a snowglobe with a picture of all four of them in it.

"Girls, you really outdid yourselves." Emily glanced at their thoughtful gifts in amazement.

"Yeah, you're making your mother and I look like amateurs." Ali reached for Emily's hand. Ali hated looking like an amateur. "We're going to have to step up our game. We can't get shown up by two fourteen year olds."

"Well, I mean, it's not a hot-air balloon ride or a week in Paris, but we're glad you like it." Lily smiled.

"Don't sell us short, yet, Lil. They haven't tried dessert." Grace leaped to her feet, her excitement palpable. She was clearly proud of her creation.

Lily grabbed their dirty dishes and stood up and walked towards the sink. Ali and Emily looked at their gifts.

"Remind me to thank your mother for taking them shopping." Ali traced her fingers over her new necklace.

Lily saw her mother admiring the jewelry in her hands.

"We've got one more thing for you, but it's not finished yet." Lily sat back down.

"Honey, you don't have to get us anything else." Emily rubbed Lily's hand. "You two are a gift enough."

She realized it was a very Pam Fields thing to say the second it came out of her mouth. Her daughters didn't miss her sentimental statement.

"God, mom. You're a total sap." Grace rolled her eyes as she sat the dessert down on the table.

"Yeah, be quiet. I want more presents." Ali couldn't help but tease her.

Their laughter filled the air. They spent the rest of their evening rehashing old stories and enjoying each other's company. It was a night that they would one day look back on and remember as their last meal as a normal happy family.

When the night came to a close, Alison and Emily were still riding high from their daughters' generous gesture. They couldn't believe that Grace and Lily had gone to such great lengths for their anniversary.

"We've got a couple of great kids." Alison smiled as she climbed into bed next to Emily.

"We really do." Emily wrapped her arm around Alison and pulled her into her body, kissing the top of her head.

"How did we get so lucky?" She looked up at Emily.

Emily could still see the same spark in Alison's eyes she'd had since they were kids. There had always been an undertone of sensitivity that only Emily had been able to see hiding beneath the surface. She could get lost in the whirlpool of the shades of blue staring back at her for days.

"I guess we did something right with them." Emily tilted her chin down to press her lips against Alison's.

"Not just them." Alison reached up and traced her fingers along Emily's jaw. "This. Us."

"And they called me the sap?" Emily chuckled.

"God, you are the worst at sweet talk." Alison rolled her eyes.

"You know you don't have to sweet talk me to get into my panties, right?" Emily's fingers drifted below the covers and slid in between Alison's legs. Her heated fingers warmed up Alison's already sizzling thighs.

Alison slipped her hands underneath Emily's shirt. Just as Emily was leaning down to kiss her their mattress shook. Jett had his paws up on the foot of the bed.

"Don't make me sorry we rescued you." Ali scowled at the dog.

Seconds later, he was on the bed nosing Emily's leg, something he usually only did when he had to go outside.

"I'll take him out." Emily pushed the covers aside.

"No. Let the girls do it. He's their dog." Ali suggested, her voice nearly a whine, because God, she needed her wife. She needed to touch her. To feel her.

"It's almost midnight." Emily shook her head. "Besides, we'll have plenty of time for this tomorrow night." She gave Ali an innocent kiss on the lips.

Ali felt her inner-brat working her way to the surface literally screaming, BUT I DON'T WANT TO WAIT! I WANT IT NOW! I WANT SEX NOW!

Emily saw the look on her face and she chuckled.

"You're cute when you're sexually frustrated." She stood up.

"I hate you." Ali frowned at Emily's teasing.

"No, you don't." Emily smiled.

"No." She couldn't help but smile back. "I don't."

Ali watched Emily walk out of the room. She sulked silently to herself. Touching Emily was one of her favorite things in the world. Tracing the curves of Emily's body and feeling the way she clenched around her fingers when she peaked was something she would never get tired of. Feeling Emily all around her and inside of her while Emily nipped at her neck and ran her fingers through her hair was something she couldn't get enough of. As much as she loved their dog, she was annoyed with him at the moment.

"Frickin' dog and his damn clitorference." Ali mumbled.

She yawned and fell back against her pillow. She looked at the clock. It was 11:54. Their anniversary was in six minutes. It was hard to believe they'd been together for so long. Ali closed her eyes and ran through her memories with Emily and her family. She'd asked Emily to marry her when the girls were five months old. She'd been trying to plan something elaborate and romantic like a Paris-destination proposal, but with two babies she knew that she needed to seize the opportunity whenever she could. So she asked Pam to babysit one evening and took Emily out to dinner.

She'd surprised her with a carriage ride around the city and then took her to the kissing rock, where she'd set up a picnic basket with desserts. She had knelt down, pretending she was just picking the basket up and ended up on one knee in front of Emily. Emily had been completely stunned, especially considering she couldn't figure out how Ali had planned the whole thing given they were both constantly taking care of the girls.

Ali's hormones had kicked in halfway through the proposal and she lost her words because she got herself so emotionally worked up. So Emily had knelt down in front of her and taken Ali's face in her hands and kissed her and simply just said, "Yes, Alison. A thousand times yes."

A little over a year later they had walked down the aisle. Grace and Lily had been the flower girls. Pam had both girls, holding their hands as they walked into the chapel. Lily had gotten one foot inside the door when she saw the crowd staring at her and she'd shied away from everyone watching and buried her face in her Grandmother's leg and started whimpering. Pam had to pick her up and carry her down the aisle. Grace had giggled and tried to eat the flower petals as she danced down the aisle.

Thirteen years had passed since then. And Ali thought about every moment of those thirteen years. Her children had given her more joy than she ever thought possible, and her wife had been everything to her. Ali had spent her entire childhood certain that happiness was unobtainable for her. Certain that she didn't deserve anything good in her life. Certain she would be miserable forever. Then she fell in love with Emily. The woman had been more than her lover. She'd been her best friend. Her family. Her rock.

Ten minutes later when Emily got back from walking the dog Ali was sleeping soundly, a relaxed look on her face. Emily shook her head with a quiet laugh and slid back into bed without waking her. She carefully leaned over, placing a delicate kiss on her temple.

"Happy Anniversary, Ali," she whispered.

She watched Ali's face twitch as she dreamed. After a few minutes, she turned the lamp off and went to bed.

Everyone in the house slept soundly that night. Ali was the first to wake up in the morning. The house was quiet. Unusually quiet. She rolled over and looked at the clock and the first thing she thought about was whether or not she'd remembered to pack Grace's swimming gear up for her practice tonight. And she thought about how Lily had a physical after school today to get her check up for the school track team.

Then her mind went to her wife. Her beautiful wife of thirteen years, today. She fell more in love with her every day. She smiled to herself. She felt Emily stir next to her and she rolled over and slipped her hand over Emily's waist, her fingers trailing underneath her night shirt and on to her bare stomach.

"Em, you awake?" Alison asked quietly.

She heard Emily mutter back a half-awake response. Emily wasn't always easy to rouse in the mornings. The only time she was ever up before sunrise was when she went on her bi-weekly jogs. Otherwise, she loved to hug the covers for as long as she could. Alison pressed her body against Emily's back and her lips grazed her ear.

"How about now?" Alison moved her dark locks of hair aside and started planting kisses along the back of her neck.

She watched as the hairs on the back of Emily's neck stood up. Her arms started breaking out in goosebumps. Emily rolled over to face Alison.

"Good morning to you, too." Emily pulled Alison's face closer to hers until their lips were touching. "You look beautiful this morning."

After a few seconds Emily pulled back slightly and smiled at her.

"Not as beautiful as you." Alison followed Emily's motions. "Mmm, Happy Anniversary." She pushed forward and placed a soft chaste kiss on Emily's lips.

"Oh, is that today?" Emily grinned, teasing her.

Alison rolled her eyes. She leaned in for another kiss, this one less innocent – more demanding. Emily's hands slid down Alison's side and slipped up underneath her nightgown, her fingers laying flat against her taut skin as she traced the outlines of her ribs. Alison pushed forward until Emily was on her back. She pressed her chest against Emily's, her palms moving to Emily's face as their lips danced for dominance. Emily bit down on Alison's bottom lip and tugged it gently. Alison slid one hand to the side of Emily's neck and the other trailed down towards her hip. She smiled when she realized that Emily had kicked her pajama bottoms off in the middle of the night. Emily did that in her sleep a lot because she got hot. Alison ran her hands over Emily's underwear and groaned.

"You're wearing lace," Alison whispered against Emily's lips, feeling herself getting hotter by the minute.

"Lace is the traditional gift for the thirteenth anniversary." Emily pushed up and pecked Alison's lips with a sly smirk on her face.

"I can't wait to unwrap you." Alison lifted her brows mischievously.

All she wanted to do was get the lace off of her. Her fingers slid down until she was cupping Emily's center, feeling the damp heat radiating there.

"Ali, wait…wait," Emily said, her voice shaking as she tried to control her libido. "We should…"

Alison quickly shut her up with a kiss, not listening to a word she was saying, because she'd been dreaming about this all night long. Her fingers tickled the sensitive flesh between Emily's legs and Emily moaned at the contact. Emily reached down and gently gripped Alison's forearm to try and slow her down, her eyes burning through Alison's.

"We'll wake the girls," Emily said, her breathing already heavy because of Alison's motions.

"Like anything could drag those two out of bed this early in the morning?" Alison pulled her hand free from Emily's grasp.

She brushed the brim of Emily's underwear with her fingertips before slowly rolling them down her thighs. Emily instinctively and unconsciously lifted her hips up off of the bed, making it easier for Alison to pull the garment down the length of her legs.

"Grace has been…" Emily's breathing faltered when Alison's warm hands caressed her sides, slowly working her way up Emily's shirt. "…on a weird sleeping schedule this week. She's been up at five watching some show she's obsessed with." Alison tugged at Emily's shirt and seconds later it was off, Emily not trying to stop her, because her touch felt so good. "And Lily has been…mmm…" she lost her train of thought when Alison lightly raked her fingers across her chest, her palms cupping her breasts. She threw her head back into her pillow, closing her eyes. "…Lily has been getting up early to jog because of track tryouts."

Alison pulled away from Emily just long enough to yank her nightgown off over her head, completely exposing herself, and rendering Emily speechless.

"Try and say 'no' to me now, sweetie." Alison smirked.

Alison was still as beautiful as the first time Emily had laid eyes on her. And she still had the same fire in her eyes. It was the sexiest thing Emily had ever seen.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me," Emily said with a groan.

"I think I have some idea." Alison drew sensual patterns along Emily's inner thigh, her fingers trailing up until they landed on her center again. She could feel how aroused she was by running her fingers across her swollen lips.

Emily jumped and hissed, holding back a grunt. Unable to resist her wife, she reached up with one hand and palmed Alison's left breast. She slid her other hand in between their bodies, her fingers rubbing Alison between her legs. She hadn't worn underwear to bed and that just revved Emily up. Alison smiled and bit her lip, making Emily shudder. Alison pulled her hand away from Emily's core and went to tickle her inner thigh again, teasing her. Alison could feel Emily's thighs twitching as she massaged the sensitive skin on her upper leg. To add to the sensation, she lightly traced her thumb over Emily's sensitive bundle of nerves. Emily bucked underneath her with want, biting her tongue to keep from crying out.

"We…we should…wait until they leave for school." Emily's words were contradicting her body's actions. "The last thing we need is for them to come running in here when they hear me making a whole hell of a lot of noise."

"Then you'll just have to be quiet, won't you?" Alison slid her palm up Emily's thigh, and without warning plunged two fingers deep inside of her.

Emily threw her head back and let out an uninhibited moan. Her body tightened and her fingers tensed between Alison's legs, putting pressure against Alison's core, sending a shooting wave of pleasure through Alison's body. Alison's other hand quickly slid over Emily's mouth. She withdrew her fingers, then added a third before sinking back into her again. Emily's eyes rolled back into her head and she slapped her hand over Alison's, pressing hard to help muffle her groans, her fingernails digging in to Alison's skin. Emily felt a pang of pleasure coursing through her body and she pulled her other hand out from in between their joined bodies and grabbed the back of her pillow, her fingers clutching the soft downy feathers.

Alison heard Emily utter her name against her hand and she smiled. Emily had always been wildly loud in bed. Alison loved to push her until she was screaming. And she loved to challenge her to be quiet at the worst possible times. Bathroom stalls. The library stacks. Boathouses. Locker rooms. Birthday parties. Once at a funeral for one of Alison's distant relatives. Emily could never say no to Alison, and Alison knew that.

Alison leaned down, placing open-mouthed kisses down her collarbone, her hot tongue flicking against Emily's skin. She kissed her way down to Emily's bust, lightly sucking on the skin around her breasts, slowly and agonizingly working her way up to her sensitive nipples as she pumped her fingers in and out of her. She heard Emily moan, the noise reverberating against her hand. She could tell that Emily was biting back a scream, which made her grunts and cries much more powerful than normal. Her wife's moaning was music to her ears. Alison glanced up at Emily as her tongue grazed her nipple and her fingers curled inside of her. Emily's eyes fluttered shut at the dual sensations.

Emily ground against Alison's fingers, wanting to feel more. She pulled her hand away from her pillow and gripped the back of Alison's thigh, pulling her closer…deepening Alison's motions with her hips' movements. Alison complied, thrusting forward with her hand and her hips with such force that Emily's whole body jerked towards the head of the bed. Emily threw her palm backwards against the headboard, still trying to concentrate on not being too loud. Alison curled her fingers again and pressed her thumb against Emily's clit and Emily bucked in to her.

Emily pulled her free hand away from Alison's hand and raked her fingernails across Alison's back, slowly working her way down her spine. Alison's body quaked beneath Emily's touch, but she managed to stay focused. Alison felt Emily's hot breaths coming out in pants against her palm. She leaned forward, pressing her chest against Emily's, her hair falling over Emily's face as she leaned down to kiss her. In one swift motion, her hand was off of Emily's mouth and her lips were pressed firmly against Emily's. She swallowed her wife's cries, tasting every delicious breath.

Emily's fingers curled against the back of Alison's neck, both her palm and the nape of Alison's neck slick with sweat. She ran her hand through Alison's hair several times and then stroked her cheek. Alison could feel Emily's moans pulsing in her mouth. She rolled her tongue over Emily's, her mouth's motions keeping in time with her thrusts, her tongue in perfect sync with the movements of her fingers pumping in and out at a calculated pace.

She pulled out completely and then circled her entrance before roughly thrusting her fingers forward again. Feeling Emily's cries vibrating against her lips made Alison's entire body tingle in pleasure. Emily firmly placed her palm on the back of Alison's neck again to deepen their kiss, and to try and keep herself from screaming. Alison could see a thin layer of sweat forming on Emily's forehead. Alison felt her own perspiration building up as their heated bodies writhed together.

Emily tried to encourage her to go faster, but Alison kept her movements slow, driving Emily crazy. Alison stopped moving, just long enough to tease her, and when she felt Emily squirm and whimper beneath her she slowly started moving again. She smirked against Emily's mouth, a laugh puffing out between her breaths.

Emily quickly wiped the smirk off of her face by gliding her hand over Ali's ass and slipping her fingers down and in between her folds. Alison threw her head back in surprise when she felt Emily's fingers easily sliding into her. Alison gasped and slowed her movements just long enough to feel Emily. She slammed her lips against Emily's again and trailed her fingers along Emily's inner walls as she got lost in the sensation of Emily's fingers moving inside of her. Emily had always been so insanely good at knowing exactly where her sweet spots were. It's like she didn't even have to try. Her skilled fingers were like a magical work of art that took Alison to a place outside of herself. She felt herself moving with Emily's motions, and suddenly, she was the one whimpering into Emily's mouth. Once she got her own rhythm going she started pumping Emily with vigor again.

Emily used the motions of her hips and the movement of her fingers to guide Alison closer to the brink. She could feel her own climax approaching and she tried to hold out so she could bring Alison with her, but Alison hit a spot inside of her that made her see stars and she knew she wasn't going to last much longer. Her body arched off of the bed into Alison. The motion caused Emily to sink her fingers further into her wife, and Alison let out a quiet moan as she rode Emily's fingers.

Alison felt Emily's body tighten. She pulled back and she could see how close Emily was. Alison watched her jaw go slack. Her brows furrowed and her eyelids flickered, a sight that never got old to her. Alison ran her free hand delicately across Emily's cheek.

"I've got you, baby," Alison whispered, placing a soft kiss on the side of her jaw, her lips grazing Emily's ear.

Alison leaned down and gently nibbled her neck, slowly working her way down her body, feeling Emily's chest rising and falling rapidly against her lips. Her tongue teased one of her hardened nipples.

"I love you, Ali. I lo…" Emily grunted, unable to finish her thought. All that came out was an unintelligible pant.

Alison took Emily's nipple in between her teeth and bit down gently. She heard Emily choke back a cry and seconds later Emily shuddered beneath her, clenching Alison's fingers, pulling them deeper. Alison pulled her mouth away from her chest and pushed her lips against Emily's so she could taste her pleasure as she peaked. A slick wetness ran down Alison's hand and on to her knuckles. Alison brushed her fingers inside of Emily, keeping them in place as Emily pulsated and contracted against her hand.

Emily faltered, unable breathe, unable to move. Alison concentrated on Emily's digits inside her, thrusting against them to regain the friction that had been lost while Emily came down from her high. The second Emily felt Alison grinding against her hand she started moving in Alison again, her fingers hitting all the right spots. Alison's lips parted and a satisfied purr slipped out. Emily watched as the pleasure washed over her face. Her cheeks were red. Her lips were swollen and wet.

Emily could feel Alison tightening around her fingers and she followed Alison's motions as Alison bounced on top of her, the fingers of her free hand gripping Emily's left breast, the fingers of her other hand still engulfed inside Emily's warmth. Emily reached up with one hand and cupped her breast while she curled her fingers roughly with her other, her palm hitting that spot in between Alison's legs that never failed to send waves of ecstasy rolling through her body. Alison sucked in a gasp.

"Em…" Her eyes snapped shut and she threw her head back. "Emily." She tried to keep her voice quiet, the little Emily voice in the back of her head telling her not to wake their children.

"Right here, honey." Emily pulled her hand away from Alison's chest and slid her palm up Alison's neck, her fingers grazing her cheek. She brushed her hair aside so she could see her face. Alison looked down at Emily and saw her kind dark eyes locked on hers, and that was the last push she needed.

Seconds later Emily watched her wife come undone on top of her. She could feel Alison's legs trembling. Alison squeezed her thighs together tightly, keeping Emily's fingers in place, a warm liquid dripping into Emily's palm. Alison bit her lip to keep quiet and Emily had to smile. All that crap Alison had given her about being quiet, and she was just as likely to give them away.

She ran her free hand up Emily's chest before collapsing on top of her, breathing heavily, feeling Emily's own ragged breaths against her flushed body. Alison leaned forward to capture Emily's lips, her fingers still resting inside of her, Emily still pulsing and twitching. She gave her a few gentle pecks on the mouth and then slid down, kissing Emily's body along the way, her lips lingering on Emily's bellybutton as she withdrew her hand from in between Emily's legs.

"Happy Anniversary," Alison said quietly, sliding up her body, placing more feathery kisses against Emily's skin.

"God, I love you." Emily pushed Ali's hair behind her ear, slowly pulling her fingers out of her wife.

"You love me or you love my magical fingers?" Alison smirked.

"All of you." Emily pulled her face towards her until Alison's lips were on hers.

After she pulled away, Alison smiled sweetly at her.

"I love you, too." She pushed her forehead against Emily's.

They exchanged several delicate pecks on the lips while their fingers traced nonsensical patterns all over each other's bodies. Seconds later they heard a knock at their door.

"Uh…moms?"

They both froze, feeling like two teenagers who had been caught in the act. They stared at the door, both of them trying like hell to remember if they'd locked it.

"Told you," Emily mouthed to Ali.

Ali smiled, a slight giggle escaping her lips as she brought her index finger up to her puckered mouth and shushed her.

"What is it, Lily?" Ali asked.

"I can't find Jett's leash."

"It's in the basket next to the TV," Emily answered.

"Okay, thanks."

"Hey, Lil, if you're going jogging take your pocketknife, okay?" Emily called out to her.

"Okay, mom."

"And stay close." Emily added.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And maybe ask Grace to go with you?" Ali suggested, glancing at Emily, her brows dancing in excitement at the thought of the two of them having the house to themselves. "She could use some cardio minutes to keep up her times in swimming."

And they could use more uninterrupted mind-blowing sex.

"Um…okay?" They could tell their daughter was basically mortified.

They heard her pace down the hallway. Both of them burst into laughter. Emily's face was bright red. Ali thought it was hilarious.

"We probably just scarred her for life." Emily turned her cheek against the pillow and laughed.

"She's our kid. She was bound to be scarred anyway." Ali kissed Emily's neck, nuzzling against her, her breath tickling Emily's ear.

"You're terrible." Emily grinned.

"You married me." Ali shrugged.

"I did." Emily sighed with a content smile.

"Are we bad parents for trying to trick our kids into leaving the house so we can have sex in every room in it?" Ali asked, rolling off of Emily.

"No, I think that's called adulthood." Emily smiled. "Besides, they'll be fifteen in a few months. They can handle themselves."

"They came out handling themselves." Ali snorted out a laugh. "You remember when Lily went through that phase when she was three and she refused to let me help her get dressed?"

"Oh, yeah." Emily chuckled. "She went to the park wearing a bathing suit, bright pink tights, a toboggan, and two mismatched shoes. Hanna almost had a heart attack. She asked us if we dressed her in the dark."

"God, and Grace was terrible when it came to letting us do anything for her. She threw a tantrum when I tried to help her ride her bike for the first time."

"To Grace's credit, you were holding her back going at that snail's pace." Emily teased her.

"I used to drive myself crazy worrying about her falling and busting her head."

"Sweetheart, you still do that. Every day." Emily ran her fingers through Ali's hair.

"How have you stayed this calm despite all the scrapes and bumps and bruises they come home with?"

"Because they come home." Emily shrugged. "And because they're our kids. I know that they can take care of themselves."

"I still can't believe you got them weapons when they turned eleven." Ali rolled her eyes.

"It's not like I bought them an arsenal. They're just pocketknives. My dad taught me how to protect myself." Emily yawned. "I always want them to feel safe."

Ali smirked.

"What?" Emily asked, confused as to why Ali was smiling at her.

"You're a good mom." Ali leaned over, planting a delicate kiss on Emily's cheek.

"You are, too." Emily smiled back. Ali had spent every waking moment making sure Grace and Lily had everything they needed and more.

"Yeah, but you just emit that 'mom' glow. I find that incredibly sexy." Her fingers drifted down to Emily's inner thigh again.

"Ali, I don't know if I can handle another round. I'll be lucky if I can walk straight at this point."

"We don't do anything straight, dear." She grinned seductively, throwing her hips over Emily's, climbing on top of her again.

"What is with you this morning?" Emily asked. Her eyes widened when she felt Alison's fingers against her already sensitive bundle of nerves, slowly drawing circles. She bit her lip to fight back a moan when Alison dipped a single finger inside of her again. "Jesus, Alison," she closed her eyes, sighing deeply, feeling lost in Alison's touch, "you're going to be the death of me."

But her hands were already moving for Alison's ass. She grabbed one cheek with each hand, digging her fingers in firmly. She rolled to her side so she could flip their positions, gasping when the motion caused Alison to drive her finger in deeper. Alison saw Emily's mouth fall open and she heard the groan building up in her chest. She reached up with her free hand and put her palm over Emily's mouth again. This time, Emily pulled her hand away and leaned down to kiss her. She adjusted her legs and put her hand in between Alison's thighs.

"It's your turn to hold your tongue." Emily pulled back and looked down at her hot mess of a wife.

Alison smiled, a seductive look in her eyes.

"I'd rather you hold it for me."

Emily didn't have to be told twice. Their lips met again in a hard kiss, their tongues clashing, Alison moaning as Emily's fingers did things to her that made her want to scream. They did their best to be quiet, but they weren't as diligent about it as their first time, because Lily had already caught them. Their daughter wasn't an idiot. Besides, it was their anniversary.

Lily tried to shake off the idea of her parents rolling around in the sack. Unfortunately, she had a very vivid imagination, so once an idea was in her head she was hard-pressed to get it out. She walked towards the kitchen, Jett trailing behind her, excited. He knew she was going out and he knew he was going with her.

Lily walked into the kitchen to grab her water bottle, surprised to find Grace sitting at the table tapping a pen against an open book.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked.

"Earth Science homework."

"You're willingly doing homework?" Lily questioned in astonishment. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"I'm not completely helpless." Grace cut her eyes at Lily.

"A week ago you asked me if geology and geometry were the same thing."

"It was a rhetorical question."

"I don't think that word means what you think it means." Lily looked at Grace skeptically.

"Bitch, don't quote The Princess Bride at me this early in the morning."

"You know, if you put half as much effort into learning your Spanish vocab as you do memorizing movie quotes you wouldn't be sitting on a C in that class right now." Lily grabbed her water bottle from the cabinet.

"Spanish is the least of my concerns. This Earth Science is really kicking my ass." She frowned at the book in front of her. Her eyes lit up and she looked up at her sister. "Hey, let's pull a switcheroo. You can take my midterm for me."

"That would be cheating." Lily filled her water bottle up.

"You're no fun." Grace went back to her homework.

"I can help you if you want." Lily offered.

"No, thanks, Professor Snoozefest. I don't need a nap right now." Grace teased her.

"Suit yourself." Lily shrugged.

Lily ate a granola bar and drank a glass of orange juice as she watched Grace scribble down some notes. Grace read something that caught her interest. Lily could see that she was fascinated by whatever it was.

"Cool." Grace grinned. She looked at Lily. "Did you know that we are constantly in motion? Even when we're still." She held her hand up, keeping it still, staring at it. "The planet is constantly moving. That means we are always moving, and there are elements that are moving on the moving planet…like trees in the wind…we're move-ception."

"Are you drunk?" Lily cocked an eyebrow at her sister.

"At five in the morning?" Grace snorted. "Who am I? Aunt Hanna?"

Hanna, Aria, and Spencer had been a huge presence in their lives when they were growing up. Each one of their mothers' best friends provided such amazing insight into their parents' lives.

Hanna told the best stories about their youth. She loved regaling them with crazy tales. She had no filter either, so they got to hear all the nitty gritty stuff. Hanna would always make them promise not to tell their mothers she had told them, and the girls always complied. Hanna also had the best advice when it came to fashion. She hooked them up with some of her best designs for free.

Spencer was the one they went to when they had problems they couldn't talk to their mothers about. She was always very diplomatic and she told them the truth when they needed to hear it. It was nice knowing someone so high up in the government, too. Because they knew if they ever needed someone in their corner, they could count on her.

And Aria was the one they sought comfort in when they just needed a friendly face. She somehow knew exactly what to say to cheer them up. She had a perfect balance of docility and bravado. Lily especially liked Aria, because she was artsy and cool. She liked learning from her.

And the girls' husbands were great, too. Between their busy work schedules and raising their own kids, Caleb, Toby, and Ezra always had time for the girls if they needed them. They looked out for them and thought about them a lot. Caleb taught them tons of cool stuff about both technology and nature. He was very balanced between the two. Toby was always taking care of them. If he saw them around town he'd always stop to offer them a ride so they didn't have to walk if they didn't want to. And Ezra was thoughtful and gave the best gifts. When he was on the road, he always made sure to bring something back for all of the kids. In a way, the girls felt like they had eight parents. They had bonded with all of their kids, too. They were happy to have so much love in their lives.

Lily and Grace heard a loud thumping noise at the end of the hallway, followed by laughter wafting through the air.

"You know what they're doing in there, don't you?" Grace lifted her brows and grinned.

Lily shrugged. So their parents were happy. There were worse things in the world.

"I'm going for a run. You wanna come?" Lily asked.

"That's what she said."

"Grow up, Grace." Lily said, but she couldn't help but chuckle.

They heard their moms laughing from their bedroom again. Both of them smiled. They were glad their moms were happy. They had so many friends at school that came from broken homes and unhappy families that it was such a breath of fresh air that their parents were happy and in love, even if the mushy stuff got overwhelming sometimes.

"Did you get the binding for the scrapbook?" Grace asked.

Their final gift for their mothers' anniversary was a scrapbook the two of them had been working on for months. They'd gotten pictures and collected stories and quotes and a whole bunch of other various things from their moms' friends and their grandmother.

"Yep. It's in my room, top shelf of my closet. I'm going to finish it before I head to school. We can give it to them before their dinner tonight."

"Thirteen years. It's crazy, right?" Grace asked. She thought about something and then laughed. "I can't believe we're technically bastards."

"Yeah, and you live up to that name every day." Lily gave her sister a sarcastic smile.

"Love you, too, sis."

"Hey, are you coming to the Strauss' house tonight for Scarlett's party?" Lily asked.

"Can't. I've got practice."

"You should just change your address to that pool." Lily teased her. "I don't know how you can stand it. Why do you want to be wet all the time?" Lily realized what she'd said the second it came out of her mouth. "If you say 'that's what she said' again I'm going to hit you."

Grace just grinned.

"You're just going to have to get your party on without me." Grace smiled.

"Oh, but however will I survive without you there to protect me?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"You're so codependent." Grace smarted back.

"Wow, big word, Doctor Scholarly." Lily teased. "I can't believe you're blowing off a chance to party tonight. You know, Sam might be there." She nudged Grace. She knew that Grace had a crush on Scarlett's brother, Sam.

"Nah, he's away for his lacrosse tournament."

"You are a total stalker." Lily snorted.

She grabbed her water bottle. She flicked her wrist and waved to Grace as she walked into the living room to get Jett's leash. She grabbed the leash and attached it to the dog's collar. She did a quick search around the house for her pocketknife, but couldn't find it. When she walked back into the living room Grace was getting ready to sit down on the couch to watch some show she'd been binging for days.

"Well, that was a quick run, Flash." Grace teased her.

"Have you seen my pocketknife?" Lily asked.

"No." Grace shook her head. "But you can take mine. It's in the desk drawer."

"Nah, that's okay. Who needs a blade when I've got Jett?"

"What's Jett going to do?" Grace leaned down and ruffled Jett's fur. His tail smacked hard against the couch. "Lick someone to death?"

The dog was built like a steamroller, but the only thing he destroyed was desk lamps with his tail. Though if Grace or Lily were being threatened Emily and Ali were certain the dog would go ape-shit. He'd already proven that he'd protect his family one night when a drunk man had tried to get into their house, thinking it was his girlfriend's place by mistake. He'd broken a window in the middle of the night. He hadn't gotten one foot inside the house before Jett lunged at him and latched on to his leg. Emily was right behind the dog swinging a baseball bat while Ali was rounding up the girls and calling 911.

"Whatever." Grace shrugged. "Just be careful. You never know what kinda weirdos are up around the neighborhood at this hour."

"Yeah…" Lily glanced through their window, seeing a light on a few houses down. "Or right next door."

Grace heard the troubling nerves in her sister's tone. She looked out the window.

"Lil, is that Zane creep still hassling you?" Grace asked, her expression softer now, her joking manner falling to the wayside.

"No." Lily lied, a skill she had not perfected at all.

"Liar." Grace rolled her eyes.

"I'm not lying!" But her voice betrayed her.

"I can read you like a book." Grace argued.

"You? Reading a book? Don't make me laugh."

"Seriously, sis. I can take care of him for you."

"I don't need you to be my enforcer." Lily frowned.

"Yeah, you do." Grace laughed. Her sister was far too passive. "That dude is a total sleaze. If he's still hitting on you I can…"

"I can handle it, Grace," Lily uttered in frustration. She hated it when Grace treated her like a baby. "You're overreacting. He's not some big scary dragon you need to slay. He's just a caveman who likes to try and look cool in front of his stupid cavemen buddies. Besides, he's not even in town. He has some traveling basketball tournament or something this weekend. It's all he's been talking about in gym this week."

"Fine. Be stubborn." Grace walked over to the desk next to the front door. She pulled the drawer open and grabbed her pocketknife. "But you're taking this." She put the weapon in Lily's palm and closed her fingers around it. "Or I'll tell our moms he hasn't stopped bothering you."

"Okay." Lily didn't argue. "But you won't tell them anything, or else I'll tell them that instead of doing your homework you're rotting your brain with that little after school soap opera you've been binging."

"Technically, I've been watching it before school." Grace retorted.

"Grace, that's not what that…" She shook her head. "Never mind." She rolled her eyes and put her earbuds in. Jett was bouncing at her feet, ready to go.

"Do you have your phone?" Grace asked.

"No, I'm just sticking my earphones in my ears because we're out of q-tips." Lily scoffed as she opened the door.

Grace shook her head with a laugh as she watched Lily and Jett jog down the driveway. Lily ran through the neighborhood, her music setting her pace. Her mother had shared her work-out playlist with her and Lily had found it to be really helpful when she jogged. She kept the volume at a medium setting so she could still hear everything around her, something else Emily had taught her. She could hear Jett's nails clacking against the pavement. She could hear a couple of dogs barking in the distance. And she could hear a plane buzzing by overhead.

Lily got lost in the world around her. She was very much like Emily in that respect. She loved nature. She jogged until the sun came up, then she stopped to admire the swirls of the pink and orange hues in the sky. She'd never get over how breathtaking nature could be. It's like the sky was presenting a gift to the world. It looked like it was going to be a gorgeous day. But despite the beauty of the world around her, something felt off. Something about today felt different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she couldn't shake away a weird nagging feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.

A/N: Soak in this chapter guys. I'm not sure when I'll get around to editing and posting the next one. Because the next one is a game-changer. I'll be straight with you all. There's something coming up really soon that's probably going to hit pretty hard, and I struggled with whether or not I wanted to put up a trigger warning. But it's not really a typical trigger, so I'll just tell you to tread carefully the next few chapters. And, you know, get your pitchforks ready. I'm not kidding about the pain/angst/tragedy. Sorry in advance. If it makes you feel any better, my best friend has offered to punch me in the head for free if I make you angry or make you cry. I should probably invest in a helmet.