Olivia held Rhea until she fell asleep and put her back to bed. But she and Alex were awoken every few hours by one of the children screaming out in their sleep and this pattern continued until the morning. Needless to say, no one got much sleep.

When Elliot got to the station in the morning, the children were finally asleep. "Hey," he greeted Olivia and Alex. "Sleep well?"

"Oh, God." Olivia yawned. "Not at all."

Elliot laughed. "Want some coffee?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, please!"

"Coffee," approved Alex. "Noun, of Dutch origin, meaning 'drink of the gods'. Alternate meaning: 'quick and easy pick-me-up which gives you enough energy to handle another stressful day.'"

"Right. Thank you. Liv, we have our own personal dictionary! Can you do –"

"Stop it," snapped Alex. "Coffee! Move it."

Elliot chuckled and raised his arms in surrender. He left to get the coffee.

Olivia turned to Alex. "I hate pulling all-nighters. It sort of reminds me of university – you know, partying until three in the morning and then studying until nine or ten, and then going to class."

"I can honestly say I have no clue what you're talking about," said Alex.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Alex?" Benjamin was standing in the doorway, looking bleary-eyed.

Alex sighed. "Good morning, Benjamin." She took Benjamin's hand. "Do you want some breakfast? We have some cereal if you like."

He paused. "I'm a picky eater."

Alex knelt down to his level. "You know what, Ben? Me too!"

Benjamin laughed. "Rhea thinks it's silly, but I can't mix foods together. They taste so icky. Rhea says it all goes to the same place anyway, but going down it tastes really gross. So I always have to have separate plates for everything."

Alex smiled. "Me too. Is Rhea still sleeping?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Okay. Come sit down and we'll have breakfast together."

Benjamin pulled out a chair next to Alex, who took out the cereal. "Do you like Rice Krispies?"

He nodded. "They're Rhea's favorite so we have them a lot."

Alex poured the little boy a bowl of cereal.

"No weevils though, right?" he asked.

Alex was startled. "No, of course not. Why?"

He shrugged. "Last time we had some, there were weevils in it. Rhea was sick so she didn't go to the store, but then she started crying 'cause there was nothing to eat."

"Your mom didn't do the shopping?"

"Uh uh. Rhea did. She knows what I like. 'Cause I only like Nutella and a special kind of peanut butter and Mommy wouldn't know."

Alex nodded.

"You're not having any breakfast?"

"I am. Elliot's just getting it for me."

Elliot walked in the door and Alex and Olivia both ran to him. "Coffee!" shrieked Olivia.

Elliot left and set the coffees down on the table. He handed one to Olivia. "One for you." He handed the other to Alex. "And one for you."

Alex greedily gulped the coffee.

Benjamin was watching Alex in disgust. "That's all you're having for breakfast?"

Alex nodded. "Just wait until you're my age."

Benjamin grinned and finished his cereal. He turned to Alex. "This is like a hotel."

"Almost but not quite. We're the maid service, right?"

Benjamin giggled. "Will you play a game with me?"

"Actually, Benjamin, we have some business to take care of."

His face fell. "Oh."

"No, this business includes you and Rhea. We need to go to your school, see what you've missed, get you caught up, and figure out when you're going back."

Benjamin groaned. "Aw. But Rhea will be happy. She loves school."

Alex was amused. "And you don't?"

"Not really. Rhea's the smart one."

"Should we wake your sister or go the two of us and leave Elliot and Olivia with Rhea?"

Benjamin smiled. "Go the two of us. Rhea likes sleeping in."

"Okay. Go get dressed and then we'll leave."

Benjamin ran off to change and Alex turned to Olivia. "You stay with Rhea, okay? I'm taking Benjamin to his school to see what's going on. They've skipped almost two weeks of class."

Olivia nodded. "Go ahead."

Benjamin trotted back to Alex. "Ready!"

"Okay, honey. Let's go."