Chapter 11 – The Nine Month Plan
December
"Oh Holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world
In sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt His worth
The thrill of hope,
The weary world rejoices
For yonder brings a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
Oh, hear the angel's voices
O' night divine
O' night when Christ was born
O' night divine
O' night, O' night divine…"
Olivia continued to watch the performance on stage. Mackenzie was currently standing stage left and a chorus of "angels," or so they were dressed, were stage right. She confidently belted out the notes, while still making the song soft gospel-like as she moved around the stage. At the end of the performance, a bunch of what she could only assume was supposed to be snow, fell from above the stage. And then the song was over and the curtain fell.
"'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer' was priceless." Olivia said once they got home. "That little kid looked like his grandma actually did get run over by a reindeer."
Alex laughed. "It was too cute. I actually felt kind of bad for him."
"Yeah, that was a fun show." Mackenzie admitted. At first, she didn't want to do the show, which is why she never auditioned. But then the choral director asked her to sing one solo because the person who was going to sing it got laryngitis. So she managed to learn the lyrics, which she pretty much already knew, and the blocking in a few hours. It was a good thing her voice teacher was available for an emergency session.
Olivia hung up the coats. "Hey Kenz, why don't you go pick out a movie and then come down and we'll have a movie night?"
"Okay." Mackenzie disappeared agreed, then disappeared into her room.
She turned to Alex. "Is that alright with you? You're not too tired?"
"Not tonight." She raised her eyebrows.
Olivia got the message. "Forget the movie." She pretended to yell up to Mackenzie, but only so that Alex could hear.
…………………
The house never looks so good then when Alex decorates it for Christmas. There were those candles you put in the windows, garland lining the railing on the stairs and the doorways, large wooden gingerbread houses, Christmas pillows and blankets, off-white furniture coverings with silver stars, the mantel was totally covered, the stockings were up, the tree was big and beautiful and had a gorgeous angel on top and there was even a nativity scene. To compete with the "fake Christmas" as Olivia had called it, she and Mackenzie had made a real gingerbread house that was currently sitting in the middle of the table surrounded by all sorts of good food and treats. Tom and Greg were there with Max and Dillon and had brought a pot full of chicken wings, Jeanine and Rick came with Jason and Rebecca with a basket of chocolate cookies Becca had made all by herself and Lisa and Dan brought along their boys and a warm apple pie.
Rachel was also there with her older brother and his wife and their seventeen-month-old son Tyler, a few couples from Alex and Olivia's childbirth class made appearances and even some colleagues were all there too. And late as usual, was Jess. But it was Christmas, so she was forgiven.
It was a fun night full of singing and storytelling and laughing and eating and just being all healthy and together. Once it hit around ten o'clock though, the crowd started to dissipate. It was about twelve-thirty before the lasts guests left and they could all go to sleep.
Once the fire was out for the night, Olivia hung the stockings up on the mantle. Mackenzie had a red velvet stocking with an oversized green bow right under her name…well, Jordan's name, Alex's was burgundy velvet with silver snowflakes that said 'Mama' and Olivia's was exactly like that only green and said 'Mom.' They even had one for Chloe that was green and in the shape of a bone. As per tradition, everyone put one gift for each person in their stockings.
Since Mackenzie was already asleep, she would put hers in out the morning. Alex excused herself to the bathroom, so Olivia ran into the kitchen and jimmied open the "stuck" drawer and took her gifts out and put them in their respective stockings then began cleaning up. Once she was done in the bathroom, Alex took her gifts out of their hiding place under a never-used quilt in the hall closet and put them in the stockings while Olivia was in the kitchen.
Pretending to be in the kitchen, Olivia had ran up to the attic and gotten the gifts that go under the tree and placed them under the tree while Alex was in the kitchen looking for her, or so she thought. Alex was actually getting her own tree gifts out of a safe they had found in one of the cupboards that no one knew the combination to, except Alex. Remarkably, neither was caught.
"Alright sweetie, you going to bed?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah, I'm beat."
Olivia rubbed her back. "Okay, well I'm going to go down the street and get Mackenzie's gift and walk her down to the barn. Did you put the ribbon on the stall?"
"It's hanging from the side, so once she's in there and you close the door, just attach it to the other side."
"Okay. Is the other stuff down there already?"
"It's all wrapped and in the tack room."
Olivia kissed Alex. "I'm going to go get her then." She kissed her again. "Merry Christmas baby."
"Merry Christmas."
…………………
Next Morning
Mackenzie was the first awake and ran down and put her gifts where they went before anyone woke up - one in each stocking and then put her big gift for each of her mothers under the tree. She pulled on her boots and winter coat before putting some water on to boil and then quietly snuck out of the house and bolted down the street. Stacey met her when she got down there and handed the precious gift over. Mackenzie ran back home, careful not to crush the small creature and was able to put it very carefully into Alex's stocking before the kettle went off.
Olivia and Alex came out shortly after and Mackenzie handed them each a large cup of hot cocoa.
"Merry Christmas Kenz." Olivia kissed her on the cheek.
"Merry Christmas Mom."
Alex kissed her on the other cheek. "Merry Christmas sweetie."
"Merry Christmas Mama."
Mackenzie and Alex sat down at the table and waited while Olivia made her famous Christmas morning oatmeal. After they ate, Olivia ran out to grab some firewood, but Mackenzie stopped her before she started a fire. "Let's open our stockings first."
"You guys go ahead, I'll start the fire."
Mackenzie walked over to Olivia and motioned with her eyes to Alex's stocking. Olivia discretely looked over and saw the tiny bundle sleeping soundly. "Oh, I forgot about that." She whispered. "I'll start it after. The wood needs some time to dry anyway. There must be three feet of snow out there."
Mackenzie went first. She got those new set of gold heart-shaped hoop earrings she wanted and a another pair that matched so that showed that Alex and Olivia were going to let her get her second holes pierced, a bunch of new make-up and lip glosses, a calendar for the new year of dolphins, killer whales and other sea creatures, a new movie she wanted, and of course a new Precious Moments figurine. It was a Christmas tradition Alex had had with her mother since she was ten that had now had resumed with Mackenzie. Last year she had gotten a little ballerina girl dancing with a Nutcracker doll. This time it was young Belle from Beauty & The Beast sitting on a stack of books reading to Chip and Mrs. Potts.
"Who's next?" Alex asked.
Mackenzie jumped up and grabbed Alex's stocking and carefully walked over and handed it to her mother.
Alex looked at her quizzically. "Are you afraid you're going to break it?"
Meow.
"Oh my God." Alex opened the stocking to see the tiny little creature. "You got me a kitten?" She looked to Olivia.
"Don't look at me. I just got you pregnant."
She took the tiny little grey/silver classic tabby with white bundle out of the stocking. "Awe, Kenzie. This is so sweet."
"Well you've been walking around here saying you wish you had Smokey back, so this was the best I could do." Smokey was Alex's cat that she had before she went into the program the first time. When she "died," her cat went to her mother. Now that her mother had passed away, Alex's sister Liz most likely had the cat. "I tried to get one that looked like Smokey, but his was the best I could do." Smokey had been pure grey, while this kitten had white on his face, paws and belly.
"Sweetie, this is great. Thank-you so much."
"Okay, next." Olivia said. She was growing more anxious with every minute that went by, but no one knew why. Alex reached into her stocking and pulled out a small box. She unwrapped it and pulled out an even smaller box inside, a ring box. She slowly opened it.
"There's nothing in it." When she looked up, Olivia was on one knee in front of her with a ring. Mackenzie reached over and took the kitten from Alex and backed up to give the couple some space.
"Alex. . . I have been carrying this ring around with me for a few years now. I attended to give it to you that night, the night you were shot." A tear slowly ran down her cheek. "You have no idea how much it hurt when I was in that waiting room and then doctor came in and told me . . . you were dead." She took a minute. "And then you weren't, but you were leaving-leaving me. I'm not sure which hurt worse. But then Mackenzie came into my life and then you came back and I was so sure you were both going to leave me again. I . . . I don't know if I could have handled that. But now you're both here and we've got two on the way. I want to make this forever, so here it goes." She cleared her throat. "Alexandra Cabot, or whoever you are," They all laughed. "I have loved you ever since you first walked into the squadroom all those years ago. Would you do me the great honor of being my wife?"
If Alex wasn't six months pregnant she would have jumped into Olivia's arms, but she did as best she could. She stood up and threw her arms around Olivia's neck. "Yes." Olivia's eyes were so full of tears that she barely got the ring on.
After they composed themselves, Alex nodded toward Mackenzie. Mackenzie pulled an identical box out of her sweatshirt pocket and handed it to Alex. Alex began with a laugh. "I guess great minds think alike. . . You have no idea how hard it was for me that night. I honestly thought that I was going to die. All I wanted to do was look in your eyes. I . . ." Now it was her turn to cry. "I wanted that to be the last thing I saw. But then I didn't die and I was told I was going to have to go away for a while, away from you. They had no idea how long I would be gone so I thought I would never see you again . . . And I couldn't let that happen. So, I saw you one last time. And instead, that was the image that stayed with me . . . But now, things are so different. We're together and we have one beautiful daughter, who is going to be leaving us soon to go to college but we're not going to talk about that," They all laughed. "And two more on the way who are bound to be just as beautiful. So, Olivia Benson or whoever you are, will you do me the great honor of being my wife?"
Olivia smiled. "Of course I will." Alex slid the ring on Olivia's finger and the two kissed each other with such passion, the sun had just been shown what true heat was. If the two hadn't been so wrapped up in each other, they would have seen their seemingly "mature" daughter doing her happy dance in the corner.
After a while and things had simmered down, they decided it was time for Mackenzie to see her big present, well presents. Alex put the sleeping kitten right beside Lexie. She looked towards Olivia and gave her the signal.
"Shit, Kenzie we left your big gift down in the barn?"
"In the barn?"
"Yeah, we hid it in one of the stalls."
"Really? I'm down there at least twice a day and I didn't notice anything." She went over and helped Alex up from the couch.
"We're just that good. And, you need to feed them anyway right?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, but they can wait."
Olivia gave her a look. "Okay, let me go throw on a pair of jeans and my boots."
Five minutes later, all three were trucking their way through the newly fallen snow to the barn. Mackenzie went to the first stall and said hello to her horse. "Hey baby girl." She handed the mare an apple and patted the star on her forehead. "Merry Christmas." She handed a second apple to Alex's horse whose head was leaning outside her stall, not wanting to miss anything. "You too girl." Then she heard a noise coming from behind her. She turned around to the other stalls and saw a big red bow across the first stall's gate. She looked to her mothers, who made themselves busy with the other two horses. Mackenzie walked up to the decorated stall and tried to keep from screaming. "You got me another horse?" She opened up the stalk door and greeted the new addition. It was a magnificent animal. Tall, most likely seventeen hands-maybe a bit more, and was Chestnut and White. It didn't look like a paint, but it had that coat patter, probably some kind of paint mix.
"One of my students was talking about how she lives a few hours away and doesn't have the time to spend with her horses or to exercise them and her parents are getting older and can't keep doing it for her, so she was looking for someone who would." She left out the part where the girl was more concerned with finding the right owner more than price. Mackenzie didn't need to know the horse was free. "Her registered name is Sparkling Diamond, but you can call her whatever you want."
"She's a five-year-old Thoroughbred-Paint mix, so she's going to have a bit more spunk than you're used to." Alex added.
Mackenzie held out her hand and then slowly got closer and closer to the horse. "She's beautiful." She ran a hand along the line where the chestnut and white met on the horse's neck. It was a really deep chestnut, almost a red, so Mackenzie decided on the name Satine. "Wow." Olivia handed her another apple and she held it out to Satine. She was going to have to build the trust with this horse, and an apple is a great first step.
"One more thing." Olivia added. She practically had to drag Mackenzie out of the stall, but she got her out and then led her into the tack room beside Xena's stall. Inside the tack room were a bunch of gifts all wrapped in shiny wrapping paper. "Jeeze, the horse was enough." They had gotten her whole new tack, a new saddle and matching bridle set for Xena in Oak bark and Havana for Satine-Alex had just gotten a new saddle for her horse a few months ago, so she didn't need a new one-new halters and leads, saddle pads, stable blankets, rain sheets and cooling blankets for all three-black and red for Ruby, black and pink for Xena and black and purple for Satine. They also got one set of show tack, a special saddle pad and fleece pad, and white horse boots. Mackenzie was taken back. "This must've cost a fortune."
Alex shook her head. "Thank your grandmother for that. She started a trust fund for you when you were born and kept adding money through the years even when you weren't with us. When she died, I got power over the account."
Mackenzie looked up. "Thanks Grandma."
Alex and Olivia left Mackenzie down in the barn and headed back up to the house. They opened everything else that was in their stockings, but decided to wait for Mackenzie to come back up to open their big gifts from her. Alex looked down at her ring.
"The girls are active today." Olivia said. Her head was on Alex's lap and she had her ear against Alex's growing belly.
"That's because they know their Mama is very happy."
Olivia sat up. "I want to have a little ceremony, but in New York when we go back. With all our friends and family there."
Alex leaned over and kissed her almost-wife.
"We can fill out whatever paperwork we need to to make this official, to become domestic partners or whatever. But same-sex marriage is legal in New York now, so we can actually get married when we go back."
Alex knew there was a slim chance of them ever returning to the lives they once led, but the excitement in Olivia's eyes brought a light she hadn't seen in quite some time. A civil union was all she could hope for where they were currently living so she agreed. If nothing else, there was always hope.
Olivia picked up the little fuzzy kitten as he wandered around and handed him to Alex. "He have a name yet?"
Alex held him up and looked at him. "I'm thinking Willow."
Olivia laughed. "He does look like those things that come from Willow bushes."
She took the kitten and put him back on the floor then leaned over and kissed Alex. "Merry Christmas."
They disappeared for a few . . . hours to their bedroom and Mackenzie was back playing with Willow and Lexie when they got back. "Ooh . . . open your presents, open your presents."
She handed Alex her gift first. She slowly started unwrapping until Olivia swatted her arm. "Hey, pregnant here."
"I know. I didn't hit the babies." Olivia responded.
Alex mumbled something no one could understand, but continued unwrapping at a more normal speed. Olivia had to help her I the end though, because she could not for the life of her get the box open. Olivia got a pair of scissors and opened it easily.
"Show off." After the tape was cut, Alex took the styrofoam packaging out of the box. Olivia held in a laugh and silently handed over the scissors, and Alex cut the tape on both sides and removed the top styrofoam block. Alex had to unwrap the plastic before she could get to the over-packaged gift. That took a little while; there was more tape. It was a Lenox figurine of a woman with blonde hair and a light blue dress reaching down to a little girl in a little pink dress with long wavy brown hair.
She had tried to find a pregnant woman, but that hasn't worked out so well. Then she tried to find a mother and a teenage daughter, but that didn't work out any better. A very non-pregnant woman and an eight-year-old girl were as close as she could get.
"Mackenzie it's beautiful."
Mackenzie didn't waste any time. She let Alex continue to look at her present and turned right to Olivia. "Your turn."
"You're not going to bring it to me too?" Olivia asked.
"You're not pregnant."
Olivia got up and went over to her present. She knew Mackenzie was going to steal her seat so there was no point bringing it back to where she had been sitting. She opened it with ease and looked over at Alex to make sure she got the point. She did.
"Ella." Olivia exclaimed. She took the cover off the box and carefully pulled back the tissue paper.
"I remember you calling me that when I was in the hospital. Elliot eventually told me the story."
Olivia nodded. This was a doll that had only been made for a year well over twenty years ago. Yet, the doll was brand new. She was in a blue plaid jumper with white tights and tiny patent-leather lace boots. Next to her in the box were a little red pea coat and black cadet hat with a red ribbon. Olivia ran a hand over her short brown hair. "Where did you find her?"
Mackenzie shrugged. "I have my sources to Detective Benson." That doll had been Olivia's only friend and when Elliot had told Mackenzie how Olivia's mother had set fire to the doll one night during one of her drunken rages Mackenzie began her search. It took a few years, but she knew it would mean a lot to the woman who had done so much for her.
Mackenzie scooped up Willow as he walked around proudly displaying his new collar. She looked around the room at the pile of sopping wet boots by the back door to the gifts all about the room and the wrapping paper catching on fire by the fire place and finally to her mothers with their newly-engaged glow. She had never seen them so happy. At that moment, she knew everything was going to be okay.