There was a chill to the air that caused all the colorful leaves from the trees that were planted along the edge of the playground to make it look as if the school weren't smack dab in the middle of New York City, to dance around Allie's legs. She giggled as one got stuck on her shoe. It was a really pretty red color so she slipped it off her lace and into her pocket. Alex had said earlier that week that she loved it when the leaves were the deep colors of late fall. So Allie was going to pick a bunch of really good ones and ask Liv to help her put them between wax paper the way Nana Dette had showed her when she was younger.

"I can't wait for Saturday." Molly said.

Allie nodded agreement as she beamed at her friend. She, Molly, and Rachel were all waiting by the door to be let back into the school after recess. "Me and Alex and Livvie are going to go to the store after school so I can buy a new dress."

"Oh! Get one that's fluffy and pink!" Rachel giggled.

She really wasn't into pink so Allie scrunched her nose.

"My mommy had my party dress made for me." Molly beamed. "She said this is a big deal."

"Tea parties are stupid."

All three girls turned to look at who had spoken, and all three groaned. The boy had dark wavy hair, blue eyes, and as far as Allie was concerned koodies. He was a third grade know it all bully and she really disliked him.

"Shut up, T.J." Rachel huffed.

"Yeah go play in the dirt." Allie added as she turned back to her friends. "Captain Don even gave Livvie the day off."

T.J. snorted. "What he do that for? Tried of having a girl around?"

Allie spun around, her tiny seven year old hands on her hips. "He did it so Livvie can come with me and Alex to the tea party."

"You can't go." The little boy said mater of factly.

"Why can't she?" Molly asked.

Something in her tummy told Allie she wasn't going to like T.J.'s reply.

"Because it's for mommies and daughters. Allie doesn't have a mommy."

That made her tummy feel like it did the time Max head butted her in the stomach just after she'd eaten one of those hotdogs from the cart outside the court house. "I have Alex and Livvie. They're coming with me."

"They can't." T.J. insisted. "They're not your mommies. You can't have two mommies. Plus you call them by their names. You can't call a mommy by her name."

Allie felt sad and angry all together. "Alex and Livvie are my mommies and you can too have two mommies!"

"No you can't." T.J. replied as he took a step closer to Allie. "Your only allowed one mommy and one daddy, and you have to come out of your mommy's tummy or it doesn't count."

"That's the dumbest thing ever." Allie huffed. Her hands were at her sides in small fists as she looked at the boy in front of her. "There's no rules about who gets to be a family."

T.J. smirked again, his blue eyes dancing. "Yes there is my daddy says so. He's a lawyer."

"Your daddy's a bonehead and my Alex is a way better lawyer then him." Allie replied as she puffed out her small chest. "My Alex is the bestest lawyer in the world. She puts all the bad guys my Livvie catches in jail forever, where they belong."

"My daddy says that pastakoodies and cops are dirty and nasty and mean, and if Alex puts people in jail she's a pastakooker, and Livvie's a cop so they're dirty, nasty, and mean, and they're not your mommies and you can't go to the tea party so there."

Before she knew what she was doing Allie's right fist was punching T.J in the eye. "Take that back!"

"You hit me!" T.J. squeaked.

Allie pushed T.J. down and sat on him. "Take it back take it back!"

"Benson." Olivia called into her desk phone without taking her eyes from her computer screen. "Yes? She did what? Is she ok? Yes I'll be right there."

Elliot sat at his desk listening to his partner's side of the conversation. He knew the look in the brunette's eyes all to well not because he knew her so well, but because he'd been a parent for such a long time. When Olivia hung of the phone and pushed herself out of her chair he asked, "The kid ok?"

"I need to go to the school. Can you cover for me?" Olivia asked as she pulled her jacket off the back of her chair.

"Sure, but is she ok?" Elliot repeated.

Olivia sighed. "She got into a fight."

Elliot raised an eye brow in surprise. "She hurt?"

"No, the principal said she was ok." Throwing her jacket on Olivia pushed in her chair and turned to go. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Don't worry about it, Liv. Go take care of your kid." Elliot called out.

For the first time since before the phone rang, Olivia smiled. She really liked the idea of Allie being her kid, even if the thought of being a mother still scared her at times. As she drove over to the school she left a voice mail for Alex. "Call me when you get this, Babe. I'm on my way to Allie's school. She gave some kid a black eye and bloody nose."

Sitting outside of Mrs. Kendra's office, Allie tried really hard not to cry. She'd never hit anyone before, but T.J. just made her so mad. She'd also never been in any real trouble in school and she was terrified. What if Alex and Livvie sent her away for this? What if they didn't want a bad girl who hits to live in their home? Allie had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying.

"Allie-Cat?" Olivia said softly, yet with a firmness in her tone. She wasn't sure what to do. She'd never had to deal with her own kid doing something wrong, and the fact that the girl was sitting there trembling just made her want to baby her.

Before Allie could said a word Mrs. Kendra stepped into the doorway of her office. "Detective." She said simply as she stepped out of the way to allow the other woman to enter.

Olivia looked down at Allie as the girl looked up at her. Was that fear in Allie's eyes?

Allie watched as Olivia went into the office.

"She's gonna arrest you." T.J. said from across the room, an ice pack on his eye and tissue in his nose.

"Hush boy." Mrs. Peters said from her desk just outside Mrs. Kendra's door.

Allie looked at the elderly secretary thankfully and then at the principal's door. Would Livvie really arrest her? Her heart seemed to stop beating and she couldn't breath. She sat there and simply stared at the door. When it finally opened again she jumped.

"Allison." Mrs. Kendra said firmly. "Come in now please."

Allie got to her feet and walked into the office with her head down. She walked over to the desk and stood in front of it and next to Olivia who sat in a chair.

"Allie," Olivia said in that soft-firm tone. "Why did you hit, T.J.?"

"He made me mad." Allie answered in the same way she had when Mrs. Kendra had asked.

Olivia reached out and turned Allie so the girl was looking at her. "How did he make you mad?"

"He said stuff." The girl answered.

"What did he say?" Olivia asked.

Just as she had when her principal has asked, Allie clamed up. She couldn't tell them what he said about her and Alex. She couldn't tell them how she felt or Livvie and Alex would leave.

"Allie?" Olivia pushed a little. When the girl said nothing she sighed and looked up at Mrs. Kendra.

Mrs. Kendra sat behind her desk, her hands folded and placed in front of her. "Fighting is something we don't allow here, Allison. I'm going to send you home today and for the rest of the week you will stay inside during recess. I'd also like you to write me something on what you could have done instead of hitting, T.J."

"Yes Ma'am." Allie replied softly.

The ride back to the apartment was a quiet one. Olivia had no idea what to say to the little girl, let alone what to do about this. Every time she looked back at the girl through the review Allie was staring out the window. Sighing she finally asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

"No." Allie replied quickly.

"Why not?" Olivia asked as she turned onto their block.

Allie looked at the back of Olivia's head. "Because."

Olivia sighed as they pulled into a parking space relatively close to their building. Getting out of the car she went to the back door and opened it to let Allie out. Taking the little girl's hand she walked with her up the street and into their building. Just as they walked into their apartment her cell phone rang. "Allie, I want you to go to your room, change out of your uniform while you in there, ok?"

"Ok." Allie replied dejectedly.

Sighing yet again Olivia flipped open her phone. "Benson."

"Where are you? What happened? Is Allie alright?"

Olivia blinked. "We're home, she beat up a kid and got sent home, and she's fine."

Alex sighed in relief. Her heart had stopped when she'd gotten Olivia's message. Once her head was clear she asked, "What do you mean she beat some kid up?"

After flopping onto the couch and taking a deep breath Olivia explained everything the principal had told her. "When the teacher picked her up off the kid she said Allie kept telling him to take it back."

"Take what back?" Alex asked.

"Don't know. Allie won't tell anyone what the kid said." Olivia answered.

Alex huffed. "Who is this kid?"

Olivia smirked. "You won't believe it."

"Who?"

"Trevor Langan Junior." There was a pause before Olivia thought she heard snickering. "Alex are you laughing?"

"No." Alex snickered.

"Your laughing!" Olivia exclaimed as she tried to hide her own giggle.

Alex laughed out right before responding, "Like father like son."

Olivia nodded and smiled brightly. "Well she is our kid."

"That she is." Alex replied before sighing. "What are we gonna do Liv? Langan's kid or not, she can't just punch someone when they make her mad."

Olivia leaned forward to put her elbows on her knees. "I've no idea. What would your mother have done?"

There was another long pause before Alex sighed, "I don't think we want to go there."

"Oh?" Olivia asked.

Alex sighed again. "Mom would have spanked me."

"Your right, we don't wanna go there." This time Olivia sighed. "Mine would have been to drunk to care, or she'd have smacked me around. So we don't use the "What would our mom's have done" handbook. Which leaves us with?"

"Doing things our way." Alex replied. "I'm on my way home. I'm done with court for the day and can work from there. We'll figure it out when I get there."

When Alex arrived home she and Olivia talked for a few minutes before finally knocking on Allie's door. The tiny blonde looked up at the door as she said, "Come in."

"Hi baby girl." Alex said as she walked in and over to the bed.

Normally Allie would have beamed at the sight of Alex but she just didn't feel happy enough, though she was still glad to see her other guardian. "Are you mad at me too?"

"I'm not mad at you, baby girl." Alex said as she reached out and brushed hair from Allie's face. "Neither is Liv, we're just disappointed that you felt like you had to hit someone and won't tell us why."

"He made me mad." Allie repeated her mantra. "He was saying mean things so I hit him."

Olivia sat behind Alex and looked at the girl over her partner's shoulder. "What did you want him to take back?" "What he said." Allie replied.

"What did he say?" Alex tried.

Allie looked at Alex with a look on her face that clearly meant to ask if the older blonde really expected her to fall for that. "Am I in trouble?"

Both women held back yet more sighs. "Hitting someone isn't the best way to deal with being angry, Allie." Alex explained.

"You should have told an adult that he was saying things that hurt you, sweetie." Olivia added.

Allie just shrugged.

Alex looked over her shoulder at Olivia for a moment before looking back at Allie. "We can't just let this slid, baby girl. So since you had to be sent home for fighting we won't be going shopping."

Huge tears welled in tiny blue eyes. "It doesn't matter cause we can't go."

"Why can't we?" Olivia asked as Alex pulled the girl into her lap.

Allie buried her face in Alex's chest and mumbled out something that neither woman could make out. Pulling Allie's head back so she could look at the girl Alex wiped her tears and asked, "Baby, why can't we go to the tea party?"

"Because," Allie hiccupped. "it's only for mommies and their daughters."

Olivia's heart felt as if it was breaking, but she also felt rather angry. The school needed to be more PC, did anyone ever stop to think how a label like 'mother and daughter autumn tea part' might make a kid feel? "Sweetie, the party isn't just for mommies and daughters. Any girl can bring any grown-up they want, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, godmothers, close friends..."

"Guardians." Alex added as she brushed Allie's hair with her fingers.

"Really?" Allie asked.

Alex nodded. "Really."

Allie sighed in relief and rested her head on Alex's chest. "I knew T.J. was lying."

"Is that what he said to make you mad?" Olivia asked. "That we couldn't go because Alex and I aren't your mommies?" Allie nodded. "He also said that you can't have two mommies, and that you have to come out of your mommy's tummy or it doesn't count, and that there were laws about who could be a family. I told him none of that was true but then he said Alex was mean and nasty cause she was a pastakooker, he couldn't even say prosecutor, and that you were mean and nasty too cause your a cop."

Now both women's cheeks flushed a soft pink in anger. After biting the inside of her lip for a moment to stave off her irritation at the whole Langan family, Alex looked the little girl in the eyes. "Trevor Langan Junior isn't a very bright boy, baby girl. There are laws to protect families, even to make new families, but there aren't any laws that say who can be a family."

Allie sighed in relief. She sat in Alex's lap for several more moments with her head resting on the woman's chest, and then sat up. "I'm really sorry I hit him."

"We know sweetie." Olivia said, kissing the girl on the head. "How about Alex and I help you with that assignment Mrs. Kendra gave you after dinner tonight?"

Allie smiled and kissed Olivia's cheek. "Ok."