Sitting on the couch with Alex curled into her side, Olivia watched as Allie stretched out on the floor near the television. The little blonde was on her stomach, her chin in her hands, and her legs bent at the knee and in the air kicking slightly as she watched her favorite cartoons. As she watched her daughter, the little girl's head titled back in a sharp way so she could see the television, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Alex asked as she turned her head to look at Olivia.

"Watching t.v. like that was easier when we were her age." Olivia replied as she nodded towards Allie. "We had floor models, not wall mounts."

Alex got the sappiest smile on her face as she thought about a nine year old Olivia laying in front of an old floor model television watching cartoons or better yet Cagney and Lacey. "I always had to watch from the couch in order to see over Christian's head."

Before Olivia could reply their door opened and a voice called out from the entry hall. "Darlings."

"Grandmama!" Allie shot to her feet and headed right for Caroline who was coming into the room.

Caroline smiled as she hugged her granddaughter. "Hello princess."

"Mother?" Alex greeted from her place snuggled into Olivia. Normally she'd get up and greet her mother properly but she was just to comfortable to move.

"Hello darling." Caroline said with a chuckle. "No need to get up."

Alex smirked. "Wasn't planning too."

"We weren't expecting you until tonight Caroline." Olivia said as she watched the elder Cabot make herself at home. "But that's ok, you're just in time for chocolate chip pancakes at the diner."

Caroline pulled Allie onto her lap and wrapped her arms around the girl as she smiled at her other girls. "Actually darling I was hoping to have brunch here. Edna should be here shortly. She wanted to finish off a few things so all she'll have to do is heat things up."

That made Alex sit up and stare at her mother. Edna had been their housekeeper and cook since she was a little girl and was actually partly retired. The elderly woman pretty much just looked after her mother's condo in Yonkers, so if she was making a full scale brunch and bringing it into the city that could only mean one thing. "What are you up to, Mother?"

"Why Alexandra, what makes you think I'm up to something?" The elder Cabot asked as the youngest giggled on her lap.

"A life time of experience." Alex replied as she continued to meet her mother's gaze.

"Well it's nothing dastardly darling so you can stop glaring at me that way." Caroline replied with a huff that was very similar to the way her daughter huffed. "It just so happens that Jacqueline had some free time this morning and I've asked her to stop by."

Pricing blue eyes blinked before going back to staring. "Jacqueline? As in your realtor?"

Caroline nodded. "She likes to get a feel for the people she'll be working with so I though brunch here would be perfect. She'll get to see what you need and get a feel for your style."

"Mother," Alex said as she slowly straightened on the couch.

Before her daughter could protest Caroline held up her hand. "Now, Alexandra, don't fuss. In this market it could take awhile to find what you're both looking for, so it's best to start now. This apartment might do for now, but you must look further down the line."

Alex glared at her mother before relaxing a little and then turning her gaze to Allie. "Baby girl, why don't you get out of your jammies before Edna gets here, alright?"

Allie looked between her mothers and her grandmother before sighing. "You're gonna argue aren't you?"

"No, baby." Alex replied. "We're just gonna talk."

The little girl slid off her grandmother's lap and snorted. "Yeah, mmhmm."

Olivia had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing.

Caroline was rather amused as well and was smiling as she watched her granddaughter head off towards the bathroom. After she heard the click of the door closing down the hall she turned back to her girls. "Before you start let me ask you this; have the two of you been thinking about getting a bigger place?"

"Yeah." Olivia replied before Alex could. "This place'll work for now but we'd like something bigger, especially when this one gets bigger." She laid her hand on Alex's baby bump. "But there's time."

"Why wait?" Caroline asked. "Like I said, it could take a year or more to find a place you all like."

"Because we can't afford it." Alex huffed as she crossed her arms over her swelling chest. "After two IFV procedures, the price of sperm, the cost of keeping my eggs on ice, we simply can't afford to buy a place."

Caroline smirked in a very familiar way. It was the Cabot know-it-all look that Alex got when she knew she had a case in the bag. It was the same smug look Allie got when she knew she could do something and do it well. "I've been having a look at your finances and I think William and I have worked out a way…."

"You did what?" Alex asked, her voice raised a little. "Mother!"

Olivia put her hand on Alex's shoulder and squeezed. "Easy, baby, your mother's only trying to help."

"I'm simply a less clouded pair of eyes darling." Caroline said firmly. She was giving Alex her own "Look", one that reminded the younger woman who exactly the mother was and who the daughter was, and that age of said daughter didn't grant her a free pass to such behavior. "You both have assets that pride or emotional ties won't allow you to see."

Blue and brown eyes blinked as both younger women replied, "Huh?"

"If the two of you used what's left in Alexandria's trust fund, money that hasn't been used since law school, and added to it using the money Olivia's mother left her, you'd have a pretty decent down payment." Caroline explained as she pulled an accordion folder from her bag and placed it on the coffee table. "You could then use what you get for this place to decorate the new place and re-pad your savings account."

Olivia looked at Alex before reaching out and picking up the folder. She opened it and took out the plans inside that laid out everything Caroline was talking about.

"There would even be enough to start a college fund for the baby and add to Allie's." Caroline went on. "Beyond that, you both have your investment portfolios to fall back on."

"I don't really have an investment portfolio, Caroline." Olivia said as she handed everything to Alex. "There's my pension, an ok retirement plan, and some savings bonds and such."

Caroline waved a dismissing hand at the younger woman. "Of course you have one darling. All my children have them. I started yours when I created Allie's trust fund."

"I have a trust fund?" Allie asked as she rejoined the adults. When her grandmother nodded she smiled. "Cool! I'm a trust fund baby!"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Allie." She warned as she pointed a finger at the girl. "That money is for your future."

Allie giggled. "I know. I just wanted to see that look."

Alex huffed. "What look?"

Allie laughed. "The one on your face."

Caroline laughed as she pulled her granddaughter close and pointed her own finger at Alex. "Alexandra, don't look so cross with her. She comes by her bratiness honestly."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Alex asked as she planted her free hand on her hip.

Olivia couldn't help but laugh. "I think your mother just called you a brat."

Alex scrunched up her nose and huffed.

Allie giggled and then turned to her grandmother to explain, "Hormones."

That made even Alex laugh.

"Alexandra," Caroline called out as she walked into her daughter's bedroom half an hour later. "Darling, you know I only want what's best for you and your family."

Alex sighed as she finished slipping on her favorite casual skirt. "I know Mother." She replied as she went back to her closet to get her sweater. "I guess you just kind of scared me."

"You've been taking some very large and scary steps in your life." Caroline replied as she came up behind her daughter. She put a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder and smiled softly. "I'm not so old that I don't remember what it was like being a new wife and mother with so much laid out ahead of me."

Alex bit her lip as she turned around slowly. "I've faced down rapists, murders, an entire drug cartel for God's sake, but none of that scared me more then thinking I'm going to screw all of this up."

"You're doing just fine baby girl." Caroline said as she tucked a stand of blonde hair behind Alex's ear.

Alex smiled and then teased, "So is this pay back for all the pushy crap Grandmother pulled with you?"

"You'd better believe it." Caroline teased back.

There was a moan from the doorway. "I'm doomed."

Alex looked over to see Allie standing there and laughed. "You'd better believe it, baby girl. We Cabot women have generations of meddling in our family line."

Allie groaned again and the remembered why she'd come to get them in first place. "A Ms. St. Clare just rang from the lobby. She's on her way up."

"Thank you darling," Caroline said. "We'll be out in a moment." Once her granddaughter was gone and they were alone again the elder Cabot turned to look at her daughter. "If you really don't want to do this I'll ask Jackie to leave."

Biting her lip again Alex thought it over for a few moments. She and Olivia had been talking about it. It hadn't gone past what they'd like if they did decided to move, so there weren't really any plans at all to even start looking into it. But now that it appeared they had a chance to at least explore, what harm could it do? "No, I don't think it would hurt to look in to it. But Mother," She warned after slipping her sweater on. "Olivia and I need to talk about this, it has to be our choice, so no more looking into our finances, no more setting up appointments with realtors or stock brokers or any of that. Alright?"

Caroline smiled softly. "Of course darling."

Why didn't Alex believe her?