"Hey," he whispers as he stares at her in the dark.

"I don't want to get up," she whines.

"We've got to go to work,"

She doesn't say anything. They just stare at each other for a few minutes.

"Liv..."

"What Elliot?"

"Nothing, never mind I don't want to be yelled at this early in the morning,"

She follows his line of sight to what he's looking at. "Elliot I know. I'm hideous. Thanks for the memo but I already got it. I'm getting big," she huffs.

"I didn't say that. You aren't even that big. I just now noticed that you're showing,"

"I can't say that I'm really surprised, I mean it is October and I'm four months pregnant with twins. It isn't really unexpected,"

"No I guess not. Well we better get up unless you want to be late for work,"

"I don't want to get up, but I will,"

The following weekend Maureen joins everyone for counseling. Afterwards she pulls Olivia aside to talk to her for a second after dinner.

"Olivia can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure what's up?"

"Can you talk to daddy for me?"

"About what?"

"Well I want him to be rational and..."

"It's about a boy?" Olivia guesses.

"Yeah, and not just any boy, you see we're kind of well..."

"You're what?"

"He wants to marry me,"

"And you want him to meet you dad so he can ask if it's ok?"

"Not exactly. I mean I'm sure that he will, but we're already engaged,"

"Oh,"

"I just want daddy to like him. I mean what am I going to do if he doesn't? We're getting married on the first,"

"Of the new year?"

"No, of November,"

"Oh. Maureen I don't know what I can do. The best thing would probably be to just bring him by,"

"Yeah ok good. I was hoping you'd say that because Matt be here in ten minutes,"

"Well then you should talk to you dad,"

"But..."

"I don't think I can help,"

"Fine," Maureen sighs as she goes into the living room.

"Dad can I talk to you?" she asks maturely.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well there's this guy and..."

"And what?"

"And he's really great and I want you to meet him,"

"Why? Are you going to marry him or something? I never get to meet your boyfriends,"

"Well actually..." she starts.

"Actually what?" he asks quickly.

"He does. And don't get mad but he already asked,"

"So you want my approval?"

"Yeah. But I love him and I want you to be nice, and I don't want you to interrogate him because no matter what, I'm going to marry him,"

"When?"

"November first,"

"Oh," he says numbly.

"Dad I promise that you'll like him. He's a good guy. His name is Matthew Scott,"

"What does he do? Does he have a job?"

"Yes he has a job. He works at an accounting firm,"

"Oh,"

"You'll love him. He's sweet, and nice, and he loves me and he's really good to me,"

"When do you want me to meet him?"

Before she can answer the doorbell rings.

Ava jumps up and answers it.

"Hi," she says to the tall dark stranger.

"You must be... Ava?"

"Yeah you are?"

"I'm Matt. I'm Maureen's,"

"Fiancé. Nice to meet you," she tells him as she shakes his hand. "You can come on in."

She leads him into the living room.

"Dad this is Matt," Maureen introduces him.

"Hi Mr. Stabler nice to meet you,"

"That's a nice suit," he replies.

"Thanks, I actually hate suits, but I just got off work so I didn't have time to change,"

"Well take a seat, make yourself comfortable,"

"Ok,"

Everyone pours into the living room, as if on cue.

"Matt this is my step-mom Olivia, my sister Lizzie, my brother Dickie, and my niece Sophia,"

"Nice to meet you all," he says with a big white, toothy smile.

"And Kathleen is on a date," Ava adds.

"Oh,"

"Kids will you go to your rooms so that your dad and I can talk to Matt?"

Lizzie, and Dickie leave.

"Ava you too," Olivia instructs.

She rolls her eyes, takes the baby, and stomps up the stairs.

They talk for quite a while. Elliot interrogates the poor boy. Then Maureen discusses her plan to raise Kathy's baby.

The following day Maureen goes to talk to her mom. She walks into the house through an unlocked door, and finds her mother asleep on the couch. She sits down and gently shakes her.

"Wake up," she says not so quietly.

"What do you want?" Kathy roars.

"Can I talk to you?"

"About what?"

"The baby?"

"No,"

"Do you know who the baby's father is?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Can you just think?"

"Yes I know who it is,"

"Who?"

"Some guy named Kris,"

"Ok. Olivia told me an interesting story,"

"Oh really. It is pretty interesting since I made it all up,"

"Oh. So have you thought about what you're going to do when you have the baby?"

"Leave it at a fire house, or something I don't know. I don't want the little..."

"I'll take him,"

"Why? Why would you want him?"

"It doesn't matter. Look I'm going to have a lawyer draw up some papers if I pick you up tomorrow to go sign them will you go?"

"Sure. I'd be glad to get rid of this little brat,"

"Ok mom. I'm going to be here at one to pick you up take a shower, and put on something presentable. And don't do anything between now and them please,"

"Fine whatever," she agrees.

Maureen leaves and goes home. Kathy complies. She goes with Maureen and Matt.

"Miss O'Brien do you understand what this document means?"

"Yeah,"

"Well I'd just like to make sure. It means that the custody of this child will be surrendered to Miss Stabler, and Mr. Scott at the time of it's birth. They will then begin the process of adopting the child. After they take custody of the child you are to have no contact with him or her unless allowed by Miss Stabler, and Mr. Scott. Do you understand,"

"Yes," she replies as she picks up the pen to sign.

Meanwhile:

Elizabeth is sitting in the kitchen when Olivia, and Elliot bound down the stairs.

"Where are you guys going?"

"We have to go to work," Elliot tells her.

"Oh," is all she says.

"Make sure that Kathleen, or Ava know we're gone,"

"Kathleen is out with her boyfriend remember?"

"Oh well then tell Ava," Elliot rephrases.

"K," she says as she watches them bundle up, and grab their badges, and guns.

She finishes her lunch and goes up the stairs to Ava's room. She gently knocks on the door.

"What?" she quizzes.

"Ava, it's me Lizzie,"

"You can come in,"

Lizzie comes in and sits down on the bed.

"What do you need,"

"They left,"

"Who?"

"Dad and Olivia. They had to go to work,"

"Oh,"

"You don't sound surprised,"

"I'm not their work is very important to them,"

"I know,"

"It's something you learn to live with,"

"Can you do me a favor?" she asks.

"What's that?"

"Can you braid my hair? It's driving me crazy,"

"Sure," Ava agrees.

She brushes her younger sister's hair out, and meticulously braids it and puts a pony tail at the bottom.

"There you go," Ava says when she finishes.

"Thanks," she smiles as she scurries out of the room.

Ava finishes reading her magazine and begins typing her history report. Before she's done she ends up with Sophia on her lap helping her. Every so often Sophia slaps the key board with both hands. When Ava finally finishes her paper she edits it and prints it. She then goes down stairs to check on Dickie and Elizabeth.

She finds them vegged out in front of the TV.

"How long have you guys been watching TV?" she asks.

"We aren't watching T.V. we're playing video games," Dickie responds.

She turns off the T.V.

"Hey!" he exclaims.

"Go do something else. Like homework, or read a book, or something," she tells them.

"I'm hungry," Elizabeth tells her.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Macaroni and cheese," she tells Ava.

"Ok,"

Ava cooks them dinner and cleans up after them. She does the dishes, and then feeds the baby. Then she changes the baby and rocks her to sleep. She puts Sophia in her basinet and goes upstairs to Elizabeth's room to tell her to take a shower.

Ava makes sure both of her siblings are bathed. She tells Elizabeth to keep an eye on Sophia while she takes a shower. When she gets out of the shower she hears a noise downstairs. She goes down the stairs and sees that Elizabeth is passed out on the couch. She walks over to Sophia and sees that she's snoring,fast asleep. She walks into the kitchen to get a drink and finds Kathleen laying on the floor.

"What are you doing on the floor?" she asks.

When Kathleen opens her mouth to talk Ava can smell the alcohol and can tell that she's drunk. Ava helps her get up and then helps her to her room. Once she makes sure that she's in bed she grabs a trash can and puts it by the bed. She then goes back to the living room. She picks the thirteen year old after a few failed attempts. She puts her over her shoulder and carries her to her room and tucks her in. She then goes back down the stairs and gets Sophia. She changes her diaper and makes sure all the doors are locked and the windows are closed. She goes up the stairs to her room, and puts Sophia in her crib. She then remembers that she didn't check on Dickie. She finds him reading a magazine in his room.

"You need to go to bed soon," she warns.

"But..."

"Lights out, in bed, going to sleep in an hour. At ten o'clock," she clarifies.

"Ok," he agrees.

She trudges back up the stairs to the kitchen. She packs four lunches and puts them in the fridge. She then crawls up the rest of the stairs to her room. She lays in her bed planning on reading a book after writing in her diary. But she's ready to fall asleep before she even starts her book. She covers Sophia back up, and then turns off the lights. She crawls into bed and throws the covers over her head.
Just another day in the life of Miss Ava Benson.