A/N: I can't believe this is the 50th chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who has been following this journey the Cabenmichael girls are on. :)
The fall semester had officially ended for Olivia the day before and after everything she had been through over the past few months, she figured it would be best to get away for awhile. It was supposed to be a Cabenmichael vacation, but Abbie insisted on bringing Serena. Now that they were back together, the two of them were closer than ever and they never did anything without each other. Their closeness used to bother Alex and Olivia and even make them jealous, but with everything that Alex and Olivia had gone through this autumn they had decided to let go of petty jealousy and focus on their own relationship and starting a family.
It had been almost four years since the Cabenmichael girls had been to Olivia and Lorraine's cabin and, although it was expected to snow and they wouldn't be able to have as much fun outdoors as they did when they were high school seniors, they still saw it as the perfect getaway. So much had changed for them since their last visit when all they had to worry about was séances and whether or not they should travel along that haunted road. The Cabenmichael girls were now three grown women with babies on the way and their futures to worry about. Only three and a half years had passed, but in that time, they had lost the ability to just let themselves go and let themselves believe. They passed the time during the long drive by telling Serena stories about what had happened during their last visit, but those stories only served as further proof of how different their lives had become.
Their usual rest stop had been closed down now that Mr. Billings had retired and it had been replaced by a more commercial gas station and convenience store. When Alex entered the store to pick up some snacks for the four of them, she was disappointed to find a teenager working behind the register instead of the kind-hearted Mr. Billings who had called her "sweetheart" and had known her since she was seven-years-old. Why do things have to change? Alex thought as she picked up overpriced bags of chips and candy for herself and her friends and prepared to head over to the register. This may have just been a quick stop at a store, but it nearly brought her to tears. She missed Mr. Billings and the way he'd tell the three of them not to eat so much junk food. He had said the exact same thing to Serena, Olivia, and Lorraine twenty-five years ago and, although, it was a simple statement, it made her feel cared for and connected to the generation before hers. Alex, you're not a teenager anymore. You need to accept the fact that nothing stays the same.
Olivia felt bad about sending Alex to get the snacks, although it was for a good reason. While Alex was inside, Olivia pulled something out of the glove compartment and handed it over to Abbie and Serena in the backseat.
"What's this?" Abbie asked as she opened the ring box and saw the princess cut diamond ring inside.
"What do you think it is?" Serena said sarcastically to her wife.
"It's kind of like what Serena has on her finger," Olivia responded.
"But Alex is against marriage," Abbie reminded her. "Liv, why are you setting yourself up for heartache? She's going to say no."
"Don't listen to Abbie," Serena told Olivia. "Alex is going to love this. When are you going to give it to her?"
"Tonight," Olivia said excitedly. "I love Alex. She knows I do. Everyone knows I do. We don't need some ring on her finger to prove it, but we're women now and not little girls. I want her to have more than my class ring. Even if she says no to marriage right now, I want her to know that I'm willing to wait until she's ready."
"That's so beautiful," Serena told her. "I wish Abbie were that romantic."
"I'm giving you two daughters," Abbie pointed out. "When they're born, you three can do all sorts of girly things that I don't have to be a part of."
"Deal," Serena said and smiled at her. "I wish they were here already."
"You're not the only one," Abbie insisted. "I can't wait to hold them."
"I bet they'll be beautiful like you," Serena said as she moved closer to Abbie. Before Olivia can get another word in, she noticed the two of them were now making out in the backseat.
I guess some things never change, Olivia thought as she popped a mix tape into the cassette player. The first song to play was Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It sounded just as good to her now as it did when she was eighteen and, as she saw Alex exit the store, she couldn't help but remember all of the times they listened to that song together in high school. The perfect song and the perfect woman.
It was dark by the time the four of them approached the fork that led to Creekmore Road and, just for old time's sake, Olivia decided to drive down that road.
"This is Creekmore?" Serena asked as they drove down a newly-paved road with cabins alongside of it.
"It wasn't like this before," Abbie insisted. "There were no cabins when we last visited. This area was practically deserted."
"Can we just go back to the cabin?" Alex asked. "This is depressing me. I almost wish there were ghosts and dark woods. At least something would have been the same."
"Eighteen wasn't going to last forever," Olivia said sadly. "But at least we still have each other."
"And that's never going to change," Abbie added.
When they arrived at the cabin, both couples went their separate ways because of Olivia's plan. Abbie and Serena knew she would want some time alone with Alex, so the two of them retired to their room. Unlike last time they visited the cabin, Abbie was far from energetic and all she wanted to do was lay down with Serena. Alex was going to unpack, but Olivia insisted on spending some time together in the living room. The snow had just started to fall, so her original plan of proposing to Alex outside wasn't going to work. There wasn't much snow outside and it wasn't very cold, but Olivia didn't want to risk Alex getting sick in her condition. Instead, she made them hot chocolate complete with marshmallows and they sat in front of the fireplace.
Olivia pulled out a photo album from her suitcase and handed it over to Alex. She had made the album specifically for Alex with every intention of showing it to her the moment she planned on proposing. As Alex held the photo album, she started to wonder why her girlfriend was so nervous. They were looking at a photo album just as they had done dozens of times before. There was no need for Olivia to be nervous.
"The Odyssey of Alex and Olivia," Alex read as she looked at the title page. There was a page for each year, starting with 1978, the year they had met, and Alex was thrilled to see four-year-old Olivia in her Wonder Woman shirt and grass-stained pants.
"The year I fell in love with you," Olivia said and then kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.
"The year we both lost our front teeth!" Alex said excitedly as they looked at the page titled "1981."
"Here's when you won first place in the science fair," Olivia pointed out as they looked at a page from 1984.
"You looked so proud of me," Alex said, still looking at the pictures.
"I've always been proud of you," Olivia told her. "Look at 1985. We dressed like Madonna."
"Until my mom made us change our clothes and take off our makeup," Alex added and then turned the page. "Oh no, not 1986. That's when the awkward years began."
"You still looked cute," Olivia insisted.
"Not as cute as you did," Alex told her.
"I think this is my favorite page," Olivia said when they turned to 1992. "This is when you became mine."
"I've always been yours," Alex pointed out. "And I'm always going to be yours."
She could have proposed to her right then, but Olivia knew it wasn't time. She had a plan and she was going to stick to it. 1995 was filled with pictures of Alex's college graduation and their trip to the beach and, as much as Olivia loved reminiscing about that trip, she couldn't wait for Alex to turn the page.
"You already have a space for 1996 and 1997?" Alex teased. "And then there's 1998 and 1999. Liv, you have pages until 2074."
"That's when we turn 100," Olivia pointed out. "And, before you ask any questions, yes we're going to live that long. As you can see, the past seventeen years are only the beginning. We still have all of these blank pages to fill up."
"Why are you such a perfect girlfriend?" Alex asked as she squeezed Olivia's hand.
"The best is yet to come," Olivia said and kissed Alex's hand. "I know you and I haven't had it easy, but I feel like the luckiest person alive. Everyone wants to find their soulmate and I found mine when I was four-years-old. You've been through so much in such a short time, but I want you to know that you'll never have to go through anything alone. I love you so much and I'm always going to love you. I'm through with partying and all of my self-destructive behaviors. I'm ready to dedicate my life to you and our baby. I'm ready to put the two of you first and do what's best for our little family. I know I've proposed to you before, but this time I think we're both more mature and ready to handle a lifelong commitment to each other."
"Liv, what are you saying?" Alex asked nervously, but her questions were answered the moment Olivia slipped the ring on her finger.
"I know how you feel about marriage," Olivia began. "So even if it takes twenty years for you to change your mind about marrying me, I'm willing to wait that long. What I'm really asking is, will you marry me eventually?"
It wasn't the flashiest ring Alex had ever seen, but what made it special was that it was hers and Olivia had picked it out specifically for her. Just the sight of it was enough to bring her to tears. After everything they had experienced together, she still had her girlfriend and it brought her so much comfort to know that she'd always have Olivia by her side.
"Yes," Alex said and wrapped her arms around her. "I would want nothing more than to marry you."
"You'll be my Mrs. Benson?" Olivia asked in disbelief.
"In time," Alex reassured her. "Who am I kidding? Liv, you know this is going to happen right away. I just can't believe this. I'm really going to have your name and our baby is going to have your name."
"Our name," Olivia reminded her. "It won't be just mine anymore. It'll belong to the three of us."
"Maybe four in a couple of years," Alex said and gave Olivia a kiss on the lips.
"Maybe five?" Olivia suggested.
"Don't push it," Alex teased.
She didn't think it was possible, but Olivia had actually changed her mind about marriage. That night, Alex felt closer to Olivia than ever before. Olivia was right, the past seventeen years were only the beginning.
