Time passed.
Olivia was completely elated with her life now. Everything was perfect.
All that she and her loved ones had gone through since the autumn had paid off. Now nothing but happiness was upon them.
Olivia's children were thriving. The same could even be said of her grandchildren, her friends, all of their children, her job, the studies for her exam, and even . Her grandchildren were thriving. Her friends were thriving. So too were all of their children. Her job? Thriving. Her studies for the captain exam? Thriving. Even the same could be said of her future.
Most importantly, her relationship with Alex and their marriage were also thriving.
Sometimes Olivia cried quiet tears of joy when she was alone. Every last dream she had ever had for herself had come true. They even had normal cases again.
But then came an extra special day in mid-July.
It all started with Amanda and Carisi meeting the Cabots at a quaint restaurant near Grand Central Station. One couple knew what was happening. The other didn't.
"Liv? Alex? What is happening?" Amanda asked as her family met the Cabot matriarchs in the restaurant lobby.
"I know those dopey grins of theirs." Carisi told his fiancée. "Our friends are up to something."
Then, out of what seemed like nowhere, Harper and Sophia joined them. Each were grinning like a pair of sly cats.
Harper greeted them as if this had been a longstanding arrangement. "We can take the kids and their things for you."
"Alright." Amanda watched as Harper took the twins and their diaper bag with ease. "Alright. Here you do."
Sophia called out to the twins' big sister. "Jesse-love, do you want to come hang out?"
The little girl had recently celebrated her fist birthday. One of her favorite past times was practicing her walking skills. With no hesitation, she emerged from between her parents and took Sophia's outstretched hand. She was always fun.
"Come along, baby." Sophia encouraged. "Why don't we see how good your walking is now?"
Jesse made a happy trill and put her energy into moving her legs. Harper walked astride them, also encouraging her and building her up. The posse was in their own world.
"If that isn't cute…" Amanda murmured after snapping a picture on her phone.
"I need you two to close your eyes now." Olivia told Amanda and Carisi. "Trust us."
Carisi immediately complied. "Okay. We can do that."
So Carisi found himself being steered away. Alex was beside them, steering Amanda. Quite a treat was in the immediate future.
"Okay." Olivia said when they had finally arrived at a stop. "Now you can open your eyes."
They did. And Amanda found herself gasping. Before them were the Georgia kin.
Benoît.
Beth Anne.
Kim.
Benoît the second.
Eden.
Haven.
Carisi took the surprise in stride. But Amanda remained rooted to the spot, feeling stunned.
"H-how are all of you here?" were the first words out her mouth as she and Carisi sat on the first chairs they saw.
Benoît hugged them both before saying, "Surprise!"
Beth Anne took exhaled shakily as she spoke to the younger couple. "We've left Georgia for good."
Amanda bleated at once, "Is this real?"
Kim provided a cheerful answer. "Yes! All of us are officially New York residents now, and we've relocated to Fifth Avenue!"
Her casualness had Amanda and Carisi chiming in unison, "What?!"
Beth Anne filled in the gaps. "We decided after our last visit that we didn't like being all the way down south while everyone is up here."
"That's true." Benoît confirmed. "We're also not getting any younger. Kim also wanted to come."
Kim nodded. "Also true. I didn't want to be in Georgia alone. Mom and Benoît also wanted the triplets to know all of our siblings now."
Amanda shot an inquiring look at Sophia at once.
But Sophia was quick to respond. "I didn't know about any of this until yesterday. Take a wild guess about who clued me in."
So Amanda looked to her boss once more. "Talk."
Olivia was very calm. "We've been in the know from the get, but kept quiet because your mom asked us to. Looks like the surprise worked."
"It did, and I love it." Amanda said sincerely. "Thank you."
Amanda embraced the Cabots before embracing her parents.
"I'm so over the moon that I can't even tell you." she said to them. "Have you seen our new babies yet?"
Benoît nodded. "Yes, treasure. They're so beautiful."
"I agree. And we will get to know them a little more." added Beth Anne. "Right now I think your new brother and sisters need to meet their biggest sibling. Up for that?"
Amanda nodded eagerly. "Yes. I need to hold them."
"Alright. Here we go."
Little Benoît was first. He looked so dapper in his tuxedo romper. After him was Eden Lily. She wore a dark blue dress decorated with a tiny pattern of moons. Haven Aster happily rounded out the trio, decked out in a sun-patterned dress. Each baby was immediately smitten with Amanda. She felt the same way.
All the way down to the babies' feeding tubes and the heart-shaped paper patches keeping the lines in place, these babies were perfect.
Beth Anne was also feeling caught up in all the emotion. So she stepped out of the room. By herself.
Olivia followed after a few moments.
"You alright, Beth?" she asked her friend.
"Mhm." Beth Anne said. "We've just been wondering… Is all of this joy real?"
"We've been asking ourselves the same thing for months now. But the answer is yes. All of this is quite real."
Beth Anne shook her head in wonder and then said, "May I share something from when my sister and I were younger?"
"Of course." Olivia had always found this woman interesting.
"Our parents were good back when we were younger, but by the time they left out forever, they were mean. Wouldn't hold us or hug us. Never a kind word. Sometimes my dad would strike me while under the influence." Beth Anne sighed heavily as she remembered those times. "It improved on my end when I learned how to duck."
"I understand that. Honestly." Olivia sympathized. "My mother was an alcoholic for a long stretch and could be violent towards me on the darker days. What happened to your parents?"
"Died of drug overdosing. Opioids." Beth Anne frowned. "The last time I saw them alive, they made sure to tell me that all I'd ever be good for was the Atlanta trailer park life."
"But now you're at your happily ever after."
"I am." Beth Anne was back to smiling. "I've been with Benoît for over twenty years, and we've spent most of that time as a married couple."
"Wow. I really admire that."
"I have a job I love, and I'm even part of a power couple in the publishing world." Beth Anne was counting her blessings again. "My triplet babies are in the next room. So are my grown children, my grandchildren. Dominick and his parents, too. We even have your long-lost daughter and your long-lost sister. Never could I have imagine this much joy. Even in my dreams."
"And now it's hitting you all at once. I also understand that."
Both women then looked in at the room they'd just left to see a heart-warming sight.
Sophia was in a chair, holding Eden and playing with her. The baby was giggling enthusiastically. Harper watched. Eden snoozed blissfully in her arms. Carisi held Benoît Junior while Amanda engaged the boy in rousing of peek-a-boo. Kim was to be seen rocking Haven in her arms while telling her a story. Haven was watching her with wide eyes. Everyone in the bubble only noticed each other. Solomia stood before them, taking a picture.
"Everyone is beautiful." Olivia said when they tore their gazes away. "Look at the house we built."
"They are beautiful." Beth Anne looked at Olivia with total seriousness again. "May I share another secret?"
Olivia nodded. "Go for it."
Beth Anne didn't waste any time. "Not long before my first husband left, I found out that I was pregnant."
"What?" Olivia's heart skipped a beat. "My God..."
"I miscarried in the hospital. Floyd never knew. You know. So does Benoît. That's it."
Beth Anne brought herself to smile as she thought of two people she held close.
"You know... my little one would be the same age as Harper and Sophia if I'd been able to carry to term. But Sophia would have never happened."
"Sobering." Olivia lamented.
"But I also have the feeling that if things had turned out any different, you and Harper would have connected even later." Beth Anne ran a finger on the underside of her wedding ring. "Am I wrong?"
Olivia shook her head. "Uh-uh. My sister wasn't supposed to learn about me until her birthday, this past Christmas Day. Our mother left an inheritance box for Harper before she died. It wasn't to opened until Harper's most recent birthday because that one was a milestone."
"Amanda told us awhile back that Harper turned up about a month after Sophia did." Beth Anne suddenly remembered. "Is that right?"
"Yep. We were able to cut through the red tape after the case closed because it was a special circumstance." Olivia went on. "Amongst other things, there were hand-written letters in the box. One for Harper. One for me."
"Then this was your mother's way of making sure you and Harper would know about each other." Beth Anne deduced.
"Right again." Olivia praised. "Mother also wanted us to be friends and look after each other. Harp and I just wouldn't have known about each other until the winter. Now she's one of the greatest friends I've ever loved my life. Same goes for my firstborn."
Beth Anne felt lighthearted in a good way at her friend's words. "That gives me hope for wholly repairing two particular relationships I thought I'd burned for good. About Harper and Sophia... Am I wrong to think that they're a 'best friends forever' package deal?"
"Nope. They act like twins and even have a genetic issue in common, but they are best friends. It's ride or die." Olivia said honestly. "A real kicker is that they're two-and-a-half months apart."
Beth Anne grew extra wistful. "How amazing. I'm feeling all the joy, even while I think about the 'what could have beens,' and it's hitting me all at once."
"Your feelings are totally valid." Olivia hugged her friend and then gave her a most kind smile. "I'm always happy to listen."
"Good. I really feel as though I've blathered on. Please tell me something happy from your life now."
Olivia thought about it. "Because Dominick asked me awhile back, I agreed to officiate their wedding. Now I'm ordained. And in the fall, there's going to be a promotion to captain with my name on it."
Beth Anne gave Olivia's hands an affectionate squeeze. "You are on a roll! What does Alex have to say? Is she excited?"
"Alex is just as ecstatic and proud." Olivia grinned at the thought. "We support each other in all we do, especially where our careers are concerned."
"That's really sw—"
Her full answer was interrupted by the appearance of her firstborn child.
She was half-exasperated. "There you two are. Everything alright?"
"Yes." her mothers chimed together.
"If you say so." Amanda made herding motions. "Benoît has handed menus out. It's time to start ordering food."
The family dined together happily. It was nice to be together when there was no peril.
Beth Anne still found time to speak to Amanda about something important. Nobody paid any attention. It was already loud enough in the room.
She sat beside Amanda in an unoccupied chair. "Benoît's aunt, Delfine, came to see us recently in Atlanta. Remember her?"
"As if I could forget our actual distant rich aunt." Amanda sighed. "Why didn't she say anything last time you were up here?"
"If you can believe it, Delfine was in the Bahamas. Made up for it by asking if she could come see your brother and sisters for a quick visit."
Amanda didn't have pleasant memories of her stepfather's aunt, so she did her best to be polite. "That must have been nice."
"It was." Beth Anne sated. "Until she passed."
Amanda nearly spat out her drink.
"Excuse me?" she hissed upon recovery. "I knew she was getting up there, but…"
Beth Anne gave a nod. "It happened in the house. Delfine had a stroke in her sleep. We got here a few days ago and have been settling in."
Amanda was incredulous. "But that's just so crazy. When exactly did Delfine pass?"
"Last week. She was cremated, and Ben's parents claimed the ashes. Now they've been spread at the family home." Beth Anne sighed. "On top of everything else, we were also getting ready to move up here. It happened so fast. Amanda, do you understand why I didn't call?"
"Yes. It's okay. Sounds like her passing tossed a wrench into moving plans, huh?"
"That's exactly it. Remember how Delfine came about her vast fortune?"
"I always thought Delfine was totally screwing with us about it, but I guess not. She really does come from belonging to the family that invented the stapler?"
Beth Anne sat back in her chair. "Yep. Not a joke. She blindsided us from the grave at the reading of Delfine's last will and testament."
"Oh?" asked Amanda. "How's that?"
Beth Anne leaned in conspiratorially and dropped her tone to match. "Amanda, she left him her assets. All of them."
Amanda's heart did a loop. Great Aunt Delfine had been in the category of totally 'filthy sticking rich,' but 'all assets' meant…
"Are you kidding me right now? That means…"
"Yep. Top floor."
Delfine left it Plaza Hotel penthouse to Benoît, along with every last penny of her fortune.
"Wow…" Amanda said in a daze.
"What do you think?" Beth Anne asked her daughter.
Amanda cleared her throat. "It's too bad Benoît's windfall happened because of a death, but now everyone I love is in the same area. That makes me so happy."
"And we are so happy to here…" for the second time, Beth Anne's words trailed off as she found herself choosing her words carefully.
But Amanda read her mother like a book. "Is there something you want to ask?"
"Yes, but I don't want to seem imposing…"
"Ask away." Amanda said to her. "Please."
Beth Anne had a history of being annoyingly overbearing. Now she was exercising terrific restraint to keep it together.
"Is there anything you have left to get from your wedding shopping list?" she finally blurted.
"My dress," Amanda confessed. "And a veil."
Beth Anne was almost shy. "Would it be alright if I came with you when you start looking?"
"You know, I would really love that."
Beth Anne was taken aback by the speed of her daughter's reply. "Really?"
"Really." Amanda gave Beth Anne a quick hug. "We can make a day of it. Plus, you and I are long overdue for a normal activity together."
"I quite agree." (their last sit-down meal had been after a peril) "When is your next day off?"
Olivia watched the two of them from across the table.
It seemed Amanda and Beth Anne were making plans for something. But she wouldn't pry. The fact that these two were having an actual pleasant conversation was a great step in their previously-tumultuous relationship.
So for that, Olivia would let them have their moment.
She arrived back to her senses when Alex kissed her on the cheek.
"Everything alright?" Alex asked her wife.
"Everything is perfect." Olivia kissed her in return. "Everything is absolutely perfect."
