Chapter 14

Monday

10:45 p.m.

"And nice work, you two…since Camila Benetti seems very much interested in you, Olivia…work that angle…Antonia, you can work on finding out about Priscilla and what's going on there, since you both seem to be the side dishes..." Cragen's voice came through the speaker function of the iPhone.

They had changed into comfortable clothing—Olivia in a pair of dark jeans and a gray racerback tank, her feet bare, and Antonia in a pair of dark gray joggers and an oversized black t-shirt, feet also bare, both ladies' hair up loosely.

Pie had been eaten, along with a pot of herbal red rooibos tea, and they were just finishing their debrief with SVU and the DEA.

Olivia looked at Antonia, nodding.

"Got it, Captain," Antonia answered.

"So, the party on Friday…" Olivia began.

"Will be taken care of. Food, people, bartender…all of it," Fin replied. "Ya'll don't need to worry about anything except lookin' good."

The left corner of Olivia's mouth lifted in a smirk as she looked at Tony and shook her head. "That we can do, Fin."

"What about the canvas?" Tony questioned. "Camila's bringing payment. Do we just make the exchange?"

"We'll handle that, too," Cragen offered. "Fin will be DJing the party and will also be playing Olivia's booking and art agent and will be handling that. But, at one point, you should introduce him as your agent, Marcus Thomas."

Olivia lifted the pen in front of her and wrote Marcus Thomas, an arrow, and wrote Fin and then DJ and agent before setting the pen down.

"With Fin, I mean Marcus, DJing, should be an interesting party," Olivia smiled.

"We'll bring it back old school, Liv. Don't you worry, girl."

Olivia could hear Fin's smile through the call. "I know you will."

"OK, ladies…" Cragen began, "…I'll let you two go. Anything you need?"

Olivia looked at Tony and the younger woman only shook her head.

"I don't think so, Cap," Olivia said.

"Olivia…" Cragen began.

"Yeah?"

"Can I have a moment…just us?"

Olivia looked at Tony and Tony nodded, standing, and taking the two pie-crumb laden plates with her into the kitchen. The brunette detective tapped the button that would take her off of speakerphone and then stood, putting the phone to her ear. She wandered out of the kitchen and past the living area and down the other hallway—Princess following her—where she had found out had sitting/guest room on the left and workout room on the right, with that expansive view of the ocean, complete with treadmill, weights, elliptical, three-walled ballet bar, and a large screen TV on the wall.

She entered the workout room now, eyeing the darkened ocean beyond the window. "OK. I'm alone."

Cragen continued, and she could hear him taking in a deep breath and then letting it out. "Olivia…you don't need to hide calling your wife with the phone I know you snuck in."

Olivia furrowed her brow before realizing that this was not only local police but was also the feds. It shouldn't have been a surprise to her that they knew. They probably either saw her remove it from her drawer that night or watched as she returned it to the same spot. She felt her face become serious and she nodded, steeling herself, and swallowing hard.

"It's not usual, but knowing how close you and Alex are, I understand it. Just don't let it interfere with the case."

"I won't, Captain," she whispered. "I would never do that."

"If anything, I think it's helping you…to hear from her…"

Olivia smiled and nodded, her eyes now filling with tears.

"And if it helps you stay focused and helps your determination to close this quicker than I am all for it, Liv."

Olivia nodded again. "Thanks for understanding."

"Um…" she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I did have a quick question…before we came here, you asked about the supplements I take daily?"

"They're in the lidded basket on top of the refrigerator, Detective. Everything you asked for, plus some other possible first-aid necessities, like aspirin, Advil, Neosporin, Band-aids…"

"Great, thanks…" She moved to stand directly in front of the window now, watching a light from a dinghy in the distance.

"OK. Liv. Have a good evening and we'll talk when we talk."

Olivia sniffed and nodded once more. "OK, Captain. Goodnight."

The call ended and she looked down at the tiny Pomeranian who was looking up at her, panting. She smiled and slipped the phone into her back jean pocket before she leaned over, picking the adorable dog up and holding her close. She walked out of the room and back down the hallway and into the kitchen to find Tony closing the dishwasher.

She walked up next to the shorter brunette who now began washing her hands in the other sink.

"Everything OK?" Tony asked, sudsing with an apple scented soap.

"Yeah…" Olivia scratched the dog's right ear, the canine's eyes closing, "…I think I'm gonna go take a shower and read a little before I go to sleep."

Antonia nodded and turned the water off, wiping her hands on the towel.

Olivia turned to leave but stopped and faced her petite partner. "Really good job tonight, Agent. I think we were a pretty good team."

Antonia smiled. "Thanks, Detective. Except for my dorky comment about 'eight being great', I think I did pretty good, too."

Olivia grinned, raising her eyebrows. "Dorky? Are you sure you're only thirty-four and not an eighties child?" she chuckled.

"Well, remember…I had four older brothers who were constantly calling their sister a dork or a dweeb." Antonia cocked her head to the side. "Wasn't fun."

"I can only imagine," Olivia narrowed her eyes, thinking about how that must have been pretty hard to be the only girl, much like her son Theo was the only boy among four females. She snapped herself out of her mini-trance and smiled again. "Well, I'm headed up…I'll probably come back down and do some reading before I go to sleep."

"Sounds good, Olivia," Antonia lifted her mug from the island behind them and took a sip. "I might go on a swim. I'm on an energy high from tonight…and from the pie…"

Olivia offered another smile and nodded once before turning and making her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

11:37 p.m.

Alex felt a small weight being lifted off of her left side and then the same movement on her right side, she gasped, snapping her neck erect from being tilted backward, her eyes popping open as she closed her mouth and swallowed, feeling the dryness of it having been open for an extended period of time.

She squinted and blinked several times as she watched her mother now, watching as she placed the twins back in their cribs.

"Mom?" she rasped, still feeling another slight weight against her right side.

She looked down to see Theo in the crook of her armpit, his mouth open, clenching her gray, jersey pajama camisole, his eyes mostly closed save for the small slits that showed that his baby blues were slightly rolled in a deep sleep. She smiled down at him and kissed his forehead.

"Alex, honey, it's dangerous to have them sleeping with you, especially the way you sleep, Dear."

"Mom, it's fine," she said quietly. "Liv and I always have the kids cuddling with us." She yawned. "Nothing's gonna happen."

"You never know, Dear. You could roll on top of one of them and then what would you do?"

Alex couldn't help but smirk and flair her nostrils. "That would be awful, Mom. I would be hysterical. But I'm fairly certain one of them would make a noise of some sort if that happened," she deadpanned. "I had just drifted off, actually…" She glanced to her left at the alarm clock, but it was facing outward. Reaching for it, she turned it to face her to see that it was almost midnight. She lay back down and placed her left palm on her forehead. "I was reading, just a few minutes ago, so it wasn't long that I was sleeping." She reached for the book that was open, face down on the bedside table. "I'm reading that biography on Arianna Huffington. She's a fascinating woman."

"Is that right?" Cathy asked, moving up to the bed and reaching for Theo. "I'd like to read it then, when you're finished…"

"OK…" Alex agreed.

Cathy placed her hands—one beneath his back, one on his belly—just short of lifting him.

"Mom, no…I can put him in his crib."

Cathy adjusted the butt on his pajama bottoms and stepped away.

Alex continued, "I just want to stay like this a little while longer. I was gonna put them in their cribs soon, anyway. I wasn't really sleeping." Alex smiled at her mother and stroked her son's hair, kissing the top of his head again, closing her eyes, and inhaling his scent. He smelled like home. He smelled like Olivia. He smelled like innocence.

"Alex…" Cathy began, folding her arms.

Alex looked up at her mother, "Yeah?"

"You were out cold, Dear. I'm surprised the babies didn't wake up with all the noise you were making."

Alex couldn't help but smile. "Gee, thanks, Mom." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I guess I'm tired and my body needed that. I feel like I slept really well, even in just those fifteen minutes I was out.

"And that's why the babies should be in their own beds, Alex. So, you can get a decent, long, full-night's rest." Her mother managed her best know-what-I-mean face.

"I get it, Mom," Alex smiled.

Squeaking below her now, Theo stretching and rousing slightly.

Alex kissed his forehead again and his eyes slowly opened. "Hey there, baby boy," she said sweetly. "Ready to go in your own bed?"

Theo only shook his head and closed his eyes and burrowed his face against the blonde's chest again, clutching her shirt even more firmly.

Alex looked at her mother. "Just a few more minutes, Mom, and I'll put him in his crib. When he falls asleep again."

"And then you'll get a good night's sleep?" Cathy waited, raising her eyebrows.

"And then I'll get a good night's sleep, Mom." Alex crossed her heart, smiling.

Cathy's gaze focused on her daughter's chest now, shaking her head. "I just can't believe it, Alex. I can't believe the boobies you got with the twins. What cup are you now?"

Alex couldn't help but smile at her mother's awestruck expression. She looked down at her chest. "I'm a mid-C now, depending on the bra. Sometimes a C is too small, but a D is usually too big." She looked back at her mother.

"I can't believe it. You were an A and then a B for so long, Dear." Cathy's eyes finally returned to her own.

"I know, Mom. Just one of the many wonderful things about motherhood, right?" Alex yawned again. "I'm sure you got bigger when you had Johnny and I…" She closed her eyes and just lay there, listening to Theo's even, steady breathing.

"I went up and then down. More than forty years later and I'm back to my pre-baby size."

"Alex's eyes opened then. "Really?" She began rubbing Theo's back. "I hope that doesn't happen to me in forty years…Liv loves my…" Alex stopped herself, looking at her mother and bringing her lips inward, refraining from smiling.

"Olivia what, Dear?"

"Nothing. Nothing, Mom." She smiled at her mother. "Thanks for rescuing the kids from that perilous situation…" she offered facetiously.

"Oh, Alex…" she swatted at her daughter playfully and then stopped, watching the blonde.

"What, Mom?"

Cathy shook her head, holding back her emotions. "I'm just so proud of you, Alex. That's all. You've made us so proud. Your father and I…"

Alex smiled sappily, feeling her eyes mist slightly. "That means a lot."

"Well, go to sleep soon, OK?"

Alex nodded. "I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Dear." And with that, Cathy kissed Theo's cheek, then looked at Alex briefly before kissing hers, as well. After making her way to kiss the twins, she was out the door, closing it halfway.

Alex looked down at Theo, who was still sleeping, then looked down at her breasts. She was absolutely bigger than before pregnancy and she knew it. Just one of the perks not only for her own confidence to enjoy, but also her wife, who was constantly either making comments about them, trying to touch them, or ogling them, it seemed.

She smiled to herself and yawned once more, thinking that now was a good time to put her son in his bed. She kissed his head once more and slowly moved to sit up, hands on his back, lifting him onto her shoulder and standing, feeling her silky, gray pajama bottoms glide back down from gravity. Leaning into his crib, she placed him inside and kissed him once more before stroking his hair.

It was like having a small piece of Olivia there with her at all times. That was just one of the amazing things she thought about when it came to their little baby boy. Even though he was less than three years old, he already had so many of her wife's qualities, as silly as that sounded.

His joyfulness. His loving nature. His smooth caramel skin. His beautiful glossy hair. His belly laugh. His zest and determination for everyday things.

And even though her wife wasn't with her at present, she saw so much of Olivia in their son. And this made her happy to no end.

Stretching once more, arms in the air, she felt both shoulders pop, before she let her arms down and moved to her side of the bed. She turned her lamp off and slipped beneath the covers once more, rolling onto her right side and extending her arm into the empty space, closing her eyes, hearing the faint sound of the ocean waves ebbing and flowing.

She took a long, deep breath, and let her body return to succumbing to sleep.

Tuesday

9:07 a.m.

Alex lifted her mug to her lips, looking down at her phone, noticing there was a text waiting for her.

Her parents had taken the kids to the grocery store and she was sitting on the balcony of her bedroom, just enjoying her morning cup of java.

She tapped on the speech bubble icon and saw that it was a photo from Olivia, along with a message. Smiling, she saw that it was sent at one-thirty that same morning. She opened the photo first to find her wife's face close up, her hair down, damp, and wavy, that huge smile spread across her face. She then scrolled to the right to see that the next one was the same, but the brunette was puckering and closing her eyes.

Alex giggled and then slid her right forefinger upward it to read the message:

Hey Babe,

I didn't want to wake you but I want you to know I am constantly thinking about you.

I can call anytime I want so I will when you're awake, sometime this morning.

OOO and XXX the kids for me.

A big tonguey kiss for you (emoji with hearts)

Love,

Liv

Alex brought the phone to her chest and smiled, seeing her wife's flawless beauty in her mind—that smile, those eyes, that exquisiteness.

That woman was hers. That woman would be coming home to her soon. That woman loved her, and she loved that woman, in turn, more than anything else in the world. That woman was a genius at what she did, at the way she carried herself daily, and Alex had her forever.

This thought and knowledge made everything they were going through more than worth it.

She set her phone face down on the glass table to her right and smiled, looking out at the early morning waves.

She would talk with her wife in a little while.

And everything would be alright once again.

A/N: Thank you for reading. A little fluff, a little love. Next we'll move forward a few days. But I would love to hear what you thought of THIS chapter! 😊 I hope you enjoyed and would love just one or two words, as I always say…