Virginia and Emily found themselves back on the couch before long. They were quiet. Both of them knew that they'd arrived at the part of the evening were more serious conversations were to be had.

Emily went first. "Why don't we look at my photo albums now? You need the version of events as told by me, since you've been hanging around my parents for so long."

"That sounds like a good idea." Virginia watched as Emily set her last bag on the coffee table. "What can you tell me about this one?"

She had picked up a leather-bound book with 'ITALY 1975' stamped across it in silver lettering. It had been the first one on the pile.

"This is from the first time we lived in Italy. It was only for a year, but it was great. And I was five."

The picture on the first page was of Emily on her fifth birthday. She was at a dining table, dressed nicely, and grinning toothily for the camera. In pride of place was a large chocolate cake topped with five lit candles.

"Was this your birthday party?" Virginia said curiously.

"Mhm. It was fantastic... even though that part of my life was compounded by the fact that I refused to speak English."

"Is this because your parents both speak Italian with each other? Zion and I have seen them do it."

Emily nodded. "My father spoke it with his parents, and he taught my mom. Both of them passed it on to me. Italian is my first and favorite language."

"Amazing. Does that make English your second?"

"Yes. However... Needing to learn English was a necessity when we visited mother's parents."

Virginia realized suddenly that she'd never heard about that side of the clan. "Oh? And how is that?"

"My mother's parents were called Gerhardt and Corinne. They were elitists in every sense of the word—in Manhattan."

"Oof. That is absolutely nothing sneeze at."

Emily nodded. "Both of them were unimpressed that their only grandchild spoke a foreign language before English. Today... I think one would call them xenophobic."

Virginia huffed, "And what was their problem?"

"Just that I wasn't born a boy. All they saw was the person who would bring the end of the family line."

"What a preposterous thing to hold over a child! Are Gerhardt and Corrine around anymore?"

Now Emily shook her head. "Uh-uh. But there's no love lost because they were always jerks to me. I was much closer with my father's parents."

"At least there's that. My mother won't even talk about her grandparents." Virginia then patted Emily's hand in attempt to lighten things up. "My family is going to love you so much. They'll be impressed by all the cool things you know."

Emily's heart lightened. "Thank you for telling me that."

Virginia squeezed Emily's fingers gently and then pointed to the next picture. "Is that what I think it is?"

In this picture, Emily was chasing a rather beautiful and exotic bird.

"That is a peacock, yes. We were at a zoo in Rome." Emily said with a poker-stiff expression. "Those glorious birds have always roamed free there."

"But you chased one." Virginia said blankly.

"That is a tale I will absolutely leave to my parents, but... Giving chase was the bird's idea of a spot of fun."

Virginia just shuddered. "I've survived war and all kinds of injuries, but birds of all shapes and sizes have always given me the heebie-jeebies."

Emily snickered. "When we take Zion to the zoo in the spring, you can hold our things while I bring him and the baby into the aviary."

"Deal."

The tables turned a few photo albums later. A certain sight caused Emily to feel ill.

She averted her eyes. "I'm so sorry Ace. Didn't mean to bring this one."

Virginia glanced at the cover of the newest photo album. She saw an image of Emily with a very handsome man. They even seemed to be having a great time. Still... In the present, Emily seemed to be very upset.

"This is the baby's father?" guessed Virginia. "You made a scrapbook?"

"Yes to both. We weren't even together that long, but I've always liked to document things in my life, so I did that." Emily pushed the book away. "It came tonight because I just grabbed my whole collection."

Virginia put the pieces together. "Did you forget it was in the stack, or something?"

"I did." Emily looked back her. "Now I've ruined our date."

"You haven't ruined anything. There is nothing to apologize before because it's behind you." Virginia stood, taking the book with her. "Please tell me his name."

Emily said shortly, "Andrew."

"His loss in mine and Zion's gain." A switch suddenly flipped somewhere in Virginia's brain. "You know what? I've just gotten an idea."

Emily lifted an eyebrow; their conversation had been all over the place. "From what?"

Virginia didn't miss a beat. "How about if I put the photo album in my safe deposit box in the morning? I'm going, anyway. The little one can ask for it when they get older. You and I won't ever have to mention it again until that day. I promise."

"Marry me." Emily blurted before she could stop herself.

I would in a heartbeat, Virginia thought. "Then I'll take that as a 'yes, please'?"

Emily nodded. "Yes. Please. I also don't know what came over me. Hell of a first date, huh?"

"It is. I'm loving every minute."

Emily couldn't believe her luck. "What I said didn't upset you?"

"Nope." Virginia said honestly. "Have you ever been married before?"

"Married, no. Engaged, yes. That was another lifetime ago." Emily gave her middle a rub when she felt the baby do a small flip. "Have you ever been married or engaged?"

"No. My final partnership on the force lasted for a very long time before the man ended up going haywire. Still... I've never been engaged to be married before." Virginia gave Emily a very kind look. "I'll be right back."

She gave Emily a comforting kiss on the cheek. How she loved to touch her.

Emily felt light as air. She even blushed. Just a little.

Virginia crossed the loft to her office to put the scrapbook away.

River the cat burst Emily's bubble by leaping into her lap. She even began to knead her friend's shirt with her paws. This new person was just so intriguing.

Emily began to pet her. "You're a good girl, aren't you?"

River just meowed and arched her back as Emily hit a sweet spot.

"You know... I dig your mama. Quite a lot."

River laid on her back to expose her stomach. She was showing submission. This gave Emily pause, however. Touching any cat's middle was a death wish. Maybe this would be different.

"Please don't shred my fingers…"

River meowed again and relaxed.

Emily took this as a good sign and began to rub River's middle. The cat made loud, happy sounds. Relieved that her digits were still intact, Emily continued to shower affection. River was very soft.

"Incredible." Virginia murmured when she returned and sat beside her date. "River has never done that for anyone."

"River was kneading my middle a few moments ago. She must be zeroing in on my pregnancy hormones."

Virginia was quiet for a few beats as she thought of how to phrase her next item.

"Listen, Emelise—you don't have to tell me what you don't want to. I'm all ears if there's anything you do want to get off your chest about... him..."

Emily was now very glad she had a purring cat in her lap to anchor her. "The whole reason we broke up was because of a selfish move on Andrew's part. A government position in London, England was dangled in front of him. He took it without even asking me."

"When does he go?" Virginia already felt bad.

"This Monday. He still half-expected me to come with him."

"That's insane. Do you have history over there?"

Emily continued to focus on the purring animal in her lap. "Yes. Andrew and I are one hundred percent done, but he officially cut ties with the baby. Never in my life has a relationship gone so badly before. I met you and Zion the very next after noon."

"Wow...

Emily turned and sat cross-legged, facing Virginia. "Tell me something about you."

Virginia didn't hold back. "None of us realized until it was too late that my partner on the force was unstable."

"What went down?"

"Wilder was bipolar. None of us knew until it was too late. There was a day when everything just went wrong. It's like he exploded." Virginia undid the bottom of her blouse. "He was utterly convinced that I was helping his wife to cheat on him."

Emily was immediately taken aback. "Pardon?"

"Marie was definitely cheating, but that was all on her. I had no hand in it."

"And what? Wilder wouldn't have it?"

"Bingo." Virginia lifted her blouse up slightly to show Emily her exposed side. "That bastard threw scalding water on me. Only one part of me didn't ever physically heal all the way."

Virginia's fair skin here was rough and mottled, much like a long-healed burn.

Emily returned her attention to Virginia. "That looks bad."

"It was worse. All the pain stopped years ago." Virginia fixed her blouse back in place. "My partner ended up having an actual psychotic break. Now he's going to be spending the rest of his days in a facility. Hurting me was the catalyst."

"I'm sorry." Emily offered.

"It was a long time ago." Virginia pointed to her bad leg. "Maybe I should tell you about this now."

"Okay. My attention is all yours."

Virginia made herself comfortable. "I became a member of law enforcement after I got out of the USMC. Serving my community was my calling."

"And you passed all your examinations." Emily gave River one last pet before she jumped off the couch, apparently bored. "What was the turning point?"

"An assignment where I was to escort a diplomat's daughter to and from a political conference." Virginia explained. "She literally had people gunning for her. A sniper had been waiting my charge out."

Emily's heart did an unpleasant loop. "Did he get her?"

Virginia shook her head. "No. I eventually shot him dead, but not before he nabbed me in the leg."

Emily's tone became gentle, compassionate. "Will you show me?"

Virginia physically lifted her bad leg on to the couch using both hands. A old surgical scar could be seen on her knee. It was tidy, but glaring.

"The bullet became lodged in a knee muscle. It took the doctors a few hours to get it out." Virginia said by way of explanation.

"Did they offer you options at work?" Emily wanted to know. "For after...?"

Virginia nodded slowly. "Yes. It was either a desk job at HQ, or else an early retirement package. The damage from the bullet was permanent."

"So you ended up taking door number two." Emily realized.

"Correct. It allowed me to focus on healing at my own rate..."

Emily prompted Virginia before she could grow too lost in the old memory. "But...?"

Virginia sighed. "Unfortunately, my needs for getting better actually surpassed more than what they could give me there in Meridian. I had to look into moving to an area that had a better hospital."

"What was at the top of your list?"

"Water Reed, up here." Virginia said. "This was fate."

"Can you tell me what makes you say that?"

Virginia smiled. "My family had just moved up here. Getting the hell out of Mississippi was a no-brainer. D.C. has been my home, ever since."

Emily hugged Virginia. "You've come so far. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Virginia put one of Emily's hands on her scar. "Touch it. You see me for who I am, not what I have. Not a lot of people do. I love that."

What surprised Emily the most as she ran her fingers over the scar was that Virginia wasn't reacting. At all.

"Can't feel you that?" Emily closed her hand over Virginia's whole knee.

Virginia spoke placidly. "I can't. My injury severed those nerves. All feeling in that knee is gone."

"My God. Have doctors ever offered any kind of restoration?"

"Yes. I've always had to turn them away. Even one consequence, however minor, would be a major setback."

Emily realized what she was talking about. "You mean with your walking abilities."

"That's right. I like who I am now, but I want to keep moving forward. The last thing I need is to revert." Virginia said firmly. "What do you think of me now?"

"Absolutely nothing different. I think you are amazing. Brave, too." Emily moved closer. "I'm in awe."

She ran a finger across a part of Virginia's leg didn't have severed nerves. Virginia's breath hitched audibly.

Emily moved her hand a little higher. "Can you feel that?"

Virginia made a small twitch of pleasure. "Oh, yes."

"What about this?"

Emily planted a trail of kisses down Virginia's body. She put in more effort, the more Virginia reacted. The air sizzled. Time stood still. It was beautiful and electrifying.

She worked her way back up, ending with a kiss on Virginia's lips.

"I definitely felt that." Virginia purred. "No one has touched me that way in a very, very long time."

Emily winked. "Glad I could help remind you what it's like."

Virginia took one of Emily's hands in hers and kissed it. "All I want at the moment is to just jump your bones right now."

Emily's heart quickly skipped a beat. "Is that so?"

"Depending on how our second date goes, or even the third, we can't do anything more than kisses and touching. For now. Do you understand?"

"I do. And... Did you say third date?"

Virginia had herself a fluster. "If you want to..."

"That's another yes." Emily touched Virginia's hand. "What else is on your plate?"

"My family." Virginia leaned back on the couch again. "They're kind of a doozy."

Emily laughed. "Wait until you meet the rest of mine. Do you have a picture nearby?"

"It should be on the end table by you."

There were five occupants in this picture.

Of course Emily recognized Virginia right away. But not the younger ones flanking her. Emily still had a small start when she realized that they were identical. In every way. At the forefront of the image was an older woman sitting in a resplendent chair. A small child was perched on her lap. Everyone was dressed very nicely.

"Ace," Emily told her in earnest. "Your family is beautiful."

"Thanks." Virginia said sincerely. "And take it a closer look at my mom—I think you'll recognize her."

Emily had yet another start when she looked again. She did recognize Virginia's mother. Immediately.

"Your mom is Amaya Rainer, the world-famous chocolatier?" she squawked. "Is she why you know so much about cooking?"

"Yes. I inherited just about everything from her, including my passion to cook. The only prominent trait I got from my dad are my green eyes."

"Is he taking the picture?"

"No." Virginia shrugged. "Never met him because he's always been out of the picture. Amaya won't even say his name. I haven't any idea."

Emily scrambled for something smart to say at this point. "You can't miss him if you don't know a thing about him..."

"Fitzhugh, meanwhile, has more than filled in. I love him for it. He also sends me flowers on my birthday every year." Virginia pointed to the younger women in the picture. "These are my middle sisters, Phoenix and Lilith. I gave them their names."

"How did you get that kind of honor?" Emily said in amusement.

"Amaya lost a bet. Don't let her convince you otherwise." Virginia then indicated the last person in the picture. "Her name is Jubilation."

"She is really adorable, and looks just like y—wait…"

Virginia watched the truth dawn on Emily. "Talk it out."

This should have been easy to digest after coming from the LaMontagne house, but Emily still felt very absurd. "Are you telling me that Jubilation is also your sister?"

"Ding ding ding. She, Phoenix, and Lilith are even full sisters."

"You were right. Your family is a doozy."

Virginia was impressed. "How aren't you freaked? The twins were born during my junior year of high school. Jubilation ended being a surprise in every sense of the word?"

Emily held her hands in time-out. "What's the missing ingredient?"

"You mean their dad? He was complication and mayhem." A small sneer flickered across Virginia's face for a second before it was gone again. "But... The rest of us have always been very close."

"Hey, that's great."

Virginia felt a weight lift from her shoulders. "As I keep saying... my family is a doozy."

"To which I say that I've officially hit my quota for the night." Emily joked.

"Okay." Virginia rubbed Emily's leg. "Where is home for you around here?"

"It's complicated." Emily shifted her weight as best she could on the couch cushion. "The morning after the break-up, news was thrust upon me that my building is in foreclosure—on top of being set for both tenting and fumigation."

This actually threw Virginia for a loop. "So where are you staying now?"

"At my partner's house. She and her husband invited me to stay until I'm back on my feet." Emily let out her heftiest sigh of the evening. "I just have an unspoken deadline I should be out by."

"Maybe I can help. What is it?"

Emily was back to feeling absurd. "I swear something's in the water. Uh, my partner is also expecting. Twins."

"Woah. Do she and her husband have any other kids?"

"Mhm. Two boys."

Virginia's next words came from the bottom of her heart. "You are more than welcome to crash here any time—no questions asked."

Emily's own heart did a few loops of joy. "Thanks, Ace. I haven't even gotten to who else is at my partner's house."

"Hm?"

"Never mind." Emily gently guided Virginia's body so that her uneasy leg was pressed against her side. "You showed me one of your scars. Now I'm going to show you one of mine."

She pulled back part of her blouse and pointed to a massive scar beneath her ribs. "This is the mark that killed me."

"I'm sorry." Virginia kissed the spot. "Maybe this could help make some new memories."

Emily reveled in Virginia's featherlight touch. "It is. Let me show you something else."

"Go for it."

Emily smoothed her shirt over her bump again and framed it with her hands. Virginia marveled over how cute the shape was. For a few seconds, she let herself imagine what it would look like when it was bigger.

"The little one has been very jumpy since I walked in to your home tonight." Emily skimmed the spot with her nails. "Call me crazy, but I just feel as if the universe has arranged for it. Do you get what I mean?"

Virginia tore her eyes away from Emily's middle. "Yes, because I feel it. Already. I care for you a lot."

Emily's heart bloomed. "Just like I care for you."

"Exactly. We were meant to find each other. It even happened at an unlikely place." Virginia gave Emily a playful kiss on her throat. "After all... We have agreed to two more dates now."

"Very true." Emily splayed Virginia's hands across her bump. "It doesn't change anything that I'm pregnant?"

"No. Does it change anything that I have a three-year-old?"

Emily shook her head. "No. I really care about Zion already."

"Then there's your answer." Virginia said promptly. "Everything in the future now is going to be unconventional when it comes to the story of us."

But just like that, Emily knew that Virginia was it for her. For life.

I love you, she thought.

Virginia's train of thought was the same.

Emily pointed to her middle. "You talk to the baby. It's okay."

So Virginia spoke to the bump in a quiet motherly tone. "I'm your Mama Ace. Whatever happens, I will always care for you and your other mama. I'll do right by you both. You can hold me to that."

"Keep going, Ace." Emily encouraged. "Please."

"All you have to focus on is growing." Virginia continued. "When it's time for you to come out, you're going to have a have a big brother called Zion. He's going to be over the moon."

Emily watched Virginia go on to tell the baby stories, and make the kinds of promises that a parent made to their child. It filled her with joy because she knew they were true.

Virginia was feeling it, too. The missing pieces of her life had finally arrived. She was complete. They were complete. Everything was finally complete.

Neither woman could come up with a name to describe the whole of what they were feeling just then. But it didn't matter.

They loved it. And each other. Even if the words hadn't been said yet. Aloud, anyway.

This was most certainly shaping out to be the oddest first date either one of them had been on in their lives. Ever.

But neither would have had any of it any other way.

Plus... it was was thanks to the universe now that they knew they were meant to be soulmates.

Neither wanted the night to end.

So they both happily stayed in the moment.