It's long, but worth it, I promise ;)


By the time Olivia processed what had just happened, Elliot caught up to her first. He looked from the stunned expression on his former partner's face, to the cold, icy water of the harbor below.

"He jumped, huh?"

"Yeah." she sighed and turned to Elliot. "I bet you can guess who I'm thinking of right now."

"Merritt Rook. But that was almost eight years ago, and he was ill."

"So at least his soul is free." Olivia looked back out over the water. "I don't know if we can ever say the same for Garrett, though."

Elliot gave Olivia a pat on the back. "But it's all over—he's gone, and Alex is back in Manhattan, safe. How about we get you off this roof, and into a car so you can go see her?"

Olivia tore her gaze away from the water again. "Yes, please. I would like that."

"Okay." Elliot took her hand and began to steer her away from the wall, towards the staircase. "Watch your step—it's beginning to snow."

Sure enough, the temperature had grown so cold that snowflakes were beginning to form and fall from the heavens. A few even stuck to Olivia's eyelashes when she became aware of them. She had always liked the wintertime, but today, the snow meant something else.

It meant a new beginning.


Back at hospital, the security measures had been lifted on Alex's room, outside of which Olivia was met by Casey, Amanda, Harper, and Sophia.

"How did things go?" Casey asked when Olivia reached them.

"Garrett confessed to everything, but he still ended up jumping into the harbor."

"That's too bad. I so wanted to try him in court."

"It is what it is." Olivia turned to Amanda. "You stayed here because you wanted to see Alex while you waited to see how things turned out, didn't you?"

"Guilty, but now I know that I'll be able to sleep tonight. I'll go to the station and get started on my case report."

"That is appreciated. Thank you."

Amanda gave a mock bow, and made haste for the elevators. Now it was Harper, Casey, and Sophia who were the only ones left.

"I'm done here, too, Liv." Casey said before looking from Harper to Sophia. "Do you guys want to come get some food with me?"

Harper laughed. "You know I'm in."

"Count me in, too, darling," Sophia decided. "But could you wait for me in the lobby?"

"You got it." Casey told her. "We'll see you in a bit."

When they'd also gone, Olivia gazed upon her firstborn in concern—she looked like she was going to cry.

"What's wrong?"

Sophia exhaled noisily. "I was just so worried!"

"Oh, sweetheart, come here."

Sophia allowed her mother to pull her into a hug, and she began to cry the tears she'd been holding back for awhile. She was overwhelmed. Olivia just comforted her daughter—she didn't blame her a single bit for having these feelings.

When things had subsided somewhat, Olivia sent Sophia into Alex's bathroom to clean herself up. As for the lieutenant, herself, she all but ran to Alex's bedside. Nothing was going to stop her now.

"Alex!" she said in between their kisses. "How are you?"

"I'm tired, and so hungry. I also want a bath, or something, so I can wash my hair." Alex wrinkled her nose as she thought about how dirty her hair was. "All I got at the other hospital was a sponge bath."

"What? Why? Are you hurt?"

"No, but I was too weak to tolerate regular bathing. A sponge bath was the last resort, and I hope to never have to do it again."

Olivia kissed Alex on the cheek. "Then providing what the doctor says, I'll help you get clean. How is the baby?"

"Diana is chugging along, just like always, but she got so bored that she fell asleep a few minutes ago." Alex motioned towards the closed bathroom door. "What's the 411 on Sophia?"

"She was concerned about you."

"Worried, more like." Sophia said as she emerged from the bathroom at that precise moment and sat in a chair at Alex's bedside. "I was worried about both of you, and about Diana, but can you blame me?"

Olivia patted Sophia's cheek. "We don't blame you a single bit."

Alex propped herself up on her elbows. "I'm whole and here, and so are Diana and Olivia. We're all safe now."

Sophia exhaled noisily. "I'm so happy about that. What's the final word on Garrett?"

"He confessed his wrongdoings, but jumped into the water." Olivia told them. "He's gone."

This development started Sophia, but gave Alex more of a turn.

She squawked, "Where the hell were you?!"

"On the parapet at Battery Wood, at The Narrows." Olivia said simply.

Alex just made a noise of understanding. She'd also grown up hearing tall tales of that place.

Olivia turned to Sophia. "See? I'm okay, Alex is okay, and Diana is okay; it's all over. Does that make you feel better?"

"Yes, it does."

"Good. Now how about you go catch up with Casey and Harper?"

"Okay, mom."

Sophia rose to her feet, hugged her mothers, and took her leave of them. They were finally alone.

"What's the story, here?"

Olivia was pointing to Alex's IV drip. It was empty.

"Oh, thank God." Alex fell back on her bed. "The doctor said I can tackle food when the IV finished."

"Well, how about we see just all what she wants you doing now?" Olivia quickly pressed the 'CALL DOCTOR' button. "I can't imagine how hungry you must be."

Alex regarded her fiancée as a new thought crossed her mind. "Via, how long can you stay?"

"For as long as you need." Olivia replied.

"Good, because I want to talk to you about something, away from listening ears."

But Olivia didn't get a chance to ask what it was about because Doctor Larom had arrived, answering her summons. She even brightened at the sight of her friends.

"How did things pan out?" she asked.

"Good, because we can put this to bed and move on, but also bad because he took his own life in the process." Olivia shrugged. "That's just the way things go, sometimes."

"They do, indeed." she set her clipboard on Alex's nightstand and moved close to her. "Let me help you with getting this off now."

She was referring to the IV drip. Just Alex's luck, the nurse tending to her had had to stick the IV insertion needle into a vein on the top of her hand because she hadn't been able to find anything viable in the crook of her elbow. The needle and the tubing were even taped down to keep anything from falling out. It was all very uncomfortable. Alex was more than ready to have control of her arm and hand again. What bummed her out the most was that the tape had left behind a sticky residue that was going to be a chore to clean off.

Olivia seemed to be reading her mind, because she found a washcloth in the bathroom, soaked it warm water, and showed it to her.

"Don't worry, baby." she began to work at cleaning the residue. "I'll clean it up. You just focus on what the doctor says."

Alex bobbed her head and turned to the doctor, giving her an expectant look.

Larom picked the conversation back up. "It might be a slow going since you haven't eaten anything of substance for awhile, but I'm officially giving you the green light to work on eating. Do you have any questions before we go further?"

"I really want to shower, or something." Alex told her with emphasis. "Do you have any stipulations against that?"

"I don't have any stipulations, no. In fact…"

Larom picked up her clipboard again, and consulted her notes before looking to Olivia.

She paused in cleaning Alex's arm to meet her friend's curious gaze. "Yes?"

"Will your squad be needing you at the precinct any time soon?" Larom asked seriously.

"No. It's just housekeeping now."

"Good." the physician indicated the couple's engagement rings. "You two are hardly civilians, but since you are getting married to each other, I'm going to treat you as I do any other couple who comes into my care."

Olivia realized what she was driving at. "You're saying that since these are special circumstances, and Alex and I are engaged, I can stay with her because we're each other's next of kin."

"Bingo, and to that end, Olivia, I'll see to it that you get a spousal pass for wearing around the halls—it'll give you more privileges than a regular visiting one."

"Thank you, Jane. I appreciate it."

Alex did her own dot-connecting. "It also means that Olivia can help take care of me."

"Yes. The nurses and I will still be in and out to check on yours and the baby's vitals, but I bet that you'll be more comfortable with Olivia's help on personal matters."

"Like bathing, and getting to and from the bathroom?"

Larom nodded. "Yes. My only wish is that you don't do either of those things unsupervised, Alex."

"I totally understand. Thanks, again."

"You're very welcome." Larom brightened again. "Would you like to check on the baby now?"

Alex and Olivia were both weak with relief when they saw their youngest child on the ultrasound monitor, and heard her strong, steady heartbeat. Diana proved her awareness of things by kicking and following the ultrasound transducer when she felt its pressure. She thought it was a game. Not even born yet, and she was extremely interested in the world around her.

When it came to finally focusing on food, the only thing that Alex wasn't pleased about was that the doctor had left to send for plain broth.

Soothing herself that it wasn't Jello (her least favorite dessert), Alex did her best to start a new conversation. "How are Noah and Serena doing? Harper told me about the neat falling-asleep trick you guys pulled."

Olivia smiled at the memory. "They slept soundly after that, but they missed you this morning. They only got distracted when Lucy arrived."

"That's good. You've been keeping the routine for them?"

"Oh, yes. They would have gone bananas if I hadn't." Olivia handed Alex her phone so she could see a picture that had just come in. "Look at this picture from Lucy. They've just arrived at Noah's Gymboree class."

True enough, they were looking at a snap of Noah giving a kiss to Serena. The faintest trace of a smile could be seen on her face as she slept. Behind them, the interior of Noah's classroom was very visible.

"Thank you. I needed to see that."

"Then Lucy's timing was impeccable. Do you want to see Noah and Serena?"

Alex gave a nod. "Yes, but after I've eaten and bathed."

"Fair enough. I'll just update her on the situation, and then I'm all yours again."

After Olivia finished texting Lucy, she put her phone on the counter by the door—which was on the complete opposite end of the room. She also took off her jacket and removed her gun, setting both of them beside her phone. The rest of the day was going to be all about helping Alex. Everything else could wait.

When a bowl of plain broth finally arrived, Alex's hunger kept her from remarking about how unenthused she was. She had never been so hungry in her life. The degree of her hunger caused her to be very clumsy, and while she didn't make too big a mess, it was enough to leave her feeling defeated. Olivia was at her bedside, ever encouraging her and trying to keep her spirits up.

Afterwards, when the food tray had been put to the side, Alex noticed that Olivia had gone quiet—there was a somewhat vacant look in her eyes. But it wasn't uninviting.

Alex broke the silence. "I know that look on your face. It says that you're thinking of something good."

Olivia smiled at her. "I was just thinking about how you and I are already living out the 'in sickness and in health' and the 'for better or for worse' part of traditional wedding vows."

"We are, aren't we?"

Alex could tell that Olivia was building to something, but she suddenly had a rather pressing matter, and was throwing back her blankets.

"Via, I'm still hooked up to the oxygen." she said urgently. "Is it on a rolling mechanism?"

Olivia bit back a disappointed sigh and checked out the medical equipment. "It is. What do you need?"

"To go to the bathroom. Pronto."

Olivia helped her, and when this detour had also been tackled, she helped Alex to sit back on the bed.

"It feels like," Olivia observed. "That you and I have been trying to tell each something—probably even the same thing—but we keep getting interrupted."

"You're on the money." Alex held one of Olivia's hands in hers and kissed it. "When I was gone, I began entertaining the thought of getting married much sooner than next summer, or something."

Olivia squeezed her hand gently. "Great minds think alike. The same thought crossed my mind, too."

"Really?"

"One hundred percent." Olivia returned Alex's hand kiss. "Ever since we were brought together again by Sophia, everything we've been through now has only proved that we should have tied the knot years ago. I don't think I can wait much longer anymore."

"I know that I can't." Alex agreed. "What about something at the courthouse? That seems like the way to go, especially since neither of us are already fans of being the center of attention at parties, as it is."

Olivia already liked what Alex was proposing, so she continued on with the train of thought. "We could also invite exactly who we wanted, and a ceremony at the courthouse is as official as it gets. Things would also be simple."

"You've got no arguments from me. I was thinking about some time this week, and not just because Christmas is our favorite holiday."

"Keep going." Olivia encouraged.

"The twenty-fifth is Harper's birthday, and obviously Christmas Day. How about the day before? Christmas Eve?"

"Oh, I like that a lot."

Alex perked up, happy that Olivia had received her suggestion so well. "That's just as notable as Christmas itself, but what about documents, and things like that?"

"Our squad's favorite judge told me that she would help us out." Olivia said in a causal tone. "She even offered to officiate the ceremony."

"Wow." Alex was impressed by this. "Did you have a heart-to-heart conversation with her, or something?"

"I did, actually. So did we just come to agree on a Christmas Eve wedding at the courthouse?"

"Mhm. We can call Elizabeth to see if she'll come over here, but let's discuss a few more things first, while you help me out."

Her eyes flickered towards the bathroom. From where she was positioned, a bathtub could be seen. Olivia responded by closing the blinds and the door to the hallway before wheeling over a wheelchair from the corner.

"Okay." she chuckled. "Come here."

Painstakingly so, Olivia helped Alex into the wheelchair and carefully maneuvered it and Alex's external oxygen supply into the lavatory.

"There's no reason you can't sit beside me while I run the water." Olivia began drawing the water and adjusting it to a decent temperature. "How about having Maureen doing pictures for the ceremony?"

"That's a great idea," Alex approved. "What with how professional pictures are her thing now."

"I'm glad we're on the same page. I'll get her number from Elliot later."

"That, as they say, is that..." Alex murmured.

The blonde's voice trailed off, but that was because Olivia's shirt had ridden up as leaned over the tub to check on the water's progress. Alex's brain had totally derailed at the sight of Olivia's exposed skin. Alex was always happy to watch her backside, but suddenly, all she could think about was holding her in bed while she made her cry out her name. But alas…

To Alex's astonishment, Olivia removed her own shirt, revealing an undershirt she was wearing over her bra. Alex prayed that her brain didn't derail any further.

"See something you like, Allie-cat?" Olivia said with a smirk as she used a hair tie from her pocket to secure her hair into a messy top bun.

Alex nodded, continuing to check her out. "Only every single day."

Satisfied that the water was at a good height, Olivia turned off the taps. She progressed from there to helping Alex get undressed and into the tub, all while making sure they didn't disturb the oxygen lines too much.

"I promise we can have sex when we get home, but we were talking about planning a wedding." Olivia said pointedly.

"Right." Alex unwrapped a nearby bar of soap and handed it to Olivia. "What about food?"

"Let's hold off on that for now." Olivia lathered up to the soap and began washing Alex's body. "Our friends will definitely make it to the courthouse for us, but they'll no doubt have plans for the rest of the day."

"That's true, and we can just take the first time slot offered to us. That leaves."

Alex groaned as she had the realization that they'd arrived at her least favorite topic.

"Shopping. It leaves shopping." Olivia said gleefully. "You and I will have new things, naturally, but this is a perfect excuse to get new outfits for Noah and Serena. That's always an adventure."

Alex rolled her eyes theatrically. "Serena won't care because she's like a living doll, but Noah despises wearing fancy things. We also need to talk about wedding bands, or something."

"We can always get rings later, you know." Olivia undid Alex's braid, and began washing her hair for her. "I see you beating around the bush. Nice try."

Alex grumbled inwardly. She enjoyed shopping, although not for Noah because lately, he had taken to actively running away if he was presented with clothes or shoes he'd never seen before. Even leisure shopping with Olivia always put her through the paces. That was because she was Noah's opposite, and approached shopping with more gusto than Alex felt should be allowed for any one person. Wedding dress shopping was a whole new playing field, altogether.

"Why am I suddenly wishing I had more material to beat around the bush with?"

"Like I said, it was a nice try." Olivia gently removed Alex's glasses and put them on the edge of the sink. "Tilt your head back, please."

Alex did so and made a soft pleasurable moan as for the first time in two days, pleasantly hot water hit her scalp. She was becoming so relaxed that she felt like she would agree to anything Olivia said now.

"Fine." she was talking about the earlier part of the conversation. "We'll go shopping for the kids, ASAP."

This caused Olivia to give her cheekiest grin yet. "Meaning that the last thing on the agenda for now is dresses for us. This should be much more fun to talk about."

Alex just groaned all over again.