JJ picked up Ellie first. She had to go in and check her out. When the teacher brought her down the hall, Ellie brightened up and ran towards the blond. JJ was ready and caught her in her arms before picking her up and finished signing her out.

"Why didn't Momma pick me up?" Ellie asked from JJ's arms.

"Momma had to do something else, but I'm glad I could pick you up." JJ said as they reached her car. "We're gonna pick up Henry and go to the store."

"Can I get a candy?"

JJ laughed at the little girl, "Maybe if you and Henry are extra good you can pick one out."

When they pulled up to Henry's school, JJ let Eloise out of her car seat so they could wait in the cool sun for school to get out. When the kids spilled out of the school, Henry spotted them quickly and ran over. JJ crouched to give him a big hug.

"Hi Mommy! Hi Ellie!" Henry stopped to look around, "Where's Emmy?"

"She had something else to do." JJ answered and helped both kids back into the car. "Hey, we have to go to the store. I told Ellie if you were extra good, you both could get a candy. Sound good?"

JJ took the shouts for candy as an affirmative.

"Derek! I swear to god if you ask me to stop for food one more time, I'm kicking you out of the car!" Emily snapped at him. On their way towards the mall, he had asked for something from ever fast food place they passed.

Tara and Lola laughed from the back seat, Derek mocked offense, "Damn Princess, didn't know it was such an issue for you."

Emily just shot him a glare as her jaw tightened. She was thankful when they finally pulled into the mall.

The groups first stop was a beauty supply store. Tara and Derek split in each direction leaving Emily and Lola confused at the front of the store. The pair wandered aimlessly around the store, looking at different things. Finally, Tara popped her head down the aisle they were in, "Oh, there you guys are. Come on, we have all we need from here."

"Hey, hold on." Emily said as the group walked to the counter to pay, "We are not near done. We need clothes, shoes, bedding, we'll be here for a while."

Derek groaned, "Why didn't you tell me earlier!? I could have driven myself. You know I hate shopping, and with three women? Get outta here."

Lola giggled at his whining and Emily rolled her eyes, "Derek, shut up."

"Fine. But you owe me dinner."

"Fine."

Tara watched the interaction with a smile, "I for one, am very happy to get to spend time with you, Emily. JJ talks about you so much, I wanted to experience some of it for myself."

"Oh, she does?" Emily smirked. "I'll have to ask her about it later."

After Emily paid way too much for hair products, the group made it through the mall. Their first stop was a clothing store for teens. Lola picked out only a couple items. Emily knew she was being shy about asking for too much, so Emily enlisted the help of her friends to study what clothes she liked and passed up. Derek and Tara spent time picking items and throwing it in Lola's arms. While the teen was trying on everything, Emily took the time to thank her friends for their help.

Lola popped her head out of the dressing room, "Emily?" She called softly.

Emily was there immediately, "What's up?"

Lola looked down, "Does this look okay?" She asked as she swung the door open for the brunette woman to see her fully.

"It look great sweety." She replied softly.

Lola eyed Emily, "Really? You don't think it's too revealing?"

"No. I think that girls should be able to wear what they want and not be scrutinized for it. Besides, you're only showing you shoulders and a little bit of midsection." Emily winked at the girl before turning to let her change in peace.

The group hit a couple more clothing stores before going into the shoe store. Emily looked down to Lola, "Okay, you need a couple pairs of shoes, a pair of nice black shoes for school, and maybe some soccer cleats?"

Lola smiled brightly, "You want me to play soccer?"

"Well, you'll start school before the spring season kicks off, pun intended, and I was hoping you could practice with Jennifer until tryouts. Is that something you want to do?"

"Yeah! I love soccer and I really hope JJ can help with it."

Lola ended up getting more shoes than they talked about, adding different pairs of boots and sneakers to their lot. "I think I'll need a bigger car." Emily joked. When she looked around to find her friends, she spotted them holding up pink slippers from the infant section. She walked over and raised an eyebrow, "Uh, hey guys, what did you find?"

"Em, look at these!" Morgan said, showing the tiny shoes to her. "How is it even possible to have feet this little?"

She laughed in response, "Come on, we only have one more stop until we're done."

Derek put the shoes back gently, "You should have a baby Em." He said softly.

"In our dreams Derek." Emily always wanted a family, but the one she had was filling her heart with so much love already, she couldn't imagine doing anything different.

In Bed, Bath and Beyond, Emily quickly found the bedding section to get done as fast as possible. Lola quickly found a sheet set and a large plush blanket to match. The sheet had a lavender and navy-blue pattern on it and the blanket had a similar soft purple color to it. Emily paid for the items and the group made their way back to Emily's SUV, Derek carrying most of the bags.

"Em, what's for dinner?" Derek asked from the passenger seat.

"Whatever Jennifer decided was for dinner." Emily deadpanned.

Derek made a whip cracking noise and Emily reached over and smacked him lightly. Before long, Emily pulled back in her large driveway. The group carried in all the items and unceremoniously dropped it in the living room. Emily heard the high-pitched laughter come out of the playroom. "Hey you two!" She shouted before smiling. Both kids ran up and hugged her tightly before regaling her with stories of their day. Emily let go of the kids when JJ appeared in the doorway. "Hi baby." She said before standing and kissing her wife. "How was the store?"

JJ kissed her back, "Well considering I had to take two excited little kids with me, it was a travesty. How was the mall?"

"Really good, I think Tara and Derek really helped Lola with hair stuff and making her more comfortable about the price point of things. Also, Derek wants to know what's for dinner?"

JJ laughed, "After my day? Pizza."

Emily put some of Lola's new clothes in the wash so she could have pajamas and clothes for tomorrow while JJ called a pizza place. Emily walked into the living room carrying the bag from the beauty store. She chucked the bag at Derek who barely had time to put his beer down before catching it.

"Hey!" He called.

"You and Tara help Lola learn about her hair; pizza should be here in thirty minutes." Emily said before sitting in the chair across the room.

"Okay girl, come here." Tara said. Lola moved in front of Tara and sat on the floor facing her. "This is your shampoo and conditioner. Lather the shampoo first and rinse immediately. Then apply your conditioner to the ends of your hair, leaving about an inch of roots without it. With your hair, if you go all the way to the top some with get trapped on your scalp from your thick hair. That'll give you dandruff. Leave the conditioner in while you deal with the rest of your shower, usually about five minutes. This will make it easy to brush through, and keep it strong, soft, and it'll control the frizz." As Tara explained Lola nodded and Emily could see her writing mental notes.

"Okay," Derek interjected, "this is a normal spray bottle, what I used to do for my sister is fill it with water and a cheap conditioner. That way if you don't want to shower every morning, you can still condition it and brush through it. This is to keep fly-aways at bay. Just apply it to the baby hairs that poke out, smooth it down, and it will hold for the whole day. The last product is argon oil, it keeps frizz at bay, and it keeps split ends from happening. Now I know Princess here can't braid, but JJ has some skill and a couple tight French braids can hold for a couple days. With Desi I used to use those little plastic rubber bands so that I could just cut them out at the end of the day. You can get like 2000 for a dollar. It's helpful."

"Yeah, I totally agree," Tara said. "Once you get more comfortable with your hair, just let me know, and I'll show you all the cool different things you can do to add a little flare to your hair."

"Awesome!" Lola said. "Thank you!" She hugged Tara and Derek before running up the steps with her hair stuff.

"You guys really are awesome. I'd have no idea what I'd do without you." Emily thanked them.

"It's not a problem. Happy to do it." Tara replied kindly.

"Yeah, no problem. Now where's the pizza?" Derek joked.

Emily read with Ellie in her room before putting her to bed while JJ helped Henry finish his homework and Derek, Tara, and Lola played with the VR. Soon, Ellie was asleep, and Henry was getting ready for bed. Emily made her way to the basement living room. "Sorry to ruin the fun, but Lola and I have to be up early tomorrow."

"No problem. Good to see you." Tara said as she gathered her things.

"Yeah, I have to go take care of my dog." Derek said.

Emily widened her eyes, "Shit! The dogs!" She turned and bound up the stairs. She slipped on some shoes and ran out the back. Her first stop was Graiden's house. She knocked lightly knowing his kids would likely be asleep also.

Mel opened the door with a knowing smile, "The dogs?"

"Yes! I put them out this morning when I had to leave and completely forgot about them!" Emily cried.

"I know. They were scratching the door this morning when we got up." Mel laughed and turned behind her, "Nova! Luna!"

Emily breathed a sigh of relief when she heard their claws patter on the wood floors. She smiled and took a moment to love on the dogs before standing back up. "Mel, thank you. What would I do without you?"

"Have your animals taken away for neglect?" Melissa laughed.

"Yeah. Thank you so much. I've had a busy day." Emily replied.

"I heard. Have a good night Em. Say hello to Lola for me." Emily wasn't sure how Melissa already knew about her, but Emily also knew that nothing went on around the estate without her knowing about it.

Emily walked with the dogs back to the house. She let them in and fed them treats. Lola popped her head into the kitchen and squealed. "You have dogs?" She said as she squatted near them earning kisses from the tiny fur balls. "And you just forgot about them?"

"The tan one is Nova and the grey one is Luna. I was on autopilot this morning and just let them out, I completely forgot to let them back in in my rush to leave. Thank god the estate manager and his wife took care of them." Emily explained.

Lola laughed and continued petting them. "Why do we have to be up early tomorrow?"

Emily leaned against the counter, "I made an appointment with the school, we have to be there at nine after I get Henry and Eloise to school. They're going to test you into your classes, get you a schedule and tour the school with you."

Lola shrugged, "Okay, cool."

JJ came into the kitchen, "Hey Lola, hey Emmy." She kissed her wife before wrapping her arms around her and cuddling into her. Emily wrapped her arms around her wife in response. "What are you two talking about?"

"Well first," Emily started, "We were talking about how I forgot our dogs existed, then I was telling her about our plans tomorrow."

JJ looked up to Emily, "How did you forget about the dogs that you wanted?"

Emily kissed her forehead, "Long story."

"Where do the dogs sleep?" Lola asked.

"They each have a bed in the office. They're pretty good, once we tell them to go to bed, they stay put for the night." Emily answered.

"Can I sleep with them?" Lola answered. "We used to have a dog that would always sleep with me. He died and I've wanted another dog ever since."

"Sure. But take their beds up with you. I don't know if they'll sleep well in a bed. They've never slept in one." JJ answered. "Emily go help her."

Emily laughed before pulling away from her wife and leading Lola to the office. They each grabbed a bed and carried it up to Lola's room. Emily spent a while trying to find a good spot for each bed in the room. Emily found suitable spots and frowned. The room wasn't particularly small, but with the way it was set up gave it even less room. "Hey, Lola?" She got a hum from the tired girl. "How about we give you the guest room. It's larger, has a bigger bed and then you will have your own bathroom and room for anything else you want in there."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. This room is fine." The teen replied politely.

Emily ignored her and picked up a dog bed, "Come on. We can find a similar bed set tomorrow."

Emily lead her to the guest room and heard Lola inhale sharply, "Wow, this room is much bigger. Are you sure you want me to have it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely. Now, let's get the dogs set up, oh also we have a black cat running around somewhere, Sergio, don't freak out or anything. Now, why don't you go get your shower stuff from the other bathroom, put it in yours, and I'll grab your clean clothes." Emily said, easily finding a spot for the beds.

When Emily came back up with Lola's clothes, the girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking into space with tears rolling down her cheeks. Emily set the hamper of clean clothes down and sat beside her on the bed. "Everything alright?"

Lola wiped the tears away with her hands, "Do you know what my name means?" Emily nodded and listened for the response, "Lola is a short version of Delores which means 'sorrows' in Spanish. My mom named me after her mother. It's like I was destined for sadness. The thing is, today was the happiest I've had in a while. Which is super messed up because my parents just died, my childhood home burned down, and I was orphaned. So how am I happy? I don't deserve all this."

Emily nodded along and felt her heart ache at how Lola saw herself. "You know, you create your own destiny, just because you name means 'sorrows' doesn't mean that is your future. You can make your life however you want it. I know you're hurting, and that's totally fine, natural even. But that doesn't mean you can't find the light in the darkness; it just means you need a new lightbulb." That earned a soft chuckle, "Yeah, not my best metaphor. What about your middle name? What does that mean?"

"My mom was Hispanic, and my dad was black, he picked my middle name because Harriet Tubman fought for the rights we have today. He wanted me to be extraordinary, so he named me after a strong woman of color. If my abuela hadn't died shortly before I was born, my first name was going to be Harriet."

"Well," Emily drawled, "Use that as your destiny if you need it. Use the strength and fighter's spirit of your namesake. You can be extraordinary, actually you already are. If you want to live up to a name, live up to that one."

Lola hugged Emily unexpectedly. A hug which Emily returned immediately. "Thank you, Emily." The girl whispered into Emily's shoulder.

"You're welcome. How about you go to bed. If you need anything from me or Jennifer, just come get us. We'll be there." Emily said before standing and calling Luna and Nova to her. "Goodnight." She said before shutting the dogs in.

Emily found JJ looking over case files in the living room. She plopped down on the couch next to the blond and let out a heavy sigh. "Everything okay?" JJ asked.

"Just fine, baby. It's just been a long day."

"For me too." The blond said, putting her book down and cuddling up with Emily.

JJ kissed up Emily's neck, "You know what will help relieve the stress?"

Emily moaned softly, "Mmm, what's that?"

JJ suddenly cupped Emily's center, the brunette ground into the pressure, "This." The blond husked into Emily's ear.

Emily stood, grabbed JJ's hand and led her to their room. Emily glanced at the other end of the hall and saw the light to Lola's room off. Emily spun JJ and backed her into their bed. She rested her weight on her wife and pinned her beneath her. Emily kissed JJ harshly. She moved her kisses to her lover's neck. She bit softly and soothed it with her warm tongue. JJ writhed beneath her wife.

Emily kissed her way down to the top of JJ's shirt before carelessly pulling it off the toned abdomen of her wife. She kiss her way up JJ's stomach, loving the way the blonde's muscles twitched under her. She circled JJ's breast with her tongue, taking her sweet time to reach her pink bud. When she finally made her way there, Emily sucked lightly while her tongue played with it.

JJ inhaled sharply at the sudden contact, arching into the touch. Emily brought her hand up to play with the neglected nipple. Emily released the one in her mouth with a pop and kissed her way back down JJ's stomach. She reached her fingers into the waist band of her wife's leggings and pulled the offending garment off quickly. She laid on her stomach between her wife's legs, resting strong thighs on her back and shoulders. She kissed her way up the blonde's thighs. She flicked her tongue out and quickly licked her way up JJ's center. Her wife bucked when the brunettes tongue grazed her clit. As soon as it was there, it was gone.

JJ whined, "Emily, please. Don't tease." Emily obliged the request by using her tongue to draw circles over the bundle of nerves. JJ moaned and threw her head back, one hand coming to rest in Emily's hair. Emily brought her finger up and inserted two roughly into her wife's entrance. She began a fast pace with her fingers and worked her tongue in a similar fashion. Soon JJ was wound tightly. "More," She gasped, "Emily, more." She commanded. Emily added a third finger and curled her fingers in her wife. JJ came undone and shook with her orgasm above Emily.

Emily helped her lover ride it out and kissed her way back up the twitching blonde's body. Emily laid on her side facing her wife. JJ slipped her hand between them and into the band of Emily's flannel pajamas. She quickly inserted two fingers, "God, you're already so wet." She husked into the brunette's ear.

"Only for you." Emily gasped out. JJ set a fast pace, the palm of her hand adding just the right amount of pressure to the older woman's clit. Emily was so close, then JJ moved and bit down on her neck, and Emily was suddenly over the edge. JJ waited for her to recover before removing her fingers and kissing her wife sweetly.

"I love you Emily."

Emily was still breathing hard, "I love you too."

And that's how they fell asleep, entangled to one another, finding comfort in the warmth from their wife.