This one shot describes a day in the life of Lani Price Grant and Eli Grant as they raise their adorable twins Jules and Carver. This story was requested by ariet_alp who has worked tirelessly for the Elani fandom for the last five years. I don' t own any of the characters etc


Lani Price Grant came into the room holding Jules who had been fussing all morning. Carver ran by with a diaper so full it was wagging behind him. The baby was after a stuffed football that Eli had rolled to the other side of the room.

"You see that Lani, Carver is a natural!" Eli stated. He was sitting on the floor indulging in his favorite pastime turning Carver into a professional athlete. "I wonder what sport he's going to play, basketball, football, soccer?"

"I know one thing, Eli Grant, his diaper needs to be changed."

"He's fine," Eli said. When Carver came running back to him with the mini football, he grabbed his son in a hug and tossed him into the air. Carver squealed in delight. "He would cry if he was wet," Eli explained. "My mother said these are super diapers nowadays, not like when I was a baby."

"And I'm gonna be super pissed if you don't change him. Now." Lani said sweetly and with a smile as she rocked back and forth soothing Jules. The tiny girl, smaller and more delicate than her husky brother, was sensitive about everything, even a slightly raised voice. Thankfully Lani and Eli never seriously argued. After years of drama leading up to their marriage, once they tied the knot, there was not one harsh word between them. They were the true definition of Domestic Bliss.

"Alright, it's time to change the diaper, little man," Eli said. Carver wailed in response and poked out his bottom lip. He never wanted to stop playing for anything-unless the break involved food. When Lani was still nursing, she had to also introduce formula to Carver before she wanted to or there would not have been enough breast milk for both babies.

While Eli changed Carver's diaper, Lani sat down in front of her laptop with her daughter. Carver was not into the computer or TV, but one way to calm the often fussy Jules was with one of her favorite educational video games. Val sent them Reader Rabbit and Jules loved it. Especially the "Pie Rat" song. She tried to sing, but since she and Carver weren't talking yet, cute garbly gook came out. Carver had three words: "Mama," "Dada. And, his favorite, the one he used for every occasion was a loud and emphatic "NO!"

As soon as Eli put Carver back on the floor after his diaper change, the baby took off running out of the bedroom door. "Did you put up the gate?" Eli asked in a panic.

"Yes," Lani stated, yet she still felt a sense of dread. Carver was a daredevil and she had nightmares of him figuring out how to circumvent the gate and tumbling down the stairs.

"Don't worry, I got him," Eli said and left the room. He returned a second later with Carver wriggling to be free of his grasp. When he put him down, Carver dropped to the floor in a tantrum.

"Red!" Carver yelled at the top of his lungs.

Eli and Lani stood in unison and looked at each other with smiles. Their son had a new word! They stopped smiling a second later when Carver's tantrum continued. "Red!" he yelled again and continued crying. While Jule's crying seemed to say: excuse me is anyone out there that can help me, please? Carver's crying was angry and demanding.

"Oh, I know what he wants," Lani said and looked around at the toys scattered all over their bedroom. The kids room was in a similar state as well as the rest of the house. She handed Jules to Eli while she went down to retrieve Carver's fire truck which was in the living room. When she returned to the master bedroom, she got down on the floor and mimicked the fire engine sound and pretended to drive the truck up to Carver. He stopped crying for a few seconds to consider the truck. Then he yelled again "Red!" and continued his tantrum.

"Wait a second," Eli said and left the room. He came back a minute later with The Flash action figure. Carver looked at the toy and continued to cry and demand "Red!"

"What on earth does he want," Lani looked at Eli. They then spent the next half hour bringing red toys to their son until they figured out he wanted to play a game of Hungry Hungry Hippo which featured different colored hippos with a red base.


"You know, Eli, Mrs. Chase told you not to give in to Carver's demands. You are such a softy," Lani said that night after they put the kids to bed. They were in their bedroom exercising after clearing part of the floor of toys. They had just enough room for their quick exercise routine before they showered and went to bed.

"Me?" Eli laughed. "I was ready to set him straight before you ran down to get the fire truck. I was just following your lead." Eli said as he continued his nightly pushups." Wait until I tell Mrs. Chase." Mrs. Chase was their nanny and a retired school teacher.

"You wouldn't dare," Lani said as she held her Eagle Pose. Next she would fold her lean body into Child's Pose. Her yoga inspired exercise routine also served to reduce stress.

"Yep, as soon as Mrs. Chase arrives tomorrow morning, I'm going to tell her that Carver had a tantrum, I was all set to put him on time out, but my better half ran all over the house until she figured out what he wanted."

"Oh so you're not above stretching the truth, I see." Lani stood, throwing a towel over her shoulder. She wore a tank top and a pair of cropped yoga pants. Eli wore nothing but a pair of basketball shorts.

"Nope, I will throw you under the bus while maintaining my innocence. So what are you going to do to keep my silence?" Eli gracefully leapt to his feet straight from his push up position. He closed the brief distance between them in two bounds before wrapping one arm around Lani's waist and hauling her toward him for a tight embrace against his rock hard body. Eli didn't need to do much more than touch Lani and she was melting. "Hmmm?" he whispered close to her ear.

Lani pressed herself flush against her husband's broad chest, as if she couldn't get enough of him, which was the truth. Even after marriage and babies, her passion for this man had not waned one bit. "Well," She purred as she stared up at him from beneath long lashes, her gaze tracing over every detail of his handsome face. "I see you're not above blackmail either and a cop no less. You've really deteriorated. I must be a really bad influence."

"The worst," he murmured, running a hand down her back and kissing her softly. "I have a feeling you might be good for me, too." A soft moan escaped her lips as he kissed her again and moved his hands down to cup her buttocks, squeezing them firmly, reveling in the softness and curves of his wife's body. "But…"

"But what?" Lani frowned.

"We do need to do a better job of setting boundaries for Carver."

Both Eli and Lani decided they would never inflict corporal punishment on their children and they hired Mrs. Chase because she also had a no-spanking policy. However Mrs. Chase was fond of saying: No spanking does not in any way equate to no discipline. Discipline is what defines our character. And she was aghast at Carter's tantrums saying that while he had a few years before going to pre-kindergarten, schools often wanted to put rambunctious boys on medication. Eli and Lani agreed that they would try their best to set boundaries without curtailing their child's abundant energy and limitless spirit.

"I know," Lani conceded. "I shouldn't have run to get the fire truck, but it was a gut reaction."

"And I was right with you," Eli chuckled. "Glad we're always on the same page," he said with a wink and grin before kissing her forehead. "We're going to have to be a united front with the whole discipline thing, too. Ok?"

Lani was still smiling as she stood up on tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth, "Of course we will."

"What matters is that we're together, now and forever," Eli declared as he captured her lips in a soft kiss." I love you."

"I love you too," she breathed as she slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.