Maggie closed the door to the bedroom as quietly as she could. She was very worried about Alex. Alex had had a dreadful night; she had taken hours to fall to sleep, and then she was plagued by nightmares. And now she had the beginning of a migraine. She didn't often get migraines, but when she did, they could knock her out for anything up to three days.
Addie emerged from her room, and smiled at Maggie. "Mommy," she held her arms up.
Maggie lifted her easily into her arms. "You're getting too big for this, Addie," she smiled.
"Don't care," Addie nestled sleepily into her.
"I don't either," Maggie admitted. "Shall we go see how Jamie is doing?"
"Isn't Mama feeding her?"
"Mama's not feeling so good today. We're going to let her sleep until she feels better, and we'll take care of Jamie. We've got plenty of milk in the fridge and the freezer."
"Is Mama okay?"
"She didn't sleep very well, and her head hurts now. She'll be fine, baby girl. She'll start to feel better soon," Maggie prayed that she was right.
"Is Mama still sad?" Addie pressed.
"She is a little. But she's real happy too. She loves you and Jamie so much."
"And you, Mommy."
"And me," Maggie smiled at the thought. The beautiful Alex Danvers loved her. Life didn't get much better than that, even if it was tough sometimes.
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"You're sure about this? Complete coverage?" Aoife asked Ellie as she fingered her nipple. Already, Ellie's breast was two-thirds covered by Aoife's tattoos.
"I've never been more sure," Ellie watched her wife as she reached for the tattoo gun. She loved that she was wearing Aoife's art. She found all of her designs thrilling, and it gave her a feeling of being totally loved to have her art permanently adorning her body. And she could see, too, that Aoife loved the contrasts of her body – one side heavily tattooed, the other untouched. Every time she looked down, Ellie could see the physical manifestation of her wife's love for her.
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Campbell let herself back into the house just after 3pm. She tiptoed to the bedroom, and peered through. She smiled when she saw that Kit was still sleeping peacefully. She wanted, so badly, to wake her. To touch her. To love her. But she wanted, too, for Kit to sleep and start to recover from the trauma of the night before. Quietly she slipped away, leaving her undisturbed.
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Maggie approached the bed, saddened to see Alex still curled up, her eyes partly open, clearly still in pain. This was the worst migraine she had had in years. She sat on the edge of the bed, and ran her hand lovingly over Alex's brow. Alex grunted. "Still bad?" Maggie whispered. Alex grunted again, and turned her face into the pillow. "We're gonna have to pump again," Maggie's voice was apologetic. She hated disturbing Alex, but she knew it had to be done.
Alex allowed Maggie to roll her gently on to her back. She was grateful that the lights were off, and the drapes shut. Efficiently, Maggie unbuttoned her pajama top, and fitted the breast pump to her left breast. "It won't be long, babe," Maggie whispered. While the pump was working, Maggie took a warm washcloth and wiped Alex's face and neck soothingly.
"S'nice," Alex croaked.
"When was your last dose?" Maggie knew that Alex hated taking any drugs, because then her milk couldn't be used to feed Jamie.
"Mornin'," Alex said. She had no idea what time it was.
"Time for some more," Maggie reached for the bottle of pills.
"Won't keep it down," Alex admitted.
Maggie tried not to react. "Okay," she said softly. She disappeared to the bathroom. Alex knew what she was doing, and she hated it, but right now she would do anything to stop the pain. So she said nothing when Maggie returned with the strong painkilling suppositories. "We'll do this once you've finished pumping," Maggie said quietly, as she swapped the pump to Alex's right breast.
When Maggie tugged down Alex's boxers and quickly inserted the suppositories, Alex just wanted to cry. She hated feeling so helpless.
Within moments, Maggie rolled Alex back on to her side, her most comfortable position. Then Maggie shucked off her own jeans, and slid into bed next to Alex. Alex moved to rest her head on Maggie's thigh. "Girls?" Alex asked, weakly.
"Angela's taken Jamie for a few hours. And Addie's spending some time with Kate at the DEO. Kate's going to take her up in the simulator again."
Relieved that everyone was fine, Alex relaxed marginally, feeling Maggie's soft fingers running through her hair. "It'll be over soon," Maggie whispered.
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"You are getting so good at this, Doodlebug," Kate lifted Addie down from the simulator. Addie had shown some real expertise at the controls; she would be a highly skilled pilot one day.
Addie smiled at Kate. She loved spending time with her. But she was worried about her Mama. She knew that a lot of what was happening was linked to her Grandma Eliza. She couldn't quite understand why she didn't know that her Mama would never have killed Grandma Eliza's husband if she had had any choice. She was sure that if she could just explain that to her, everyone would be fine.
"You okay, Bug?" Kate peered at her anxiously.
Addie nodded. "That was fun. Thank you," she remembered her manners.
"Kara has told me to take extra special care of you," Kate told her. "She said that you and Jamie are her very favorite nieces."
"We're her only nieces, Sergeant Kate," Addie giggled. Kara was always telling them that.
"And she loves you both so much. So do I," Kate squeezed her hand. "Now I've got to do some tests in the lab that your Mama wants me to get done. I could do with somebody to help me. Would you be able to do that, do you think?"
Addie nodded eagerly. Kate was never patronizing toward her, and she had taught her quite a few things about some of the equipment in the lab, with the approval of her Mama. She loved helping out.
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Jane Rizzoli looked over her glasses at her wife. She hated that her eyesight had suddenly worsened, while Maura's was still 20:20. Maura was sitting reading with their eldest son, while baby Michael played happily on a rug on the floor. "When did Ma say she was getting here?" Jane asked.
"She's just collecting Jamie. She's taking her to give them a break; Maggie said Alex is sick. Migraine."
Jane pulled a face. She knew how debilitating migraines could be. "Is it warm enough for a trip to the park, do you think?" she asked. "If we wrap the kids up warm?"
Seven-year-old Robert looked up in eager anticipation.
"I think so," Maura agreed. "The sun's out. I think it'll do us all good to get some air."
"And you're feeling okay?" Jane was trying so hard not to irritate her wife by checking on her every five minutes, but sometimes she couldn't stop herself.
Maura smiled. "I'm feeling great, Jane. I haven't even had any sickness or anything. I think this pregnancy is going to be a good one," she kept her voice low. They had agreed not to tell Robert about Maura's pregnancy until she passed the three-month mark, just in case.
"Can Addie come to the park?" Robert wanted to know. Addie was his best friend, and they loved to make mischief together. Addie was also the only one of his friends who would climb to the top of all the equipment in the park with him.
"Addie's not coming today. Maybe next time?" Jane said, apologetically. "We can maybe see if she's free tomorrow." The following day was a Sunday, and she knew that even if Alex was feeling better, she would likely benefit from a quiet day.
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"You didn't wake me," Kit stood at the door to the living room, peering at her watch. She looked adorably sleep-rumpled.
"You needed to sleep," Campbell said simply. She got up from the couch. "So how're you doin', Palmer?" she looked closely at her.
"I'm okay," Kit said. She smiled when Campbell reached out and touched her face gently. "I think I'll always be okay if you're around," she added, shyly.
"That's good. I'm not planning to go anywhere. You hungry?"
"Not for food," Kit's voice lowered an octave.
Campbell smiled. "You got something else in mind?"
"Only if you're on board with the idea," Kit was suddenly nervous. She had told Campbell that they would take this at any speed she wanted. She didn't want to put any pressure on her. She looked into her eyes, and saw a twinkle.
"I am SO on board," Campbell grinned.
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Addie looked up, and smiled when a slightly shaky Alex made her way into the living room. She followed her to the couch, and pulled a blanket around her. "Are you better now Mama?"
Alex put an arm around her daughter. "I'm much better, Bug. Thank you. Did you have a good day?"
Addie nodded. "Sergeant Kate let me do a take-off in the simulator. I got it all right, Mama. She says I'm real clever."
Alex smiled at her. "Of course you are. I think you may be one of the cleverest people I know."
Maggie appeared with a mug of hot tea, which Alex accepted gratefully. Maggie kissed her softly on the top of her head. "Can I get you anything? Something to eat?"
Alex paled. "Not yet," she hedged.
"You warm enough?"
"Thanks to Addie," Alex drew the blanket around her shoulders. "How's Jamie?"
"She's asleep," Addie told her. "She likes her new room." Just that week, they had moved Jamie into her own room, and they were all adjusting to the change. "I did give her a bottle before she went to sleep."
"I'm sure she liked that," Alex smiled as Addie nestled in to her. "My cuddly girl," she said affectionately, dropping a kiss on Addie's head.
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Aoife rolled over in bed, and trailed a finger down Ellie's bare back. Ellie rolled over and smiled at her.
"You haven't used your cane at all today," Aoife said.
"I don't need it in the house any more," Ellie was getting stronger every day.
"When is your next appointment with Cam?"
"Monday. I'm betting Kit's pissed that she's working then," Ellie grinned. "I'm guessing that's where she is now."
"With Campbell?"
"Have you ever seen two people more suited?" Ellie asked.
Aoife smiled back. "Apart from us? You're not forgetting us, right?"
Ellie reached out and stroked her cheek. "I'd never forget us," she said, softly. She still didn't quite understand how she had gotten so lucky. Yes, she had had shitty luck with her parents, but since they had thrown her out, she had found a whole new family who loved and accepted her. And she had found a wife. She had never imagined being married at all, least of all so young. But she just knew she and Aoife would be together for ever. "So," Ellie said firmly. "The exhibition."
Aoife groaned. "I'm not thinking about that right now."
Ellie rolled over again, and put her chin in her hands. She fixed Aoife with a stare. "Well you should. Maura's right. Those seascapes you did. They are so powerful. You should share them."
"I just don't have it in me to find a new agent right now," Aoife admitted. She had fired her previous agent Sarah, who had had the temerity to try to drag her away from Ellie's bedside while she was unconscious. But, Aoife knew, Sarah had market knowledge and contacts that she just didn't. Aoife also had zero interest in the business side of things.
"Talk to Maura. She knows everyone. And anyway, we need to go to New York."
"We NEED to?" Aoife was curious.
"We need to. You realize we never had a honeymoon? Married nearly two years, and no honeymoon. I'm thinking, exhibition, meetings, blah blah blah. And then," she caressed a plump breast, "maybe a couple of nights in a fancy hotel. Room service. Views of the city. A soft bed," she grabbed Aoife and pinned her to the bed. "I'm sure we can think of something to do," she kissed her.
Aoife grinned. "Maybe we could run through some of those plans now?" she fingered Ellie's nipple, her heart speeding up as she felt it stiffen into a tight knot. "Just so's we know what to expect," she laughed at the groan that Ellie couldn't suppress. "We don't want to risk any surprises."
"Oh I don't know, Mrs Sawyer," Ellie teased. "From what I can remember, sometimes you quite enjoy a surprise," she reached out to open the drawer on the nightstand. "Sometimes you enjoy it quite a lot."
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Maggie returned from giving Jamie her night feed, and noticed that the strip of light showing under Addie's door. She looked at her watch. 1.48am. She opened the door quietly, and saw Addie reading. "Can't sleep?" she asked her quietly.
Addie shook her head.
"You feeling okay?"
Addie nodded. "Is Mama better?" she asked. Maggie realized that Addie was still anxious about Alex.
Maggie sat on Addie's bed. "Mama's going to be fine. You're worried about her, right?"
Addie nodded, miserably. "I don't like it when you or Mama are sad," she said in quiet voice. "I'm sorry."
Maggie lifted her into her lap. "You don't have to be sorry, baby. You have such a kind heart. You just want everyone to be okay."
Addie turned into Maggie's front and nestled in.
"Mama's doing okay," Maggie reassured. "She just has a few things going on. You know what I think might make her feel even better?"
Addie looked up at her, her eyes wide.
"I think she'd like it if we all cuddled in together tonight. You wanna come?"
Addie nodded.
Maggie lifted her into her arms and carried her to the bed.
Alex blinked as the door opened, and smiled when she saw Addie. She lifted the comforter and welcomed the child in. "You okay, June Bug?"
"I'm good, Mama," Addie let Alex wrap a warm arm around her. "I love you. I love you too, Mommy."
"And we both love you. So much," Alex said.
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"Think about it seriously," Jane said to Maura. "You're not really enjoying the ME's office these days. And you've been working too hard. And you're going to have to go on maternity leave in a few months. It's perfect. You love art. You're an expert. Aoife's a sweet girl. She needs somebody like you, who respects what she wants to do, and who doesn't just tell her what the market wants. It's the ideal solution."
"I'll have to travel to New York a few times a year," Maura couldn't help imagining how much fun life as Aoife's agent would be. Since having the children, she was finding working at the ME's office more and more depressing.
"We'll come with you some of the time," Jane suggested. "There's so much stuff we need to show Bobby. The Statue of Liberty. And Mikey will be old enough soon to start enjoying that stuff. And maybe we can have the occasional romantic trip without them? This could be a whole new life for you."
"I'd miss seeing you every day."
"We live in the same house. You'll still see me every day. Okay, so you won't see me standing the other side of a dissected liver, or pulling a bloated body from the river, but you'll see me all the time. I'll miss you at work too, Maur. But if you're having fun in the art world, that would make me real happy too."
"Do you really think I could do it? I'm an enthusiastic amateur, but what do I really know?" self-doubt was creeping into Maura's mind.
"You know so much. Your huge brain is overflowing. And you love it. Please, Maura, you've gotta do it," Jane was getting excited. She hated that Maura's job was stressful, and when they had three kids, there was no way she would have the mental wherewithal to cope with the ME's office on top of it all, without losing her mind. If she was fulfilled and happy at work, it would make Jane happy, and it would be worth the sacrifice of not working with her every day. "Pick up that phone," she pointed to Maura's cell on the table.
Maura lifted it to her ear. "Aoife?" she said, when the call was answered. "Can we get together and discuss a few things?"
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"My genius wife," Ellie lifted her glass of beer. They were at their favorite small restaurant, to celebrate Aoife's plans. "Now you HAVE to take me on honeymoon. I'm already planning what I'm gonna order from room service."
Aoife grinned. Unbeknownst to Elllie, she had spoken to her captain and booked two weeks off work for her, to coincide with the last two days of Aoife's exhibition. They would have four days in an expensive hotel overlooking Central Park, followed by ten days in a rented house on Long Island, where they could swim on the private beach, sunbathe naked and just revel in being together.
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"Addie?" Maggie called. "Alex, have you seen Addie this morning?"
Alex was seated on the couch, baby Jamie at her breast.
"No. Isn't she in her room?" Alex's heart skipped a beat.
"I'll check again. Maybe she was in her bathroom," Maggie ran up the stairs two at a time. When Alex looked up again, she saw Maggie, white a sheet, clutching a piece of paper. Wordlessly, Maggie passed it to Alex.
Mommy, Mama, please don't worry. I need to do something. I will be back home tonight. I have got Gertie with me, and I'm safe, I promise. I love you both. Addison xxx
Alex reached for her phone. "Kara, we need you. Bring Kate."
Seconds later, Kara and Kate came through the large doors in the living room. Maggie handed them the note. Alex was already on the phone to Winn, instructing him to hack into all the street cameras in the area.
"We should head to the DEO," Kate suggested. "They've got all the kit there. We'll find her. She'll be okay. And she has Gertie. That dog wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Where can she be?" Alex was distraught.
"I think I have an idea," Kate mused.
Winn managed to track Addie to the train station and, through unorthodox means, was able to establish that she had probably caught a train to Midvale. She was going to talk with Eliza. Alex tried Eliza's landline and cellphones, but there was no answer to either. She looked over at Kara. Kara nodded.
Kara landed at the train station that was three stops before Midvale station, and immediately changed back into civilian clothes. She had scanned the train that would arrive in a few minutes, and worked out which carriage Addie was traveling in. So when the train pulled up, she was able to open the door calmly, and sat down opposite Addie. Addie didn't look up, and it was only when she heard Kara speak into the phone, "Alex, she's here. She's fine," that she looked up and saw Kara.
Addie's face fell. She was worried that Kara would stop her.
Kara regarded her calmly. "Are you okay, Addie?" she asked, softly, relieved that they had the carriage to themselves. Nobody would interfere or pay attention to their conversation.
Addie nodded.
"You're going to talk to Grandma Eliza?"
Addie nodded again. "If Grandma Eliza knows how sad Mama is, she'll know it wasn't her fault. She just needs someone to tell her."
Kara nodded. She didn't want to tell Addie just how many times she had told Eliza that exact thing. But the child was so sincere. She was already traumatized, so Kara realized that it wouldn't do any harm for her to try to get through to Eliza. Eliza was treating Alex appallingly, but she wouldn't be deliberately cruel to a seven-year-old. And she loved Addie. "Shall we go together?" she suggested.
Addie's face brightened. "Can we?" she asked. "I thought you might stop me."
"I won't stop you. I just want you to be safe. Is it okay if I come with you?"
"Okay," Addie said.
"I'm just going to talk to your Mama," Kara pointed to the phone. "I'll tell her what we're doing, so she and your Mommy don't worry."
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The house in Midvale was dark, with no lights on, and all the drapes were shut. Kara didn't understand. They never shut the drapes during the day.
"Kara!" a voice called from the house next door. "Hey, how are you?"
Kara looked over and saw Eliza's elderly neighbour. "Hi Mr Foster. I'm good. How are you?"
"I'm good too. Hi Addie," the old man waved at the child. "What are you doing here? She's not here."
"How can she not be here?" Kara was confused.
"She took that job in Chicago. She won't be back for six months. Didn't she tell you?"
"No. She didn't." A quiet fury was building in Kara.
Addie slipped from her grip and ran toward the front door of the house. She started pounding on the door. "Grandma 'liza! Grandma 'liza! You've gotta be there. Open the door. I have to talk to you. You're making my Mama sad. Grandma 'liza! Grandma 'liza!" her voice rose and she started to cry, as her little fists pounded pointlessly on the hard wood. She felt Kara's soft hand on her arm, and shook her off angrily.
Kara surreptitiously took out her phone. "She's real upset," she said quietly to Alex. "Get J'onn to bring you here. Right now."
In under a minute, Alex appeared from the back yard. She crouched down at Addie's level. "Hey Bug. Hey Addison," she gently caught the child's hands in her own, forcing Addie to look at her. Addie's face crumpled. "C'mere," Alex pulled her into her arms, her heart breaking as Addie fell apart in her embrace.
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That night, Maggie held Addie close to her, whispering gently to her as she rocked her from side to side. They all knew Addie needed to sleep, but she had already awoken three times, and it was only 11pm. Even bringing her into their bed hadn't worked. Alex knew she was going to have to give her a sedative.
Addie blinked as she felt Alex swab her skin with an antiseptic wipe. "You gonna do a needle Mama?"
"I am, baby. It won't hurt really, just a scratch. I just want to help you get to sleep. You can stay snuggled in with us. Is that okay?"
"'kay, Mama," Addie knew her mommies would never do anything bad to her. And her Mama was right, the needles she did never hurt her. "Can I hug Henry?"
"Of course you can, Bug," Alex passed her the teddy bear. Before Addie knew what had happened, Alex had injected the sedative.
"I'm sorry if I made you worried," Addie murmured. "I just wanted Grandma Eliza to know that you are a good person."
Maggie rocked her gently. "She knows that, Addie. She's just having a hard time. She'll come around soon. It'll be okay."
"'kay, Mommy," Addie yawned.
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Kate reached out for Kara, to slow her pacing. "Come to bed, babe," she suggested gently.
"How can she do that to her?" Kara was spitting with fury. "That little girl. All she wants is for her family to be happy. I swear, if I get my hands on her, I'm going to... I don't know what I'm going to do," she trailed off, sadly.
"We're just going to have to wait. See if she comes round. And if she doesn't... Well, she's going to lose out on a lot." Kate knew what she was talking about. Her own mother had abandoned her. If she had been a normal parent, she would have been part of this wonderful family she had found. As it was, she had been killed in a prison fight. Kate didn't even miss her. "All we can do is let Addie know how much we love her."
Kara gave a small smile. "I think she knows that. She told me last week that when she grows up, she wants to be big and strong like Sergeant Kate."
Kate laughed. Kara was 1,000 times stronger than she was. She reached for Kara's hand.
Kara let Kate pull her gently to the bed. She looked closely at her lover, and remembered how lucky she was. Kate was beautiful, brilliant, brave, tough and so unbelievably tender. "Kiss me?" Kara's voice was small, almost pleading.
"If I really must," Kate teased. She put her arms about Kara's waist, and kissed her thoroughly. She let her hands drift upwards. "I'm not sure you really need this," she lifted the loose tee over Kara's head. She grinned. "See. I was right. You're looking great," she dropped a kiss on a tight, pink nipple. Her hands toyed with the waistband of Kara's pajama pants. "I'm thinking you would look even better if," she smiled as Kara lifted her hips obligingly, allowing her to slide them down her legs. "Just as I thought," Kate teased. She dragged her own tee over her head in one swift motion.