[SO sorry for the delay, just too busy here. Many thanks to the guest reviewer who tactfully pointed out my huge error in the last chapter. I've fixed that now. That'll teach me to write a chapter in two sittings, and not check properly before posting. I'll try not to make such a silly mistake again! This story is drawing to a close, but I will probably do a sequel at some point if there is interest. Not sure how many chapters are left, but it's not many! Thanks as ever for the reviews. :)]
"I'm just going over to Melinda's," Olivia told Alex. "She has some of those homeopathic drops, which she says were really good when Theo had colic those first few weeks. It's worth a try," Olivia could see the anxiety in Alex's face. It was looking like baby Maisie was going to be a colicky baby. She knew colic wasn't serious, but she hated that their baby was suffering. Also, she was determined to minimize the stress on Alex where she could. Her wife was still recovering from not only the birth, but from the car wreck as well as the assault by Kevin's wife.
"Okay, we'll see you soon," Alex smiled. "Don't forget to..." she lowered her voice.
"Ask about May. I won't forget," Olivia said in a equally quiet voice.
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
"Mommy, why is she crying?" Lily looked distraught.
Alex smiled at her. She and baby Maisie had been home for three days now, and Lily had shown nothing but concern and love for her little sister and hadn't been jealous in the least. Both Alex and Olivia were making very sure to keep Lily involved in everything, and they were both very touched by Lily's loving attitude.
"I think maybe she's a little hungry," Alex said. "I'd better feed her."
"With your boobies?" Lily asked. She had initially been fascinated by the concept of breastfeeding, but had quickly come to accept it after Alex and Olivia had explained it to her.
"That's right peanut," Alex lifted a wailing Maisie from her crib and settled on the couch with her. She unbuttoned her shirt, and freed a full breast from her nursing bra. "There, Maisie, that's better, huh?" she smiled as the child latched on.
Alex looked up and smiled when she heard Olivia's key in the lock. Olivia came in, followed by Jay.
"Look who I found on the street!" Olivia said.
"Jay-Jay!" a thrilled Lily ran toward her, laughing as Jay lifted her up and swung her round.
"Hi Lily," Jay said. "How's my favorite little girl today?"
"I'm good," Lily declared. "Have you come to see Maisie?"
Jay shook her head. "No, though I do want to say hi to her before I go. I came to see you. I have to go to the fire station today, just for a few minutes, as I have to check who is playing softball on Sunday. So I was wondering if you'd like to come along with me? I'm not working, so I'll have time to show you the trucks, if you'd like that?"
"I wanna come! Mama, Mommy, can I go?"
Olivia laughed, as she leant down to kiss Alex briefly on the forehead. "Of course you can, baby, if Jay's happy to take you."
"I'd love to take her. I'm kinda lonely today, with Sarah's working. I can't think of anybody I'd rather spend the morning with. And after we've been to the station, I need to pick up something for Sarah. So maybe you can come along with me, Lily, and then we can get lunch at the café on the way back. My Pop and Vanessa keep telling me they don't see enough of you."
Lily grinned eagerly.
"Go get your sneakers, Lily. If you ask Jay nicely, she'll help you to put them on," Alex instructed.
Maisie finished feeding, so Olivia took her from Alex and held her lovingly over her shoulder, rubbing her back gently to expel the air. Maisie squirmed a little and drew her little legs up. "She's still got some pain from the colic," Olivia was concerned. "C'mon, Maisie, let's try you with these drops," she sat on the couch and waited for Alex to open the bottle for her. "Here we go, baby," she slipped the dropper into Maisie's mouth and squeezed. "Let's see if that helps you."
Lily returned from her bedroom, clutching her sneakers. She looked over and saw Maisie whimpering. She dropped the sneakers on the floor, and headed back to her bedroom, returning a few moments later clutching her favorite toy. "Here," gently she pushed Harry the Hedgehog into Olivia's arms, so that he was lying next to Maisie. "You have Harry, he always makes me feel better."
Olivia gave Lily a big smile. "There, Maisie, Lily's lending you Harry, isn't that kind of her? We'll put him back in your bedroom once she falls asleep, Lily," she reassured her eldest daughter.
Lily shook her head. "No, Harry is for Maisie. She can keep him, Mama. She needs him more than I do."
Jay's eyes filled, and her throat constricted. She caught Alex's eyes, and saw that she was similarly afflicted. She had to turn away, or she knew that she would lose it completely, so touched was she by Lily's sweet nature. She cleared her throat, and sat down on the floor. She patted her lap, pulled a compliant Lily to her, and helped her into her sneakers. She finished doing up the laces, and gave her a quick hug before releasing her. "You kill me," she whispered as Lily shot off in search of her coat.
Alex looked at her and smiled. "Me too," she admitted.
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
Olivia turned to Alex as their eldest daughter left with Jay. "I think that was just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen, Lily giving Maisie Harry. She loves that hedgehog."
Alex nodded. "You're a very lucky girl," she leaned over to touch the child in Olivia's arms. She sat back and looked at Olivia. "So?" she asked softly. "What did Melinda say?"
Olivia blinked. "She says it's not her specialty, and of course she hasn't examined May. But," she swallowed. "She did say she'd be surprised if she lasted another ten days."
"Oh God. Poor May. Poor Wheels. Poor, darling Wheels," Alex's emotions were very close to the surface. "What can we do?"
"There's nothing we can do. We're not even supposed to know. We'll just keep emailing pictures of the girls, keep in contact."
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
Lily had a great time with Jay, climbing all over the fire trucks. Jay whispered to one of the guys, who nodded and smiled. "Hey, Lily," she took her by the hand and led her to one of the front seats. "I need you to sit there. I'm just going to drive this truck out into the yard. They're going to clean it. But first," she grinned, "we're going to test the hoses. Can you help us with that?"
Lily could barely contain her excitement.
"I don't want you to get your nice clothes wet, so when we get out there, I'm gonna put you in one of my old t-shirts. It's a nice warm day, so you won't get chilled. And then your clothes will be warm and dry when we're done. Is that okay?"
Lily nodded, her eyes wide with wonder.
"You gotta remember to do what I tell you, when I tell you, no questions, okay? Some of our equipment can be dangerous unless we're real careful. Can you do that, Lily?"
"I'll be good," Lily promised earnestly.
Lily was as good as her word, and they spent over an hour at the back of the fire station. Jay couldn't decide who was having the most fun – and she decided that it was probably her. Watching Lily squealing with excitement, and listening to her almost constant giggle, tugged at her heartstrings. She and Sarah would just have to have kids one day, she decided.
Once she was warm and dry again, Jay took Lily into the mess hall to play with the guys while she took a quick shower herself. In five minutes, she was back, still rubbing the moisture from her hair with a towel. Lily looked up and saw her. She ran over to her, and wrapped her legs around her hero. "Thank you, Jay-Jay," she said. "I had lots of fun."
Jay lifted Lily up into her arms and hugged her. "I did too. Shall we go tell my Pop and Vanessa all about it?"
Lily nodded excitedly. She loved Joe and Vanessa.
"Okay, sweetie, you go say goodbye to the guys. We have to make a quick stop on the way, but it will only take five minutes."
"For Sarah's surprise?" Lily remembered.
"That's right," Jay's breathing hitched imperceptibly at the thought of what she was collecting.
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
Jay held Lily's hand firmly as she entered the jeweler's. The man behind the counter looked up and smiled. "Miss Kazinsky!" he said. "How very nice to see you."
"I've told you to call me Jay," she smiled back. "Well, today's the day," she fished in her pocket for a brown envelope. "The final payment," she passed it to him.
"Let me just get the ring for you."
"Don't you want to count it?"
"I don't need to. You've been in here every month for the past 28 months, and every time you come in, we have tried to persuade you to take the ring and pay later. But you have always refused."
"I didn't want to take it until it's paid for," Jay admitted.
"Exactly," he said, as he put the envelope in a drawer. "Wait there."
Lily tugged at Jay's hand. "What are you buying?" she whispered.
Jay knelt at Lily's level. "You know Sarah and I are going to get married one day?"
Lily smiled and nodded.
"Well, when we were in London, she gave me this beautiful ring," she held out her hand. "It's an engagement ring. And I've been wanting to give a ring to her, for so long. And now, at long last, I've finished paying for her ring. I can't wait to give it to her."
"Is it very s'pensive?" Lily was just starting to get some grasp of what money meant.
"It is. It's the most expensive thing I've ever bought. But it's beautiful, and Sarah has to have something beautiful. Like her."
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
As soon as Lily saw Vanessa, she took off toward her, and was rewarded with a big hug. She chattered constantly to the older woman, telling her all about their trip to the fire station. "And I did hold the hose!" she declared.
"Well, she helped with the hose," Jay explained. "We were very safe all the time, and Lily was very good, she did everything we told her."
"I wanna be a firefighter when I'm big," Lily said. "Can I do that?"
"You can do anything you want," Joe smiled at her as he emerged from the kitchen, drying his hands on a dish towel. "As long as you come here, give me a hug first!" he lifted the delighted child onto his knee.
"Are you two okay with her for a few minutes? I just need to step out. I'll only be ten minutes. The toy store," she whispered, "is real close."
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
Alex smiled as Olivia carried an almost asleep Lily out of the bathroom. The day had been filled with fun and excitement, and Lily was shattered. Alex was lying on the bed, which seemed to be the only really comfortable position for her with her sore leg. She reached out for Lily as Olivia passed her the towel-clad child.
"Mommy," Lily snuggled into her.
"Don't fall to sleep, baby. Not quite yet. We have to get your jammies on first. Mama's just going to get them from your room. And once your jammies are on, we thought maybe you could stay in here tonight and read stories, instead of in your room, so we can both be with you. Would you like that?"
Lily nodded. "Wanna be with you," she said sleepily.
"Good, you'll be with us both. Thanks Liv," she smiled at her wife as she passed over Lily's pajamas. "C'mon, munchkin, let's get you all dressed, then you can cuddle properly. And once you're in your jammies, we have a special surprise for you."
Lily looked up at her, and then across at a smiling Olivia. "That's right," Olivia told her. "Jay told us that you had been so good today, she wanted to get you a surprise. That's it, arms up," she pulled the pajama top over Lily's head. "It's a little chilly tonight. You want your robe, or do you want to snuggle up under the quilt with Mommy."
"With Mommy," Lily said. "And Mama."
Olivia smiled, as she pulled the quilt over her wife and daughter. "I'll be right back," she promised. In moments, she was back, and she slid under the covers, so that Lily lay between them. "Here's the book you chose. And here is someone Jay found today when you two were out in the city," she reached into the drawer and pulled out a toy hedgehog, identical to Harry, though considerably less battered. "Meet Hector The Hedgehog!" she said, smiling at the look of delight on their eldest daughter's face. "Hector is Harry's cousin, and he's real happy to be moving in here."
Lily clapped her hands with pleasure, and reached out for the toy, which she clung to her chest.
Olivia reached out and wiped the tear she saw running down Alex's face. "Sap," she whispered teasingly.
"Right back at you, detective," Alex used her thumb to catch one of Olivia's tears.
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Sarah called as she left the office. She felt tired, but pleasantly so. She had had a good day, one of those rare days when theories started to come together, and tests went as expected. She couldn't wait to spend the evening with Jay. Jay had texted her pictures earlier of Lily playing at the fire station. There was one in particular she knew she would print out and frame – one of a damp Lily, grinning widely in Jay's arms. Jay looked so carefree, so happy. At long last, it seemed, their lives were no longer blighted by her fiancée's terrible experiences. It was naïve to assume that Jay could ever forget what had happened, and she knew that they would both be reminded from time to time, but Jay was at last learning to live with it, without feeling she had to protect Sarah from the worst. And it was over. The bitch was in prison. And nobody could fake the smile that Jay wore while she held a beaming, soggy Lily. Life was good.
She was so busy thinking, that she didn't look around her as she exited, and she jumped when she felt a hand on her arm. "Jay!" she cried with delight. "Oh my darling," she kissed her tenderly.
"What a great welcome," Jay said, when they finally broke apart. "You were miles away. I hope you were thinking of something nice."
"I was. You. And then, as if by magic, there you were! What are you doing here, Jay? Are you okay?"
"I'm great," Jay smiled. "I've had a wonderful day. I just wanted to pick up my girlfriend from work. I know you didn't take the car today, so I thought maybe you'd like a ride?" she passed her a helmet.
When Jay went whizzing past their street, Sarah was confused, but the noise on the bike was too loud to quiz her about it. A few minutes, they stopped just by one of the entrances to the park. "What are we doing here?" Sarah wanted to know.
"This won't take long. I promise," Jay said. "Humor me, huh?" she held out her hand, loving the feel of Sarah's soft skin as she took it.
Jay led her to the nearest bench, and sat down next to her. "Do you remember? This is where we had our first kiss. Our first real kiss," she smiled.
"And it was the first time you copped a feel," Sarah laughed.
Jay's mouth went dry at the memory. "You were like a gift. A beautiful, Christmas gift that was just waiting to be unwrapped. And I," she swallowed, "I had sworn that I would never again put my heart on the line. There was too much at risk. It was less than two years … after … and I had decided that it would be safest just to stay single. But then I met you."
"I had no clue," Sarah's voice shook as she caressed Jay's cheek. "No clue at all. You seemed so … together. So confident. So relaxed."
"That's the thing, Sarah. I was. Right from the moment I met you. I didn't even think about what I was risking, because I knew that nothing was at risk. Even if we didn't work out, I just knew that you could never hurt me. You could never hurt anyone."
"Jay, I'm not perfect. I have a lot of faults. I don't want you to ..."
Jay stopped her words with a deep kiss. "I know you're not perfect," she smiled. "If you were, that ugly-ass rug would never had made its way into the kitchen."
"I like that rug," Sarah protested.
"Which just proves you aren't perfect," Jay smiled. She slid off the bench, and before Sarah realized it, she was kneeling, and holding out a small, velvet box. "But you're perfect for me. I know we're engaged, and I know you've had to wait, but here it is at last," she opened the box, watching Sarah's face. "We can change it, if it's not right. I got to know them well at the jeweler's, they're real nice in there. They said we can..." her words were stopped with a mind-blowing kiss from Sarah.
The kiss lasted for long minutes, not breaking even when Sarah pulled Jay up to sit back next to her on the bench. Sarah's hand reached under Jay's jacket, and toyed feverishly with her bejeweled nipple, causing Jay to gasp with pleasure.
Jay finally pulled back. "So you like it?" she was still breathless.
"It's perfect, sweetheart."
"I'm sorry you had to wait so long, I known it's nearly eight months since we got engaged. But I wanted to give you something that was paid for. And I made the last payment today."
"So you've been paying this off for eight months? But it's huge Jay. You can't afford it."
Jay shook her head. "Not eight months. Twenty-eight months."
"But we've only been together just over three years. Do you mean you wanted to marry me …," she was trying to work out the dates.
"I knew I wanted to marry you the minute I met you," Jay blushed. "Even before we went out. But I knew absolutely after," she went even pinker, "after we slept together." She took Sarah's hand and slipped the ring on. It fitted perfectly. "It wasn't your body, though. Not exactly. Though God alone knows that he made none finer. None," she clasped a soft breast. "You are unbelievably beautiful. And hot. So hot. But it wasn't just that. It was how you made me feel. For the first time in almost two years, I didn't think about her for one second. Not a nano-second. I had never thought I would be able to sleep with anyone again, but it never once crossed my mind to back out. I felt so safe. So loved. And I knew then that, if you would have me, I wanted to be with you for ever."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Jay snorted with laughter. "C'mon. It's a bit intense. I didn't want to freak you out. I didn't want to scare you off."
"You could never have scared me off. I felt the exact same way, Jay. And I still do. And I love my ring. Really love it. You spent far too much money on it," she kissed her again.
"Nothing's too good for you."
"Will you take me home?" Sarah pressed her hand gently against Jay's jean-clad center. "Because, I swear to you, eight minutes from now, I'm gonna be naked. And I don't care where I am when that happens. Because," she pushed her hand more firmly, "I need to make love to you. I need to feel your body against mine. In mine," her voice became breathy. "I want to taste you. And I want to make you come so hard you'll never even glance at another woman."
Jay was already on her feet. "C'mon, what are you waiting for?" her voice cracked.
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
Jay's teeth dragged very gently over Sarah's clit, and the young scientist screamed as she came, for the fourth time, in Jay's mouth. She felt her athletic lover climb back up her body, and almost wept with joy as she was gathered in strong arms. "Shh," Jay soothed, as Sarah's emotions became almost too much for her. "You are so beautiful. I love you so much," she rocked her tenderly. "You're perfect."
"Does that mean I get to keep the rug?" Sarah's voice was shaky, but laced with humor.
"If you'll let me paint you," Jay teased. Sarah had so far steadfastly refused to sit for one of Jay's paintings.
"Pencil drawing," Sarah compromised.
"Deal," Jay grinned.
"Jay?" Sarah had been thinking.
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"I don't want to wait."
"For what?"
"I don't want to wait for us to get married."
"Okay," Jay said. "Let's do it as quick as we can. I'm sure we can get everything organized within six months. We just need to ..."
Sarah put a finger over her lips. "I don't wanna wait six months. Or even six weeks. We don't need anybody. I know Mom will be disappointed, and your Pop and Vanessa. And Alex and Olivia. But we can get married again, when they finally make it legal over here. And we'll have a big party then. Just you, me, a flight to Canada. That's all we need. As soon as we can get a long weekend off together. What do you say?"
"I say let's do it," Jay kissed her. "I can think of nothing I want more than to be married to you."
"I'll get my diary and your work schedule," Sarah leapt out of bed. "We'll set a date!"
a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&a&
Three days later
Amy leapt to her feet when she heard the knock at the door, and smiled when she saw Abbie with baby Daniel through the peephole. "They're here," she said to Alex, as she opened the door. "This is so kind of you," she addressed Abbie. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
Abbie laughed and brushed off her thanks. She took one look at Alex, and raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Wow, Teflon. I see what you mean. If you turn up looking like that, they'll think you've gotten into a fight with a panhandler."
Alex grinned wryly. "The bruises look worse now they're really coming out."
"Are you okay?" Abbie's tone was softer.
"I'm fine. I really am. Thanks to Liv. She was amazing, Abbie."
"Olivia Benson is always amazing. If you ever get bored with her, you just let me know," Abbie teased. She lifted Daniel out of his carrier, and perched him casually on her hip. "So where is she? If these two are gonna get married one day, they really should meet."
Alex laughed, reaching out to touch Daniel's soft cheek. He gave her a full, cheeky grin, and then hid his face in his mother's side. "She'll be up any minute, she's just having a snooze in her crib. Amy'll get her when she wakes up. Amy's been fantastic, I don't know what I would have done without her."
Amy smiled shyly. "It's nothing compared to what you've done for us," she reminded her. She turned to Abbie. "And you are so kind to step in like this."
"It's nothing. Truly. Teflon's done all the work, all I have to do is turn up and give them the stink-eye, and it'll all be over in 15 minutes. And you and Alex will be left holding the babies," she passed Daniel over to Amy. "Okay, Cabot, let's go through this one more time."
"Benson," Alex reminded her. "I'm not a Cabot any more."
"You'll always be Cabot to me," Abbie grinned.
"I have the files right here," Alex smiled as she gestured to the table. She reached for her crutches.
"No," Abbie stayed her with her hand. "I'll go get them, you stay where you are. If you fall off those damned things, I do not want to imagine what Benson will do to me."
It took them less than 20 minutes to go through all the details, and Abbie was just packing the files into her briefcase when Alex heard Maisie's quiet cry. "Jesus, Cabot, is that all the noise she makes?" Abbie demanded.
"Oh she can do better than that," Alex promised. "Though for a baby, she's pretty quiet really. Thanks Amy," she smiled as Amy returned Daniel to his mother and went off to collect the crying baby.
Alex smiled lovingly at her daughter as Amy lowered her into her arms. "Hey, sweet-cheeks," she whispered. "Whassa matter? Were you getting lonesome?"
"I'll make some tea," Amy said.
Abbie stared at Maisie. "Oh. My. God. She's like a miniature Cabot. There's no mistaking that she's your daughter. Hey, girlie, it's real nice to meet you. See, Daniel," she held on to her son. "That's the woman you're going to marry."
"Gender stereotyping already, Tex?" Alex teased, as she unbuttoned her blouse.
"Handsome older man? Beautiful girl? Damned straight," Abbie chortled.
"That's assuming they are."
"They are what?" Abbie demanded.
"Damned straight," Alex laughed. She smiled as Maisie latched on. "There, baby girl," she whispered. "Let's see if we can do it this time without you getting colic." She reached out for Harry the Hedgehog and pressed him next to Maisie. "This is from your big sister. You have to take real good care of him."
"Ugh, it's like a domestic idyll," Abbie pretended disgust. "Not like our place. We're forever tripping over dirty diapers and other crap."
"Yeah, right," Alex had seen their spotless house more than once. "So tell me, Abbie, how is Caryn?"
Abbie's face softened as she thought of her lover. "She's pretty special," she admitted. "And she's told me I have to tell you she's pissed."
Alex raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Do tell," her tone was dry and amused.
"Your daughter is ten days old, and she hasn't met her yet. She's starting to wonder if you're trying to keep her away from all bad influences."
Alex laughed, a full-throated laugh. "If I were trying to do that, I wouldn't have let her within 100 miles of you, Tex! Kindly remind your girlfriend that I have phoned her twice since the birth, and she knows she has an open invitation, if she can drag herself out of the bedroom for long enough."
Abbie snorted. "I should be so lucky."
"Everything okay between you two?" Alex asked.
"Oh we're fine. I just wish she weren't working so damned hard. She didn't get home until 10pm last night. I … I just ..."
Alex smiled. "You miss her," she said softly. "It's okay, Abbie, you can say it. I miss Liv when she's not here. I thought the new girl … Novak, isn't it? … I heard she was good."
"She's good, but she's not Caryn. Or Cabot for that matter," Abbie chortled. "It's not her fault. Caryn doesn't like to delegate."
Alex nodded. She knew what a control freak Caryn could be – it was a trait she recognized from her own life. And it was one she had had to address when she had gotten together with Olivia. She had had to decide which was the most important – being involved in every little aspect of the case, or having time to spend with her lover. It hadn't been easy, and she and Olivia had often fought when the balance tipped too far one way, but finally they had reached a happy compromise. It helped that Olivia had had to do the exact same thing in her career. "Send her over here. She has to meet Maisie. And I can give her some tips on delegating."
"Do you think she'll listen?"
"To me? Damned right she will. And I'll soften her up first, I'll get her to spend a half hour with Lily. She always turns to mush when she sees Lily."
Abbie looked at her watch. "I should get going," she said. "I want to be early. Catch them off their guard."
"I'm so grateful," Amy said.
"Blow it out your ass," Abbie said pleasantly. "You're going to be working much harder than I am, looking after our son and heir." She smiled at Amy. "I'll get justice for you, Amy," she said, more softly. "If we get less than 400K, I'll be very surprised. And you, Teflon," she grinned at Alex. "You just lie there and look pretty," she grinned as dodged away from Alex's attempt to swat her. "I'll be back soon. With good news."