A nice, long chapter for you! :) This story is continuing on.. I've gotten the next couple of chapters written up. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you find any mistakes or any parts confusing. I do my own beta-ing and might have missed some mistakes. Thanks for reading.

Also, just a quick reminder... in this story, to everyone else, Alex is "Val", while Olivia is "Cam". I do my very best to avoid needing to use those names because honestly, they will always be Alex and Olivia. Thanks giggi91 for your review- it made me think maybe I should point that out.

It was several hours before the women finally returned home. Despite having spent nearly two hours in the grocery store getting all of the food needed to stock their cupboards, Alex had still had to wait on Olivia to finally pick a damn shed. She hadn't even seen it yet because the minute Olivia had pulled up to the grocery store, Alex had immediately started piling in their endless bags of groceries over the boxes in the back in an effort to get home as soon as possible. She was tired of being at the grocery store and, secretly, she had missed being around Olivia, even if it had only been for a couple of hours.

Once they arrived home, Olivia parked right at the front door, backing in so that they wouldn't have as far to walk. They spent the next several minutes hauling groceries into the house, Olivia making a show of just how much she could carry in at once. Alex smirked, knowing that the brunette was showing off, but she didn't comment on it. They both knew Alex enjoyed seeing the woman show off her strength. Alex simply watched and grinned, taking pleasure in watching the way the brunette's biceps rippled as she hauled a case of water bottles into the house. She used to follow Olivia to the gym for the simple reason that she wanted to watch the brunette as she worked out with a punching bag. She never admitted how wet it used to make her though…

When they had brought in the last of the groceries, Alex stopped Olivia before she could start removing things from the bags.

"Why don't you start with the shed and I'll put the groceries away?"

"This is an awful lot for you to put away by yourself. I don't mind helping you."

"I do."

Olivia pretended to not know why Alex didn't want her to help.

"Don't give me that look. You know how I hate when you "help" me put the groceries away."

Olivia grinned.

"Oh? What's wrong with how I help you?"

Alex bit her lip, shaking her head.

"The spaghetti in the plates cupboard, Olivia? Really? Putting spices in with the glasses? Hiding cans of soup behind big boxes of cereal? We both know you hate putting away groceries so rather than making a mess of it, just go play with your shed and I'll do this."

Olivia chuckled and reached out to pull Alex in a hug. She really did despise putting the groceries away, so she had amused herself by hiding food in random places. Not only did it entertain her to hear Alex get exasperated with her, but it also ensured that the blonde never asked for her help ever again. She always carried in the groceries, but it was Alex's job to put them away.

The blonde hugged her back and mumbled "yeah, yeah" when the brunette gave her a tight squeeze.

"It's a good thing you're cute," she said against the woman's throat.

"It gets me out of a lot."

"I know," the blonde responded gravely, pulling another ripple of laughter from Olivia's throat.

"Okay," she responded, pulling away. "I'll get started on the shed. Call me if you need anything."

"Have fun."

Alex put the rest of the groceries away relatively quickly, eager to stock their new kitchen. When she finished, she made her way outside and over to where Olivia had parked.

"I'm thinking of putting the shed on this side of the driveway. What do you think?"

Alex glanced over. It was at the end of the driveway, opposite the house. She shrugged.

"It really doesn't matter to me."

"I think this is the best place for it. It's close enough to the house that I won't have far to walk to get my tools, but not so close that it's in the way."

"Sounds like a good place for it then," she commented, making her way over to where Olivia was standing. She peered down at the boxes, pointing to the image on the first box.

"So it'll look like this when it's done?"

Olivia nodded.

"I thought it matched the house nicely."

It did. The shed itself was white, like the house, with dark grey doors like the shutters against the windows of the house.

"You chose well."

"Thanks. I tried to pick something you'd like with the specifications I'd want."

"And you like this one?"

"Very much. It's big, sturdy, and it'll house all the tools I want to get. It took me a long time to choose, but I'm satisfied with this one."

"Good. What tools do you want to get anyway?"

"I would tell you, but you'll have no idea what I'm saying anyway."

"Touché. Did you need any help setting it up?"

"No, I'll be fine. This is kind of like your groceries thing. I'd rather do it myself, but I'll call you if I need you."

"Alright, well, I'll be inside if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Alex turned towards the house and made her way back to the kitchen. She decided to go to the pantry and pull out what she'd need to make chocolate chip cookies, a favourite of Olivia's.

She started measuring and mixing, all the while glancing out at the brunette as she started to open up the boxes and examine the pieces inside. Olivia was slow to get started, but by the time Alex had put in the first batch of cookies, the woman had finally started to assemble the floor of the shed.

Alex watched, with a smile on her lips, as the brunette struggled with the instructions. Olivia sucked at reading instructions; they both knew it. Usually, when they had to assemble something, Alex was the one to read over the instructions while Olivia dove right into the project. It inevitably led to Olivia getting so frustrated that Alex had to intervene and correct whatever the problem was, before the brunette could successfully complete the task. She knew the same would happen with the shed, but she decided to wait until Olivia was frustrated enough to let her help. If she intervened too soon, the brunette would refuse her assistance.

Alex listened to the sounds of Olivia hauling the pieces of the shed, giggling as the woman started cursing and flipping through the instructions. She probably shouldn't find it so funny, but she couldn't help it. It was just so typical of Olivia and she loved her for it. Finally, after the third batch of cookies, she decided to take a break. She knew she had now waited long enough that the brunette would let her help, especially if she brought her some cookies to sweeten the deal.

Alex grabbed a handful of warm cookies and a can of iced tea, the woman's favourite drink, and headed outside. She saw Olivia standing next to the now-built floor of the shed, hands on her hips, scowling.

"Hey," she said softly, handing her the cookies.

Olivia's arms dropped and she instantly relaxed, gratefully taking the cookies.

"Oh my God, you're the best. I need a break. This damn shed isn't cooperating."

She accepted the can of iced tea and sat down on the floor of the shed, patting the spot next to her. Alex smiled at her and sat down.

"Here," Olivia said, offering a cookie. "Have one with me."

"Thanks," she said, taking a bite. "So, what's the problem?"

Olivia chewed for a few seconds, scowling again at the instructions on the ground.

"Damn instructions are confusing as hell."

Alex chuckled. She reached for the instructions and read through them, nodding when Olivia pointed where she was at in the list. They went over what Olivia had done so far, and Alex examined the paper closely.

She stood and compared the drawings to what Olivia had already built. She looked back down again, then glanced up, only to see Olivia looking over at the road and waving. The blonde looked over and saw a young woman, no- a teenager, waving at them as she rode by.

"Who is that?"

"No idea. I've seen her bike by before though. This is the first time she says hi."

Alex shrugged and turned back to the paper, taking a closer look at the drawing on step 12.

"I've found your problem."

"What?"

"You're supposed to have six floor joists. You've only got five here," she said, pointing to the floor of the shed.

"I know, but I only found five in the box, so I just skipped the sixth."

Alex sighed.

"And how many times have I told you that you can't just skip something when it's clearly written in the instructions?"

Olivia pretended not to hear her.

"Well, your main problem here is that you've got everything just piled wherever. You can't even tell where your pieces are."

Alex looked at the disorganised mess on the law.

"You need to organise this."

"It's fine the way it is."

"Go get some more cookies and leave me alone for a minute," Alex said.

"Alex-"

"Go!"

"Alright, alright."

Olivia turned and went into the house, knowing that it was useless to argue with the woman when she had made a decision. She grabbed several more cookies before heading back outside. She munched away as Alex organised her pile of pieces until they were perfectly separated and in order.

The blonde stood and wiped her hands, satisfied.

"There. Now this will be much easier."

Alex walked over to where she had discarded the instructions in the grass, sat down, and waited for the other woman to resume working. Olivia finished off the cookies in her hand and actually managed to get the rest of the shed up with very minimal swearing, and with only a few minor interventions by the blonde. It probably helped that Alex walked her though the instructions, but she wasn't going to admit that. When she finally finished, she stepped back and admired her work.

"Looks good, doesn't it?"

"It looks great. You did a great job."

Olivia grinned proudly and sat down next to her on the grass.

"Thanks for all your help," she said sincerely.

"You're welcome. I won't tell anyone I helped. We'll pretend you're that good."

Olivia chuckled.

"Who would we tell anyway?"

"Well, your new friend for one thing," Alex said nodding in the direction of the road. The same teenage girl who had waved earlier was now stopped on her bike, smiling over at them.

Olivia waved her over, smiling back.

"I'll go get more snacks and something to drink. Who knows how long she's been biking."

"Okay."

Alex got up and left for the house, while Olivia watched the young girl approach. When she was within proximity, Olivia called out a hello.

"Hi," the girl said, suddenly feeling a bit shy. "I saw you were building a shed. Looks nice," she offered.

"Thanks. We needed it. Seems every other house here except ours had a shed or a garage."

The young girl nodded.

"The old woman who lived here before never needed one I guess."

"It was an older woman who lived here? Well, that explains some of the interior decorating choices that were made…"

The girl laughed.

"Yeah, old Mrs. Flannigan. She lived here forever." The girl looked around. "Where did your friend go?"

"She went to grab some snacks. She'll be right- oh, there she is."

"Hi," Alex said as she approached.

"Hey," the girl responded.

"I'm Valerie," she said before placing the plate of snacks on Olivia's lap and holding out her hand to the girl. She was pleased that she had managed to say her "name" without a problem. Not that she had been rehearsing it since she had left the kitchen…

"Hannah."

"Did you introduce yourself?" Alex asked, turning to Olivia.

"Actually, we didn't get that far yet. I'm Cam," she said to the girl.

The teenager nodded.

"So you're from around here?" the brunette asked.

"Yeah. I live about ten minutes from here."

"Did you want to stay and have a snack?" Alex asked.

"Sure," she readily accepted, putting her bike down and joining the two women on the grass. "So you guys just moved here?"

"Yes," Cam answered, reaching into the plate and grabbing some cheese and crackers. She pushed the plate towards Hannah, who happily grabbed the same.

"Why here? There's nothing in this town."

Olivia chuckled.

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

The girl raised her eyebrows, giving her a look.

"You've only been here, what? Two days? Three days? And you're already building a shed to keep yourself from dying of boredom. Trust me. You're going to need a lot of little projects to keep yourself from going stir crazy in this town."

"What does a teenager do in a place like this then?"

The girl shrugged, munching on a piece of cheese.

"Not much. Some of the kids get stoned or whatever down by the creek, if that's your thing. I'd rather just ride my bike or read a book or something."

"That's a bit of a better choice."

Hannah shrugged again.

"They don't bother me. They just get stoned and watch the water go by. So what brought you to the great old town of Burgus?"

Since Olivia now had her mouth full with salami and crackers, Alex took over the conversation.

"We moved here for work."

"Oh really? Are you a teacher?"

"No, do I look like one?"

The girl nodded.

"You look like the type."

Alex chuckled.

"Thanks? No. I'll be working for the library over in Little Current. Cam will be working for the youth centre."

"Well, you'll find more to do in Little Current. They have restaurants and a small shopping mall, a bookstore, and I think there's a bowling alley too. Here, there's nothing but a family run corner store at the corner of Cedar and Second."

Olivia jumped in the conversation when she heard the girl mention the corner store.

"Yeah, uh, Mike's Mart or something, no?"

"Marty's Mart. The owner's name is Marty. Very clever…" Hannah said, rolling her eyes.

Olivia chuckled.

"Yeah, I saw it earlier."

"It's alright. I mean, if you need something quickly, it's convenient."

Olivia nodded.

"So what grade are you in, Hannah?"

"11th. One more to go and then I can go to college. I can't wait."

"What do you want to study?"

"Law enforcement. Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to be a cop."

Alex immediately looked over at Olivia, who shot a glance her way. She then quickly turned to Hannah, before the girl could notice the exchange.

"That's a good profession. You get to help a lot of people."

Hannah nodded.

"That's why I want to get into it. My mom isn't too keen on it but," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's what I want."

"She's still got another year to get used to it. It's a great field."

The young girl nodded, tapping her hands against her thighs.

"Well, I should probably get going. I don't want to keep you."

"You're not keeping us from anything, but there's no problem if you have to get going," Olivia said, standing with the girl.

"I should probably go."

"Alright," the brunette responded. "Stop by anytime."

"Thanks. Nice meeting you. See you later, Valerie."

The women waved her off until she was no longer in sight.

"She seems like a good kid," Olivia observed.

Alex nodded.

"She's one of ours."

Olivia turned to her.

"What do you mean?"

"She's gay."

"What? No she's not."

Alex leaned over and grabbed the plate from the ground.

"Yes, she is. She's gay."

"How do you even know?" Olivia asked, following her into the house.

"Because all the signs are there. Some of us actually use our gaydar, detective. It was kind of obvious."

"What was so obvious about her?"

Alex placed the plate in the sink and turned to her.

"First of all, the outfit screams lesbian. The graphic T, the baggy jeans, the beanie, the lip ring…just looking at her, I had a suspicion. Then when she started talking, the way she was holding herself… Then when she walked away, I could see it in her walk. She has the lesbian walk. There is so much evidence in this case, I'm sure I could try it and win without even presenting all of my evidence. I'm guessing she's been observing us. She probably sought us out because we're the only lesbians within the next fifty miles. She wanted to meet someone like her."

"How does she even know we're gay? She can't possibly know that. She probably just came by because this town is so boring. We're something new."

Alex stared at her.

"No. It's because we're gay and she knows it."

"How does she know? You can't just know."

"Please. Yes you can."

"You can't just know something like that!"

Alex chuckled at her exasperated tone.

"Yes, you can. I'm always right about these things. I don't know why you're arguing with me now. You know I'll be right again."

"No," she said, like a petulant child.

Alex shot her a look, rolling her eyes. Olivia didn't respond, instead choosing to think about it. It was true. Alex always knew and it was something Olivia hated her. Her own gaydar was nonexistent. Or broken. It didn't matter. She always seemed to lose these arguments.

"I didn't see it."

Alex chuckled. It always amused her how oblivious Olivia could be. She was usually so observant, she was an excellent detective when it came to solving crimes, but about things like this…she was clueless.

"I know you didn't. You never do, even when it's staring you in the face. I'm telling you though, she's a lesbian."

Olivia shook her head, refusing to continue a conversation proving just how blind she was.

"Anyway. Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

"Sure," Alex responded, ignoring the fact that she had completely changed the subject. The idea of cuddling on the couch with Olivia was much more appealing.

"Why don't we get into our pjs first?"

"It's only five thirty."

"So? We can get into our pjs, order a pizza, and watch a movie. It'll be a nice, relaxing night after working outside all afternoon."

"Okay," Alex agreed. "I'll call the pizza place then. Has your order changed or is it still the same as before?"

Olivia, who had been reaching for Alex's phone, paused in her tracks. She looked over at the blonde and couldn't help the smile on her face.

"You remember my order?"

"Of course. Deluxe with extra cheese and sausage," Alex responded.

Olivia couldn't help the rush of happiness that that information caused. She would have completely understood if the woman had forgotten something as silly as her preference for pizza toppings, but it made her smile that she hadn't. Alex had remembered.

"I haven't forgotten what you order. I haven't forgotten anything. Every time I went out for supper, which wasn't often, or ordered a coffee, bought something…I always thought about what you would be getting if you had been there with me."

Olivia played with Alex's phone, turning it around in her hand. She nodded at what the woman said. There was a silence between them before Olivia finally handed over Alex's phone, glancing up at her as she did so.

"It's a nice feeling knowing you haven't forgotten," she admitted softly.

Alex reached out, holding Olivia's hand for a second before slipping it away with her phone.

"I haven't forgotten anything about you, Liv. I haven't stopped thinking about you since we were forced apart."

The brunette nodded in response, unsure of what else to say.

"Well, I'll call the pizza place then," Alex finally stated, cutting the silence.

"Okay," Olivia said, smiling. "I'll go get changed."