One more chapter after this :)

After their conversation, Hannah had needed a minute to recover. Val's name was Alex? Cam was actually called Olivia? Cam was a cop? Holy shit. Cam was a cop! That is so cool. Hannah had then pulled out her laptop and started doing research, her hand coming up over her mouth as she read about the ADA who had been shot, killed, returned from the dead, and then disappeared once again. It was like reading a movie script. She was horrified that Val- Alex- had gone through all of that. She couldn't believe that she had had no idea. She never would have guessed that these two women had lived such a horrible event.

The more Hannah read, the more things started making sense. The pieces started to fall into place. No wonder Alex (it felt weird to think of her as "Alex") had said their relationship was complicated. No shit. It was incredibly complicated. Some questions were answered as she read on but even more were created. Hannah had tried texting the women to talk about it, and they had answered a few questions (No, we didn't lie about how we met. No, we didn't lie about loving each other, or you for that matter. Yes, Alex has always been a fantastic baker but a horrible cook. Yes, she really was shot.), but they insisted they wanted to talk about the rest in person. Hannah reluctantly agreed and opted to focus on the positive: the women were alive and she would see them soon.

The five weeks leading up to her visit had dragged by but, as Hannah stood waiting for her luggage by the conveyor belt at JFK airport, it had been worth it to be here now, just moments away from seeing them. She watched as suitcase after suitcase rolled by, tapping her foot impatiently until she finally spotted her navy blue one. She took a step forward and eagerly awaited as it approached. When it was within reaching distance, she ripped it off the conveyor belt (it was packed to the seams) and dropping it to the floor. She pulled up the handle, shouldered her school bag, and headed for the exit. Her stomach fluttered with excitement as she nodded towards the guard. Just a few more seconds. When the doors swooshed open, she took a deep breath and walked out, her eyes immediately scanning the crowd. Dozens of unfamiliar faces were standing before her. She paused for a second, but as people began moving around her, she realised she couldn't just stand there. She began blindly walking forward, until she heard her name shouted from the right. She turned and saw a familiar blonde waving at her, approaching her at a near jog. Hannah beamed and immediately hurried in her direction, dropping her bags and throwing her arms around her neck as she was close enough.

"God, Hannah. I have missed you so, so much."

Alex tried to fight the tears, but she lost pathetically. They streamed down her face as she held Hannah close, kissing her temple and repeating over and over how much she missed her.

"I missed you too, Alex."

Alex smiled widely.

"I like hearing you say my name."

"I've been practising."

Alex chuckled and finally pulled away, just enough to get a good look at Hannah's face.

"You've lost weight," she said with concern.

"I put some of it back on. I'm working on it."

"Am I gonna get the chance to get a hug too or…"

Hannah looked over at the other woman, grinning. She pulled away from Alex and threw her arms around Olivia.

"Hi, Olivia."

"Hi, Hannah."

She pulled away and looked up at the older woman.

"So you're a cop."

"Detective, technically."

"Explains why you were so informative when I researching getting into law enforcement."

Olivia grinned.

"Yeah, well… I tried to act casual, but I love my job and I was excited that you were looking to pursue the same path."

Hannah nodded.

"Yeah, I get it."

"So, how about we get out of here?" Alex stated. "Are you hungry? We could grab lunch. We haven't eaten yet."

Hannah nodded in agreement as Olivia reached down and grabbed her things.

"I can get that."

"Too late. Come on, kid. Let's get out of here."

Alex piled into the backseat with Hannah, resting a hand on the girl's knee as Olivia took off. She smiled when she felt the girl shift closer and rest her head rest against her shoulder.

"How's school been?"

Hannah shrugged against her.

"It's okay. They're really pressuring us to start applying for college, but I don't know where I wanna go now. It was okay to stay in Wyoming when you guys were around, but I don't think I can stay there anymore. Not to make you feel guilty, it's just… I can't live with my mom anymore. I'm counting down the days til the start of college, but I have to figure out where I'm going to go first."

"Do you have any ideas?"

Alex looked up and shared a knowing look with Olivia, who simply smiled at her in the rear-view mirror.

"I have been kind of putting it off. Lisa's found a few nice schools out of state and has shown me their pamphlets. Honestly, I've been too busy thinking about you guys."

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten about us, but your future is important, Hannah. Why don't we discuss that later on tonight, okay? We'll look at some schools you can apply to together."

"Okay."

Pause.

"So how have you two been settling in?"

Olivia chuckled.

"It's been a challenge."

"She means it's been a fucking nightmare," Alex stated.

"Alex has been having some trouble being patient."

"Who? Her?" Hannah said with mock surprise.

"Shut up, the both of you."

The two women laughed.

"I'm just teasing. Why do you have to be patient?" Hannah asked.

"It's just taking more time than I'd like for me to get my job back. I've been gone for years, so…"

Hannah nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry it's taking so long. What have you been doing in the meantime? Have you found an apartment?"

"Yes. We got my old one back. I'm so incredibly happy. My mother held onto it, along with most of my things, in the hopes that I'd come home one day." Alex didn't bother getting into the bigger details of her mother keeping the apartment the first year after her "death" because she couldn't bear to let go of it, then refusing to let go of it when she realised Alex was still alive. Her mother held onto it in the hopes that she would one day return, and when she had, her mother had more than willingly given it back to her.

"Wow." Hannah said "So… you guys are still together?"

"Yes. About that…"

"What?"

Alex bit her lip and placed her left hand over her right, which was still resting on Hannah's knee.

"No! You're kidding!" she squealed, holding up Alex's hand. "Congratulations! When did this happen? You're not married yet, are you?"

"No, not yet. We wouldn't have gotten married without you."

"When did she propose?"

"After we left Burgus. It was unexpected, I think."

Olivia nodded.

"I knew I was going to do it; I just didn't know when. Then we were at the safe house and there was a million things going on, but it just seemed… I don't know. It's weird but it seemed like the time to do it. Like we both needed something to ground us and remind us that even though everything around us was confusing and overwhelming, we were still "us" at the end of it. We still had each other and no matter what, we were going to be together. I wanted to make it a solid commitment, so I proposed."

"It was beautiful. She made me cry."

Hannah smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Good job, Olivia."

The woman nodded at her.

"So, have you set a date?"

"God no. We're still trying to get our life settled here first. At least the apartment is done. That was really easy to set up. Liv got her job back, but we've been waiting on paperwork to make it official so that she can get back to active duty. It looks like she'll be back within the next week or so. We're still waiting for me. No word on when that will happen. So, I've just been getting in touch with old friends, visiting family, getting ready for your visit. It's been nice to see everyone."

"How is it? Seeing everyone and being back after so long?"

Alex gave a small smile.

"Bittersweet. It's been so nice seeing everyone and their support has really helped, but it's hard to come back and see how everything has changed, how different the city is. My favourite coffee shop closed, and I have different neighbours. The streets around my neighbourhood look different and everyone has aged, moved. That's hard to adjust to. But the city still smells and is overcrowded, my friends are still unbelievably supportive, so it's nice to see that some things have stayed the same."

"Are you happy to be back?"

"You have no idea how incredibly happy I am to be here. Things are different, but this is still very much my home."

Hannah smiled at her.

"So, where are we going for lunch?" Olivia asked from the front.

"Why don't we bring her to Alberto's? It's not far from home. Do you feel like having Italian?"

"Sure. I'm always down for good pasta."

"It's delicious."

Olivia made her way there and led them inside. They chose a booth near the back, placing their orders once the waiter returned with their drinks.

"How are things back in Burgus?"

"They're pretty much the same. Your house is up for sale. By the way, what did they do with all your stuff? I tried to get it, but they wouldn't let me anywhere near the house."

"Good. You shouldn't have gone anywhere near there. And most of it was tossed. We kept a few things, but we didn't want the majority of it. Did you get your clothes back?"

"Yeah. Some guy in a suit came by one morning with a box of my clothes and the stuff I had in my room at your place. He didn't bring like the linen or anything, but he did give me some of the stuff that technically belongs to you, like the lamp you guys gave me."

"Good. That stuff is yours. We asked that they empty your room and bring you your things. We didn't care about our stuff, but we knew you cared about yours."

"Thanks. I was sorta wondering if I was ever gonna get my things back, even though I guess that's kind of selfish. Thanks for having them bring them to me."

"It's not selfish. And you're welcome."

A comfortable silence enveloped them, until Hannah spoke again.

"It must be really nice getting to eat at your old favourite restaurants again."

"Oh God, yes. I don't think a day has gone by that we haven't eaten out. We've been hitting up all of our old favourites."

The waiter arrived with their meals a few minutes later, and the women eagerly dug in.

"So," Alex started, after eating a few bites of her cheese tortellini, "how are things between you and Lisa?"

Hannah paused, twirling the spaghetti onto her fork.

"They're fine, but…"

"But?"

"I get the feeling that things are changing in our relationship."

"Changing how?"

"We're not really headed down the same path. She wants to go to medical school, which means she'll be studying for a really long time. I want to get into the Academy, which means I'll be done years before her. I figure she'll have at least eight more years of schooling left once I'm finished, and then who knows? Maybe she'll want to do a specialisation, which means even more schooling. She wants to stick around Burgus, but I wanna get the hell out of that place. We've been talking, and even though we haven't said it, it's pretty clear that our futures aren't really lining up. I don't really want to stick around, even though I do love her, because I can't stay at that house for another year. She wants to live with her parents to save money, and they're so damn proud she wants to go to medical school that they're all about it. I don't know. I love her, I do, but… I think we're both pretty much aware of the fact that our relationship is not going to last."

Alex gave a sad smile and rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sweetheart."

"I am too, but it's for the best. We're too young to sacrifice what we want. And who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind and after I graduate, I'll go back. I don't know how I'll feel in the future."

Alex reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"You are such a mature young lady, Hannah. I am so proud of you."

She blushed and smiled.

"Thanks."

They continued light conversation until they were finished eating. They then had their meals put into takeaway containers before getting back into the vehicle and driving home.

"Wow," Hannah said, looking up at the impressive building before her. "This is really nice."

"Thanks. We'll show you around tomorrow. Today, I think I just want to stay in and catch up."

"Me too," Hannah agreed.

She followed them up to their apartment, letting out a whistle when she saw the place. It was huge. She knew apartments in New York were expensive, so for the women to be able to afford such a nice place was a surprise to Hannah. She didn't know they had money.

"This is Alex's old place. I lived in a tiny, one bedroom apartment and she lived here. Talk about feeling inadequate!"

"Your apartment was really nice, Liv. And I told you, I would be just as happy living there too."

"Oh, hell no. There is no way we were going to give this up to move into that dump."

Hannah laughed and joined the women in the living room, glancing at the kitchen as she walked by.

"We'll give you a tour after. Did you want anything to drink?" Olivia asked.

"No, I'm still good from lunch."

"Okay."

She sat next to Alex on the couch, while Olivia chose to sit on the chair facing them.

"I can't believe this. And here I thought you were just a normal, lesbian couple living in my boring, little town. Who would have thought?"

Alex smiled at her.

"We're pretty normal."

"Working high profile murders and faking your own death, being placed into the Witness Protection Program, testifying before judges and stuff… I don't think that's very normal. That's… it's what I watch on tv."

"Does that freak you out?"

"No," she said, then paused. "Okay, a little. It's kind of intimidating. I liked it when you guys were a boring librarian and youth worker. I feel like… you guys are on a different level," she admitted. "I'm from Burgus, population 300 with the ducks in Minnow Bay. You guys are from New York. I'm a boring kid who has never been on a plane until today, never seen a real gun, never seen a real court house except when I was riding by on my bike. I go to school, and I hang out in my room by myself. I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing here with you guys."

Alex reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Hey. We aren't our jobs, you know. Or this city. We are still a boring, lesbian couple who binge watches tv programs and eats pizza in their underwear. We go to work like regular people and we come home and spend time together. We go out with our friends, sure, but we don't party and live a glamourous movie star life. The couple you saw back home is the same couple sitting here before you. We just happen to have different names and slightly different jobs."

"Slightly?"

Alex laughed.

"Okay, vastly different jobs, but we're still the same people, and we still care about you very much. That hasn't changed."

"It hasn't, Hannah." Olivia insisted. "We've missed you, a lot. Alex has been especially annoying now that you're not around. I've missed having you here to distract her and to joke around with me. You like a lot of the same things we both like and you're a lot of fun to be around. You're not all that different than we are."

Hannah smiled, nodding as she looked at the floor.

"If you say so."

"I do. And Alex will not be prosecuting high profile murders or getting herself shot again, will she?" Olivia asked sternly.

Alex rolled her eyes.

"So, it is true," Hannah confirmed. "I read it. I read the articles. It just seemed so…"

"Overwhelming? Scary?"

Hannah nodded again.

"I couldn't believe you went through something like that."

"It was hard. I was scared for a very long time. And trust me, I will not be putting myself in that type of position ever again. I was young and ambitious, blinded by my own ambition. I wouldn't listen to anyone, including Olivia, when they told me to take a step back. I was arrogant, and it cost me dearly. I nearly got myself killed. I won't be doing that ever again. She wouldn't let me, anyway."

"You're damn right I wouldn't."

Hannah chuckled. She paused before asking her next question.

"So, you guys met at work, but not at a newspaper facility?"

"Yeah. We met when Alex joined the SVU, the Special Victims Unit, as our prosecutor. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I had to have her. It took a lot of work, but eventually she realised I wasn't going to leave her alone."

"She became like a bad rash. Couldn't get rid of her."

"Not for lack of trying," Olivia noted.

"Oh, I definitely tried."

"I know. And look at that, now you're wearing my ring. As soon as you sign those papers, baby, that's it. Life sentence."

"Maybe I should rethink my options."

"Nope, too late. You're wearing the ring."

Alex laughed and shook her head, nudging Olivia's side with her shoulder.

"So… this is it for you guys?" Hannah asked after a few minutes. "You're gonna stay here now? For good?"

"Yeah, honey," Olivia answered. "I'm afraid we aren't going back. We belong in New York. This is our home."

Hannah nodded, looking down to hide her sadness. Alex noticed anyway, so she reached out and pulled her into a hug.

"Listen, we might be living in New York now, but we're still around to talk to you, just like before."

"Yeah, but it's really different now. I can't just come by when my mom and Tony are being assholes."

A pang of guilt hit both women in the chest. Olivia got up from her chair and joined the two on the couch, sitting on the other side of Hannah.

"You're right, you can't just take your bike and come here, but you are still welcome at any time. Whenever you have a vacation, or even this summer… you can stay with us."

"Too bad I can't afford rent in New York. I'd just move here and go to the academy out here. You went to school here, didn't you?"

"I did. You'd probably end up at the same one I went to."

"That would be really cool," she said longingly. She really wished she could stay here with them, but she knew there was no way she could afford to.

"There's something we wanted to talk to you about, Hannah," Alex interrupted.

"What?"

"I wanna show you something."

Alex led Hannah out of the living room and down the hall, Olivia following closely behind. Alex stopped before one of the closed doors, turning to face Hannah.

"There's no pressure. We don't expect anything and we will support you no matter what you decide. But Olivia and I… we've missed you. And we wanted you to know that you will always have a home with us, regardless of where you are."

Alex reached behind her back and opened the door. Hannah gasped and stepped forward, her hand flying to her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. It felt like she was walking into the past, into the room she had had at their home in Burgus.

The walls were green. And her furniture! It was the same furniture she'd had when she lived with them, and it was placed exactly as she had it. They even brought the bedding they had bought for her back in Burgus. The room was a bit smaller, more rectangular, but it looked nearly identical. The only things that were missing were the items that had been returned to her a few weeks ago.

"We tried really hard to match the same paint that you loved so much, but this was as close as we could get."

Hannah, suddenly pulled from her momentary shock, turned and flung herself into Alex's arms, dissolving into tears. She was quickly enveloped in her embrace, Olivia taking a step forward to lay a hand on her shoulder as well.

"You can go anywhere you want, and we will support you. We'll take time off and move you anywhere you want to go. We'll find you a place and make sure you're okay. But, we just wanted you to know that if you wanted to, you could also stay here. If the Academy here in New York is something you're open to, then we would really like it if you stayed here with us while you went to school."

"Think about it, okay sweetheart?" Alex added.

"I have," she choked out. "I have thought about it so much. I really wanted to come here."

Hannah pulled back and looked at them.

"When you guys left, I couldn't… it felt like a death. I finally had people who loved me, who cared about me. I missed you guys so, so much. I… I fantasized a lot, you know, about finding you and moving back in and…being a family again. Then when I found out you were in New York City, I fantasized about coming here," she admitted, a blush painting her cheeks. "I just imagined being here, being with you guys again. It was comforting. But then I couldn't… I looked into the cost of tuition and rent. I realised there was no way I could afford to stay here, and I just... I haven't been looking into any schools because honestly? The one here was the only one I wanted to attend. It's a really nice school, and I figured it was the one you went to and I wanna go to it. Because you went there, and I kinda idolize you, Olivia." She said, embarrassed. "I never told you that, but I do. I look up to you, a lot. Alex was the mother I always wanted, but you, you taught me so much. You've become a role model for me. I always wanted to be a cop, and when I found out you were one too, it just solidified the decision for me. I want to be one too. But then, how could I afford it? I couldn't. But I had all these stupid imaginary thoughts about how I'd go to school here and live with you guys again, like I did back home. I missed you guys. You were the parents I never had."

Alex pulled her back into a hug, tears now streaming down her own cheeks. Olivia rubbed her shoulder, slightly taken aback by Hannah's confession. She had no idea. The girl was so attached to Alex and she knew that Hannah liked her as well, but she always thought the teenager saw her as just a "buddy." It was immensely humbling knowing the girl looked up to her the way she did.

"You will always be our family, sweetheart," Alex stated. "Always, no matter where you are. But of course we want you to stay here! It was really hard to tell you that you could go anywhere, because the truth is, we don't want you to go anywhere else. We both want you here."

"I want to be here too."

"That's a huge relief, because I kind of got you something," Olivia said with a smile, hoping to cut the heaviness of the situation.

Hannah sniffed and pulled away, wiping at her eyes. She turned to see Olivia approach her with a gift bag in hand.

"She kind of got ahead of herself a little," Alex said.

"I still woulda made you wear it."

Hannah reached into the bag and pulled out a sweatshirt. She held it up and bit her bottom lip. New York City Police Academy. And underneath: New York's Finest. Tears once again fell from her eyes, and she threw herself into Olivia's arms.

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you."

"You'll be one of ours soon, kid. I'm looking forward to helping you train."

Hannah nodded eagerly before pulling away. She held up the sweater again, unable to tear her eyes away from it.

"I'm going to die young from the stress of having you both working for the NYPD. I hope you know that."

The two women laughed, nodding.

"It's okay," Olivia responded. "Then we'll be able to watch our Simpsons marathon without anyone nagging us."

Hannah smiled at them both, clutching her sweater.

I'm finally home.

A/N: I know it is stated that Alex's mom died while she was in the WPP but that is incredibly sad, so I refused to work that into the story. She is alive and well in this AU lol