Three weeks later

Olivia took the test. "I'm not pregnant," she told her wife.

Alex knew that was probably the case, but hearing it made them both sad. "Let me hold you." Olivia never wanted to unpack her emotions right away.

Alex was content with just being there for her anyway she could.

Olivia felt sad and then she felt selfish for being sad. She had a beautiful wife, two gorgeous kids, and she would be moving into an amazing house next week, but they wouldn't be adding their new family member just yet.

"Let's just stay in tonight."

"Hot chocolate and old movies."

"You know it."

They chose Strangers on a Train for the night. Alex rested her head on her wife's ample chest as they curled up together.

"I love you," Olivia whispered in her wife's ear.

"I love you more," Alex mumbled.

The pain eased over the next few days and before they knew it, it was time for them to move into their new house.

Alex had wanted to hire movers, but Olivia didn't see the point in hiring movers when they had friends, and their friends had children. They had Rob, Munch, Fin, Fin's son Ken, and Elliot, as volunteers.

"It will be easy to get the stuff out of the apartment,' Olivia told her, since there was a freight elevator.

"And it will be a pain to get this stuff into the house," especially the bedroom furniture that had to make it to the second floor.

"I'm sure they can figure it out."

Two hours later

"How are we supposed to get this into the house?" Fin gaped when he saw the furniture they had to move.

"We have plenty of wheel carts," John mentioned.

"And can we wheel this shit up the stairs?"

"Oh, no."

They started with the easy furniture like the couch and the coffee table.

Ken whistled when he saw the house. "This shit is nice!" The remodeled kitchen really stood out and so did the bar they built into the living room for parties.

He and Elliot moved in the love seats and end tables while Fin and Munch glared at the bedroom furniture.

"I think all four of us will need to move this stuff."

Alex had heavy bedroom furniture. She didn't want her bed jostling around while she went wild in it, and she had hired movers to move it into the apartment.

They also had to turn it sideways to get it up the stairs.

"Is this bed made of concrete," Elliot complained.

"Nope, just a really hard wood," John told him.

"Hard wood," Ken laughed.

The women had moved the boxes while the men struggled with the furniture.

"I feel bad for not helping them," Olivia said.

"I don't want you to overexert yourself." They were waiting to see if round 2 had taken.

"I know, but that looks hard."

"They already have four people. Adding a fifth might just make moving the furniture more awkward."

Alex put earmuffs on the twins' ears so they wouldn't hear all the cursing that went on as the men moved the bed and dresser up the stairs into the master bedroom.

Moving the Ice Queen's furniture into her lovely new home was hardly Elliot's idea of a fun Saturday, but he couldn't be the only one on the squad not to show up. Plus, Kathy volunteered him.

"I wonder why they painted their bedroom walls grey," Fin commented. "It's not the most inviting color."

"It's probably so it goes with the art they're going to put up," his son commented. "They have hooks in the wall which suggests they have paintings to put up in here."

An hour later, the boys were enjoying beer and pizza on the couch. The patio furniture had yet to arrive, else they'd be outside.

"Seriously, how many tons did we move today," Fin grumbled.

"I never thought about moving the furniture out when I bought it," Alex said as she offered people more drinks.

"How did you move it in?"

"I hired movers."

"And you couldn't find movers to move to Brooklyn?"

"Quit your bellyaching," Olivia told him. "You know you've been skipping your lifting sessions. Think of it as free personal training."

Ken laughed at his father.

"Shut up Ken."

"Speaking of working out, is the gym downstairs done?" Munch questioned.

"Almost. The flooring is done and we have the cardio machines, but the weights still need to come in."

"You put a gym in your basement?" Ken questioned. "That's awesome."

Alex offered a tour for those who were interested.

"There will be a squat rack in that corner and dumbbells over here." There was a yoga corner, a punching bag, and cardio machines.

Ken and John looked around. Fin's son did a money symbol with his fingers, and John nodded. This was the life.

Alex led them up to the attic so they could see the artists' corner. "In my parent's house, I had a workspace just for doing art, and I wanted one that everyone could use for whatever projects, writing, painting, sculpting."

There was a writing desk and plenty of pens ready for someone to pick them up and press them to paper. There was also an easel on the opposite side.

"A place just to do art," Ken would kill for this kind of space.

"Kids only do art like one hour a week these days. I really think they should have more chances to be creative."

"Your kids are either going to be awesome or spoiled rotten," John told her.

"Can't they be both?"

The twins were eager to explore their new digs. Lorelei kept trying to get in all the boxes while Ollie wanted to get outside.

Now that the boys were gone, it was just the Cabots, and they decided to put off most of the unpacking until tomorrow.

Olivia couldn't believe it. "We have a house. This is real."

Alex kissed her. "Our dream has come true."

Their kiss got interrupted by a phone ringing.

"The Cabot residence," Alex said as someone called the landline.

"I was just making sure it works," Abbie teased. "Aw you're all moved in."

"Yes we are. The house is amazing, and I couldn't be happier."

"You cheesy wench, Rena needs to talk to you."

"I know this is kind of last minute, but can you be my maid of honor?" Serena asked her.

"Of course."

Serena explained why her sister was no longer allowed to be her maid of honor and it was quite a story.

And since Abbie hadn't committed to a best man yet, she decided to ask Olivia.

"Now don't get all cute and shit and steal the spotlight," Abbie threatened.

"Well, I was going to wear a tiara..." Alex threatened.

"Bitch."

"Ho!"

"Now that's friendship."

"Bet your sweet ass it is."

Once they got off the phone, Olivia asked, "I thought Serena's sister was going to be the moh."

"Well, Serena asked me first, like well before she was engaged, but when her sister found out, she got upset, so Serena asked me if I minded a switch, and I said that was fine." She didn't want to add to the Southerlyn family drama.

"But then her sister started dating this born again Christian who keeps prophesizing to them about the sin of their union, so Abbie told him to fuck off and then the sister got mad and started yelling at Abbie." It just derailed into chaos.

The sister threatened to boycott the wedding if they didn't apologize to the boyfriend, so Serena disinvited her instead.

"So we're going to walk into a world of drama."

"Pretty much." Alex knew this wasn't the last of Serena's sister, but she wouldn't leave her buddy hanging.

Two Weeks Later

Alex and Olivia were ready for their housewarming party. They were unpacked, the artwork was up, and they got all of their odds and ends in place.

Olivia was outside playing with the twins while Alex was prepping the food.

Alex was just finishing her secret spice blend when the doorbell rang.

I should have told people to just go into the back.

She went to the door and got quickly ambushed by Serena.

"Get over here," Serena gave her a big hug.

It was hard to breathe. "I'm not going anywhere Rena."

Abbie was hauling in their bag. They were staying in the guest room for the night. "She had a fight with her sister this morning."

"How about we get you a drink?"

"Where's the rest of your family?" Serena looked up and saw none of them inside.

"They're playing outside."

"I think I'll take my drink outside. I need to stretch after being in that car for four hours." Abbie did not want to stop, lest she get behind the traffic.

Alex poured some gin in a glass and added lemonade to it. "Here you are."

Serena took a big gulp. "Just what I needed, Sis."

They headed outside where Olivia had one twin in her arms and the other on her leg.

"Lorelei, Ollie, Aunt Serena's here."

"Auntie!" Lorelei called her.

Serena's heart just about exploded. She went over to the twins and Lorelei climbed on her lap. The young Cabot looked just like her mother. Serena knew in her heart that she wanted a little Abbie running around her house someday.

Alex headed back inside to keep ahead of the work. This was their first social event at the new house. She wanted it to go well.

Abbie helped herself to a beer in the fridge. "I must admit this is a chic house." The color scheme for the first floor were burnt sienna, yellow, and red which made a stunning combination and on the walls were paintings Alex had collected over the years and photographs of the family, including a picture from their engagement, one of their wedding and another they took on the twin's first birthday. It was homey yet glamorous.

"I wanted to feel like a family home, but still have a classy tone to it. It will be great for dinner parties."

"You're turning into your mother."

"You take that back!"

Abbie ruffled her hair. "I don't mean it in a bad way. It's just that most mothers of one year olds don't think of classy when they describe their house."

Alex shrugged. She is a Cabot after all.

An hour later, the other guests started appearing at the house. Casey and Munch arrived at the same time.

"This place is fucking huge," Casey said, as she got ready to ring the bell. She looked up and saw that the house was large enough to be a two family home.

"Just wait until you get inside."

"Come in," Alex yelled after she heard the doorbell ring.

Casey opened the door and gasped. "Holy fucking shit." It was like a fucking movie set, everything just right. The floors were clean. There were no errant toys or clothes. It had a sparkle to it.

"The twins are outside, and we're trying not teach them any four letter words today," Alex chastised.

"Oh right. Seriously, these are some digs!"

Munch offered a bottle of Rosé.

"Why thank you," Alex put it in the fridge for later. "Abbie and Serena are already here. They're outside with Liv and the twins. Would you like to start off with a drink?"

"Beer for me," Munch requested.

"Me too."

Alex opened two beers and handed them over.

"Can we help with anything?"

"If you could take this outside and put it next to the table," Alex handed Munch a cooler of water, sodas, and beers. This way, people only had to go inside for mixed drinks.

In the kitchen, Alex was making a warm potato salad with scallions, capers, green apples, and mustard. She also had a goat cheese, pecan, poached pear, and arugula salad to serve.

Casey shook her head internally. Even the food looked perfect. Casey wasn't itching for the big house, wife, and kids. She'd settle for a steady boyfriend or girlfriend right now, but Alex Cabot seemed to have the perfect life.

The duo headed outside, and it was a perfect day, blue skies with innocent clouds, warm but not too hot.

Olivia greeted them and then went inside get the meat. The sausages and the chicken would take longer to cook than the burgers, so she wanted to start them now.

"Munch, Novak," Abbie called to them. "How's life?"

Abbie had Ollie and Serena had Lorelei. They were comfortably seated in patio chairs, their drinks on the table in front of them.

Munch was always happy to see the twins. He started playing peekaboo with Lorelai.

Casey was content to just drink her beer, but Ollie crawled over to her. She couldn't help but smile as he climbed up the chair onto her lap. He tried to reach for her beer, but Casey took it out of his grasp.

"You're too young for beer," she told him.

The young boy pouted.

The others cracked up.

"I think Teflon has the same pout," Abbie laughed.

About twenty minutes later, the Stablers arrived and the number of guests more than doubled.

They could hear people in the yard and went around the house to the back.

Like the perfect host, Alex came forward to greet their new guests and offer drinks. Olivia waved from the grill, which she had been working.

Alex gave Kathy a tour of the house while her husband and children mingled with the others.

Kathy would have a hard time denying that she had an innocent crush on the ADA. She was gorgeous, kind, and somehow always had her hand in amazing things. "This house is beautiful." Kathy couldn't believe it when she saw the kitchen. It was huge, full of gadgets, and very organized.

"Thank you. I wanted to give it a homey feel but keep an elegance to it."

"Oh the artwork does that. Are these originals?" The paintings and photos were exquisite.

"Yes. I got them during my travels over the years."

After showing her the first floor, they went down to the basement where they had the gym.

"You can work out anytime."

"I know. Sometimes I miss my morning runs because Liv has a case or the twins are fussy, so now I can sneak in a workout whenever."

"Are you a runner?"

"Five miles every morning, although I was more diligent before the twins came along."

"How do you have the energy for that?"

"It's therapeutic for me. The first mile always sucks, but once you get that runner's high."

"Where do you run now?"

"Prospect Park when I can. I love it."

Now that most of the guests were here, Olivia started putting hamburgers on the grill. She had already put on the chicken and the sausage since they would take longer to cook. "Who wants what?"

Elliot went to check out the grill. "This is a very nice grill." It was huge, had a digital display, and the racks could be raised and lowered to better control the temperature of the cook.

I had a simple charcoal grill for the longest time. It must be nice to have it made.

Olivia didn't know much about grills, but the guy in the store said this one would do nicely. "Thanks."

"So how do you like Brooklyn?"

"It's great. The neighbors that we met were very nice. Alex loves the running trails in Prospect Park, and we've gotten some great pizza."

Kathy couldn't believe it when she saw their bedroom. "When was that photo taken?" It was the one Alex had blown up for Olivia for their wedding night. They put it over their bed.

"When I was in law school. I agreed to model for a charity event and the project grew from there."

Alex just reached a new level of hot. She showed Kathy the other rooms and then they went up to the attic. "This is our art space."

"Oh and I thought I was jealous before. This is so lovely."

"I want a place for people to be able to work without interruption and not mess up the rest of the house if they're using a messy medium."

"All my kids do is make a mess when they try to do art projects at home."

"If you wanted to drop them off for an afternoon, they're welcome to use this space."

"You wouldn't mind."

"No. It's an art space. People should create in it."

I may need to take you up on that.

By the time the mothers got downstairs, people were in line getting meat put on their plates.

"Where have you been?" Abbie questioned.

"I was showing her around the house."

"Took you a while."

"It's a big house," Kathy told her. "The kids will love running around in it."

"When will you add to the brood?" Abbie questioned.

Alex winked. "Soonish."

"Give me more than that."

"Not yet but with all deliberate speed."

Abbie was about to scold her for the bad legal reference when a clinking caught everyone's attention.

Trevor still had to walk with a walker. He would likely be off it by August, but he didn't want to stay cooped up in his penthouse all summer. Elsa was right at his side.

Alex greeted them both with hugs. "Thanks for coming."

Elliot caught the jealous look in Olivia's eyes when Alex embraced Trevor. Interesting.

"This is so nice," Elsa said as she handed over the wine they brought.

"Let me introduce you to everyone." Elsa had heard about everyone here from Alex.

"Abbie, this is Elsa Mattson."

Abbie greeted her with her southern drawl. "What is a lovely girl like you doing with a punk like Trevor?"

Elsa blushed and let go of a chuckle. "I was his nurse while he was comatose, and we connected when he woke up."

"I imagine he'd make a good boyfriend while asleep. Langan, your girlfriend's out of your league."

"I'm well aware," he told Abbie before grabbing a seat.

Soon, everyone had food and drink. Bruce Springsteen played on the speakers outside and the party was on.

"These burgers are so good," Casey growled as she bit into hers. They were a blend of chuck, NY Strip, and rib eye meat and they were well seasoned. Alex liked using pancetta in her ground meat, but Munch wouldn't be able to eat it in that case.

Dickie had been disappointed when there were no hotdogs, but "these sausages are really good."

Alex made her rounds, offering drinks or second helpings on food.

Eventually, Olivia pulled her into her lap. "Relax, Baby. Everyone is well fed and happy."

"I know but …"

"Hosting is in your blood. How about you host from right here."

Alex leaned back against her wife and Olivia kissed her cheek.

"Seriously, you two are so mushy, you're gonna make me puke," Abbie complained.

"Can't help it," Alex told her. "She had me at hello."

Olivia kept her arm around Alex's waist. Alex nestled in closer

After the other guests left, Serena abducted Alex for wedding planning. The twins were asleep. Olivia and Abbie grabbed some beers and turned on a baseball game, Yankees vs. Astros.

"So how excited are you for the wedding?"

"Heck, I'd get married in a barn tomorrow if I thought Rena would go for it. I just want her to be my wife."

"When Alex said I do, oh it was the best thing that ever happened to me, well until the twins were born."

"I just want it to go smoothly. I have this lurking feeling that her sister will do something dumb."

"Maybe she will, but it will only reflect on her."

The wedding was going to be at Serena's grandmother's house. "There's a gazebo outside where the minister will be and we'll be getting married on the steps." Serena showed Alex her sketches.

"My father will walk me up here. Abbie's father is going to walk her up right here and you and Olivia will be there waiting for us."

"I'm so happy for you," Alex said once more as she started looking at arrangements. Serena still had to decide what flowers she would get and they were still working on the menu.

"And I you, wife, kids, promotion. Do you realize how much has changed in the past two years?"

Alex paused for a moment. "Everything, everything has changed."

Alex wasn't the only one who had a brand new life from two years ago. Olivia pretty much had it all. She went from having a terrible relationship with her drunken mother to a pretty decent one. Instead of working around the clock and not taking care of herself, she had a reason to come home, three reasons to come home.

She had a house that was more amazing than anything she had ever dreamed of and she had a real family, immediate, extended, she had it all. Yet, she was still frustrated.

"I still can't stand Trevor," Olivia admitted to Abbie. He actually is a nice guy despite his profession. "He hasn't done anything to me. He agreed to the adoption. He hasn't tried to insert himself into our lives or try to parent the twins. He seems perfectly happy with Elsa, but when I see him near Alex, I just get mad."

Abbie knew those feels. "Serena has an ex that she still sees regularly for work. She's a nice dame. Everyone likes her, but I fucking hate her. Sometimes, there's just that one ex who rubs you the wrong way. It's not a bad thing. You just have to remember that you are looking at him through that filter and not to just go off on him because you want to."

Olivia nodded "They just have a bond that I will never be able to …"

Abbie got her serious face on. "Olivia Benson Cabot, you are their mother. He's their sperm donor. Don't ever let yourself think otherwise."

Alex had told Olivia this many times, but sometimes it was hard.