In a matter of three days, the bed had been moved into Alex's spare room, Claire and Adam's apartment had been emptied, a kitchen table was now present, the apartment was virtually childproof, a pediatrician had been consulted, and appointments had been made for three of the four, not including Olivia who claimed she could handle things on her own.
But despite three days passing, Alex still didn't feel comfortable in her now daily routine. Waking up typically once a night but sometimes up to five times a night was not what she expected in her late twenties—especially since she hadn't even found a significant other. But now, well now she was stuck with a semi-stranger in her house—she had warmed up to Olivia after talking to some fellow lawyers and defense attorneys who were familiar with Olivia and said nothing but good things—and two kids that she loved more than anything and yet she still couldn't provide for them in the most basic of ways.
Since their first struggling night, they had fallen into a mostly stable routine. Alex slept in her bedroom, Olivia in the spare, Lexie in her crib next to Alex's bed, and Ben would gravitate between both of their beds, never staying in his for more than four hours a night. Alex knew that she probably should've taken him back to his own bed when he wandered into her room in the early hours but his sleepy face, messy brown locks, and quirked smile always caused her to open up her arms and beckon the boy to her.
While the women got along a lot better after coming to a sort of mutual understanding, they were still at odds with each other at times. Sometimes Olivia would let Ben stay up past his bedtime so that they could watch TV which Alex found rather annoying. Other times, Alex would be at wits' end, ready to explode when Ben spilled something or Olivia left her jacket on couch or Lexie cried a little too loudly at night when Alex had just managed to fall asleep but the detective tried to avoid conflict as much as she could. She made sure to pick up all of her belongings and keep everything confined to her room and there had even been a few occasions where she hid one of Ben's spilling accidents from Alex. She had also started to set an alarm for early mornings so that she could stop Lexie's cries before they began.
But somehow, tonight seemed to be one of those rare moments where everyone worked in harmony. Olivia was sitting on the couch with Ben sitting next to her with wide eyes and a blanket spread across their laps as they watched a cartoon—educational as per Alex's request. Alex was bathing Lexie and preparing her for bed, something that she had picked up how to do yesterday with far too many google searches before she caved and requested Olivia's help.
"There we go, you're all fresh and clean now darling!" Olivia glanced over the edge of the couch and smiled when she saw Alex holding up Lexie, smiling at the little girl. Her eyes slowly dragged down the blonde's body, something that she found herself doing more often than not for some reason. She grinned as she caught sight of the large wet spot in Alex's shirt that had dripped down to her jean-clad thighs, leaving the denim a darker shade of blue.
"You look like you got a bath as well," Olivia quipped as she ruffled up Ben's hair, his eyes never shifting off of the TV.
"Yeah…" Alex frowned as she looked down at her own attire before stopping next to Olivia. "That's why I'm giving you this little one," She said as she placed Lexie in Olivia's lap, "So that I can get out of my wet clothes and get myself ready for bed."
"Hey sweetie, are you going to watch TV with your Auntie Olivia and your brother?" Olivia smiled wide as she propped the girl up in her lap so that her head was resting against her chest. Lexie's gaze immediately zoned in on the TV before she let out a giggle, clapping her hands together.
Twenty minutes later, a wet-haired blonde reappeared in the living room, padding lightly toward the crowded couch. "It's someone's bedtime," Alex stated as she walked in front of Ben, blocking his view of the show.
An amused grin immediately turned upside down. "Auntie Lexie! I'm watching TV!"
She rolled her eyes as she glanced over at Olivia for some help even though she knew that the brunette was an advocate for stretching the strict bedtime rule. Olivia made eye contact with her for a second before pursing her lips. "Your Auntie Lexie is right, Ben. It's bedtime buddy."
Both women almost broke out in laughter when they watched as Ben's eyes widened in surprise. "You know what, ten more minutes won't hurt," Alex said with a shrug. If it were possible, Ben's eyes would've gone wider, much like Olivia's.
The detective raised an eyebrow but the blonde merely smiled in response. "Come on, Olivia, move over so that I can join you guys."
"I wanna sit on your lap!" Alex acquiesced and sat down in Ben's spot after he jumped up, only to crawl back into her lap. The two women sat shoulder to shoulder, both smiling at the small act of normalcy that came from watching TV together—as a family.
Ten minutes turned into fifteen, Alex's head started to tilt toward Olivia, fifteen turned into twenty, and somehow Alex's head migrated to Olivia's shoulder, the blonde now fast asleep. She smiled as she turned off the TV, noting that both Ben and Lexie were on the verge of sleep as well. Oddly enough, she felt tired as well despite it only being 8:30 at night, almost thirty minutes past Ben's bedtime.
Olivia couldn't help herself as she reached for her phone, unlocking it so that she could take a picture of them all together. Before she could, however, she paused to open up a recent text message.
Drinks tonight? On me since I'm missing my partner more than Fin & Munch. –ES
Olivia rolled her eyes as she opened up the attached picture of Elliot with wide eyes and a surprised face, Fin glaring at the camera behind him, and Munch looking oddly stoic, all of them at her desk, of course. As much as she would love to spend an evening out with the boys like usual, she didn't necessarily want to leave. She rationalized with herself that Alex would be upset and that she hadn't cleared it with the blonde earlier.
Sorry, no can do El. I'm on baby duty for the night. I have two sleepy kids on the couch that need to migrate to beds. How do you do it with all twenty of yours?
She quickly turned her phone around and snapped a picture of them all even though the room hardly provided enough lighting to show their faces—it was the memory that mattered.
What happened to Mommy #2? And I have Kathy.
Mommy number two…Olivia didn't mind the sound of 'mommy' although she had never thought of herself being called mommy. Then again she hadn't really given any thought to that despite wanting kids.
She's asleep next to me as well. Can I borrow Kathy?
Not a chance, I need her too much. You can carry the kids to bed but she might be a bit more difficult…hey it can be your exercise for the day since you're no longer chasing down suspects with me!
Olivia rolled her eyes as she picked up Lexie and carried her into her own bedroom to change her diaper. Once she had a new one secure, she gave the little girl a kiss before setting her into her crib. Next came Ben who went down without a struggle since he was exhausted. She returned to the living room only to stare at Alex for a few seconds, considering Elliot's suggestion.
She shrugged it off, guessing that it'd probably result in Alex screaming and flailing around in her arms before falling flat on her ass. "Alex. Alex, time to wake up," Olivia whispered as she kneeled in front of her, a hand gently running up and down the blonde's knee. "Alex, your neck is going to hurt in the morning."
"Hmm?" Alex groaned as her head rolled to the side a hand coming up to prop up her head.
"Come on, bedtime. Apparently the bed time is really for you and not Ben."
"Ha…ha…" Olivia smirked at the sleepy blonde, so much like Ben when he's tired. "Help me up." Olivia obliged, pulling the blonde up off of the couch and walking with her down the hallway to her bedroom. Once she was sure that Alex wasn't going to fall asleep in an unconventional place, she returned to her own bedroom.
After setting her alarm for two am so that she could check in on Lexie so that her cries wouldn't wake Alex, she opened up her text messages once more.
Two kids and a mom now in their respective beds. I only had to carry the kids—Alex somehow managed to sleep walk to bed.
She settled into her bed, pulling the covers up as she closed her eyes, only to be interrupted by a buzz.
You're a great mom, Liv, and I'm sure you're just as great of a "partner" to Alex even though you owe her nothing. She's lucky to have you.
Olivia smiled as she locked her phone and cuddled up against her pillow, sighing contently. No, she thought, we're both lucky to have each other.