A/N: Here's the next chapter. I don't know if I really like this chapter. The words didn't flow as well in some areas. Like always, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 18: Family Reunions

Alex was sitting by the window enjoying the afternoon breeze waiting for Olivia to finish dressing for dinner. They had spent most of the day sight-seeing in Athens. Once they had returned to Mykonos, they had taken a restful nap in the hammock. When they awoke, dinner time was quickly approaching so Alex had sent Olivia off to dress on the other side of the villa. Dinner was going to be yet another surprise. The only thing Alex told her was that dinner would be special.

"Olivia, if you don't hurry we're going to be late!"

"Keep your heels on, Cabot. I'm coming. It might have helped if you told me where we were going."

"I did tell you. We're going to dinner." Alex said gathering her purse. When she turned around, she caught her first glance of Olivia. She stood there with her mouth open.

Olivia looked down at her dress then back at Alex feeling self-conscious. "Is this okay? I assumed we were going somewhere nice since you made a big deal about it."

Alex was still standing there just staring at her. Olivia waved a hand in front of her. "Alex? Hello? Anyone home?"

Alex finally blinked and shook her head. "Wow. Where did that come from? I think I would have remembered if I had packed that dress."

"I saw it in the boutique we went to a couple of days ago. I bought it and had them deliver it yesterday. Thankfully you were out for a swim when it arrived. So what do you think? Did I surprise you this time?"

Alex took Olivia's hand and twirled the brunette around. She allowed her eyes to soak up the knee-length white strapless dress. It showed off Olivia's beautifully tanned skin and voluptuous curves. Alex swallowed hard. "You look… absolutely stunning. You're making it really hard not to drag you back into the bedroom, you know?"

Olivia laughed and placed a sweet kiss on Alex's cheek. "You're sweet and incredibly hot in your own dress. I have always loved you in red."

Alex wore a simple red linen summer dress that fell just above the knee. Olivia shook her head. Alex really did have incredible legs that went on for days. She had to force her mind not to think of how it had felt having those legs wrapped around her just hours before.

"So where are we going for dinner?

"I told you. It's a …"

"A surprise." Olivia finished with a laugh. "I don't know why I even bother."

Alex took her by the hand and led her out to the waiting car. "Don't worry. I promise that you're going to love it. It's by far my favorite place to visit when I come here."

"With that glowing review, I'm sure I'll love it too."

Olivia took the driver's hand and stepped out of the car followed by Alex. She looked around and took in her surroundings. She saw that they weren't at a restaurant at all; at least she didn't think it was a restaurant. It looked like a vineyard.

"This place is gorgeous. Where are we?"

"This is Château Grayson." Alex said pointing to an elaborate wooden and rail sign above the front gate down the driveway. "It's a vineyard."

Olivia raised a brow. "Grayson as in…"

"Alexandra! Is that you darling?" A voice in the distance interrupted them. Olivia turned and watched as a strikingly beautiful older woman approached them. She was tall and statuesque with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Olivia thought she looked very familiar.

"Aunt Bella!" Alex practically squealed as she they embraced. Olivia watched with intrigue as the two embraced.

The older woman pulled back and held Alex's face in her hands. "Look at you! You look more and more like your mother every day. How I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Aunt Bella." Alex said giving the woman another hug.

Alex finally remembered her manners and turned to Olivia. "Oh!" She reached out and pulled Olivia close. "Aunt Bella, there's someone I want you to meet. This is my girlfriend Olivia Benson. Olivia, this is my aunt, Isabella Grayson."

Olivia was still a little shocked. Alex was full of surprises. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Grayson."

The older blonde flashed a warm smile very reminiscent of Alex's. She waved away Olivia's outstretched hand and pulled the brunette into a friendly embrace.

"No one calls me Mrs. Grayson or Isabella except for my lawyers and my stuffy big sister, Julia. You will call me Bella like everyone else."

Olivia laughed. Only family would have the nerve to dare call Julia Grayson stuffy. "Alright then. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

"The pleasure is all mines dear. As I recall, you're that pretty detective my Alexandra worked with."

Olivia seemed surprised. "Alex mentioned me?"

"Actually I remember you from her funeral. You spoke quite eloquently." Bella said quietly recalling the sad occasion.

Olivia took a breath and nodded. "Yes." Was her only response.

"But I got an earful from Alexandra too. I assume you're the one that my dear niece was daydreaming about for years."

Alex blushed. "Aunt Bella!"

"What? Well you were!" Bella turned back to Olivia and winked. "Every time we spoke on the phone, the conversation somehow always ended up about this frustratingly stubborn female detective that just happened to be unbelievably beautiful. Isn't that how you described her, Alexandra?"

Alex groaned with embarrassment and glared at a smirking Olivia.

"Leave the girl alone, Bell. I rarely get a chance to see my favorite niece and I will not have you running her off when she does decide to grace us with her presence." Came a deep accented voice behind them.

They all turned and saw a thin dark-haired woman approaching. She had tanned olive skin with the most soulful dark eyes. When she smiled, dimples appeared in her high cheek bones. She reminded Olivia of a young Sophia Loren. Alex walked right into the woman's arms and laughed when she found herself lifted off her feet in a bear hug. Olivia's eyes widened at the older woman's strength.

"Welcome back darling!"

"Hi Aunt Theo. How is it that you look younger every time I see you?" Alex said looking the woman over.

Theo laughed joyfully. "Easy darling. I enjoy life… but good wine and athletic sex help too."

Alex laughed heartily as she turned back to Olivia. "Liv, this is my other aunt, Theodora Stavros. Aunt Theo, this is Olivia."

"Wonderful to meet you, Olivia." She gave Olivia a kiss on each cheek. "I'm Bella's much better half of thirty years."

Olivia raised a brow in Alex's direction. 'Well aren't you a load of surprises.' Olivia said to herself.

Alex caught the look and knew Olivia was wondering why she had never mentioned the older couple before. It wasn't that she was hiding the fact that she had an aunt in a committed lesbian relationship or that she was ashamed; quite the contrary. She adored her aunts and often found herself hoping to one day have what they shared. Their relationship was simply something that had always been a part of Alex's life. It was normal. They also happened to live half way across the world so it rarely came up in conversation. Olivia was shaking her head at her with a smirk that said 'we will talk about this later.' Alex simply shrugged her shoulders sheepishly and nodded.

"Well, come on inside you two. I hope you brought an appetite because dinner is already on the table."

Theo took Alex by the hand and started talking a mile a minute filling the young woman in on the happenings around the area. Olivia felt Bella link arms with her. The blonde gave her a sweet smile. "I hope you know that girl has been pining away for you for years now."

Olivia swallowed hard feeling the heat of familiar blue eyes staring a hole through her. "The feeling was and is mutual."

"That's good to know, but you know I'm going to have to give you the 'if you hurt her I'll hurt you back' speech right?"

Olivia nodded and bit back a laugh. "Yes, ma'am. I would expect nothing less."

Bella grinned. "Oh, now you're going to go and make me like you."

"I wouldn't dare, Aunt Bella." Olivia said mischievously.

Bella rolled her eyes. "You're a smartass just like her. No wonder Alexandra loves you."

Alex sighed and sat back rubbing her stomach. "This is why I can't stay here longer than a visit. I'd be big as a house if I ate like this every day. How you two stay so thin, is beyond me."

Theo opened her mouth to speak only for Bella to cover it with her hand. "Don't you even think about it."

Alex laughed and shook her head. She knew her Theo was about to say something about sex. The older woman had no problem letting anyone who asked that she and Bella had an active sex life. Theo often said that just because she was older didn't mean her sex drive had to die.

Olivia smirked. She had thoroughly enjoyed watching the older couple going back and forth all throughout dinner. It was obvious that they adored one another, even if they argued most of the time.

"So, you two have been together for over thirty years?" Olivia asked. "That's unbelievable because neither of you look older than thirty yourselves."

Bella fanned herself. "Oh my…she's a charmer, Alexandra."

"I know. Why do you think I keep her around?" Alex said giving Olivia a loving look.

Bella smiled wistfully at them. "Oh, aren't they sweet, Theo?"

"If they get any sweeter, I'm going to need insulin." Theo quipped causing Alex and Olivia to laugh.

Bella hit Theo playfully and looked at Olivia. "This is what thirty years together will do to you."

"It looks pretty good from where I'm sitting." Olivia said softly.

"And to think, we actually have Alexandra to thank for it."

Olivia frowned and looked at Alex who was rolling her eyes humorously. "What did you have to do with it? You couldn't have been more than seven when they met."

Alex nodded. "I was six actually. We were all on a family vacation here in Greece. We were sight-seeing in the marketplace and I somehow got separated from the group."

"More like you ran off like a bat out of hell." Bella said with a laugh as she turned back to Olivia. "Alexandra had a tendency to go off exploring at inopportune times. We were all a nervous wreck when she wandered off. Here we were in this foreign country in a busy marketplace. Anything could have happened to her."

"Well, luckily someone came to my rescue." Alex said smiling at Theo. "I wandered into this little restaurant and bumped right into the nicest woman."

Olivia caught on. "Theo?"

Theo nodded. "I was home from university that summer and working in my father's restaurant to make some extra money. I was out front seating people that day when I felt this tug on my apron. I looked down and saw this little angel looking up at me with missing teeth and the biggest blue eyes. She asked me if I knew where her mommy and daddy were. It was the most adorable sight. She wasn't afraid in the slightest. She said that I looked trustworthy and asked if I would alert the police for her because she was sure that her parents were beside themselves with worry."

Olivia laughed. "So you've always had a big vocabulary huh?"

Alex blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I called the police for her then we sat down and had a lovely chat over ice cream. She told me all about her parents and her favorite aunt that was with them. I couldn't' believe she was only six. I found her utterly charming."

"How long did it take for your parents to find you?" Olivia asked.

"I think I was with Aunt Theo for about an hour before the police arrived with my parents. Man, were they pissed!" Alex laughed as she recalled the memory.

"Rightfully so. Your aunt is right. Anything could have happened to you." Olivia said giving her a stern look.

"Oh, Aunt Bella was pissed too… until she laid eyes on my rescuer." Alex smirked. "After that, she wasn't so mad at me anymore."

Olivia watched Bella and Theo look at one another lovingly. She could tell they were reliving that moment again. She could almost feel the love flowing between them. 'So this was what loving someone for a lifetime looked like.' Olivia thought to herself.

"Alexandra introduced me to her parents then pointed behind them to her favorite aunt. I look up and there is this incredibly beautiful woman standing there with golden hair that went on forever and eyes as blue as the Aegean. I was dumbstruck and unable to speak. That had never happened to me before."

Alex melted when she saw her Aunt Bella blush at Theo's words.

"And I saw Theo standing there holding Alexandra's hand. I don't know what came over me. I fell in love the moment I saw her." Bella leaned over and kissed Theo on the cheek. "It's too bad that my new husband was standing next to me at the time."

Olivia nearly spit out her tea. Everyone else chuckled.

"You were married?!"

Bella nodded. "A newlywed actually. This was not your typical love story to say the least. It was all quite messy, but so worth it."

Alex met Olivia's eyes and they stared at one another for a long moment both thinking about Bella's words.

Bella grinned at them. "To make a long story short, I met my soul mate that day because of Alexandra. I suppose that's why I've let her get away with murder over the years."

Olivia placed her hand over her heart. "That has got to be the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"I tried to forget her. I really did." Theo said winking at Bella. "But what can I say? There's just something about those damn Grayson women."

Olivia looked at Alex and smiled. "Yeah. They are pretty special."

"Olivia, would you care to see the grounds?" Theo asked. She gestured to Alex and Bella talking softly across the room. "I think the Grayson women need a moment alone."

Olivia nodded. "I think you're right. I'd love to see the grounds, Theo."

Alex gave them a strange look as they got up to leave. "Where are you two off to?"

"Theo is going to give me a tour of the place. Why don't you and you and Bella catch up? I won't be long." Olivia said following Theo out.

Olivia walked the grounds with Theo in silence for a long while. Every now and then the older woman would point out various special places and tell her a story about a younger Alex. They finally ended up near a small cottage off from the main house.

"I know Bella probably already said this, but I'm going to again because I feel like I have to."

Olivia stood there in silence with her hands behind her back.

"Alexandra is very special to Bella and me. She's the closest thing we ever had to a daughter."

"It's very easy to see how much you two adore her." Olivia said.

"I love that girl as much as I love my own son."

"I suppose you want to know what my intentions are towards her."

"Actually, I think I already know. I'm not blind. I can see that you love her. You look at her the way I looked at Bella when we first met." Theo stared at Olivia intensely for a moment. "Alexandra may not seem like it, but she is a traditional woman, Olivia. She may do some unconventional things at times, but she doesn't take giving her heart lightly."

"Neither do I."

"I know that I shouldn't speculate, but Bella had an interesting theory about you; something about you not drinking the wine at dinner." Theo said glancing at Olivia's midsection before giving the brunette a knowing look. "Some would say you have a certain glow about you."

Olivia blinked in surprise. She swallowed and took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Did Alex say something?"

"No. My Bella is just very perceptive like that. Nothing gets past her. Our son says that she's tougher than the damn FBI." Theo said rolling her eyes. She looked back at Olivia again. "So I'm guessing she was right?"

Olivia nodded nervously. The last thing she wanted to do was alienate Alex from her family. "Yes."

"Oh, stop worrying. I didn't bring you out here to try to scare you away from Alex. That would break that girl's heart and I would never stand for that."

"So why did you bring me out here then?"

"Because I wanted to tell you the rest of the story about me, Bella... and our son." Theo said as she started walking again.

Olivia dutifully followed and listened as Theo told her an unbelievable tale. By the time they had reached the main house, she was nearly in tears, but hopeful at the same time.

"So, trust me when I say that I can relate."

"Any advice?"

"Yes. You trust one another, love one another and remember what brought you together in the first place. Everything else will work itself out."

Across the vineyard, Alex and Bella sat out on the second floor balcony and enjoyed the gentle night breeze from the sea. Alex fidgeted nervously wondering what her other aunt was saying to Olivia at the moment. She didn't even notice Bella staring at her.

"So how far along is she?" Bella asked out of the blue as she sipped her wine.

Alex started slightly. "What…"

"Alexandra, I don't get the chance to see you as often as I'd like. Let's not waste the time we have together."

Alex sighed. "She's ten weeks. How did you know?"

"She didn't touch the wine during dinner and everyone loves the wine here. She also turned a lovely shade of green when she caught the scent of salmon in the air. I was the same way when I was pregnant with your cousin, Philip." Bella eyed her niece closely. "I assume that since you two just recently became a couple that this pregnancy was a bit of a surprise."

Alex nodded. "Surprise doesn't even cover it. It was more like a bombshell… for both of us."

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into, Alexandra?"

"No." Alex answered honestly. "I just know that I love her."

The older woman nodded slowly. "I certainly remember what that feels like."

"I know everything is complicated and it's bound to be even more complex once this baby gets here, but… I…" Alex struggled with her words.

"You can't live without her." Bella finished.

Alex nodded. "Are you upset with me?"

"Alexandra, why on earth would you think such a thing? I left my new husband after I laid eyes on Theo. I'm hardly one to judge." She squeezed Alex's hand. "I know what it feels like to finally meet your soul mate and not have things go as planned. But that's life for you; it doesn't always follow a script darling."

"My head tells me that this could end quite badly for me, but my heart won't let me walk away."

"From what I could tell, Olivia seems quite enamored with you. I like her a lot. She didn't even flinch when I gave her the talk earlier. She spoke openly about how much she loved you. She told me that she has loved you for years. I could see the truth in her eyes. I was impressed and a bit disappointed. You know how I enjoy scaring your admirers."

Alex laughed. "I'm sure Aunt Theo is giving it a try right now."

Bella chuckled. "Theo has always had a soft spot for you."

"And Philip." Alex added referring to her cousin.

Very few people knew that Bella Grayson had found out that she was pregnant shortly after meeting Theodora Stavros. She and her new husband had only been married for three short months. It had been a difficult decision, but Bella knew that she could not live in a loveless relationship. So after only a few months of marriage and at the disappointment of most of her family, Bella filed for divorce despite being pregnant. After learning that his new young wife wanted to leave him for another woman, Bella's husband didn't put up a fight; he wanted nothing to do with her or the child. Alone, afraid, and pregnant, Bella went back to Greece hoping to find Theo still waiting for her. Standing in the middle of a busy little restaurant, she nervously declared her love for Theo and told her about the pregnancy knowing there was a good chance the other woman could very well turn her away. But Theo had simply opened her arms and accepted the child without a second thought. Theo had stepped in and raised Philip as if he were her own. It wasn't your typical love story, but Alex thought it was a beautiful one just the same. If anyone could understand what she and Olivia were going through, it was her Aunt Bella and Aunt Theo.

"How is Cousin Philip by the way?"

"He's fine, still chasing women." Bella rolled her eyes. "I don't think that boy will ever settle down. He's almost too charming for his own good. He definitely takes after his other mother in that respect."

"Are you talking about my darling son?" Theo asked as she and Olivia returned.

"You're the only one who considers him a darling. I was just catching Alexandra up on his latest shenanigans."

"So my boy appreciates beautiful women. You can hardly blame him for that." Theo said in her son's defense.

Bella rolled her eyes. "He appreciates a different beautiful woman every week. I'm terrified that I might have dozens of grandchildren out there."

"Would you stop worrying? I taught the boy well."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Before long, Theo and Bella were having another heated debate; this time over the current state of their son's love life. Alex moved over and pulled Olivia down next to her.

"How was your walk?"

"Very enlightening. Theo and I had quite a talk… about your cousin Philip and how he came into her life." Olivia said knowingly.

Alex nodded. "Interesting story isn't it?"

"Is that why this has been so easy for you to accept?"

"I can accept this because I love you." Alex said sincerely.

Olivia nodded then looked over at Bella and Theo who were still in the middle of a heated discussion. She couldn't help but see the similarities between the older couple and her and Alex.

"I wonder if we'll be like that in thirty years." Olivia asked.

Alex watched her aunts burst into laughter as if they hadn't even been arguing. She smiled. "If we're lucky we will."

Later that night, Alex awoke to find herself alone in bed. She found her discarded robe and slipped it on before wandering out into the living area. She could hear the sounds of the waves coming through the open patio doors off from the living room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw Olivia sitting out on the beach watching the waves. She grabbed the small throw off the back of the sofa and headed outside.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?"

Olivia held her hand up and helped Alex sit next to her. She snuggled in closer as Alex wrapped the throw around them. They sat in complete silence and watched the waves for what seemed like forever. Alex really wanted to ask Olivia what was on her mind, but she figured it might be best to allow Olivia to talk when she was ready.

"I can remember the exact moment I knew I loved you." Olivia said out of the blue.

"You do?"

"Yes." Olivia said softly. She could feel Alex's eyes on her, but never took her eyes away from the waves. "It was during the Darrell Guan case."

Alex ran through the hundreds of cases they'd worked on together over the years. Suddenly, it hit her. "The guy who tried to use being a product of rape as a defense."

Olivia nodded. "I've seen a lot of things on this job over the years, but that case scared me the most."

Alex had a good idea why, but she had to ask. "Why?"

"Because he was me. Darrell Guan's life was ruined because he had to live with the way he was conceived every day of his life."

"Darrell Guan ruined his own life, not his conception. He made the choice to do those horrible things. That had nothing to do with being a product of rape. You and Darrell Guan are nothing alike." Alex said adamantly.

Olivia found herself smiling a little as she continued to watch the waves. "That's how I knew."

"What do you mean?"

Olivia finally turned and looked into Alex's blue eyes. "When you gave your closing arguments, you said that life was about choices; that we all have to choose what kind of person we are going to be. No one's life is predestined based on conception. I knew you were talking to me. You were trying to convince me that I wasn't like him. I sat in the back of that courtroom and I felt every heartfelt word you spoke. I knew that you could see beyond all my crap and just see me. That's when I knew I loved you."

Alex blinked trying to hold back her tears realizing how many years had passed since then. "You never said anything."

Olivia sighed heavily. "I was the biggest coward when it came to you, Cabot. I looked at you and I thought that there was no way you could ever feel the same way…so I settled for what I could get. You were important to me. You were my friend. I mean…you sat there in your office and didn't blink an eye when I told you about my mother and how I was conceived. You never looked at me differently or with pity. You were just… you. It hurt like hell knowing that I couldn't have you the way that my heart wanted, but I couldn't bear to lose you as a friend too. I was just too afraid to take that chance."

"You can't know how much I wanted to hold you that day. I just wanted to wrap you in my arms and chase everything else away."

"You did, Alex. Don't you understand? You made everything better just by being
there." Olivia reached out and wiped Alex's stray tears away. "You still do."

Alex leaned in and kissed Olivia soundly. "Thank you for telling me that."

"There are so many things we should have talked about before now."

They sat in silence for a long time again. "How is it that we were best friends all those years and I never knew about Bella and Theo?"

Alex laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that."

"They really are amazing. They adore you."

"They were wonderful to me when I was growing up. I always knew there were at least two people in this world who I could relate to... that understood me."

"So why didn't you tell me about them?"

"Would you believe me if I said that it just never came up?" Alex asked sheepishly.

"Not likely."

"Well, believe it or not, it just didn't come up. You knew how I was about keeping personal and professional separate. I rarely talked about any of my family, let alone my aunts that lived in another country."

Olivia nodded. She had to agree. There were things that she had never told Alex either. "Can we make a pact to not do that anymore? I really want to know everything there is to know about you. I find you kind of fascinating, Counselor."

This made Alex smile. She gave Olivia a quick kiss on the cheek and held out her pinky. "Pinky swear… no more secrets between us."

Olivia laughed. "What are we ten?"

"Hey, pinky swearing is sacred!"

"Alright then." Olivia linked pinkies with Alex and pulled the blonde into a deep kiss. "Pinky swear… no more secrets."

"I love you, Liv." Alex whispered as she pulled Olivia close.

"I love you too, Alex."

Their time in Greece would be a vacation they would remember for many years. They had shared romantic walks on the beach; watched amazing sunsets while lying in the hammock, enjoyed incredible food in exotic restaurants, and visited Alex's beloved aunts as well as the ruins of ancient cities of long ago. But if either were honest, they most enjoyed the quiet moments alone making love on a whim and just being able to talk without interruption. They had learned so much more about one another even after twelve years.

Alex sat on the bed and looked out over the vast sea and sighed with contentment. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she had been this happy. She was in one of the most beautiful places in the world with one of the most beautiful women in the world. Life couldn't get much better than this. A part of her was worried about going back to the real world, their world that now included a baby on the way and the baby's father.

Tomorrow they would leave this safe haven. There were moments when Alex wished she could keep Olivia here forever. Here, she didn't have to share her with anyone. Olivia was just hers.

"A penny for them?" Olivia asked towelling off from her shower. She had gone out to their beach for a quick swim while Alex napped.

Alex allowed her eyes to wander over Olivia's well toned body. It was appropriate that they were in Greece because Olivia was built like a Greek goddess.

"Hmm?"

Olivia chuckled. "I said a penny for your thoughts. You looked like you were in deep thought there, Counselor."

"I was just thinking about going home tomorrow. I'm going to miss you."

Olivia frowned. She slipped on her robe and climbed on the bed. "Am I going somewhere that I'm not aware of?"

"No, but you'll be going back to work and to your own apartment." Alex pouted. "I won't have you all to myself anymore. I think you've spoiled me.

Olivia smiled softly before kissing her gently on the lips. "Baby, Bella told me all about your childhood. You were already spoiled long before I came along."

Alex tried to glare at her put couldn't. She laughed. Olivia pulled her into her arms and kissed her forehead. "We'll work it out, Alex. We'll just have to make the time."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

TBC...

Next Time: Life After Greece