[I'm SO sorry. I know it's been an appalling wait. Work has been crazy. Apologies to anyone who still cares after all this time!]

Olivia felt her cellphone vibrate in her pocket. She hoped it would be a message from Alex, who had been away in Washington for the past five days, and Olivia was missing her so acutely it was almost physically painful.

She was happy for Alex that she had been selected for the high-level government consultation group, and she knew that spending time with Liz wouldn't hurt her career any, so she had smiled and encouraged her wife when she had raised the subject of the trip. But now Olivia was regretting it. Alex wasn't due back until late the following afternoon, so she would just have time to come in and change before they all headed to Alex's mother's old house for the weekend.

Olivia knew that Alex was dreading going to the house; it held so many memories for her, a lot of them unpleasant. But they had agreed that the whole family would go, and enjoy themselves, and chat more about what changes would be made to the building to transform it into the rehabilitation center they had planned.

Olivia pulled her cellphone from her pocket, and her heart lightened at the message that was, indeed, from her beloved wife.

Coming back tonight instead; Liz got us an early pass. Should be home by 9pm-ish. Love you.

Olivia bit back a sob. Only six hours until she would have Alex in her arms again.

"You okay there, partner?" Elliot asked astutely. He had seen Olivia's mobile face giving away her emotions.

She looked up and smiled at him. He was a kind man, and he knew how she hated being separated from Alex. "She's coming home tonight," she said happily, as she started to text a message to Alex.

Best news ever. What time do you land? I'll get Sarah to sit, and I'll meet your plane.

A moment later, the phone buzzed again.

No need, Liz will drop me. Missing you so much. Are you okay?

I am now. We're all fine. Girls will be so excited. I love you so much.

Olivia ran her hand over her six-month-pregnant belly, and smiled again.

"You thinking you'll get lucky tonight then?" Elliot teased.

Olivia threw her pencil at him. "Neanderthal," she muttered affectionately, and stood up. "You want sprinkles?" she asked him, as she shrugged on her jacket.

"Benson doing the doughnut run," Munch observed. "Somebody's had good news. Not anticipating much sleep tonight, detective?" he grinned lasciviously.

"You're all pervs," Olivia held her head high as she stalked out of the squadroom.

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Delayed. Again. Now set to land at 11.40pm. So sorry baby. Go to bed.

Olivia sighed as she read the message. She knew Alex was exhausted, and when she had called her an hour ago, she had sounded tense and slightly brittle, which Olivia knew meant that she just needed to sleep.

I love you.

Olivia didn't want to tell Alex she would wait up for her, as she knew it would just worry her. But she also knew there was no way she would sleep when she knew that the blonde attorney was on her way back. Back to her; back to their family. Olivia felt the baby shift in her belly, and felt tears spring to her eyes. They were already so blessed. In a few short months, the family would be complete.

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00.24am

Olivia leapt to her feet when she heard the key turn in the lock. Alex looked shattered as she came through the door, but her smile was wide when she saw her wife.

Alex had meant it when she told Olivia to go to bed, but she was unbelievably grateful that she hadn't. As she melted into her embrace, she just wanted to cry. In just five days, she had started to panic that she had forgotten what Olivia's touch felt like. But here she was, her touch so familiar, so reassuring. The scent of her shampoo, and the smell of her skin were just intoxicating. Alex's head was pounding, but she forgot all about the pain when she felt Olivia's strong arms encircle her.

They clung to each other for several minutes, not saying anything. Eventually, Alex pulled back slightly. She touched Olivia's face, and smiled. She leant in for a kiss – a deep, tender, languorous kiss that made her heart fill with joy. "I love you," Alex tried to keep her voice steady.

"I love you too, baby," Olivia whispered. She looked closely at Alex's face, taking in the pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes. "So how bad is that headache?" she asked softly.

Alex was startled. "How did you...?"

Olivia smiled. "I know you," she said, reaching out to flick the main lights out, so only the desk lamp illuminated the room.

Alex was relieved; the harsh glare was making her headache worse.

"So?" Olivia persisted, as she picked up Alex's suitcase and pushed it against the wall.

"I've had worse," Alex admitted, rolling her neck to try and relieve some of the tension.

"You should have a long, hot shower," Olivia said. And then they both heard it.

"Mama," came the whimper from Maisie's room.

Olivia smiled, resignedly. "I'll go. You take a shower, huh? And then I'll give you a massage, get some of those knots out," she could tell by Alex's posture that she was stiff as hell.

Alex gave her a grateful look, as she wandered toward their bedroom, shrugging off her jacket as she went.

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Ten minutes later, Olivia was rocking a half-asleep Maisie. The toddler had awoken with a nightmare, and just needed soothing. There was a noise, and she looked up, to see Alex, dressed in pajama pants and a camisole, her blonde hair lying damply about her shoulders.

Maisie looked up, and saw Alex. "Mommy!" she cried.

Alex smiled, and lifted her from Olivia's arms. She held her close, smiling as Maisie burrowed into her front. "Mommy," Maisie repeated, happily.

Olivia moved from the chair and guided Alex into it. She stood and watched, and her heart broke at Alex's selflessness. Alex looked like death warmed over, but she still put her child before herself.

Alex saw Olivia's expression, and smiled. She knew what she was thinking. "I'm okay," she mouthed.

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Maisie was soon asleep, so Olivia took her from Alex's arms, and laid her down tenderly. Without speaking, she took Alex's hand and guided her to the bedroom. Alex sank gratefully onto the bed, refusing to release Olivia's hand until she had kissed her once more.

"Massage," Olivia said softly.

"That'd be great," Alex knew that Olivia's healing hands would make all the difference.

Olivia prompted her to raise her arms as she pulled the camisole off her. Just the sight of Alex's creamy skin made her happy. Very tenderly, she leant down and kissed each pale, pink nipple. "I've missed you too," she said, happy to hear the small chuckle that Alex gave. She pushed Alex gently onto the bed. "On your front, baby," she whispered. "Just gonna get the oil."

"Liv?" Alex tried not to sound too pathetic. "Unscented?"

Olivia nodded. She knew what that meant; Alex was feeling queasy. Her headache must be intense. "You taken something?"

"Yeah," Alex said.

"You'll let me know if you need anything else?" Olivia knew that Alex hated the Ergotamine suppositories that she occasionally had to resort to.

"I swear," Alex said. "It's not that bad. And I've got tomorrow off; Liz said to have a long weekend."

Olivia started the massage slowly, wanting to warm up Alex's muscles before she dug in. She wasn't surprised Alex's head was pounding; her tendons were like steel. Slowly, she worked her way up and down her spine, hating the occasional hiss that Alex couldn't suppress when she worked at a particularly stubborn knot.

The massage lasted nearly an hour, and by the time Olivia snuggled into the bed, Alex was asleep.

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Olivia crept out of bed at 6.30am the next day, determined to get to Maisie's room to turn off the monitor before the toddler made her presence felt. Maisie was already sitting up in her crib, playing with the toy hedgehog Lily had given her. She gave a heart-stopping smile to Olivia. Olivia lifted her out of the crib and held her to her briefly. "We gotta get you a proper bed," she smiled. "You're getting so big."

Alex awoke at 9.14am, blinking blearily. For a brief moment, she didn't know where she was. Then she smiled as she realized she was no longer in that lonely hotel room in Washington. She shrugged on her robe. She could hear Olivia and Maisie in the kitchen. She was sad to have missed Lily, who would be at pre-school by now.

Olivia was at the sink, rinsing plates, so she didn't hear Alex come up behind her. Alex put her arms around her, her hands resting on Olivia's pregnant belly. "Morning," Alex said.

Olivia grinned, and turned in Alex's embrace. She was relieved to see that she had regained much of her color, and looked rested and happy. "Hey, baby," Olivia said. "We were just wondering if you were going to sleep all day, weren't we Maisie?" she teased.

Maisie grinned. "You tired, Mommy?" she asked.

"Not any more, doodlebug," Alex stroked her cheek lovingly. "I had a real good sleep."

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"What about these?" Jay pulled a pair of jeans out of the bag and held them up.

"They're great," Sarah smiled. Jay had taken Tommy shopping, and they had bought him a whole new wardrobe. Sarah knew that he had grown a little since they had brought him home from the hospital, but she also knew that Jay wanted to make sure he was properly dressed for the weekend with the family. "It's all great," she smiled, as she stood up from office chair. "You come sit here, Tommy," she lifted their son onto the seat. She took her wife in her arms. "You did good," she kissed Jay softly. "I know how much you hate shopping, but these are all great. And I'm betting you looked real handsome in everything, huh?" she smiled at Tommy.

Jay smiled sheepishly. "I got carried away, didn't I?" she laughed at herself.

"No," Sarah protested. "This is all great. It's nice to spoil him from time to time. And he needed jeans. And these shirts. And this sweater is just so cute."

"We got you something too," Jay said. "Tommy helped me pick it out."

Tommy smiled. "It's real pretty, Mommy," he said.

"Turn around," Jay said. "And shut your eyes." She lifted Sarah's hair, and kissed her softly on the back of the neck. She fixed the delicate gold necklace round her neck. "It's just plain. I hope you like it."

Sarah could feel the chain on her skin. She went into her private bathroom, and looked in the mirror. She came out again, and saw the anxious look on her wife's face. "It's beautiful," she said softly. "It's so beautiful. It's perfect. You did a real good job, Tommy," she smiled at him, rejoicing as his face lit up. He had had so much trauma in his short life, seeing such pleasure was a real thrill.

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"Will we be there soon?" Lily asked Olivia, as she drove. "I wanna play in the swimming pool."

"Ten minutes," Alex turned in her seat and smiled at Lily. "And we'll play in the pool tomorrow, it'll be too late tonight, by the time we've eaten."

"But Mommy...," Lily started to protest.

"We can explore some of the house tonight," Alex said, in a tone that brooked no disagreement. "And you can play with Tommy, and Molly," Alex smiled as she thought of her brother's youngest child. They had originally planned for the whole family to come, but Graham's four oldest children were all staying with friends, so he had decided to come just with his wife Carla and their seven-year-old daughter.

"Okay, Mommy," Lily said happily.

Olivia could tell that Alex was tense; she lay her right hand gently on Alex's thigh. Alex placed her hand over it, and squeezed her fingers.

A few minutes later, they pulled off the road and started up a long driveway. Alex took a deep breath. She saw Olivia's anxious face. "I'm fine," she whispered.

They parked in front of the house, and Lily took off like a bullet when she saw Graham, cannoning into him and demanding a hug. Alex smiled. She took Olivia's hand. "I'll tell you a secret about this place later," she whispered with a grin.

Olivia looked surprised, but she smiled back.

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"You look beautiful," Robyn said when Amy came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a deep burgundy dress, and her dark hair was piled artfully on the top of her head. The dress afforded a tasteful glimpse of her cleavage.

Amy smiled, trying not to betray her nervousness. "So do you," she said. She had always admired Robyn in pants; she looked sharp and strong, and unbelievably sexy.

"We don't have to do this," Robyn took her in her arms and held her gently.

"I want to," Robyn said. "I just … I hope … if," she stumbled on her words.

"If you need to leave at any point, that's what we'll do. Right away," Robyn promised.

"It's only dinner," Amy said, trying to reassure herself. "Oh God. Why am I so pathetic? I'm so sorry, Rob. You shouldn't have to keep taking care of me," she felt the old panic rising, and she pulled out of Robyn's grasp.

Robyn let her go, knowing that if she tried to touch her now it could send her into a full-blown panic attack. She was relieved that Amy didn't go and hide in the bedroom, as she had done so many times before. She just stood, looking helpless in the middle of the living room.

Robyn put out her hand, hoping against hope that Amy would take it. She felt sheer relief when Amy's soft skin touched hers. "Let's sit," she said, softly, and led them to the couch.

She sat next to Amy, her hand still in hers. "Just take a few deep breaths. There, that's it."

"I hate this," Amy said. "I don't want you to have to take care of me all the time," she sounded so sad.

"Why not? There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Robyn told her. "I want to take care of you. You've been sick, my darling. And you're getting better. You really are. You haven't thrown up your dinner for over a week, right?"

Amy looked guilty. "Wednesday," she whispered. "I tried not to. Really. I just felt so sick."

"That's still a massive improvement. You're looking so much better. Amy, honey, look at me," Robyn asked. "If it were me that was sick, you'd stay with me? God, you did that time when I had bronchitis, remember, when you were working at the hotel? You took a week off work."

"This has been going on a lot longer than a week," Amy said.

"It doesn't matter. You'll be okay. We'll be okay. And we'll be together. Now let's call for some take-out," Robyn said.

Amy shook her head. She stood up, and held out both her hands. Robyn allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Amy kissed her softly. "I've booked for 7pm. We should avoid the rush that way. C'mon, I want to take my girl out to dinner."

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Olivia closed the door that adjoined their room with the room that Maisie and Lily were sharing. Alex sat on their bed, and smiled as Olivia walked toward her, standing between Alex's legs. Alex placed both hands on Olivia's belly. "You still feeling okay?" she wanted to know.

Olivia smiled. "Never better," she said.

"And how's my baby?" Alex caressed the bump.

"Your baby is behaving very nicely at the moment."

"No nausea?" Alex worried at the speed with which Olivia was still occasionally struck down by violent morning sickness.

"Not for ages," Olivia kissed her tenderly, her libido ratcheting sharply when Alex tweaked a nipple. "So, Counselor, you said you had a secret?"

Alex laughed. She looked over to check the door was shut. "I do," she grinned.

"About this place?"

Alex nodded. "Well, more specifically about the pool house," she teased. She pressed one hand against Olivia's center through her maternity pants, laughing as she heard Olivia groan.

"Spill," Olivia said, her voice higher-pitched as she tried to suppress a squeak as Alex kissed her neck.

Alex grinned; she placed her mouth by Olivia's ear. "I lost my virginity in that pool house," she said.

Olivia let out another groan; the images that that idea conjured were just too much. "Alex," she croaked. "Oh God, Alexandra," Olivia felt Alex's hand slide under her shirt.

"Something wrong, detective?" Alex teased. She took Olivia's hand, and very deliberately pushed it down the front of her own jeans.

Olivia felt the welcoming moisture, and bit back a cry.

Alex cupped her face, and kissed her passionately. She then pulled back suddenly, and moved across the room, grinning when she saw the look of disappointment on Olivia's face. She reached into her purse, and withdrew a key hanging from a large wooden key fob. She gestured to the en-suite bathroom. "Grab the towels," she instructed a confused Olivia.

"Lex? What …?"

"Just get them, detective. You won't regret it," Alex held up the key.

Olivia could clearly see the words 'pool house' written on the fob in black marker pen. "You gotta be kidding me," she breathed, her nipples tightening at the idea.

Alex smiled, and took her by the hand.

"What about the girls?" Olivia wanted to know, even as she followed Alex down the corridor to the large, elegant staircase.

"Sarah and Jay have got the monitor. I told them we were going to have a swim."

"And are we?"

"If you still have the energy, sure, we'll swim," Alex teased.