Title: Crazy Campers

Genre: Family/humor

Rating: G

"Okay, whose stupid idea was this, anyway?"

"Shhh!" Olivia elbows her girlfriend gently in the ribs when she hears the question being grumbled under her breath, hoping the kids aren't listening as she leans over to place her lips right next to Amanda's ear and whisper a helpful reminder. "And this stupid idea was yours, so no complaining."

"So, I just have to sit here and put up with it, then?" the other woman scoffs in response, gesturing toward their hyper children who are taking turns tossing pillows at her head and giggling madly.

"Well, you did tell them they could do whatever they wanted on this pretend camping trip to make up for missing out on the real one," Olivia reasons mildly, knowing it would probably be a good idea to put a stop to the situation before it gets out of hand but enjoying watching Amanda pout so adorably.

Their mock camping trip is taking place in the living room of their apartment and substituting for the real thing, since the weather has been terrible this weekend and they had been unable to take the kids on the outing they had planned; both Noah and Jesse bursting into tears when the sad news had been delivered. Olivia and Amanda had scrambled to put an end to the disappointment and tried to make the setting as realistic as possible, erecting a tent in the middle of the floor and making S'mores in the toaster oven. They had plastered glow-in-the-dark plastic stars along the walls and ceiling and have kept most of the lights turned off, letting the kids use flashlights now that it's grown dark as they try to recreate the magic of sleeping outdoors.

The TV has been shut off for the entire evening, no movies or shows allowed, and a pillow fight had erupted just as everyone was settling down for the night after squishing into the tent together, alongside Frannie. The dog is like having a third child, Frannie just as gleeful as the kids are to be sleeping in such an unusual place, and it has been hard trying to contain the enormous amount of excitement that is literally shaking the flimsy walls of their dwelling.

Noah and Jesse have developed a strange habit of pausing whenever they are in the middle of a pillow fight, one of them standing stock-still in order to purposely let the other hit them in the face with a pillow while laughing hysterically during the process. Olivia and Amanda try to discourage this activity every time they see it displayed as they don't want anyone to get hurt, but before either of them had uttered a word this time, the kids had suddenly turned on Amanda and attacked her with pillows, the blonde detective screeching dramatically and eliciting more high-pitched shrieks of laughter.

"Alright, guys, cool it," Olivia warns with a chuckle as Amanda burrows into the side of her body, jokingly begging for help. "Be careful of her leg, please."

The blonde detective has healed from the injury she had sustained in the field a few weeks prior but Olivia still wants to be careful, her heart melting when she sees Jesse drop the pillow she is holding and lean over to press a sloppy kiss to her mother's previously wounded leg.

"Sorry, Mommy 'Manda," Noah murmurs in reply before grinning cheekily and swiping at her with the pillow again, apparently trying to get in one last hit in case it's taken away from him.

"Yeah, you don't seem too remorseful there, buddy," Amanda smirks with a roll of her eyes, reaching out to poke the little boy in the ribs.

Olivia feels a rush of warmth at the name her son has taken to calling her girlfriend since they had moved in together, the kids having adopted special nicknames for them, as Jesse continually refers to her as 'Livvy'. She pulls Amanda more tightly into her embrace, playfully protecting her from the possible onslaught of more pillows and the thought of marriage running through her brain as she observes their little family goofing around together.

The topic has been on Olivia's mind a lot lately, ever since Amanda had repeatedly brought it up during her drug-induced rambling after being injured, and she has found herself entertaining the idea of taking that final, permanent step with the woman she loves and further solidifying their family unit. Their cheerful, chaotic home has brought more happiness to Olivia's life than she ever thought possible and provides a much-needed respite from the stress of the precinct, a smile spreading across her face as she watches Noah interacting so animatedly with Jesse.

Her son is just as happy as she is with their new arrangement and this fills Olivia with an indescribable joy, surprised to find tears suddenly pricking at her eyelids at she takes in the silly scene before her, Noah holding one of the flashlights below his face to illuminate the scary expression he is making and Jesse giggling in response.

"You alright there, Liv?" Amanda whispers into her ear with concern, feeling the younger woman giving her waist a tender squeeze. "I know the pillow fight was annoying but I didn't think it was bad enough to induce tears."

"I'm not crying," Olivia mutters as she swallows against the lump in her throat and discreetly wipes her cheek against her shoulder before the kids take notice.

"Oh, really? Why does my thumb feel wet, then?" Amanda teases lightly, Olivia's eyelids fluttering closed as the digit strokes back and forth across the damp skin of her face. "I'm just wondering why my badass lieutenant is getting all choked up during our lighthearted living room camp-out. What's going on, honey?"

"Nothing's going on," Olivia assures the smaller woman, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead and feeling Frannie snuggle up beside them, the dog always seeming to know when she needs an extra cuddle. "I'm just happy, that's all."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Liv," Amanda replies softly, smoothing Olivia's hair back from her face as those big blue eyes penetrate so deeply into her own brown orbs. "I'm happy too. Happier than I've ever been before, in fact."

Olivia's smile widens as they stare at each other in the shadowy confines of the tent and she finds herself becoming lost in Amanda's gaze, everything else dimming in her hearing for a moment until a pillow suddenly comes whizzing through the air and bounces right off the side of her head. The spell is swiftly broken, Amanda snorting and covering her mouth with one hand as her eyes dance with mirth, Olivia letting out a quiet grunt and looking over at her son who is kneeling there with a guilty expression fixed on his face.

"I didn't mean to," Noah says quickly before Olivia can even speak, her arms instantly shooting out to grab the little boy and pull him into her lap, tickling without mercy.

Amanda does the same to Jesse as squeals of delight burst from the toddler's mouth, Frannie bouncing around amid the pile of sleeping bags and blankets and letting out a sharp bark of encouragement.

The noise in the living room has reached an absolutely deafening level as the pillow fight turns into a tickle fight, Olivia exchanging an amused glance with Amanda and giving up on getting their crazy campers settled down for the night.