Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing related to PLL or these characters.

This story takes place 12 years after the last epilogue of Mermaid. If you haven't read that, you can probably still read this without any confusion, but it will make much more sense if you have read the original story.

I've taken some creative license in this part with certain medical/scientific explanations, but they are all based in fact.

Please try to remember that this story takes place 22 years in the future, so science and medicine will certainly have made unparalleled and fantastic strides in what is and isn't possible in that time.

In addition, if you choose to do the research yourself, you will find that everything in Emily's explanation has been or is currently being researched and even partially proven already.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to read and if you are so inclined please leave a review. I love to read them.

Enjoy!

Mama Bear

"Get a grip, mom," Kaylee Fields said as she rolled her eyes in a perfect imitation of her mother.

Alison narrowed her eyes at her eight year old daughter. The blonde girl was a spitting image of Alison at that age, such a spitting image that it sometimes scared Alison out of her mind. It was like looking in a mirror at her eight year old self, except for the slightly more tanned skin and the brown eyes that were identical to her wife's.

When she and Emily decided they were ready to have children, despite their conversation years earlier about Alison not wanting to have her own, the blonde agreed to carry their first child. Emily had only finally finished her fellowship a year earlier, and had just started working at the Southern California Institute for Sports Medicine. Taking the time off to have a child would have derailed her career at a time when it was just taking off, but she was willing to do it because she wanted a child, a family, with Alison so badly.

So, despite her fears, Alison convinced Emily to let her carry the baby, but only if Emily provided the egg. Third party reproduction was commonplace for same sex couples and lesbian couples carried each other's babies all the time.

They found a light skinned, blonde, blue eyed donor who had no history of mental illness in his family and, although Emily clearly explained the concepts of epigenetics and maternal-fetal cell exchange to her, Alison felt the odds were skewed enough in her favor that her being the host for the baby was worth taking the risk. Little did she know how much of herself would end up in the daughter she birthed, not only physically, but personality too.

Fortunately the girl had also been raised by Emily, who was the kindest and most loving parent Alison had ever known, so their daughter was sweet and caring and compassionate.

Except those times when she was channeling her mother, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder, putting her hand on her hip defensively and narrowing her eyes defiantly.

Just like she was doing now.

"Did you just tell me to get a grip?" Alison asked, her voice raising an octave as her blue eyes flashed with annoyance. "You need to stop repeating things you overhear Auntie Kira say."

"But you're overreacting," Kaylee started to gather her homework from the table in the breakfast nook.

"Overreacting?" Alison snapped, her voice rising again. "You tell me that one of your friends' mothers said that your parent's relationship is unnatural and you think I'm overreacting?"

"Brittany isn't really my friend, mom. She's just a girl who goes to my school," Kaylee sighed as she grabbed the hair tie next to her math book and pulled her hair back up into the ponytail she had worn to school.

"That's irrelevant," Alison growled angrily. "Her mother is a homophobic bigoted bitch!"

"Mom," Kaylee rolled her eyes. "That's twenty dollars you have to put in the swear jar."

"Fuck the swear jar," Alison replied without thought, her eyes flashing with annoyance again.

"Mom," Kaylee laughed. "That's forty dollars now."

"Just go in my purse and-" Alison started but then stopped short as she looked at her daughter. "Hey, wait a minute. Its five dollars a swear, not twenty."

"Mom raised it to twenty," Kaylee said matter-of-factly as she stood up.

"Why the hell did she do that?" Alison asked as she scowled. "And hell isn't a swear," she added.

Kaylee shrugged. "She said five dollars wasn't enough of a deterrent for you not to swear so she raised it to twenty."

"Oh, she did, did she?" Alison said in a low voice as her eyebrow arched. Kaylee was clearly quoting her wife because the eight year old had never in her life used the word deterrent. "We'll see about that."

"Mom, please don't make this a big deal," the girl pleaded as she looked over at her mother. "It's not like it's the first time someone has ever said that." Kaylee looked down as she kicked the leg of the chair. "She was just really mean about it," she said more softly.

Alison looked at her daughter, so young and sweet and innocent, and so undeserving of having to deal with the hateful attitudes of a society that still, even after all these years, judged and reviled what it didn't understand.

"Oh, Kaylee," Alison sighed sadly as she looked down at her swollen four months pregnant belly, the very thing that was apparently the trigger for this woman's very hateful diatribe.

While Alison had carried Kaylee, Emily carried Kyle, the little girl's three year old brother, and had even convinced Alison to donate her egg, only after her wife and her shrink had assured the blonde more times than she could count, that there was no concrete genetic proof that narcissistic personality disorder was hereditary.

And the beautiful boy had turned out as perfect as Kaylee. He was lighter skinned like Alison but did end up with the brunette hair of the donor they'd used. However, his smile was Emily's and his eyes were as blue and fathomless as Alison's.

And while her irrational fears still sometimes overwhelmed Alison, after over two decades of consistent, routine behavioral therapy, and the love and support of her wife, Alison managed to provide a healthy, normal, non-abusive, non-manipulative, home for their family.

That didn't mean she didn't lose her cool once in a while, or lash out when cornered, or snap when her daughter threw her a very familiar attitude, like she was at the moment. But Alison recognized the triggers and the love she had, to the depths of her soul, for her wife and children, always managed to bring her back from the precipice.

Before she and Emily had children she didn't think it was possible to love anyone more than she loved Emily. But she loved both of her children with a ferocity that frightened her sometimes.

Her love for her wife left Alison breathless, still, even after all these years. But the love of a child is different. It is all consuming and painful and joyful and brilliant and terrifying all at once.

There was nothing Alison wouldn't do for them. Nothing. And she'd be damned before she would allow anyone to make her daughter feel bad for the family she was born into.

Although Alison had said, after giving birth to Kaylee, that she would never do it again, when Emily confided in her months ago that she wanted one more child, Alison couldn't deny her. Emily said she would carry the baby, but she had just formed a partnership with five other doctors in a new Sports Medicine Facility in Long Beach, so Alison relented, again with the agreement that Emily provide the egg.

And now the reality of this baby made Alison want to burst with happiness. But that happiness was currently overshadowed by the ugly words of a vile woman who knew nothing about her, her wife, or their family, and it made Alison want to scream.

Instead she sighed again before she asked, her tone still one of anger and disgust.

"How often do people say things to you? And why didn't you tell me about it?"

Kaylee shrugged but didn't answer.

"Kaylee," Alison huffed as she slammed her hand on the countertop. "Why haven't you told mom and me about this?"

"This is why." Kaylee snapped back as she motioned to the counter. Her tone was so familiar and it felt like fingernails on a chalkboard to Alison "You make a big deal out of everything lately. Mom said it's because your hormones are all out of whack.

Alison narrowed her eyes again as she was sure her daughter was once again quoting her wife verbatim.

"Your mom is 2 for 0 today, Alison growled. "But I'll deal with her later." Alison walked around the counter and moved closer to her daughter. "Kaylee you can't keep these things from us. There is nothing unnatural about our family."

"I don't listen to them, mom. Most of my friends think it's cool that I have two moms. Even Brittany. I think that's what made her mom mad."

"What is this Brittany's last name?" Alison asked

Kaylee eyed her mother suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because I want to know her last name," Alison insisted

"What are you going to do?"

Alison narrowed her eyes. "You know the last time I checked, I was the parent here."

"Sometimes I wonder," Kaylee muttered and Alison's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I want to know Brittany's last name," Alison said, her voice broaching no room for argument.

"God, I never should have told you," Kaylee sulked.

"Actually, you should have told us when it happened," Alison crossed her arms angrily. "Not accidentally let it slip out after the fact like you did during a casual conversation about this baby."

"Mom, please just let it go,' Kaylee pleaded, her eyes widening in that way that she knew her mom couldn't resist. The girl knew her mother was a sucker for her brown eyes, but Alison wasn't being swayed this time.

"I will not let anyone bully my daughter."

"I can take care of myself," Kaylee insisted as she mimicked her mother's posture, arms crossed and eyes flashing.

And that was how Emily found her wife and daughter when she opened the door.

In a standoff.

One she'd seen all too often these days since Alison's pregnancy had progressed. Her wife's tolerance level, although normally and surprisingly very good with her daughter, despite the fact that they were so very much alike, was virtually nonexistent these days.

"Hello my loves," Emily greeted as she put Kyle down on the floor. He ran over to Alison.

Alison's eyes whipped to her wife's and they automatically softened, but Emily could see pain and anger behind them.

"What's going on?" she asked, concerned, as she looked back and forth between her wife and daughter.

"Mama," Kyle called as he reached Alison and tugged on her pants.

Alison looked down at her son, his smile so much like her wife's it made the blonde's heart ache.

"Come here, baby boy," Alison cooed as she bent down and picked him up. "Mama needs a hug."

"Mama, we fed the ducks," the little boy told her excitedly as she pressed kisses all over his face, letting the innocent goodness of her child to momentarily drown out her anger.

"You did?" she asked as he wriggled away from her kisses.

"Mama, stop it, that tickles."

"What tickles?" Alison asked as she nuzzled her nose against his neck. "Is this what tickles?"

He kept giggling and Alison let the beautiful sound soothe her.

Kira stepped in the house behind Emily with her five year old twin boys and Pepe, the third, in tow.

When Pepe, the rescue dog Alison adopted after returning to Rosewood all those years ago, finally passed away at the ripe old age of fourteen, Alison had been almost inconsolable. At a complete loss on how to comfort her wife, Emily did the only thing she could think of and she searched animal shelters throughout San Diego and Los Angeles counties in search of a sheltie.

She finally found one, a six year old, about to be euthanized in the San Fernando Valley. When she brought the dog home Alison had burst into tears, so hard, Emily feared she'd made a mistake. But when she was finally able to speak, Alison told Emily she never wanted to have any other kind of dog and she planned to name every single one of them Pepe.

That Pepe, Pepe the second, had passed away a year ago and, again, Emily sought out and found another sheltie at a shelter in San Luis Obispo County; this time a puppy. She and Kaylee and Kyle had driven an entire day up and back to get the dog. Although this dog was a girl, Alison said it didn't matter; she was still naming her Pepe.

"What's going on here?" Emily asked again, but Kaylee just stood silently, keeping her arms crossed over her chest; so Emily looked over at Alison who put Kyle down because he was squirming and bumping her stomach too much.

He ran over to Kira's boys and they all bounded up the stairs as Pepe flopped down on the floor at Kaylee's feet. The little girl looked down at the dog and after a moment gave in and bent down to pet her.

The loss of her baby boy in her arms brought Alison's annoyance back full force.

"I'll tell you what's going on here," she said as she turned to look at her wife, scowling once again. Kaylee just sighed and sat on the chair, knowing there was no way her mother would let her leave now. "Our daughter is being bullied at school and she didn't feel the need to tell us about it."

"What?" Emily and Kira both said, simultaneously, shocked. "By who?" Emily asked as she walked over and crouched down in front of her daughter.

Kira walked over and leaned against the counter beside Alison, scowling just as deeply at the blonde.

"One of her friend's mothers," Alison replied as she clenched her teeth.

"A parent?" Emily asked horrified.

"A homophobic bigoted bitch," Alison said again, quite satisfied with her description of the woman she wanted to strangle.

"Mom," Kaylee admonished and shook her head. "That's sixty dollars now."

Alison turned her glare on Emily. "Oh and you and I are going to be talking about this increase in the swear fee later."

Emily shared a look with Kaylee; mother and daughter both knowing how well that conversation was likely to go.

Emily reached up and brushed some of her daughter's golden hair, which had slipped out of her ponytail, behind her ear.

"Sweetie, why didn't you tell us?" she asked, much calmer than Alison, but the tone of her voice clearly reflected her own anger.

"It's not a big deal mom," Kaylee insisted.

"Yeah, she hears it all the time apparently," Alison spat as she crossed her arms over her chest again.

"Hears what?" Emily asked.

"That you and I are not natural and we don't belong having children because we can't make them together like a man and a woman," Alison jumped in, answering for her daughter.

"What?" Emily growled as her eyes flashed as angrily as Alison's now.

"Yeah, exactly," Alison's growl matched Emily's as Kyle and Kira's boys came running down the stairs from the second level.

"You know what guys, let me get you set up in front of the TV," Kira said as she ushered the boys out of the room and up the stairs again.

"I know she's wrong," Kaylee said as she finally looked at Emily. "Having two moms doesn't mean I'm missing anything."

"Did she say you were missing something?" Emily asked quietly. She knew her daughter well enough to know she was more bothered by what had been said than she was trying to let on. "What did she say, baby?" Emily asked again.

"It was nothing," Kaylee insisted.

"It wasn't nothing," Alison said firmly. "Answer your mother's question, Kaylee."

Kaylee glared at Alison defiantly before she turned back to Emily, knowing her mom wasn't going to let her off the hook. "She said I should have a mom and a dad, not two moms. She said that because only a man and a woman can make a baby, that two women shouldn't be allowed to have kids."

"That fucking bitch," Alison snarled and Emily shot her a warning look. She completely understood Alison's anger but Kaylee didn't need anger right now.

"Ali, stop it."

"Don't fucking tell me to stop it," the blonde snapped at her wife. Then she deflated as remorse filled her body.

Emily ignored Alison's outburst but warned in what Alison had termed her stern Dr. Fields' tone of voice. "You need to calm down, Ali. Getting this angry is not going to help anything."

"Mom, that's a hundred dollars now, you really need to stop," Kaylee said referring to Alison's back to back fucks.

Kira walked back down the stairs. "A hundred dollars already? I've been gone like three minutes, how much did I miss?"

"Its twenty dollars a swear now," Alison sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You don't say?" Kira said as she held back a chuckle because this was not the time for it.

"Do you wish you had a dad, Kaylee?" Emily asked, getting back to the topic at hand.

"She doesn't need a dad," Alison interrupted. She and Emily were all their children needed as far as she was concerned.

"Ali," Emily shot Alison another warning look. "It's okay if she wishes she had one." She turned back to Kaylee. "It's okay if you do."

Kaylee shook her head. "Mom's right. I don't need one. Most of the time when I hear people say something it doesn't bother me because I know they don't understand. But she said it in front of all the other kids and their mom's and she just made it sound so... wrong."

"How did that make you feel?" Emily put her hand on Kaylee's knee and squeezed it gently.

"How do you think it made her feel?" Alison huffed but then Pepe, who had walked over to Alison, once she started getting really upset, poked her in the thigh with her nose. Alison reached down and petted her softly. Feeling her soft fur against her fingertips calmed Alison somewhat.

"It made me mad," Kaylee admitted. "And it made me sad that she doesn't know you or how much you love each other and me and Kyle."

"People like that don't give a shit," Alison mumbled and Kira elbowed her as Emily shot her another warning look.

Kaylee ignored her mom's mumbling as she continued. "I overheard Anna's mom say that she's getting divorced and she's just bitter. But that still doesn't give her a right to say bad things about you."

"You're right. It doesn't." Emily said as Alison scoffed loudly.

"No wonder she's getting divorced. She's a hateful bitch."

"Ali," Emily said exasperated.

"Mom, that's a hundred and forty now," Kaylee shook her head but a small smile curved her lips.

Ali huffed and turned around to grab her purse on the counter, rummaging through it. She walked to the table and slapped two hundred dollar bills on the table in front of Kaylee and Emily.

"There. Put it in the jar. I have sixty in credit now. And I'm gonna need it because I'm not near done."

Emily and her daughter shared a look and Emily sighed softly.

"Doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose of a monetary penalty if you just toss hundred dollar bills at your daughter?" Kira asked as she arched an eyebrow at Alison. "Maybe the penalty should be a hundred a swear?" Kira suggested and Ali sent her a withering glare while Kaylee and Emily chuckled softly.

"Why are you here?"

"We've been invited to dinner," Kira grinned.

"Don't you have a husband at home you need to cook for or something?"

Kira laughed. "Nope. He's going out with the guys so I'm all yours."

"Awesome," Ali sighed.

"Kaylee," Emily said softly, ignoring her wife and friend. "It doesn't matter what this woman thinks about us or our family she has no right to say things to you, especially in front of other people." Emily took her daughter's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry she made you feel bad."

Kaylee looked up and Alison could see the hurt in her eyes, though she tried to mask it.

"I'm going to speak to the principal tomorrow about this," Alison said suddenly.

"What?" Kaylee's eyes whipped to her mom. "No, mom, please don't." Kaylee looked imploringly at Emily. "Mom, please don't let her do that?"

"Your mother doesn't let me do or not do anything. I do what I want," Alison said petulantly as Rosa walked into the room carrying a laundry basket of clean clothes.

"What is all this yelling about in here?" Rosa asked as she looked around. "Bella mia," she said to Alison. "You're supposed to be staying calm."

"Kaylee is being bullied at school," Alison replied as she crossed her arms over her chest again.

"Cosa?" Rosa asked.

"In English Rosa," Alison reminded her.

"Who is bullying tesorina?"

"A parent!" Alison growled angrily again and Rosa started to speak rapidly in Italian.

"Rosa, English," Alison sighed and said again, then she turned and looked at Kira. "I have no idea what she's saying when she does that. Oh, but I know that word," Alison's eyes widened as Rosa finished her rant with "cagna."

"I know that word too," Kaylee squeaked. "Rosa, you're starting to talk like mom."

"Did you just swear, Rosa?" Emily asked as she looked over at the woman who had become like a second mother to both she and Alison and a grandmother to Kaylee and Kyle.

"Hell ya, she did," Alison grinned. She took another hundred dollar bill out of her wallet and slapped it down on the counter. "And I'm paying her twenty dollar swear fee today." Alison put her arm around the shorter woman and kissed the side of her head.

"Twenty dollars?" Rosa asked as she looked over at Alison. "What happened to five?"

"Don't even get me started on that one, Rosa," Alison held up her hand as she scoffed.

"Alright, enough," Emily commanded as she stood up frustrated. "Kaylee, we can't let this woman harass you and say these nasty things to you. She can think whatever she wants but she should not be saying anything to you or in front of you or making you feel like there is something wrong with our family. There is nothing wrong with us. And your mom is right. The principal should be made aware of what she did to make sure this woman knows she can't do that."

"This is why I don't tell you this stuff," Kaylee stomped her foot. "You're just going to embarrass me."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

The sound of boys roughhousing came from the TV room upstairs.

"I'll get the bambinos," Rosa said as she grabbed the laundry basket and ascended the stairs.

"But I will be if you go there and make a big deal out of it. She hasn't said anything else since the third time."

"The third time?" Alison screeched. "What do you mean the third time? You said it only happened once."

Kaylee cringed as she realized she'd let that slip, mumbling "crap" under her breath.

"Kaylee, how many times has this woman said anything to you?" Emily asked her pointedly.

Kaylee lifted her head and sighed. "Three," she admitted reluctantly.

"I'm going to kill that bitch," Alison growled and slapped her hand on the counter again.

Emily snapped at her. "Alison, you need to try to stay calm. If your blood pressure spikes we're going to spend the night in the emergency room and I know you don't want that."

"Fuck my blood pressure," Alison snarled back as she looked at her wife, daring her with her eyes to scold her about her language again. "And no one at the school has done anything about this?" Alison asked angrily. "That's it we're taking her out of that school."

Kaylee's head whipped up and she looked horrified. "What? You can't do that. All my friends are there."

"Ali, let's not act rashly here."

"We pay a lot of money for her to go to that school and if they aren't going to protect her from bullying then we're taking her out of there. I'll home school her myself."

"No, I don't want to be home schooled. Are you crazy?" Kaylee asked and then cringed when her mother glared at her.

"Ali, that's taking this a little to the extreme, don't you think?"

"What? I'm more than capable of homeschooling my children. We'll home school Kyle when he's old enough and this baby too," Alison motioned to her stomach. "Or we'll pay Kira to teach them. I'll pay you better than the LA school district ever will," she said as she looked at her friend.

"LA Unified offers a better pension plan, but thanks for the offer."

Emily sighed. "Ali, we'll discuss this later."

"You can't take me out of school. I'll never forgive you if you do."

Kaylee grabbed her books off the table and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Kaylee," Emily called after her.

"Let her go, Em," Alison said knowing her daughter needed her space at the moment.

Emily stood up and she looked over at her wife. "Ali-," she started to say but Alison held up her hand.

"You know what, Em, just don't. I'm not in the mood to hear a lecture on how I need to stay calm and stop swearing all the time."

"Is that what you think I was going to say?" Emily asked.

Alison arched her eyebrow. "Isn't it?"

Emily didn't deny it; she just walked closer to Alison, reaching out and slipping her hand behind her neck, her thumb gently caressing the blonde's cheek.

Alison sighed softly and her eyes fluttered.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked and Alison pulled away, shaking her head. "I'm fine. And I'm going for a walk on the beach. Come on Pepe."

"We just took Pepe for a walk in the park."

Pepe followed Alison to the door. She grabbed her leash from the hook by the kitchen door and attached it. "And now she's going to accompany me on a walk on the beach. I need to clear my head."

"You want me to come with you?" Kira asked.

Alison shook her head. "No, I want to be alone right now."

Emily frowned. "Please don't go far, Ali."

Alison nodded but didn't actually agree. "Rosa was going to make tacos for dinner but I think we should just order pizza," Alison said as she opened the door.

"I'll take care of it," Emily said as she watched Alison walk out.

Emily sighed heavily as she leaned against the counter. "You sure you want to stay for dinner now?" she asked drolly as she looked over at Kira.

Kira smirked. "Are you kidding me? I love dinner at the Fields. Never a dull moment here."

Emily looked over at the stairs, debating whether to go up and try to talk to Kaylee.

"Ali's right you know," Kira said softly after a moment.

"About what?"

"That woman needs to be taken down a peg… or ten."

"Not at the expense of our daughter, Kira," Emily insisted. She was just as upset as Alison but she had to remain calm for her daughter's sake. "You know what it's like in school and how kids can be. I don't want to make it harder for her."

"But you can't just let it go. This woman is clearly harassing your daughter and you have to do something."

"Oh, I'm going to do something," Emily said in a voice that Kira had only heard her use two other times in all the years she'd known her. It was what Kira called her scary voice. "I agree with Ali that the school needs to be made aware but confronting this woman, which is what I know Ali wants to do, won't change her opinion and might just make it worse for Kaylee."

"But Ali could get in a good punch or two," Kira said, trying to lighten the moment.

"Kira," Emily sighed exasperated.

"I have to say I'm completely impressed with how calm you're staying, on the surface anyway."

"I'm so livid, Kira," Emily admitted as her voice clogged with the emotion that was threatening to overwhelm her. "I want to explode into a thousand pieces." Emily sighed. "But Kaylee doesn't need to see it. And Ali-,"

"I know," Kira agreed, before finishing Emily's sentence for her. "When you're upset, Ali gets twice as upset. And when Ali gets upset, the more danger there is of world apocalypse. Why are you riding her about staying calm though?"

Emily looked over at her friend. "She's been exhibiting signs of gestational hypertension. So it's imperative she tries to stay calm."

"I love it when you start talking all Dr. Fields like that, using all that medical terminology. It makes me tingle all over."

"Stop, Kira. This isn't something to joke about."

"Does she usually have issues with high blood pressure?" Kira asked curiously.

Emily shook her head. "No."

"I don't remember her having it with Kaylee."

"She didn't." Emily ran her fingers through her hair as she sighed.

"So why is she having an issue now? I did with the boys but I was carrying twins."

Emily shrugged. "She's older. Her body's changed. There are a lot of reasons it could be happening."

"All of our bodies have changed," Kira scoffed as she looked down at herself, before looking over at Emily and giving her the once over. "Except yours. You still have your athletic twenty something year old body. You barely even put on weight when you were carrying Kyle. Bitch," she added at the end as she teasingly elbowed Emily in the side.

Emily shot a look toward the table, where Alison's three hundred dollars still sat.

"Hey, the swear jar doesn't apply when it's just adults."

"I fully blame you for this you know," Emily said as she cracked her neck.

"What?"

"Ali didn't curse like this until you came into our lives."

"Bitch, please," Kira said and Emily laughed, unable to help herself. Kira just grinned. "I can't believe Ali didn't cuss before she met me."

"Not anything like after she met you."

"Whatever," Kira rolled her eyes. "So, California Pizza Kitchen for dinner?" Emily nodded. "Do you want me to go pick it up?" Kira asked.

"Would you mind?"

"Nope. As long as I can leave the boys here. I don't want to pack them up again until I have to take them home."

Emily pushed away from the counter. "Yeah, I'll keep them busy. It will keep me from either going into Kaylee's room or hunting Ali down."

"You gonna call it in or are you going to give me a list."

"I'll call it in." Emily reached for the money on the counter, handing one of the hundreds to Kira. "Here, use this for the pizza."

"Stealing from the swear jar. I'm simultaneously appalled and impressed."

"It's called borrowing, not stealing." She hesitated a minute then handed another hundred to Kira. "Take this too. I'm going to order a few of their Belgian chocolate soufflé cakes for dessert."

"That's the spirit," Kira grinned. "That's how to get Ali calmed down and back on sure footing. Feed her some chocolate and after the kids are in bed, take her upstairs and give her a few good orgasms and she'll be right as rain."

"Is that your answer to everything?"

"It is for your wife."

"Goodbye, Kira."

"Let me go say bye to my babies." Kira put her hand on Emily's shoulder as she walked by, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Emily's head.

"Hang in there, Doc. It will be alright."

Emily smiled as best she could, considering her heart was breaking for both her daughter and her wife. As strong as Alison was, her family was the one thing that made her vulnerable. And bullying was a very sore spot for the blonde, knowing she was once one of the very worst kinds of bully's.

Emily walked over to the wall of windows at the back of the breakfast nook. She saw Alison and Pepe walking at the water's edge in the distance and even as far away as she was, Emily could see the weight of Alison's suffering on her shoulders.

##############

Emily rose out of the water and walked up the wide stone steps. Kaylee rose out of the water beside her, exiting the pool. They swam together most nights after Kaylee finished her homework. It helped Kaylee clear her mind before bed. She was like Emily in that sense, needing the water to calm her body and soul. But tonight the water wasn't calming either one of them.

"Mom, please don't let her talk to the principal tomorrow?" Kaylee asked as Emily handed her a towel.

"Kaylee, we have to. School is supposed to be a safe place. You shouldn't be able to be bullied by anyone but especially one of the student's parents."

"She's not bullying me."

Emily looked at her daughter sadly as they started walking around the pool toward the house. "Sweetie, what she's done already is the definition of bullying. If she has a problem with me or your mom she should be talking to us, not saying nasty and mean things to you."

Kaylee sighed as she ran the towel over her body. "Can you talk to him then? Mom will just start yelling at him and I'll just be embarrassed."

"Your mom doesn't want to embarrass you," Emily tried to assure her. "She wants to protect you."

"I know but she'll still do it. Everyone knows who she is and when they see her flip out, they'll all know how crazy she is."

"Your mom isn't crazy, Kaylee," Emily said sternly.

"But she acts it sometimes, especially when she's mad."

Emily couldn't really disagree with her daughter on that one. Sometimes Ali did take things too far but it was always with the best of intentions.

"I'll talk to her," Emily sighed as she promised. "I'll tell her I want to do it."

"Do you think she'll let you?" Kaylee asked hopefully.

"One can hope," Emily smirked and her daughter sighed. "I know sometimes she lets her emotions take over," Emily said diplomatically. "But your mom loves you."

"Sometimes she loves too much."

Emily smiled as her eyes softened. "It may seem like that but, Kaylee, the way your mom loves is the most beautiful thing in the world. Trust me, I know."

"You're not really going to take me out of school are you?" the little girl asked quietly.

"No, that was just your mom-"

"Being crazy?" Kaylee interrupted.

"Overreacting a little," Emily clarified sternly. "Her emotions get the better of her when she's pregnant."

"I guess," the little girl shrugged half heartedly.

"You know there is nothing wrong with your mom and me loving each other right?" Emily tilted her head and asked, knowing she and Alison raised Kaylee to be open minded and accepting of everyone, but sometimes kids can be easily influenced by their peers and society.

"I know," Kaylee nodded and bit her lip. "But, mom, can I ask you something?"

Kaylee sat down on one of the deck chairs near the sliding glass doors as she looked up and Emily knew that was her way of silently asking Emily to also sit.

"Of course. Anything," Emily replied as she took the seat across from her daughter.

"I know how babies are made," Kaylee started.

"You do?" Emily asked surprised. "Did your mom tell you?"

"God, no," Kaylee looked horrified. "I do know how to use Google."

"You could have just asked us," Emily said obviously.

"Then you would have wanted to know why I was asking."

"Fair enough. So what's your question?"

"Well, after I looked it up, I looked up how two girls can have a baby."

Emily blanched. "Oh, I am so not ready for this conversation. You're too young."

"I'm eight."

"Yeah, that's too young."

Keeley rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I get the whole in vitro fertilization thing. That's what it's called right?"

"Yes," Emily replied cautiously. Of course her daughter would research this.

"But what I don't understand is how mom carried me and I look like her but I have your eyes, when you guys can't make a baby together. So how do I have your eyes?"

Sometimes her daughter was just too smart for her own good, but it made Emily so freaking proud that the little girl even thought about any of it.

Emily considered, for a minute, trying to talk her way around it, but honesty was something she and Ali insisted on and her daughter deserved the truth.

"It's because you don't come from her egg. You come from mine."

Kaylee gave her a blank look. "Huh?"

"It's something called third party reproduction, but it is also epigenetics, which is the modification of gene expression that is independent of DNA sequence."

Kaylee just looked at her and Emily laughed. It took three conversations with Alison, who was one of the smartest people Emily knew, and almost three decades older than the girl sitting in front of her, at the time they discussed it, to get the blonde to fully understand the concept. How did Emily expect her eight year old daughter would get it?

"Want to dumb that down for me, Dr. Fields," Kaylee said and Emily heard Alison in her mind saying the exact same thing nine years ago.

"You really want to know this, huh?"

Kaylee nodded.

Emily sighed. "What your mom and I did with you and the baby mom's carrying right now is we took one of my eggs, used a male sperm donor that had your mother's same physical characteristics, blond hair, blue eyes, light skin, and then my fertilized egg was implanted into your mother's womb."

"If I come from your egg how come I don't look more like you?"

"Well you have my eyes and your skin is darker than your moms, just not as naturally tan as mine."

"Yeah, but I'm blonde."

"You get the blonde hair from the donor actually."

"But I look like her. Grampa Ken has shown me pictures of mom when she was little and I look like her. I have her dimples even."

"And your dimples most likely came from the donor too. He had dimples. It took us a while to find just the right donor, because we wanted him to have as many similar physical traits as your mom; so most of your physical traits do come from him, because it's his DNA that makes up fifty percent of yours." Emily paused for a second, giving Kaylee a minute to digest before she continued. "But recent studies have proven that a child's genes, including physical attributes, can be influenced independent of DNA and be directly affected, although minimally, by a surrogate. So your mom did actually have an effect on how you look. And you do get a lot of your behavioral traits from your mom. Those kinds of things do oftentimes come from the surrogate."

Kaylee bit her lip. "I'm confused."

"It's all really over your head, sweetie, but you do have some of your mom's biological traits too because she carried you. It's one of the reasons we chose to do what we did."

"I heard mom tell Auntie Kira once that the face I make when I'm mad looks just like hers."

"Yes it does," Emily smiled as she agreed. Then she sighed. "How do I explain this? For a long time, geneticists, who are scientists that study genetics, thought that a gestational surrogate, which is basically what your mom was, because it was my egg, didn't influence the genetic outcome of a child. But they have since discovered that's not one hundred percent accurate. It's something called maternal-fetal cell exchange, where cells from the mother traverse the placenta and implant into various tissues of the fetus, and vice versa. Originally it was thought that it was only stem cells that were able to do this, which basically only molds a child's immunity, but they've since discovered it affects a myriad of other aspects of a child's development, including physical attributes."

"You really don't understand the definition of dumbing it down, do you mom?"

Emily laughed. "Basically some of those cells can affect the biological and physical traits of a child, making them resemble the surrogate. So, while technically I am your biological mother, your mom housed you while you were growing, so some of her biology became a part of you as well, through that cell exchange, thus truly making you both of our child. It's why we did what we did. We wanted our children to be part of both of us so we implanted our eggs in each other. That's why I carried Kyle. He's from one of mom's eggs."

"He has her eyes."

Emily smiled softly. "Yes, he does and he's lighter skinned like her. But he has my smile and he's more like me in personality."

"I think I get it but I'm still a little bit confused," Kaylee admitted.

"Basically, to answer your question in more simple terms, which is what I should have done in the first place, you look like both of us because you're part of both of us. Science has finally proven that it's possible for two women to share a child, even though there has to be a third person, a male donor, in the mix."

"So Brittany's mom is wrong?"

"On so many levels, Kaylee. Her views are bigoted, prejudiced, archaic and ignorant. Only an ignorant person can say it is wrong and unnatural for two women to have children together. Two women have just as much right as a man and a woman to love each other and make a family together. So do two men."

"Like Uncle Brad and Uncle Tony?" Kaylee asked, referring to their neighbors a few houses down on the beach.

"Mmhm," Emily nodded. "Although they need a female donor in their mix to make that work. But the point is love doesn't discriminate, sweetie. The heart loves who it loves. And no one, especially Brittany's mother, has a right to tell anyone else that it's wrong to love the person they love. Love is never wrong."

"You really love mom so much," Kaylee said rather than asked because she already knew the answer.

"I love her more than life," Emily admitted honestly. "I love all of you more than life, Kaylee. But it all started with her."

###########

Emily walked into the bedroom, wringing the last of the water out of her hair.

Alison was propped up in bed, in her pajamas, writing on her laptop and she looked up when her wife walked into the room.

"Did you and Kaylee enjoy your swim?" she asked softly.

Emily smiled sadly. "Some nights the water just doesn't wash away the day."

"Is she still mad at me?" Alison asked as she bit her lip.

"She's not mad, Ali. She just doesn't want to be embarrassed when you inevitably make a scene."

Alison scowled and she slapped her laptop shut. "What do you mean inevitably?"

"Keeping your temper in check in situations like these isn't your forte, love."

If Alison wasn't so annoyed by her wife's words, she would have sighed at her favorite endearment. "Situations like these? I won't stand by and let our daughter be bullied, Em. Not after what we all went through. And especially not by an adult who should know better."

"I won't either, Ali," Emily replied. "But you can let your temper get the better of you sometimes and you have to try to remember what it's like to be a kid and how your parents can embarrass you."

Alison scooted over the mattress and put her legs over the side to sit on the edge. "Brittany is the one who should be embarrassed for what her bitch mother said."

Emily arched an eyebrow at Alison's choice of words. She'd already had to put three hundred dollars in the swear jar and that was just before dinner.

"You're going to go broke unless you can learn to censor yourself."

Alison shot Emily a withering glare. "No thanks to you."

Emily just laughed as she walked closer to the bed. "You need incentive, Ali. Kaylee isn't fazed by it anymore but Kyle is at that age where he repeats everything. He called Kira a bitch today at the park."

Alison laughed and tried to look repentant, but she couldn't.

"Serves her right. It's being friends with her all these years that has turned me into a potty mouth," Alison smirked and Emily shook her head as she knelt down in front of her wife.

"I've been friends with her just as long and I don't cuss like a sailor."

Alison's smirk softened into a smile. "That's because you're the kinder, gentler of the two of us."

Emily reached out and placed one hand on Alison's stomach and the other on her cheek.

"Did you take your blood pressure tonight?" she asked as she tilted Alison's face down so she could look into her eyes.

Alison sighed softly and covered Emily's hand on her stomach as she widened her eyes so Emily could look into them. "Yes, Dr. Fields. It was normal."

"So it hasn't been elevated since Sunday?"

"It was only one day, Em. It's been normal since," Alison assured as she squeezed her hand gently.

"I should have taken it earlier after you were so worked up about Kaylee."

"Baby," Alison said softly as she reached up and caressed her mermaid's cheek. "I feel fine. You know I'll tell you if anything feels off."

Emily smiled. "I know. But I think you need to focus on keeping your stress level down. You should let me speak to the principal tomorrow."

"Why?" Alison scowled again as she pulled her hand away from Emily's face.

"Because you're only bound to get upset and-"

"And nothing, Em," Alison interrupted, her voice rising with each word she spoke. "I'm more than capable of talking to the principal and staying calm. This isn't his fault but he needs to do something about it. That woman can't be allowed to get away with this."

"I completely agree with you," Emily said calmly. "But please let me deal with it."

Alison stood and walked around Emily.

"I want to rip that woman limb from limb, Em. I'm so angry. I don't think I've ever been this angry in my entire life."

Emily turned to watch Alison but she stayed on her knees, knowing her wife would return to the bed when she was done pacing. "I know, Ali. I am too."

"Then how can you be so calm about it?" the blonde asked, exasperated.

"When I get worked up, you get worked up."

"And when you stay calm I still get worked up," Alison snapped. "How dare that bitch tell our daughter something like that?"

"Listen to me. I am going to handle this with the school tomorrow, after Kaylee's spelling bee. I mean it Alison. Don't fight me on this, please."

Alison stopped pacing and looked at her wife. "Did she ask you again to do this?"

"Do what?"

Alison shot Emily a pointed look. "For you to be the one to talk to the principal?"

"Yes."

Alison tilted her head. "And what did you tell her?"

"I told her I would do my best to convince you," Emily said honestly as she smiled.

"Is that all you said?" Alison looked at her suspiciously.

"Yes," Emily nodded before she quirked her lips. "Although we did have an extremely interesting and somewhat awkward conversation right after that."

"Awkward how? Is everything okay?" Alison asked, concerned, as she walked over and sat back on the bed in front of Emily again.

Emily gave her wife a reassuring smile. "Yes, love. I'll tell you about it when we get into bed."

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"Because I want to take a quick shower first. I need to get this salt off me."

Alison looked unsure and Emily caressed her cheek softly.

"It's nothing bad, Ali. Our daughter is just too curious and smart for her own good. I'm afraid she's always going to be one step ahead of us."

"Okay," Alison said, still unsure, but she let it go. "I promised Kaylee we'd take her to the Olive Garden tomorrow to celebrate after her spelling bee."

"Okay," Emily said as she lifted Alison's left hand to her lips and kissed her ring finger, where her wedding rings normally sat.

"My fingers are too swollen already," Alison murmured regretfully.

When she was pregnant with Kaylee, Alison's hands had swelled up so much her rings were cutting off the circulation in her ring finger. She adamantly refused to take her rings off, having vowed to never remove them once Emily put them on her on their wedding day.

But when her finger started turning purple and she was in danger of having to have the rings cut off, Emily put her foot down and insisted she remove them. It took a half a bottle of olive oil to get them off and a half hour for Emily to get Alison to stop crying, her pregnancy hormones wrecking havoc with her emotions. But that night Emily came home with a platinum chain so Alison could wear them around her neck.

Emily smiled softly and she reached for the chain that adorned Alison's neck once again, lifting the rings to her lips and pressing a soft kiss to them as well.

Alison leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Emily's temple in response before nuzzling her ear gently.

"I love you, Em," she whispered. "What we have together is so beautiful."

Emily lowered her face to Alison's stomach and kissed and nuzzled their growing baby.

"And we make beautiful babies together too," Emily smiled as she lifted her head again to look in Alison's eyes.

"Fuck that bitch," Alison said fiercely.

Emily quirked her lips. "It's a good thing the swear jar penalty doesn't apply when it's just the two of us."

"Thanks to you, at the rate I'm going she'll have enough in that jar to buy a car when she gets her license."

Emily laughed and stood. "I'm sure she will. Let me go take a quick rinse in the shower."

"Mmmm," Alison hummed as she pushed off the bed to follow Emily into the bathroom.

"I miss the smell of chlorine in your hair," Alison sighed wistfully.

"Salt water pools are better for the skin," Emily said with a smile.

"They're not better for my libido," Alison pouted as she followed Emily into the bathroom.

"Like you've ever needed any help with that." Emily turned on the hot water in the shower and the room started to fill with steam.

"This is true." Alison walked up behind Emily as she slipped off her bathing suit. The blonde pressed her lips to the back of Emily's shoulder as her fingers gripped Emily's hips. "I forgot how horny pregnancy makes me."

"I didn't," Emily murmured as she turned and grasped Alison's wrist, tugging her closer.

Emily captured Alison's lips as the blonde's stomach bumped into her. Alison slid her arms around Emily's waist and she moaned into her wife's mouth.

Emily cupped Alison's face in her hands as she deepened the kiss before sliding her hand back, tugging on Alison's messy knot behind her head to release her long hair. She combed her fingers into the long silky strands as Alison purred against her lips.

Alison slid her hands down and gripped Emily's ass, pulling her wife as close as she could, before finally pouting against the brunette's lips.

Emily laughed as she pulled back. "You know, it kind of hurts my ego when you pout while I'm kissing you."

Alison continued to pout but her eyes were soft. "My stomach is too big again. I can't get you close enough anymore."

"It's not too big, love," Emily said softly as she started unbuttoning the top of Alison's silk pajamas.

Alison's eyes fluttered but she stopped Emily's hands. "I already took a shower while you were swimming."

Now it was Emily's turn to pout.

"Rinse off, my beautiful mermaid," Alison whispered as she leaned forward and kissed her wife. "I'll be in the bedroom waiting for you."

"Tease," Emily called after Alison as she walked out of the bathroom, causing the blonde to laugh softly.

Alison walked out of the bedroom and down the hall. She peeked into Kyle's room to make sure he was still asleep. She walked over to his bed and tucked the sheet up around him.

It made Alison smile because, like her, he was always kicking his covers off while he slept.

It drove Emily crazy because she ended up uncovered as well, but Alison couldn't help what she did in her sleep.

Kyle had only been out of his crib and in a big boy bed for two months and she still worried he was going to roll out in the middle of the night, even though there was a bed guard.

She brushed some hair off his forehead and bent down to press a soft kiss on his warm skin, inhaling the sweet scent of her little boy.

"Love you, my sweet boy," she whispered before turning and catching sight of Pepe sleeping at the foot of the bed.

She reached over to her, the dog who had become Kyle's very best friend since Emily brought him home, and stroked the soft fur. Pepe lifted her head to poke her nose against Alison's hand.

"Watch over my baby, Pepe," Alison whispered and Pepe licked Alison's fingers in response, letting the blonde know she was on guard duty.

Alison left the room quietly, leaving the door cracked just in case, and she walked across the hall to Kaylee's room. She turned the knob silently and peeked in.

Kaylee was lying on her side, facing away from the door, and it wasn't until Alison stepped closer that she was sure the girl was asleep. She sat on the edge of the mattress, careful not to jostle her daughter's sleeping form and Alison watched her for several minutes.

It made her sad that Kaylee didn't come in and say goodnight to her, or ask Emily to send her to tuck the little girl in, like she did every night. But if it was one thing Alison could understand it was being mad at her mother. She and her mother would fight something fierce for as far back as Alison had memories of her mother. Not that she ever deliberately spent time remembering her mother now.

Alison had made peace, years ago, with what her mother had done to her, and why, but it still didn't make the truth of it go away; although the hurt and resentment had lessened over the years. She always worried she would turn into her mother if she'd ever had children of her own, but Emily's love and the patience and commitment of her shrink had helped her to accept and believe that it was her choice of whether she chose to follow in her mother's footsteps.

Looking down at her daughter, Alison was once again struck by the depth with which she loved the girl in front of her and the lengths to which she would go to protect her.

Alison leaned down and pressed a kiss to Kaylee's cheek, letting her lips linger for a second, before whispering, "I love you, baby girl."

She stood up and tucked the covers around Kaylee's body before she turned and walked out the door, missing the little girl's eyes open and follow the shadow of her mother across her wall as she exited the room.

################

Alison walked back into the master bedroom to find her wife also tucked snuggly in bed. She smirked and arched a brow as she took in the sight of Emily with the sheet pulled all the way up to her neck as she grinned over at the blonde.

It was clear she was nude beneath it and Alison felt heat pool low in her abdomen and a pulsing between her thighs. She closed and locked the door, she and Emily learning the hard way after being caught by Kaylee one night when the girl woke from a nightmare.

"Hi," Emily said softly.

"Hello there," Alison purred as she walked slowly across the room to the bed, unbuttoning her pajama top as she went.

"Your babies all tucked in?" Emily asked, her eyes crinkled, knowing where Alison had been.

"Our babies are both sound asleep," Alison replied smiling as she reached the bed and let the silk material slide down her arms to the floor.

Emily's eyes darkened with desire and it made Alison's breath hitch. Emily tossed back the sheet to reveal her naked body.

"You are the sexiest woman I have ever seen," Alison sighed softly as she licked her lips and pushed her pajama pants down and kicked them off.

"Come here, my beautiful wife," Emily whispered and held out her hand.

Alison climbed onto the bed and settled on her side facing her wife. Emily tossed the sheet over Alison's body and pulled her close, as close as she could. She lifted Alison's thigh over her own, gently stroking the soft skin as she pressed her lips to the blonde's.

Alison moaned against Emily's lips as she felt her wife's fingers slowly and gently travel from her thigh to the underside of her swollen stomach. That was one of the most sensitive parts of her body when she was pregnant and Emily's soft caresses made Alison's body shudder softly.

Alison clutched Emily closer, her fingers gripping her wife's hips as she rocked hers against Emily's thigh that was now pressed between her own.

"Em," Alison breathed softly and her head fell back as Emily pulled her lips away from the blonde's and brushed them down over her chin to the hollow of her throat. The brunette swirled her tongue in soft slow circles as her lips moved lower.

Alison panted as Emily's fingers slid lower, further down, finally finding the blonde hot and wet.

"Baby," Alison whimpered as Emily tickled her clit while simultaneously wrapping her lips around one of Alison's nipples, which were the second most sensitive parts of her pregnant body.

Alison arched her back and rocked her hips, urging her wife to suckle her harder and slip her fingers lower.

After so many years together, Emily knew exactly how and where to touch Alison, knowing her wife's body as well as her own. She knew how much pressure to use and when to pull back to both tease and excite. She knew exactly what Alison needed to find her completion and she knew when her wife needed slow and when she just needed to get off.

Tonight was a night for both. And after the stress of the day, Alison needed to just get off first; so Emily set out to take the edge off so she and her wife could then make slow sensual love.

Emily switched breasts and flicked her tongue over Alison's other nipple as her fingers dipped into her wife's body, her thumb pressing against her swollen clit.

Alison's body jerked and she squeaked out Emily's name as she slid her fingers into Emily's wet hair, clutching the soft strands as her body convulsed. She came in long slow waves around Emily's fingers, her entire body arching off the bed, as her eyes rolled back in her head.

Emily smiled around her nipple before she released it with a soft swirl of her tongue. Her lips moved upward again as Alison's body sank back into the mattress. Emily's lips brushed over her collarbone, again, this time to soothe.

"God, Em," Alison panted as Emily slipped her fingers out of Alison's body and brushed the wet digits slowly up her body to rest on Alison's swollen stomach.

Emily rested her head on the pillow beside Alison and smiled at her wife, still holding her close, only Alison's swollen belly separating them.

Alison touched her cheek gently, her soft eyes full of love for her mermaid.

"I needed that so bad," Alison admitted.

"I know you did, love."

Alison sighed and kissed Emily softly. "Thank you, baby."

Emily rubbed her nose gently against Alison's. "I love you, Ali."

Alison smiled and closed her eyes as she pressed her forehead to Emily's jaw. She loved hearing those words from her wife's lips.

"So what did you and Kaylee talk about?"

Emily chuckled softly and kissed Alison's temple. "She wanted to know how she resembled both of us since two women can't have a baby together."

"So, what did you tell her?" Alison asked as she pulled her head back and quirked her brow.

"I gave her a basic explanation of epigenetics and cell exchange."

Alison laughed long and hard. "And did her eyes glaze over like mine did the first three times you tried to explain it to me."

Emily chuckled along with her wife. "Pretty much. But she got the gist of it in the end."

"Thank god she got your brain," Alison said. Then she sighed. "I can't believe she went to bed without saying goodnight to me."

"Love, give her some time," Emily tucked some strands of Alison's hair behind her ear. "You know how stubborn she can be. Once she realizes that the world isn't going to end when we talk to her principal, she'll realize she's overreacting."

Alison shook her head. "No, she won't. She's too much like me to admit when she's wrong."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is," Alison insisted. "I dread what it's going to be like when she's a teenager and she starts throwing that attitude at me on a regular basis. It's not going to be pretty, Em. You're probably going to have to deal with her."

"It's a good thing I'm an expert with that attitude, huh?" Emily teased softly.

Alison smirked as she leaned down and nuzzled Emily's neck. "You're gonna have your work cut out for you having to deal with both of us."

Emily moaned softly, as her head now fell back. "Thankfully we have a few more years until we have to worry about her becoming a teenager."

Emily felt Alison sucking softly on the soft skin at the hollow of her throat and she whimpered her name, "Ali."

"Enough talking about kids, huh," Alison slid her hand down between their bodies, her fingers stopping briefly at the spot she'd know with her eyes closed. Her fingertips brushed softly over Emily's tattoo.

"Now, it's my turn, baby," Alison whispered before she captured Emily's lips in a long, soft, deep, wet kiss.

################

Alison stood on the walkway outside the auditorium doors, holding Kyle in her arms, waiting for Emily and Kaylee, who were in speaking with the principal. Kira stood beside her texting Brian to let him know she was leaving in a few minutes.

"Thanks for coming, Kira. It meant a lot to Kaylee that you were here."

"Are you kidding, I wouldn't have missed this for the world. I taught her half those words."

"She does like practicing her vocabulary with you over Skype."

"Of course she does. At least I teach her words she can say in front of other people."

"Shut up, bitch."

"Bitch," Kyle said as he grinned, reaching out to Kira.

"No, Kyle, that's Auntie Kira," Alison sighed. Emily was going to kill her. "Don't imitate mama. That's not nice to say."

"He thinks that's my name."

"It is," Alison smirked but Kira ignored the jab as she finished typing her text and then put her phone away in her purse. "Are you sure you don't want to come to Olive Garden with us?"

"Thanks, but I can't." Kira shook her head. "Brian had to pick the boys up from creative playschool today and he totally screwed it up."

"How?" Alison asked as she laughed.

"He drove in the exit, which is a one way, mind you. Then he left with the boys without signing them out with the teacher and she panicked when she realized they were gone. Trust me, he's not having a good day and I need to get home before he completely loses it. I just want to congratulate Kaylee before I go."

"I don't think they'll be much longer," Alison said as she looked over, worriedly, at the double doors leading into the school, wondering what was taking her wife and daughter so long.

"So who was that woman you were talking to before the spelling bee started?" Kira asked.

"The mom of one of Kaylee's friends," Alison said, not elaborating any further.

Kira looked over at her curiously. "The conversation looked pretty intense."

"Just catching up on gossip," Alison smiled but Kira thought it looked a little maniacal.

"Since when do you gossip?"

Alison's smile turned into a frown. "Since I need to find out what's going on in my daughter's life because she doesn't tell me jack shit."

"Jack shit," Kyle said as he giggled.

"No, Kyle," Alison scolded the little boy again gently. "Don't repeat what mama says."

"Emily is so going to kill you," Kira shook her head.

"I know, so shut the hell up," Alison scowled and Kira chuckled.

Kaylee walked up with her book bag over her shoulder.

"Congrats kiddo," Kira said as she ruffled the girl's hair. "You did great today."

"Thanks, Auntie Kira," Kaylee pulled her head away, trying to straighten her hair. "But will you cut that out please?"

"Kay-yee," Kyle called out as he reached for his sister. She grabbed his hand and shook it.

"Hi Kyle," she said.

"Where's mom," Alison asked as she looked around for her wife.

"She's still talking to the principal," Kaylee said without looking up.

Alison sighed because Kaylee still wasn't really talking to her, even though she begrudgingly agreed to just let Emily talk to the principal. Sometimes she just couldn't win with her daughter.

"How did it go?"

"Fine," Kaylee answered as she kicked the edge of the concrete.

"Are you going to stay mad at me for an indefinite amount of time because it would really be nice to know so I can plan for it?"

Kaylee looked up at her mother now and a smirk hinted at her lips, but before she could retort, which is exactly what she knew her mother wanted, a voice rang out across the grass.

"Brittany Martin, get your butt over here, we have to go."

Alison's head snapped up and she looked in the direction of the voice as Kaylee's eyes widened with fear.

Alison looked at the woman standing in the middle of the parking lot and her eyes narrowed. She was probably a few years older than Alison and she looked like a bitch as far as Alison was concerned.

The woman's eyes scanned the area and met Alison's briefly before she looked away with an expression of disgust on her face.

And Alison snapped.

"Kira, take Kyle," she said as she shoved her son at her friend.

Kira took him, startled, and she looked around to see what was happening.

"No, mom, please don't do this," Kaylee pleaded as she grabbed her Alison's arm.

"Ali, what the hell is going on?" Kira asked as she settled Kyle on her hip.

Alison looked down at her daughter and she was torn. She didn't want to embarrass her but the mama bear in her couldn't let this go.

"Mom, please," Kaylee pleaded again and Alison reached down and cupped her daughter's face in her hands.

"No one bullies my child," she said fiercely and she kissed the little girl's forehead before releasing her face and turning to walk away.

"Auntie Kira," Kaylee looked over at her aunt, her eyes wild. "Do something."

"I can't sweetie," Kira shook her head slowly. "Protecting the people she loves is what your mom does."

"She's gonna make a scene," Kaylee hissed as she looked around. No one was looking yet, but soon everyone would be focused on her mother.

Kira looked down at the frantic girl. "Kaylee, this is the reason why I love your mother more than almost anyone else on this planet."

"Because she's crazy?" Kaylee hissed.

"Yes," Kira replied honestly.

Kaylee scowled and Kira couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "You look just like her when you scowl like that."

"This is why my mom says you two can't be trusted together."

Kira laughed again. "Kid, you have no idea. I can't wait until you're old enough for me to tell you all the stories that prove just how right your mom is."

"Auntie Kira," Kaylee cried exasperated.

"Have I sufficiently distracted you yet?" Kira asked and the little girl glared at her, letting Kira know she had succeeded.

"Where is my mom? I have to go get her," Kaylee said as she watched Alison finally reach her destination. She turned to go find her not crazy mother, but her aunt's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"No. You need to see this Kaylee." Kaylee looked up at her aunt like she was crazy but Kira just smiled warmly down at her. "Love like that woman loves you is rare and you need to appreciate it, not be embarrassed by it."

"Mrs., Martin, is it?" Alison barked harshly as she walked up to the woman who had terrorized her child.

"Mrs. Fields," the woman said, her distaste for Alison evident in her tone.

"Well at least you got my name right," Alison spat as she clenched her hands at her sides to keep her from wrapping them around this woman's neck. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but where do you get off telling my daughter that her parents are unnatural?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," the woman started to say but Alison cut her off.

"Don't you dare try to act all innocent. Kaylee told us about the ugly, vile, hateful things you said to her."

The woman scoffed. "I don't know what she told you but I assure you it's not true."

Oh no she didn't.

"Are you calling my daughter a liar?" Alison growled dangerously.

"If she was raised in an immoral environment, who knows what kinds of bad habits she picked up."

Despite her decades of therapy, and the fact that she'd been Alison Fields for twelve years, Alison felt remnants of Alison DiLaurentis coming to the surface, and she welcomed her back, her eyes flashing as dangerously as her voice.

"You know nothing about me or my wife or our family. My daughter lives in a home where she is loved and where her parents love and are faithful to each other. Can you say the same for your daughter?"

The woman's mouth dropped open in shock.

"I thought not," Alison snarled as she continued. "No wonder your husband turned to someone else. I would too if I lived with a spiteful and nasty woman like you." Alison lowered her voice because, out of the corner of her eye, she could see who she suspected was Brittany walking up. "Oh, but wait, I heard he left you for a man, not a woman. That's got to sting, doesn't it?"

The woman's face paled but Alison just kept on going. "Oh, yeah I know all about you. It's amazing how much information people are willing to give up when they finally realize how truly repulsive you are."

"How dare you?" Mrs. Martin screeched.

"No, how dare you, bitch," Alison hissed. "How dare you take out your anger at your husband on my child?"

"I don't have to stand here and listen to you speak to me this way."

The woman turned but Alison grabbed her arm to keep her from walking away.

"And my daughter shouldn't have had to stand there and listen to you speak to her about how her family is not natural. If you have an issue with me or my wife or how we live our lives, you take it out on me, not our daughter. What kind of detestable person takes her own personal prejudices out on an innocent child?"

"I have a right to my opinion," Mrs. Martin replied as she shook Alison's hand off.

Alison's eyes narrowed. "Yes you do. It's unfortunate that people like you are allowed to have opinions at all, though, because you're all ignorant."

"At least I don't engage in revolting and depraved acts with another woman," Mrs. Martin spat.

Alison's eyes flashed angrily again and she swallowed before she spoke again. "You can have any opinion you want about me and my wife, but keep your intolerant poison to yourself. And if you so much as look at our daughter again, I will slap you with a harassment lawsuit so fast your head with spin. I will not only sue you for harassment of a minor, but slander against both me and my wife, and anything else my lawyer feels could stick. You've fucked with the wrong family, bitch."

"Ali," Emily warned in a low tone as she walked up, having finally come out of the school and overheard the last of Alison's rant. The entire parking lot overheard Alison.

She grasped Alison's bicep gently but Alison ignored her and just yanked her arm away angrily.

"You can take this as a warning or a threat, it's up to you," Alison continued. "But if you think I won't follow through then you clearly have no idea who you're dealing with. And I can promise you, if it comes down to litigation, you'll run out of money long before we do. Especially since your husband is taking all of yours," Alison added, taking one last dig at the woman.

"Ali," Emily said again, this time gripping Alison's hip, in both support and warning.

"What?" Alison snarled and turned to look at Emily. Emily arched a brow at her and Alison released a soft sigh of regret for attacking her wife.

"I'm sorry, Em," she said softly, her voice filled with repentance.

"Oh, good, can you please control your wife," the woman said, her tone twisting as she said the word "wife."

Alison bristled and Emily's eyes flashed more fiercely than Alison's were.

"Listen to me, Mrs. Martin, just because my wife and I express our anger differently, don't you dare mistake that to mean that I don't one hundred percent agree with and back up everything she's said to you."

Alison felt a rush of love for her wife so fierce it almost made her stumble.

"I have brought your abhorrent behavior to the attention of the school," Emily continued while barely taking a breath. Alison loved when her mermaid got on a role. "And I've been assured that you will not be allowed to harass our daughter or any other child again."

"You've spoken to the school?" Mrs. Martin turned a bit pale, in Alison's opinion, and she couldn't hold back the smirk that curved her lips. "What have you done?"

Emily took a step closer and got right in Mrs. Martin's face. "We've protected our daughter from a narrow-minded bigoted bully."

"You'll be hearing from my attorney," the woman sputtered as she tried to maintain her dignity.

"Bring it on, bitch," Alison replied, her smirk growing wider.

"Brittany, come on we're leaving," Mrs. Martin said as she turned and stormed off.

Brittany looked over at Alison and Emily, her eyes shining with tears. Alison imagined Kaylee in her place and she sagged against Emily's side, her adrenaline in the moment fading.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Brittany," Alison said sincerely.

Brittany didn't reply. She just hurried after her mother, who had screeched for her again.

Emily lifted her hand and slid it behind Alison's neck as she looked at the blonde worriedly.

"Are you okay?"

"I've never been better," Alison grinned and pulled Emily toward her, kissing her mermaid soundly on the lips. She felt Emily sigh softly but her wife returned the kiss.

When Alison pulled her lips away she looked over Emily's shoulder and saw Kaylee looking at them, her face a combination of anger and sadness. But she also recognized the hints of pride in her daughter's eyes, before the little girl turned and walked away without a word.

###############

Alison sat on the balcony, looking out over the ocean. She'd been watching Emily and Kaylee, again, taking their nightly swim in the pool below, enjoying the sight of two of the three people she loved most in the world.

She knew Kaylee was still mad at her for her outburst at the school this afternoon but she hadn't been able to help herself. She'd learned who that woman was and old Alison DiLaurentis, the one who could eviscerate anyone with her tongue, rose to the surface. Alison had managed to keep her at bay for decades, at least most of the time, but today she would not be suppressed.

She didn't regret anything she'd said to the woman, or even how she did it, but she did regret that it had embarrassed her daughter. And she also regretted that Brittany had to witness the exchange as well because that little girl didn't deserve humiliation any more than Kaylee did. It wasn't the girl's fault that her mother was an insufferable bitch of epic proportions.

Alison wondered if they'd hear anything from the woman's attorneys, but she really didn't care. She'd willingly and gladly spend every dime she and Emily had to protect their daughter.

The door to the bedroom opened and she heard Emily enter. She rose from her spot on the lounge and walked into the bedroom.

"Hey," Emily said as she smiled. "Were you watching us?"

Emily knew Alison liked to watch them, never understanding why she didn't just come out on the back deck and sit by the pool while she and Kaylee swam.

Alison nodded, knowing she'd been caught, but not caring in the least.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked as she walked over, lifting her hand to Alison's face. Alison's eyes fluttered softly.

"I'm fine, Em."

"Kaylee wants you to tuck her in."

Relief flooded Alison's body and although she was thrilled Kaylee wanted her tonight, she still had to ask. "Am I going to get yelled at?"

"No," Emily smiled and pressed a kiss to Alison's temple. "After you tuck her in, I want to take your blood pressure."

"I just took it twenty minutes ago and it was fine."

Emily just looked at her and Alison sighed.

"Fine, whatever you want." But her scowl quickly morphed into a seductive smile as she pressed her body against her mermaid's. "If you want to play doctor tonight, I'm game."

Emily automatically wrapped her arms around Alison. "We need to make sure your blood pressure stays down."

Alison grinned and wiggled, rubbing her body against Emily's. "Playing doctor makes me relaxed... once it's over anyway."

"Go put our daughter to bed, Alison."

Alison pouted as she pulled out of Emily's arms. "If you're going to be like this for the rest of this pregnancy, you're going to have a very crabby, sexually frustrated wife."

"It's a good thing I'm an expert with that attitude too," Emily teased gently.

Alison just scoffed, not finding her wife funny at all, before she walked out of the room, the sound of Emily's soft chuckles fading as she walked down the hall.

#############

Alison entered Kaylee's bedroom to find her daughter sitting up in bed scrolling through her IPad. She looked up as her mother walked closer to the bed.

"Mom said you wanted me to tuck you in tonight?"

Kaylee nodded and put her IPad on her bedside table.

Alison sat down beside her, her heart aching with love for the beautiful little girl in front of her. The girl with her attitude and her wife's eyes.

"I'm sorry, mama, for being a brat earlier," Kaylee said softly as she picked at her thumb.

Alison smiled softly, blinking her eyes quickly. Kaylee usually called both she and Emily mom most of the time. It made it difficult to know who she was talking to when the three of them were in a room together. But when she was younger she had always called Alison "mama" and Emily "mommy." She only used those names now when she was upset or scared or she felt bad for something she did.

Alison reached forward and pulled Kaylee into her arms, wrapping her little girl as tight as she could with her swollen belly between them. Kaylee clung to Alison tightly, pressing her face into her mother's neck as Alison pressed a kiss to her golden hair.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, baby. I was just so mad at her for hurting you. No one hurts you, not as long as I'm alive to prevent it."

"I know, mama." Kaylee pulled back and looked up at her mom. "Everyone around me and Aunt Kira were cheering, both the kids and their parents."

"Yeah, she's not very liked." Alison couldn't hold back the delighted smile that curved her lips. "And there is a reason for it. But I never want to be an embarrassment to you, Kaylee."

"You're not. I was just being a brat."

"Does mom and me being married embarrass you?"

"No. Never," the little girl said fervently. "You and mom are the best parents in the whole world."

"I know a lot of people don't understand when two women like mom and me love each other."

"It shouldn't matter that you're both women, mom. Love doesn't discriminate."

Alison smiled. "Where did you learn that word? Did Auntie Kira teach you that?"

Kaylee looked a little sheepish. "No, mom said it to me last night."

"Did she tell you what it means?"

"No, but I looked it up," the little girl admitted.

Alison chuckled. Of course she did. "So tell me, what does it mean?"

"It means to tell the difference. And mom said that the heart loves who it loves and doesn't care if a person is a woman or a man."

Alison smiled softly, her heart bursting with love for her wife. "You know your mom is probably the smartest person I know."

"Yeah, me too."

"Hey, wait a minute... what about me? I'm no dummy you know."

Kaylee laughed as Alison scowled and poked her in the side. "But mom is a doctor. She has to be super smart to be a doctor."

Alison huffed playfully, her smile letting her daughter know she wasn't truly offended, before finally admitting. "Your mom is smarter than me, but don't tell her I told you that because I'll deny it."

"Okay, mom," Kaylee rolled her eyes.

"I love your mom and you and Kyle more than anything, you know that right?" Alison asked as she caressed her daughter's cheek.

"Yeah," Kaylee said as she nodded.

"I will always protect and defend all of you," Alison said fervently. "I may not always do it in a way you agree with, but I'll do it."

"I love you, mama." Kaylee threw her arms around Alison again, this time burying her face in Alison's chest.

Alison kissed the top of her head, her eyes blinking with tears. Hearing this child say those words to her always felt like the best gift in the world.

"I love you, too, my sweet baby girl," Alison whispered and she looked up as she heard soft footsteps at the door.

She found her wife leaning against the doorjamb, Emily's brown eyes shining with love as she watched them.

In that moment, Alison knew she was the luckiest woman in the world. Everything she ever wanted and needed and loved was in her arms, standing across the room from her, fast asleep in the next bedroom and inside her womb.

There was nothing else Alison DiLaurentis Fields would ever want.

This will probably be the last one shot for a little bit. I have a few things I need to take care of before I'll have time to write again.

If I could write short one shots it would be okay, but clearly I am incapable of that...lol

Thanks again for reading and reviewing.