"Lena? Honey?" At the sound of her wife's frazzled voice, Lena looked up from the saucepan on the stove and smiled.

"Hey," she said, setting the wooden spoon down on the counter and going to embrace Stef. With a quick kiss she inquired, "How was your day?"

"Oh, you know," Stef replied, shaking her head and exhaling heavily through her nose. She rolled her neck side to side until it cracked. "We interviewed a girl who'd been picked up for the third time and finally decided she was willing to talk, only to have her clam up when Margo and I got there. Ended up getting a whole lot of nothing for our trouble."

Lena gave her wife another kiss, unable to offer any real comfort. Though detective work was safer, physically, it took quite the toll on Stef emotionally to see so many abused girls day after day, especially when she ended up feeling like she couldn't do anything to help them. Lena would rather die that see her back on the beat, but she knew this life wasn't sustainable long-term either.

"Dinner's almost ready," she said finally. "If you want to go up and change and wash up, I can finish this sauce and have food on the table in about ten."

"Okay." Stef kissed her one last time, letting some of her tension and distress out in the embrace. The moment hung in the air, their faces resting together as Lena moved her hand slowly up and down Stef's back.

"Mama, can I- Oh." Jude stopped abruptly on the stairs, and the two women broke apart. "Sorry," he mumbled, starting to turn around, his face aflame.

"It's okay, buddy," Lena said, pinching back a smirk. "What do you need?"

"I was just wondering if I could go to Noah's for dinner and to hang out." Then, seeing his moms exchange a look, he hastened to add, "His parents are home and I'm done with my homework and they can give me a ride there and back and I'll be home before curfew, I swear."

Lena quirked an eyebrow at Stef, who nodded her assent, winking at their youngest son. "Sure sweets," she said, ruffling his hair and giving him a smacking kiss on the cheek as she passed on her way upstairs to change.

"Moom!" Jude complained, looking petulantly up at her (though he didn't wipe off the kiss, as both moms noticed). With a thoroughly teenage roll of his eyes, he whirled around and pulled out his phone, ostensibly texting his boyfriend.

Lena went back to the cooking, smiling softly at how incredibly settled Jude was. It always made her feel warm inside to hear him call them Mom and Mama, and it was reassuring that he was continuing to develop social connections. Even his dating made her happy, though there were the usual pangs of losing her baby to adulthood too soon. Before long, though, she found herself ruminating on the lines in Stef's face, which seemed deeper every day when she arrived home from work. Not that Lena's job was a walk in the park by any means, especially with this privatization battle going on, but Stef's tender heart was clearly taking a beating in this new position, and her partner could feel the effects. Maybe what Stef needed was a little getaway, something to relax and rejuvenate her. As she flipped the meat and stirred the sauce she pondered her options. Nothing too expensive, since that would only stress Stef out more. Nothing too elaborate for the same reason. Kid-free, that was a no brainer. As she finally placed the food on the table, an idea crystallized, and a grin tiptoed across her face.

"What's that smirk about?" Stef asked, coming into the kitchen and pulling the pitcher of water out of the fridge.

"Oh, nothing," Lena replied with a teasing shrug. "Kids, dinner's ready!" she called up the stairs.

"Vixen," Stef commented, giving her a little pat on the butt. It was clear that Lena was up to something. Pretty soon, though, their children flooded the kitchen and any chance for playful banter was cut off by the news of the day: Mariana breaking the curve in math class, Callie's latest assignment for her portfolio, Brandon's burger mishap of the afternoon.

Later that evening Stef came into her bedroom from her final rounds for the night to find her wife typing busily away on the laptop in bed. She shook her head as she closed their door and subtly locked it. Or not so subtly, apparently, because Lena looked up from her work.

"You think you're getting laid tonight, huh?" she teased, nodding towards the door. Stef blushed.

"Well, I- I thought- While you were cooking, you- I-" Stef stuttered, tripping over her tongue as she moved across the room.

"Get over here, woman," Lena deadpanned, setting the computer aside. That was all the invitation Stef needed to fall into bed beside her partner and wrap her up in an intense kiss. Before too long, though, Lena was pulling away.

"Put your pajamas on. We've got an early start tomorrow."

"What?" Stef propped herself up on one elbow, looking quizzically at her. "Tomorrow's Saturday."

"Exactly," Lena replied with a mischievous smile. "The kids are busy all day and you and I have big plans, missy."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm. But it's a surprise, so don't bother pushing. Now go get ready for bed," she ordered, pushing Stef towards the edge of the mattress. Sighing, her wife did as she was told, sliding onto her feet and going into their bathroom to brush her teeth.

Stef made one last attempt at romance for the night, dropping her day clothes as seductively as possible, but Lena had rolled over and turned off the lamp, refusing to give in to her tricks. With a little chuckle, Stef put her pajamas on and climbed into bed, wondering what her partner could possibly have in store for her.