If someone would have told Olivia when she was sixteen that she would someday be married to a woman, happily married at that, with two kids and future prospects for more; she would have laughed in their face and asked what they were on. A happy home life seemed like a pipe dream to Olivia when she was younger. Hell, it was a pipe dream right up to her thirties. Right up to the moment she'd first seen a glimmer of something better, a glimmer caused by a casual evening of take out and wine at a certain A.D.A's apartment. She couldn't remember the exact case they'd been working, but she could remember how they'd slipped into talking about themselves rather then the case. She could remember feeling the spark of connection between her and Alex. After that they'd started spending more of their free time together. They became friends, they became close, and Olivia found herself falling in love. Then it all went to hell.

Olivia had reverted to the way she had been before she'd met Alex, there for everyone else, but distant when it came to herself. She'd gone into some kind of emotional hibernation, one that she remained in until she'd found herself in Alex's arms. Her life hadn't been made simple or easy because of Alex; they were after all a lesbian couple raising a family in a climate where they were still looked down upon, but it had been made happier, fuller, and complete.

A victim once asked Olivia to define happiness. At the time she couldn't and she had agreed, to herself anyway, that happiness was an illusion. She'd been wrong, so very wrong. Happiness was waking up with Alex in her arms. It was the sound of Allie's giggle. It was the weight of Oliver asleep on her chest. It was laughing with the boys at Clancy's. It was watching Casey playing softball. It was learning to cook from Sally. It was running in the park with Max. It was living her life and remembering to take in every detail.

Olivia's life was so vastly different then she'd pictured it would be when she was younger. After all here she was sitting in a pew at a Catholic mass with Alex and Oliver to her left and Allie to her right, when she'd vowed never to go down this road again. But sitting here with her family just felt right to Olivia. The sense of peace that washed over her still unsettled her at times, but more and more it started to feel like a warm and welcomed hug from an old friend.

"So where are we having lunch today?" Alex asked at the end of the service as they made their way towards the front doors.

"Mama!" Allie said as she slipped past Olivia and held her hand out to Alex. "I need a dollar please."

"How about Indian?" Olivia asked as she watched Allie take the dollar from Alex and run over to the statue of St. Michael. Every Sunday Allie put a dollar in the donation box and lit a candle at the foot of the St. Michael statue while asking him to watch over her mom and uncles.

"Sounds good to me." Alex said while they waited for Allie to come back over. When the little girl was at their side again she asked, "Mommy wants Indian for lunch, how's that sound?"

"Can I have spicy curry?" Allie asked hopefully.

Olivia laughed. "You can have some of mine."

Allie smiled as she took her mom's hand. "Deal."

Happiness was the feel of her daughter's hand in her own, the sight of Alex's smile, and the sound of her son clapping his hands. Happiness was feeling at peace and content even in the worst of times. Happiness is what Olivia had, and as they walked out of Father Brandon's little church, she sent up a little prayer of thanks to whoever might be listening. And when Alex smiled at her over the roof of the car, somehow she just knew she'd been heard.

The End

Author's Note: I know it's been another long drought but life some times likes to knock you around. I've started working on season three so stay tuned to your inboxes for the next installment of Alex and Olivia and their lives.