Chapter 23

Alex huffed as she collapsed on the couch "I can't believe she didn't admit me." She and Olivia had just left her doctor's appointment. The baby was now a week late and she was more than ready for it to be over.

"Alex honey she's inducing you in the morning. So it really wouldn't make a difference between now and then."

"Yes it would Liv. Do you even know how miserable I am right now?"

Olivia laughed "Yeah I have a pretty good idea." She ran her fingers through Alex's hair and placed a kiss on top of her head. "Why don't you try and rest while I straighten up. Gail and Bill will be here later this evening and I'd like to have everything done when they get here." The couple had offered to come up and stay with Henry when Alex had the baby, and since she had to be in at five am they would be spending the night.

Alex spent most of the afternoon trying to cuddle with Henry as much as possible because she knew once the new baby arrived he would be taking most of their attention. Once he went down for his nap Alex walked into the kitchen where Olivia was putting away the groceries she had just purchased. Alex leaned against the door frame and watched her wife for a minute, she had never loved someone the way she loved Olivia in fact she never knew she could love someone this much. She walked up behind Olivia and wrapped her arms around her waist "Hey." she whispered against her neck.

Olivia leaned her head back on Alex's shoulder for a kiss "Hey yourself." She turned so they were facing one another "I thought I told you to get some rest."

"You did but I've sat around so much lately that I'm going nuts and I know once I come home you're going to insist I still sit around while you do all the work, so I figured I would move around now while I could." She reached up and ran her hand through the brunettes hair "Besides I love watching the domestic side of you," she leaned in and put her lips against her ear "because it's hot." she chuckled as Olivia shivered. Alex pressed her lips against Olivia's, enjoying the feel of her wife's lips against hers.

Olivia pulled away when Alex slipped her fingers just below the waist of her jeans "Alex, umm Alex?" Olivia said between kisses. She reached down and stilled the blondes hand before she had a chance to go any further. She pulled back and looked her in the eye "What brought this on?"

Alex smiled before she leaned back in and began placing light kisses all over Olivia's face "Henry is asleep; it'll still be a while before our company arrives" she pulled back and gave Olivia an almost predatory grin "And I really want to go into labor. So will you please have sex with me?"

Olivia burst out laughing "What?"

Alex huffed and rolled her eyes "I know this will sound bad but I'm so tired of being pregnant. Don't get me wrong I've loved it up till now and I'm pretty sure I'll want to do it again but I'm so ready for him to be out."

"So what does sex have to do with that?" Olivia asked with a smirk.

"You know for a detective you're a little dense sometimes. I want you to have sex with me so I'll go in labor." Alex whined.

Olivia continued to laugh "We had sex last night and you didn't go into labor. Besides you have to be at the hospital in just over twelve hours you'll be in labor soon enough, and trust me once you are you'll be wishing you weren't." They stared at each other for a moment "Oh my God that's why we did last night didn't we?" Olivia feigned hurt "You used me."

Alex placed another quick kiss to her lips "You enjoyed every minute of it and you know it."

Later that evening after Bill and Gail arrived and they had dinner they all sat around talking while Henry played in the floor. Bill took a seat next to Alex "I never thought I'd see the day."

"What me having a baby?"

"Well that too but I never thought I'd see you married, happily I might add, with one child and about to have about to have another one." he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a sideways hug.

"What makes you say that?" Alex had always been close to her uncle and his wife, and she was genuinely curious about what he was saying.

"Alex you've wanted to be a lawyer for as long as I can remember and I could tell early on that you would be one hell of a prosecutor." Alex looked surprised she didn't even know she wanted to be a prosecutor until she started law school. Bill chuckled "Don't look surprised Alex. You've always had prosecutor written all over you. You always wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves and speak for those who couldn't. Alex you were meant to be a prosecutor." he smiled at her "However more than that you were meant to be a mother." Alex began to tear up "I've watched you with Henry and I just can't get over how good you are with him. Alex that little boy," he pointed at the miniature version of Olivia playing in the floor "That little boy loves you more than anything in the world. You and Olivia are his world. When he stayed with us a few weeks ago all we heard was Mama this and Mommy that" he pat her hand and whispered before standing "I just wish your parents were here to see how wonderful you are."

When it was time to go to bed Alex insisted on carrying Henry up to bed, against Olivia's insistence that she shouldn't "Liv I'm fine I haven't been able to carry him hardly at all for weeks and it'll be a while before I can carry him again." Once they were curled up in bed Alex sighed as Olivia began gently rubbing her belly "I'm really going to miss this."

"What?" Olivia asked as she nuzzled the back of Alex's neck.

"This, you rubbing my belly. However I can't wait to be able to sleep on my back again."

"Good luck you remember how long it took me to be able to do that, but why do you want to be able to lie on your back again?"

"Because I miss lying on my back with you curled up in my arms with your head on my chest. I love sleeping like that."

Olivia chuckled lightly "I miss that too."

Alex lay in the hospital bed and struggled to catch her breath after the last contraction. It was now eight am and it seemed like her contractions were coming faster than she expected. She looked up at Olivia who was gently running a damp cloth across her forehead. She had to choke back a few tears when she saw the love reflecting in her wife's eyes. Olivia hadn't left her side since they arrived at the hospital. Alex took Olivia's hand and gently rubbed it between hers "I haven't broken it yet have I?"

Olivia chuckled "Not yet. You forget I've been in fights I think I can handle you squeezing my hand."

"Yeah well if it's anything like it was when you were in labor it's gonna get pretty rough. You cut the circulation off in mine several times." Alex leaned up for a kiss "But seriously Liv, thank you."

"For what?" Olivia asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"For everything. You have been so great during all of this. You work hard all day, and sometimes all night, you come home and take care of me and Henry. I love you and couldn't imagine doing this without you."

Olivia smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to Alex's lips "I can't imagine any part of my life without you. I love coming home to you and our son, taking care of both of you. I always thought my life would be going to work and coming home to an empty apartment. Then this headstrong, stubborn, drop dead gorgeous blonde walked into the squad room and I knew my world was about to change." she grinned "Or at least I hoped it would."

"I remember what that was like." Alex whispered "The only thing that mattered was my career and where it could lead, higher in the DA's office, political office maybe? Then that fateful day I walked into the precinct." they both laughed "I remember it like it was yesterday. You were sitting at your desk and I remember thinking how beautiful you were and at the same time I thought you would never give me the time of day. I knew in that instant that I didn't care if it took the rest of my life I was going to make you mine."

"I'm glad you did because I love being yours."

Alex was about to reply when she felt the start of another contraction "Oh God here comes another one!" she said as she grabbed Olivia's hand.

By noon Alex was nearing her wit's end "Liv I can't do this I can't. You do it for me."

"I would if I could sweetie but I can't. You however are more than capable of bringing our baby into the world."

Alex practically growled as the next contraction hit "I want the epidural!"

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked.

"Yes I want it!"

A few minutes later the anesthesiologist entered the room to get everything set up "Okay Mrs. Cabot how are you feeling?"

"How do you think?" Alex asked in a sarcastic tone. She was in no mood to listen to him; she just wanted the baby out.

"Alex please." Olivia whispered in her ear.

With Olivia's help Alex was sitting on the edge of the bed leaning into Olivia. She was squeezing Olivia's neck tight while she breathed through another contraction. Just as it was ending she heard the doctor's voice again "See that wasn't so bad was it?"

Alex's eyes popped open and she turned to glare at the man "Excuse me? Let's see how you feel if you were trying to push a baby through your di-"

Before she could finish her thought Alex felt Olivia's hand over her mouth. She knew Olivia knew what she was about to say and decided to stop her "Alex honey he's only doing his job."

"Well he needs to do his job and get out." Alex said while continuing to glare at the doctor. The fact that it didn't seem to faze him in the least only irritated her more. She finally looked up into Olivia's eyes as the doctor was preparing to insert the needle. "It's going to hurt isn't it?" she asked while trying to hold the tears back.

Olivia placed a kiss to her forehead "I'm afraid so, but you'll get through it." she pulled Alex closer and continued to whisper in her ear how much she loved her.

Alex cried out as the needle was inserted in her spine. She began crying into her wife's shoulder hoping the pain would end soon. Shortly after her epidural she began to relax and was eventually able to take a short nap. She woke to the strongest contraction yet "Son of a bitch!" she yelled as she held her side.

Olivia jumped from the chair and raced to her side "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Alex panted out. She was just catching her breath when another hit "Oh God here comes another one."

After a few more contractions Olivia offered to get a nurse "Do you want me to get you a nurse Alex?"

Alex nodded "That might not be a bad idea." Olivia was about to walk away when another contraction hit. This time it felt different "Liv I think the baby's coming!" Olivia just stared for a moment as if she suddenly wasn't sure what she should do. Alex reached out and shook her hand. Olivia snapped out of her trance and stared at Alex "Move your ass Liv I think he's coming!"

The next few minutes the room turned into controlled chaos. Suddenly Alex found herself sitting up in the bed with Olivia at her side and her doctor staring back at her. "Okay Alex you're ready to go so on the next contraction I want you to push and count to ten."

Alex nodded but suddenly she wasn't sure about what she was about to do. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to deliver the baby, she was afraid something would happen and if it did Olivia would never forgive her. She had just registered Olivia saying ten, signifying she could stop and rest for a moment. She lay back on the bed for a moment and looked at Olivia "I can't do this."

"Yes you can, I know you can." Olivia reassured as she ran her fingers through her wife's hair.

"No I can't." Alex cried as she felt another contraction begin.

Alex had been pushing for nearly thirty minutes, and in her opinion it has been the longest thirty minutes of her life. She was taking a second to rest when she heard Dr. Mason call out "Okay Alex on this next one I need you to give me all you've got." she looked down at the doctor, her expression clearly asking why "I can see the head Alex he's almost out."

Alex watched as Olivia stepped over to look. She felt her breath catch at the look on Olivia's face "Liv?"

"He's almost here Alex. I saw his head, he's right there." Olivia whispered while wiping her tears.

This encouraged Alex so on the next one she sat up and squeezed Olivia's hand as tight as she could and pushed with everything she had. She groaned when she heard the doctor say he was almost out. She looked up at Olivia for strength, and Olivia seemed to know what she needed "Alex you convinced me I was strong enough to deliver our baby and now I'm doing it for you. Do you know why you're able to do this?" Alex shook her head. "It's because you're the strongest person I know. You took on a drug cartel, you spent almost two years alone in witness protection, and you put up with me and the miniature version of me. You are also the only person I know who is willing to stand up to me and call me out when I'm being stubborn. You're also willing to kick my ass when I need it." both laughed knowing it was true. Olivia leaned down and kissed Alex soundly "So what do you say we meet our son?"

Olivia's faith in her was all Alex needed to continue on. She sat up and began pushing with everything she had. She felt like she was on the verge of passing out when she heard the most wonderful sound in the world, their baby's cry. She looked up at Olivia who was already crying "Is that?"

Olivia nodded and leaned in kissing Alex passionately "Yeah it is. It's our baby. You did it!"

They looked up at the doctor who was smiling "Congratulations it's a boy!" she said as she reached up and lay the squalling infant on Alex's chest.

Alex looked down at the baby, she was in love instantly. She had been so worried that she wouldn't be able to love both her children enough but she knew the moment she looked at the baby she loved him as much as she loved Henry. "Oh God Olivia he's perfect!" She held him close to her chest and cried.

"Olivia would you like to cut the cord?" Dr. Mason asked.

Alex smiled as Olivia nodded and then stepped over to sever the physical connection between mother and baby. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and just starred at Alex and the baby. Alex felt as if they were in their own little world, just the three of them.

One of the nurses came over to take the baby to be checked out and Alex insisted Olivia follow to keep an eye on him. Olivia carried the baby back over and handed him to Alex. "You did good Mama." Olivia said as she sat down on the edge of the bed with her wife.

"You did pretty well yourself Mommy." They stared at the baby in silence for a few minutes before Alex spoke again "I swear he looks like both of us. Look at him I mean in ways I see you but at the same time he doesn't." she was looking at him until he opened his eyes and looked at her "Oh thank God." she cried.

"What?" Olivia asked as she leaned over to get a better look.

"His eyes baby, he has your eyes." sure enough the tiny infant had brown eyes.

After they shared a little more bonding time the baby was taken to the nursery to be cleaned up while Alex was taken to her room. Olivia had called Gail to share the good news and to tell them it was okay to bring Henry by. They were both dying to see their other son. Alex settled back in her bed in preparation of feeding the baby for the first time. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed about the nurse helping her learn how to feed him. Once she had the hang of it the nurse left them alone. She couldn't take her eyes off the baby in her arms but at the same time she knew Olivia was watching her. Alex smiled "I know you're looking at my boob's detective."

Olivia laughed "Well now you know how it felt all those times you watched me."

An hour later Alex was sitting in the bed with her knees pulled up and the baby resting on her legs. She couldn't get over how much she loved the little baby in front of her. After Henry she thought she could never love another child as much as she loved him. So it surprised her when she first laid eyes on their newest child and knew she loved him just as much as Henry. She quickly wiped a few tears from her eyes when she heard the door opening. She looked up and grinned when she saw her wife and son walking into the room.

"Mama!" Henry called out as Olivia carried him toward the bed.

Alex scooped the baby up into her arms and slid over making room for Henry beside her. She wrapped her arm around her oldest child and held him closer. She began crying again when she realized she was holding both her sons in her arms. "I love you." Alex whispered as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Wuve you too Mama." he reached out and wiped the tears from her face "Why crying Mama?"

Alex glanced up at Olivia, who was crying also, before responding "Mama's crying because she loves you so much."

Olivia sat down on the bed next to Alex "So Henry, are you ready to meet your baby brother?"

Henry looked at the baby in Alex's arms "Baby."

"Yes that's your baby brother." Alex replied.

Henry reached out to touch the baby but was stopped by Olivia "Easy baby. You have to be easy when you touch him okay?" Henry gently reached over and ran his hand over the baby's arm "Play?"

Alex laughed "No he can't play he's too little. Once he gets older he can play with you but right now he's too little." Henry nodded, seeming to accept the explanation.

After the family had a little time to bond Olivia went out and told Bill and Gail they could come in. "Congratulations Alex!" Bill said as he leaned in for a hug.

"Oh girls he's wonderful!" Gail said as she stared at the baby. "I swear it's like he's a perfect mixture of both of you." Alex and Olivia both nodded. While they knew his looks would change as he got older right now he did appear to have features from both of them. He had light brown hair and his skin while not as fair as Alex's it was much lighter than Olivia's, and of course to Alex's delight he had Olivia's eyes. "So what's his name?"

Alex and Olivia looked at each other before Alex spoke "His name is Jase Oliver Benson Cabot"

"A good strong name." Bill said as he pat Olivia on the shoulder.

"Olivia thinks it's a little overboard but I think it's perfect." Alex said as she shot her wife a playful look.

"I don't think it's overboard per se, it's just Oliver would've been one thing but Oliver Benson for his middle name? The poor kid's got a first and last name for a middle name."

Alex and Olivia were sitting on the bed with their two sons watching how they interacted with one another. Bill and Gail had left for a little bit to allow the family time to bond. They would be coming back in a couple hours to take Henry back home for the night. Alex watched as Olivia took pictures of their boys, she only laid the camera down long enough for Alex to pick it up and take pictures of Olivia with them.

It was time for another feeding so Olivia occupied Henry with a toy while she helped Alex get situated. Once Alex and Jase were comfortable Olivia slid over to play with her other baby boy. Henry looked up at Alex "What doin Mama?"

"I'm feeding the baby he was hungry."

Before Olivia could stop him Henry had crawled up to Alex and reached for the blanket "I help."

Alex held the blanket "No buddy he's okay." She looked pleadingly at Olivia. It wasn't that she didn't want Henry watching, she was just didn't want him watching her nurse for fear of him wanting to try too or ask questions he was too young to understand.

Olivia picked him up "Come on little man let's go look out the window and let Mama finish feeding your brother."

Later once they were alone again Olivia curled up in bed with Alex and Jase. "I can't wait until we're home and all four of us can curl up in bed together."

Alex lay her head on Olivia's shoulder "Me too."

The next afternoon Alex sighed as they pulled in their driveway, she was so happy to be home. She smiled when she saw the blue balloons tied to the porch railing along with a welcome home banner. Before she and Olivia could make it to the porch a nearly two year old ball of energy came bursting through the door running to greet them "Mommy, Mama!" Henry shouted as he stopped at the top of the steps.

Alex leaned down as best she could and placed a kiss on her son's head "I'm so glad to be home, I've missed you!"

Later that night after putting Henry to bed Alex and Olivia curled up in bed with the newest member of their family. "So after going through labor and delivery are you willing to go through it again?"

Alex couldn't help the smile that spread across her face "Believe it or not, yes." She looked back at the infant in Olivia's arms "I'm not talking anytime soon, but yes when he's a little older I would like to try again. I really would like a little girl."

"I think a little girl would be nice too, especially if she looks like you." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Olivia looked back at Alex "As long as you're not as grouchy as you were this time." she chuckled at the look on Alex's face.

"I wasn't grouchy." Alex said pretending to be offended, but knew full well she was a little grouchy.

Olivia raised an eyebrow "You weren't grouchy? On what planet is that considered not grouchy?"

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"Oh really? Well let me remind you. I had to cover your mouth when you were about to tell the anesthesiologist that he should try pushing a baby out a certain part of his anatomy, and the most surprising one was when you told me to 'move my ass'."

Alex sat up a little straighter "Okay maybe I was a little grouchy but you my dear, when you were in labor you turned into quite the little bitch." Alex smirked at the look on Olivia's face "And I say that with love."

After a moment of staring at each other they both burst out laughing which startled the baby. Olivia pulled him close to her "Hey sweetie it's okay." She rocked him for a minute before getting up and placing him in his bassinet. "Goodnight baby, Mommy loves you."

"Mama loves you too." Alex said as she wrapped her arms around Olivia's waist and looked over her shoulder at their child. She placed a kiss to Olivia's cheek before climbing back in bed, with her wife right behind her. Alex lay down and pulled Olivia over too her so Olivia's head was lying on her chest. "Can you believe it?"

"Hmm, believe what?" Olivia asked as she snuggled closer to Alex.

"Can you believe this, us, where our lives are? I mean can you believe that just three years ago we didn't know if we would ever see each other again, and know look at us. We love each other more than we ever thought possible, we're married and have two beautiful children. After I came back I didn't think I would ever be as happy as I was that day, and then we got married. Again I thought I could never be happier, that was until a little blue eyed version of you came into our lives, and now we have a little brown eyed angel who looks like a perfect mixture of both of us. I didn't think it would ever be possible to be this happy, but here we are."

Olivia smiled "I know our life's pretty perfect isn't it?" Alex nodded. Olivia leaned in close "And it's only going to get better." She placed a loving kiss on Alex's lips "I love you."

Alex smiled into the kiss "I love you too" She began running her fingers through Olivia's hair as they settled back down to go to sleep. Alex was happy, happier than she'd ever been and she knew it was only going to get better.

A/N: We have come to the end of this story, but not the end of their story. I have an idea for a sequel and hopefully I can have it up soon. Thank you to everyone who has read, favorite, followed and reviewed. It means a lot. I hope you enjoy!