Alexis opened the door to the main office of the PI firm and deposited her bag and files on the desk, she almost let out a scream as she was taking her coat off and a voice said turning the chair around like an evil villain:

“Late night?”

Except, instead of stroking a cat he was feeding a bottle to a baby. The cutest baby ever, in Alexis’s opinion, but then again, she might be biased.

“DAD! You scared me,” she huffed.

“See that Lizzie,” he said to the baby’s head. “You won’t do that, will you? Late night out, cavorting with men of ill repute. No, you’re going to join a nunnery and live with mommy and daddy forever.”

“Dad! Really!” Alexis scolded sternly with her hands on her hips. “And men of ill repute, really? You can hardly call Peter that.”

“I have to start early,” Rick defended himself. “I clearly didn’t do a good enough job with you.”

“Why is Lizzie here?”

“Lanie picked up Kate for a girls’ day out, no don’t worry,” he forestalled Alexis’s complaints. “Kate promised no shop talk. She’s completely enjoying her maternity leave. Isn’t she, yes she is,” he said making faces at the little baby in his arms. “Who wouldn’t with such a precious little angel?”

Alexis shook her head at her dad’s antics. He’ll never change, “Okay, enough of that. Give me my sister,” she said moving forward and ignoring her father’s protests about his little girls abandoning him. She smiled at her little sister. How beautiful she was. And to think, this time last year she hadn’t been sure if her dad would ever be happy again. She was so glad Kate decided to move back home. She still didn’t know why she had left in the first place, she had her suspicions, she didn’t like them, that Kate might have hurt her dad so bad for a case, so she let things slide when Kate came back, for her dad, because he was so happy. And now, looking at the besotted look he bestowed his sister she was glad she did. That she hadn’t given Kate a hard time. Whatever drove her to choose a case over her husband, Kate had clearly sorted out her priorities and come back to him. They had gone on an extended honeymoon, they never got to have a real one the first time. A cross-country road trip, and came back with a little present. She knew Kate was getting a little stir crazy with her maternity leave, but she’d be back to her Captaincy soon, and meanwhile, she, Haley, the boys and her dad were holding down the fort. Life was good.

The end