Work Text:
Jill had been studiously reading over a case file when there was a short knock on her door. She raised her head just in time to see a little whirlwind with brown hair sweep into the room and greet her with an excited “Auntie Jill!”. Then, said whirlwind dashed across the office and stopped in front of her desk, huge grin on her face.
The attorney blinked at her overly excited 4 year old niece and then smiled. “Well, hello there. What is the reason for all this excitement?”
A giggle alerted her to Lily’s presence. The younger girl quickly joined her older sister, clutching a penguin almost as big as her, barely tall enough to look over the desk.
Cindy stopped behind her daughters and smiled in greeting. “I need a favour...”
The other woman raised an eyebrow. “Well, sure. I’ll babysit while you go around being nosy, getting yourself into potentially dangerous situations and giving Lindsay heart palpitations at such an early age.”
The two young girls scrunched up their noses in utter confusion. Cindy huffed and glared at her friend. “I’m not nosy!”
“Of course you’re not. How silly of me!” Jill rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning to address the children “Your mama is nosy...”
The two girls giggled at the conspiratorial tone and wink, not really understanding what the two women were talking about.
The reporter scowled. “Don’t listen to your aunt. Now, be good girls and don’t get into any trouble. Give me some hugs...” She added with a smile. Her daughters giggled and smiled and hugged her legs.
“Bye mama!” Lily waved as the woman sauntered out the door.
“What am I supposed to do with you now?” Jill asked the two girls.
“Humm, play?” Ashley asked with a grin.
“Wid Pingu!” Lily exclaimed.
“I thought he was yours?” The woman asked the older girl.
“Lily takes good care of ‘im. And I take care of Lily!” The brunette proudly proclaimed. The small redhead nodded and hugged her big sister.
“Well, isn’t this cute?” Came from the door. “Aren’t you supposed to be working Jill?” Denise asked with an arched eyebrow.
“Hey! I was working until a redhead reporter we all know and love came in and asked me to babysit her children!” Jill defended indignantly and then burst out laughing when both girls tackled her lover with more hugs.
Denise looked utterly scandalized at the sudden leg groping she was experiencing.
“Auntie D!” Lily exclaimed and lifted her arms up (or as up as the big plush animal in her arms would allow).
The look of scandalized shock only became more pronounced when one of her subordinates passing by the door heard the 2 year old’s exclamation and started chuckling to himself. Denise glared at the man and he scurried away. Then she looked down at the two Thomas-Boxer bundles of excitement still groping her legs and patted them on their heads. “You can let go now.”
Ashley grinned up at her and shook her head. “Mommy said we should hug you. She said to make your... uhmmm... gwumpy... go away?” She finished with a look of pure concentration on her face. She hastily turned to her blonde aunt. “Auntie Jill, what’s da word?”
“Grumpiness?” Jill provided amidst her laughter.
“Yes! Mommy said to make that go away, we should hug you loads!” The brunette exclaimed and went back to groping her aunt’s leg.
Denise threw a heated glare the attorney’s way and made a mental note to do the same to Lindsay. The woman always loved to put her in awkward situations with her children...
She then noticed two other subordinates standing near the door and watching the proceedings with undisguised interest and amusement. She glared, barked something or other that no one really paid mind to and slammed the office door shut.
******
Lindsay had been glaring at her computer screen for the better part of an hour, when the most beloved penguin in her life popped his head over her desk and made her jump in her seat.
“Hi mommy!” a hand belonging to Lily waved, soon joined by Ashley’s grinning face.
“Lily short mommy.” The brunette commented and giggled.
The redhead girl pouted up at her older sister. “Ashwey, no fun!”
The 4 year old grinned. “No worries! Come ‘ere!” She grabbed the younger girl around the waist and hoisted her up with all her might.
The girl’s strength lasted long enough for Lily to smile widely and wave at her mother, before they fell on the floor in a heap of limbs and shrieks, squashing Pingu and attracting the attention of half the bullpen.
Lindsay blinked in utter bewilderment. She rose from her chair and leaned over her desk to peer down at her giggling daughters. “Girls, what are you doing here? And where is your mama?”
Ashley got to her feet and then helped her sister up, being rewarded with a hug for her efforts. “Mama went to get twouble. But mama said don’t tell mommy.”
Lily giggled and waved again. “Hi mommy!”
The inspector raised an eyebrow, but smiled down at the redhead “Hello. I see you’re taking care of Pingu again...”
The girl nodded happily. “Ashwey say I take cawe of Pingu!”
“So this is where you ran off to...” Denise commented as she joined the group at Lindsay’s desk. “And no need for more hugging!” She was quick to add, when she noticed Ash moving for her legs again. “All my ‘grumpiness’ has gone away...” She threw Lindsay a glare, the brunette merely smirking in amusement.
“So, where exactly is Cindy?”
“You’d have to ask Jill for details.” Denise replied. “I just managed to pry them off my legs 10 minutes ago, much to Jill’s and some of my employees’ amusement...” She added in a dry tone.
The inspector grinned cheekily. “I bet they think they can get away with some things they normally can’t, now that they’ve seen you are indeed human and harbour feelings for my daughters.”
The asian woman would have liked to slap her over the head, very much so, but there were children watching. So she settled for some more of her patented glaring and waving a file in the inspector’s face. “The warrant you asked for just came through...”
“Yes! Finally! Thank you.” Lindsay exclaimed, snatching the file out of the DA’s hand.
“Gonna catch da bad guys mommy?” The older girl asked.
“Yes, I will. Like I always do!” The two brunettes high fived. “Now, you stay with your aunts until I come back and then we’ll go and rescue your mama from the trouble she’s probably getting into. And remember to give auntie Denise some more hugs. She looks grumpy again.”
The girls giggled and waved as their mother grabbed her gun and jacket and raced out the door, calling her partner as she went. They then turned to their aunt and with declarations that they had to chase the woman’s grumpiness away, latched onto her legs again.
Denise sighed in dismay and glared at everyone looking their way.
It was about as effective as telling Cindy to stay out of trouble.
******
Back in the present...
Lily was staring into an open chest cavity, listening intently to Claire’s explanations on pulmonary edema when Denise walked into the morgue looking for the M.E. Before she could even open her mouth, the DA found herself with an armful of grinning redhead. “Hi aunt Denise! How are you?”
Claire smirked to herself and pretended not to pay too much attention.
“I’m quite alright, thank you.” The attorney gave her niece a pat on the back. “You can let go...” She added when the girl didn’t move away.
And then she was being hugged from behind. “Aww Aunt Denise. You should know by now that we’ll be hugging you until the grumpiness goes away.”
“I swear I am going to kill Lindsay for even putting the idea in your heads...” The woman muttered threateningly, nevertheless wrapping an arm around Lily and settling a hand over Ashley’s arm that was around her waist.
“Oh please!” Jill waved a hand in the air, as she swept into the room followed by Cindy and Lindsay. “You like their hugs more than their own mothers do. In fact, I like them too. So come here girls!” She grinned widely.
Both teens stared at her like she was insane.
Denise smirked. “Well, it appears they like hugging me more than they like hugging you...”
The blonde huffed with exaggerated indignation and turned to her still squabbling friends.
“Really, Cindy?! A strip club? You left me sitting at home to go to strip club?! And lied to me about it too?!” Lindsay argued, gesticulating widely.
“Eh, that’s new.” Lily commented, raising an eyebrow at her redhead mother.
“Hush, you.” Cindy pointed a finger at the girl and then turned to her lover. “I was following a lead. A friend of mine works there and she told me that she’d seen the suspect there more than once. So I went to see if he was there, except he wasn’t. No harm done.”
“Except you went to a strip club mom. Where naked women show off their assets.” Ashley commented with a cheeky grin. “You’re in a stable, committed relationship, so why would you wanna go to a strip club?”
The reporter scowled.
“Yes, thank you.” Lindsay waved a hand. “At least somebody here understands my feelings on this.”
Jill snorted. “Oh puu-lease! You’re just jealous because you didn’t get to go with her.”
Claire started laughing when Lindsay swung her jacket at her friend. The blonde laughed as well and scurried to the M.E.’s side for protection.
“I hate you right now.” The brunette grumbled. “And you shouldn’t be going to strip clubs! You can never be certain of the intentions of the people who frequent those places.” She directed at the reporter. “And just how in the world do you have a friend that works in a strip club?!”
Ashley released her aunt and moved to her mother’s side. “Indeed.” She poked the redhead, a devilish grin taking over her features. “And why have we not had the pleasure of meeting this friend of yours?”
Jill and Lily burst out laughing and Cindy chocked out an amused snort. Lindsay and Claire stared at each other, trying their best not to show how incredibly amused they were.
Denise looked around the room and sighed in complete and utter dismay “Dear Lord in heaven...”