take me to church (emily prentiss)

4. eight

AN: hi guys! happy monday!

just a few TWs here:
forced consumption of alcohol???
mentions of drunk drivers
mentions of serial killers
mentions of childhood abuse
mentions of overdoses
mentions of genetics

i hope you guys enjoy!

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"and i see forever in your eyes, i feel okay when i see you smile." - dandelions, ruth b 

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Liv loved family parties. It was something she only learned to love as an adult, though, when she got to choose her family. She'd never gotten drunk with her parents, except that one time with her dad, but she was five and she had not known what the horrible drink he kept putting in a bottle for her was.

But she got to get drunk with Dave, and Nora, and Colin, and Lilah, and she knew their family parties were the best. Add Haley and Jace to the mix and you really were talking about a great night.

JJ's baby shower/gender reveal was a party. It was a family party, and Liv relished in the life that seeped from the house as people filed in with gifts and drinks and snacks and hugs and kisses for everyone else.

Everybody who lived in the house was already here. Will came over the earliest, at twelve despite the party not starting until three. Nora had quickly put him to work with helping her and Liv finish stringing the fairy lights up everywhere in the garden because Dave had bought new ones just for the party.

Will was actually nice.

Yeah, Liv needed subtitles to understand half of what he said because, apparently, dyslexia could happen in a verbal conversation if said conversation was held with someone who mumbled and slurred his words in his accent, but he was nice.

Nora liked him, which was what Liv was waiting for. If Nora approved, Liv did. They talked about his family back home and how he was transferring to Washington PD and was gonna drive in every day from whatever place he got close to the house to be around the baby a lot. He was excited to find new spots in this city to make him fall in love with it.

He was excited to meet his baby and get to know their family most of all, he said. If Liv was near tears at how genuinely sweet he seemed, nobody except Nora had to know.

Haley and Jack had also come early. They were next at the house, arms laden with gifts for JJ and overnight bags for both of them because it was not a family party if they all didn't eat away their hangovers with a proper breakfast tomorrow.

Jack had grown an inch or two since Liv saw him just three weeks ago. She was genuinely shocked when she lifted him up onto her hip and his face was level with hers instead of his forehead being level with her chin.

"Have you grown or have I shrank?" Liv teased, tickling Jack's stomach.

"Liv, nooo!" Jack giggled, wriggling away. "Ziggy?"

"He's just gone to pick Mason up with Colin, baby," Liv said, setting him on his feet. "The dogs are outside, though, and the cats are somewhere."

"Shadow!" Jack yelled, sprinting out of sight.

Liv and Haley laughed, Liv taking Haley upstairs to dump their overnight bags. Haley quickly joined her in helping finish any food prep, making sure everything was cooked and set up in the right places to make a buffet style of party on the island.

"How's Lilah doing?" Haley asked. "Overwhelmed and regretting her life decisions?"

"Giggling like an idiot in love, actually," Liv chuckled, glancing out of the window where her sister was helping Jack pet Shadow and Stella carefully.