I apologize for the long wait. I got sick and swamped with work and then Jessica Jones Season 2 came out on Netflix and I HAD to binge watch that (what's your favorite show to binge watch?) and of course the time change has thrown me off. Excuses aside, thank you for the feedback on my story and I also apologize for switching the name of the story on you. Don't you ever come across songs and the words just speak to you? This is one of those songs ..if you haven't heard it, it's by an artist called Hozier. Make sure you check it out...after you read this new chapter of course :).
Also, I apologize if I am off with any of the timelines. In my mind, Olivia and Ed dated from the time Noah was a few months shy of him turning 3 up until a few months after he turned 4. But hey it's fanfiction...can't always be accurate..but if you know for sure, please let me know so I can make the needed corrections, Anyway, on to the story.
"Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true.
Okay, now ready Noah? Blow out your candles, sweet boy!" said Olivia. Noah closed his eyes and did as his mother requested. The sound of clapping caused him to open his eyes back up and he turned to his right to smile at Olivia
but instead he found a blank wall with the paint chipped off in various places. There was no cake or candles or birthday decorations. The only sound he could hear was the pacing of Sheila in the next room. Noah sighed and breathed in through his nose. The memory of his 4th birthday seemed like a lifetime ago. It was a happy one. He remembered his mother taking her cell phone and snapping a selfie of them before she called Ed, or Tuck-Tuck as Noah sometimes liked to call him, over to join in on the photo. He remembered his mother printing out the photo and placing it on the fridge with a magnet only for it to be gone a few months later when Lucy came over in the morning to bring him to preschool. It was the first time he had woken up and not seen Ed with his mommy in the kitchen. Everyday, he would wake up, hoping his Tuck-Tuck would be in the kitchen, making pancakes or drinking coffee with his mommy before one of them would take him to school. Every morning, it would still be Lucy him the kitchen, and he would ask his mother incessantly when he was gonna come over again, but Olivia would just say, he's not here right now. Eventually, he stopped asking and got used to seeing just his mother in the kitchen or both his mommy and Lucy when he woke up to go to school.
Noah closed his eyes again and became lost in another memory. "Alright, little man. Now remember, keep low and look straight ahead. Don't look left and don't look right. Keep your eye on the ball. Okay, Noah? Ready. Set. Kick!" coached Ed. Noah did as he was told and ran towards the soccer ball that was a few feet ahead of him. He stopped a few inches away reached his foot out and kicked the ball hard. He watched as it went straight into the makeshift 'net' that Ed had made out of two trash cans. He threw his arms in delight and turned back to Ed. "Tuck-Tuck, goal!" cried Noah with glee. Ed ran over to him picking him up and holding him in the air. He gave him a hug and a high-five. "You did it, No! Great job!" complimented Ed. Noah turned his attention to his mother who was walking towards them with a smile and holding a brown bag in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other. He wiggled in Ed's arms as a sign to be put down and ran towards his mommy as soon as his feet hit the ground. He hugged her legs as he reached her and smiled up at her. "Mommy! I made a goal!" said Noah. "You sure did, sweetie. Are you and Tucker ready to eat?" asked Olivia.
"Noah, do you want to eat? I found some crackers in the cupboard." asked Sheila through the door. Noah opened his eyes as his grandma's voice broke through his memory. He looked up at the door.
"I want mommy!" stated Noah
Sheila sighed. "Okay, I will try again in a little while."
Noah laid down on the uncomfortable bed. He took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do.
Meanwhile, Olivia held on tightly to Ed's hand as she vaguely listened to him talk to someone on his team. Although Ed's attention was on what the other person was saying, he rubbed circles on Liv's hand with his thumb, soothing her. A moment later, they finished their conversation and turned to her, nodding his head. Olivia took a shaky breath and looked towards her team.
"They're bringing the money on a helicopter. Let's call her when it's here" she stated.
A while later, another helicopter sounded over them and yelled something through a megaphone. They landed in a clearing away from the cabin as the HNT went over to retrieve the money.
Olivia took a deep breath and took out her phone and dialed Sheila's number, turning on the speaker.
Meanwhile, back in the cabin, Sheila jumped up from the rickety chair she was sitting in as the phone on table next to her rang.
"Do you have my money? My car?" demanded Sheila
"We have the money, spoke Ed in an even voice, but Sheila, you gotta work with me here. You know, that photo of Noah...that's not showing he's okay. We need to be able to see him. You love Noah right? Let one of us come in. We can bring you the money
"No! Leave it at the door!" shouted Sheila
"Now Sheila. You know I can't do that. I leave the money at the door and you open it to retrieve it, there's some people here...they won't hesitate to shoot." spoke Ed
Sheila pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Okay, fine. You. You can come in. Not Olivia. Not one of her little detectives. Not that ADA. Only you." replied Sheila
"Alright. I can do that. I'll bring you the money. You can watch through the window. It will just be me." responded Ed and he hung up the phone.
Ed turned to Olivia and opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off before he could say anything.
"Bring him back to us, Ed. Get our boy out of there." said Olivia even though she already knew Ed would do everything in his power to keep Noah safe.
Ed stepped closer to her and kissed her on the forehead as she leaned into him.
"I will, Liv. I will." promised Ed
Inside the cabin...
Noah knocked on the door and called quietly to his grandmother.
"Grandma Sheila? I need to go to the bathroom. There's not one in here." requested Noah.
Sheila ran a hand through her hair as she walked towards the room to unlock it, but at the same time, a quiet pounding on the front door also called to her attention. She looked between both doors, debating which to open first. She knew regardless that that Ed guy would want to see Noah before handing over the money but she couldn't risk having both doors unlocked at the same time. If she opened the front door first and let Ed in, she could open the door to Noah's room and show him a quick glance and have him be on his way. However, she knew it had been a long time since Noah had had a bathroom break and she didn't want her grandson to have an accident. Lord knows how much fun that was to clean up during those days when she was potty training Ellie.
"Grandma? I really need to go?" pleaded Noah. Sheila huffed and quickly unlocked the door to Noah's room and opened her mouth to tell him something but a loud pounding on the front door interrupted her thoughts.
"Sheila? It's Ed. You said you would let me in." spoke Ed through the door. Sheila turned around and walked quickly to the front door, unlocking it slowly. She opened it, allowing Ed to come in and sparing a quick glance at Olivia who looked on a few feet away, a serious look on her face.
Ed stepped into the cabin holding the bag of money. "Alright, here's the money you requested. Now, let me see Noah" stated Ed.
"Weapons." Sheila said. "I need to make sure you're not going to try anything. Take off everything you brought with you." she demanded
Ed sighed. He reached into his back pocket, slowly, taking out his phone first and then moving his hand to his right side where he kept his gun. Sheila observed his every movement with a watchful eye. Her attention was so focused, she didn't hear the quiet turn of the doorknob of the room where Noah was.
Noah opened the door slowly, thankful it was quiet and unlike the small bed in the room that creaked when he sat on it.
His eyes wandered around the room for his grandma Sheila and he gasped quietly as he saw who stood in front of her.
His many years in IAB trained Ed to not only have good eyesight but good hearing as well. He could tell in an interview, the second someone was guilty, whether it was a quick shift of their eyes or a lift in their finger. He was trained in hearing if someone's voice changed, a drop or rise in the octave, tuning him into the fact that someone might be lying.
It was because of that, he could hear the turn of the doorknob and the quiet footsteps Noah made as he tried to now draw attention to himself. Ed kept his eyes trained on Sheila, not giving any indication that he saw or heard Noah, even when Noah let out his quiet gasp. However, Ed took advantage of Sheila's eyes on him and while using his right hand to take out his gun, he used his left hand to count down 3, 2, 1 with his fingers.
Noah knew what that meant. Back when Ed stayed at the apartment with Olivia and Noah, every Sunday, he would wake up early before Noah and Olivia. He would make his way into the kitchen, getting things together to make them breakfast. Noah always woke up shortly after Ed and would wander into the kitchen and Ed would lift him on to a chair and together they would make breakfast and surprised Olivia with breakfast in bed. Together, they would walk quietly into the room, and Ed would signal with his fingers, counting down from 3, and when he reached one, Noah would run towards the bed like he would towards a soccer ball, but instead of kicking anything, he would of course jump onto the bed, smothering his mother with kisses and spoke excitedly about what him and Tuck-Tuck had made for her.
Crouching down, Noah took a deep breath and focused his attention on the door past his grandma. As soon as he saw Ed pointing down with one finger, he ran past his grandma and Ed to the front door. He ran as if he was getting ready to kick a soccer ball into its net.
