02.02 - Moving Day

Cleaning out the tenements before they're torn down leads to some surprising discoveries. Meanwhile, Vivian meets a mysterious woman and Christian has things to say.

Pounding out mile after mile on the road was way more relaxing than yoga. In that way, Vivian knew she was more like Holly, because Gail actually liked yoga. Gail liked hot box yoga, and the sauna one, and she did it almost every week in a class. She did it all the time at home. Many times, Vivian and Holly had returned from a run to find Gail actually freaking meditating as part of it.

But the feeling of the world zipping by really was relaxing. Far far more relaxing. Vivian's mind was always in a whirl, always thinking about something or someone or her past or her future. The only times she'd ever shut up her brain was on a good, long run. Sadly her mothers were no longer up for the kind of run Vivian needed. Luckily her friends were.

Mostly.

Beside her, Lara was panting as they eased up and stopped for water.

"Damn, Viv, you do marathons?"

"I was on track in school."

It was weird to get along with her rookie class now. She'd never been a cool kid, not even in school, and she had worried that her tenuous grasp of popularity with everyone at Fifteen would wash away when Rich told everyone she was someone important's kid.

That had never happened. Instead, they all gave Rich shit for 'outing' Vivian and moved on. Sure, some of the other divisions treated Viv as an entitled legacy who had her career handed to her, but when they did, Fifteen stood up and told them they had no idea what they were talking about.

With the exceptions of the divisions who were used to Pecks (which was to say, Fifteen, TwentySeven, and ThirtyFour, i.e. the ones Gail had purview over), the general perception of Pecks was that they were still going to be the ones granted favors and picked over others. Which was hardly true, but whatever. And while Vivian had neither Christian nor Olivia to talk to about it, Jenny and Lara and, yeah even Rich, were proving to be pretty awesome people. Not Rich though. There were limits, and he was no Christian. And Lara wasn't Olivia.

That stupid boy. She was so pissed at both of them. Liv for deciding she was into boys and C for thinking that kissing her was a good idea. As soon as Christian wasn't talking to her, she'd feared that wouldn't have anyone in her class. The reality was, again, wildly different.

Everyone thought Christian was an idiot. Besides the fact that Vivian was a big ol' lesbian (thanks, Rich, for shouting that out at the Penny), kissing someone like that was a dick move. Everyone, every last stinking officer in three divisions who had happened to be at the Penny that disastrous night all told Christian to shut up, suck it up, and apologize when his nose stopped bleeding.

For the first time, Vivian found herself protected by a cadre of friends her own age. It wasn't just the support of Matty and Olivia (stupid Liv), it was Jenny and Lara and even Rich, but also everyone in their class across the force and most people she'd worked with. They had her back.

Okay, so maybe Rich made a 'Team Peck' joke about things, but he didn't mean it like it had been said in the old days. He meant he was on Team Peck, took Vivian's side, and told Christian he was a moron.

And maybe it was in part because of her sergeant. Andy was more than willing to defend Vivian. Andy knew how little support Viv got from the Pecks, how unlikely it was for Gail to actually use nepotism, and how hard it was to be a Peck. After all, Andy came up the ranks with Gail.

Vivian had friends. Even idiots like Rich. And it was a strange feeling, a strange world, and she liked it.

"I hate you, Peck." Lara's complaint interrupted her thoughts.

"I get that a lot," said Vivian and she smiled. Sipping her water, she watched people running by. There were a lot of firemen running around, including a batch from station 451 with a rather cute woman in the mix. "You wanted to do the Toronto 5k," she pointed out.

Her friend sighed. "I am an idiot." Vivian grinned and watched a group run by. "You are not looking at those yummy boys, are you?"

Rolling her eyes, Vivian slapped Lara's shoulder. "I'm not looking at anyone. I'm going to be celibate."

"Ew, that sounds horrible," laughed Lara. They started jogging again, a slower pace. "Do you think you're gay because your Moms are?"

"Do you think you're straight because your parents are straight?"

Lara blinked and glanced at Vivian, surprised. "Shit. What if I am? How can you tell?"

"Hell if I know," sighed Vivian, letting her eyes follow the really fit woman with the firefighters, quite a bit shorter than she was, run by.

"Good," said Lara, firmly. "You've barely looked at anyone in months."

She startled and stumbled. "What?"

And Lara explained, "Since what's her name dumped you by text. But almost before... When the guy ... Died. In front of you."

Vivian had to think for a moment. "You mean the guy who blew his head off? Yeah. That was a great day," she grumbled. "Beth dumped me by text. And I went out with her after that." And Mel, who barely counted.

"That was when you stopped not trying to fit in."

"Really?" Vivian blinked and couldn't figure out what Lara meant.

"Well. Not like you were doing a hot job of it before. I mean, you're not real normal. You like to pretend you're boring so people don't ask about you."

Vivian eyed her friend. "You're going to be a good detective," she sighed.

Lara smiled. "I know. But right now, I'm the good friend."

Friend. Friends talked to each other. "Hey, I had that date after the zoo."

"Yeah, with that teacher. And ...?"

And it had flopped. "She was nice."

"And she totally didn't call you back."

"She texted," muttered Vivian.

Lara nodded as if that was the answer she expected. "And yes, there was that cute nurse you made out with. I remember that." Vivian smirked. She'd gotten caught kissing her at a coffee shop. "Who also dumped you by text. Have you ever had a serious relationship?"

"A couple. Sort of." Vivian frowned. The last two 'serious' ones were ones she knew wouldn't last. "I had a serious girlfriend for a while. At the end of high school. We broke up when she went to Montréal." Vivian sighed. And Liv also pretty much dumped her by text. They'd talked after, but it really was the same.

"Hold the phone... You mean you and Noelle's kid?"

Vivian nodded. "Yeah, senior year thing. I'd had a crush on her for a while."

"But you're friends now."

Shaking her head, Vivian explained, "Fite Nite. She drove me home, right? And she stopped in to say hi to my Moms, only they were asleep. So we hung out for a while and then she kissed me."

Lara frowned. "Okay, why does that sound like a bad thing?"

"Because she bolted, wouldn't talk to me for almost two months. I couldn't figure it out. Night before the guy shot himself, she called me to tell me she's really sorry, it was a mistake, and she's seeing someone. A guy."

And Lara had the grace to wince. "Oh crap. A guy?"

"Yep," she said, popping the P loudly.

"I'm sorry," muttered Lara. She sounded sincere.

The stupid thing was that she wasn't really pissed at Liv. They'd never successfully navigated the waters as a couple for many reasons, not the least of which was Vivian's inability to sleep well if away from home. It was just... A guy hurt a hell of a lot more than a girl. "Stewart Curse," sighed Vivian. "Nine tenths of Mom's ex-girlfriends are straight now."

Lara snorted. "That has to hurt more."

"I guess." She really didn't know. Part of Vivian had always worried that she'd fallen for Liv because she was there and safe and trustworthy. But then Liv had this big secret she hadn't told Vivian for months until boom, she had a guy she was serious about. And she'd nearly cheated on the guy with Viv. That was the essence of their romance. Always she and Olivia were on different wavelengths. Their timing had only been right for that belief period in their senior year.

"Were you in love?"

Vivian hesitated. "I don't think so." Love. She knew what love was. She saw it every day. It was love, the way Gail smiled at Holly in the morning, the way her eyes lit up with delight. And it was love when Holly teased Gail about sports, the way she sighed on the couch. "God, I need to move out."

Laughing, Lara asked, "Are they sappy at home?"

"Not really. They're just... In love. I've walked in on them making out so many times, it's gross."

They finished their lap and Lara fell on the ground, panting. "I think I'm out of shape."

Vivian smirked and watched the same, fit, girl run by. "You're good enough to pass the fitness test."

"You're a good friend," announced Lara. "Even if you're ogling that girl."

While Lara caught her breath, Vivian stretched. She didn't worry much about not fitting in, not anymore. Viv saw the world in a different way than they did for myriad reasons. She knew death, she knew loss, and she knew pain. It made her more of a private person and that came at the cost of close friendships. Even Liv had complained, multiple times, that she was too self-contained. So had other girls.

Leaning over to touch her toes, she heard a strange voice. "Your friend should stretch."

Vivian looked up. It was the fit girl. Up close, she had a ponytail of dark brown hair that kept her hair off her neck. Her skin was tan and warm. The eyes, though, they caught Vivian's attention. They were brown like Holly's, but warmer and brighter without being softer. Someone would have to work hard to have eyes that were as gentle as Holly's. The runner had eyes that reminded Vivian of rich, tilled earth. It made her remember vacations with Grandma Lily.

Oh.

Awesome. Celibate clearly was not about to happen, as her hormones cheerfully announced their presence, and informed Vivian that the girl was hot.

She felt horribly awkward. The other girl tilted her head, expectantly. Right! Words! "She's lucky she made it four miles," said Vivian, trying to be calm and quite sure it was a fail.

"I ran four miles!? I hate you!"

The runner laughed. "You look like you could go more."

"I could," she smiled back. Was the woman hitting on her? Vivian often misread signals, but she was pretty sure the other girl was flirting. And she was definitely sure she was fumbling the whole 'a cute girl is talking to me' moment. "Do you always offer stretching advice to strangers?"

"Just the cute ones. I haven't seen you here before."

Cute? The girl was hitting on her! Thank god her face was already red from running. "Not my usual route. You?"

She smiled back. "Sometimes. Running with the guys." As she gestured at the guys, one of them shouted for 'McGann' to come on. "Speaking of. Maybe I'll see you around again."

"Sure, maybe, McGann, station 451," smiled Vivian. When the woman startled, Vivian pointed at the guys. "The shirts are a giveaway." McGann laughed as she jogged over to her friends.

"Celibate my ass." Lara smirked.

"Shut up."

"That was the most adorable meet-cute ever."

"Shut up!"

She did think about McGann, the cute firefighter, a few times after that. It was the eyes that got her attention and kept them. Brown. Rich. Vivian found herself wondering if they were contacts, they'd been so alive. And the smile too. The hair needed a trim, because it had been shaggy, but the shoulders and the legs were well fit and tanned and ... Fuck. Crushing on random girls never went well.

Lara teased her as they went to parade, shoving her shoulder and taking the seat between Viv and the others. "You should have gotten her number."

"Yeah, maybe." The problem, the part she couldn't share with Lara, was that this McGann woman, no matter how hot she was, was a firefighter. And that meant her family's prejudice would be in full swing.

"Okay, people," announced Andy as she strolled in. "Good news and bad news. Bad news, we're clearing out the old tenements. Good news, we have you guys. Greenhorns, you're going to be supervising the move out."

Vivian bent her head, taking notes, while Rich spoke up, "By ourselves?"

"You don't think you're ready, Hanford?"

She glanced over just in time to see Rich pale. "No! No ma'am! I mean yes ma'am!"

Andy looked ever so frustrated. "Look, we all know we're short since Noelle retired," she said quietly. "We're going to be for a while. I need you guys to step it up, be the cops I know you are." Andy glanced over at the other uniforms. "Moore. You mind babysitting?"

"No problem, Boss," said Duncan, cheerfully.

And Vivian knew how safe the move was in that moment. Andy would never put Gerald in charge otherwise. Her exhale and relaxing did not go unnoticed by Lara, who poked her. "Later," muttered Viv.

"Okay. Assignments are on the board. Go out there, keep 'em moving, keep yourselves safe." Andy rapped the podium with her knuckles. "Peck, come here for a minute."

That was different. "Yes, ma'am." She glanced at the board and saw she was partnered with Christian for the ride. Awesome. He was probably just going to swap out with someone again. "Something wrong, ma'am?"

Andy glanced at the back of the room. "Your Moms' anniversary is this month."

Oh that! "Don't worry, Elaine and Lily are in charge. Fancy swanky thing, black tie, sexy dresses. Didn't you get the invite?" Vivian had been drafted to help address all the cards, and had cheated by using her computer.

She held up the card. "I don't know what to get them. If it was Gail, that's easy. The new Death Domain is out and I know she doesn't have it. Or tequila."

Vivian smirked. "Donate to charity, ma'am, it can't go wrong. Holly loves animals, Gail likes kids. If you pick something for foster kids, they'll love it."

"What are you getting them?"

She hesitated. "I'm going to move out, I think." Her sergeant blinked, surprised, but let her go.

Lara was waiting. "What was that?"

"Nothing work." Vivian shoved her hands in her pockets. "Who are you riding with?"

"Rich," sighed Lara. "Wanna swap?"

Vivian shook her head. "I'd rather cope with C than Officer Douchebag. Provided he doesn't swap again."

Laughing, Lara nodded. "No kidding. Jenny's an upgrade."

"I thought you liked her."

"She's fun," agreed Lara. "But on the days you feel like talking, you're a hell of a lot more interesting." Down the hall, Rich shouted that he was driving. "I gotta go. Tell me what's up with Moore later?"

Promising to do so, Vivian caught Christian's eye and jerked her chin. Lara thought she was interesting? Was that good? Was it good that Christian wasn't swapping shifts or partners? Christian tossed her the keys as they got to the car and Vivian tilted her head. Sometimes, sometimes C was a good guy, the friend you wanted and needed. Most of the time. He hadn't been lately. Four months he had been avoiding her. Now he wasn't. It was weird.

One of the good things about him was that he was still okay with her being quiet. And in turn, he was quiet. It was like old times. They worked peacefully together through the day, making sure everyone was out of the apartments, giving them rides as needed, and by the middle of the day, they were bushed and hungry.

"Want to grab something on the way back?" She leaned on the roof of the car, door open, looking around. They had to go back at lunch anyway, possibly be redeployed, and then there were more people to move after. A full day of awesome police work.

"I was wrong."

His words came out of nowhere.

"Wrong?"

"I was wrong. I do love you, but like Dov loves Gail, y'know? You're my best friend and I was worried and so relieved you were okay but I was just so, so wrong. I shouldn't have ever tried to kiss you."

Shit. Vivian slapped at her camera and stared at Christian, hissing "Turn it off you idiot!" He hesitated, then his eyes went wide as he fumbled off his camera. "Jesus, you are the thickest person I've ever met!"

"Sorry, sorry," grimaced Christian. "I just... I feel like an ass. And everyone thought you were some evil bitch, turning me down, when I was way out of line and I don't even like you like that!" He groaned. "Viv, you're my friend, I was wrong, I am so, so sorry."

Vivian covered her face with both hands. "Okay. Fine. Buy me lunch."

"What? That's it?"

"No, but that's where we start."

The light from the alarm woke Holly before the sound. It always did. Light was the best way to wake up for her, though there was nothing in the world that could do that for Gail. Just as the alarm sounded, Holly tapped it off and reached over to gently nudge her wife. Who did not move.

Smiling, Holly ran her fingers across the back of Gail's neck and was rewarded with the blonde stirring. Holly never tired of watching Gail slowly come to awareness. Gail was so sweet and young looking in the morning. Innocent. "Honey, wake up," she said softly.

"No." Gail grumbled and hunkered under the sheet.

Holly smiled and kissed the side of Gail's neck. "Yes." She pressed herself closer and felt Gail move. "It's morning. You have to save the world."

"I should've taken a job that got summers off." Gail sighed and shifted around, lying on her back and looking up at Holly sleepily.

"You'd be bored." Holly kissed her cheek and eased out of bed. "Also it's spring. You'd be giving final exam reviews and prepping."

Gail groaned and pulled Holly's pillow over her face. "Can I call in sick?"

There was a knock from outside. "Moms, I'm going for a run. You guys wanna come?"

"I hate you," shouted Gail. But Holly was already pulling on her running tights. "I hate both of you!"

Holly laughed. "Five minutes, Viv."

"Right." The traditional thudding of their daughter's feet on the stairs echoed through the house.

"Why can't we get sweaty in a more fun way?" Gail whinged but let herself be pulled up.

"I think you mean a more naked way."

"Potato. Tomato."

They did all get up and dressed and go for a run, though. Gail grumbled the whole time, informing them they were jocks and idiots.

Unlike Gail, Vivian was in a good mood and told her mothers how Christian apologized and they seemed to be doing better. There was a different lightness to her steps. If Holly didn't know better, she'd think that Vivian had some sort of a girlfriend. Maybe it was just that Christian had apologized. Having a good friend, the only one who shared some of her history, meant a lot more than Vivian liked to let on.

After their mommy/daughter run, Vivian did not go for her normal secondary. Both Holly and Vivian were done with their showers first, which let them decide on a healthier breakfast than Gail was inclined to. And it let Holly play mom.

"So why are you in such a good mood?"

Vivian looked up from her phone. "Why what?"

"You, my mercurial Peck, are smiling and in a good mood. Which is rare and I'd like to see it more."

Her daughter blinked a few times. "I'm just ... I had a couple nice days, that's all, Mom."

Holly tsked softly. "Well. Alright. But if I can help it happen, I want to. That's what moms do, honey."

Smiling, awkwardly, Vivian looked back at her phone. "It's ... Well. I think I have friends, is all. Which I'm really bad at, which is not a secret. But... Y'know, we hang out and do stuff. Like Jenny dragged us dancing, and Lara wants me to help her train for the department 5k." No, she wasn't awkward. She was bashful.

So this was what her daughter was like when she actually tried to connect with people. It had taken her less time than Gail, according to the stories Holly had heard. Unlike Gail, Vivian really wanted friends. The things young Gail had craved were acceptance and love. Vivian wanted the same, but in different ways. Gail needed a home. Vivian had one. They both struggled finding themselves.

That wasn't morning chat, though. That was the sort of thing they all talked about, enjoying a beer or some whiskey, sitting out on the porch. Sometimes, up at the cabin, where it seemed talking about complicated things were easier, they'd watch the stars and voice their fears. Not necessarily as mothers and daughter, but as adults who trusted each other.

No, today, breakfast, was for other conversations.

"Are you going to run in the department 5k?" Holly asked the simple question instead.

"Yeah, that's the plan. I was tossing around the idea of the marathon. You did the city one before, didn't you?"

Gail answered for her. "Five times. Five times she ran it, and she made me do it once."

Smiling, Holly leaned on the kitchen island. "I merely made you an offer you were unwilling to refuse." When Vivian made a face, Holly grinned. "Not that. She turned down that offer when I tried the second time."

"No sex is good enough to make me run a fucking marathon again, Stewart. Bad enough you two assholes make me jog in the morning."

As Gail passed by her to get coffee, Holly remarked, "Your heart and I thank you for coming with."

"Low blow." Gail frowned. Her mother had suffered a heart attack a few years prior, and it set all the Pecks on edge. "Is this half caff?"

"Sorry, Mom. I like having you around too." Vivian shrugged.

Gail scowled. "My blood pressure and cholesterol are just fine, thank you very much. You're taking away my fun."

"You want the donuts, you gotta run," said Holly. She caught Gail's shirt and tugged her closer. "I want a kiss."

"You already denied me my naked exercise." But she leaned in to kiss Holly softly. "I love you, though."

"I know you do." Holly smiled.

"If you two are doing that, I'm outta here." Vivian rinsed her coffee cup out before putting it in the dishwasher. "Love you, Moms."

Holly leaned against Gail as they watched their daughter head out. She spoke softly, "Thank you." Making an inquisitive noise, Gail sipped her coffee. "Saying yes, staying with me, making me grow."

Her wife chuckled. "You know that's not usually something attributed to me."

"Well. The rest of the world is stupid."

"Losers," corrected Gail. "Idiots."

Holly smiled. "That's why I love you, Gail Peck. You see the world uniquely."

"That I've heard before. Come on, how about you drive me to work, and then we can do something tonight?"

"Tomorrow's batting cages. You and the kid should go shooting."

Gail pouted. "You don't want wifey time?"

Holly narrowed her eyes. "Did you solve a case last night?"

"Ugh, please don't remind me. I still have that fucking arson bullshit case. Trace has that gun smuggling case left over from the Hill gang. Chloe's got a pimp problem. Frankie has to get used to running the Ds and she's struggling. I hate people management." Gail put her head down on the counter. "I want to be demoted and just solve crime."

Gently fluffing Gail's hair, Holly smiled. "You're very good at it." Gail groaned. "Anyway, I have some work tonight. I need to finish my paper."

Gail sighed and looked up. "I married a workaholic."

With a smile, Holly kissed her forehead and put their empty cups into the washer. "You love my devotion and dedication to my profession. It's some of my most attractive qualities."

"This is true." Gail smiled softly. "The brains are a turn on."

Still grinning, Holly changed the subject. "Detective Peck, have you noticed that our daughter has been looking at apartments?"

Grunting, Gail straightened up. "I did. I did."

"And?"

"What? I think if she wants to move out, it's okay." Gail sighed and checked her holster. "Leo's moved out."

Holly sighed. "So you want to spoon feed her?"

"I think. I think if she asks, we should offer it. She'll feel safe, it's far enough that we have to call before we go over, and she can grow. Because..." Gail paused and smiled softly at Holly, almost tenderly. "Because you taught me to let go when people need to fly."

Smiling back, Holly walked to the garage door. "I did, huh?"

"You did. See? I told you I always listened to you."

"As long as you're not using your powers for evil," Holly said, teasingly. When Gail pinched her butt, she yelped.

"Nope, just my hands!"

"How many days is this supposed to take?"

"As long as it takes." Vivian hunched in her jacket. The cold snap of the end of April had sent her running for her coat that morning, much to her annoyance. Vivian greatly preferred to wear short sleeves.

Rich sighed. "Helping people move sucks. They throw out memories."

Surprised, Vivian looked at her partner for the day. "You sound like my Mom." Gail hated people moving. She'd barely disturbed herself to move to their house. And now Vivian was thinking, seriously, about leaving it.

"She's right. I mean, look." Rich gestured at the heap of trash piled up. It had everything from kitchen appliances to what appeared to be a cheap prosthetic arm. "This is where we're actually asking people to leave things they can't take with them. And they do! Then, then we're watching them scrabble over each other's remains. Like rats."

Vivian huffed and looked at the pile of discarded objects. "I can't argue that. It's downright depressing."

"Which is why I want to know how many days I'm stuck on this hellish duty."

And that too made sense. "At a guess, till the end of the week."

Rich groaned. "Fuck my life. This is morbid."

"You should try for the detective rotation," suggested Vivian, watching another family carry boxes out.

"No, I don't want to do D work." Rich looked at the family. "Homicide is way too depressing. Maybe ETF."

Vivian snorted. "You better hit the gym, buddy. That's the most physical job out there." She frowned as she glanced up a floor. "Hey, who checked out 214?"

Following her look, Rich studied the second-floor unit. "Aronson and I did yesterday, why?"

"I don't think anything's changed since yesterday. Come on." She headed for the stairs.

Rich trailed behind. "Why is this all open to the elements? Isn't that stupid for Canada?"

"That's why they have to tear it down. The structural integrity was weakened by having so much exposed. Caused the materials to degrade faster which is a safety issue. The early plans to prevent or slow down the collapse mostly worked, but we've had a couple cold winters. Expansion and contraction being what it is ..." She stopped when Rich tapped her arm. "What?"

"I have never heard you say that much at once."

Vivian sighed. "So I hear." She rapped on the door to 214. "Police. Anyone home?" Silence. She knocked louder. "See anything in the window?"

"Nope." Rich rested a hand by his gun casually. "Kick?"

"You're always so noisy." Vivian tried the doorknob. It was open. "See?" She eased it open. "Hello. We're not here to arrest anyone. This is just a welfare check."

The place was filled with crap, but empty of people. "Jesus, people live like this?"

There was a distinct hoarder vibe to the place. Except… "I have a bad feeling," Vivian said in a low voice. She recognized something. It was the smell. Under the fetid, rancid smell of human filth (but not waste thank god) was an acrid tang.

"Clear the scene," Rich said, his voice equally quiet. When Vivian looked back, she saw he had his gun out. Nodding, Vivian drew her gun and let Rich lead. The man stepped into the living room and around the boxes on the floor. "What's on that wall?"

"Kitchen." She eased her steps to the room and looked in. "Empty."

"Bathroom and bedroom here... Bath's open, empty."

The bedroom door was closed. Rich wiped his palm on his pants and reached for the knob. "Is there any resistance?"

He turned the knob slowly. "No." Rich took a breath and pushed the door in. The greatest fear she had was that there would be a click or a thud and a bomb would go off. As a teen, Sue had told Vivian about how she met Dov, after he'd stepped on a pressure trigger. The story had been riveting to her at the time. Now it felt like a cautionary tale.

But there was no click. There was no thud. There was nothing but a rush of stench of unwashed clothes. Sweat. Worse. "Ugh, I hate organics," she muttered. One of the games she'd played with Holly was 'identify the smell.' This was worse.

"Smells like the guy's lockers."

"Seriously? You are gross."

"Whatever. It's empty. You think they just left all their shit?"

Vivian holstered her gun. "Maybe. If this is how it smells, then I would."

Rich smirked. "Hey, my place smells great."

"Still a lesbian, Rich." She looked around. "Okay. Find out who knows them?"

"I'll call it in."

Three hours later, they were no wiser as to who lived in the unit. Even the landlord just said they paid cash. "This is why the economy sucks," muttered Vivian. "And now we have to pull an extra half shift, loading their crap into the van."

Rich shrugged. "Normally I'm the one bitching about this, Peck. You got a hot date?"

She scoffed. "Helping total strangers move is not my idea of fun either."

They weren't actually doing the work. Lab interns were boxing things up, labeling them, and scanning them for drugs or other dangerous material. And the cops were there to make sure no one came back.

"Just be glad there's no backdoor," said Rich, leaning against the wall.

"You'd miss me, huh?" Vivian grinned. "Are you happy to be back?"

"Oh man, you have no idea. The desk duty was so fucking boring." Rich had been back at work five weeks after being shot, but Andy had kept him chained to a desk the whole time until February. It didn't help that he couldn't pass the fitness test easily.

After his second failure, Vivian had taken pity on him and offered to help him with the rehab. Because there were tricks to running the course. And now, weirdly enough, Rich was an okay guy. For someone who had hit on her mother. "Yeah, but now we have to do it too."

Rich laughed and reached over to shove her shoulder. "Bitch."

She shoved him back. "Ass." A kid laughed at them. When they turned, the girl covered her mouth and looked worried. "Hey," said Vivian, as casually as she could. "Don't tell our bosses we said that, okay?"

The girl's eyes lit up. "You're not allowed to swear?"

"Our boss is her aunt," Rich said, conspiratorially.

Vivian snorted. "Like that's done me any good. I still get assigned with you. I don't think my aunt likes me very much."

Their banter made the girl grin. "Is that how come you're watching Gary's place?"

A name. "Gary? No, we're watching because no one was here and they left all their stuff."

Nodding, the girl looked at the forensic team inside. "He ran 'way. How come they're wearing funny clothes?"

The best thing Vivian could say about Rich was he was great with kids. "Did you ever smell that place?" Rich pinched his nose and the girl grinned. Only Vivian knew he was the youngest of three, with two much older sisters. She'd actually met his sisters at the hospital, coming to visit Rich after his surgery. The sisters teased him that Vivian had carried him out until, at Rich's pleading, Vivian picked one of them up into a fireman carry.

"They don't want to get Gary's stuff on their clothes?" The girl was sharp.

"Actually," said Vivian. "They don't want to get their stuff on Gary's. See, we want to get him his stuff back, but no one knows where he is, so we have to use science to find him."

A hit. The girl's eyes widened. "Like trace evidence? That's so cool!"

Vivian smiled. "I know, right? I just wish it was faster."

Catching on, Rich nodded. "Totally. It's not like TV."

The girl sighed. "That sucks."

"Yep," agreed Rich. "So we gotta stand here, all night, until the place is cleared out."

Nodding, the girl turned to walk down the hall. "I should pack too." But she hesitated.

So Vivian asked the obvious question. "Where are you guys moving to?"

"We got a 'partment!" She bounced a little. "I get my own room and everything!" She babbled for a bit, telling them about the new place, which was not in the best part of town, but definitely an upgrade.

As she talked on and on, a door down the hall opened. "Anna! There you are! Mom's getting worried. Come on!" The taller girl wasn't much older than Anna, maybe a couple years. And yet it was enough to have a little cop fear. "Jesus! Stop talkin' to the five-oh!"

Vivian coughed a laugh. "Sorry, I just haven't heard that for a while."

"Better than po-po," Rich noted, keeping the casual vibe they'd been working with Anna.

"They're lookin' after Gary, that's all," said Anna, whinging.

Her sister scowled. "Mom told us not to hang out with Gary!"

"He's nice." But Anna dragged her feet over to her sister. "They're nice too. They're funny."

The sister looked doubtful. "They're cops," she muttered.

"They're people too."

The sisters vanished behind their door though. "Well, that went well," said Rich softly.

"Give it time. Kids like this, they trust differently." Trust when you didn't have a basis for it was hard. Any time Vivian really wanted to understand why she self-destructed in relationships, she could dial back and point to her childhood. There was no trust in the memories of her parents. None in the memory of the system, except for Anne and Gail and Holly...

Rich nodded and leaned against the wall again. An hour passed by and the boxes in the room slowly became fewer and fewer. "So ... I'm not stupid, you know."

"You're not Einstein either."

"I mean." Rich stopped and looked at her. "You're adopted. It's not rocket surgery."

Biting her tongue on the joke about how she'd performed surgery on a rocket once (with Holly), Vivian sighed. "Yes. That's not a secret, Hanford."

He nodded again. "You were... I mean..." He stalled again.

Vivian sighed. "I was not an infant, if that's what you're asking. I was six." She shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like talking about it." Seeming to understand, Rich said nothing. It did make things tense though. She could tell him something like how they were dead, or how it had been messy. Maybe she could tell him that her parents were assholes who broke her ability to really trust in strangers, and that was why she understood the two girls they'd just seen.

As it turned out, she didn't have to.

"I'll follow your lead on them," said Rich quietly. "You get them."

The Gail in her nature made Vivian want to joke that Rich was only saying that because he'd screwed up the warehouse watch a few months ago. The Holly in her nature made her reply more kindly. Or at least not unkindly. "When they take out the trash, we'll see them."

It took another hour, but they did win out. Anna came back out hauling a bag of trash. Vivian flicked her eyes at Rich and he nodded. "Hey, need a hand?"

Anna looked at him, then her door, and then she smiled shyly. "Thanks. It's hard to do both."

Rich grinned and opened the chute for the trash. "You guys mostly packed up?"

Nodding, Anna pushed the trashbag into the chute, which was eye level for her, and stood on her tiptoes to watch it fall down. "On TV, the CSIs solve things faster if they can narrow down the places to search. Is that real, or is that TV?"

"Real," said Rich, seriously. "The parts about how they figure out where someone might have been, based on the trace elements on their things? Totally real. Our head of forensics is awesome, too. She's made the lab the best in the country, and even better than a lot of labs in the US."

Anna stared up at him. "She?"

Awesome. Vivian grinned and let Rich keep talking. "She," he nodded. "She's my partner's mom."

You couldn't miss the hero worship in Anna's eyes. "Your mom's a CSI?"

"My mom's the CSI's boss. It's true." She turned to the intern passing by. "Isn't it?"

The tech intern, thank god, had been following along. "It's true. Dr. Stewart's why most of us work here."

Anna watched the intern walk away. "How come you're a Peck? And a cop? Is your dad a cop?"

This was not the time to get into the semantics of her parents. "Mom kept her name when they got married because she was already pretty famous in her field." Vivian paused, "And all Pecks are cops."

The girl made a soft 'oh' sound. She studied Vivian's face thoughtfully. "Gary used to give me Smarties."

Smarties? What was it Gail had said about the candies? They were good for low blood sugar after a terrible moment, like a post-adrenal rush. That was Holly, not Gail. Well. It was both. Gail knew they worked and Holly told her exactly why. And Gail loved to give them to tweakers. Meth heads. "Did Gary have a cold a lot?"

Anna's eyes widened. "How'd you know?"

Rich eyed her too. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because my mom's the best damn forensic pathologist on the planet."

It was late in the day when a call from the lab came. Not Holly's lab. That would have been too nice. This was the other lab, the trace lab Holly had once worked in and now ruled over with a gentle hand and a wry smile. They loved her. Everyone loved Holly, and Gail couldn't blame them. The fringe benefit was that because Holly was married to Gail, they would often rush jobs for her. There was only one problem right now.

"Peck," she said into the phone. "I don't have any active cases with you guys."

"I know, Inspector. But you asked to be alerted if anything regarding the Summerland Arsons showed up."

Gail sat up straight. "You have my attention, Wayne."

The head of the trace lab was Wayne Davies. He was positively an infant, barely 30, but he was incredibly good at the work. Holly had bragged about snagging him from the LAPD. Privately, Gail wondered why anyone would give up the weather for Toronto, but to each his own. Wayne was a hockey fan.

"It's weird. You know how the old tenements are being torn down?"

"I do."

"Right. A couple of the units were abandoned which I guess is normal. One of the units had a ton of stuff left in it, and since the cops on the scene- Oh, Peck and Hanford. They couldn't find who the unit belonged to, cash only, that kinda thing."

"I can get the details on the why later, Wayne. Give me the what." She paused. "Please."

He cleared his throat. "Right. So Peck said we should check for meth or heroin in the place, based on neighbor testimony. Which we found. But we also found the same accelerants as we did in the coffee shop fire."

Gail blinked a few times. "Seriously? With meth?" The coffee shop had been the last big fire. A Starbucks that had once been a small coffee house, the place had burnt down the first day of spring break.

"Just traces of it. On the bags that held the meth."

Well now wasn't that interesting. "You think he's a middle man?"

Wayne snorted. "I just find the what, ma'am. You figure out the why."

The tenements had been on Shay's long list for locations. "What about the fire in the shopping cart?"

"Harder to tell. There wasn't enough accelerant trace left, but I'd tentatively say they're related. I'll know more when I finish running everything."

There was something in Wayne's tone that was foreboding. "How many days?"

"Guy was a hoarder."

Gail winced. "Don't work 'round the clock, Wayne. Science runs at its own pace."

The man on the phone exhaled. "Thank you. I'll try to get something for you by week end."

"I'll take preliminary if it's enough to get a warrant to search everyone there." They had enough to run a background check, but anything intrusive would need just cause. Things had gotten a lot stricter in recent years.

"Don't worry, we won't screw that up." Wayne's predecessor had, after all.

Thanking him, Gail hung up and eyed her watch. It was getting late. She tapped her watch to find Holly's location and saw her wife was at home. Crap. It was Wednesday. Gail winced and texted Holly, letting her know she was just finishing up.

There was no reply, not even by the time Gail went downstairs and found her daughter just leaving the locker room. "Hey, you're still here." Vivian looked surprised.

"Yeah, some idiot named Peck found meth."

Her daughter smiled. "Some idiot named Peck told me that Smarties are the favorite treat for meth heads."

Gail grinned. "Good job."

They walked to the parking lot together. "Are we going to the batting cages tonight or is it too late?"

Eying her watch again, Gail frowned. "Your mom's phone says she's home, but she hasn't replied to my text."

"Maybe she's working on that head whacker cases still?"

It had been Holly's quiet obsession for almost a quarter of a century, which was sort of stunning when Gail thought about it. Daunting. "Or she fell asleep."

Vivian chuckled. "She wouldn't forget her phone at home. I'll meet you there? I'm beat after a shift and a half."

"Works for me." Gail lingered, watching her daughter ride off on the motorcycle. Slowly, slowly, Vivian was inching out of her shell and settling into who she was going to be. She hung out with people, did things with others, and made friends. While Vivian was still guarded a lot of the time, she seemed to have figured out how to be friends with people.

At the house, Gail somehow managed to beat Vivian home. Her phone held the answer when Vivian texted with what she was picking up from the vegetarian place. Good kid. If Holly was working or asleep, she'd need wrangling and it was late and everyone was probably tired.

"I am going to miss that girl when she moves out," Gail said to herself.

When she opened the door from the garage, she almost laughed. Holly was curled up on the couch, dressed for the batting cages, sound asleep. Snoring. Gail took a photo and then went to put away her gun and badge before trying to wake her wife.

Sitting on the couch, she gently brushed Holly's hair back. "Hey, sweetheart. Wake up."

"Too tired," mumbled Holly.

"I know. Viv's picking up dinner." Gail rubbed Holly's shoulder. "You need to eat something."

One warm brown eye opened to look up at Gail. Holly's glasses were a little askew. "Time?"

"Almost nine." Leaning in, Gail kissed Holly's forehead. "Come on, we're not going out tonight."

Holly yawned and stretched. "Did you go shooting?"

How well her wife knew her. "At lunch. Juice or tea?" Gail got up and headed to the kitchen.

"Juice please."

They had the table set by the time Vivian got home, and dinner was a quiet affair. Knowing how long Vivian had been on her feet, and having been there herself a few times, Gail understood why her daughter was so wiped out. Holly's exhaustion, on the other hand, was a little odd. Was it just overwork?

When they got in bed, Holly didn't even want to read. She just curled up right away. "Hey, you feeling okay, Holly?"

There was a long, low, sigh, from Holly before her reply. "No."

Gail frowned. When Holly was in a funk, it could be tricky to get her to talk. She flicked her light off and lay on her side, looking at the back of Holly's head. "Stuck on a case?"

"No... I mean I don't feel okay, Gail."

It took a minute to realize what she'd said. Holly felt sick. "Oh. Did you take anything?"

Holly nodded. "I don't have a fever."

"That's good, I guess." Gail reached over and soothingly rubbed between Holly's shoulders. "We should have a quiet weekend. Get some sleep."

"That sounds nice," agreed Holly. "I'm just ... everything's sore and heavy."

Probably not in her head then. Depression was a nut puncher sometimes, making it hard to tell what was in Holly's head and what was real. Thankfully her doctor wife tended to be very properly descriptive and used different words to describe different ailments.

"Sounds like you're coming down with something," agreed Gail.

"Sucks. I have cool cases." Holly whined in a pitch Gail recognized. Her wife was going to be sick the next day.

She was wrong. Shortly before midnight, Gail woke up overheated. At first she thought it was a hot flash, but then she realized she was only hot on one side. "Aw, hell." Holly was sweating and looked miserable. At least she knew where Holly kept the right meds.

Cajoling Holly into taking them was fairly easy, but actual morning proved Gail's fears were close to the mark. A fever, body aches, and Holly was down for the count. At least she just wanted to sleep, so Gail left her home alone to rest, calling Rodney so he could cover for her.

"Man, Mom really gets nailed when she's sick," remarked Vivian as she kitted up to drive to work.

"She doesn't take being sick very well." Gail could muscle through a cold or even a low grade fever. The few times Vivian had been sick, it was either just annoying or down for the count, like that stomach bug. But Holly... Holly's body rebelled and refused to do anything at all.

"Soup tonight?"

"Yeah. You still on the housing cleanout?"

"Probably for the rest of the week," sighed Vivian. "People have been picking fights and stealing."

"Well, you know what I say."

Her daughter smirked. "Yeah. People suck. See you at work, Mom."

Gail smiled and tossed her shoulder bag into the passenger seat. People did suck. But Holly wasn't people, and neither was her daughter.

Swearing, Christian rubbed his shin. "I can't believe that little shit kicked me! Why did you let him go?"

"Because his mom will punish him better than we ever could. And it's Thursday. If nothing else happens, we'll be done today." Vivian pulled her phone out and checked the messages. At lunch, Holly had texted to say she felt better but Vivian still worried a little about her mother.

"You are distracted as fuck today."

Vivian looked up. "Mom has a fever. So." She shrugged.

Christian looked a little concerned. "Holly? That sucks."

"Yeah, Mom said she'd be fine home alone, but y'know." Looking back down, Vivian texted Holly asking how she really was.

Stop asking. Go save the city.

She smiled. Holly was feeling better.

Some kid kicked C in the shin.

The laughing cat emoji reply made her smile more. Thankfully this wasn't going to be one of Holly's more drawn out recoveries. While her doctorate endowed mother was tractable while sick, Gail had a habit of fussing over her to the point of annoyance. The last time she'd seen her mother's fight, Holly had been irate at Gail's hovering and Gail was pissed that Holly hadn't told them she had the flu.

Parents. What could she do?

"Are you happy living at home?" Christian's question seemed to come out of nowhere. "I mean, your moms are cool but it's got to be a cramp in things."

Things? She eyed him. "You mean dating? Eh, it wouldn't be if..." Vivian paused. Well. It was C. She was supposed to be telling more people. That's what her therapist said. Christian was safe, now that he wasn't being stupid. "I can't sleep at someone else's."

Her friend looked confused for a moment. "Sex or sleep?"

"Sleep."

Christian frowned. "So. Every time you go to a girl's ... What? You go home?" When she nodded he winced. "Well shit. No wonder- oh! Oh man is that why Liv dumped you?"

With a sigh she nodded. "Part of it, yeah."

And her friend looked sympathetic. "Shit. You... God, how'd you survive the academy? Or is it like just someone else's house? Wild. That's worse than me being in my twenties and still needing a nightlight."

It was surprising. Christian wasn't going to ask. He wasn't going to try and get into why she was fucked up. She shrugged and looked over the cars being loaded up. "It sucks, but it could be worse."

"Sure, but it still sucks."

Vivian studied Christian's face for a moment. He was sorry, but not in that annoying, overbearing way people got when you tried to talk around things like that. No, Christian, the boy with a kidnapper for a father and a nut job for a mother didn't have to wonder why and look at her like she was broken. He saw her the way he felt. Someone who had made it through.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a screaming family, putting their last things in a battered car. "Think they'll feel like we do in a decade?" She jerked her chin over.

Christian shook his head. "Maybe fifteen. If they make it."

"No guarantee."

"Maybe if a Peck shows up." Christian shifted his weight.

"We can be pretty awesome," agreed Vivian.

Her friend nodded. "Think I shoulda taken Diaz?"

Vivian startled. She'd never thought about that before, to be honest. "Pragmatically no. Your mother would have lost her mind, and you'd get the shit I get."

"Ugh. Good point." They watched more people leave. "This is fucking depressing."

"Makes me think I should move out, though."

After a moment, C asked, "Can you?"

That was a fair question. Vivian nodded. "I think so." She watched another family shove their belongings into a car. A shitty station wagon. And she knew the family. The little girl and her sister both noticed her. Anna smiled, shyly, while her sister scowled. "I'll be right back," she told her partner and walked over.

The parents froze. "Is something wrong, officer?"

"No, not at all." Vivian tried for an easygoing smile. "I wanted to thank your daughter, Anna."

The mother stared at her youngest in confusion. "Thank?"

"I told her 'bout Gary."

Groaning, the mother reprimanded Anna. "I told you to stay away from him. He's a ..." She stopped and eyed Vivian.

"Yes, ma'am, he was. We're still looking for him. If you know anything, we'd appreciate it." Pulling a card from her pocket, she held it out. The mother hesitated but took it. "Do you guys need anything? Any help?"

The mother shook her head. "No. No. Thank you." The parents were cautious as they got into the car.

Vivian waved, getting return waves from the kids in the back, and smiled. "I hate that they don't trust us."

"Can you blame them?" Christian waved as well.

Cops had earned a bad reputation in a lot of places. Flipping desks with students in them. Shooting unarmed citizens. Illegal arrests. Deaths in custody. The list went on and on for crimes her fellow officers committed in the name of justice. Or power.

"Mom... Gail said a lot of cops are on a power trip."

"I can see that." He sighed. "How do you know them?"

"That little kid was our informant yesterday." Vivian looked up at the second floor. "Hey... Your vision is 20-15, right?" When Christian muttered a yes, she pointed up at the railing. "That tape is undone." Vivian wasn't quite sure.

She didn't have eagle eyes, something she'd learned the hard way on the shooting range. After struggling to shoot accurately with both eyes open, Gail and Elaine had taught her how to focus and memorize the target better. Then they taught her how to do it faster. Adrenaline helped her focus, which wasn't true for everyone, but there was no reason for that to kick in just then. Still. She was pretty sure the tape had been loosened.

Christian frowned and squinted. "It wasn't before?"

Crap. "Dispatch, 4727. Going to check out the meth dealer's place. Possible trespassing."

"4727, copy."

The voice was startlingly new. "Man," said Christian. "I really got used to hearing Tassie."

"Pardon me for not missing her. Come on." They jogged up the stairs and Vivian rested her hand by her gun. The tape was dangling. She checked the seal on the door. "Damn it... Dispatch, seal is breached."

"Copy that, 4727."

"Entering premise. 4711 backup."

Vivian eased the door open and regretted it a second later when someone barreled into her, knocking her flat to the ground.

"Freeze," shouted Christian, his voice hitting a weird note. Scared. C was scared.

And Vivian was on her back, trying to inhale, with some jackass jumping over her and running down the hall. "Chase," she wheezed at her partner, rolling onto her front and pushing herself up.

"But-"

"Go!" And C ran after the kid.

It took Vivian a few moments to gather herself. "Dispatch, 4727. 4711 is in pursuit of unsub trespasser."

"Copy," replied Dispatch. "Description?"

She hadn't even seen him! How was she supposed to describe him? How did she know he was a him? Vivian closed her eyes. This was what Gail had been trying to carefully prep her for. "Five ten." He had been shorter than she was. Young. "He was wearing an army type jacket, olive drab. Smells ... something herbal and unwashed teenaged boy."

There was a laugh over the line. "Knocked you down, huh?"

"Charged me right when I opened the damn door," Vivian grumbled. "I'm fine. C took off after him down the hall." She looked down the hall and could neither see nor hear them. Vivian frowned and leaned over the railing. Where were they?

Her radio crackled. "Dispatch, 4711. Got the little asshole."

Vivian smiled. Thank god for C. "4711, Dispatch. Lock him in your car. 4727, stay on location. Detective Peck will call with instructions."

They both confirmed they'd heard the orders. Vivian was not surprised her phone rang right away. "Peck."

A pause. "Okay that is plain weird." Of course it was Traci Peck (née Nash).

And she was right. "Just a little."

Traci huffed and asked, "You searched the apartment yesterday?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Go over it and see if anything's been touched."

"Copy that, ma'am." Vivian rubbed the back of her head. No bruise.

"Good." There was another pause. Then her aunt Traci asked, "You okay? Dispatch said you took a hit."

"Knocked the wind out of me."

"Yeah? You're not being your mom, right?"

Vivian smiled. "No, I'm not. I'm really fine. Please tell me she doesn't know."

"Probably not. She's busy with an arson."

"I'd rather have this." Vivian closed her eyes for a moment. "I remember most of what we had the lab haul out of here. Can you maybe send me the manifest?"

Traci laughed down the line. "Pushy rookie."

"That wasn't a no, ma'am."

Her aunt made a thoughtful sound. "Sent. Don't fuck it up."

Vivian read the manifest as she walked into the mostly empty apartment. The lab guys had taken almost everything. The almost was that any of the large furniture that didn't have any traces of drugs were left in place to be picked up later Whatever that idiot was after, it was either still in here or he was just looking.

Think.

What would someone come looking for after the cops had been there? It couldn't be obvious. Obvious drugs and money would be found, eventually, unless they were hidden well. So remember. What had the room looked like? She stood in the middle and closed her eyes. Smelly couch. Table. Kitchen table. A chair, leather? No fake leather. Not that it mattered. She had the layout.

Eyes open. The table was left alone. The couch and fake-leather chairs had the cushions tossed aside. Nothing was cut open. Something was missing but not intentionally hidden. It was like one of Elaine's demented games. Think like a criminal. But that didn't seem right. Think like a thief? No. Think like... Think like a Peck.

A Peck would break in for information, not items.

"Fuller... Did you get a name on that moron?"

"Copy, says it's Max."

"Ask him if he's Gary's brother."

"Uh. Detective said not to talk to him."

"Fuller."

There was silence on their radio for a moment. "He didn't answer but he looks like I slapped him."

Bingo. Vivian texted Traci, telling her of the familial relationship. A sibling wasn't much, but it was something.

"Drugs and arson supplies." Gail tossed her shoulder bag onto the couch in the office.

Her wife looked up, actually dressed in sweats and a comfy shirt. "A volatile mix," mused Holly. Her hair was tied up in a sloppy bun. "I was reading the report."

"You are feeling magically better."

"I am." Holly closed her laptop. "And you are frustrated."

"I don't like when my cases intersect like this. It usually means someone's going to be very, very stupid." And when people were stupid, people died.

Holly was smiling up at her, though, as Gail started to put away her gun and badge. "Not going to brag about your daughter?"

Gail glanced over her shoulder. "Well the fact that I'm proud of her goes without saying." She huffed. "Yes, I told her." All the things Gail had struggled with, growing up Peck, stemmed from never hearing that her parents gave a shit. Self-esteem, self-worth, Peckspecktations. They all went back to being told, directly or not, that her mind and her skills and her talents were not good enough because they didn't match the Peck Mould.

Joke was on them.

The Peck who achieved the most, the Peck who legitimately earned every single prize and accolade, the last Peck standing, was Gail.

And now her daughter.

So every day, Gail tried to make sure Vivian knew how proud Gail was that she was smart. That Gail noticed her success. And that Gail was there to help her survive her failures.

"Good," said Holly, rather simply, smiling. "You're not going to ask how I know?"

"Either you read it in the case notes or Traci called you. If it's Traci, I don't have to tell you how she got creamed by the perp." When Holly rolled her eyes, Gail smirked. "Traci. Right. She's fine."

Holly stood up and held her hands out towards Gail. She didn't need to ask; Gail just knew Holly wanted a hug. Of course Gail stepped in and pulled her close. Her wife made a deep, happy, noise and leaned into Gail's chest. "I know she's fine. She's tough. Took out that girl in hockey."

Tiny Vivian, undersized at twelve, had slammed a fourteen year old into the wall at one of her first hockey games. Gail had panicked when she saw the hit, and again in the next inning- no, period. They called it a period in hockey. Anyway, the next period the older girl came for retaliation. And Vivian, calm as anything, ducked and flipped the girl over her back. Holly and Lisa cheered so loudly, they both were hoarse the next day. After that, Gail had to ask Oliver and her therapist for advice on not freaking out at sports games.

"I think he surprised her with a bum rush." Gail gently rubbed the small of Holly's back. "Going back to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I was catching up on my email." Holly was quiet, though.

"How about I make dinner now? You can eat and get some more sleep?"

"Will you read upstairs?"

Generally, neither of them were 'needy' in the way Gail had hated with boys (and apparently a lot of girls were like that too). The first time Holly had been sick around her, she'd just really wanted Gail there. Not to talk to, but to be present. Likely she wanted that now. Gail thought over her work. Everything could wait and she could just think about her cases without needing to use her laptop. "You bet," she said to Holly, kissing her forehead.

They ended up finishing dinner just as Vivian came home, looking grumpy and tired. The rookie cop had apparently spent her afternoon with the arson squad, and had nothing nice to say about the case. It was as long winded as Vivian ever got.

"It's not that I mind," she told them as she heaped a plate full of leftovers. "It was cool to find a hidden stash of arson crap. But who the hell sells arson supplies for drug money and keeps a supply of both in his own damn house?"

"I told you," Gail laughed. "Criminals are morons."

Vivian looked a little disenchanted. "I didn't think they were that stupid."

Holly, who had been quiet through Vivian's rant, smiled. "They always are."

"Truth." Looking at her wife, Gail asked, "Want to hit the sack?"

"Moms, it's eight." But then Vivian looked at Holly. "Oh."

The dark haired doctor smiled. "I'm feeling better, but I have no energy."

"You don't have to listen to me rant, Mom. Now I feel guilty."

"I like hearing you talk about things that excite you."

Surprised, their daughter looked at both of them. "Excited?"

"Yeah," nodded Holly. "You're excited about the arson."

While Vivian looked confused, Gail grinned. "She kind of is. What do you think about arson investigation? We should have some spots opening soon."

Making a face, Vivian took a bite of her food. "Stop being Elaine. I can be just a beat cop forever, if I want to."

"You won't be 'just' anything," said Gail, chastising. But it was an old banter now. Gail didn't really care what Vivian was, as long as she was happy. "So long as you're not a serial killer or a fireman."

"I'll work on that." Vivian grinned.

Holly sounded wistful as she spoke. "I wish you'd stayed in science more. You were very good at it. I know you're a Peck, but I like seeing me in there."

Quickly, Gail caught Vivian's eye and shook her head. The younger Peck nodded and sighed. "Mom, go to bed. I'll clean up."

Without much cajoling, Gail wrangled Holly upstairs and into bed. When sick, or overly worn out, Holly's filter to not speak her mind tended to fade. And Holly still felt that Vivian was, in many ways, Gail's daughter first and hers second. So the next things for Holly to voice out-loud would be that she was sad about Vivian taking so much after Gail. And that might sound like Holly was disappointed in her daughter.

They all knew that wasn't the case, but Gail felt it was better to cut that off at the pass.

As a sleepy Holly watched Gail change for bed, she spoke thoughtfully. "You know. She can do ETF."

"Oh?" Gail frowned and sat on the bed.

"Yeah. The EDU stuff. Cop plus science."

Gail blinked. Explosive Dispersal Unit. Well. If you put it that way. Gail sighed and shook her head. "She will be what she will be, Holly."

"You think she likes it."

"ETF? Yeah, I do. I think she likes the physical stuff, and she was really good with bombs." Freaky good. And the Internet thing. She liked applied technology. Gail leaned over to kiss Holly's forehead. "No rush."

Holly mumbled something and closed her eyes. Gail settled in to read, and was not quite surprised when Holly spoke again. "You were never just a beat cop. You were a thief."

"Thief?" Gail smirked down at the sleepy pathologist. "How's that?"

"Stole my breath. Heart. Muffins." Holly yawned. "Stars."

The last one confused her. "Stars?"

"Yeah." But Holly didn't explain it, slipping into sleep at last.

Gail watched her wife's face relax, loosing the tension of awake, settling into the softness and innocence of sleep. Reaching over, Gail brushed a lock of greying hair away from Holly's face. She still looked like the Holly that had upturned Gail's life twenty some years before. The smile that had changed everything.

"Sleep," she said softly. "I love you."

She knew Holly wouldn't reply, but it didn't matter. They knew.

"How does everything happen in the middle of the week and Friday is quiet?" Lara stretched her arms up over her head and yawned.

Vivian smiled as she toweled her hair dry. "Just lucky, I guess."

"Luck. Hah. You had the luck. Drugs and arson!"

"And knocked over by a petty thief looking for the list of his brother's deals." Their idiot, Max, hadn't had any useful information, other than his brother was buying drugs with high end arson supplies, and he wanted in on the business since Gary was in the wind. Vivian hadn't known much of anything about arson, save the basics they thought in the academy, so it had been interesting.

Strangely, the lab had gone all over the trace. As far as Vivian could figure, spying on her mothers and Aunt Traci, the accelerant used in a few fires recently matched the fuel sold by a nearby gas station. That implied that Gary was sourcing a firebrand. And Gary and his list were in the wind.

Of course it also ended with Vivian working a desk Friday. Boring. Paperwork was a bore. Still, you had to do it, so she remembered the stories of Uncle Ollie nagging Gail to do hers and knuckled down.

"Earth to Peck. Come in, Peck."

Vivian startled and looked up at Lara. "Sorry. What?"

"Dancing. We need a change from the Penny. Come with us."

Jenny added, helpfully, "No smelly boys."

Smiling, Vivian pulled on her jeans. "You know what... Yeah." When both Lara and Jenny startled, she snarled. "What?"

Lara turned and held a hand out. "Pay up. Fifty bucks. I told you she'd come."

"How the hell... Did you set me up?" But Jenny handed over two twenties and then started rooting for the last ten.

Scowling, Vivian tugged her shirt on. "I don't know if I want to go, now that you bitches are betting on me."

Throwing her arms around Vivian, Lara squeezed. "No! You have to go!" Vivian groaned and leaned into her locker, but Lara didn't let go. "Please come with us!"

The sound of a camera clicked and a familiar voice laughed. "That is history," said McNally. "Peck, go with them before I make it an order."

From the depths of her locker, Vivian growled. "You can't order me on my days off, ma'am."

"Fine, don't make me tell your mother."

Vivian groaned. "I hate you." But she gave up. "Lara, let go, I'm coming."

"Can I ride your motorcycle?"

"If I say yes, will you let go of me?"

Jenny laughed. "What if she gets a girl tonight?"

Vivian snorted. "With my luck? I'll run into an ex who hates me. Of all the shit luck I could inherit from my moms, I really wanted the one where I just sleep with coworkers."

"Be careful what you wish for," warned Andy, leaving them be. "Go have fun, children."

After Andy left, Lara let go asked, "How long have you known the sergeant?"

"Since I was six. She used to give Gail grief for swearing in front of me." Vivian sighed and looked at the mirror hanging in her locker. "I don't know why I care about my hair. The helmet fucks it up."

"I thought you used the helmet as an excuse not to give a shit about your hair." Jenny teased and kicked her locker closed. "Come on. Dance. Have a drink. Hit on a cute girl."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "Fine. Fine. Whatever."

She didn't expect to have fun at the club. She'd never been a fun kind of party girl. That was more Gail's thing. Like Holly, Vivian preferred quieter dates and nights in, while the daytime was for adventure and fun. Vivian couldn't remember the last time a day hike with a date had gone well. Still. She had agreed to go and it was fun to dance a little.

Both her friends started to try and point out girls for her, though, which was weird. And she did dance with a couple somewhat cute girls, but they were all a little vapid. Nothing was worse than dull.

"Okay, Viv, so what kind of girl?" Jenny plopped herself at the bar beside Vivian as they got drinks.

"I don't know. I don't have a type, really..."

"Well you like smart girls."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "I like girls who can hold a fucking conversation."

"You mean girls who don't think Mussolini is a vegetable," corrected Jenny. The bartender came up and asked for their order. "Vodka sour, two tequilas."

"This is my last shot. I gotta drive home."

"Your moms give you hell for driving drunk?"

"Doesn't everyone's?"

"Okay, fair point." Jenny took the vodka and one tequila, leaving the other for Vivian. "Come on, one more drink." They knocked back the tequila shots, leaving them on the counter, and brought the vodka over to Lara. She was practically on a boy's lap, and shooed them away quickly, after telling them that his friend was single.

His quite predictably male friend. His friend who, of course, was into a hot cop like Jenny, and leered at her.

Jenny at least looked apologetic. "Vivian, do you mind if..."

"No, no, have fun with Thad."

"Chad," said the man.

"Whatever." Vivian shrugged and moved a bit away, only to be startled by hearing her own name.

"So, Vivian, huh?"

Vivian jumped and looked down a little at a face she knew. It was the brown-eyed firefighter. What the actual fuck? McGann, station 451. "McGann. Uh, okay this actually is a surprise."

The woman smiled. "Jamie." She held a hand out and Vivian shook it by reflex. "So you and your friends aren't here stalking me?"

Friends. Vivian glanced over to the table and spotted Lara, watching. Where had her boy gone? Not that it mattered. "Well, my friend might be trying to set me up."

Jamie followed the look. "Oh the jogging partner."

"We're coworkers." Pausing, Vivian figured she ought to say it. After all, cops and firefighters weren't notably friendly. She took a breath to explain they were cops, when someone shouted.

"Hey! McGann, gotta roll!" A tall man with tattoos was shouting from the door.

"Kinda busy, Jesuś."

"No, we gotta go!"

Jamie sighed. "Shitty timing. I'm on shift tomorrow."

"Oh. That, uh, yeah, I'm not sure what that means for a firefighter."

"Means five days at the station. But-" Jamie was cut off by the tall man shouting her name again. "I'm going to kill him," she growled.

"Come on! Cappy called!"

Jamie yanked her phone out of her pocket and swore. "I'm sorry. It's my captain... I've got to run."

Before Vivian could formulate a sentence, Jamie was running out the door. "Well. That went great," she said to herself.

"I've seen worse," Lara said. "But never in person. You're bad at that."

"Screw you. Where's that dude?"

"Oh, he was boring. Hot, but boring." Lara held out a bottle of water. "Wait! That was totally the girl from running!"

"Yes." Vivian sighed. "And I did not get her number."

Lara shook her head. "Maybe you should talk to Rich about how to pick up chicks."

"I would sooner eat my own vomit." But Vivian let Lara drag her to the dance floor again.

At home, a few hours later, her mothers were up. The light in their bedroom was on and their door open. "Hey, I'm not on till the afternoon," announced Vivian, poking her head in. "You weren't waiting up for me, were you?"

Holly looked up from her huge novel. The latest George R.R. Martin one. "You're a grownup, honey," she pointed out, smiling.

"That wasn't a no," smirked Vivian.

Gail had on her reading glasses and studiously kept her eyes down. "She's not a grownup. She's a seven year old who hates showers," she muttered, not looking up from her iPad. "Where were you?"

"Dancing. Met up with some firefighters," Vivian said absently, leaning in the doorway. So they were waiting up a little for her. The word 'firefighters' made Gail look up.

When Gail started to say something, Holly slapped her arm. "Stop it, Peck," she laughed. "Good for you, making new friends outside of work."

"I bet there was a cute girl involved." That time, Holly hit her with the pillow. Laughing, Gail dropped her iPad, pulled Holly's arm and kissed her. "Good night, Monkey. Close the door."

Vivian rolled her eyes and closed the door, retreating to her room.

Her bedroom hadn't changed much in 17 years. She still had the dinosaur border and the same bed and desk in the same places since she'd gotten them. Gail had thought that a kids bed was silly, getting her a full sized one right away. She'd only gotten the queen sized bed when she, Matty, and Olivia had broken the frame of the old one, playing some stupid game in the house. In fact, almost all the furniture was the original, though the mattress was new. The bookcase still had the stickers from when she and Liv were twelve and thought that was cool.

She didn't want them anymore.

Not because she was mad at Liv still (which she was, for many reasons, but mostly for cheating on her own boyfriend). It just felt like an old life she didn't want any more. She wanted something a little new that wasn't too new. Something different. Maybe a move would be it. Maybe a change would push her forward. It was time to move out.

Vivian picked up the photos still on her desk, taken from their various albums to soon find new homes in the multi-photo frames Gail bought for her. Her graduation from the police academy, a photo of her sister, a photo of meeting the King of England, a photo of her mothers. There was a photo of her friends, Liv and Matty, at their high school graduation. Tall (finally) Vivian with her arms around their shoulders. There was the photo of Gail and Holly at the cottage, snuggled on the couch, looking peaceful. There was her first winter at this house.

There were her memories.

And in between all of that, she kept thinking about the firefighter, McGann and her smile. Oh yeah, she was crushing hard on the woman. Vivian closed her eyes and smiled, thinking about the implications of last night, wondering if Jamie would have asked her out or accepted if she'd asked. Wondering what the future was going to be.

Holly spotted it at breakfast on Monday.

Vivian was lingering over her coffee, zoning out about something."You have a crush on someone," she informed Vivian, amused. The girl had avoided her parents all weekend, going out to play ninja warrior with her friends, and something else she wasn't talking about.

"Oh my god, I need to move out, Mom," groaned Viv, covering her face.

"You can if you want to," said Holly carefully. She wanted to encourage her daughter to grow. She just wasn't always sure how to do it.

Vivian peered between her fingers. "I've been kinda looking."

Holly smiled. "We kinda noticed."

"I think I need help." The admission was rueful. "I don't want to ask you guys for help but I'm failing at this and... And I do want to move out."

"Hear here," muttered Gail from the stairs, pulling on her leather jacket. "Why not the church loft?"

"What?" Viv looked up. "Leo's place?"

"Leo's job is moving him to Texas. Officially," explained Holly, still smirking but handing Gail some coffee in exchange for a kiss. "What's her name?"

Vivian pointed at her bespectacled mother. "No. There's no one, Mom." Then she turned her finger towards Gail. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, why not?" Gail looked thoughtful as she sipped the coffee. "I mean, I'd rather you had a roommate, but it's a good age to move out. And it's a great condo. Leo moved in when he was your age."

"You can just give it away?" Vivian was clearly flabbergasted.

Holly laughed. "We own it. Well, she does with Steve. Which technically means me and Traci too. You'd have to pay utilities and maintenance."

"Be better than renting it out to strangers again," muttered Gail. "That was a pain in the ass. Think about it. He's practically moved out, except for cleaning the place, which won't be that hard. Traci made him hire a cleaning service once he was living there by himself."

Vivian looked between her mothers. "No no, seriously Moms. You'd let me rent it?"

"Not that I particularly want you to move out," Holly said slowly. "But I think you want to."

Chewing her lip, Vivian nodded. "I do and I don't."

This wasn't a conversation Holly felt ready for. Much like the time Vivian asked where babies came from, it was presented before she was prepared. Holly hated that. She liked to research and think and present her findings appropriately. But time waited for no one. Holly smiled gently, encouragingly. "Viv, honey. What do you want?"

Her daughter stared at the coffee cup in her hands. "I feel like I'm supposed to want this. And ... And I do. I want to have my own place, figure out how to be without you guys... And I really don't."

"Hell, Viv, everyone feels like that." Gail was practical if nothing else. "But this. This is easier than joining the force. Easier than college. This is just moving across town and having to remember to do your own laundry and clean and shop every week. And then remember to come over and eat with your old moms once in a while." She passed by Vivian and ruffled her hair.

Vivian shied away from the manhandling and laughed. "Okay. I do want to move out. If only to stop having to hear you two have sex."

While Gail laughed, Holly felt a blush creep up her neck. "Sorry," she muttered and hid behind her coffee.

"No," said Vivian firmly. "Moms, never ever apologize for that. Okay?"

"Oh she's just embarrassed," said Gail, dismissively. "Your mother is weirdly puritanical about sex. I mean, considering she likes-"

Holly leaned over the counter and covered Gail's mouth. "Stop," she said firmly. Seriously. While Gail's eyes twinkled, she nodded. "I mean it." Another nod, this one more serious. "I'm not puritanical, I just don't think anyone wants to think about their parents have sex. It's weird."

Her daughter shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I don't care that it's you as much as bringing a girl over is awkward, so right now it's just ... Y'know, oh hey, that sex I'm not having? My moms are."

"Pia didn't mind," Gail pointed out. "The coming over. I liked her. She was very direct."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "She was. I liked her to, but she was always going back to Germany."

Smiling, Holly put her coffee cup away. Wisely, Vivian had only brought Pia over in nights Holly and Gail had been out late. The first time, they found out Pia was there because Vivian came down and grabbed two coffee cups. It had been sort of adorable, the face Gail had made while Vivian had gone back upstairs. It was nearly Chloe levels of delight, something she'd told Gail at the time. And it had only gotten funnier when Vivian mentioned it was not the first time Pia had spent the night. It was only the first time that they'd been home as well.

"I see your point though." Holly shook her head, trying to think how it would be to have had any of her girlfriends hear her parents ... Nope.

The blonde Peck looked thoughtful. "I'd almost wish you had a roommate. But ... Well. I'm fine with it. I'll even help you move."

She didn't mean to, but Holly snorted a laugh out her nose. "Sorry," she laughed, covering her mouth. "You wouldn't have helped us move if your daughter hadn't shamed you." The six year old had just eyed Gail as if she was the world's worst parent.

"Why do you hate moving?" Vivian was smirking.

"I hate people throwing away memories."

As soon as Gail said it, Viv sobered up. She tensed a little. "Mom... The most important memories are right here." She tapped her chest and then her head.

Gail shrugged. "I know. And yet." Finishing her coffee, Gail picked up her jacket. "Anyway. You're not getting rid of memories, kid. You're going to take some photos of us and hang them up, okay?"

The 'us' seemed to relax everyone. "Okay," agreed Vivian. "Can I have a copy of us sleeping? The one grandma took at the cottage?"

"Yes." Gail smiled. "Take a nap before your shift, okay? I'm off to save the world and figure out where we're putting ETFs squads."

Holly didn't miss the sharpening of Vivian's gaze on that comment. Looked like Gail was right. Their daughter was interested in ETF. "I think my day cutting up dead bodies will be more fun." She kissed Vivian's forehead, picked up her bag, and followed Gail to the garage.

To her surprise, Gail was standing by her car. "So?"

"So?"

"Viv. Moving out."

Rolling her eyes, Holly opened her SUV's door. "You already told her you were for it."

"I know, but ..." Gail walked around and leaned against Holly's doorframe. "It's empty now. I can call painters and have it ready by the end of next week."

That was fast. But considering how quickly they'd gone from engaged to married, Holly somewhat expected it. "Do it," said Holly firmly, buckling up. "And get the plumbing checked out."

Gail nodded and leaned in to kiss her. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Don't think you're dumping packing on me, Peck," smiled Holly. "Have a good day at work, dear."

"I want a better kiss." Leaning in again, Gail kissed her again. "Go cut up dead things."

Holly rolled her eyes. "You're a pain in the ass and I love you." But she was smiling as she pulled out for another day at work.

Gail carried the last box into the loft and put it on the kitchen counter. Somehow she'd talked Holly into letting her buy a whole mess of new cookware, which meant Vivian inherited most of the old ones. The part that would fit anyway. Pots and pans. A set of dishes. Silverware. All the things Vivian needed to make a home.

It had been one week from conception to move in. Gail had underestimated the time it would take to get the place cleaned, painted, and sorted. Much to her surprise, Leo had left the place in good standing. And Steve had no issues when Gail told him she wanted to rent it out to Vivian, so the paperwork had been simple.

So here she was, unpacking cookware in her daughter's first apartment.

"Mom!" Vivian's laughter echoed down the hall.

"Look, child, this was your idea!" Holly was laughing too.

Smiling, Gail opened the box to put the pots away. They'd had the whole place scrubbed and repainted, and shoved the boxes Leo had left behind into storage at Traci and Steve's place. Vivian had bought herself some new furniture, a bed and dresser and desk, but the rest was a mishmash.

The couch was something Leo had bought. The television was Steve and Traci's old one. The table was from when Andy and Nick moved in together. Oliver's eldest, the annoyingly artistic Izzy had brought the artwork. Well. Painted it. The cookware was the least Gail and Holly could do.

"You're supposed to compensate people who help you move." Holly was giggling to much though.

"Hah! I have to pay rent, Mom!" That had been Holly's demand. Vivian would pay a fair rent and the money would go into a savings account. Once in a while, their family acted like they were well off. Holly had no school debt, Gail had her inheritance, and Vivian had a trust fund too. It was odd to realize they were wealthy.

Gail put the last pan away and broke down the box, putting that in the pile. "You two are supposed to be putting a bed together!"

"Mom is a shitty lesbian, Mom!"

"Shut up! Hexagonal wrenches are the devil's invention!"

"You're a scientist! You don't believe in the devil!"

And they broke into laughter again. If Gail hadn't known better, she would think her wife and daughter were drunk. "I'm ordering pizza, you idiots."

"Veggie special, please."

"No olives, honey."

"For crap's sake, it's not like I haven't been ordering for you two for almost twenty years!" Also she had a pizza order saved on the delivery app. All Gail had to do was put in the new address.

It was at least thirty minutes out so Gail went to see how the bed building was going. They had the headboard and footboard together, as well as the sides. The interior frame was laid out, and the bed was still in its box. Vivian was laughing to the point of tears at something Holly had done, and Holly was sucking the side of her hand.

Everyone dealt with change their own way. Holly was shoving in as many good memories as possible. She'd done the same when the move to California was on the table. Gail stepped back, letting them have their moment, her fingers trailing on the wall. It didn't feel like Bill's anymore. That was good. But it didn't feel like Vivian's yet either.

Gail paused and grinned. She could fix that. They'd put the leftover paint in a hall closet. There was white and blue and an odd grey that they used for trim. The blue would work. All she needed now was a box knife and some cardboard.

Ten minutes later, forgotten craft skills from when Vivian was a child paid off. Gail had a small dinosaur stencil and the paint to make it work. She carefully put a small dinosaur at the top of the stairs to Vivian's room, and another on the door. The third one, by the nightstand, caught the attention of the others.

"Really, Mom?" Vivian shoved at the bed and the crossbeam clicked into place. "Dinosaurs?"

"Robot dinosaurs," corrected Gail, smiling. "Because this is your home."

"In a very odd Gail way, that makes perfect sense." Holly took the stencil and studied it. "One more." She held a hand out for the brush and took them to the ensuite bathroom, putting one by the light switch.

Vivian sighed. "I'm twenty-four and I have robot dinosaurs in my room. Are you trying to shoot my love life in the ass?"

Grinning, Gail helped fit the beams on the bed together. "I think girls will not notice the dinosaurs the first time. Maybe not the second if you're doing it right. And then when they do, you can say your mom did it. And they'll ask you about your mom and you'll say you have two and suddenly you, my monkey, you will have conversation."

"I hate when you make sense." Vivian tossed the slats onto the bed. She sighed. "What if I can't sleep?"

"Then you come back and crawl in bed with me and your mom," said Gail simply.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Holly lingered by a box labeled 'photos.'

"God, why are you even asking, Mom?" Vivian scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

Holly opened the box and took out a photo, framed, of a girl. At first Gail didn't recognize it. But then. Then she took in the similarities to the girl she'd raised. That was Kimberly. That was Vivian's sister. Gail glanced at Vivian, who just nodded. "Dresser?" Asked Holly.

"Yeah. But put us there too?" As Holly put the photo of Vivian at graduation on the dresser as well, Vivian walked over to the mattress. "Help me get this up, Mom."

They hefted the mattress out of its box and, still wrapped into place. A few deft cuts later and a bed unfurled itself onto the frame, puffing up in less than 60 seconds.

"This is good." Gail nodded firmly and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Come here." When Vivian sat beside her, Gail reached up to pull her daughter's head against her own. "You're a million times more mature than I was at your age. And Holly's folks, as cool as they are, made her sell her motorcycle. You are capable and dependable, and totally ready for this."

"Dov said I was courageous. When he cut me loose."

Gail smiled. "I'm loyal. Your mom would be reliable."

There was a click of a camera and they looked to see Holly holding her phone up. "Also opportunistic." The nerd smiled. "Get off the bed. Sheets and your quilt will make this home."

"Did you buy me Star Wars sheets?"

Holly smiled. "No. But I brought a pillow case for you."

They quickly made the bed just before the pizza arrived. Sitting on the couch, which Vivian said she wanted to replace, they watched a movie on Netflix, as if it was any other night. But. After the food there were hugs, and Vivian walked them to the car (ostensibly to throw out some now empty boxes) and Holly gleaned one more big hug before they drove off.

It was Holly who sniffled first. "No. You can't cry in the car," said Gail firmly. "If you start, I'll cry, and I'm driving."

"Sorry."

Gail sighed and rubbed at one eye. "This is a good thing."

Holly blew her nose. "I know. It just feels sudden. One week and my kid moves out."

It did feel sudden. "Suddenly, slowly, and then all at once. Things fall into place."

With a deep sigh, Holly looked in the mirror. "I'm glad." Gail made a noise to indicate confusion and Holly conveniently went on. "I'm glad we adopted. I'm glad we had a child. It feels ... It feels fulfilling in a weird way to be letting her go. Like we did things right."

"We did," said Gail firmly. "We raised a good kid. We taught her how to be a good person. And we are good parents. We are great parents."

"So you think she'll be okay?"

"I think she'll be miserable tonight. And then in a week it'll be normal. So when she comes over for Thursday dinner, she will tell us how weird it is to be on her own, but how cool it is."

Her wife was quiet for a few blocks. "Yeah. Okay."

"That's it? Okay?"

"Okay, I think you're right?"

Gail smiled. "And that is as it should be, Stewart. I'm awesome." Without a pause, she added. "And so are you."

Holly sighed again, deeply, but more content and calm. "Yeah. I am."

The new normal would be okay.

So now Vivian has moved out on her own. Just in time for the 20th wedding anniversary. That's what's next.