"So you're moving out of baby girl's place, huh?"

"It's so funny you still call her that. She's been grown for so long."

"Yeah, yeah maybe, but not in here… " smiled Fin, eyes glazed with adoration as he tapped a fisted hand lightly against his chest, "… not to me. Maybe it's cos I'm an old man now. Maybe it's cos I'm starting to lose my marbles."

"Fin you are not…."

"You know I still remember her all bundled up like a little burrito. Not all babies are cute, no matter what people try to tell me, but she was. Baby girl Benson was cute as a button and it was love at first sight for me."

"For me too…." smiled Olivia, her whole face lighting up at the memory. "And you had her back. Right from the start you had her back, and mine too. I've never forgotten that Odafin, and I never will."

"How you doing, Liv?"

"Me? I'm fine…."

"Nah, nah how you really doing?" he repeated, folding his arms across his chest and settling back into his easy chair. "You forget how well I know you. You forget how you're 'I'm fine' crap has never washed with me. I know you're anything but fine and I think maybe you should talk about that."

"Honestly Fin? I really don't know what to say. I don't think I have the words."

"You don't think that being with Evie is the best thing for you right now?"

"I won't not be with her just because I'm moving back to the city. I need to be here, Fin. It's where I belong. It's the city that raised me and it's home. It's where….."

"It's where he is?" offered Fin when she seemed unable to. "I get that."

"I know I can't have him back. I'm not in denial. I understand that he's gone and I accept that I have to find some way to move on. I have to find the strength to figure out a new life, a life without him in it. I'm not completely sure what that looks like. I don't have all the answers. I just know with absolute certainty that they're not in suburban Connecticut in the house he died in."

"Jeez….." breathed Fin, his eyes widening sympathetically, "… I didn't even think about it that way."

"I didn't put it in as many words to Evie. That isn't fair, it's her home. I don't think it affects her the same way, or at least not yet it doesn't. I just can't live there. It's too haunted. I don't want to forget a single second of El but I'd just rather surround myself with memories before the end. All the decades we spent chasing round Manhattan, all the years we spent raising our babies in our own home. That's where I belong."

"Living with Cal makes sense, but Texas? I love that crazy chica but she's a lot. Are you ready to live in the house now it's hers? Your casa is now her casa, Liv."

"I can handle Texas…." chuckled Olivia fondly, rolling her eyes and adding emphatically, "…and her little mini-me, because that's where the real fire is. Leni is the one who's really gonna bring the fireworks. She's her mother but with means and motive."

"Means and motive, I love it!" laughed Fin. "Once a cop, always a cop, huh Detective Benson?"

"The truth is I have no idea if I'm making the right choice. I'm just going with my gut and trying to trust that, because in all the other darkest times in my life it's been the one thing I could rely on. It's been the thing that has seen me through to the other side."

"I think you can trust it. I haven't always. Your gut told you Elliot Stabler was a good idea four decades ago and I thought you'd lost your mind. I told you as much."

"Oh you did, Odafin, and then some…." she smiled wryly, giving his arm a gentle shove.

"But you were right, Cheekbones.

"My God it's been years since you called me that…." never mind his pet name for Eve, he took Olivia back every year of those decades with his using of her old moniker. "And I'm pretty sure I don't deserve the name anymore with these hamster cheeks!"

"You're still a knockout."

"And you are on fire today, my love. You're remembering things even I'd forgotten."

"Yeah well, maybe I'm trying to prove them wrong. Maybe the more they tell me my tired old brain is failing the harder I'm trying to remember every single detail."

"You always were a stubborn son of a bitch."

"And always will be. My point is you were right, Liv. You were right all along about Elliot. He was hands down the best thing that ever happened to you and you him. I don't believe in any of the clichéd crap about soulmates and fate and meant to be. But you two are as close as I'll ever come."

"I think so too."

"Besides, that same gut of yours took a chance on a mixed up kid, and now none of us even remember what it was like to not have Calvin in this crazy octopus of a family. It's something fierce and feral the way that boy protects you and Elliot'll rest easy knowing you're safe under his roof."

"Did you ever imagine that this is where we'd end up?"

"The Lavender scrap heap for octogenarians?"

"You are terrible and I'm gonna choose to ignore that."

"You make it bearable. You and that ever growing, always complicated, completely awesome family you've created."

"The crazy octopus did you call it?" brushing a fringe of wispy grey hair from her warm brown eyes Olivia decided she quite liked the analogy.

"I know Stabler helped, but I like to think they're mostly all you, and I couldn't be more grateful for every single one of them. I've not seen my boys in months. Even now I'm on my own they don't come. I'm not mad, I'm not even that sad. They've made their own lives and it was always that way with me and Ken."

"Fin…."

"But Evie calls me every other day. I know exactly what's going on at the shop with your boys because Sam put me in one of those, I dunno, chat groups on my phone. Cal and Tex visit once a week without fail. They never miss. They bring all the kids, and all their crazy, and it's fun. It's the kind of fun I didn't think I'd still get to have when I had to move into this place. And you?"

"What about me?"

"You're the best friend I ever had Liv."

"You're the dearest friend to me too."

"I mean it. I don't say it, but it's there. It's always been there and I think it and I feel it every day. You've been the biggest, best and most bad ass constant of my life Olivia Stabler and getting to hang out with you makes living here and slowly fading out of this life okay. You living with Cal gets a strong yes from me because I know that he'll carry your ass here to visit me if he has to."

"I'd crawl Fin….." she rasped, grabbing for his hand and squeezing it tight as a tear escaped, "… nothing could keep me away."

"Hey you….."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, just missed you this morning…." smiled Calvin, padding sleepy eyed across the kitchen and snaking his arms around Texas' waist from behind as she flipped pancakes at the stove.

"Cal…."

"What?" he mumbled, leaning in and kissing at her neck while allowing his eyes to get lost in her cleavage from above. "You look amazing, even more amazing that normal?"

"Stop it…" she fussed, shrugging herself out from his arms and swatting him away.

"Really?" he puzzled, part frustration and part genuine confusion. This was uncharted territory for them.

"What is it really such a shock to you? That I wouldn't want groping in the kitchen while I…."

"Hey! That's not fair, that wasn't groping that was…."

"I'm not always just right here ready to have sex whenever you…."

"Stop, Texas!" he entreated emphatically. Throwing his head back in exasperation Calvin ran a hand through his ever shorter cropped hair.

She had always been a challenge, but the past week she had even had him completely vexed. Texas had rarely been known to do anything perfunctorily. She had rough edges, sharp corners, veins that blood thundered through as her heart beat fast and hard. Her emotions were lightening charged most of the time, but Calvin knew where the line was and he wasn't shy to draw it in the sand for her. She wasn't allowed to project onto him, and steeling himself he squared his shoulders and told her so.

"Okay no, no you're out of line. That is way out of line because you know full well that I'd never be that guy. Damn it, you are IMPOSSIBLE lately!"

"Don't you shout at me pendejo!"

"You're angry and closed off and you are driving me crazy Texas Mendoza so you better start talking before I go out of my fucking mind!"

"Oh nice, nice, see how you always use my old name when you're mad. Like I can only be an Arliss when I'm doing what you want!"

"I use your old name when I can't fucking think straight!" he cried in frustration, his brows knitting deeply. "I use your old name because this is exactly the level of crazy we haven't seen since from you since you had it!"

"It's you making me loca right now Calvin. This is all your fault on every possible level. But I can't do that. I can't be stressed this way. I just can't. I can't risk screwing this up because you pissed me off."

"I have no fucking clue what you're talking about. How can something be my fault if you won't even tell me what I did?"

"I didn't even know you did it either, but evidently you did, we did…." anger gone from her voice, she sounded almost happy for a moment. Calvin reached a new level of despair, watching every twitch of her face and searching it desperately for whatever it was he had done.

"So talk to me, Tex?" he gasped, throwing his hands in the air and letting them slap down against his thighs in desperation. "Because this isn't us, we don't do this. We don't hide things from each other. We don't hide from each other period. We don't keep secrets, and whatever you've been keeping from me these past few weeks must be pretty fucking epic because it's ripping us at the seams and I'm gonna need you to…"

"You can't get mad, or sad, or…."

"Babe what the hell?" breathing heavy Calvin searched her face, the pained expression there, and braced himself.

"Cal there's gonna be a baby."

"What?"

"I said there's gonna be a…."

"What? Like a human one?"

"Yes."

"Fuck."

"Si, si, fuck."

"Oh fuck, fuck no. What?" stepping backward, staggering slightly Calvin's face paled to an ashy grey and his eyes widened in horror. "How the hell did that happen? When?"

"Calvin…." his name caught in her throat and Texas brought her hands to her face, covering it as hot tears filled her eyes. "Mi amor, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"God, oh God this is….." backing into the wall Calvin tipped head back, hard, against it with a thud. He allowed his knees to buckle and then folded into a crouch.

"I'm so sorry…." repeated Texas, fighting so hard against the sobs raging to escape her chest she could barely breathe.

The devastation she felt at his reaction was almost too much and her whole body flashed hot and cold. Hands instinctively drawing to her stomach, closing over the child inside it, she swallowed the bile rising in her throat.

"I'll kill him. I'll fucking cut his dick off whoever he is. But we'll take care of it; we'll take care of her. Whatever she wants to do. I won't get mad, I won't I swear. There'll be no blame, no shame here…."

"Wait what?" said Texas suddenly, her eyes shooting up from their place firmly locked on the floor. "Did you just say him? Who's her?"

"Yeah, yeah I did…." said Calvin, coming back fully into the room and looking up at her from his squat on the floor, "… the horny little fucker that knocked up my kid. That him."

"Oh my God! Oh mon dieu!"

"What?" he barked gruffly, feeling a rising anger at her sudden levity. She was laughing, all the way to the tiny lines around her eyes, and he could only imagine it was delirium.

"Oh I'm so sorry I wasn't clearer. My bad. I didn't mean that. I wasn't, I mean, see that's not…."

"Are you having a stroke?"

"Leni isn't pregnant Cal….." gasped Texas breathlessly, life breathing back into her world as the lights came back on, "…. I am."

"You?"

"Me, well, us…." she shrugged, pulling an apologetic face and then daring a little smile, "… we are. We're having a baby."

"I'm the one having a stroke…." said Calvin flatly, his eyes staring unblinking in front of him as clammy skin sweated into his shirt, "… or a heart attack I don't even know which. Maybe it's both."

"Aaaaaaaay cariño I am so sorry…." she cringed, rushing to him and falling down onto her knees at his side.

With one arm around his neck and the other kissing at his cheek Texas attempted damage control on a queasy looking Calvin. He remained silent, still climbing down from the ledge he had walked himself out onto. Slowly the colour returned to his face and his heart rate slowed. Shrugging Texas from his shoulders Calvin turned in to her stared her dead in the eyes.

"Don't apologise you idiot. I mean you've just aged me a fucking decade, don't get me wrong, but you've got nothing to be sorry about so don't look so worried."

"Can I try that again?" came the muffled question as fell forward heard first into his chest and kept her face buried there, her breath hot through his t-shirt.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, go on then…." he said, grabbing her shoulders and sitting her upright, "… right, I'm a blank page. I know nothing. Take two, go?"

"Okay, so, Calvin I have some news. It's gonna be a little surprising since it isn't something we planned on or really ever thought would happen. At least I don't think we did. Well, I didn't. I've been a little loca lately because it's kinda brought up some things for me, I guess. I didn't realise how many things until you shouted at me just now…."

"You needed shouting at. Anyways, are you working your way up to the punchline here or?"

"I'm having your baby, Arliss…." biting her lip, hard, so it hurt, Texas could no longer prevent the tears flooding from her eyes, "… and I am having so many emotions about that I feel like I'm gonna explode."

"So that's why your boobs are…."

"You are such an asshole."

"Sorry, I'm sorry that was…."

"They're agony Calvin, they have been for weeks. I can't even stand to put a shirt on let alone have you touch them. They're like two giant rock hard cantaloupes and…."

"Are you serious? Tex how long have you been…." trailing off he shook his head slowly side to side in disbelief. "You should've told me sooner, you idiot."

"Yeah, yeah probably."

"Boots?" he said simply, waiting for her eyes and then staring at her the way no one else ever had. Clean through her skin, reflecting in her soul.

"Yeah?" she gulped.

"I love you, I am so in love with you…." he laughed, his voice cracking as he grabbed her face and kissed her hard, "… are you fucking kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me right now Tex? A baby? Our baby?"

"So you're happy?"

"What'd you think?" he grinned, so wide it took over his whole face and then broke into a loud guttural laugh.

"I'm scared, guapo."

"Of course you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing I just know you is all. And I get it now. I get why we've had crazy Tex in the house since, well, since I assume whenever you found out about this little nugget's existence. Am I warm? Am I getting close?"

"Too close."

"Will I ever have to stop trying to convince you that you deserve to be happy, Boots? Will you ever maybe see this as something that happened because we love each other to death and even though we've never said it out loud we've both thought a million times how totally incredible it would be to have a kid together? Will you ever think, like, oh wait maybe the universe just thought well there's two people who have baked a pretty fucking awesome cake together and maybe it should have a little icing on top?"

"Calvin Arliss was that a metaphor? You've been hanging out with the Stabler's too long you are all up in your emotions these days."

"Relax, Tex, let yourself have it….." he murmured, leaning in and kissing her, long and slow this time, "… because you do deserve it."

"Okay…." she whispered, pressing her forehead against his and taking a deep breath.

"Can I tell?"

"No."

"Please?" he begged, pulling a face and tilting his head hopefully.

"No, no it's too early. A million things could still go wrong. We have to wait."

"Okay, okay that's cool…." he nodded, genuinely acquiescing as he continued to grin like a man possessed in the best possible way.

"Fine, fine okay you can tell her, but only her okay?"

"So I have news."

"News?"

"Big news, big, secret news. I get to tell you but just you, okay? Leni knows because she's smart about woman things and obviously Texas knows because, well, she's kinda the key player in this but…."

"Calvin what on earth are you talking about?" asked Olivia blithely, narrowing her eyes at him over the rim of her coffee mug.

It was nothing unusual that the two of them would be grabbing a coffee, lunch, or any other excuse to spend time together. Olivia was a regular visitor to the car shop to take one or other, or both, of her boys out. She and Calvin were on first name terms with the owners of the little independent café in which they were now sat, and so it was no great surprise to her when he'd asked to meet there.

"She's pregnant, we're pregnant, Tex and me….." a little frenzied, a little frantic, Calvin whole body buzzed like an anxious teen, "… we're having a baby, Mama."

"A baby?" almost inhaling the words Olivia stared dumbfounded for a moment, before her face melted to a blissful smile. "Oh sweetheart, oh my sweet, sweet boy."

"Yeah, yeah we're kinda stunned to be honest. Stunned but in, like, the best possible way, you know? Like winning the lotto without remembering you bought a ticket."

"I think I know…." nodded Olivia, remembering the moment she had found out she was carrying Eve. A tiny life, half her and half Elliot. "And Tex? She's…."

"A lot. A-fucking-lot is what Texas Arliss is."

"Cal…." warned Olivia softly, as Calvin rolled his eyes dramatically.

"She's fine, she's happy…." softening, giving a lopsided smile loaded with love Calvin laughed, "… we're happy."

"Are you sure? Because this has got to bring up a lot of stuff for her. Sweetheart I don't want to pry but you know that if you ever need to talk, either of you…."

"She's fine, I mean she's a hot hormonal mess but ultimately she's fine. I got her. I can handle her, and she'll crazy herself out soon. She thinks she's being subtle but the one thing you can rely on with Tex is that she's pretty much never that."

"I trust that you know her better than anyone, sweetheart."

"Whatever she's feeling comes flying out of her mouth or her eyeballs eventually and I'll catch it. I'll catch her, every time, don't worry Mama."

"Okay…." chuckled Olivia fondly, unable to deny she also knew this to be true. "And you? A Dad again? That's a big deal."

"Yeah, yeah I guess."

"Calvin…" was all Olivia needed to say, because he couldn't lie to her. He had never been able to lie to her, and she had always been able to read him like a well-thumbed book.

"I was scared to want it."

"Yeah?" she said quietly, knowing his pace. Knowing just exactly the speed at which the onion skin would peel.

"For years, I didn't dare. I mean I got away with murder, right? Getting to keep them both?"

"I'm not sure….."

"Who does that? What guy gets to cheat on his wife, leave her for his, well, his long-term, I dunno, his long-term-Texas and then still be friends with his ex? Still be the best of fucking friends? No one, that's who. Only I did it. I got to keep all of you and be with Tex. I guess by the time the dust settled on that it felt like giving fate the finger to imagine having a kid with Boots."

"But you did want it?" setting down her mug Olivia's heart clenched to see the sincerity etched in Calvin's face as he chose his words painfully carefully.

"I'm not bullshitting anyone when I say Leni is my kid. I know Tex would do anything for the twins same as if they were her own. But yeah, yeah I wanted it. Fuck I wanted it so bad sometimes I'd even imagine what it'd look like, you know?"

"Oh sweetheart…."

"She was so lonely and scared and broken by what Johnny did to her when she had Sophia. Then when she had Leni it was all so great at first but then Gil was an asshole and she wound up back on the junk and then in jail. She was going through hell and I was looking the other way. I dropped the ball, I dropped her: I let her fall and she almost lost Legs. I just wanted a chance to do it all right, you know? A chance to take care of her and be there for it all. To do it together, me and her. I just didn't think after everything that I…."

"But you do, Calvin. You do, you do deserve this. You get to want it, you get to want it with all your heart and enjoy every second of it. I know I will."

"Oh yeah?"

"Are you kidding? My fourth grandbaby?"

"Right…." he smiled, nervous at first before his face came alight with a wide grin that came perilously close to pride.

"And Leni is excited?"

"Oh yeah, yeah she's got feelings coming out the fucking wazoo about the whole situation. They talk about shit I can't even. Between her and Tex I don't know whose worse, only that there's a lot of Latina coming at me and it's gonna be an intense six months."

"She's that far gone already?"

"Yeah, well, I mean she's Tex right? So obviously she basically ignored the situation for a while and then freaked out and became a crazy person so apparently we're already a good ten, eleven weeks into this thing. We're the size of a strawberry apparently. That's Leni, by the way, she told me that. She's project managing."

"I think the three of you are going to be just fine. Look, sweetheart, if this changes…"

"Oh, no, no, no, I know that face and I know what you're about to say and don't even. You're coming, you're moving, you're getting fully involved in this because I can't do it by myself okay? We can't do this without you. I forgot everything I ever knew about tiny humans and if nothing else you can be a witness to the crime when Tex goes fully loca on me and wants help burying the body."

"Only if you're sure?"

"We are, one hundred percent. But can I ask you one favour? A kind of huge one?"

"Anything, sweetheart, you know that."

"Once Tex is ready, once she says we can tell people I'm gonna talk to Evie by myself, just the two of us. This is gonna be weird for her. I know that. I mean she'll pretend it isn't but she'll be lying and I wanna give her space to be freaked if she needs to be."

"Oh Cal…."

"But will you help me tell the twins about all of this? It's gonna be a huge change for them. You moving out of Evie's and into our place, having a new brother or sister. Obviously I'll do it with Evie, they'll want their mom there. But will you be there too?"

"Of course I will."

"That sounds intense, man."

"Yeah, yeah it is. That's okay though. We're prepared. We're ready for it. We're ready to jump through any hoops they throw in front of us."

"I mean I get they gotta do their homework. You can't just go handing out kids to anyone who asks, but still. It just doesn't feel right it's so hard for good people to get a kid."

"I guess they have to figure out who 'good people' are. So: the hoops."

"The hoops…." nodded Calvin contemplatively, taking a swig of his beer and falling silent.

"Yeah, yeah I mean any idiot can knock up his wife the old fashioned way, that's easy."

"Sure, sure I get that…" placing his thumb over the mouth of his beer and then removing it with a faint pop Calvin kept his eyes fixed on the floor and deliberately chose his words carefully.

"I mean any idiot…." persisted Sam, holding a silence just long enough for Calvin to look up, "… so when were you gonna tell me, bro?"

"Sammy I…."

"Don't Sammy me, asshole. Why wasn't I your third phone call?"

"You are my third phone call….." protested Calvin quickly, his face trite and his eyes pained, "… I just didn't make it yet is all."

"Only my mom and Vee know? You swear?"

"I swear to God…." he vowed, shuffling to the edge of the sofa and holding Sam's eyes before rolling his own and groaning, "… and your sister has a big fucking mouth."

"She didn't tell, she just didn't lie. Don't be too hard on her. I caught her out and she's a terrible liar and then she didn't want to lie to me. We have this weird sibling thing sometimes. Anyways my point is that she knew I wouldn't tell anyone. Apart from you, when I kicked your ass for not getting in first."

"I'm fine if you're fine?" offered Calvin. "I was just thinking of the best moment to tell you. I know you and Beth are balls deep in this adoption thing and it's pretty emotional. You guys are desperate to have a kid and I felt like a fucking dick telling you me and Tex got pregnant by accident."

"It's fine, it's cool. I'm super happy for you both and Beth will be too."

"You're about as good of a liar as your sister…." sighed Calvin sadly, his face twisting apologetically, "… you know that right?"

"I'm not…."

"Go on, say it. I can take it. I'm fucking Teflon you know that, dude. Hit me with whatever is on that tiny little mind of yours right now. Don't hold back."

"It's not fair."

"That's true…."

"You already have kids. Both of you have kids, and you have each other's kids. You're a-freakin'-wash with kids already. You've basically adopted Leni and the twins think Texas is the coolest step-mom ever. And besides all that it doesn't even make sense. My dick works, I know that. Beth is like, you know, the healthiest person. She's a yoga doing, juice drinking, meditating freak. We did everything right and after years, nothing! But you guys? Easy as pie! All your smoking and drinking and drugs and fuck knows what else? I mean Tex literally abused the shit out of her body for decades and almost killed herself more than once but…"

"Steady…."

"I just… "

"Nah, bro, I'm sorry. I said I'm Teflon and I meant it. I'm here for it, I'm here for you. I'll take every punch but I can't let you swing for Tex. I will listen to you all day and all night about how badly this sucks, about how fucking unfair it is. Just leave her out of it, yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are."

"I love her, Cal. You know that. I didn't really mean…."

"Sam don't beat yourself up about it. I get it. I get it and you know what? You're right. That's probably why I can't hear it, why I can't let you say it out loud, because it's true. It might have been an accident, a surprise, but nothing about me and her having a kid has been easy."

"Were you guys trying?"

"No, no but we weren't not trying either. Neither one of us planned this, or even dared to hope it might happen. You can rip into me all you like Sammy, but she gets to have this. God willing she gets to have this…." chewing his cheek Calvin spoke firmly but gently, "… and I really need you to just let her have it, okay?"

"Of course. I'm happy for you, Cal. For both of you, honest to God. Just do a me a favour and keep it quiet until I tell Beth myself. I just want her to hear it from me, give her chance to process."

"No worries, you got it."

"I'm sorry, again. It's just a lot, all the adoption stuff. I feel like this is the biggest thing that's ever happened to me, like I need it to happen and I'm terrified it won't. Apparently it doesn't bring out the best in me. I don't love that, and you didn't deserve me being an asshole about you and Tex. You both mean the world to me. So I apologise."

"Thanks, bro."

"For what?"

"You know what, for this, hanging out with both of us. You're really sweet with Beth and she's totally chilled out around you. It's awesome, so, you know, thanks."

"I don't know what you're talking about Sammy. I'm just hanging out with my brother and sister in law. Nothing special. Just a regular Friday night."

"It's just been hard for her, is all. I mean she gets on okay with Eve but I think she scares her or something."

"I'm with Beth on this one, she scares me too and I was married to her…." quipped Calvin drily, several beers into the evening.

"I'm serious Cal."

"So they're not besties, so what? Not everyone can be and that's okay. Your mom loves her, right?" he offered, seeing Sam was more affected than he had first realised.

"Yeah, yeah she does but they're not super close either. I mean not like Mom and Texas. She spends more time with Paul than she does with Beth."

"She lives with the guy, Sammy. Look I love you, bro, but I think you're overthinking this. You can't force shit. It'll either come with time or it won't. You love Beth right, you two are happy?"

"Yeah, yeah really happy."

"So that's all that matters. That, and the fact that Saint Livia and Evie-the-overachiever are out of the running and I, brother in law of the year, am the favourite. That basically never happens. I'm taking it as a massive win Stabler and you're not gonna ruin that for me."

"I have barbeque, sweet chilli and cream cheese and chive chips. Which do you want?" asked Beth, bursting back into the lounge from the kitchen with her arms overflowing with snacks.

"I vote we start with the barbeque and work our way through all three…." said Calvin as Beth threw him the packet, "… now remind me of the rules here B?"

"Okay, so we each get three cards…." she began, settling herself down between Sam and Calvin and throwing her husband a happy grin.

Sam smiled back, a weight lifting from his shoulders. It was the brightest he had seen his wife in weeks and it was a huge relief.

"You want another, bro?" he offered, sensing he and Calvin may need it to go the distance at Beth's game night. "How're you getting home? Is Tex coming for you?"

"She will if I ask but, I dunno, I was kinda hoping I could stay over…." tested Calvin, knowing the answer would always be an open armed yes.

"She'll be cool with that?" asked Sam, knowing that Beth would be far from okay with such a last minute change to their plans.

"Oh yeah, yeah totally, I'll just shoot her a text. Besides this way I can catch a little buzz, take you up on more beer …." though Texas had been sober for well over a decade he didn't like to drink around her. Not that she cared, nor that she found it a particular test to her sobriety. It just didn't sit right with him, a form of disrespect he supposed, and so he quietly chose not to.

"You boys deal the next hand, I'll go throw some fresh bedding on the spare bed."