Throw Me to The Wolves & I Will Return Leading the Pack
Summary:Morgan, the newest member of SVU hasn't had much luck with men, but her new partner might just be the one for her, if only she could let Sonny Carisi know. Men come much easier to her friend Riley, who's maybe not prepared for the challenge that Peter Stone provides.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Law and Order SVU, Morgan and Riley however are all mine.
Chapter 25:
The first dress shop in Coney Island had been a total bust, they had nothing even remotely like what Riley wanted for her wedding gown, and after trying on only one, which was clearly not the right dress, they had left and headed over to the boutique that Riley had really wanted to go to.
It was a quaint little store with twice as many dresses as the first place, which left Riley feeling way better about her chances. Her mother and Morgan were the only two people with her, Audrey having driven them all to Coney Island in her car, and now here they all were, looking through the dresses within the boutique walls while the one shop girl pulled gowns for Riley from the back.
There was a total of two workers, but that didn't matter to Riley, she liked the idea of having the store to herself and as soon as Audrey offered up a satin Cinderella style gown, Riley lit up. Yes, ball gowns, with full skirts and fitted tops, that's what she wanted. A far cry from Morgan's sleek lace style, but definitely what she pictured herself in for her wedding day.
"You know Ry, that boy of yours asked me for permission." Audrey stated, watching carefully as Riley wandered towards the changing room with her attendant, the satin gown being pulled off the hanger as they moved. "He wanted to make sure I approved before he proposed."
"Peter's a good man." Riley countered with a smirk.
"I told him it was your decision." Audrey smiled. "Then I told him I liked him."
"I like him too."
"You should, and you better hold on to him."
Riley threw her head back into a laugh but disappeared into the little change room, the curtain closing her off from her mother. Audrey shook her head and looked across the store at Morgan, who was just starting to show, the good news having been shared in the car. Walking over, Audrey set her hand on Morgan's shoulder and drew her attention towards her.
"You brought us to Coney Island when we were kids." Morgan grinned. "Riley and I got lost."
"I remember that. I was so worried about you two, I was looking for hours and I couldn't…I never told your mom, you know that?"
"I figured as much seeing as she didn't ground me until I was thirty for wandering away from you, even though it was purely accidental."
"Your mom was never a big fan of me and Riley."
"Trust me, I know." Morgan grinned.
"I practically had to beg her just to let me take you to Coney Island. That was one of the scariest days of my life, I just thank the heavens above that I didn't have to go home without you two."
"I'm sorry Auds." Morgan said with a chuckle. "We never meant to lose you."
"Oh I know that." Audrey bowed her head. "You'll know soon enough since you're going to have a little one of your own but being a parent is hard, it's terrifying and you're constantly in a mild state of worry."
Morgan smiled at Audrey's words and let out a soft sigh, happy because she was pregnant and even happier because she was with the best man ever in Sonny Carisi. Audrey gave her shoulder a pat and sauntered over, taking a seat against the wall and waiting patiently for Riley to emerge from the changing room, Morgan following her lead and sitting in the vacant chair next to Riley's mother.
When Riley did wander out from behind the curtain, she tipped her head back and smiled wide. She looked so beautiful and her mother couldn't help but stare at the woman who had grown up from her baby girl.
"I feel like a princess." Riley announced and her eyes widened with an idea, a grand idea at that. Why hadn't she thought of it sooner? "Jesus, I need a crown!"
"A crown?" Morgan questioned, leaning forward and placing her elbows on her knees, not entirely sure what sort of crown Riley was imagining. Did she want a big fancy one with velvet and giant jewels? Or did she want a simpler one, something that wasn't too overpowering?
"Maybe more like a tiara. Yes, I need a tiara." Riley looked more determined than ever and Audrey couldn't help but let out a laugh at her daughter. "You don't think a tiara is too much, do you?"
"Not at all." Audrey answered sincerely. "I think if you want a tiara for your wedding day then we should get you a tiara."
"Okay." Riley nodded and ran her hands over the front of the shiny satin gown adorning her body. With the thought of finding herself a tiara solidified, she moved back to the task at hand, which was finding a dress for her big day. "Thoughts on this one?"
Morgan studied her friend and gave a silent thank you that they got to do dress shopping without Sonny's bitchy sisters this time. She didn't think she could handle spending any more time in dress boutiques with them, she knew Riley could've handled them; but yes, thank god she didn't have too.
The dress that she had on though, it made her look gorgeous but it didn't feel right to her, it was too shiny, too plain because there weren't any crystal or sparkle accents, it was just too dull for her friend. Riley needed more to her dress.
"Don't take this personally but I'm not a fan of satin." Audrey spoke first. "You look amazing in that dress but I think you need a material that's less shiny, you know?"
Riley cocked her head sideways, "it's decent for a first try in here."
"Definitely." Morgan agreed easily. "Plus if you're going to have a crown, I think you need a few diamonds or something on the dress itself, maybe even some embroidery, something to give it a little bit more ba-bam."
"Yes!" Riley beamed and shot her friend an appreciative smile at the use of her own word. "Something to give it a little bit of an edge."
She turned her back to them and hauled her dress back into the changing room. Audrey slowly rose to her feet and wandered around the store, looking for something that Riley might like. She found a few but when Morgan came up behind her and murmured a hardy 'no', Audrey moved right on to the next dress, the two of them working well as a team.
When Morgan encountered a dress oddly similar to the infamous chandelier dress, she burst out laughing. Audrey's eyes followed Morgan's gaze and noticed the satin gown with big, ugly, tacky crystal accents to it. It was such a big, unflattering dress to look at, and when she saw it here and now, Morgan was thankful that Riley had told her she didn't have to try it on back when she was looking for a dress of her own.
"It's gaudy." Audrey stated with a snort.
"Sonny's sisters picked one out for me that was a lot like this, Riley saved me from trying it on. There was a pretty nasty disagreement over it." Morgan explained.
"Sonny's sisters are interesting characters."
"Interesting is a good word for them." Morgan countered.
Audrey shook her head and carried on, looking around at the dresses lining the walls. She spotted a lovely gown that maybe wasn't as poofy as the last one Riley had on but it was still beautiful nonetheless. The bodice was embroidered with tiny crystal accents and the skirt portion was more like tulle than anything. It was a lovely gown and Audrey wanted nothing more than to see her daughter in it.
"This one." Audrey stated and felt Morgan leaning against her side. "I want to see her in this one."
Morgan reached up and grabbed it by the hanger, she then walked it over to the changing room and hung it on the small hook just outside, her eyes looking over it and falling in love with it more and more with each pass. It was so totally Riley and her mother had done a fine job picking it out, now they just needed to see it on.
Riley stepped through the curtain in another ball gown style dress, this one was plain on the bodice with a big old tulle skirt flowing out from her waist, which was accentuated with a crystal embellished belt.
"Getting there." Morgan immediately commented and lifted her hand up to her mouth, not liking how quickly she had shot the gown down, especially considering Riley hadn't said a word about it. What if she had liked it? No, worse, what if she had loved it?
"Yeah, I'm not a fan of this belt thing." Riley scrunched her nose up. "I'm starting to think maybe I should look for different styles and not just ball gowns, you know? I feel like I've painted myself into a corner by stating that I desperately want a ball gown but none of these are working."
"No they're not Ry, but we found a good one." Audrey called from across the store and Morgan, giving Vanna White a run for her money, dramatically waved at the one hanging on the hook. Riley tipped her head sideways and looked at it, her lips slowly curling up into a smile. Yes, this was a good choice, definitely had a softer transition from waist to skirt and the bodice was beautiful, what with all the embroidery and sparkles. "You try that one on, if you don't like it, we'll try a mermaid or something."
Riley nodded her head and Morgan reached out, running her hand over the tulle skirt of the gown she was wearing. It was a nice dress, it just wasn't Riley's dress, but it was nicer than satin, that was for sure.
Grabbing the one they had picked out, Riley went right back into the change room and got to work taking the current dress off so she could put the next one on. Audrey was still wandering around the room but nothing more seemed to catch her eye; she wholeheartedly believed that the dress that she had found already had a great possibility of being the dress for Riley.
Morgan let out a soft sigh and sat down in the chair against the wall. She ran her hand across her stomach and stretched her back out, feeling the effects of her pregnancy starting to wear on her. She was tired, more tired than normal, and she craved food a lot more than she did even a week ago. This wasn't what she was expecting for the beginning of her second trimester, but honestly, she was still just as excited.
"Oh this one's good!" Riley called out from inside and Audrey moved closer to it, preparing herself to witness her daughter when she emerged.
She was not disappointed. The dress was perfect, it hugged her in the right places, it flared out like a ball gown was supposed to but not as sharply as the previous dresses had. The skirt was a sparkly tulle material with an edging around the bottom that glittered in the light, embroidered appliques littered the skirt to match the bodice.
"That's amazing." Morgan gasped, loving the dress on her friend. When she peeled her eyes away from Riley and looked over towards Audrey, she took note that the woman had tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh Ry, you look…you look perfect." Audrey murmured.
"I agree." Riley beamed and twirled in place, the skirt flaring out a little bit. "It's so gorgeous and amazing and I want it."
"You should. Peter will pee his pants when he sees you." Morgan giggled.
"He definitely won't be able to take his eyes off you." Audrey said with a roll of her eyes, knowing full well that a grown man was not going to pee his pants. "I know I certainly can't."
"Should we try it with a veil?" Morgan pressed and Riley immediately shook her head no. "No veil?"
"Crown." Riley said firmly and Audrey let out a snort. "No veil."
"Plus, as I recall, they're a sign of purity." Audrey teased and Riley only smiled wider. "We'll get you a crown worthy of that dress."
Riley reached up and ran her hand through her hair, trying to picture herself walking down the aisle in the very dress she was wearing, a lovely tiara on her head. Yes, she could do it, she could do it easily, this was the dress, there was no way she was not going to be buying this dress.
"This is my dress." Riley whispered and looked down at herself before catching herself in the mirror again. "I don't want to take it off."
Audrey laughed at her daughter's theatrics and shook her head with a smile, easily holding back the tears that had threatened to fall seconds earlier. She walked over to Riley and then circled her, taking in the dress from all angles. There wasn't a thing about it she would change and when she came to stand in front of Riley, she knew there wasn't ever going to be another dress out there for her daughter.
"I love it too." Morgan added, her eyes locked on her friend. "So will Peter."
XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX
The Ferris wheel had been insane, it was better than either girl could remember and as they sat in the seat across from Audrey, Riley and Morgan hugged each other as they looked out at the scenery: the city on one side, the water on the other. The sky was a bright blue and the weather was perfect with a slight breeze up at the top of the Ferris wheel.
The corndogs, slushies and snacks they had eaten while walking had been tastier than they remembered too, and Audrey had even treated them like the good old days. The one thing that was the same as when they were kids but still sucked though were the bathroom lineups. It didn't matter though, there was no breaking Riley's spirits, not now that she had her wedding dress picked out and a better feeling for what she wanted for her wedding.
When the three of them arrived at the hotel, Riley flopped onto the bed closest to the window, once her overnight bag had been chucked to the floor. Morgan was quick to lay on the second bed and Audrey, who had insisted on carrying Morgan's bag, casually sauntered into the room, placing her bag and Morgan's on the top of the table tucked away in the corner.
"I think I got sunburned." Riley whimpered and pressed her fingers into the flesh on her bare shoulders, the sleeves of her t-shirt long since rolled up. "How bad is it?"
Morgan scoffed at her friend and shook her head, "I told you to wear sunscreen but you were all 'no Mo, I'm going to be a bronze goddess'."
"Those were not my words." Riley countered with a roll of her eyes. Morgan slowly sat up in the bed and ran her hands over her stomach, gently scratching it. Audrey smirked at the two of them and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her (she had been the only one to not wait in the bathroom lineup at Coney Island). "I never burned when I was younger."
"Yeah well, those are the perks of getting old." Morgan teased and threw her legs sideways, planting them on the floor. She stood up and headed for her bag, immediately digging into a pocket on the outside of it. When she found what she was looking for, she tossed the small tube of aloe in Riley's direction but Riley merely watched it as it landed with a small thud on the bed.
"Thanks." Riley murmured and reached her hand out sideways, swiping at the bed and finding the aloe. She lifted it up over her face and popped the top of it open before finally sitting up. Her fingers poked and prodded along her shoulder and she squirted a bit of aloe onto her hand before rubbing it in. "Seriously, how bad is it?"
"Not very." Morgan smiled. "Not at lobster level."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Riley continued to rub the aloe into her skin, grinning at her mother who reappeared from inside the bathroom. Morgan moved to sit on the bed next to Riley and took the aloe from her hand, then she worked on spreading the stuff over her back where she knew Riley couldn't reach.
It had been such a fun day, full of old memories as well as new ones that she'd not soon forget. Coney Island was always fun, but this trip had seemed to come at the perfect time. She needed a girls weekend, she needed to spend time with Riley, Audrey was a bonus, and Morgan knew there weren't going to be many more, if any at all, trips like this before her baby arrived.
"Do you think navy suits are tacky?" Riley asked as Morgan finished rubbing the aloe into her skin. She remained next to her friend though and considered her question.
Audrey walked towards the table in the corner and sat on one of the two chairs there, looking over at the two girls and also considering Riley's question. It seemed like it was out of nowhere but Audrey knew better. Ever since they had managed to find Riley's dress, she knew that her daughter was stuck on details of her wedding, she had said as much when they arrived at the Ferris wheel.
"If you get the right navy, I think they can be hot." Morgan nodded with her own answer. "If you think Peter will look good in a navy suit- well honestly, he'd look good in any suit."
"A nice navy three-piece suit, white shirt underneath, black tie." Audrey threw in her two cents. "He could be your something blue."
Riley snorted at her mother and cocked her head sideways, "I was just thinking about how I see Peter in black all the time, it might be good for a change, you know?"
"And you could get navy shoes." Morgan tossed out. "Because white shoes are good for weddings but not many of your other outfits."
Riley's eyes lit up at the idea of navy shoes. Yes, yes she loved that idea. It wasn't like they'd be seen very much throughout the wedding anyways because her dress was long enough to cover them, but she hated the idea of owning a pair of heels that would only be good for rare occasions- navy blue heels though, she could wear them all the time.
"I'll buy sapphire jewelry for you for your wedding too." Audrey announced.
"Yes!" Riley cried out with excitement. "Jesus, this is…this is the most planning I've done for this whole wedding."
"You're kidding, right?" Morgan retorted.
Riley shook her head no and let out a soft sigh. She still didn't have any ideas for a venue that wasn't a church, but then again, she hadn't really had it as a priority until she had a dress because the dress had to fit the venue. Now that she had a dress though, she could get right on the venue, and then everything else. She just had to fill Peter in on all of the decisions she had made in the last five minutes.
Oh hell, maybe Peter didn't like the idea of a navy suit, maybe he was opposed to the idea. Jesus, now she really needed to talk to him and she needed to make sure they were both on the same page.
"Places book months in advance." Morgan pointed out. "You should get on that."
"Well then." Riley breathed out and hopped to her feet. "Any ideas on an indoor venue that's not a church?"
Audrey straightened at her daughter's request and she beamed, "Yankees stadium, the diamond."
"What?" Riley leveled her mom with a look of confusion mixed with excitement. "Can I do that?"
"No." Morgan butted in. "First of all, that would cost a fortune, and second of all, you'd get dirt on your dress."
Riley looked at Morgan, nodding her understanding. No she certainly didn't want to get dirt on her dress, plus Yankees stadium didn't have a roof, so that didn't technically make it an indoor venue. She didn't want to deal with rain, or even snow, not if she didn't have to.
"Right, so other ideas?" Riley pressed.
"Oh how about an aquarium?" Audrey offered.
Riley considered the idea but she knew how hard it would be to have decent pictures, plus it was always so dim in aquariums with hazy blue lighting. The idea of being surrounded by underwater creatures did have a tiny bit of appeal but it wasn't what she wanted. She shook her head at her mother's idea and looked over to Morgan, who would maybe have a better idea.
"What about like an old barn or something?" Morgan suggested.
Riley leveled her with a glare and shook her head at her idea too. God what was wrong with these people? With a small sigh, Riley pulled out her phone from her pocket and began to look for enclosed venues in New York. Morgan merely watched Riley as she worked and her mother let out a low chuckle. If it had been that easy, why hadn't Riley done it already?
"The Foundry." Riley announced.
"The what?" Morgan pressed.
"It's like if a big fancy industrial building and a greenhouse had a baby." Riley explained and turned her phone towards Morgan, showing her the very picture of what she had just described.
The building itself was large and had oversized windows lining the walls, a balcony surrounded the entire thing with a ceiling made of glass and the photographs of the place were of the venue with decorations already good enough for a wedding. It seemed like a great place for a wedding, but again, she was deciding all of this without Peter's input.
"That is gorgeous." Audrey remarked as soon as Riley turned the phone towards her to give her a look. "Seems like a great place for my little girl to get married."
"I agree!" Morgan called out. "Send that link to Peter, now."
Riley paused for all of two seconds before doing exactly as Morgan had commanded her to. She dropped her phone to her side and looked at Morgan then her mother, wondering how much more wedding planning she could get done while spending the night here in the hotel in Coney Island.
"See if there's any fancy jewelers around here, we can go look at tiaras tomorrow." Audrey instructed and just before Riley had a chance to do just that on her phone, it began to vibrate in her hand. She looked at the screen and smiled at the sight of Peter's name, then she quickly answered it and made her way out of the room and into the hallway.
"Hey." She said softly, hearing the door shut behind her. She leaned against the wall and felt her body relax at the mere fact that she was on the phone with the man she was going to marry.
"This place you sent me, what's that about?" Peter asked and she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"The wedding."
"Our wedding?"
"Yeah." She breathed the word out.
"Looks good to me."
"What, really? It's that easy?" Riley pressed, part of her was happy that he was agreeing so quickly but another part of her wanted to make sure that he got what he wanted for their wedding too. "I'm open to other ideas."
"I think this Foundry is a great idea."
"Huh, okay because we tossed around the idea of Yankees stadium and the aquarium."
"And you shot those down?" He asked in a teasing tone. "This place looks good."
"Okay." She blew out a breath and brought her free arm up, crossing it over her chest and looking down the hallway towards the big window to outside. "How do you feel about wearing blue?"
"Blue?"
"A nice, dark, navy blue suit."
Peter fell silent on the other end and she wondered if she had lost him at the idea of wearing blue.
She could press it, find out why he was opposed to it and try to compromise, but she could also work with him not wanting to wear blue.
"Blue." Peter repeated the word and she nodded her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "I'd have to see it but I don't see why not."
Her eyes lit up and she let out a low whistle. Why was this so easy to do with him? Why was he so agreeable to what she wanted? Okay, so maybe she knew why, he loved her and trusted her and wanted her to be happy, but she wanted him to be happy to.
"I found my dress." She said softly. "It's so pretty."
"Well that's not fair." He countered. "Now I have to wait until October seventeenth to see you in it."
"At The Foundry." She teased.
"Yes, did you want me to call this place?"
"Yes!" She hissed, excitement lacing her tone. "Oh my god please do."
"Will do then. Any other wedding details you want to talk about?"
"Uh," she hesitated and debated her answer. She didn't really have anything else to run by him, at this point it was more just her dress and finding her tiara. "No, I think that's all."
"Okay, then you get back to Morgan and your mom."
"Will do. Love you."
"Love you too."
She ended the phone call and turned to the door, immediately remembering that she did not have a key card to get in. For Christ's sake.
Lifting her hand up, she pounded her fist on the door and within a few seconds, her mom had the door open with an expectant look on her face. Riley made a funny face in response and brushed past her, sitting at the table that her mother was previously occupying. Audrey followed her lead and the two of them sat across from each other while Morgan remained on the bed.
"You two okay if I take a shower?" Morgan questioned, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.
"Go for it." Audrey waved her on and Morgan was quick to get to her feet, going for her bag on the table and pulling out her pajamas that she had packed.
They didn't have plans to go out anywhere that night and she was looking forward to showering, putting on her comfy pajamas and getting into bed, maybe calling Sonny in there somewhere too. When Morgan had her stuff gathered in her arms, she disappeared into the bathroom leaving mother and daughter alone at the table.
Neither one said anything until they heard the water start up, leaving Morgan out of the loop of any conversations they may have.
"Does she know you can't have kids?" Audrey asked in a low tone and Riley slowly shook her head no. "She was telling me about how she can't wait for you to have a baby of your own while you were in the hall. I figured you hadn't told her but I wanted to hear it from you."
"I can't." Riley murmured.
"You should." Audrey pressed, voice still low in case Morgan could hear them, even though she doubted she heard anything more than the water running.
"Mom-"
"What do you say to her when she mentions babies to you?" Audrey cut her off and Riley pressed her lips together for a second.
"I told her that Peter wanted to focus on his career."
"Ry…" Audrey trailed off, disappointment etched on her face. "Morgan would understand, she's not going to think less of you just because you can't have kids."
"I just don't know why she needs to know." Riley countered.
Audrey rolled her eyes at her daughter's proclamation. Morgan was Riley's best friend, and as far as Audrey was concerned, they told each other everything, except, apparently, this one major secret. Morgan deserved to know, at least then she could support Riley and know what was up, especially when (years down the road) the flimsy excuse of Peter's career wouldn't hold up anymore.
"You need to tell her." Audrey pressed.
"Mom-"
"No Riley. You don't get to hide this, this is huge and she deserves to know, especially if she thinks you can have kids and keeps saying things like 'she can't wait for you to have a baby too'."
"I…mom how do you even tell someone that?" Riley quipped, sadness in her eyes.
"Use your words." Audrey shrugged. "If you want to take the easy way out, write her a letter, but you have got to tell her."
Riley let out a low groan and slumped down in her chair further. She knew her mother had a point but it was a lot harder than she was suggesting. Riley didn't want to tell Morgan, she didn't want her to know because that made it a problem for Morgan, a problem that Morgan wouldn't be able to help her solve.
Morgan was going to have a baby of her own too, she definitely didn't want to take any importance away from that fact by telling her that she couldn't have kids of her own.
"Fine, I'll tell her."
"Soon."
"Mom-"
"Riley, it'll be fine."
Sucking in a breath, Riley considered her mom's words. It might be fine, sure, but how did she know, how could she say that with such confidence? What if it wasn't fine? What if this just spiraled into something worse, what if Morgan turned into some extra-sensitive person every time the word 'baby' came up?
She didn't want things to ever be awkward between her and Morgan.
"She's your best friend, she loves you."
Riley sucked in a breath and knew that her mom was right. All she had to do now was figure out when to tell Morgan, and more importantly, how.
XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX
Where were they?
Good lord, she had been home from Coney Island for ten minutes and she was already starting to feel the panic set it. Morgan swore she had some before she had left the day before but they were nowhere to be found.
Where had they gone too?
"Sonny!" She cried out and slammed the cupboard door shut, planting her butt against the edge of the counter and trying to force herself to breath. "Sonny!
She rolled her eyes at his lack of response but turned away from the cupboard and moved to the next one, hoping and praying that she could find the god damn Oreos. Her sanity depended on it, it was all she wanted, all she craved, and she wasn't going to give up until she found them but the places they could be hiding were disappearing.
Growling, Morgan squatted down and pulled open the cupboard underneath the counter, her eyes locking on the boxes of crackers and dried pasts but not finding the stupid Oreos.
"No, no. Where are you?" She was starting to panic, staring to freak out. All she wanted was a fucking cookie, was that too much to ask for? "Sonny!"
She finally heard his footsteps come rushing out from the bedroom and when he closed in on her, he tipped his head sideways in confusion. She was crouched on the floor in front of the cupboard looking for god only knew what- what the hell did she need him for?
"Mo, what's up?" He asked casually, trying to keep himself calm, which would, in turn, hopefully keep her calm. When she peered over her shoulder at him, it was clear that calm was not a word he would use to describe Morgan at that very moment.
There were tears welling up in her eyes and her lip was quivering. What the hell had her so rattled, for crying out loud, she hadn't even been home that long, so what had her this upset this quickly?
"Oreos." She murmured and dropped her butt to the floor, turning so her back was against the front of the cupboard. "I want cookies."
"Okay, okay we'll get you cookies." Sonny smiled back at her and crouched down beside her, his gaze peering into the cupboard to look and make sure she hadn't missed the Oreos she was searching for.
"Sonny Bunny I just want Oreos." She whimpered and when he looked over at her, tears were flooding out from her eyes, running down her cheek. He sucked in his cheeks and tried desperately not to laugh at her, instead, he continued looking for the cookies and then, when he didn't find them, dropped down to sit beside her, tucking her under his arm and holding her against his side.
"They're just Oreos." He said with a snicker and she let out a low sob. Oh, okay, they were going there today. This wasn't the first time she had done something like this, in fact, the further along in the pregnancy she got, the more irrational her mood swings seemed to be.
"What are you laughing at me?" Morgan asked with a pout, catching his little snicker. "Sonny…"
"You're just cute, that's all doll." He countered and made a move to get up but she clung to his arm, burying her face in his shoulder and letting out another low sob. "I can get you more Oreos."
"Where are you going now thought? You can't leave me, don't leave me, please?" She sounded borderline hysterical and all Sonny could do was hold her tighter and fight off the urge to laugh at her. It was too adorable how emotional she got over cookies, yet here she was, in tears over a sandwich cookie. "I want cuddles."
"I thought you wanted Oreos."
"Before yeah." She whispered and tipped her head back, looking up at the side of his face. Tears continued to flood out of her eyes and she sucked in a shaky breath, trying to regain her composure but having zero luck. "Now I want cuddles."
"Why don't you come with me to get Oreos?" Sonny offered and made another move to pull away but her fingers dug into his arm, holding on to him like a koala on a tree branch. "I can cuddle you while we get cookies."
"Don't want to move, plus I'm ugly when I cry and I don't want people to see me." She mumbled.
He reached his free hand up and ran it through her hair, trying desperately to soothe her. Okay well this little emotional episode was a lot more complex than the last one but Sonny wasn't deterred. He was a smart guy, he could figure this out, he could get Oreos without leaving the house, and ultimately Morgan.
He dug his phone out of his pocket and brought up a group text with Barba, Stone and Riley, requesting for any of them to bring by some Oreos. He hoped, and prayed, that at least one of them would come through for him.
When the phone began ringing in his hold, he let out a soft sigh and answered it, not entirely sure what he was expecting Barba to say to him.
"I'm a busy man." Barba barked at him and Sonny peered down at Morgan, who was still crying but also still cuddled up tight against his side. "You got her pregnant, you get her the cookies yourself. Me, I just do Broadway and shopping."
"Okay, you were definitely the wrong person to text." Sonny grumbled. "You don't understand though, I'm desperate-"
"I'm sure you are. Sex, and all its repercussions are your department though, call me when she wants to go shopping." Barba fired back and before Sonny could argue, or more likely plead, he had hung up on him.
Well that was just great, just great indeed. On the bright side, he still had two other people who could very well pull through for him. Riley loved Morgan, she would definitely do anything for her best friend, right? Oh god he hoped so, he didn't know what he was going to do if neither one of them showed up soon with Oreos.
Morgan grumbled against him and he readjusted his hold on her, catching the sad look in her eyes. Her tears had slowed though, which was a good sign for him. He just prayed that he could keep her from crying again any time soon, but with the rate she was going, he didn't think that'd be all that easy.
She was crazy hormonal, her moods swings were pure chaos and Sonny wondered if it was like this for all pregnant women or if there was something special about his pregnant woman.
"Oreos." Morgan whimpered. "All I wanted was Oreos, like is that too much to want?"
"I can go get-"
"No, you stay here with me, you're cozy and warm and squishy." Morgan let out a soft sigh and deflated against him. He set his phone on his thigh and lifted his hand up, running it through her hair again in an attempt to calm her down. She seemed to be relaxing against him even more, if that was at all possible, and when her body seemed to be just shy of going totally limp, he breathed a sigh of relief.
They sat there in silence for- well he didn't even know how long it was, but as long as Morgan was calm, he wasn't going to complain.
When a loud knock sounded out from the door, Sonny jumped and Morgan tensed against him. He made a move to get up but she refused to let go of him still, in fact, she held on to him tighter, so tight he could feel her finger nails digging into his arm through his shirt.
"Come in!" Sonny called out, not entirely sure what other option he had.
When the door slowly opened, he remained tensed, hoping that it was his personal cookie delivery but knowing it could very well be anyone. When Peter Stone stepped through the door though, Sonny let out a sigh of relief and lifted his hand into the air to wave him over. Peter looked confused but wandered into the apartment further, stopping in front of the two of them, who were still cuddled up and residing against the cupboard door.
"Hey Peter Rabbit." Morgan smiled and looked up at him.
"She okay?" Peter asked, only looking at Sonny.
"She's good, she's just pregnant." Sonny nodded.
Peter held out the small plastic bag that he had in his hand and when Sonny took it, he threw Morgan a smile.
Inside the bag were multiple packs of Oreos; golden Oreos, original Oreos, thin Oreos and double-stuffed Oreos. This guy was a godsend and Sonny grinned at him, pulling out the original package and handing it over to Morgan, who grabbed it like a ravenous animal who hadn't eaten in days.
She ripped the packaging open without any thought and grabbed one single Oreo, stuffing the whole thing into her mouth and chewing it with a smile of her own. As soon as the cookie was thoroughly chewed, she turned to Sonny but peered up at Peter one more time.
"Look Sonny Bunny, he has brought us Oreos, how funny." She giggled and grabbed for a second Oreo, this time eating it in a more civilized manner.
"Yeah, how funny. He must be a mind reader." Sonny replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his town. "Dude, you're my hero."
"The hero Gotham deserves." Morgan yipped from next to him.
"Right well, if she's okay, then I'm going to be on my way." Peter announced, staring at Sonny, who merely mouthed the words 'I owe you' at him. Morgan seemed much more content now than when he had wandered in and part of him was curious about what the hell was going on?
If this was all because she was pregnant, maybe Riley was lucky that she hadn't had to go through this yet. He was sort of scared even, it was the first time he'd ever seen a woman devour an Oreo in the manner that Morgan had.
"Say hi to Ry for me?" Morgan called out and Peter gave her a nod before stepping back towards the door. "And tell her I miss her already."
"You just saw…okay I will tell her." Peter gave her another nod and before he could get dragged into anything more, he vanished through the door, shutting it behind him.
Sonny let out a sigh of relief that his friend had come through. Hell, there was a reason why Peter had been his best man over Barba and this incident just sealed it. Peter Stone was a much better friend to him when it came to things like Morgan needing Oreos. There weren't a lot of people out there who would've dropped by just to bring Morgan cookies.
"Cuddles and cookies." Morgan said with a smile.
"Yes, are you good now?"
"Yeah." She nodded and relaxed against him, munching away on her cookies. She straightened up though and let out a gasp. "You know what would be good right now? Beef Wellington?"
Sonny could only fight off the urge to groan. When was this going to end? Oh right, once his baby came into this world. That thought alone was worth having to deal with Morgan's constant cravings.
XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX
Peter wandered into his own house carrying a package of Oreos for himself, he set it on the counter and wandered up the stairs towards his bedroom, pausing in front of Riley's office and peering in, catching sight of her looking at her books, a couple of them stacked on the corner of her desk. He wasn't sure but he figured they were ones she hadn't read yet and planned to read the next time she started a book.
Stepping into the office, he cleared his throat and caught her attention, Riley turning to face him and smiling before going right back to looking through the books on her shelves, barely giving him a second thought. She continued scanning the books, apparently looking for certain ones, and Peter merely watched her, carefully taking in the sheer happiness that came from Riley's books.
"I feel bad for Sonny, he's got to deal with moody, food-craving, pregnant Morgan." Peter remarked, he stopped moving and lowered himself down to sit in her desk chair, setting his elbows on his knees and stealing a quick look at the book on top of her little pile. "She was crying over Oreos."
"I'd cry over Oreos too, they're worth it." She teased in response and grabbed another book off the shelf, flipping it over and reading the back before adding it to the small pile on the desk. "I'd probably have a panic attack over a good peanut butter chocolate chunk."
"You would not." He groaned and leaned back in the chair, running his hands through his hair. Sometimes the idea of her joking about panic attacks got under his skin, but he knew it was her way of dealing with it. If she joked about it, she took away the power.
"I might if I was pregnant." She chuckled but paused upon realizing that she wasn't and she had yet to be pregnant. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best response, but it was partially true. What would stop her from crying over something as asinine as Oreos if she ever did manage to get pregnant? "She's good though?"
He studied Riley, looking for signs that she was aware of what she had said, or that it bothered her if it did. When he concluded that she seemed okay, Peter straightened up in the chair and grabbed the book she had most recently set down.
"She'll be fine." Peter said and flipped the hardcover over, studying the back of it and reading the synopsis, narrowing his eyes at the description of the story. "What are you doing anyways?"
Riley paused and peered over her shoulder at him, watching as he looked at the back of the book in his hands. She waited for a few seconds for him to finish and when he tipped his head back, meeting her gaze, she smirked.
"Looking for what I want to read next." She answered with a grin. "It's a very thorough process."
"I can see, you're already at four books that you want to read next?"
"Yeah, that's about normal." She gave him a chuckle and focused back on the task at hand, apparently she wasn't done just yet.
"This one seems…" Peter trailed off and ran his finger along the spine, "it doesn't seem like your genre."
"Totally agree! I wasn't sure how I felt about that book but it's a new Mindy McGinnis, her stuff has yet to disappoint so I figured I'd give it a chance." Riley explained, taking hold of yet another book and setting it on her desk.
"One of your favourite authors." He gave a nod of his head and swapped it out for the one she had just set down, looking at the cover with curiosity. "Does Morgan read?"
Riley paused and turned to face him directly, shaking her head no. Peter set the book back on the desk and rose to his feet, moving to stand beside her as she went back to looking over her books. He set his hand across her back and gently tugged her towards him so that her body was against his.
"We worked perfectly as a pair in high school see because she liked English, except the reading part, and I liked math and science." Riley stated. "One time we got an assignment in science and I did it all while she sat there fanning me like the Queen of the room. God the teacher got so mad."
"If she didn't like the reading part, how can you say she liked English?"
"Oh she was a whiz when it came to Shakespeare and all the technical shit. I like numbers, things that are solid and definite." Riley smiled. "Hence the engineering degree."
"Yeah but English doesn't lead to policing." Peter pointed out with a laugh.
"Some people have careers that make sense, others less so." Riley offered with a shrug, still smiling though. Morgan had always been her best friend and in high school they had been inseparable.
They balanced each other out, even liked different types of guys, which led to few, if any, fighting. Their high school courses had taken different directions the further they got into their four years of schooling, but nothing seemed to get in between them. They had enough in common to relate to each other, they were the ying to each other's yang.
"I was just friends with guys on the baseball team." Peter remarked casually.
"Fancy." Riley grinned. "I was more into football back in high school but it's not like high school boys have the same body definition in baseball pants as older men."
"Plus, football is where you get to watch people tackle other people." He teased.
Peter gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and she let out a soft laugh, resting her head against his shoulder. She couldn't help but reminisce about her high school days and all the fun her and Morgan had during that time. She loved having Morgan as a best friend and she was grateful that they were still best friends.
"I'm going to tell her." Riley whispered.
"Tell her what?"
Riley stuck her tongue out at him but blew out a sigh, "Morgan deserves to know about my fertility issues, plus my mom sort of told me I had to when we were at Coney Island."
Peter looked at her, pausing for a few seconds, "if that's what you want."
"I think she should know." Riley bowed her head and held her breath, releasing it seconds later, her body relaxing at the action. "I just don't know how to tell her."
"Blurt it out." Peter suggested and Riley scoffed at him. "Okay, why don't you invite her out for coffee or something?"
With a soft sigh, Riley took his words to heart. It seemed simple enough but would it suffice, would she be able to tell Morgan in a place like a coffee shop or would she rather meet Morgan in a private place where she couldn't embarrass herself in front of people?
"Too bad she's pregnant or I could just get her drunk and tell her."
"I don't recommend that anyway." Peter said.
"Hey, why don't you tell her?" Riley asked with a wide-eyed look up at him. He didn't respond right away and Riley felt like maybe he was actually considering it, but when he shook his head, she felt herself saddening. She was going to have to do this herself, he wasn't going to help her out.
"I can be there with you when you tell her if you want." Peter offered and she ran her hand up his chest, fisting the material of shirt in her hold.
"No, I can do it." Riley confessed, blowing out a nervous breath. "I'll call her tomorrow and see if we can't meet up sometime."
Peter twisted her in his hold and brought her tight against his chest, embracing her in a gesture of comfort. She clung to him and buried her face in his shirt, knowing that this was going to be really hard to do. She was scared to tell Morgan about her issues, she didn't want to but she knew Morgan deserved to know.
When she pulled away from him, he kept a hold of her hand, linking his fingers with hers and keeping her near him. Peter lifted his other hand up and brushed her hair behind her ear, gingerly pressing his palm against the side of her neck and ghosting his thumb along her jaw.
"Want some good news?" He asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper. Riley took her bottom lip in between her teeth and slowly gave a firm nod of her head. "I called that place, The Foundry, and it's available for October Seventeenth."
Her eyed widened in excitement and she tensed, "okay?"
"I put down a refundable deposit on it and we just have to go do a walkthrough, but once we do that, the place is all ours."
"You really are the best." She smiled, feeling her heart welling up with pride at the man in front of her. "Seriously."
"It's the nicest place I've seen that's indoors and not a church."
"Right?" Her smile widened. "I will forever maintain that if Yankees stadium had a roof though, we'd totally be getting married there."
"I could probably get us a deal on Citi Field, but it doesn't have a roof either."
"Ugh no Peter, the Mets fucking suck." She threw her head back in disgust at his joke but when she looked back at him, she was still smiling.
"I know." He chuckled at her.
"When's the walkthrough?"
"Tuesday at six. We can go out for a late dinner after?" He suggested and she moved onto her tip toes, pressing a quick kiss against his lips. "That a yes?"
"Yes. Sounds great."
"Almost as great as getting married at Yankees stadium." Peter teased.
Riley snorted at him and shook her head, "my dress would get dirty."
"Lay down a carpet."
"Wait, can we…can we do that?" She was practically vibrating at the thought.
"Seriously?"
Sucking in a breath, she shook her head no, more to convince herself than him. She didn't want to get married in a baseball stadium, but part of her loved the idea of sharing the same diamond that the Yankees played on, it sounded like such a neat idea. The Foundry was a beautiful venue and it seemed like a great place to marry Peter.
"It sounds good in theory but I don't think it's practical." She stated. "And honestly, I just want to marry you, I don't even care where really."
He smiled at her and she smiled back at him, "what's this about a navy-blue suit?"
Riley could only laugh as she freed her phone from her back pocket and pulled up the photo that her and Morgan had managed to find while in the hotel at Coney Island. He looked at her phone and nodded his approval. It looked pretty spiffy, and he wasn't opposed to the colour, so long as it was dark enough to not be tacky.
"See, navy blue suit, white shirt, black tie. I only like blue because I see you in plain old black suits all the time, this way it's something a little different."
"I still want to try it on but I like it."
Riley leaned forward and gave his jaw a little kiss before pulling away completely. She merely grinned at him, tucked her phone back into her pocket and went right back to work looking for the book she was going to read next. Peter took a seat back in the chair and merely watched her, stacking up the pile neatly as she worked.
"Hey, can you pull out some of your favourites?" He asked and she shot him a confused look over her shoulder. "I want to read them."
"Okay…" She seemed skeptical but before he knew what was happening, she tossed a hardcover at him, Peter catching it just before it landed against his gut. "You just opened a can of worms bud. And for the record, I will not be doing anything law related for you, capiche?"
Peter could only laugh.
XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX
Thank you to MrsHappyAnarchy & melsthealpha for the continued support, I hope you're still enjoying this!