There was something different about the look on Midge's face lately. He had seen her happy before, obviously. He'd even seen her overjoyed more than once. Then there was that special, soft look that she saved for her this smile that she'd been sporting was a different level altogether. It wasn't a smile often seen, especially over the last couple years. Every time he had seen her was near an important event, or after something had happened to darken her mood. In one way or another she had a sadness in her eyes that blocked her smile from growing as big as he knew it could.

He couldn't be happier for his baby sister.

"Do you think this is enough?" Astrid asked him as they stepped off the elevator into the hallway on Midge and Lenny's floor. She was looking over the stack of containers that Noah was carrying, filled with the food she'd been making all weekend.

"Honey, Midge told us not to bring anything," he reassured her softly. She still had a nervous smile, and he glanced down at her gloved hands tightening around the handle of the pram she was pushing. Their son slept soundly, not a care in the world. "Any amount of food is already more than she is expecting."

"I just don't know…"

Thankfully Astrid wasn't able to worry about it for very much longer, as Noah reached forward very carefully with a hand that shouldn't be free, to open the door to the apartment. The containers of food leaned carelessly to one side as one he tried to balance them with one hand. He winced visibly as he righted them again between both hands and nodded for Astrid to push the pram in ahead of them.

"I'm just going to put these in the kitchen," Noah told Astrid, even though he was sure that she wouldn't have noticed if he left. The older women were fawning over the baby as soon as they stepped in the door, and Astrid soaked up the momentary fame like a sponge.

He'd been expecting to find his sister hurriedly fixing plates while balancing a glass of wine or gin. He knew that for once, their mother was fawning over Astrid and the baby, so she wasn't harassing Zelda and any of the hired staff about the amount or variety of food. So, as history had taught him, Noah was expecting to see that Midge was worrying and doing enough work for herself and their mother combined. Instead, he found her huddled up against Lenny like they were teenagers.

"Am I interrupting?" Noah asked a little more loudly than he normally would. He set the containers of food down on the first clear surface while they pulled apart from each other.

"Oh, um," Midge looked suitably caught, face red with blush and wiping away the lipstick that wasn't quite as neat as it surely had been before. "When did you get here? Where's Astrid? Is that some of her brownies? I love those."

Lenny's eyebrows were raised as he watched his wife suddenly flutter into motion. He had a bit of lipstick at the corner of his mouth, but either didn't know or wasn't bothered. The empty bottle in his hand was traded out for a full one by Zelda, who must have been hiding around a corner or something while the couple occupied the kitchen.

"Are any of these ready to go out?" Lenny asked the housekeeper before she was able to scurry out of the room again. He was gesturing towards the plethora of perfectly made up plates. "I can grab a couple of them, just point me in the right direction."

"No, no!" She raised her voice as soon as he started moving towards a plate of finger sandwiches. If Noah didn't know any better, he would say that she'd actually been about to swat at Lenny's hands. "I take it, you go to the party."

"So, enjoying the party?" Noah finally asked once Zelda had deemed it safe to walk back to the sitting room with fresh ice.

"Shut up!" Midge was trying to check her lipstick in the reflection of the toaster to no avail. "Why don't you two make yourselves useful and take some of those plates out? I need to freshen up, clearly."

When the party was finally winding down, and the last of the lingering guests were left, Noah found himself as he often did now; sitting on the balcony with Lenny, beers between them and cigarettes hanging from both of their hands. The sun was setting over the skyline, and the sounds of people bustling home just barely made its way up to them from the street below.

"What is it about children's birthday parties that makes people linger?" Lenny asked aloud. It wasn't truly directed at Noah, but he shrugged his shoulders in reply anyway. "Any event for an adult, and people leave the first chance they get. Esther turns three and every Jew in Manhattan is standing on my doorstep."

"You going to put that in the new act?" Noah teased lightly. "I'm sure your audience would love some humour about your kids."

"Nah, all they want to hear about is Midge. But I mean, who doesn't these days?"

Noah nodded in agreement. There was no sense of bitterness in Lenny's voice, and for that Noah was glad. There was always a bit of resentment underlying Joel's pride when he spoke about how much people loved Midge. Lenny's voice though, sounded only slightly exasperated.

Midge had only become more popular after the debacle with her interview a few weeks ago. There were women's magazines all over the country trying to get interviews with her, all promising to only focus on what she does for a living instead of her private life. Lenny was pushing her to do at least one or two of the bigger magazines.

"Y'know, sometimes I don't know how I got here." Lenny waved his hand behind him towards the apartment. They hadn't had much to drink, but Noah knows him and Midge shared a joint earlier, and they always made Lenny a little more sentimental than usual. "One night my life is falling apart, the next I'm living with my smart, hilarious, gorgeous wife, our kids… Maybe we should get a dog."

"That would really complete the picture, wouldn't it?"

"So, you really love my sister, huh?"

"Noah, if anyone knew how much I loved that woman, they'd lock me up."

"Mmm…" Noah glanced into the apartment and saw Astrid laughing joyfully at something that Abe had said to Rose. "I know what you mean."