Much to Olivia's dismay, Gunner DiMaggio was nowhere to be found, and before she knew it, a whole day had gone by, and she was leaving the SVU an hour early to get supplies for Melissa before she went to pick her up from the hospital.

Because they had assigned themselves to the case, Alex and Casey stayed at the SVU for the rest of the day, helping them navigate through all of the Legalese that Gunner DiMaggio's files were penned in. (There was also the matter of an inaccessible file that not even Amanda could get into because it was completely sealed) They also knew that Alex and Casey would be the first line of defense if Petrovsky or Donnelley came sniffing around to call shenanigans.

Alex left not long after Olivia, telling no one that she was going to prepare for the fallout of Olivia breaking up with Ed Tucker. Casey cut out just after Alex. She'd thought about going home because even before Sophia had shown up, her own day had been emotionally draining, and she needed to recharge.

But instead of going back to her quiet townhouse across the street from Central Park, the redheaded attorney found herself returning to Mercy General Hospital, even stopping off at the gift store to get a vase filled with flowers, and a stuffed animal, too.

She was going to visit Sophia.


"Is this a bad time?"

Casey had arrived at Sophia's room to see that she'd been crying recently and that she looked upset about something. But when Sophia saw Casey, she gave her a look of relief.

"Oh, I'm so happy to see a familiar face!" she told her. "Please come sit with me!"

Wondering what could have possibly caused her new friend such distress, she crossed to her bedside and held out the gifts she'd bought.

"I came to check on you, and I come bearing gifts. Do you like flowers?"

"I do." Sophia nodded as she took a whiff of the wildflowers in the vase that Casey was holding out to her. "Wildflowers are my favorite, but I'm allergic to roses. Thanks for bringing me something that won't cause me sneezing fits."

"Olivia is allergic to roses, too, and we found that out the hard way once." Casey recalled and then held out a stuffed animal that she'd picked out in the gift shop. "How do you feel about this elephant? Teddy bears are kind of cliché."

Sophia took the elephant and hugged it. "I love elephants, Casey! I really do!"

Casey beamed as she finally allowed herself to sit down and relax.

"How are you?" Casey asked Sophia. "Really?"

"My day's gone from bad to worse. Do you really want to know?"

Casey raised an eyebrow. "You spent your morning tracking me down, as well as one of my associates, to ask for help to look for your mother, after four years of looking for us, but then your body crapped out on you almost the minute you found Alex and I. Try me."

"Oh, alright." Sophia sighed. "In the space of an hour, I've gotten fired from a job I've had since I was a teenager and got told I was replaceable, the sitter I've had for Melissa since she was three months old called to say that she's sorry, but she's moving to Vancouver in three weeks with her family, and then my landlord told me in another phone call that I have until Halloween to find a new place to live because he's going to be selling our building to contract developers who are going to be turning the place into condos! I can't be homeless again—Melissa's never known that life, and I don't want it for her!"

"Okay, slow down and take a breath, Sophia. Why were you fired?"

Sophia followed Casey's advice, then explained, "The Madison Pub has a three-strike policy every quarter for its employees, and the rules are stringent when it comes to defining what they consider a strike."

"And you've hit strike three?"

"I'm a good person, and I've never been in trouble before, but yeah, I did."

"What were the other two?"

"The first one was forgetting to clock out at the end of one shift, but in my defense, it was a very fast day, and I'd just forgotten. Strike two happened because I had to take time off unexpectedly last month to care for Melissa when she got the flu."

Casey wrinkled her nose. "That is definitely stringent. What's happened now?"

"I just called in—on Olivia's advice—to tell them I need the rest of the week off because of a personal emergency; she said not to be specific because she and her partner would take care of the details for me."

"And you got let go in the process of this call, huh?"

Sophia nodded. "Apparently, I called after the cut-off time that you can call in for giving notice about time off when you want it the next day."

Casey steepled her fingers. "Do your employers know that you're pregnant?"

"Yeah, and now I'm out of a job, plus I'll have two kids to feed, come April."

"Sophia, is this when you got told that you're replaceable? Did they use that word, specifically?"

"Yep, and you'd think that after seven years of service, they wouldn't just pull the rug out from under me like this, but they didn't even give me a chance. I have to be there by noon tomorrow to clean out my locker and collect my severance package."

"You know, being fired like this is illegal, and it's discriminatory."

"I know you're saying that because you're a lawyer, but I'm not going to drag my name through the mud on this."

"Fighting it would be worth it, especially if you had help."

Sophia laughed hollowly and set the toy elephant on her bedside table so she could feel as though she was having a serious conversation. "I couldn't afford you or Alex, or probably even any of the other attorneys you know, and besides, if I sued and lost, I'd be in debt up to my eyeballs until I retired—that is, if I ever found another job. It's also just as well, because even before kid number two was made, I was thinking about quitting the pub, anyway."

"And why's that?"

"I was a bartender there, and I pulled in amazing tips every time I worked, but my hours changed a few months ago, and I barely saw Melissa. That's never been the kind of job I want as a working mother."

"What do you want?"

"Something like a normal 9 to 5 job in a different part of town, and to get away from Gunner."

Wheels turning in her head, Casey asked, "So you're looking for a fresh start, and to go about your life quietly?"

"Exactly."

Sophia was quiet for a few moments after that, catching her breath and wiping her tears.

"I'm really sorry to unload all of this on you, Casey." she said suddenly.

"Don't be. Even if I hadn't been one of the people that you were looking for, I still would have listened and helped."

"Because of Olivia?"

"Bingo. She's one of the closest friends I've ever had in my life, and I'm very loyal to her, just as she is to me."

"How come?"

Casey chose her words carefully. "Let's just say that we've helped each other out of a lot of scrapes over the years. She's also given me a kick in the ass on a few occasions when the others wouldn't, and I was too busy trying to prove myself as the new Assistant District Attorney."

"Were you young then?"

"I was twenty-six, almost twenty-seven, and next month, I turn forty. A lot of people had a hard time taking me seriously because I replaced Alex, and she's older than me. She also comes from a more sophisticated upbringing than I do."

Sophia held her hands in a time-out position. "How did you come to earn everyone's respect and friendship?"

"I can't tell those tales without your mom or Alex present, but back to the point—I was attacked eleven years ago by the brother of someone very important to the case we had at the time, and I recovered in this hospital. Apart from my own family, Olivia saw me every day and even went with me to my physical therapy appointments when I had to learn how to walk again."

"That's friendship." Sophia remarked with a smile. "Is this a roundabout way of saying let's be friends?"

"Yes," Casey confirmed. "But only if you want to be."

Sophia smiled her first actual smile since Casey's arrival. "I'd really like that because I've never had real friends before. Should I finish the rest of the story?"

"Please."

"Well, I have to find a new nanny for Melissa now. The current one is named Hannah, and she's a Mormon."

"Do the Mormons make good babysitters?"

"The best."

"And what, exactly, is the deal with Hannah?"

"Her husband was just offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to teach at the University Of British Columbia, and they aren't about to pass it up."

"That's a tough break. And what's the last part about your apartment building going condo?"

"Exactly that, and my biggest worry, Casey. I already live in a bit of a seedy neighborhood, but I don't think I can afford to live anywhere else."

Casey became thoughtful. "I'm sure Olivia would help you."

Sophia turned red. "I can't impose on her."

"You're her child, Sophia. I know she'd do anything for Noah, so something tells me that you aren't excluded from that."

Sophia decided that Casey had a point. "Asking her for help would be better than being homeless… I ran away from my last group home because I aged out, and I was tired of being abused. I lived on the streets or in shelters after that."

"Did you meet Gunner in a shelter?"

"When I was eighteen, and we worked together to get out. We also started the same month at the pub as dishwashers."

All of a sudden, Sophia let out a soft moan as her hands flew to her middle.

"Come on, kid—be good for mama! We just ate a half hour ago!"

"Is the baby being silly?" Casey asked.

"Very." Sophia sighed. "This is kid number two, and they're way squirrllier than Melissa was."

"Oh, really?"

"Uh-huh. Melissa was polite, but this one is a hell-raiser."

"Well, I hope this one," Casey pointed to her own middle, and Sophia suddenly noticed how distinctly rounded it was. "Also falls on the polite list because otherwise, it's going to look really weird when I start scolding a gestating baby."

Sophia lit up at Casey's words, although just for the briefest of seconds, she felt something like regret, which confused her. Did this mean that she liked Casey? She'd just met her, and on top of that, they were fourteen years apart.

Deciding she'd attempt to sort out her feelings later, she said, "Kids are a joy, and I'm really happy for you that you're having a baby. You and your husband must be really happy."

"Well, I'm not married, or even with anybody. I just woke up one day and realized I wasn't getting any younger, so I decided to make matters into my own hands, and ta-da: I'm now pushing my fifteenth week of pregnancy."

Casey framed her middle, extremely proud to show off its shape.

"My family knows, and so does Alex. I just haven't had a chance to tell Olivia and the squad yet because it's been awhile."

"Are you nervous about telling them?"

"Just a little."

"Well, you told me." Sophia offered. "That's gotta count for something."

Sophia's kindness put Casey at ease. "Yeah, it does. Thanks."

"Hey, can I ask you something about your life outside of work?" Sophia wanted to know.

Quite fascinated by Sophia at this point, Casey nodded. "Sure."

"Will you tell me about your family?"

"For starters, my parents are both children of immigrants who moved to the states from Europe in search of better lives."

"Where were their parents from?"

"My dad's parents were from Slovakia, and my mom's came from Ireland. Both of my parents were born here."

"Do you speak anything besides English?"

Proudly, she said, "Slovakian and Irish."

"What are your parents' names?"

"My dad is named Augustín because it means venerable, and he is his parents' only son. My mom is named Violet, after her mom's favorite flower."

"That's lovely. What do your parents do?"

"My dad has always been so proud of being born in America, that the second he could, he enlisted, and he served in Vietnam."

Sophia suddenly found Casey as fascinating as she found her. "Wow! What did he do?"

"He was an M60 Door Gunner on a Huey helicopter. His helicopter crashed three times, and he received a Purple Heart."

A history buff, Sophia enthused, "That's amazing! What does he do these days?"

"He retired early from the Marines, and now, he works with my mom at their flower shop down the block from The Plaza."

Sophia thought for a minute. "Is it The Watering Can?"

"That's the place! How did you remember the name so fast?"

"I was walking by the place with Melissa on her first birthday, and she got so distracted by the blue forget-me-nots that I held her up to smell them. Your parents both saw and were so tickled to see a baby enthralled by flowers that they made her a wreath of them—which she actually kept on her head for the rest of the day—and they gave me a bouquet of the forget-me-nots to take home for her. Your parents also said that one of their daughters love blue forget-me-nots."

Casey actually turned a slight shade of red. "That'd be me."

"Wow!" Sophia remarked again as she felt her heart skip a beat. "Your parents have been giving Melissa flowers on every birthday since, and she loves it. I just never knew your parents' names before."

"That's a really amazing story, though. They'd love it if you came around to see them. In fact…"

Casey pulled a business card out from her inside jacket pocket and set it on Sophia's bedside table, next to her toy elephant.

"That's my parents' business card." Casey explained. "Give them a ring or go for a visit when you're clean of the pub, or you feel like you're back on your feet. My parents are hiring, and any friend of mine is a new friend of theirs. They are going to love you."

Sophia's heart skipped another beat—it was like she was getting some of her hope and her dignity back. "Thank you so much, Casey. You don't know what this means to me!"

"I'm just glad I can help."

In a very relaxed mood now, but still wanting to distract herself from the attraction she was feeling towards the older woman, Sophia asked her a new question.

"Casey, do you have siblings? I've got Noah, but I haven't met him yet, and he's two…"

Casey leaned back in her seat, getting comfortable. "Because my parents met when they were five at a Catholic school in The Bronx and because my mom hails from a traditional Irish Catholic family, that's the way they decided to raise us, and by 'us,' I mean me and my seven siblings."

Flabbergasted by the number, Sophia cried, "I want names!"

"Junior and Ellington are the oldest, Beatrix and Virginia are next, and Tiffany is after them, and then it's finally me at number six. Savannah is after me, and sweet Abigail brings up the rear."

"Your life must be so noisy."

"Oh, it is, but I've never known otherwise, and I love it. Like the noise isn't enough, Junior, Ellington, Beatrix, Virginia, and Tiffany were born in a three year period."

Sophia let out a high-pitched whistle. "If I'm doing the math right, then that means Junior and Ellington are twins, and so are Beatrix and Virginia?"

"Correct. Junior and Ellington are fraternal, but Beatrix and Virginia are identical, down to the last freckle."

"And then this makes Tiffany a singleton?"

Casey nodded. "And even still, there's a year between Tiffany and I. Still keeping up with me?"

"Junior and Ellington are the oldest, and they're fraternal, but Beatrix and Virginia next, and they're identical. Tiffany is after them, and of the first five, she's the only singleton. She's also a year older than you, and you're sixth in line." Sophia summarized.

"Very good." Casey praised.

"How old are Savannah and Abigail?"

"Believe it or not, Savvy is your age, and Abby is almost twelve."

Sophia laughed, all of her worries and pain gone for the moment. "And poor Junior is the only son?"

"You got it."

"Wait—then how old are Senior and Violet?"

Casey answered her with a very straight face. "My parents' birthdays are a week apart, and they only just turned sixty in August."

Sophia let out another whistle. "And they met in Catholic school when they were five?"

"Right again. Do you want to hear the story of how they met? It's family legend."

"I am all ears!"

And so Casey launched into the story of how her parents had met. Sophia hung on to every word.

It was the beginning of a very beautiful friendship.