LUNA'S CAFÉ

2250 73rd AVENUE

MANHATTAN


So as to have Sophia's mind as free as possible from the SVU for the time being, Casey took her to a cafe near her townhouse that she frequented while prepping for trials and she needed a place to eat, or else to study old material, because that never hurt. Casey been going for so long, that all of the employees at Luna's Café knew her very well. When she and Sophia arrived, several of them greeted her in a friendly manner, and they had their orders taken care of quickly. The manager, a very motherly older Hispanic woman called Inez, also informed them that their orders were on the house that day. In Sophia's opinion, she'd felt like her day had turned around after she and Casey left the precinct together, but now she felt it even more, and they'd only been at the cafe for fifteen minutes.

"So," Casey said. "How are you?"

Sophia smiled. "Relieved. So relieved. I can finally have the normal kind of life I've wanted since I was a kid."

"What does normal look like to you?"

"A nice place with lots of space, one or two more kids, time spent with my mom and her family, and… you."

Casey's heart jumped, and she felt herself becoming bashful. "I will most definitely be there, and for as long as you'll have me."

She reached across the table and held Sophia's hand in hers, placing a delicate kiss on the fingertips. Immediately, Sophia felt a shiver of desire go down her spine.

"I want you to be in my life for a very, very long time, Casey." she said. "The baby, too. I like you a lot, and when you're around, my heart is full."

"My heart is full with you, too." Casey kissed Sophia's fingers again. "I like you a lot, too, and I know that we haven't known each other for a long time yet, but nothing else has ever felt so right before. Do you understand?"

Sophia nodded, still a little dazed from the sensation of Casey's kisses. "Yes. I really do."

Casey beamed, pleased.

"You make me very happy, and Melissa asks for you every day, so I think you made quite an impression on her, too." In a daring move, Sophia kissed Casey's fingertips. "All I've ever wanted is a person who wants to be with me and my kids, and for that person to love us. I will accept your baby, too, Casey. I already do, and I'm excited to meet them."

Casey grinned, although she felt her heart hammering over how well this was going. "Really?"

"Uh-huh, and I'm even willing to call this our first date, as long as you're willing to go slow, considering all that's just happened."

"Oh, of course."

Nervousness finally gone, Sophia reached into her purse and pulled out the baby shoes that she'd shown her mothers.

Using her hands to make the shoes walk across the table, Sophia said, "Then these are the first gift to Baby Novak from Mama Sophia, or whatever we decide my name will be."

"These shoes are so cute!" Casey exclaimed in delight and surprise. "And are those elephants on them?"

"Yeah, because I think they're our thing now."

Casey nodded in agreement, although she also arched her back to accommodate the baby as she felt it flip. "The baby agrees with you."

"Does he kick yet?"

"N—wait, how did you know I've been thinking of the baby as a boy?"

"Violet told me about you, Scrappy, and the snapdragons."

Casey blushed. "Oh."

"Scrappy did the same thing to me, but… uh… I chose the baby's breath instead of the snapdragons. Violet didn't explain about the old wive's tale with gender prediction until after she saw what Scrappy did."

"So that means that we could very well be getting a baby boy and a baby girl." Casey chuckled. "We both know about life with the female gender because you have Melissa, and you live with Olivia and Alex, and then my mom is very much in my life, and I've also got Ellington, Beatrix, Virginia, Tiffany, Savannah, and Abigail to contend with, but your brother is two, and mine is well into his forties."

"What are you saying?"

Casey laughed. "Just imagine asking your mom for advice on raising little boys in today's day and age. In all the years I've known her, I've got to admit that that would be the weirdest conversation ever."

"I have no doubt, and just think—if Alex took the name Benson when they get married, because I have a feeling my mom will propose eventually, and then you took it from me if things ever went down that road for us, there'd be four Missus Bensons in one family."

"That'd be very funny for us, and for Olivia's detectives, but confusing for anyone else. I can read Olivia and Alex like books, though, and if anything, Olivia would choose to become a Cabot because she loves Alex like that. She always has."

"Aww, that's really sweet."

"All things considered, though, Cassandra Stephanie Benson has a nice ring to it."

Before anything further could be said, their food had arrived, so their conversation changed courses, but they both knew that matters of the family would be touched on again.

When they were done eating, though, Casey noticed something.

"Is that the fill-in wristband you said was out of stock until today?" she asked when she saw the rubber wristband her girlfriend was wearing.

"Uh-huh." Sophia confirmed, showing her. "I picked it up at the hospital pharmacy while I was hanging out with Amanda's Aunt Blue. They gave me a catalogue of Medical ID bracelet styles and such, but I haven't really looked through it yet."

Casey moved all of their dishes and glasses to the edge of the table. "Get the catalogue out, and come join me on this side of the booth. We'll decide right now."

Surprised, but happy that Casey wanted to help, Sophia did as told.

"What do you want to get?" Casey asked Sophia when she got settled.

"Something cute, but not clunky, since I'm about to start a hands-on job. The doctor also told me that money is no object because my insurance covers the cost completely."

"Good to know. What material would you prefer?"

"Definitely silver."

Filing that information away for another day, Casey said, "Then let's see what we can find."

They looked through the catalogue for quite some time before Casey spotted a style that she had a feeling Sophia would like.

"Check this one out."

Casey was pointing to a bracelet with a nameplate that was big enough to hold all of the necessary information required, but the chain was made of purple and blue elephants holding trunks and tails. Everything was reinforced with a thin silver tubing. It was perfect.

"Yeah, this one is definitely mine; thanks, Red." she bookmarked the page and then looked at Casey. "Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Actually, no. Does this have anything to do with a text from Savvy about how everyone volunteered to come help you pack up your apartment?"

"Yep! You in?"

Casey winked. "You know it."

Sophia was the one to beam now. "I invited everyone over at eleven, but will you come over at ten?"

"Oh, you're on, so long as you can score Melissa-free time in the next week."

"Go on."

"Movie night? My place?"

"I can't wait!"