Y'all will be able to tell what I was looking forward to writing very quickly XD I promise, we're getting closer to everyone finally meeting! There are just a few more individual meetings to arrange first. Hopefully the waiting will make the actual reunion all the sweeter.

Nolan finds something (someone) that belongs to Peter, the Austin and Los Angeles crews visit the 252, and Sylvie and Amelia continue to wrap people around their fingers. A certain detective might not be sure if he likes that or not.

***

The route from the subway to the courthouse was one Nolan had been familiar with for years, familiar enough that he could balance his coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, briefcase tucked under his arm. He scanned through his messages as he headed for the steps of the courthouse, nimbly avoiding others when he saw them in his peripheral vision. Thankfully, it didn't look like he would have a busy day unless the 2-7 caught a case.

As he tucked his phone away in his pocket, a flash of blonde out of the corner of his eye made him pause. On another day, a woman sitting on the bench and entertaining her young child wouldn't catch his attention. This woman, however, was one he had just seen in a picture not too long ago. Curiosity piqued, Nolan abandoned his trek to the steps and made his way towards the blonde woman sitting with a toddler who looked like her younger clone. "PIC Brett?" he asked tentatively.

The woman looked up in surprise, her azure eyes quickly finding him. "Yes?" she asked in return.

"It's good to finally meet you," Nolan smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm Nolan Price, the Executive ADA here in Manhattan."

"Oh!" Sylvie's eyes lit in understanding as she shook his hand. "One of Peter's bosses, right?"

"I'm right under Jack, so I guess that's one way of putting it," Nolan nodded. "He's been really excited for you to come to New York."

"I've been excited to be back, too," Sylvie told him. "A lot has happened in the past few years, so this was my first chance to make it happen. I'm glad it did."

"And you didn't come alone," Nolan noted with a smile at the girl peering up curiously at him. "Peter mentioned the Dardens, but not this little princess."

"Well, this little princess is also why I'm here this early," Sylvie giggled, taking the girl into her arms and standing from the bench. "This is my sister and adopted daughter, Amelia." Nolan blinked at her, and Sylvie smiled in understanding. "I was adopted as a baby, and my birth mother found me two years ago when she was pregnant again. Julia died on the table."

Nolan winced sympathetically. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," Sylvie nodded, reaching up to adjust Amelia's headband. "Anyway, Amelia's father didn't want to keep her, and he asked me to adopt her. So, here we are two years later."

"That's very courageous of you," Nolan smiled, giving Amelia a small wave. "She looks just like you."

"Thank you," Sylvie beamed. "Amelia, can you say hi?"

"Hi!" Amelia waved.

Nolan laughed in delight. "Very nice to meet you, Amelia!"

"She's also very quick to wrap people around her finger," Sylvie grinned at him. "I apologize in advance if that happens."

"Oh, there will be no complaints from me," Nolan quickly assured her. "Though Lily may be upset if she gets usurped."

Sylvie's laughter reminded Nolan of silver bells, a sound he quickly determined was one he wanted to hear more often. "Oh, don't worry about that," she giggled. "Amelia will stay my family's favorite, and you can keep Lily as yours."

"A fair agreement," Nolan winked, grinning at Sylvie's laugh. "I'm guessing you came here to meet Peter?"

"I did," Sylvie confirmed, reaching down and hoisting her bag over her shoulder. "The boys were planning to do some exploring around the city, get their bearings. I'm a little more familiar, but Peter told me I had an open invitation to drop in today once he arrived." She gave Nolan a wry smile. "I don't know if Peter mentioned it or not, but the courthouse was my second favorite place in Chicago to visit."

"Was your second?" Nolan parroted, leading her up the steps.

"Well, then my best friend left," Sylvie shrugged, keeping her eye on the steps so she didn't lose her balance or drop Amelia. When they came too close to others taking the opposite direction, Nolan moved closer and kept her from running into anyone. "Thank you," Sylvie smiled appreciatively. "I still drop by on occasion, but I wasn't as close to anyone else as I was to Peter. Except my ex-boyfriend, who worked with Peter at the time." She wrinkled her nose. "That was a little awkward."

Nolan smiled as they entered through the doors. "Let's hope we meet or rise above those standards, then."

"I remember some details back when I came here for Peter's father's funeral," Sylvie shook her head, taking in the architecture with a wide smile. Amelia was mirroring the action, and watching both pairs of blue eyes follow the same path made Nolan smile fondly. "But I was also paying attention to Peter instead of the building, so . . . "

"We'll get you through security, then I'll get ahold of Peter and tell him you're here," Nolan smiled. "My best guess is he may have gotten caught up with Benson. Her son is Captain Strand's godson, so my guess is wherever he is, that's where that trio is right now."

"No problem," Sylvie nodded in agreement, following Nolan through the building. "So, since it's just the two of us for now . . . you're the one to interrogate about the Cosgroves, I've heard?"

Nolan did a double take at her words, then he laughed loudly, drawing the attention of multiple curious clerks. "Oh, I like you," he decided. "I can tell you anything you want to know about them."

"Then I am very glad I got here earlier than planned," Sylvie grinned as she put her bag down for the security guards to inspect.

"Believe me," Nolan smiled, mentally pushing his original plans to the side as he watched Sylvie carefully place Amelia on her feet. "I am, too."

***

If he didn't know his boyfriend's father as well as he did, Carlos was certain he would have thought the children were running amok in Firehouse 252.

As it was, he leaned against the staircase railing and watched with a fond smile as Owen and TK herded Noah, Jesse, Izzy, Evie, and Christopher around the rigs, the current firefighters of the 252 with permanent smiles on their faces as they indulged the explorers. Buck and Eddie were investigating the rigs as well, their heads inclined together as they shared their findings. Carlos had no idea what had caught their eye, but they had spent a chunk of their time looking at the heavy rescue equipment.

He found himself gravitating over to Bobby, the fire captain looking around with a faraway look in his eyes as Athena and May chatted with Olivia and Fin. "How are you doing, Captain?" he asked.

Bobby blinked, as if not realizing Carlos had approached, and he gave him a small smile. "Better than I expected. Thank you for asking, Carlos." He slipped his hands into his pockets, smiling when he saw Buck excitedly drop down from one of the rigs, Eddie rolling his eyes fondly at him. "Now, if I had come back alone, on the other hand . . . that would be a different story."

"That's why I'm glad I was able to get this time off," Carlos nodded, folding his arms and watching TK put Billie on his hip to give her a better look at part of the rigs. "I've seen how this day and all that happened in the aftermath affected both Owen and TK. I knew TK wouldn't let Owen come back alone, especially now that I know they have all of . . . this – " He gestured to the New Yorkers spread out among them. " – waiting for them when they come, but anything I can do to support them, I want it to happen. Sometimes, I feel Owen is just known for his ability to rebuild houses from the ground up. I wonder if some people forget the reason why he was so good at it the first time."

"I know," Bobby sighed and nodded. "I never forgot. I think after Owen and I first called each other again, that finally sank in for my team."

"Well," Carlos rocked on his heels, smiling when he noticed Olivia and Elliot always keep Owen in their line of vision, "it's clearly never been forgotten here."

"How could they forget it?" Bobby shook his head. "Benson and Stabler were friends with Owen long before that day. If anyone would make sure it was never forgotten, it's those two."

A chirp suddenly came from a phone nearby, and Carlos peered past Bobby to see Peter Stone, the prosecutor for SVU who was also dating Olivia, pull out his phone and check it. He burst out laughing a moment later, drawing Olivia's eyes to him. "Of course, that's the first thing she does!"

"Who does?" Sonny asked curiously.

Peter just shook his head fondly and chuckled. "My best friend likes collecting prosecutors, so it would seem." He pocketed his phone and looked at Olivia. "She's at the courthouse, if you want to meet her," he offered. "And I was right about all the Chicago crew brought."

Carlos looked at Owen and TK in confusion, but the Strands looked just as confused. Olivia, however, visibly brightened, and she nodded in agreement. "Definitely," she said, stepping away from the wall. "Noah? Do you want to come, too, or do you want to stay with Uncle Owen?"

Noah frowned as he looked between Owen and Olivia, and Owen chuckled. "Whatever you want to do, bud."

"I'd like to stay," Noah finally decided with a smile at the Vegas, who cheered happily.

"No problem, sweetheart," Olivia smiled, kissing the top of her son's head. "We'll see you later, OK?"

"Mind if I join you?" Elliot asked as he checked his watch. "The courthouse is on my way to base."

"Sure," Peter agreed. "Hey, Owen? How long do you think you may be here?"

Owen looked over the children and shrugged. "Depends how long the probies want to be here."

Christopher and Jesse giggled at their titles, and Nick snickered. "Sounds like it may be a while."

"In that case, I may be back," Peter checked his watch. "Keep an ear out for your phones."

"We will," Amanda nodded. "See you later."

Peter waved as he, Olivia, and Elliot left the firehouse, and Bobby glanced at Carlos. "You have any idea what Stone meant?" he asked.

"No idea," Carlos admitted.

***

Olivia was one of the most calm, collected, and put together people Elliot had ever met in his life, especially now that she was the captain of SVU. As Peter led them up the courthouse steps, however, Elliot watched his best friend fiddle with her watch and worry her lip between her teeth. "Hey," he gently elbowed her. "It'll be just fine, Liv. Didn't Peter say she was excited to meet you, too?"

"Her first impression of me was me hating her best friend for what she was doing to Barba," Olivia mumbled in reply. "Now I can't see myself with anyone else . . . but I don't know how she could forget that."

"Forget? Maybe not," Elliot shrugged. "You, Owen, and Tyler sure won't ever let me forget how I up and left, but that's made our bonds stronger since I came back. From what I've heard about Brett, I highly doubt she'll let Barba's trial be the only influence on her opinion of you."

Olivia blew out her breath slowly. "God, I hope so."

Elliot patted her shoulder comfortingly, then he noticed the quartet approaching from the opposite direction. "One mass introduction at once, huh?" he guessed when he saw them.

"All that Sam got from Nolan was that it would be a good idea to get here," Kate shrugged as she, Frank, Kevin, and Sam joined them. "He mentioned he 'had something of Stone's' in his office?"

Peter guffawed, waving to Jack when the District Attorney came down the stairs. "Oh, I'm so telling her he said that. I'm determined to remain her favorite prosecutor."

"Who?" Kevin frowned as Peter led them in the opposite direction of the Sex Crimes prosecutors' offices.

Sam, however, gasped in understanding. "Wasn't last night when . . . ?"

Peter only grinned and nodded, leading them to the end of the hallway where Nolan's office was located. The door was open instead of closed, and out of the open door rocketed a small girl with blonde hair who cheered Peter's name when she saw him. Peter laughed in delight and crouched down to greet the girl with a hug when she reached him. "I don't know how anyone could not smile when they see you," he declared, making the girl giggle.

"I came to that conclusion pretty quickly, too," Nolan grinned as he leaned against the doorframe. "I was tempted to hog her all to myself if you didn't show up."

Peter immediately scowled at him. "Don't you dare."

Silvery laughter came from behind Nolan, and a face Elliot recognized from Peter's photos appeared behind the senior prosecutor. "Take it easy, Peter," she smiled at him. "I would have found a way to break out, and you promised to side with Matt and Kelly if they had to resort to drastic measures."

"That I did," Peter conceded with an apologetic smile. "I should've told you I would be getting in a little late. We were out at the 252."

"Peter, it's OK," Sylvie waved his apology away. "Nolan told me you would likely be wherever Captain Strand was, and you know me and courthouses."

Jack chuckled. "You soaked up everything like a sponge when you were here for Ben Stone's funeral and attached at Peter's hip."

Sylvie's blue eyes brightened. "You remember?"

"Once I saw your face, I did," Jack nodded and stepped forward, holding out his hand. "Welcome back to New York, PIC Brett."

"Thank you, sir," Sylvie beamed and shook his hand. "Call me Sylvie, please."

Jack inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I trust Nolan has treated you well?"

Nolan looked offended at the thought of anything different, and Sylvie giggled. "He's been the perfect gentleman, don't worry."

"Good," Peter smirked. "And how quickly did Amelia wrap him around her finger?"

Sylvie laughed loudly. "Pretty quickly," Nolan admitted.

"She's a good icebreaker," Sylvie smiled happily at Amelia, and the girl matched her mother's bright smile. "Are you going to keep crowding that hallway?"

"Oh, yeah," Nolan shook his head and quickly backed into his office. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Peter nodded, shuffling into the office. "It's just you and Amelia here, right?"

"Just us," Sylvie confirmed. "The boys are out and familiarizing themselves with the city. They might drop by the courthouse eventually."

Nolan tilted his head and checked the clock on the wall. "Lily gets out of Cromwell in a couple of hours, doesn't she?"

"She does," Frank confirmed with a short nod from next to Kevin, making Sam look at him curiously. "If they come by, I can bring her over."

"Frank Cosgrove?" Sylvie guessed. When Frank nodded again, Elliot caught his brief surprise when Sylvie smiled happily at him. "Griffin and Ben are looking forward to meeting Lily, especially since they don't know anyone here."

When Frank's hackles lowered and he returned her smile, Elliot smothered a grin. Sylvie had found one of his weak points: his daughter. "She's excited, too," Frank told her.

"This is the rest of the 2-7," Peter gestured. "Lieutenant Kate Dixon and Detective Kevin Bernard."

"Good to meet you, Sylvie," Kevin smiled politely as Kate nodded.

"My second chair, Samantha Maroun," Nolan nodded to Sam.

"Sam, please," the woman smiled.

"And Detective Elliot Stabler with the Organized Crime Control Bureau," Peter finished. "Did you and Olivia actually meet when you were here before?"

"We didn't," Sylvie shook her head with a calculating look at Olivia. "I probably would've given her a piece of my mind if we had."

Judging by Peter's wince, that was not a good thing. "Not my finest moment," Olivia cleared her throat sheepishly. "I have no excuse other than my concern for my friend."

"Which is a good one, given what that case was about," Sylvie finally said. "Peter obviously got over that. Consider it water under the bridge."

Olivia slumped with relief and smiled happily. "Thank you, Sylvie."

"You're welcome," Sylvie grinned in reply as she stepped forward. "Family of Peter's is family of mine."

Olivia accepted her hug instantly, giving Peter a happy smile over Sylvie's shoulder. "Likewise."

"Can I say hello to her now?" Sam asked, pointing at the girl still held by Peter.

Peter laughed and carefully shifted Amelia into Sylvie's arms. "The guys weren't kidding when they said she would be the perfect icebreaker."

"I'm still not certain I like calling her that, but they aren't wrong," Sylvie sighed, but she had a smile on her face as she twisted to show Amelia to the newcomers.

"Peter and I wondered if you would be bringing her," Olivia said as she gave Amelia a small wave, one that Amelia mirrored.

"I'm glad we decided to," Sylvie nodded.

"She's a clone of you," Kate remarked.

"She's my half-sister," Sylvie explained, causing Frank and Kevin to look at her in surprise. "I was adopted as a baby, and my birth mother found me two years ago when she was pregnant with Amelia." She smiled sadly as she smoothed down Amelia's hair. "Julie didn't make it, and Scott asked me to adopt her."

"I'm so sorry about that, Sylvie," Elliot sighed sadly.

"I'm just glad I got to know my birth mother," Sylvie said. "And Amelia is in a secure and loving home."

"And custody is secure?" Jack asked with a glance to Peter.

"Sylvie consulted me to make sure everything was ironclad," Peter confirmed. "If anyone tries to take Amelia, they're going to find they're in for a hell of a fight."

Jack nodded in satisfaction. "Good."

"She is adorable," Sam gushed, smiling happily at Amelia. "If you ever plan on doing something in New York and need someone to watch her, I happily volunteer."

"Hey!" Peter complained. "Sam!"

"Or maybe someone who's behind a desk most of the day and not going back and forth between a courtroom and the office?" Kate smirked.

"Good idea," Olivia nodded with an iron look at the lieutenant.

"Oh, my God," Sylvie rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Whoever does the watching will probably have to fight the Dardens."

Frank grinned devilishly. "So since Lily is going to be meeting them, I might win that battle."

"How about we get to that when it actually happens?" Sylvie blushed. "I was hoping to finish the tour."

"Perhaps I can help you there," Jack nodded with a pointed look at Nolan, Peter, and Sam. "The sooner work is completed, the sooner another gathering can be arranged."

"Heard," Nolan smiled, not looking very chastised. "Enjoy, Sylvie."

"Thank you again for everything this morning," Sylvie told him gratefully. "I appreciated the company."

"Happy to provide," Nolan nodded as he backed away to his desk. "I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the family."

"I can text when I pick up Lily, and we can arrange something today, if that's something you think they would like," Frank offered to Sylvie.

"They might," Sylvie nodded then glanced at Olivia and Elliot. "Of course, depending on how my chief feels, too . . . "

She trailed off, and Elliot smiled. "Owen and Bobby will be up for meeting whenever your chief is ready," he assured her.

"I figured, but it always helps to hear it," Sylvie nodded. "Thank you."

***

Everyone had been quick to depart after Jack had whisked Sylvie and Amelia away for the rest of the courthouse tour. Sam and Peter had retreated to their offices, and Olivia left to drop off Elliot before returning to the 252. Kate, Frank, and Kevin had taken their leave shortly after, not before Kate had dismissed her team for the day.

So Nolan wasn't surprised when, not even thirty minutes after his departure, Frank returned with coffees for both of them. "For all the complaining you make about my order, you know how to get it exactly right," he remarked after checking the label.

"I've learned it's a good idea to keep your prosecutor happy," Frank quipped as he sat across from Nolan, kicking up his feet to rest them on the chair opposite him.

Nolan raised an eyebrow at him but didn't protest the move. "Very funny." Frank smirked and took a sip of his coffee, and Nolan absently took a drink of his as he glanced at his upcoming caseload. "What do you think of Sylvie?" he finally asked when he couldn't take the silence any longer.

Frank absently tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair as he considered. "There's something magnetic about her," he answered after a moment. "Stone was right about her. Golden heart all the way. I didn't know she had adopted her baby half-sister."

"I remember Peter looking like he was running a little thin around that time," Nolan recalled, abandoning his laptop to lean back in his chair and face Frank. "It makes sense now. He was helping make sure Sylvie's custody was solid."

"Must've been hard for her to get off the ground," Frank mused. "Being a single parent."

Nolan raised an eyebrow. "Maybe on paper, she is." At Frank's curious look, Nolan laughed. "You're the detective, Frank. Connect the dots."

Frank blinked once, twice, then did a double take. "Casey or Severide?" he guessed.

"Replace a word in there," Nolan grinned.

Frank looked at him in surprise. "Casey and Severide?" At Nolan's nod, he whistled lowly and leaned back in his chair. "When Stone compared them to Benson, Stabler, and Strand, I thought he meant it more in a familial way."

"I asked more about her life in Chicago while we waited for Peter to return," Nolan shared, pausing to take another drink of his coffee. "The three were best friends, practically inseparable, for well over a year before Sylvie adopted Amelia. Within a few months, Casey and Severide had moved in with Sylvie to help her. It took someone plowing into her ambulance and crashing them off a bridge for them to get together."

Frank snorted. "That's one way for it to happen."

Nolan shrugged. "It did, and here they are a year later. It nearly didn't look like this. The Dardens' old social worker and guidance counselor tried to convince Casey he would have to move to Portland to get custody."

Frank scowled. "Obviously, they failed."

Nolan smirked dryly. "Casey made a good point when they didn't notice for a month that their guardian at the time was no longer around."

Frank stared at Nolan over the lid of his coffee. "A month?" he repeated incredulously. When Nolan nodded, Frank scoffed and shook his head. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."

"Apparently, Peter was once again on standby in case they needed the legal help," Nolan nodded. "I'm glad it didn't come to that. I've seen Peter when he's on a crusade for someone he loves. He would have willingly crucified those women to make sure the Dardens went to Chicago with Casey."

Frank pointed to his coffee with a smirk. "Hence me wanting to keep you happy."

Nolan rolled his eyes. "You don't need to bribe me with coffee to keep me happy, Frank," he huffed. "I've had a better balance between my professional and my personal life since we mended our differences after the Nicole Bell and Richard Wheatley trials. Suffice to say, I'm better off than I have been in a while."

Frank's smirk softened at the words. "Nothing wrong with working to keep you that way, though."

"No," Nolan agreed with a matching smile, raising his coffee in acknowledgement. "No, there isn't."

Frank mirrored the motion, then he glanced towards Nolan's phone when it buzzed on his desk. "Is that important?"

Nolan picked up his phone to check the incoming text, and he smiled. "Depends on if you were serious about bringing Lily by. Stone confirmed Casey and Severide were planning on dropping by the courthouse with the Dardens, and Chief Boden is going to contact the captains about meeting tomorrow." He raised an eyebrow and laughed. "And Sylvie is saying the rest of the 'homicide family' is invited, if we want to make it an evening out."

"I doubt Lily will say no to that," Frank laughed as he stood. "See if you can steal the Brett girls back, and I'll text when I'm on my way with Lily."

"Copy that," Nolan nodded as he stood. "And Frank?" The detective paused in the doorway, turning to look expectantly at him. "I give you grief about it, but really," Nolan smiled, holding up his coffee. "Not many get it right. Thank you."

Frank smiled in return. "Any time, Nolan."

Nolan nodded and watched Frank leave, and he sighed and unlocked his phone to get back in touch with Peter about Sylvie rejoining him in his office. Just as he sent the message, he paused and did a double take, glancing down at his coffee.

Was it just him, or had Frank looked relieved when he shared that Sylvie was in a relationship with the captain and the lieutenant?

***

Elliot and Sam when Frank shows even the tiniest sign of jealousy XD That detective has nothing to worry about. But I couldn't resist now that Sylvie's in the city to have her cross paths with Nolan, and this was the perfect time to do it.

I know the scene at the 252 was short, but I plan to have the Chicago crew see it at one point, too. That should be a longer scene with more bonding between all of the teams. I think you can guess which trouble team might be forming then.

Next time, though . . . my favorite teenagers meet! Team Dumbass 2.0 is coming, and it seems like if SVU is going to stake their claim on the Strands and the 126, the Homicide Squad might as well stake and claim their own firehouse, huh? ;)

graphic by marvelity