And here we go! We're starting off with an Austin focus: the Vega girls notice something is up with Owen, Nancy notices something is up with TK, and all it takes is a comment from one of the girls for Tommy to realize what's going on. I also realized a plot point in here messed with one of the cast quotes, so check it again if you need to!

Enjoy!

***

"Is something happening with Owen, Mama?"

Tommy paused in tucking her girls into bed, blinking at Isabella's question. "What makes you say that, sweetheart?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"He's always smiling when he comes over," Isabella answered. "But he's smiling weirdly now."

"Is he?" Tommy asked, thinking back over Owen's recent visits. Ever since Charles had died, Owen, not to mention TK and Nancy, had stepped up to help her in any way she needed. Since Grace's pregnancy had progressed, it had been TK and Nancy who were first to volunteer to babysit the girls, sometimes with Carlos. If she needed help around the house or just needed time to decompress, Owen was the one who occupied the girls or helped cook. Isabella was right, Owen always was smiling when he joined them.

Was he really smiling, as she put it, weirdly now? "Would you like me to ask him?" she asked.

"Mmmhmm," Isabella nodded sleepily. "He should be happy for real."

"Yeah, Mama," Evie chimed in from her bed. "We like when he's here."

Tommy couldn't help but chuckle. "I like when he's here, too."

"Good," Evie snuggled into her bed. "You shouldn't have someone over if you don't like him."

Tommy laughed, standing up and walking over to tuck her in as well. "When did my babies get so wise?"

"From you, Mama," both girls chorused at the same time.

Tommy shook her head fondly. "I should've known." She kicked Evie on top of her head. "I love you, girls."

"Love you, too," Evie smiled.

"Love you, Mama," Isabella yawned as Tommy kissed the top of her head, too.

Tommy turned the lights off and shut the door as quietly as she could, and she headed back into the kitchen, rubbing the back of her neck. She stopped when she saw who was washing dishes in the sink, and she sighed. "I could've taken care of that."

"It's no problem," Owen shook his head. "I made the mess, I'll clean it up."

"It was a delicious mess," Tommy admitted. "You still made dinner, I would've happily cleaned up to give you a break."

"I'm a guest, Tommy," Owen chuckled. "It's no problem."

Tommy snorted, leaning against the counter. "You're hardly a guest nowadays, Owen. At the rate you help out around here, we might as well stick you in the spare bedroom and claim you ourselves."

Owen chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind if I ever need a place to stay other than my house."

"Deal." Owen nodded, going back to cleaning the dishes, and Tommy took a moment to observe him. She finally noticed what Isabella had meant; Owen was smiling, he seemed to always have it while at the house. Now, it seemed . . . muted somehow, as though something was weighing on him. "How are you doing, Owen?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he looked up, blinking in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"A lot's happened the past several months," she answered. "The serial arsonist, the firehouse burning down, Deputy Chief Tyson trying to keep the house closed, rebuilding the house . . . you're the captain of the house, and a lot of the heat's been on you. How are you doing?"

Owen blinked once more, then took a deep breath. "I could be a lot worse," he answered.

Tommy concealed a frown. That wasn't quite the answer she was hoping for, but she believed him. "Alright," she nodded, pretending not to see the small slump of Owen's shoulders when she didn't pry further. "Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to . . . you've been here for me through everything. I am more than happy to be here for you."

"Thank you, Tommy," Owen nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

***

Tommy checked the various compartments in the ambulance, clicking her tongue and making a note on her checklist as the shift came to an end. "Need to tell the next captain that," she mumbled to herself.

"Hey, Cap?" A knock on the side of the rig made her look up, and Nancy bit her lip. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, of course," Tommy gestured to the seat across from her. "Come on in." Nancy climbed inside, and Tommy rested the clipboard on her lap, giving her paramedic her full attention. "What's up, Nancy?"

Nancy fidgeted, then took a deep breath. "I think something's bothering TK, but I don't know what."

Tommy raised an eyebrow, straightening. "Have you noticed something?" she asked.

"Not much," Nancy admitted. "Nothing off shift, but sometimes when we're in the field or we're working together here at the house . . . his mind just seems to be elsewhere at times. He often looks towards wherever Captain Strand is, too. Maybe it's something to do with him? I – I don't know for certain, and I don't want to bring it up with him if it ends up being nothing, but – "

"You want to check and make sure," Tommy finished for her. "I've noticed something up with Captain Strand, too."

"You have?" Nancy blinked, sitting up.

"More accurately, my girls have," Tommy nodded. "And after they pointed out that something seemed up with him, I've kept my eye on him. It might explain TK, too."

"Oh, good," Nancy sighed in relief, then balked. "I mean, not good, if it's something bad. Good, as in I'm not imagining it."

Tommy laughed. "I understood, Nancy. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I'll keep an eye on TK, too."

"Thanks, Cap," Nancy smiled, standing up to climb out of the ambulance. "Are we still on for the paramedic get-together this weekend?"

"You bet we are," Tommy grinned.

"Great," Nancy beamed. "See you then!"

Tommy waved as Nancy bounded out of the firehouse, lightly jogging to catch up with Marjan. She hummed, pulling out her phone and making another note: keep an eye on TK, too.

***

The last week of July crept into August, and sure enough, Tommy started noticing what Nancy had. TK constantly kept an eye on his father, even when on calls. It was always common to see Owen and TK naturally drift to each other, but if TK wasn't doing inventory in the ambulance, Tommy usually found him around Owen's office. When on calls, when they had finished treating a patient, the young paramedic hovered around his father. It was behavior Tommy hadn't seen from him before, and it concerned her.

If TK was hovering around his father, Tommy decided Owen's picture could be found in the dictionary under "mother hen." Owen was notorious for doing more dangerous stunts so his team didn't have to, Tommy had been warned by Michelle about that following her acceptance at the 126, but Owen threw himself into even the littlest calls. The only one who didn't seem confused by their captain's behavior was TK, which Tommy expected. Sometimes she caught him looking at her two girls like they were miracles, which threw her through a bigger loop.

Then August bled into September, and the first thing Evie said when Tommy set their plates out for dinner one evening after school was, "Our teacher said she was going to have an hour dedicated to 9/11 next week."

The realization hit Tommy like a bullet train, and she abruptly dropped into her seat, her mouth dropping open into a perfect O of shock. "Mama?" Isabella frowned. "Is everything OK?"

"You won't ever find a house like this again," Michelle had told her. "Owen Strand built his house from scratch, just like he did after he lost his entire house in 9/11. You won't find a better, more loyal man to serve under. He'll have your back, no matter the circumstances."

She swallowed hard. "I'm OK, baby," she nodded, her mouth suddenly dry as she reached for her water glass. "I just think we need to invite Captain Strand over for a few days next week."

Evie and Isabella's cheers made her smile.

***

The shift after Tommy had her realization, she saw a difference in Nancy, too. The woman looked shaken to her core, and when Tommy walked up to her in the morning, she could see her protégé's eyes were red. "I didn't realize," she whispered hoarsely.

"I didn't, either," Tommy shook her head, rubbing Nancy's back.

"But I've known Captain Strand longer than you!" Nancy protested. "Though not as well, but I knew why he came to Austin! I knew what made him qualified to rebuild the house! I should've known!"

Tommy squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, then paused when she heard Mateo nearby. " – more snappy than usual?"

Nancy tensed, and she and Tommy looked around the ambulance to see the crew of Ladder 126 working on their rig. "He does seem like it," Marjan nodded, inspecting the axes. "Is it just me, or is he taking over more of the rescues, too?"

"He is," Mateo nodded, not noticing they had two eavesdroppers. "I mean, I get that he's the captain, he knows more than we do . . . but I just stopped being a probie! I know how to do these rescues!"

"And no one's saying you don't," Judd said from where he was checking inventory. "Cap and I are butting heads even more than usual, and that's saying something."

"Look, we don't have to know everything that's going on in Cap's personal life, OK?" Paul sighed. "He'll come to us eventually if something's bothering him."

"Like that whole intervention thing we had to do for him at the start of the year?" Marjan raised an eyebrow.

Paul paused. "Good point."

"If it continues, we can bring it up with TK," Judd said. "Other than that, if Cap needs our help, he'll give it."

The ambulance doors suddenly slammed, and Tommy and Nancy whipped around to see TK jump out of the back, a stormy look on his face, his own inventory clipboard under his arm. "Maybe if you checked a calendar, you'd realize he's gonna be like this for a while," he snarled. The four looked at him in bewilderment, and TK shook his head, walking up to Tommy and handing over the clipboard. "I've marked what we need, Cap."

"Thanks, TK," Tommy took it from him.

TK nodded shortly. "I'm gonna check on my dad, since none of these four seem to think he needs the help."

Marjan sputtered as TK jogged up the stairs. "We didn't say that!" Mateo protested.

"You said 'if it continues,'" Nancy narrowed her eyes to slits. "It's September, you dumbasses! Of course it's gonna continue!"

Paul's eyes widened. "Oh, damn."

"Now you realize?" Nancy ground out, hurrying after TK. "Wow, what a crew you four are to your captain!"

Tommy watched her walk up the stairs, then leveled an iron look on the shocked crew of Ladder 126, all of them in varying levels of realization. "I would've thought you of all people, Judd, would understand what was going on in Captain Strand's head," she said coldly. "All of you know exactly what made Captain Strand qualified to take this house and turn it into a masterpiece. I haven't brought it up because I've waited to see if they would. I didn't complain about them behind their backs."

She didn't give any of them a chance to respond as she turned on her heel and walked to the staircase, which Nancy stood at the top of, a wide grin on her face as she looked down at the speechless ladder crew. "You are such a badass," she giggled.

"I try," Tommy smirked, making Nancy cackle.

***

TK found his father in his office, face buried in his hands. He swallowed hard, heart breaking as he looked at the computer screen and realizing what had just arrived in his inbox. "Dad," he whispered, pulling up a chair next to him.

"It's time to go back," Owen croaked. "I know it is, but I wish it wasn't."

"I know," TK scooted the chair as close as he could and wound his arms around Owen, nuzzling into his shoulder. "If you're going, I'm going, too."

"I can't ask you to do that, son," Owen said wearily.

"I can always order him to go." Both men looked up to see Tommy standing sheepishly in the office door, Nancy behind her. "Since I'm his captain now," Tommy added. "And I know how much this means for both of you."

"I'm just sorry I didn't notice what was coming up sooner," Nancy said, gesturing to ask if she could come inside. Both Strands nodded, and Nancy strode inside, hauled TK out of his chair, and engulfed him in a hug, making TK grunt as his ribs twinged. "I'm sorry, TK."

"It's not your fault, Nance," TK shook his head, hugging her back and burying his nose in her neck. "I wasn't very forthcoming."

"Neither of us were," Owen admitted, looking apologetically at Tommy as she sat in TK's former chair. "And I kind of took that out on my crew."

"Then they should have asked about it," Tommy said, putting her hand on his knee. "Nancy and I waited when we realized what it was about because we wanted it to come from the two of you first. We didn't talk about it behind your backs."

TK scowled. "I'm gonna kill them."

"Who are we killing?" Carlos poked his head into the office, a concerned look on his face. "And does it have to do with why the ladder crew looks like someone killed Buttercup?"

"Captain Vega and I did," Nancy smirked.

"Ah," Carlos nodded, walking inside and holding up his phone. "Is that why you texted me? To confess to the crime?"

"That's all Nancy," Tommy chuckled.

"Hey, babe," TK mumbled.

"Hey, tiger," Carlos reached up and rubbed the back of TK's neck, making him sag more against Nancy. "So what happened?"

"The 20th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up," Owen said heavily, and Tommy squeezed his knee. "I've been invited to the memorial ceremony . . . and it's something I need to do."

"I'm going with him," TK said in a tone that meant no arguing.

"Take as long as you need," Tommy nodded. "I mean it. Neither of you talk about New York much, but Nancy swears you have a chat on your phone that does not include any of us at the 126."

TK smiled bashfully. "Yeah . . . did I ever mention I'm the godfather of two girls back in New York?"

"Really?" Carlos asked, surprised, as Nancy perked up.

"Yeah," he nodded, pulling out his phone and opening the gallery. "My two best friends from before I moved are detectives with NYPD. I helped them get together and . . . " He smiled, turning his phone around to show Carlos and Nancy. "Sonny was originally Jesse's godfather, but when he got together with Amanda, she changed it to me. So I'm also the godfather of their daughter, Billie."

"Oh, that's adorable," Nancy gushed, seeing TK with his arms around a young blonde girl, both giving the camera wide grins. The other two adults in the picture, a blonde woman in a flowery maxi dress and a man in a three-piece suit, were cradling a baby girl between them. "I can't believe they never came up in a conversation!"

"Honestly, I'm surprised they never turned up after TK got shot," Owen admitted. "When we were with the 252, our crews were tighter than anyone ever thought." He pulled out his phone, snorting. "At least Liv warned me that Stabler came back to New York."

TK snickered. "Please tell me Stone gave him a piece of his mind."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said no," Owen grinned innocently, leaning back in his chair. "Now, imagine this . . . an SVU captain, and Organized Crime detective, and the most successful prosecuting attorney in the state walk into your bar."

TK shuddered. "Oh, God, that's terrifying."

"Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, and Peter Stone," Owen grinned wolfishly. "You know what? Let's let them rip into Billy Tyson. Please."

TK threw his head back and laughed loudly. "I would pay anything to see that happen. I mean it. Anything."

"You have your friends in New York to see, at least," Tommy smiled encouragingly. "You'll have support."

"We will," Owen agreed. "I had Liv and Elliot after 9/11. Fin and Munch, too." He sighed. "I'll book the tickets."

TK nodded. "Whoa, whoa, wait," Carlos suddenly paled, causing everyone to look at them. "You two know Captain Olivia Benson?"

"Er . . . yeah," TK frowned. "She's like my mother. A better mother."

"Yeah, I agree with that," Owen nodded.

Carlos gulped. "Your connections scare me, Captain Strand."

Owen grinned. "Now I wish I pulled that card sooner. I'd've had you wanting to be on my good side a long time ago."

Tommy couldn't help but laugh at Carlos's deer in the headlights expression. She couldn't help but feel glad for his comments, however.

Owen and TK were smiling again.

***

I realize I was a little harsh to the 126 here, but don't worry, they'll be treated much better towards the end of the story. For the plot to work, the ladder crew (sans Owen) is staying in Austin. It'll be the Strands, the Vegas, Nancy, and Carlos high-tailing it to New York.

Next time, we drop in on Los Angeles and Chicago!

graphic by marvelity