Two.

The pub was supposed to be solely a Noah-Daddy spot, but the little boy had graciously made so many exceptions that he had completely forgotten the rule. When Sarah showed up at the park he greeted her just as jubilantly as he'd reacted to Ed earlier at school. After bear-hugging her waist, he gave a few seconds of attention to Maggie and Wyatt before rushing back to the field.

"Watch me catch the f'ball, babies!" He sprinted a few yards away and Ed lobbed a gentle pass which Noah bobbled but secured in his arms. He did a little dance, celebrated the touchdown, and jogged back. "Sare bear, you wanna play?"

Ed expected her to decline, but Sarah held out her arms for the ball. She threw a wobbly pass which didn't come close to being on target, but Noah happily chased after it.

"So, what's goin' on?" Ed asked as he plucked Maggie from her seat and kissed her hello. He quickly crouched down so he could reach Wyatt. Ed lingered face-to-face with his youngest son, soaking up the feel of his little hands slapping at his cheeks.

"How's my big boy?"

Wyatt babbled excitedly.

"Daddy, you are so freaking cute with these babies."

Noah came running up to them with the football, "Here, Sare bear. Try 'gain."

"One more, Noey. I'll throw it better this time."

Noah reached up and pointed to the laces, "Gotta put your fingers here!"

"Oh, well, why didn't ya tell me that before?" Sarah heaved another pass. This one was more accurate but not the tight spiral Noah was used to catching. It bounded off in the opposite direction, and Ed kept one eye on Noah's pursuit as he listened to Sarah.

"So, the dealio is…Hillary absconded from our office in Argentina and flew back to Nashville—"

"Wow."

"That's not all," Sarah continued indignantly, "She didn't tell anyone. And she's not answering any calls or texts or emails."

"Are you sure she's in Nashville?" Ed asked skeptically. The inquiry came while he swung Maggie high in the air, causing her to squeal. Seeing his sister having all the fun, Wyatt started fussing, so Sarah picked him up.

"Sheesh," she said as she tried to copy Ed's moves, "This kid has gained weight since the last time I saw him."

"Doc said he's in the eightieth percentile," Ed reported proudly, "Couldn't believe he was born a few weeks early. Both of them are all caught up and then some."

"They're Tuckers," Sarah said, "Tough kiddos."

"Right. So…"

Sarah sighed and hugged Wyatt tightly to her chest. "Livvie found out she was on a flight to Nashville."

"Liv?"

"Yes, I told you she already helped me. But I think she's pissed. They were busy."

"I'm sure she's not pissed," Ed's eyes grew distant as he pictured his wife huddled with her squad in front of a monitor, trying to decipher shreds of evidence. He pictured her leaving the apartment that morning clad in navy blazer and powder blue blouse, and thought about how irresistible she was when she was working—tough yet graceful; compassionate but also a little cocky.

"But she still hasn't contacted anyone?" Ed rubbed his chin, "That's weird. Didja call the police? She have emergency contacts?"

"After Livvie found that flight, I didn't call the police," Sarah reported, "And…I didn't think about the emergency list…I'll find it. Good idea, Captain Tucker!" Her face brightened as if he'd just solved the entire matter.

"But still…" Ed shifted Maggie to his hip so he could throw the ball to Noah once again, "How are you approaching this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…obviously something was seriously wrong for her to run away like that…if that's what happened. But, as her boss, that's unacceptable. Right?"

Sarah cringed. He was absolutely correct.

"And…you kinda have to be her boss first."

"I know," Sarah moaned, her gloss lips contorting into an impossible shape.

"So I think, as her boss, you need to get that emergency info and contact her. Find out what happened. And go from there."

"Gawwwd, this sucks, I mean, what the serious fuck is wrong with her taking off like that?"

"Like I said," he replied matter-of-factly, "You gotta talk to her first."

"Fuck."

Ed cast Sarah a warning glance. Noah was coming within earshot.

"Daddy, I'm hungry!" He dropped the football and put his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

Ed checked the time. "How about we go to the pub? Get a snack? Help Sarah relax."

Noah's eyes widened, "You needta relax, Sare Bear?"

"Yes, Noey. I'm stressed out. I need a vacation. But…I'll settle for the pub."

"Yeah," Noah agreed seriously, "They have mozz'rella sticks."

Ed buckled Maggie back into her seat and did the same thing with Wyatt. The sun was setting, and he tucked a blanket around each of them to ward off the impending evening chill.

"We gonna get mozzarella sticks, bud?" He asked. "Thought you liked the calamari best?"

"I get that with Sonny," Noah explained.

"Oh."

"Get mozz'rella sticks with Sare Bear."

Sarah took the handles of the stroller and led the group from the grass to the paved path, "And what do you get with Daddy?" She asked facetiously, anticipating his response.

Noah grasped the side of the stroller and walked proudly beside his siblings. He giggled at Sarah's question. "Daddy say I get whatever I want."

"As long as he reads the words," Ed interjected.

"Yep!" Noah said, "Jus' haveta read it!"

Any pub bustled on Friday night, but Ed commandeered a large circular booth in the back corner and parked the stroller in an alcove unknown to everyone but the most regular of customers. Noah managed to claim exceptionalism, boasting that he and Daddy always took the front booth by the window but, "today there TOO MANY TUCKERS to fit there."

"Shhh, No," Ed tried to admonish his son but the reprimand carried absolutely no weight. He smiled and cupped his head, "Can't be that loud in the pub, bud."

"Nonsense, Daddy," Sarah scoffed, "Pubs are for being loud."

On cue, Maggie screamed and didn't stop until she was in Ed's arms. Her little face was beet red and she flailed her arms around with fists clenched.

"Okay, princess," Ed softly cooed, rubbing her head. "Shhhshhhshhhshh."

Maggie was dressed in a navy onesie and floral leggings. On her feet were fringed navy booties, the toes of which banged into Ed's belly as he bounced her against his chest. She flung her head back and grinned at her Daddy triumphantly.

Sarah witnessed Maggie's instantaneous mood change with an amazed grin, "Omigod, omigod, omigawwwwd. Maggs is such a Daddy's girl."

Noah chimed in cheerfully, "Yep! Maggie always stop cryin when Daddy pick her up!"

"What about Wyatt?" Sarah asked.

Noah made a silly face at his baby brother and replied, "Wyatt jus' smile."

Drinks arrived promptly and Ed and Sarah further discussed and debated how she should approach Hillary's rash decision to flee her job. Sarah fluctuated between being vindictive and terminating her right away and wondering whether or not she should fly to Nashville and personally track her down. Throughout her musings, Ed continually reminded her that Hillary's whereabouts were still technically unknown.

"She needs to pick up the phone," Sarah muttered. She covered Noah's ears and added in a hushed voice, "This is so fucked up."

Noah squirmed. "Sare Bear! Your phone!"

"It's Brookey," Sarah reported, "She's on her way."

Ed looked around at the increasingly crowded environs—mostly young professionals and a few tourists. Some groups included children, so he didn't feel too out-of-place with his three little ones who were, by now, no strangers to happy hour. Wyatt was content in Sarah's lap, Noah was drawing on the placemat, and Maggie had tossed her toy aside, preferring to drum a beat on the well-worn table with a spoon. Though content, Ed missed Olivia and sent her a text.

Love you. We're at the pub. Stop by?

He slid the phone just out of Maggie's reach and waited impatiently for her reply.

…..

The entire squad stared at the white board. It contained the totality of their work over the past two weeks of chasing the elusive rapist or rapists who were terrorizing residents of lower Manhattan. While there had been no more attacks, the evidence trail was running cold. Olivia and Rollins sat in the rolling chairs and stared blankly at the timeline. Detective Savage paced. Carisi scratched at his face, squinted, and shifted his weight from foot to foot. Fin's eyes kept drifting to the elevator. They were expecting an unannounced visit from Chief Dodds. Scrutiny from the public, the mayor's office, and One PP had been relentless, but SVU had pursued every lead and analyzed every piece of evidence to no avail. The DNA from the most recent crime scene ended up being that of the victim's boyfriend, and the perp's face generated by the sketch only narrowed the suspect down by race and hair color.

The best the Lieutenant could report was that there hadn't been any attacks in nearly a week.

"I hate that we're basically waiting for him or them to show up again," Amanda moaned.

"We're on day five of increased plainclothes officers in the neighborhood," Carisi mentioned, "You think this guy could possibly have inside info? I mean…unis there I get it…but it's awfully convenient that the attacks stopped as soon as we put plainclothes guys on the streets."

Olivia considered the possibility. "There're officers from three precincts assigned to that detail…that's a lot of possibilities. Everyone from desk sergeants to clerks would know. Not to mention the houses themselves."

"Should we set up something?" Savage asked, trying to be helpful. "Easy prey on a Friday or Saturday night?" He was eyeing Rollins.

"We don't even know how he targets the women," Fin grumbled. "None of them seem to have been followed. At least not what we see on cams."

Olivia agreed. "Yeah, we need to hold off on that for now." On the table, her phone vibrated. She read Ed's text message with a smile and gave him a status update.

An hour later, the Lieutenant was still in her office, giving the evidence one last look before she departed for the night. She also had other paperwork to finalize, but that could wait until the morning. She wasn't technically supposed to work over the weekend, but she was so behind that she planned to come in early for a couple hours before Noah's basketball game. Everyone but Fin and Carisi were gone. Fin was on duty, and Carisi dawdled, waiting to see if the Lieutenant was going to accompany him to the pub. Brooke was already there and insisted Sonny join before they went home to begin their weekend.

Sonny finally got tired of waiting and poked his head into the office. "Hey, Lieu, I'm headed out to meet everyone. You goin?" He assumed she already knew her family's whereabouts.

Olivia sat back and stretched a little. "I think…yes. I'm going. I need to maybe leave this alone for a little while and start fresh tomorrow."

"What were ya doin?"

"Running through the list of officers at each precinct…checking for dings in their jackets…at least, the dings I can see."

"Too bad Tucker's not at IAB anymore."

Olivia eyed him, trying to determine whether or not he was joking.

Carisi noticed. "I mean…that'd be, uh, convenient."

His face reddened slightly and Olivia laughed. "I suppose it would be," she said through a chuckle and grabbed her near-empty bag, opting to leave the files and laptop on her desk. "Okay…let's go."

…..

Sarah was on the sidewalk practically shouting into her phone when Sonny and Olivia approached. She waved frantically in case there was any iota of a chance they would miss the entrance of their regular spot.

"I have to go," she barked, "the rest of my family's here…yeah…sure…okay, I'll see you Sunday." She hung up and enveloped her stepmother and brother-in-law in a ferocious group hug. "Hiiiiiyyeeeeeee!"

Olivia said a polite hello and wondered about the state of everyone else inside. Sarah had obviously already had several drinks. She gave Sonny an uneasy glance and murmured a sweet hello into Sarah's blonde hair which she'd swept into a messy pile atop her head.

"I'msogladyoucame!"

Sonny finally extracted himself from her grip, freeing Olivia as well. "Let's go in, huh? A beer sounds really good right now."

They marched inside. Through the dense bar crowd Ed spotted his wife—regal and a bit battle-weary, yet nonetheless stunning. People instinctively stepped aside to let her through and a few patrons ignored their dates for a moment and snuck glances, unsure why this woman commanded their attention but feeling almost obligated to witness her make her way to the back booth and hug and kiss the little boy, two babies, and, finally, the silver-haired man who stood and patiently waited his turn for her affection.

For the few seconds he held her around the waist, Ed pretended they were alone. He knew his brazen public displays of affection often made Sonny and Brooke self-conscious, but he couldn't hold back, especially since he incorrectly predicted this would be one of those nights where she snuck away from the precinct to put the kids in bed, only to return to work after everyone, including Ed, was asleep. He pecked at her lips, her cheek, took her coat, and let her slide into the space he had previously occupied.

"Do you have enough room?" she asked, shimmying more toward the center of the U-shaped booth.

Ed grabbed her thigh and sat on the edge of the seat. "Yeah. You're good."

Her smirk reminded him of the looks she shot his way when they first started seeing each other, particularly the instance in his office when she and Mike Dodds came in to report the sex party bust. Little did they know they were about to face their relationship's first major test, but Ed didn't even think about that now. He only remembered how she covertly gave him that little grin and walked out in her typical businesslike manner, followed by the late Sergeant Dodds who, at the time, had absolutely no clue he and the Lieutenant were having extremely regular sex.

While Ed daydreamed, Noah switched spots so he was between Sonny and Brooke. They didn't seem to mind, and Sonny sat with one arm slung across his wife's shoulders. Noah held up the plastic menu and hunted for "calamari" which, true to Ed's rule, could only be ordered if Noah read the word. The fancier dinner menu temporarily stymied him—he and Ed typically dined there for lunch—but eventually he announced, "It's right here!" and then proceeded to recite each letter.

"Wow, sweet boy!" Olivia praised, "Great job! I'm so proud of you!"

"Bud, pretty soon you're gonna read all the books to us before we go to bed," Ed added.

"You do the voices, Daddy!" Noah protested.

Brooke grinned. "I would really love to hear Daddy do the voices," she teased.

"Me too!" Sarah chimed in. She gulped her white wine. "So…what's everyone doing this weekend?"

"Nothing," Brooke and Sonny said at the same time.

"Mmmmhmmm," Sarah kidded. "And…Daddy? Livvie?"

"Got basketball tomorrow," Ed reported.

"Omigod I haven't been to one game!" Sarah exclaimed, "Noey I am so so so sorry!"

"Have more games," he replied.

"Only two more. Tomorrow and next Saturday," Sonny said. Because of SVU's hectic February he had regrettably been less than a part-time coach at the YMCA where Noah played. "I'll be there tomorrow, Noah."

"So you are doing something other than Brooke," Sarah giggled even though Ed was glaring at her.

"It's an hour," Sonny retorted, rolling his eyes.

"I'm still waiting to see you and Carisi play," Olivia said to her husband, sidling closer so their legs were touching.

Ed twisted his lips, "I dunno. I was sore for a week after the last time we played."

"Oh please," Sarah said, "You toss these babies around and around and throw the ball with Noah."

"Maybe you'll get lucky," Ed murmured to Olivia.

Sarah yelped, "Daddy! I get in trouble for saying Sonny's doing something other than Brooke and you can say that?"

Ed played coy, "I meant maybe she'll get lucky and see us play tomorrow."

"Uh-huh."

Under the table, Olivia's hand was on Ed's thigh now gripping him more tightly than she probably should have been. It didn't last long. Maggie was restlessly trying to break out of her high chair and Ed passed her to Olivia.

"Hi baby girl!" Maggie jumped up and down in Olivia's lap and giggled when she nuzzled her neck. "I missed you today!" Olivia suddenly remembered Sarah's earlier request and asked about Hillary. By now, their romantic dalliance was known to all family members, and Olivia didn't think twice about posing the question.

"What's going on with Hillary?" Brooke squinted at her sister.

Sarah grumbled and gave a concise explanation of the past few hours.

"And you're sitting here at a bar?" Brooke asked incredulously.

"What exactly should I be doing?" Sarah snapped, "She's not answering her phone. Obviously she wants to be off the grid. And I'll try again tomorrow, but she better pick up or she won't have a job when she resurfaces."

The venom in Sarah's voice startled Olivia. "Does she have family? Did anyone at the Argentina office tell you what happened?"

"She has a mom. She never mentioned a dad," Sarah swallowed another drink of the wine, "And all I was told was that she wasn't happy there. Hated it. And left with a suitcase, most of her clothes, and, of course, her purse."

"You can't call her family in Nashville?" Brooke asked, still astonished that Sarah was being so flippant about the whole thing when just a few weeks ago she was agonizing over how devastated Hillary seemed at what amounted to their breakup.

"I could," Sarah said, "But if there was something terribly wrong, don't you think they would've called us—her employer?"

"If I were you I'd be calling and calling and possibly on a plane to Tennessee."

"Well that's simply not going to work," Sarah replied, "For I am making dinner for Patrick on Sunday. And you are all invited."

"Who the hell is Patrick?" Brooke cringed and glanced down at Noah who was engrossed with his placemat artwork and didn't appear to be paying attention to the adults. Nevertheless, she felt the heat of Ed's normally-reserved-for-Sarah glare.

"You saw him—the guy I met online."

Ed screwed up his face. "You met someone online?"

"Lots of people do that, Ed," Olivia said softly.

"It's dangerous."

"Which is why I had Brookey and Sonny go along and observe." Sarah signaled for another round and continued, "And we are having a love affair. So I have no time to be chasing Hillary all across the continent."

"Two continents." Sonny meant it as a joke but Sarah glowered at him.

"And online dating is good," Sarah reasoned, "They use scientific algorithms to match you to the perfect mate. You and Livvie should try it just to see if you get paired with each other."

"Not happening."

"You're no fun."

Ed turned to Olivia, "Am I no fun?"

"You're very fun," she gave him a kiss.

Ed continued the survey, "Noah, am I fun?"

"Yep! You the FUNNEST DADDY!"

"Do you think Maggie and Wyatt think I'm fun?"

"Yep!"

Knowing he was about to put Sonny in a tough position, he smirked and asked his son-in-law the same question.

Carisi held up his half-full beer, "Captain, I have never had more fun than when I'm in your presence."

"Hey," Brooke elbowed him.

"Sorry," he mumbled, helplessness in his eyes.

Olivia wanted to inquire further about Hillary, but the mood at the Tucker-Carisi table was light again. They playfully shot barbs at one another and erupted into multiple rounds of laughter. Olivia hadn't planned on drinking too much, but she agreed to a second and third round but not before searching Ed's eyes for approval.

"Go ahead," he whispered. It was so good to see her relaxed and having fun he wasn't about to cut their evening short until it was absolutely necessary. He had been nursing a bourbon but switched to beer and sipped it slowly, intent on keeping a clear head and knowing Maggie and Wyatt wouldn't last much longer.

"Last one," Olivia said as she handed her empty glass to the server, "Then we need to get home."

"Why?" Sarah protested, "The twinsies and Noey ate dinner here! Stay longer!"

"We don't need the kids in a bar this late," Ed said, "I'm surprised they haven't kicked us out yet."

"Our tab's gonna be huge," Sarah replied, "No way they're kicking us out."

"Well, you can stay and run it up even more, but we're going home."

"Brooke? Sonny? Are you staying?"

For the second time that night they responded in unison.

"No."

Sarah frowned and stared forlornly into her near-empty glass. If she was trying to conjure sympathy, it worked. At least it did for Olivia. She reached over and patted the top of Sarah's hand. "Do you want to come over? Hang out? Watch a movie or something?" She could sense Ed's disappointment with the invitation, but Olivia didn't want Sarah to keep drinking and get herself in trouble by doing something rash.

"No…ah…I think I'll just go home and go to bed."

"You sure?"

"Yeah…what time's that game tomorrow?"

"Ten."

Sarah grinned, "Well, I would hate to have a pounding headache and be in a gym full of whistles and basketballs. Okay, okay, let's call it a night."

"And you're going to try to get in touch with Hillary's family in the morning, right?" Brooke said in her best big-sisterly tone.

"Right-o."

"But don't get on a plane tonight," Sonny advised.

"Or call anyone," Ed added, "You're slurring."

Sarah held up her right hand in oath-taking tradition. "I swear I will not get on a plane nor will I call anyone."

"But text us when you get home," Olivia said.

"We'll walk ya there," Sonny offered.

Ed settled up with the waiter and brushed away offers of cash from Sonny, Brooke, and Sarah. When Noah saw the money, he pulled out his own wallet and shoved a few dollars in his Daddy's direction.

"That's alright, bud. You save your money."

"Okay!" Noah agreed. "That's what Sare Bear say!"

"Don't show him the twenties," Sarah whispered.

Ed heard her, raised his eyebrows, and made a mental note to check the contents of the wallet after Noah fell asleep.

On the short walk home, Olivia apologized for asking Sarah to come over.

"Ah, stop Liv, I understood…it just took me a minute," he said light-heartedly, "I'm not always as quick thinking as you are." He intentionally bumped into her as she pushed the stroller along. Noah was perched on his shoulders.

"This is our first early and free night in a while," Olivia said, "I felt bad as soon as I told her to come…but I worry about her…especially when she's drinking."

"I'm a little worried about Hillary."

"Me too…she's such a nice, sweet girl…and I wonder how much of her running away has to so with Sarah."

"I know."

They walked a few more steps in silence until Ed leaned over and clumsily kissed her cheek. "I miss you."

Remorse clouded Olivia's face. "Yeah…these stretches…are tough. I miss you, too…and… I need to talk to you."

Alarmed, Ed raised his eyebrows and slowed his gait.

"It's nothing major," she quickly added, "But we haven't had a chance to really talk in what? A week? Two?"

"We've been goin' a thousand miles per hour," he admitted, already starting to beat himself up for not recognizing she was struggling. "So, yeah, little ones in bed and," he leaned in for another kiss, "then husband and wife time."

"Talking and…who knows what else…" Olivia mused playfully, trying to ease Ed's mind. She could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"But talking first."

Olivia looked up at him and grinned. "That's a rare suggestion, Captain Tucker."

More confident now, he smirked back at her. Whatever was wrong, it wasn't enough to completely eliminate her sass, and, whatever was wrong, it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.

….

#Tuckson