Happy Morning

Watching her sleep, with the lines of her face smoothed out and her skin smooth and looking so young, he could see her as she was when they first met. Back when she had a fire inside her of hurt and righteous recklessness, lashing out and doing whatever she had to in order to save the victims she encountered. Back when she was a fresh detective. Back when she and that meathead were two sides of the same coin. Back before the world gave her more hurt than she could have ever fathomed. Than anyone could have ever fathomed.

But that was then, and this was now. Now, she was soft and relaxed in the early hours of morning. Now, she was fast asleep on the pillow beside him. Now, he was lying in her bed, the place he spent more nights than not.

Ed Tucker gently turned over, trying not to disturb her. But of course, she was of an age and an experience that she didn't ever sleep too deeply. That, and she was a mother. Any little sound or movement always woke her up.

Her dark lashes fluttered and she made a cute little noise, making his smile grow. "Morning," she slurred sleepily.

He leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek and nose and mouth. "Happy birthday, baby," he whispered into her soft skin.

She hummed happily, and Ed felt his heart flip in his chest. There was just something about her being happy that made him melt. Renowned asshole of IAB, Captain Ed Tucker, was brought to his knees by none other than Lieutenant Olivia Benson. And it was the best goddamn thing that had ever happened to him.

And speaking of being brought to his knees…

Ed pressed a few more kisses to Liv's sleepy face before travelling down her neck. Her happy hums turned into breathy moans. His hands went up the soft cotton top she wore to bed. Her skin was hot and soft and perfect. He had traced the curves of her body countless times by now, and it never got old. The familiarity of her never dulled the excitement, the thrill, the absolute awe she inspired in him.

"God, you're perfect," he groaned, his voice muffled into her neck.

The little laugh that she emitted only made him love her even more.

Her top came off, and his mouth descended on her breasts. That laugh of hers became a gasp as she arched her back into his touch. But he didn't linger too long. He moved further down her body. Wet, open-mouthed kisses all over her belly. He paused to tease her for a moment with his tongue tracing circles over her belly button.

"Fuck, Tucker!" she hissed. She was just about to start begging for him. She hated when he teased her and made her beg. He'd tried it a little when they first got together, pushing her to see how far she'd let him go. But he didn't bother with it much anymore. Neither of them relished making the other squirm like that.

"Yeah, alright, baby," he conceded with a little laugh of his own. He peeled her pajama pants and her underwear off together, and Olivia shifted her hips and helped kick off the last of her clothes. He ran his hands up and down the velvet-covered steel of her thighs and spread them apart.

The first swipe of his tongue caused a high-pitched sound from the back of her throat. She pressed her lips together to keep quiet. He didn't want her to make too much noise, but damn did it feel good to know she was struggling about it. His hands tightened around her hips to hold her still as he continued to lick and suck the way he knew she liked. She was wet and hot and gorgeous. The undulation of her hips as she practically fucked herself against his mouth was almost more than he could stand. But he was focused on his task. And Ed Tucker was nothing if not thorough in his work.

She shattered the first time with a few jerks of her body and a whimper escaping her lips. He could feel her pulsate against his lips. And he didn't stop. One orgasm wasn't nearly enough. Neither was two. He kept going.

He managed to hold her steady with one hand so he could take the other and plunge two fingers inside her quivering sex, curling and thrusting until he knew he'd found what she needed. Liv thrashed on the bed, fisting the sheets to desperately ground herself.

Olivia finally went limp, and he relented. He was getting pretty unhinged himself, and that wasn't what he was planning to do just now. And so he slowed and stilled. He kissed the inside of her thighs, his glossy lips painting her skin.

Though it nearly killed him, he did manage to pull himself off her. She needed to rest. And he needed a cold shower. She was practically unconscious as she lay sprawled naked in bed, panting. He stood there and watched her for a moment, trying not to grin too proudly. But damn, did she look good. Gorgeous and blissed out, all because of him.

Ed hurried himself into the shower. He rinsed off and calmed himself down. When he came out of the bathroom with one of Olivia's towels wrapped around his waist, he found her sitting up in bed with a sheet loosely covering her.

"Where'd you go? I got cold," she pouted teasingly.

He laughed. "Just lettin' you rest while I showered," he answered.

"I didn't think we were finished."

"It's your birthday. I take care of you," he insisted.

Olivia threw off the covers and got out of bed. Naked and perfect. "But I wasn't done with you," she reiterated.

"You can have all you want of me later," he said. He gave a light swat to her ass. "Now you go shower. I'm gonna start breakfast."

She was grinning as she went into the bathroom he'd just vacated. Ed quickly dressed for the day in jeans and a polo shirt—just one of a few sets of clothes he kept at Liv's place—and left the bedroom.

He had every intention of starting breakfast, and he would, but there was something important to do first. Quietly as he could, Ed went to the next room and opened the door slowly. But he didn't need to be careful. Noah was already awake and sitting up. His sweet little face beamed. "Hi, Daddy!" he greeted.

Another thing that made him melt. Ed Tucker never wanted children. Never even thought about anyone ever calling him 'dad' in any sense. But Noah Benson wasn't just any kid. He was Liv's kid. And Ed loved him so much, he thought his heart might burst from it. "Good morning, kiddo. You sleep alright?"

Noah nodded enthusiastically.

"You remember what we talked about? You wanna come help me make breakfast for Mommy?"

"Mommy's birthday!" Noah announced excitedly.

Ed came and scooped up Noah into his arms. "That's right, it's Mommy's birthday. Let's make pancakes."

And that was how Olivia found them. Tucker carefully assisting Noah in pouring pancake batter into one frying pan. He saw her walk in and smiled just for a secpmd, his attention remaining with Noah. She came over to assist, mostly making sure her little boy wasn't too close to the hot stove. They both cheered when Ed flipped the pancakes in the air.

"Noah, do you wanna tell Mommy who called earlier today?" Ed asked, once they were all settled at the kitchen table.

Liv frowned. "I didn't hear the phone."

"You were in the shower," he explained.

Noah excitedly told his mother, "Grandpa Don!"

Olivia's eyes went wide. "Cragen called? I thought he and Eileen were in Raleigh visiting her kids."

Ed always liked Cragen. He was a good cop. Good captain. Liv couldn't have lucked out any better. "Yeah, I talked to him a couple days ago about it. They were gonna try and come back early, and they just landed at LaGuardia."

Liv's dark eyes sparkled with that magic he loved so much. She was happy. God, he loved seeing her happy. She had a mess of a mother who died more than fifteen years ago. She had a monster for a father. That damn brother of hers was always trouble. A shittier family couldn't have happened to anyone less deserving than Liv. But in the place of bad blood was a chosen family that Olivia had built for herself. Tucker was here with her, and her perfect son, Noah. Don Cragen, the only father she'd ever known, was still a part of her life and her son's life. Noah's uncles and aunts—John Munch, Fin Tutuola, Rafael Barba, Sonny Carisi, Amanda Rollins, and Melinda Warner—would all be filling their home to celebrate Liv's birthday.

The day had only just begun, but it was going to be a good one. She deserved it. She deserved to be happy. And if Ed Tucker could help make her happy, well, that was good by him.