240.

Olivia woke up to darkness and the bedside clock reading five o'clock sharp. While her eyes were still closed she sensed an emptiness, a cool feeling from the other side of the bed, and, sure enough, Ed wasn't there. The bathroom light was on and the door was closed, so she gently tapped on it before going inside. He was hovered over his side of the vanity, shirtless, scrubbing his face. Olivia breathed in the mixed scents of their bathroom-peppermint oil, Dove brand soap, Ed's woodsy aftershave lotion-and hugged him from behind.

"You're up early," she cooed.

"Not sure why," he replied. "Every once in a while my body goes back to the old clock."

"Mmmhmm." Olivia laid her cheek against his bare skin. This body. It took mere seconds for her to go from a sleepy early morning fog to aroused and desirous of a bathroom lovemaking session. She kissed him, massaged his abdomen, and murmured, "Ed…"

Slowly, he turned around and started to nudge her back to the bedroom.

"No," she protested, "here."

He smirked and kissed her, wasting no time on pecks or little teasing touches of the mouth. Their moans echoed through the space. "Which way?" He asked, gasping for air, suddenly needing her now, so badly it was difficult to breathe.

Olivia shimmied out of her bottoms and hopped up on the vanity. She held Ed's forearms, slowed him down, and watched as he moved closer. She smiled and licked her lips then threw her head back and wrapped her legs and arms around him. Ed held her tightly, too, picking her up toward the end as she cried out that she loved him more than life itself.

"Oh my God," she whispered into his neck as they swayed together, "So, so good." She tilted her head back and looked into his eyes, "I hope I didn't delay any important early morning plans?"

Ed smiled and replied, "You delay anything you want any time."

She grinned. "Are you coming into the shower with me?"

"Sure."

After showering and getting dressed in the clothes they would wear to take the kids to school, Ed and Olivia began the process of waking everyone up. Noah was first and usually the easiest. Wyatt and Maggie could sleep a little longer since their day started an hour after Noah's and the commute to preschool was shorter. Olivia went into Noah's room and sat on the side of his bed.

"Sweet boy," she said in a voice slightly above a whisper, "Wake up, honey. Time to get ready for school."

"The giraffe's outta d'zoo," Noah slurred. A few seconds later he rolled over and opened his eyes. Seeing his mother's face, he smiled, "Did I jus' say somethin' 'bout giraffes?"

"Yes, were you dreaming about them?"

"Uh-huh! We went to the zoo and it was only giraffes!"

"Sometimes our dreams are so silly!"

"What did you dream 'bout last night?"

"You know what?" Olivia replied, "I don't remember."

"Musta been somethin' really good," Noah said affirmatively.

"Why do you say that, honey?"

"You look super happy."

Olivia didn't have time to be embarrassed or press him for more information. Noah immediately sat up, stretched, and announced he had to hurry up and get ready.

"We're on time," Olivia replied.

"Wanna get to school early," Noah said, "Can we go early? The book fair starts today!"

"Oh, yes, that's right. Sure, we can go early."

Noah rummaged around in one of his drawers. He produced a pencil pouch Olivia remembered purchasing at a street fair in Little Italy last fall. He unzipped in and revealed a wad of bills. Olivia's eyes grew large. "Wow, you have a lot of money."

"Yep," Noah replied. He counted off twenty dollars in fives and ones. "I keep some in my wallet, but da rest in here and I have more in another secret place."

Olivia was impressed. Everyone gave Noah money-Caroline, Sarah, Brooke, Justin, Sonny-they all slipped him a few dollars every once in a while. Sarah in particular always included cash in his birthday cards. Apparently Noah had a natural affinity for saving.

"Do you think twenty dollars is enough for da book fair?" He asked.

"I think so," Olivia replied, "But I was going to give you some money. You don't have to spend your own."

Noah twisted his lips. "Okayyy," he put the cash back in the pouch, then reconsidered and grabbed two fives. "How bout da money you give me is for books and dis money is for not books?"

"Not books?"

"Yep, they have other stuff at da book fair like posters and pens that light up."

"Sounds like a plan."

Noah smiled and put the ten dollars in his wallet. He glanced at the clock. "Gotta hurry," he said before running to the bathroom. Olivia smiled, went to his closet, and took out a freshly pressed pair of pants and a uniform shirt. She laid them on the bed and went back to the closet, peering inside at a shoebox on one of the shelves. Since storage space was at a premium in the apartment, Olivia and Ed never kept shoeboxes, but this one from the Nike store had been salvaged by their son. He had scrawled KEEP OUT on the white swoosh. Olivia was certain she'd found the secret place containing the rest of Noah's life savings.

She went out to the kitchen and gave the twins kisses on their cheeks as they chewed bites of cereal. Ed was standing at the island reading the paper and she sidled up to him. He gave her a playful look as if to warn her now was not the time to initiate more intimacy.

"I think we should take Noah to the bank and open a savings account," she said, "He has far too much cash on the premises."

"How much cash?"

"Probably a couple hundred dollars."

"Oh, wow, did not know that. Yeah, let's take him. He'll get a kick outta having an account."

"He sure will."

When Noah emerged from his room fully dressed except for shoes, Olivia told him they were going to the bank after school. Noah grinned. "Am I gonna get a credit card?"

"No, not yet," Olivia said, "We're just going to put your money in the bank because that's where we keep money when we have a lot and want to save."

"And it'll collect interest," Ed added.

"Oh yeah, Sare Bear told me 'bout interest."

"She did?" Olivia asked.

"Yep, cause she knows a lot about it because of her work."

"Ah."

"When can I get a credit card?" Noah asked.

"When you go to college," Ed replied and glanced at Olivia for ex post facto approval.

She nodded. "Yes, when you go to college. For now, though, you don't have to worry about money because Mommy and Daddy pay for your things."

"Yeah," Noah said, "Thanks for that."

Ed and Olivia cracked up. Noah wasn't sure what was so funny. "Can we go?" He asked.

"Yes, honey," Olivia said, "Let's go."

Olivia woke up and realized Ed was no longer next to her in bed. Disappointed, she sat up and looked around. His clothes from yesterday's date night were draped over a chair, so he could not have gone far. He wasn't up with Noah, for he was still snoozing away. Olivia walked out into the kitchen and there was no sign of Ed. She started to go back to the bedroom for her phone, but the sound of the door stopped her. Ed entered with two shopping bags in his hands. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and Olivia rolled her eyes at herself for not immediately remembering Ed kept a small collection of clothing at her apartment.

"You have no food," Ed offered as a means of explanation. He kissed her and dropped the bags on the counter. "Was gonna make breakfast if that's alright?"

"Of course," Olivia replied. "Want a sous chef?"

"Sure." Ed smiled as she moved closer for a kiss.

"Last night was so nice," she said, "I was worried you'd gone home."

"No way. I was worried you and Noah have been starving to death."

Olivia swatted at his chest and grinned. "I've never claimed to be great at keeping the fridge stocked. But it is the end of the week if you'd like to give me a break, Captain."

"Break granted," Ed took her into his arms and kissed her again, more passionately this time, and then held her for a minute or so, savoring the moment.

"So, what are we eating?"

"Got bacon and eggs, pancake mix, bread…figured Noah would want pancakes."

"Mmmm, sounds good. I'm hungry."

"Well, after last night…" Ed grinned as he saw Olivia's cheeks turn bright red. "I'm hungry, too."

"Thanks for trying a new place with me," Olivia said, "It's fun to explore…even more fun with you, I think because I'm always thinking you'll hate the food but you end up loving it."

"I've never been a very adventurous eater," Ed replied, "But then again, no one ever pressed me to get outside of my comfort zone…until you."

"I think we might be good for each other, Ed Tucker."

"I think so."

Olivia took a seat at the island and watched Ed start the coffee maker. "You know what I like most about us?"

"What's that?"

"It's not all cop talk. Which is surprising. Considering how entrenched we both are."

"We're working our way outta the trenches," Ed remarked. He peeled off a few pieces of bacon and laid them in the hot skillet. "Crispy, right?"

"Yes please."

Ed pushed around the bacon with a spatula and Olivia noticed the naughty smirk on his face. "What are you thinking now?" She asked.

"Probably the same thing you're thinking."

"And that is?"

Ed leaned forward across the countertop on his elbows. "That we have pretty damn good sex," he said under his breath.

"We do," Olivia stared into his eyes as he kissed her. "So you can understand why I was so worried you'd left…I thought we were making a weekend of it?"

"I'm not goin' anywhere unless you kick me out, Benson."

Olivia closed her eyes for a second and remembered the sensations of last night, the tenderness of Ed's lovemaking, and the way he played with her hair afterwards and stared into her eyes. He made her feel like the most important person on earth. "I can't imagine ever kicking you out," she finally replied then, grinning, added, "For one, you're far too good of a cook."

He smirked at her.

"And you shop…I can't think of a better man."

Ed's chest puffed out in the wake of her compliments, but he wanted to make clear how serious he was about his contentment with where they were in their relationship. It had been months since the scandal. Two months exactly from their Paris trip. He knew Olivia was still fragile after the loss of Dodds, but they were so solid. So strong. He wanted to reinforce, to verbalize everything he was feeling, but words escaped him and, also, he was nervous about scaring her. Ed wanted to marry Olivia Benson, but he was terrified, if he brought it up, she would shut down.

So, he went with an innocuous question and asked, "What do you want to do today?"

"Well," Olivia peered toward the back hallway, "If Noah ever gets up…maybe…a nice long walk in the park before it gets too hot?"

"I owe Noah an ice cream from the other day," Ed replied, "So maybe after we can do that."

"And after that, we'll wing it," Olivia finished. She was about to say something else when Noah called out from his room.

"Mama! Ed! I'wake!"

Noah had a toddler bed, but he still insisted someone come to his room before getting out from under the covers. This habit was, in itself, adorable, but Olivia's heart was extra full hearing him ask for her and Ed. Olivia hopped off the chair and said, "Coming, sweet boy!"

She went into his room and found Noah already sitting up.

"Where'Ed?"

Olivia smiled, "He's making breakfast."

"P'cakes?"

"Yes," Olivia hugged Noah, kissed his head, and fought happy tears, "Ed made sure to get you pancakes. Let's go out there and see if we can help."

Noah giggled, but it wasn't his usual laugh. There was a tinge of sarcasm hidden in his joy, as if he knew he and his mother were not really going to help make anything. Olivia gave him another quick hug and lifted him from the covers. She loved the little human being he was becoming, and his personality seemed to be coming into prominence lately. The transformation probably would have come naturally, but Olivia couldn't help but think Ed was playing an important role in his development. The pressure to make sure this relationship worked was at a premium. She couldn't bear to think about Ed no longer being in her life…or Noah's. But, for now, she was taking things one day at a time.

Noah called Sarah via FaceTime as soon as he got home from school. She was still in her office. It was a frigid day, but clear, and Battery Park was visible in the distance. Before Sarah could finish her initial greeting, Noah, beaming, told her the big news. "SARE BEAR I GOTTA BANK ACCOUNT!"

"Omigod," Sarah replied, "This is one of the most important days in your life!"

"I know," Noah said solemnly.

"Remember what I said about interest."

"I know, Sare Bear. S'your best friend."

"Exactly. Especially that of the compound variety. But I'll explain that later. So, did you get a debit card?"

"No," Noah appeared dejected, "S'only to save, not spend."

Sarah smiled and folded her hands in front of her. Though she did not show many signs of aging, she looked, in that moment, every bit like the sagely older sister. "Just as well," she replied, "At your age, you should be saving ninety-five percent of your income."

Noah twisted his lips and did some quick mental math. "I did, Sare Bear," he reported, "I had four hundred and seven dollars and I kept twenty. Dat's more than ninety-five."

Impressed, Sarah squinted at the screen. "How did you figure that out, Noey?"

"Ten percent of four hundred is forty," Noah replied matter-of-factly, "So I know dat twenty makes it a little more than ninety-five."

"You're going to make partner at my firm very soon," Sarah said, "So, what else is going on?"

"Well, school was kinda boring today 'cause we had a test, oh, but, first, I went to da book fair and Mommy bought me four books and with my money I bought a tech deck and two super huge pencils."

"Oh wow, um, what's a tech deck?"

"S'a little skateboard you control with your fingers. I'll show ya when you pick me up."

"This book fair sounds wonderful. May I come?"

Noah scrunched up his face and called out for Olivia. "Mommy, what time is da book fair over?"

Olivia responded she was certain it was open through the end of the middle school day which was longer than Noah's school hours, and Noah reported the answer.

"Well, we shall go," Sarah said. "How are the twinsies?"

"They're in trouble again," Noah reported. "Wyatt and Maggie had to be sep'rated because it was boys and girls and they cried."

"They cried?"

"Yep."

"Oh my…" Sarah twisted her lips, trying to come up with something valuable to offer. She was much better at financial advice. "I guess they got a little freaked out at being apart, after all, they're always together."

"Not always," Noah protested.

"A lot of the time."

Yeah…you're right."

"Well, give them both kisses and hugs for me and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Kay, see ya!"

"Congrats again on the bank account."

"Thanks," Noah replied sincerely, "I've wanted one my whole life."

"And now you have it," Sarah blew him a kiss, "Au revoir."

By the time Maggie and Wyatt made it to middle school, they knew the corridors, offices, and courtyards well. On this particular day, though, Ed entered the building feeling more smug and confident than ever before since he was armed with street cam footage of Wyatt allegedly assaulting a boy. Even though he'd been off the force for over a decade, NYPD roots run deep, so he had no problem tracking someone down in the traffic division to get him the recordings. It helped that there was a city government building nearby which increased the level of surveillance.

Alone, for Olivia was at the Center but mostly embarrassed, he waited patiently for the administrators to finish a meeting then marched into the small conference room with his iPad. Without much of a greeting, he played the video. In it, the "victim" was running and horseplaying with other students when he looked back and ran into Wyatt's right side. The boy-a head shorter and probably twenty pounds lighter than Wyatt-bounced off like a rag doll and tumbled to the ground. Wyatt, dumbfounded and bewildered, stood still, probably wondering what exactly happened.

The administrators cleared their throats and stammered half-hearted apologies. Ed didn't care if the remorse was sincere or not, he was thrilled he had the clear evidence to exonerate his son.

"Can someone call Wyatt out of class?" Ed asked, "I'm going to take him home for the afternoon."

"Would you like Maggie, too?" The only female in the room asked in a sugary sweet voice.

"No, just Wyatt." Ed stared pointedly at the group and silently finished his point. After being falsely accused, Wyatt needed some TLC.

Ed nodded goodbye and went to the lobby to wait for Wyatt. A few minutes later, he appeared, curious but packed and ready to go. "Everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," Ed replied, "All good. They saw the video and dropped the charges."

Wyatt grinned and rolled his eyes at the cop talk. Even though the accusation bothered him, he knew "dropped the charges" was a little much. "Thanks, Dad," he said.

"You're welcome."

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know…whaddya feel like doing?"

Wyatt shrugged then grinned as his face lit up, "Maybe…wanna play pool?"

Ed smirked. Like his siblings, Wyatt loved playing any type of game and was always up for competition of any sort. However, what set Wyatt apart from Maggie and Noah was how much he took to games like chess and pool that involved individual skill and concentration. Wyatt first played pool in Bethany Beach and liked it so much he begged to go back every night of their two-week vacation. The others didn't mind playing, but Wyatt knew his slow pace annoyed his brother and sister. His Dad had patience for days.

"Sure, bud," Ed replied, "Want to stop at home first and change?"

Wyatt looked down at his school uniform. "Yeah, sure, and I can leave my bag." He picked up the walking pace and added, "You should come get me once a month and we can play pool."

"I don't know if your mother will be on board with that."

"Let's ask her today. She might say yes." Wyatt's eyes sparkled. He knew he had significantly more latitude today given the recent events.

Ed chuckled and shook his head. "I'll leave that up to you, pal," he said, "But…your reasoning's spot on."

Wyatt smiled slyly. "I won't tell mom you said that."

"Thanks."

…..

Many components and expectations of school had changed since Sarah was young, so, when she found the book fair looking exactly like it did almost two decades ago, she was surprised and wandered around, channeling the feelings she had as a kid when it seemed like all the cool stuff in the world had been magically dropped into the school library.

"Sare Bear, dis one is da only book I want and didn't get," Noah held up a copy of Finding the Titanic.

"Then you shall have it," Sarah said, digging in her tote for her wallet. "Anything else?"

"Can I get a present for Maggs and Wyatt?"

"Sure, but are they still in trouble?"

"No, actually, Mommy and Daddy said they weren't in trouble. They jus' told 'em dat its okay if they're not always together and I think they got it."

"How do you know?"

"I told 'em I'd buy 'em a present if they didn't cry today."

"A present is very motivating."

"Uh-huh."

Noah chose a gift for his brother and sister, and after Sarah paid, she noticed a small bulletin board advertising the opportunity to donate a book to a New York City kid in need. There were several book-shaped cutouts with wish lists scrawled in wobbly childrens' script.

"Are those actual kids?" Sarah asked the attendant as she nodded at the bulletin board.

The lady confirmed the wish list was indeed from real children who were in homeless shelters across the city. "It's a project a group of our upper schoolers are doing."

Sarah peered at the writing. Some kids had written carefully, in near-perfect printing. Some tried cursive. The spelling ranged from impressive to atrocious. "How much to buy the list?" Sarah asked.

Noah's jaw dropped. Even the second graders knew about this particular project as they and their families were encouraged to round up when they bought a book. This offer was a little more than rounding up.

"Well, each student's list is about two or three books, so-"

"-no, I mean, I want to buy them all."

"I…I'm not sure," the attendant stammered.

Sarah did some quick mental calculations. "Tell you what," she said, "I'm going to Venmo you and whatever's left over you can buy more books for shelter libraries…if they have such a thing. Do they?" She squinted at the dumbfounded attendant, scanned the QR code, and pounded away on her phone. The answer didn't come quickly enough, so she continued. "Anyway, done. C'mon, Noey."

"We..can..send you…tax forms…or-"

Sarah waved as she grabbed Noah's hand and they walked out of the library.

"Sare Bear," Noah said in a hushed voice, "You bought books for a hundred kids."

"I did?"

"Uh-huh! Da project is Hundred Kids Reading."

"I don't think there were a hundred book wish list thingies up there," Sarah said. "But, even if there is..fine. How do you know anyway?"

"Da kids told us, they had to pr'sent their projects."

"To second graders?" Sarah asked, "No offense, Noey, but that's kind of lame."

"No, to everrone on da video 'nouncements."

"Oh…that's better."

Noah leaned into Sarah as they walked to the subway. "You're a hero," he said, "You're a book superhero."

"Of all the money I've spent, Noey, this is one of my favorite purchases."

"You gonna d'liver all dose books?"

"Nope." Sarah replied. "I'll leave that to the upper schoolers."

Noah peered up at his older sister, clearly confused. Part of buying presents, in his experience, was seeing the other person or people actually receive them. But Sarah didn't seem to care. So, he guessed, he shouldn't either.

"Dose kids are gonna be so happy."

"Yes, Noey," Sarah hugged him back, "They are. Now, what are we eating?"

"I think…chicken wings!"

"Chicken wings? That's a new one."

"Yeah," Noah said matter-of-factly, "Somethin' different."

Sarah cracked up and playfully jostled him. "Noey," she said, "You never cease to amuse me."

…..

#Tuckson