A/N: I honestly didn't expect any of the feedback that I've been getting on this story and it has made me beyond happy! Thank you all so much for your positive reviews. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

"Gun! Gun! Gun!"

The shouts were coming from all directions so Ed responded like he was trained. Gun out of the holster, shoulders square to Tommy Creek who was mirroring his stance. Time slowed down and he swore he could see the officer's finger squeeze the trigger.

Was it possible to feel the air from the bullet? It took the breath out of his lungs and for the first time in his career, Ed froze. Olivia and Noah flashed through his mind. Then the training kicked in and he felt his finger start to pull the trigger as he heard a second shot.

Except Creek's partner, Chris Volk, had been watching the entire thing. Waiting. All Ed heard was "fuckin' rat" before he was tackled to the ground. He landed on his right side, his holster jamming into his hip as he felt a fist connect with the left side of his face.

Where had his gun gone? The force of the tackle had knocked it from his grip and he could hear more shots. Gun. He needed his gun. But the searing pain across his right cheek shifted his thought process. All he could do was scream as his eyes went wide. Ed's gaze caught the glare of the knife blade. It was moving down toward him and moving fast. The fight was on. Ed's mind was fuzzy but he knew to raise his forearms, feeling the blade knick the skin as he blocked each movement.

"This is what you get you IAB piece of shit," Volk growled above him. Ed met his gaze before he grabbed the officer's hand to stop the knife from going through his ballistic vest. Olivia's face was flashing through his mind again. Everything else was training.

They had rolled easily and Ed could see Volk's shock the moment his back hit the asphalt. There was blood dripping onto the man's shirt below him as they continued to struggle for the knife. Volk tried to stab him again but Ed avoided the stab at his neck easily.

Then the knife was in his hand and where the hell was his gun?

And why was Volk screaming?

Ed's eyes shot open and his chest jumped as he took a sharp intake of breath. This was his bedroom. It was quiet. No yelling or gunshots. Nobody trying to kill him. As his heart rate started to calm he started to ground himself. Olivia was curled into his side with a hand resting over his heart. Thankfully, she was still asleep. For a few moments he just watched her and let himself smile. Never in his life had he let a person care for him but when it came to Olivia, he knew that things were different.

"I'm gonna marry you," Ed whispered to the sleeping woman. It took some magic but he managed to untangle himself from his girlfriend without waking her up. His body was sore and he struggled to not groan as he walked over to the mirror above his sink. The black eye was darker. The cut across his right cheek somehow looked worse.

But he was alive. He got Olivia and Noah for another day. A sore body was well worth that.

Ed checked to make sure Olivia was comfortable in the bed before going into the living room. Making breakfast seemed like a good idea but he'd hardly been living in his apartment the last few months. They had discussed him selling it but each conversation had been interrupted by something. As a result, there was no food for him to make Olivia breakfast. All he had was coffee.

"I'm here to take care of you, Tucker," Olivia's voice came from the hallway as the smell of coffee filled the apartment. All Ed could do was smile. "That means you should be in bed naked with me on top of you." That earned her a low laugh. Instead, a mug of coffee was slid in front of her as he took the first sip from his own.

"I don't disagree with you," Ed winked at her and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. "But coffee was calling my name and you looked so cute asleep. I couldn't ruin that." The stared at each other as Olivia took her first sip of coffee. The air between them was comfortable but he could tell she was thinking. "I don't want to talk about what happened yesterday."

"We don't have to. You have another two days before you have to give your official statement."

"You want to ask me something."

"I want to ask you a lot of things." Olivia licked her lips and moved to sit on the counter. Their bodies moved comfortably and in an instant, Ed was standing between her legs. His left hand slide high on her thigh while his right lifted his mug to his lips.

"Ask away."

Olivia held Ed's gaze as her free hand reached behind him and traced the large scar. She felt his breath hitch before a small smirk graced his lips.

"Ed, I don't know how I have never seen this. I feel horrible." She let her hand fall to rest on his lower back, massaging the muscles there the best she could at that angle.

"I purposely do my best to make sure you don't see it. I'm embarrassed by it." Ed studied the woman in front of him over his mug of coffee as he took another sip. Olivia Benson was the woman he knew that he would marry. He wanted to spend the rest of his life taking care of her, watching Noah grow. All of it. Olivia needed to know all about him and that meant he would have to open up when he didn't want to.

"It must look more impressive than the scar from you getting shot in the calf," Olivia was rewarded with a laugh. Ed dipped his head down to place a soft kiss on her neck while his hand squeezed her thigh. Seeing his office was triggered quite the streak of curiosity in Olivia. She'd learned so much about the kind of cop and human Ed Tucker was. Their brief meetings throughout the years didn't do him justice.

"That was just a ricochet, they made it sound like my damn leg got blown off," Ed whispered against her skin. It sent a chill through her body but she knew what he was doing. Distract her, avoid the questions. Today they wouldn't discuss why he had ended up in the hospital but she would ask him about everything else.

"Tell me about the one on your back." Olivia's hand cupped the back of his skull as he pulled back from her neck. "I want to know."

"It got me the Medal of Honor," Ed responded. Olivia raised an eyebrow before she remembered the photo, the write-up about him using himself as a shield. "We all knew that tower was going to fall and when I felt that rumble I started to run like everybody else. I was terrified." He set his coffee mug down so his hand could run through Olivia's hair instead. "But I saw this man fall out of the corner of my eye. I thought he'd get back up but he didn't and I saw all the dust. I didn't even think."

"That photo of you, was that after?" Olivia let her head rest against his hand. Her eyes slipped shut as she enjoyed Ed's touch.

"Yeah. I got us dug out and carried him to an ambulance, first one I could find. The guy who took the photo shouted something and I looked at him. When I turned away he shouted again but it sounded more, I dunno," Ed shrugged, "Worried? He kept asking if I was alright but I was pretty out of it. Next thing I know, I'm getting carried like some new bride into a firehouse. They think it was a piece of the building or debris that got picked up. I took it instead of that civilian."

The blush that had spread across Ed's face and chest was endearing to Olivia. Her boyfriend didn't enjoy discussing himself, especially when it came to big events that should have defined his career.

"That's pretty sexy," Olivia whispered, earning a smile that ended in a wince from Ed. Those stitches couldn't get out fast enough. She missed that full smile, the one that made his eyes light up.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you were just trying to get into my pants, Benson." Ed's tone was playful as both of his hands wandered around her body to cup her ass against the counter. Before he could speak again Olivia met his lips in a slow kiss. Without a word she moved to pull his hips closer to her own. There were definitely no complaints.

Just as Ed had slid a hand under Olivia's shorts, she heard her cell phone start to ring in the bedroom. Ed groaned, letting his head drop to rest on her shoulder. They managed to untangle one another and he shamelessly watched her ass as she walked down the hallway. While he waited for her to return he did his best to stretch out his back, wincing at how his muscles protested to the movement.

"Perfect, thank you so much Lucy. I really appreciate it," a pause as Olivia appeared in the kitchen again, looking at Ed with a raised eyebrow. "I'll be there soon." When the phone call ended she bit her bottom lip and avoided meeting Ed's gaze. "We both knew this wasn't a vacation which means at least I need to get back to Noah."

"I can't be alone." Ed's response was immediate. For the second time in as many days, Olivia heard his voice crack. When she finally looked up, she noticed that his gaze was locked intently on their coffee mugs. This vulnerable side of him was new to her. Had he always been like this? "But I don't want to scare Noah."

"You won't scare Noah," Olivia replied as she moved forward, her hand lifting to gently rest on a bicep. "You're his Tucker and he loves you. We just explain to him that you got hurt. He'll understand, Ed."

The silence between them was long and all Olivia wanted to do was have Ed look at her. There was something going on with him and she hated that there was nothing she could do about it. When anything was impacting her, Ed never pushed her to talk. He knew to let her open up on her own time. Except this new side of her boyfriend, the vulnerable one, worried her. This was the man who had never been afraid of anything. Now it was her job to pick up the pieces, not his.

Without a word she moved forward and kissed him. It was slow and she felt Ed's body melt against her own.

"Come home, Ed," she whispered against his lips. "Let me take care of you. We have food at home. Noah misses you. I'll let you sleep when you want, we can make love after we get Noah to bed." That got her a smile that she didn't even know she needed to see.

"I'd be lost without you." Ed enjoyed the laugh from Olivia before they shared another kiss. They were both smiling when she pulled away.

"Let me see your calf, I want to see this famous scar."

"No."

"Edward Michael Tucker, let me see it," Olivia demanded as he started to walk away. His gait was playful as he moved toward the bedroom. "You cannot get away from me!" They collapsed together on the bed and the sound of his laugh was music to her ears. It was genuine. For a moment, Ed forgot about everything going on in his life.

Once they settled down, Olivia resting on top of him. She easily straddled his waist with his hands rubbed her thighs. They were simply enjoying one another, sharing lazy kisses and soft touches. It made Ed feel comfortable. When Olivia pulled away to gently kiss the bottom of he bruise around his left eye, he let it slip.

"I stabbed him."