Eight.

As Olivia watched her husband enthusiastically shadow the kids as they zoomed down Pilgrim Hill, she smiled, thinking about how, only a few years ago, Ed Tucker, three kids, and saucer sleds would not have added up to a likely scenario. Last year, Maggie and Wyatt were infants and didn't get the full sledding experience. Now, at twenty-one months, they screeched and squealed as they hurtled down the hill, first in Ed's lap, then Olivia's, and, finally, in their big brother's protective arms.

"Babies, you can't try ta stand up," Noah told them as Olivia ensured they were safely wedged in together. She stepped back and snapped photos of the mishmash of snow pants, mittens, puffy parkas, and winter hats with ear flaps and strings tied under each chin.

"Okay, kiddos," Olivia said, "Ready? I'm gonna send you down the hill to Daddy."

"DA!" Maggie huffed and pointed to Ed who waved back at her.

He clapped his gloved hands together and shouted, "I'm ready for ya, Maggs!"

"Hold on tight," Olivia said. Her heart swelled when she saw Wyatt loop his arms around one of Noah's, "Okay, here we go!"

Noah's "WHEEE!" gradually faded as they descended.

Ed jogged over to where they came to rest and helped the kids stand. Noah began dragging the sled back up the hill, and Ed carried a twin under each arm. When they met Olivia at the top, Noah suggested they use both sleds and race.

"We do boys 'gainst girls," Noah instructed.

Even though the arrangement, weight-wise, favored the boys, Olivia readily took on the challenge. "C'mon, Maggs. You and Mommy. Let's go fast, sweet girl."

Ed steered his sled so it bumped up against hers. "Kiss for good luck?"

She regarded him skeptically, "Are you trying to knock me off my sledding game?"

"Maybe a little."

Olivia leaned in, kissed his wind-battered lips, and touched her hand to his cheek. "Growing a beard, Captain?"

"Nah, just lazy. Why? You want me to?"

"Your scruff's…" Olivia eyed Noah and lowered her voice, "…kinda sexy."

Ed's eyes sparkled.

Olivia hugged Maggie to her chest and winked at him. "Ready?"

Ed shook his head, "And you accused me of trying to distract you?"

Olivia shrugged and smirked. "On your mark…"

…..

Later that night, when school officials announced another cancellation, the five Tuckers ate popcorn and watched movies. The three kids wedged themselves in around their parents, and two throw blankets covered the five of them. Olivia and Ed let the kids fall asleep on their own. By ten o'clock, their entire brood was snoozing in various spots on the couch. Ed picked up Wyatt and tenderly cradled the boy for a moment before taking him to bed. Olivia even more carefully lifted Maggie into her arms, followed Ed, and placed her in her crib. She made sure Maggie's baby and rarely-used Wubbanub were within reach. In case one of them woke up, Ed turned on the planetarium projector.

"Good night, sweet twins," Olivia whispered, blowing them a kiss.

Ed put his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the room. They tucked Noah in, turned off most of the lights, and disappeared behind their own bedroom door. Making no attempt to hide his intentions, Ed flipped the lock.

Olivia emerged from the bathroom in pajama pants and a t-shirt.

Ed smirked and walked slowly toward her. "You changed."

"I did."

"Well, now, Lieutenant, I hate to tell ya, but they gotta come off."

"They do?"

Ed shrugged, "You lost the race."

"I wasn't aware we'd wagered anything."

He tentatively reached out for her as if there was a chance she would swat his arm away. "Lieutenant," he rasped, "There's always a wager."

"Well, what is it I owe you?"

Ed pressed his pelvis into hers, "Actually, you get to tell me what you want."

"You're making very little sense," Olivia replied, biting her lip and tilting her head back, playing a game of hard-to-get.

"Sorry. Cold got to me…or maybe it's 'cause you're so," he hooked an index finger under her collar and started kissing the bare skin underneath. "So gorgeous. So. So. Gorgeous. I love you so much."

Olivia couldn't resist him any longer. His lips and unshaven face made her spine tingle. She cupped the back of his head, moaned, and gasped. "Damn, if this is what I get for losing…"

"Baby, you get whatever you want."

They stumbled to the bed and fell on top of the covers.

"But you know," he lifted his head for a few seconds, "You're sexy when you're competing."

Impatient for him to continue the foreplay, Olivia clenched her jaw.

"Yeah, you look like that," he rasped.

"Ed."

"Okay, okay," he lifted her shirt and she yanked it the rest of the way off. He buried his face in her chest. "Mmmm…goddam…"

Whenever the Tuckers spent perfect days together, Ed radiated with pride. Family time injected extra masculinity and machismo into his demeanor. Olivia knew the night's lovemaking would mostly involve Ed taking charge and pleasuring her in every way possible. He would generously lavish all his affections on his wife and hold her all night as she slept against his chest. He would fight sleep in order to soak up the precious feeling of her satisfied body sleeping soundly against his. Finally, he would rack his brain for words to articulate how he kept falling more and more in love with her every second of every day.

…..

Inside the pitching circle, Maggie Tucker stalked around, furious at the uncooperative umpire and exasperated with the opposing team's batters who persistently crowded the plate. At one point, the thirteen-year-old, also frustrated with her coaches' reluctance to challenge the umpire, marched up to the pot-bellied sixty-something-year-old and demanded he pay closer attention to where the batters' feet were when they made contact with the ball. The comely official, amused by her intensity, assured her he'd do his best but that his priority was calling balls and strikes. Maggie turned away and rolled her eyes.

Seeing this, Olivia whispered, "Calm down, sweet girl. Relax."

Like the umpire, Maggie's frustration entertained Noah. Granted, she had every right to be upset, but this game mattered very little. Maggie's team was already advancing out of round-robin play and into the single elimination bracket. But, throwaway game or not, Maggie staunchly disagreed with the notion that there should be any relaxation of rules.

On the other side of Olivia sat Wyatt who paid more attention to his book than the game. Occasionally he would check the score and reorient himself with what was going on. When he saw the look on Maggie's face, he mumbled, "Her head's gonna explode."

Noah chuckled.

Olivia took concerted deep breaths as if she hoped they would somehow be replicated in her daughter's lungs.

From the dugout, Ed clapped his hands and shouted, "Throw strikes, Maggs. Hit the glove. Give 'em somethin' to hit!"

Maggie wound up and threw another pitch.

"STRIKE!"

She adjusted her visor but screwed up her face. Something wasn't right. Her throwing hand flew to the back of her head where the red and white ribbon she'd tied in before the game had come loose. Maggie and a couple of their teammates despised the ribbons, and, even Olivia told her she didn't have to wear it. However, Maggie was a team player in every sense, so she wore the accessory. Her reluctance caused her to haphazardly affix it to her ponytail, and it had come untied. Rather than leave it flapping around, she yanked it out of her hair and flung it to the ground.

Noah burst into laughter.

"Honey," Olivia said under her breath.

Perched on the shag ball barrel, Ed smirked.

Maggie threw another pitch. It was high and outside, a bit wild but still catchable. However, the batter swung and distracted the catcher enough so that the ball caromed off the tip of her mitt and bounced to the backstop.

Maggie dashed to cover home plate.

The runner at third base sprinted home.

The catcher scrambled to the ball and shovel-passed it to Maggie who slapped the tag on the sliding runner, but, in the process, was upended and fell face-first into the dirt.

"Oh, God," Olivia gripped Noah's wrist.

Ed immediately shot up, but retreated back to his spot when he saw Maggie hop back to her feet. She wiped her face with a section of her jersey and shouted "TWO DOWN" as she stalked back to the circle.

Olivia released Noah's wrist. He turned his arm over and examined the red marks with a knowing expression. Olivia would have apologized, but she was scrutinizing Maggie's movements, ready to step in and demand she be taken out of the game at even the slightest sign of injury.

"Mom, I'm gonna go get some fries. Wyatt? You want something?"

Wyatt gave him his order.

Olivia, her eyes still trained on Maggie, reached into her bag and somehow extracted a twenty dollar bill from her wallet. Noah took it and bounded down the bleachers.

Wyatt turned to his mother and smiled at her worried expression. It was a look he and his siblings knew well. Rather than try to assuage her fears he simply held out his arm.

Olivia noticed it and appeared perplexed.

"In case you need it," he said matter-of-factly, "There's another runner on third."

….

On the first Sunday in March, as the blizzard melted into a gray, slushy mess, Sofia Angelina Carisi was baptized at the Carisis' family cathedral on Staten Island. A host of his relatives packed the pews. By contrast, Brooke's side of the family consisted of Sarah, Justin, and the five Tuckers. Noah was incredibly interested in the ritual, especially after Sarah explained it to him, and he immediately asked if he had been baptized. He had, and Olivia told him so, though his ceremony had been held at a different type of church. Ed, noticing his wife already agonizing about her decision, quietly reminded her they had agreed to let their children make their own decisions about religion. For Ed, this agreement was uncharacteristically non-traditional. However, neither he, nor Sarah, nor Brooke were fully practicing, devout Catholics, so he figured trying another route with the younger three would definitely not hurt.

The night before, Olivia laid out all three kids' outfits, and Noah threw a minor fit about not having a tie that matched Ed's. He frowned at the eggplant bow tie until he realized three things. Wyatt had the same neckwear, Ed's silver tie coordinated with the color, and all three of their suits and shoes were black. Maggie wore a similarly-colored dress over gray tights with black Mary Janes. Olivia clipped her hair to the side with a small barrette in the shape of a star.

At first, the twins compliantly sat between their parents. They had snacks and toys that did not make a lot of noise. However, the mass was long and, at the first sign of restlessness, Ed readily took them into the lobby. Noah slid over and leaned into Olivia; he didn't want to miss anything, but he, too, was getting bored. He paged through the hymnal and a church bulletin left behind by an earlier mass-goer. Ed returned with the twins when it was time for Sofia to be dunked into the font.

As godparents, Sarah, Justin, and one of Sonny's cousins looked on as the priest said the traditional blessings. It had been assumed Sarah would be named godmother, but Brooke and Sonny asking Justin was both gracious, and, to Brooke, obvious. Of the two of them, Justin was more likely to perform the role seriously.

After mass, the crowd gathered at the adjoining hall. Brooke and Sonny thanked everyone for sharing in the special day. Sofia was passed among the relatives and friends. Brooke swapped the christening gown for a simple white dress and matching cardigan. Before long, she was in Caroline's arms sucking on a bottle.

Everyone dug into the Italian food feast prepared by Sonny's mother and aunts. Once the kids had their portions and everyone was seated, Olivia tried to hide her laughter when she saw what Ed had served himself. Generous servings of lasagna, spaghetti with anchovy sauce, and chicken picatta nearly fell of the plate's edges.

"You can go back for seconds, you know," she teased.

"I need to go back now. Forgot bread." He assessed everyone else's plates, "I'll get some for you, too."

He was back in an instant and dropped thick slices on everyone's plates. The pieces were as big as the twins' heads, but they picked them up anyway and took hungry bites. When they noticed their parents watching, they grinned and crumbs spewed from their mouths.

Noah ate hurriedly because he wanted to continue playing with the other kids. Most of them were close to his age and he'd met a few of them before. After chewing a few bites he asked, "Can I go play now?"

"Sure, sweetheart," Olivia said. "You can eat more later if you want. And I'm sure you'll want cake."

His eyes grew wide, "Yep! I'll be back for cake!"

He ran off in the direction of the opposite corner that had become the de facto kids' domain. Olivia watched him for a few minutes. An hour ago, Noah and the other kids had been pristine. Now their shirts were untucked, their hair was mussed, and remnants of the lunch streaked their faces. He was immediately absorbed into whatever game they were playing, and soon his voice mixed in with the cheerful cacophony of children at play.

"Damn, this is good," Ed mumbled with his mouth full.

Olivia kissed his cheek mid-chew. "I'm sure I can arrange for you to take something to go."

"You don't think it's good?"

"It's excellent. Especially…the spaghetti. With anchovy sauce? So good. I've never had that before." Olivia took another bite and simpered at the twins as she chewed. Maggie and Wyatt were, surprisingly, not making much of a mess of their cut-up portions. "And you know what else I like?" She asked flirtatiously.

"What's that?"

"You in a suit."

"Miss me wearin one?"

Olivia readily admitted a small part of her missed seeing him in a suit on a regular basis. He wore them so well and commanded such respect when dressed formally. In a suit, he looked especially powerful and protective. She stroked his lapel between her thumb and forefinger. "Kind of reminds me of…us…in the beginning."

"Uh oh," Ed said under his breath in a playful voice, "I think my wife is tellin' me I either need to go back to work or I need to take her out to fancy restaurants more often."

Olivia insisted that wasn't the case. "It's not like I wake up each day and think to myself, hey, I wish Ed were in a suit…seeing you, like this, today, just reminded me how good you look all dressed up."

Ed leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. "Next week. You, me, a suit, and dinner."

"And what should I wear?"

"Red," he kissed her again, "I love you in red."

…

Seconds before Olivia was seated across from him, Tucker was getting cold feet about his restaurant choice. Until now, he and Olivia had met at bars, and the only real meals they'd shared were along the lines of slices of pizza with Noah. She accepted his invitation without hesitating, but he wondered if that was merely because she had no idea this place was a great deal more formal than their usual haunts. The dining room tables were spaced generously, leaving room for private conversation. Modern, art deco chandeliers bathed the room in a goldenrod hue, and the leather, high-backed chairs were significantly more luxurious than Tucker's trusty barstools. He suddenly worried that maybe this wasn't her kind of place, maybe she preferred a less-stuffy atmosphere, but, with the lighting and the singer belting out Sinatra-esque standards, it really wasn't all that stuffy.

The first thing he said to Olivia was, "We can go someplace else if ya want."

She kissed his cheek and looked at him with a hint of incredulity. "No way I want to go anywhere else," she said softly, looking around, "This is nice, a nice change, great idea."

Ed took her coat, guided her into the chair, and sat down again. "The menu's…interesting. And the wine list…I woulda ordered, but there're too many options." He sheepishly held out a bar menu, "Help?"

Olivia perused the list. "Are we celebrating something?"

"Does that affect your decision?"

"Maybe."

"Well, then, sure," he replied, "We're celebrating…going out to a new, different place. Together."

Blushing, she grinned. When the waiter arrived she ordered a bottle of a red vintage Ed had never heard of before. He returned promptly, uncorked the bottle, and poured a sample for Ed to approve. Without a word, Ed slid the glass across to Olivia.

She sipped and nodded. "It's excellent. Thank you."

"Good thing you know what you're doin," Ed said.

Olivia held up her glass for a toast. "I choose the wine…you can choose the nightcap? How about that?"

"Sounds fair to me."

They clinked glasses and smiled at each other as they drank.

"You look really pretty tonight," Ed said softly.

It didn't take keen detective skills to pick up on his nervousness. Olivia reached for his hand, squeezed it, and said, "Thank you."

"You, uh, you have plans for the weekend?"

"No," Olivia said, "I suppose most people are doing last minute Christmas shopping, but I...I really have just Noah to worry about and I certainly didn't hold back."

"Fun to buy a lot of stuff when they're young."

"It is…that smile, he gets so excited at the simplest things…well, you know…he still hasn't stopped sleeping with the elephant you got him."

Ed beamed. "Ah, somethin' Santa'll bring will take its place."

"I don't think so…"

"Did you have somethin' like that? Some little gift you always held onto?"

"I had a doll," Olivia said, "One of my mother's friends gave it to me. I had it for years and then, I went to camp one summer, and it disappeared. I have no idea what happened to it."

Tucker's jaw dropped. "That's the saddest story I've ever heard."

Olivia shook with soft laughter. "I got over it."

Ed cocked his head. Compassion filled his eyes. "You're real good at battling adversity."

"As are you."

"How's that?"

"IAB for what? Twenty years?"

"Not quite."

"Anyway…it can't be easy to sleep at night, sometimes, knowing that your call, or your colleagues' calls can completely upend someone's life. End their career. We say…we say we're family, the NYPD, but IAB…often you're on the outside looking in."

Conceding her point, he nodded and replied, "You're right. But," he leaned forward on his forearms and smirked, "I wouldn't exactly call right now being on the outside, if ya know what I mean."

Olivia's heart filled with warmth and joy. Ed had a knack for injecting levity into potentially awkward and uncomfortable conversations, and it was not only appreciated but also extremely endearing. "No, it's definitely not."

"So," he said with finality. "Lighter subjects. You ski?"

"I have, but I don't know how well I'd do now."

"That's okay. I don't."

Olivia chuckled, "Okayyyy."

"I tried once, a buddy of mine rented a cabin upstate…but I'm either not made for that sport or maybe I just drank too much beer…either way…I'm not a skier."

"Well, a cabin upstate must be nice without skiing."

"It was." Ed stopped short of suggesting they plan a weekend away together. "Someday I'd like to own some kind of vacation property."

"I think I would prefer the beach," Olivia said, smiling placidly, "Someplace to get away in the dead of winter. Or even in the summer when it's so brutally hot and humid here."

Once again, Ed held back and, out of an abundance of caution, didn't tell her about his condo in North Carolina. The last thing he wanted to do was come on too strong and scare her away at the very moment they were becoming so at ease with each other.

"This past summer was certainly awful. And I never left the city," he griped, "Not once."

"Me neither. At least not for pleasure. Well, little day trips here and there with Noah, but nothing major."

"You need a vacation, Benson."

"You may be right."

"Dream vacation?"

Olivia broke into her dreamy smile again. "Definitely Paris. Have you been?"

"No, but I've heard good things."

They both laughed at his mundane reply.

He smirked again. "Seriously, I would like to go there, or anywhere in Europe. Been to Ireland. That's it."

"That must have been beautiful."

"It was…and I went to my ancestral town, so that was special. Everyone…kinda looked like me."

Olivia playfully raised his eyebrows, "Doesn't sound so bad."

Ed's face flushed and Olivia shyly diverted her eyes. The next thing she knew, Ed had her hand in his, and he planted a tender kiss above her knuckles. "I'm glad we did this," he said, his voice just above a whisper.

She watched his lips touch her skin. She remembered the kisses they'd already shared. The hugs. How it felt to be held tightly in his grasp. How he was so desperately trying to redeem himself for the past.

"I'm glad we did, too," she replied in an equally sincere and gentle tone.

They locked eyes.

As of that moment, Ed Tucker earned a permanent place in her heart.

…..

#Tuckson