Ten.

Buoyed by the positive reception, Noah moved on from the couch remarks to the next part of his speech. Imitating people he'd previously heard orate, he cleared his throat and shuffled papers even though it was clear he'd abandoned his prepared speech.

"Mommy is very nice and very fun! She always plays games with me and my babies. Oh! And she helps me with my work! The babies are Wyatt and Maggie, but they're little and they're with the babysitter t'night! Mommy and Daddy play cards and Uno and Monopoly and also games at da park like football and soccer and baseball. She's really good."

Noah grinned.

Everyone in the audience was enamored, and he seemed to pick up on it.

He gazed at Olivia. "Mommy, you are the best Mommy in the whole world. You take care of me, and Maggs and Wyatt and Daddy and all da other people when you're at work. But sometimes I like it when it's jus' you an' me and you say 'sweet boy I love you'…" Noah paused as the audience awwwwed, "…that's when I know we're super best friends!"

The only thing preventing Olivia from bursting into full blown sobs was Noah's humor and self-assurance on stage. He had taken the microphone from its holster and stepped away from the podium. He put his hands in his pockets and on his hips, paused and waited for reactions, and nodded and used facial expressions to emphasize his points.

"We ARE super best friends," he continued, "And Mommy, I love, love, love you!"

Olivia couldn't take it anymore. She rushed to the stage and caught Noah as he jumped into her arms. Her breath caught in her throat and she had trouble forming words. The entire room froze and went silent as they watched the Lieutenant embrace her incredibly precocious six-year-old son.

Ed waited on the sidelines and let the two of them have their moment. There was a certain exceptionality about their relationship he would forever recognize and respect.

When Olivia put Noah down, he used the stairs to walk back on stage and slapped hands with Ed on the way.

"And now, my BIG sisters are gonna talk. They're Sare Bear and Brookey!"

Olivia looked at the girls with wide, surprised eyes. The two of them speaking together was a surprise.

….

The woman the squad had dubbed "Marijuana Mom" visited Olivia in her office one evening after everyone but Fin had gone home. The meeting had been arranged by her attorney of all people, and the ADA approved. The woman had been doubling down on her mission to defend her right to treat her son as she and his doctor saw fit. She and her husband refused to talk about a plea deal, preferring instead to generate ongoing media buzz as her trial date approached. Judging by her unrelenting, intrepid outspokenness, Olivia wasn't sure how much sense she could talk into Lydia.

"Lieutenant?"

Alone and out of the view of cameras, Lydia appeared smaller than she looked on television.

"Come it. Sit down." Olivia stood and shook her hand. "I appreciate you stopping by."

"I know what you're trying to do," she said sharply, sitting on the edge of the chair. "And let me begin by saying it's not going to work."

Taken aback but used to reticence such as this, Olivia jumped directly to the point. "It will be so much easier if you would consider pleading this out. You won't have a trial hanging over your head and then you could actually…make a difference, continue on with your work."

"My work and the charges go hand in hand," she replied.

"But right now, you're a rabble rouser. You're shouting into crowds who hear your volume and not your message."

"Rabble rousers create change."

"They have….but they also have had plans. You…are simply angry."

Lydia sucked her teeth and angled her torso toward Olivia. "You're a mother. I see that collection of pictures over there. I bet you spend hours deciding which ones to swap out and which ones to leave."

Olivia swallowed hard and followed Lydia's eyes to her desk and credenza. She was absolutely right.

"You're a mother," Lydia repeated, "Don't tell me you wouldn't do absolutely anything if it meant your children could be healthy and safe. You wear the badge, have the gun, but I have no doubt in my mind you'd break laws for your kids. Maybe you already have."

Olivia's face steeled into a glare, but she had trouble countering the argument.

Lydia was absolutely right.

….

Olivia opened the door to the sound of Ed grunting out repetitions.

"…five, six, seven, eight, nine, aaaaaaand, ten! Ten Noahs."

"Good job, Daddy!" Noah peeked around the corner. Maggie and Wyatt were on his heels. "Hi Mommy! Daddy, you should do ten Mommies!"

"MA! MAMA!"

Mamamamamamamama!"

Olivia simpered at the kids and crouched for hugs and kisses. She was sure Ed was convulsing in silent laughter on the living room floor. She took a few extra seconds hanging her coat and removing her boots. When she finally saw Ed's face, her suspicion was confirmed. Noah's comment brought him to tears.

Maggie and Wyatt, desperate to be picked up, entangled themselves in Olivia's legs. "Oh-kay, sweet twins," she said, hoisting them both into her arms, "More hugs?" She kissed each of their foreheads in rapid-fire fashion until they were both giggling and squirming to be placed back on the floor.

Finally, it was Ed's turn for attention.

"Hello, Daddy," she said in a deep voice. A few beads of sweat had formed along his hairline. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt that seductively hugged his torso and biceps. Olivia kneaded his arms and raised her eyebrows approvingly. "Good workout?"

"Really good."

After a couple of chaste kisses, Ed grabbed a dish towel and wiped his brow. The movement caused his shirt to rise and reveal a sliver of his abdomen. "Noah," she called in a sing-song voice, "Do you think Daddy could actually do a Mommy?"

Blood rushed to Ed's cheeks. "Liv," he said under his breath.

Noah skipped over and sized up his parents. "Prolly one Mommy."

"I'll go change and we'll try."

Olivia winked at Ed, went to the bedroom, and returned in less than a minute dressed in sweats. Ed got into the push-up position, Olivia sat on his back, and he successfully completed one rep.

"Wow, Daddy! Good job!" Noah clapped his hands, "Wanna do da workout? Me an' these babies aren't tired!"

"Of course you're not tired," Ed mumbled.

"Sure," Olivia said, "Bench press or push-ups first?"

"Bench press."

From a barstool, Ed watched admiringly as Olivia completed the sets. Noah gave her a fist bump and quipped, "Mommy's not even sweating!" He summoned the twins to the refrigerator and passed out juice boxes.

Ed put his arms around Olivia's waist and whispered, "Do you have any idea how bad I want you right now?"

"Oh," she replied, biting her lip, "I think I have an idea."

….

Meeting Ed for a celebratory drink when he was the one who nudged her into the promotion in the first place could have taken on a patronizing milieu, so Olivia was a bit uneasy as she waited for him at the bar. Ever since she and Tucker baby-stepped their way to more-than-friends status, Olivia caught herself overthinking conversations and body language, both hers and his. She kept flashing back to the morning he parked himself in her office and casually told her he'd conveyed to their bosses that she had registered for the exam. His manner had been cocky, playful, and, looking back, subtly sexy, but was it really? Had he simply decided to represent himself in a less combative manner? If so, why? But, then again, if he didn't care about her or SVU, why would he even insert himself in the picture in the first place? Was it so Olivia would be indebted to him? Even though she wanted to shake all these uncertainties, she couldn't. An air of mystery clung to Tucker's transformation, yet, she found herself desirous of more time with him.

She need not have worried.

"I need a drink immediately," Ed grumbled as he heaved himself onto the stool next to her. He barked his order at the bartender, scratched his face, and finally made eye contact. "Hi," he said in a decidedly softer voice than he'd used seconds before.

"Well, hello," she said, trying to mimic his smirk. The bartender dropped off his drink and she pushed it closer to him. "Bad day?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, holding up the glass, "Tonight's about you. Congratulations, Lieutenant."

The muted bar light struck his blue eyes and made them sparkle. His cheeks were ruddier, more flushed than usual, either from nerves or from whoever caused him to desperately need alcohol. His lips curled into a subtle pucker not because he wanted a kiss (which he did) but because he was fanatically interested in her, like he wanted to ask her a thousand questions.

Disarmed, Olivia's jaw slackened. She was at a loss for words. All she needed to say was thank you, but she simply could not find her voice.

Ed waited patiently. He noticed the muscles in her face relax. Though he wasn't sure exactly what was happening, he knew it was important. Their relationship had been marked by significant moments such as this one—moments that looked innocent and mundane to anyone else.

"Thank you," she finally croaked. "What, ah, what happened today?"

Ed took a drink and grimaced, "Ah, you know, remember when you were young, on patrol, makin' your bones?"

"Sure."

"You think you know everything…that you're invincible…this guy in the Bronx, workin' for months with anti-crime, been getting high praise from everyone…come to find out he's cut some corners, made some questionable searches…and he's been accused of paying people for information… "

"What's going to happen?"

"Draper wants to send a message—take his shield. I don't wanna end a career before it even starts. He seems like a decent kid, just got caught up. I've never been one to believe in the whole ends justifying the means, but…I dunno…I see some of my younger self in him." Ed smirked and added, "Not that I woulda paid off anyone."

Olivia cocked her head and smiled sweetly. "Of course you wouldn't have."

"I've done a few things I'm not proud of, but, you wanna know the most embarrassing?"

Intrigued, Olivia leaned forward. Her knee unintentionally bumped his, but she didn't move away. "I would love an embarrassing Ed Tucker story."

Ed took a deep breath and a quick glance at their legs. If a humiliating anecdote was what it took to earn physical contact, he was more than willing to tell the tale. "I was, maybe, a year on the force. Had to go out to Long Island to track down a witness, took a cruiser. It was dark, rainy, had just stormed. I'm drivin' along…all of a sudden there's this awful sound—a crash, like metal being sheared off of something, and adrenaline kicks in, I have no idea what's goin' on. I pull over, call in a ten-thirteen, state troopers are on their way. I get outta the car, grab the flashlight, well, a tree had split…part of it was hanging across the road and ripped off the lights on top of the car. Here I thought I was under attack…and it was a goddam tree."

"Oh man…" Olivia laughed heartily, "Wow…"

"Yeah."

"I don't think I can top that."

"That's probably a good thing."

"The closest I can get it when I got high on mushroom fumes."

Ed grinned. "What?"

"Part of an investigation involved going to this professor's lab…he worked with mushrooms and was boiling some, I inhaled fumes and was totally out of it in interrogation."

"What'd you have to do? Sleep it off?"

"Sort of. They took me to the hospital, it didn't take long…and I went right back to work."

Smirking, Ed replied softly, "Of course you did." The romantic intensity between them instantaneously reappeared. Ed dared to grab her hand. "Seriously," he said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you for…well, having my back with One PP." She looked at the bar. Ed was still holding her hand. She bit her lip, swallowed her nerves, and kissed him.

Ed blinked and his cheeks turned bright red. Olivia had the power to reduce him to jitters. He managed to speak in a volume slightly above a whisper. "Lieutenant?"

Olivia grinned, proud of herself for nearly rendering him speechless. She also loved the sound of her new title. "Yes?"

"I, uh…I really like you."

"Good," she said, tickled by his childlike yet endearing admission, "I really like you, too."

….

Olivia stroked Ed's face as he crawled on top of her. She seductively raised an eyebrow and intoned, "Ready to do a Mommy?"

Even more turned on, Ed blushed, tried not to smile too widely, and said, "I think we need to work out together more often."

He buried his head in her chest for the next several minutes. His hands wandered up and down her body, wherever he could reach, quickly sending Olivia into an erotic stupor. When he worked his fingers inside of her, she arched her back, moaned, and gasped his name. She splayed her hands across his back, turned on even more at the feel of his thick, firm muscles. As Ed moved lower, she spread her legs wide, inviting him in, and apologized for digging her fingers into his scalp. He responded by swirling his tongue with even more ferocity.

Olivia screamed into a pillow, and Ed trailed kisses up and down each of her legs, her stomach, chest, shoulders, and both arms. She felt him throbbing, hard and hot, and she wondered how she got so lucky to marry a man who would die before leaving her unsatisfied.

"Ed, baby…"

"Almost." He wasn't finished kissing her.

"Ed, I need you."

Those were the magic words. He stared into her eyes and began slow, sensual thrusts. For the next several minutes his kisses matched the pace; the love and devotion was palpable and nearly brought Olivia to tears. As they laid together afterwards, she was unable to stop a few drops from trickling out of the corners of her eyes.

Ed kissed them away and asked softly, "Why are you crying?"

"I can't help it," she replied, "That was…I don't know…magical. I'm…I'm, you make me feel so good, so…lucky…so whole."

He pressed a firm kiss to her lips and held her flush to his body by the hip. "I love you so much, Liv. I wish there were more ways to say it, show it…"

"You showed it," she quipped.

He chuckled, kissed her again, and shifted so she was mostly lying on top of him.

"I have a confession to make," she said.

"What's that?"

"When we first got together…I didn't think you'd be…like this."

Ed was amused. "Like what?"

"That you'd like to…cuddle…afterwards…all night if possible."

He clasped his hands together in the middle of her back. "I'd have you in my arms all day, every day if I could."

…..

A morning rain shower left puddles on the sidewalks and park paths, but the sky had cleared and it was warm enough for the kids to go outside clad only in sweatshirts and jeans. Olivia was glad to get everyone out of the house. After a brutally cold and snowy winter, a welcome hint of spring had arrived. Once the five Tuckers were in the park, Ed helped Noah onto his bike and jogged alongside as he pedaled away. Since his birthday, he'd only had a couple of chances to practice riding the two wheeler, but he got the hang of it quickly. After a few minutes Ed decided Noah was fine riding ahead a little ways on his own. He cautioned Noah against crossing any streets and waited for Olivia to catch up.

She had a white-knuckle grip on the stroller handle.

"I told him to stay where we could see him," Ed preemptively explained.

"At least it's not crowded," Olivia scanned the area. "Are you sure he can stop?"

Ed jerked his head in Noah's direction. "He just did."

Sure enough, Noah was on his feet, straddling the bike, looking back and waiting for his family. He yanked at the chin strap of his dinosaur helmet and asked Ed to loosen in when they approached.

Maggie and Wyatt fidgeted and strained to get out of their seats.

"We shoulda brought their scooters, Daddy!"

"Next time, bud."

The twins couldn't independently use the scooters quite yet and Ed and Olivia found themselves in the predicament of simply not having enough manpower to wrangle three kids on wheels.

"Okay, sweet twins. You can get out."

With a push from Ed, Noah pedaled away and Maggie and Wyatt tried to run after him. Their little sneakers pounded the pavement. Arms flailing, they shouted "NONONO!"

A puddle distracted Wyatt from the pursuit, and he stomped around in the water, proudly repeating, "Spash!" Water droplets darkened his pant legs and stained the white laces of his Nikes. Olivia smiled, shook her head, and slowly jogged away, trying to coax Wyatt to drier ground.

"C'mon, sweetie, come run with Mommy!"

Wyatt broke into a wide grin and followed until Maggie soon realized she wasn't going to be able to catch her brother and burst into sobs. Alarmed, Wyatt rushed to her side. Maggie stood rigid, her arms hanging straight down, fists balled, jaw protruding into a pathetic pout as she wailed. Ahead, Noah heard his sister and slammed on the brakes, grinding his tires to a halt. He stumbled a little, but successfully dismounted and carefully propped the bicycle on its kickstand.

"Hey, hey, hey," Olivia said, picking Maggie up. "Shhh, shhh, shhh. It's okay, sweet girl."

"Maggs!" Noah shouted, "I'm right here! I came back to ya!"

Ed had been amused and was smirking at the scene, but he saw confusion on Wyatt's face and his chin start to tremble. He held out his arms and Wyatt practically dove into them. He put his arms around Ed's neck and dared to look back at his sister whose sobs had turned into sharp, gasping sniffles.

"Okay," Olivia cooed. "Calm down, Maggie May. Noah's right here. He's riding his bike today! Wanna watch him go fast?"

"No…go…" Maggie mumbled.

Olivia used her thumb to dry Maggie's tears and used her brightest voice, "Let's watch Noah go! Say Goooooo, Noah!"

"Go! No!"

Wyatt caught on with the chant as well. Noah, buoyed by his siblings' cheers, ran back to his bike. "I'm gonna go fast to da playground!" He said, "Then I play with ya, Maggs!"

Noah pedaled ahead. Once he saw he was a little too far away, he circled back, repeating the pattern until they came to the playground near 67th Street. Playgrounds occasionally caused Ed to get edgy, and he wondered how often Olivia thought about the day she encountered Ali in the sandbox. As far as he knew, Olivia had not been back to that particular location.

Most people were probably skittish about the weather, and there were only a handful of other kids using the slides and climbing equipment. Ed and Olivia shadowed their young trio as Noah and the twins played games, courtesy of the older brother's imagination.

"Probably shoulda brought their scooters," Ed said, "Noah's okay on his bike now."

"He picked that up quickly," Olivia said.

"He picks everything up quickly."

"I only hope he doesn't…he doesn't get upset when there's finally something he doesn't do well."

"He'll do everything well," Ed said matter-of-factly. Olivia laughed and nudged him. Ed continued, "I'm serious. He practices everything. Guitar, typing, art…wish I woulda been like that. Ever."

Entertained by his self-deprecating humor, Olivia said, "I'm sure you were persistent at something…"

"I was persistent at tryin to get a date with you."

"Well, that explains all those years of IAB harassment."

Ed clutched his chest in mock pain, "Ouch."

"It's funny now," Olivia said, "To look back and remember you…"

Keeping his eyes on the kids, Ed pulled her close and kissed the side of her head. "You like to remember me bein' an asshole?"

Olivia brushed back a section of hair that had escaped its clip, "I like to think of it as a remarkable and amazing twist of fate." She winked and patted his back pockets. A few feet away, Wyatt and Maggie were scrambling up the side of a pyramid structure at the top of which was a slide. "Wyatt's gonna try and go down head first," she said, "I'll go get him."

She bounded toward the kids and Ed drifted to the end of the slide, ready to catch Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt when they came hurtling down.

….

#Tuckson