Fifteen.

The cool spring breeze sent strands of Olivia's brown hair into Ed's face as they walked to Noah's school. Ed's pace, understandably, was quicker than normal. Although he hated leaving the bed, once they were showered and dressed, he was giddy at the thought of seeing his children. He assumed Noah would shout "DADDY!" and sprint into his arms. The twins' reaction was more challenging to predict. They would be two in mid-May, and he wasn't sure how much they understood or felt the concept of missing someone. Also, if they were involved in serious play, they often were reluctant to leave day care.

Sure enough, Noah's jubilant reaction turned heads. He maintained a death grip on Ed's neck, so Olivia took it upon herself to gather Noah's take-home materials into his backpack. Noah refused to be put down, so Ed carried him out of the building. Olivia smiled at the sight. For all his precocious maturity, Noah was still a little boy who needed and loved his Daddy.

When they were a block away from day care, Ed finally thought aloud about the twins. "Wonder if they even noticed I was gone," he mused in a half-joking manner.

"They did," Olivia said, "They would point at your mug and your shoes and say Dada." She squeezed his hand, "They'll be excited to see you."

Ed admitted to himself he was going to be a tiny bit hurt if the twins greeted him in their usual manner, but he needn't have worried. The presence of any adult visitor attracted the attention of most of the room's toddlers. All their little heads turned to the doorway, and all but two immediately went back to their toys.

"DADADADA!" Wyatt scrambled to his feet and toddled over as quickly as he could.

Maggie simply shrieked and giggled; she was so excited she knocked herself off balance and fell. Undeterred, she hopped back up and joined her brother in Ed's embrace. Wide-eyed, Maggie looked at Olivia.

"Ma!" She exclaimed and pointed to Ed, "Da! NO! DA!"

"Yes, sweet girl," Olivia cooed, "It's Daddy!"

Noah giggled. Maggie's reaction suggested she perceived Ed's appearance as magical. "POOF!" He said. "There's Daddy!"

"POOF!" Maggie echoed.

Ed held a twin on each hip. "How are my Maggie and Wyatt?" He asked sweetly, "Daddy missed you! Wait 'til you see the presents I gotcha from Ireland. You wanna go home and play with 'em?"

"PAY! Dada PAY!" Wyatt pointed to the room and all its toys.

"No, bud, we're gonna go home and play. Let's get your bag."

"Arready got it, Daddy!" Noah grunted and lifted the twins' tote. "Lessgo! Lessgo see da souv'niers!"

Olivia kicked open the stroller. She took Maggie and strapped her in, but, like Noah, Wyatt wasn't quite ready to be separated from Ed.

"I'll carry him," Ed said, kissing Wyatt's cheek.

"I take your seat, Wyatt!" Noah wedged himself in the front seat and looked back at Maggie. She giggled, reached forward, and slapped at his head. "No, hitting, small sister!"

Maggie thought Noah riding in Wyatt's spot was hilarious. "No, No, No!" Tired of straining to paw at his head, she kicked the back of his seat and cracked herself up the whole way home.

….

Out of respect for those who liked to sleep past six a.m., Olivia made a habit of setting her alarm so she could intercept the twins before they started moving around and making noise. She slid out of bed, careful not to jostle her husband even though he was snoring softly, still deeply asleep. Before leaving the room, she paused to smile sweetly at him. He was on his stomach, his head facing her side of the bed with lips slightly parted. He had his arms curled under the pillow and, even at rest, his biceps remained firm and defined. It was all she could do to stop herself from waking him up for a morning quickie. Besides, she heard soft noises from the living room.

She found her twin four-year-olds struggling with the sliding glass door that opened to the balcony. They were doing their best to be as quiet as possible, and Olivia observed for a few minutes.

"Press da button, Wyatt," Maggie said through clenched teeth.

"I'm tryin!" He hissed.

After only three days in Florida, the twins were deeply tanned and the sun had added gold-toned highlights to their brown hair. The night before they each had chosen their favorite sets of pajamas. Wyatt's were light blue and printed with smiling lobsters. Maggie's white, sundress-style nightie was adorned with multicolored butterflies. She slapped her shoulder-length locks out of her face as she bent down to inspect what exactly was preventing them from going outside.

Olivia tiptoed behind them. "Want Mommy to help you, sweethearts?"

Wyatt frowned and said in a hushed voice, "S'hard to open, Mommy!"

The sliding latch was, appropriately, difficult to disengage. Olivia slid it to "unlock" and, after a sharp click, the door opened. Maggie and Wyatt skipped outside and pressed their faces between the railing slats.

"Green flag," Wyatt observed, "We can swim in da waves today!"

"Me and Sare Bear and Sofia are gonna build a huge castle," Maggie reported gleefully, "Bigger den yours and Noah's, Wyatt!"

"Uh-uh," Wyatt retorted and held his arms up in the air, "Ours gonna be dis big!"

"If it is," Maggie said tauntingly, "We'll CRUSH it!"

"Maggie!" Olivia scolded, "That is not nice. We don't crush other people's castles. Besides," she switched to a playful tone, "Daddy and I are going to build the best castle."

"No you're not, Mommy!" Maggie growled and jumped into Olivia's lap. She pressed their foreheads together and reworked the sand castle contest plan. "You wanna be on my team?"

Wyatt piled on, "No! Mommy's on our team!"

"Mommy's a girl," Maggie shot back, "She's on da girls' team!"

"Then we get Daddy. And Justy! And Sonny!"

Olivia balanced the twins on her thighs while they engaged in their verbal sparring. Her family had grown increasingly competitive as Maggie and Wyatt got older, and now they were the ones who typically started the friendly trash talk. Beach vacations were particularly ripe for competition. So far there had been swimming races, spikeball, Marco Polo, and evening card games. Wyatt and Maggie had already decided on today's event—the sand castle contest—and Olivia was sure beach volleyball, touch football, and Frisbee would be on the schedule in the near future.

"Do you think we should have some breakfast, first?" Olivia asked.

The twins nodded vigorously.

"I'm going to make coffee first. What would you like to drink?"

"Juice, please!"

"Choc'lit milk, please!"

Olivia kissed their heads and nudged them to the floor. "Okay, sweethearts. I'll be right back." When she returned she asked them if they would rather eat breakfast in the condo or go to a restaurant. Noah was stirring, and she, Brooke, and Sarah had agreed they would all handle breakfast on their own.

"Rest'raunt!" Wyatt said immediately. "Da one down there!" He pointed in the direction of a beachside café they had already visited twice.

"Yes!" Maggie said. "I want waffles and bacon!" She had recently taken to Ed's way of curling the waffle into a taco.

"And the sauce!"

Wyatt was referring to the café's vaunted variety of fruit-infused syrups.

Noah staggered onto the balcony, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning, sweetie," Olivia gave her almost-nine-year-old a hug and a kiss.

"Morning," he mumbled, "Whatcha doin?"

"We're thinking about going to get breakfast. How does that sound?"

"Good," he replied.

"THEN!" Maggie shouted, "We gonna build da castles. You're on Wyatt's team, Noah. It's boys 'gainst girls so we have Mommy and our castle's gonna be super tall…"

Noah half-listened to his sister's ramblings and peered at the Gulf of Mexico.

"Green flag, Noah!" Wyatt pointed out, "Get ta swim t'day!"

"Yeah," Noah said, a languid smile forming on his face, "We can use the boards."

"I can surf, Noah!" Maggie boasted. She was referring to two days ago when she stood on a skim board while Ed held her hands.

"Me too!" Wyatt chimed in. He bent his knees and jerked his hips around, "Ya go like dis! Then ya crash into da water!"

"Mommy," Maggie said, "I'm hungry! My tummy's goin' GRRRRRRR!"

"How about we go in and wake up Daddy?" Olivia stood up and led her crew to a second set of sliding doors leading to their bedroom. She and Ed had left them unlocked last night. "Shhh," she said as she tugged on the handle.

The three kids grinned mischievously and crept behind their mother. She saw Ed's eyes open, but he realized what was happening and quickly shut them, pretending he was still asleep. He even offered an exaggerated snore.

Noah held up a hand and silently counted to three. As soon as the third finger went up, the trio heaved themselves onto the bed.

"Wake up, Daddy!"

"Time for br'fast!"

"Wakey, wakey!"

Noah bounced on his chest. Maggie and Wyatt each peeled back an eyelid.

Ed sniffed and snorted and acted confused. "Huh? Huh? What's goin on?"

"YAY! He's awake!"

The twins jumped around chanting, "Dad-DY, Dad-DY!"

As they got more raucous, Olivia grabbed them before they got out of control and fell. Noah took the opportunity to cuddle at Ed's side. He still wasn't fully awake.

"Hey, bud," Ed said softly.

"Hi, Daddy."

"We're goin' out to eat?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess we all better get dressed then."

Maggie giggled. "Mommy? C'we go in our jammies?"

"No, sweet girl. C'mon. Let's get your clothes on."

"Wanna wear my bathin' suit," Maggie said.

"Okay." Olivia plucked a fresh bathing suit and cover up from a drawer. "Here ya go, honey."

Maggie continued chattering while Olivia dressed her. "Cause after waffley tacos we gonna get in dat water!"

"May need to digest first."

"Whassat?"

"It means you take a little rest and let your food settle so you don't get sick jumping around in the waves."

Undeterred, Maggie shrugged. "Then we just float in da raft for a lil' bit."

Still in bed and under the covers, Ed flashed Olivia a grin.

Maggie had an answer for everything.

…

It didn't take long for the Tucker home to get back to normal. Ed's first night back had been filled with cuddles, laughs, and play. The kids loved their new, handcrafted toys. Olivia quickly became addicted to the soft lambswool blanket. She and Ed sipped from one of the bottles of whiskey, broke off pieces of chocolate for themselves and the kids, and watched in amusement as Noah expertly put together one of the two puzzles he'd been gifted while wearing a slightly too big emerald green rugby jersey.

Exhausted, Ed fought to stay awake after dinner. Once the kids were asleep, Olivia insisted he go to bed, but he shook his head.

"You gotta have your other present," he said.

Even though the suitcase full of gifts was more than enough, Olivia suspected he had something else for her.

"It's in my other bag," he said, motioning to the bedroom, "C'mon."

Instead of a box, the necklace came in a felt pouch. She held it up to the light and gasped at the gorgeous Celtic Knot pendant hanging from a rose gold chain. She knew the significance—the knots had no beginning and no end.

"Five," Ed said softly.

"It's beautiful. I love it. So, so perfect."

"The only thing more perfect is you." Ed could barely keep his eyes open, but he kissed and sucked gently at her neck. A combination of the whiskey, fatigue, and one meal over the course of almost thirty hours rendered him unsteady on his feet and he took her with him as he collapsed on the mattress. As he kissed her, he fumbled for the necklace. "I wanna see you in it," he rasped, "Only in it."

Olivia was more than willing to indulge him. Any doubts she had about his stamina quickly disappeared as he made love to her in his favorite way—slow, sensual, and deliberate. Afterward, he rested his head against her chest. He uttered a few sweet sentences but his words quickly became incoherent as he drifted off to sleep.

The following morning he resumed his daily routine. He hadn't woken early enough for any morning intimacy, but he started Olivia's shower and went to make coffee. When she appeared with her damp hair wrapped in a towel, her mug was ready for her. The twins were drinking milk and watching cartoons in their armchairs and Noah was at the island sipping juice and patiently waiting for Ed to serve him breakfast.

"Want some eggs?" Ed asked after she kissed him good morning.

"Sure. Thank you." She kissed the top of Noah's head, "Good morning, sweet boy."

"Mornin!" Noah's legs dangled beneath him and he smiled sweetly at his mother, "Gonna eat with me?"

"Yep," Olivia said, "Then I'll finish getting ready and I'll take you to school."

"I know howta get there."

Olivia and Ed both raised their eyebrows.

"Yes you do, honey," Olivia said softly, "But Mommy or Daddy have to walk with you."

"Why?"

"Because that's part of our job."

Noah shrugged and accepted the answer but soon asked when he would be allowed to walk to school on his own.

"When you're twelve, bud."

Noah counted. "One, two, three, four, five, SIX more years!"

Ed called Maggie and Wyatt over, but they were entranced by the television. Olivia went to them. "C'mon sweethearts. Want eggs and toast?"

"Egg!"

"Toasss!"

"B'fassss!"

Olivia put them in the high chairs and Ed placed their plastic partitioned plates on the trays. Wyatt grabbed a handful of eggs.

"YUM!" He exclaimed with his mouth full.

"Fru!" Maggie said, "Fru! Dada!"

Ed added blueberries to their plates. Olivia handed over their chunky plastic utensils and the twins diligently began feeding themselves.

"Those babies are gettin' good at using da fork and spoon," Noah said, biting a corner of toast.

"They've been watchin' you, bud," Ed said. He slid eggs from the skillet to Olivia's plate. "One or two pieces of toast?"

"One for now."

He buttered a steaming hot piece, sliced it diagonally, and added it to her plate.

"Tired?" Olivia asked.

He gave her a little smirk, shrugged, and said, "Nah. Gonna be busy today? Or is that a stupid question?"

"Mr. B. say always ask questions!" Noah chimed in.

Olivia smiled and tousled Noah's hair. "That's right, sweet boy. That's how we learn," Olivia turned to Ed, "We hit a brick wall with the, um, Central Park case. So, maybe, maybe not."

Ed saw her eyes become gloomy and distant as they always did when she felt helpless. With Noah present, he couldn't offer much consolation, but he kissed her hand, smiled, and told her to let him know if he and the twins could take her to lunch. He was good at this—at tacitly reminding her of the bright spots in her life when she was dangerously close to sinking into despondency. Sure enough, serenity gradually returned to her mien as she took in her surroundings—their kids, muted cartoons on the television screen, the kitchen littered with remnants of Ed's prep work, and the floor full of toys.

She locked eyes with Ed and promised, no matter what, to carve out time for lunch.

….

While she waited for the results of the squad's initial witness interviews, Olivia anxiously tapped her foot and stared at the clock. Lucy was supposed to be off for the weekend, but did Olivia a favor and took Noah on Saturday morning. Rollins and Carisi caught a case Friday night, and it involved varying degrees of celebrity, so Olivia reluctantly called the nanny. She had every intention of coming in for an update and deploying her detectives, but shortly after her arrival, Chief Dodds showed up and ultimately inserted himself into the investigation. Feeling the weight of her boss' scrutiny, Benson knew she had to change her plans. The squad fanned out to vet witnesses. Olivia retreated to her office, presumably to review the shreds of evidence already collected, but first, she had to figure out child care.

A voice in her head kept telling her to call Tucker. Noah knew him. Tucker had been to their apartment and had accompanied them to dinner and to the park, but she'd never dared to ask her, gulp, boyfriend to take care of her son while she worked. It was a line she'd drawn unilaterally and was wary of crossing. She trusted Tucker, but Ed in the role of babysitter added another layer to their relationship. As she'd done for almost a year, Olivia scrutinized every move, every decision, and every aspect of her connection to Captain Ed Tucker. He had never balked at "date nights" at her apartment. During those evenings, he always played with Noah. He brought him presents. He cut food into child-sized pieces, wiped his hands and face, and even helped him change into pajamas.

There was absolutely nothing to make her think Ed was anything but eager and willing to be a part of Noah's life.

So, she took a deep breath, and called him.

…

Something was up with Ed.

At lunch, he'd declined several calls and cursed his phone when voicemail notifications beeped. Never one to pry, Olivia doted on the twins and helped them dip their French fries in ketchup without getting the sauce everywhere. She was grateful for the together time because she accurately predicted a long evening and she arrived home after the kids were asleep. When she walked in, she heard Ed talking on the phone, and he quickly ended the call before Olivia could discern who was on the other end.

A paranoid, distrustful wife would assume the worst, but Olivia did not fall into that category. She was merely curious at the mounting evidence, but she decided to hold off on asking Ed about his furtive activities. After all, the calls could have been mere flukes. Then again, Ed was not someone who fielded a lot of requests for idle conversation.

He was on the sofa with his legs propped on the coffee table. Olivia stopped to kiss him before swapping her work clothes for sweats. She also dropped a stack of brown two-pronged legal folders in his lap then poured a glass of wine.

"Help," she said, plopping down next to him.

He gingerly opened the first folder. "Am I supposed to be seein' this?"

"No," she said, "But we need fresh eyes. Anything you come up with…well…I'll have to take all the credit."

He turned to her with a smirk on his face and puckered his lips for a kiss. "Fine with me."

Olivia watched closely as he paged through the files containing written details of the evidence they'd collected in the reservoir cases. He easily reverted to Captain Tucker mode—hardened jaw, intense eyes, and furrowed brow. After several minutes, she couldn't help but kiss his cheek.

"Lieutenant."

"Sorry."

She put her head on his shoulder and watched the next segment of the rerun he'd been watching. At the commercial break, she kissed him again.

He raised his eyebrows and pretended to be annoyed.

"You want my help or not?" He asked with overt flirtation in his voice.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

Ed continued reading and Olivia went back to the show; however, she lasted only a few more minutes before taking the pile from him.

"I changed my mind," she said.

The playfulness in his eyes betrayed his attempt to remain gravely serious, "You want me to just forget about all that and make love to you?"

"Yes."

He poked the inside of his mouth with his tongue. "I suppose I can do that."

"You suppose?"

Entangling the fingers of one hand in her hair, he pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss. During a brief pause, he raspec, "Now all I can think about is how much I love you…how much I want you."

Olivia laid back and tried to drag him on top of her.

"Uh-uh," he said, casting his eyes toward Noah's room.

"Oh yeah."

He stood and helped her up.

"Locked doors," he said. "Locked doors are good."

…..

#Tuckson