Twenty-four.

Ever since Noah told Sarah about his teacher, Mr. B., explaining to the kids that emergencies sometimes necessitated different rules, she made a point to have chats with the teacher every week on Wednesdays, her dedicated school pick-up day. While she preferred Mr. B. over the stuffy preschool teacher, she did not appreciate the man planting seeds of independence in Noah's head. Sure, he hadn't specifically told Noah that he could possibly ride the subway by himself, but, in Sarah's opinion, the teacher should have known his precocious pupil could make that connection.

"Hell-lo, Mr. B!" Sarah said brightly, sauntering into the room as the students were filing out. "Have a good day?"

Being bewildered by Sarah was a common reaction for most people, and Mr. B's response to the regular visitor was no different. He was well-versed on various childcare arrangements, but he had never encountered a relative like Sarah. Not even Noah's parents checked in with him each time they picked up Noah from school. Especially Ed. Usually he simply nodded and waved.

"We had a great day," Mr. B. replied in his bubbly teacher voice. "These learners are almost ready to move on to first grade!"

"Speaking of," Sarah said, "How's Noah," she glanced over her shoulder, had Noah heard her use his full name rather than Noey, he would have admonished his sister, "Doing in math?"

"Very well. He's right at the top of the class. But, once first grade rolls around, he will probably be serviced in his regular classroom since math is leveled there."

Sarah grimaced. "Serviced?"

"Yes. Gifted students are serviced in the classroom after Kindergarten."

She still didn't like the sound of the word, but she dropped all protests. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Nope," Mr. B. replied, happy today's interrogation was coming to a quick close. He shifted from foot to foot and looked around at his primary-color-drenched classroom, pretending he had a million things to do.

"Will you be making anything for Mother's Day gifts?"

"We will."

"Great! Have a good one!" Sarah didn't give him time to reply. She flounced over to the cubbies as Noah was zipping his backpack. "Ready, Freddy?"

"Let's go, Flo! Where we goin?"

"Well, we'll drop your bag, change your clothes, then we'll go on the tour bus."

Last week Noah saw a group of people traveling through the city streets atop an uncovered bus and he begged Sarah to take him. Even after she explained the bus was for visitors, Noah still wanted to go.

"Yes!" Noah shoved a fist in the air.

"That makes one of us who's excited," Sarah muttered dryly.

"You not excited, Sare Bear?"

"Of course I am, Noey," she kissed the top of his head, "I'm always excited to hang out with you. And, after the bus, we shall eat at a place of my choosing."

Noah giggled, "Okay, Sare Bear. But you're payin."

"I am?"

"Yup! You lost at bowling, 'member?"

"That was two weeks ago."

"Last week I forgot."

"Oh, Noey…"

"Oh, Sare Bear…"

…

Olivia handed the bottle of sunscreen to Ed and turned around. "Get my back?"

"My pleasure."

She flinched at the feel of the cool cream on her skin but quickly relaxed and enjoyed Ed's caresses as he massaged her skin, making sure to get the cream under the straps. Soon it became clear he was intentionally taking an inordinate amount of time for the task.

"Ed, honey? We're supposed to be going to the water park?"

"Sorry," he kissed the back of her neck, "I…can't help it. You're." Kiss. "So." Kiss. "Pretty."

"Well, you're stuck with me all day," Olivia said. She turned around, grinned, and kissed his lips.

"Stuck is the absolute wrong word."

She grinned and patted his chest.

"You let me know the minute you need me to reapply."

"Will do." She donned a white lacy coverup and puckered her lips. "Kiss for the road?"

"Sure," he said, "But, you mean to tell me…this is the last time I get to kiss you today?"

"It was only an expression," Olivia said, feeling genuine guilt when she saw his pout, "You, sir, get to kiss me whenever you want."

He grinned. "I love you."

"I love you."

The inflatable water park was an impressive array of slides, trampolines, and climbing structures linked by wide water carpets that were designed for foot traffic but not completely stable. Noah strapped on his life jacket, and Olivia helped Wyatt and Sofia into theirs. Tasked with Maggie, Ed fielded questions before he buckled her in.

"Why I gotta wear dis? I know howta swim! So does Wyatt!"

Ed tightened a strap. "You and Wyatt are great swimmers," he said, "But the people who run this park want all little people in life jackets. Safer that way."

Maggie crinkled her nose. "That's dumb."

Ed couldn't help but laugh. "And also, Mommy and I need to make sure you're safe when you're playin' out here because we love you and your brothers and Sofia and we don't want ya to float away."

"Ed!"

Noah giggled, "Daddy's in trouble."

"You are not going to float away," Olivia said sternly, "But Daddy's right. The life jackets make you safer even though you're such good swimmers."

"And!" Wyatt added, "You can," he jumped from the walkway into the waist-deep water and bobbed up and down, relaxing his arms and legs, "You can take a rest like dis if ya get tired!"

Sofia shrieked and jumped in next to him.

"Well, I guess everyone's ready," Ed went to pay the admission fee. Olivia saw him chatting with the attendant. The kids were impatient and Olivia sent them ahead since she'd seen Ed hand over the money. Maggie, however, tugged on Olivia's hand.

"You said you were gonna slide with me!"

"Of course, sweet girl," Olivia called over to Ed and he waved in acknowledgement. Olivia took Maggie's hand and the little girl led her to the tallest slide. They climbed up the wobbly steps and perched themselves on top. "Ready honey? You want to go in my lap or next to me?"

"Next to you," Maggie said, "But you hold my hand."

They hurtled down the slide and splashed into the crystal clear water. Maggie popped up and shrieked with delight. Noah, Wyatt, and Sofia were already in the water. It was shallower than it looked, and came up to three-year-old Sofia's neck.

"C'mon!" Noah said, "Let's go over there!" He was pointing to a pyramid that was slightly taller than the slide. "Then we're gonna go on the trampoline!"

The younger ones followed Noah, and Olivia watched from the water as they ascended the pyramid, slid down, and ran to the trampoline. Ed finally appeared with two cups in his hands and a stack of wristbands between his teeth. He was also pushing an inflatable chaise lounge large enough for two.

"Here ya go," he handed over one of the drinks, "Strawberry daiquiri and they're goddam strong."

"Thank you." Olivia's eyes tracked the kids. The structure wasn't too expansive—it was situated in a square—and from their current spot they could easily see all the action. Nevertheless, she remained standing and ignored the chaise.

Ed patted the seat. "C'mon. Sit with me."

"I…I don't like them out there by themselves."

"They're not," Ed said, "Got lifeguards all over the place. And we're right here. They're fine." As soon as he said it, Wyatt bounced off the side of the trampoline and tumbled into the water.

Olivia gasped, "Oh God—"

"Whooohooo!" Wyatt burst out of the water and shouted gleefully. Water spewed from the corners of his mouth. "You try it, Noah!"

Olivia broke into a sheepish smile and watched Noah jump, land on his bottom, and propel himself toward Wyatt.

"See?" Ed kissed her cheek, "They're fine. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the most potent daiquiri you'll ever have in your life."

Olivia took a second, longer sip. "Damn. How many shots did they put in there?"

"I dunno. It's free…they don't have a liquor license."

"Free?"

"Well, I tipped 'em twenty bucks. They have tacos over there, too."

Olivia laughed. "We're definitely going to need some food if we have more of these." Olivia saw Ed's wallet wedged in the chaise's cup holder, and she nodded in its direction. "So let's not lose that."

Ed had zero concerns about the wallet. "Are you ever gonna come up here with me?"

Olivia hoisted herself onto the raft. "That better?"

Ed grabbed her by the side and unabashedly kissed her with his lips parted. "Now it is. Cheers, baby."

"Cheers."

…..

Since it was a weekday and early in tourist season, Sarah and Noah easily found seats on the open-air top level of the double-decker bus. They sat in a middle row next to the railing and waited patiently as other passengers boarded. The tour guide introduced himself as "Gabe from Brooklyn just across the river." Either he was turned around or not actually familiar with the city's geography, because he pointed in the direction of New Jersey rather than Brooklyn. Noah immediately caught the error and whispered to Sarah.

"Brookey and Sof and Sonny live in Brooklyn," he whispered and pointed in the correct direction, "And they over dere!"

"I know, Noey Boey," Sarah said under her breath, "Maybe he thought he was facing another way."

Noah shrugged and peered down at the people below. "Everrone's lookin' at us."

"Of course they are."

The bus, more or less, made a loop around Central Park, with a slight detour in Harlem for the Apollo Theatre and Grant's Tomb. However, the vehicle barely made it four blocks before Noah caught another error. In an effort to explain New York's avenues versus its streets, Gabe gave a brief history of the grid system.

"Sare Bear," Noah hissed, "He say Fifth, Park, Madison! But it's not! It goes Fifth, Madison, Park!"

"What's after Park?" Sarah challenged.

"Lexington! L-E-X!"

Sarah put her arm around Noah, "It's okay. Just…look at the view. We don't get to ride up high like this very often."

Temporarily content, Noah relaxed against Sarah and heeded her advice as long as he could. Gabe the guide prattled on as the bus crept up Fifth Avenue and passed Rockefeller Plaza, well-known retail outposts, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Trump Tower. Some people booed when Gabe mentioned the former President's home. Noah scrunched up his face in confusion.

"Not a good guy, Noey."

"But he da President!"

"Was. He got kicked out."

"Mommy should be da President," Noah said confidently. "And Daddy. They would go a really good job."

"Agree," Sarah replied, "Does Mr. B. teach you about the President and what he…or she…does?"

"Uh-huh! Da President's da leader of our country, The United States of America, and da President 'posedta make sure we all free and happy!"

"Right."

"But Mommy puts people in jail."

"Bad people."

"Yeah," Noah sighed, conceding the point, "So da rest of us can be free and happy!"

"Correcto."

Sarah was shocked that Noah managed to process Gabe's narration during their side chat, but he scrunched up his face once again when Gabe said the "Fish" family donated money to the Central Park Zoo's children's section in 2007.

"It's Ta-Ta-Tisch," Noah said, "Not fish!"

"Noey," Sarah said bluntly, "He's just not very good at his job. But, hey! Now we know…you can be the tour guide when you get older. It can be your summer job."

"My job's gonna be to fix da subway."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I fixed it in my room an' took a picture."

Sarah grinned and gazed proudly at Noah. He was so confident, smart, matter-of-fact, and full of goodwill and optimism. She played with his hair and took a deep, contemplative breath. Before she met Noah, she never saw herself as a competent caregiver. In fact, she had intentionally avoided kids. She never held babies. Never volunteered to babysit. Sarah had never eagerly anticipated having children of her own. Yet, Noah stole her heart. From day one, there was a connection between the two of them. Despite being only six, he got her—he was an honest critic, an open-minded companion, and her best friend. Noah helped her realize she could love another person more than herself; he did this so well she was a tad concerned she wouldn't love her own children as much as she adored him.

"Well, I am truly excited for you to fix the trains," Sarah said, "But, Noey…I'm selfish. I want you to stay six forever."

Noah giggled. "Sare Bear! We haveta have birthdays! Next I'm gonna be seven!"

Sarah threw hear head back in mock devastation and groaned, "Oh…don't tell me that."

Noah narrowed his eyes. "You still gonna love me when I'm seven?"

"Noey, I shall love you until you're one-hundred and twenty-seven." She kissed his cheek. "You'll be old and wrinkly, but I'll still love ya!"

"You gonna get wrinkly first!"

"Nope…I'm gonna have Botox."

"What's that?"

"It's a magic thing that keeps you young."

"Sare Bear," Noah sighed, "You know all da tricks."

…..

The waves crashing at the Fire Island shore were huge, at least three or four feet, and Noah spent his first twenty minutes of beach time staring slack-jawed into the ocean. Olivia had taken him to the beach a couple of times before, but the most recent trip had occurred almost a year prior; thus the experience was practically new to the three-year-old.

Ed unfolded the beach chairs and Olivia spread out the tarp-like blanket while keeping one eye on her son. They'd left Manhattan after breakfast and taken a morning ferry over to Ocean Beach. It was still early, before noon, so there weren't many people out quite yet. It was also late spring and not quite peak season, so the small town and its beaches were far less populated than they would be in the coming weeks.

The trio had only been back from Paris for two days. Olivia had tacked on some extra days at home so she could recover from jet lag that didn't end up troubling her too much. Seeing his girlfriend refreshed and rejuvenated prompted Ed to arrange a spontaneous day trip to the beach. She was still grieving. Still plagued with guilt. But, during their Paris trip, their bond strengthened and transformed. She and Ed spent evenings together on their hotel room terrace. She vented. Talked. Let tears flow. He held her and listened. Made love to her. Told her he loved her in a voice so assured Olivia was certain he thought his love could erase every horror she'd faced or ever would face. When they returned to New York and he saw her visibly more relaxed and felt their relationship shift to something resembling permanent status, he was overjoyed…and a bit greedy. Ed Tucker was determined to squeeze more vacation out of their days off.

"Feel like hittin' the beach tomorrow?" He had spontaneously asked the previous night.

Olivia started to balk but then realized she had nothing to do the next day. Nobody even knew she was back. So, she agreed. Packed. Sent Ed out for sunblock. And wore a serene expression as she watched the trees of Long Island supplant the concrete jungle.

Ed snapped the third chair into place and stood, arms akimbo, following Noah's sight line.

"Wanna see if the water's cold, bud?"

"Water cold," Noah murmured, still mesmerized.

Olivia slid on his life jacket even though she was sure Ed would probably only go in as far as his ankles. The surf was too volatile. She took his hand. "C'mon, sweet boy. Let's go see."

Noah high-stepped to the water, holding on to Ed's and Olivia's hands. He was tentative at first but then gleefully splashed around. At one point, he crouched to dunk his hands and was knocked over by the force of a wave. Olivia rushed to his side, ready to comfort a screaming child, but Noah only giggled, clambered to his feet, and bellowed, "Again!"

They spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon alternating between the chairs and the water. Noah was easily occupied with buckets, pails, and a few toy trucks. Ed and Olivia sat back and basked in the bright, warm sun. Neither one of them said much, but the silence wasn't awkward. They were wholly content.

"You want to pack up and go get some lunch or wait and have an early dinner?" Ed asked at one point. Food wasn't allowed on the beach. They'd brought some light snacks for Noah and water bottles and they'd eaten a fairly heavy breakfast, so Olivia wasn't at all hungry. However, there was an ulterior motive in Ed's question.

"Let's stay as long as possible so we don't have to lug everything up there, eat, then come back." It wasn't a long walk to the town's restaurants, but they had an excessive amount of beach gear. Olivia sighed, "I wish we would've thought about staying overnight."

Ed smirked. "Done."

"What?"

"Buddy of mine…retired…has a house," Ed jerked his head toward a set of three houses spaced generously apart about a football field away from them, "Not right on the beach, but it's here…and ours for the night…if ya wanna stay."

Olivia grinned. "Of course I want to stay," she replied softly, "I knew I overpacked for a reason."

"Yeah, ya did."

His smirk was irresistible. Olivia leaned over the plastic armrest and kissed him. "I'd forgotten how much I love the beach," she said in a hushed voice, pausing for a few seconds to soak up the sound of waves crashing peppered with Noah's soft babbles. "Thank you."

"It's been a good couple a weeks." His remark was part question, part statement. Ed desperately needed her to agree.

She concurred, and upped the ante. "Amazing couple of weeks."

"What was your favorite part?"

Olivia rattled off almost every aspect of their stay. The typical tourist sites, the quaint lanes, the shops full of handmade goods, toys, housewares, and clothing, and the food. "It was so good…so…elegant," she cooed, "And the hotel…even the plane rides…" she smiled sweetly with a hint of self-deprecation, "I guess I'm missing the point of your question."

"Nah."

"But, really? Seriously? I think…You know…I'm ready to go back. It served its purpose…in a way."

"A way?"

"Yeah," Olivia felt a twinge of nervousness, "You suggested Paris…because it would be good to get away," she was speaking more hesitantly than before, "Take a break. Step back. And it was. I did that. I disconnected. But…the other thing…it was good to be with you. There. With Noah—"

Her voice was starting to shake. Ed took her hand and kissed the knuckles. "I know. And," His eyes were shielded by sunglasses, but he lifted them to hers, "I want it to keep bein' good."

"Me too." She quickly replied, glad he was taking over.

"And here we are," he sliced the air with his arm, "Gorgeous day, happy kid…a woman who…I'm so lucky to have in my life." The last sentence came out in barely a whisper since Ed was experiencing jitters, again. For a multitude of reasons, Olivia Benson rendered him wobbly kneed and unsure of himself many times.

The moment was heavy, and Olivia needed to shrug off a bit of the weight. She smiled. "And…lobster rolls later?"

"It'd be a sin to come here and not have one."

…..

The tour bus depot was in midtown on the edges of Times Square and Sarah gave Noah the option of staying there or going to another neighborhood to eat. After deliberating his options, Noah decided they should have sushi and they walked a few blocks to a small restaurant they'd visited many times. Noah read the list and marked his choices with the golf pencil. He handed the paper to the waiter with a smile.

"Here ya go! One, two, three, four, five rolls!"

The man nodded, "Yessir."

"Noey, you must be hungry."

"Verrry hungry!"

"Do you think we should have sushi at my wedding?"

Noah twisted his lips as he concocted an answer. "Sare Bear, some people don't like sushi. You should have pizza. Everrbody likes pizza."

"Noey, I cannot have pizza at my wedding." Sarah cocked her head and reconsidered, "Well…maybe we could…that would actually…well…Justin's mom and his aunts are taking care of the food…maybe we'll have pizza at his graduation party."

"When's dat?"

"Next week! We have a lot of parties coming up. Graduation, Mother's Day, the twinsies' birthday, and then the wedding. What are you going to get Maggie and Wyatt for their birthday?"

"Those babies have a lotta toys," Noah replied, "I'll get 'em some books. Or a puzzle."

"No birthday toys? You're no fun!"

Noah frowned. "Sare Bear! They haveta learn! Learning is fun!"

"Well, I'm going to get them toys."

"Small sister needs some puppets and Wyatt needs his own trains."

"Gotcha."

"And we need a soccer goal. We have da basketball hoop, but we need soccer."

"I don't think you have room for a soccer goal."

"We can have it at da beach."

"Oh…good idea. OH!" Sarah grabbed her phone and pulled up some photos. She showed the screen to Noah. "What do you think of this?"

Noah leaned forward and marveled at the image—a view from a beachfront balcony. "Wow! Dat sand is white! And da water's blue!"

"Yeah, I think I'm buying it. It's on the Gulf of Mexico which is—"

"I know where! It's by Florida and, and, Al'bama."

"How do you know that?"

"I look at da map at school when I finish my work."

"Do you finish your work before the other kids?"

"Yes."

"All the time?"

"Yep. All the time."

"Well…don't rush. You don't want to make silly mistakes."

Shocked Sarah would even consider the notion he would do such a thing, Noah scrunched up his face and retorted, "I double check! Mr. B. say to double check and I do!"

"Okay, okay…sorry…so…when you finish early, Mr. B. makes you stare at the map?"

"No. I like to see where everrthing is!"

"Noey, you never cease to amaze me."

"What dat mean?"

….

Olivia gave each of the kids an extra kiss goodnight and followed Ed into their condo bedroom. She was grateful to Sarah for giving them this room; it was opposite the other two and afforded an extra layer of privacy. Neither she nor Ed had to worry about anyone hearing their amorous late-night trysts, and, on this night, she could force Ed to express his feelings without the chance of Brooke or Sarah overhearing.

Olivia knelt on the bed beside her husband and kissed his forehead. "What are you thinking about?" She asked softly with wide, empathic eyes.

"That I'm so glad you're here." He turned on his side and held one of her hands.

"Was today as tough as you thought it would be?"

"Not the first part," Ed replied, referring to their day at the water park, "And I suppose, dinner…I think being here was better, rather than have it at home at one of our houses, or at hers…it's just weird. But I guess we can't avoid holidays forever. Christmas comin' up."

"A new status quo," Olivia said, "It'll take some time to get used to."

"You know what makes it easier?"

"What's that?"

Ed played with her fingers. "Knowin' at the end of the day, all days, I'm gonna be here, with you."

"Feels good, doesn't it? That's what I meant…all those times…when I told you I felt safe with you…secure…that's priceless."

Ed blinked a few times. Olivia could tell he was digging deep into his emotions.

"When I…when I got divorced," he began, "I was, well, first of all I was pissed. Pissed I failed, angry that my girls had to finish growing up with one parent here and one there…but I know now, I was also scared. Scared I'd be by myself for the rest of my life, I mean, people who get married and divorced four, five times, I don't get that. So, Liv, all those times, all those times you talked about being alone, goin' through things alone, I understood, 'cause I was there, too. And, above all, the thing I'm most thankful for? It's that I'm not alone, but I'm not alone…with you."

Olivia cupped his cheek and planted a soft, tender kiss on his lips. She inched away and touched her forehead to his.

"Now," Ed continued, "Enough of this talking." He started kissing her neck.

"But you're so good at it."

He chuckled a little but didn't take his lips off her skin.

"Talk to me now Liv," he rasped. "Tell me what you want."

…..

#Tuckson