Forty-three. (features a glimpse ahead to real time Thanksgiving for JB and thanks JB for the idea!/typically the FFs are farther into the future, but we need a little Thanksgiving and I didn't want to create a whole new story or oneshot!)

"I shoulda known to get a hotel room for tonight," Ed whispered to Olivia as he swayed her across the dance floor. "Weddings make me…" he took a deep, sharp breath, "...so crazy."

Olivia smiled and angled her head against his. Ed had been behaving and keeping his hands on the small of her back, but Olivia knew he was exercising enormous restraint. Even she had to admit, she looked good tonight. No, she looked amazing. The dress and its earthy color had thrown her for a loop at first but it hugged her body perfectly and the deep yellow hue accentuated her skin tone. As her one extravagance, Sarah hired two people to do makeup and hair and, though the makeup artist used color combinations Olivia had never considered, it added a sultry allure to her naturally gorgeous features.

"Livvie," Sarah said, "Dad isn't gonna last the ceremony."

The wedding mass went off without a hitch. At the last minute Ed had worried about lifting the veil and placing it in its proper position on Sarah's head, but he expertly swept it away from her face and smoothed it back before kissing her cheek and whispering "I love you." Olivia noticed him wiping a tear as he took his place in the pew next to her and she squeezed his hand, knowing his emotions were mostly relief that his capricious-in-love daughter was settling down with a man she truly loved.

During the prayers, homily, and vows, Noah stood along with the other groomsmen, handsome in his tuxedo and shiny black wingtips. Occasionally he rocked back and forth, toe-to-heel, and stared at his shoes. He had an affinity for fancy footwear, and he was especially proud of this pair. Every few minutes he would glance at the audience. Once, he saw Mia waving at him and he shyly waved back.

When it came time to exchange rings, Noah delivered them to Sarah and Justin, but, as he was turning to retake his spot, Sarah held him by the shoulder and whispered, "Stay here, Noey." He watched the rest of the ceremony, including the kiss, standing at Sarah's side.

The formality of the mass gave way to a raucous party once everyone settled in at the reception hall. Justin's friends and brothers each gave a toast as did Brooke who hadn't given one at Sarah's first wedding. Her speech was brief but heartfelt and she warmly welcomed Justin to the family. Happy he'd spoken last night, Ed sat back with a smirk on his face and bounced Maggie in his lap. He and Olivia spent the first part of the evening on the dance floor with their kids. Ed danced with Sarah, Olivia danced with Justin, then, more upbeat music took over and they swung the twins, Noah, and Mia around until the four kids drifted off into a huddle with children from Justin's family. As soon as the next ballad was played, Ed darted to Olivia's side, interrupted her conversation, and led her back out to the dance floor.

"We're going to have to leave fairly early," Olivia said encouragingly. "Those sweet babies are going to be exhausted."

"Good." Ed kissed her neck and took a deep breath. "Damn, you smell so...God..."

Parrying his amorous advances, Olivia changed the subject. "Aidan looks good. He's sure grown."

"He looks miserable."

"He's sixteen and at a wedding with people he doesn't know very well. Speaking of, Justin's aunts are hilarious. They remind me so much of your mother. No wonder she and Carmen get along so well."

"You and I get along so well."

"Weddings really do make you crazy, don't they?"

"Mmmhmm. It's 'cause I remember marryin' you like it was yesterday and," he pressed his forehead to hers, "I've been so fucking happy ever since."

"Me too."

When the song ended, Olivia experienced a momentary instance of panic when she couldn't find the twins. Her eyes frantically darted around the hall and she dug her fingernails into Ed's wrist.

"Ah," he said after what seemed like an eternity, "We were lookin' in the wrong direction." He pointed to their table. Wyatt and Maggie, still in their wedding attire, were sitting together, their bag of toys overturned and its contents spilling out between them.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief and walked arm-in-arm with Ed back to the table. "Hello, sweethearts!"

Wyatt grinned and reached one fist out to her. Inside he clutched the remnants of a brownie.

"Oh, honey, come here," Olivia found their wipes and quickly cleaned him up.

Ed kissed Maggie's head and sat in the chair behind her. "Where's Noah, Maggie May? Where's your brother?"

"NO!" Maggie pointed at the stage.

"Liv, look!"

"Oh my...how…" Olivia found her phone, "Oh my God."

Mia and Noah were standing in front of the DJ booth, and Mia was showing a bewildered-looking Noah how to twirl her around and around. The skirt of her pink dress billowed out around her. She grabbed Noah's hand, put it in hers, and looped herself under his arm over and over again until she was overcome by dizziness. She staggered, recovered, and grabbed Noah's hand again. He quickly found a rhythm and twirled her faster and faster. They bumped into several couples who merely looked down and smiled at the collisions. The twirling stopped only because the DJ decided to play the Cha Cha Slide. Sarah and Justin grabbed the kids and helped them with the moves.

From their places near the table, Maggie and Wyatt did their best to follow along, but they mostly jumped around, crashed into each other, and fell into a giggly heap before standing up and starting all over again.

Brooke, who had been dancing with Sofia in her arms, came back to the table and practically collapsed into a chair. "Phew! That's a workout!"

Olivia took Sofia and cuddled her in her lap. "Where's Carisi?" She asked, forgetting to use his first name as she often did.

"He's out there in front. See?"

"Wow," Olivia said, "He's good at that."

"I know! We're going to have to practice before the next wedding or whatever...I suck at these dances. Dad? How come you're not out there?"

"I'm waitin' for the Electric Slide," Ed quipped dryly.

Olivia and Brooke both broke into laughter.

"I'd pay to see that," Brooke said.

Ed took a drink of his beer while staring at his wife and daughter. He swallowed and winked.

"Get your money ready."

….

Ed got up and went to the kitchen, presumably for a refill, but Olivia heard him rummaging through the snacks and he returned with more bourbon and a bowl of caramel corn.

"Want some?"

Olivia groaned, "I don't think I'll ever eat again."

"Sure ya will." Ed collected her back into his arms and kissed the side of her head. "Can't waste these vacation days," he whispered.

"Plans, Tucker?"

"I was plannin' on taking you to dinner once or twice, or," he kissed her head again, "Bringing dinner to you. Or just, doin' this."

"I like all of the above," Olivia sighed contentedly. "Such a good day."

"It was. I'm glad it wasn't too overwhelming."

"It was perfect."

"Turkey was kinda dry."

Olivia chuckled, "Isn't it always dry?"

"Definitely not my favorite, or my mom's, hence the ham and the pot roast."

"Thanksgiving is all about the sides anyway, isn't it?"

"Right."

"And they were great, especially the mashed potatoes. So good."

"Secret's a hell of a lot of butter." Ed popped a few kernels into his mouth. "Sure you don't want any?"

"I'm sure." Olivia nestled herself even more snugly under his arm. "Ed, seriously, thank you for today. I was worried...about feeling like an interloper, like Noah and I were casual observers, but that didn't happen. I never had Thanksgivings like that growing up-mine usually involved going to a strangers house and watching adults drink too much-and I want Noah to always have good memories of holidays."

"You deserve to have some, too."

Olivia swallowed a lump in her throat. "It wasn't very long ago I didn't think good memories were possible."

"I'm glad you didn't give up on them."

"I was close…"

Ed tightened his hold on her. He could tell she wanted to talk, that she wanted to offer up more details from her past, and he wanted to make sure to convey he wasn't, under any circumstances, going to let her go.

"Sometimes," she said, "It all seems so far away. And then, a dream or a person I pass on the street, or just a bad day, brings a piece...or...a lot of pieces back, and I'm back, in that car, at that beach house, on the stand at trial...it's terrifying...but then I remember, I come back to reality, to Noah, to the light that was at the end of the tunnel. When the judge gave me custody, I often wonder if she knew exactly how thin of a thread I was hanging by, how alone I was...did she see that? Did she know she was sort of saving my life by giving me someone to live for?"

Several minutes passed before Ed broke the silence.

"That was rhetorical, right?"

Olivia shook with gentle laughter. "Yes."

"I remember seein' ya before and after."

"Exhausted and more exhausted?"

"More like tired and good tired," Ed replied. "And don't forget, you were goin' through the foster system with Noah and gettin' used to running a unit, and then eventually preparing for the Lieutenant's exam-"

"-forced to prepare-"

Ed smirked. "-yeah, well...I hope eventually, you'll take some pride in all of it, all of that learning on the job with...uh...all that terrible stuff still pretty fresh in the rear view mirror...it's remarkable."

Had Ed not been so sincere, Olivia would have muttered something cynical such as "if you say so" or a comment similarly dismissive of his sentiments. But Ed had managed to put the unimaginable horror and the unexpected bliss of the past eighteen months into simple yet meaningful perspective. Not only that, he was conveying how deeply he admired her but also how much he cared...and had been caring for her for a while.

"Thank you for that," she said, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

Ed reluctantly created some space between them, but he had to look her in the eye for what he was going to say next. "You're welcome." He put the popcorn bowl on the coffee table and held her hands, "Olivia, I want you to know, uh, well, maybe I did put you in between a rock and a hard place with the exam...but I'd never, ever force you into doin' something you didn't want to do."

"You did it for me," Olivia said. "If you hadn't, I could've been blindsided by someone showing up and taking my office out of the blue. You were the only one, in the whole department, thinking of me."

"Still..."

Olivia was shocked and, ironically, a bit heartened at how her little joke had rubbed Ed the wrong way. She tugged on his wrists and kissed him. "I know, Ed." She kissed him again. "I know."

…

The entire Tucker master suite saw some form of intimacy on the night of Sarah's wedding. All three kids were sleeping by the time the taxi dropped them off at home and nobody, not even Maggie, stirred when their parents swapped their formal outfits for pajamas. Ed followed Olivia into the bedroom. She went into the closet and seductively asked him to help her with the zipper even though it was located on the side and she could have easily undone it herself.

He took his time removing the dress, and it gave her time to unbutton his shirt. She slid it from his shoulders and he yanked off his t-shirt. She massaged his pecs and his abs as he kissed along her collarbone and then, one by one, freed her arms from the cap sleeves.

"I love you so much," he said, "I wanna marry you again, every day." He pushed the dress down and it collected at her ankles. "Over and over again...I wanna marry you."

"Ed."

His entire body, from his shoulders to his waist, biceps to forearms, thigh to throbbing erection to opposite thigh, was rock solid. The familiar flush appeared on his chest and Olivia kissed all over it while she worked at his belt and waistband.

From the closet they ambled into the bathroom. Ed lifted her onto the counter, cupped her head, and buried his tongue in her mouth. It was an almost predatory kiss. Ed opened his mouth wide and smiled as best he could when Olivia kissed back with equal fervor. He unclasped her bra and sucked on each breast until Olivia was whimpering and pawing at his hips. Ed tore off her panties and slid his fingers inside of her; he had the presence of mind to grab the bottle of lube, and Olivia screamed into his mouth as he thrust his fingers in and out at a furious pace.

From there they stumbled to the bed. Olivia didn't regularly their lovemaking sessions, but, the next morning, as she drifted into consciousness from a deep, satisfying sleep and felt the effects from the night before, she couldn't remember a time when Ed had loved her with such a titillating combination of erotic aggression and attentive passion. She turned on her side for a view of him-his face placid in slumber and a single white sheet covering him up to the waist. Surely, one or two or all of the kids were awake, but Olivia almost gave in to the ache she had for him.. Ed often boasted of his addiction to her, but the obsession was mutual. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and crept out of bed. In that moment, as she gave him one last smile before leaving the room, she realized that, while he constantly admitted his love jones for her, she was never as vocal.

That changes now, she thought. Ed deserved to hear, definitively and often, how badly she craved him.

…..

Security was tight in the blocks adjacent to the Museum of Natural History the day before Thanksgiving. Olivia and Ed weaved their way through the crowd and nodded at familiar and unfamiliar uniformed officers who flanked the path leading to the area where the public could watch the inflation of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. Olivia pushed the stroller and Ed carried Noah on his shoulders. When they reached the grounds, Noah started bouncing up and down. "I SEE GRINCH! HE'S FLAT!"

"Yeah, bud, we're gonna see him get real big in a little bit."

Once inside the viewing area, Olivia and Ed took out their shields. As a matter of loosely-enforced protocol, NYPD officers were supposed to turn in badges upon retirement, but Ed kept his for a number of reasons including times like these when special access could be granted. Portable fences separated the balloons from the spectators; the family would have been fine watching the spectacle with everyone else, but Ed insisted they could get closer. Sure enough, he spotted a familiar Lieutenant and Olivia followed him as he approached.

"Mark!"

Stunned at hearing his first name, the officer frowned but immediately grinned when he saw who was barking his name.

"Tucker!"

"Buddy, how ya doin?"

"Great, great, busy as usual this time of year. Got everyone here...homeland security, ATF, counter terrorism…" Mark suddenly noticed the women and children and softened his tone. "Who do we have here?"

Ed cast his eyes upwards, "My son Noah. No, say hello to Lieutenant Edwards."

"Hi!" Noah erupted into laughter. "Daddy, you're Ed and he's EDWARDS!"

Ed grinned proudly and continued the introductions. "My wife, Olivia."

"Hi," Olivia shook his hand, and, seeing him try to place her, helped him out, "SVU."

"Oh, oh, yeah!"

Olivia rolled the stroller back and forth. "And these two are Maggie and Wyatt."

"Hello there!" Mark had gone from tough-as-nails cop to sugary-sweet old friend in a matter of seconds.

Maggie screeched at him and Wyatt grinned shyly.

"So," Ed gripped Noah's ankles, "What's the deal here? Bout an hour?"

"Yeah, well, maybe more. If you want, leave the stroller here and you can walk around inside."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead, just go on the inside, opposite the fences. No problem. Media's in there and a few other people I may have let through thanks to the shield."

Ed patted Mark on the shoulder. "Thanks, man. I owe ya. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Happy Thanksgiving to you."

As soon as the balloons started to take a bit of shape and rise off the ground, Noah asked to get down. With Ed and Olivia prominently displaying their shields, nobody questioned their presence as they wandered through the restricted area. Maggie and Wyatt didn't quite get it until the third loop when they recognized Mr. Incredible.

"CREBULL!"

"CREBULL!"

They jabbed their little arms into the air and craned their necks as far back as they could while still maintaining balance. Nevertheless, Maggie shrieked and got so excited she pounded her feet up and down furiously and fell backward. Ed caught her and held her like an infant for a few minutes.

"Lookit that, Maggie May!"

"Crebull, Dah!"

It wasn't long before she wriggled out of his arms and she and Wyatt followed Noah to the next balloon.

"GRINCH! Here he is!" Noah announced.

"Let's get a picture," Olivia said, "Noah, make a grinch face!"

Noah frowned, furrowed his brow, and did his best to look grumpy even though he was nowhere near the mood of the cantankerous Grinch.

"Good one, sweet boy!"

Noah took a few steps backwards. "He's almost there!"

One of the attendants politely contradicted him. "Got another hour or so."

Ed eyed the twins. They were shouting "GINCH" over and over again. Neither they nor Noah showed signs of fatigue. "We shoulda brought a flask," he whispered in Olivia's ear.

Noah continued on. "Babies," he said, "Dis's Charlie Brown! You prolly don't 'member but we always watch Charlie Brown Christmas movie!"

"CharBROW!"

"Char Brow, NO!"

They were close to the character's shoe which was fully inflated and Noah laughed hysterically. "Dis is Charlie's foot! Jus da foot! He's gonna be HUGE!"

"HEWWWWWW!"

"FOOT! FOOT!"

Olivia snapped pictures. Ed put an arm around her shoulder. They had shared many sweet family outings, but Ed particularly loved wintry scenes when the kids were bundled into puffy parkas, mittens, and knit caps, their faces full of joy, and their cheeks pink from both weather and excitement.

Once they made their way, for the fifth time, past the toy soldier, the balloon was almost at its height and, although it wasn't upright, it was the perfect backdrop for a family photo. Ed found someone who didn't look like he was too occupied and asked him to take a picture. Even though the man appeared disinterested in everything else going on, he snapped several photos and even coaxed smiles from the twins.

Olivia eagerly grabbed the phone and inspected the photos. "Ed, they're so nice." She showed him her favorite of the dozen or so images-she and Ed smiling broadly and Noah and the twins looking as though they were screaming blissfully, all with the toy soldier backdrop.

"Christmas card," he said. "Done."

Olivia didn't have time to bask in the sweetness because Noah shouted "MOMMY! LOOK!"

Men with nets and sandbags were circling each balloon. They deftly unrolled the nets, corralled the characters, and secured them with sandbags.

"Yeah, bud, that's so they don't fly away overnight.

"Wow…" Mesmerized, Noah wandered ahead and watched the men repeat the process with the other balloons. "Wow…"

It was dark now and the workers were collecting cables and other machinery they'd used to do their jobs. Maggie and Wyatt were starting to get fussy. Ed and Olivia, though thrilled with their outing, were hungry and looking forward to a glass of wine or a beer.

"Noah?" Olivia asked, "What would you like for dinner?"

"Pizza! There's pizza across da street!"

"Uno," Ed grumbled.

Olivia shrugged, "It's pizza."

"It's not our regular pizza."

"They have drinks," Olivia pointed out, "And...you and I could maybe eat something else...later...if we want."

Ed smirked, twisted his lips, and naughtily looked her up and down. "Uno's fine," he said, "I'm not gonna want to eat later."

"Gotta save room for all that turkey tomorrow," Olivia quipped, slapping his belly.

"Yeah," Ed retorted, "That's why."

….

#Tuckson