Fifty-two.

Ed cracked open a can of beer, and stretched his legs, digging his heels into the sugary sand. He was grateful for the break, for he'd spent most of the late morning and early afternoon playing kickball in the sand, chasing down Noah's skim board, and swinging Maggie and Wyatt in and out of the crashing waves. Maggie could not get enough of being whipped around in the water and screamed "GAIN" after each turn. Lucky for her, Wyatt figured out how his new, properly-fitted goggles worked, and he plopped down on his chest a foot or so from where the waves crashed and let the water wash over him. Olivia, assuming he was bored, tried to pick him up so they could join Ed and Maggie in the knee-deep water, but Wyatt fussed and said, "Stay, Mama!" Olivia watched in amazement as her usually timid son faced the frothy surf headfirst. She sat down and waited for him to tire, but he didn't move until Noah coaxed him to the kickball game. Afterwards, Olivia took the twins in for a nap and Noah voluntarily tagged along.

"Don't get too juiced, Eddie," Caroline warned, "It's early and I expect steak and lobster grilled to perfection this evening."

"Don't you worry, Ma."

"And you'll want to make sure you're alert for your wife."

Ed turned his head to her and smirked. "Don't worry about that, either."

"Nice you have someone adore you, isn't it?"

"Real nice."

"You're probably used to it," Caroline said, "But I see the way she still looks at you."

"How does she look at me?"

"Like she finally found the pot of gold after chasing rainbows for a hundred years." Caroline swilled her hard lemonade, cursed the plastic bottle, and added, "It'd be okay if this were to be my last birthday because I know someone's taking care of my Eddie."

Ed clenched his teeth. Caroline waxing sentimental was not at all a rare occurrence, but she usually did so with joviality, not morbid gloom. She noticed her son's discomfort.

"I said, if, Eddie! Relax. In fact, being here? I think it's added at least ten, twenty years."

"Canceled out a few smokes?"

"Perhaps. Are you still sneaking one or two every once in a while?"

"Nope."

"Good," Caroline said, "You need to stay in shape."

"You don't think I looked in shape out there on the kickball field today?"

"I meant," Caroline shot him a devilish smirk, "Well, yes, for your kids, but your wife...gotta stay in shape for her, Eddie."

"Like I said, Ma, no need to worry."

…..

Concerned Ed wasn't getting enough air, Olivia eased herself onto her side. He responded by shifting to his back and apologizing for putting too much weight on her.

"No, you're good." She ran a hand over his damp head and smiled sweetly, " you need to breathe."

Ed slithered so he was partially on top of her again. "I need you." Ed felt her shiver and he grinned. "Y'alright?"

"Yes." She put her hands over his ears and guided him in for a kiss. It was sensual, fiercely passionate, and Olivia shivered again when Ed groped around for her hands and held them in a fist over their heads. He peeled his lips away from hers, kissed up and down the inside of each arm, and rasped her name.

Olivia closed her eyes and swallowed hard. What was it about this man? Did she love him? Was that even a fair question to ask, right now, after he'd so skillfully made love to her and was working his way toward a second round? The familiar quiver of arousal reappeared and she tried to localize the pleasure by focusing on the exact spots where Ed's lips touched her skin. She wasn't sure what to say, or if she needed to say anything. She wanted him to continue, move lower, perform oral sex like he'd done the last time they'd been together, it had been a first for them and Olivia tingled at the mere thought of what had transpired. Should she...put in a request?

He kissed her again, this time ravenously with his mouth open wide. Panting, he lifted his head, smirked, and tilted one shoulder back so he could massage a breast. He still couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe Olivia Benson was letting him love her.

"Tell me what you want," he whispered.

Unsure how to respond, Olivia bit her lip.

"Tell me," Ed coaxed.

Olivia wasn't sure if he was goading her into bawdy talk or trying to make absolutely sure she wanted what he was about to do next. "Last time," she said in a low voice, "Last time, you-"

He gave her a peck on the lips and stared into her eyes. "Okay."

"Oh God…"

How did he know? How did he know which spots to hit? What to do? He navigated her body, in and out, like he'd known her forever. In the moment, Olivia couldn't think about whether or not her reciprocations were worthy of what he was doing because the only thought running through her head was how, moving forward, she was going to be able to look at him and not be aroused.

Olivia moaned and cried out-his name, pleas to keep going, he was doing it differently tonight, and...how could it possibly be better? Was this her life now? Work, Noah, and...Ed Tucker in her bed?

Ed felt her quiver and begin to writhe. He stopped. Olivia, thinking he was finished, threw her arms out at ninety degree angles. She took a deep breath. Then another. On the third, Ed picked up where he left off, and it wasn't long before Olivia was lying limp and sated in his arms.

Ed adjusted the top sheet and blanket and possessively looped a leg around Olivia's. "I'll leave in the morning if that's alright," he spoke in a low voice in her ear and took the opportunity to kiss the side of her head.

"I don't want you to go," she cooed.

Ed started to say something but caught himself; Olivia, however, noticed and asked what he had been about to say.

"Probably not the right time," he said casually.

"Tell me."

"I uh, was just thinkin' out loud, well, almost," Ed stammered, suddenly reduced to jitters.

"Ed," Olivia turned to him and put a hand on the side of his face. "Tell me."

"It's starting to feel strange sleeping...alone...without you."

She smiled. "I know. I...I miss you when you're not here." They exchanged a few relieved kisses and Olivia nestled herself back into her previous spot, her back to his chest. She held his arm firmly in case he was thinking about letting go. "Long day tomorrow," she murmured.

"What's goin on?"

"We got a tip about possible trafficked girls. So, you know the drill, in the morning getting all the tech up and running and ready and, later, wait and watch."

"Putting someone inside?"

"Carisi."

Ed experienced a flutter of relief that it wasn't her. Sex traffickers were getting more and more violent when it came to protecting their enterprise. "Really long day for him, then."

"Right."

"Need help with Noah?"

Olivia smiled and tilted her head back for an appreciative kiss. "Lucy's staying with him."

"Okay."

"Depending on how it goes down, though, I'll need a coffee...or a drink...or," Olivia intertwined her fingers with his. "This."

"I like this a lot."

"Me too."

…...

It was fun for the family to be annoyed with Sonny and his camera, but, years later, they would all take great pleasure and comfort in the neatly catalogued array of photographs he snapped with the fancy Nikon Brooke gave him for his first Father's Day and regularly upgraded as the years went by. Busy with beach fun, he left the camera in its case for the first part of the week, but on Caroline's birthday, he assumed the role of family photographer. He used the tripod to take group shots with both the back of the house and the ocean in the background. Once those were taken, the eleven of them were sorted into subgroups-kids, twins, Noah and Olivia, Noah and Ed, Ed and Olivia, Sarah and Brooke, the grandchildren and Caroline and so on. After the posed pictures, Sonny encouraged everyone to "act normal" which wasn't difficult since Caroline's birthday dinner and celebration had to be prepared. He meandered around the house, porch, and yard, trying to be as invisible as possible.

"He's a little creepy," Sarah said, peering out of the window above the sink. "Like, I wonder if he takes pictures of you when you're sleeping, Brooke."

"Oh, shut up," Brooke snapped even though she gave Olivia a look that suggested she didn't completely disagree with her sister. "Olivia?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think we're eating too much seafood? Isn't it bad to have high mercury levels?"

"I don't think so," Olivia furrowed her brow and grabbed her phone, "I mean, I don't think we're eating too much."

Sarah hiccuped and her words came out slurred, "Peopleherehaveiteveryday."

Brooke tugged Sarah's messy bun, "Your alcohol will cancel out any other toxins," she joked. "I don't know how you're going to stand pregnancy."

Olivia abandoned her Google search and her eyes darted to the sisters. The two of them had always been close and had a good relationship, but they had been especially chummy since arriving at the house. Olivia assumed it was the proximity to one another but realized there could be another explanation. "Time for baby?" She asked softly and tried not to sound surprised. Sarah had insisted she wanted to wait a while before having kids and had reported Justin was on board with the plan.

"Brookey wants it to be," Sarah sounded every much a like a petulant little sister. "But Sarah and Justin are perfectly fine the way we are." She hiccuped again. "For now."

"You drunk and him dealing with a wife that sounds like a foghorn when she's sleeping it off."

Sarah held up her tumbler and grinned. "Something like that!"

Olivia left them to bicker about Sarah's drinking habits and her future children and went outside to check on Ed who was manning the grill solo. He was confident preparing seafood-it was easy and cooked quickly-but steak was an entirely different world, especially when the requests ranged from medium rare (Caroline) to medium well (almost everyone else).

"Hey there." She came up to him from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Looks so good."

"Hope it tastes good." Ed inspected the underside of one filet with tongs. "Experimenting with this one first." Olivia wasn't letting go. Ed put the tongs down and turned around in her arms. "You wanna help?"

"Not really."

He tilted his head back and smirked. "You just out here to distract me?"

"You looked entirely too serious for a man grilling on his back porch."

"How do I look now?"

Without giving up any space between them, Olivia's eyes drifted up and down his body. He was wearing his favorite, well-worn, khaki shorts, one of his t-shirts that seemed especially tailored for his chest, and no shoes. The sun had tanned his skin and made his face deliciously ruddier than usual.

"So handsome," she answered, smiling and biting her lower lip.

Ed gazed at her for longer than necessary-she was used to it by now but he kind of missed the way she used to fidget under this type of adoration. They didn't know it, but, at that moment, Sonny, using a long-range lens, captured the tender scene between husband and wife. When Ed kissed her though, he turned his attention back to the kids.

"I think I fucked up that steak," Ed murmured, his lips still touching hers.

Olivia grabbed the tongs and removed the steak from the heat. She cut into it with a sharp knife and shrugged. "Looks perfectly pink to me," she said, "Maybe...five minutes a side and a kiss is the right amount of time?"

Ed kissed her cheek and peered over her shoulder. "I guess so…but maybe...we can swap a few more kisses for the minutes?"

Olivia leaned backward and Ed gave her a slightly clumsy smooch at a weird angle. "Sure, Captain," she said, "I think that's a great idea."

….

Wyatt and Maggie, wiped clean and freed from their booster seats, followed Ed to the den and "helped" him bring Caroline's presents into the dining room. They arranged the boxes next to her, leaving room for the cake which Olivia slowly walked into the room. She lit the candles and the twins bellowed warnings to their grandmother.

"HOT, Gamma!"

"Do'Touch!"

Noah grinned triumphantly. "I teached 'em dat!"

Wyatt's eyes were so wide and intense, Sarah muttered a prediction that he was,once again, going to let loose with a string of profanity. Luckily, the singing of Happy Birthday distracted him. When the song concluded Maggie and Wyatt, familiar with the routine, shouted more commands.

"BOW, Gamma!"

"BOW, Can'le!"

"Buh-day cake!"

Caroline took a deep breath and blew, extinguishing all the candles at once.

"YAY!"

"Good JOB, GRAMMA! Ya get your wish!"

"Oh good," Caroline said, sounding relieved, "I wished for sunny days for the rest of the week."

"Gramma!" Noah frowned, "If ya say da wish you don't get da wish!"

"After your fiftieth birthday, you can say the wishes without penalty, Noah." Caroline was very serious and Noah listened intently. "That's the reward you get for living half a century. No more secrets."

"Ohhhh…"

They finished their cake quickly and Noah excitedly announced it was time for present opening. Caroline's gifts included restaurant gift cards, items for her garden and her back patio, and a stack of puzzle books for which she admittedly had an addiction. Each morning as Olivia or Ed rocked on the swing with the twins, Caroline sat nearby working her puzzles.

"Keeps the brain sharp," she said.

The final present was wrapped in metallic blue paper and tied with a gigantic green bow. The cuts made on the paper were jagged, too much tape had been used, and the bow was off-center. Noah plopped the heavy gift in front of Caroline and said proudly, "Dis from me."

"Oh," Caroling clutched her shirt over her heart, "Oh, my, sweetie, what a gorgeous present!"

"Blue an' green for da Irish!"

"Yes it is….I wonder what's in there?" Caroline gently shook the gift.

"Open it, silly!" Noah grinned and bounced up and down.

Caroline gingerly peeled back the paper and opened the box. She unwrapped two items-a cup and a small dish, one blue one green-that were made of thick, sturdy, hardened clay.

"Noah!" Caroline held the items at arm's length. "I love these!"

"It's pott'ry! I made 'em at camp! See? I made it an' den we put it in da hot oven and," he tapped the mug with his fingernail, "It gets like DIS! And…" he grabbed the dish from Caroline and turned it over, revealing the letters NBT, "I signed it for ya!"

Normally not one to become overwhelmed, Caroline nevertheless wiped tears from her eyes before hugging Noah. "This is the best present," she told him, "It's better even than the bicycle I got when I was seven."

Noah giggled doubtfully. Even though he was proud of his work, he figured a kid close to his age getting a bike was way more exciting than a couple of pieces of pottery. Sarah threw up her hands and recalled all the gifts given by and to Noah over the years-the NYPD shield with his name on it, the tie and tie bar gifted to Ed, the hand-drawn cards and pictures. "I can't compete," she moaned in jest, "Can't fuh-freaking compete!"

Caroline shot her tipsy granddaughter an eye roll. "How about we go for our walk, now?"

"Kay! C'mon, babies!" Noah, with Maggie and Wyatt on his heels, ran outside and found an empty pail for shells. Caroline was last to join the group, for she took an extra minute to run her hands over the pottery. Noah had either had a lot of help or had an incredibly steady hand, for there were very few imperfections-the clay was smooth and evenly proportioned. She turned the cup over and over in her hands and, when the light caught it just right, saw one welcome blemish. Near the bottom of the cup, plain as day, was Noah's child-sized thumb print.

…

The houses in old Bethany Beach were a good distance apart, so it was unusual for the beach to be as crowded as it was on this breezy July day. There were so many people, Olivia and the kids had trouble focusing on their reading material. On either side of her, Maggie and Wyatt sat in low beach chairs, books dangling from their fingers, and eyes focused on their fellow beachgoers.

"Wy, we should build a castle," Maggie suggested.

Wyatt grinned, for he knew what his twin sister was thinking. She'd been making faces at the elementary school kids nearby whose construction was lopsided and imprecise, though vast. Maggie wanted to show them up. "Kay."

"I'll get the stuff!"

Maggie started jogging toward the house.

"Don't forget a knife!" Wyatt called after her. She waved in response.

"I'm glad your dad didn't throw all that stuff out," Olivia teased.

Wyatt knew better. "You still have our sippy cups," he pointed out, "And, Anthony and Mari use them!"

"And all the-"

"HELP!"

Wyatt's and Olivia's heads snapped to the direction of the voice. A group of four middle-school-aged kids had been using an inflatable boat to ride the calm late-morning waves. Intentionally or not, they had capsized and one boy was clearly not a strong swimmer and was fighting to stay afloat about thirty yards from shore.

"Wyatt!" The desperation in Olivia's voice was drowned out by the sounds of the ocean and the people shouting to the distressed swimmer. Wyatt's feet were already making indentations in the hard, shoreline sand when Olivia realized what he was doing. She froze momentarily and then joined the cluster of about two dozen people watching the rescue unfold.

Olivia heard several people making 911 calls. She clenched her teeth and balled her fists as she watched Wyatt's long, lithe body slice through the blue-green water and reach the flailing boy within seconds. He had such strong lungs that Olivia heard her son's voice urging the boy to calm down and relax.

People in the crowd murmured their praise.

"That kid can swim."

"Must have lifeguard training."

"Lookit, there they come now."

Olivia's heart was racing and it was only when she heard Maggie whistle for her brother that she realized her daughter was standing next to her, bag of sand toys dangling from one wrist. Maggie wore blue-tinted, retro-looking sunglasses and an oversized Knicks tank top over her bathing suit. She jabbed a fist in the air and cheered. "WHOOOHOOO, WYATT! My BROTHER!"

Wyatt walked the boy out of the ocean as the paramedics arrived. The medical team took over and Wyatt walked nonchalantly to his mother and sister. The crowd broke into applause and his face immediately turned red.

"Honey." Olivia hugged her son tightly "Wyatt, sweetie…" Unlike hers, Wyatt's breathing was calm and, despite the swim and the rescue, his heart was not jumping out of his chest. She held him at arm's length and smoothed back a few tendrils of sun-drenched, soaking wet brown hair.

"Kid's a hero," One man muttered as he ushered his kids back to their towels and chairs.

Olivia could only form a few select words. "Honey…" she murmured and hugged him again. "You scared me!"

Wyatt shrugged. "He wasn't that far out."

"But...the currents."

Wyatt pointed to the boardwalk in the distance. "Green flag, mom. No rip currents out there."

"He's an Olympian," Maggie said sassily.

"Junior Olympian," Wyatt corrected.

Olivia took a deep breath and blew out a long stream of air. "Please don't ever do that again," she said, though a hint of a proud smile was forming on her face.

"Dad's gonna FREAK!" Maggie held up the bag. "C'mon, Aquaman, there's a good flat place over here."

"Mom's still freaking," Olivia mumbled to herself.

Wyatt started to follow Maggie but looked back at his mother. He darted back and gave her a tight squeeze. "Love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweet Wyatt."

"Thanks for the swimming lessons," he said, his blue eyes twinkling.

Olivia shoved him playfully. "Go build your castle."

…..

With sleeping children at her side, Olivia propped herself against the headboard and flipped through the day's photographs. She licked her lips as she studied Ed's physique. Many men his age had resigned themselves to beer bellies and sallow, unhealthy complexions, but her husband still boasted a firm build and his skin never seemed to lose its bronze, reddish hue.

Ed emerged from the bathroom wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. Without a word he carried the kids to the air mattress one by one. He draped a blanket over all three, kissed their heads, and slid into bed.

"Good day today," he said, slurring a bit from fatigue as he put his head on Olivia's shoulder.

"Very good day." Olivia finished the photo stream and wriggled under the covers with him. "But I will sleep well tonight."

"Me too." Ed gazed at her, played with her hair, and gave her a kiss. "I love you." He kissed her again and hummed against her lips. "Damn, I love havin' everyone here but…"

"Couple more days," Olivia said.

"Maybe we need to add a bedroom."

Olivia looked over at the kids. Maggie and Wyatt had been placed a few inches from Noah but had already plastered themselves to his sides. Wyatt's fist was in his mouth, Maggie's lips were puckered, and Noah was the epitome of serenity. Even in sleep, he was the proud big brother.

"Someday soon we'll wish they want to sleep in here with us," Olivia said.

"Not that soon." Ed kissed her once more and held her more tightly. "Got a lot of little kid years left."

Olivia chuckled softly. "Little kid years…"

"What?"

"Nothing….I love hearing you talk like that."

"A lot of years of that ahead of us, too."

Olivia rocked her head back and forth, wedging herself in the cozy space where his shoulder met his chest. "Tell me it won't go by too fast."

"We'll make it last as long as possible," he kissed her head, "It won't go by too fast."

…..

#Tuckson