Fifty-six.

The atmosphere at the Benson Center was, appropriately, more casual and relaxed than what Olivia had become accustomed to at SVU. It was also quiet-there were no patrol officers scurrying in and out, no banter between Carisi and whoever was bantering with Carisi, and no heavy, metallic thuds of interrogation doors or holding cell bars closing. Olivia couldn't decide if she missed the commotion or welcomed the tranquility of her new space.

Today, though, she didn't have total peace. She and the lead social worker were reviewing resumes and scheduling interviews while also vetting local shelters and assessing the city's affordable housing pool. Olivia's plan was to closely partner with one or two facilities, so, when a victim needed temporary housing, she and the staff could ensure they were safe and their unique needs were met as expeditiously as possible.

Olivia had a flat screen television mounted on one office wall and a bluetooth speaker on the credenza, but she left them both off, choosing instead to listen to the sounds of Maggie and Wyatt playing on the plush shag carpeting. Since she had planned to spend only the morning at the office, she brought the twins and a bagful of toys along and gave Ed a few hours to himself. After a bit of cajoling by Sarah, Ed and Olivia had agreed to let Noah accompany her to Florida for the next two days so she could sign the paperwork for the condo she'd finally purchased. At the last minute Justin was offered a spot in a water rescue training course-something he'd been yearning to add to his resume-so Noah took his first class seat.

"They play so well together."

Olivia had been staring at her laptop but daydreaming about Noah on the plane and immersed in her twins' sweet voices, so the social worker's voice startled her. Olivia removed her reading glasses and tossed them aside, "Yes they do. They always have. You should see them when their big brother's around-he organizes games, all these...scenarios...and they follow right along. Except when they play school-they don't sit still for long."

The two women watched Wyatt pile books into his dump truck, roll it to Maggie, and empty the contents at her feet. Wyatt went back for more books and Maggie stacked the others into a wobbly pile. The twins babbled to one another in a combination of toddler gibberish and discernible words and phrases. Maggie built two more book stacks, each shorter than the other. She placed smaller toys-a horse, some action figures, and a few of Wyatt's cars on top of each tower. Finally, she called to Wyatt and they stood side by side.

"Oneoooooreeee!"

At the end of the phrase, they knocked the toys to the ground and squealed with delight.

"They're saying one-two-three," Olivia explained, "They remember it from jumping into the water at the beach. Are you jumping your toys, sweethearts?"

"JUH! JUH Mama! Wa-er!"

"SPASH!" Wyatt bounced up and down and made a bunch of "guh" sounds.

"No, honey," Olivia said, "We don't have your goggles here. No water." Olivia lifted her arms and shrugged. "You can use them in the bathtub tonight."

"BA! Buh-bath! Magg! Buh!"

For whatever reason, Maggie took off running. Wyatt chased her. They made a lap around the room, Wyatt spotted their toy bag, saw a ball, and threw it to his sister and they began chasing the ball instead of each other.

"So," Courtney, the social worker said, getting back to business, "I just got off the phone with Ken Bartuzzio? A parole officer?"

The name didn't ring a bell with Olivia.

"He has a guy under his supervision, he was released a couple of months ago, apparently did amazing research in prison, and he wants to know if we can give him something part time."

"A parolee?" Olivia asked disbelievingly. "I don't think so."

Courtney handed her a pink slip of paper from the message pad, "I didn't think you'd love the idea, but here's his information. He sounded really," Courtney searched for the right words, "Really...genuine, I guess. For a PO."

"Okay," Olivia replied, "I'll call him."

Courtney closed the door halfway on her way out. Wyatt followed her, but quickly popped back into sight. "PEEKBOO! PEEKBOO MAMA! PEEKBOO MAGG!"

Olivia played along with him and then Maggie until they moved on to something else. She rolled the message paper into a tiny cylinder and tried to decide if she was annoyed or not with Bartuzzio, whoever he was, trying to pawn off a convict on her. It was difficult, though, to be annoyed or filled with any type of negative energy with her happy two-year-olds a few feet away.

"Sweet twins," she murmured to herself.

Please, she begged to any higher power that was listening, let them stay this happy forever.

…

Maggie Tucker stalked out of the school's auditorium and found her twin brother in the library, sitting in his favorite corner spot with his leather boots propped on the window ledge. Without looking, Wyatt said hello to Maggie and plucked his bookmark, a playing card Joker, from the front pocket of his backpack.

"Can we go?" Maggie asked impatiently.

"I was waiting for you to get out of practice," Wyatt retorted good-naturedly.

"Well, I'm sick of the stupid play and stupid Mr. Haskins and Lydia because she's always messing up her lines then I miss my cue and then I mess up!" Maggie clenched her jaw and fumed while Wyatt packed up his things. To emphasize her discontent, she yanked two sections of her ponytail in opposite directions, creating a goofy-looking lump on top of her head.

"Alright, I'm ready," he zipped his windbreaker and slung the bag over one shoulder. He finally took a good look at Maggie and cocked his head, concerned. "You want me to run the lines with you?"

Maggie groaned, "That's not gonna help if that dummy doesn't remember hers."

"Sure it will," Wyatt insisted. "If you know the whole scene with everyone's lines, then you won't have to worry about what other people know and you'll be ready if they make a mistake."

As usual, Wyatt's reasoning made a whole lot of sense. Maggie smiled appreciatively. "Okay."

"Can you text Mom and tell her we'll be a little longer?"

Maggie pulled out her phone but sassily inquired about Wyatt's device.

"It's dead."

"You don't have your charger?" Maggie was shocked. Wyatt was always prepared and never, ever, let his phone or his laptop get dangerously low on battery power.

"Someone," he coughed purposefully, "Took it from my bag."

Maggie winced. "Oh," she murmured, "Sorry."

…...

Once the seatbelt sign was turned off, Noah scooted forward in his seat and tapped the screen to scroll through the available movies and games. He seemed to be having a difficult time finding something to suit his interest and Sarah asked him if she could help.

"Want somethin' 'bout da Gulf of Mex-i-co," he said. "Cause that's where we're goin."

"Hmm, I dunno if we'll find that," Sarah said, "What about anything with the ocean?"

"Da Gulf isn't da ocean!"

"Yes it is," Sarah said, proud she could draw on something she'd learned in elementary school social studies class, "A gulf is when the ocean is surrounded by land on three sides."

"Ohhhh," Noah tapped to get to the "flight view" screen and zoomed out, "Dere's Florida and next to Florida is jus' a little bit of Al'bama, then em-ess-"

"Mississippi," Sarah said.

"Dat's too many letters."

"Oh."

"Then Texas! I really wanna go to Texas, Sare Bear, can you drive us there after we buy da condo?"

"Noey, it's farther than it looks, so, no. But someday we'll go."

"I wanna see da cowboys with those giant hats! And da Alamo."

"How do you know about the Alamo?"

"It's on da map at school."

"It's summer!"

"Sare Bear!" Noah narrowed his eyes, "You 'posedta r'member da stuff! Even in summer!"

Sarah gave Noah a quick yet vigorous side hug. "I love you, Noey Boey. You're so smart." She grinned at their first class area-Noah's blue backpack, two puzzle books and the iPad shoved in the seat pocket, the complimentary blanket and pillow still in the packaging, and a can of Cherry Coke at his side. "Thank you for coming with me."

"You welcome. Thanks for takin' me on this BIG PLANE and to da beach again!"

"You are welcome."

"Justy probably gonna haveta go to our house for dinner," Noah said.

Sarah grinned. "Justin can cook! You've eaten his food a lot!"

"But Justy cooks for people," Noah countered. "He makes a whole buncha food!"

"That's true. Well, he can order from Seamless."

"I gotta get that on my phone," Noah murmured.

Thinking about how her father would react if she hooked Noah up with the app, Sarah laughed. "I don't think that's a great idea. Maybe when you're thirteen."

"Yeah...Mommy and Daddy get me all my food," Noah said.

"Speaking of food, we have to decide what we want for dinner. Chicken or veggie pasta?"

Impressed and a tad awestruck, Noah said, "We eatin' dinner on da plane?"

"Yes. Well, we can. Or we can skip it and eat somewhere when we land."

"I'm kinda hungry now."

"Okay then, Chicken or pasta?"

"Pasta."

"Okay. You want another soda?"

Noah jiggled his can. "Still got a lot."

"I think there's a documentary about the ocean," Sarah said, "You want to watch that?"

"Nah," Noah said, "I'll draw. Whadda you gonna do?"

"Look through these magazines," Sarah pulled three hefty periodicals from her bag, "So I can get some ideas about how to decorate the condo."

"Ooo!" Noah rose to his knees. "I'll help ya! Then, then, I'll draw da condo on da iPad and show you where da couches and stuff go!"

"Sounds like a plan, Noey. You might be an architect someday. Or maybe a designer. Or maybe both. Wouldn't you like to make cool buildings?"

"Yep!" Noah sighed. "Lotsa stuff ta do…"

Sarah saw his face contort ever so slightly-it was a rare expression but it was one born of stress and uncertainty. She hated seeing him like this, looking older and a tad weary, and she knew he had trouble articulating his own feelings. "Don't worry, Noey Boey," she hugged him again and kissed his head, "You have a whole bunch of years to do all the stuff. One thing at a time. Like, right now? All we have to do is look at these magazines and enjoy our flight!"

Noah grinned. "Yeah! I'm really enjoyin' this flight, Sare Bear! I love it!" He swooped his arm around, "Got all dis stuff and da movies and snacks and drinks!"

"I know. It's so great," Sarah touched her glass to his soda can. "Now, let's design us a condo."

Noah took a huge gulp. "Kay. You should get a purple couch like G."

"Ya think?"

"Yep."

"Well, that does seem beachy."

"Yep! I want my room to be blue though."

Sarah chuckled. "Okay."

"But when you get kids I'll sleep on da couch. Because babies cry a lot and they'll wake me up!"

"Noey, you'll always have a bed in my house."

Noah put his head on her shoulder. "Thanks, Sare Bear. You have a bed in my house, too!"

"Good deal."

….

Olivia worked for longer than she'd planned. The twins were content in her office, especially after Courtney started giving them cookies from her stash when they wandered into the main reception area. She called Ed and they agreed to meet at a nearby restaurant with ample sidewalk seating. Olivia arrived first, situated Maggie and Wyatt in booster seats, and ordered their food right away since they hadn't had a proper lunch. She also ordered a glass of wine for herself and a beer for Ed, and the drinks arrived seconds before Maggie and Wyatt spotted him approaching.

"DA!

DADA!

Wyatt's eyes were huge. He looked at Olivia and pointed toward Ed. "Ma! Dada! Dada c'min!"

"Yes, sweet Wyatt, there he is!"

At the attention, Ed smirked and wove his way through the tables. He cupped Olivia's face and pressed a firm kiss to her lips.

"Dadada!"

Ed pinched the twins' cheeks and gave them kisses. Maggie babbled and giggled. From what they could make out, she was explaining all they'd done that morning and afternoon. Olivia had pulled her hair into a ponytail, and it bounced around as Maggie spoke. Wyatt played with his car and made "Vrooom!" noises. When the car collided with Maggie's cup, he shouted "Beep beep!" When he smiled, his pearly white teeth gleamed and stood out in contrast to his deep olive skin. The sun had added golden streaks to both his and Maggie's locks.

"Have a good day?" Ed asked. He sat down and took a sip of the beer.

"We did. Courtney's scheduling interviews, oh," Olivia frowned, "A PO asked for a favor, that we give one of his guys a job."

"A guy on parole?" Ed asked, incredulous at the request.

"Yes!"

"Bullshit," he said under his breath so Wyatt and Maggie couldn't hear.

"I know. What the…" Suddenly, the street noise died down and Olivia caught herself, "So, other than that, a good day. How about you? What'd you do?"

Olivia leaned on her elbow and grinned. She had been so happy to give Ed some rare alone time, but he only managed a weak smile, "Changed light bulbs. Took some stuff down to the storage room...watched the ballgame."

"Sounds productive."

"Somethin like that."

Olivia narrowed her eyes and reached for his hand. It was cold from the frosted pint glass and she kissed his fingers. "Something?"

"Ah, had more time on my hands than I thought," Ed replied, trying to downplay how bored and aimless he'd been after a couple of hours of solitude.

"That's good though? Right?"

Ed shrugged. "I think I'm a little out of practice at bein' by myself," he said. "It's been...a few years now since I really had nothin' to do but go to work, go have a drink, and go home and watch Jeopardy."

"Jeopardy…" Olivia murmured.

"Yeah," Ed leaned in for a kiss. They were both remembering some of the early days when they spent evenings together watching the game show with Noah playing nearby.

Maggie saw her parents trade kisses and shouted, "MWAH!"

Olivia kissed Maggie on the cheeks, punctuating each kiss with a "Mwah" of her own. Maggie giggled, grabbed a french fry from the basket and offered it to her mother. "F'fry, Mama?"

Olivia took a bite. "Thank you, sweet girl."

"F'fry, Wy!" Maggie shoved a fry at Wyatt.

"Tayouuu!" He said, grabbing it and taking a blissful bite.

Ed smoothed Wyatt's hair. "Good thank-you, bud."

Ed and Olivia sat back in their chairs and gazed at their twins as they ate their fries and chicken fingers. Even though it meant their hands were mostly free, both parents experienced some sadness at the fact they no longer had to cut the twins' food into bits. They didn't even bother chopping the chicken pieces in half.

"Noah and Sarah should be landing soon," Olivia said. "I miss him."

"So do I. But I bet he's havin the time of his life on the plane with her."

"You're right." Thinking of Sarah's no-holds-barred attitude toward Noah, Olivia smiled. "I hope she remembers to let us know when they're on the ground."

"She will."

Olivia reached for his hand again. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"Movie?"

She grinned and took a deep, satisfied breath. Cuddling up on the couch with Ed sounded like the perfect way to spend the evening hours. "I love that idea. Something...not too heavy?"

He smiled at the prospect of hearing her laugh at some trivial, inane humor. "Sounds good to me."

Olivia picked up a menu and waved it around, "Any of this sound good to you?"

"Not as good as watchin' a movie with my wife, but I suppose I gotta eat."

Olivia gave him a playful punch to the upper arm. "I wonder if Noah and Wyatt will flirt like you do."

"If they're lucky enough to be as in love as I am, Liv, they will."

….

Ed was so late Olivia wondered if he'd either forgotten about their planned stay-at-home date or if there'd been an incident he needed to immediately investigate. She checked the scanner app on her phone, but traffic was quiet. She didn't want to nag Ed, so, instead of sending him a "where are you" message, Olivia turned the burners on low so the stir-fry would stay warm and sipped the wine that had been poured for almost a half hour. Noah had already eaten, as planned, and was playing on the floor with his barnyard animal set. The television was on but muted, so the only sounds were Noah's "moos" and "oinks." Finally, the intercom buzzed, signaling Ed's arrival.

Olivia opened the door and before she could do or say anything, Noah sprinted over and jumped up and down at Ed's feet.

"Hi Noah!" Ed grinned down at the boy, but he couldn't do much else because his hands were full. In one hand he held a six pack of beer, the cardboard damp from condensation, and in the other was a paper shopping bag. "Got somethin' for ya if Mommy says it's okay."

Noah grinned and stood on his toes, trying to get a glimpse of the bag's contents.

"Of course it's okay," Olivia took the beer and squinted at Ed. She could feel the outside heat radiating from him. "Still scorching out there?"

"Humid," he replied. "Nasty. I'll uh," he kicked off his sneakers, "I'll put this down and, if you don't mind, splash some water on my face."

"Sure." Olivia led him into the kitchen where she got a glimpse of the treats for Noah. She had been expecting a store-bought package, but instead found a Ziploc freezer bag full of cookies. "Wow."

"My mom made 'em...for little man here. She and my daughter stopped by, that's what took me so long," Ed picked Noah up and sat him on the counter. "Look good?"

"YES!" Noah smiled at the bagful of chocolate chip and shortbread cookies.

"She didn't make peanut butter," Ed reported ruefully, "She was worried he might be allergic."

"He's not," Olivia said, "But that was very thoughtful of her. Tell her thank you." Olivia opened the bag. "Here you go, sweet boy, pick two."

Noah chose two cookies and wandered back into the living room with them. Olivia touched Ed's face with the back of her hand. "Let me get you a fresh towel."

Ed followed her to the back hallway. Olivia took a sweet-smelling hand towel from the closet and gave it to Ed. She didn't let go right away, though, and he gave her two pecks on the lips. "I'll be right back," he said in a low voice. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Olivia had planned to serve dinner at the table, but after drinking a beer each they mutually decided to have dinner sitting on the couch instead. Ed ate the first few bites of chicken and vegetables more quickly than Olivia had ever seen him consume food.

"Hungry?" She asked with a grin on her face.

"Very. Skipped lunch," He smirked shyly. "And...it's really good. Thought you said you couldn't cook?"

"I think it might be more of an effort and time thing than a skill thing," Olivia said.

"Well," Ed's eyes met hers, "Thanks for takin' the time and effort tonight."

"You're welcome."

They turned back to the television. An episode of Jeopardy was starting and Ed immediately started answering the questions. Impressed and eager to keep up, Olivia did the same.

Alex Trebek read the next question. "The only country with a two-sided flag."

Clueless, Olivia scrunched up her face, but Ed answered.

"Paraguay."

Sure enough, that was the correct answer.

"How did you know that?" Olivia asked.

"I'm not exactly sure."

"Not a fact one just knows, Tucker."

He shrugged, "I really don't know...maybe one of those trivia things they have at bars?"

"Or you're a closet vexillologist," Olivia suggested.

"A what?"

"Vexillologist-a flag expert."

"Now how'd you know that?"

"Heard it used in a movie once a long time ago."

By the time Final Jeopardy rolled around, Noah was between them turning the pages of a board book, and Ed and Olivia had begun keeping score. They laughed when the category was announced.

"Law Enforcement History."

"I'm betting it all," Olivia said.

Ed nodded. "So am I."

After they read the question, however, they were both less confident. "In 1909, a member of the Texas Rangers discovered a palm pistol and was credited with preventing the assassinations of President Porfirio Diaz and this U.S. President."

Ed sat on the edge of the cushion and pursed his lips. Olivia stared at the ceiling and tried to narrow down the list of Presidents to turn-of-the century names. "Roosevelt…" she murmured, "No...that's not right."

"McKinley?" Ed guessed. "No, he was actually killed. Damn," he muttered under his breath, "Cleveland? No…"

The answer was William Howard Taft. Defeated, Ed and Olivia flung themselves back against the cushions.

"We both lose," Olivia said.

"Good game, Lieutenant."

They turned their heads and smiled at each other. Ed peered down at Noah who was still happily entertained by the book and then continued gazing at Olivia. "I don't feel like a loser, though," he said softly.

"Me neither." She reached over and massaged his shoulder. She scooted close enough to lean in for a kiss.

Ed was thrilled that she was comfortable showing him that type of affection in front of Noah. "We'll have to have a rematch sometime," he said after they parted.

"Absolutely." Olivia ran her fingers through Noah's hair, "Sweet boy, why don't you say night-night to Ed? It's bedtime." Noah frowned, but obediently mumbled the words. Olivia picked him up and, with a wink, told Ed she'd be right back. He was in the same spot when she returned a few minutes later. "Want another beer?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Or...I have bourbon, and wine."

"Beer's good."

Olivia got two more beers from the refrigerator and sat down again, this time much closer than she'd been earlier. "I hope you didn't mind staying in tonight," she said, "I haven't had a lot of time at home with Noah lately. I feel like I'm under the microscope with Mike Dodds there now."

"Just the opposite," Ed replied, "I like tonight." He gave her a gentle kiss and continued in his softest voice. "Don't forget you're the boss. And you're good, Liv. Respected. Bill Dodds and everyone else at One PP care about press and care about statistics. Your squad delivers what they need; they're not gonna mess with that, not even with Bill's kid there."

"He seems so...not Chief Dodds," Olivia said, "I can't figure out if he's playing me or if he's genuinely a good guy."

"Sometimes the apple falls far from the tree."

Olivia broke into gentle laughter. It was no secret that Ed Tucker despised the elder Dodds. "In this case, let's hope so," she said, clearly amused.

He inched closer and rasped, "What's so funny, Lieutenant?"

"You're cute when you're cynical."

"I don't like that they did that to ya. Liv, I," his face reddened and he nervously glanced around the room, "If I coulda stopped it I would have."

"It's going to be okay," she said, "I doubt he's there for long...I'm sure the Chief has other promotions in mind."

"Even so…"

"You gave me a heads up about the test," she said, "It's not your fault Dodds got a window to get Mike a job...that was all Barba...and me."

"Yeah, I know," Ed replied, "But I still feel kinda responsible...and I also know you can fight your own battles, but...it's-"

"-it's the way you are."

"I guess so."

"I like that about you, Ed Tucker."

Ed sighed with exaggerated relief. "Thought it could go either way."

"I'm sure those protective instincts annoyed your girls a few times as they were growing up."

"Sure did. But they apparently haven't held it against me. Or at least they don't when they need money...or a place in the city to crash...or my shield to skip lines."

Olivia smiled. "Have to work the perks of having a generous cop for a Dad."

"Believe me, they know."

Maybe it was the way he rolled his eyes or how his face contorted into a slight frown, or it could have been the way he grumbled the sentence-annoyed yet full of love for his daughters, but Olivia was overcome with an urgent need to kiss him and be in his arms. Without another word, she closed the distance between them and held his face as they kissed. She felt his hands on her back and her spine tingled. She wanted him. She wanted tonight to be the night, yet, as she started to unbutton his shirt, they were interrupted by the sound of Noah's pathetic cries.

Olivia closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said, "Might be my fault...too many cookies?"

"Cross your fingers that's all it is."

While Olivia checked on Noah, Ed caught his breath. He was thrilled. Though he didn't mind taking things slowly, he'd had his mind made up for a while that he wanted Benson, forever, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. Via the monitor, Ed heard her soothing Noah back to sleep and he let himself daydream about the day when, perhaps, they would handle bad dreams and middle-of-the-night tummy aches together.

Olivia returned and came up behind him. "Where were we?" She whispered in his ear.

Ed hated to tell her she'd missed a call while she was gone, but he had to do it. He reached up and entangled his fingers in her hair so she knew how reluctant he was to utter the next sentence. "You have a message," he said.

Olivia groaned. "Seriously?"

"I really wouldn't joke about that," he looked up and smirked at her. "Not right now."

Grinning, Olivia rounded the couch and check her phone. "Carisi," she said. "I have to call him back."

The questions Olivia asked and her businesslike tone signaled to Ed that she would have to go. He was right.

"I can stay," he said.

Olivia liked the idea of letting Lucy have an uninterrupted night, but she had never called on Ed to babysit before. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. But I get it...if you'd rather call the sitter."

"No, no, I...I don't want you to, well, I don't know how long I'll be…"

Ed stood, went to her, and held her hands. "That doesn't matter. Be as long as you need to be. We'll be here."

"Okay." She glanced down, loving the sight of their fingers entwined together. "I'm going to change and get going then. Do you want...a pillow and a blanket or anything?"

Ed kissed her before releasing her hands. "Nah...I'm gonna brush up on Jeopardy practice questions."

Olivia grinned and swatted at his chest. "I'll bring them for you just in case."

…..

The movie had concluded more than an hour earlier and the television screen was frozen on the main menu waiting for the operator to either exit or restart from the beginning. Ed and Olivia were stretched out across the cushions exchanging post-coital kisses. A throw blanket partially covered their naked bodies. Ed ran his foot up and down between Olivia's ankle and knee. The intensity of his kisses told her he wasn't finished making love to her for the night. Olivia could also tell he was in a possessive mood which meant something was bothering him.

"Mmmm," she droned, her lips against his, "I suppose we'll try to watch the end tomorrow night?"

"Sure we'll try."

"Ed?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright? With today?"

"Olivia Margaret, I am very alright."

"No," she created some space between them under the guise of playing with his hair. "I meant...earlier today, you seemed a little, down, at lunch. I...got a little worried. I still am."

Ed held her more tightly and looped his top leg around her lower body. "It was weird is all," he admitted, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince Olivia he hadn't been affected by the time alone. "So much to think about...when I have you and the kids with me, when we're all together, it's all about that moment. Today I was thinking about first grade and teachers and hopin' Noah's in a class with Mia again, then about where they'll all go to college and if they'll move away and how it will all work...when we're old...good stuff...but heavy stuff."

Olivia let him kiss her for a few more minutes before she responded.

"My heart breaks a little when I think about them getting older," she finally said. "But it shouldn't, because we're going to do everything we can to make sure they're happy, but this age...I love it so much."

"Me too."

"And I think...deep down...we're both scared about not seeing a lot of their adulthood…"

"If I have a regret, if you can call it that, that's it."

"I don't regret anything." Olivia stared into his eyes. "I think...we're packing more happiness into our lives right now than most people get in seventy, eighty years."

"You're right, and," Ed rolled himself on top of her, "More sex, too."

Olivia grinned. "Truer words have never been spoken, Captain."

"You know what else?"

"What?"

Ed smirked devilishly. "I love kids in cribs."

"Enjoy it," she said, "Our six-year-old gets back in two days."

…..

#Tuckson