Fifty-seven.

Before Sarah and Noah ventured out for breakfast and then to the attorney's office to sign the purchasing documents, Noah called New York via Face Time. He walked around the condo Sarah rented for their brief stay and ended up on the balcony where he chatted with his parents with the aqua blue water in the background.

"Sare Bear say after we eat and sign da stuff we're goin' to check out the place then we're hangin' on da beach for da rest of the day!"

"Sounds like a good time, bud. Whatcha gonna have for breakfast?"

Noah shrugged. "Sare Bear say we might do brunch an' that means we'll have breakfast and lunch together!" He could hear but not see Maggie and Wyatt playing in the background. "What'd those babies have for breakfast?"

"Waffles and strawberries," Olivia answered. "They miss you. Wyatt pointed at your spot and kept saying your name, sweet boy."

Noah grinned, but responded in a gravely serious tone. "You tell him I'll be back in one, TWO days! Tell small sister, too."

"Okay, honey."

Before he hung up, Noah propped the phone on his knees so he could blow everyone kisses with both hands. Ed retrieved Maggie and Wyatt and they copied their brother's motions. Like they did when they were infants, the toddlers pressed their faces to the screen. When the call was over, Olivia rubbed the phone against her shirt.

"I'm glad he's having a good time," she said, "But I miss him so much!"

"Two more nights," Ed gave Olivia a quick kiss and went to grab the twins so he could swap their pajamas for regular clothes. "Ready to hit the gym, Tucker twins?"

Maggie's and Wyatt's jubilant responses indicated they were very ready to head to the toddler gym. Olivia was on her way in to lend a hand when her phone rang and the producer's name flashed on the screen. He was calling to ask Olivia to attend the pilot's table reading, an invitation he'd first extended via email while the Tuckers were at the beach.

"Sorry," Olivia said, "I completely disconnected while we were on vacation."

"Not a problem. It'd be great if you could come, though, considering…" He meant that the script they'd chosen was the one with which Olivia's advice had been most influential.

A pained expression crossed Olivia's face. She twisted her body around for a view of the twins' room. Wyatt was already dressed in red cotton shorts and a white t-shirt and Ed was wrestling a clean diaper on Maggie. Olivia asked about the time and length of the read and told the producer she'd call him right back.

"Hey," she said sweetly as she entered the twins' room and picked up Wyatt. "I got a call from the show…."

"Oh yeah?" Ed looked up, smiling and interested.

"They want me in for a table read today...in an hour."

For Ed, the decision was a no-brainer. "Well go," he said cheerfully.

Olivia longingly eyed Maggie and Wyatt. It had been months since she accompanied them to the gym since Ed took them on the outings during the day when Noah was at school. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Is it your script?"

"Not mine," Olivia replied, "But...the one I helped with the most, it's the one...mirrored after the election?"

"That's what I meant." Ed scrunched up his face, a little perplexed that Olivia thought he wouldn't remember, "The one that kinda combines everything-PR, squad dogged by the media, vics that don't realize they're vics...yeah...you need to be there, Liv."

"I know I do. It's...I feel bad...we haven't even been back a week and, two days in a row, I'm...out."

Ed placed Maggie on her feet and put his arms around Olivia. "But you'll be back in a few hours. And you won't get a call in the middle of the night...or tomorrow morning. If ya want, we'll go to the gym again tomorrow. Or we can wait. You can have both worlds, Liv."

Since Ed came into her life, Olivia knew, deep down, he positioned himself so that his world revolved around hers. That type of deference could have come across as sycophantic overcompliance, but it didn't. Ed was madly in love with her and wanted desperately to make her happy; he achieved this in hundreds of subtle little ways, but now, it was glaringly obvious how hard he always tried to make her life perfect. And, for the first time, that realization caused her pangs of guilt and discomfort because she was falling short on reciprocating.

Olivia stroked his face and asked, "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because you deserve it," Ed kissed one cheek and then the other, "And because I love you. More than anything."

"Maybe someday I'll get used to that."

"Ah," Ed shrugged and a cocky smirk formed on his face, "Maybe you shouldn't."

…..

The San Juan hotel suite Sarah and Justin rented for their impromptu extended stay took a while to resemble a space occupied by a couple with young children. At first, Sarah refused to buy anything for Anthony and Mari. She was afraid such purchases were presumptuous and would jinx their unbelievable, unexpected good fortune. Deep down, Justin, the more practical of the two, thought her reservations were unfounded, but he played along until the adoption was finalized.

"Sare," he had said that afternoon, "We gotta get some clothes, toys...bottles and formula...this time tomorrow we'll have them. The hotel will give us a crib, but...they don't come with accessories, babe."

Sarah managed a smile. "Justin, what are we doing?" She asked, clearly panicked.

For the past few weeks, as they jumped through the hoops of the adoption process, Sarah's mood fluctuated between excited and apprehensive. She spent hours on the phone with Olivia, Brooke, and Caroline. Her concerns ranged from gravely serious to borderline ridiculous. In the same sentence she would wonder if she would be a good mother and then ask Justin to go out and get more sweets because she wasn't sure what Anthony liked. Justin's even-keeled demeanor baffled her. "Why aren't you freaking out?" She asked at one point. He shrugged and grinned and Sarah realized she had never actually seen Justin lose control.

"We're getting our kids tomorrow," he said softly. "And then we're taking them home Friday."

"I have to call Brooke and make sure they set up the crib and didn't just deliver it."

"You did that, remember? She sent a picture."

"Oh, yeah…we're gonna have to look for a bigger place. Anthony's not going to want to share rooms with his sister for long."

"He's three. He'll be okay for a couple years."

Sarah chewed her fingernail. "Maybe a year…" Her eyes grew wide as saucers and she stared at Justin. "I cannot believe this."

Justin pulled her into his arms. "We lucked out, Sare. That takes a while to sink in."

"Sure as fuck does." Sarah giggled. "I guess the days of unfiltered speech at all times are over."

"Yeah," Justin said, "Swear jars are funnier when they involve other people's kids."

"I may be in for some payback." Sarah grinned. "Yeah...major payback. I can't wait."

…

Semi-strong wind gusts forced Sarah, Noah, and other patio patrons to secure napkins and other lightweight items with water-filled glasses, plates, and silverware. Even though Noah was wearing his aviator sunglasses, Sarah could tell worry and concern filled his eyes.

"Too windy, Noey?"

He furrowed his brow but remained fixated on the boardwalk that led to the beach. "Looks like dat path's gonna blow away!"

Sarah grinned but didn't laugh. She didn't want to belittle his concern. "The wood looks like it's worn out, but it's really strong," she explained. "And the people who own this place want their customers to be safe, so they wouldn't let people out there if it wasn't sturdy."

"Sturdy…"

"Synonym for strong."

"Yeah…"

"Do you like this place?"

"Has a lotta rooms and lotsa...stuff hangin' on da walls," Noah said, smiling now and perched on the edge of his chair, "And those guys with the guitars are good! I like dat music."

"You do?" Sarah was truly amazed, for she was certain Noah had never been exposed to country-western music.

"Yup."

"Then I think you'll really like Texas."

"Those guys had da hats!"

"You don't have to be in Texas to wear them. Maybe I'll get you one for your birthday."

"You take me to Texas for my birthday?"

Despite the sunglasses, Sarah knew Noah was batting his eyelashes. "Of course I'll take you to Texas. But, well, maybe your parents will want to go...since Mommy's retired and all."

"Yeah...Mommy'll wanna go and she'll get a big hat for Daddy."

Sarah couldn't stop her giggles. She was picturing her Dad in cowboy gear and Olivia's face when she saw him. Such a sexy scene, she thought. "Yes, everyone shall have the hats. Girls can wear them, too, ya know."

"I only saw boys in da picture."

"That's because people are still gender biased."

"What dat mean?"

"It means some people think boys and girls have to be separate and they can't do the same things."

"That's dumb."

"I know!" Sarah finished off her cocktail and signaled the waiter for another round. "So, Noey, are you excited that your Mom will be around all the time now and won't go to work?"

"Yeah, dat's good. And she won't get shot anymore."

Sarah choked on the orange wedge she'd popped into her mouth. "Why do you think Mommy's getting shot?"

"Dat's what hurt her arm."

"How do you know that?"

Noah gnashed his teeth, "At da beach...da other beach at our house...I was gettin' a snack and Daddy and Gramma were on da porch and Gramma said it."

"Did they know you were there?"

"No," Noah mumbled guiltily.

"You snuck out for a snack?"

"Uh-huh."

"Where was Mommy?"

Noah shrugged. "I dunno."

It took Sarah a few minutes, but she realized Noah could have been describing the night she, Olivia, and Brooke went out for girls' night cocktails. Caroline had been invited but she was content on the back porch with the sound of the waves and her son.

"Noey," Sarah took another sip, "Mommy's safe now. She's not going to get hurt anymore."

"Who shot her with a gun?"

Sarah looked around hoping for the wind to overturn an umbrella or something and sufficiently distract her young charge. "A bad guy. He wasn't trying to shoot her-he was shooting at the air, really, he wanted the police to go away, and the bullet hit something and then hit Mommy's arm. He didn't mean to hurt her."

"I don't like Mommy gettin' hurt."

"Me neither." Sarah stood up and held out her hand. "C'mon, Noey. We are being entirely too serious. Let's go dance with the cowboy band while they'll still let ya in there."

Noah hopped to his feet and took Sarah's hand. "Lessgo," he said, "I'll twirl ya!"

…...

If there was a bright side of Noah being away, it was the amount of free evening time Ed and Olivia had at their disposal. While the twins were stuck with a strict bedtime, Noah, during the summer at least, was good at bargaining for extra time. With him in Florida and undoubtedly enjoying a vacation from curfew, Ed and Olivia waited to eat dinner until Maggie and Wyatt were asleep and they enjoyed their takeout feast at the candlelit dining room table with soft jazz music playing in the background.

"I like Indian food," Ed remarked with his mouth full, "Why don't we eat it more often?"

"I never think about it," Olivia replied, "But it popped up on the app as a suggestion."

"I like these," Ed held up a triangular pastry, "What are they? Samoas?"

"Samosa," Olivia corrected, "Samoas are Girl Scout Cookies."

"Well I like those, too." He dipped the samosa in the accompanying sauce, "So, tell me, you said it was a good read, but...what else?"

"It was a little strange at first," Olivia admitted, "Everything in that script...I've lived it, for real, and I wasn't sure, initially, how I felt about it being dramatized like that. And, of course, it's an hour-long show, so things happen so quickly, so many times I wanted to say, 'wait, stop, it doesn't work like that' but in television, I suppose it has to work like that."

"Too bad really," Ed remarked, "Lot of people lose faith in the system because it takes so long."

"Yeah, well...double edged sword. Swift justice isn't necessarily authentic justice."

Ed rocked his head from side to side. "There've been a lot of instances when I wanted exceptions to the rules."

"So have I…"

"Were you happy with the actors?"

"Yes," Olivia smiled, "They're amazing actually-how they go from themselves one second to the character the next. I mean, this guy who plays the chief, sort of a Dodds role, he's from California but he sounds exactly like a New York cop when he's in character."

Ed raised his eyebrows. "Who's this actor?"

Olivia grinned and gave Ed the name.

"Never heard of him."

"This is his first lead role."

"He good lookin?"

"No."

Ed took a bite and chewed with a smirk on his face. "They oughta cast you. Show'd be at the top of every chart."

Olivia's cheeks burned. Ed could still embarrass her and she loved it. "I don't know. I wouldn't be good at acting, especially not in this role, I'd get too emotional." She looked up. Ed had a funny look on his face. "What?"

"The fact that you'd get emotional...just made me think of how invested you'll always be in SVU work...I wouldn't get emotional about hostage negotiation. Or IAB."

Olivia laughed and murmured, "Emotional about IAB…"

"S'why I'm so glad you have the Center. The best part of you, the work with the vics, the healing, you can do that forever."

Olivia pushed food around her plate. "You're not worried I'll be there too much?"

"No," Ed replied, "And I know there'll be times when you're gonna have to be there a lot. I'm invested, too, Liv. I might not be directly involved, but I'm your biggest cheerleader. I want the Center to make an impact. A huge impact."

"Ed," Olivia sighed, "You're...I, um, you...you're amazing."

Ed dropped his fork and reached for Olivia's hand. "I love you, Liv. But not only that...I'm so proud that you love me back. That's, always, been kind of a big deal for me, maybe, because, you, me and you, was at one time so...improbable."

Olivia kissed his knuckles. "And now, most days, I forget there was ever a time when we weren't together."

"Well, there'll never be a time like that again."

"I love that reality."

"Me too."

….

Ed ran his fingers through Olivia's hair. Some stands were more damp than others and he made sure no stray pieces were stuck to her forehead or her cheeks. They were both sweaty and hot and not yet breathing normally.

"Aren't you supposed to be at Community Affairs right now?" Ed's eyes danced. Even now, with them both in crisis, he loved teasing her.

Olivia groaned. "Fuck Community Affairs."

He raised his eyebrows and kissed her. She parted her lips, inviting a more passionate liplock, and he tasted remnants of the whiskey they'd had for lunch. When they parted, he asked if she wanted to go out for some lunch of the non-liquid variety. "I could eat," he said apologetically. Even though hunger pangs were gnawing at him, he wasn't very interested in leaving the bed.

"Yeah," she said, "Let's get cleaned up, go eat, and then I'll have to get Noah."

Ed shook his head and made a minor edit. "We'll get Noah. Unless...unless you want some alone time?"

"No," she said firmly, "I want a regular night, the three of us, here, I want...to not think about all of this for one night."

"You got it."

Olivia slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom. When she realized Ed wasn't following, she looked back, raised her eyebrows, and asked, "You coming?"

Ed's spine tingled and he all too enthusiastically followed Olivia into the bathroom. She started the shower, took his hand, and stepped inside. She pulled Ed under the water stream and tilted her head back. He placed soft kisses along her collarbone and neck before initiating a deep, passionate kiss on the lips.

Olivia lathered body wash in her hands and rubbed it over Ed's chest and back. She moved her hands slowly, savoring the feel of his firm muscles. When she finished he grabbed the shampoo and massaged a handful into her tresses. He was thorough and careful, and when he guided her under the water to rinse, he kissed her again and moaned when he felt one of her hands begin to stroke him.

"Liv." Ed opened his mouth wide.

She didn't verbally respond.

"Aw, Liv, that feels so, ahhhhh…"

"Good?"

"Yes," he croaked. "Harder."

Olivia obliged. They took turns with each other until the tips of their fingers and toes were wrinkled. They wrapped themselves in towels and kissed more in front of the mirror. Ed joked that, from now on, a regular, solo shower would be a huge disappointment.

"Then maybe you should be here more often?"

He swallowed hard. They were both in the middle of a work-related crisis and it seemed Olivia was responding by clutching their relationship with a death grip. Maybe she figured it was the only thing she could control at the moment. Or maybe she trusted him as much as he trusted her. Or maybe she was falling in love with him...like he had been falling in love with her for the past few months.

"I'll be here as much as you want me to be." He wished he had a better line, but she smiled. "I, Liv, this-"

She put a finger to his lips. "Stop overthinking," she said, "That's what I do...and, right now, I'm not."

He tangled his fingers in her wet locks and smirked. "You want me to dry your hair?"

"Sure."

He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. "You're so beautiful."

Olivia smiled and gazed at him.

"Whatcha thinking?" He asked when a minute or so passed and she hadn't said a word.

"I'm thinking this was a hell of a lot better than spending the afternoon in a cubicle at Community Affairs."

Ed chuckled sardonically, "Damn right about that."

…

Ed and Olivia were lying under the covers when they heard the faint Face Time ring. Ed leaned over and searched the pile of clothes for his phone. Olivia admired his bare backside and reached in the opposite direction for her t-shirt which had been tossed aside during foreplay and caught on the knob of her nightstand drawer.

"Hey bud!" Ed propped himself against the headboard and smiled at the screen. "Have a good day?"

"Da BEST day! Sare Bear and me were out line dancin!"

T-shirt on, Olivia sidled up against Ed. "Line dancing?"

"Yep! Right foot, left foot, heel dig!"

"Omigod, Noah was so good!" Sarah exclaimed gleefully, "They even let us stay a little after six."

"Well that's fantastic," Ed muttered dryly.

"Everything go smoothly today?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," Sarah replied, "A few signatures, some initialing, the check...and keys! Noey loves the condo and he's already picked out the room you'll use, but it desperately needs paint and of course furniture, but it's ours."

"So great."

"We went to da lawyer's office t'day," Noah interjected. "Lotta papers! An' Sare Bear signed her name like dis," Noah made zig-zagging motions in the air, "I gotta prac-tis signin' my name like dat!"

"Good thing for you to do on the plane, bud."

"We're comin' back t'morrow."

"Yeah, we'll be there to pick you up."

"Daddy," Sarah said, "We can take a cab. Picking us up is silly."

"We want to," Olivia said.

Never one to argue with Olivia, Sarah nodded. "Okay. At least it'll be late enough so you're not in crazy traffic."

"Whaddya gonna do tomorrow?" Ed asked.

"Mini golf," Sarah said, "And we're going to check out the bird park."

"Bird park?" Ed asked, his brow furrowed.

"Yes," Sarah said, "They have macaws and other exotic creatures with wings. And if it's boring, we'll go to the zoo, but I heard it's good."

"I'm gonna talk to a parrot!" Noah exclaimed.

"Don't teach it any bad words," Ed joked. "Or...maybe teach him some."

"Need Wyatt for that!" Everyone burst into laughter and as the adults calmed down, Noah asked his next question, "You in bed?"

"Yeah, bud, we're in bed."

Noah giggled. "You're in bed b'fore me!"

"Well, you're at the beach, you always stay up a little later at the beach."

"It's not that late," Sarah said, grinning mischievously. Even through the screen, Sarah felt the intensity of her Dad's glare. "Or, maybe it is. Noey, we must think about sleep."

"You said we're gonna go to the bonfire."

Sarah smiled weakly. "That I did."

Olivia returned her grin. "You two have fun. We love you and can't wait to see you tomorrow. Sarah, congratulations on the condo."

"Thanks, Livvie. We'll call you in the morning. Kisses!"

Sarah and Noah blew kisses and cooed their goodbyes. When Ed was sure the call was over, he tossed the phone back on the heap of clothing and wasted no time removing Olivia's shirt. "Now, where were we?"

"Ohhh," she gripped his hip, "I think about here."

"You're handling our son being away quite well."

"You're doing a nice job making me...think about other things."

Ed let his eyelids droop. "Other things, huh?"

"Yeah," she said in her softest, most alluring voice.

"We do have a lot of other things to think about," He nudged her to her back. "I love you, Liv."

She smiled and ran her fingertips all over his head. "I love you, Ed Tucker. More than you know."

…..

#Tuckson