Sixty-six.

When Olivia came home from the Benson Center she very nearly ran over Maggie who had bolted for the door as soon as she heard the key in the lock. Sporting messy pigtails and a pink hoodie, Maggie held up her arms and demanded Olivia pick her up. Olivia wrapped her in a tight embrace and kissed her head.

"Hi my sweet girl! Did you just get back from the park?"

"PAY!" Maggie bellowed, "No, Wy, pay!" She proceeded to explain she'd been on the swings and the slides and been treated to a cookie, the remnants of which were clinging to the corners of her lips.

"Where are the boys? Where's Daddy?"

"DAH!" Maggie pointed toward the interior of the apartment and Olivia carried her inside. It was odd to be greeted by only one kid. Usually everyone, Ed included, made a beeline for the foyer as soon as she came home. "No! Lootee!" Maggie grinned at Olivia and then carefully pried open Olivia's mouth with an index finger and tapped her bottom teeth.

"Liv, we're back here!"

In the bathroom Noah was perched on the vanity facing the mirror with his mouth open wiggling a bottom tooth. Ed stood behind him in case he became so consumed with the development that he lost his balance. Wyatt was perched on on of Ed's hips and fixated on his older brother's reflection.

"Sweet boy! You have a loose tooth?"

"Yup," Noah said, only partially enunciating since his mouth was still wide open.

"Bud, you good?" Ed asked, "Wanna get down? Go play?"

"No! Too!" Maggie bellowed. She craned her neck for a view similar to Wyatt's but one arm remained securely around Olivia's neck as if she weren't quite confident enough with this strange phenomenon to relinquish the security of her mother's arms.

"Okay," Noah hopped down and asked, "When's it gonna come out?"

"Probably in a week or so."

He squinted up at Ed, "There gonna be blood?"

"Yes."

"Is it gonna hurt?"

"Maybe a little, honey," Olivia said soothingly, "But, when I lost my teeth, I remember it happening so fast...I don't remember it hurting, I only remember being excited that the tooth fairy was going to visit!"

"Who's that?"

"She's a fairy who comes while you're sleeping. You'll put your tooth under the pillow and she'll give you a reward for it," Ed explained.

"Like Santa?"

"Kind of."

"What she do with da teeth?"

Ed looked to Olivia hoping she knew the answer to that particular question. "She plants them in her garden," Olivia answered, "Good baby teeth like yours help her grow beautiful gardens."

"Where da gardens?"

"In Central Park," Ed said before he realized he was going to have to take Noah somewhere new in the park, with gardens, in order to complete the story.

Impressed his tooth was going to contribute to the park's natural beauty, Noah's face brightened. It took him a minute to process the enormity of it all in his imagination and when he was finished he went back to the mirror, counted all of his teeth, and wondered if the park's flora had been created solely with the teeth of New York's children. Ed would later joke that image was creepy, and Olivia agreed it seemed like the premise of a horror film or novel. In the moment though, they smiled sweetly as Noah wondered aloud about the magical gardens.

When he and the twins skipped into the living room and occupied themselves with their toys, Ed finally kissed Olivia hello. He pulled her back into the hallway and planted a passionate smooch on her lips. "I am so glad to see you," he rasped.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't think I'd be this long...but this first one…" Olivia trailed off.

Ed finished the sentence for her, "...has to be right."

"Exactly."

"Talk about it?"

"Not right now," Olivia replied, "But I'd love a glass of wine and to play sous chef."

"Well," Ed patted her behind, "Let's get you an assignment then." He firmly kissed her once more.

"I'll be there in a minute. Have to change."

Ed poked the inside of his mouth with his tongue and let his eyes drift down her body. "Okay."

Olivia gave him a playful shove. "You're horrible."

Ed grabbed her hand, kissed it, and shot her a wink before he made his way to the kitchen. "Sorry," he said, "Still can't believe you're my wife."

…..

Noah took a minute or so to pose his next question. When he did, it was, not surprisingly, more analytical than born of emotion.

"How'd she know about me?"

Olivia swallowed hard and replied, "When she was looking for her daughter, she found out about you and then found out about me, us."

"She must have been so desperate."

Ed managed to stop himself from releasing an audible groan. Situated slightly behind Noah, he had the luxury of not worrying about his facial expressions and he frowned at Olivia, disappointed he'd misjudged how Noah would take this news. Olivia had been right to worry; Ed assumed Noah would be sympathetic but ultimately want nothing to do with Sheila. His tone and his questioning indicated Ed was probably wrong.

"She was, honey."

Though calm, Noah screwed up his face and asked, "Then why didn't you let her meet me?"

Had the subject not been so serious, Ed would have proudly slapped his son on the back. Ed understood Noah's confusion-when faced with someone who was clearly in distress, who needed help, empathy, and compassion, Olivia had done something seemingly out of character. She'd turned Sheila away.

"Noah, I was scared," Olivia answered honestly, "I was terrified of losing you, of sharing you, and of what her true motives actually were. It didn't feel right, sweetheart. It didn't. It still doesn't. And, if I can trust anything, it's my instincts."

"Is she okay?" Noah asked, "Like...seriously, she seemed a little off."

"Bud, that's one of the reasons why your mother didn't want her around. Who knows what would have happened." Ed glanced at Olivia to check in and make sure his occasional comments were welcome and appropriate.

"It's weird she came here like that," Noah said slowly.

Ed took a deep, relieved breath, but he wished he would have sat next to Olivia. She was wringing her hands, the color had drained from her face, and, overall, she was the epitome of a mother terrified she'd made an awful mistake. Ed maintained eye contact with her as long as possible.

"Does she live here?" Noah asked.

"I don't think so," Olivia said, "She didn't like the city," she saw Noah's brow furrow ever so slightly. Noah had continually expressed his love for New York ever since he could talk and, though more mature and capable of seeing things from others' perspectives, he couldn't quite comprehend how anyone could have anything but affection for his home turf. "She's from New Hampshire," Olivia added as further explanation.

"Maybe I should see her before she leaves," Noah said apologetically, "If, um, if that's okay with you, Mom? I don't know, I...feel kind of...not bad, I didn't do anything, but it seems like I matter to her."

"Noah, I have always wanted to protect you," Olivia croaked, "And that's what I was doing. Protecting you. Us."

"I know. It's…complicated," Noah murmured. He raised his eyebrows when Olivia laughed softly at the last word he'd uttered. "What?"

"Oh...that word, complicated, it was my go to for a long time," she replied, "But, you're right honey, it is complicated. It was complicated fourteen years ago and it's complicated now." Olivia moved to sit next to him. She pulled him close and kissed the side of his head. She swore she picked up a faint hint of his baby scent mixed with the green tea peppermint shampoo all three kids preferred. "I understand, honey. We are one hundred percent behind you. I'll get someone to find her contact information."

Wearing his sincerest expression, Noah looked straight into his mother's eyes and said, "If you don't want me to I won't."

The offer both broke and warmed Olivia's heart. On one hand her son needed face-to-face closure, and, on the other, he did not want to do anything that would cause her pain. "This is about you, Noah. You're old enough to make your own decisions. I made it for you when you were little. Maybe it was the wrong one, but what's done is done."

"I think I want to talk to her."

"Okay."

"Will one of you come with me?"

"We will, bud," Ed replied, "Whatever you want."

"Thank you."

"Hey," Olivia said, her voice much brighter and light-hearted, "How was the show?"

Noah's cheeks reddened as he smiled. "Mia's amazing," he said, "She's gonna be a star."

….

The loose tooth was the object of fascination for the rest of the evening and into the weekend. Ed and Olivia would constantly catch Noah working his tongue against the tooth and Maggie and Wyatt would watch with awe and extreme interest. At one point Maggie crawled into Noah's lap, pried his lips apart, and wiggled the tooth herself. Then, frightened, she ran to Olivia, buried her face in her neck, and whimpered.

"No, toooo!"

Olivia rocked Maggie and caressed the back of her head. "It's okay, sweet girl," she cooed, "Noah's getting to be a big boy and he's going to get big boy teeth."

"I'm okay, small sister!" Noah skipped over and balanced on one foot then the other, "And when da tooth fairy gives me money I can buy you a toy!"

Hearing this, Maggie perked up. "Toy?"

"Yep!"

"Bay doll?"

"Small sister, you have a buncha baby dolls!"

"BAY DOLL, NO!" Maggie wriggled out of Olivia's grip. Once on the floor she ran into the bedroom and sprinted back with her arms full of dolls and stuffed animals. She dropped them all at her feet in one heap and went back for a second load.

Seeing the pile, Wyatt came over and belly-flopped on it. He giggled and rolled over and became partially buried. Maggie rushed over and cleared the animals and dolls. "Wy! Wy!"

"Small sister's saving Wyatt!" Noah exclaimed. "She loves her brother! Mommy, with my tooth fairy money I'm gonna buy small sister and brother a toy, but a toy for learning. They have a lot of toys for playing."

"That sounds like a good plan, but buy yourself something, too" Olivia said, thinking about how she and Ed were going to have to give him way more than a dollar, "How is that tooth? Any looser?"

Noah pressed on the tooth with his tongue. "Nope. Still in there pretty tight!" Noah shuffled over to the island and picked up the iPad, "Mommy, I'm gonna play some math games, kay?"

"Okay, sweet boy."

Olivia parked herself on the floor and played with Maggie and Wyatt. The toddlers were able to carry on some semblance of conversation with their mother, but Olivia also liked to hear them babble to each other. She wondered if they would come up with their own secret language one day or if Maggie's penchant for wrapping Wyatt in a clumsy, impromptu bear hug would continue as they grew up. As she often did, Olivia studied their faces. Wyatt's chubby cheeks stood out in contrast to his rigid jawline. Maggie's face couldn't quite figure out if it wanted to mimic Ed's or Olivia's-she clearly had her father's cheekbones and eyes, but when she smiled she looked like her mother. When angry, she resembled Ed; when determined, her features were all her mother's.

"Hey," Ed came into the room and kissed the top of Olivia's head, "My mom wants to know if we're coming for dinner tonight."

"Sure, absolutely," Olivia said but then cringed and made a hissing sound, "Except, I'm supposed to meet Stephanie in a couple hours. What time?"

"Probably sixish."

"Okay, I'll call her and see if we can meet earlier," Olivia grabbed Ed's hand and pulled herself into a standing position. Ed didn't let go of her hand and Olivia gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I need to build some trust with her," she added.

"Yeah, of course," Ed replied.

"Worse case scenario, you go and I'll Uber up there?"

Ed shook his head, "No, we'll wait for you."

"I don't want your mom to have to-"

"-Liv, we'll wait."

"Okay." Olivia took her phone into the bedroom to make the call. While she waited for Stephanie to pick up, she replayed Ed's "Liv, we'll wait" in her head and wondered if she had picked up the slightest hint of frustration in his voice. She second guessed herself. The first meeting with Stephanie had not gone well. The young woman did not waver from what she told Rollins-she wanted to complete her job, get out of the city, and forget. However, her stint with Barba's campaign was only getting started; the election was ten weeks away; nevertheless, when Olivia suggested they meet for coffee after Stephanie had had a few days to process it all, she agreed.

Fortunately, the earlier time worked and Olivia hastily swapped her sweats for jeans and a sweater. She clipped her hair back, dabbed on some makeup and lip gloss, and applied hand cream before sliding on her rings. She smiled at the baubles, thinking of how nervous and excited Ed must have been when he purchased the engagement ring. She had never asked, but she imagined he'd taken his time choosing the perfect design.

On the way out she gave him a kiss significantly more passionate than the standard good-bye smooch. "I love you," she said, staring into his eyes. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Take your time."

"One hour. I promise."

"Okay. Oh, Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you too."

…

For reasons unknown, Ed fidgeted in his chair and seemed oddly nervous. He and Olivia had been seriously dating for weeks and were having dinner at a small Italian restaurant. On the walls were painted coastal and mountainous vistas and Ed thought about how much he would enjoy taking in those views in person with Olivia and Noah. He imagined sitting on a terrace, sharing a bottle of wine, and listening to Noah's awestruck commentary. Olivia would be sitting across from him, a serene expression on her face; she would be so at peace Ed would feel a bit guilty talking to her, but he would have to talk to her. He loved hearing her voice, particularly when she was at peace.

"Ed?"

"Oh, sorry," he jerked to attention and smiled shyly.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Uh, ah, um," Ed stammered, unsure whether or not he should reveal the details of the daydream. "Wondering if this is a real place," he gestured toward the wall, "Cause I wanna take you there."

Slackjawed, Olivia stared across the table at him. He was neither smiling nor frowning; Ed merely looked back at her, clearly hoping she would say she'd like for that to happen. "It certainly would be an amazing trip," she said. "I'd love to go with you, Ed Tucker."

"Good." He kissed her hand then reached into his jacket pocket, "I, uh, well, in the meantime, I wanted to give you this." Ed handed her a small velvet pouch.

Relieved it wasn't a ring, Olivia tugged the bag open and took out the contents-a gold chain with an oval glass pendant. The pendant immediately reflected the reddish hue of the small table lamp. "Ed," she said with a smile, "This is gorgeous."

"Took my mother to one of those artists' markets," he said, "I don't usually buy anything at those places but I walked by this stall and it kinda popped out at me."

"I love it," she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Help me put it on?"

"Sure."

Ed stood up and rounded the table. Careful not to trap any of Olivia's hair in the clasp, he secured the chain and kissed her when she looked up at him. He took his seat and smirked when Olivia asked him if the gift was why he'd been so quiet and a little off since they'd met earlier that night.

"I guess so," he said. "I see things, a lot, and think about buyin' 'em for you."

Gazing at him and playing with the corners of her napkin, Olivia murmured, "This is really happening, isn't it?"

"Rhetorical?"

"No."

"Yes," He gently pulled the napkin from her fingers and ran his thumbs across her smooth pink nail polish. "Yes, it's really happening. And I'm so, so excited about it, Olivia Benson."

"I am, too."

Only the waiter arriving with their meals interrupted the intimate moment. He set down steaming plates of ravioli and linguine and asked if they needed anything else. Ed and Olivia both told him they were good and surveyed the food before taking their first bites.

"Those scallops are huge," Olivia said of Ed's dish.

"Here," Ed cut one in half, "Try it." He blew on the portion and fed it to her.

"Very good," she pierced a ravioli and reciprocated.

Ed nearly fell out of his chair. Olivia's eyes were focused on his lips; her own were slightly parted in concentration. She leaned forward and waited for his assessment. The care with which she fed him was etched on her face. Had the mushroom ravioli been revolting, Ed would have given the same answer.

"That's great," he said softly. "I like it."

"Want more?"

"Nah, I'll order it next time. Or," Ed's eyes darted around, "Could ask for another plate? We'll share?"

"Sure." Olivia flashed him a wide grin. Ed blushed and she asked a teasing question, "Still nervous, Captain Tucker?"

"A little," he admitted, "But mostly I'm really glad you like the necklace."

….

Ed's body partially covered Olivia's, he cradled her face in one hand, and placed soft kisses on her cheeks, lips, and forehead. Every light in their bedroom was turned on, and the brightness was a stark contrast to the post-lovemaking scene that anyone would have written as occurring in near-darkness. Ed ran an index finger along her jawbone, played connect-the-dots with her freckles, and studied her eyes. During dinner at Caroline's she'd been distracted; her mind was clearly elsewhere and Ed assumed her late afternoon coffee with Stephanie had not yielded much progress.

"You're worried," he said softly.

"No," Olivia cooed. Her eyelids drooped and her lips curled into a lazy smile.

"Didn't go well this afternoon?"

Olivia sighed. More alert now, she reached back for another pillow and sat up a bit. She leaned in to Ed's touch when he brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, "Was it that obvious?"

"Not to anyone but me."

"Honey, I'm sorry."

"I love you, baby," Ed kissed her forehead again, "I can tell when all's not well in this pretty head of yours. Tell me. Talk to me."

"I don't know why I'm frustrated," she said, "How many times have I seen this? Dozens? Maybe hundreds? A victim who doesn't want, for whatever reason, to pursue a case, and I've never judged, or I've tried not to judge, but this one? Ed? I was so close today to taking her by the shoulders and screaming why? Why won't you let me help you? And I know the answer, I get it, but I felt that way anyway, and I hate that I did."

Ed curled an arm under his head. "It's the first one," he said, "You said it yourself, you wanted it to be perfect, but, Liv? There's no perfect case. You know how powerful it can be to get justice, and the fact she's willing to talk to you? That's somethin. A baby step, but a step. And maybe you have this sense of urgency because you have a finite amount of time, with her being here on a contract and all." He twirled a lock of her hair around and around, "You talk to Barba at all?"

"She doesn't want that, so...I keep soldiering on. And Rollins said she referred another family this morning, now I'm worried if, with such a small staff, if we'll be able to properly do what I envisioned."

"Is part of you bein' frustrated, is it also because you know you're not going to be able to be personally involved with each person? That you're gonna have to let the place function a little more bureaucratically than you want?" Ed gazed at her with wide, concerned eyes.

"Sounds about right. I mean, this was supposed to help victims and their families navigate bureaucracy, not create more of it."

"Might have to tweak a few things, but that's part of beginnings, right? Of everything? The process of fine tuning?"

Olivia nodded in agreement, "Sure it is, but, Ed, these are lives. Human beings' lives."

"Which is why I can't think of a better person to be at the helm over there."

She smiled and nestled her head under his chin. Ed stretched and turned off the lamp on his side of the bed before wrapping both arms around her. Olivia untangled a sheet and unfurled it over their bodies.

"Ed?"

"Hmm?"

"If anything ever happened to one of our kids I would genuinely go crazy."

"You and me both," he kissed the top of her head, "But I think we do a pretty good job of protecting them."

"We can't be everywhere all the time."

"No, but, Liv, we teach 'em to be smart, say no, trust their guts...we've done and we'll do everything we possibly can to send them out into the world so that they're safe." He tightened his grip and kissed her once more. He could feel her body start to get heavy with sleep and hated that he would have to let her go in order to turn off the rest of the lights. "And you know what else, Olivia?"

"What's that?"

"There're still some good people out there."

Olivia sighed, smiled, and murmured, "I love you...you...always make me feel better...feel right."

"My life's mission."

Olivia chuckled.

"I'm serious," Ed insisted.

Olivia snuggled into him even more securely. "I know. I believe you."

…

#Tuckson