Seventy-one.

With a combination of skepticism and concern, Noah leaned forward on the table and watched Maggie and Wyatt with such an eagle eye that Ed wasn't sure he'd blinked. On this particular afternoon, the twins were getting their first experience with Play-doh. They each had a mat printed with various shapes and letters one could make with the material, but the two-year-olds, too stimulated by the unfamiliar texture, ignored the graphics. Wyatt opened and closed his fists and shrieked with delight when the red clump oozed out from between his fingers. Maggie broke her portion into smaller pieces, flattened it, and put it back together again.

"Don't put it in your mouth," Noah warned, "No eating."

"Doh' EAT!" Wyatt bellowed.

"If you eat it, you'll get sick." Noah made a retching sound and pretending to vomit. Maggie copied him and he giggled, "Dat's right, small sister! You're gonna PUKE!"

"PUKE!" Wyatt mimicked gleefully.

Ed sat down in his regular chair at the head of the table intending to be a silent observer, but Maggie reeled him into the conversation. "Doh eat, Dada!"

"I won't, Maggs," he replied with a grin, "Hey, why don't ya make me somethin? How about an apple?"

Ed pointed to the block "A" on the mat and the corresponding image of the fruit. Maggie glanced at it and then her Play-doh pieces. They were green. She bit her lip and snatched half of Wyatt's red. Wyatt frowned and cried out in a short, sharp spasm. His little forehead furrowed and he slapped at Maggie's mat.

Noah came to the rescue, "Here Wyatt," he exchanged Maggie's green for his red, "You use green for a lil' bit while Maggs makes da apple."

Still frowning slightly, Wyatt nevertheless collected the green into his hands and continued playing. Maggie made a lopsided apple and grinned proudly at her Daddy. He cupped her head and kissed her cheek, "Good job, baby girl."

Using two hands, Maggie offered the apple to Ed. He took it and mimicked a bite, growling as he did so. "Yum!"

"YUM!"

"Yummyummmy!"

Wyatt pounded his dough into flat pancakes and babbled in a low voice. Noah translated. "Daddy, Wyatt wants a snack! And I do too!"

"How 'bout some cheese and crackers?" Ed suggested. He glanced at the clock and wondered what was keeping Olivia out so long. She'd spent most of the day at the Benson Center even though, when she left that morning, she predicted no more than two hours. Each time she checked in, the two hours became four and then six. The kids were getting hungry because it was close to their usual dinner time, and, since retiring, Olivia rarely missed evening meals.

Noah agreed to the cheese and crackers. Ed went to the kitchen to prepare the plate, opting to wash the twins' hands last. As he sliced the block of cheddar and arranged Triscuits, he listened to the kids' conversation, punctuated by the occasional shriek and bursts of unintelligible toddler babbles. Each day the twins displayed a growing vocabulary, but Ed knew both he and Olivia would miss the sound of the jubilant, rapidly-spoken, jumbled sentences only Maggie and Wyatt could understand. If Noah couldn't make out what his brother and sister were saying, he simply created his own translation and went with it, another routine Ed and Olivia found endearing.

"Daddy!" Noah shouted, "Your phone! It's Mommy!" He held up the phone and, sure enough, the photo of a smiling Olivia that accompanied her ringtone filled the screen.

"Go ahead and answer, bud."

Noah greeted her cheerfully, "Hi Mommy!" He rested an elbow on the table and tilted his head to the side. Olivia must have asked what he was doing because he explained the adventure with Play-doh and that Ed was currently preparing a snack. "When you gonna come home so we can eat dinner?" Noah asked in a sincere, innocent voice that was sure to melt Olivia's heart. He grinned at her response and reported the answer to Ed. "Mommy's on her way right NOW! She's bringing TACOS!"

"TAH-OH!" Maggie and Wyatt bellowed at the same time. "TAH-OH!"

Ed set the cheese and cracker plate on the table closer to Noah and out of the twins' reach. He took the phone, assured Olivia all was well, and brushed off her apologies. After putting in a request for carne asada tacos, he told her he loved her before saying goodbye. Next, he packed the Play-doh back into the containers, rolled up the mats, and carried the twins to the sink and washed their hands.

"Daddy?" Noah asked when they returned to the table, "How come Mommy's r'tired but she's still at police?"

"She's not at police, bud," Ed replied, "She's at the Center, remember? You've been there. It's the place where people can get help after the police have helped them."

Noah squinted, "What kinda help?"

Ed popped a cracker into his mouth, chewed, and did his best to explain the mission of the Benson Center to his first-grader. "Well, when someone gets hurt, they might worry they're gonna get hurt again. So Mommy and the others at the Center find ways to help the people feel better and not worry so much."

Noah twisted his lips and his eyes drifted to the ceiling as he processed what he'd been told. "I got a cast from basketball," he murmured, "But I still play basketball! My arm's all better!"

"That's right. You kept playing."

"Yep! I'm not worried!"

"Nope. But, the people Mommy helps, sometimes, they have to practice going back to things they did before, they have to practice a lot before they're not worried anymore. That's why Mommy's there. To help them practice."

"That's good."

"Yeah it is."

….

Maggie grumbled impatiently and fidgeted in her seat. Not only had she had to wake up early when she was on summer vacation, but she was trapped in a large hotel conference room and forced into silence as her brother and his teammates battled another group of sixth graders for the Academic Bowl championship trophy. At first, seeing Noah on stage and easily firing off answers to questions from the studious-looking moderator was exciting, but after the second round, both Maggie and Wyatt showed signs of boredom-induced fatigue. Wyatt pulled out one of his summer reading novels. Maggie begged Olivia for her phone.

"Please," she hissed in her mother's ear, "No sound! I promise!"

"Where's your book?"

"I read it already."

Olivia shot her a reproving mom-glare.

Cowed, Maggie mumbled, "Well, I read the first part..."

As often happened when she tried to discipline her children, Olivia bit her lip to stop from smiling. Two chairs down, Wyatt had tucked his legs under him and leaned against Ed, fully engrossed in the child-sized novel. Maggie was barely on the chair, perched on the edge and playing with the hem of her blue jean shorts.

"Cheer for your brother," Olivia said softly.

Maggie screwed up her face and looked around. The Tucker family had attended many different sporting events over the years and "cheer" to Maggie involved shouting and stadiums and hot dogs and soda. "Can't cheer here, Mommy!"

Chuckling at her mistake, Olivia put her arm around Maggie's shoulders and gave her a little side hug. Maggie put her head on her mother's shoulder and sighed dramatically, "S'boring."

"The speed round is next," Olivia whispered. "That will be more fun."

Maggie rolled her eyes, "It's just answering questions really fast."

"Well, after that we're going to have lunch at a restaurant in a skyscraper and then we'll go to American Girl. And then we're going to see the Mets play the Cubs! You'll get to see Wrigley Field."

"And get a hoddog?"

"Sure."

"I like these Chicago hoddogs! Slimy hoddogs! But that's some good slime!"

"It sure is," Olivia said, "And tonight we can swim more and tomorrow we go home."

"Then we're goin' to da beach?"

"Yes."

"But we didn't try Chicago tacos. Noah wants ta try 'em!"

"We will."

"Daddy say this year I can drive the jet ski at da beach."

"Oh did he?"

"He said it!" Maggie replied indignantly, "No take backs!"

Hearing the distress in his daughter's voice, Ed glanced in their direction, smirked, and bolstered his daughter's argument. "I did say it," he said in a low voice, "And she's right, no take backs."

Olivia rolled her eyes and focused her attention back on Noah, "We'll see," she whispered.

"If I'm good the rest of the time here," Maggie offered, "Then I can drive?" Maggie looked up at Olivia, her wide blue eyes were filled with hope. She knew her mother was the boss and her endorsement was necessary.

"Deal," Olivia said.

Of course, Maggie would "drive" the jet ski with Ed sitting behind her and controlling the speed. The "driving" would amount to steering in the calm waters of the intercoastal waterway. Nevertheless, it was a major milestone in Maggie's eyes. Satisfied and trusting her mother's word, Maggie stopped fidgeting and paid attention to the speed round. She clenched her fist after each of Noah's team's correct answers and when they emerged victorious, Maggie stood and let out a triumphant whoop as the rest of the audience broke into subdued, polite applause.

….

Ed and Olivia sat up in bed, side by side against the headboard, and sipped cocktails made from an orange-infused tequila they'd been meaning to try since it had been gifted to them as a beach housewarming present from Sarah and Justin. Inspired by the Mexican food, Ed attempted to make margaritas but, lacking the proper ingredients, created a cocktail instead.

"Are we wrong for this?" Olivia asked, holding up her glass, "Letting the kids stay up late so they sleep in? Drinking in bed?"

Ed leaned over and gave her a sloppy, passionate kiss. "Nothing," he said, "Is wrong with this."

Olivia smiled but her eyes quickly clouded over. "I'm sorry for today," she said, "I'm...trying to let go…"

"It's one day, Liv."

"No...it's been more than one day. I know I'm doing it, the hours are adding up. But the second when I think we're at a lull, someone new comes in and I can't stay away from it. Today-a woman and her three kids, eight, four, and three, her husband was an Amtrak engineer, was driving one of the trains that crashed last year and he's a mess, PTSD, drugs, they had this perfect life and then, bam, last year he starts hitting her, she knows he's not himself but she can't stay…"

Ed held one of her hands and ran his thumb over her knuckles, "Sounds worse than the average SVU case," he said, "One minute everything's fine and then your life completely changes."

"And with kids that young...how does she explain what's going on? Especially to the older one."

Ed's insides clenched. "Speaking of explanations…"

"What?"

He told her about Noah expressing his confusion at his mother being retired yet seemingly still working on a regular basis. "I wasn't gonna tell ya at first," he said, "Because I knew it'd upset you. But I also don't want ya to be blindsided in case he brings it up. And I don't want to keep anything from you."

"He's right though…"

"Maybe," Ed downed the rest of his drink and put the glass on the nightstand. "But people need you, Liv. They need what the Center provides and you need to be there to make sure it's running the right way. It'll calm down."

Olivia took a deep breath. Since they were in a moment of complete transparency she decided to make another admission. "It's not just that, Ed," her voice was heavy with regret, "I miss going to work. I miss that office. I knew I would, but not this much."

He caressed the side of her face, "After thirty years, Liv, it's gonna take some time."

"You're not worried?"

"No."

"But you were able to flip the switch," she said, "You went right into retirement mode."

"I wasn't anywhere near as attached, as dedicated to my job as you were," he countered, "And I had a far more important task ahead of me-I needed to prove to myself I could be a good dad, a present dad. And a husband worthy of you."

"But I don't have to do that kind of proving to anyone?"

"Not to me. You take as long as you need to adjust, Liv."

"But Noah…"

"Noah was confused about definitions...he needed to know whether or not he understood the word right."

"Nice save."

Ed took her glass. "Done with this?"

"Yes."

"Want more?"

"No," she said in a low voice and traced his lips with an index finger. "I want you."

Ed placed her glass next to his and wasted no time draping himself over his wife's body. He kissed her furiously, possessively-it was the way he kissed her when he was trying to erase any and all negative thoughts running through her mind. Very quickly he was hard and throbbing against her, but he slowly, deliberately worked his way down her body, removing her clothing and exploring every inch of skin with his mouth. When he finally moved inside of her they locked eyes and remained that way until they were sated, panting, and lying completely relaxed in the middle of the bed, arms and legs intertwined and exchanging hushed, sweet, I love yous.

"It might still be hard for me for a while," Olivia murmured almost apologetically as if she was sorry the night's lovemaking didn't immediately make everything all better.

Ed picked up on the implicit meaning. "Like I said," he kissed her cheek and smoothed her hair, "I'm not worried. But I will do anything to make it easier for you."

"Even put up with me being six hours late?"

"Even that. That's easy, Liv. And you wouldn't be there if it wasn't important."

Tears welled in Olivia's eyes, "But you know…you and the kids, you're the most important, right?"

"We know," Ed replied softly and kissed her lips to emphasize the point. "We know."

….

If asked why she was in attendance at the notoriously boring NYPD promotion ceremony, Olivia had several different answers at the ready. She was a newly-named Lieutenant and thought it would look good to the brass for her to be there. One of the women who had graduated from the Academy with her was being promoted to Sergeant. Even after almost thirty years, she still had an appreciation for the formality, the solemn oaths, and the optimism in the room as a newly decorated group of officers stepped into new ranks. The real reason, though, was that tonight, Ed Tucker was getting his Captain's shield. He was one of the few receiving that particular promotion. NYPD Captains, though paid more, worked longer hours and were expected to be significantly more involved with One PP and its complex, politically-skewed structures and operations. It was a prestigious job, but not a very attractive one. Tucker, though, had set his eyes on "Captain" since he entered the Academy and, when he shook the hand of the Police Commissioner, his face broke into a rarely-seen proud smile. He posed for the obligatory photo and nodded to his daughters. Then he froze for a split second, visibly stunned, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw Olivia sitting to the right of Brooke.

She smiled back at him and the question marks practically floated in the air between the two of them. They were so new. They'd agreed to take things slowly, keep a low profile, not rock the boat...and definitely not do things like show up at a very public event and sit next to the honorees' daughters. But there she was. Grinning. Radiant. Proud. Ed couldn't wait to hug her.

The hug had to wait until they were safely a few blocks away from the venue. Sarah and Brooke graciously walked ahead a few steps and temporarily made themselves blend in with the crowd as they waited at a busy intersection. Ed turned to Olivia and wrapped her in a quick but firm embrace. "Thanks for comin," he said, "Wasn't expecting that."

"I didn't think you would," Olivia said, "But maybe," she played with the lapel of his coat, "But maybe you were hoping I'd show up?"

"Thought it was a long shot, but, yeah, maybe a little."

The light changed. They turned to cross the street and catch up with Sarah and Brooke and their hands briefly touched. Ed smirked and dared to hold out his hand. Olivia smiled and they walked the rest of the way to the bar with their fingers entwined.

Inside the pub they found a hightop table in a front corner. It was cozy but also had a view of the street. Ed discreetly asked Olivia if the setup was okay. After all, it was entirely possible they could be spotted through the glass, but she brushed off the concern and even seemed slightly surprised at the question. The four of them quickly fell into an easy conversation. Sarah updated everyone on her life in Philadelphia. Brooke talked about the ups and downs with her sixth graders. Two cocktails and two shots later, Olivia had to finally bid farewell.

"But we haven't even eaten!" Sarah protested.

"I'm sorry," Olivia hugged Brooke and then Sarah, "Thank you for the drinks, but I really have to get home. My poor babysitter has been taken advantage of a lot this week."

Sarah groaned dramatically.

Brooke rolled her eyes at her sister's display. "Thank you for coming," she said politely and a bit too formally, "It was good seeing you again!"

"It was good seeing you two," Olivia replied, "Maybe...we'll get together in the near future?" She eyed Ed.

"Yes!" Sarah said. "It's almost Thanksgiving. Are you coming to Grandma's?"

Olivia and Ed had not talked about Thanksgiving, but Olivia had sensed he'd been trying to bring it up. Sarah, as she would learn was her MO, forced the issue. "I...we haven't actually discussed Thanksgiving…"

"Well you have to come."

Ed's cheeks were burning. He was nervous but he had to say something, especially when Olivia looked at him imploringly. "You have to come," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Well that settles it," Olivia said. "We'll be there. But now, I really have to go."

Ed helped her on with her coat. "I'll walk you out."

The balmy late fall day had given way to a breezy, chilly night. Olivia hastily buttoned up her trench and wished she had brought a scarf. She didn't have a long walk home, but the distance would certainly be closed at a brisk pace.

"Want me to walk you?" Ed asked gallantly, "Or, want a cab?"

"No, I'm good." Olivia shoved her hands into her pockets put quickly removed them, worried that the gesture would prevent Ed from kissing her.

"You sure?"

"Yes. It's not far. Will be good to clear my head after those shots."

"Yeah, well, sorry about that...Sarah can get carried away."

"It was fun," Olivia said before he could make any more apologies. "It was a good night." Ed had left the bar without his own coat and he shivered a bit. "Go back inside, Ed. I'm fine."

"Just fine?" He took a step toward her, the smirk back on his face. He felt her warmth. The bulkiness of her coat. He detected the faintest scent of her shampoo and the perfume she sometimes wore. Before he kissed her he took an extra second to stare at her pursed lips and remind himself that this kiss, like every kiss before it and every kiss in the future had to be perfect.

Ed loved feeling her hands on his back. The little moan she let out each time their lips parted. But the smile-coy yet seductive-she did that thing with her eyebrow and it was all he could do to stop his knees from buckling.

"Don't get too crazy tonight," she tapped his lips with an index finger, "A lot of dirty cops to go after tomorrow."

The confident smirk returned to his face. "Don't you worry about that."

She winked and squeezed his hand. "I won't. Congratulations, Captain."

Ed barely croaked a thank you and grinned as he watched her walk away. He knew he'd still be blushing when he rejoined his daughters, but he didnt care.

…..

Ed and Olivia were not very familiar with Prospect Park, so they used their phones to navigate to the playground closest to Brooke's apartment. Olivia and Ed pushed the strollers-Sofia's and the twins'-and Noah rolled along on his scooter.

"Dis a pretty good park," Noah commented loudly, for he was several paces ahead. "S'big, and there's a pond," he took a cursory look around, "I think over there. It's Brookey's park...Brookey in Brooklyn!" He giggled, "That's why they prolly live here."

"You like Brooklyn, bud?"

"Yep! And I know da trains! Da F comes here and we take da C to Brookey's and dere's da G! But that's a really really small train!"

"Have you been on the G?" Olivia asked.

"One time but Sare Bear said it was a m'stake."

Olivia and Ed looked at each other and laughed quietly.

At the playground they freed the twins. Maggie and Wyatt immediately made a beeline for the slide, but instead of climbing up the wooden slats Maggie crawled up and, before Olivia or Ed could object, she was at the top and beaming. Wyatt, having ascended in the traditional way, joined her. Olivia snapped photos of the two of them. They were wearing jeans and their usual zipper hoodies-pink for Maggie and green for Wyatt. Maggie hurtled down the slide ahead of her brother, landed at her feet and tumbled forward into the woodchips. She got up, brushed herself off, and waited for Wyatt to join her. His landing was less dramatic and he followed Maggie as she started to make her ascent back up the slide. There were more kids at the top now, and, since Olivia was occupied with Sofia, Ed grabbed the twins and redirected them to the ladder.

"This way kiddos," he said as he ushered them to the side. Before Maggie started to climb the wooden slats Ed held her up and adjusted one of her pigtails before sending her on her way. "Careful," he said, although he didn't help either one of them climb. "Good job. There ya go."

Satisfied the twins were alright on their own, Ed drifted to the edge of the play area where Olivia was standing with Sofia on her hip. At almost a year old, Sofia wasn't walking yet and most of the playground's offerings were a little much for her.

"I'll put her on the slide in a minute when it clears out," Olivia said.

"She looks tired," Ed studied his granddaughter's eyes, "Is it about your nap time Sof?" He and Olivia were at the mercy of their instincts on this particular day. The Carisis' day care closed for a decontamination regimen after one of the children who attended came down with a case of Pertussis, so Ed and Olivia readily volunteered to watch Sofia for the two days they would be shut down. "Brooke did say she was vaccinated, right?"

"Yes," Olivia kissed Sofia's head. "She seems fine. She probably does take a nap at about this time, though," Olivia gnashed her teeth, "Oops."

"Ah, she can roll with the twins' schedule today and tomorrow."

"Which schedule?" Olivia asked flirtatiously, "The one where we don't let them nap for long and keep them up a little later?"

"Is there a better schedule?"

"No, Captain, no there is not." Olivia watched Noah traverse the monkey bars. He swung his way back and forth swiftly and with so much ease he appeared weightless. At the end of a run he sensed his mother's eyes on him, looked over, and ran to join them.

"Good bars," he said, "They're grippy."

"I saw you sweet boy," Olivia cooed, "You went across and back twice without stopping! Great job!"

"Yeah...Sof gonna slide?"

"She seems a little tired, but, you want to take her?"

"Yup! I'll go up there and you give her to me!"

Noah rushed to the top of the slide. Maggie and Wyatt, playing nearby, saw their brother and followed , Olivia thrust Sofia into Ed's arms and she darted to the set of steps Maggie and Wyatt were taking to the upper level of the jungle gym. A man was shadowing them.

"Ma! KIME!" Maggie shouted when she saw her mother.

"Bi' STARE!" Wyatt chimed in. "SIDE!"

The man realized Olivia was their mother. "I, uh, I'm sorry, ma'am, but...your daughter, she has my son's bus. It's his favorite."

Olivia relaxed. She spotted the small bus in Maggie's clenched fist and quickly retrieved it. "Here you go," she said, "Sorry about that."

"No problem." The man smiled and walked off.

Maggie and Wyatt skipped to the slide. Ed handed Sofia to Noah and the four of them waited for Olivia to get in position to take a video and then they all slid down together. They landed in a giggling heap.

"We're goin' again!"

"Gain, No!"

"Gain, Mama!"

Ed grabbed Sofia so Noah, too, could get himself reset. She tracked the other kids and reached out for them once they appeared at the top of the slide. She swatted at Ed's face and cooed, "Gain!"

"Lookit that," Ed said gleefully as he swung her in the air, "We're gonna have a fourth chatterbox real soon." He plopped Sofia into Noah's lap and he and Olivia waited for them to arrive at the bottom. "Ya know Liv, I think we coulda handled a fourth one."

Olivia broke into a disbelieving chuckle.

"I'm serious."

"No you're not."

"Okay I'm not...but ya gotta admit, we're good at this parenting thing."

She gave him a quick peck on the lips, for the kids were approaching the bottom of the slide. "Yes," she replied, "Yes we are."

….

#Tuckson