Eighty-seven.

Ed uncorked a bottle of port and poured two servings into a small pair of goblets etched with the letter T. He used a butane lighter to ignite three previously unused candles, thankful they were unscented. After several hours of paraffin fragrances wafting through the living room, his senses were ready for a break.

"I cannot believe they're all asleep," Olivia said in a low voice as she walked into the room. They constructed a tent for Noah and the twins in Noah's room by tucking one end of a bedsheet between the mattress and box spring and the two other corners wedged in a bureau drawer and under the desktop. The kids added pillows, blankets, a spare down comforter, and the iPad with the most shows downloaded into its memory. They cuddled up around Noah to watch the first movie; but on the second check-in, all three Tucker kids were fast asleep and the iPad was lying flat on Noah's chest.

"Well, Lieutenant," Ed hit his phone's screen and soft, saxophone-heavy, jazz standards began playing. "Believe it. We have some things left to do." He took her hand and slipped one arm around her body, attempting to sway her around their bedroom using proper dancing form. "I really don't know how to do this," he chuckled after they ran into the ottoman.

"I would be open to lessons," Olivia said. Ed not knowing traditional dance steps always took her by surprise. It seemed like a skill he would have not used very often but learned anyway just in case the opportunity presented itself. "But I do love the way we dance."

"Me too." Ed held her head against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the music and the comfort of having the love of his life in his arms. Not only that, he knew Olivia felt happy, safe, and adored. Being the man she chose to help her get to this place of contentment was the highest honor.

After The Way You Look Tonight, Olivia leaned back. The candlelight caught her eyes just right and the brown looked more like a flaming burnt orange. She was alluring and radiant. "I love you, Ed Tucker," she said in a sultry voice.

"I never get tired of hearin' you say that," he replied, "And...I love you, baby. I'm insanely in love with you." An impish smile crossed his face.

"What?" Olivia asked, cocking her head.

"Just thinkin'...it's weird ya know…" his voice fell to a whisper and he spoke into her ear, intentionally letting his lips brush her lobe, "I'm dyin' to make love to you but I'd also love to dance with ya all night long. This ambiance is...perfect," he grinned, "And tomorrow we might be at my Ma's so…"

Olivia gently kissed his lips, "Then let's not waste tonight."

…..

Bayard Ellis muttered a litany of frustrations as he and Benson left O'Dwyer's office. He always took on Project Innocence cases with a certain degree of skepticism. There were so many variables that had to fall into place or be corrected before a purportedly innocent man or woman saw a glimmer of hope; nevertheless, the deeper he and Benson dug into the Thompson case, the more he believed, at the very least, Derek deserved a new trial. He and Benson strode out of the building and into the windy late April afternoon. Carisi and Rollins were on their way to talk to Derek's original defense attorney; Benson assured Ellis they would keep him posted and they agreed to meet later that evening after Bayard debriefed with the Thompsons and Reverend Curtis. When Ellis returned to SVU, he nodded at Rollins and coasted into the Sergeant's office.

"Motion hearing's on the docket for tomorrow morning," he said triumphantly.

"That was fast."

Ellis shrugged, "Helpful to have people who know people. I'm taking the later train. Drink?"

"Sure, I have a little time," Olivia quickly packed her things and swiped her black trench coat from the rack. "Where to?"

Ellis suggested an off-the-beaten path bar near Penn Station. It was an unusual choice, but he was worried about being seen by the wrong people. The appeal had the potential to be explosive, and even though the two of them having a drink didn't breach any ethics protocol, a chance encounter with an unscrupulous journalist or enterprising attorney could be detrimental and used to distract a judge or jury from the facts of the case.

After two rounds, Bayard checked his watch, waved the bartender over, and paid their tab. He apologized for the abrupt departure and mumbled something about not having realized that construction had reduced the frequency of his line. If he didn't leave now, he'd have to wait another two hours. "And with the motion hearing first thing," Bayard said, "That'd be bad news."

"Thanks for the drinks," Olivia said. She rattled around the ice in her tumbler and downed the final sip. As soon as she put the glass back on the bar, another arrived. Confused, she raised her eyebrows at the bartender.

"From the gentleman down the way."

Bayard looked across the tops of other patrons' heads. No one looked familiar. "You have an admirer somewhere down there," he murmured in the same breezy tone he often used to question witnesses. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sergeant."

As soon as Bayard turned and started snaking his way out of the bar, Ed Tucker took his seat, smirked at Benson, and muttered, "Thought he'd never leave."

Amused, Olivia grinned and chidingly shook her head. "Following me, Tucker?"

"I was here first."

Tucker's tie was loose and hung at a clumsy, lopsided angle. The top two buttons of his collar were undone and his neck was flushed. Olivia wasn't sure if the ruddiness was the result of alcohol or the thrill of bumping into her.

"Flying solo tonight?" She asked.

"Draper was here," he replied, "But...he has kids...a wife…"

"As does Ellis," Olivia said, implicitly calling out Tucker's envy.

He grinned. "Ah, so, not a date then."

"Not even close."

"Workin' a case together?"

"Yes. He's-"

"-I know who he is," Ed interrupted. "He's been around."

"He didn't recognize you."

"I," Tucker paused to take a drink, "Am unremarkable."

"Not how I would describe you," Olivia retorted, "But okay."

Ed rested his elbow on the bar and held his glass with the opposite hand. One of his knees bumped hers and, when she didn't recoil or flinch, he kept it there. "How would you describe me, Sergeant?"

A little drunk? Ruggedly handsome? Adorably pathetic with jealousy? So many options flooded Olivia's mind, but she played it safe. "Kind and intuitive...for knowing I needed another drink." She touched her glass to his. "So, thank you."

Suddenly Ed appeared completely sober. The silly, droopy-eyed expression left his face and was supplanted by a stock IAB expression. "Hit a snag in the adoption?"

Olivia smiled. Tucker immediately connecting her apparent stress to her legal status with Noah added to the affection that had been building toward him in the past couple of months. "No thank God," she threw him a bone and touched his hand, "But I appreciate the thought."

Ed shrugged, a little unsure what to do with the compliment.

Olivia gave him a brief run-down of the case. "Bayard's convinced...I'm trying to be convinced, but I can't get there. Not yet. And I can't help but second-guess myself. Everyone but the new guy thinks this is a waste of time. Or, at least, not worth pursuing."

"That's the good part about bein' the boss," Ed replied, "Everyone doesn't get to decide what's a waste of time and what's not. You do."

"And if I'm wrong?"

"Then you're wrong. But nobly so."

The compliment rendered her nervous and she mumbled while staring into her glass, "Thanks Tucker."

"Anytime." He took another swig, trying to consume the drink quickly so she'd stay for one more, "But, uh, adoption goin' okay?"

"It's on the right track," Olivia said, "Almost there."

"That's real good news. I'd congratulate ya, but...maybe we'll save that for another time?"

"Sure…"

"I can tell you're not one for premature celebrations."

Laughing softly, Olivia rolled her glass between her palms. It wasn't surprising that Tucker knew her so well; the surprising part was that she didn't mind him analyzing her like this. Oddly enough, it was comforting and flattering. And this comment in particular opened the door for another meeting, which she wanted.

"This time, a month from now, it'll all be over," she said. "You can set a reminder."

Ed winked at her and signaled for another round.

"Don't need one."

…..

The candles were mere pools of melted wax and the flames grew larger and lapped at the glass canisters. Ed and Olivia were still slowly moving in circles around the room. "You remember the '77 blackout?" He asked.

"Vaguely," Olivia replied. "I was with a babysitter...my mom was away at a conference, which was just as well because it would've been a hell of an excuse to go on a bender."

Ed used to apologize when a question resulted in Olivia unearthing memories of her mother, but he no longer felt guilty. Working through tough parts of their lives together was something they both had come to value and appreciate and Ed loved that he could function as both her lover and her confidante. Their feet were no longer moving. For several minutes, the room was still and the two of them stood in front of the window, torsos glued together. Ed didn't have to say anything. The lifetime reserves of stress, compliments of Serena Benson, bubbled up but subsided gradually.

"What'd your Mom do with the four of you and your Dad?"

"I actually think she may have gone on a bender," Ed quipped. Olivia shook with laughter against his body, "I remember it bein' fun at first, like there were no rules, but then it got bad...too tense."

"Too tense for Captain Tucker?"

"I was Eddie then."

The comment was so adorable, Olivia had to kiss him. She lingered on his lips and stared into his eyes. "I would have liked to see you as Eddie," she said. "But I don't know that we would've been friends."

"You're the prettiest girl in Manhattan. We woulda been friends."

Olivia melted into his arms. Their kiss progressed from sweet and passionate to torrid and desperate. They fell onto the mattress in a heap, frantically trying to keep every body part touching. The emotions were almost too heavy to bear. They didn't know whether to smile or cry. They were beautiful together, but there was some underlying terror, for Ed and Olivia knew neither one of them could ever be replaced. The lovemaking, the inside jokes, the little stolen stares, the subtle nudges...the trust, especially the trust-the equation worked only when they were the variables. Lately, with Ed's health scare, Olivia wrestling with retirement, the catastrophic undertones of the blackout, and the constant, worst-case scenarios presented by politicians seeking office, their world had clouded a bit. But as they made love in the near-total darkness, they rediscovered some of the extraordinary pleasure of their early days together.

His back nestled among their many pillows, Ed toyed with Olivia's hair and stared at the candles, the wicks struggling with their purpose after having melted all the wax.

Olivia basked in the satisfaction of lying against him and her body rose and fell with the rhythm of his breathing. "Do you ever wish your mom talked about your brother?"

"Yeah, sometimes," Ed replied. He shifted and fidgeted but kept talking, "It's always been weird, ya know, she runs her mouth off at everything, but my Dad and Jack? I dunno, she's always, well, almost like the burial shut the door on everything."

"It must have been terrible for her to lose a child...so young."

"I can't imagine." Ed swallowed, "But you know what's weird? That picture Noah has by his bed? I think that's really Jack, not me. My mom took all the pictures Jack was in and put them away. Somewhere. It was too hard for her to have 'em out. But I think she missed that one. And Noah chose it."

"Oh...wow…"

"I'll tell him about Jack when he's older. Or maybe not."

"Poor kid," Olivia said, "Or, maybe, poor us."

"Just gotta remember there's a difference between need to know and should know."

"Right."

"I-"

Olivia's thought was interrupted by the sudden restoration of power. She and Ed squinted at the instantaneous flash of light. A chorus of appliance beeps rang out. Three pairs of feet came running.

"Shit." Ed muttered. He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. Olivia rushed to the bathroom.

"DADDY! DA LIGHTS ARE ON!"

"DA! BIGH' LIGHT!"

"BIGHLIGH!"

Noah made a dash for the candles and blew them out. Ed tossed Maggie and Wyatt onto the bed. Noah joined and they jumped around. "Itsa bright light party!" He shouted, "Barba turned da lights on! We gotta go tell everrone!"

"They know, bud."

"Bar-ba! Bar-ba!"

"BABABABA!"

"JUMP JUMP JUMP!"

Olivia walked into the room dressed in sweatpants and Ed's oldest hoodie-gray with faded Yankees lettering. Ed eyed her approvingly. Her hair was pinned back in a clip and a few strands fell across her face, almost parallel to her jawline. Makeup free, when he kissed her, he saw every freckle on her skin.

"Guess we're not gettin' much sleep tonight," he droned into her ear.

Olivia touched her face to his and watched the kids bounce around in their pajamas. The twins copied whatever Noah chanted. Occasionally they would fall into a breathless heap. "I'm okay with that," she whispered.

She and Ed hovered around the bed so they could catch the kids if one of them bounded precariously close to the edges. Their stamina lasted longer than expected, and it was after three a.m. when they were tucked back into their temporary beds under the tent.

….

The backyard came alive by mid-morning. After breakfast, the kids organized a wiffle ball game. They had an odd number of eligible players, so Noah created an individual scoring system. Each batter got a point for a hit and was "out" if he or she missed the ball or a fielder caught a pop-up or line drive. No one had come to claim the unicorn, so Maggie made it all-time catcher and propped it up between home plate and an adirondack chair.

On the porch, all adults except for Sarah watched the game and passed Mari around. After making an initial appearance and trying to drink a cup of coffee, Sarah announced she wasn't feeling well, apologized, and went back to bed. Justin joked about her not bouncing back from drinking as well as she used to, but it was apparent he was worried. Sarah painted a rosy picture of Anthony's and Mari's progress; nevertheless, the stress of motherhood seemed to be taking its toll.

Wyatt was the only kid batting left-handed, so his hits flirted with the dunes and sea grass that separated the Tucker's property from the beach. Eventually, he walloped an arcing shot into the dunes. Maggie chased after it but froze after a few steps. Olivia leapt to her feet, worried the sudden cessation of movement meant something had bitten or was threatening Maggie. Slowly, Maggie turned around and, very quietly, spoke to her brothers.

Ed went down to see what was going on.

"There's a turtle!" Maggie said in a hushed, delighted voice. "A big turtle!"

Ed crouched and peered through the long blades of grass. Sure enough, there was a large, yellowish-brown creature with a shell that looked like it had been scorched by a flame. It lifted its sharp beak and turned its oval eyes toward the group. They all huddled around Ed, clinging to his neck and arms for extra security. "It's okay," he assured them, "Stay here. I'll get the ball." The turtle didn't move as Ed skirted it and grabbed the ball. He tossed it back to Noah and sized up the reptile before trudging out of the grass.

"I'll bat the other way," Wyatt said as the game resumed. He set up at home plate batting right-handed. Ed grinned and lovingly mussed Wyatt's hair on his way back to the porch. His youngest son seemed to be put on Earth to make everyone's life easier.

"I didn't know turtles came this far north," Brooke said after Ed told them about the creature.

"Global warming," Sonny said. "Pretty soon they'll be nesting on Long Island."

"What was it doing?" Olivia asked.

Ed shrugged. "Stared at us. Didn't move. Maybe I should call DNR to let 'em know. The thing could've been injured for all I know."

It was getting hot and Olivia got up and turned on the ceiling fan. "Anyone want anything? It's about time for me to get out to the beach."

Somehow, Maggie heard her and called, "I'm drivin' the jet ski first!"

"I'll help you get everything together," Brooke said. Even though they had the outdoor kitchen and refrigerator, they always took a cooler of snacks and drinks to the beach. She followed Olivia inside and opened the refrigerator.

"Toss me a can of ginger ale," Olivia said, "I'm going to check on Sarah real quick." Olivia took the drink upstairs and tiptoed toward Sarah's room. The door was slightly ajar, but Olivia knocked anyway. She expected to see Sarah in bed, but she was sitting on the window seat hugging her knees. "Hey sweetheart."

Sarah sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Hey."

"What's wrong?" Olivia dropped the soda on the nightstand sat next to Sarah.

Sarah painstakingly tore her eyes away from the window and faced Olivia. It was difficult to tell if her tears and the expression on her face were the result of sadness, fear, or both.

"Honey, what is it?" Olivia prompted in her softest voice.

After a deep breath, another glance out of the window, and some fidgeting, Sarah finally answered.

"I'm pregnant."

…..

Election Day was a school holiday, so it wasn't a big deal that Noah had interrupted rest. Even though he and the twins stayed up late and had an hour-long, early morning interlude, they didn't sleep very late. By seven a.m., the twins were noisily playing in the living room and Noah, wearing his Vote for Barba t-shirt, was begging to get out of the house and see what was going on outside on "Lection Day."

"You're gonna come with Mommy and me when we vote, bud," Ed assured him, "Just give us a little bit."

While the kids at breakfast, he and Olivia inspected the contents of the refrigerator and freezer. Finding partially thawed meat, bags of frozen vegetables, and boxes of waffles, they decided it was best if they threw everything away. The only items surviving the blackout aftermath purge were bottles of ketchup and mustard, juice boxes, and soda.

"We can vote and hit Costco," Olivia remarked.

Hearing this, Maggie ran to the foyer and rolled her miniature shopping cart into the room. "Sop, WY! SOP!" She and Wyatt busied themselves by tossing every item light enough for them to pick up into the cart. In went the coasters, candles, books, magazines, and pictures frames within their reach.

Noah grinned at his siblings, but more serious matters were on his mind, "Mommy, when you vote, you gonna vote for Barba?"

"I would, honey," Olivia said, "But, the city is divided into districts so each person who gets elected has a little area they're in charge of. And Barba's district is north of us." She went to the credenza and pulled out the Subway map Sarah had given him. She traced imaginary lines over the city, "See? It's divided up into smaller parts so the politicians only have to worry about a few neighborhoods and not the whole city."

Noah twisted his lips for a minute and a smile slowly supplanted his confused expression. "Like da teachers have classes 'cause it'd be hard to teach all da kids in one big room!"

"Very good comparison."

Olivia kissed the top of his head and sidestepped Maggie who was barrelling across the room with the cart. She rammed a table leg and doubled over with laughter as Wyatt erupted into a chorus of "Uh-ohs."

"Pay, Dada! PAY!"

Ed thought she was saying "play" and he assured her he'd be over there in a minute to join in the fun. But that wasn't what Maggie meant. She ran to the bedroom and returned seconds later with Ed's wallet. She dropped it into the cart and continued making her way around the room with Wyatt on her heels.

"That's a really bad sign," Olivia joked.

Ed stared at the ceiling, pretending to painstakingly rifle through his memories. "Let's see," he intoned, "What age...did Sarah and Brooke start reaching for that wallet…" he twisted his lips and nodded, "Yep, Maggie May, you are precocious in every sense of the word."

"What's p'coshus?" Noah asked.

"It means a person is very smart even though they're very young. Like, how you've been campaigning? That's precocious. Not many first graders know about elections."

"And small sister's p'coschus 'cause she knows there's a lotta money in Daddy's wallet!" Noah threw his head back and erupted in laughter and sighed, "Oh Maggs…"

In the time Noah discussed vocabulary with his parents, Maggie and Wyatt abandoned the shopping cart and ran after each other in one of their classic games of chase. They circled the table, the sofa, and trotted up and down the foyer. "Hide!" Wyatt shouted, "Hide!" He and Maggie disappeared into their bedroom and crawled under Maggie's crib, surrounding themselves with stuffed animals.

"I'm gonna go find 'em," Noah said, "But I'mma pretend I can't first!"

"You're a good big brother, bud," Ed said.

Noah grinned. "Maybe when they're three they gonna hide a little better!"

…..

#Tuckson