Ninety-one.

Ed and Olivia cuddled under the covers and watched Noah help Wyatt and then Maggie climb out of the cribs. Ed nuzzled Olivia's neck and mentioned, with some reluctance, that it was time to start shopping for toddler beds. It was only a matter of time before one of the twins threw Noah off balance and caused an injury-inducing tumble to the floor or into the bureau or changing table. Olivia held one of Ed's arms to her chest and sighed. For now, the trio was safe and headed into the kitchen to get their juice boxes from the refrigerator.

Since they had a few more minutes of alone time, Olivia turned over, gazed at Ed and stroked his stubbled face. "I love you," she whispered before kissing him. Last night as they debriefed after the party, Ed explained the full significance of the necklace Caroline had given Noah. The story tore Olivia's heart in a million pieces. Ed's brother Jack died days before his seventh birthday and the superstitious Caroline firmly believed, had he had St. Brigid's cross around his neck, his life would have been spared after the accident.

"She was always worried about Jack more than the rest of us," Ed had told Olivia in a hushed voice, "I used to think it was because he was the youngest, but now I wonder...I think she had some sixth sense that haunted her, told her he didn't have long."

"That must have been excruciating," Olivia said. "Even now...all these years...is there ever closure?"

"Maybe giving the necklace to Noah was closure," Ed speculated.

"I hope so."

Olivia slept soundly, safely ensconced in Ed's arms and the memories of the happy day. The entire family, including Ed's brother and sister and Justin's mother, attended the party. Everyone was in a festive mood. They munched on foods of Noah's choosing, cheered when he blew out all seven candles, and simpered at the newly minted seven-year-old when he delayed playing with his new toys in order to play cards. While the adults and Noah competed in rummy and Uno, the little ones played in the middle of the room. Olivia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Maggie readily including Sofia. Now that the one-year-old was walking, perhaps Maggie was a little less skeptical about her.

When she woke up a few minutes before six a.m., Olivia's first instinct was to force herself back to sleep but she caught a glimpse of Ed and thought otherwise. His lips were parted slightly and one arm was draped across her body. She kissed his bicep, sucking gently, and succeeded in waking him.

Their pre-dawn lovemaking was attentive, sensual, and culminated mere minutes before they heard Noah greeting his siblings with a cheerful "Good morning!" Wyatt popped up and held out his arms. Once he was safely on the ground, Maggie did the same.

"Alright," Ed uttered in a half-groan, "I'm gettin' up." He kissed the side of Olivia's head, "Stay here as long as ya want."

Olivia smiled. Ed would have let her stay in bed all day without criticism. "I'm looking forward to a lazy day," she said, "But not that lazy."

Ed smirked and disappeared into the bathroom for a couple of minutes. When he returned he was dressed in shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt. He tossed Olivia her own set of lounge wear and she slipped it on. She opened her mouth to say something, but Noah's frantic voice stopped her.

"MOMMY!"

His footsteps got closer and closer. Ed opened the door and they were greeted with their son's distressed face.

"Maggie and Wyatt got PUDDING all OVER!" He said before anyone could ask what was wrong.

There was such a mess in the kitchen, Ed and Olivia had no choice but to laugh. Maggie and Wyatt each had a plastic pudding cup in their hands and their faces and pajamas were chocolatey messes. Wyatt tilted his head back and tried to drink the rest of the contents. Maggie grinned and licked her fingers.

"What are you doing, sweet twins?" Olivia asked through her chuckles.

"Eee pudding!"

"YUM!"

Wyatt offered his cup to Olivia. She took it, put it on the counter, and Wyatt started to whimper. Olivia shrugged and gave it back. Ed went back to the bedroom for his phone and snapped pictures. Noah had climbed up on the island and observed the messy scene from the safety of the countertop. When the twins finished their early morning treat, Ed scooped them both under each arm and announced it was bath time.

Olivia wiped pudding streaks from the cabinets and floor. When she was finished she put her hands on her hips and faced Noah. "Well, what should we do?"

"T'morrow's turkey day," Noah replied, sounding as if he was worried his mother forgot the holiday.

"Yes it is, sweetie," Olivia said, "But we don't have much to do."

"C'we go out and use da science set I got for my birthday?"

"Of course."

Noah hopped down from the island and landed with a thud, "I'm gonna go pack my bag." He looked down at his attire, "Ope! And change my clothes! I can't go in jammies! Mommy, you gotta change too!"

"I will."

"Babies!" Noah called into the bathroom on his way to his room, "You're gonna haveta take another bath! We're goin' out on a 'venture to find some bugs!"

Olivia stopped in the bathroom and rubbed Ed's shoulders as he dumped buckets of water over the twins' heads. They squealed in delight and shouted, "Gain! Gain Dada!" Their long eyelashes clumped together the two pairs of blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Bugs, huh?" He asked, keeping his eyes on Maggie and Wyatt.

"Yep. Up for a hike in the park?"

"Sounds good to me."

….

Olivia Benson didn't have positive feelings toward comedy clubs, so she was disinclined to accept Tucker's invitation when he offered her one of two tickets he'd received from a colleague. When she dithered, Tucker immediately guessed why and speculated the lineup would be more snarky than offensive. He handed her the accompanying pamphlet and when Olivia saw two female comics headlining, her fears were partially allayed. Stand-up comedy wasn't her preferred choice of entertainment, but what was? She hadn't had much room for fun over the course of her career, and, at the very least, the mere sight of Ed Tucker at a comedy club would give her a few laughs. Lately, one of her favorite things to witness was him out of a suit and tie and IAB-mode. He probably felt the same about her.

As they spent more time together, Olivia took note of Ed's personality traits. She had come to appreciate his dry humor and deep sense of responsibility to the city, his mother, and his children. Ed was a protector and this characteristic became more apparent each time they were together. Instead of being surprised by him holding doors or nodding to her to order first or feeling his hand on her back as they wove their way through crowds, she expected and craved the chivalrous gestures.

The comedy club was large and dark save for wall sconces emitting light from crimson-tinted bulbs. When the comedians came on stage, they briefly squinted into the spotlight before launching into their jokes. The topics ranged from life in New York to navigating childhood in the shadows of an ultra successful sibling. Olivia let her guard down and enjoyed the show. Ed inched his chair closer to hers and put his arm across the back rest. Turning to him, Olivia smiled and moved her chair even closer. Her smile grew larger when she felt Ed's fingers curl around her shoulder.

When the show was over and the lights flashed on, they jerked apart and stood up as if they'd been caught in an unseemly act. Ed smirked sheepishly and mumbled, "Wasn't expectin' that."

Olivia nodded. "A little warning would have been nice."

The walk outside and the cab ride home felt awkward. Ed felt like he needed to apologize but wasn't sure why. The night's physical proximity wasn't new. He hadn't done anything wrong. Olivia was laughing, smiling, and happy. The sudden awkwardness was baffling.

The car stopped in front of her building. Ed followed Olivia out of the cab. They weren't quite at "do you want to come up" status yet, but he always walked her to the door and strolled home from there. The walk gave him a chance to replay every second of their time together; Ed was obsessed with getting this relationship right. So, he couldn't let her disappear into the elevator without addressing whatever had caused a rift between them.

"Was it as bad as ya thought it would be?" He asked softly. Olivia was walking slowly toward the entrance, an encouraging detail.

"Bad?" She faced him with disbelieving eyes, "It was surprisingly good. Great, actually. I had a great time, Ed. Thank you for inviting me."

He cocked his head and furrowed his brow, "Then, uh, why-"

"-It was an almost violent yank back to reality," Olivia said, reading his mind, "That's all...I wasn't...I wasn't quite ready for it to be over."

"Oh," Ed cast her a relieved smile, "In that case, I wasn't either."

She grinned and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you. I'd go again."

"Let's do that."

She squeezed his hand and glanced around nervously, "Have a good night."

"You too."

Unable to shake his disappointment with the way the night ended, Ed hunched his shoulders, shoved his hands in his pockets, and started walking up the block to Ninth Avenue where he would turn south and head for home. He stared at the busy intersection ahead and became so lost in his thoughts that, at first, he thought the sound of Olivia calling his name was a figment of his imagination.

"Ed!"

He spun around on his heel and saw Olivia briskly walking in his direction, her coat and her hair flapping in the breeze. She grabbed his wrist, pulled him aside, and planted a passionate, fierce kiss on his lips. Caught off guard, Ed took a step backwards but quickly regained his balance and held her tightly, kissing her back.

When they parted, breathless, Olivia bit her lip and smiled slyly. "That's a better end to the evening, don't you think?"

"Much better," Ed replied.

"Call me tomorrow?"

Ed touched her cheek with the back of an index finger. The touch was simple but full of affection. He grinned and gazed into her eyes. "I will."

…

The buzz of the intercom was a welcome sound of relief for Sarah. She hoisted Sofia into her arms and trotted to the door where she pushed the button to allow Brooke entry and opened the door a crack. Sarah was always willing to help out with childcare, but Sofia was either cutting more teeth or getting sick because she had been cranky all afternoon. No matter what Sarah tried, Sofia would not be soothed. When Brooke stepped inside the apartment, Sofia dove into her arms but still fidgeted and whimpered.

Brooke felt her daughter's forehead, "She doesn't feel hot," she said.

"Teeth?"

"Maybe." Brooke wasn't planning to stay long and started gathering Sofia's things. "Thank you for watching her. Sorry I took so long, I went to get my prescription after and it took forever."

"Prescription?"

"Yeah."

"For what?"

Brooke screwed up her face, "Seriously?"

Clueless, Sarah mimicked her sister's expression. "Seriously."

"It's Xanax," Brooke said, "I've been taking it since...before Mom died."

"Really?"

Exasperated, Brooke put Sofia down and fell onto the couch, "You knew this, Sarah. Hello? And I didn't take it, of course, while I was pregnant, and it was...tough. I'm just now starting to feel under control again."

"I had no idea."

"Because you don't always pay attention."

Sarah didn't let the comment slide, "I do pay attention, Brooke. Which is why I'm so surprised. I didn't know you were taking anything. I knew you were going to see someone but I thought it was just therapy not a psychiatrist. I mean, it's not a big deal, well, it is a big deal because you're dealing with something, but...I didn't know."

"Olivia knows."

"And?"

Brooke tucked her hair behind her ears and stared at the ceiling. "I don't know why I assumed you knew," she mumbled, "It's been such a regular part of my life."

"Brooke, I am going to tell you something and it's going to sound wrong but I assure you it's coming from a very loving place." Sarah sat on the coffee table in front of Brooke and put her hands on her sister's knees. "You can't expect people to understand you or be sympathetic or...know you...if you don't open up every once in a while. And another thing, you know better than to think Olivia would share your medical history with anyone."

"I honestly thought I told you." Sofia was trying to hoist herself onto the couch and Brooke picked her up, "I'm sorry."

"No apology necessary. But you know," Sarah stared at Brooke with intense, sincere, wide eyes, "You can tell me anything."

"Easier said than done," Brooke said, forcing a smile and sitting up, "I'm not an open book like you are."

"Hey! I keep some things to myself!"

"Like what?" Brooke challenged. She grinned, happy that she'd successfully parried Sarah's questions and created a less serious mood. It wasn't difficult. Sarah was easy to steer.

Sarah twisted her lips. Her eyes darted around the room. She took a deep breath. Brooke grinned, expecting a silly response, but Sarah surprised her. "I miss Justin," she admitted through a deep breath. "And I'm worried...this project he's working on, well, he's gone a lot on research trips, I'm worried we're going to lose the momentum we have."

A sympathetic expression supplanted Brooke's haughty grin. She darted to the kitchen and took a bottle from Sarah's wine cooler.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah therapy," Brooke replied. "What happened to all your glasses?" She opened and closed cabinets to no avail.

"Dishwasher."

"Clean?"

"No, just use juice glasses."

Brooke raised her eyebrows, "You know, you have to actually put the detergent in and turn the machine on for the glasses to get washed."

"You see?" Sarah leaned over the island on her elbows, "I'm totally lost without Justin!"

….

Olivia twirled the final piece of Maggie's brown locks around the curling wand just as her date knocked on the door. His arrival had been announced by the doorman, the young man was early, and Olivia and Maggie rushed to finish hair and makeup. Olivia asked Ed to answer the door and sweetly but sternly reminded him to be nice. Logan, Maggie's date, was not a brand new face, but he and Maggie had only recently been spending time together as a couple as opposed to with their close-knit group of friends.

Olivia and Maggie heard Ed greet Logan with a gruff, "How are ya?" Logan's answer was inaudible. Ed brought him into the kitchen and offered him a soda. Logan declined.

"Take the soda," Maggie muttered under her breath.

Olivia stifled laughter, "It's okay. Dad won't hold that against him."

"I feel so bad," Maggie finger-combed her hair and took one last look at herself in the mirror, "I should've known he would be early." She grabbed her leather jacket and flashed a smile, "Thanks for helping me, Mom."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." Olivia swallowed a lump in her throat as her beautiful seventeen-year-old daughter whirled around and hurried out to meet her date. Maggie wore jeans and a simple black v-neck long-sleeved blouse. Olivia predicted Ed would say something about the wine-colored jacket-it was a piece Maggie had had an eye on for several months, and they bought it for her for Christmas. With its heavy buckles and Maggie's silver jewelry, the complete look was edgy, borderline sexy, and had Olivia not trusted her daughter and her date, she would have suggested dialing it back a bit.

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked when she joined everyone in the kitchen. Logan and Maggie were standing awkwardly next to each other, two feet apart. Ed wasn't showing any sign of doing anything other than stare at the two of them with his jaw clenched.

"Modern Pinball," Logan replied confidently, undaunted by Ed who was standing directly across from him holding the edge of the island with a death grip.

"That sounds like fun," Olivia said, "Noah's been there before, a long time ago, Maggs, have you and Wyatt been there?"

Maggie nodded, "With Noah and once with Brooke and Sarah. But a long time ago."

"I was there on a school trip for STEM club," Logan said, "But they didn't let us play any games." He grinned at Olivia and Ed, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth. Logan had short dark blonde hair and deeply set hazel eyes. The skin on his face was unblemished and smooth except for a few whiskers poking out along his jawbone. He had an intense aura about him which Olivia first recognized when he competed with Wyatt on the Academic Bowl team.

Ed finally spoke, "Got enough money?" He asked Maggie.

"Yes, but I can always take more!"

Bested by his daughter's levity, Ed relented and let himself smile. "Nice try."

Maggie shrugged, "Always worth it."

"How ya gettin over there?"

"Uber." Maggie met her father's eyes. She knew the drill. "I'll text you when we get there." She tugged on Logan's elbow. "Let's go."

The two of them left. As usual, Maggie let the door slam and, once in the hall, she laughed loudly enough for Ed and Olivia to hear. Ed smirked at his wife. "She sounds like you."

"You think so?"

"She has ever since she started laughing."

Ed and Olivia stood in reflective silence and pictured their daughter, years ago, kicking her feet and waving her arms as she cracked up at their silly faces and noises.

"So, we gonna follow them or…?" Ed trailed off, only partially joking.

"It's just the two of us tonight," Olivia said, "Let's go on a date of our own, Captain."

"Why am I the apprehensive one this evening?"

"I have no idea," Olivia replied, "I like Logan a lot. He's a good kid. And so is Maggie. They've been out before."

"Not alone."

"The way I see it," Olivia approached Ed and tugged on his belt loops, "We can drive ourselves crazy or...we can go have a quiet, romantic dinner."

"You know I can't say no to that offer."

Olivia patted his chest and gave him a kiss and a wink. "Oh, I know."

…..

Three hours hunting in the park for bugs, leaves, rocks, and other specimen resulted in three grubby children and another round of bathtimes. Before Ed and Olivia could get the kids into the two tubs, Caroline called. She needed assistance retrieving roasting pans from her cluttered basement. Noah begged to go and the twins copied his pleas.

"Go! Go Gramma house!"

"G'ma C'line!"

Olivia grinned at the kids and assured them they would see Grandma the next day. Soil was caked into their palms and under their fingernails. She squeezed Ed's wrists and looked at him earnestly. "I'll go," she said softly, "I'd...really like to go."

"Alright," Ed replied, not sounding at all upset at being left at home with the dirty, hyper, hungry brood. "I'll order a pizza or somethin."

"I won't be long."

Olivia drove their SUV to Riverdale through light traffic She presumed Ed suspected the reason for her offering to run the errand and she appreciated his acquiescence. It was odd to be alone in the vehicle. She was so rarely alone these days and usually never by herself in a car. There were kid items everywhere-a Hot Wheels car in the cupholder, a board book in the passenger door's storage slot, and she was sure there were small toys tucked inside the seat pockets behind her. Olivia laughed to herself. Never in a million years did she think she'd be here, right now, driving a car she owned jointly with Ed Tucker.

"Not to mention the three car seats," she murmured to herself.

Without asking if she wanted one, Caroline shook Olivia a cocktail minutes after she ushered her inside. The sunny skies had disappeared and a chilly, rainy evening was ahead. Caroline cursed the rain and declared she preferred snow any day to this type of dreary weather.

"Little ones asleep already?" Caroline asked.

"No, they weren't exactly in shape to make the trip," Olivia replied, "Noah wanted to use his adventure kit today and they basically played in the dirt for three hours."

"Ah, that sounds fun," Caroline said, "I always loved calling Eddie and the others in at night and making them wash up. They were always outside doing something. Back before video games and everything else. Even when they read books they were outside."

"I'm glad Noah's not glued to the TV or computer," Olivia said, "We've been good about keeping him balanced, but he's also always asking to go out, to go somewhere. He doesn't like staying put for long."

"He has a wisdom about him," Caroline said. "Always has from what I remember."

Olivia couldn't stall any longer. Mother-to-mother, she had to bring up the necklace. "Caroline, thank you for giving Noah the cross," she began slowly, pausing after each word to gauge the older woman's reaction. "I told him he has to be careful with it. He understands how special it is."

Though Caroline hadn't so much as uttered her deceased son's name in decades, she resigned herself to the fact she'd have to face his death one more time in her life. There was no possible way Olivia was going to let Noah accept the weighty family heirloom without mentioning something to Caroline. "The day after I met Noah I decided I would give it to him," Caroline replied, her voice low but unwavering, "I even added it to my will just in case."

"We'll all take care of it."

"And it'll take care of him when he needs it most," Caroline said, "My Jack-" she pressed her eyes closed for a few seconds, "-I don't believe Jack was destined to be with us long. When he was born, he wasn't breathing. I thought we'd lost him then, didn't even know him and lost him, but he pulled through. A miracle, one of the nurses said. Some people only get one miracle, only one good outcome after a close call, and that was his."

Olivia tried to speak but no words came out.

Caroline raised her glass and touched it to Olivia's. "We're lucky, dearie. We're lucky to be alive and to know each other, well, thanks, I suppose to Eddie, too. He had something to do with it."

Olivia grinned, "Maybe a little."

"He got another chance at family," Caroline said, taking a sip, "And I suppose, I did, too."

…..

#Tuckson