Ninety-three.

Mia arrived at the Tucker home with a sequined purple duffle bag and her school backpack. Hanging from the bookbag's zippers were clusters of charms, keychains, and furry animal heads. She dropped the backpack in the hall, tossed her parka on top, said a hurried goodbye to her nanny, and skipped into the living room. Maggie and Wyatt were playing with two new wooden playsets-a treehouse and a fire station-and Mia plopped herself on the rug and immediately inserted herself in the activity.

"We got the fire trucks all ready to put out the fires!" She said gleefully. "Is the treehouse gonna be on fire? These guys will save the kids in the tree house! Noah? We gotta build a treehouse, we should build one in the park!"

Noah took a seat next to Mia and the two of them debated whether or not they would be allowed to construct such a hideaway in any of the parks they knew. Minutes later, Noah dragged the large drawing pad from the hall closet and he and Mia used his vast collection of markers, pens, and pencils to create a blueprint for their dream treehouse.

"Need a ladder to get up dere."

"And some flashlights, but we'll buy those at da store."

"And two windows for lookouts!"

At the island, Ed and Olivia looked on and brainstormed ideas for the rest of the evening.

"They seem pretty self-sufficient," Ed remarked.

"They usually are," Olivia replied, "Let them play for a while. Do we dare take the four of them out to dinner?"

"It'd be good to get out."

"Alright," Olivia fist-bumped him, "We got this, Captain Tucker."

Ed grinned and gave her a quick kiss. "We sure do."

…..

Even though he was at the airport to retrieve his daughter, Ed grumbled about traffic and the congested parking garage. He steered the SUV up the snaking ramp and finally found a narrow spot between two pillars. "Can ya get out?" He asked Olivia.

She carefully opened the door, "I think so." Impatient to see her daughter, she made quick work of wedging herself out of the car and looked around for the elevator. Spotting it, she led the way into the terminal. Ed and the boys almost had to jog to keep up with her. They had no problem arranging to go through security so they could meet Maggie at the gate. Once they were through the line Olivia stopped at the arrivals board and her eyes darted around frantically, searching for Maggie's flight.

"It's right there Liv," Ed put his hand on the small of her back, "B thirty-two."

"Ok, let's go."

"Can we go to the sky club?" Wyatt asked.

"I don't think you can get in there if you don't have a boarding pass," Noah said.

"We don't have much time anyway," Olivia said, "She'd supposed to land in fifteen minutes."

Wyatt played around with his flight tracker app and confirmed the estimate, "Yep, they're at less than ten-thousand feet now."

Olivia peered over his shoulder as if she hoped she could actually see Maggie on the airplane. Noah and Ed exchanged knowing glances. They were used to Olivia being extra-fussy when it came to Maggie, and they understood that the holidays and the separation resulted in an extra-emotional mother.

"C'mon, Mom," Wyatt said softly, "Let's sit over there." He gestured to a row of seats facing the window. "That way we can see the plane as soon as it pulls up." Wyatt rushed over to claim the seats.

Olivia sat down but fidgeted and wrung her hands until Ed reached over and took one. She gave him a grateful smile. "Sorry," she whispered, "I just can't wait to see her."

"Don't apologize," Ed kissed her head, "We all miss each other." He let go of her hand and slung his arm across her shoulders. As travelers mingled about and gate agents made announcements, Ed thought back to August when he and Olivia dropped Maggie off at Stanford. It wasn't until they actually said their final goodbyes in front lobby of her dormitory that Ed and Olivia really believed Maggie was serious about wanting to go to school in California. She had been the child of grand ideas and plans, and when she started talking about college on the west coast during her junior year of high school, both Ed and Olivia chalked it up to their daughter's imagination getting the better of her.

Ed remembered how well Olivia kept her emotions in check as she wrapped Maggie in a long, firm embrace and then jokingly reminded her to check in every once in a while. Maggie responded with a smile and one of her characteristic eye rolls. Olivia and Maggie had been texting back and forth constantly ever since the day Maggie received her first phone. Neither mother nor daughter expected that to change. Nevertheless, they had to part. Olivia squeezed Maggie's hand, then grabbed Ed's, and let him lead her out to their rental car.

Once in the sedan, the tears poured down Olivia's cheeks. She buried her face in her hands and let her body fall against Ed's when he reached out for her. He glanced at the building to make sure Maggie hadn't followed them out for one last goodbye. Earlier that summer Maggie had a heart-to-heart with her mother and told her she would reconsider Stanford if it was going to be too heartbreaking. Olivia insisted she follow her dreams, pursue the plan she had in mind, but she didn't lie and say Maggie living over two-thousand miles away would have no effect on her. Seeing Olivia heaving and consumed with sobs would have caused Maggie undeserved anguish.

"There she is!"

Ed had been so caught up in his memory he hadn't realized the flight arrived and the first passengers were making their way down the jetway. They'd purchased a first class ticket for Maggie, so she was one of the first to emerge, sunkissed, smiling, and looking the exact opposite of her travel-weary flight companions. She had not been told that her family would be at the gate, but she was not at all surprised to see them standing there.

"Hi guys!"

Ed and the boys deferred to Olivia and let her be the first to hug Maggie. As mother and daughter embraced, Ed had to fight back tears.

"I'm so happy to see you, sweet girl," Olivia murmured softly. She pressed the side of her head against Maggie's. They were almost the same height. Maggie's hair was a shade lighter than Olivia's, her face was a bit narrower, favoring Ed's side of the family, but when she took a step back and smiled at her mother, even Olivia had to admit it was like looking in the mirror.

"I'm happy to see you, Mom!" Maggie turned to Ed and gave him a hug, "And you, Dad! Thanks for the sweet seat."

"No problem."

"Maggs gets first class and we get a packed Amtrak," Wyatt muttered good-naturedly.

"BROTHER!" Maggie attacked Wyatt with a hug and kissed him on the head. Wyatt pretended to fight her off like he'd done a hundred times before but Maggie wasn't buying it. She laughed, gave him an extra squeeze, playfully shoved him away, and verbally sized him up. "You look very much Harvard."

Not even Noah, ever the mediator, could deny it. Wyatt was even more fastidious than his older brother when it came to clothing. A year removed from the private school uniform, Wyatt still preferred collared shirts and khaki pants. His definition of casual was leaving a shirt untucked. On this night he wore a navy sweater over an oxford shirt with wheat-colored chinos.

Wyatt shrugged and grinned.

"Let's get the bags and go eat," Ed said.

"Pub?" Noah asked.

"Yes!" Maggie said, "The pub!"

Ed and Olivia let their trio lead the way to baggage claim. Ed intertwined his fingers with Olivia's and they exchanged smiles. The week would probably pass quickly, but, for right now, they could bask in the perfection of being all together. Maggie, Wyatt, and Noah would order their dinners and agree to share their sides-onion rings, tater tots, and french fries-and, after dinner, they'd go home and play cards, banter, and good-naturedly rib one another. Early the next morning, Ed and Olivia would probably find the three of them crashed on the couch, having fallen asleep watching a movie or old sitcoms. That summer, they'd been obsessed with Three's Company.

"Pub okay with you?" Ed whispered to Olivia merely because he knew the answer.

She beamed and leaned into him, "Right now, anything's okay with me."

"Mom?" Maggie drifted away, back from her brothers, to walk by Olivia's side.

"Hmm?"

Maggie cocked her head like she always did when she was about to ask for something important, "Is the tree up?"

"Not yet, honey," Olivia replied. "You know that's for the day after Thanksgiving."

"Oh, good," Maggie said, "My friends told me that after the kids are gone the parents just do whatever."

"Not us," Olivia replied, "Traditions...will remain."

Even though they were walking through a crowd, Maggie put her head on Olivia's shoulder. "Good," she sighed. "And, you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm soooo looking forward to this cold weather."

"It's missed you."

Maggie gave Olivia a side hug. "I've missed you!"

…..

Ed and Olivia planned to let the kids run around a little bit after dinner, but the meal took longer than they'd anticipated and it was getting dark by the time they left the restaurant. When they returned home, Noah and Mia took turns leading the twins in several rounds of Simon Says which caused several giggle-fit-interludes. Maggie and Wyatt were good at following directions, but they didn't quite understand the rules.

After Simon Says, Wyatt retrieved the iPad and brought it to Noah. "Hokapoka, NO!" He exclaimed.

Noah grinned and explained to Mia that Wyatt and Maggie loved the Hokey Pokey. He pressed play and they bopped around the living room, dancing along with the age-old tune. On the fifth or sixth "turn yourself around," all four kids spun in circles until they became dizzy and tumbled to the floor. Maggie fell onto Wyatt's chest and he whimpered a bit.

Mia crouched over Wyatt, "You okay, baby?"

Wyatt appeared surprised to see Mia comforting him and he forgot about any pain he'd endured. He let Mia help him to his feet and take his hand. "You have any cookies?" Mia asked Ed and Olivia, "My Daddy always gives me a cookie when I get hurt!"

"We sure do," Olivia said, turning to the pantry and grabbing the package of Oreos. She gave one to each kid.

Recovered, Wyatt munched on his cookie and skipped away chanting "Oh-wee-oh" in a sing-songy voice. He joined Maggie at the workbench and put the uneaten half of the cookie down. Maggie subsequently smashed it with a plastic hammer and the twins gleefully turned around and grinned at their parents.

"MESS! Mayamess!"

Ed went over to wipe up the crumbs.

"I smass, Dada!" Maggie said. "Where cookie go?"

"You made it disappear, Maggs," Ed replied, "All gone."

"Ah gone!"

"Much to Wyatt's dismay," Ed mumbled on his way to the trash can. He kissed Olivia's cheek and whispered, "They don't look like they're wearin' themselves out very well."

"No, they don't," Olivia agreed.

"Hey!" Mia said loudly, "How 'bout we build a maze and see if these babies can get outta it?"

"Oooo!" Noah rubbed his hands together, "Less go get my Legos...actually," he bit his lip," Let's get da babies' legos 'cause they're bigger and we can build da maze faster. And we have da big blocks, too."

"Kay!"

After a few minutes of maze-building, it was apparent Maggie and Wyatt were not going to cooperate. They dismantled the Lego walls as quickly as Mia and Noah built them or tried to hurdle the stacks and kicked pieces, sending them skidding across the parquet floor. Before the two first graders could get overly frustrated, Olivia stepped in. "How about we give the twins their baths and get them ready for bed and they can do the maze when we're done? That way it'll be a surprise and you'll really see if they can do it."

"Good idea, Mommy! But," Noah tapped his chin with an index finger, "Can they brush brush brush later and we'll give 'em another Oreo if they get through?"

"Sure, honey."

…..

Olivia put Noah to bed and changed her clothes, and when she came back into the living room, Ed turned off the television so they could focus all attention on one another. It had been a chaotic few days since Yates and Rudnick broke out of prison and Ed hoped the quiet, dimly lit ambience would help to set Olivia at ease.

"Probably not goin' to be able to take much time...with Dodds?"

"No," Olivia sighed, "But I talked to him today and he sounded good, confident, but then again he always sounds like that. Either way, I don't think he'll be out long."

"Still a lot to process. And rehab'll be a bitch."

"Yeah."

"And what about you?" Ed asked, "How are you feeling?"

Olivia brushed a section of her hair to the side and tucked it behind her ear, "You know, I wonder sometimes, what takes the bigger toll. The day to day grind or these cases, these psychopaths who, until we take them down, seem untouchable...always one step ahead of us."

"Gotta be them," Ed replied even though he sensed the question was rhetorical, "Since you still have the day to day stuff with those guys looming over you for added…"

"...Fun?"

Ed smirked sheepishly, "I was gonna say that, but, um, even though-"

"-Sarcasm," Olivia said, "I get it."

"I don't want you to think I'm downplaying...any...of what you've been through."

"Ed," Olivia tilted her head to the side and gazed at him, "I've never gotten the perception that you've been dismissive. Not at all. At least, not recently."

Visibly relieved, Ed replied in a half-whisper, "I was scared when you said you were goin' to Chicago," he said, his voice laced with emotion. Even though Yates didn't have an obsession with her, he couldn't help but see parallels between him and Lewis and he genuinely feared for Olivia's life.

Their relationship had undergone a transformation, yet the admission took Olivia by surprise. "You were?"

"Yes."

"Why?" She asked even though she was sure she knew the answer. Her shock came only because she hadn't thought twice about chasing Yates to Chicago. It was part of the job, and she'd been in work mode.

"Because I care about you, Liv," Ed replied nervously, "And I was worried...that, well, I've seen people get obsessed with gettin' a guy and get tunnel vision and kinda get trapped...and then make the wrong call," his shoulders slumped and he added, "Not that you'd do that."

"I have done that," she replied.

"Not what I was referrin' to," he inched closer to her. "I'm not judging you. I'm just so glad you're here with me. Safe. There was no telling what was going to happen. That's the other part of what scared me."

Tears welled in Olivia's eyes. She blinked. Ed, thinking she was fraught with horrific memories, froze, unsure of what to do. A few drops escaped and streaked down her cheeks, but the ends of her lips curled upwards ever so slightly.

She was smiling?

"Liv?"

"You were scared?"

"Yeah," Ed swallowed hard, "I was."

"I don't know that anyone's ever said that to me before," she said, "Maybe they felt that way...maybe...but, to actually hear it...is...different."

Ed played with her hair and thought carefully about his next words, "You're so tough," he said, "So maybe, someone tellin' you they were scared for you, maybe it seemed like an insult?"

"Maybe."

"Are you insulted?" He asked with genuine concern, "Because I said that?"

"No. I'm...I feel...maybe a little annoyed that no one's said it before?" Ed chuckled. Olivia continued, "But also, it feels good. I don't like that you were scared, but I, well, maybe it's a little flattering?"

Ed smirked, "Then I'm glad I'm the guy to say it."

Both Olivia and Ed could feel the nerves fluttering between them. There were so many emotions and sentiments left unsaid, but they stared into one another's eyes and slowly closed the distance, eventually falling into a deep, passionate kiss. Olivia loved the way Ed enveloped her in his arms. If there were a good way to be smothered, to be wholly consumed by another person, Ed knew how to do it. She was locked in his arms, but she didn't want him to let go. He was obsessed with her in all the right ways, and she was content to let him dote on her, let him care for her, for as long as he was willing to do so.

…..

The twins easily navigated the uncomplicated maze and ate two cookies each before Olivia announced it was time for everyone to change into their pajamas and get ready for bed. The Tucker pre-sleep routine-choosing books, reading the chosen books, saying goodnight to Maggie and Wyatt, a Noah-only story, then tuck-in-regularly took almost an hour. The whole process befuddled Mia. It became clear she wasn't used to such attention at nighttime.

"Okay," Olivia said after she closed the final book of the evening. "Time for sleep." She chose "sleep" rather than "bed" because the four kids were sleeping all together in Noah's room under the tent they'd created earlier with bedsheets.

"But we can watch da ocean show, right?" Noah asked, referring to a documentary called Creatures of the Sea which was essentially footage from an underwater camera accompanied by soothing xylophone music.

"Yes."

Before Olivia left the four kids alone, Mia sat up and asked, "Hey! Where you gonna sleep?"

"In our room," Olivia replied and pointed down the hall, "Right over there."

"Ohhhh. At my house there's Mommy's room and then Daddy's room. And when we're at the stables there isn't any room for Daddy!"

"My Mommy and Daddy always sleep in da big bed," Noah said, a tad boastful, "And sometimes we sleep all together in there! One, two, three, four, five!" He giggled, "With you, Mia, dat's onetwothreefourfiveSIX!"

"I think we're good with four in here," Olivia said. "Fifteen minutes of the ocean. Set the timer."

"Kay."

Olivia blew them a kiss and went to the living room to help Ed tidy up the space. The toy boxes had been emptied and their contents had been scattered everywhere, including under the tree because one of the night's activities had been to pretend it was Christmas morning. When she arrived, Ed had the toys put away and was waiting with a glass of wine. The only light in the room came from the tree, the Frank Sinatra Christmas Album played at a low volume from the speakers, and Ed led Olivia by the hand to the sofa.

"Everything good in there?" Ed asked as he and Olivia curled into one another and he stretched his legs onto the coffee table.

"Yes," Olivia rested her head under his chin, "And it looks great out here. You'd never know four kids spent the night playing here."

Ed smiled and kissed the top of Olivia's head. "They had a good time."

"They did," Olivia replied, "Do you know what Mia said to me?"

"What's that?"

"She said her mom and dad slept in separate rooms...she was so surprised, well, shocked, at all of it tonight. Me helping her with her pajamas, the stories, hugs and kisses goodnight...and the fact that the two of us would be sleeping in the room across the hall."

"Does that mean we can't lock the door tonight?" Ed joked.

"Yes, I'm afraid it does," Olivia retorted without missing a beat.

"Well," Ed replied, "I wonder...probably...not many kids have what ours have, Liv. We're kinda old school in that way."

"And isn't that a good thing?"

"I think so."

"There are so many difficult situations that they'll have to deal with," Olivia said, "Shouldn't they at least have the security that their parents love them unconditionally? That they can always come home to us and be safe and loved and...comfortable?"

"Yes. And they will."

"But not Mia."

"At the moment, no, not Mia, or at least it doesn't seem that way, but, Liv, we can't do anything about that."

Olivia let out a conciliatory sigh. "I'm so happy Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt don't have to grow up like I did. I think I worry about Mia more because her childhood is more familiar to me than our kids' is."

"And Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt won't have a clue what it's like to have Mia's childhood," Ed pointed out. "And they won't take it for granted. Because they'll see other kids' lives, they'll notice the little things, and, it won't always be rosy, but they'll understand we love them, they'll know what it's like to be loved and cared for."

"And they'll pass that on to their families."

"Yes they will."

….

#Tuckson