Ninety-six. (this might be the most plotless chapter ever)

Ed's lovemaking was possessive, fierce, and meticulous. A couple of years ago, a painstaking effort like this would have rung so many alarm bells that Olivia wouldn't have enjoyed a minute of it, but she knew better now. The drink with Stabler wasn't a secret, but as often happened, she and Ed didn't have a chance to debrief until after the kids were bathed, read to, and tucked in bed. Depending on the context, the space in between was sometimes awkward and hyper-focused on Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt, but tonight their routine unfolded smoothly. So smoothly that Olivia foolishly assumed Ed was unaffected by her meeting with her old partner, but as soon as Ed took her into his arms in the kitchen as they were wiping down the last inches of countertop, she realized he was stinging inside.

He didn't talk. He wouldn't talk other than to murmur the familiar phrases of sex, yet even those were few and far between. Ed stared into her eyes-it was the stare that, on their first few dates, had made her uncomfortable. Not because she didn't want his attention, because it was apparent Ed Tucker could somehow see past the facade and see, and appreciate, everything she was trying to hide. Now she merely stared back, daring him to look elsewhere, and the only reason he broke the eye contact was to kiss her. When he did, it took her breath away.

Ed finger-combed her hair and repeatedly kissed her forehead after they finished. He was prolonging admitting he was jealous, mostly due to the fact there was no reason for him to envy Stabler but also because, in that admission, was a thread of diffidence. And who in the world would have ever pegged Tucker for someone who lacked confidence in himself?

So, he bit the bullet and dove right in.

"Good seein' Stabler this afternoon?"

Olivia decided to tease him a little and offered a reply she knew would stoke the flames of envy, "Always good to see old friends."

Ed grunted.

Olivia made circles around his belly button and kissed his chest. "I was thinking about you the whole time."

"Right."

"I was," she insisted, "He's in crisis mode. And, in between trying to give him sagely advice, I was thinking about how I didn't have any of that, how I have you." Olivia slithered on top of him and let her hair fall onto his face. "You're tense," she remarked in a sultry voice.

"I hate thinkin' of you sitting with another guy and people walking by and watching and thinkin' you're together."

"Nobody thought that. No way."

"It drives me crazy."

Olivia kissed his cheeks, chin, and then his lips, "You're a little pathetic, you know that right?"

"Yes."

"And I know you can't help it."

"I can't."

"Not the worst weakness in the world."

"No, but…" Ed trailed off.

Olivia raised her eyebrows, "But what?"

"But it's painful."

Olivia threaded her fingers through his hair. "That's quite heartbreaking, Ed Tucker."

"I wanna be the only man in your life."

"You are." She gave him another, more passionate kiss, "I promise you, you are." Olivia let her body completely fall on top of him and they kissed until Ed rolled them on their sides and entered her once more. With one arm draped across her back, he rocked slowly and smoothly against her and they playfully nipped at one another's lips until they were reduced to pants and lazy smiles.

"Edddd," Olivia moaned. "Oh, God, I…"

"I know," he rasped into her mouth, "There aren't any words, Liv."

"I need there to be words."

"I don't know," he replied, "Might be better...to...just know, like, right now, whatever it is, I think we just know."

"Yeah we do."

…

The two men on the opposite side of Olivia weren't loud or obnoxious, but they were drinking heavily and grumbling about some type of quarterly report due by the end of the week. There was nothing threatening or remarkable about their appearance. Middle aged. Dark suits. Loosened ties. Conservative haircuts. One wore a class ring on his right hand; the other wore no jewelry other than a watch that he probably bought thinking it would make him look sophisticated but was actually laughably garish. Tucker wouldn't have cared much about the men at all, but, after returning from the restroom, the one not wearing a wedding ring did a double take when he noticed Olivia.

"How are you tonight?" He shot her a confident smile, and it revealed a mouthful of perfectly straight but, in Tucker's opinion, too-large teeth.

Olivia politely replied she was fine and turned back to Tucker.

The man did not concede defeat. He continued, "Do you work in the area? I feel like I've seen you before."

"Not far from here."

"Oh, well," he held up his glass and smiled again, "Cheers to Tuesday." He finally acknowledged Tucker and, after taking a sip, nodded and directed a disinterested, "How are ya?" at him.

She hadn't taken measurements, but Olivia sensed the man was now sitting closer to her. She moved her stool toward Ed's as inconspicuously as possible until they bumped reacted to the contact as if they'd both been hit with lightning bolts. It was accidental yet intimate. Both sets of eyes shot wide open. Ed and Olivia glanced at one another and then nervously ducked heads. Ed licked his lips. Olivia's back arched as she took a deep breath.

"Sorry," she mumbled, not knowing what to say but feeling the urge to say something.

Ed acted as normal as possible, "S'alright. You got enough room?"

"Yeah, I," Olivia chanced a glance over her shoulder, "I wanted to make sure he does." She eyed Ed's forearms, resting on the brass rail, his white dress shirt peeking out from under the sleeves of his blazer. Olivia dared to grab a hand and, on reflex, Ed's face jerked in her direction. The same electricity that had coursed through their bodies seconds ago made another loop through their limbs. Olivia grinned. "Do you want to maybe go somewhere a little less crowded? Get something to eat?"

"Sure. But, uh, you like this place. Those figs wrapped in bacon? Don't want you to miss out on those." Ed sat up straighter and a hint of a smirk crossed his face. He was proud of himself for remembering what they'd eaten at this particular restaurant a few weeks earlier.

"Are you comfortable here?" Olivia asked, "I do love those figs."

Ed leaned in closer to her, "I'm comfortable."

"Then let's stay."

"Okay." Olivia grinned and welcomed the familiar butterflies that always swirled in her chest when Ed leaned in to kiss her. All of this was new and exciting and she couldn't help but laugh a little when Ed briefly glared at the guy over her shoulder as he tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers. It was quick. They were being careful, but they weren't likely to run into anyone they knew in this place.

The bartender passed by and took their order-the vaunted figs, a dip with pita wedges, and another round.

"Ya know," Ed remarked, "I laugh sometimes thinking about the food I grew up on and the food I'll eat now."

"Were you a picky eater?"

"No, I just don't remember so many options. And going out to eat was pretty rare, unless it was for a hot dog or somethin' like that. Dinner was meat, potatoes, a vegetable. Our lunches were sandwiches, an apple or a banana. Now...bacon wrapped figs and crab artichoke spread."

Olivia smiled in agreement. "You're right. One of the biggest differences for me is cheese-I love a nice cheese board, but, growing up, the cheese I knew were the American slices."

"You wanna get the cheese board?"

She grinned, "No, I think we're good," her eyes met his and she patted his wrist, "Next time."

An implied guarantee there would be a next time was good enough for Ed. He grinned. She returned the smile. The man to her right had taken the hint, and there was now plenty of space for Olivia to move her stool back to its original placement, but she left it where it was. She angled her shoulder playfully into his and he smirked at her.

"Somethin' the matter, Benson?" He asked.

"No," she replied, "I...I like being close to you."

It was, perhaps, the best compliment Ed had ever received and it took him by surprise. Olivia wasn't usually so straightforward in articulating her emotions. He returned the gesture, "That's, ah, really good to hear," he said, "Cause I like bein' close to you, too."

…

Noah skipped out of his classroom and immediately spotted Sarah. She was sharply dressed in a burgundy skirt and matching blazer. Her hair was pulled back in the tight ponytail she favored for work, and when she spotted Noah she broke into a huge smile. She loved seeing him emerge from the classroom, clad in his school uniform, gripping the straps of his backpack, and usually chatting with a small group of friends. Sarah looked around for Mia, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Hi Sare Bear!" Noah greeted her cheerfully, "Where're we gonna go?"

"I thought you would have some ideas," Sarah replied, "Hey, where's Mia?"

Noah shrugged, "She didn't come to school today."

"Is she sick?"

"I dunno."

"Was she sick the last time you saw her?"

"No."

"Do you have her number?"

"No, she doesn't have a phone." Noah impatiently shifted from foot to foot, "Sare Bear, what we gonna do t'day?"

"Well, it's not very nice outside," Sarah said, "Museum?"

Noah crinkled his nose, "Nah, we did a lotta hist'ry today."

Sarah laughed, "You did?"

"Yeah. Bout da American Rev-o-lu-tion."

"Really? I don't think I learned about that until I was in eighth grade, and even then I didn't pay much attention."

"I can tell ya about it on da subway."

"Sounds good. But we're not getting on the subway until we know where we're going. We can't just ride the trains all afternoon! How about Gulliver's Gate? We haven't been there in a while."

"Yeah!" Noah looked up at Sarah with concern etched on his face, "You think there's gonna be a lot of people? Last time it was too crowdy."

Sarah grinned at Noah's version of crowded. "Not today," she said, "Last time we went on a Saturday. If there are too many people we'll try Ripley's."

"Kay."

"To Times Square we go," Sarah said.

"We gonna take da one?"

"Yes, or the two or even the three. But I bet the one will come first."

"I bet da two will come first."

"What are we betting?"

"A Hamilton."

Sarah cracked up and shook her head, "Noey, I don't know where you pick up these things, but you're hilarious."

…...

From the wraparound porch of their rented cabin, Olivia and Ed watched the kids play horseshoes. They hadn't bothered looking up the rules, so the trio made them up as they went along. Even though the scoring seemed arbitrary from what the adults could tell, the system made perfect sense to Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt. They were competitive, but cordial and encouraging to one another. Their individual strategies for tossing the horseshoes reflected their personalities. Wyatt took the longest. He concentrated, bit his lower lip, and narrowed his eyes under the bill of his baseball cap. Noah consistently lobbed his tosses at high arcs. He never considered another type of throw. Maggie threw hers at line drives, hoping the horseshoes would hit the stake and drop, which would give her maximum points. Ed and Olivia had a hike planned for the day, but they agreed on a shorter route and let the kids play.

"We can see plenty of fall colors here," Ed pointed out, partially joking. It had been Olivia's idea for the long-weekend getaway and he didn't want to completely torpedo her plans. Nevertheless, he was perfectly content on the deck lounging on the Adirondack chairs and sipping a warm pumpkin-spiced drink Olivia concocted.

"We sure can," Olivia warmed her hands in the pouch of her hoodie and peered out at the treeline. It was a perfect fall day-crisp air, partial sunshine, and they were surrounded by the warm ambers and golds of the lake's foliage. Punctuating the pristine atmosphere were the sounds of her children laughing and good-naturedly ribbing one another as they played their game. They'd chosen the perfect rental house. It came complete with a tire swing, fire pit, croquet mallets, badminton racquets, and a cornhole set. There was no shortage of things to do and Olivia and Ed congratulated themselves for raising kids who were more interested in playing together outside than playing games on their phones.

"Whadja put in this?" Ed asked after he'd finished off his first drink.

"You don't like it?"

"Opposite, it's damn good."

"Whiskey, honey, the pumpkin liqueur we got at that little shop, and some cinnamon."

"I like it. Not too sweet."

"Nope."

The kids tired of horseshoes and threw rocks into the lake as they discussed what to do next. In a few weeks Noah would turn thirteen, and he'd hit a bit of a growth spurt. He was clearly the big brother, a couple of heads taller than his siblings, and the twins still revered him as they'd done since infancy. From the time they were capable of tracking people with their eyes, Maggie and Wyatt had always been hyperfocused on where Noah was and what he was doing.

Olivia and Ed couldn't hear what they were talking about; however, the three of them suddenly turned and ran to the house. They thundered up the stairs on one another's heels. Maggie spoke for the group.

"We're hungry!" She said, "C'we have lunch?"

"Sure," Olivia replied. She turned to Ed, "Want to take the boat to eat? We can dock at the marina, have lunch, and then go for the hike? The trailhead's within walking distance."

"Sounds good."

"Then can we go to the Frankenstein museum?" Noah asked.

"Sure," Ed replied, "But let's not forget, we have two more days."

"Yeah but we all want to go there today," Noah insisted. His brother and sister nodded in agreement. Olivia thought it was cute that they were ready to leap to his defense, especially since the kids acted as if she and Ed regularly said no to their suggestions.

Ed smirked, "Then we'll go today. Let's get out there then. You may wanna bring your jackets.

All three kids were wearing jeans and hoodies. Olivia started to get up to gather the proper outerwear, but Maggie climbed into the chair with her. "This is cozy," she said as she curled up with her mother. Olivia wrapped her arms around Maggie and breathed the autumn-scented air that clung to her brown locks.

"Very cozy," Olivia said, "And tonight we can have a fire. That'll be super cozy."

"And make s'mores?"

"And make s'mores."

Wyatt put his hands on his hips and looked out over the water. "This is a really good place," he said, "We should have a house here, too."

Olivia chuckled, "Maybe someday, Wyatt Edward."

"When I grow up I'm gonna have a house here," Wyatt said, "And you guys can all have rooms."

"That's so sweet, honey."

"And I'll have a sailboat and a pontoon and maybe three jet skis."

"Three 'cause there are one, two, three of us!" Maggie chimed in. "I want mine to be blue, purple, and yellow."

Noah crinkled his nose, "Interesting choices. Wyatt, you're gonna have to get that custom made. I'll take a black and white one, maybe with some silver."

"Okay," Wyatt said, "Mommy, what color do you want?"

"I thought the third one was yours?" Olivia asked. She was still cradling Maggie and not eager to relinquish hold of her little girl.

"It can be yours," Wyatt offered generously.

"Then I'll take blue. A nice, bright blue."

Wyatt nodded solemnly as he mentally catalogued the requests. He and the three others listened to the wind rustle the leaves and the occasional bird chirping until Ed burst through the screen door grinning but also pretending to be annoyed. "What are you doing?" He asked, "I thought we were getting ready to head out?"

"Daddy, we're jus' having some peace and quiet," Maggie said. She spontaneously erupted into giggles. Her laughter was infectious and everyone followed suit. Soon the five Tuckers were howling for absolutely no reason.

"Now that the peace and quiet is gone," Ed said breathlessly, "Can we go? I'm starving."

Maggie propelled herself to her feet, "Lessgo," she said, "I'm driving."

…..

The unfavorable weather kept Olivia, Ed, and the twins inside all day, and by the time evening rolled around, they were all going stir crazy. They'd entertained the twins with bowling, trains, basketball, puzzles, and finger paint, so Olivia didn't feel guilty about playing a movie on the big screen and situating Maggie and Wyatt in their beanbags with juice and a bowl of veggie straws. Outside, cold rain pelted the windows and people rushed from their offices to the subway or into cabs. Olivia covered the twins with their blankets and kissed their heads. She grinned at her cozy duo and went to sit at the island and watch Ed make dinner.

"I hope this tastes okay," he said, "Chili's supposed to simmer all day, or longer."

"It'll be great," Olivia watched him open a box and raised her eyebrows, "Cornbread?"

"Yeah, recipe said to make it."

"I don't think I've ever seen you eat cornbread."

"I've eaten it a few times. Have you?" Ed asked with a grin.

"Yes."

"You like it right?"

"Yes."

Ed released an exaggerated sigh of relief and leaned over the countertop for a kiss. Olivia playfully bit at his lower lip and Ed put a hand on the back of her head, loosely clutched a handful of her hair, and planted a more passionate smooch on her lips. At that moment, something in the video made Maggie and Wyatt giggle, and the sound of their laughter enticed him to kiss Olivia once more.

"Hey," he said brightly when he returned to mixing the cornbread, "Get your phone. Go to the news."

"Okay." Olivia followed his instructions but was unsure what exactly she was supposed to see. "What am I looking for?"

"North Carolina man awarded seven-hundred thousand against man who stole his wife."

Olivia found the article and quickly read it. "Wow," she said, "That's unusual."

"Somebody would have to pay way more than that if they stole you," Ed quipped.

"Good thing that's never going to happen," Olivia replied, playing along, "Nobody would be able to afford it."

"Nope, not enough money in the world." Ed poured the batter into a small cake pan and put the pan in the oven. He stirred the chili, placed the lid on the pot, and took it off the heat. "Can I ask you a question?" He took a seat across from her and reached for her hands.

"Of course."

"Why me?"

"What?"

"Why me? Why'd ya let me be the one?"

"Because I trust you," Olivia replied without hesitation, "I knew it early on, that I could trust you with everything, and that trust got stronger, and it grew into," Olivia held her arms out, palms up, "This."

"This is the most precious thing in the world to me, Liv."

"Me too." Olivia narrowed her eyes and squeezed his fingers, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, uh-"

"-the article took you to a dark place?"

"Yeah. I dunno why I let headlines bug me, but they do."

"You do know why," Olivia said, "You just said it. Because this is the most precious thing and the thought of losing it, even though it's never, ever going to happen, is excruciating."

"Yeah." Ed kissed her and smiled sheepishly, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Olivia rounded the island and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you."

"Love you."

"Um, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"The oven's not on."

"Shit."

…..

#Tuckson