One-hundred.

Will this ever end? Sorry it took so long!

The encounter between Kennedy Cain and Ed at the toddler gym amused Olivia. Ed initially couldn't remember her name, but as soon as he started to describe the woman, Olivia quickly figured out who she was. "She's been married four times," she said, nudging Ed. "She's probably pegging you for number five."

"I don't think so," Ed gave Olivia a quick kiss on the lips. "Not my type."

"No? What's your type?"

"You." Ed winked. "So, whadja buy?"

Olivia ticked off a few items that had been purchased that afternoon, leaving out Ed's presents and lowering her voice when she mentioned Maggie's and Wyatt's gifts. The twins were playing nearby and seemed to be in their own little world, but they both had keen ears and often surprised their parents by picking up on conversations when it was assumed they weren't paying attention.

"And she didn't want anything in the attic," Olivia added, "But I made her promise, if she changes her mind, she'd call one of us."

"She probably won't."

"So, we decided that we'd be at her house for Christmas Eve this year," Olivia said, "I'd love to have everyone here, but I don't think we have the room."

"Good," Ed replied, "Less work for us."

The sound of Olivia's phone vibrating came from her purse and she rummaged around in the bag for the device. The number cause a brief sense of panic, for it was Noah's school calling. Eyebrows raised, Ed looked on and listened.

"What's goin' on?" He asked.

"Noah's sick," she said, "He's running a fever. I'll go get him. And he's also crying because he can't go to the holiday program rehearsal."

Ed hated it when the kids were sick, and he especially hated seeing Olivia worry about them, but he had to grin when he pictured Noah, under the weather yet mad about being trapped in the school clinic while the rest of his class was in the auditorium practicing their songs. Olivia left for the school, Ed found some chicken noodle soup in the pantry for Noah, and leaned against the island watching the twins while it heated in the saucepan.

"Whatcha doin you two?"

"Bay-a-cake!" Maggie exclaimed, "Ha'BIRDAY!"

"Birthday?" Ed asked, "Who's birthday is it?"

"My BIRDAY!" Maggie replied. She toddled over to the Christmas tree and picked up one of the wrapped boxes. "MY PESENT!"

"No, no, baby girl," Ed did his best to sound stern, "Those are for Christmas. Not for now. Put it down."

"Down, Magg!" Wyatt joined her at the tree and tried to wrest the box from her grip. The twins whined and frowned, each trying to get control of the package. Before Ed could get there, the paper ripped, revealing an Etch-a-Sketch. Ed and Olivia bought one each for the twins.

Ed shrugged, "Well, that's one less present you have to open on Christmas morning," he mumbled, mostly to himself.

Wyatt held up the box to his Daddy, "Open!"

"Tried to get your sister to do the right thing, but now that doesn't matter, huh, bud?"

"Open!"

Ed took out the Etch-a-Sketch and placed it on the floor. The twins fell to their knees and experimented with the knobs. Ed showed them how to shake it to erase the writing and they shrieked with delight. Then, feeling bad that there was only one toy, Ed got the other one and let Maggie and Wyatt practice unwrapping another gift.

"Tayouuu, Dada!" Wyatt said. He took the Etch-a-Sketch to his beanbag and plopped down on his belly to draw. He kicked his feet against the floor and made little cooing noises as he experimented with the new toy. A few minutes later, Maggie joined him, choosing to share his beanbag rather than use hers.

"You daw, Magg!" Wyatt said.

"Daw, Sanna, Wy!"

"SANNA!"

"Sanna bing pesent!"

In the kitchen, Ed stirred the soup and chuckled to himself. "Two fewer than before," he murmured and shrugged again, "Oh well."

…

Olivia hated arriving to a busy squad room, but Noah had a doctor's appointment that morning and she had no choice but to come in late. Carisi, who had been shadowing Barba during a lull in SVU's workload, chattered incessantly to Fin, who was barely listening. Olivia said a quick hello to the detectives and Sergeant Dodds before retreating to her office. Not long after she sat down, a sudden silence caused her to look up into the squad room. She tried not to grin. Ed Tucker's presence had made everyone momentarily stop in their tracks.

"Hi Captain Tucker," she heard Carisi say.

Mike Dodds stood up and shook Tucker's hand. "Captain, congratulations on the promotion."

Tucker probaby muttered his thanks, but Olivia didn't hear it. She did hear him ask if the Lieutenant was in. Dodds said she was and, noticing the open door, told him to go right in. When he passed, Dodds, Carisi, and Fin all exchanged curious looks. Who was in trouble now?

"Maybe it has something to do with Rollins," Carisi speculated. "Hopin' that the early labor wasn't because of her delaying desk duty too long."

"Why would that be IAB?" Fin asked.

"You never know," Dodds added, eyeing the Lieutenant's office, "They like to stick their noses in everywhere they can."

Once inside Benson's office, Tucker dropped his intimidating IAB exterior and smirked at Olivia. "Lieutenant," he said, "Good morning."

"Good morning," she replied, "Here on business or pleasure?"

Tucker jerked his head toward the interrogation room, "Can we step over there for a minute and I'll let you know?"

"Sure." Olivia glanced into the squad room. Everyone had at least pretended to go about their business. It wouldn't necessarily ring alarm bells for them to go into the adjoining room, at least, not the type of alarm bells she was concerned about setting off.

"Pleasure," Ed said as soon as she closed the door. "Haven't seen ya since Thanksgiving. Was gonna call and see if you wanted to grab a drink tonight, but I was in the area and I figured I'd pop in."

"I'm sorry," Olivia said, "We haven't been busy but, with Rollins gone, I'm shorthanded, again, it's-"

Ed stepped closer to her, "Hey, I understand. Don't feel bad. I just wanted to see you. And really, I was nearby."

"Really."

"Well, on my way to Midtown South."

"Uh-oh."

Ed smirked again. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Olivia replied, "Thanksgiving was so great, Ed. Noah keeps talking about Caroline and the piano and Sarah and Brooke. Last night he set up his stuffed animals around the coffee table and named them all after you, me, everyone. He had so much fun."

"And you?" Ed took another step toward her.

"I had more fun than I've had in a long time."

"Good." He dared to lean in for a kiss and was pleasantly surprised when she not only kissed back but did so with significant force. "You ever kiss anyone in here before?" He asked cockily.

"No."

"First time for everything."

"There certainly is." Ed was so cool and casual and sexy as he perched himself on the table, Olivia had to stop herself from lunging at him. Instead, she threw him a bone. "So, you're buying me a drink later?"

"Absolutely. Name the place."

"I'm going to try and leave in time to feed Noah and put him to bed," Olivia said, "He had shots today and I felt terrible taking him to day care, but...it is what it is. But unless we catch something major, I'll duck out around five. Come by my place at eight?"

"I'll be there." Ed beat her to the door, but Olivia put a hand on his elbow before he could turn the knob.

"Bye," she whispered before kissing him softly on the lips.

"We're playin' with fire here," Ed replied, not seeming particularly turned off by the risk Olivia had taken.

"Maybe we are," she replied, "But I'm...really glad you stopped by."

"I'll have to do it more often."

Olivia grinned, "Make sure you look irritated when you leave," she said, "Or people will start to talk."

Ed returned her smile, "More intelligent words have never been spoken." He stiffened, set his jaw, winked, and strode back out through her office and into the squad room. Olivia sat down and focused on her laptop, bracing for the first person to come in and ask what Tucker wanted. A little chill fluttered down Olivia's spine.

He wanted me, she thought. He wanted me.

….

The twins greeted Noah with their usual barrage of shrieked "Nononos" but the older brother, weary and so tired Olivia carried him from the car into the apartment, managed only a week "hi." His eyes drooped and he sighed when Ed removed his coat and shoes. Since Noah was glued to Olivia, Ed decided to wait to suggest they get him out of the school uniform and into pajamas.

"C'mon, Maggs and Wyatt," Ed ushered the twins into the living room and into their beanbags. "Let's watch some shows. Noah? Bud? I'm gonna get you somethin' to drink."

"Don't wanna drink," Noah mumbled, "My throat hurts."

"Sweet boy," Olivia stroked his damp hair and sat in the easy chair, cradling him. "Ed, there's some children's Tylenol in our medicine cabinet. Let's start with that. And, Noah, let's try to drink something, okay? It'll help you feel better."

"I gotta sing tomorrow." Noah said with all the urgency he could muster.

"You'll probably miss the rehearsal tomorrow," Olivia said gently, "But you'll be back to your old self by the time the concert rolls around."

"Who am I now?" Noah asked in a muffled voice, for his face was buried in Olivia's neck.

Olivia smiled and rubbed his back, "You're my sweet, sweet boy who needs his Mommy to make him all better," Olivia whispered. "So will you drink something for me, please? Just a little?"

Ed came into the room with a plastic cup of medicine and a larger cup full of Pedialyte, which the Tuckers bought in bulk from Costco whether they needed it or not. "Here ya go, bud."

With a groan, Noah turned around in Olivia's arms. He lifted his head just enough to swallow the medicine and a few gulps of juice. "Dere," he said breathlessly, turning back to snuggle into his mother.

"Want me to take his temp?" Ed asked.

"Sure," Olivia said, "They took it before we left. A hundred point two."

Ed grabbed the device from a drawer and stuck the tip in Noah's ear. "Hasn't changed," he said. "Good sign."

"Sweet boy," Olivia eyed the twins and hoped whatever it was Noah had would quickly make its rounds through the house by the end of the week. "Let's you and I go get you in some jammies and maybe watch a show on the iPad in your bed?"

"What dose babies watchin?"

"Boss Baby."

"Dey always watchin' dat show!" Noah smiled lazily and smacked his lips. "I wanna go to bed, Mommy. Want Bernie. But you staywithme." Noah slurred the last words, sneezed, and rubbed his face against Olivia's sweater. She glanced up at Ed and they exchanged smiles.

"Lemme get some fresh sheets and pillowcases on there," Ed said, "Hang on a minute."

Olivia smiled and nodded. She shifted Noah to one arm and yanked her phone out of her pocket with the other when it started vibrating. It was the show's lead writer and she answered in a quiet voice. The call didn't last long, but it lasted long enough for Ed to catch the tail end of Olivia's side of the conversation.

"Gotta go in?" He asked.

"No, not today," Olivia said, "They want Wyatt to come in tomorrow to read lines with Marissa."

"Read lines?" Ed asked, his brow furrowed.

"Well, she'll read the lines. He'll be...around? Being held? I don't know."

"Missa gimme STAHBUCKS!" Wyatt exclaimed from the beanbag. He excitedly waved his arms around in the air and smacked the sides of his chair.

"Not even three years old," Ed murmured, "And he's addicted to Starbucks."

"I don't know how long I should let this go on," Olivia said, her voice nearly a whisper because Noah had fallen into a fitful sleep, "Do we really want a child actor?"

"Thought ya said it was really far away from that?"

"I have a feeling they're going to ask more and more of him and then, before we know it, he's going to Hollywood."

"I think it's fine," Ed replied, "You're there. He gets a smoothie and pretends to go to bed and gets carried around a set by an actor, and we get a little cushion in the college fund. We'll know when it's time to get out."

"Okay," Olivia leaned in for a kiss, careful not to jostle Noah. "Are you alright with the twins for a little while? I don't want to leave him alone until I'm sure he's really asleep."

"Of course. You gonna try to get some sleep too? You've been goin' at a steady kick and you were up early this morning."

"You're right," on cue, Olivia yawned, "I might sneak a nap."

"I'll keep the soup on the warmer."

Olivia grinned and kissed him again. "You're the best."

…..

Between the stop at Midtown South and meeting Olivia, Ed caught up with Cole for a late lunch at a diner near their office building. They were regulars, and the scene of them sitting down at their usual table, being greeted by name, and waving off a menu was almost cliche. Tucker was never effusive, but Draper immediately sensed his partner was troubled by something, though he was not expecting the admission Tucker presented as they chewed bites of BLT and tuna salad.

"Cole, you gotta quit bein' my partner for a minute, okay?"

Draper raised his eyebrows, "Okay." Over the years, he and Ed had developed a bond that only two IAB investigators could forge. They trusted each other yet were also respectful of abusing that trust.

"I'm not even gonna try to speak in hypotheticals," Tucker began, "I've been seein' Benson," he added, "From SVU," which made Cole grin. Everyone in the NYPD either knew or knew of Lieutenant Olivia Benson and where she worked.

Cole's eyes brightened and he smirked. "Wow, that's, well, honestly Tucker? I'm not surprised."

"Yeah," Ed murmured, acknowledging he hadn't done a good job of hiding his desire to be close to Benson and he was sure his cheeks reddened when he spoke of her.

"So, whaddya gonna do?"

Tucker shrugged and grunted. "I'm kinda lettin' her decide," he said, "We haven't been hiding, but, uh, I get the sense she's still kinda figuring out what it all is, like she doesn't want to make a big deal if it's not serious."

"Is it serious?"

"Yes."

Cole sat back in the booth and folded his hands in his lap. "You know there's no policy issue there."

"Yeah, but-"

"-Your professional paths could cross."

"Right." Ed leaned against his forearms, "And I want to protect her, I don't want her to pay for somethin' that could've been prevented."

"You could retire," Cole quipped.

Ed grinned. "Right. Then who would pay for my daughter's spring breaks and rent and everything else?"

Cole held up his coffee mug as if it were a cocktail, "Amen. Look. If you're following her lead, I don't think that's the worst decision in the world."

"Yeah, good point."

"And cheer up. You're dating a beautiful, smart, classy woman."

Ed nodded, "I am...there's still...with the secretiveness, I hate to question her judgement, but, I have a feeling…" Ed trailed off.

"You talk to her about it?"

Ed grinned sheepishly, "I think I might be avoidin' that conversation. It's, uh, going really well right now. Thanksgiving...she and Noah came, and it was like…"

"...like what?"

Ed raised his eyes to meet Cole's. "Like it was right."

Cole took a huge bite of his sandwich, chewed, and smirked again. "Then it's probably right. Your instincts aren't bad, ya know."

Managing a laugh, Ed replied, "Thanks."

….

When Sarah and Justin arrived to see Noah, he was tucked in bed, propped against four pillows, and watching a show on the iPad. A cup full of more Pedialyte and a half-eaten bowl of soup sat on the nightstand. Soggy oyster crackers floated in the broth. His fever had come down and he was significantly less lethargic than he'd been the night before, but he was obviously not one-hundred percent back to normal.

"Noey!" Sarah dramatically draped herself across his body, "I'm so sorry you're sick!"

"You didn't pick me up t'day, Sare Bear," Noah said matter-of-factly.

"I know," Sarah replied, "And I was so bummed out, but Justin and I decided to come and see you and bring you some treats. We brought you tea, some cookies that aren't too sugary, and a book Justy brought from his trip. It's all about the city of Milwaukee."

"Mil-wau-kee?"

"Yes, it's in Wisconsin where they make cheese."

"I dunno Wisconsin," Noah said. He closed out his movie and navigated to the maps app. "How you spell Wisconsin?"

"Sound it out."

Noah contorted his lips, sounding out each syllable, until he spelled the state's name well enough to get it to show up in the search bar. "Dere it is!" He grinned proudly, "Wow! Dat's far, but not as far as Texas. I still gotta go to Texas," he added in a murmur.

"We'll go, Noey."

"And Ireland."

"We'll go there, too."

Noah's eyes brightened, not at the promises of trips, but at the sight of Justin entering the room. Justin had been traveling so much with his former professor and the research team that he hadn't seen much of his or Sarah's family in the past couple of months. "Hi, Noah!"

"Justy!"

Justin ruffled Noah's hair, "Sorry you're not feeling well, little man."

"I'm almost better, Justy," Noah said reassuringly, "Mommy said I can go back to school maybe tomorrow. Justy, we gotta practice da songs for da concert! I'm missin it!"

"Ah, you'll be fine," Justin said, "You know all the words?"

"Yep!"

"Then you'll be excelente!"

Noah smiled at the word uttered in Spanish, but his smile was followed by a yawn.

"Are we making you tired, Noey?"

"Yeah," Noah answered honestly, "I eat your cookies later, kay, Sare Bear?"

"Okay."

"Thank you for da book, Justy. I'll read it t'morrow."

"Alright, No." Justin grinned. The book featured panoramic images of Milwaukee through the years and was intended for older audiences. Justin purchased it knowing Noah loved books like these and often would spend hours poring over them and pointing out certain images and facts to the twins.

Sarah and Justin joined Olivia and Maggie in the living room. Olivia opened a bottle of wine and served everyone a glass. Sarah told Maggie to get a brush and elastics and she styled Maggie's hair while they chatted, pausing every once in a while to take a photo and show it to the little girl. Maggie would giggle, yank the ties from her hair, and bellow, "GAIN! GAIN, SAH!"

"I love that her hair is getting longer," Sarah said, "And it's so thick."

"Definitely not baby hair," Olivia said. "And, speaking of beauty, Ed texted me and said Wyatt was getting makeup on today. Wow. Maybe he was right, they're going to, little by little, make him a movie star and we don't even know it."

"Ed's at the studio?" Justin asked, chuckling.

"He is, why?"

"I can't imagine he's, uh, liking that too much."

"He probably isn't," Olivia said, "But we had no choice. I couldn't leave Noah. He's not sick very often, but I hate it when he is. It reminds me of when I first got him. We were in the ER too often."

"That must've been torture," Justin said.

"It was," Olivia replied, "And then, all of sudden, around his second birthday, he grew out of everything. The doctors told me that could happen, but, I kid you not, one minute I was worried about every little cough, and the next? I had a perfectly healthy little boy."

"Sometimes we catch a break," Sarah said.

"That was a huge break," Olivia replied, "So, I can handle a touch of whatever this is every once in a while. He and the twins got a flu shot, his pediatrician didn't seem too concerned, so, another day or so and he'll be fine."

"And Daddy's with the movie star," Sarah added, giggling.

Yes he is." Olivia took a long drink of her wine and turned her attention to Justin, "How was the research trip?" She asked, "Sarah told me a little about it. Sounds fascinating."

"Fascinating and heartbreaking," Justin said, "The paper's about generational, systemic poverty, so we focused on a few different neighborhoods in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit. The hypothesis is that if childcare were free, and housing and school or vocational training were free or significantly reduced, that combination could break the cycle. Sound simple, right?"

"It does."

"Way more complicated, but, it's good work."

Justin was beaming and Olivia returned his smile, "It's rewarding to do the good work," she said, "Even if it's painful."

She was obviously speaking from experience. Justin could see the agony, both long and recently buried, boiling beneath the surface of Olivia's pleasant and placid demeanor. He was tempted to lean in to the conversation, but, out of respect and compassion, he shifted gears. "Other than the serious stuff," he said, "It was interesting to explore those cities. There's something intriguing about the rust belt, the aftermath of all that prosperity. A little different in Chicago, but Detroit and Milwaukee? They have some great revitalization efforts going on. It's inspiring."

"I've never been to Milwaukee," Olivia said. "Worth telling Ed we need to go there for a long weekend?"

"I think so. But," Justin grinned, "Wait until the spring or summer. The wind there was brutal. Worse than Chicago."

"Speaking of getaways," Sarah nudged Justin with her elbow, "We're due for one. But, Livvie, do you think you could watch Pearl?"

Olivia sighed through gnashed teeth. "You know we'll help you out," she glanced reflectively around the room, "But that's going to be a tough sell to your Dad, but, then again, you've taken the three kids for a weekend, so we do owe you."

"Livvie, it's not a payment thing," Sarah said. "We love playing house with the kiddos! Don't we Justin?"

"Yep," Justin replied without hesitating. "Need a day to recover after, but yeah, it's awesome."

Maggie wriggled away from Sarah, ran to the toybox, and returned with a xylophone, "Pay music, Sah!" She started to beat on the keys with the mallet, but Sarah caught her fist just in time.

"No, small sister," she said, "Noey's sleeping. Let's play something quiet. How about a puzzle? Or, want to draw? Draw me a picture?" Sarah went over to the bookshelf and took out the basket of crayons and a small tablet that Ed and Olivia kept on the bottom tier, well within the reach of the twins. "Here ya go."

Maggie stuck her tongue out in the corner of her mouth, selected a blue crayon, and went to work, "Boo, Sah! I daw boo sky!"

"You are so smart, Maggs!"

Olivia watched as Maggie deftly switched the crayon from her left to right hand and back again, "And ambidextrous," she remarked.

Maggie hummed a song to herself while she worked. The adults took a few minutes to observe her in total concentration. After the song, she mumbled to herself and mentioned the names of her family members, Pearl the dog, and some playground-themed vocabulary. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a crimson sweater, the sleeves of which she kept pushed up around her elbows. Maggie was all business.

Eventually, Sarah broke the silence, "How long do the shoots usually last?" She asked, glancing outside at the darkening sky.

"This isn't even a shoot. It's more like a read through and they wanted Wyatt there to rehearse some scenes. But, when I go with him, we're usually there most of the day. Your poor Dad's probably miserable."

"Do you guys want to do dinner?" Sarah asked, "We could order in?"

"Sure," Olivia replied, "Let me text Ed."

…..

A box of old photographs sat in the middle of the living room floor, and the Tucker kids carefully took them out, one by one, and either giggled or asked questions, depending on who was pictured. The tradition began when the twins were five and Ed and Olivia decided to declutter before the holidays. Boxes came out of closets, unworn clothes were wrapped up in gigantic black trash bags, and each kid was allowed one box in which to store items that held too much sentimental value and had to be retained. As Ed and Olivia stacked boxes, the kids peeked inside each one. Most of the contents were uninteresting, but the photographs became a mutual prized possession. Every year, as Christmas drew near, they pulled out the box and spent a couple of hours examining the people, most of whom belonged to Ed's past.

Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt spent so much time on each picture that they had not yet sifted through them all in three years. On this particular go-round, the kids found themselves in the middle of a cluster of their mother's photographs, mostly from her early years on the force, a few roommates, and a few early group snaps at SVU. It was one of those pictures that Maggie chose for a deep dive.

"Mom, who are these people?"

Olivia came over and sat between Maggie and Noah. "My old squad. Stabler, Cassidy, Jeffries, and Munch."

"Munch," Maggie giggled.

"Yeah, he was a good guy. He's not alive anymore."

"Are these other people alive?"

"Not all of them."

Ed passed out cups of hot cocoa to the kids and spiced bourbon to Olivia. The bourbon was a surprise, for their neighborhood liquor store had been out of its supply recently. Olivia took a sip and winked at her husband. Feeling confident and deeply connected to her, Ed was a more jaunty than usual.

"One of those guys was your mom's old boyfriend," he said, "Guess which one."

"Not Munch," Maggie said, "He's old."

"And dead," Wyatt murmured.

"Wyatt, he could be dead now and still have been her boyfriend," Noah pointed out.

"Mommy does not like OLD MEN!" Maggie said. She shoved the picture in front of Olivia's face. "Which onea' these is your boyfriend?"

Olivia took the photo and tossed it in the box, "It doesn't matter," she said softly, "Daddy's the only boyfriend for me."

"Yeah," Maggie said, "You and Daddy match."

"We match?"

"Yep. Like my outfits."

Olivia slung her arm around Maggie's shoulders and wrapped her in a tight side hug, "Just like your outfits," she said softly and kissed her head. "Exactly like your outfits."

….

The only light in the Tucker bedroom came from the string of white Christmas lights hanging around the perimeter of the west-facing window. Ed and Olivia typically left those lights on during the night. They liked the ambience, but Ed was also reluctant to leave the bed once he was settled in next to his wife.

"Mmmm," he hummed into her neck and wrapped an arm around her waist. Olivia turned to him and they traded a few quick kisses before a longer, more passionate liplock.

At a pause, Olivia whispered, "I'm so tired."

Ed raised his eyebrows, "Feeling okay?"

"Yes. I can't help but worry when one of the kids is sick. I think that drains me."

"I'm sure it does. C'mere," Ed moved positions so he could wrap both arms around her. "Sleep, Liv," he kissed the back of her head, "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, Ed," Olivia clutched one of his wrists. "Wake me up if you hear Noah and I don't?"

"I will. But get some rest, baby. Everything's okay."

"It is, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Ed kissed her again, "Forever and ever."

…

#Tuckson