104.

Noah and Olivia trudged through the snow-covered Union Square paths on their way to Sarah's apartment. The wind whipped at their faces, but, other than the occasional sniffle or mitten across his nose, Noah wasn't bothered. He was very much used to winter in New York, and the ever-present reminders of Christmas and Santa's impending visit were enough to keep him in good spirits. Plus, he and his siblings owned the very best of winter gear, so, by the time they arrived at Sarah's door, the only evidence of the brutal weather was the pink flush on his cheeks.

"Hey guys," Justin answered the door and flashed his friendly, welcoming smile, "C'mon in. Lemme take your bags."

"Don't look in 'em," Noah warned as he peeled off his boots.

Justin took the instruction seriously. "I won't," he replied. "In fact, I'll put them right here in the closet so we're not tempted. You hungry? Thirsty? We made some real hot cocoa and we have some snacks."

"Thanks, Justy," Noah said. "Hey! Where's Pearl?"

She's out on the balcony with Sarah," Justin said, "She has her mat out there, remember? So we don't always have to take her out. We knew you wanted to go play with her, so we didn't go all the way downstairs."

Noah ran to the terrace and let Pearl inside. He giggled when the yellow lab puppy yelped and tackled him and he eventually led her to the guest bedroom where most of her toys were stored. Justin took Olivia's coat and invited her into the kitchen.

"Red? White? Brown?"

Olivia took a seat on a barstool and grinned, "Let's start with brown."

"Straight up? I've been making this cocktail with cinnamon and ginger…"

"That sounds wonderful."

Justin grinned again. He grabbed a shaker and dumped the ingredients inside, "Sare got me this as an early Christmas present and I love it. So fun."

"Hmm," Olivia said, "Maybe I should get one of those for us."

"Comes with a recipe book," Justin said, "Only hard part is getting some of these weird things, but, Trader Joe's is right there. They usually have everything."

"LIVVIEEEEE!" Sarah ran into the room and wrapped her arms around Olivia's neck. "Gawwd, I love this time of year. Did you taste the cocoa? I know you don't want a whole one, but it's sooooo good. Justin made it and then we put Bailey's in there...Grandma's going to love it."

Olivia grinned. Sarah had obviously been drinking spiked cocoa since she woke up that morning. "I'll be happy to try some." She watched Justin meticulously measure ingredients and mix the cocktail. His dark complexion and black jogging suit contrasted sharply with the white kitchen cabinets and light granite countertop. Unlike the Tucker home, the Vidal apartment was full on contrasts. Large, brightly painted canvasses were affixed to the stark white walls. The centerpiece of the living room was a black leather sectional, but it was flanked with two pink and purple paisley armchairs.

Justin slid the cocktail and a small taste of the cocoa to Olivia, "There you go. Enjoy."

"Thanks." Olivia took a sip of the cocoa and then the bourbon concoction, "Oh, wow. They're both great. And I bet that cocoa is good with Baileys. Nice work, Justin."

"Livvie, did you and Noah do all your shopping?" Sarah motioned everyone to the sofa and brought the cheese tray she and Justin had prepared. Noah and Pearl were still in the guest room and his giggles occasionally resonated throughout the apartment.

"We did."

"For whoooo?"

"His teachers. I'm always so torn between buying them gift cards and getting them an actual gift. So we compromised this year. We found these nice candles and we'll put a gift card inside the bag." Olivia drank more of the cocktail and complemented Justin again. "You could moonlight as a bartender," she said.

Justin shrugged. "Nah, just here."

Sarah was still eager for gift details, so Olivia continued. "We bought a paper doll set for Mia-"

"-Paper dolls?"

"Yes, they still make those things. Noah thought the girl looked like her, so that's what he bought. For Maggie and Wyatt we have books, a new easel since we used ours as a jungle gym and broke it, and two new scooters."

"Omigod that's so cuuuute!"

"And for Ed he bought a screwdriver ratchet set with all these different attachments," Olivia couldn't help but laugh, "And a tool belt."

"Omigod."

Justin broke into giggles of his own and refilled Olivia's drink. "Did Ed want that?"

"Well, I think he was inspired by putting the twins' beds together," Olivia replied, "Ed had to borrow a couple of tools from the super and mentioned something about needing his own set. So Noah decided that's what he was going to buy."

"Good man," Justin said.

"So he'll have to wear the belt at least once."

"For sure."

Noah came bounding into the room with Pearl on his heels. "I think she wants ta go out in da snowww-ohhhh!" He said in a sing-songy voice with an endearing grin.

"Give us a few more minutes, sweet boy."

"How many?"

"Fifteen."

Noah punched in fifteen minutes on his digital watch timer, "Kay. See ya in fifteen. C'mon, Pearl!"

…..

"This snow is insane," Olivia remarked. Even more insane was the hour. She'd left the precinct thirty minutes earlier, at eleven p.m, having previously promised herself she would only stay until ten. Hopped up on coffee and adrenaline, she called Ed and he met her at a pub equidistant from their homes. The snow fell in flurries as she walked, but by the time they were on their second round, the flakes furiously pelted the buildings and streets. Olivia tilted her head and strained for a view out of the lone grimy window and murmured, "I better get home soon."

"You can always put Lucy in an Uber. Or I can drive her home and come back." Ed was being forward, maybe even a bit pushy. He felt bad, but not bad enough to not make the offer.

Olivia grinned. She loved being the object of Ed's desire. She also appreciated that Ed was willing to eke out alone time whenever and wherever he could get it. "Lucy knows I'll take care of her," she said.

Ed let his knee touch Olivia's thigh. "And who's takin' care of you?"

"You?"

Until now, Olivia had never verbally admitted how much she had grown to rely on Ed Tucker. He inched his way into their lives, and, in the process, made himself indispensable to Olivia and Noah. A multitude of small acts of grace, kindness, and love morphed into a mutual sense of understanding-Olivia wanted all of this, but it seemed too good to be true. Ed was willing to wait until she realized there was no such concept, at least, not between them.

Very few muscles in Olivia's face ever relaxed, even after they'd made love, but, after she uttered that one little word, you, he noticed a change. A millimeter or so above her jaw, that space, finally, it loosened up for the first time. Maybe not ever, but the first time Ed had witnessed. He kissed that very spot on her face and gazed into her eyes. It was too early for I love you, but he loved her and he knew she knew. In fact, he saw that muscle tense again in anticipation of hearing the words. But Ed simply kissed her, his lips parted slightly, halfway between chaste and "let's get out of here."

"Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll put Lucy in an Uber."

He cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Then let's head out," he said softly, "I'll get your coat."

…..

Ed scooped up the twins before they could pile on Noah. When he and Olivia returned home, they had come directly from the park and Noah's outerwear was a cold, wet mess. Olivia helped him out of his boots, snowpants, and parka and carried him to the master bathroom where she started him a jacuzzi bath. He bounced from foot to foot, waiting for the tub to fill up. By the time he was in the water, he'd dumped a third of the peppermint bubble bath into the water and his face was barely visible among the suds.

Ed poked his head in the bathroom and grinned at the sight. "Have a good time, bud?"

"Yep! But don't ask what we bought 'cause it's a secret!"

"I won't," Ed assured, "Did Pearl like the snow?"

"Oh YES! She loved it! I make a big pile and hide behind it and Pearl would come an' find me and bust RIGHT through da pile! Like dis!" Noah punched through the bubbles. "And Sare Bear put a sweater on her but Pearl didn't like it! Her fur makes her warm enough! And we gotta wear all dis stuff!"

"Yep. But you have good gear."

"Yeah, but Mommy still let me buy hot choc'lit. Justy made it too, but after da park we had another drink and now we're home but I'm really hungry!"

"Liv?" Ed called into the living room, "You didn't eat?"

"No," she came into the room with Wyatt on her hip and Maggie on her heels, "We had some snacks at Sarah's but this one," she leaned over and kissed Noah's wet head, "Was so in a hurry to go outside with Pearl we forgot we were hungry."

"I have some leftovers from our dinner…"

"...don't worry about it," Olivia gave him a kiss, "No big deal. Noah? Pizza?

"YES!"

Olivia kissed Ed again. "See? No big deal." She kissed Wyatt's cheeks and took Maggie by the hand, "C'mon, sweet twins. Let's pick out your books."

"Pee-ah, Mama?"

"No sweetheart." Olivia's voice got fainter as she and the twins drifted farther away from the bathroom. "You're going to bed."

"No BED!"

"Yes, bed."

"No, BED!"

….

Maggie skipped over to where Olivia and Ed were seated at the cafe on the other side of their favorite ride, Big Thunder Mountain. "We're gonna go again," she said breathlessly, "Noah and Wyatt are there, but I'm thirsty," she gulped water and practically threw the glass in Ed's direction, "Gotta go." She ran off to join her brothers who were waiting patiently near the fast pass line. Ed and Olivia amusedly watched the boys rib their sister and sass them back. Maggie had a reputation for always needing a drink wherever they were. She was rarely without a water bottle or a soda or a cup from one of the neighborhood cafes.

"Convenient their favorite rollercoaster is across from a bar," Ed remarked with a smirk. He sipped his beer and nudged Olivia's thigh with his knee.

"Very convenient," Olivia said. "And a lot different from the last time we were here."

Ed grinned. She was absolutely right. Instead of navigating around the park with a toddler, this time, Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt took the lead. They pored over the map and carefully read descriptions of rides and other attractions. They even made sure to take note of traveler reviews and to include a few rides they thought their parents might enjoy. The parents, however, were content to hang out in places like this western-themed restaurant and watch the youngsters snake through the line and appear in the exit chute.

"It's been a little surreal, huh"

"Has it been that obvious my head's been in the clouds?"

"Nah," Ed replied, "Not often. And I get it. It's hard not to think about how astronomical the odds were that we'd be here again," he nodded in the direction of the ride, "with those three."

The kids came sprinting over before Olivia could reflect any further. Their t-shirts were dotted with splashes of water. "Can we get the picture?" Wyatt sweetly asked. "It's really funny! We're all like this!" He opened his mouth, mimicking how he looked when he screamed.

"Sure," Olivia said.

Ed pulled out his wallet and handed Wyatt a few Euros.

"Want me to go with you?" Olivia asked.

Wyatt shot her a sheepish smile. He and his siblings were earnestly trying to speak French wherever possible, and he wasn't confident about navigating the photo purchase conversation even though all the workers at the park spoke English. "Yeah," he replied.

"I'll follow you."

Noah and Maggie took seats at the table and examined the laminated menus. "Dad are we going to eat here?" Noah asked. Suddenly he felt hungry and the tex-mex offerings looked appetizing to him.

"We can," Ed replied, "Maggie, whaddya think?"

"Got tacos," she said, "I looooooove tacos! But," she wrinkled her nose, "These French people know how ta make 'em?"

Ed chuckled softly and glanced around the dining area, "People here seem to be enjoyin' them."

"Okay," Maggie replied.

"But let's wait for Mom and Wyatt," Noah said.

"Can I get a drink though?" Maggie looked at Ed imploringly.

Amused, Ed nodded and pulled out his wallet again. A stranger would have thought Maggie was used to hearing "no" more often than not when the exact opposite was the case. "Noah, you want anything?" Ed asked.

"I'll wait."

Maggie trotted off with her Euros, leaving Ed and Noah at the table. "Was this Big Thunder Mountain the same as the one in Florida?" Ed asked.

"Nope," Noah said, "It goes inside a lot more and it goes faster," he shot Ed a wry grin, "Americans are so worried about lawsuits."

After a short burst of laughter, Ed replied, "Noah, my boy, you're absolutely right." He reached over and mussed the fourteen-year-old's hair. "You havin a good time?"

"Yeah," Noah replied, "But I'm glad there's only one day here. I like the city. I want to see some other parts, you know, parts where the real Paris people live and not just tourists."

"We can do that."

"Thanks. I know where and I know the subways."

"Good deal."

Maggie returned with a large soda right as Wyatt and Olivia returned with the photograph. Sure enough, the camera captured all three Tucker kids mid-scream. Their eyes were jubilant and a tiny bit fearful as they anticipated the impending plummet into the faux mine shaft.

"Now this is a perfect souvenir," Ed remarked.

"Pefecto!" Maggie exclaimed.

"We were talkin' about food," Ed said, "Want to eat lunch here or find someplace else?"

Wyatt and Olivia peered at the menu. "Looks fine to me," Olivia said.

"Me too," said Wyatt. "Better have some normal food before you make us have snails tonight." He glanced up at his family with his familiar half-grin, the expression he used when he thought something he said was funny but wasn't sure how others would respond.

"That's right, honey," Olivia said matter-of-factly, "Everyone has to try the snails tonight. That's the rule."

"Hey!" Maggie said, "No rules on vacation!"

"Now who said that?" Olivia asked.

Maggie bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders, "I just made it up."

"Travel rules according to Maggie," Noah murmured.

"That can be my app! We're gonna make apps in school this year and I can do that!"

Wyatt agreed. "That's a good idea," he said softly and with genuine encouragement.

"So you're ready for school to start?" Ed teased.

"NO!"

"Uh-uh."

"NO WAY!"

The Tucker kids all liked school for different reasons, but nobody ever outwardly balked at attending, at least not during the regular school year. However, summer vacation had just started and the rest of their European trip was ahead of them followed by a couple of weeks at the beach house. There was too much unbridled fun to be had on the horizon.

While the family ate their tex-mex, they chatted about the afternoon and then the next couple of days. When Maggie learned of Noah's suggestion that they explore some residential areas, she readily agreed.

"Yeah, 'cause we might wanna move here someday," she said casually, popping the last of a taco into her mouth. "Maybe for college."

Ed knew his daughter's innocent prediction stung Olivia. Even though sunglasses blocked his eyes, he gave her a reassuring wink and reached under the table to squeeze her leg above the knee. Those two gestures were all it took to bring her back to a cheerful mood.

"Mom?" Maggie asked, "You gonna go on Big Thunder Mountain one more time with me?" She hugged Olivia's arm and batted her eyelashes. Once again, the whole production was overkill, but Olivia ate it up.

"Of course, sweet girl," Olivia said. "Then what?"

"Then shopping!" Maggie replied, "Gotta buy a bunch of souvenirs!"

…..

Olivia returned from dropping Noah off at school, gulped the rest of her coffee from earlier that morning, and rushed to the bedroom to change clothes. The weekend had produced a flood of women needing the Benson Center's services, and her office manager, Sophie, had called her as she strolled hom, frantically requesting manpower, or, at least, triage advice.

"The problem," Olivia explained to Ed as she pulled on a sweater and jeans, her new go-to work attire, "Is that we're not solely affiliated with SVU. And the precincts realize this now, so, when they catch a DV or something, we're it. We're easier."

"They need to do their jobs," Ed grumbled.

"They are," Olivia replied, "But this way, while they investigate, the vics can get help sooner rather than later. And the detectives know where they are which, as you know, is sometimes half the battle."

Ed merely offered a faint, "yeah," in response. He wasn't in the best of moods. He hadn't slept well and woke up feeling like he was coming down with a cold. With Christmas coming in less than a week, there was too much to do and he was annoyed that he might be getting sick. To make matters worse, Olivia had had a bout of her own insomnia, and, instead of waking him up to burn off some of her energy, she'd left the bedroom and retreated to the sofa with her laptop. He found her that morning asleep on the couch, reading glasses still on, and the lifeless computer tented on her chest.

"Okay," Olivia had dabbed on some makeup and lipstick and twisted her hair back behind her head. "I'll be back in a little bit."

"Alright." Ed sneezed and swiped a tissue. His surly disposition was momentarily assuaged by the twins who were in their bedroom playing among the clutter and mimicked the achoo sound.

Alarmed by his watering eyes and splotchy face, Olivia raised her eyebrows and checked his forehead for fever, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem warm."

"Maybe a little head cold," Ed replied, "No big deal."

"Make sure you drink something," Olivia gave him a little shove, "Of the non-bourbon variety. And don't forget to eat. I could possibly be back before lunch. I can bring you something."

"Liv, I'm good. Go."

"MAGG GO!" The little girl's wisps of wavy brown hair slapped at her face as she bounced toward her mother, demanding that she be allowed to tag along. She was dressed almost identically to her mother, but her sweater was a lighter shade of blue.

"You want to go, sweetheart?" Olivia asked.

"YES! MAGG GO!"

Olivia eyed Wyatt who was paging through the stack of magazines in a bin next to the ottoman. He didn't seem the least bit interested in joining her, and Olivia figured that Ed might appreciate having only one kid to wrangle, especially if he wasn't feeling one-hundred percent. "Well, let's go then, Miss Maggie. You can come with Mommy."

"Liv, you sure that's a good idea?" Ed interjected.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Olivia asked.

"Just not sure the Center's the best place for a little kid right now," Ed replied in a calm voice.

"She's been there before. They all have."

"Yeah, but, you said it's gonna be crazy. You don't know who's comin' in, what they're dealing with, who might be comin' after them…I know it's safe, but…"

"...I get it," Olivia replied curtly. "You're right. Sorry, Maggs. You have to stay here."

Ed probably perceived the underlying anger in her tone as directed toward him, but later Olivia would realize her response came out as so acerbic because she was upset with herself for not recognizing the potential risks in bringing Maggie to the Center under these circumstances. At best, she wouldn't be able to watch her daughter as closely as she normally would. At worst, she could have walked her daughter right into a hostage situation.

"Magg Goooooooo!" Maggie frowned and stomped her foot.

The stomp caught Wyatt's attention. Realizing his sister was in some sort of distress, he bellowed her name and showed her a magazine cover picturing the muppets being pulled in Santa's sleigh. "Sanna!" He exclaimed, "Kermie, Mi'Pigg, Sanna!"

Sufficiently distracted, Maggie trotted over to Wyatt and they babbled to themselves, making up a story about the characters on the cover.

Ed gently held Olivia's wrists. "I just don't think it's a good idea," he said softly, "I don't have a bad feeling or anything, I-"

"Ed, you're right," Olivia gave him a peck on the lips and forced a smile, "I have to go, but I'll let you know about lunch after I get there and see what's going on."

Forcing down a cough and willing himself not to sneeze again, Ed smiled, nodded, and gave her hands a squeeze before letting them go. "If I can get them down for an early nap, I'll finish wrapping."

Olivia furrowed her brow, for she and Ed had done all the gift wrapping together. They always had. It was a late-night holiday tradition that almost always culminated with lovemaking on the floor, or the chair, or wherever they happened to be. But, she was already late and picturing poor Sophie at her desk, trying to figure out how to juggle ten intakes at once, so she ignored his passive-aggressive plan and smiled.

"If you want, that'd be great," she said.

Ed had expected her to protest, but he didn't show his surprise. He merely kissed the side of her head, told her to have a good day, and dove onto the bed, startling the twins on the other side, and sending them into a fit of shrieks and giggles.

…

#Tuckson

Dear Readers,

I am traveling out of the country for the holidays, so I probably won't update until 2020. I hope you all spend some time with family and friends and you have a very happy, Tucksony, New Year!