107.

School on the last day before break was only a half day, and by the time Olivia made it home from dropping Noah at the front doors it seemed like it was time to pick him up again. He reported his teachers loved their presents and they spent most of their three hours together cleaning out areas of the classroom and writing "r'flections." Olivia asked what those were about and Noah answered, matter-of-factly, "They're about what you did good and what you wanna do better. And, what was fun and what was not fun!" When Olivia probed him for the details on his "not fun" response, he replied that the only not fun part of school he could think of was inside recess.

At home, Noah had no trouble deciding how to spend the afternoon. He brought the gingerbread house kit Sarah purchased for him to the table and unpacked the contents. Olivia sat down and helped him get the basic structure started. Intrigued, the twins ran over and clambered to get into their booster seats. Noah invited them to help, but quickly changed his mind. In a matter of two minutes, one side of the house imploded and the twins were sugary, sticky messes.

"Mommy!" He shouted, "These babies are not helping!"

Olivia whirled around in time to catch a glimpse of Wyatt biting into the semi-stale gingerbread. Maggie was intently trying to unwrap a candy cane. "Come here you two," Olivia scooped Maggie and then Wyatt under each of her arms, "Come over here and make your own house."

"You got another kit?" Noah asked.

"No," Olivia plopped the twins on the tile floor and laid a large placemat between them, "But we have some plain sugar cookies and frosting. That'll do."

Ed came into the room, stopped at the table, and added a few gumdrops to the roof. He then rounded the island and almost stomped on the twins and their mess. "Whoa," he said, spinning past them with his arms in the air, "Whatcha got goin on here?"

"Cookie, dah!" Maggie said. She offered Ed a fistful of crumbs and frosting.

"No thanks baby girl." Ed laughed and watched Wyatt smear frosting all over one cookie until it was completely covered then stick it on the cabinet door. Proud of himself, he looked up at Ed and smiled triumphantly. "Good job, pal. Very festive." He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and leaned against the counter.

Olivia returned and draped two Christmas-themed hand towels over the oven handle. "I completely forgot about these," she said.

"It's not the holiday season unless we have the proper linens."

"That is correct, sir." Olivia patted his belly. Normally, she would have given him a quick kiss, but she was upset that he'd taken the twins to Rockefeller Center, or, rather, she was upset he hadn't told her about it. "Do you...want to all go see the tree today? We're running out of time."

"Sure," Ed replied. "Couple hours?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, "That should give us enough time to get these two cleaned up." She peeked around the corner at Noah, "How are you doing, sweet boy?"

"Good! Fixed da wall!"

"I'll come and be your assistant in a minute."

"Kay!"

Olivia took a deep breath, turned back to Ed, and blurted out the question that had been smoldering in her mind. "Why didn't you tell me you took the twins to the tree?"

Ed had not intentionally kept the information from his wife, but the pain etched on her face suggested she believed the omission was both intentional and malicious. "Liv, I, uh," Ed closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. This explanation was not off to a great start. "I didn't think about it in time to tell ya that day. We were out wandering around, it was a nice day and I took 'em over. It'll be different now, at night. And then I had to go to my ma's...I just...forgot."

Olivia pressed her lips into a straight line. She wanted to be angry, but, with the sound of the twins delighting in their mess and Noah singing a mishmash of Jingle Bell lyrics, it was impossible for her to summon the tiniest bit of rage.

"Liv, I didn't mean to keep it from you," Ed dared to hold her wrists. "I really didn't."

"I believe you," she replied. "It just seems like...life is getting in the way of so much these past few weeks."

"Maybe it is. But, how about, right now...we make these gingerbread houses, or," he glanced down at the twins who now had frosting and cookie in their hair. They had also "decorated" three more cabinet panels. "Whatever that is they're making and then we'll head out."

"Okay." Olivia leaned in and kissed him. "I love you, Ed Tucker."

It felt so good to hear those words and feel her lips against his-the kiss was tender and loving, far from the perfunctory pecks they'd been exchanging lately. "I love you, too," he replied in a shaky voice. "I'm sorry, Liv."

She put an index finger to her lips, "Right now, remember?"

"Right." His familiar smirk returned, "And, uh, I guess you called the least messy kid…"

"I did," Olivia crouched and cooed to Maggie and Wyatt, "Sweethearts, Daddy's going to help you with your house, then we're going to see the tree all lit up."

"See Buddy?" Wyatt asked.

"Buddy?"

"Yeah," Ed clarified, "From Elf. He was there, uh, well, last time."

Ed winced. Olivia's eyes briefly clouded. But they soldiered on through the evening. She helped Noah finish the house. Ed collected the twins and started wiping them down before they "redecorated" another cabinet door. And, as the city came alive in all its Christmas-lit glory, they put on happy faces and made their annual trek to Rockefeller Center, hoping the magical sight of the enormous tree, and, most likely, the Saks Christmas Windows, would help narrow the gulf that had grown between them.

….

Over in Brooklyn, Sarah entertained Sofia while Brooke prepared meals in the kitchen. Sonny's mother was not feeling well and had farmed out Christmas cooking tasks to all family members while she convalesced.

"Is she dying?" Sarah asked, genuinely concerned, "I can't believe she gave her recipes to an outsider." While she chatted she sat in the middle of Sofia's Fisher Price garden and slid plastic envelopes through the mail slot. Sofia giggled and sent them right back, each time with more force.

"Um, I'm hardly an outsider," Brooke replied curtly, "I'm married to her son and bore her grandchild."

Sarah screwed up her face, "That sounds so weird...and a little, um, crude when you put it that way. But, seriously, what's wrong with her? Still the flu?"

Brooke slid a casserole dish into the oven, checked directions, and then took it back out and secured foil around the edges. "She had the flu right after Thanksgiving and it turned into Bronchitis and then pneumonia. She's supposed to be discharged today. Hopefully being out of the hospital will at least cheer her up."

Thinking about hospitals induced bone-chilling memories for Sarah. They were places of immense joy but, more often, they represented death, as they had for her mother and now, possibly, for Mrs. Carisi.

"Not so sure about that," Sarah joked, "Staten Island actually might be a step down if she was in a nice hospital."

Brooke rolled her eyes. Sarah sat Sofia on a small ride-on bus and Brooke warned her sister to only let Sofia take a couple of laps around the room. "The people downstairs can hear it," she explained, "They've been nice but I can tell they're getting annoyed with little feet pattering around here all day."

"She's one," Sarah said, "How much can they hear?"

"They can hear it," Brooke replied, "Especially when she stomps around in my shoes!"

Sarah laughed. She picked up her niece and swung her around in the air. Sofia's straight blonde hair was held back with a plastic barrette, but a few stray sections clung to her cheek which was sticky with candy cane. "Well, I must add some gorgeous kicks to your Christmas present, missy!" Sarah cooed at her. "Or maybe some sandals for your tropical trip. Hey, is Sonny okay leaving his mom?"

"He is," Brooke unwrapped a package of Italian sausage and dropped it in a frying pan. As she replied she stabbed the meat furiously with a spatula, breaking it down into miniscule pieces. "Or he's pretending to be. He kind of has to be. We didn't buy trip insurance or anything. And it'll be nice to get away before he starts the new job."

"Ahhh, Hawaii," Sarah gushed in her familiar dramatic fashion, "I wanna go."

"You'll be at your neglected condo."

"Neglected is right. I haven't even rented it out. It's just been sitting there."

"Do you even have towels and sheets?" Brooke held up a pan streaked with tomato sauce, "Cooking stuff?"

"Yes, Noey and I hit Target pretty hard when we were there, but I'm sure I'll have to buy some other things. At least we can control the temperature and everything remotely. I hope you and Sonny don't mind if Grandma's in your room."

"We haven't even been there," Brooke pointed out, "I don't know our room."

"I sent you pictures!"

Brooke rolled her eyes again. "And I appreciate it. But...I'll need some alone time with it in order to make that first special connection."

Sarah knew Brooke was sassing her, but she pretended to take the response seriously and gave her a solemn nod. "And I'm going to give Daddy and Liv the room on the side by themselves," she said, "I'm worried about them."

"Why?" Brooke turned the burners to simmer and finally took a break. She re-tied her short ponytail on top of her head and waited for Sarah to fill in the blanks.

"At Noey's concert, I could tell something was up. Like, Livvie was on her phone a lot and Dad was getting that look, you know the one where he almost dislocates his jaw he sticks it out so far? And then after, they were just, um, icy with each other. So when I took Noey home I lucked out and got Liv alone and she said they were busy and hadn't had much time together, but I feel like there's something else wrong."

Even though Sarah delivered her anecdote with utmost urgency and desperation, Brooke was barely moved. "Doesn't sound like a huge deal," she said. Sarah's eyes almost popped out of their sockets and Brooke chuckled in a patronizing way. "You live in fantasyland when it comes to them," she continued. "Being married with kids is hard. Shit, being married without kids is hard."

"I'm married without kids! And with a dog!"

Brooke sighed. Almost all serious conversations with her sister followed a predictable pattern-Sarah dissected the topic through rosy lenses and then Brooke had to shove her into the orbit of reality with brutally honest truth. "Do you at all remember marriage number one?"

Sarah grimaced as if she'd eaten something incredibly sour.

"That marriage was hard for you," Brooke said softly. "And you were lucky. You got out of it before it got really bad and before you and Jeff had kids or bought a house or did anything really permanent. Now, well, maybe you and Justin will go through life not having any major hurdles, but most likely, you'll have to deal with something down the road."

"I guess…" Sarah stared forlornly at Sofia.

"And you've always held Dad and Olivia in crazy high regard, but they're human. And they have stuff to deal with too, like the rest of us."

"Well, I don't like seeing it," Sarah snapped, "They need to get it together because I cannot handle them not being all I love you, no I love you, no I love you more, no, I love you the most…"

Brooke shook her head and laughed, "They do not sound like that."

"Yes they do!" Sarah insisted. "And it's my favorite thing in the world!"

…

Noah narrated the story of the erstwhile "love lock" tradition on the Pont des Arts in Paris. Maggie and Wyatt listened intently and their eyes grew wide as they imagined forty-five tons of padlocks affixed to the bridge's railings. Enraptured by the romantic details, Maggie sighed and vowed to one day restart the tradition.

"You'll get in trouble," Wyatt said.

Unbothered, Maggie countered, "Maybe I'll marry a prince and we'll be prince and princess and then nobody can get us in trouble."

"They don't have princes and princesses anymore in France," Noah said.

"Somewhere they do!"

While their children debated Maggie's chances of landing a prince for a husband, Ed slid an arm around Olivia's waist and planted a few kisses along her jawbone. They gazed out at the Seine and commented on the gorgeous scenery. The trees were in full bloom and their bright green leaves were a perfect contrast to the stately architecture in the distance.

"We have to get a picture of all of us," Olivia said.

"We will," Ed eyed the groups of tourists, searching for someone he could trust with the family's Nikon. "In a few minutes." With an index finger her turned Olivia's face toward his and kissed her on the lips. "This is a great spot," he whispered.

"The best."

Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt were taking turns holding silly, contorted poses and making faces for iPhone photos of their own, and Ed and Olivia laughed. For the kids, the European vacation offered a brand new adventure every day, and Ed and Olivia quickly became enamored with seeing Paris through their young eyes. On another level, though, the trip represented how far they'd come as a couple and reminded them how much they treasured the precious family they'd built.

"Mom," Maggie galloped over to her parents and handed them her phone, "C'you take a picture of us, but, we're gonna count, one, two, three, and jump and then you take the picture, okay?"

"Sure."

It took several takes, but, out of the dozens of snaps Olivia took, there were two or three the trio deemed acceptable. Olivia made sure to send them to herself before handing over Maggie's phone. A few minutes later, Ed stopped an acceptable stranger who was carrying and impressive-looking camera of her own, and asked her to take their family photo. She graciously waited for the pictures to be approved before moving on.

"Merci," Olivia said, grinning.

The woman returned her smile and said "Pas problem!" before scurrying off on her own mission.

The kids clambered to see the screen.

"That's a really good one," Maggie said.

Wyatt nodded, "Yeah...and nobody has their eyes closed!"

Noah agreed. He looked at it for an extra second, noticing how he'd grown taller recently. The family pictures around their home were all at least a few months old and his head now came up to his mother's shoulders. He stood between his parents with his arms around Maggie and Wyatt. The twins leaned into his chest. Blissful smiles were plastered on the kids' faces. Ed and Olivia oozed with happiness and pride.

"Mom," he said, "We should get one of those frames with all the different sections when we get back."

"Good idea."

"Because I think it would be funny to have this picture next to the one from last night."

Olivia laughed. Before the Tuckers dug into their feast which included frog's legs, escargot, and oysters, they all pretended to be horrified for the camera. "Perfect juxtaposition," she remarked. "We'll do it."

"What's juxt'position?" Wyatt asked.

"It means putting two things next to each other," Ed answered.

"Oh, well," Maggie started skipping ahead, "Let's juxt'position us with some ice cream!"

Noah looked up at his parents, "I don't think that's right…"

"Not exactly," Ed replied with a grin.

"But we get it," Olivia said, "And I agree. Whaddya say, Daddy? Ice cream?"

Even on a crowded bridge teeming with tourists, Olivia could still render Ed weak-kneed and nearly speechless. Ed smirked, grabbed her hand, and answered with his go-to response.

"Whatever you want."

…

Eyes wide with disbelief, Olivia glanced back and forth from Ed to the clock when she realized they still had three large presents to wrap and, in fifteen minutes, it would technically be Christmas morning. Ed started to apologize, for he had taken it upon himself to complete most of the presents, but Olivia waved it off before he uttered a full word.

"C'mon," she said, "Let's get started."

Once the large boxes were covered with paper, they carried them out and wedged them beside the others. They stood, arms akimbo, and temporarily forgot about everything but the anticipation of seeing the kids' reactions in the morning. Ed tentatively stepped toward his wife and gently moved a section of her hair aside so he could kiss her neck. Nervous, his hands trembled ever so slightly and didn't stop even when Olivia leaned into him and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Merry Christmas, Ed," she intoned in a deep, sultry voice.

"Merry Christmas, Liv," he replied. "I love you baby."

"I love you."

Since they'd been married, not one Christmas Eve had passed without late night lovemaking, and this evening was no exception. Whatever friction that still existed was temporarily set aside, and they fell onto the bed, hungry and desperate to reignite their shared passion for one another. Earlier, in front of the tree, when he'd dared to kiss her, Ed was worried they'd merely go through the motions and that the sex would, perhaps, satiate a physical need but be lacking in emotion. Though there were very few words exchanged, Ed held her afterward as she fell asleep and firmly believed they were back on track. However, he struggled to sleep for most of the night and waited until it was absolutely necessary to wake Olivia so they could get dressed before the kids arrived.

Barely opening her eyes, she whined and stretched. "Will you bring me something?"

"Sure."

"Thanks," she replied sleepily, "I don't want to leave this spot."

Ed stroked her face and gave her a soft kiss, "That's really good to hear," he said. "Be right back."

…..

"You know," Olivia said sassily as she sat on the decades-old diner stool Tucker had saved for her with his coat, "You are the most stereotypical cop I've ever met in my life." She peeled the small plastic menu from the worn vinyl countertop to make room for the promptly delivered coffee.

Always game for being needled by Benson, Ed put down his newspaper, pursed his lips, and regarded her with raised eyebrows. "That right?"

She handed over his coat and removed her heavy gray trench. "Yes," she replied with a little wave, "This place, the bars, takeout, practically living out of your office-do you have a cot in there, by the way?" Olivia grinned and sassily flipped her hair.

"I'm considering it."

"You do have those extra suits there." Olivia had recently taken a peek into Tucker's office while at IAB to answer a few pro forma questions about the undercover operation she and her squad conducted on Super Bowl Sunday.

"And shoes."

"You're all set then."

Ed nodded his thanks to the server who refilled their mugs. "You gonna eat?" He asked Olivia.

"Sure." Olivia took a quick glance at the menu and ordered scrambled eggs and toast.

"Same for me," Ed said, "But add bacon. Crispy. And hashbrowns. Also crispy. Oh, and the eggs over easy."

The annoyed looking server went to put in the order, and Olivia broke into quiet laughter.

"What?" Ed asked.

"That guy's wondering how the two of you could have such wildly different definitions of the word 'same'."

Ed smirked and sipped his coffee. He saw something in the paper pique Olivia's interest and followed her eyes to a short article about AJ Martin, the former NFL star who was convicted of charges relating to an assault on his girlfriend.

"AJ Martin in protective custody after brawl," Olivia read from the subtitle. She read no further and slid the paper back in Ed's direction. "Not surprised."

"He wasn't gonna all of a sudden not be violent," Ed remarked.

"I didn't think he'd be so stupid," Olivia said, "But then again he still thinks he's above the law."

"Probably not his last time locked up."

"Probably not." Olivia shook her head ruefully and caught a glimpse of Ed. For a split second, he looked unsure of himself, maybe even nervous. The conversation had hit a dead end and he wasn't sure how to proceed. "Hey," Olivia said brightly, coming to his rescue, "I forgot to ask you. Did you win any money on the board?"

Ed visibly relaxed. "The Super Bowl board? Hell no. Not even close. I have horrible luck."

"Yeah?"

His cheeks burned. She was flirting with him and proud of herself for making him blush, smiling triumphantly as she waited for a response.

"Well, bad luck with those types of things."

The food arrived then, much to Ed's relief. They passed ketchup and salt and pepper shakers back and forth and made more small talk. Ed asked about Noah, and Olivia reported the social worker finally seemed to be relenting a bit. She joked that Noah was probably glad that her vacation was over, for the week she'd spent at home was filled with trips to museums, the library, and swimming lessons.

"Every night," she said, "He was out like a light."

"I'll bet," Tucker replied.

"What about you?" She asked, "Any time off coming up?"

"Nah. Well, depends on what my daughters are doing and if I'm invited or just bankrolling."

Olivia couldn't tell if Ed was simply being truthful or if there was a slight hint of injury in his voice. Whenever he talked about his daughters, it seemed like they got along well. Then again, Ed Tucker wasn't the type of guy to waste time playing games, so it was likely he saw room for improvement when it came to his relationship with his two girls.

"Aren't all parents perceived as a bank at some point?"

"Yup. Even when they have careers of their own, apartments…" Ed smirked, "See what you have to look forward to?"

Olivia chuckled softly, "I'm sure it'll be a fun adventure."

"Yeah," Ed made sure to make eye contact, "I'm sure it will be."

…..

When Noah opened his eyes it was pitch black in his room, save for the New York Knicks nightlight plugged in next to his desk. It took a few seconds for him to realize this was not just another morning, and, when he remembered it was Christmas, he catapulted out of bed and ran into the living room.

His hand flew to his mouth. Under the tree, presents were stacked, leaned against one another, and some reached midway up the branches. The family's stockings bulged with smaller items, and Noah resisted the urge to peek at his. Next he checked the food and drink they'd left for Santa, and, sure enough, the plate and glass were empty save for a few crumbs and, this year, Santa had left a note written in fancy script.

Thank you, Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt. The reindeer and I were very hungry. Merry Christmas. S. Claus

"Wow," Noah whispered.

There wasn't much time to examine anything else, for waking Maggie and Wyatt was imperative. Careful not to startle the twins with loud noises, he crept into their room and left the door open, allowing in the muted light from the living area.

"Maggs? Wyatt? Santa came!"

The twins were sound asleep. Noah went to Maggie first and jostled her shoulders. "Wake up, small sister! S'Christmas!"

Maggie smacked her lips and rolled over, clutching her baby. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw Noah, she shot into a seated position. "Sanna?"

"Yep!" Noah said, "Santa came!"

While Noah and Maggie worked on waking Wyatt, Ed, having heard Noah get up, woke Olivia up for the second time that early morning and pulled her into the living room. They were just in time to see the three children emerge from the twins' room. When Maggie and Wyatt saw the haul of presents, they screamed, giggled, and jumped up and down.

"SANNA!"

"SAN' bring 'pesent!"

"San-TA! San-TA!"

When the twins finally noticed their parents, their eyes grew wide and they pointed at the tree.

"Pesent, MA!"

"Dada, Sanna!"

"Ho, ho, ho!"

Then, mesmerized, the trio circled the tree, curiously assessing the shapes of the boxes. Olivia sat cross-legged on the rug and watched them with a sweet smile on her face.

"Well," Ed said, "Whaddya say we go back to bed? Maybe open 'em later?"

"NO DADDY!" Noah exclaimed before he realized Ed was joking. He started giggling at his mistake and fell to the floor next to Olivia, convulsing in laughter.

Ed crouched beside them. "Big haul, huh?"

Noah didn't have a chance to respond.

"PIE!"

"BAY PIE!"

Noah lifted his head, "Uh-oh."

Noah pretended to be terrified at the incoming baby pile and he braced himself to absorb the weight of the two-year-olds. Maggie and Wyatt climbed on him, then on Ed and Olivia.

"Itsa Christmas baby pile!" Noah shouted.

Ed and Olivia exchanged a quick, tender glance.

"Yes it is, sweet boy," Olivia cooed. "Best way to start the day."

…...

#Tuckson