127.

Maybe it was her imagination, but Ed's entire body felt cold hours after he came down from the roof. Olivia hugged him with both arms under the covers and nestled her head under his chin. It had been a rougher-than-usual night, for Noah had a minor meltdown. School being cancelled was distressing enough, but when neither Ed nor Olivia could give him a solid return date, he cried. Olivia pulled him into her lap, rocked him back and forth, and promised they would call and video chat with Mia and his other close friends. She also pointed out that his teachers had plans in place to deliver lessons online, for one of Noah's tear-filled questions was, "How will I learn?"

Tired yet unable to sleep, Olivia held Ed more tightly and thought about the next day. She had already begun to condition herself to approach this crisis situation one day at a time. "Where are you meeting Gary tomorrow?" She asked, acting like meeting Gary was as ordinary as meeting Cole.

"Maxwell's."

"I wish I could be there."

Ed's body shook as he chuckled. He held the side of Olivia's head as he kissed her. "I'll be fine, Lieutenant." He remembered being in the trailer while she and the Crivello family were held hostage. The whole time he'd been focused, resolute, in control, but when he saw her emerge with a gun to her head, he nearly lost it. In a flash he had wondered what it would be like if they lost her, right there in the middle of the street. The mere thought of the devastation threatened to cripple him in front of everyone. When it was over and he escorted her to his sedan, he never wanted to let her out of his sight ever again. He-

"-What are you thinking about?" Olivia asked, her voice sweet and genuinely curious.

"How I wish you wouldn't worry about me."

"A wish, sir, that will probably never come true," Olivia replied with a bit of sass.

"We went through the script. And Gary can't be surprised I'm askin' to meet. He has to know something's up, that I've been contacted."

"Did you ask him about coming by here?"

"Yeah. He said he was in the neighborhood-"

"-of course he was-"

"Didn't faze him. Nothing fazes him, I mean, he was a tough cop. You don't last long in Vice if you're not, but, like I told ya, he has that invincibility complex. So he's gonna see meeting with me...he's gonna think I'm there to back him up, like he thinks I did all those years ago, so, Liv, I, uh, I really don't want you to hear what we might talk about…" Ed trailed off and massaged his forehead with his opposite hand.

Olivia stayed close. "Ed, I know what the good ole' boys club is like."

"Yeah, but, I don't like you being reminded that I was once a part of it."

"But you weren't," Olivia murmured, "Not really.

"No, not really, but I was great at pretending."

"Ed? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Nah. But I don't even want you to see the acting. How I'm going to have to be, it's not like being undercover, where everything is a lie you get used to living. I did live the single-guy cop life, Liv. I did drink with those guys, bullshit with 'em, all of it. And Gary and I always tossed around the idea of doin' what he's doin' now, going into the private sector, but once I was in IAB, I got comfortable. I liked it, and I didn't have money to put up, to take that kinda financial risk at that point in my life, so we drifted apart, and I was…"

"...happy?"

"No," Ed kissed the top of her head, "I could live with myself. And that was enough."

Olivia sighed. She adjusted her grip on his torso and pressed a kiss to his chest. "Promise me you'll get out of there if anything's off."

"First second of trouble, I'm outta there," Ed assured her, "I promise."

….

On the first day of at-home schooling, Noah woke up early, got his own juice, and went back to his bedroom. He turned on his laptop and sat at the desk. He navigated to Google Classroom and clicked on his first grade teacher's smiling face. All grades, from Kindergarten up, utilized the online learning platform in one way or another, so Noah was familiar with it and was already enrolled in his main class in addition to those run by the art and music teachers. To his delight, a video from his teacher was already posted.

"Good morning!" She said in a cheery voice common to all early elementary school teachers, "I am so happy you could visit me this morning!" Noah smiled at the screen and swung his bare feet back and forth. He listened intently and nodded in understanding as if he were seated in the classroom. After the brief announcements and instructions, he clicked on the first assignment, a reading lesson which also wove in some sage advice about friendship. Noah was almost finished with the brief passage when Olivia walked in.

She was pleasantly surprised to see how quickly and how well he'd adapted to this new situation in less than twenty-four hours. "Hey sweetheart," she put her hands on his shoulders and kissed the top of his head, "You got yourself all set up already?"

"Yeah," Noah said, "I jus' woke up so I'm gonna work."

"Okay," Olivia took a glimpse at the electronic worksheet, "Do you need help?"

"Nope! S'easy! But I think," Noah bit his lip and clicked back to his list of assignments, "Yep, got math and then science. Science is super hard."

"Well, I'll be back. I'm going to see if Maggs and Wyatt are awake and then, maybe we'll all have breakfast together?"

Keeping one hand on the mouse, Noah looked up at his mother and batted his eyelashes, "You think Daddy'll make us scrambly eggs?"

Olivia grinned, "I bet he will."

"Kay. Let me know when dose scrambly eggs are ready!"

"I will sweet boy," Olivia gave him a quick squeeze, "I'm so proud of you Noah," she whispered, "This is isn't easy, I know, but we're going to all stick together and get through it, okay?"

"Kay Mommy," Noah typed in his first answer even though Olivia was still nuzzling his cheek. "It's kinda fun doin' work in my p'jamas!"

Olivia giggled along with him. "I bet it is." She crossed the apartment to the twins' room and found them awake but still in their beds. They were tossing stuffed animals to one another, and, judging by their conversation, the area between the beds presented some sort of danger. When a bear bounced off Wyatt's bed and onto the carpet, they both shouted.

"UH OH!"

"UH OH! Uh oh, bear!"

"Good morning, Maggie and Wyatt," Olivia cooed from the doorway.

Wyatt held out his arms to be picked up and Maggie did the same. The twins didn't seem to want to put their feet on the floor. "What's here?" Olivia asked, stomping her bare feet on the carpet.

"Monsters!" Maggie bellowed.

"Monsters?"

Wyatt rapidly balled and unballed his fists. "Get me, Mama!"

Olivia collected both two-year-olds in her arms. She put them both on the changing table, swapped pull-ups, and mentally scolded herself and Ed for being so indifferent to potty training. While they were still and apparently afraid of getting down, she went ahead and dressed them in regular clothes-jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts. When she grabbed socks, Maggie scrunched up her face.

"No socks!"

"No socks!" Wyatt echoed.

Olivia grabbed their feet and kissed their faces. "Okay, sweet twins. No socks. We'll leave them right here in case your toes get cold." She carried them out of the room and into the kitchen where it was safe to get down. They heard Ed's voice in Noah's room and ran back there only to have Noah politely explain he was working and couldn't play.

Olivia screwed the tops on the twins' cups and laughed softly to herself. She and Ed, perhaps as a result of having careers with irregular hours, did not adhere to a strict schedule at home, but it was quickly becoming apparent that Noah was creating one of his own. It dawned on her that Noah's teacher probably sent some type of plan via email, so she accessed her account on her phone. Sure enough, the first grade team had sent a lengthy email the night before. She was halfway through it when Ed entered the room with two whiny, squirmy twins.

"They're not too happy about bein' kicked out," he said with a smirk. "Want breakfast?" He attempted to get them into their booster seats, but Maggie and Wyatt weren't very cooperative.

Olivia came over to help. "C'mon, sweethearts. Drink your juice. Daddy's going to make scrambled eggs and Noah will eat with us."

"Scambly eggs?" Wyatt asked, suddenly cheering up.

"Yup," Ed replied, "My famous scrambled eggs." He successfully slid Maggie into her booster seat. They gave the twins their drawing tablets to occupy them and he and Olivia went about preparing breakfast.

"Let's not forget to check in with Brooke today," Olivia said. "And your mom."

"We won't."

"And," Olivia went back to her phone, "Noah has a live session with his class at ten-thirty. I can't wait for that."

Ed dumped the raw eggs into the pan and stirred them around. "Twenty kids in a video chat? Sounds like chaos to me."

"I know," Olivia replied, "It's going to be very entertaining." She pictured the kids, all excited to see one another, trying to have their own side conversations. "His teacher has a two-week plan...do you think...do you think that's it? Two weeks and this is over?"

"I dunno," Ed replied, "Everyone's sayin' something different."

"Everyone?"

"On Twitter."

"Twitter?" Olivia and Ed both were aware of the social media platform and she had a rarely-used account. However, Ed eschewed most electronic communications other than text messaging, email, and Face Time which he only used when the family was separated by great distance.

"Yeah, Sarah sent me a link and it was on Twitter," Ed continued to whisk the eggs in the pan. There was a hint of pride in his voice, "So I'm EdTuckerNYC nineteen-sixty-seven."

"Oh my…"

"I followed you." Olivia chuckled and Ed glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "You gonna follow me back?"

Olivia sidled up to him and kissed his cheek. "Of course, Captain. I'll do that right now.

….

Expecting Olivia to answer the door, Ed made sure to stand up straight and let his eyelids droop a little in the way he believed made him look sexy. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets, waited, and admired his attire-black jeans and a casual gray oxford. He'd returned home from work in time to shower, and he could detect the faintest hint of soap and the aftershave gel Sarah gifted him for Christmas. It was the first time he'd used it and the evergreen, slightly minty scent was subtle enough to be tolerable. He hoped Olivia liked it. But, it was Lucy who answered the door.

"Hi Captain Tucker," she said in her characteristically cheerful voice. "Liv's still getting ready, but-"

"ED!" Noah shouted from his high chair where he was munching on his dinner.

"-We have a little guy excited to see you!" Lucy finished.

"Hey there Noah," Ed went over and examined the contents of the plate. "Good dinner? Looks like ya got some…"

"Turkey meatloaf," Lucy said.

Noah held up his plastic fork, and, to Lucy's shock, Ed took a bite of the smashed contents. "Yummy!" He exclaimed in a decidedly un-coplike voice. "I'm gonna go see Mommy for a minute, okay bud? Finish up your dinner."

"Kay!" Noah stabbed more food and jubilantly shoveled another bite into his mouth.

Ed sauntered to the back of the apartment, and, trying to be as quiet as possible, crept up behind Olivia. She was in the bathroom, leaning over the sink, and applying the final touches of her makeup. Because of the mirror he couldn't be totally inconspicuous, but Olivia let him approach as if she hadn't noticed him. He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

She took an exaggerated sharp breath and smiled at him in the mirror. "Mmmm, you smell good," she intoned, tilting her head back and inviting Ed to continue kissing her.

Warmth filled Ed's body. He momentarily forgot they had dinner plans. His kisses got sloppier and his hands drifted lower. Olivia didn't seem to mind, and Ed stopped only when he was distracted by the beeping of her curling wand. "What's that mean?" he asked, whispering directly into her ear and making her shiver.

"It means it'll automatically shut off in ninety seconds."

"Oh, well," he flipped a section of her hair, "Let it go. You look beautiful."

Olivia turned around and clasped her hands behind his neck. She smiled. "Thank you. Ed, seriously, you...you always make me feel beautiful, even when I'm not."

"You always are."

They kissed a few more times and Olivia punctuated the last smooch by wiping her freshly applied lipstick from Ed's lips. "Got a little on you."

"Lieutenant, I do not mind one bit."

"So, where are we going?"

Their destination mattered little to Olivia, but Ed had been slightly cagey about the plans earlier that afternoon when they spoke on the phone. She took the call in the squad room, expecting it to be related to Rollins' most recent stunt. However, when she answered, the first thing Ed said was "why so serious, Lieutenant?"

Ed sensed Olivia was weary of keeping their relationship under wraps. Case in point, during the entire Hank Abraham case, he often found her in close proximity. As they watched Hank in the interrogation room, he could feel her exasperated breath on his neck. On Valentine's Day night as they meandered along in search of a suitable bar, she'd clutched his arm and her grip got tighter and tighter with each step. They were falling in love whether they liked it or not. But they both really, really liked it. So, when he decided on the night's dinner locale, he prioritized the level of romance over privacy.

"Little fondue place, wine bar not far from here," he replied, "Kashkaval Garden? Heard of it?"

"I've passed it a lot," Olivia said, "Never been in."

"Well, let's go give it a try." Ed smirked and gave her another kiss on the cheek. "I'll let ya finish up in here."

"I'll only be a minute."

"Take your time." Ed went back to the living room and hung out with Noah and LUcy for another few minutes. Even though he seemed totally present, he was secretly excited, anticipating sharing a bottle of wine and a few small plates with his girlfriend in the cozy, brick-walled restaurant. The makings of a perfect night were in place. He couldn't wait to get started, and hoped Olivia would grab his arm again as they walked.

…..

Ed's day and his evening could not have been more incongruous. He stood on the corner in the chilly February night thinking about Olivia and the kids. The day passed quickly, as they often do when one is dreading what's happening the next day, or, in his case, at nine-thirty that evening. There had been plenty of laughs and cute moments. Noah's classroom meeting was, as predicted, adorably uncontrolled and loud. Once the teacher got everyone to stop talking, mute themselves, and use the hand-raising feature, it calmed down, but that didn't stop the students from waving and making silly faces. The twins were, for unknown reasons, obsessed with finding monsters everywhere, but they were distracted for a while with finger paint and playdough. The meeting with Gary was late enough for Ed to be able to help put everyone to bed, but, after Noah was tucked in, instead of changing into sweats and a t-shirt, Ed had to get ready to go out.

Olivia pretended to be intensely focused on cleaning the kitchen while Ed pulled on his coat and prepared to leave. He slowly buttoned the coat and shifted his weight from foot to foot, prolonging the goodbye as long as possible. Finally, he rounded the island and gave her a hug and kiss. "Couple hours," he said, "I promise I won't be long."

Swallowing hard, Olivia nodded, "I'll be right here."

They exchanged I love yous and Ed did his best to detect any hints of hesitation in her voice, but there were none. He needed to coach himself into fully realizing she didn't hold his mistake against him, but that would take some time. Right now, he had a job to do, and, on his way to the restaurant, he fully reverted back to the Captain Ed Tucker persona her knew well. When he stepped out of the cab and strode into the restaurant, he sensed his formidable aura return and he kind of liked it.

The majority of the night proceeded without any major hiccups. Ed and Gary reminisced about old times, recalled stories they'd told dozens of times, and updated one another about families and friends. When talking about his children, Ed almost forgot he was there on business. He gushed about Noah's precocious intelligence and the twins' burgeoning verbosity. He joked about being a father of toddlers and also having a one-year-old granddaughter. He spoke with pride about Sarah, Justin, Sonny, and Brooke. But after a few minutes, he saw that Gary wasn't paying attention. Then, they got down to business.

Every word that came out of Gary's mouth was incriminating. Ed, who had witnessed every degree and type of hubris, was shocked and sickened at Gary's questions and responses. Most troubling was his assumption that Ed was, undoubtedly, on his side. Gary rambled and Ed listened wearing a sem-smug expression so Gary believed his former partner was silently agreeing to everything he was saying. They were nowhere near a logical end to the evening and Ed was sure Rollins and the squad had enough for an arrest. Gary ordered another round; Ed wished Olivia would call, summoning him home. When he and Gary finally parted, Ed watched his SUV disappear around a corner and strode down the street to the portable command center. Rollins met him outside and collected his wire.

"Get everything?" He asked in a voice made more gravelly by the wind.

"Got it," Rollins said, passing the materials off to a CSU tech. "Thanks Tucker. Nice work."

There were no words to describe how annoyed Ed was to hear the patronizing "compliment" from Rollins, but he swallowed his pride and muttered his thanks. He followed her inside to wrap up and made sure to send a message to Olivia letting her know everything had gone off without a hitch and, more importantly, it was over. When he arrived back home, he barely remembered anything after he and Gary parted on the street. After that moment, he'd only wanted one thing.

To be home.

…

The three kids were perched on the edge of the coffee table watching updates on the hurricane churning in the Atlantic with its sights on the mid-Atlantic coast. Their eyes were glued to the cone and the computer models which predicted it striking somewhere along the North Carolina coast. Other than the water being choppier than usual, there was no indication anything was out of the ordinary in Bethany Beach. However, Maggie, Wyatt, and Noah were fascinated with the storm.

"We gotta have water and lots of food," Wyatt said, "But food we don't have to cook."

"Nonperishable," Noah said.

"You think the water's gonna come all the way up to the house?" Maggie asked.

Olivia stepped into the room. She wanted to turn off the television, but the kids were too locked in and surely would have mounted a convincing protest. "No, I don't think it will," she answered, "But we do need to make sure we have supplies like Wyatt said in case we lose power or the water isn't safe to drink. So Daddy's going to go out a little later."

"I want to go too," Noah said.

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

Maggie grinned. "Guess we're all goin!"

Olivia wandered out onto the porch where Ed was cleaning the grill and getting everything tidied up for the night. From the loveseat, Olivia watched him work. He took great care in wiping down the surfaces and scraping the barbecue grates. The tongs and skewers, once washed, were placed back on their respective hooks. When he crouched to make sure the gas was shut off, Olivia was treated to a glimpse of his bare lower back and she was immediately grateful that, at her age, she had a husband who was irresistibly sexy and equally crazy about her.

"Like watchin' me work?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yes I do."

He ducked inside for a beer, twisted off the top, and flicked it into the fire pit out in the yard. "Wind's kickin' up."

"Yeah...they're still watching the news. The models have it getting closer and closer to us."

Having experienced storms, particularly Sandy, first hand, Ed and Olivia knew not to take the potential of a hurricane lightly. Nevertheless, facing disaster, natural or otherwise, was easier as a team. Olivia's legs took up the entire length of the loveseat. Ed lifted them, sat down, and rested his forearms around her knees. "I'll get the shutters out tomorrow."

"What about the second story? We need to hire someone."

"Nah, we have a ladder."

"Ed, it's high...and you can't carry those things up the ladder, hold it, and screw them in!"

"You don't think we can do it from inside the house?"

"No, I don't."

He leaned down and kissed her, making sure she got a taste of the beer. "Okay, Olivia Benson Tucker. I'll call someone in the morning."

"And I told the kids we'd go to the store and stock up tonight."

"Good idea. Before the rush."

Olivia stared out at the rollicking ocean waves. "I hope it stays out there...turns somehow."

"We'll be alright, Liv. But, we'll also be prepared. So, what? The kids say we need booze and snacks?"

Olivia laughed. "You know them too well."

Ed took his own moment to gaze contemplatively at the water. "Ya know, I'm glad we're here, even with the storm comin'. Gonna have some clean up for sure...maybe a few days without power, but, uh, I'm, this might sound bad, I'm not really interested in goin' back to the city right now."

"If we get evacuation orders we should go."

"Of course. I'd never do anything to put our lives at risk" Ed replied, "But it's not forecast to strengthen much. I think we're safe. But, you say the word, we're gone."

"I think we'll be okay, too," Olivia said, "My gut's not telling me we need to get out of here."

"Well then," Ed smirked devilishly and gave her a longer, more passionate kiss, "Your gut'll keep us posted and, in the meantime, we'll stock up on all the junk food and drinks we can fit in the truck."

Olivia grinned. "Sounds good to me, Captain."

…...

Ed desperately wanted to be back with Olivia, but he also wanted a drink. Splitting the difference, he stopped at a liquor store on the way home, set a bottle on the counter and then, following the recommendation of the clerk, added a few more. The young man wasn't sure if the rumored closure orders would include businesses like his. He halfheartedly joked about liquor peddling being "essential" and Ed, with all seriousness, insisted it was.

He and Olivia stayed up late drinking and talking. As a result, they were both sluggish the next morning and grateful Noah was capable of getting himself started at the computer and the twins were still easily entertained with their stuffed animals and the gulf of monsters separating their beds. Ed made coffee and they sat on the couch watching the news. They were there when the President returned to address the nation. She was followed by New York's Governor and then its mayor. As predicted, all nonessential business were ordered to shutter by the end of the day. Food markets, delivery services, and pharmacies were still open, but, in a matter of hours, millions of people were faced with a completely different existence.

"God," Olivia murmured, "This is awful."

"At least they're guaranteeing benefits and paychecks to all of them," Ed pointed out. "Would be miserable without it."

"But still, these businesses…"

"I bet, by tomorrow, she has a plan. That's how she is. She's not gonna let anyone suffer."

"Hopefully everyone just stays at home like they're supposed to," Olivia said, "And this can end." Olivia stared at the news broadcast and the litany of experts and politicians who analyzed and offered commentary on everything from the stock market to opening makeshift hospitals in community centers and vacant buildings. The crisis hit suddenly, yet the government's response was swift, decisive, and set Olivia at ease.

Until Ed took a sip of coffee and coughed sharply when it went down the wrong pipe.

"Ed, honey-"

"-I'm fine Liv."

"No, that's not what I mean," She had been sitting next to him under his arm but she sat up and looked him in the eyes. "We should call the doctor. I'm worried about your lung-that spot."

"Scan came back clear, Liv. Nothin' to worry about."

"But you have to be more at risk than the average person."

"Maybe I am," Ed replied, careful not to make his response sound like he was callously dismissing her concern, "But we've been careful. I was careful last night. And we'll continue to be careful. No unnecessary goin' out. It's going to be okay, Liv. A little different, but okay. And," he playfully yanked on her arm so she fell back into him, "I don't mind bein' locked in at home with you."

Olivia laughed and kissed under his jaw. "I feel like hell," she said, "We need to behave."

"Ah...good to misbehave every once in a while."

They heard Noah's footsteps and craned their necks to where he was skipping in from his bedroom. Ed and Olivia clenched each other's arms instead of bursting into laughter. Noah had dressed himself in his full school uniform, shoes and all. "Sweet boy!" Olivia said, "Are you taking a break from your work? What do you have today?"

"Was doin' my math," Noah said, "We gonna have breakfast?"

"Of course, bud. Was waitin' for Maggie and Wyatt to get outta bed."

"Babies lazy." He paused and listened. Maggie and Wyatt were shrieking, laughing, and excitedly chattering at each other.

"Pretty nice to be two, huh, bud?" Ed asked.

"Yeah...those babies should learn a little, too. We gotta teach 'em some new stuff later."

"Okay, pal."

"And," Noah grinned, "It's Friday! Movie night!" He scrunched up his face and asked, "C'we still order pizza?"

"We sure can," Olivia said. "I have a feeling we might be ordering a lot of pizza in the next couple of weeks. What movie do you think you'll want to watch?"

"I know which one," Noah said. "Daddy, I saw it on your iPad last night." Ed handed over the device and Noah quickly tapped and swiped. "Here it is! Animal House!"

This time, Ed and Olivia couldn't contain their laughter. "I think we might have to choose another one, bud," Ed managed to say.

"Why?"

Olivia pulled him into her arms, "Because that's an adult movie," she explained.

"But it says animal!"

"I know. But sometimes people who make movies for grown ups borrow kid words."

"Do they ask da kids if they can use the words?" Noah touched Olivia's nose with his own.

"I don't know honey."

"They prolly did," Noah stated confidently.

"Probably," Olivia replied, "Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Toast with peanut butter please," Noah said. "Oh! And, c'we call Pearl?"

"Call Pearl?"

"Yeah, Sare Bear sent me a pic'ture of her and said she misses me!"

"Sure sweetheart," Olivia said, "After we eat, we'll give Pearl a call."

….

#Tuckson