148.

Justin dutifully sat out small plates, silverware, and napkins on the island, and a few minutes before guests were supposed to arrive he added the platters of bacon wrapped dates, shrimp cocktail, and cheese empanadas which his mother made in bulk on Saturday nights. He performed modified push-ups against the counter and entertained himself by watching his wife fluff pillows and run a dustbuster over the couch. They had tried and failed to train Pearl not to jump on the furniture and always forgot to lay down a blanket or a sheet for her when she parked herself on a cushion.

"It's fun, huh?" Justin gestured toward the dustbuster.

"It really is!" Sarah teased Pearl with the small appliance and sashayed her way to the hall closet to attach it to the wall charger. "It was a really good idea to invite the others," she said. "I don't want it to be obvious I'm trying to set up G and Lloyd."

"I don't think G would've appreciated a double date," Justin replied, "You have a good heart, babe, but that setup would be uncomfortable for anyone. Have you ever been in that situation before? It's so awkward."

"It is," Sarah admitted, "I just got excited. I'll apologize to her. You saved me once again! And, I'll be so glad to meet Brianna and Cara. I really need to know the gals who are working so closely with my man."

Justin grinned and pulled at his black, curly hair, "Cara's married, to a woman, and Brianna, I'm pretty sure, really likes Keith-"

"-the professor?"

"Yeah," Justin laughed, "It's not gonna go anywhere, but wait, you'll see."

"Thirsty?"

"In the academic sense, yeah," he said, "Very thirsty."

"Well," she said, "This could be a very interesting evening! So much romantic tension! It's like our very own Netflix show."

"Hey, speaking of, I read that Wyatt's show is gonna start filming again. Is he in more episodes?"

"Good question," Sarah chewed a hangnail, "Probably, I mean, the character's kid isn't just going away. And who wouldn't want Wyatt on the show? He's gorgeous!"

"Do you think your Dad and Olivia are really gonna let him keep acting?"

"No way," Sarah leaned on the counter on her elbows and a dreamy expression formed on her face, "But gawwwd, I can totally see Wyatt as a movie star."

"A lot of those kids end up real messed up."

"Wyatt wouldn't," Sarah said, "First sign of trouble, Daddy would knock someone out."

Justin laughed. "I was gonna say it'd be Olivia throwing the punches."

"Yeah," Sarah giggled, "You're probably right."

…..

Ed growled and crawled from the foot of the bed up to Olivia and started kissing her neck. She continued working at her laptop, pausing only to adjust her reading glasses, and masked any arousal induced by her lustful husband.

"I'm thinking we should do some sort of dinner as a fundraiser in, maybe, late September," she said. The initial Benson Center start-up donations were dwindling and, even though Olivia was now donating all profits from her book, demand was outpacing the Center's financial resources. "That's enough time to get the word out, to schedule a really terrific slate of speakers, maybe even have some type of auction."

"Auction," Ed mumbled, "We can sell some of the kids' stuff."

Olivia chuckled. Every year Noah's school held a benefit auction and Ed loved scrolling through the items and balking at the astronomical price of what, to him, appeared to be hastily scrawled sketches and simplistic photographs. "That actually might not be a bad idea," she said, "Showcasing the art of the city's children? For a charitable cause? I really like that. I wonder what G would think."

"Why are we talking about G?"

"That's her job, Ed."

"Oh. Yeah."

Ed mirrored his wife's patience and continued kissing around her upper body.

"I'm going to see if she can meet for coffee soon." Olivia grabbed her phone, sent a text, and set the device back on the charger. One of the kids must have gotten a hold of the phone between dinner and bathtime and the battery was extremely low.

"Thought she was busy?"

"I'm not asking her to actually take on the project. I'd like to run some ideas by her and get her feedback. I've attended all kinds of these types of things before but I've never actually had to think about organizing one."

Ed stopped kissing for a second, lifted his head, and locked eyes with her. "You're gonna be great."

Olivia peeled off her glasses. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Ed descended on her neck once again, "You think we can, uh, organize, somethin' in here that doesn't involve a laptop? Or anything but you and me?"

"I think we can do that." She closed the computer and set it on the nightstand. "There. Happy?"

"I woulda been happy to watch you work for another hour."

She rolled her eyes and put her arms around him. "You are so full of shit sometimes," she said, "But I love you."

…..

The mini-party was in its second hour and G had neither shown up nor returned Sarah's text messages. Sarah excused herself for a few minutes and went downstairs to see what was going on. G was dependable and responsible and it wasn't like her to blow off a commitment or ignore a call. Sarah knocked on the door and listened carefully. She knocked again. Finally, footsteps tracked toward the door and G opened it slowly.

"Hey," Sarah said, "We miss you upstairs!" It was dark in G's apartment save for a glow that was probably coming from the television or computer.

"I am so sorry," G said, her eyes fell and she was embarrassed at her threadbare pajama pants. "I had a really hard day...I can't do a party tonight."

Sarah's face softened. "It's no big deal," she said, "Are you...are you okay? Do you need anything? Want me to bring you some food at least?"

"No. I'm fine. I just need a little peace and quiet tonight."

"Okay, well, you have my number and you know where we live if you change your mind," Sarah started to turn and head for the stairs but she stopped and spun back around, "Seriously. You're sure you're okay?"

G nodded. "Like I said. Long day."

"Alright," Sarah sighed, "See you later.

A lump had formed in G's throat, so she nodded and quietly closed and locked the door. She fell back onto her couch and covered herself with the throw blanket her grandmother had knitted for her years ago when she moved to New York. A few minutes after resuming her show, her phone lit up with a notification.

G reached for it and murmured, "Olivia?" She was annoyed, thinking that Sarah had, after consuming a few drinks, asked her "Livvie" to try and convince G to join the party. But, that didn't sound like something Olivia would agree to do.

It wasn't.

I have an event coming up in the fall, Olivia had typed, I'd like to talk about some possibilities. Are you available in the next few days?

G laughed. "I'm certainly in high demand with the Tuckers," she mumbled to herself. She responded and tossed the phone aside. Briefly, she considered changing her mind and going to the party, but it had been near-torture to drag herself off the couch to answer the door. Getting dressed, applying makeup, and socializing was asking too much. Sarah seemed more concerned than mad, so there would be other invitations. Even though G decided to take it easy, she felt an obligation to come up with ideas for Olivia's event. They'd discussed nothing, but G desperately did not want to disappoint her.

…

The Tuckers grabbed juices and iced coffees and strolled to the marina to see off the Cragens on the morning after the surf-and-turf dinner and bonfire. Ed recouped some of the ego he'd lost on the sailboat and, as Noah promised, perfectly prepared the steak and lobster. He also observed with pride when Wyatt arranged the bonfire logs and checked in with Ed after each placement to make sure he was doing it correctly. Maggie politely offered s'mores ingredients to everyone. She speared Ed's marshmallow for him and handed it over with a jaunty, "here ya go, Daddy." With the entire family there, plus friends, there was a lack of chairs, so Olivia spread out one of the beach mats and Ed got to sit next to his wife the entire night.

It was a little weird when Wyatt waved to Cragen and shouted, "Hiya, Captain!" But the kids never used their parents' former titles and Ed very much preferred "Dad" or "Daddy."

"After ya park in New Jersey where ya goin?" Maggie asked.

"We'll stay a few days in the city and then fly back to Florida," Eileen replied.

"Are you going to make it all the way there today?" Noah asked.

"No," Cragen replied, "We could if we pushed it, but we're not in a rush."

"Your trip sounds so fun," Noah said, "Wy, we should get a sailboat-"

"-or we could do it on jet skis!" Maggie interjected.

The kids wandered to the bow and debated the merits of jet-ski and sailboat east coast trips, and the amused adults eyed their animated conversation while they began goodbyes. "Liv, Ed, I gotta tell ya-"

"-Don!"

Cragen held up his hand, "Don't worry, Eileen."

"Uh-oh," Ed grumbled good-naturedly.

Cragen started again, "I gotta tell you, I didn't understand the two of you together at first. But at the wedding, I got it. I think everyone did. Now I get it even more. Noah, Maggie, and Wyatt are amazing, and, even though I wasn't a father myself, I know that kids don't get that way without strong parents. This life you have-your family, the house, all the...love…"

Cragen was choking up, so Eileen intervened, "We're just so thrilled for you."

Olivia hugged Cragen tightly. "We're thrilled for you, too," she whispered. Tears fell down her face.

"Let's not make it years before we see each other again," Ed said.

"Deal," Cragen said.

"Kids!" Olivia called, "It's time for Don and Eileen to go!"

Noah and Wyatt shook the Cragens' hands, but Maggie was a hugger. She embraced them both around their waists and punctuated the hugs with "I'm going to miss you!"

"So dramatic," Noah mumbled.

"Dad?" Wyatt asked, "Can we stay til they leave?"

"Sure."

The five Tuckers found a spot at the end of the dock where they would have an unobstructed view. They waved until the boat looked like a mere speck close to the horizon.

"That was really fun," Wyatt said.

"Yeah," Noah agreed.

"Mister Captain Don was really your boss?" Maggie asked Olivia.

"Yes he was."

Maggie giggled. "That's funny. Did you ever get in trouble?"

"Oh, a couple times, but, a good boss forgives. And he forgave me."

"Was he your boss, Dad?" Noah asked.

"Nope, but I knew him pretty well."

Olivia was trying to stifle laughter at this very sanitized version of Ed's relationship with Don Cragen.

Noah led the way off the dock and tossed his empty juice cup in a trash can. "Did you ever have to bust him?"

"Yep."

"Did you ever have to bust Mom?" Wyatt asked.

Olivia burst into laughter.

"Yes, I did," Ed answered in a serious voice.

"Omigod," Maggie exclaimed in a very Sarah-esque voice, "Tell us!"

"I will when you're twenty."

"When me and Wyatt are twenty or when Noah is?"

"You and Wyatt."

Maggie groaned.

"Until then," Ed said, "You can know that we thought your Mom did something wrong but she didn't. We made a mistake."

"That was dumb," Maggie said, "Mommy doesn't do wrong things."

Ed looped his arm around Maggie's head and pulled her into a clumsy side hug, "Well, you weren't around to remind us."

"You shoulda had me then."

Ed and Olivia glanced at each other and smiled.

"We're happier to have you now," Olivia said.

Maggie smiled and skipped ahead to catch up with her brothers. They conspired for several minutes, undoubtedly planning the day. Olivia and Ed speculated aloud what they had in mind since not many activities were out of the question. They almost always agreed to whatever their brood suggested, but the kids never took jet ski rides, pontoon voyages, or even walks along the shore for granted.

"One of 'em wants sailing lessons," Ed said under his breath.

"I'm going with mini-golf," Olivia said, "We'll pass it on the way back."

"Care to make it interesting?"

Olivia squeezed his hand. "What? Like, ten bucks?"

"Olivia Margaret," Ed smirked at her and feigned condescension. "You know better than that."

…..

Monday after school Noah came home, changed clothes, and unpacked his bag at the dining room table. He wiped down his pencil pouch and its contents with a Lysol wipe and repeated the process on his homework folder. Ed sat down across from him and asked about his day. The kids were no longer required to wear masks and Noah expressed relief at not being so hot all day long. He talked about reading, math, and playing soccer during recess. Then, his face fell and he looked at Ed with grave sadness in his eyes.

"Mia's nanny died!"

This wasn't news to Ed, but the last he'd heard from Olivia was that she was expecting a call from Mia's mother. Apparently, Lila had decided to handle notification on her own.

"Oh, man, bud, I'm sorry to hear that. Mia told ya today?"

"Yeah," Noah said, "She said it at morning meeting."

"How is she feeling?"

"She said she misses Tasha 'cause she always did Mia's ponytail right!"

"Awww…" Ed rubbed his face, "And how do you feel?"

Noah shuffled his homework papers around and bit is lip. "It's sad when people die," he said, "I don't want Mia to be sad. So maybe I'm gonna draw her a happy picture she can look at when she wants to cry."

"That's very thoughtful," Ed got up, rounded the table, and gave him a hug. "I'm so proud of you, buddy. And if you're sad you tell us, okay?"

"Why do people die, Daddy?"

"Well," Ed replied, "Some people die when they're old. And sometimes, like with the virus, people get sick and their bodies get tired of fighting whatever's making them sick. That's why we were so careful about wiping things down and wearing masks and staying home all those weeks."

"Tasha didn't stay home?"

"I think she had to work."

Noah plastered himself to Ed's chest and he felt his son's little hands digging into his back. Olivia returned home then and heard Noah murmur, "I'm glad you're not police anymore, Daddy." She got Wyatt out of his jacket and came over to the table.

"Hi guys," she said, curiosity tinging her voice.

"Hey," Ed puckered his lips for a kiss. "Good timing. We got home not too long ago. How was the shoot?"

"It was good," Olivia said, "He has two lines. And, since he has lines, the agent needs to see us."

"Bout what?"

"About what he's getting paid."

Ed fidgeted. What started as a favor to the producers was now becoming a regular and a lucrative early career for his two-year-old and he wasn't sure what to think. But, Noah was still attached to him and Olivia was stroking his hair with a concerned look on her face. The salary talk could wait.

"Mia told the class about Tasha today," Ed explained.

"Oh," Olivia cooed and collected Noah into her arms. "That must have been tough for everyone to hear."

"Yeah. It was da c'ronavirus," Noah said matter-of-factly.

"He's gonna draw Mia something to cheer her up," Ed said.

"And we're going to have her over soon," Olivia added. "I'll call her mom and set something up for next Saturday. She always has a good time over here."

Noah grinned and rubbed his hands together, "Dat's 'cause we have all da good toys and books and puzzles! And Mia loves those babies! 'Member last time we builded 'em a maze and they ran right through it for cookies?"

"I remember, sweet boy. That was fun."

Noah wriggled out of Olivia's arms and ran to the hall closet, "I'm gettin' my art stuff! Maggs, Wyatt, you wanna draw Mia a picture too?"

Wyatt, eyelids drooping, was curled up in the beanbag with his tiger. "I don't think Wyatt's going to draw now," Olivia said, "But, Miss Maggie, want to draw with Noah?"

"I daw a ray'bow!"

Olivia slid her into the booster seat and Noah returned with the white paper. "Here ya go, small sister! Got all da colors for da rainbow! And when you're done, you can write M for Maggie!"

"Me, Maggie!"

"Yes you are," Ed kissed her head, "Love you, Maggie girl."

"Magg love Dada!" She reached up and patted Ed's face as if to appease him before grabbing a handful of crayons and getting to work on her masterpiece.

…..

Lieutenant Tucker screwed up his face and repeated what Benson had told him seconds before. "You kissed him?"

"Yes. To distract him and get him closer to Elliot."

"Did you have a prior relationship with Stuckey?"

From across the table, Olivia glared at him. "We didn't have a relationship," she said, "He's a CSU tech. How many times do I have to say this, Tucker? The kiss was a distraction. Speaking of distractions, do you need to get that?" Olivia glanced at his phone which had been vibrating consistently for the past few minutes.

He flipped the phone over and placed it face down again. "You have kids?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. Tucker and the rest of his IAB crew knew her and the squad well enough to know she did not have kids, had never been married, and was as single as anyone could possibly be. "No. Are we done here?"

Tucker perused the papers he'd laid out in front of him, shuffled them into a pile, and closed the manila folder. "If everything else checks out, we won't have a problem here."

"Great," Olivia replied curtly. In her opinion, the maneuver on Stuckey wasn't worthy of even a pro forma IAB visit but Tucker had a funny way of inserting himself whenever there was the slightest possibility of impropriety. She stood up and strode out of the room as Draper entered.

"She looked displeased," Draper said and took the seat Benson had previously occupied.

"Can't say I blame her. This was a waste of time. Stuckey's a piece of shit."

"Open and shut at least."

"Yeah," Tucker folded his hands behind his head and forced a sarcastic chuckle. "Know what she did? Kissed him to get him on his heels so Stabler could kick 'em in the crotch."

Draper laughed. "Creative."

"Disgusting."

"Stuckey or Benson?"

Ed knew his partner was joking, but there was no jest in his response, "Stuckey. Benson deserves a commendation." He slid the folder over to Draper.

Cole peered inside at the photograph of Dale Stuckey and nodded. "Commendation indeed," he muttered. "We'll have to come up with a name for it though. Drink? I think better after a Jim Beam or two."

"I gotta call my daughter," Ed replied, "Either that or I'm gonna need to call her a lawyer. She and my ex-wife are at each other's throats, have been for weeks. If I don't have to go get her, I'll let you know."

Draper nodded knowingly. "Good luck."

"Yeah," Ed muttered, "Thanks."

…..

Ed loved being a father. He loved spending time with the kids even if it was simply watching them play. With Sarah and Brooke he hadn't had much time to pay close attention to how they discovered the world and how they learned. It was totally different with the younger three. As much as he treasured time with the kids, he also loved the space of time after the kids went to bed which he and Olivia usually spent on the couch. During the pandemic, they were addicted to the news. Now that it was over, most nights they left the television off and talked until someone yawned or began to doze off or suggested they go to bed.

"Mmmmm," Ed droned while they traded a few kisses, "You taste like red velvet cake. Actually, better than the cake."

Olivia smiled and tickled the back of his neck. "Good dessert choice, Captain."

"Thought we needed a little pick me up."

Olivia groaned and settled in under his arm. "Poor Mia. Gosh, I feel like I say that all the time. Poor Mia. But every time I see her she seems so happy. Is it possible her head is really in the clouds all the time?"

"It's possible," Ed replied, "Hard to believe her parents bein' so flighty, the nanny gone now, none of it has an effect."

"Noah described it like Mia wasn't upset at all," Olivia said, "I'm sure she'll, at least, get some time with the counselor like Noah did. She won't be handling this on her own. I hope."

"You'll be able to get a read on her next weekend," Ed kissed the top of Olivia's head.

"I have to be careful not to overstep. I got the sense Lila wanted advice and maybe even wanted a friend, but...I could be wrong."

"You're never wrong."

Olivia laughed and swatted at his leg. She tilted her head back and kissed him under the chin. "Earlier, I got the feeling you thought I was wrong about Wyatt."

"Just wanted to make sure we're still on the same page is all," Ed replied.

"We are," Olivia insisted, "He'll do this series. That's all. And the college fund gets a bump."

"Good point," he adjusted his arm and held Olivia more tightly, "So, you didn't tell me, what are the lines?"

"He points at a taser and asks what it is and then, a little later, he has to say Love You, Mommy."

Ed cringed. "You alright with that?"

"Yes," Olivia held his arm to her chest, "It's all so manufactured, it looks a lot more intimate on the screen than it is when they're filming."

"Speaking of intimate..." Ed gently bit at her earlobe and grinned when he felt her shiver. She turned so she could give him a proper, passionate kiss. Things quickly heated up, and, minutes later, Ed breathlessly suggested they go to bed. They wove their way across the apartment, down the hall, and closed and locked the door. Ed slowly peeled off Olivia's shirt and trailed the back of his fingers down the side of her chest. "I love you so much, Liv."

Olivia licked her lips and eyed Ed's sculpted torso. "I love you."

Seeing this, he teased, "Ah, you only want me for my body."

She placed her palms on his abs, moved closer, and naughtily grinned. "Maybe a little. You. Look. So. Good. Bringing out the superficial in me."

"You? Superficial? Never."

She bit her lip and traced the inside of one of his pecs. "Sometimes it's kind of fun to be superficial."

"Well then," Ed replied with a smirk, "Let the fun begin."

….

#Tuckson