158.

Ed didn't yet know what type of evening could be considered "perfect hot tub weather," but the forty-five degree, slightly breezy night certainly felt ideal. He and Olivia experimented with their new cocktail shaker and settled in the tub next to each other with tumblers of a bourbon-ginger concoction they garnished with cherries. They took a few sips and Ed kissed her neck and bit playfully at her earlobe. Despite the hot water, she shivered and he smirked.

"Sure got a lot done this week so far," he said.

"And it's only half over," Olivia pointed out, "Now we can spend the rest of it relaxing and...enjoying each other's company."

Pretending to be offended, Ed raised his eyebrows, "I don't know about you, but I've been enjoying, uh, your company."

Olivia grinned and jabbed at his ribs, "You know what I meant."

They traded a few kisses and Ed stroked her face with his knuckles. "Want to take the boat out tomorrow?"

"Yes. Take some lunch? Make a day out of it?"

"Sounds good."

Ed fidgeted ever so slightly and there was the tiniest hitch in his voice. To anyone other than Olivia, the two tics would have been indetectable. Olivia reached over and massaged one of his thighs. "What are you thinking about?"

"I guess I'm rethinking the family reunion," he said, "The more I think about it the more I want to do somethin' like that, but, uh, I worry about my mom. I want her to be there and, Liv, I know I shouldn't think this way, but I worry about how much time she has left. If we did it this summer-she's still healthy and can travel-it might be better. If I do everything, do you think we can make it happen in August?"

Olivia smiled and leaned in for another, more tender kiss, "You don't have to do everything. And, yes, I think August is good. That's plenty of time to get invitations out and for people to reserve places to stay for a weekend."

"Thank you," Ed replied. He started to position himself for a more passionate smooch, but he saw two figures approaching from the north. "Dammit. We got company."

Tim and Shelley, neighbors who they met the day before, were new to Bethany Beach. Recently retired, they were from central Maryland and making the coast their permanent home. Even though they were close in age to Ed and Olivia, they seemed older and, to Ed's displeasure, nosier. Olivia urged Ed to be friendly. After all, Tim and Shelley could look out for the Tuckers' property while they were in the city, but she quickly realized it would be difficult to keep them at bay.

"Hey you two!" Shelley said. She and Tim were carrying matching insulated Yeti cups and they raised them at the same time, "Cheers!"

Olivia and Ed reciprocated, hoisted their own glasses, and replied, "Cheers!" Inside, Ed breathed a sigh of relief. Their neighbors were bundled up, apparently had a destination in mind other than the Tucker home, and were not going to invite themselves into the hot tub.

"How's that spa treating you?" Tim asked.

"Very nice," Ed replied, "Almost too nice. We have to remember to keep the sessions at fifteen minutes or so. Where're we at, Liv?"

"Oh, about ten," she replied, "And let's not forget we left the kids asleep on the couch." She discreetly angled her phone screen away from the neighbors, patted Ed's knee, and asked Tim and Shelley what they were up to.

"We're headed down to trivia," Shelley said, "You should join us some night. Our kids will be here tomorrow. My daughter would love to babysit."

"We might take you up on that," Olivia said. She patted Ed's knee. "Ready to get out?"

"Yeah, we better do that."

Tim and Shelley continued on and Ed gave Olivia the kiss he'd been planning when they arrived. "Damn, I hate interruptions," he said before attacking her lips. As the kiss grew more ferocious, Ed tried to move even closer but slipped a little and he and Olivia pressed their foreheads together and shared a laugh. "We left the kids on the couch, huh?" He teased.

"I had to have an out," Olivia said of the lie, "I didn't want them to think they could hang out with us. I needed it to seem like we had a lot to take care of."

Ed smirked. "First things first. Let's get inside, out of these wet clothes, and I'll dry ya off." He stood up and held out his hands. They kissed until the chill of the wind became unbearable. "Head on in. I'll get the cover on."

"Hurry," Olivia implored.

"I will."

…

Ed was two blocks away from the precinct when Olivia called and told him she wouldn't be able to meet him for dinner. He'd heard the radio traffic and knew about another suspected push-in rapist attack. Even so, he went about his day clinging to the hope their date was still going to happen. He left the office as the sun was setting and chose to walk uptown to burn the nervous energy which always showed up before he saw Olivia. On the way he passed a flower stand and doubled back to purchase a small bouquet, hoping the romantic touch would make her smile after yet another tough day. Minutes later, the call came. Ed assured Olivia they would see each other soon and told her to let him know if she needed anything. He hung up and stared at the now-useless flowers in his hand. He couldn't very well pop into her office and drop them off.

Before he had a chance to formulate a Plan B for the evening, another call came in, this time from Brooke. She'd just returned from a weeklong trip with Dave, Angela, and Aidan and wanted to see her Dad since they hadn't been in touch for almost a month. Happy to have something to do, Ed eagerly agreed to meet her at a restaurant near Columbia, a common dinner spot for them since it was roughly equidistant from their apartments. Before Ed went home, he plucked a single pink lily from the bunch, found Olivia's cruiser in the precinct lot, and wedged the stem between the wiper and the windshield.

An hour later, Ed got out of a taxi and immediately heard Brooke's enthusiastic voice shout, "Dad!"

He strode toward her and gave her a hug, "Hey there," he said, "Good to see ya!"

"Good to see you," Brooke stepped back and sized up her father, "You're sunburned."

"Went out on Cole's boat last weekend," he said, "Was nice."

"I bet," They approached the restaurant which had a small outdoor seating area, and Brooke asked, "In or out?"

"In," Ed replied, "Hot as hell."

"I know! It was so nice being in the Catskills, well, other than feeling like I was in Dirty Dancing it was nice."

Ed chuckled. "Whadja do up there?"

"Not a whole lot actually," Brooke replied, "I went for a few hikes with Aidan. You know Mom...not really one for a whole lot of physical activity. She and Dave mostly sat around the pool. But it was really nice. Peaceful. Got a lot of reading done."

Ed imagined being able to take Olivia away to one of those resorts. His eyes must have grown distant because Brooke squinted and asked, "Dad? You alright?"

"Oh, yeah," He said, jerking to attention and smiling, "Sorry. Thinkin' about what it would be like to get outta the city for even a weekend."

"You're not going down to the condo at all?"

"Nah. I don't think so. Not this year."

"Are you renting it?"

"Oh yeah," Ed replied, "Every week there's someone there. Glad I got that management company even though they take a cut. But you let me know if you want to head down."

Brooke shook her head, "I have to start thinking about the new school year. Only a couple weeks left and I'm going to see if I can get into my classroom early. And I told Sarah I'd visit her this weekend or next."

"Taking the train?"

"Was planning on it."

"If you want to drive you can take my car and take Sarah's boxes."

"She still has stuff at your place?"

"Too much," Ed snickered, "I threatened to toss it all since she doesn't seem to miss it."

"You know her," Brooke replied, "Her idea of downsizing is giving her shit to everyone else to store."

"Damn right about that."

After they finished their meals, Ed offered to buy dessert at a nearby bakery, but Brooke yawned and said she was ready to go home and go to bed. The day of travel had caught up to her, so Ed put her in a cab and walked a little before taking the subway the rest of the way home. Once inside his apartment, he cranked up the air conditioning, poured a drink, and collapsed on the couch. He dozed off before taking a sip and woke up to his phone incessantly vibrating against the coffee table. To Ed's extreme disappointment, Cole's name flashed on the screen. He answered, and, without offering any greeting or pleasantries, explained there had been an officer-involved shooting less than an hour ago, and the victim was being rushed to Mercy Hospital. Ed thought he heard Cole mention something about SVU, but his head was fuzzy and he asked for clarification, hoping that the shooter hadn't been Benson. Not only did he not want her to endure the scrutiny, he would have to recuse himself from the investigation which would undoubtedly invite additional inquiries.

"They're members of the two-seven," Cole replied. "On their way to the hospital now to get checked out."

"Alright," Ed muttered. "On my way."

He changed into the blue polo shirt and jeans he'd worn to dinner, grabbed his shield and lanyard, and headed out. Though the circumstances were tragic and dire, at least, he thought, he'd get to see Olivia.

…

"Okay, bud, back to the wind," Ed gave kite-flying instructions to Noah, and the boy, twisting his lips in concentration, diligently followed every single instruction. Once the diamond-shaped kite was up in the air, he kept the string taut and gradually let it rise. "Good job, Noah! Lookit that!"

The twins made themselves dizzy watching the rainbow-colored kite flutter and dance in the air. They spun around and around, collapsed into the sand, and giggled as they tried to stand up again. Sitting on a mat nearby, Olivia rested on her elbows, laughed along with the twins, and cheered on Noah. She was thrilled he was finally getting the chance to fly the kite they'd purchased last fall but never got around to using. In the process of organizing the house she'd re-discovered it, and they got lucky with the weather. It was windy but not blustery-ideal for a first kite flying lesson.

"Maggie! Wyatt! Come over here and do somersaults! You're getting sand in your hair!"

Wyatt and Maggie ran over and dove into Olivia's lap. She brushed the grains of sand from their heads and snuggled them to her chest. The twins were content to sit with her while Noah controlled the kite and Ed stood nearby, giving him additional directions.

"Isn't Noah good at flying the kite?" Olivia cooed.

Maggie held out her arms, "Magg FY!"

"Kite up dere w'buhds!" Wyatt pointed at a few seagulls swooping nearby.

"Ki'go inna wa'er?" Maggie asked. "Buhdie inna wa'er!"

"The birdies are getting their food," Olivia said, "They need their lunch!"

"Buhdies eat a sa'wich!" Maggie giggled.

"Buhds eat da fiss!" Wyatt replied.

"You're right, sweet Wyatt," Olivia kissed his head and swelled with pride. "They're having fish for lunch." Both Maggie and Wyatt were sharp, keen observers of the world around them, but Wyatt interpreted everything much more literally than Maggie. Her daughter possessed a robust, creative imagination and she was sure Maggie was picturing a group of seagulls munching sandwiches around a table similar to the way the Tuckers ate lunch each day.

"Mama, nee'da bucket!" Wyatt dug his toes into the sand and squirmed in the direction of the house. The bag of sand toys was sitting on the porch steps. "I go ge'it!"

"Magg go!"

The twins took off toward the house and Olivia followed while keeping her distance. They were getting to be so independent, almost too much so for her liking, but they remained very much reliant on each other. She remembered reading articles about parallel play and how infants and young toddlers merely played alongside rather than with one another. Maggie and Wyatt had always defied that norm. From the moment they could sit up, the twins, more often than not, were in lockstep. The same held true now as they attempted to carry the large tote back to the sand.

"You help, Mama?" Wyatt grunted. He looked up at her and smiled hopefully. His cargo shorts hung just above his knees and were streaked with droplets of water and sand and his blue t-shirt accentuated the color of his eyes.

Olivia reached for the bag and waited for the twins to each select their pail of choice. They ran ahead of her along the path to the beach and shouted back to Olivia once they stepped onto the sand.

"NO FAH!"

"Dada! C'BACK!"

Noah and Ed had drifted a football field length away down the shoreline and the distance distressed Maggie and Wyatt. They dropped the buckets and took off in their direction. Olivia jogged behind them. When Maggie and Wyatt caught up with their father and brother, Noah and Ed grinned at the twins' reprimands.

"You go FAH, NO!"

"Da! No runaway!" Maggie's frown was so pronounced and severe, Ed picked her up, swung her around, kissed her cheeks until she was giggling.

"We're sorry, Maggie May," he groveled.

"These two prefer us all together," Olivia remarked. She gently kissed Noah on the head, "You're really rocking it with this kite, Noah!"

"Thanks," Noah replied absent-mindedly. His eyes were glued to the sky.

"I prefer us all together, too," Ed whispered in Olivia's ear.

Olivia grinned and gave him a kiss. She put her arm around his waist and watched Noah fight to keep the kite in the air amidst a calmer breeze.

"Looks like we may need to pack it in for today, bud," Ed said, "We had a good run though."

Noah frowned, "I'll jus' run." He started jogging along the shoreline, but the kite kept losing altitude and eventually bounced onto the wet sand. Noah picked it up and brushed it off and Ed helped him reel in the string. "No wind," he said to the twins and Olivia with a shrug, "Gotta try 'gain t'morrow I guess."

He was a tad breathless and Olivia said, "You got a workout though, didn't you? That was hard work, Noah. Awesome job!"

"I'm gonna get a drink," he said, "Then...what are you doin, babies? You wanna play kickball?"

Wyatt and Maggie forgot all about the sand toys and went along with Noah's plan. They followed him back to the house and watched him lean the kite against the barstools and grab one of their many bouncy balls. He handed his siblings juice boxes from the small refrigerator and they trotted back to their parents.

"You wanna be on my team?" Ed asked Olivia. He used a low, sexy voice with suggestive undertones.

"Sure, Captain," Olivia replied, "Under one condition."

"What's that?"

"Never stop flirting with me."

He smirked and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Deal."

….

Given that her plan to run interference between Noah and Mia had completely and utterly failed, Maggie sought out Sarah who was always up for commiseration. Once Wyatt was on the train headed back to Boston, Maggie told her parents she was going to visit Anthony, Mari, and J.J., but when she arrived at the Vidal home she gave cursory hellos, apologized for forgetting the California-themed presents she'd brought, and then mostly ignored the trio. Not that anyone seemed to mind. Teenaged Anthony didn't want much to do with adults, and Mari and J.J. who were less than two years apart in age, were busy trying to put together and program two robots, a project they'd undertaken for their school's required end-of-year STEM project.

The universally known, if unspoken, truth in the family was that if you wanted sound non-parental advice, you were to seek out Brooke. An astute listener, Brooke would sagely weigh options and offer useful, experience-driven insights. Sarah validated emotions. She was the go-to person if you didn't necessarily want to feel a different way about someone or something. Sarah was often the first stop. You vented to Sarah. You tossed around options with Brooke.

Also, at Sarah's house, you were offered an expertly shaken cocktail if you wanted one and Maggie was in the mood for a drink. Justin mixed his version of mojitos, brought them out to the terrace, and left the sisters alone.

"So, my girl, tell me what happened," Sarah said. She was well-versed in Maggie's opinion of Mia and had lived the saga through almost everyone's perspectives. When Mia abruptly left Noah and the apartment they were supposed to share, the first person Noah called was Sarah. At once shocked and devastated, Sarah talked him through the next steps and encouraged him to do what he needed to do to move on with his life. He was young and ambitious. He had a lifetime of opportunity ahead of him. Though she didn't say it and she had always loved Mia, at the time, Sarah thought it was best if Mia was out of his life. Her free-spirited disposition was cute when she was little and charming when she was a teenager, but, in real adult life, it caused her brother more heartache than it was worth. In this sense, she agreed with Maggie.

"Oh it all worked out exactly like I planned," Maggie said, "And then Wyatt totally punked out. Like. Seriously. He was all 'oh I love you Mia' and, well, I guess it's to be expected and we did drop Mia off at home so she didn't stay at Noah's place, oh, and apparently she's cast in an off-Broadway show that's running for a year." Maggie paused and stared out into the skyline. "You know what I would like?"

"What's that?" Sarah asked. She was trying to hide her amusement. Poor Maggie was nobly fighting a losing battle. Noah loved Mia, and Sarah was certain he would give her a second chance.

"An apology." Maggie pressed her lips into a straight line and stubbornly set her jaw. Maggie's appearance had always been an appealing combination of her Dad and Olivia, but when she was angry, she looked so much like Ed Tucker the resemblance was almost eerie.

"Has she apologized to Noah?"

"He said she did," Maggie replied, "But they're words. Who cares? Words, words, they don't mean anything. She said she was going to move in with him. Words. And she fled the scene! And please do not tell me I'll understand when I'm older or when I have a career, or-"

"-who told you that?"

"Nobody," Maggie said, "It's something people say so I'm sure it'll come out sooner or later."

"Not from me," Sarah replied, "I get it. And you know what I also get? Sometimes you have to let people do what they want. If Noah wants to be with her, do you really think you're going to be able to follow them everywhere forever? Interrupt them forever? Don't forget, you have a life to live, too."

"Yeah."

Sarah erupted into spontaneous laughter.

"What?" Maggie asked, a little annoyed.

"Noah must have been so pissed," Sarah replied gleefully, grinning from ear-to-ear, "I wish I could've witnessed it. You should've done a live stream."

"Next time."

"Omigod, omigod, omigod," Though in her forties now, Sarah had not changed all that much. She would always love to participate in a good gossip session. "Is there going to be a next time?"

Maggie shrugged. "We went back to Noah's apartment and he was kinda, well, he knew what we were up to. He said Mia was just getting back into the city and had a lot to do and she was busy and blah, blah, blah. Then we watched a couple of movies and mom called wondering where we were and Wyatt and I went home. I don't think Mia came over after that. It was almost one."

"You never know…"

"Ugh," Maggie groaned.

"Hey little sister," Sarah reached over and lovingly tugged Maggie's ponytail, "It's gonna be okay. And I love your passion. And I'm truly sorry your mission failed. But we might have to get used to Mia, round two."

"I just," Maggie stuffed her head into her hands, "Noah was so sad...he's, like, he's like one of the best people I know, I'd say that even if he weren't my brother, he's always encouraging and optimistic and he'd never hurt anyone or anything and to have Mia hurt him so badly...I guess I'm mad at her but also a little mad at him, like, how could he do this to himself again? So I guess under the surface it's selfish...I don't want him hurt because I hate seeing him hurt."

"Hey," Sarah poked one of Maggie's arms so it threw her off balance, "I would not describe anyone in this family as selfish. Do you think you'll feel better if you tell Noah how you really feel?"

"No," Maggie bit her lip and replied slowly, "I think I'd feel better if I told Mia."

….

Olivia and Ed promised themselves they would disconnect as much as possible during their week at the beach, but once they decided to host the family reunion, they were both eager to tell Brooke and Sarah, and, hopefully, enlist their help. As expected, the girls were both excited and willing to assist, especially Brooke who offered to spearhead the entire event. Though she was in a better place mentally and physically, she was still feeling aimless at times and this would give her something positive to focus on in the coming months. Seeing both girls (and Sofia, Sonny, and Justin) in such cheerful spirits added an additional layer of ease and peace to Ed's and Olivia's world, and when they ended the call they sat together on the loveseat and watched the kids play in the yard.

"I love this time of day," Olivia said.

"Me too," Ed replied. "Sun setting, things winding down, the promise of another sunrise right around the corner."

"Listen to you getting all philosophical."

Ed chuckled softly and pressed his face to hers, "Hard not to. And, I appreciate simple things like this more since I've been off the job. Never had time to sit and look at the sky's colors change when you're NYPD. Or listen to your kids laugh…at least, I didn't hear it as much as I should have."

"You're making up for it now," Olivia replied, "And, you're right. I remember you talking about stopping to smell the flowers...remember that night?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I get that now."

Ed held her more tightly. "I'm glad you do. And I'm glad you came around to seein' you could be out there, doing things, being a part of the Center and the show, writing your books, and also have the time to relax and slow down. I know it seemed like I was able to turn things off on a dime, but, really, Liv? I'd been winding down for years. I was nowhere near as proactive in the last few years of my career as I was before."

Olivia laughed disbelievingly.

"What?"

"Well," she said, still chuckling, "I don't quite remember you letting off the gas at all, but, if you say so."

"You doubtin' me, Benson?" Ed growled, kissed and nipped at her neck, and tickled the side of her torso. Olivia yelped and her laughs were loud enough to attract the kids' attention.

Noah reached them first and flashed a knowing grin. "Daddy's tickling Mommy," he told the twins, "S'okay! Lessgo! Back to da pirate ship!"

"AHOY!" Wyatt shouted.

"Hoy, MATEY!" Maggie screeched. She adjusted the t-shirt Noah had tied around her head as a makeshift eye patch and ran back over to her brothers. They were using plastic wiffle ball bats as swords and fighting off invaders who were threatening to steal their treasure.

Ed and Olivia cracked up at Noah's reaction.

"Did he sound a little annoyed?" Ed asked.

"I think so," Olivia replied breathlessly, thanks to the brief tickle fight. "But he can be annoyed as long as he knows his parents love each other and love him."

"That sure as hell is the truth," Ed replied. "Absolutely no doubt about it."

…..

#Tuckson