172.

The situation was serious. This, Olivia knew. So she felt a tiny bit guilty thinking about Ed when she should have been calling Sarah back. But he had pulled in his jeans in front of her at the end of the bed, hopping on one foot and then the other, in a hurry, with his face set in a resolute stare. Only when he saw Olivia smiling at him did he relax his jaw and smile back, but, he had been sent on a mission, so he gave her a quick kiss and hurried out the door. His legs, Olivia thought, those strong thighs, hips, the way his pants always sat perfectly at his waist. Or maybe part of the attraction was his mere presence. He was there and he was going to fix this.

Whatever this was.

"Okay," Olivia whispered to herself, "Focus."

Sarah answered as if she and Olivia had already been in the middle of a conversation. "Livvie, I was on the phone when he got home and he gave me a kiss and he waved at me, like, don't hang up, it's cool, and he must've seen a delivery alert because he whispered he was going to get a package, and the next thing I know the doorman's calling and saying the cops arrested him! Do you think it's mistaken identity? Did he do something a long time ago and they're just now finding him? I'm going crazy!"

"Breathe," Olivia implored. She listened for Sarah's deep breaths before continuing. "Your Dad is on his way. It's going to be okay. He'll figure things out. In the meantime, you should get him a lawyer. Do you want me to do that for you?"

"Please. I don't know anyone other than tax guys."

"Okay." Olivia put her phone on speaker and texted Barba. "Now we wait. The hard part."

"I wonder if he did something stupid this weekend," Sarah murmured.

"Like what?"

"He didn't exactly love the idea of the hotel," Sarah grumbled. "He freaked out. Said I was trying to get rid of him and I'd just come back from the trip. I don't know, maybe he was tired, or stressed about the chapter, ugh."

Guilt pummeled Olivia. Had they crossed the line? Taken advantage of Justin and he was too polite to say no and then cracked? He casually characterized his writing responsibilities. Had he downplayed the importance of the work? Nevertheless, exploding under pressure, snapping at his wife, and rushing out to commit crimes didn't sound like the Justin everyone knew and loved.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Olivia replied for both herself and Sarah and was well aware of the inadequacy of the advice. "Do you want to come over?"

"No, Livvie, I'm going to stay here and wait for him to come home and try not to drive myself crazy."

"I'll call you as soon as I know anything."

"Thank you."

Olivia collapsed back into the pillows and stared at the ceiling. The room was completely silent, so the sound of the door opening startled her. "Mommy?" Noah asked in a small, innocent voice, "Who was stupid?"

Olivia hadn't taken the phone off speaker and had been so zeroed in on Sarah she'd forgotten about her seven-year-old who never liked to sleep with his door closed. She reached her arms out for him, "Honey," she said, "I'm sorry I was talking so loud. I didn't mean to wake you up."

Noah snuggled into her side. For a moment Olivia thought she'd gotten away with not answering his question. But, after another minute, Noah asked again, "Who's stupid?"

"Nobody, honey. Sarah and Justin had a little trouble tonight and Sarah was upset. Don't worry."

"What trouble?"

"A, uh, disagreement."

Noah squirmed and suddenly realized Ed was not there. "Hey! Where's Daddy?"

"He went to help Justin and Sarah."

Olivia braced for a brand new set of questions, but Noah mumbled "okay", and burrowed himself further under her arm. A short time later he was asleep again. Olivia carefully stretched to turn off the lamp and made sure her phone was close by. She didn't expect Ed to be gone long.

…

Olivia raised her eyebrows when Ed ordered a Coke instead of the usual bourbon or beer. "Are you feeling okay?" She placed the back of her hand on his forehead and smiled when he leaned into the touch.

"Have to go back in later," Ed replied with a great deal of annoyance, "Or, rather, we're picking him up when he starts his shift."

Olivia didn't bother to hide her disappointment. It was sort of cute how Ed eagerly accepted her invitation even when he knew he wouldn't be able to stay long. "I'm glad we get a little time," she said sweetly.

"That's exactly what I'm thinkin."

They smiled at each other and traded a few kisses.

"How are you coming with the preschool applications?" He asked.

"I did one more last night. I think that's enough. This is crazy...the amount of effort it takes to get a three-year-old into a half-day program. It's terrifying when you think of it. It's almost cutthroat now, can you imagine when he's older?"

"I know what you mean," Ed replied, "Or, well, I know in comparison to my kids. I guess in a way it was good for them to go to school in the suburbs, but, then again, maybe not."

"They're smart," Olivia said, rubbing his forearm, "They were probably bored."

"Probably."

"I hope we'll get lucky and Noah will be bored."

Olivia laughed at the ludicrousness of the comment, but she did, in a way, truly wish for that very scenario, one where Noah was so smart he wished for more challenging school work. Ed, on the other hand, was caught up in her use of pronouns. He loved it when she, accidentally or not, slipped in a "we" or an "us". Of course, in this case she could have been referring to herself and Noah, but he liked to think he was included.

"I think-shit-it's Draper," Ed apologetically showed Olivia his phone screen and answered. After a brief series of one-syllable answers, he placed the phone back in his pocket and took out his wallet. "I have to go. I hate to leave you here...or...I can-"

"-Ed, if anyone knows about having to leave somewhere abruptly, it's me. It's okay. Talk later?"

"Yeah," he said softly. He put a twenty down and kissed her.

"How long do you think I'm going to stay?" She joked.

He shrugged and smirked, "Just want to make sure you're covered."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He gave her hand a squeeze, put his blazer back on, and strode back through the narrow pub to the door. Olivia watched until it closed behind him then turned back to her drink. It didn't take long for her to become lost in her thoughts. For some reason she remembered the day a few weeks ago, when they were in the throes of crisis, when Ed mentioned how he was loathed by half of NYPD. The comment didn't register any significance at the time, but it kept bubbling to the surface since the church scandal was resolved and their lives returned to normal. No, not normal. Their lives had both changed for the better. They were closer. Their bond had strengthened. And, perhaps because of that, the fact anyone could loathe Ed Tucker seemed unfathomable.

After everything had shaken out, Olivia remembered Barba asking her how she could have given Tucker a chance when he'd always seemed dead-set on destroying careers. The odd thing was, it had taken a relatively short period of time for Olivia to forget about it all. When she told Barba they were "way past" everything that had transpired between them or between Ed and SVU, she meant it. Now she only saw Ed as a force for good. As a kind, generous, thoughtful man who, gulp, loved her and her son. Loathe him? No way.

But Ed Tucker was not a guy who was often on the receiving end of others' thoughtfulness.

Olivia set her jaw and brainstormed some ideas. His interests were fairly simple. From what Olivia had gleaned from their time together, he enjoyed doing anything with her and with Noah. He read the newspaper, and, if he picked up a book it was either nonfiction, mostly history, or a spy novel. Like Olivia and too many other cops, his life was tightly wrapped up in his work. There wasn't much distinction between being on duty and off.

On a whim, she scrolled through her phone and searched for weekend events near the city. There was always something going on, especially now that the weather was getting warmer. Olivia scrolled through three websites before landing on The New York International Air Show. She gasped so loudly the bartender came over clearly wondering if she was okay. "I'll have another one," she pushed the empty glass toward him and clicked a link for more information. Minutes later, she had the tickets purchased and sent the screen shot to Ed. She couldn't keep it a surprise. She also wasn't expecting him to call right away.

"Air show, huh?" He muttered directions to Cole who must have been driving.

"Yeah," Olivia smiled. The fact he called and he didn't care if Cole overheard his end of the conversation filled her with joy. "Sound like something you'd be interested in?"

"I've always wanted to go to one of those."

"Really?"

"Really." He sounded genuinely flattered. "Great choice. Seriously, Liv."

"I'm excited."

"So am I."

She heard Cole's voice, and, even though she couldn't make out the words she suspected they'd reached their destination. "You have to go. Talk later?"

"Absolutely."

A door slammed. Then another.

"Liv?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't wanna hang up first."

She laughed, "Ed...okay, I'm hanging up. Bye."

"Bye."

She gently laid the phone on the bar and felt her cheeks. They were red and warm and Olivia was quite certain it wasn't from the alcohol. She swilled the rest of the Jameson's and tucked Ed's twenty under the glass. She practically jogged the few blocks home. Noah would be ready for his bath and stories and she couldn't wait to tell him they were going to see airplanes with Ed on Saturday.

…

Striding into an NYPD precinct sans suit and surly attitude didn't carry quite the panache or power Ed was used to, but he must have still struck an intimidating aura because the desk officers and two Sergeants momentarily froze at the sight of him. Ed almost laughed. He nodded at the officers and approached the more familiar of the two gold shields. "Ed Tucker," he muttered without offering a handshake. "Justin Vidal here?"

"He's here," the older of the pair answered, "In holding. What's that got to do with you?"

"He's my son-in-law," Ed said under his breath. "I'm-"

"-I know who you are," he snapped.

"Who's your CO?"

"Perez."

Perez. Perez. Perez. There were probably dozens of Perezes in the department. "He here?" Ed asked.

The Sergeant nodded.

"Can I see him?"

Another nod. The guy spun on his heel and motioned for Ed to follow him to the office. On the way Ed looked around for the holding cell. He hadn't spent much time in this precinct in the past and wasn't familiar with the layout. When he met Captain Perez, Ed breathed a sigh of relief. He instantly recognized him and he looked every bit like the former marine turned law enforcement officer he was. Ed, though, had last seen him as a younger Vice detective and had helped him out a few years before.

Captain Perez waited until the Sergeant was gone before speaking. "Captain Tucker," he said in an even-toned voice, "I thought you retired?" He appeared genuinely confused.

"I did," Ed replied.

"Then what brings you in?"

"Justin Vidal. You picked him up earlier on an assault?"

"Yep. Got the complaint earlier. Misdemeanor assault," Perez reported casually.

"Can you let him go on a DAT?"

Perez rifled through some folders on his desk and plucked one out of the stack. He paged through a few papers and squinted at the last one. "The victim...wow, he's not a nobody. Lawyer's a heavy hitter."

"Who is it?"

"You know I can't-"

"-C'mon," Ed shot him a we'll-keep-this-between-us look and Perez acquiesced. Ed recognized the name immediately. "The victim's not a victim," he said, "He's been indicted for rape, among other charges. He was at that building to intimidate a witness, trying to force his way in. Justin's record's clean. He's not violent."

Perez looked up. "And he's your son-in-law."

Ed nodded.

"Gimme an hour. We'll issue the DAT. Just...wait for him down the block. There's a diner on the corner. It can't look like you swept in and grabbed him."

"I get it." Ed shook his hand, "Thanks."

…..

Olivia woke up to a buzzing sound and peeled her eyes open and saw their tent's zipper moving up and down at a rapid pace. "Hello?" She called out softly since Maggie was sound asleep next to her.

"Mom, it's me," Wyatt said.

"Um, come in?"

He opened the flap enough to poke his head inside. "Couldn't knock," he explained with a grin, so I had to zip."

"You're so clever."

"Dad wants to know if you want coffee now."

"Sure."

Olivia sat up, stretched, and rolled her neck. She was grateful for the inflatable sleeping mats they'd brought, for she wasn't sure her back could take three nights in a sleeping bag with only a layer of nylon between her body and the ground. After throwing on her jacket, she crawled out of the tent and smiled at the sight of the male Tuckers tending the fire and readying breakfast items.

"Good morning," she said sweetly.

Ed turned around and grinned. He'd missed sleeping next to her, but it was better that they split up. There was no way she would get any rest separated from the kids. "Hey," he rushed over to give her a kiss, "Sorry 'bout waking you up."

"That's okay. Is it late? You three seem like you've been up and at 'em for a while."

"Little after eight," Ed took her hand and led her to the fire. He handed her a cup of steaming coffee, "Here ya go. Hope it tastes okay."

Olivia took a sip. "It tastes great. Gosh, it's beautiful."

The lake was still and shimmered in the morning sunlight. The trees, in all their fall color glory, surrounded them and created an auburn canopy. They had a hike on the agenda for the day, but Olivia would have been content to sit right there for hours listening to the kids' chatter and paging through a magazine.

Wyatt set out the skillet Ed would later use to make bacon and scrambled eggs and proudly downed some juice. He punctuated it with a long, "Ahhh" and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"How about my boys?" Olivia asked. "How did you sleep?"

"Wyatt snored," Noah replied matter-of-factly. "And so did Dad. A little bit."

"Every time I woke up you were out like a light," Ed retorted.

"Yeah!" Wyatt chimed in.

"So, to answer your question," Ed kissed the top of her head, "We slept great."

"After breakfast we're gonna do the scavenger hunt." Wyatt stated this with some hesitation. The Nature Scavenger Hunt sheets had been selected during an Amazon search and Maggie scoffed at the activity as being "too baby,". Olivia jumped to Wyatt's defense and suggested they could all compete, and with that, everyone else jumped on board. The prize was bragging rights but no Tucker ever passed up the chance to win a game. Nevertheless, the criticism stung, and Wyatt was still clearly affected.

"This coffee's perking me up," Olivia said, "I'm feeling good about my chances."

"We'll see," Noah said.

"I brought my lucky pencil," Wyatt added.

"And Maggs might sleep all day." Ed approached the girls tent and listened for signs of life. "Maggs?" There was a slight rustle. "Margaret Caroline?" Another bit of movement. "Okay, just makin' sure you're alive."

"I'm alive! Can I have coffee?"

"No."

A groan.

Maggie eventually shuffled out of the tent wrapped in a blanket and with hair so wild Noah called her Medusa. She crinkled her nose at him and accepted hot chocolate from her Dad. She must have forgotten her initial reaction to the scavenger hunt, because they had barely finished breakfast when she bragged she'd already seen most of what they had to find. The kids trash-talked while they got ready. Ed and Olivia let them banter, ready to step in if a comment came from a place other than friendly sibling rivalry.

They set out on one of the paths skirting the lake. On the sheet were twenty items-among them a caterpillar, fern, and tree stump-and Wyatt initially suggested they collect the items they found before he realized it was more practical on the honor system. "Can't carry a stump around," he said, giggling. Olivia and Ed walked behind their brood, keeping an eye on everyone, and quickly checked off half the boxes.

"This won't take long," Ed remarked.

"Are we going to find a butterfly?"

"Maybe. Not that cold."

"MOM!"

Olivia's head whipped around. Wyatt and Noah were running to their sister's side. Maggie was crouched near a large rock and examining something on the ground. "What is it honey?"

"This bird has a broken wing!"

"What kinda bird is that?" Noah asked.

"An injured one," Wyatt said.

Ed chuckled. Olivia elbowed him, but she, too, was smiling. Wyatt was often unintentionally funny and it made his quips doubly amusing.

"We have to rescue it," Maggie said. She cradled the bird in her hands and stood up, waiting for approval or instructions.

"Let's take it back to the campsite and give it some food," Olivia said, "We don't know how long it's been out here." She tried not to think about the germs and possible viruses or bacteria now all over Maggie's hands and set a quick pace back to their setup.

Noah and Wyatt crumbled crackers and bread.

"Daddy," Maggie said, "Can you make a bird bed?"

Ed glanced at Olivia. Her eyes implored him to make the bed as quickly as possible.

"Uh, yeah, sure," He looked around and found a box of Cheez-its. He removed the bag of crackers and ripped off one side of the box. Then, he filled it with leaves and set it down on the ground near the fire, between two of their chairs. "How's that?"

"Perfect!" Maggie exclaimed. She gently put the bird down and it instantly started pecking at the food. "You're hungry, arentcha?"

"Maggie, let's wash your hands. And use hand sanitizer."

"Kay."

"Then we can let the bird have its breakfast and finish the scavenger hunt."

Noah and Wyatt were already wandering back down the trail, pencils and paper in hand and eyes peeled for relevant items. They grinned at each other when Maggie shouted, "Cheaters! You're getting a head start!"

Olivia tugged on Ed's jacket pocket and kissed his cheek. "Such a great bird bed maker."

"Among my many talents."

"Remember the fish funeral?"

"Like it was yesterday," Ed replied, "Poor Eric."

"You remember the name?"

"Oh yeah. And the spot where we buried him. Miss that fish."

Olivia burst into laughter and intentionally ran into him. "Hopefully we'll save the bird."

Ed glanced back over his shoulder and smirked. "I like his chances."

…..

Perez kept his word and almost exactly an hour later Justin waved at Ed through the diner window. Ed wasn't sure what he was expecting, but Justin didn't appear remorseful or ashamed. He looked like he'd simply happened upon his father-in-law while out for a stroll. Ed offered a wave, paid for his coffee, and hustled outside.

"You alright?" He asked Justin.

"I'm good."

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

"With the DAT you'll have to make sure you make that court date."

"Yep."

"Liv's calling one of her friends. A lawyer."

Justin laughed sarcastically. "Bullshit," he muttered, "The guy tries to get into our building to do who knows what to our neighbor and I'm the one who needs a lawyer. Nice."

"I don't know if the charges will be dropped, but you have a pretty good argument for, well, not necessarily self defense but there are mitigating factors."

"Motherfucker was trespassing, or trying to," Justin snapped. The emotion in his voice rose. He rarely used profanity but couldn't help it now and knew Ed would understand. "He was literally in the doorman's face when I got there. And he swung at me first! That's gotta be on camera. I gotta get home and tell them not to erase it or anything. And where is he? Did someone tell G he was trying to get in?"

Ed rubbed his face. "I don't think anyone knows it was him," he replied, "I didn't know until the precinct captain showed me the name, which I knew because Liv told me about the whole thing. And...Sarah must have told you?"

"G told me. While you were in Ireland. She, uh, stopped by in, uh, kinda rough shape. Mentally." Justin snickered again, "I really need to talk to Sare. Seems like there's some communication gaps between us."

"Sounds like it."

"Is she mad?"

"Nah," Ed replied, "Liv talked to her. She's shocked and confused. But she doesn't have all the pieces."

"Damn. I hate that she's had to sit there and wonder what was happening." They were nearing the building and Justin looked up to see if Sarah was on the terrace. The lights in the apartment were on, but the terrace was too shadowy to make out anything. He turned to Ed and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Thank you for, uh, gettin' me outta there."

"You're welcome. Now. Don't talk to anyone about it but Sarah. Not your mom. Not G. Not your brothers. Not even us right now. Get some sleep and Liv or the lawyer will call you tomorrow."

"Alright." Justin took a deep breath and gazed at the building again. "Thanks again, Ed. You have no idea how scared I was I was goin' to Rikers."

For the first time, Ed saw raw fear in Justin's face and his skin became ashen and clammy. "We'd never let that happen," Ed replied. He gripped Justin's shoulder, "Hang in there."

"I will."

…

Ed and Olivia were very good at communicating without words, so when Ed found Noah fast asleep in their bed, it took less than a minute of eye contact for him to figure out what had transpired after he left. Noah was clearly fast asleep now, and Ed took him to his room. Once back with his wife, he changed back into a pair of boxers and casually slid into bed as if he'd only been away a few minutes.

"He's back home," Ed reported.

"Good. Thank you. Did they give you much trouble?"

"Nah. He should've been released on the DAT anyway and their Captain knew that."

"What happened?"

Ed told Olivia everything Justin had told him-arriving home to find G's former boss and the doorman arguing, the missed punch, the punch that landed, Justin thinking everything was fine until he went downstairs, Justin looking like a small child when he uttered Rikers. "He's tough," Ed said, "But not Rikers tough. He's an academic for Chrissakes."

"Thank God he's home. Sarah was beside herself."

"I'm sure she is. He didn't tell her about what happened. He was practically running home to clear the air. And I don't know if I shoulda said this to him or not, but I don't see the charge stickin'. That guy had a friend somewhere and wanted revenge. Any judge lookin' at this is going to throw it out. You call Barba?"

"Yes," Olivia replied, "He's practically becoming our family lawyer."

"Not a bad man to have around."

"True."

Olivia stroked Ed's face, "How'd it feel to be back at work for a little while?" She asked with a grin.

"Strange. I usually wasn't gettin' anyone out of holding."

Olivia laughed and kissed him.

"But, seriously, it felt good. Not in a way that makes me want to go back or makes me regret retiring, but it was, uh, kinda gratifying to still be able to walk in and have people recognize you, and maybe wonder what in the hell you're doin' there."

"You really liked IAB, didn't you?"

"Most times, yeah. Until the end. It got tedious. Like all things do eventually. Except you. You, Olivia Benson Tucker are always exciting."

"Are you flirting with me, Captain?"

"Always."

Olivia smiled. Having come from rescuing Justin from the claws of the city's unforgiving justice system, he was oozing masculinity and clearly proud of himself. This cocky, assured version of Captain Ed Tucker was quite common in their early days together, and it made Olivia relive all the firsts all over again, in rapid-fire fashion. In particular, she remembered how she could get a little chill from the mere sight of him striding across a room in his suit.

"Liv?"

"Hmm?"

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"You."

Flattered, Ed blushed and wrapped his arms around her. Soon they were kissing and almost frantically working to rid themselves of their clothes. There had been many times when Olivia's desire for him was unbearable, and now was one of them. Ed's sense of duty was one of his best qualities and on this night it translated into his sexiest.

"Edddd…"

"Right here, Liv," he huffed into her neck.

She knew. And him being there? The sense of wholeness it brought to their world? That was the most priceless thing in the world.

…

Justin had been taken in with no cell phone or keys, but he didn't have to worry about getting in. By now, the news of his heroics had traveled among the building staff, and he was greeted heartily by the guy who waxed the lobby floors and the night doorman who sent him into the elevator with a jolly pat on the back. Justin stared at himself in the mirror on the way up, and settled down some. Ed was right. The arrest had been traumatic, but he had every reason to believe, once the full slate of evidence was presented, it would all go away.

He entered the apartment quietly in case Sarah had fallen asleep, but he heard voices. In the kitchen, Sarah and G were standing on opposite sides of the island with a bottle of rum between them. Sarah made a beeline for his arms. G was white as a sheet. Justin heard Ed's voice in his head telling him not to discuss anything with anyone other than Sarah. Did this include G? After all, he really was protecting her.

"Rum?" Justin joked after he assured Sarah he was fine and that Ed got him out of there before anything bad happened.

"It's all we had other than wine and beer," Sarah said, "And it's pretty good, actually."

Justin and G exchanged nervous glances.

Sarah raised her eyebrows and asked, "What?"

"It was him, wasn't it?" G asked in a small voice.

"Yeah."

"Holy shit," Sarah gasped.

It had taken all of two seconds for her to put everything together. After she talked to Olivia, she realized, in fact, she didn't want to be alone, so she asked G to come up. G was grateful to have some company herself and bounded up the stairs, unaware of what had happened. Sarah was a mess and stalked around the apartment frantically. She had completely lost control of her life, she said, more specifically, her marriage. When G learned Justin had been arrested, she nearly fainted. She was certain it had something to do with her.

She'd been right, and now she was sick with guilt. G gripped the edge of the island so tightly her knuckles matched the pallid hue of her face.

"Jesus Christ," Sarah said, "G, breathe, come here, sit down, we're going to have the cops and an ambulance here all in one night." She ushered her to the sofa and sat down.

Justin took one of the armchairs.

"Alright crew," Sarah said, "Let's talk. G? What do you need? Probably not more alcohol. Water?"

G nodded.

Justin jumped back up and returned with a full glass.

"I am so sor-"

"-No, no," Sarah interjected. "No sorries. I would like to, maybe," she shot Justin a forgiving grin, "Know what in the world is going on?"

"Yeah," Justin replied.

"I should go home," G mumbled.

"Not like this you're not. You're practically comatose and Justin spent dinnertime in the slammer," Sarah kept one arm around G and slapped her knee with the opposite hand, "Omigod," she gasped, "Did they make you eat one of thsoe bologna sandwiches?"

Justin grinned. His wife could always make anyone laugh, in any situation. "No. I missed out on that pleasure."

"Well, you must be starving. Can you please fill me in on what happened and then we can order food?"

"Yeah," Justin said, "It's way past time to do that."

…

#Tuckson