Early May, 2017

Housewarming Party!

Ed cautiously opened his eyes.

Mistake.

In their clumsy haste to get to bed last night, neither he nor Olivia thought to close the blinds, and the morning sunlight pierced whatever was left of his slumber and jolted him awake. Without moving his body, he felt around for his phone and in the process made a mental note to procure a clock for their bedroom. He hated using the phone to check the time.

At some point, Olivia wedged her head between two pillows, so she was impervious to the sunshine. The brunette locks escaping the protective nook were kinky and mussed, indicative of falling asleep with damp hair. The crisp white sheets were streaked with brown and black makeup smears. The pleasant mess of their bed reminded Ed of last night's bath, bathroom sex, and subsequent in-bed sex. He sunk back into his pillow and closed his eyes, basking in contentment.

He allowed himself only a few minutes, cognizant of the time and of Noah who, at any moment, could potentially enter his parents' room. Unlike their old apartment, this one had door handles he could open, so Noah-interruptus was a very real possibility. And Ed was quite sure they hadn't engaged the lock.

He plodded to the bathroom and pulled the plug to drain the bathwater. Olivia must have turned off the jets at some point last night. He surely did not.

Shirt. Where could he find a clean shirt? Every part of their new home was now in working order except for their closet and dressers. Olivia's work clothes and his suits were hung neatly in dry cleaning plastic, but their casual clothes were strewn around haphazardly. Ed tiptoed around the room and plucked one of his several Yankees tees from a pile of Olivia's clothes. She must have worn it at some point and, sure enough, he caught a whiff of her as he slid it over his head.

On his way down the hall to Noah's room, he heard his son talking to Bernie and paused to listen.

"Bernie, you fly!" Noah made whooshing sounds. "Den ya crash! Uh-oh, Bernie! You ok. I save you! See? Boo-boos all better!" More airplane sounds, a skidding noise, and then Noah's footsteps. Ed suspected he'd launched Bernie from his bed and then scampered to "rescue" him. "I gotcha, Bernie!" He cried out. "Noah help you!"

Ed walked in. Sure enough, Noah was huddled over his bear.

"Mornin' bud!"

"Daddy!"

Noah abandoned Bernie and threw himself into Ed's arms. There were few better feelings in the world than that of those little arms squeezing his neck and his head nestling cozily between his neck and shoulder. Ed alternatively patted and rubbed Noah's back and carried him to the kitchen where he made coffee and poured Noah's apple juice. They took the drinks to the couch and sat so they faced the windows.

"You back from Sarah," Noah remarked matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, it took a long time, huh?"

"Uh-huh."

"Whadja do while I was gone?"

"Eated wiff Brookey. Goed on the swings."

"Didja help plan the party?"

"No." His disinterest made Ed laugh which induced Noah giggles. "You funny, Daddy!"

"I'm funny?" More giggles. "What else didja do?"

Noah waved his arms around as he spoke. Ed didn't fully trust the no-spill sippy cup guarantee, so he took it from Noah. "I flied da plane and taked bubbly baff."

"We'll have to take the plane to the park and fly it for real."

Noah wiggled around to look at his Daddy, "We fly outside?"

"Yup. Maybe today. But we have to go to work and school first. Should we go wake up Mommy? It's Monday."

Noah played with the collar of Ed's shirt. "You be police today?"

"Yup. And you go to school."

"I telled Brooke 'panish."

"Oh yeah? You gonna learn more Spanish today?"

"Uh-huh. Wiff Miss 'Melia."

Ed kissed his forehead. "Sounds good to me, pal. Hey, let's make Mommy some coffee and bring it to her." He started the Kuerig and instructed Noah to watch it carefully while he went to warn his nude wife that her son was about to wake her up. He tossed Olivia one of her oversized night shirts and went back for the coffee and for Noah.

"Mommy, you have dirty face," Noah tried to clean Olivia's smeared mascara with his hands.

"Do I?"

"Need a wipe," he murmured, pressing harder, stretching her skin, and sending him into a fit of giggles as he contorted her features.

Olivia laughed along with him. "How about I get in the shower?"

"You take baff?"

Olivia shot a quick, flirty glance at Ed, "No…baths take too long for the morning," she cooed, her response clearly meant for her husband.

"Sometimes showers do, too," he replied.

Oblivious to his parents' flirting, Noah pointed to the nightstand. "We bringed you dis drink."

Olivia sat up and sipped. "You're so sweet. I love you so much, Noah."

"Lub YOU so much!" He bounced up and down.

"Oops," Olivia dabbed at the coffee spatter on the sheets, "Careful, sweetie."

Ed lifted Noah from the bed. "It's ok, bud," Ed pointed to the makeup stains, "Mommy already got the sheets dirty." Olivia glared at him, and he smirked back at her, "Let's go get ready for school so Mommy can get cleaned up."

Olivia looked up at her beaming son and husband and reached for them. "Give me kisses first."

Noah took one cheek and Ed planted a kiss on the other then he whispered something in Noah's ear.

"You pretty, Mommy," Noah said sweetly.

This prompted an incredulous laugh, "Your Daddy certainly is teaching you how to work the charm, isn't he? Thank you baby."

She stood up, stretched, and heard Noah tell Ed what he wanted to wear to school before she turned on the shower and let the pulsating water finish the wake-up job the men of the house started.

…..

Twelve blocks away, Brooke filled her travel mug with what was left of the coffee and straightened the kitchen. Noticing the early hour, she calculated the number of school days remaining. Thirty-five. Today she would officially accept a job at her new school, and her commute would shrink from several subway miles to a life-changing five blocks.

Sarah shuffled out, disheveled and clad only in a baby doll tee and underwear, and heaved herself onto a barstool. "Is there coffee?"

Brooke glanced reluctantly at her mug. "Here. Take this. I'll stop for more on my way."

"Thanks," Sarah sighed, grateful her sister saved her from the excruciatingly difficult task of making another pot.

"You didn't bring much back." Last night when Ed and Sarah returned with the Philadelphia cargo, Brooke was out with friends. Lonely, Sarah headed out to have a late dinner with a work acquaintance who lived in the area, so the sisters missed each other coming and going.

"Didn't have much," Sarah muttered. "I sold all my furniture when I moved in with Jeff, and, the wedding gifts? He can have the plates."

Brooke admired Sarah's ability to reduce the totality of her marriage to a set of flatware. "I don't have a ton of time right now, but…you're officially splitting up?"

"Yes. And, oddly enough, it's much less complicated to get a divorce than to get married. It's almost all done online."

"Jeff ok?"

"He said he was sorry it didn't work out and he hopes I," she tried to mimic his voice, "find what it is I'm looking for." Sarah screwed up her face, "As if I'm the one fucking around. Ugh. I so can't wait for mom and grandma to find out. This should be pleasant."

Brooke bit her tongue. There was so much she wanted to say to her defeated yet out-of-touch sister, but it would have to wait. "Did you at least have a pleasant drive?"

Sarah guffawed. Coffee dribbled down her chin and she wiped it with the back of her wrist. "It's wasn't bad at all. I thought Dad was going to bitch at me the entire time, but he was fine. Oh, he now knows I'm seeing Dr. Mosby. Does he know you about you?"

"Yes." Brooke started seeing a therapist in college and Ed paid for it.

"Well we're all enlightened then," Sarah said, "Because he also knows we know about Livvie and that psycho."

"Why did you tell him that?" Brooke snapped.

Sarah winced, not in reaction to Brooke's venom but because of the position she put Olivia in by asking her to keep something from her father. "I had to explain why I didn't tell him I was going to a shrink, and I did tell Livvie, and I kinda asked her to not tell him, and he was pissed that I thought he would think it was weird I was seeing someone especially since Olivia sees someone, so then I said she has real problems and he was like, what the fuck, and so I had to tell him."

The convoluted recollection made Brooke's head spin. "We're gonna have to revisit this later. I have to go. Are you going to work today?"

"Yes," Sarah whined like a teenager talking to her nagging mother, "People with normal jobs don't have to leave at the crack of dawn."

Brooke let out an exasperated sigh. "Have a good day…doing whatever it is you do."

Sarah raised the mug, "And you as well."

…..

Ed stopped at the old office to hand-deliver a party invitation to Cole who had recently been promoted to Lieutenant and stepped into Tucker's old position at IAB. Draper regarded the envelope, but didn't immediately open it.

"Saving a stamp?"

"I was instructed to address this," Ed replied indifferently, "And stopping by was less time consuming."

Cole chuckled, "Right. What is it?"

"Party invitation. Hope you and Janine can make it."

"Those renovations didn't take long," Cole said, impressed, "When is it?"

"Weekend before Mother's Day. I think. Lookit the damn card, Draper."

"I'll let Janine handle that," Cole slid the still-sealed envelope in the side pocket of his briefcase. "Drinks Friday?"

Ed had no idea what the week's childcare plans were, but he knew what he was about to say would be met with a smirk. "Lemme let you know after I talk to Liv tonight."

Sure enough, Draper was amused. "I don't know if I'm bringing my wife to the party. I'm tellin' ya, man, you're setting the bar too high for the rest of us."

"My apologies," Tucker replied sarcastically.

"Hey, not to change the subject from your domestic bliss, but, I only recently found out they stuck Dume over there with her. How's that going?"

One PP's decision on that matter clearly annoyed Ed, "She hasn't said much about it, so I guess it's ok for now. Bullshit though."

"No kidding. They shoulda given him a sweetheart early retirement or something."

"I'm stayin' out of it."

Cole agreed, "She doesn't need you fighting her battles for her."

"She certainly does not."

Ed left IAB and headed to his office. On the way to his car, he searched for keys and found one of Noah's cars in his jacket pocket. He put the red corvette in the cup holder. They'd all left together that morning which didn't happen often. They made a sharp trio—Noah in khaki cargos and a navy knit pullover, Ed in his black suit, white shirt, and gray tie, Olivia chose a powder blue blouse and gray blazer—he enjoyed, probably a bit too much, walking out onto the New York streets with his stunning wife and adorable child. Noah walked a little ahead of them until Ed picked him up when they turned onto busy Ninth Avenue. Olivia walked regally beside them, Ed had Noah in one arm and the little boy curled his fingers at the nape of his dad's neck and used his perch to survey the busy streetscape. Of course, nobody paid any attention to them, but Ed felt like he was on display as the epitome of masculinity. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at Olivia striding confidently, wearing a determined expression partially obscured by amber aviators. This was not the time for hand-holding, but he snuck in a quick squeeze of her fingers to which she responded by shooting him a sly grin, acknowledging their exceptionalism.

They each kissed Noah before he ran off to play with his day care friends, and Ed went a way out of his way to extend his time with his wife, walking with her to the precinct even though his unmarked car was parked several blocks in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Work."

"Why aren't you…going there?"

He lifted his shoulder, "I dunno."

Olivia smiled at his childlike response, "Well, I'm going up."

"I guess I'll head downtown then." He gazed at her. Perfection. The breeze rustled her hair and the sunglasses added an air of intrigue, maybe a bit of aloofness, like there was something incredibly interesting to be discovered behind those shades.

She cocked her head, "Are you ok? Do I need to send you in a squad car?"

"I could stare at you all day."

Her husband was too charming to dismiss. Despite there being officers milling about, Olivia hugged and kissed him before playfully shoving him away. Ed hustled to his car, cognizant of but not particularly worried about his late arrival. Before leaving the vehicle, he put Noah's corvette back in his pocket.

…..

At least I'm making it home before bedtime.

Ed ended up spending the entire day on the phone with a stockbroker who barricaded himself in his lower-Manhattan office with his secretary and the firm's CEO who he accused of running some type of Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme. The negotiation took almost six hours and ended with sniper fire. After making sure the hostages were safely in the care of doctors and with their families, Ed gave a brief statement, decided the paperwork could wait until morning, and hurried home.

"Hey!"

Noah scampered to Ed holding the foam airplane. "Daddy we go fly now?"

Ed cringed. He hated delivering disappointing news to his son. "Aw, No, I'm sorry bud. I had to be police an' it's dark now. We can't go tonight."

Noah's face contorted into a pathetic pout.

"How 'bout, I'll go to police a little late tomorrow and we'll fly before day care?"

Noah contemplated this proposition, slightly befuddled. Morning play outings were not common occurrences. "We fly plane earrrrleee?"

Ed knelt down to Noah's level, "Yeah. How's that sound?"

"Good." Noah tried to unknot Ed's tie, "I wear tie, too."

Noah's obsession with the tie, they thought, was in the past. Nevertheless, Ed consented, "Sure. You can wear your tie tomorrow. Which one?"

"We wear stripe one tomorrow, Daddy."

"You got it."

Olivia came into the foyer, serving spoon in hand. "We waited for you to eat."

"Thanks."

Noah jumped up and down, "We eat at new table, Daddy!"

"Great! Hey, No, go put your plane away and then you tell me where I should sit."

Noah ran off to stow the toy and Olivia approached Ed cautiously, gauging the extent of the day's strain. "Everything go ok?"

"They hadta take him out."

Olivia rubbed the back of his head and kissed him. "Hostages are safe, though?"

"Yeah."

"That's what matters."

Ed nodded reluctantly. He didn't like anyone losing a life on his watch.

"C'mon. Dinner." She took his hand.

"No bath?" Ed asked with mock disappointment.

Olivia took a swat at him with the spatula.

"Maybe later."

….

After cleaning the kitchen and tucking Noah in bed, Ed and Olivia dimmed the lights and sat together on the couch with glasses of bourbon. Ed stretched out on the section's chaise end and Olivia reclined against his chest. He twisted sections of her hair while he relayed the entire account of his trip to Philadelphia.

"She told me she's going to therapy," Ed said hesitantly, hoping Olivia could tell he wasn't angry with her for keeping that information secret.

"I'm sorry, Ed. I suggested it to her, and I didn't think she'd go unless I promised to keep it to myself."

"Don't worry about it," He sounded genuinely unaffected, "I don't get why she didn't want me to find out, though."

"She thought it was a sign of weakness," Olivia explained, "A lot of people do."

"Well I don't."

"She knows that. And I know that."

Ed had already decided he was going to tell Olivia about the other piece of information Sarah revealed during the road trip, but he wasn't sure how she'd react. "Somethin' else came up," he said, "Remember when they showed up at the precinct that day last spring?"

Olivia broke into a pleasant grin, "Of course."

"They had to, uh, do some research to find you."

She was about to ask why that mattered when it dawned on her. "Oh," she murmured.

Ed sat up straighter so he could get a better grip on her. "I told her not to bring it up. Ever."

"Maybe someday we'll talk about it."

"Why?" Ed saw no point in unearthing that horror.

"If it comes up," Olivia added. "I guess…I was operating under the assumption they knew…with all the media coverage and all."

"They know enough," Ed said with finality. "I don't want you reliving it."

The constant fight not to relive the Lewis ordeal had finally abated, and a lot of that had to do with Ed. The closer they became and the more their lives overlapped, her flashbacks and nightmares decreased in frequency. The potential for recurrence would never fully vanish, but Olivia finally felt secure enough to allow those memories to permanently reside in the past.

She placed her glass on the table and slung her arm around his waist, snuggling him cozily. They remained there for a while, silent, enjoying the simplicity and tranquility of the evening. Being in each other's arms eased the most troubling thoughts. It was here, moments like this, when Olivia felt safest and, for Ed, the height of his worth as a man was when he was in protector mode. Even the strong, fierce former Olivia Benson needed him, if that wasn't an ego boost, he didn't know what was.

…..

"Eddie, for Pete's sake, where the hell'd you get all this money?" Caroline stood in the middle of the living area turning slowly around, taking in her son's new digs. It was party day, and Brooke had driven to Riverdale to pick up her grandmother a little early so they could have some family time before the rest of the crowd arrived. Sarah, in an attempt to avoid talking about her impending divorce, refused to go along for the ride and was still at home.

"We got a good deal, ma," he replied.

"Sure you're not on the take?"

Having his integrity questioned was not fair game, and Ed glowered at his mother.

"Well, this is fantastic. Now you have room to separate when you get on each other's nerves."

Brooke put a gin and tonic in Caroline's hands and hoped she wouldn't notice she'd gone light on the liquor. Ed and Brooke opted for beer. The caterers would arrive any minute and the friend Brooke enlisted to bartend was setting up shop in the office.

"Dad and Olivia don't get on each other's nerves," Brooke said.

Caroline scoffed, "Oh, please. All married couples get on each other's nerves. Where's Olivia anyway? And little Noah? Where's my Noah?"

"He's being de-playgrounded," Ed replied, "They'll be out soon."

"Sarah?"

"She'll be here in a bit," Brooke said, "Why aren't Uncle John and Aunt Margie coming?"

"Margie might stop by later and Johnny's on his way back with Mark." Mark, John's son, was coming back to New York for the summer from college. "You know, Margie's always such a party pooper."

"Caroline!" The three of them turned to see Olivia and Noah emerge from the hall. Olivia wore a flowy, salmon-colored, v-neck blouse and jeans, but, as usual, Noah stole the fashion show. Taking a cue from Sarah, Olivia put mousse in his hair and combed it to the side for the classic movie-star look his sister loved. His blue plaid button-down shirt was tucked neatly into light khaki shorts tightened with a navy belt embroidered with white stars. Skewing the outfit back towards the casual were his gray converse high tops, intentionally untied. On one wrist was the silver cuff that matched Ed's and on the other was a multicolored Lego watch.

Olivia hugged Caroline. "Thanks for coming!"

"Thank you for inviting me," Caroline replied, "Eddie is very bad at keeping in touch with his mother."

"We really do need to get together more," Olivia agreed.

Noah held out a wrist, "Look, Brookey! I wear da watch you buyed me!"

"Oh, wow, No! It looks great! Can you tell me what time it is?" Brooke, ever the teacher, refused to buy a digital watch.

Noah studied the hands with furrowed brow, trying to remember the strategies Brooke taught him for telling time. "It's five-two!"

Brooke checked the face, amazed, "Wow. Close. It's two-oh-five." She gaped at Olivia, "He's really smart, Liv. Most of my students can't tell time on a regular clock, and they don't even know where to begin."

Olivia mussed Noah's hair, "He's lucky to have sisters who teach him all these things!"

"And ply him with junk food," Ed added with a grin.

Caroline nudged her son and produced a gigantic swirly lollipop from her bag, "That's what sisters and grandmas are for!" Noah's eyes widened at the sight of the candy.

"Ma."

"Oh, Eddie, lighten up! Why are you always so straight-laced? I don't know where you get that from. At all. Noah," Caroline crouched down, "You can have this later on, ok? In the meantime, eat one of the cookies I brought."

Ed rolled his eyes as Caroline handed Noah one of her famous peanut butter cookies.

"Now," Caroline commanded, "I want a tour. Noah, show me your bedroom, dearie."

Noah chewed his cookie and led Caroline and the rest of the adults to his room. He narrated with his mouthful, spewing crumbs everywhere. "Dis da bed. Dat my T-rex train. Dose my books."

Caroline picked up Bernie and hugged him, "Who's this?"

"Bernie!"

"He seems nice. Can I have him?"

Noah frowned and shook his head. "No," he replied sternly, "Bernie stay here." He reached up for his bear and put it securely under the covers before redirecting Caroline to his train set. After a stop to peek in the hallway bathroom, they went to the master bedroom which was finally in order. The bed was neatly made with the new striped duvet and matching pillowcases. Caroline tried out the plush easy chair and ottoman and raved about its comfort before admiring the view.

"Good thing there's no building directly across from here Eddie, they'd have a great view of your nighttime activities."

Ed took a swig of his beer and snickered, "And the daytime ones."

Brooke cracked up and Olivia joined in, albeit a bit bashfully.

"Look at their shower, grandma! It's so awesome—and you can fit about five people in there."

Caroline nodded approvingly, "They only need room for two, so there's some space to dance around in there."

"Alright," Ed said, "Time to go back to the public areas."

….

By the time of Sarah's fashionably late arrival, most guests were on their second or third drinks. She wasn't completely sober, having had a strong cocktail at home, and her plan was to avoid Caroline as much as possible. That would be easier in a crowd. Nobody noticed her entrance. She quickly grabbed a drink and searched for Olivia, knowing she was probably going to be the best buffer between her and her prying grandmother.

"Livvie!" Sarah sidled up to Olivia and leaned in for a side hug. "Sorry I'm so late."

"Brooke said you were running behind schedule. No problem. You remember Amanda Rollins? Our sergeant?"

"Yes, yes, the one with the little girl, right?" Sarah asked, trying to be polite. Knowing how close Sonny and Amanda were, she saw the Sergeant as a potential enemy.

"Yep," Rollins replied, turning to a corner of the living room, "We've enlisted Noah to watch her. He's doing a great job." Sure enough, the toddler and the emerging big kid were camped out among a pile of toys playing sweetly, occasionally surveying the adult action, but mostly busying themselves with blocks, cars, and the girl toys Jesse brought along. "Remind me to pay, him, Lieutenant," Rollins joked.

"Where's grandma?" Sarah asked.

Olivia looked around, "I think she's eating over at the island. Yep. She's over there."

"I need to stay away from her. My husband and I are splitting up," Sarah explained to Amanda, "And I'm not interesting in hearing her opinion about it."

"I understand," Rollins said, "My mother is constantly throwing veiled criticism in my face about my single parenting. Such a pleasure," she added sarcastically.

Olivia noticed another late arrival and excused herself. Sarah and Amanda drifted over to the windows to continue complaining about the overbearing older women in their lives, and Olivia went over to Barba who, despite the instructions, came bearing a gift.

"Barba! Thank you for coming!"

"Hey, Liv," he said with a smile, "Here. It's a gift."

"We said no gifts."

"Everybody says no gifts, but they expect gifts. Open it later. Drinks are…?"

"Over there."

"Ah, great." Barba ordered a scotch and returned to Olivia's side, "Beautiful place, Liv. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Squad's all here?"

"All but Fin. He may stop by later, but he's working."

"I see Carisi has Tucker cornered."

"As usual."

Barba chuckled sarcastically. Carisi's adoration for Tucker was a long-running inside joke. "Cragen or any of the old guys here?"

"Munch stopped by earlier. Cragen's in Florida. Amaro's mother is here somewhere. He wanted to come, but we'll see him next weekend. He's flying in for Mother's Day."

They made their way into the main space, and Barba, like everyone else, complimented the décor and furnishings. "You have good taste, Liv. Of course I knew that, but this really is spectacular."

Olivia led Barba into the kitchen, "Ed picked out all of this—appliances, countertops, everything."

"Negotiator extraordinaire with a knack for interior design. You hit the jackpot, Liv."

Olivia smiled and waved Brooke over. "Barba, do you remember Brooke? Ed's daughter?"

Brooke and Barba shook hands. "Yes, we met at the wedding. Good to see you again."

"Nice to see you, too," Brooke said, grinning at him, thinking about how closely his clothing resembled Noah's.

Olivia put her arm around Brooke's shoulders. "She helped me plan," Olivia said, "And she arranged the food and the drinks."

"Professional party planner?" Barba asked.

"Nope," Brooke replied, "Middle school teacher."

"Oh yeah? Where?"

"South Bronx right now. New job next year."

"Bless you," Barba said. "My mother runs a charter school. She never sleeps."

Confident Barba and Brooke could carry on a conversation without her, Olivia went to check in with her husband, but she had trouble prying him away from Carisi.

"Hey, Lieu!" He said, "Great party. Great food. You two really went all out. Thank you!"

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, Carisi."

"You know, Lieu, we really gotta do things like this more often, I mean, hang out all together. The Captain and I were just talkin' about how we need to maybe hit the park a couple Saturdays this spring." Carisi babbled on about potential squad outings and Olivia and Ed listened patiently until he was interrupted by Jesse and Noah who were now walking around the crowd, navigating the human obstacle course. Jesse grabbed a hold of Sonny's leg and Noah imitated her, latching onto the other one.

"Hey you two!" Sonny beamed down at them, "Didja eat, Jess?"

From the couch, Rollins informed him that she had.

"Well, I'd offer ya some cake, but I think Brooke said there'd be a toast before we dig in, so, how 'bout another cookie? Grandma Caroline sure killed it in the kitchen!"

"Gamma killed it!" Noah shouted. He and Jesse rode to the kitchen, still affixed to Carisi's legs.

Olivia put her arms around Ed's waist. "Having a good time?"
"Yeah, great, I need to slow down with these, though," Ed held up his empty glass.

"I thought you were drinking beer?"

"Carisi brought me a bourbon. And then another one."

Olivia leaned against him, head tilted up, requesting a kiss. Ed hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

"I really want to kiss you, Lieutenant. But really kiss you."

Olivia pecked his cheek, "A few more hours."

"Sarah informed me I have to give another toast."

"I'll help."

"Thanks."

They stood with their arms around each other, and surveyed their guests. Everyone seemed involved in friendly conversation. Barba and Brooke were now joined by Cole, his wife, and Caroline, who was simultaneously assisting Sonny with the kids' cookies and drinks. Sarah had apparently buried any animosity she had for Rollins, because the two of them sat next to one another, giggling and sharing stories. Sarah cajoled the bartender into giving her an entire bottle of wine, and they had finished over half of it. Other people, mostly Ed's coworkers and friends, milled about, eating and drinking.

A little later, Sarah peeled herself away from her new best friend and told Ed it was time for the toast and to cut the cake. "The older people look like they're getting tired," she slurred into his ear.

"Define older," Ed retorted, "Grandma still looks alert, and Liv and I are fine."

"Daddy, don't be difficult." Sarah grabbed a knife and tapped her glass. She motioned for Brooke to bring the cake to the table, and the caterer brought a stack of clean dessert plates and forks.

Ed called Noah over and Olivia picked him up. Ed raised his glass and held his wife and son close with his other arm. He cleared his throat and started the off-the-cuff toast. "Liv and I want to thank all of you for coming to help celebrate today. We love this place, and we're excited you're all a part of the first memories we have here. So, I think, at the risk of sounding selfish, I propose a toast to…us."

"To the Tuckers!" Olivia added.

Noah poked his face in front of his mother's. "I have cake now, mommy?"

Everyone laughed.

Ed heard Cole's voice. "Let the kid have the first piece, Tucker!"

"Wait!" Sarah rushed up to them with a wrapped gift. "We want you to open this now. I know you said no gifts, but Brookey and I got this for you."

Ed accepted the present and let Noah tear off the paper. It was a framed picture of the three of them in almost the exact spot where they now stood, but they were looking out at the skyline in profile, their bodies partially silhouetted. Noah was on Ed's hip, visually tracking something Ed was pointing out. Olivia looked on, the corners of her mouth upturned ever so slightly, an expression of amused serenity.

"You probably didn't know Brooke took that, didja?" Sarah asked, pleased their gift had rendered them speechless.

"No," Olivia mumbled, "When was this?"

"The first time you brought us all here. Remember? Noah was going nuts about the view? No," she prompted, wanting to show off for the crowd, "What's that city out there?"

"Ma'hattan!"

More laughter.

"We had it touched up," Brooke said, "I took it with my phone, but you'd never know it now. I just love it."

"Thanks you two," Ed said, reaching out to embrace his daughters. "It's really beautiful." The guests quickly diverted their attention away from them, so only Olivia heard the last sentence.

"It is," she whispered, nuzzling his neck. "It really is."

…

As late afternoon gave way to evening, guests gradually filtered out of the apartment, and Olivia and Ed stationed themselves in the foyer to say their goodbyes and thank-yous. The sun was beginning to set when the caterer and bartender departed, leaving the six Tuckers with Rollins, Jesse, and Carisi.

While Sonny explained how Ed could maximize office space with sets of floating shelves, Caroline joined Sarah and Amanda on the sofa. Brooke and Olivia sat at the island observing the three overserved ladies.

"Grandma's made of iron, I'm sure of it," Brooke said, "She drinks so much and never seems drunk. Dad, too, I guess. Maybe it runs in the family but stopped with me and Sarah."

"I can tell when your Dad's had too much to drink."

Brooke thought. "I can't. But, then again, if he's drunk, I probably am worse, so I wouldn't notice."

"Sarah seems ok today," Olivia remarked.

"She was scared of what Grams would say about Jeff, but she hasn't said anything to her. And now I think they're planning a girls' weekend on the Jersey shore."

Olivia laughed at the idea of an almost-eighty-year-old Caroline going to the beach with Rollins and Sarah. "I don't know if they can keep up with Caroline," she said.

"Right?"

Carisi and Ed joined them, "Lieu, I'm gonna help the Captain install some shelves in the office. You'll get more floor space that way and have room for a desk and a couple chairs. You can't get ridda that couch. Too much history there."

"I'm just glad Big Brown is out of our apartment," Brooke said.

"Hey," Ed snapped, "That couch has been in your life since you were born."

"That's why you can't get rid of it," Carisi insisted.

"Well, that's the next weekend project then," Olivia said.

"Um," Brooke looked around, "Where are the kids?"

"Asleep in Noah's room."

"No naps," Carisi remarked, "Sleep schedule's all off now." He caught a glimpse of Rollins whose exaggerated movements and heightened volume did little to hide the fact that she was deeply under the influence. "I'm probably gonna haveta take them home soon."

As if to help prove his point, Amanda reached over to refill her glass and the bottle slipped, knocking the glass over.

"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed.

Caroline brushed off the blunder, "Ah, nothing spilled, here ya go," she put the glass back on the table, "Let gramma pour."

"Hey, Rollins," Carisi called over to her, "You ready to go? I'll give you and Jesse a lift."

Clarity came over Amanda's face as if she'd just realized what was going on and where she was. Even impaired, she knew she didn't want to be drunk at her boss's house for much longer, so she accepted Carisi's offer. He went back to Noah's room and returned with Jesse. Sarah and Caroline walked Amanda towards the door.

"You gonna be able to get them both up to her apartment?" Ed asked Carisi.

"Yeah, she'll be fine."

"I'll walk you down to the car, at least."

"Thanks, Captain."

Carisi suddenly realized he forgot his jacket. He retrieved it from the back of a chair and almost ran into Brooke as she emerged from the hallway. "Hey, listen," he said in a hushed voice, "I'm gonna get her home and sober her up a bit, but then you wanna come by my place later? Late dinner maybe?"

Brooke intentionally avoided Sonny for most of the day, but she couldn't ignore the hopeful glint in his eyes.

"Sure. Lemme know."

He grinned at her, "Great! Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

…

Brooke put Caroline in an Uber and headed home, leaving Sarah to sleep off her wine on Ed and Olivia's couch.

"Sorry guys," Brooke apologized but wasn't the least bit remorseful. Sarah's stupor was neither her fault nor her responsibility, and she wanted to get home to freshen up in case Sonny actually followed through.

Ed frowned at his snoring daughter and watched Olivia cover her with a throw blanket and gently lift her head onto a pillow.

"We'll ship her home when she wakes up," Ed muttered. His face softened when he shifted his focus to his older daughter, "Thanks again for the picture. It looks great in here."

"You're welcome Dad. Have a good week if I don't see ya." Brooke hugged Olivia and took off.

With Noah still snoozing and the couch occupied, Olivia suggested they unwind in their bedroom chair. Ed asked about another drink and Olivia declined. He poured a small amount of the Amaretto Carisi brought and brought a glass of water for her, just in case. They settled into the chair.

"You wanna sip?"

Olivia sniffed the liquor. "Sure. Mmmm. It's good."

"Want me to get you one?"

"No, I'll just drink yours," Olivia replied sweetly.

Ed leaned in for what she thought would be a quick peck, but he caught her off guard and parted his lips at the last second and aggressively explored her mouth with his tongue. "That is good," he murmured. "More, please."

During a quick break in the make-out session, Olivia asked him to assess the party.

"It was good," he said, "People had fun, no awkwardness, nobody overstayed…except for the guest currently drooling on our new sofa."

"I'm so glad your mom didn't push her about Jeff."

"I wasn't worried."

"You weren't? Brooke was. I was. Sarah was."

Ed shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, maybe I shoulda told you. I talked to my mom last night about it."

"You did?"

Olivia thought she sounded impressed, but Ed mistook it for frustration. Perhaps he should have told her or Sarah or Brooke about his ex parte discussion. "I called her to, ya know, tell her about what was going on and that Sarah wasn't ready to talk about it. You know how she is, it woulda been this huge deal and ruined the day. Best just to leave it alone for the time being." Regret filled Ed's eyes, "I'm sorry. I should've told you."

"No," Olivia corrected him softly, caressing his cheek, "No, I'm not upset. That was really thoughtful, Ed." She planted a passionate kiss of her own on his lips. "So thoughtful." Another kiss. "And sweet." Another kiss.

Then she got up, leaving him alone and bewildered in the chair.

"Where ya goin?" He asked, obviously dejected.

She spun on her heel causing her hair to flow seductively across her face. She didn't answer; rather, she shot him a sly grin, took the last few steps toward the door, and turned the lock.

As he took in the sultry sight of Olivia slowly peeling off her shirt as she meandered back to him, Ed knew that he would forever associate that click with the amazing chair sex they were about to have.

What a great day.

….

Hope you liked it! #Tuckson