Annnnnnnnd, we're back! Sorry for the lag in updates but I was UNDER THE GUN with Truce, there, people!

May 2017, Mother's Day Weekend

Olivia stepped out of the elevator, twisting and stretching her upper body, elated with her decision to create a four-day weekend by taking a couple of vacation days prior to Mother's Day. It had been a busy week for both her and Ed, and Lucy, Brooke, and Sarah juggled Noah's care. Yesterday, Lucy retrieved him from day care, Brooke relieved her in the early evening, and Sarah took the late shift, arriving at the apartment in time to put him to bed. Olivia returned home to find both her and Noah wedged side by side in his toddler bed. They'd fallen asleep watching a movie on the iPad, and the device had tumbled to the floor beside them. Sarah ended up crashing on the sofa in the office, too tired to go home. Ed grumbled at this, but Olivia didn't mind. She liked having the family at the apartment.

She expected to see Ed and Noah on the couch when she entered, but the living room was dark and the under-cabinet lighting cast the only light across the open space-a muted, purplish hue.

A series of shuffles and then a few dull thuds echoed from the master bedroom, and Olivia made her way back there, but approached stealthily to observe Ed and Noah before revealing her presence.

"How's this look, bud?"

"Good, Daddy."

"Are you looking?"

"No, Daddy. I walk in your BIG SHOES!"

Noah traipsed around the room in a pair of Ed's wingtips. Occasionally, he fell good-naturedly, picked himself up, and continued his path. The bulky footwear required total concentration; he had no spare focus to tell Ed whether or not the framed artwork he was hanging was straight.

Noah slogged to the closet. Olivia heard him clomp into the bathroom and then emerge seconds later, walking more easily now, wearing one of Ed's ties and dragging a blazer he must have set aside for dry cleaning because, ordinarily, Ed was meticulous about hanging his clean jackets.

"I go to police." Noah looked himself up and down. "Have da shoes, an' tie, and' this!" It took some effort for him to raise the blazer. "Whassis called, Daddy?"

Ed answered without taking his eyes off the frame. It was one of his—a vintage print of Times Square near the turn-of-the-century. "A blazer. Or, a jacket."

"Jacket for rain," Noah objected.

"Not always."

Noah scrunched up his face and pronounced, "Bwazer."

"You have blazers, bud," Ed said, "You wore one when Mommy and I got married and you wore one when you went to Lion King with Sarah and Brookey."

"She Sare Bear."

Ed smiled. "Alright, Sare Bear." Ever since Noah spent a day with Caroline and the girls, he'd used Sarah's nickname without hesitation and refused to be corrected.

Noah dropped the blazer. "I go get mine," he said intently, "And da badge. I need police badge, too." He attempted to run for the door and make his way to his own bedroom, but the large shoes stymied him. "Ugh," he groaned, and stepped out of the shoes, "Don't move these, Daddy."

"Kay, bud."

"MOMMY!"

Noah sprinted into Olivia's arms and nearly choked her with the hug. "I miss-ded you!"

"I missed you, too, sweet, boy!"

Noah frowned and said in a pouty voice, "You be at police."

"Yes, but I'm here now. And I'm not going to police for four whole days."

Noah held out a hand and counted his fingers. "One. Two. Free. Four." Then he frowned again, "But dey call you."

"Not for four whole days."

Ed joined them in the hall. He kissed Olivia's cheek and lingered at her ear for a split second, "Hello, my love," he said.

"Hello, my love!" Noah parroted.

Ed wrapped his arms around both of them. "This weekend is all about Mommy. She gets anything she wants."

Noah studied her face seriously and nodded in agreement.

"Except," Ed said, "If she wanted her husband at home tomorrow, she, uh, may be a little disappointed?"

"What's going on?" Olivia walked them back into the bedroom, gently tossed Noah on the bed, and collapsed on her back beside him.

"DA called. They caught somethin' wanted to run the preliminaries by me," Ed replied, hoping she wouldn't be annoyed with him not consulting her, "It's just for the morning. Sorry, I shoulda checked with you first."

Unbothered, Olivia waved her hand in the air, "We'll probably still be in our sweats when you get home." She sat up and looked around the room. It was in its typical state of disarray. Clothes covered the easy chair and ottoman, shoes, bags, and other random items were strewn around the floor; Ed and Olivia managed to keep the entire apartment tidy except for their bedroom and it was becoming a running joke between them. "So, what exactly were you two doing?"

"Hangin' a few things that have been sitting in the closet." Ed pointed at the Times Square print, "This ok here?"

"Perfect. I didn't realize how bare these walls were."

"Yeah, we may even have to buy a few more things."

Olivia made a little noise at the suggestion but said nothing further.

"Hey, No, why don't you go pick out your books, bud?" Ed suggested, "And get the PJs you wanna wear. Put 'em on your bed."

"Kay, Daddy," Noah clambered off the bed and trotted to his room.

Taking advantage of the manufactured alone time, Ed climbed on top of Olivia, kissed her a few times, and gazed into her eyes. "How'd your day go?" He asked, oozing with sincerity.

"It was fine."

Ed furrowed his brow. He hated when she used the word "fine."

She grinned, "We didn't catch anything major. I was in the office the whole day."

"Okaaay," he cooed doubtfully and continued planting kisses on her face and neck. "God, I want you."

Olivia put her hands on his chest, "Let's get the boy in bed. Then I'm all yours."

….

Olivia stepped out of the shower, dried off, and put on a t-shirt and shorts. Ed graciously left a cup of coffee for her on the counter, and she took it to the bed, planning to sip and flip through a magazine, when she noticed she'd missed several calls and texts, all from Brooke. Immediately believing something was wrong, she called her back.

"Olivia," Brooke answered breathlessly, "Thank God. I need a huge favor. I mean, huge."

Relieved she only needed a favor, Olivia let out the breath she'd been holding. "Sure, Brooke, what is it?"

"We had one of our career day volunteers cancel at the last minute. Is there any way you can come in and talk to a classroom full of middle school kids this afternoon? For, like, thirty minutes? I know it's your day off and I know—"

"No problem," Olivia interjected, "I'm happy to do it…but…I'm going to have to bring Noah. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind bringing him here." Brooke was finishing her last year teaching in the rough South Bronx school.

"Not at all."

"Thank you," Brooke gushed, sounding a lot like Sarah, "You're the best. Um…twelve-thirty?"

Olivia said that was fine and she went to go check on Noah who was suspiciously quiet. Her heart melted when she discovered him cuddled in his bean bag with the iPad, not playing a game but rather playing with a drawing app.

"Whatcha doing, Noah?"

"I drawing Ma'hattan."

"Oh, wow," Olivia purred, "Tell me when you're done so we can save it, okay?"

"Kay," Noah replied, sounding like he wanted his mother to leave him to his artwork.

"We're going to Brookey's school later."

He turned towards her with wide eyes, "I go to school wiff da big kids?"

"Well, yeah, for a little while. Mommy's going to tell them about being a police officer."

"I bring da badge," Noah said matter-of-factly, "I police, too."

"Okay sweet boy. Mommy's going to make breakfast. You okay here?"

"Uh-huh. I drawin' Ma'hattan."

Olivia smiled and left the room.

….

Captain Ed Tucker didn't have much to do that morning. After meeting with the ADA, he reviewed and put the finishing touches on a few reports, sifted through email, but was otherwise idle and passed the time watching the news and drinking coffee. Towards the end of his shift, Cole stopped by to say hello, and Tucker greeted his old partner warmly, happy to have someone to converse with even if it was only for a few minutes.

"What brings you here, Draper?" Tucker asked, standing to shake his hand.

"The latest in NYPD corruption," Cole replied casually. "How're things?"

"Great. Few more hours here and then…Mother's Day."

Cole smiled, "Big plans?"

"Just seeing my mother and we'll stop by to see Amaro. He's in town."

"She still keeps in touch with him?"

"Yeah, well, mostly his mother. She helped out a lot when Noah was a baby."

Cole examined Ed's framed photographs; there were significantly more than there had been when he was at Internal Affairs. "The boy's sure getting big. What is he now? Four?"

"He'll be four in November."

"And your girls?" Cole picked up a picture of the entire family taken at the housewarming party, "They doing okay?"

"Yep," Tucker said, "Younger one's back here now. Older one's getting a new job thank God."

"That the one who teaches in Mott Haven?"

"Yeah," Ed grumbled, "The end of the year cannot come soon enough."

"Bless her."

"I'll tell her that."

Cole remembered Ed's extravagant Valentine's Day and inquired about Olivia's Mother's Day gift. Ed smirked.

"It's at the girls' apartment. Couldn't find a decent hiding place at home."

"I'm tellin' you, Tucker, you gotta save some of these ideas."

Ed just sat back in his chair with a cocky smirk and laced his fingers behind his head. Cole shook his head in amusement on his way out.

"Let's get a drink sometime soon," he suggested.

"Yeah, yeah…early next week?"

"Sounds good."

…

Olivia checked in with the cagey secretary at Brooke's school. The elderly lady eyed her badge and gun suspiciously and her eyes moved back and forth between her waist and Noah, who had wrapped his arms around his mother's leg.

"Just a minute," she said tersely, "The resource officer's on his way up." Changing her tone to a sweet, kind voice, she greeted Noah, "Hi there, sweetheart."

Noah smiled shyly and gave her a little wave.

"Can you say hello, sweet boy?" Olivia mussed his hair.

"Hi," Noah said in a barely audible whisper.

The school's uniformed officer appeared and held out his hand, "Lieutenant Benson, good to have you here."

"You know her?" The secretary asked, reverting back to unfriendliness.

"I know of her. One of Manhattan's finest commanding officers from what I've heard. Miss Tucker said you were coming today. Thanks for helping us out at the last minute."

"My pleasure," Olivia said, "I hope nobody minds me bringing my assistant." She nodded at Noah.

The officer bent down to his level, "Hey, big guy."

Feeling more comfortable, Noah stuck his waist out, revealing his miniature replica badge.

"Whoa! You have a shield? Wow. I didn't know they were swearing in officers so young! They do things differently in Manhattan, I guess."

"I drawed Ma'hattan," Noah whispered.

"Oh yeah?" The officer groaned as he stood up straight and faced Olivia again. "I'll take you back to the classroom." Once they were out of the secretary's earshot, he muttered, "Don't mind Miss Nellie…she's a little overprotective of everybody here."

They arrived at Brooke's classroom, and the students immediately erupted into giggles because Noah shouted "BROOKEY" and dashed into her arms.

"Hi, No!" She exclaimed, wrapping him in a hug and giving him a kiss, "Meet my class!" Noah laid his head shyly on Brooke's shoulder. "C'mon, say hi!"

Olivia stood off to the side, observing, as Brooke gently turned him to face the thirty or so students. Noah offered a quiet "hi," and, apparently getting more comfortable, wiggled to get down. In a few minutes he was roaming around her bulky teacher's desk, touching a few knickknacks and looking at her pictures.

"That me!" he exclaimed to the delight of the students. He grabbed the frame and held it out, "That me and Brookey at da beach!"

Olivia laughed as students whispered to one another.

"He called her Brookey."

"I always wondered who that kid was."

One of the students directed his attention to Olivia, "Yo, she gotta gun."

"Of course she does, stupid. She's a cop."

Brooke's classroom featured only two narrow windows, but she decorated the room with an attractive mixture of academic posters and famous prints from Picasso, Monet, and van Gogh. Her students were seated in six straight rows and they wore the school's khaki and burgundy uniform rather than street clothes. When she'd messaged Ed earlier about her impromptu mission, he balked slightly at her taking Noah. Sarah wasn't the only one with a hyper-negative view of Brooke's South Bronx kids; Ed, too, operated under the assumption that his daughter was constantly engaging in battle with each passing day. However, the class showed impeccable manners and once Noah really got warmed up, he ran up and down the aisles, giving high fives, and stopping to listen as a few students showed him their work.

"Where da crans?" He asked one student.

"We have colored pencils."

"Yeah, Noah, why don't you color a picture for the class while Mommy talks?" Olivia suggested. Noah nodded, Brooke set him up at a vacant desk, and Olivia continued with her presentation. Even though many students were all too familiar with the law, police, and the court system, they listened intently to Olivia's words. Hearing a police officer speak to them so calmly and soothingly shocked them into an awed silence. When she wrapped up and asked if there were any questions, only one student raised his hand.

"I don't have a question," he said, "But you should come back again."

"And bring your son!" Another exclaimed.

Noah climbed out of the desk and ran forward with his drawing. "Here ya go, Brookey! A picture for da big kids!"

"Wow, No! It's great! Tell us about it!"

"Dis me. Dis Mommy. Dere you are. And then all the BIG KIDS!"

Noah had exaggerated big kids both in his speech and in the art. The kids were huge and he'd portrayed himself in miniature. The middle schoolers politely thanked him for the drawing and Brooke tacked it above her desk. She hugged Olivia.

"Thanks so much. You saved the day."

"Anytime," Olivia said, "C'mon, sweetie," she called to Noah, "let's go."

Noah pouted. "I stay here?"

"No, we're going to meet Daddy."

His eyes brightened and he addressed the class once more, "Daddy police, too!"

"Oh, man, Miss Tucker, you gotta bring this kid back!"

Noah bounded over to Olivia, "Lessgo to Daddy!"

"Say goodbye to the class."

"Bye guys!" Noah said as if he were bidding farewell to his oldest and dearest friends.

"Bye Noah!"

…

Noah skipped alongside his mother, chattering away about meeting Brooke's class. He sat at the big kid desk and used big kid colored pencils and the big kids wanted to see his badge and the big kids liked his police shirt. Olivia dressed him casually in khaki shorts and a plaid short-sleeved oxford, unbuttoned, over a gray NYPD shirt. He surprised her by going along with the attire because lately he'd once again been favoring his ties.

"Mommy, we goin' home?"

"No, we're going to meet Daddy for a snack."

"At da pub?"

Olivia glanced down at her son and rolled her eyes at how easily da pub flew out of his mouth. "Yes, at the pub."

"We get da boof by da window."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh-huh," Noah said proudly, raising his knees higher, "Daddy always get it."

"That Daddy," Olivia murmured.

"Daddy say da boof our spot."

"I know."

"Just for da Tuckers!"

Olivia squeezed her son's hand and hoped the booth was, indeed, free or else she would have one disgruntled three-year-old on her hands.

"Are you excited to see Grandma Caroline and Nick and Zara this weekend?"

"Uh-huh. We give Gamma the pesent?"

"Yep."

"And Mommy get a pesent, too!"

"You already gave me the rock, and I love it so much."

"Sisters say you get lotsa pesents."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, don't tell me what the presents are."

"Sare bear say I ZIP IT 'bout Muvvers Day." Noah ran his forefinger and thumb across his lips.

Olivia laughed but was a little bittersweet about missing the conversations Noah had with other people in his life. Of course, it was impossible to witness every moment, but Noah soaked up information with sponge-like acuity and she would've loved to be a fly on the wall when he was with Sarah and Brooke.

When they came within sight of the pub, Noah tried to break free. "Noah," Olivia said sharply, "Stay with me. No running. This is a busy street."

"But I see Daddy!" Noah dragged her the rest of the way. Sure enough, Ed beamed and waved from the window booth.

Noah bounced up to the table and eagerly climbed in next to his Daddy for a quick snuggle. Ed kissed his head. "Hey, bud! How was Brookey's school?"

"Da big kids likeded me!"

"They were nice?" Ed asked warily.

"Uh-huh."

Olivia slid in across from them and grinned at her two boys. Noah fussed with his badge which was uncomfortable poking him. Ed took it off and Noah warned, "Don't lose it."

"Okay, pal." He looked with smiling eyes at his wife, "How'd it go for you?"

"Good," Olivia replied, "But the kids were way more interested in Noah." She relayed the story about the picture and the high fives and the general banter. "You got out of there on time I see."

"Yeah, slow day." He smirked and leaned far over the table. "C'mere."

She obliged with a quick peck.

"That's all?" He complained.

Olivia glanced poignantly around the semi-crowded establishment and then at Noah, "For now," she said.

"Alright," Tucker replied, still pouting a little. "You hungry bud?"

"I have tater tots?"

"Yeah, we'll get ya some tater tots."

Noah hugged Ed's arm, "Thank you, Daddy."

Olivia grinned uncontrollably at them and Ed raised his eyebrows. "What?" He asked innocently.

"He has you absolutely wrapped around his finger."

He looked down at his son adoringly and mused, "No question about that."

…..

"Brooke, for fuck's sake, go with Sonny this weekend." Sarah perched herself on a barstool and gripped her wine glass as if it were in danger of being wrested from her at any minute.

The older sister lounged on the couch and stared at her phone with furrowed brow. Carisi had just texted her. He had been called in to work and had to cancel their date, but did Brooke want to join him for brunch at his Mother's House on Sunday morning?

"I have to go to Mom's," Brooke countered.

"No you don't. I'm not going."

"That's your decision. It would be really wrong for me not to go. And," Brooke tossed the phone on a pile of ungraded papers, "Don't you think it's a little weird that he has to honestly cancel a date and then, to make up for it, asks me to meet his family?"

Sarah shrugged, "Maybe he's just trying to kick it up a notch."

Brooke let out an exasperated breath. "Mother's Day is kicking it up a notch? I would prefer a weekend away somewhere…or…"

Sarah grinned devilishly and slowly made her way to Brooke's side, "Or…whaaat?"

"I don't know…something, spontaneous."

"You want romance."

"Who doesn't?"

"Well, if Mr. Sonny Carisi is lacking in that department, you, sister, have to lead the way."

Brooke narrowed her eyes but sat up with curiosity. "What exactly do you mean?"

Overjoyed at Brooke's conundrum, a pleasant expression crossed Sarah's face as she went through suggestions. "Well, we could getcha some better lingerie. You're so boring in that department."

Brooke objected, "I hate that stuff."

"Maybe you could take him somewhere?"

"Nah. He may not be ready for it."

Sarah shot to her feet. "I know!"

"What?"

"Come with me." Sarah motioned for her to follow and led the way to her bedroom where she flipped through music on one of her several iPods and then plugged it into her speakers. The sultry sounds of instrumental hip-hop filled the room and Sarah began sashaying around the room.

"Oh, no," Brooke muttered slowly.

"Oh, yes," Sarah retorted, grinning, "A little striptease for Sonny-boy. Lap dance. The whole package. For extra fun, you could provide some singles."

"No fucking way," Brooke said, "I don't think…he's even been to a real strip club."

"Oh come on, Brookey," Sarah froze, incredulous, "Grow up and get real. Every red-blooded American man has been to a strip club."

"Dad?"

"Of course."

Brooke shook her head in disagreement.

Sarah began dancing again and piled laundry on a chair and packed it tightly so it sort of resembled a person. "C'mon," she cajoled, "I'll teach you some moves. I'm not actually stripping…just the routine. You can fling your clothes off as you see fit or have him do it." Sarah narrated as she moved, "Walk a few steps, then poke your hips like this, at him, but then spin away, twirl, ya know. A little tease before ya go in for the kill." Sarah performed these moves and then straddled her clothes, threw her head back, and—

"Oh fuck."

"Hello, girls." Ed, partly horrified and partly amused, stood in the doorway.

"Daddy," Sarah gasped.

A mortified but mostly innocent Brooke buried her head in her hands and choked back embarrassed laughter.

"Whatcha doin?"

Sarah dashed over and turned off the speaker, "Well, if you must know, I'm running through some moves for Brooke. She needs some, uh, variety in her—"

Knowing Sarah would deflect any awkwardness, Brooke quickly interjected, "My sister seems to think that the way to a man's heart is to act like a working girl."

"Working girl?" Sarah spat out, "How old are you? Ninety? You sound like Grandma."

Ed stared blankly at his bantering daughters for a few more seconds before losing his patience, "Well, whatever's going on…I need the painting so I can wrap it. I was gonna wrap it here, but if you're busy…"

"Daddy, don't be silly," Sarah admonished him with a playful slap, "We'll help you. Actually, I'll do it. Everyone knows I'm the best at wrapping."

Brooke went to the hall closet and produced the framed artwork. Olivia's Mother's Day gift initially stymied Ed…and Noah, too. Since they'd been serious, Olivia had been the recipient of every piece of jewelry imaginable, and she didn't even wear much of it on a daily basis. They weren't due for a major vacation, and Ed hated giving impersonal gift cards.

He got the idea for this gift on one cold and rainy February morning. Noah was seated on top of the kitchen island, busily coloring a picture. When asked what he was drawing, he replied it was Paris. Ed was surprised he remembered the trip that had happened almost a year ago, but then he realized Noah was taking inspiration from a Paris picture that had been affixed to the refrigerator with a magnet. He immediately went to their Paris album and then flipped through the iPad, looking for the perfect picture. There were so many of the three of them. Finally, he found it. He, Olivia, and Noah stood together on a bridge overlooking the Seine with the lovely spring cityscape in the background. Ed took the photo to an artist who specialized in creating oil paintings from photographs. Olivia was sure to love the Monet-esque creation and Ed though it would be a perfect addition to their bedroom.

Sarah dragged her gift-wrapping items from another closet. Ed and Brooke perched themselves on the barstools as Sarah used the island to carefully wrap the bulky item.

"Daddy, let me ask you a question, for a friend," Sarah said, keeping her eyes fixed on her task.

A look of dread crossed Ed's face, "What's that?"

"How long did it take you and Livvie to, ya know, click?"

Brooke threw her hands up, "Sare? What the hell? Dad doesn't want to tell you that!"

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, I didn't mean in the bedroom."

Ed interjected, "I thought you meant in the bedroom."

"Well, now that the subject is out there…" Sarah trailed off and glanced up inquisitively.

"Dad, don't listen to her," Brooke implored.

"What's goin' on?" He asked, thinking he'd regret it later.

"Brookey and Sonny are in a rut."

"A rut?"

"We're not in a rut," Brooke insisted, "We just…his job, my job, we're not together enough. It's hard—"

"To get into the groove, so to speak," Sarah finished for her.

Ed went for an innocuous but meaningful response, "We clicked once we trusted each other."

"Ah-ha!" Sarah exclaimed, "There we have it. The answer to love and happiness forever."

"See, Sarah," Brooke said, "I don't need pole dancing lessons after all."

"But you still have to…want each other," Sarah retorted. "Right, Daddy?"

Ed massaged his forehead and felt his cheeks reddening. "Yeah, that certainly helps," he admitted shyly.

The three of them shared an awkward silent moment. Well, it was awkward for Brooke and Ed. Sarah, meanwhile, hummed an upbeat tune to herself as she put the finishing touches on Olivia's Mother's Day present.

….

#Tuckson

#NotIfICanHelpIt