Mid-June, 2017

Noah pressed his face and hands against the living room window and whispered observations to himself.

"Yellow taxi."

"Lotsa people."

"Fire truck."

"P'lice car."

Next, he angled his head to try and look directly below the Tucker's twentieth-floor apartment but found the task impossible, so he focused his attention on the rooftops instead.

"Daddy?"

Ed peered at Noah from over the newspaper. "Yeah, bud?"

"We go up dere?"

"We can go to our roof."

"Now?"

"No, pal. We gotta go to work and school in a little bit. We'll go tonight when we get home. Wanna eat dinner up there?"

Noah nodded vigorously and shouted "YESSSS!"

"What are we cheering about?" Olivia glided into the kitchen fully dressed in a light gray blazer, black pants, and white blouse. She snapped an earring into place and Ed slid her a freshly poured cup of coffee.

"Dinner on the roof," Ed answered, "You want me to put that in the other mug?"

She grinned and kissed him, "Not yet."

"You don't seem like you're in much of a hurry."

"Well, we're at a full squad again with Fin being back, so, you're right. I'm not." Fin had been working undercover at a local bar after the squad received a tip about an after-hours brothel came in a few weeks ago. They made the bust, but it hadn't been as wide-reaching as they'd hoped. Nevertheless, arrests had been made and Fin was free.

Ed smiled at her, "I'm not disappointed."

"Me neither."

"Brooke's last day of school is Friday. Wanna have everyone over here or go out someplace?"

"Sure. I'll call Lucy and see if she can watch Noah. Or, maybe Rollins will be able to. Or we can take him I guess. If not, we can have them over."

"Carisi, too?"

"Of course."

Ed noticed Olivia's silly grin. "What?"

"It's cute how you and Carisi get along so well."

Ed feigned disgust. "Cute?"

"Yes. Cute."

"You think I'm cute?"

"I do. And not just when you ask about Carisi."

"Lemme ask you something," Ed leaned forward, crinkling the newspaper in the process. There was flirtation in his voice and in his eyes. "Have you always thought I was cute?"

"No," Olivia retorted sassily, "I was usually too busy trying to hang on to my badge to think about anything else."

"I don't know Lieutenant," he replied doubtfully, shaking his head, still resting on his forearms, and still gazing at her adoringly. "I think…you thought I was a little bit cute."

"When, exactly, did I give you that impression?"

"Couple a times."

"When?"

"I can't remember exactly."

"You're not making a very strong case."

"Lieutenant," his tone was patronizing now and his lips curled into a teasing smirk, "Does it always have to be a case with you? Can't you take my word for it?"

Olivia had been suppressing a grin, but she lost her willpower and smirked back at him. "Not this time."

"I always thought you were attractive. Beautiful. Smashing."

"You've told me. And now you're trying to embarrass me. Why are we talking about this?"

"You started it."

"I did?"

"You called me cute."

Olivia broke into exasperated laughter and strained to get closer to him from the other side of the island. "C'mere."

They managed a quick peck on the lips before collapsing back onto the stools on their respective sides.

"Noah," Olivia called to her son, "Are you ready?"

"I go wiff Daddy."

"No, you're going with me. You have to be there on time for rehearsal."

Both Ed and Noah wore blank expressions.

"For the concert?"

"We sing songs!" Noah exclaimed, suddenly remembering. "And I make da LION ROAR!"

"You know how to do that, right sweet boy? Did you tell your teachers you saw the lions at the theatre with Sarah and Brooke?"

"Nope. I ROARED when we singed da song."

Ed looked dazed. "Did I miss something? When is this concert? What song?"

"My fault," Olivia said, "I get the newsletter on my Gmail account and I'm bad about checking it."

"Good thing I get the soccer emails."

"Good thing," Olivia repeated, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Alright, let's go. Get your shoes on, Noah."

Noah ran down the foyer. Ed swooped over to the other side of the island to kiss his wife goodbye. Olivia loved that, after over a year of dating and several months of marriage, he still performed this tender, daily departing ritual. "Have a good day," he rasped, his lips still on hers. "I love you."

"I love you, Captain Tucker." She dabbed at Ed's lips with her thumb. "Noah, come say bye to Daddy."

Noah's footsteps were unusually heavy. He appeared from the foyer wearing Ed's casual boots. "I wear da BIG SHOES 'gain!" He announced before erupting into giggles.

Ed picked him up and Noah managed to keep the oversized footwear on for a few seconds before they fell to the floor. "C'mon, bud. Let's get your shoes on. The ones that fit. You can't run around in my shoes." Ed took Noah back to the entryway.

"I run in da keets."

"Yep, at soccer."

"I take da keets?"

"No, those stay here."

"I gonna ROAR like da lion in da song."

"I know bud. Let's get these on so you're not late."

"Mommy!"

Olivia slung her purse and Noah's bag on the same shoulder and joined them at the door, "Yes, sweet Noah?"

"Lessgo!"

"Give me a hug and a kiss, pal."

Noah wrapped Ed's head in an extra ferocious bear hug and Ed smash-kissed his cheek, eliciting more giggles.

"Oh, wait," Ed said abruptly. He jogged away and quickly returned with a folded slip of paper which he handed to Olivia. "Here."

"What's this?"

"Read it later."

"What is it?"

"A note."

"A note?" She squinted at Ed who was blushing uncontrollably.

"Yeah, read it later," He kissed her cheek one last time before giving her a gentle shove and a wink, "You're gonna be late for rehearsal."

Olivia shot him an odd, quizzical expression, put the note in her pocket, took Noah's hand, and headed to the elevator.

…..

The squad reconvened in Olivia's office after spending the day searching for the city's latest predator—a young man with an uncanny resemblance to a musician popular with tweens who had created his own "entourage" and used his looks and his crew to entice young girls to a dingy apartment none of the vics could locate with certainty.

"They're escalating," Rollins reported, "The last vic had bruises on her head and arms, they forced her into the apartment after she said no. Tox screen came back positive for alcohol, still waiting to see what else."

"So far just the pictures? Do we have any idea where the images are going?"

Fin stepped up to the desk, "We've got 'em running facial recognition, but so far no hits."

Olivia groaned. "So we're looking for a five-ten white male with short blonde hair and blue eyes."

"And his equally Aryan friends," Carisi quipped but no one laughed.

Olivia closed the folders. "Well, keep the increased uni presence at all schools and on subways in the afternoons. The reports are all concentrated in Alphabet City…so we'll set up a perimeter there until we get 'em. These guys are amateurs."

"Got it, Lieu."

Everyone turned to inspect a minor commotion in the squad room and they exchanged smiles when Noah bounded into view with his backpack bouncing on his shoulders and Sarah trailing him. Brooke was originally scheduled to pick up Noah early for their weekly afternoon pizza date, but the final week of school presented scheduling challenges so Sarah offered to leave work early and fill in.

"Hi Noah!" The squad greeted him at the same time and he momentarily came to a complete stop, stunned by the attention.

"Hi," he whispered, suddenly shy.

"Livvie," Sarah entered, breathless and looking frazzled. "Sorry to interrupt your day, but we have absolutely no keys. And, like a complete idiot, I left my phone at the office, so we're going there next."

"Where're your keys?" Sonny asked facetiously.

Sarah rolled her eyes at herself. "I was out running last night and when I got back I realized I didn't zip the pocket on my jacket. Do you have our spare key on ya?"

Carisi blushed and snuck a sideways glance at Olivia. "Nope."

Rollins interrupted their banter. "Oh God," she muttered under her breath.

All six of them, Noah included, watched Chief Dodds stride across the squad room and into the office. He scanned faces once, but then did a double-take at Sarah. "Do I know you?"

Sarah's eyes darted to Olivia, then Noah, and then back to the Chief. "Sure," she said hesitantly, not knowing how much she should reveal.

"You've met," Olivia interjected, "When Matt was in town. Remember, Chief?"

Dodds' memory jolted him. Yeah, yeah, now I remember." He made a clicking sound and waved a finger in the air, "Maker's and ginger ale."

Heat rushed to Olivia's face. She'd left Sarah at the bar with the Chief and Matt that day. Sarah hadn't been in a good place, but nobody knew that at the time. What exactly happened?

Sarah reached out for Noah as if he were a security blanket and backed him up against her legs. "That would be me," she replied casually.

Chief Dodds smiled at her. "Well, gang's all here I see. I may as well announce the good news. Detective Carisi…"

Sonny took an uneasy step forward. "Chief?"

"I'll see you and your Lieutenant next week at Medal Day. You're SVU's newest recipient of the Meritorious Police Duty bar. Congratulations!"

Everyone huddled around Sonny, patting him on the back and gushing their compliments. Uncomfortable with the attention, his face reddened as he extracted himself from the group. He grabbed his phone from his back pocket, "I gotta call Brooke," he muttered.

In the commotion, the comment registered only with Sarah and Olivia who exchanged giddy glances.

Sarah mouthed, calling Brooke?

….

Ed Tucker clutched the small bouquet of daisies in one hand and tugged the restaurant door open with the other. Once inside the dimly lit lounge, he scanned the area for Olivia who reported she had snagged a corner table by the window. Sure enough, there she was, beaming at him from the opposite side of the room. Even though the circular bar and several television screens separated them, their eyes connected and a familiar warmth flooded his body. Ever since their first casual date, that same feeling engulfed him whenever they met like this. It was like seeing her for the first time, but better, because they belonged to each other. Olivia cocked an eyebrow at him as he paused to take in the sight of her from a distance. Her hair fell across her forehead and then down her shoulders in subtle waves. Freshly glossed lips curled upwards ever so slightly, happy to see him but sassy, almost daring him to approach.

"Can I help you, sir?" An eager waiter asked.

"Uh, no thanks, I'm meeting my wife."

"Do you know if she's been seated? I can—"

His presence annoyed Ed. "I see her," he murmured absent-mindedly, his eyes still fixated on Olivia.

Taking the hint, the man walked away.

Ever so slowly, Ed walked the perimeter of the bar. Olivia tracked him, her smile growing larger, but she tried to maintain an aura of aloofness. It seemed to match Tucker's approach.

He rounded the corner and put the flowers behind his back, loping hungrily toward her now, deftly weaving among high-top tables and dodging servers balancing cocktail trays. Initially moving deliberately, now some unseen force dragged him mercilessly toward his wife. As he got closer, her features became more defined, brighter…real. It was really her. His Olivia. Not something he'd observed from fifty feet away only to be seen and not touched. Leaning in to kiss her, arm still behind his back, he caught a whiff of perfume, not too strong, the fruity orangey scent she wore when she remembered, her shampoo, and he closed his eyes as he kissed her but sort of wanted to look around because he was positive every man in the room was reeling with jealousy that he got to touch those sweet lips with his own.

"Hey there," she said in a voice a few octaves lower than normal. "I thought you'd never get here."

"I had to stop and get these," Ed produced the bouquet.

"I meant," Olivia said slowly, flattered, inspecting the daisies, "It took you a while to get over here."

Ed got so close to her that the chair she was perched upon screeched against the brushed concrete floor, "Yeah, well, sometimes I have to take a minute, ya know?"

"To do what?"

"Look at you."

She smiled into his lips. Ed took the seat next to her and grinned when the waiter brought a bourbon Olivia had obviously ordered for him. "I told him to bring it when my husband arrived." She tipped her glass toward his, "I love saying that. My husband."

For the next ten seconds or so they sat in silence, gazing into each other's eyes with silly smiles on their faces.

"I'm glad we could sneak away for a while tonight," Olivia said.

"Me too." Still lost in the features of her face, Ed's lips barely moved.

"I don't know what we're doing wrong with this guy," Olivia lamented, "He seems so amateurish, but we can't find him."

"Any more vics?"

"Not yet. We're flooding the area every day until we do."

"You will."

Appreciative of his unwavering confidence, Olivia squeezed his hand. "Thank you. And, I love the flowers."

"They reminded me of you."

Olivia noticed Ed was still in some sort of trance. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he gasped, "This week, there's been a lot goin' on, and I miss you." He saw her face fall and this time he grabbed her hand, "Don't do that. I'm not complaining. I don't want you to feel guilty. It's not that. It's just…when things are busy, I…I think I fall in love with you even more."

"Captain," Olivia tried to keep things on the light-hearted side even though her heart fluttered uncontrollably at the compliment.

Ed shook his head. "Nope. Not Captain, t'night."

Olivia's eyes dropped to his waist. No shield. No Glock. Only his belted black chinos and a burgundy polo. Somehow, the uncharacteristic act of leaving the police accoutrements at home thrilled her. Slowly, her eyes drifted to his wrists, silver cuff on the left, watch on the right. The mere sight of his arms turned her on—the thick, sturdy forearms leading to impeccably toned biceps that challenged the elasticity of the polo's sleeves. Closing the distance between them, she did a quick-once over of the rugged contours of his face, his defined cheekbones and jaw, and, finally, those dazzling blue eyes. For as long as she lived, looking into those eyes and having them gaze lovingly back at her would be her most favorite thing.

The kiss overstepped the boundary of chaste PDA and when they broke apart, both their faces were flushed and laughter ensued.

"You gonna be able to make it through dinner?" Olivia teased.

Ed pinched his bottom lip, "I think, uh, yeah, I think so. But let's not drag things out," he said with a smirk.

Olivia shifted in her chair. "Oh! I didn't tell you. Chief Dodds came in today." Ed rolled his eyes and took a drink while Olivia continued, "to tell us that Carisi's getting the MPD bar next week."

Ed raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed, "Wow. Good for him. For all the undercover work?"

"Yep. And…you should've seen Sarah…and me, too, when he found out he immediately wanted to call Brooke."

"Sarah? She was there?"

Olivia screwed up her face, frustrated that Ed was missing the main point, "Yes, she forgot her keys, but, did you hear what I said? The first thing Carisi said was he had to call Brooke!"

"Well, that's…interesting."

Olivia could tell he was trying not to smile. "I thought so, too."

"I didn't think they were that serious."

"It's hard to tell. Brooke doesn't say much."

Ed took a contemplative drink. "I just assumed she talked to you."

"She said a while ago that she wasn't sure he wanted to get serious…but I think, obviously, things changed."

A proud, smug expression filled Ed's face and he leaned forward, "Funny how…things can just change like that, huh?"

Olivia matched his sass. "You sound like you've had a similar experience."

"Yeah," Ed mused, "One day, all of a sudden, this drop-dead gorgeous Sergeant I knew let me kiss her." He reeled back with feigned shock.

"Real-ly?" Olivia replied with the same air of mystery, "That must have been a special moment."

"Oh it was. I'll never forget it." Ed lapsed into the memory of their first kiss. It happened almost two years ago, not long after Judge Linden signed the adoption papers. After daring to ask Olivia out to dinner, they meandered through Central Park as the sun set. He thought about how desperately he'd wanted to hold her hand, touch her, subtly, by accident, whatever…Ed had never felt so attracted to someone in his life. Then, she suddenly stopped walking.

"Somethin' the matter?" He'd asked even though she had the most serene look on her face.

"No," she replied softly, her eyes fixated on the Upper West Side skyline peeking out from below the trees and blanketed with a purplish early-evening haze. "I…I've lived in Manhattan my whole life, but, I love this view. It's one of my favorite places."

Ed followed her line of sight, "It's pretty remarkable." Then, he instinctively put a hand on her back; the action came reflexively and before he could worry about her whirling around and rejecting him, his fingers were moving back and forth across the black leather.

But she didn't whirl around. She sidled closer to him, and he closed the sliver of distance between them. There they stood, on the edge of the paved path, for several minutes, more to figure out what was next than to continue admiring the scenery.

"You wanna sit?"

Olivia turned to face him without stepping away and replied, in the softest voice imaginable, "No."

Her eyes unapologetically asked for a kiss, and Ed complied, well, he more than complied, tilting his head and meeting her lips with his slightly parted, sending a message that this was not something done out of mere obligation.

"Can I get you another round?"

Their heads snapped up at the waiter, the interloper, who beamed at his two dazed customers.

"Sure," Ed replied, blinking as he came out of the daydream. The waiter hurried off. "So, Sarah seem okay?"

"She did. Other than not having her keys or her phone. She took Noah back to her office to pick it up and, look." Olivia showed him a photo Sarah sent. Noah was seated at her desk in the large leather chair.

Seeing his son, Ed broke into a wide grin, "Whose glasses are those?"

Noah was wearing a pair of black-rimmed spectacles.

"I have no idea."

"I hope she doesn't go into this thing where she's pretending everything's fine," Ed said, "And then, knowin' we're kinda watching the alcohol intake, and hiding that. Could make things worse."

"You're right, but, the only thing we can do is keep the dialogue open and love her, Ed."

"I love you."

"I know. And I love you, Captain Tucker."

"I told you, no Captain tonight."

Olivia lightly ran her fingertips over the top of his hands. "Okayyyy. But, what if I want you to be Captain Tucker later?"

Ed broke into a shy smile, "You know I'll do anything you want."

Olivia interlaced her fingers through his. "You will, won't you?"

"Yeah," he said softly, leaning in for another kiss. "Hey, did you read the note?"

"I did."

"And?"

"I cried."

"Aw, c'mon." Ed nudged his wife gently.

"I forgot about it, and then, well, this afternoon I found it and I was in the office, waiting to hear if we caught the guy, and…there it was."

Liv,

A year ago we landed back here after spending time in Paris. I didn't want to come back home, because things were so perfect there. But then I realized it was perfect here, too…as long as we're together. I'm eternally grateful that we found each other.

Love,

Ed

…..

Brooke marched into the apartment, went straight to the refrigerator for a beer, opened the bottle, and guzzled half before she said a word. From their seats at the island, Ed and Olivia stared blankly.

"I think I'll take Noah out," Ed announced. "No! Get the football and c'mon. We're leaving."

Minutes later, the boys were gone.

Olivia looked at Brooke expectantly. "What's going on?"

"I'm sure you know."

"The medal ceremony?" Olivia guessed, unsure why going to the ceremony would elicit this type of reaction.

"Yes, and, last night, well, we were at his apartment and it's so small and cramped and…he always looks so nice, but his apartment is awful."

Olivia waited for Brooke to take another drink and make her point.

"So anyway, I left super early this morning because I wanted to get ready at home, and he was," Brooke hesitated and stared into her beer, "He was, you know, wanting me to stay."

Unlike Sarah, Brooke kept her love life close to her chest. Olivia had never heard her talk about former boyfriends and she was always the one to check Sarah when she ventured too far over the line. So, Olivia prodded Brooke lightly.

"Wanted you to stay…like miss work?"

Brooke's cheeks turned a dark crimson. "Like, he wanted…morning sex. And for me to get ready there, but I told him I wanted my bathroom and my things, and he got kind of upset. So I stayed a little while longer, and, on my way out, he mentioned living together."

Now Olivia needed a drink. She motioned for Brooke to grab her a beer. "I didn't know you were that serious."

"I didn't either."

"What did you say?"

"I was literally on my way out. I had one foot out the door. And he says, 'it'd be nice to be in the same place' and I smiled and then I couldn't breathe. So now he probably thinks I screwed up. Did he say anything today?"

"No. And he was his usual self."

Brooke gripped the edge of the granite countertop so tightly her knuckles started to whiten. "I don't think I'm ready to have in move in with me. Us. Can you imagine? Me, Sarah, and Sonny? Like Three's Company or something."

"Is he there often?"

"Maybe three nights a week depending on if he's working."

"Do you like having him there?"

"Yes, I do, it's like, we're this little family…and Sarah's our kid." Brooke giggled at her remark and Olivia joined in.

"Sarah seems like she's doing okay…at least to me and your Dad. Is she?"

"I think so. She's been working a lot lately, she took Dad's advice on that one."

Olivia made sure to steer the conversation back to Brooke and Sonny. "So, you left the living together question just…out there?"

"I guess I did."

"It's not going away," Olivia pointed out sagely, "And Carisi doesn't say things he doesn't mean."

"No, he doesn't." Brooke's coloring returned to normal, "That's for sure. He kinda reminds me of Dad in that way."

"Your Dad really likes him."

"Probably because Sonny's the only one of your squad who he hadn't harassed."

Olivia almost choked on her beer. "Good point."

"Liv, when did you two, well, I guess, which one of you brought up living together?"

Brooke rarely used Liv, and when she did, it meant she was in need of sincerity. Olivia happily obliged. "It was when we were all at the beach last summer."

"Oh yeah!" Brooke exclaimed brightly, "God, that was fun. And Dad, we, well, me and Sarah, we could tell he was so in love with you. And with Noah. We were constantly texting back and forth, sorry, but we'd never seen him like that."

"Like what?"

"So…attentive. And he wanted everything to be perfect for you. And…you can just tell. Even now, Liv, seriously, I know Sarah goes on and on about it sometimes, but he always looks at you like you're the most precious thing in the world."

Olivia deflected the flattery, "I see the same thing when he's with Noah."

Now it was Brooke's turn to guffaw. "Amen to that."

"But, seriously, it was at the beach when your Dad, he and I, it was late one night and we were on the balcony talking about whether or not we were going to drive back in one shot. And," Olivia grinned at the memory, "he was so nervous, that's why, don't just blow this off, Brooke, for Carisi to bring it up, he must really mean it. Anyway, he asked about living together and we decided it right then. We've lived together ever since."

"With no problems adjusting?"

"Not really. We'd been sort of de facto living together anyway. And…I had only lived with someone twice before that. A roommate at the academy and a boyfriend. So, I was a little nervous, because, well, you don't retrace those steps unless you're breaking up."

"Did you ever think you'd break up?"

"Not at that point. But I did worry, still do worry, about not spending enough time with him and with Noah."

"Sonny's been spending more time with me." Brooke grabbed another beer and folded the bottle top between her thumb and index finger. "Like, all of a sudden, he's trying. I don't get it."

"Sounds like something to bring up when you talk about living together."

"And I should talk about it with Sarah first," Brooke said, "No way I'm moving in with him."

Olivia's phone vibrated against the countertop. The message elicited an eye roll.

"What is it?" Brooke asked.

"Your Dad and Noah are requesting our presence."

"Where?"

"In Noah's words, da pub."

…..

#Tuckson