Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sitting down at the bar at Forlini's, Rafael wasn't disappointed when the NYPD captain walked in a few minutes later. They still weren't on good terms, but if Olivia was there he at least stood a small chance of getting her to hear him out. Yes, part of him had been expecting Rollins. After all, she was the one who'd reached out and asked him to take the case. It had been Olivia who'd walked in last time, though, and he hoped that they'd actually be able to hash things out properly.

If Rafael had thought he'd earned any forgiveness from her over the course of the Delia Hackman case, he was quickly disabused of the notion, however. She was just as cold and distant with him as the last time they had talked.

"It's alright," he said. "I get it." He started grabbing cash out of his wallet to pay for his drink. "That's what you do… when you love somebody unconditionally."

The brunette eyed him. "Please don't tell me how I feel."

"In this case, I can," Rafael replied without missing a beat. He needed to just swallow his pride and finally say the words to her. God, he'd been slowly falling head over heels for the woman ever since they had first been introduced by Captain Harris. "Because I do know what it means to love someone unconditionally."

The silence that fell between the pair was heavy and tense, but Rafael forced himself to not break eye contact. He needed to get through to her. He couldn't afford to break the tenuous connection now if he wanted to salvage things. He simply couldn't. But he couldn't afford to leave things where they were, either. They had danced around it for years and she needed to know what she meant to him. Given everything they'd been through, his failed attempts at asking her out in the past, he thought it was obvious why he'd felt the need to do something, anything to protect her. Apparently, it wasn't. "And when you're ready to stop feeling betrayed by me, I'll be here." Having said his piece, the Cuban-American rose to his feet, preparing to walk out of Forlini's for what was to be the very last time.

As he stepped away, trying very hard to keep his composer, Rafael heard the voice of his former best friend reach his ears. "Rafa."

He stopped in his tracks, forcing himself to not look back. "What?"

There was a tense yet brief pause and Rafael really wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Especially after Olivia used her nickname for him. When she finally spoke, however, it wasn't what he'd expected. Olivia was echoing his words from the last time they had spoken, much to Rafael's surprise. "I miss you too."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and the olive branch she had tentatively extended and forced himself to walk out of the bar. There was a chance of them mending things, but Rafael knew nothing else needed to be said just yet.

Hailing a cab, Rafael gave the driver the directions to his apartment, his mind running a mile a minute as he assess his options.

With the Delia Hackman case officially closed, as of that afternoon, he was back out of work and was seriously starting to reconsider if defence work was for him. He was glad that Rita got him the spot at her firm but why exactly had he stopped consulting with the Innocence Project? He'd started doing that after the election ended and it had kept him extremely busy. Although he'd barely slept it had been more than worth it. He was able to do a lot of good there.

And then there was the D.A's Office. If not in Manhattan, maybe he could get his old job in King's County back? It had been some time since the Drew Householder case and the bad publicity around that had largely faded. Rafael was now back to being respected in the courtroom, his old nickname once again circulating: El tiburón. It had taken a while to earn back that respect. Evidently, at the cost of his relationship with Olivia and Carisi. That relationship wasn't the same either, although they were still in a somewhat decent place friendship-wise. Unlike him and Olivia.

Initially, when he took Rita up on her offer he was deliberately just working low-level misdemeanours. The misdemeanours were really the only cases he'd been willing to work. He really hadn't wanted to resort to letting serious criminals go free. And then there was the Mickey Davis case. He'd done that as a favour, went back to just doing the misdemeanours, and got pulled into the whole Richard Wheatley mess. It wasn't just Olivia's career he had been protecting. Wheatley had reached out to him, not the other way around, and wasn't beyond making threats.

She hadn't asked him to protect her, no, but it had never occurred to him to not do so either. He loved her. And Noah. Of course, he was going to try and protect them.

He just wished that Olivia hadn't lost so much faith in him. He had come. He had come without hesitation and helped when asked and did what he did best. He had done right this time. He'd tried. He'd fought hard in that courtroom. She'd seen that. It hurt that she couldn't forgive him yet. That she'd called three other lawyers she didn't even like before he was an option to even consider. It hurt that she wanted so little to do with him.

He'd never wanted to hurt her by leaving or to damage their friendship. He just felt like he'd had to leave at the time. He had felt like he was drowning and had for a while if he was being honest with himself.

They'd finally managed to repair the damage from his departure when the Davis case happened and, of course, Stabler's return had made things more complicated.

God, that man reminded him a little too much of his own father. The detective's own file showed a penchant for violence. He knew Stabler was going through a hard time, but he still hated the situation Stabler was putting Olivia in. Not to mention Noah.

He talked regularly to the kid and, frankly, wasn't impressed when he found out some of the stuff that Stabler was unwittingly exposing Noah to. Showing up to the Bensons’ drugged, while undercover, putting both Olivia and Noah at risk.

There are protocols for that type of situation and Stabler should've followed them.

Rafael shook his head as he opened the door to his apartment. He didn't want to do defence work anymore. Not if it was just going to put another nail in the coffin of the few real friendships he had.

His problem was he had options but was just too… he didn't even know the word for it. He could work for Kings County OR Manhattan. Rafael knew that. Neither of his former bosses had wanted him to leave. But... UGH! It always came back to his damn pride.

If he wanted to work for the D.A's Office again, it was going to be a fight. John Buchanan and Jed Karey were already giving Rafael grief whenever they crossed paths and they weren't the only ones. Just the most vocal.

Then again, he'd once said, 'Thing about America: this country loves a comeback.'

That had been during his first-ever case with 16th's Special Victims Unit.

Then again, it wasn't the first time he'd had to fight to prove himself. He'd done that dance before. The scrawny, poor, kid from the South Bronx... Rafael had fought hard to prove himself most of his childhood when even his mother hadn't really believed in him. Rafael had then continued to fight hard to earn his place at Harvard as 'the poor scholarship kid' and had done very well there, graduating at the top of his class.

It hadn't stopped after that either. He had fought hard on the job and had managed to earn the quite formidable reputation that he'd come to know as a prosecutor for many years. He had very quickly risen up the ladder to become the senior Manhattan A.D.A. He'd been in line to become the next E.A.D.A at one point.

Unfortunately, he'd also manage to later throw a wrench into the whole thing.

He could have stayed and fought to fix the mess after his trial but he had just been so emotionally drained. Hell, there had been a few weeks where he had spent significantly more time drunk out of his mind than sober.

He and Rita ended up going at it quite well one evening before she dumped out all of his alcohol and forced him to have a shower and get some food into his system.

Rafael hadn't overly regretted quitting his job at the Manhattan D.A's Office while he'd been consulting with Project Innocence, proud of his work, but since that had wrapped up… he'd been regretting it more and more every day.

Taking off his dress shoes and suit jacket, Rafael made his way into his kitchen to pour himself a generous amount of scotch. Glass in hand, Rafael then took a seat down on the couch and took a sip. Rafael knew exactly what it was he wanted to do but hadn't been able to bring himself to pick up the damn phone and make that call.

He took another sip. ¡Me cago en diez! When did life get so damn complicated?

Glancing at his watch, Rafael decided to risk a call to his former boss. At this point, he honestly didn't care. There wasn't enough money in the world to keep him defending the likes of Wheatley, to sacrifice the most important friendship to him.

He didn't know how to truly fix things, but he was damn sure going to try.

"Hi, Jack! It's Rafael Barba. Can we talk?"

Chapter Text

"Can we talk?" When the words came out, he was surprised at how steady his voice sounded. He was honestly a bit of a mess inside and had no idea how he managed to not have it really leak into his voice. Then again, he'd had a lot of practice speaking under pressure while in the courtroom. Right now, he was quite thankful for the years of experience honing that skill. "I know it's late."

"By all means, Rafael!" came the other man's voice. Although McCoy sounded curious, the man also didn't sound shocked. Rafael wasn't sure how to take that but decided to put that thought away for later. "What did you need?"

"Do you remember the conversation we had when you received my resignation?" That seemed as good a place to start as any.

"Yes." There was a brief pause. "I said that you didn't have to leave." Another pause. "Is that what this is about?"

"I can't believe I'm even doing this," he said. "But Jack, does that offer still stand?"

"If you're sure you want to come back -" A pause. "There are a few. I have someone who is transferring to Queens next month, actually."

Rafael blinked. "Are you sure?"

"If you want it, it's yours, El Tiburón!" the man said with a soft chuckle. "I've actually been waiting to see if you'd ever come to your senses and come back."

"Alright," he replied with relief. "I'll take it." Rafael paused. "I appreciate the offer, sir. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful or anything."

"No worries, Rafael!" the man said. "You can start next week or even sooner if you want. I'll handle the paperwork today. Stop by tomorrow." A pause. "Welcome back, Rafael."

There was a lump in his throat. "Thank you."

Phone call over, Rafael shovelled down some leftover pasta from the day before and forced himself to actually try and get some sleep. Something that he really hadn't been getting nearly enough of lately, if he was being honest. The nightmares he'd had after the Drew Householder debacle had largely stopped over a year ago now but had started back up during the Wheatley case.

That night, Rafael did actually manage to get some sleep. Feeling better than he had been, he contacted Rita to let her know what was going on. He then did some chores around the apartment before proceeding to throw himself into a history book that he had recently bought until noon.

Rafael was pleasantly surprised when he received a phone call from a familiar number shortly after he'd finished washing the handful of dirty dishes from lunch.

He answered the phone. "Rafael Barba speaking."

"Oh, I know!" Carmen replied with a small chuckle. "Barba, I am currently looking at a sealed work contract. Care to come in?"

Rafael blinked. "Already?" That was fast.

"Apparently the D.A doesn't want to give you time to change your mind," she said with a clear lilt of amusement.

"Huh," he said. "Well, I'm leaving now. I'll be there shortly."

"Better idea," she commented. "Carisi is about to head back to court."

He tilted his head. "You are not suggesting..."

His former assistant chuckled. "Oh, you're going to very publically get it."

He rolled his eyes, not caring that she could see him. "I hate you."

"You love me," she fired back.

He rolled his eyes again in fond exasperation. "I've grown fond of you over the years, although, I'm currently forgetting why."

"Haha," he said. "You have half an hour, Mister."

He gave a little snort. "You're impossible."

He could feel - if not see - Carmen's smirk. "Tick tock."

Knowing full well that he was not going to win a fight with Carmen and really wanting the contract signed and dealt with, he said goodbye and quickly requested an Uber. He wasn't about to waste time, and honestly, it would be nice to get it over with.

For the first time in several months, Rafael didn't get that bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he walked into the courthouse like he had done ever since he walked in for the first time during the Wheatley case.

Thankfully, it didn't take long before he found the room, Carmen and several members of the 16th's SVU squad waiting right outside. He wasn't sure whether to feel glad or disappointed that Olivia wasn't there.

"Rafael," Carmen said. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too," he replied earnestly. He then gestured to the package that she was holding. "I'm assuming that package is for me."

"Yep," she replied as he held the package out.

"What is it?" Rollins asked.

"Seriously, man?" Fin said. "Get out of here! You're back?"

Now Carisi was grinning from ear to ear. "Seriously?"

He couldn't stop himself from giving that usual cocky smile of his that he was known for in the courtroom. "Yes, seriously."

"That's great," Fin said. "Really."

He dipped his head slightly. "Thank you."

"So, how did this happen?" Carisi asked. "How long has this been in the works?"

Rafael shot Carisi a friendly yet pointed look. "Since yesterday, actually."

"Oh?" Carisi replied.

"Yeah," he explained. "Towards the end of the evening, I had a phone call with McCoy who apparently moves fast." He waved the file again. "Carmen said she thinks McCoy didn't want to give me a chance to change my mind."

"Then he's smarter than I gave him credit for," Rollins said with a soft smile.

“Apparently,” Velasco finally chimed in. “Your reputation proceeds you, Counsellor.”

He gave a little hum before turning towards his blond mentee with a small smile. "How's court been treating you?”

"He said, she said." Carisi emphasized his words with a slight shrug of the shoulder. "You know the drill.” 

Rafael gave a curt nod in response. "That I do, Dominick.” 

Moments later court was called back into session and Rafael found himself scrambling to get out of the courthouse without being hounded by the hoard of A.D.A's who were coming and going. The place leaked like a sieve and he wasn't in the mood to deal with the gossip train and all of the inevitable comments just yet.

He headed into one of the nearby cafés, bought himself a much-needed cup of coffee, and then headed home to deal with the paperwork.

The large majority of it, he was already quite familiar with, so although he read over it all, it didn't take him very long to finish. He had to update some things for McCoy as well, but that didn't take terribly long either.

He then hopped into yet another uber. Finally, he was making his way down to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to give the D.A all of the paperwork in person and get everything sorted and finalized.

He was a tad nervous about reactions when word got out that he was back, but Rafael also couldn't help but feel like he was making the right decision.

He hoped that he was, at least.

Chapter Text

Rafael woke up, yawning. Yesterday was his first day back at the D.A's office and he'd ended up working quite late going over the cases he was taking over and meeting with several detectives - none from the sixteenth precinct yet - in order to go over anything that may not have made it into the reports. More than one of these cases was about to go to trial and Rafael needed to get up to speed. Pronto.

Used to it though, he got up and quickly made himself a café con leche before sitting and looking out the window. The weatherman had said to expect rain later but given the clear blue sky and lack of clouds, Rafael wasn't sure if he totally believed that. It wouldn't be the first time that the weatherman was wrong. In any case, a little bit of rain had never hurt anyone.

Having a sip of his coffee, he set the mug down on the kitchen counter and then took out the Cuban bread he'd recently bought at the bodega a few blocks away. Pleased it was still good, he grabbed the butter and sat down for some pan con mantequilla.

After his second cup of coffee, he threw on a navy blue suit and a pink tie, taking the matching pocket square out of the box in his dresser. He then did his hair and quickly double-checked that his suitcase was in order. It was, obviously, but Rafael just liked to be sure. His perfectionist streak had been honed by years on the job. A very useful habit in a great many ways.

When you basically live with mountains of paperwork for various cases, and a bunch of law research, on your desk... well, suffice to say, staying highly organized was the only way you wouldn't go completely mental within the week.

Satisfied, he finally headed down to 1 Hogan Place, stopping on the way in to get both his assistant and himself a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Carmen," he said as he walked up. "This is for you. Black, three sugars, more sugar, then coffee."

She smirked and took the cup. "Good man."

"It's the least I could do," he said with a small smile.

He was really thankful to have her back. She somehow managed to keep up with the disaster that was his schedule frequently, and he really needed it at the moment. His schedule was a mess and that likely wasn't about to change any time soon.

Carmen quirked a brow. "Like I said, good man." Rafael rolled his eyes. "So, Defence Counsel would like to talk to you about the Pimson case as well and will be in around three. He left a message for you this morning."

I get to deal with Buchanan today. Fantastic. "Did he say what about?"

Carmen shook her head. "No, sorry."

"It's fine," he assured her. He honestly didn't think it was anything to be concerned about. "I can handle him. And there is another meeting today that was moved to tomorrow, yes?"

"Correct," she easily confirmed. "And your court date for the Hickling misdemeanour is being moved back a week."

"That'll be fun," he replied sarcastically.

Carmen chuckled softly. "Good luck." She then shot Rafael a pointed look. "And by the way, it's really good to have you back."

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

Heading into his office, eight messages had already been left on his voicemail. He was hardly surprised but it did promise that it was going to be an interesting day.

He had half an hour to himself, going over his files, and then he ended up getting a call for an arraignment.

By the time that was scheduled and dealt with, it was 10:40 which meant that he was ten minutes late for his 10:30 meeting.

Somehow the eight officers, the defence attorney, and their client all arrived on time for his 10:30 meeting. The client then spent an hour waffling on whether or not to participate in the meeting. When he finally did so, their meeting lasted until 1:40. Meanwhile, Rafael's cellphone would not stop ringing. He had to keep excusing himself to guide an officer through a specialized juvenile arrest.

That meant that he only had time for a quick bite of a sandwich as he waited for his three o'clock appointment, who showed up at 3:20. That break gave him some time to return the prior eight voicemails and the six more that had piled up since.

As Buchanan finally took a seat across from him, Rafael was admittedly a bit irritated. He expected the disrespect from the man and had little doubt that being late had been an actually deliberate move. He held his tongue though and decided to just stick to the facts of the Joshua Pimson case and not engage. All in all, prior experience with the man told him that the meeting could have gone much worse.

When Fin called him, just before four o'clock, to let him know they caught a nasty case he'd felt a little nervous about actively working with the unit again. Mainly, because he and Olivia hadn't spoken one word to each other since that evening at Forlini's.

Still, ever the consummate professional, Rafael listened to the brief explanation about the case that the squad had caught.

Two mothers, who lived in a two-storey townhouse, apparently had decided that they wanted an evening out. Their regular babysitter was not available, so the pair called in somebody new to watch the children.

The mothers had allegedly told the babysitter that three children were upstairs and that two others were downstairs. The babysitter was then allegedly told not to worry about the downstairs children and to focus on the three younger ones upstairs.

After the mothers left, the babysitter checked on the children who were upstairs. She thought that they looked malnourished and instantly became alarmed.

At that point, the teenager decided it was important to check on the two children that were down in the basement. Doing so, she saw a large piece of furniture blocking the door. She managed to push it out of the way and get into the dark room.

Inside the room were two closed furniture boxes. A three-year-old girl was inside one of the boxes. Her six-year-old sister was inside the other box. The small six-year-old was unconscious. At that point, the babysitter called 911.

Both the girls were swiftly transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital. The older girl was expected to remain in intensive care fighting for her life, and the doctors were more hopeful about the younger one's condition. The two little girls both had numerous broken bones and subsequent testing had revealed the three-year-old had likely been eating her own hair as it had been found in her stomach.

It hadn't taken long for him to ask why they hadn't asked Carisi to take the case.

The sergeant didn't seem surprised by the inquiry. "Carisi's got his plate full, man. And you know the optics." The fact of the matter was that the case was going to be extremely sensitive for several reasons. "We want you on this."

Rafael nodded, despite knowing that the police sergeant couldn't see him. "Alright, I'll come down to the precinct first thing in the morning."

"See you then," Fin replied. "Oh, have you talked to Liv lately?"

"Olivia?" he reiterated. "Not since the other day. Why?"

"Just wondering," Fin said. "If I was you, though, I'd call her."

He gave a little hum. "Don't think she wants to hear from me right now." He'd pushed hard enough the last little bit. She did deserve some space and, frankly, Rafael was a bit worried that pushing too hard would have the opposite effect he wanted.

"Talk to her," Fin said before ending the call.

Getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach again, he threw himself right into his work as Rafael was wont to do, immediately deciding to file for a publication ban to protect all of the minors involved.

Once the publication ban had gone through, he pulled out his cellphone and dialled the familiar number belonging to the brunette police captain.

Rafael gave up though after she very clearly declined his call. Olivia wasn't quite ready to forgive him yet, evidently, but hopefully, they'd get there.

Checking the time, he sighed. It was going to be a long next few days. He couldn't help but smile though when he received a text from Rita Calhoun. They were quite the unlikely pair of friends but had gone to law school together and had managed to keep their professional and personal lives separate, for the most part. 'So, how’s life back at the D.A's Office, Island Boy?’

He typed back a short reply. `Nothing's changed.’

Her response was almost immediate. `Gee, I'm shocked.'

He chuckled softly to himself. 'You up for grabbing a drink, Ms. Nosy?’

'Only if there's pizza involved.'

He shook his head in amusement. 'Naturally.'

As much as things had changed, at least there were some constants.

Chapter Text

The following morning, Rafael got ready for work and stopped by 1 Hogan Place briefly before hopping into another uber and paying Manhattan's sixteenth precinct a visit.

He registered almost immediately that neither Rollins nor Velasco were present. They were presumably out working on another case. A cursory glance over at Olivia's office told Rafael that she was busy speaking with Deputy Chief Dodds who - having gotten back into the higher-ups' good books finally - was taking over for Chief McGrath.

Fin gave him a quick update on a couple of the initial interrogations that he'd missed from the Campbell case. He hadn't had time to watch the interview and interrogation footage from the prior evening yet.

Blessedly, it was a very quick run down because there was an interview scheduled with a close family friend of the Campbells and being up to speed on all of the major points made the interview much easier to control and to better consider his plan of action.

Once that was done, he headed out and quickly grabbed a coffee, returned a couple of work calls and replied to a few e-mails. He then rushed into court for a motion hearing for one of his cases that defence counsel had requested passing Carisi on the way in.

Olivia had, much to his surprise after being ignored the night before, shown up as he was making his way out of the courthouse to give him a quick update on the Campbell child abuse case. She's here. Hopefully, that's a good sign.

"The medical exam results from the other Campbell children finally came back," Olivia stated matter-of-factly as she handed him copies of those aforementioned test results. "They're concerning but promising."

Rafael dipped his head slightly in relief, quickly scanning the test results in his hands. Having been removed from the two women's care, the children were hopefully out of the woods. ACS was keeping a close eye on them and the foster homes. Still, with that being said, even the 'lucky ones' were quite clearly malnourished. Fortunately, the two kids who were found in the basement would most likely be released from the hospital over the next several days, but the physical and psychological scars from their ordeal would no doubt be long-lasting. "They've got a long road ahead of them."

The NYPD captain sighed. "Yeah."

The silence that fell between them was heavy. Before Rafael made an utter fool out of himself, though, his witness arrived and he started on the trial prep. That hadn't gone quite as well as he would've hoped, as the young woman was a bit difficult and easily emotional, but it could have been worse. He'd played with a much worse hand before and won, so wasn't too concerned at the moment.

Once that was done, feeling more than a little done with the day, he went and grabbed himself a large cup of coffee and a sandwich before heading back to his office to watch the footage from the Campbell interrogations. As suspected, the squad had really done a great job at keeping him abreast. There wasn't anything there that he hadn't known, although seeing the utter lack of remorse for himself absolutely disgusted him. Neither Campbell sister gave a damn about what they did to the poor children.

Listening to the teenager's testimony had impressed him, however. Very few teenagers would have had the sense of mind to handle things the way she did. She handled the entire mess quite well, frankly, pushing forward to protect the kids she'd only just met.

Glancing over the crime scene photos, Rafael shook his head in complete disgust. The two so-called mothers were going to pay for their crimes if he had any say.

To say that he intended to lay the charges on would be an understatement. Rafael fully intended to charge both women with the attempted murder of the older child and the aggravated assault of her three-year-old sister. Rafael was also intending to tack on a myriad of other charges: abandonment, unlawful confinement, criminal negligence by not providing medical attention, and failure to provide the necessaries of life.

His two o'clock appointment didn't leave until half-past-three and he was lucky his three o'clock cancelled. He then settled in at his desk to hopefully get some work done in the hour and a half he had left before calling it a day.

By four o'clock that afternoon, though, Rafael was back down at the sixteenth precinct again to go over the Campbell case with SVU, just to ensure they were all on the same page. He'd then learned that the younger sister, the aunt of the two hospitalized girls, was also now accused of assaulting two of her own children with a belt.

Rafael's hands had immediately curled into fists when he'd heard that news. This case just keeps getting better and better.

He still had scars from his old man's belts and had had nightmares well into adulthood from it. Nobody, nobody, deserved to live through that sort of hell. Your parents were supposed to protect you, damn it!

At least his mother had tried to protect him, although he'd been angry with her as well for a while. He'd also had his grandparents. His abuelita... Well, he didn't even want to consider where he would be if not for her. She'd been there for him through absolutely everything. His abuelo too, although the man had passed away much too early.

Trying to calm himself down some, Rafael fought to regain and keep his composure, at least outwardly and made his way across the squad room to pour himself a cup of hot brew. If anyone noticed the tension, they didn't voice it. He couldn't miss the way that Olivia's expression shifted, though.

"These women," Rollins said with a shake of the head. "They're pieces of work."

Fin chimed in. "No argument from me there."

“Or me,” Velasco said.

As they wrapped up their meeting, the police captain shot Rafael a rather pointed look. "Counsellor, walk you out?"

He gave a curt nod before grabbing his briefcase and following the brunette's lead. He had no idea what Olivia wanted to discuss but he could take a hint. She clearly wanted to discuss something with him.

Once they were out of earshot, Rafael exhaled. "Something you wanna tell me?"

There was that look once more and the words leaving her mouth caught him off guard. "I wanted to talk to you about what you said the other night… about how you grew up in a home and neighbourhood where you were bullied. How we are going to see Elliot through different prisms."

"What about it?" he asked. He didn't talk much about his childhood or father with her or anyone else really and had no desire for pity. He'd only hinted at the abuse in order to explain why he took issue with some of Stabler's behaviours.

"It's difficult," she said. "He was my partner for a long time."

"Twelve years," he readily acknowledged.

"And more experienced than I was," she said. "I'm used to deferring to him. And with everything that he's been going through…" Her voice trailed off.

"But you're the captain now," he pointed out. "You outrank him. But it's not just that, Liv. You drop everything when he calls. It's like you can't say no to the man."

"He's my friend," she stated simply.

"Still?" he questioned. "After ten years of no contact? After not even telling you he was leaving again to go undercover?" He put his hand up to ask her that he be allowed to say his thought first. "Not to mention everything else that he's pulled you into as well as putting both you and Noah at risk."

Her expression tensed. "Barba."

"Inadvertently," Rafael conceded, "but the result is the same. He did put both you and your son at risk. In more ways than one." The brunette's expression shifted as they stepped into the elevator. "Did you know Noah saw Stabler when he showed up drugged out of his mind? Kid called me on FaceTime that night, worried."

Her hand went to her mouth, eyes widened. "Noah saw that?"

He dipped his head slightly. "Yeah. I reassured Noah that you were safe and told him that Stabler was a good friend of yours and needed your help." Rafael shook his head. "But I can't wrap my head around him breaking protocol. For the umpteenth time. Risking leading a group of highly dangerous people to your door." Rafael played with his face. "God, I'm trying here, Liv."

Olivia sighed but didn't move to speak just yet.

"The moment that Stabler came back into your life you dropped everything for him," he continued. "And that's admirable, but you've risked your life and career for him and the man hasn't offered you anything more than, 'I'm sorry, back off.' It hurts to watch him eat away at your life with absolutely no regard for you. Or for Noah." Rafael shook his head. "You don't owe him anything, Liv."

She sighed. "Elliot's complicated. Can we table that for a minute? I do get why you see him as a bully. I know he has a temper and hasn't been thinking clearly. He has a good heart though. He'd never hurt me intentionally."

He nodded curtly. "I hear you."

Her expression softened. "Amanda suggested that I ask you why you took the case."

"We've been over this," he said. "I was trying to protect you."

"From what?" Olivia pressed. "Cross-examination? I've actually testified a few hundred times. So, I think I'd be fine."

Are we really going to do this again? "We're going around in circles."

The brunette sighed. "Okay, Barba, explain. I promise I'll hear you out."

"If I didn't take the case then whatever shark Wheatley hired would have put you on trial," Rafael pointed out bluntly. "And not just your partnership with Stabler, but your relationship. Likely even bring up William Lewis." She stiffened at the mention of the man's name. "They would've eviscerated you on the stand and your career with the NYPD would be over." He gave a small sigh. "And then there's the fact that Wheatley requested me personally."

That tidbit seemed to shock her. "Why would he…?"

"He knew that you and Stabler were partners and that we were close," he told her. "It was a good way to stir the pot. He threatened to kill you if I didn't get him a not guilty verdict." He took a step towards her. "I know you've never needed someone to protect you, you're one of the strongest women I know, but I couldn't just stand by while you were in very real danger." He shook his head. "Hell, the man had already had you run off the road. That accident could've been so much worse."

She swallowed, a myriad of emotions playing on her face. If that was a good thing or a bad thing, Rafael wasn't sure. He just hoped that she'd heard him enough to know the last thing he ever wanted to do was betray her. To somehow begin bridging the chasm that had come between them. "Rafa -" Before she could finish that thought, however, the elevator doors opened and they found several eyes on them as they stepped out. "They're worse than gossipy mothers," she grumbled.

Rafael's lips turned upwards. "And, as usual, you are very polite."

Olivia rolled her eyes in a mix of mild amusement and exasperation. "Apparently your office isn't the only place that leaks like a sieve."

He gave a little snort. "It would definitely seem that way.” He sobered. “Look, Liv, I know I said some things…”

She gave him a sad smile. “Me too.”

As they walked out of the building and approached the uber Rafael was going to take, he felt more hopeful than he had in a few days. When he went to close the door of the car and she called out his name, that hope turned into knowledge. When Rafael turned around to listen, she was placing her hand over her heart. A gesture she'd done what now felt like a lifetime ago.

Dipping his head in acknowledgment, mimicking his own gesture from all those years ago, turned around and hopped into the car.

They weren't perfect, but they were going to be okay. Despite the recent disagreement, they still both wanted the same thing. 

“What are you gonna be doing when you're 85?”

“Squabbling with you?”

“Wouldn't that be nice?”

Chapter Text

The next couple of weeks passed in a blur. In a good way. The gossip around his rather abrupt return to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office had died down substantially and, even more importantly, his and Olivia's friendship was finally on the mend. Things weren't quite back to how they had been yet but were noticeably better.

He'd missed Noah a hell of a lot as well so it was nice getting to see the young boy for a few minutes the other day. They'd never stopped FaceTiming and such, but that was just not the same as actually seeing him in person.

Of course, since his return to New York, he’d reached out to his childhood friend Eddie García and they had gone out for lunch this past weekend.

Connecting with the squad again was nice, things were fully back to normal between him and Carisi, and Rollins and Fin held no ill will over the situation and were actually glad that he and Olivia had, for the most part, worked things out. As for Velasco, the young man seemed decent enough.

"You never do anything halfway, do you?" Velasco commented, amused.

Olivia gave a little snort as she heard the detective’s comment.

He smiled at the group, oozing mirth. "That'd be a no. Now, somebody, please tell me some coffee's been made."

"There is," Rollins assured him. "Dodds threw on a fresh pot when he was here."

"Perfect," he said, turning on his heels and heading to grab a cup.

As Rafael walked across the squad room, Fin's voice reached his ears. "Think they've got any support groups for caffeine junkies?"

There was a round of snickers. He rolled his eyes, despite knowing the man couldn't see it. "Don't make me hand your ass to you, Tutuola. I like my coffee intake as is, thank you very much."

Fin laughed. "I'd like to see you try, chicken legs."

He walked up, smirking. "Never underestimate a boy with a mouth from el barrio." He took a sip of his hot brew. "Fights with others, particularly in PS109, were par for the course." Well, that and a friendly game of neighbourhood vandalism of abandoned buildings. Especially graffiti - which he may or may not have participated in once or twice as a young teen - and window smashing. There was never a dull moment in the South Bronx, that's for sure.

"You got into fights?" Olivia said, giving him a look of both amusement and disbelief. He came out of his musings slightly. "You?"

"All too often," he said drawled. "Not that I ever initiated any of the physical fights."

Given his size, he hadn't been stupid enough to. That didn't mean he hadn't learned how to defend himself, though. Still, thank God for Eddie. Eddie had the muscle and had defended him time and time again in situations where Rafael really hadn't stood a chance and had stupidly opened his mouth.

"Fair enough," Fin said, more than familiar with growing up in a poor community. "Been there myself. Harlem also liked its fair share of fist to cuffs."

"Oh, I can imagine," he said. "Honestly, there are a few things I miss about el Barrio, but watching people brawl gets old fast."

There were certain things about growing up in a poorer community that had made things difficult, but he'd come to appreciate the neighbourhood again in a lot of ways, as an adult. It also helped that it had been cleaned up some and wasn't quite as rough anymore as it had been when he was a child.

He'd never hated his old stomping grounds really, just got fed up with the gang situation, his father, and got swept up in his Ivy League life.

Yes, there was some crime, but the sense of community was next to none. And honestly, Manhattan had its fair share as well. Everywhere did if you paid attention. Cubans were very family-oriented as a whole and very proud. In that vein, it had hurt, though, being a teen and moving to Boston and being look at differently, told not to speak Spanish. Still, those things had just served to make him that much prouder. It was a source of pride, in a way. You can't tell me who I am.

Those incidences had been minor, however, and he hadn't truly understood how racist people could be until he left home. It had been shocking for a kid who grew up largely around other Cubanos. He'd been so embarrassed the first time he'd gotten yelled at for speaking Spanish with somebody, he and his friend getting told to go back where they came from. As though they both weren't born in the U.S. As though this country wasn't also their home. Yet...

This world that his generation had never lived in or had ever seen, they did not know it, and yet they felt like it was their power and their culture and their home. They longed for it. It was a weird thing. It really wasn't an easy thing growing up in that in-between space, as a first-generation American, trying to figure out where you fit in.

Another thing he liked about el barrio was how much was within walking distance. A huge thing for a teenager who preferred to be out of the house.

Growing up Cuban-American, you heard so many stories about Cuba and how much better things were back then. '¡El año que viene en Cuba!' they'd often said in those early years. 'Next year in Cuba!' There was so much longing to go back, to go home. They hadn't expected their move to the United States to be permanent. For things to turn out the way they had.

There'd been a lot of time after school spent over a cup of Bustelo with Alex, Yelina, and Eddie and generally hanging out in the neighbourhood getting up to some light mischief. He had started drinking coffee way before any doctor would probably advise, but a little café con leche as a six-year-old never hurt anyone.

The break from the D.A's Office and New York had been good for Rafael in many ways. He'd been able to think about a lot and figure out who he, Rafael, not Barba the Ivy League lawyer, was again. It had been a good but painful thing. He'd done a fair amount of soul searching when trying to reconcile himself and the choices that had gotten him to that point and remember why he'd gone into law in the first place.

All in all, he was glad he'd made the choice to return to New York and, furthermore, to return to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

This past week though had been filled with a lot of time in court and lots of late nights at his office, preparing for the trial that he was in the middle of.

It'd been a rather stressful trial so between that and the Campbell child abuse case, he was mentally and emotionally exhausted. And that's how Rafael found himself seated in one of the few decent watering holes near the courthouse since Forlini's shut down with one Dominick Carisi Jr. on a Friday night while it rained cats and dogs out.

"I should get going," the blond said.

"Well, I certainly hope you parked close," he deadpanned, gesturing pointedly towards the windows and the dreary weather outside.

Carisi grimaced. "Yeah, well if I don't leave right now, I'm gonna get an earful."

"Oh, where's the fire?" He took a sip of his scotch.

The younger man rolled his eyes. "That fire would be my sister Gina."

"Ah." He took another swig.

"All my sisters seem to think I'm their own personal handyman," Carisi drawled.

"Preaching to the choir," he replied with a laugh. "Just switch sister for mother."

"Women," Carisi quipped. "Anyway, you know... I love my sister, I do. And I would do anything for her, but sometimes I wish she would just hire a professional."

Rafael eyed his mentee. "Oh, believe me, I get it."

"Understood." Carisi then moved to pay.

"No, it's on me," Rafael said. "I still owe you one."

"I won't say no to that," Carisi said. "Hey, be safe."

"You do know what we do for a living, right?" he deadpanned.

"Oh, I remember Felipe Heredio!" Carisi said with an eye roll. "That's why I am telling you to watch your six."

"I will, Dominick." He smiled more warmly. "Go see your sister."

The blond A.D.A dipped his head slightly. "Night."

"Night," Rafael said, taking one last sip of his scotch before heading home. He needed to get some rest himself after the week he'd had.

It wasn't much later before an uber dropped him off right across the street from his apartment building. He was just about to open the door to the main entrance when two arms reached around him; one hand covering his mouth and the other levelling what was clearly a gun right at the small of his back. "Hello, Counsellor."

Rafael swallowed, his stomach clenching. He recognized that voice from the Wheatley trial which didn't bode well for him. Antonio Mantegna worked for the late drug kingpin and had a rather nasty disposition. "You don't want to do this."

Surprisingly, no reply was immediately forthcoming. Rafael tensed slightly at that fact, weighing his options and best shot at getting out of this mess alive. "Here's what we're gunna do, and if you try anything funny, I'll blow your fucking brain ls out. Got it?"

He gulped, nodding. He didn't have much of a choice.

"Good," the Italian-American said.

Rafael tried not to grimace as the muzzle of the gun was shoved roughly into his right side. Mantegna then shoved him and told him to start walking. As they made their way into the apartment building. Rafael could see no good way out of this situation; either he cooperated with Mantegna and likely got killed or he put up a fight and put himself and the other residents at risk of being shot by stray bullets. He didn't want anyone to get caught in the crossfire.

He took a shaky breath as one of the neighbours they came across asked Rafael if he was okay. He still had no idea how he had been able to keep his voice as steady as it was, but he was thankful that he'd been able to convince the young man to leave him be. Mantegna had the small gun covered with his long-sleeve shirt, so nobody was the wiser of what was actually going on and wouldn't have time to react.

Getting into the elevator, he felt even more trapped. Still, he forced himself to stay as calm as possible and think of a way out of the situation. As the elevator door opened, Rafael allowed himself to be nudged forward, taking Mantegna to his apartment and then closing the apartment door behind them.

Chapter Text

Antonio Mantegna just smirked as he finished verifying that the door to his apartment was locked and he had successfully managed to get Rafael alone. The man eyed him as he stood tensely in front of his couch. "You know, I thought you were smarter than this, Avvocato. Especially with the boss wanting to keep ya on as his consigliere."

He raised an eyebrow. "I told him there wasn't enough money in the world."

"You did," the man said with a small dip of the head. Mantegna then took several steps in Rafael's direction, deliberately closing the short distance between them both. "But, now we have another problem."

"And what's that?" he questioned. He already knew but wanted the man to admit it as well as to continue talking. He needed to buy time in order to either find a way out of the situation he was in or for help to get there. Rita had texted him on the way home about possibly stopping by to borrow something, so hopefully she'd follow through and come by sooner rather than later.

"You know too much," the Italian-American stated. "You've also returned to the other side of the courtroom with that knowledge. You're a liability to our operations. So, I wanna make something very clear to you." The man roughly grabbed him. "If you do not make yourself useful, you'll find yourself in a shallow grave."

"Get your hand off of me," Rafael hissed out. It took him a second to register the slap across the face that he got immediately after, although he admittedly wasn't unaware that the psychopath in front of him had a rather notable predilection for violence.

"Keep your pretty little mouth shut or I'll put it to good use," the man replied said with a nasty smirk. "On second thought… I think we should have some fun anyway. What do you think, Avvocato?"

He levelled his best glare at the man. "Go to hell."

The man just laughed, looking with amusement between Rafael the gun currently in his hands. "Honey, I've already been."

Rafael did his best to keep his expression neutral, but by the ever pleased grin on his captor's face, he was failing. Not much truly scared him, but, at the moment, he was currently petrified. He'd seen the crime scene photos, heard the testimony. He knew very well what the sorry excuse for a man in front of him was capable of. He knew he was in a bad situation. "What do you want?"

He gave Rafael a once over, assessing him. "Besides, you out of that suit?" Mantegna said with a self-satisfied smirk when Rafael's nausea at the implications of that played out on his face. "One of my men was picked-up last night. You're going to get his charges dismissed."

"That's not happening," he replied, moving from where he was standing. "This doesn't have to get any worse for you, Tony. Just let me go."

Mantegna shot him a look. "I know it's hard for lawyers to shut up, but try harder."

Rafael rolled his eyes, still trying to hide how scared he was.

"Come here," his captor ordered.

Trying not to show just how scared he was actually feeling, he took a deep breath and stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of Mantegna.

He wanted to vomit when Mantegna pulled him close and roughly kissed him. "Hmmm, you taste so sweet." He kissed Rafael again. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to avoid the aggressive mouth invading his own. "Now just relax. I'm gonna take real good care of ya." The man then started running a hand down Rafael's thigh.

He shuddered at the unwanted touch. "Why don't you go screw yourself!"

"Tempting, tough guy, but I'd rather fuck you," Mantegna retorted. The man eyed him. "Later." It was said as though he was making a promise. "Right now though, we have more important matters to deal with. Let's get down to business."

Rafael gave a half-nod, not fully trusting his voice. He had to pull himself together. "What's the name of your guy who was arrested and on what charges?"

Mantegna looked pleased. "A D.U.I and his name's Stefano Marinucci."

He shook his head. "If I'm not assigned to the case, it's out of my hands. I can come up with a deal to present to his lawyer, but that's all I can do."

His captor looked at him like he was an idiot. "Unacceptable. I'd get to work using that brain of yours before I follow through on blowing your brains out."

He gulped. "A suggested plea-deal is all I can do."

Mantegna eyed him, playing with the pistol in his hands, for a long moment. "And why should I trust anything you have to say?"

"You're not stupid," he said. "You know how this'll end."

Mantegna roughly grabbed him once more. "If you're going to be useless, I'll just find another way to ensure you keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut."

"Don't touch me," he growled.

The man, visibly amused, backed up and leered at him. "Get down to work."

He took a breath. "Fine."

Not seeing much of an alternative, he sat down with Mantegna to make a plan to help Marinucci. As long as he played along, hopefully he'd stay on Mantegna's good side if it could even be called that.

Chapter Text

Antonio Mantegna certainly wasn't making things easy for him, but Rafael was capable of holding his own and was keeping the Italian-American calm for the most part as he set up a plan of attack deemed acceptable for the Stefano Marinucci situation. Rafael had zero hopes in it actually working but he needed to humour the man and at least make some effort if he wanted to remain unscathed.

Unfortunately, the tentative calm was broken when there was a loud knock on Rafael's apartment door. That's probably Rita coming to borrow that book. This will either go well or extremely badly. Cautiously, Rafael eyed the Italian-American to see the man's reaction to the unexpected-to-him visitor.

Mantegna quirked an eyebrow and then leaned right into Rafael who did his best not to cringe at the extremely close proximity. He could feel the man's breath on him as Mantegna spoke quietly. "I'm going out the fire escape. Keep your mouth shut about my little visit. ¿Entiendes?"

He nodded tensely, the threat hanging in the air. "Crystal."

There was another knock on the door. "Barba, you there?"

"One minute!" he called, trying to keep his voice light.

With a pleased grin, Mantegna turned around and started walking directly towards the fire escape, vanishing a moment later. Locking the door behind the man, Rafael let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He then marched toward the door, opening it to see Rita eying him quizzically.

"Sorry," he muttered uncharacteristically. "I just had to deal with something."

"It's fine," she said as she followed him back inside the small apartment. She glanced around the dining area. "You already have some company over?"

"He left some time ago," Rafael replied. "Uh, I've got that copy of Wacky Laws, Weird Decisions, Strange Statutes for you." He then gestured towards the door to his study. "Somewhere in that mess."

She tilted her head slightly. "Are you okay?"

He gave her a small smile. "I'm fine."

Walking to his study, he opened the door and started rummaging through the shelf he remembered seeing the aforementioned book on last. It didn't take him long to find it though and soon they were both back out in the main living area. They sat down and had some coffee, Rafael still feeling the tension from earlier.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rita asked as he walked her out some time later.

He rolled his eyes, plastering a smirk on his face with a sense of bravado that he didn't currently have. "I'm fine, Rita. Don't you have a book to burry yourself in?"

The blonde rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks again for the book. Have a good night."

Taking her leave, Rafael closed and locked the door behind her before making his way over to the couch and attempting to relax in front of the TV.

"Come here," his captor ordered.

Trying not to show just how scared he was actually feeling, he took a deep breath and stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of Mantegna.

He wanted to vomit when Mantegna pulled him close and roughly kissed him. "Hmmm, you taste so sweet." He kissed Rafael again. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to avoid the aggressive mouth invading his own. "Now just relax. I'm gonna take real good care of ya." The man then started running a hand down Rafael's thigh.

Rafael shook his head in a failed attempt at chasing away the unpleasant memory. The Italian-American man had managed to get to him more than he wanted to admit. He could still feel the man's hand on his inner thigh.

Taking a shaky breath, Rafael rose from the couch and headed into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of his choice of drink: bourbon. Downing the glass, the poured himself another and took a swig of that. Finishing that glass, he poured another. And another. How did I get myself into this mess?

That following morning, Rafael very much regretted drinking as heavily as he had that prior evening. Forcing himself out of bed, he just managed to make it to the bathroom before he threw up. Head pounding, he slowly made his way to the kitchen.

Locating a bottle of apsrin and a glass of water, he popped the pill into his mouth and chased it down. Rafael then made his way back upstairs and got dressed, unable to stomach any food just yet.

He was in for a long day.

Chapter Text

He was in for a long day. Well, when Rafael thought that he did not yet know just how true that statement would turn out to be. Not just for that day, but the following days as well.

Rita never called Rafael out for acting strange and he forced himself to just focus on dealing with the Stefano Marinucci situation. It was a D.U.I where nobody was hurt so it really wasn't that complicated. Rita did text him, however, clearly still worried he hadn't really been acting like himself when she stopped by his place.

He then threw himself fully into prepping for the Campbell child abuse case which he'd managed to rather quickly get a court date for. It wouldn't have happened though if it hadn't been for a major delay in another criminal case. That was the unfortunate part although Rafael was glad they were able to get this case to court.

The next day, he had a hearing regarding the case and then jumped right into the trial against the two Campbell sisters, Leah and Sydney. As it turned out though, both the women responsible eventually admitted to their crimes, the sisters both entering guilty pleas and accepting the myriad of criminal charges against them including aggravated assault and unlawful confinement.

"I'm just thankful that the kids are not with them, and that they are still in jail and they're not hurting anybody," the babysitter stated in an interview right outside of the courthouse after the court proceedings.

Rafael couldn't have said it any better himself. He was quite proud of the teenager for stepping up for the young children the way she had; most adults wouldn't have been able to do what she did for them. The teen was strong.

Gathering his files up after court finally adjured, Rafael then made his way down to the sixteenth precinct to inform the SVU captain about what had transpired.

"Want a drink?" Olivia inquired as she pulled out a small bottle and a couple of glasses from her bottom desk drawer after she and Rafael took a seat in her office.

He dipped his head with a slight smile. "Please."

A moment later, Olivia had poured the drinks and was handing him a glass. He took a sip and then eyed the police captain. "The Campbell sisters both turned on each other and changed their pleas. The judge accepted. Guilty on all accounts."

Olivia smiled. "That's great, Barba. And I know this was a tough one for you."

He smiled back. "Yeah, cases with kids just hit differently."

His friend nodded sagely before taking a sip of her own drink. "Oh, I know, Rafa."

He smiled more warmly at her. "All's well that ends well, right?"

Olivia nodded before tilting her head slightly. "How do you feel about coming over for dinner? I know Noah would love to see his godfather."

He smiled earnestly. "I'd love to." He then quirked an eyebrow. "Is he still giving you a hard time about your Spanish accent?"

The brunette let out a warm chuckle. "Yes, but that's what you get when you let your child's godfather speak Spanish to him from a very young age." Olivia then raised an eyebrow. "And to think I was worried about delayed language development." Noah had quickly latched onto Spanish when Rafael started reading him stories and as such the boy picked up the Cuban accent easier than Olivia had expected.

Rafael smirked. "When have you or your son ever done anything halfway?"

Olivia rolled her eyes in mock offence but there was a fond glint in her eyes that gave her amusement away. "De tal palo, tal astilla." (Like mother, like son.)

"Naturalmente," he quipped as he took another sip of his drink. (Naturally.)

Finishing their drinks, the pair then made sure that the other SVU detectives had gone home and left the building themselves, making the drive to the Bensons' two-bedroom apartment in the Upper West Side.

Noah, for his part, was thrilled when he found out that Rafael was going to be joining Team Benson - as they called themselves - for dinner. He told Rafael all about how his dance class was going, a new friend he'd made at school… Rafael would interject every once in a while but Noah was definitely monopolizing the conversation. Not that Rafael was about to complain. Quite the contrary, actually.

Rafael and Olivia were relaxing on the couch after their spaghetti dinner, both enjoying a glass of iced tea, paying little attention to the show on the tv when a drawing was rather unceremoniously tossed right onto Rafael's lap by his godson. It seemed to be a drawing of three people; one with short black hair, one with long light brown hair, and the third caricature had smaller, light brown curls.

He glanced up at his godson and smiled. "What's this?"

"That's me, that's Mom, and that's you." The eight-year-old was very enthusiastic as he explained his artwork. "It's for your office."

He ruffled the boy's hair. "I love it, Noah. I'll hang it up first thing in the morning."

The eight-year-old boy instantly started beaming. "Do you wanna play some lego, Uncle Rafa? Recibí un nuevo juego de lego de Lucy. (I got a new lego set from Lucy.)

He shot Noah a playful look. "Eh, claro que sí. It's lego." (Uh, of course.)

Olivia warmly eyed her son. "Tidy up your art supplies first, Sweetie, and then you and Uncle Rafa can open the new lego set.

"Okay, Mom!" Excited, Noah ran off to quickly clean up his craft supplies. Rafael then turned to Olivia who was smiling as she watched their interaction. "You've come a long way from the guy who couldn't even hold Noah." She chuckled. "The first time I had you hold him, you held him like he was a bomb."

He feigned exasperation. "It wasn't that bad."

Olivia laughed louder. "Sure, you keep telling yourself that, Rafa."

The pair locked eyes briefly and then burst out laughing. The reality was, Rafael had been very much out of his depth when Noah came into their lives. He hadn't exactly been around a lot of children and as such had felt extremely uncertain.

Around half-past-nine, it was time for Noah to head to bed. Olivia turned to her son with a gentle yet firm look. "Time to go ready for bed, Noah."

"Can you read me a story, Uncle Rafa?" Noah asked hopefully.

"Of course," Rafael readily agreed.

Noah quickly rushes to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before changing into a set of brown flannel pyjamas covered in green dinosaurs.

Olivia smiled as Noah ran into the living room to fetch his godfather. Rafael then got up and walked back to Noah's bedroom with the boy who eagerly picked out a book for them to read together; Los Tres Mosqueteros. He'd given Noah the Spanish translation of the classic novel "The Three Musketeers," by Alexandre Dumas for Christmas.

Rafael was really glad that the boy still had a love for reading. Rafael didn't know how much longer it would be before Noah thought that it was much too "babyish" to read with someone and was glad the young boy still enjoyed it.

Rafael began to read the novel and when he was done Noah smiled up at him. "That's a really good story," the boy said. "Good night, Uncle Rafa. Te quiero." (I love you.)

"Good night, Noah." He smiled down at the boy in earnest. "Te quiero también." Rafael went and put the book away on the small shelf a few feet away, turned off the light in the bedroom, and then gently closed the door gently behind him. (I love you too.)

"Thanks for putting him to bed," Olivia stated.

"Of course," he agreed. "I enjoy reading with him."

She smiled warmly at him. "Still, thank you. For everything."

The pair had the rest of the evening to themselves. So, pouring themselves a glass of wine, the two adults sat and talked well into the wee hours. All the stress from earlier, thankfully, was forgotten for the time being. As Rafael curled up under a warm blanket on Olivia's couch, he couldn't help but smile widely. I missed this. Missed her.

Chapter Text

Saturday morning, Rafael woke up on the Bensons' couch to the sun and the sound of birds chirping. Rafael was confused for a brief moment until everything from the prior night came flooding back to him. He smiled before sitting up on the couch.

Playing with his face for a second, Rafael got to his feet and noted that although Olivia was fast asleep in her bedroom his godson wasn't. He could hear the tell-tale sound of someone gently combing through lego coming from the eight-year-old's room.

Rafael carefully rummaged through his briefcase and thankfully found his eyeglasses easily enough. He didn't have any extra contact lenses on him. Stealing a quick glance down at his silver Rolex and noted that it was just after seven o'clock in the morning. It's no surprise that Noah's awake then but God I hate wearing my glasses.

Making his way into the Bensons' kitchen, the Cuban-American quietly got some coffee brewing and did a quick scan of the kitchen's contents before quietly making his way down the hall to Noah's room. He gently knocked twice in warning before opening the bedroom door. "Buenas." (Good morning.)

Noah glanced up from the amusement park roller coaster that he was playing with and gave him a bright smile. "Buenas. Is Mom still asleep? (Good morning.)

"She is," he confirmed with a small nod.

Noah tilted his head slightly, smiling up at him. "Lucy sent me some new photos from her trip this morning. it looks like she's having fun."

"Glad to hear it," he replied. "You excited for her to be back?"

"Yeah," the young boy agreed. "I mean, I like Martha -" Noah was referring to Martha Nuñez who often filled in for Lucy when the young woman was away on vacation or if she simply found that she couldn't take a specific shift. " - but…"

"But Lucy's family?" he suggested. Rafael knew that the pair were close and that Noah definitely looked at Lucy as the big sister he never had.

Noah gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yep."

He dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment. "So, are you hungry?"

"Yeah," Noah said. "Can you make breakfast?"

"Of course," he replied contently without missing a beat. That was why he had asked, after all. He playfully ruffled the boy's hair. "What would you like, Papito?"

The eight-year-old boy seemed to consider it for a moment before turning back to his godfather. "Tortillas españolas?" Rafael had made it for the boy a few times before and it had been an instant hit. (Spanish omelettes?)

"Claro," he readily agreed. That should be simple enough for me to make for the three of us. "¿Quieres ayudarme?" (Sure. Do you want to give me a hand?)

"¡Sí, por favor!" Noah replied eagerly. (Yes, please!)

Rafael made a small gesture in the direction of the door leading out of the boy's bedroom. "Bueno, vamos a cocinar." (Alright, let's get cooking.)

Instantly, the young boy started beelining straight for the kitchen. Shaking his head in evident amusement, the dark-haired prosecutor followed close behind him.

Enjoying the time together, the duo didn't immediately notice when Olivia finally made an appearance, quietly standing off to the side, watching with a soft smile. Breaking the silence though, she spoke. "Well, hello. What are you two boys up to in here?"

He turned towards his friend and shot her a winsome smile. "Hello there, Sleepyhead. And us boys are just whipping us up some breakfast."

Olivia smiled brighter. "Well, it smells great, you two. ¿Tortillas españolas?"

"Nice catch, Captain!" he quipped. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"I got to crack the eggs," Noah commented with a grin.

Olivia chuckled softly. "That's great, Sweetie." The brunette turned to him. "You didn't have to do this, Rafa, but thank you."

Rafael tilted his head slightly and smiled. "I know. I wanted to, Liv. With how work has been, you deserved a bit of a break."

After breakfast, the three of them chatted for a little while about random topics before deciding they would play a board game as a fun way to pass some time and relax a bit before a long-awaited visit to the American Museum of Natural History that Olivia had been promising her son. Rafael had been a little surprised but not disappointed when Olivia extended an invitation to join the duo.

They had just finished a game of Clue Junior at the living room table when there was a loud knock on the door. Olivia turned to her son. "Did you invite somebody over?"

Noah immediately shook his head. "Nope."

"You sure?" she asked, growing more and more curious.

"Yeah," the eight-year-old confirmed.

Olivia tilted her head slightly, making eye contact with Rafael. "Well, I'm not expecting anyone. I wonder who it is."

She made her way over to the front door and as she opened it Rafael could see a look of slight surprise cross Olivia's face. "Elliot, what are you doing here?"

Realizing who it was, Rafael immediately tensed. Outwardly, however, he made sure to only show a sense of calm. He didn't need to stress either Noah or Olivia out.

"It's Saturday," Stabler explained in a smooth, confident voice. His blue eyes stared straight into hers. "So, I thought that if you didn't have anything to do, we could go out and talk. Properly catch up, you know?"

She found herself biting her tongue before she could say something along the lines of how he had taken months to even care to ask about her life in the ten years that he'd been out of her life. "Now's not really a good time, El."

"Uncle Rafa," Noah mumbled to his godfather.

Rafael replied under his breath. "Está bien, Papito." (It's okay, Papito.)

Her son's comment drew Olivia out of their conversation. She immediately went to the eight-year-old boy's side. "We have plans today but maybe another day?"

It didn't seem like Stabler had heard Olivia's comment, however. The Organized Crime detective was too busy focusing on the other guest in the room. "What the hell, Liv! What is he doing here?"

Olivia sighed. "He's a good friend of mine."

"He defended, Wheatley!" Stabler exclaimed. The man took a breath, clearly trying not to yell around Noah. "He got the man off. He even went after you on the stand."

"Barba only took the case to protect me," Olivia admitted. "Any other defence attorney could have easily ended my career. I never should have let you into that interrogation room. Among other things."

"From what I saw," Stabler pressed, "he went after you pretty hard."

Olivia shook her head in response. "Barba was doing his best to pull his punches while still doing his job. I shouldn't have been pulled into it anyway."

Stabler eyed her incredulously. "You're taking his side on this?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, Elliot. There are no sides here. And I lost sight of that for a bit." The brunette sighed. "I'm sorry but as I said we have plans today, El. If you'd like to catch up another day, let me know."

"Fine. " Shaking his head in disbelief, Stabler turned around, clearly deciding to leave. The man shot Rafael one last dirty look. "Let me know when you're free, Liv."

As the door closed behind the Organized Crime detective, the whole atmosphere in the apartment had changed. Olivia sighed again before turning to Rafael. "Sorry about the way he spoke, Rafa. Certain wounds are a little fresh."

"I get it," he replied. "I'm not about to give you an ultimatum, Liv. I'd never do that to you. Let's just move on with our day, okay?"

Olivia tussled her son's hair playfully, smiling at both boys. "Sounds good to me." She gestured to their board game. "Let's tidy up and head out. We still have to stop by a certain coffee addict's apartment before going to the museum."

As they walked out of the building sometime later, both holding an excitingly rambling Noah's hand, Rafael couldn't help but let his mind wander. He was thrilled to have their friendship back, but he also wanted more. God, I love them both.

Chapter Text

The rest of Saturday went well. Rafael drove to the Bronx for Brunch with his mother, who had noted a change in him, and helped her with some work around the apartment before getting thrown into what was another hectic work week.

Antonio Mantegna, thankfully, hadn't been heard from again and Rafael forced himself to just focus on work, hoping that his dealings with the man were over. That particular Thursday, Rafael's morning was dominated by arraignment court as well as a last-ditch effort motions hearing by Buchanan. Unfortunately, arraignment court was usually the easy part of his job. At least Judge Colin McNamara was usually reasonable.

The judge turned to him. "And the people on bail?"

"The state requests remand, Your Honour." Rafael glanced at the defence as he spoke. "The defendant has already fled the state once while waiting on a previous trial and given those were less serious charges -" The young man was currently facing charges of aggravated sexual assault and patronizing a prostitute.

"I was just trying to see my son!" the defendant frantically explained.

Judge McNamara shot the defence table a stern glare, clearly unimpressed with the defendant's outburst. "Mr. Mosier, I strongly suggest that you rein in your client."

"Josh, pull yourself together." After Mosier muttered to his client the man turned back to the judge. "Your Honour, Mr. Halvorson only left the state because his girlfriend had just given birth to their son. He is not a flight risk as both his girlfriend and his young son have recently moved back to the city. All of his family is here, he has a job, and he has never even been issued a passport. He's not going anywhere. We request R.O.R."

The judge sighed and Rafael was concerned for a moment that he saw some sympathy in the man's eyes. Judge McNamara seemed to weigh the argument for less than a second before deciding. "I can't ignore Mr. Halvorson's history. He has fled before. Bail is set at $60,000. And he will wear an ankle bracelet. Next Case."

Rafael looked down and started to pack up his things, smirking to himself as he was satisfied with the amount the bail had been set at. They might not have got remand but there was no way the man could afford it. When he looked up Mosier had stopped right in front of him. "Can I help you, Counsellor?"

"It would've taken a hell of a lot of guts for you to go back to prosecution, Mr. Barba." Rafael kept his expression neutral as the man spoke. "I'll see you in court."

Rafael raised an eyebrow at the defence attorney's comment but gave a curt nod as he replied. "Good luck, Counsellor. You're going to need it."

As he left the courtroom, Rafael shook his head to himself. Mosier was rather new on the scene and he had only crossed paths with him in court once before. The defence attorney seemed to get overconfident before completely bombing when it came to actually presenting the case in a full courtroom. It was a bit refreshing for Rafael to a fairly easy case ahead of him for once.

Back at his office, Rafael quickly grabbed himself a fresh cup of coffee and then went over one of his files again before meeting with opposing counsel on one of his cases, Vanessa Mayer at a quarter past noon. The legal aid attorney wanted to meet with him to discuss a plea bargain for a drug possession case.

Shortly after one o'clock, Rafael went and grabbed himself a sandwich and coffee from a little place just down the street. Rafael then had a quick lunch at his desk while looking over emails and making some phone calls.

Rafael was supposed to have a meeting at two o'clock but the witness had decided to simply not show up for it. With business as usual finished, he spent the rest of the day drawing up all the paperwork for the plea deal with Counsellor Mayer as well as doing some research for and managing his other files.

Needing a break around four o'clock, Rafael grabbed his things and headed out for a bit of a walk to grab some coffee. When he returned to his office, Olivia was there waiting for him. "Hello, Liv." Rafael set his briefcase down on the floor and took a seat behind his desk. "What can I do for you?"

The police captain set down a file on the desk and slid it over to him. She then took a seat in one of the chairs directly across from him. "I wanted to run something by you in regard to the Wilson case."

"By all means," he said with a curt nod. "What's concerning you?"

They spent the next hour discussing the intricacies of the Wilson case. Noting the hour though, Rafael suggested revisiting the conversation the following morning so that she could get home to not only relieve Lucy but actually spend some time with her son.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" Olivia suggested. It was something that they had done many times over the years. "We can order dinner, relax, and then finish our discussion here once Noah's in bed."

Rafael smiled warmly at her. "That sounds good to me, Liv. What were you thinking of having for dinner? Italian? Chinese?"

Olivia seemed to consider it for a moment. "Let's grab some Chinese on the way."

He nodded, smiling softly at her. They both swiftly started packing up and grabbing all of their things so that they could get out of there.

Noah, for his part, was thrilled to have Rafael join them. After dinner, during which the eight-year-old dominated the conversation, Rafael helped Olivia to take all of the dirty dishes into the kitchen. brought their plates into the kitchen and returned with bowls of ice cream for all three of them.

"Who wants ice cream?" Olivia asked as she started grabbing three bowls.

"I do!" Noah called out eagerly. "Can I have strawberry?"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Olivia replied with a laugh. "I don't even know why I bother to buy vanilla."

"Strawberry is the best," Noah replied simply.

"He's not wrong," Rafael quipped. "And I'd love some, Liv."

"Is there syrup?" the eight-year-old asked.

Olivia rolled her eyes at the pair in fond exasperation. "Yes, but you've almost finished all of the syrup too, Noah."

Noah just smirked, eliciting laughter from the two adults. Once the ice cream had been dished out, the three of them chatted some more while eating their dessert. They then played some lego with the boy until it started getting late.

"Noah, it's time for your bath and then bed," Olivia reminded her son as she started to wash the dirty bowls that were in the sink.

"Can Uncle Rafa read to me?" Noah asked.

Olivia tilted her head with a small smile. He knew her well enough though to know that she was looking to give him an out if he wanted. "Noah, Sweetie -"

"I'll take care of him," Rafael said as he proceeded to pour a glass of her favourite wine and then push it carefully toward her. "You relax, Liv."

"Rafa," she said, "you don't have to…"

Rafael shook his head. "You deserve to relax, Liv."

Her expression shifted briefly into a mixture of happiness, relief, and something else that he couldn't quite read. "Okay, fine, but are you still staying for a while after you put Noah to bed?"

Rafael smiled and nodded. "That's the plan."

After reading two chapters from the book that Noah had picked out, Rafael noticed the eight-year-old boy was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"We'll read more another day," Rafael promised as he gently set the book down on the bedside table and rose to his feet, adjusting the blanket to cover Noah's shoulders and was more comfortable for the boy.

"¿Lo prometes?" Noah asked sleepily. (Promise?)

"I promise," he replied softly. It was a promise that he fully intended to keep. Although Rafael had kept in touch with Noah during the estrangement with Olivia it really wasn't the same and Noah had felt it. "Que sueñes con los angelitos." (Sweet dreams.)

Giving his godson a kiss on the forehead, Rafael made his way out of the room, gently closing the bedroom door behind him. He then went and rejoined Olivia in the kitchen where she was sipping on her wine waiting for him.

"Did he go to sleep okay?" Olivia asked.

"He did. The kid could barely keep his eyes open," Rafael stated, smiling as he noticed the glass of scotch on the table next to her wine. "Is that for me?"

Olivia smiled and shrugged. "It only seemed fair." She took a sip of her wine and then leaned over the counter toward him slightly. "Rafa, do you remember what you said in Forlini's about loving someone unconditionally?"

"Yes." He visibly swallowed. Admittedly, he was feeling a tad nervous about where the conversation was going. I hadn't meant to admit my feelings that day. More than that, why is she bringing it up now? He tried his best not to outwardly show it. "In the bar… I shouldn't have said what I said to you. It was unfair of me."

The brunette shook her head, giving him a timid smile. "Rafa… a part of me will always love Elliot, but I'm not in love with him. He was my partner, and we have a history, but you and I… we have a history too."

"And why are you telling me this?" he questioned. Olivia can't be trying to say what it sounds like, can she? He really didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Because there is someone I'm in love with," she said, walking up to him.

He could see all her doubts, fears, and reservations on Olivia's face, but he also saw hope, want, and longing. And if Rafael knew anything about himself, chances were his own expression wasn't any different.

Olivia started to lean in and when they met halfway she tilted her head up and Rafael's gentle hands fit just perfectly in the underside of her jaw, their lips coming together to do something Rafael had wanted to do for a while.

It had to be a dream, Rafael thought. At any moment he expected to wake up and find himself alone in his apartment. That didn't happen though. He shuddered and a sound escapes from the back of his throat; a half growl, half moan. Little shivers of pleasure and panic shot through him and Olivia deepened the kiss, parting his lips. He stopped thinking. He closed the tiny space between them and dug his fingers into Olivia's long brown hair. It was soft, silky. The scent of her favourite strawberry mint shampoo filled his nostrils. The rush of sensations crawling across his body was more than a little bit maddening. Scary. Thrilling.

This was real. This was actually happening. He had imagined this so many times in his head, and still, none of his expectations held a candle to reality.

After a long moment, the pair pulled apart and let themselves actually breathe. In the same vein, both of them were beginning to realize that if they didn't stop there was a chance they wouldn't be able to stop. As it was, the kitchen was filled with the sound of the couple's slightly laboured breathing.

"Oh my goodness," Olivia said breathlessly.

One side of his mouth lifted in a half grin. "You can say that again."

Chapter Text

Friday morning, Rafael woke up early and started getting ready for work. He had taken an uber back to his own apartment late the night before. He grinned widely. Rafael still couldn't quite believe that he and Olivia had actually started seeing each other.

Rummaging through his closet for something to wear, Rafael selected one of his grey suites, a white dress shirt with a light blue checkered pattern, and a navy blue tie with mini white dots. He then grabbed a navy blue pocket square and a pair of black dress shoes to complete the outfit.

Doing his hair, he then made his way to the kitchen to have some pan con mantequilla and café con leche for breakfast before needing to leave for work.

Walking onto the floor of his office at 1 Hogan Place, Rafael had a brief discussion with Carmen about what the day's schedule looked like. Taking a swig of his coffee, he then turned and made his way into his office.

He settled into his desk and then had the next thirty minutes to himself. No colleagues popping in, no phone calls coming in, and no emails to reply to. That was a rarity but Rafael also wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was enough time for him to look back over a couple of police reports and witness statements for a case that was meant to finally go to trial soon.

At half-past-nine, Rafael showed up to court and waited. And waited. And then waited some more. Rafael waited for the judge, the defence attorney, and the defendant. And then once everyone was there, they waited while all the other cases that had had all of the concerned parties there on time were called first. At least the judge had ended up ruling in Rafael's favour; that made things somewhat easier.

Getting back to his office at half-past-eleven or so with another coffee in hand, Rafael sat down to tackle his to-do list. He had a motion to prepare and had to return the six messages that were left on his voicemail as well as the dozen emails.

At a quarter to one, there was a knock on his office door and Carisi walked in looking to be in fairly good spirits that early afternoon. "Rafael."

"Dominick," he greeted. He was well aware that the younger ADA had decided to start going by his first name at work, at least, rather than his nickname. The blond had not exactly had an easy time being taken seriously as a prosecuting attorney at first. The man had gotten a lot of grief for being a former cop. Despite the treatment, however, the former detective was green but good. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm caught up on things for now so I figured I'd grab some lunch," Carisi said. "If you're free, do you wanna join me? There's also something I wanted to run by you."

"Sure," he said after a moment. He did need to eat and could use a bit of a break. "As long as it's not that one sandwich stand you like."

Carisi shook his head and chuckled. "It wasn't that bad." He raised an eyebrow at the blond's comment. "How about we go to the Breakroom?"

He had been to the Breakroom several times over the years and the food was usually good; a little overpriced maybe but good. "Sure, just let me grab my stuff."

After having lunch with his mentee, Rafael headed to court for the motions hearing he had prepared for earlier that day. It didn't go the way he would've liked but it could've gone much worse. As such, shortly after half-past-three he was back in his office and reading a new text from his childhood friend Eddie García. `Hola, Rafi. ¿Cómo estás? ¿Quieres salir a almorzar este fin de semana?' (Hey, Rafi. How are you? Do you want to grab some lunch this weekend?)

Smiling down at the text message, Rafael quickly shot off a reply to his friend. `¡Claro! Estoy libre cuando tú lo estés. ¿Dónde quieres comer?' (Sure! I am free when you are. Where do you want to eat?)

A text came through a moment later. `¿Coppelia? ¿Este sábado?' (This Saturday?)

He fired off another reply. '¡Sí, te veo entonces!' (Yeah, see you then!)

Another text came through. '¡Te veré el sábado!' (See you Saturday!)

After texting with Eddie, Rafael dealt with more calls and emails. He then prepared for his motion hearing the following morning, subpoenaing one of his witnesses for one of his upcoming trials, and scheduled two witness conferences.

That kept him busy until it was time for him to go home. Leaving work, Rafael decided to ask Olivia if he could take her and Noah out to dinner, his treat. There really wasn't anything grand about it, just pizza from a little restaurant not far from her apartment, but it didn't need to be grand. That really wasn't the point.

The three of them were quickly seated at a window booth in the far back of the room and glanced over the restaurant's menu for a couple of minutes. Olivia then turned to her son. "What kind of pizza would you like, Noah?"

"A pepperoni pizza sounds good," the eight-year-old said happily. "And can I get a pop to drink too, Mom?"

Olivia nodded and gave her son a small smile. "Sure, Sweetie. Which one?"

Noah smiled at his mother. "I'd like a coke, please."

Olivia nodded. "Alright."

"And what about you, Liv?" Rafael inquired.

Olivia tilted her head slightly. "Well, I was thinking of giving the El Supremo a try." The aforementioned pizza had quite a few different toppings: tomato, oregano, mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, green bell pepper, as well as pecorino.

"I was looking at that one too," he said. "It sounds really good."

A few minutes later, their waiter came back around, three glasses of water in hand. "Are you three ready to order?"

"We are," Rafael said. He gestured towards Olivia. "You can go."

"He'll take a kid's pepperoni pizza with a small coke please," Olivia said. "And I'll take a small El Supremo with a regular iced tea."

"I'll have the same," Rafael said, "but with a coke instead of iced tea."

"Okay," the waiter said. "Is there anything else I can get you three?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, thank you."

"Alright," the waiter said. "Then I'll bring the drinks out right away."

"So," Olivia said. "What are your plans for this weekend?"

And just like that, they were off. They were chatting about everything from his lunch plans with Eddie to Noah's dance classes to fun things to do around the city to how school was going for Noah to Rafael and Oliva both leaving New York for school.

Noah eyed him inquisitively after Rafael finished sharing one of his more child-friendly escapades with Rita Calhoun of all people back while they were both in their first year at Harvard Law. "One of the only times I've done karaoke."

Noah chuckled. "You're silly, Uncle Rafa."

"I'm so asking Rita for a photo next time I see her," Olivia said.

He rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance. "And she'll eagerly share it, I'm sure."

Olivia shot him a smirk. "Oh, I'm counting on it, Rafa."

He raised an eyebrow. "And I'm sure Fin has some riveting stories to share."

Olivia shook her head and laughed. "Okay, truce."

He smirked. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Olivia leaned over slightly, an amused look on her face, and gave Rafael a quick peck on the cheek. "Sabelotodo." (Smart-aleck.)

His godson eyed him curiously. "Have you visited Cambridge since, Uncle Rafa?"

"Yes, and -" Rafael was pulled from the conversation momentarily as the young waiter interrupted him to place the drinks that they had ordered earlier down on the table. It wasn't much longer before all of their pizzas were brought out as well.

As they ate, the atmosphere between them remained much the same. It had been comfortable and fun and light. He addressed Noah's earlier questions, of course. They had then chatted about everything and anything, joking around and just enjoying each other's company after a long workday.

As the three of them walked back to Olivia's apartment after dinner at Roberta's Pizza, Noah between both adults and holding their hands, the Cuban-American attorney felt a real sense of peace and happiness overcome him. Rafael knew his relationship with Olivia was still in the early stages but it just felt right.

Chapter Text

The next eleven weeks flew by. Rafael had several cases going to trial and he ended up covering for an ADA who was taking some time off. That meant that Rafael had spent more than a few late nights at work. He was able to get off work long enough to attend the birthday dinner for Carisi though which had been fun. And he had yet to hear from Antonio Mantegna which, in all honesty, was a good thing. He doubted if that would last though.

Rafael and Olivia had also started discussing whether or not they should disclose their relationship to their bosses just yet or not. Although they wanted their privacy, Rafael was also torn about not disclosing. He knew that they needed to but also knew a lot of people would be chiming in from the cheap seats once they did.

As for Rafael, he was looking at an entire morning in court. Since the prosecution goes first, he had to be on the ball immediately. A lot of jury members would start to make up their minds during opening statements and the sooner he won them over the better. Juries were always unpredictable at best no matter how good he was at cherrypicking the jury members during voir dire.

"This case is about power; power wielded in the wrong hands," he started once all the necessary parties had been sworn in. "On March 9, 2021, the defendant Christopher Mitchell wielded that power against a nineteen-year-old intern and overcame her resistance. He forced her to have sex with him. During the course of this trial, you will learn that Michaela Stephens was working towards her career aspirations. That she was working as an intern at the NCC Group. At that same time, the defendant was working there as a department head. It is there that he met Ms. Stephens and he began to interact with and seek her out. You will learn that during one of these interactions he gave this nineteen-year-old intern his business card which had his personal cellphone number handwritten on the back. And during these interactions, you will learn that the defendant, thirty-eight years old at the time, asked this nineteen-year-old intern out on a date." He paused momentarily to let everything he said sink in. "The date was set for March 9th. And on March 9th, the defendant picked up Ms. Stephens and drove her to the Capital Grille where the two had dinner. The defendant then took Ms. Stephens back to his apartment. This is where the rape and forcible penetration took place."

Carisi was watching Rafael's opening statement, not for the first time, and was clearly trying to figure out just where Rafael was taking things.

Shifting his position, Rafael glanced at the jury. "You will learn that Ms. Stephens tried to resist. That she tried to make excuses. You will learn that she said she wasn't on birth control. That she wasn't ready. That she didn't want to. That he was hurting her. That she told him no."

Opposing counsel was looking a little irritated already. Rafael then stepped even closer to the jury table, allowing them to see various emotions playing on his face.

"Mr. Mitchell didn't stop," Rafael stated. "He didn't listen to her. Instead, the defendant just did what he wanted without Ms. Stephens' consent, giving her a nasty head injury in the process. He pulled her hair and hit her head against the headboard. He did all of this despite all her objections, despite her resistance. He willfully abused his position of power and forced Ms. Stephens to engage in sexual activity. And for those actions, the defendant is guilty; guilty of both charges. And after you have heard the evidence, I'll return to you and ask that you find him guilty." With one last pointed look at the jury, Rafael made his way back to the prosecution table, taking a seat.

Counsellor Mitch Jackson's opening statement was, frankly, less than inspired but even so, Rafael could tell that the man had managed to get at least one of the jury members leaning more in the defence's direction.

It was then time for Rafael to start presenting the prosecution's evidence and the two sole witnesses. It had gone smoothly for the most part although when it came to the cross-examination Rafael found himself objecting more than was likely to score him points with the jury. He did manage to remedy some of the damage during a redirect however which was something at least.

Then came the Defence's turn to call their list of witnesses. Mr. Mitchel took the stand and essentially claimed that this was all a bad case of morning-after regret. "Her false accusation's really unfortunate," the defendant remarked. "It makes it harder for real victims of rape who may not be believed."

Rafael fought not to show his disgust. "Move to strike."

Judge Barry Moredock turned and proceeded to directly address the defendant. "Just answer the questions, Mr. Stephens."

Counsellor Jackson apparently wanted the man off of the stand before anything else was said. "No further questions, Your Honour. I would however like to request a recess and speak with my client."

As opposing counsel addressed the judge, Rafael swiftly rose to his feet.

The judge immediately turned and eyed him. "I'm inclined to accept, Mr. Barba."

Rafael shot the judge what he hoped was a very charming smile. Rafael really wanted to cross-examine the defendant before the jury went home with that last comment of the man's in their minds. He, unfortunately, had some damage control to do or he was going to lose jurors. "How about a half-hour now and then we can -?"

The judge shot Rafael a very pointed look; it was a mix of both slight amusement and some irritation. "Nice try. We're adjourned." And with that, Judge Moredock tapped the gavel, dismissing the court until the following morning.

It was only two o'clock in the afternoon, so Rafael gathered up all his papers and then headed back to his office. Rafael needed to figure out how he would handle the mess during his cross-examination first thing that coming morning. He wasn't back at his office very long though before he got a call from Olivia.

"Hey, Rafa!" the brunette said. "We caught a rough case; Carisi's here already. Lucy is running late because of the mother of another child she watches. Would you be able to pick Noah up from school?" With the arrival of Fall also came the start of a new school year and Noah started the third grade at P.S. 199 that morning.

"Of course, Liv." He was more than happy to give her a hand. "Court is out for the day and I don't have any meetings either." Rafael quickly started putting his files away. "I'll text Lucy and head over to the school right now."

"Thank you!" Olivia said with a sigh of relief. "Unfortunately, I think it's gonna be a late night for the entire squad, Carisi included."

"Alright," he said as he quickly grabbed his wallet and car keys. He didn't always drive to work but he had opted to this morning. "Keep me posted, Liv." With that, the phone call ended and Rafael made his way downstairs.

Rafael got to the school a few minutes early but didn't mind that. At 2:50 pm, the bell went and students started filling into the schoolyard. It took a few minutes but then he spotted Noah who was chatting with a couple of friends. Waving at the boy, Noah grinned and ran over to where he was. "Uncle Rafa! What are you doing here?"

"Lucy had to deal with something." He smirked and ruffled Noah's hair playfully. "So, it looks like you're stuck with me for a bit, Noah."

"¡Qué horror!" Noah said with feigned upset. (How awful!)

Rafael rolled his eyes dramatically at the eight-year-old's cheeky comment but found it kind of amusing. Rafael then pointed in the general direction of the car. "Venga, chico, el carro está justo allí. (Come on, Kid, the car's right over there.)

Noah nodded and then looked up at him eagerly. "Tengo hambre. ¿Puedo comer algo?" (I'm hungry. Can I have something to eat?)

He gave a curt nod. "Claro, puedes tomar una merienda." He then began wracking his brain for an idea for an easy afternoon snack. (Sure, you can have a snack.)

The pair were almost at the Benson home when Rafael decided to quickly stop and run into the bodega just down the street from the apartment. He grabbed a couple of mamey as well as some condensed milk, Goya crackers, guava paste, and cream cheese.

Once at the Benson apartment, he had Noah grab some salt while he grabbed the can of evaporated milk from the fridge. He then taught his godson how to make a mamey smoothy. Rafael then helped Noah put some of the cream cheese and guava paste on some of the crackers he had bought earlier. He then put the crackers and drinks down on the kitchen table, gesturing for Noah to take a seat.

He and Noah had both just finished one of the crackers when there was a knock on the door and Lucy walked in. Noah got up, beaming, and ran over to his nanny. "Lucy!"

Lucy ruffled Noah's hair playfully. "You being good for Mr. Barba, Squirt? And how was your first day back at school?"

"Never," Noah quipped without missing a beat. "And school was good. My new teacher, Ms. Taylor, seems really nice. We started learning about habitats too."

"I'm glad they're actually teaching that," he commented.

"That's great, kid. I'm glad that school went well," Lucy replied. "And thanks again for picking him up, Rafael. One of the other children I watch was sick and their mom got stuck at work at the last minute."

He waved the comment off. "It was nothing." He smiled more warmly. "We made some easy snacks as Noah was hungry; help yourself."

"I can see that," she said before grabbing one of the crackers. "These look really good; is that cream cheese?"

"Uh-huh," Noah confirmed happily. "Cream cheese and guava." The eight-year-old boy took another cracker and popped it into his mouth. "They're yummy."

He chuckled. "Glad to know you approve, Noah."

Lucy swallowed a bite of her cracker. "Well, he's not wrong."

Rafael spent a couple of more minutes with Noah and Lucy before taking his leave. He needed to swing by his office and get some more trial prep and research done. A large cup of coffee wouldn't be amiss either.

Is there ever a day when that ever-growing list of tasks gets done? No, you just throw it away and start fresh at the beginning of a week. An ADA's work is never done.

Chapter Text

Waking up the next morning, Rafael got up, went and made himself a hot cup of coffee and some pan con mantequilla. Heading back to his room after, he started rummaging through his closet for something to wear. He settled on a more traditional black suit, a pair of black suspenders, a light pink collared shirt, and a dark pink tie covered with a series of light pink dots covering it. Rafael then selected a dark pink pocket square of his to complete the set. He then did his hair, grabbed his briefcase, and then it was time for him to head to work.

His day was, quite unsurprisingly, spent almost entirely in court yet again. Rafael both had to cross-examine the defendant and one of the witnesses for the defence who was at the restaurant the evening of the attack.

They were then given a recess for lunch after which it was finally time for both sides to present their closing arguments.

In closing arguments, Rafael reiterated to the jury that the case was about power and control, given Christopher Mitchell's position with the NCC Group and as someone who was twenty years older than Ms. Stephens.

Of course, opposing counsel was taking a whole other spin on things.

"I urge you all to look past the emotion of the testimony Ms. Stephens gave and focus on the factual evidence," Counsellor Jackson said while addressing the jury. "'Believe me because I'm mad, believe me because I cried' That is what you're being asked to do." Defence Counsel moved a bit closer to the jury with a pleading expression. "Well, fury does not make fact. And tears do not make truth." Defence Counsel gestured to the victim. "It was a theatrical, overly dramatized performance. What you saw was an act." Rafael sighed, quickly wracking his brain for how to undo the damage. Opposing counsel's closing argument was, unfortunately, rather well done. "It was transactional sex. She knows it, and she hates it. Regret is not rape."

As opposing counsel finally took a seat, Rafael calmly rose to his feet. He had already given his closing arguments but was entitled to a rebuttal and was going to use it.

In his rebuttal, Rafael guided the jurors back through all the evidence, touching on the rape kit and several key statements by the victim. Stepping towards the jury, he then tried to put the final nail in the defendant's coffin. "The defence has failed to show that Ms. Stephens has gained anything 'transactional' from Mr. Mitchell or she has anything to gain by lying." He then shot the jury a rather confused look. "Where is the evidence that there is any motivation other than to get justice for being sexually assaulted?" He stepped closer to the jury. "You have irrefutable, overwhelming evidence of the nature of this man, and what he did to Ms. Stephens. For that, you must find him guilty."

He thought he had managed to undo most of the damage from the day before. Rafael would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a bit nervous as the judge charged the jury and they headed to the jury room to begin deliberating.

With it only being half-past-two, Rafael headed out of the courthouse and grabbed a cup of coffee while making the four-minute walk back to the District Attorney's Office to organize some things and wait for the verdict to come in. As the prosecutor, he was on call once the jury started their deliberations. He had to stay reasonably close by, not just for the verdict but in case the jury had a question which wasn't uncommon.

Rafael did chat on the phone with Olivia, however. The squad had one hell of a day. A woman had kidnapped her six-year-old grandson that morning. The grandmother had just been released from Rikers for Simple Assault and had taken the child right out of school. The squad was thankfully able to apprehend her and return the child to his parents. The woman was back in custody and it was a win for the squad. However, he could tell it had hit home for Olivia in every way imaginable. It wasn't hard to tell that the time Shiela had kidnapped Noah had rushed back to her. Along with the knowledge that Shiela would likely be released from the psychiatric facility one day, and could try and do the same thing yet again.

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time," he stated. "Don't stress yourself out over eventualities that might never happen, Liv. If it does happen, we'll deal with it then. And I do mean we."

"You think that I'm catastrophizing?" she asked.

Rafael sighed. "I think that you can trust your instincts and have more than enough on your plate currently." Rafael fought to keep his tone neutral. "How was your lunch with Stabler?”

The man wasn't Rafael's favourite person and vice versa but Stabler insisted he cared about Olivia and the former partners were still good friends. When he and Stabler had crossed paths two weeks prior, admittedly, Stabler had been rather polite. That had to count for something, Rafael supposed. His opinion of the man hadn't changed much, frankly. He still had a penchant for violence and the records spoke for themselves. He was never going to be a fan of the man. He did believe that the man was never going to intentionally hurt Olivia, though. It was the unintentional hurt that concerned him more than anything. Still, it wasn't a battle he wanted to keep fighting.

"It was nice," Olivia replied honestly. "He is starting to find his footing again, although he has a fourteen-year-old Eli keeping him on his toes."

He smirked. "He didn't get enough practice with the other four teenagers?"

Olivia barked out a laugh. "That's what I said to him!" She chuckled softly for another moment. "I've got to go, Rafa, but text me if the verdict comes in."

"Alright," he said. "See you tonight?"

"See you tonight," she replied happily.

Ending their call, Rafael sighed and pulled out his sudoku book from his desk, deciding to pass some of the time doing that.

Shortly after six o'clock, Rafael was contacted and asked to appear at the courthouse. Glad that the jury wasn't hung and this wasn't going to be dragged into the weekend, he shot off a text to Olivia. 'They've reached a verdict.' Shoving his cell phone back into his pocket, he grabbed his things and made the short trip back to the courthouse.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," the judge asked, "in the case of the People Versus Christopher Mitchell, have you reached a verdict?"

The jury forewoman stood up a bit nervously. "Yes, we have, Your Honour."

Judge Moredock dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment. "How do you find?"

"On the charge of Rape in the First Degree," the jury forewoman said, sounding a little more confident now, "we find the defendant… guilty."

There was immediate murmuring throughout the courtroom and Rafael couldn't help but feel this huge sense of relief wash over him. Rafael stole a quick glance over at the defendant who was still weirdly calm.

"And on the charge of Assault in the Third Degree," the blonde jury forewoman stated, "we find the defendant guilty."

Rafael smirked now as the last of the charges was read off.

The judge nodded and then addressed the courtroom. "Members of the jury, the state of New York thanks you for your service. You are dismissed." The judge turned toward the defendant and then continued to speak. "Christopher Mitchell, you are remanded to Rikers where you will await sentencing."

Rafael glanced over at the defendant again. The man was talking quietly to his defence attorney who was removing several items from Mr. Mitchell's jacket pockets before the newly convicted man found himself handcuffed and remanded to custody.

Mitchell's face had betrayed no emotion when the verdict was read off, but as the man was placed in handcuffs and led by a deputy out of the courtroom, he could see sweat trickling down the man's neck. Despite the grandstanding, it was clear that the piece of work was scared. Rafael didn't have any sympathy for him though.

Gathering up his things, he made his way out of the courtroom.

Olivia and Rollins caught his attention as he walked out the door. Rollins was the first to speak. "Congratulations, Counsellor."

He smiled at the blonde. "Good jury, Detective. They looked past Mitchell's image, saw the guy for who he really is." His expression softened. "How did Carisi's arraignment of that kidnapping grandmother go?"

"She got minimal bail," Rollins said, "but Carisi did manage to get her an OOP."

An Order of Protection? Well, that's better than nothing. "What judge?"

Olivia shot him a pointed look. "Judge Kevin Beck."

He quirked an eyebrow. The man was fairly well-known for being one of the more, uh, difficult judges. At least Carisi managed to get that OOP. "Gee, I'm shocked."

Rollins gave a little snort. "Yeah, aren't we all."

Olivia rolled her eyes at them. "Come on, you two. Let's get outta here." The three of them swiftly started walking towards the black police cruiser the two women had came in. "So, how are Jesse and Billie doing, 'Manda?"

Chapter Text

Saturday, Rafael woke up to the morning sunlight trickling in through the blinds of his girlfriend's bedroom window and he could hear birds chirping. Rafael was quiet so as to not disturb Olivia but it didn't take her long to notice that he'd woken up. She then turned onto her left side and smiled at him. "Good morning, Sleepyhead."

Rafael gave a little hum and then turned onto his right side so that he and Olivia were face-to-face. "Good morning to you too." The pair kissed and then laid there, cuddling, for a while, before they finally got out of bed, got dressed, and decided to see what a certain eight-year-old boy was up to at half past seven in the morning. Rafael didn't bother to put his contact lenses in yet though sticking with his glasses until he had at least one large cup of coffee in his system.

Thankfully, he remembered to grab them when he stopped by his apartment to grab a bag the evening before after leaving the courthouse.

Hearing the television playing what sounded like Sesame Street, it wasn't a far stretch to assume that Noah was already awake and in the living room. Turning the corner, his assumption was immediately proven right. There was Noah, snuggled up on the couch with a blanket and watching some TV. "¡Buenas!" the boy chirped. (Good morning!)

He gave Noah a small smile. "Buenas." (Good morning.)

Olivia walked over and kissed her son on the head. "Good morning, Sweetie. How long have you been up for?"

"Not long," Noah said, "but I got bored in my room."

Olivia ruffled the boy's hair playfully. "Fair enough. You hungry?"

"I could eat!" Noah replied with a grin.

Olivia rolled her eyes in amusement. "Oh, I'm sure." She then gave the eight-year-old boy a slightly more serious look as she spoke to him. "Okay, Noah, how about broccoli, carrots, and peas for breakfast?"

Noah wrinkled his nose adorably. "You're silly, Mom! Who has carrots for breakfast?!"

"Ahh, so you just want some broccoli and peas this morning then? Understood!" Olivia said as she continued lightly teasing her son.

Rafael smirked. "That sounds really good to me, Liv."

Olivia turned and grinned at him. "Perfect."

Noah shook his head rather dramatically, giggling at the two adults' antics. "Nooo! Can we have smiley face pancakes? Pleaaaase!"

And so that's exactly what they did. Olivia and Rafael made some pancakes and bacon for the three of them - with a little help from Noah. They used blueberries to make the shape of happy faces in their pancake batter as requested by the eight-year-old. After eating, they tidied up and Rafael switched to his contact lenses.

They then decided to take Noah to Heckscher Playground for a bit. Located in Central Park South between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, it was the oldest and largest of the playgrounds there. It got them all out of the house, getting some fresh air, and Noah was able to run around and play with other kids.

Shortly before twelve o'clock that afternoon, he said goodbye to Olivia and Noah then took an uber to Victor's Café on 52nd Street for lunch with Eddie García. He and Eddie hadn't talked much over the last little bit and wanted to catch up.

Wanting a bit of privacy, Rafael took a seat in one of the booths in the back, not far at all from the large palm tree in the mid-back of the Cuban restaurant. Victor's Café had a rather authentic Latin vibe with both the decor and food choices. Rafael didn't mind getting there first as he was much closer to the Theatre District than Eddie.

He wasn't left waiting very long before Eddie walked in and took a seat directly across from him. Glancing over the restaurant's menu briefly, the pair both placed their lunch and drink orders. They then finally began catching up with each other in earnest - but not without Eddie wrecking his straw while opening it and having to ask for a new one. "¿Cómo está Nico? ¿Y tu mamá?" (How is Nico? And your mom?)

Nicolás was Eddie's now sixteen-year-old son and as for Eddie's mother Ana María, he knew that she had dealt with more than a few medical challenges over the years.

"Mami está muy bien, afortunadamente." Eddie's smile then visibly grew with pride. "Y Nico entró en el equipo de baloncesto de la escuela este año.” (Mom's doing really well, thankfully. And Nico made the school basketball team this year.)

"¡Qué chévere!" Rafael shot his childhood friend an approving smile. "Debes estar muy orgulloso de él." (That's great! You must be so proud of him.)

Eddie nodded, that smile not leaving his face. "Sí, lo estoy. El cambio al bachillerato ha sido bueno para él." Eddie's expression then shifted slightly. "Ven acá… ¿Estás saliendo con Benson? Ustedes dos han estado pasando mucho tiempo juntos últimamente.” (Yeah, I am. The move to high school’s been good for him. So, what's the low down? Are you dating Benson? You two have been spending a lot of time together lately.)

Rafael rolled his eyes, actually somewhat impressed that it had taken Eddie as long as it had taken to ask that. "Sí, Eddie, estoy saliendo con ella. Sin embargo, aún no se lo hemos revelado a nuestros jefes." (Yes, Eddie, I am dating her. However, we have not disclosed to our bosses yet.)

"¡Alabao!" Eddie said. "Le zumba el mango que el soltero empedernido sentado frente a mí realmente tenga novia.” (Wow! Unbelievably, the confirmed bachelor sitting across from me actually has a girlfriend.)

He swallowed the swig of his coffee in his mouth and then gave his childhood friend a dramatic eye roll in slight yet fond exasperation. "¡Qué cómico! ¿Hablamos de tu vida amorosa?" (How funny! Shall we talk about your love life?)

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Haz la cola." (Get in line.)

He smirked. "Anjá, eso es lo que pensaba." (Uh-huh, that's what I thought.)

"¡Ay, por favor!" Eddie said. "Al menos me casé." (Oh, please! At least I got married.)

Rafael raised both his eyebrows and shot his friend a teasing grin. He had to get at least one joke in about what Eddie did earlier and return the favour. "Al menos no se me rompió el absorbente." (At least I didn't break my straw.)

His childhood friend locked eyes with him and then broke out into a fit of laughter and Rafael quickly followed suit, going into a laughing fit of his own. They definitely made quite the pair. He was so glad that he'd been able to salvage this friendship.

Rafael started to inquire as to how work was going for his childhood friend when their, rather young, waiter arrived with both of their orders. Chatting and relaxing with Eddie was nice, but eventually, the two friends had to go their separate ways.

Eddie gently pulled him in for a quick hug and pat on the back. "Mándame un mensaje de texto cuando llegues a casa." (Shoot me a text when you get home.)

He dipped his head slightly in response. "Lo haré." He then gave his long-time friend a small yet affectionate smile. "Cuídate." (I will. Take care.)

Eddie nodded. "Tú también, Rafi." (You too, Rafi.)

Taking his leave, he headed back to his own apartment. Olivia was out visiting Stabler and Noah was over at his friend - whom he's known since kindergarten - Liam's house. As such, Rafael was free and didn't have much to do that afternoon besides maybe getting some of his laundry done.

He had only been home for a couple of minutes when his phone vibrated. The number wasn't saved in his phone, but unfortunately, it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out who was texting him: Antonio Mantegna. 'Avvocato, I've got another job for you. Behind your apartment building at 4. Don't be late.'

Anxiety immediately settling into the pit of his stomach, Rafael fidgeted and stared at his phone. He felt uncomfortable enough with the assistance he'd provided before and that was a small ask, a test run of sorts. With a frown, Rafael typed back a short reply to the rather volatile man. 'I'll be there.'

His phone vibrated again. 'Good.'

Rafael sighed as he eyed the messages. He had zero desire or intention of helping that man bury anything but didn't see any good options either. More to the point, however, Mantegna was clearly not going to leave him be. Unfortunately, if he talked to anyone about the developing situation then Rafael was putting whoever that was in danger too and not just himself. Mantegna would hurt the other person just to prove some twisted point. On the other hand, the last thing that Rafael wanted to become was yet another corrupt officer of the court. Coño, what am I going to do?

Chapter Text

"Why didn't you tell me you were being threatened?" Olivia exclaimed. "Again!"

Rafael looked up to see his girlfriend storming angrily into his apartment, shutting the door behind her with a resounding slam. Her deep chocolate brown eyes flashed with thunder and for a brief moment, Rafael felt a bit nervous. She had a way of unnerving him at times. Still, not knowing what else to do, Rafael had caved and finally reached out to his favourite police captain about help with the Mantegna mess. Plus, he really didn't want a repeat of the Wheatley aftermath due to a lack of communication. Going through that once had been torture enough.

"I did," he replied coolly. "I told you right after getting those texts."

"And what about the first time?" Olivia countered without missing a single beat. "It wasn't until today that you saw fit to inform me!"

"I am an ADA," he reminded the police captain pointedly. "I'm not a stranger to people making threats, Liv. Nature of the beast."

"And how well did ignoring it last time after indicting those cops work for you?" Olivia retorted. She folded her arms across her chest and eyed him. "What, did you not trust me enough to help deal with it?!"

Something about Olivia's tone instantly infuriated him. "Like you trusted me enough to let me handle things during the Wheatley trial?"

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Seriously, Rafael?"

Rafael took a breath and then eyed her. He didn't want to fight. "I came to you when I knew he was actually going to pose an issue, Liv. I'm not gonna run crying every time I get a minuscule threat. Most of them are just blowing off steam."

She nodded, unable to argue the point. "That's fair. I just -"

Rafael gave his girlfriend a sideways smile. "I know, Liv. You worry and always want to fix everything for everyone. I get it. I did come to you, didn't I?"

She pulled him in for a hug. "You do realize I'm telling on you to Rita?"

He gave an undignified little snort. "Okay, I deserve that. She was trying to figure out what was going on with me that day. Can you at least make sure that her schedule is packed the day you tell her?"

"Aw, is the shark of the courtroom scared of little Rita Calhoun?" Olivia teased.

"Never," he fired back. "I just have a very healthy respect."

The brunette captain barked out a laugh, the tension surrounding them just a moment ago quickly fading away. Refocusing on the situation at hand, they talked and made a plan for how they were going to proceed.

When four o'clock rolled around, Rafael was discretely wired and went to the meeting with Antonio Mantegna as asked. If things went well, they would have the Italian man recorded soliciting and threatening an officer of the court.

"What's this about, Antonio?" Rafael demanded pointedly as the guy walked up to him. He fought to keep his fear out of his voice, deciding to try and just sound irritated. He didn't want to give the man the satisfaction. "It damn well better be important."

"Good to see you too, Avvocato!" the man quipped. "And I think that's really for me to decide now, isn't it? Anyway, what's the rush?"

He rolled his eyes impatiently. "Get to the damn point, Tony. I'm starting to think that you just like the sound of your own voice." Hopefully, if I just go along with it he won't try and touch me like he did last time. He had left that part out of things when he was explaining the mess to Olivia earlier for multiple reasons.

"You wound me," the man replied in jest. "But, let's get to it. I need you to help one of my guys with his drug possession charges. He got pinched last night."

"And what exactly is it you're wanting me to do for him?" Rafael questioned, trying to get the man to actually state the crime. He'd been on the prosecuting end of things before when the statements in the controlled meet were too vague, unusable. Rafael couldn't afford that to happen here. He had one clean shot at this.

The guy walked straight up to Rafael and then started rubbing his shoulder. "The same thing as last time. Keep him out of jail. I need him out working for me."

He licked his lips nervously. "And if I don't want to play your little game?"

The grip on Rafael's shoulder tightened instantly. "Then I'll make that captain friend of yours getting run off the road look like child's play." The man leaned closer to Rafael. "I wasn't kidding the first time, Barba, and I'm not kidding now."

He swallowed nervously. "Understood. What's the name of your guy?"

Mantegna eyed him, looking quite pleased with himself for getting Rafael to back down yet again. "His name's Giovanni Russo."

He sighed. "Alright, I'll look into it and see what I can do." Hopefully, they had enough on the audio recording to bury the guy and would walk in soon to make the arrest. He was increasingly becoming more worried that Mantegna would figure out he'd gone to the police and was wearing a wire.

"Perfect," the man grinned. "Pleasure doing business with you again, Avvocato. Il capo had the right idea about you being the consigliere." The man rubbed Rafael's shoulder again before turning around to take his leave.

Before the man could leave, however, the 16th's SVU squad stormed in, their service weapons drawn. Please make it look good! It has to look good!

"The both of you, get your hands up in the air!" Rollins called out. "Antonio Mantegna and Rafael Barba, you are both under arrest!"

Mantegna calmly put his hands up. "We were just talking. I didn't do anything."

Rafael pretended to look more confused by the situation than anything. He needed to not look like he'd expected this. Fin cuffed the Italian while Olivia shot Rafael a rather disgusted look. "We said hands up!"

"We don't need to do this here, guys!" he replied while also putting his hands up as he had been ordered. "Hey, come on. You know me."

Olivia shoved him face-first against the wall as he spoke. "Turn around."

He continued the charade of trying to get himself out of trouble as Olivia cuffed both of his hands behind his back. "Look, I can explain."

"Yeah," Olivia retorted, "I'd love to hear it." She started pulling him over to where they had two police cruisers parked. Olivia was gentle but was clearly trying to make it look like she was being rough, was disgusted with him. "Come on."

Fin gave Mantegna a little push forward as well. "Let's go."

Rafael couldn't allow himself to relax whatsoever until both he and Mantegna each got forced into a separate police cruiser. He was riding back in with Velasco and Olivia. Fin and Rollins were escorting Mantegna.

With Velasco driving, Olivia turned around as best as she could to face him. "You okay, Barba? I tried to be gentle, but -"

He shook his head. She had done exactly what was needed; made it look like she was disgusted and angry with a corrupt coworker. "I'm fine, Captain. I'm from the Bronx. I can handle being roughed up a little."

Detective Velasco chimed in. "You handled yourself well back there, Barba."

She shook her head. "If you're sure." Olivia sighed. "So, here's the plan. You're gonna have to stay in holding with Mantegna for a bit while we make it look like we are going through the motions for arraigning you both."

He dipped his head slightly. "I figured as much."

"He'll go first," she continued, "and Fin will make a comment at some point to Velasco here about how you deserve to be stuck in the tombs overnight so we're delaying your arraignment on purpose. Just before he leaves, we'll make sure that he sees you being taken out of holding and being cuffed again."

Rafael nodded wordlessly, hoping that the plan would work. He needed it to work.

Back at the 16th precinct, the squad's plan to safely get Rafael out of this giant mess continued. Rafael couldn't keep himself from pacing around the holding cell, much to Mantegna's amusement. They had two vice cops in the holding cell as well, pretending to be there for a physical dispute. They took one of the out to be arraigned first and then came back for Mantegna who seemed slightly surprised but also pleased. The icing on the metaphorical cake came when the sergeant turned to him and smirked. "Given the time, Traitor, it looks like ya won't be gettin' arraigned today. I hear that the Tombs are comfortable though."

"Oh, come on, Sergeant!" Rafael said. "You can't do this!"

Both Fin and Velasco glanced at each other and then laughed. Fin got one last quip in as they started to lead Mantegna away. "And what are you gonna do about it?"

"What's going on here?" Olivia asked as she and Rollins walked up.

"Nothing," Velasco replied coolly.

Olivia smirked. "You better get going if you want to make arraignment." She started to open the cell door and addressed him. "Hands out, Barba."

Frowning, he immediately did as Olivia asked. "What now, Captain."

The captain placed her cuffs back on him. "You're going back into interrogation." She pretended to tighten the cuffs some and gently shoved him out of the cell. She then took him by the arm, leading him towards Interrogation One.

As he walked away Rafael could just make out Mantegna turning to the two detectives and saying, "She seems angry."

Fin gave a little snort. "Oh, you have no idea."

As the door to the interrogation room closed firmly behind him, Rafael let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. Olivia took the handcuffs off and they both took a seat down at the table where she'd stashed some chips earlier as well as a large cup of coffee for the both of them. "Fin'll text me once they've made it to the courthouse. Until then we're going to lay low and relax."

"Do you think he bought it?" Rafael asked.

"I do," Rollins said. "He seemed amused at your treatment as well."

Olivia tilted her head slightly. "I agree with Amanda. I think he bought the act." As she finishes that comment her expression softened. "We've got your back, Rafa. We aren't going to let him do anything to you." She shoved his coffee toward him and shot him a teasing look. "Now drink the damn coffee, you caffeine addict."

He smirked, taking a sip of the dark drew. "You don't have to tell me twice."

Chapter Text

Thankfully, after they dealt with the whole situation with Antonio Mantegna the coming week had been pretty calm for him. Temporarily, at least. With the audio recording and text messages, they had a strong case against the man. Rafael couldn't prosecute, of course, but Carisi had quickly taken the case. The still-green prosecutor was hoping to leverage a deal and keep it out of the press but that was a work in progress.

Rafael knew that Mantegna was likely to put up a rather dirty fight, though, so he did feel a bit as though Rafael was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Despite that feeling though, things were going well and he and Olivia were in a pretty good place. He had spent most nights that past week at the Benson apartment and was now sitting down with Noah and Olivia for a quick breakfast.

"Este es mi conflei favorito," Noah stated happily before shovelling another spoonful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch into his mouth. (This is my favourite cereal.)

Olivia rolled her eyes but smiled warmly down at her son. "Oh, I know, Kid. You're why I even buy it." She ruffled Noah's hair playfully. "I have to go to an early meeting with my boss today so Rafa is gonna take you to school this morning. Did you remember to grab your new water bottle from the fridge? You need it for the field trip." Noah's class was going to the Battery Parks Conservancy that morning.

Noah smiled up at his mom. "Okay, Mom, and yes, I grabbed my water bottle. I threw it in my bag before you packed my lunch."

"I saw him grab it," Rafael confirmed.

"Good," the police captain replied before leaning down and giving her eight-year-old a quick kiss on the forehead. "Be safe and have fun. I'll see you after school." She then turned to Rafael. "Are you still wanting to disclose today, Rafa?"

He nodded without any hesitation. "Yeah, Liv. I think it's time." Not to mention the fact that he'd felt like he had a live hand grenade in his pocket that could blow up in their faces during court at any time. "You having second thoughts?"

His girlfriend gave him a soft, affectionate smile. "No, I just wanted to make sure that we were both comfortable." She walked up and gave him a quick kiss. "See you after work, Babe. Good luck with McCoy. Te quiero." (I love you.)

Rafael shot his girlfriend an amused smile. "His bark is way worse than his bite." She raised an eyebrow. "Plus, I have a meeting with the division chief later so if I time it right Mrs. Maxwell can double as a half-decent buffer." She chuckled and Rafael gave her a quick kiss. "Te quiero también, mi amor." (I love you too, my love.)

A moment later, the apartment door closed shut behind Olivia. Rafael then turned back towards Noah who was still shovelling the cereal into his mouth. If Noah didn't pick up the pace slightly, he was going to be late for the field trip. "Chico, tienes que apurarte o vas a perder la guagua al centro de conservación." (You have to hurry up or you're going to miss the bus to the conservancy, Kid.)

Noah gave a small nod before shoving more cereal into his mouth. A few minutes later, the eight-year-old was finally done his breakfast and was ready to go. The two of them then started the ten-minute walk to P.S. 199.

The eight-year-old eyed Rafael quizzically. "¿Tu mamá nació acá en Nueva York?" (Was your mom born here in New York?)

Rafael turned to the boy and then shook his head. "No, mi mamá nació en La Habana." (No, my mom was born in Havana.)

"¿Cuándo se fue?" Noah asked. (When did she leave?)

"Eh, mi mamá vino a los Estados Unidos en 1962." Back in early February of 1962, his maternal grandparents had to make the extremely difficult decision to take their two daughters and leave their home. To leave everything they had ever known behind and start over in a new country where they barely spoke the language. They'd thought or rather they had hoped that it was all temporary. "Tenía catorce años." (Uh, my mom came to the U.S. in 1962. She was fourteen.)

Noah tilted his head slightly in an expression so like his mother. "Guau." (Wow.)

He dipped his head slightly. "Sí. Fue un gran cambio." (Yeah. It was a big change.)

Arriving just outside the main doors of Noah's elementary school, Rafael turned to his godson and pulled the young boy in for a bear hug. Noah was smiling but spoke with a fake whine. "Tío, no en la escuela." (Uncle, not at school.)

Rafael's chuckled at the eight-year-old boy's reaction but backed up nonetheless. "Está bien." He ruffled Noah's hair. "Que tengas un buen día." (Okay. Have a good day.)

"¡Chao, pescao!" Noah exclaimed with a wide grin. The eight-year-old then made the I love you sign while starting to turn around. (See you later, alligator!)

"¡Y a la vuelta, picadillo!" he replied in amusement. (In a while, crocodile!)

Rafael waited until the doors closed behind Noah before finally turning and making his way to the nearby subway at Broadway and 72nd and finally heading to work.

By the time Rafael arrived at his office, he'd already needed to answer no less than six work calls. He immediately figured the day wasn't likely to be a quiet one.

He had agreed to help oversee an ECAB shift with one of the newer ADAs. ECAB, or - as Rafael not so affectionately called it - the complaint room - was often used as a first introduction to prosecution. It was often the first stop for new prosecutors. These new ADA would take a handful of cases all the way up to arraignment and then one of the more senior ADAs would take over the actual motions and trial. Initially, anyways. As such, Rafael got to spend the first part of the morning observing the aforementioned new Assistant District Attorney in arraignment court.

It was a short day in arraignment for him, so he was done by 10:40, which meant he was able to grab a cup of coffee and still make it to his meeting with the trial division chief with almost five whole minutes to spare.

Mrs. Maxwell was just about to leave when McCoy came into his office. Deciding that it was as good a time as any, Rafael turned to face both his division chief and the District Attorney. "If you have a moment, Mrs. Maxwell, I would like to have a quick word with both you and Mr. McCoy regarding a recent development."

"And what would that be?" Maxwell asked.

"I'd like to know as well," McCoy added.

"I'm in a relationship with NYPD Captain Olivia Benson," Rafael stated, deciding to just come right out and say it. "She disclosed our relationship to Deputy Chief Dodds in a meeting earlier this morning."

The Manhattan District Attorney eyed him and took a deep breath. "You do realize half my job is stopping people working here from doing something stupid?"

He dipped his head slightly. "We have no intention of rocking the boat."

"Do you think you two can remain professional?" Maxwell asked.

"I do, Ma'am." He knew he had to handle this right or he would guarantee that he and Olivia did not get to work any cases together ever again. "I think we have conducted ourselves completely professionally since the relationship began and can continue to do so. We both understand why the boundaries need to be there."

Both of his bosses nodded curtly and then the District Attorney addressed him. "I will talk to Chief Dodds, but given your character, if he is comfortable with you continuing to take SVU cases I will allow it." He pointed at Rafael. "Under close scrutiny."

He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'd expect nothing less, Sir."

The division chief chuckled. "Smart man."

The district attorney smirked. "Most of the time, anyway." Occasionally, you do allow your emotions to cloud your judgment.

His division chief shook her head with a small smile of her own before making her way out the door so that he and the District Attorney could have their own meeting.

"You wanted to speak with me, Sir?" he questioned. He hadn't been the one to request the meeting and had no idea what it was about.

"Yes," the man replied with a small smile. "You know, I always wish the law was more like chemistry. You heat up water to 212 degrees and the son of a bitch boils."

He remembered a similar conversation from four years prior and his curiosity grew. He had no idea where this was going. "Sans bias, sans judgement."

The district attorney nodded curtly. "Sans conscience." The man's expression softened slightly as he continued. "So, I am sure you've heard the rumours going around about E.A.D.A Crawford. We both know this place leaks like a sieve." The rumours about her possibly leaving? Why is he bringing her up right now? "Well, they're true. As of next week. E.A.D.A Crawford will be working for Suffolk County D.A's Office."

"And why are you telling me this, Sir?" he asked. He can't seriously be implying what I think he is. There's no way he's saying that.

The district attorney smiled. "And here I thought I was being obvious. I find myself in need of a new E.A.D.A. assigned to the Special Victims Bureau. You."

He blinked. I'm actually being promoted? "Me, Sir?"

The district attorney shot him a rather amused look. "Yes, Barba. I'm here to offer you the position of Executive Assistant District Attorney. You're one of my senior ADAs and have one of the highest conviction rates as well. It's well earned. You'll start working with Crawford to transition her out effective immediately." The older man then smiled and held out his hand to Rafael.

Rafael shook his boss's hand, still a little shocked. "Thank you, Sir."

His boss gave him a small nod. "Congratulations, Rafael."

Chapter Text

After the conversation with District Attorney McCoy, Rafael felt a little stunned. He had not expected to be promoted anytime soon given everything that had happened over the course of his professional life. On the other hand, it felt really good to finally have the fact that he'd worked as hard as he had acknowledged.

Smiling to himself, Rafael pulled out his cell phone and texted his girlfriend. 'Hey, how did your meeting go with the deputy chief this morning?'

A moment later his cell phone vibrated and a text from Olivia popped up on his screen. 'It went well. He's fine with us working together if McCoy is.'

He quickly typed back a reply. 'Funnily enough, McCoy said the exact same thing about your boss. Can you get away for a quick lunch today?'

The reply was almost immediate. 'Yeah, it's a slower day. The Breakroom at 12:30?'

His smile grew. 'Sure, Liv. See you then.'

Settling back down at his desk, Rafael answered a few emails and stopped by the 1st precinct to make a deal for a domestic violence case. He then had to head down to the 34th precinct to help deal with what was clearly a Romeo and Juliette situation that seemed to just be escalating. The teenage girl's well-to-do parents simply took issue with the boy their sixteen-year-old daughter was seeing being a Latino kid from the projects. It was hardly the first time that Rafael had seen that, but it still drove him a little crazy having to deal with it.

After that, he just barely managed to make it to his lunch with Olivia on time. Giving her a quick kiss, he took the seat across from her. "Sorry, I'm late. Had to go and help Lieutenant Young with the Queen Bee of Tribeca moms."

"That bad?" she asked with a soft chuckle.

He raised an eyebrow. "Like a preppy version of Arlene Heller."

"So kind of a live wire," she said with clear amusement. "So, what's going on? Not that I don't want to have lunch with you but I got the impression you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," he said. "So, I found out why the D.A. wanted to talk to me this morning."

Olivia eyed him quizzically. "And?"

He locked eyes with his girlfriend, grinning from ear to ear. "Well, it would seem that I am an Executive Assistant District Attorney as of this morning." Rafael was going to be running the New York County's Special Victims Bureau and, admittedly, felt a little bit worried about how he was going to juggle everything.

She blinked and then started beaming. "Wow, a promotion! Way to go, Rafa! That is so well earned, you've worked so hard."

"Thanks," he replied. "I really wasn't expecting it. So, have you ordered yet?"

"Not yet," she said, getting to her feet. "Shall we?"

He rolled his eyes, following her up to the counter to place their orders, the pair sitting back down after and continuing their little chat.

Heading back to his office a half-hour later, Rafael answered a few work calls and did a bit of a dive into the dusty pages of legal precedence for a case while waiting for his two o'clock appointment with the outgoing E.A.D.A Crawford. They needed to discuss handing over cases and the other intricacies of transitioning roles. After that, he asked his assistant Carmen to go grab him a coffee while he got busy returning the seven voicemails that had piled up during the meeting with Crawford. He also had a text from Olivia letting him know her squad had caught a case and she didn't know if she'd have to work late.

Rafael then spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for the trial that was supposed to begin the coming Monday and returning a couple more work calls. The best part about his day? Defence Counsel, the ever-entertaining Linden Delroy, called him to postpone our trial that was scheduled for Monday due to the flu. At least that gave Rafael a little bit more time to try and solidify his case.

As five o'clock rolled around, there was a knock on his office door and Carmen walked in. "I'm going to head home, Mr. Barba, unless you need something."

He waved his assistant's comment off. "No, it's fine, Carmen. Thank you. Have a good weekend and I'll see you on Monday."

She dipped her head slightly, smiling. "You have a good weekend as well."

As his assistant closed the door behind her, Rafael's phone vibrated and he saw it was a text from Olivia asking him if he would mind relieving Lucy because she was going to be at work for a while longer and Lucy was supposed to go on a first date.

He'd quickly agreed, gathered his things, and made a quick stop at both his apartment and the bodega down the street for a couple of items for dinner. Rafael then headed to the Bensons' apartment to relieve Lucy.

Lucy smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Rafael."

"It's nothing," he assured her. He then ruffled his godson's hair playfully. "We'll have a lot of fun this evening, won't we, Noah?"

The eight-year-old nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh. Totally!"

"Call if you need anything," he said a bit more seriously. She barely knew this man she was going on a date with and Rafael had been a prosecutor long enough to know just how quickly and spectacularly things could go sideways.

"I will," Lucy stated with a grateful smile. "I told Liv but I'll tell you as well. His name is Ethan Kehler and we're going to the Capital Grille."

He nodded, feeling quite a bit more relaxed. "Go enjoy yourself and Noah and I swear we won't burn the house down. Yet."

The young brunette chuckled. "I'm not getting between you and Liv if you do."

Rafael rolled his eyes, amused, and watched as Lucy gave Noah a kiss on the forehead and headed out of the apartment. With his right eye starting to bug him after being in all day, he decided to take his contacts out for the night.

"Te ves más viejo con tus espejuelos," Noah lightly teased when Rafael walked out of the bathroom a moment later. (You look older with your glasses.)

Rafael rolled his eyes quite dramatically and his voice was dripping with sarcasm when he spoke. "Muchísimas gracias, Noah." His expression softened slightly. "Bueno, ¿Lucy dijo que terminaste toda tu tarea?" (Thank you so much, Noah. So, Lucy said that you got all of your homework done?)

"Sí," the eight-year-old boy replied without missing a beat. "Sólo tenía que hacer una hoja de ejercicios de matemáticas. También obtuve todas las respuestas correctas en el examen de ortografía de hoy." (Yes. I just had a math worksheet to do. I also got all of the answers right on today's spelling test.)

"!Te la comiste!" Rafael replied happily, giving the boy a high-five. "¿Quieres ayudarme con la cena y luego podemos jugar a lego o algo así?" (Really well done! Did you want to help me make dinner and then we can play lego or something?)

"¡Anjá!" Noah said. "¿Qué vamos a hacer?" (Uh-huh! What are we going to make?)

He gestured to the kitchen. "Vamos, te mostraré." (Come on, I'll show you.)

As he taught the eight-year-old through how to make arroz con pollo and tostones, the pair joked around and Noah shared some stories from school. He couldn't help but grin the whole time. Part of him was scared that he was already starting to see Noah as his son but the other part of him wanted nothing more than that.

With the extremely difficult upbringing with his father, children had frankly never been something that Rafael had allowed himself to see in his future. If he was being honest with himself, he wasn't completely sure even now. He loved Noah more than anything though. The boy had wrapped Rafael around his fingers years ago.

God, he was so in over his head. He couldn't bring himself to care, though.

Chapter Text

That Tuesday morning, Rafael woke up a bit earlier than Olivia. Noah had been up and playing quietly in his room, so he got some coffee brewing for both him and Olivia and set to work making the three of them some tortillas de plátanito for breakfast while Noah went to get dressed and ready for school.

Rafael had just finished gathering all the necessary ingredients when Noah walked into the kitchen excitedly and accidentally bumped Rafael's coffee mug with his right hand, causing a fair amount of it to spill over.

The eight-year-old's eyes instantly widened. "¡Oh, lo siento mucho! Se me derramó el café." (Oh, I'm so sorry! I accidentally spilled the coffee.)

Rafael panicked slightly as he tried to visually assess if any of the hot liquid had gotten on his godson. "¡Ay! Cuidado con el café caliente, Noah." Thankfully, it seemed as though the boy was perfectly fine. (Hey! Be careful with the hot coffee, Noah.)

Noah looked rather worried. 

"No estás en problemas," he stated, quickly trying to reassure the boy. "No quiero que te quemes." Noah visibly relaxed. "¿Me das un paño por favor?" (You're not in trouble. I just don't want you to get burned. Can you please get me a dishcloth?)

Smiling, Noah nodded. The eight-year-old then went to quickly grab a clean dishcloth. Rafael then helped the boy tidy up the small mess he'd made.

"Gracias por ayudarme a limpiarlo," he stated, giving the boy an affectionate smile and then ruffling his hair playfully. (Thank you for helping me clean it up.)

The boy smiled and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "De nada." (You're welcome.)

Noah basically shovelled his omelette and orange juice down after that and then asked to put on some cartoon that he liked for a couple of minutes. Olivia had come home from work at one o'clock in the morning. As such, Olivia was still fast asleep, understandably exhausted. She did have to get up for work shortly though.

Nonetheless, Rafael went to the bedroom and started getting ready for work. He'd just finished getting dressed and was putting his watch on when Noah joined him.

A few seconds later, the alarm on Olivia's cellphone started going off.

Olivia groaned. "Five more minutes, please."

Eyeing the eight-year-old, he gently picked him up. "Whoop, there we go."

"Get your mamá," he teased as he put the boy down on the bed. "Get her!"

Noah immediately flopped onto Olivia.

"OHH!" Olivia said as her son landed on her. "Denied."

"Good morning," Noah said in a very over-the-top manner.

Olivia chuckled. "Oh, Noah. Okay, let me up so I can get ready. Go on."

Noah quickly scurried off the bed and Olivia groggily sat up. She then eyed Rafael with a look of clear amusement. "When will you two stop ganging up on me?"

He smirked. "In about ten years. Well, probably not even then."

Olivia chuckled softly in response and he pulled her in for a kiss. After a moment, they separated and Rafael smiled warmly at her. "Come on, breakfast's ready."

Although they were able to ease into their morning, somewhat, it wasn't all that long before Olivia got a phone call saying that she needed to get to Mercy Hospital as soon as possible as their victim woke up.

That left Rafael with the school run, which he really didn't mind. Olivia was going to do her best to pick him up and take him to dance after school if her caseload allowed.

The two walked out of the building at a quarter past eight, Rafael taking his godson's hand as they reached the sidewalk and turned in the direction of Noah's school. They were lost in conversation about Noah's dance class and how school was going for the young boy in general. At least he didn't have to deal with Hudson Parker this year. The Parker family had apparently moved to Staten Island. To say that he'd been infuriated when he learned about what the boy did to Noah would be a gross understatement.

Thankfully, he was able to start work a little later today compared to the prior morning when he had to be at work earlier than usual. His first month as an Executive Assistant District Attorney was quite intense and he felt like he was running from one meeting to another and was doing a huge juggling act.

An Executive A.D.A was senior management in the D.A.'s office. They reported directly to the District Attorney himself. Rafael was now in charge of the management of the daily activities within the D.A.'s Office. Specifically, for the Special Victims Bureau which put him in charge of more than the Sex Crimes Unit where he'd been assigned ever since his lateral move to Manhattan from King's County back in October of 2012. The Child Abuse Unit, Domestic Violence Unit, Elder Abuse Unit, and Human Trafficking Response Unit were all also under his purview.

On top of trying to manage his own small caseload, Rafael ended up spending the day in and out of meetings with the district attorney, Chief Maxwell, numerous ADAs who were working under him now, along with various representatives from the D.A Office's Campus Sexual Assault Response Initiative. He had also reached out to Casey Novak and was doing his best to try and convince her to come back.

Despite being busy the last little while, he was able to make it to the birthday dinner for his friend Eddie. With all the craziness, he and Olivia decided also decided to carve out a bit of time for just themselves. To have a date night.

"You be good tonight, alright?" Olivia said. "Listen to Lucy."

"What time are you coming home?" Noah asked.

"You will be fast asleep by the time we get home, okay?" Olivia said. "Now don't eat all of the ice cream, Mister."

"Yeah," Rafael teased. "You better save some for me."

Olivia rolled her eyes in amusement. "You're almost as bad as him."

Lucy chuckled softly. "I hope you're not just realizing that, Liv."

Rafael shot the two ladies a playful smile. "Besides coffee, sugar is the most important thing in my life. All the rest is just to stay alive."

Olivia shook her head in amusement and then turned to the eight-year-old child. "And how about we bring home some fortune cookies?

Noah nodded eagerly at that suggestion.

He smiled more warmly. "Okay, I guess we decided on Chinese, huh?" He gave Noah a kiss on the forehead. "Okay, be good, Papito. Te quiero." (I love you.)

Noah matched his expression. "También te quiero, Rafa." (I love you too, Rafa.)

As they walked to the door, Olivia turned around for a second to give the nanny a small smile. "Thank you, Lucy."

Rafael shot the nanny a cheeky look of his own. "Text us if either of you need anything before Burr kills Hamilton."

"Send them my love," Lucy deadpanned.

Walking out of the building, they didn't have to wait long for their cab. Giving their taxi driver the address, they started making some small talk, passing some time while they made the fifteen-minute drive to the Theatre District in Midtown. Another car ran a red light though almost causing an accident.

"Coño, qué paragüero." Rafael found himself muttering that under his breath after the pair got out of their taxi. That earlier situation was still very much on his nerves. They could have been hurt. Olivia could have been hurt. (Damn, what a lousy driver.)

Olivia rubbed his back. "I don't know that particular word but I can guess the intent." She eyed him. "We're fine, Babe. Let's just enjoy our evening."

He tilted his head slightly. "As always, you're right."

The couple grabbed some dinner at this restaurant China River and then walked to the Richard Rodgers Theatre where he managed to get them both tickets to see Hamilton. He had seen it many times before but Olivia hadn't seen it in years and wanted to see it again. It was only a five-minute walk from the restaurant at most and with the early evening weather cooperating it was actually a really nice walk.

Holding his girlfriend's hand, Rafael really couldn't help but smile as the thought of her in a white dress momentarily crossed his mind. Rafael knew that it was too soon for it but he also wasn't one to lie to himself. This was it for him.

Chapter Text

On the morning of October 24th, Rafael woke up and went about his morning routine. He had spent the night at his own apartment the night before and it honestly felt weird to not have Olivia and Noah running around that morning.

Rafael knew that he would be seeing them later though, so sucked it up, put a suit on, and made himself some pan con mantequilla and café con leche. He then grabbed his much-needed briefcase and a small bag of clothes before heading into work.

He couldn't help but grin when he got a text from his girlfriend. 'Happy birthday, Rafa. We'll see you after work. We love you - Liv & Noah.'

He typed back a quick reply. 'Thank you. See you tonight.'

There were several other text messages as well which made a sense of warmth bubble in his chest as he flicked through and read them all.

Arriving at 1 Hogan Place, he spoke with Carmen about the day's schedule, headed to his office, checked some emails, and gathered his files and paperwork for court.

He had several issues to deal with at court, including an arraignment for the head of an up-and-coming modelling agency, and hearings for a gross negligence case against an ACS worker who hadn't been making his visits; that little fact came out when the kid ended up being hospitalized. He also had a motion hearing for a sexual assault case against a fairly high-profile New York City reporter.

Rafael spoke with various court clerks about different things while his clients all arrived and the judge heard various issues. Waiting was nothing new to him, though.

At a quarter past twelve that afternoon, One junior ADA of his, in particular, had found himself feeling a little in over his head after the first part of voir dire for a high-profile trial. After grabbing a sandwich, he ended up in the green prosecutor's office while the attorneys and venire were all on a one-hour recess for lunch.

"So," Carisi said, "I challenged the black guy busted for cause. The guy hates cops."

Rafael nodded as he looked through the sea of cue cards about the various individuals on the day's venire. "A+ Carisi. And opposing counsel then used a peremptory to bounce this guy -" Rafael indicated a cue card. "- who sees all those shades of grey?"

Carisi put his hand under his chin while he spoke. "Yeah, Schoenfeld did. Anyway, the guy thought that genocide was wrong. Absolutely."

He gave a little snort. "Unfortunately, Michael Wright isn't on trial for genocide."

"What I'm stuck on is if -" Carisi grabbed one of the cue cards and then handed it to him. " - I keep the Good Lord lady in or if I use my last challenge on it. I mean, she thinks cops lie sometimes. That's not good."

Rafael placed the cue card back down on the table and locked eyes with his mentee. "Keep her." Carisi seemed a little surprised. "You want people who believe in right and wrong, Dominick, but you don't want morons."

Carisi nodded, conceding the point. "Alright, she's in."

After that, Rafael grabbed another coffee and went back up to his office to look over emails and return some work calls. He then had a brief meeting with opposing counsel - Marvin Exley - for a plea bargain agreement for the modelling case. He was far from thrilled about that but none of the victims were willing to testify in court. The father of the most recent victim had pressured her not to testify, causing her to also completely recant her testimony. As a result, this was the best that he could do; at least the piece of work was going on the registry and would be serving some time behind bars.

That took Rafael until half past two that afternoon when he headed out to have a brief interview with several SVU detectives from the 23rd precinct in Spanish Harlem about the ACS worker case.

At four o'clock, Rafael finally went back to his own office at 1 Hogan Place and started to prepare a motion for his case against the ACS worker.

At a quarter to five, Rafael contacted several court clerks regarding the hearing status of various cases before returning another work call.

Finally, five o'clock rolled around and Rafael gathered up his things, said good night to Carmen, and made his way out of the D.A.'s Office and to Olivia's apartment.

Walking into the apartment, the first thing that caught his attention was the sound of music playing softly in the background. The second thing that caught it was several bottles of Ironbeer, Jupiña, and Materva along with two large platters of what Rafael immediately recognized as pastelitos de guayaba y queso, croquetas de jamón, as well as a large bowl of Mariquitas plantain chips.

He could also smell his mother's Cuban cooking coming from the kitchen. By the looks of it, his mother had, rather unsurprisingly, taken over Olivia's entire kitchen and was cooking pork shoulder for her lechón asado along with several other dishes.

The look of fond exasperation on Olivia's face made him grin.

He also quickly found several children throwing themselves right at him. Noah, Jesse, and Billie quickly ran over to him letting out a chorus of, "Uncle Rafa! Happy birthday!" Mason, who for complicated reasons, Amanda had recently taken full custody of stood back before giving him a small smile. They'd only met once before.

Hugging the three and shaking Mason's hand, he then found himself being pulled into a hug by his mother. After briefly fanning over him, she went back to working in the kitchen and Nicolás García, his surrogate nephew, pulled him in for a quick hug of his own. "Feliz cumple, Tío." (Happy birthday, Uncle.)

Rafael affectionately patted the sixteen-year-old on the back and pulled back, smiling at him. "Gracias, Nico. ¡Qué bueno verte!" (Thanks, Nico. It's good to see you!)

"Es bueno verte también," Nicolás said happily. It had been a while. "¿Papi te dijo que estoy en el equipo de baloncesto este año?" (It's good to see you too. Did Dad tell you that I'm on the basketball team this year?)

Rafael nodded. "Sí, me dijo. Felicitaciones." (Yeah, he did. Way to go.)

The pair chatted for a moment and then Fin, Carisi, Rita, and Rollins all walked over to wish him a happy birthday. He had to chuckle at one particular comment from Carisi though. "If I thought I remembered my high school Spanish, I've been proven wrong from the second I got here."

"You know more than I do," Rita stated.

"And me," Fin agreed.

"And now Sonny knows how I feel when he and the girls chat it Italian," Rollins said. Given the pair had been together for a while now and they had always been close, it had sort of naturally happened that the girls picked up Italian from the man.

Eddie also came over to pull him in for a quick hug. "Feliz cumpleaños, Rafi." The man smiled and indicated the room around them both with his left hand. "Tu mamá y Olivia realmente tiraron la casa por la ventana." (Happy birthday, Rafi. Your mom and Olivia really went all out here.)

Rafael chuckled softly. "Sí, es un poquitito excesivo." (Yeah, it's a wee bit much.)

Before anything else could be said, Olivia came up behind him and grabbed him by the waste. "Is that so?" she asked with a smirk. She then pulled him in for a kiss.

When they finally separated, he smiled at Olivia. "I have no complaints."

Rita rolled her eyes. "You're completely whipped, Rafael."

He chose to just ignore that quip, used to Rita's teasing.

Olivia gave a little snort. "Come on. Your uncle is over there talking with Amanda, Fin, and Sonny." His aunt and uncle lived in Miami but had made the trip down to New York for a week. "Teresa is somehow managing to both help your mother and give Sonny a run for his money. Go and save the poor guy."

He chuckled. "Yeah, my aunt -" He then raised his voice slightly so his aunt would hear the next comment. "¡Le gusta dar tremenda muela!" (She sure loves to talk!)

His aunt smirked at him as he made his way up to her. "Dijo la sartén al cazo." (That's the pot calling the kettle black.)

He returned the smirk. "Y me importa tres pepinos." (And I couldn't care less.)

Tía Teresa quirked a brow. "Alguien amaneció con el moño virao." (Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed.)

"Nunca," he quipped right back. (Never.)

Tío Ricardo rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "Teresita, no le empieces a cantar las cuarenta." (Teresita, don't start reading him the riot act.)

Tía Teresa shook her head in amusement and then pulled Rafael in for a hug and kiss. "Feliz cumpleaños, sabelotodo." (Happy birthday, Smart-aleck.)

He smiled warmly at his aunt. "Gracias, Tía." (Thank you, Aunty.)

Rafael quickly found himself pulled into a hug by his Uncle Richie who then wished him a happy birthday as well and also congratulated him on the recent promotion.

Birthday wishes done, they all chatted about everything and anything and got into the appetizers and pop as they waited for dinner to be done.

Rafael wasn't all that surprised when his aunt pulled him to the side and stated that it was about time that he settled down, that she quite liked Olivia. Rafael was even less surprised when the woman asked him if he was planning on proposing any time soon.

Finally, dinner was ready and they all dished up some roasted pork, moros, fried sweet plantains, and avocado salad. Not long after they had eaten dinner, his mother got up and grabbed the birthday cake she'd bought for him.

As his mother walked up with the cake de nata cubano, everyone sang Happy Birthday to him in English. The Cubans in the room then all made the switch to Spanish, singing the song Las Mañanitas with equal enthusiasm.

'Despierta, mi bien, despierta
Mira que ya amaneció
Ya los pajaritos cantan
La luna ya se metió.'

Blowing out the candles, the kids immediately jumped in to ask what he'd wished for. Rafael just shook his head and redirected them. The truth was, the only thing that he could've possibly wanted was his Abuelita Cata. After the Drew Householder case, he had felt like he'd thrown his entire life away, all her dreams for him. He never thought he'd get to where he was now. That train of thought momentarily led him to think of his father, but he shook it away, determined to focus on the present.

What was the quote he'd read years ago? Ah, yes. It went a little something like this… "Forget the past; look forward to the future, for the best things are yet to come."

As Rafael looked around the apartment the quote had never felt more apt than it did at that very moment. The best things are yet to come.

Chapter Text

Waking up on Wednesday, they went through their usual morning routine. The three of them had some waffles for breakfast together and then he said he had to leave a little earlier than usual for a meeting. He did have a meeting in the Bronx to get to, just not a working one. That left Olivia walking Noah to school that morning.

The uber dropped him off on Benedict Avenue and a little apprehensive, he walked into the extremely familiar surroundings of Great Oaks Charter School. Rafael couldn't help but smile a little nostalgically at the sounds of the various school activities happening. "Buenos días." (Good morning.)

"Oye, Rafael, ¿eres tú?" Rafael heard the school secretary, and long-time friend of his mother's, ask as he entered the main office. (Hey, Rafael, is that you?)

Rafael gave the secretary a small smile . "Sí, Beatriz. Soy yo. ¿Mi mamá ya está aquí?" (Yes, Beatriz. It's me. Is my mom in yet?)

"Sí," Beatriz confirmed, indicating said office's direction with her right hand. "Tu mamá acaba de entrar a su oficina." (Yes. Your mom just went into her office.)

"Gracias, Beatriz." Rafael let out a small breath before walking into his mother's office. He was clearly insane if he was actually going to go ahead and do this. Then again, he told his mom years ago that Olivia drove him a little crazy. He'd meant that in a good way then and he meant it in a good way now. (Thanks, Beatriz.)

As luck would have it, his mother decided to take pity on him and their little chat went a lot smoother than he had expected. Now he just hoped he didn't lose the nerve.

Back in Manhattan, Rafael had a quick meeting with Chief Maxwell and then made sure that he had all of his files before hurrying to the courthouse. The Spanish Harlem ACS worker trial was finally happening, Carisi having just won the case against both of the parents just the week before. Given the optics though, Rafael had made himself lead prosecutor and Carisi was his second chair. Rafael wanted to protect Carisi from at least some of the pressure from City Hall who had wanted the ACS case kicked back to DOI. At least 1PP was a hell of a lot more reasonable this time around than they had been during the Ozuna case back in 2015.

Walking into the New York State Supreme Court Building, Rafael quickly located Carisi and the pair started going over their game plan one last time as they waited for their witnesses to arrive. Thankfully, all of their witnesses made it on time and showed no signs of wanting to back down from testifying.

Taking his spot in the centre of the room, he started delivering the opening statement. "Your Honour, ladies and gentlemen… this is a case about trust and betrayal of trust... trust placed in the hands of ACS worker Joshua Price. Mr. Price was entrusted with the job of ensuring Jessie's safety. The boy trusted him. Mr. Price turned his back on that trust." He took a deep breath. "Jessie Perkins was a happy and healthy seven-year-old child on Christmas of 2021 when he and his parents were still receiving regular visits from the Administration for Children's Services." Rafael approached the jury box. "On August 21st, months after those visits seized, NYPD detectives found Jessie -" Rafael handed the photograph in his hand to the jury members. "- locked in this room with cigarette burns all over his body, battered and starved." He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself again. "He had even been forced to drink bleach." His voice cracked at the end. "He died early that very next afternoon." He glanced between all of the jury members. "Throughout this trial, you will hear how Mr. Price actively gave his friend Sean Perkins a break because of their history, you will hear how Mr. Price actively filed numerous falsified home visit reports, and you will hear how as a result of those actions an innocent child paid a hefty price. Then, the people will ask you to bring back guilty verdicts on the counts of reckless endangerment of a child, official misconduct, obstructing governmental administration, as well as the felony charge of manslaughter in the second degree."

Shooting a pointed look at the jury, Rafael turned around and swiftly took a seat back beside Carisi at the prosecution's table. He and Carisi then shared a quick look as they watched opposing counsel walk to the centre of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Counsellor D'Angelo said. "Mr. Barba told you all this is a case about trust. I'm here to outline Mr. Price's defence. This is not a case about trust. This is a case about being human. About making mistakes." Rafael fought the strong urge to shake his head in disgust. "We're all outraged, we all want someone to blame." The attorney was now standing right in front of the jury box. "But, what Mr. Barba failed to mention is the two individuals directly responsible for Mr. Perkins' death." The defence attorney pointed to the air above the jury box. "Sarah Perkins who failed to protect her own son and above all Sean Perkins who actively beat and starved his stepson."

As opposing counsel took a seat once more, Carisi rose to his feet and called their first witness, the NYPD Chief Medical Examiner. "Dr. Warner, you conducted the autopsy on seven-year-old Jessie Perkins, is that right?"

Dr. Warner nodded. "Yes, I did."

"And what did you find?" Carisi asked.

Dr. Warner to her credit didn't hesitate. "Jessie had cigarette burns all over the outside of his body and extensive bruising to his entire body. Jessie also showed every sign of repeated bleach poisoning."

Carisi feigned surprise, clearly playing the devil's advocate as they'd discussed earlier. "Could the bleach poisoning have been an accident? A one-off?"

"Not very likely," Dr. Warner said. "Bleach is very irritating and corrosive to the skin and lungs, and it can burn human tissue internally and externally. There was a lot of esophageal perforation and he'd developed a stomach ulcer as well. Given the various stages of healing and the amount of scar tissue, it is clear that Jessie had ingested bleach on more than one occasion. This was most certainly not a one-off."

"No, no, it wasn't. Thank you, Doctor." Carisi started to turn around. "The prosecution has more questions for this witness, Your Honour."

As Carisi retook his place seated beside Rafael, Counsellor D'Angelo got up to start his cross-examination. "Dr. Warner, you said that Jessie drank bleach more than once?"

"Yes," Dr. Warner said. "That's what the medical examination showed."

"But you have no idea how he came to drink the bleach or when it happened before?" the defence attorney commented. "If it had been months or years earlier?"

"No," Dr. Warner admitted.

"So, Jessie could have drank the bleach accidentally months or even years before the latest incident?" Counsellor D'Angela asked.

Rafael groaned internally, already knowing where this was going. Dr. Warner was good though and they had gone over this in trial prep.

"Technically," Dr. Warner said, "but also extremely unlikely."

"But possible," Counsellor D'Angelo pointed out. "No more questions."

Rafael stood up. "Redirect, Your Honour?"

Judge Constance Copeland nodded his consent.

Rafael eyed the witness. "Dr. Warner, in all of your years on the job have you ever seen a child accidentally drink bleach more than once?"

"No," the Chief Medical Examiner stated simply. "It is painful, causes nausea, and most accidental poisonings are because the child doesn't know what it is. They also tend to drink much smaller quantities than we are seeing here. Moreover, it's traumatic so the same child will often become hyper-aware about liquids afterwards."

"So they would avoid drinking anything they didn't know for a fact was safe such as a glass of water or apple juice?" he asked.

"Yes," Dr. Warner replied. "And they most certainly wouldn't finish off several glasses of something like bleach. Not without being force-fed it."

Rafael nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Warner. No more questions."

Judge Copeland nodded. "Alright, you may step down, Dr. Warner."

The Chief Medical Examiner smiled kindly up at their presiding judge and then finally stepped down from the witness stand.

"Given the hour, we'll resume court proceedings after lunch." Judge Copeland spared a glance at both counsel tables. "Court is adjourned until 1:30." With that, the judge hit her gavel and everyone started filling out of the courtroom.

After lunch, things continued much the same. Rafael and Carisi took turns questioning their witnesses and they had quite the witness list put together: the medical examiner, an NYPD Lieutenant, an NYPD Sergeant, two long-time neighbours, Sean Perkins' own sister, the defendant's supervisor, and even Jessie's latest school teacher.

They didn't manage to get to all of their witnesses that day, obviously, but when they left at five o'clock both he and Carisi were feeling good.

"How do you feel about moving up Bothwell?" he asked. Alice Bothwell was one of the neighbours and had called the cops due to domestic violence situations multiple times over the past couple of years.

"Works for me," Carisi readily agreed. "I was actually going to suggest the same thing. It'll just highlight how obvious the abuse was and how much Price has lied."

He dipped his head slightly. "My thoughts exactly."

"Can I drop you off?" Carisi offered.

"Sure," he replied. "I'd appreciated it."

They'd both just gotten seated in Carisi's truck when his cell phone vibrated, Noah's name and picture immediately popping up on the screen.

Feeling slightly curious, Rafael answered the video call. "Oigo. ¿Necesitas algo, Noah?" (Hey. Did you need something, Noah?)

"Solo quiero decirte que la escuela va a hacer A Christmas Carol este año," Noah said. "Me pidieron que fuera Tiny Tim." (I just wanted to tell you that the school's doing A Christmas Carol this year. They asked me to be Tiny Tim.)

"¿Quieren que interpretes el papel del pequeño Tim en un Cuento de Navidad?" Rafael asked enthusiastically, deliberately filling in the gaps in the child's Spanish while trying to also sound excited. (They want you to play Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol?)

Noah nodded eagerly. "¡Sí!" (Yes!)

He gave the eight-year-old boy a look of pride. "Eso es increíble, Papito. ¡Felicidades!" (That's amazing, Papito. Congratulations!)

"Tengo un pequeño solo," Noah said, looking as though he might jump off the walls at any second. "¿Quiero ver?" (I have a small solo. Wanna see?)

"¡Claro que sí!" he replied without missing a beat. "¿Qué te parece si me lo enseñas en casa? Muéstramelo en persona, ¿de acuerdo?" (By all means! How about you show me at home? Show me in person, okay?)

The eight-year-old nodded, more than satisfied with that. He was already on his way home after all. "De acuerdo. Apura. Chau." (Okay. Hurry. Bye.)

He tilted his head slightly. "Está bien." He held up the I Love You sign that had become a thing with the boy. "Te quiero." Ending the call, Rafael shoved his cell phone into his pocket. Rafael then turned to face Carisi who although driving the truck had been watching him intently. "What, Sonny?" (Okay. Love you.)

The younger man shot him a playful smile. "Fatherhood looks good on you."

Chapter Text

The next morning, Rafael cracked his eyes open slightly, squinting against the sunlight that was seeping into the bedroom. Peering across the wrinkled sheets, he noted that Olivia was still fast asleep, her chest rising with every breath, cheek smooshed into the mattress adorably. Thankfully, he didn't have any obligations until nine o'clock.

Olivia's steady breaths halted as she stirred. "Morning," she said groggily.

Rafael positioned his body so that he was laying face-to-face with Olivia and kissed the half-awake brunette. "Morning, Liv."

Their morning started out quite calmly with everyone waking up a bit earlier than they really needed to. Olivia threw some bacon, eggs, and toast together for the three of them as they actually had the time.

Not long after they sat down for breakfast, Olivia's cell phone began vibrating without stopping. Curious, she grabbed it off the kitchen island.

Her eyes went wide as she read the message. "That's just great."

"What's wrong? Caught a bad case?" he questioned.

Olivia shook her head. "Yes, but it's not that." She paused still reading the notifications on her phone that were coming in; the news alert, the one from Chief Dodds, and then finally the email that she just got from Noah's elementary school. "One of the students in Noah's class came down with measles. They're asking the class to stay home for the day while they disinfect and to monitor for symptoms."

Rafael groaned. "Hopefully this isn't the Trudy Malko mess all over again."

Olivia shook her head. She'd been so scared for Noah when he'd taken ill. "You and me both." She quickly glanced back at her phone. "Ms. Taylor's going to put today's lesson and homework up on Google Classroom as well."

"So," Noah asked as he swallowed a bite of eggs, "who am I staying with today?"

Olivia sighed. "Well, I'll call Lucy and ask if she can come in. She might be working for one of her other families. I already know that Martha can't do it today though." Martha Nuñez was able to do weekend shifts and evenings but that was about it.

A moment later Olivia walked back in from the bedroom where she'd been talking with the nanny. "Lucy isn't at the Pattersons this morning and is coming over but it's going to take her a bit to actually get here."

He tilted his head slightly. "I'll stay with him until she gets here, Liv. I'll still be able to make it to court on time, no problem."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked.

"I am," he assured her. "I'll go call Carisi right now."

Olivia nodded her agreement and then Rafael pulled out his cell and quickly explained the whole situation to his mentee who took the very last-minute curveball on the chin. At least even if Rafael ended up running late they wouldn't need a continuance. That was one of the main perks of having reliable and competent co-counsel. "Okay, Barba, yeah, I hear ya. Just get there when you can."

"Thanks, Carisi. See you in a bit." With that, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to his girlfriend. "We're good to go."

"Alright," Olivia commented with a note of relief. "That's settled then." She took a sip of her coffee and then went to get her shoes and jacket on. She then gave her son a peck on the forehead. "Be good for Rafa, Sweetie."

She then gave Rafael a quick kiss. "Thanks again, Rafa. Love you."

He gave her a warm smile. "I love you too, mi amor."

With Olivia heading into work, the boys finished breakfast and Rafael helped Noah get set up with Google Classroom. Once Lucy got there, Rafael handed over the reins and took an uber to the courthouse.

Yesterday, they had questioned Dr. Warner, NYPD Lieutenant Parks, and Sean Perkins' own sister. Unfortunately, the defence had tried to discredit Ashley by saying she did not know what went on behind closed doors and was estranged.

Carisi had done a good job with the redirect however as he tried to get the jury to see just why Ashley was estranged from her abusive brother. Today, they were hopefully calling Mrs. Bothwell, the defendant's supervisor, and Sergeant Dawson.

Rafael didn't think that they were going to need to call either the second neighbour or Jessie's school teacher but he still wanted them on standby. As did Carisi. Thankfully, all their witnesses showed up. He didn't like being left hanging.

Eventually, it was time for court to start, Carisi handling the neighbour's testimony as Rafael proudly watched his mentee work. The younger man had really come into his own, deliberate and yet quick on his feet.

Carisi took a small step towards the witness box. "Mrs. Bothwell, you're a neighbour of the Perkins family, is that correct?"

"Yes," Mrs. Bothwell said. "Their apartment is right next to mine."

"And you called the police four times in the last two years about domestic disturbances coming from the Perkins' apartment?" Carisi asked.

Counsellor D'Angelo interrupted them. "Objection. Leading."

Judge Copeland shot the defence counsel a rather pointed look. "Objection overruled." She then turned towards the witness. "The witness may answer."

Mrs. Bothwell nodded. "I did."

Carisi made a vague gesture with his hand. "Can you please describe the last incident you called in for the court?"

It went on and on, Rafael and Carisi taking turns questioning the witnesses, and Rafael could see the defendant looking more and more frustrated as even his own supervisor took the stand, testifying to the numerous fraudulent reports Mr. Price filed.

"Mr. Richards, how did you come to learn that the defendant was backdating and filing fraudulent reports?" Rafael asked.

"On two separate occasions I noticed the files were scanned in over a month after the scheduled home visit," Mr. Richards said. "That was fine until I started realizing he was in court both those days and could not have possibly made the visits."

"I see," Rafael said. "Was anything else off about the reports?"

"Yes," Mr. Richards said. "Jessie's medical reports were also inconsistent with what was in at least one of Mr. Price's home visit reports."

"How so?" Rafael asked.

Mr. Richards sighed. "Mr. Price neglected to document a hospital visit."

"Thank you," Rafael said. "No more questions."

Counsellor D'Angelo didn't manage to help his case at all during the cross-examination and both he and Carisi were feeling more confident. Their case finally came to a head when Joshua Price insisted on taking the stand in his own defence despite his defence attorney's objections to doing so.

The testimony went well as Counsellor D'Angelo was good but Rafael knew that he was going to quite effectively destroy the man's credibility during his cross anyway.

"I never saw any injuries," the defendant stated. "I made those visits."

"Then I'd love to know how you were in two places at the same time," he retorted.

"Objection!" Counsellor D'Angelo said.

Judge Copeland turned to him. "Keep it moving, Mr. Barba."

Rafael placed four manila folders down directly in front of their judge. "People's exhibit sixteen through nineteen, Your Honour." Rafael opened one of his own copies and then placed it in front of the defendant. "How about for case number 20186? You have been visiting this girl every week apparently even though her family moved back to Florida two and a half months ago." Rafael selected two of the other files and put them both roughly down in front of the defendant as well. "Or how about these two field visits to the Perkins home while you were in court?"

"I went after court let out," the defendant said defensively.

"So then you lied in your report?" he inquired with a smirk. "This report - one that you wrote, by the way - says that you were there at eleven o'clock in the morning."

The defendant gulped. "I, uh -"

Rafael placed the last file down in front of the defendant. "Or what about on July 26th; Jessie Perkins was given the all clear by you on the very day that he was admitted to the ER with a concussion and broken arm." He glanced over the jury and was pleased to see he'd won them over. "The prosecution rests."

Carisi and D'Angelo both presented their closing arguments and then shortly after two o'clock the judge sent the jury to deliberate.

Shortly after four o'clock, Carisi and Rafael were contacted and asked to appear at the courthouse. Feeling confident, both men made their way back to the courthouse.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," the judge asked, "in the case of the People Versus Joshua Price, have you reached a verdict?"

The jury foreman stood up a bit nervously. "Yes, we have, Your Honour."

Judge Copeland dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment. "How do you find?"

"On the charge of Reckless Endangerment of a Child," the jury foreman read off with a noticeable air of confidence, "we find the defendant guilty."

There was an immediate murmuring throughout the room and Rafael couldn't help but feel a sense of relief as the first verdict was read off.

"And on the charge of Official Misconduct," the foreman said just as confidently as the last time, "we find the defendant guilty."

Rafael stole a glance at the defendant whose hands were now shaking as the reality of the situation started to hit the man.

"On the charge of Obstructing Governmental Administration," the jury foreman stated, "we find the defendant guilty."

Carisi smiled at him and Rafael gave the younger man a curt nod before refocusing on the last of the charges being read out. "On the charge of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, we find the defendant guilty."

The judge nodded and then addressed the courtroom. "Members of the jury, the state of New York thanks you for your service. You are dismissed." The judge turned toward the defendant and then continued to speak. "Joshua Price, you are remanded to Rikers where you will await sentencing."

Gathering up their things, Rafael and Carisi both made their way out of the courtroom. He turned to his mentee. "Good job in there, Counsellor."

"Thanks," Carisi replied with a wide grin. "You heading back to the office?"

"Yep," he confirmed. "I have a couple of things to do before I call it a night. You?”

The Italian-American nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

Working for the D.A.'s office, one of the first things you learn is that a prosecutor's job is never done. The scorpions definitely kept them in business.

Chapter Text

Friday was what passed for a calm day at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. He attended a sentencing hearing for an older case of his but besides that Rafael was in his office. He had one scheduled meeting and spent a lot of time replying to work calls and emails from various Assistant District Attorneys working under him.

Managing his workload was getting easier though and Rafael was beginning to like his new position as Executive Assistant District Attorney more and more. Especially as he now got a bit more of a say when it came to certain things.

Once work was done for the day, he quickly stopped by his apartment building to grab a couple of things before going to Bensons' place. Rafael and Olivia stayed up having a few drinks after the eight-year-old went to bed.

"Can I tell you how nice it is to have this?" Olivia said after her third glass.

"I know what you mean," he replied honestly.

"I used to think that Stabler was my home…" Olivia started. Rafael gave a little hum in response. "But, he left me, Rafa, and I'm, uh… I'm not over it. And the thing is that I... I didn't have a right or a claim. He was somebody else's husband."

"He was your partner," he countered. "You did deserve an actual goodbye."

Olivia exhaled before she replies. "Yeah, and I know this sounds crazy but sometimes I think Elliot's return would've almost been easier if -"

He tilted his head slightly and looked at Olivia. "- if his wife hadn't died?"

The brunette nodded, looking a little worried about his reaction.

Rafael dipped his head slightly. "Kathy was the boundary."

Olivia gave him a rueful smile. "Yeah, dealing with the issues between me and him got pushed to the side and because Elliot was struggling so much I let him sort of railroad me for a while there. We're moving forward, which I'm happy about, but I had to sort of figure out new boundaries with him."

"But you got there," he said while giving Olivia an encouraging smile. Rafael was never going to be a fan of Stabler but as long as the man treated Olivia properly and he was not continuing to railroad her, that's all he cared about.

"I did," she agreed. "I also learned something… you're my home, Rafa. You and Noah. I'm so glad that we both finally let ourselves have this."

He gave her a quick kiss and then eyed her. "Me too, Liv."

She smiled warmly at him. "Why don't you move in?"

Rafael smiled, thinking momentarily about his recent conversation with his mother. "I'd love to move in together, Liv." He smirked. "Plus, I'm barely at my apartment anyway, so we're just making it official."

Olivia chuckled. "True."

Saturday morning, he and Olivia got up, and Olivia made some pancakes and bacon for breakfast for the three of them while Rafael contently downed some much-needed caffeine and Noah watched an episode of The Loud House.

As they sat down for breakfast, Noah, playfully, gave Rafael a bit of a hard time.

"Hey!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "My plate's exactly the same as yours, Papito." The eight-year-old had just grabbed some of Rafael's pancake off of his plate.

"Come on, Rafa!" the boy instantly quipped with a small smirk. "You should know that food tastes better off of your plate."

"Mmmm…. you're right!" Rafael replied in jest, stealing a piece of bacon off of Noah's plate. "Definitely tastes better than mine."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "What am I ever going to do with you two?"

After breakfast, the three of them hung around the apartment for a little while before deciding to go to Central Park and get some fresh air. Olivia hadn't gotten called in and they wanted to take full advantage of the fact.

They ran into a good friend of Noah's named Liam there so the two eight-year-olds ran around playing at Heckscher Playground for a while. The boys quickly buddied up with a few other children there and were running around like little energizer bunnies. Rafael was always amazed by just how much energy kids always seemed to have.

They stopped by Good Enough To Eat for lunch before heading back to the apartment for what was probably going to be the rest of the afternoon.

Noah was in his bedroom quite happily playing with one of his race tracks while Rafael and Olivia discussed him moving in some more.

Rafael just poured them both a fresh cup of coffee and passed one of the mugs to his girlfriend, Rafael nervously noted the object in his right pocket and met her gaze. "So, there's actually something else that I wanted to talk to you about as well."

"Oh?" she asked curiously. "And what's that?"

He could see her expression shift as she saw him grabbing something in his pocket but knew it hadn't completely clicked yet.

"Rafa," Olivia gasped as he proceeded to get down on one knee. It was cliché and she wasn't usually one for clichés but this was one exception to the rule.

Rafael looked up at her. "Olivia Margaret Benson, when I met you, I knew that I had met my match. You challenged me, in the very best way." Rafael took a deep breath. "You inspire me to be a better person each and every day." He started to smile a lot more confidently. "It was only a matter of time until we arrived at this moment. I can't imagine growing old with anyone else, nor do I want to. I know that you're the only one I want to share the rest of my life with. The one I want to be squabbling at eighty-five with." Olivia's eyes were starting to water and she chuckled softly at his joke. "Will you marry me?"

"Rafa… yes! Of course, I'll marry you." The tears were now rolling down Olivia's cheeks as the brunette accepted the marriage proposal.

Rafael exhaled forcefully but was relieved. He then took what had been his abuelita's ring out and carefully slid it onto Olivia's ring finger. The brunette extended her hand and looked at her engagement ring with tears of joy, before leaning in, cupping his cheeks and giving Rafael a chaste yet passionate kiss on the lips.

Olivia locked eyes with him after they parted. "Shall we go tell a certain boy?"

He dipped his head slightly, a winsome smile on his lips. "We shall." Rafael then made a vague gesture to the hallway. "Lead the way, M'lady."

Chapter Text

Thankfully, Noah was absolutely thrilled with the prospect of Rafael officially becoming family. So, the next month was spent working their own chaotic hours, packing up and listing Rafael's apartment, as well as swapping out a couple of pieces of furniture. And, of course, he and Olivia joined Carisi and Rollins on Hallowe'en taking Jesse, Billie, and Noah who were all dawning their costumes out trick-or-treating.

Billie and Jesse were dressed up as a witch and Jesse's favourite tv superhero Ladybug respectively. Noah insisted on being a vampire, with fake teeth and all.

Then came Noah's ninth birthday. He and Olivia had taken Noah, several of his friends from school, Jessie, and Billie to Bowlero Times Square on Saturday where the kids had a blast and indulged in pizza, pop, cake, and a little bit of friendly competition.

Noah was chipping away at a small bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios that Monday morning in between playing on the cell phone that he'd received for his birthday. "Can I please go eat the chocolate from my advent calendar now?"

Olivia shook her head. "Finish your breakfast first then you can have the chocolate."

Noah gave a slight nod. "Okay, Mom." The nine-year-old boy beamed. "There are only twenty days left until Christmas!"

Rafael was across the kitchen pouring himself a coffee but chuckled and glanced back at the excitable boy. "Trust you to know the countdown."

"Always," Noah quipped. The nine-year-old then shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth before texting on his phone yet again.

Shaking her head slightly in amusement, Olivia stood up and joined Rafael over by the coffee pot. She then spoke to Rafael in a hushed tone. "So, about the McCanns… I've asked Fin to run a full background check on the entire family." About a week ago now, Olivia received a very shocking phone call at work from a Matthew and Ginny McCann wanting to talk. Apparently, their son Connor was a half-sibling of Noah's. Connor was a thirteen-year-old boy who'd been adopted from foster care a few years back by the couple. Wanting to learn a little more about their only child's history, Matthew decided to hire a private investigator and that's when the boys' paternal connection ended up coming out and Ginny decided to reach out. "I need to know everything."

He dipped his head slightly. "I get it, Liv. I think it's the right call." His expression then shifted. "Are you actually considering telling Noah and letting them meet?"

"Fin doesn't think I should either," Olivia admitted, "but I know what I felt when I met Simon for the first time. How can I say no?"

He nodded. "Then let's wait for the background check to come through and then have the adults meet us here in Manhattan in a public spot. They can come to us and you can decide from there."

"It doesn't come across as a little too overbearing?" she asked.

Rafael gave a little snort in response. "No, not in the slightest, mi amor. If they have a problem with that, that's all on them. Not on you."

Olivia exhaled. "I can't go through the Shiela mess again, Rafa. I just can't."

He gave Olivia a lopsided smile. "I know, Liv." He kissed the brunette on the cheek and then eyed her. "You won't have to."

Eventually, it was time to get Noah to school. Both Olivia and Rafael had the time, so they both decided to take him together to P.S. 199.

Making their way out of the apartment building, Olivia eyed her son. "Noah, you have had your nose buried in that phone all morning. Do I need to take it?"

"I won't use it at school," the nine-year-old promised. "It'll stay in my backpack."

Olivia gave a small nod. "Alright." She gave the boy a pointed look. "But if you do take it out at school I'll take your iPad away too, Noah."

"I promise," Noah replied easily as he didn't want that to happen.

"Olivia, look." Rafael pointed about two feet away to where their apartment building's maintenance man, pressure washer in hand, was trying to wash off a large BX9 logo that had been painted in red. He knew it hadn't been all that long since Olivia caught worked a case involving the gang and was almost certain it was a warning shot.

His fiancée's eyes widened. "Jorge, when did this graffiti go up?"

"Must have been last night," Jorge replied. "Pain in the ass to clean it off."

Noah evidently picked up on the tension. "Are you two alright?

"Yeah, we're fine!" Olivia reassured the boy. "So when's the Christmas play?"

Noah smiled, visibly relaxing. "It's on the twenty-first."

Olivia ruffled the boy's hair. "Perfect."

Dropping Noah off at school, Rafael advised Olivia to report the graffiti to 1PP and then they both headed to their respective offices. Rafael had a couple of meetings including one with a witness about their next steps and testimony. He managed to at least get most of his paperwork and such done for his last meeting for the day. It looked like he was actually getting out of there at a decent hour.

"The defence is definitely going to bring up your initial misstatement," he stated, "but you've got this, Kate. We'll prep you, going over absolutely everything so that you're prepared to handle whatever Counsellor West throws at you."

The young woman nodded and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Mr. Barba."

Suddenly, Rafael's cell phone vibrated. He read over the text from Carisi. Sonny wants me at the courthouse immediately? This can't be good. Turning to his witness, Rafael excused himself and hurried over to the courthouse.

He ran into Olivia, Fin, and Velasco on the way into the building.

"You got the text too?" Olivia asked as they walked and talked.

He dipped his head slightly. "I did. No clue what it's about though."

"So where are we going?" Fin asked.

He turned to the sergeant. "Arraignment court, part 42."

"I hope this isn't about Muncy's radio incident," Velasco said before shooting Rafael a suspicious look. "You sure that you have no idea what this is about, Barba?"

He shook his head. "I know my office leaks like a sieve, but I honestly have no clue. I was actually hoping that one of you knew."

A moment later, the rather confused group was standing in front of the courtroom where they were supposed to meet with Carisi in.

Rafael swiftly turned to Judge Colin McNamara and dipped his head. "Your Honour."

Olivia gave a curt nod as well. "Judge." She then made a vague gesture with her hand to their surroundings. Carisi wasn't even there yet. "What's going on?"

"You're just in time," the judge stated matter-of-factly.

Olivia shot the judge an even more confused look. "For what?"

Before the judge could answer that, Carisi finally walked into the courtroom. The blond prosecutor looked more than a little frazzled. "Hey, everybody. Um... Thank you all for coming." Carisi played with his hands some. "Uh.."

Rafael turned to his mentee. "Where's the fire, Carisi?"

"Oh, wow!" Fin said, the man's jaw dropping and causing everyone to turn and follow the man's line of sight to see what had caught his attention.

Rafael was stunned. Amanda had just walked in wearing a smooth, modest and simple white dress with long puffy sleeves and a neckline fastening around the neck. She had a baby's breath bridal bouquet in her hands. Jesse and Billie were standing beside her, looking up at their mom with bright smiles.

"Sonny and I were talking," Amanda stated, "and we realized that marriage is a lot like a crime." The eager blonde was almost right in front of them now. "You know, we have motive and opportunity."

"Yeah," Sonny said, taking a spot right beside Amanda. "And... we figured that, uh… all we needed were… were witnesses."

"We don't want to do this without any of you here," Rollins added.

Olivia pulled Amanda in for a hug, clearly moved.

"You're gonna start crying already, Liv?" Fin asked.

Olivia chuckled. "Yes."

Judge McNamara turned toward Sonny and smiled. "Counsellor, are you ready to begin the longest arrangement of your life?"

Sonny nodded, smiling widely. "I am."

"Do you have the rings?" the judge asked.

There were a couple of chuckles at how adorably frazzled Sonny was as he tried to grab the rings from his pocket.

"Okay," Carisi said, "um... You get the big one, right?"

"Yes," Amanda replied with an affectionate smile.

With a huge smile of his own, Judge McNamara started the wedding ceremony. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of this company to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony."

It was a lovely little ceremony and, calling Lucy, they had Noah join them at the party afterwards, everyone enjoying themselves and celebrating the recent nuptial with a lot of toasting with no small amount of champagne.

Noah, Jesse, and Billie were seated a couple of feet away laughing and chatting over a few glasses of pop and appetizers that they'd ordered for the kids.

Olivia hugged both Amanda and Sonny. "Aw, I'm so happy for you."

"Congrats, man!" Fin said. "Does this mean you get more than one drawer?"

"We're still negotiating," Sonny quipped.

He grinned. "Well, good luck with that Mr. and Mrs. Carisi."

Amanda gave him a cheeky look. "I might let him win this one."

"That sounds about right," Rafael fired back in jest.

They all laughed at that and then Olivia turned to address Sonny. "I can't believe that your mother is not here. I didn't think you could keep Serafina away."

Sonny smiled at Olivia in what was an evident mix of fond amusement as well as some minor exasperation. "Oh, she's planning the real wedding on Staten Island."

Amanda didn't miss a beat either. "Just wanted to spare you the ice sculptures."

Carisi barked out a laugh at that.

"Got it," Olivia replied in amusement. "Are you gonna change your name?"

"Yeah," Amanda said. "Maybe, I am." She tilted her head slightly. "Sonny and me, we also discussed him adopting the girls."

"That's great," he said. He and Olivia were having a matching conversation regarding Noah and it was something he really wanted to do.

Olivia gave her a lopsided smile. "You have no idea how nice it is to see you happy."

"It's so nice to allow myself," Amanda said honestly as she snuggled into Sonny's side.

Chapter Text

About a week later, Rafael and Olivia were both laying in bed, enjoying the comforting silence and each other's company while they still had time before they had to actually get up and get ready for their respective days.

Several minutes ticked by until Rafael finally broke the silence. "You're sure that you're okay with us keeping things small, Liv?"

After Rafael proposed to Olivia, they'd both sat down and discussed everything. They ultimately decided on having a simple courthouse wedding. Both didn't need to have a big wedding celebration, even with Rafael's sense of occasion. Simplicity was fine for them and Olivia honestly preferred it.

Olivia bookmarked her page in the book she was reading and then turned to him. "I'm completely sure, Rafa." She tilted her head slightly. "Are you? It won't bother you, the, uh, more subdued sense of occasion? Because all I need is you. Just you."

He kissed the top of Olivia's head before moving to cuddle her. "It won't bother me at all, believe me." He smiled affectionally. "As long as you're there, I'm good."

"I'll be there," she assured him with a smile. "And I talked to Noah about the adoption and the possible name change again last night."

That certainly grabbed his full attention. "And?"

"He wants to hyphen it," she stated with a visibly pleased smile. "Barba-Benson."

Rafael was elated. "I like the sound of that."

They laid in bed for a few more minutes and then got up, had a shower, and went about their usual morning routine. They walked Noah to school together and then made their way to their respective workplaces.

He had a quick meeting with Chief Maxwell that morning and then at half past nine, he walked into court and waited. And waited. And then waited some more. He had to wait for the judge, the defence attorney, and the defendant. Thankfully, the judge ended up ruling in Rafael's favour at both hearings.

By half past eleven, Rafael was back at his office and was trying to tackle the growing to-do list Which included returning the six voicemails that had been left for him as well as half a dozen emails. He grabbed a sandwich and ate at his desk, spending the next hour or so preparing a motion, calling several victims, getting SVU a warrant for phone records, and scheduling another witness conference.

When four o'clock finally rolled around, he felt nervous but also really excited. Quickly gathering up all of his things, Rafael headed to Sunset Terrace at Chelsea Piers. They had been slightly tempted to do a courthouse wedding but they also wanted a couple more people in attendance than was usual for that.

Olivia had, unsurprisingly, invited Nick Amaro who had driven down from California as well as both Donald Cragen and John Munch. She had invited Stabler as well who had said he wouldn't miss it for anything. As for Rafael, he had invited his mother, Rita, as well as Eddie. His aunt and uncle were already back in Miami. He and Olivia had both, naturally, invited Lucy, Sonny, Fin, and the rest of the eclectic squad.

Rafael's eyes lighted up instantly when he finally saw Olivia walk in with Cragen by her side. He never saw the dress she'd bought, and boy was it beautiful on her. The white embroidery wrapped perfectly around Olivia's chest. The gown led straight down to her hips and the fabric turned to silk and fell down to Olivia's feet. Olivia's long, brown hair was up in a ponytail, a soft curl falling down each side of her face. I can't believe this is really happening. We're getting married.

Olivia was finally standing in front of him and Father Mike began. Rafael had managed to talk to the priest, the lapsed Catholic that he was, and get the proper dispensation needed to keep his mother happy.

"Family and friends," Father Mike said, "thank you all for coming today to share in this wonderful occasion and join these two in holy matrimony. This is not the beginning of a new relationship but an acknowledgment of the next chapter in their lives together. Olivia and Rafael have spent years getting to know each other, and we now get to bear witness to what their relationship has become. Today, they will affirm this deep bond of theirs formally and publicly." The priest then turned towards Rafael with a bright, warm smile playing on his lips. "Do you Rafael Eduardo Barba take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"

He nodded with a wide smile. "I do."

Father Mike turned to Olivia. "And do you Olivia Margaret Benson, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, to comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Olivia said, beaming as she spoke.

"Your wedding rings are the outward and visible sign of the inward and invisible bond which already unites you two hearts in love," Father Mike stated. "Groom, place the ring on Bride's finger and repeat after me…."

The ring exchange was definitely emotional for Rafael who instantly felt as though he was about to drop the ring. He could see the same nerves in Olivia's eyes as she put the ring on him though, so felt better. Honestly, he couldn't feel more elated.

"Everyone has advice for newlyweds," Father Mike continued. "Olivia and Rafael, I offer these good wishes to you on this special day." The priest glanced between the both of them before continuing. "May your life together be blessed with prosperity and good health. May you always share open and honest communication between each other. May you respect each other's individual talents and gifts and give full support to each other's professional and personal pursuits."

Olivia and Rafael both smiled wider.

"May you cherish the home and family you're endeavouring to create together," Father Mike said, addressing them both. "May all the years to come be filled with moments to celebrate and renew your love for each other. And may your love be a life-long source of excitement, contentment, affection, respect, and devotion for one another." Father Mike glanced between them both once more. "And so now by the power vested in me by the state of New York, it is my honour and delight to now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

He looked into Olivia's chocolate brown eyes and melted. That moment couldn't have been more perfect. It was as if nothing else existed in the world, only them. He softly placed his hand on her cheek, drawing her in for a chaste yet passionate kiss.

With the wedding ceremony itself over, he and Olivia signed the Marriage Licence and Registration of Marriage with his mother and Fin signing as witnesses.

He and Olivia then started walking around and mingling with their friends and family while some drinks and food were served. Noah, for one, ran over and hugged them both with a thrilled Lucy walking up close behind him. Jesse and Billie were following suit as well in matching enthusiasm.

"You look so pretty Aunty Liv!" Billie exclaimed.

Olivia smiled at her three-year-old goddaughter. "Thank you, Sweetie."

Jesse turned to Rafael and give him a surprisingly serious look. "Can I give you an advice for a happy marriage?"

Rafael shrugged but was also quite curious about what the seven-year-old girl would say. "Sure, Jess."

"If you make Aunty Liv mad," Jesse advised him so matter-of-factly that it was funny, "make her things she likes to eat. That usually works on me when Momma makes me mad 'cause I gotta do chores."

He chuckled and smiled at the girl. "Thank you, Jesse. I'll keep that in mind."

Olivia grinned. “That’s some solid advice right there.” 

The energetic nine-year-old finally let them go, glanced up, and said, "I'm glad you're officially family now, Rafa."

He glanced between his new wife and stepson and smiled. "I'm glad too, Papito."

"As am I," Olivia stated as she leaned into Rafael's side and smiled up at him. "There's nobody else I'd want to be stuck squabbling with until I'm eighty-five."

Rafael swiftly pulled his wife in for a kiss and got an instant reaction from his stepson, much to both Rafael and Olivia's extreme amusement "¡Qué asco! Didn't you two get to do enough of that earlier?" (Yucky!)

He chuckled. "Nunca." (Never.)

Noah rolled his eyes. "Muchísimas gracias, Papi." (Thanks a lot, Papi.)

Rafael tried not to show stunned he was at hearing Noah refer to him as his father the first time. He didn't want to make a massive deal out of it. On the other hand, he was so touched that the nine-year-old boy felt that way. Rafael opted to simply return the playful sarcasm. "De nada, Papito." (You're welcome, Kiddo.)

Everyone congratulated them and, true to his word, Elliot Stabler showed up. The man walked over to them and gave Olivia a bear hug. "Congratulations." Stepping back after a moment, Stabler then held out and offered his hand to Rafael.

Tentatively, Rafael conceded and took the offered hand.

Stabler shook his hand and spoke. "Congratulations." The man swallowed. "I'm happy for you both." Stabler then adopted a much more serious disposition. "Look, you seem to make her happy, Barba, but if you hurt her -"

He dipped his head slightly. "I have no intentions of hurting Liv, I assure you."

"Good," Stabler fired back. "Liv deserves the absolute best." Stabler then shot him and Olivia a clearly teasing look. "Her pots and pans still have cobwebs on 'em?"

Olivia slapped Stabler playfully on the arm. "Hey!"

He chuckled lightly. "No, the Take-Out Queen has broadened her horizons."

Stabler chuckled. "Good for you, Liv. Do you offer cooking classes? Maybe the newly reformed chef can help with Lizzie."

Olivia gave Stabler a cheeky grin. "They invented this great thing called delivery for a reason, boys." She gestured to Rafael. "But now I have this guy to cook."

He chuckled. "So that's why you're keeping me around, is it?"

"That and all those colourful suspenders of yours," she quipped.

As they continued chatting, Rafael still didn't think Stabler would ever be his favourite person but did feel a lot more at ease about Olivia and Stabler being friends. The man was showing more maturity than Rafael would've credited him with.

With that being said, he didn't really want to focus on that right now. Smiling, Rafael kissed his new bride and the pair went to talk to Donald and Eileen Cragen who were both eagerly spoiling Noah, Jesse, and Billie with attention alongside Rafael's mother. Well, Mami did always want grandkids.

Olivia was grinning from ear to ear as they both watched the interactions between the three adults and the kids. Seeing that smile on her made Rafael's heart soar. Forever can never be long enough for me to feel that I've had long enough with you.

Chapter Text

That Thursday morning, Rafael woke up a few minutes before the brunette lying in bed beside him did. She hadn't gotten a work call yet and managed to get some rest. After Noah's Christmas play the night before they'd all gone out for dinner and although the nine-year-old went to bed at a decent hour, he and Olivia had stayed up a little later.

The curtains in their bedroom were drawn, only small cracks of light peeking through and illuminating the room. Rafael yawned as he took one of Olivia's brown locks and absentmindedly twirled it with his fingers.

Olivia fidgeted a bit, scrunching her nose up slightly before blinking her eyes open and turning onto her side. She then gave Rafael a sleepy smile.

Still only half-awake, he spoke softly. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Handsome." Olivia then gave Rafael a quick peck on the cheek before eyeing him with a smile. "So, what's on the docket today, Counsellor?"

Rafael smiled at her with a mix of affection and playfulness. "Oh, aside from a certain meeting with Judge Linden later this morning, not too much." Thankfully, Chantal Jackson, the social worker, had been able to quickly get their required home visit done.

The brunette grinned right back at him. "I'm looking forward to it too. I know we don't need a piece of paper but -"

He nodded, still smiling. "- but it's still nice to have."

Noah came running into the bedroom and proceed to excitably jump up onto their bed. "Wake up!" Noah pushed down on their legs. "Wake up!"

"Whoa!" Olivia said with a laugh. "Good morning to you too, Noah."

He eyed his stepson in amusement. "Oh. Where's the fire?"

"The adoption hearing's today!" Noah stated.

"The adoption hearing?" Olivia reiterated in equal excitement. "Well, I guess we better get out of bed then and get this day started."

The nine-year-old eyed him. "Can you make tortillas de plátanito?”

He smiled and ruffled the boy's hair playfully. "I think we can make that happen."

Just before nine o'clock that morning, the three of them ran into the social worker and Counsellor Langan right outside of Judge Linden's courtroom. After a quick chat, it was time for them to go inside.

"Good morning," Judge Linden greeted. "Please have a seat." The judge then turned to and addressed. "Are you excited?"

"Yes!" Noah exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I'm glad to hear it," the judge said earnestly. "And I like the bowtie and suspenders. You look quite handsome, young man."

Noah grinned. "Thank you."

"So what we're going to be doing today is going over the paperwork which you are all familiar with," Judge Linden proceeded to explain, "and I'll be asking all three of you some questions. What we're going to sign is the adoption agreement. Since he's not fourteen or older Noah doesn't have to sign." The judge passed Rafael the document. "And if you're in agreement with that please sign here, and date it."

Rafael signed it and pushed the document back over to the judge.

"Are you happy Noah?" Judge Linden questioned the nine-year-old boy. "Do you want to be adopted by your stepfather today?"

Noah nodded with a bright smile. "Yep, very. I love Rafa."

"I'm glad to hear that," the judge said. "I also see a request for a change of name which looks to be in order. Do you want that?"

"I do," Noah readily agreed.

Judge Linden pulled out the documents Olivia had signed to give her consent and then turned to face Olivia. "And Captain Benson, you are fully consenting to the adoption of your son Noah by your husband Rafael?"

"I am," Olivia agreed readily. "He's great with Noah and treats him like his own."

Judge Linden nodded and then turned toward Rafael. "Okay, Counsellor Barba, are you willing to raise Noah as your lawful child?"

"I am," Rafael readily agreed.

"Noah will inherit from you," the judge stated. "He will be treated no differently than a biological child. Do you agree?"

Rafael dipped his head slightly. "I do."

"Okay," the judge stated. "The next thing we're going to do is the adoption order. And for the record, I've reviewed the file and with ACS's recommendation I believe that it's in Noah's best interest for him to be adopted by his stepfather."

All three of them were grinning now. They hadn't been overly worried but it was really nice to know for certain that the adoption was going through.

"So by signing this document," the judge said, "I hear by declare you are now parent and child, under the law." Judge Linden tilted her head slightly, still smiling. "With all the rights and duties of the parent-child relationship. But, most importantly, all of the joys." Her smile grew even widen. "So congratulations!"

He dipped his head slightly, heart soaring. "Thank you, Your Honour."

The judge gave a slight nod in return. "All the best to you and your family, Mr. Barba." She turned to the nine-year-old. "And to you too, Noah Barba-Benson."

Noah threw himself at Rafael for a hug. "And now you're stuck with me, Papi."

He chuckled, tussling the boy's hair. "And I wouldn't have it any other way, mi hijo."

They had a few photos taken together as a family before making their way out of New York County Family Court. Noah wanted to go to school for a little bit as his class was having a Christmas party, so they dropped him off at P.S 199 and then made their way to their respective jobs for a few hours. They both had a couple of things they needed to wrap up before they were finally off on holiday.

Getting to work, Carmen immediately congratulated him on the adoption and he then got down to business in his office; returning phone calls and emails, meeting with two of his most senior ADAs as well as assigning several cases to Casey Novak who'd finally agreed to come back to the D.A.'s Office part-time.

At half-past-one, his assistant opened to door to his office. "Mr. Barba."

He glanced up from his paperwork. "Yes, Carmen?"

Counsellor Calhoun then waltzed in, smiling, as Carmen re-closed his office door.

"Rita," he greeted. "You taking a break in between torturing my ADAs?" She was in a good mood and clearly there to give Rafael a bit of a hard time as Rita was often wont to do.

She chuckled. "Pretty much, but I was in the building and thought I would stop by and give you my congratulations in person." She raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I can't believe you've actually settled down and have a kid."

"I can't say I miss the confirmed bachelor phase," he admitted. "And we both know I never saw myself as father material, but Noah… he's different."

Rita smiled over at him. "Fatherhood looks good on you, Rafael, but I can only take so much of your sappiness. Anyway, did the kid take your name?"

"We decided to hyphenate it," he explained. Rafael then rolled his eyes in amusement as he watched his long-time friend casually walk over to the new coffeepot that he had recently bought and set up at the other side of his office and proceed to pick up one of his coffee mugs. "Sure, I'll take a cup of my Bustelo."

Rita shot him a playful smile. "Consider it payback for all of the coffee and snacks that I've bought you over the years, Island Boy."

He chucked. "Fair enough, Ms. Congeniality."

They continued to talk for a bit and then Rafael got back to work, finishing up as much as humanly possible before he left for the holidays at five o'clock. Olivia's squad managed to not catch a case so Olivia got off work at four o'clock and headed home to do some rather last-minute packing.

At a quarter-to-eight, they were seated on their flight from LaGuardia Airport, heading down to Miami for an almost two-week vacation.

Thankfully, Noah did really well on the flight though the boy hadn't flown since the trip to Paris all those years ago. The nine-year-old was definitely excitable though and they were all happy when after getting to their Airbnb Noah fell asleep almost instantly.

He had taken various vacations over the years such as his frequent ski trip to Gstaad, but he was looking forward to this one a lot more than he had any of the others. This was their first vacation as an official family.

Chapter Text

Waking up at their Airbnb in downtown Miami the following morning, Rafael was quiet as he got out of bed, not wanting to wake Olivia up unnecessarily. He quietly grabbed an off-white guayabera, a pair of beige shorts, and his Panama hat. He then left the room to change quickly.

Noah was still fast asleep as well, so Rafael hopped into their rental car and headed to the store to grab the three of them some necessities. His mother had flown down here to Miami as well but had decided to stay with her older sister in Kendall. As such, it was only the three of them staying at the Airbnb.

When he got back to the Airbnb, he got out and started grabbing the bags of groceries out of the trunk of their silver rental car. Upon opening the front door of the house, he heard the tel-tale sign of Noah watching some cartoons in the living room. Apparently, Noah had taken the initiative of figuring out how to work the TV himself. Noah was dressed in the light blue guayabera and Panama hat that he had been given by Abuela Lucía for his birthday and a pair of dark grey cargo shorts.

He was happy but a little surprised when Noah got off of the couch and ran straight to the entranceway. "¡Feliz Nochebuena, Papi!" (Happy Christmas Eve, Dad!)

He smiled warmly down at the nine-year-old boy. "Y Feliz Nochebuena para ti también, mi hijo." (And Happy Christmas Eve to you as well, Son.)

Noah tilted his head slightly. ¿Quieres ayuda?" (Would you like some help?)

Rafael quirked an eyebrow. "Parece que este huevo quiere sal.” (Why do I feel like you want something?)

The nine-year-old gave Rafael a playful grin. "¿No puedo simplemente querer ayudar?" (Can't I just want to help?)

He rolled his eyes slightly but smiled warmly at the boy. "Claro que sí. Tírame un cabo por favor y lleva estas dos jabas a la cocina." (Of course. Give me a hand please and take these two bags to the kitchen.)

Putting all of the groceries and such away. He then got some Bustelo brewing and then made two cups of café con leche. Rafael then crushed up some Goya crackers into one of the mugs for Noah to try, gave him a spoon, and made himself some tostada.

Noah took a bite of his café con leche y galletas and then smiled brightly. 

He tilted his head slightly. "Entonces, ¿qué te parece?" (So, what do you think?)

"¡Qué rico!" the nine-year-old said before shovelling another spoonful of café con leche y galletas into his mouth. (How yummy!)

He grinned. "Me alegra que te guste, mi hijo." He then dipped his pan cubano into his own café con leche. (I'm glad you like it, Son.)

Once Olivia was awake, the brunette threw on a dark purple, floral, v-neck swing dress and joined both of the boys in the kitchen where they were chatting and Rafael shared some stories from prior visits to the 305 including some from when he lived in Kendall with his aunt and uncle for a bit after the Householder case.

Olivia opted for some cereal for breakfast and then the three of them made the half-hour drive to Rafael's aunt's house in Kendall. It was Nochebuena and as such today was the big celebration for them. They were having a huge dinner party with their entire family and then some, followed by Midnight Mass.

Walking into the home, there was a song by Celia Cruz playing in the background. The house also smelled quite strongly of lavender Fabuloso floor cleaner as his godmother, María Elena Pérez, had just finished cleaning with the wooden t-mop and his godfather, Manuel, sat down with a cup of café cubano.

His aunt walked back over and got his and Olivia's attention. "¿Alguno de ustedes dos quiere un cafecito?" She then turned to Noah. "Y puedes tomar un refresco si tus padres están de acuerdo. Tenemos Materva y Jupiña." (Do either of you two want some coffee? And you can have a pop if your parents are okay with it. We have some Materva and Jupiña.)

"Tomaré uno por favor," he replied. He also noted that almost everyone was looking to see how Noah responded to the situation. "Papito, ¿quieres una bebida?" (I'll take one please. Kiddo, do you want a drink?)

Noah nodded. "Sí. Quisiera un refresco, por favor." (Yeah. I'd like a pop, please.)

Olivia finally jumped into the exchange. "Teresa, ¿me das un café también por favor?" (Can I have a coffee too please, Teresa?)

Nodding, his aunt went to grab the coffees, gesturing for Noah to follow suit.

Rafael's cousin Carmen and his godmother were running around cleaning up while his mother and aunt were both busy cooking away in the kitchen. It didn't look as though his cousins Chucho or Pepe and Pepe's wife and three kids were there yet but he knew that they'd be by shortly. His uncle then walked in with the man's father from checking on the great big pig that was currently cooking out in the rather large backyard as was the long-standing Cuban tradition for dinner on Nochebuena. ¡Que siga la tradición!

It didn't take long before Noah made himself quite comfortable, telling everyone about his class Christmas party at school and the play. He'd also asked about the elephants with their backs to the door that he was seeing both here and at the Airbnb. A Cuban tradition rooted, as more than a few were, in superstition. Everyone was impressed as well by how good Noah's Spanish was and Noah was revelling in it.

Rafael wasn't surprised though when the conversation inevitably turned to him and his lovely other half. His godfather turned toward him and smiled. "Rafi, ven acá, ¿cómo se conocieron Olivia y tú?" (Rafi, so how exactly did you and Olivia meet?)

Rafael glanced at his wife briefly and then gave his godfather a lopsided smile. "Bueno, Pipo, Olivia y yo empezamos a trabajar juntos en 2012 después de que me trasladé de la Fiscalía de Brooklyn a Manhattan." (Well, Pipo, Olivia and I started working together back in 2012 after I transferred from the King's County D.A.'s Office to Manhattan.)

"Digamos que mi esposo no podría haber sido más dramático durante ese primer caso juntos si lo hubiera intentado," Olivia teased. (Let's just say my husband couldn't have been more dramatic during that first case together if he'd tried.)

His godmother rolled her eyes but smiled at him. "Mi ahijado siempre ha tenido un don para lo dramático. Hay tantas historias que podría contar." (My godson has always had a flair for the dramatic. There are so many stories I could tell.)

Rafael rolled his eyes. "Gracias, Mima." He then turned and shot his wife his signature smirk. "Gané el caso, ¿no?" (Thanks, Mima. I won the case, didn't I?)

Olivia shook her head, chuckling. "Sí, ganaste." She turned to his godparents. "Convenció al sospechoso de estrangularlo con un cinturón en los tribunales." (Yeah, you did. He convinced the suspect to strangle him with a belt in court.)

His cousin Carmen almost instantly turned to face him, her eyes widened slightly. "¡Ay, tremendo paquete! Parece mentira." (Wow, that's dramatic! Unbelievable.)

Rafael rolled his eyes and then shot his wife a teasing look. "Gracias, esposa mía. Ten en cuenta que sé dónde están enterrados todos los esqueletos." (Thanks, wife of mine. Keep in mind that I know where all the skeletons are buried.)

Olivia laughed. "No estoy preocupada." (I'm not worried.)

Noah eyed them innocently. "¿Qué esqueletos?" (What skeletons?)

Chuckling, Olivia briefly explained to their son that it was an expression and the adults shifted the conversation to something a little more kid-friendly.

They had some Mariquitas and Cuban sandwiches for lunch and then Rafael dived in to help with some last-minute cleaning and manual labour. Rafael was taking a box of stuff from the living room to the attic and accidentally bumped into his son who was putting an ornament he'd been looking at back onto the Christmas tree while singing along to the music that his aunt was playing.

Noah giggled. "¡Cuidado con el arbolito!" With that, a very amused Noah went back to singing along to El Burrito Sabanero with laudable enthusiasm. (Watch out for the Christmas tree!)

His aunt rolled her eyes. "Ponte las pilas, Rafi." (Get moving, Rafi)

Rafael quirked an eyebrow in mock offence. He knew that his aunt was just giving him a hard time. "¿Qué crees que estoy haciendo?" (What do you think I'm doing?)

His mother shot him a teasing grin. "Al menos no era una estantería esta vez." Rafael had tried to climb up a bookshelf when he was six years old and had ended up falling and bringing the entire bookshelf down with him. Understandably, neither his mother nor Abuelita had found it funny. (At least it wasn't a bookshelf this time.)

He shook his head and took the box of stuff up to the attic. It wasn't much later when the rest of their guests showed up. Needless to say, Noah was absolutely thrilled to be able to play with other children when they got there and had no problem getting right into the pop, croquetas, and other small appetizers that had been put out.

As per usual on Nochebuena, the men were in charge of the pig and the women took care of everything else. He watched in fond amusement as Cubans went into a sort of diabetic shock, people stumbling around because the food wasn't ready but they were out in the backyard cooking it in the caja china. Meanwhile, songs by Benny Moré, Pío Leiva, Cheo Marquetti, Barbarito Diez, Luis Aguile, and Celia Cruz among others were playing. Quite a few people were dancing and singing along to the music or sharing various stories related to the songs as they came on. Some things never change.

Rafael happily got into the crema de vie which flowed all night and Olivia opted to try it as well when Rafael's mother pointed out to her that it was more or less Cuban Egg Nog. She'd stuck to the Sidra El Gaitero earlier on. "¡Riquísimo!" (Delicious!)

The Barba matriarch almost instantly shot Olivia a rather amused yet pleased look. "Y dudaste de mí, Mamita." (And you doubted me, Mamita.)

Olivia took another sip and grinned. "Aprendí mi lección." (I learned my lesson.)

Noah walked up, contently shoving a mariquita into his mouth. "Acabo de terminar de jugar a los Yaquis. Es divertido. ¿Me das el juego?" (I just finished playing a game of Jacks. It's fun. Can I get the game?)

Olivia titled her head in question. "¿Los Yaquis?"

"Playing Jacks," he explained, immediately understanding his wife's confusion.

Olivia nodded and turned to their rather excitable nine-year-old. "Es Navidad, Noah. Ya veremos, ¿de acuerdo?" (It's Christmas, Noah. We'll see, Okay?)

Noah nodded, easily accepting that. "De acuerdo." The boy then turned and started to run off to go play some more. "¡Voy a jugar a los Palitos Chinos con Mongito otro vez!" (Alright. I'm going to play some Pick-Up Sticks with Mongito again!)

She turned to him questioningly and he explained it was Pick-Up Sticks. Satisfied, they both went about enjoying themselves, glad Noah was having fun.

Eventually, they all sat down for dinner. They had roasted pork, yuca with mojó, white rice, black beans, plátanos maduros, avocado salad, and tostones. They had traditional turrones for dessert along with Natilla and the always dependable Flan. All in all, it was quite the meal and was certainly well worth the wait. The colada his Tía Teresa started serving certainly didn't hurt matters either. He was never one to turn down coffee.

A couple of games of Dominos started after dinner. People were rather enthusiastically singing and dancing around still as well. A couple of the younger kids dosed off briefly but the older ones, Noah included, were running around and keeping themselves busy. His godfather ended up putting on some Álvarez Guedes as well. Rafael had heard the vast majority of the man's routines, but the comedian was hilarious and they packed a punch no matter how many times you've listened to them. They were brilliant. Rafael particularly enjoyed the man's Cuento De Pennsylvania which was currently playing as he watched Noah and two other kids play Dominos a few feet away.

'I moved back to Miami.' The late comedian's voice was now coming over the speaker. 'This is the life!' Olivia was shaking her head in amusement as she listened to the very, uh, expressive comedian for what was the first time for her. She was catching most of the joke which was frankly quite impressive considering the man did speak quite fast. 'Fantastic! Hot, humid, traffic, hurricanes and cubanness. Truth be said, anyone that is thinking of living in that shitty Pennsylvania so lonely and cold is a dumb-ass and must be out of his mind. This is the life!' 

That was amusing but not much later the song "Quimbara," by Celia Cruz came on and Rafael turned, held out his right hand, and shot his better half a charming smile. "¿Me permites este baile, mi corazón?" (May I have this dance, Sweetheart?)

Olivia smiled and took his hand. "Sí, me encantaría bailar contigo, Rafa." (Yes, I'd love to dance with you, Rafa.)

Grinning, he led her to wear they had a bit more space and started to dance, neither wanting to stop until the next couple of songs wrapped up.

Then it was finally time for them to go to Midnight Mass at the nearby Catholic church his family usually attended. Although he had his moments of being a seriously lapsed Catholic, there was something about Midnight Mass that had always felt utterly sacred to Rafael. And maybe it was because his father, Manuel, was a very strict Catholic and Christmas was one of those times when he seemed to put his issues to the side. Midnight Mass and Nochebuena in general were peaceful and he cherished those rare moments from his otherwise rather hectic childhood in the Bronx.

Either way, Rafael was glad to get to share this and create these new memories with Noah and Olivia and introduce them to the rest of his family.

Chapter Text

Waking up Christmas morning, Noah was excited to wake up to a stocking and a bunch of presents under the Christmas tree in the living room. They had brought a couple of gifts for others but more or less had used an entire suitcase for Christmas presents for their son. He and Olivia had also brought a present for each other. Of course, he also talked to his wife and then left their son several gifts back at home in Manhattan for el Día de los Reyes Magos or Three Kings Day which was coming up.

Olivia made a huge breakfast with bacon, eggs, toast, and hash browns after their son opened his stocking and then they started opening presents. They took it pretty easy, relaxing for a bit around the Airbnb before heading to Wynwood to check out some of the murals and such and eventually making their way back out to Kendall to see his aunt, mother, and godparents again.

The following day, the three of them woke up, had breakfast, and then relaxed around the Airbnb for a little bit before deciding to head out. Rafael glanced back at their son through the rearview mirror. "Ponte el cinturón de seguridad." (Buckle up.)

Noah easily complied and once he was settled, Olivia put their rental car into drive and pulled out of the driveway. "¿Adónde vamos?" (Where are we going?)

"The zoo," Olivia said as she hopped into the driver's seat. Rafael and Olivia had talked about various activities and decided that Noah would really like Zoo Miami. That it was something that would be fun for all of them.

He turned and gave Noah a warm small. "Your abuela is going to meet us there too."

"We've got to stop to buy you a new pair of sandals though," Olivia stated. "I'm still not sure how you managed to break the straps on your current ones."

Noah gave a little shrug. "It just sorta happened, Mom."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Of course it did."

Stopping by a clothing store that wasn't too far out of the way, Olivia went to look for a new hat for herself and Rafael took their son so the shoe section. He tried to get the nine-year-old to actually look around somewhat but Noah had almost instantly found a pair of brown leather sandals and got stuck on those.

"'¿No quieres mirar otras sandalias?" he asked the rather insistent nine-year-old. (You don't want to check out any of the other sandals?)

"No," Noah reiterated with a slight shake of the head. The nine-year-old then indicated the pair of sandals that he wanted to get with his right hand. "Quiero estas carmelitas. ¿Podrías conseguirlas, Papi? ¡Por favorcitooo!" (No. I want these brown ones. Can I get them, Daddy? Pretty pleaaase!)

Conceding, as they were fairly nice sandals, Rafael agreed to get them for the boy. It wasn't like there was a reason to not get the pair. He and Noah then went to catch up with Olivia so they could pay and hit the road again.

They got to Zoo Miami a couple of minutes later than they had intended to but Rafael's mother was running a bit behind as well and she wasn't waiting for them very long. In any case, they were on vacation and it really wasn't a big deal.

"Okay, we're here!" Olivia commented as she read the map. "We have a map and a list of when the animal feedings and petting are… so where do we start…"

Noah shrugged and then grinned. "Do they have any elephants here?"

Rafael barked out a laugh. Noah always did have a fondness for elephants. "You know, I think that they might. Why don't we just walk around and look?"

His mother chuckled. "I feel like that's a pretty safe bet."

Olivia shot Noah a knowing look. "We might even get to see a couple of different types of elephants while we're here. But still… where do you want to start?"

Rafael shrugged. "The closest enclosure to the entrance?"

Walking into the zoo, they checked out the flamingos and crocodiles. By chance, they managed to come across the Tortoise Encounter which was really neat. Noah enjoyed being able to get up close to the large tortoise. The four of them then walked and saw the American Black Bear which was neat as well.

Noah asked to do the Giraffe Feeding as well so they did that and checked out a couple of the other animals before a quarter to noon rolled around. The four of them decided to start making their way to Oasis Grill for lunch. Noah also wanted a short break from walking in the sun, so it was killing two birds with one stone.

"¡Hace un calor afuera que le ronca el mango!" Noah said, causing the three adults to laugh. Besides the fact that it was said so matter-of-factly, the way the nine-year-old said it was so undeniably Cuban that Rafael really couldn't help but laugh at his son's honest observation. It was 83º Fahrenheit so it was really warm out considering it was cold and snowy out back home in New York. (It's boiling hot out!)

Getting to the restaurant, they all took their seats and started glancing over the menu. Noah ended up slouching as he did so. Rafael had learned long, long ago not to slouch around any of the women in his family or to expect to get reprimanded for it. As such, Rafael wasn't remotely surprised when his mother immediately jumped in to comment on the boy's slouching. "Niño, enderézate que vas a coger maleta." (Kid, straighten up or you're going to give yourself back problems.)

Noah rolled his eyes but quickly sat up straight up nonetheless. Thankfully, Noah was the type to just roll with the punches. "De acuerdo." (Alright.)

Noah got chicken tenders with fries and a coke, Olivia got a regular cheeseburger with fries and an iced tea, his mother ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries and an iced tea, and Rafael got the bacon cheeseburger with fries and a coke. Thankfully, the four of them weren't waiting for their meals long.

"Giraffes are super peaceful animals," Noah commented.

"They are," Olivia agreed as she took a sip of her iced tea. "Did you hear what the lady said about Giraffes living for up to twenty-five years?"

Noah nodded. "That's a really, really long time."

The Barba matriarch chuckled audibly. Rafael could understand why. Children definitely have an interesting sense of time and perspective. "Well, it's certainly something." She turned to Olivia and Noah. "How are you two enjoying Miami so far?"

"We're loving it," Olivia said. "It's certainly a far cry from a New York winter."

"Donde está chiflando el mono," he quipped. (Where it's absolutely freezing out.)

Noah chuckled. "True. Also, you don't really do cold well."

Olivia shot Rafael an amused look. "He's not wrong, Babe."

Rafael smirked. He knew that he was a bit of a baby when it came to the cold but also didn't mind it in the slightest. "Have you met my mother? I come by it quite honestly." He tilted his head slightly and smiled cheekily. "Isn't that right, Mami?"

His mother shot him a very playful look of her own. "Sí y por eso actualmente soy feliz como una lombriz." (Yep and as such I'm as happy as a clam right now.)

They talked and ate and then checked out a couple of more animals, including going to the Pygmy Hippo Encounter. By that point, as it was still 83º Fahrenheit out and they'd seen most of the animals of interest they decided to go to the beach for a bit.

They all went swimming for a little bit and then Rafael's mother decided to get out and go lay on her towel and read a book. Noah swam for a bit longer but then decided that he wanted to go play in the sand for a bit.

Eventually, the Barba matriarch started playing this goofy tickling game with Noah that Rafael hadn't heard since he was just a young child himself. The hilarious part of it was Noah did know what the game was yet.

She was holding the nine-year-old boy's arm out. 'Cuando vayas a la carnicería no me traigas carne de aquí…' She lightly tickled Noah down by his wrist. 'Ni de aquí…' She lightly tickled Noah a bit higher up now. 'Ni de aquí...' She lightly tickled the boy a bit higher up. '¡pero de aquí, sí!' As she said the last line of the rhyme she began tickling Noah's armpit in earnest causing Noah to squeal and laugh hysterically.

Olivia glanced between him and the pair, smiling. "Your mom's so good with him."

He dipped his head slightly and smiled. "Oh, I know. She finally has a grandson and is going to spoil him rotten until the bitter end." Rafael grabbed his wife's hand and then pulled her in for a kiss. His mother wasn't the only Barba over the moon at this family they'd managed to build. I love you both more than anything.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Rafael and Olivia got up rather early, had breakfast with Noah, and then sat and watched a short cartoon together, taking a moment just to relax and take things somewhat easy that morning.

Olivia turned to their son. "What's your favourite thing about our vacation so far?"

Noah smiled. "Getting to learn more about Papi."

That surprised him but warmed his heart. "Really?"

Noah nodded earnestly. "Uh-huh. I really like the culture and language and it's funny hearing silly stories about you."

He ruffled his son's hair playfully. "I hope they aren't telling you all the stories."

Olivia chuckled and spoke in jest. “Only the good ones.” 

Shortly before ten o'clock, the three of them hopped into the rental car and made the twenty-minute drive into Little Havana. It was just going to be the three of them that morning as Rafael's mother was going to Hialeah to see a childhood friend of hers that she hadn't seen in a while.

Most of Little Havana was super walkable so you could easily get around on foot. They, knowing this, parked and started walking around the neighbourhood. He got a kick out of Olivia and Noah hearing the word la máquina for the first time.

"It's the word for a car that the older generation uses," he explained. "I think that using el carro for a car really took off here in the U.S." His wife and son both gave a slight nod. "There are other words like that as well."

"Like what, Papi?" Noah asked.

"Like saying un peter instead of una tableta de chocolate for one," he explained. "They just said the name of a popular chocolate bar brand at the time."

Olivia turned to him. "A little bit random. It makes sense though."

Their first stop was the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame. It wasn't a big tadoo but it was still a really nice touch on the neighbourhood. It celebrated various famous Cuban and Latin cultural figures such as Celia Cruz, Maria Conchita Alonso, Pablo Raúl Alarcón, Roberto Torres, Julio Iglesias and Gloria Estefan.

"So Celia Cruz was honoured with the National Medal of Arts?" Noah asked.

Rafael smiled and nodded. "Yep, she was. President Bill Clinton actually presented that medal to her back in like… 1994."

"Cool!" Noah said. "That's crazy that a president gave her it."

"And the fact that you know that off the top of your head," his wife quipped.

He smirked. "I'm not just a pretty face."

Olivia chuckled. "Oh, I know. I married a smart-aleck."

After checking out more of the Walk of Fame, the three of them headed to Cuban Memorial Boulevard Park. The tree-lined memorial park's most recognizable landmark was the Bay of Pigs monument located at the park's northern end.

The three of them began walking from the north end of the park to the south end. The first monument they saw after passing the Bay of Pigs memorial was a bust of Manolo Fernández. Fernández was known as "El Caballero del Tango" and was known as one of the most famous Tango musicians. Fernández lived between 1922-1986 and fled Cuba in 1959 before eventually settling in Miami.

The next monument they saw was a sculpture of Nestor Izquierdo with an M16 rifle in hand. He was a leading member of Brigade 2506 and lived between 1936-1979.

The next monument they saw was a white plaque recognizing the 100th anniversary in 1995 of the death of Cuban patriot José Martí. José Martí was the leader of the Cuban war of independence. The late man was a poet and a politician as well as the soul of the Cuban people in so many ways.

A sacred area of the memorial park was just beyond that. A statue of Mary, an evident symbol of the Catholic Church, stood beneath a Ceiba tree. This was a symbolic area as the Ceiba tree was sacred to Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion that started in Cuba. Offerings could occasionally be seen left at the roots of the Ceiba tree. Mary, of course, represented the strong bond of Cubans with catholicism.

Continuing with their walk, they then reached something that Rafael found particularly moving. It was a large, bronze, sixteen-foot raised map of Cuba with an inscription by José Martí. ‘La patria es agonia y deber.’ (The fatherland is agony and duty.)

"What is la patria?" Noah asked curiously.

Olivia tilted her head slightly and eyed their son. "Cuba."

Rafael dipped his head slightly in confirmation. "Yep, it means homeland."

Noah gave a small nod. "Alright, dale." (Got it.)

In the upper right corner of the rather large monument was yet another quote by the patriot José Martí. ‘Yo quiero, cuando me muera sin patria, pero sin amo, tener en mi losa un ramo de flores, - ¡y una bandera!’ (I want, when I die, without a country, but without a master, to have on my tomb a bouquet of flowers, - and a flag!)

"He certainly had a way with words," Olivia commented.

Rafael chuckled softly. "Considering he's a poet, I would certainly hope so."

"Can you read me some of his poems sometime?" Noah asked.

He nodded, smiling warmly at the boy. "I'd love to, Kid."

At the end of the street, there was a black marble plaque which was a monument to all the Cuban women who'd been political prisoners. It was behind a tall tree and honestly could have been quite easily missed.

Next, they saw the bust of Antonio Maceo Grajales who was also known as the "Bronze Titan." Grajales lived between 1845-1896 and fought in both The Ten Years' War and the Cuban war of independence, eventually dying in battle and being buried in Havana.

The Square of Cuban Journalists was in the final section of the monuments that were displayed in the Park. It consisted of a triangular-shaped monument with a Cuban Flag at the top and the names of journalists who'd been persecuted was listed below.

In the same area, there was a strange boat-shaped monument with a bust of the most famous of Cuban journalists, Salvador Díaz-Verson.

The final monument was in the middle of an American and Cuban Flag and it depicted two hands holding a torch. Rafael's initial thoughts when he saw it the first time was that it possibly symbolized goodwill between Cuba and America, but there was a brown flag partly hidden by the trees which read. "prisoners house." Seeing it again, he was still not sure what exactly that meant.

They then headed to the Bay of Pigs Museum. The museum had a small but interesting collection of ephemera and memorabilia about the Bay of Pigs Invasion, including the Brigade 2506 flag held by President John F. Kennedy in his 1962 address.

"Why did the invasion fail?" Noah asked.

His wife jumped right in to explain. "Well, it started off wrong to begin with. The New York Times published a page-one article reporting the situation. They lost the element of surprise and then things just continued to go wrong. The brigade failed to wipe out the Cuban air force before they sank their ships."

Rafael nodded. "Yeah, things went wrong at practically every turn."

After that, the three of them made their way to Versailles for a bite to eat. After lunch, they headed to the Futurama 1637 Art Building. It was a small building and was relatively easy to pass without noticing but it also had some interesting art throughout it. It was definitely worth a quick walk-through if you were already on Calle Ocho.

Of course, Azúcar Ice Cream Company had captured Noah's attention earlier and when the boy saw the store as they walked back from La Colada Gourmet where both Rafael and Olivia grabbed a coffee, Noah just had to try and ask for some again. "Can we get some ice cream, Mom? Please."

He smiled. "I could go for some ice cream."

Olivia shook her head in slight amusement and checked the time. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. "Sure, why not. Let's go see what they have."

"Yay, thank you!" Noah exclaimed happily. "I wonder what flavours they have."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "You and your son's sweet tooth."

He chuckled. "Oh, you know you like ice cream too."

Following a quite excitable Noah into Azúcar, Rafael ordered the Mamey ice cream and Olivia got the mantecado. Their nine-year-old son eventually decided to get the shop's original Abuela Maria ice cream which was plain vanilla ice cream mixed with ruby red guava chunks, cream cheese, guava marmalade and crispy Maria cookies.

The three of them then walked right across the street to Domino Park and watched the games of dominos that were going on while chatting and eating their ice cream.

The best education that you will ever get is travelling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences will. So, here's to a vacation of no regrets and new experiences as a family!

Chapter Text

The following day was spent at Tigertail Lake Recreation Center, Rafael's mother quite happily joining them there. Thursday, they split between the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, South Pointe Park Beach, and then went out for a nice dinner with Rafael's mother and godparents at Havana Harry's. Friday, they went out to Rafael's and aunt and uncle's place before going to the Miami Seaquarium. That evening, they also went to see The Nutcracker at the Adrienne Arsht Centre which Noah absolutely loved and had been a blast for all of them.

Rafael had a couple of work calls he had to deal with, unfortunately, but all in all, there weren't any major issues waiting for him to deal with when he got back to the city and he really hoped it would stay that way.

On New Year's Eve, they woke up and then went about their usual morning routine, having some breakfast and watching a cartoon with Noah.

The three of them were in the car and his wife was driving when a car cut them off. It ended up fine but he still ended up turning to his wife and then without really thinking said," ¿Y por qué no le tocaste el fotuto?" (And why didn't you honk the horn?)

Olivia and Noah both shot him a look and said, "What? I've never heard of that!"

Rafael quickly replayed his earlier statement in his head and then chuckled softly. "It's the car horn or you can also just call it el claxon."

His wife rolled her eyes. "One of these days your dialect will stop confusing me."

Rafael smirked at his wife. "Just don't say un bicho around Puerto Ricans. I've done it and that made for a nice and awkward moment at that dinner party."

His wife gave a little snort as she replied. "You need to write me a book, Rafa."

He shook his head, amused. "Yeah, Liv, I'll get right on that. With all my free time."

His son thought that it sounded funny and so Noah kept using the new word in random sentences for the rest of their twenty-five-minute drive to Dezerland Park.

The three of them started off with the Go Karts before jumping on the large trampoline for a while. They then decided to do the large ropes course which was fun. Noah really enjoyed that and wanted to do the Mini Ninja course right afterwards.

After that, Noah was starting to get hungry as were both Olivia and Rafael. Deciding to go grab a bite to eat, they left and drove to a nearby TGI Fridays for lunch. The rest of their day was largely spent at a playground about three minutes away from the Airbnb where Noah was able to run around and play with some other kids.

Olivia was a few feet away, chatting with two of the other moms there when Noah ran over to him in a quite evident rush. "Papi, ¿puedo jugar a los escondidos con los otros niños?" (Dad, can I play hide-and-seek with the other kids?)

Rafael dipped his head slightly. "Sí, Noah. Solo quédate cerca del parque infantil donde todavía puedo verte por favor." (Yeah, Noah. Just please stay by the playground where I can still see you.)

Noah dipped his head slightly. "De acuerdo." (Okay.)

Eventually, they headed back to the Airbnb, showered, and got dressed up in some of their nicer clothes for the Nochevieja party his aunt and uncle were hosting. Both boys were dressed in khakis, an off-white guayabera, and Panama hats. Olivia was dawning a gorgeous green shirtdress with a light jean jacket.

He gave his wife a chaste kiss. "You look great, mi vida."

She smiled and eyed Rafael "And you clean up quite nicely yourself, Babe." Olivia then turned to their son, adjusting his hat slightly. "And don't you just look handsome."

Noah beamed and eyed the outfit his abuela had got him. "I love this outfit."

He grinned. "Bueno, your abuela will certainly be happy to hear that."

Driving out to Kendall, Rafael explained some of the common New Years' traditions to both Noah and Olivia that they were likely to see. Rafael then helped with a couple of last-minute touches around the house as the other guests started to slowly trickle into the house. Being as organized as she always was, his Tía Teresa had prepared a bunch of Ziploc bags with twelve grapes inside of each. They were to be eaten at the strike of midnight; one for each coming month of the new year.

His aunt had also cleaned and mopped the entire house and saved the dirty mop water as was tradition. She would be throwing the bucket of mop water out the front door at midnight to get rid of all of the bad luck from the previous year.

The kids were running in and out of the backyard, playing tag and a game of el chucho escondido which more or less was Hidden Chucho in English. It was basically a hot and cold game where the whole goal was to be the first person in the group to get the stick or chucho without getting tagged on the legs by the hider of the chucho.

Meanwhile, the sea of adults was listening to quite an assortment of Latin music and chatting about everything and anything that came to mind. The gossip, unsurprisingly, was flying freely and people were dancing and singing along to the music. The children were getting in on the dancing too.

Rafael and Olivia had just finished dancing to La Vida Es Un Carnaval when both of his godparents walked over to where they were now standing. "Esa siempre me da ganas de bailar," his godmother said. (That one always makes me want to dance.)

"Es una buena canción," he agreed. (It's a good song.)

"Entonces, ¿cómo los trata Miami a ustedes?" His godfather asked. (So, how is Miami treating you guys?)

"Realmente bien," Olivia replied. "Nos estamos divirtiendo. Hay mucho que hacer para nosotros." (Really well. We're having fun. There's tons for us to do.)

"Definitivamente no es Nueva York," Manuel said. (It's definitely not New York.)

Olivia chuckled. "Eso es seguro." (That's for sure.)

They eventually all sat down for some lechón, yuca with mojo, white rice, black beans, croquetas, tostones and avocado salad. They also had some buñuelos and turrones for dessert too. The Sidra El Gaitero was flowing freely as well. All in all, they were having a great time ringing in the new year.

"I think the alicante is my favourite," Olivia said after biting into another turrón.

"Nah," he said with a shake of the head. "It's good but I'll take the jijona any day."

She took another bite of her turrón and smiled. "More for me then."

His Tío Ricardo chuckled. "Ella me cae bien, Rafi." (I like her, Rafi.)

He shook his head in amusement. "A mí también, Tío." (I do too, Uncle.)

Tío Ricordo gave Olivia a questioning look. "Entonces, ¿cuándo comenzó Noah a tomar clases de baile?" (So, when did Noah begin taking dance classes?)

They all prattled on and eventually someone started a game of dominos. Then, right at midnight, they all started shovelling down their grapes. Noah did really well, finishing all his grapes within the allotted minute, as did Olivia. People then began hugging and kissing all over the place.

Rafael gave his son a quick bear hug before then pulling his wife in for a kiss. Her lips tasted a bit like Sudra and a moment later Olivia's hands slipped from his waist as her fingers gripped at his salt and pepper hair. Her hands felt like warm embers, raising a fire from within him. Rafael's hands crept to her waist and his chest pressed against hers. Finally, they parted for air and, smiling softly at her, he touched his wife's cheek with his right hand. "Happy New Year, Liv."

Olivia smiled. "Happy New Year, Rafa." The brunette then leaned in and pecked his lips again, Rafael more than eager to participate in that particular activity.

His mother then walked up and pulled Rafael in for a quick hug of her own. She kissed him on the cheek as well. "Feliz Año Nuevo, mi hijo." (Happy New Year, Son.)

He gave her a warm smile. "Feliz Año Nuevo para ti también, Mami." (Happy New Year to you too, Mom.)

It was then that his aunt, being the proud Cuban that she was, demonstrated to Noah the proper way to throw a bucket of water out the front door.

Once that was necessary tradition was done, the dancing and singing resumed. Shortly after one o'clock though, Noah was beyond exhausted and was and Rafael carried the almost passed-out boy out to the rental car so they could drive back to Airbnb and get some much-needed and well-earned rest.

Chapter Text

The following day was spent at the beach and then they had dinner in Kendall with his family. As of ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, however, the Barba-Bensons flew back to New York as Noah's winter break was over. Rafael's mother, however, chose to fly back to the city the prior day as she had a charter school to keep afloat.

He and Olivia had a rather poignant conversation though the night they got home after Noah was tucked into bed. It had happened not long after they finished discussing how the meet-up with Matt and Ginny McCann who she described as 'sweet like candy' and making her feel like 'she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.' Needless to say, Olivia wasn't introducing Noah to them just yet. She wasn't comfortable joining them on Candy Cane Lane just yet. Rightfully so, in Rafael's opinion.

"You know," Rafael stated. "I always felt like I'd end up walking away from the church completely. It probably would've been easier."

"You're lucky you didn't," Olivia said. "You know, there are days where I am envious of Carisi and you. I wish sometimes that I…" She waved the rest of it off.

"That you believed?" he inquired.

She eyed him, having had a similar conversation was Carisi some years previous. "It's more like, um, I wish that this job didn't… didn't make me doubt."

"I get it, Liv. I do." Rafael had no problems admitting that. "That's something that I've struggled with my entire legal career. When you see the things we do on a daily basis, it's hard not to on occasion."

It had come up given the rather Catholic nature of many traditions, including el Día de los Reyes Magos. Basically, they'd decide to expose Noah to it and just follow his lead, not pushing it or forcing it, but just giving him the opportunity to explore it.

The Christmas tree and other decorations were left up and he and Noah went to a park two blocks away and they collected some grass and hay, managing to fill a Ziploc bag. Later on, he, Olivia, and Noah all sat down and made some paper crowns together, the little family just enjoying each other's company.

Shortly before bedtime on the 5th, Rafael had Noah put the grass that they'd collected into the old shoebox that Noah had decorated earlier on that day for the three camels Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar to eat after the long trip. Noah then placed a pair of his shoes beside his bed along with the shoebox and some water.

At bedtime on the 5th, Olivia read Noah a book that Abuela Lucía had bought for him about el Día de los Reyes. It was a neat little bilingual English-Spanish children's book by Rafael A. Osuba called 'Luisito Celebrates Three Kings' Day.'

After their son was fast asleep, Rafael and Olivia carefully dumped out the water in the kitchen sink and while he quietly left Noah's presents, Olivia scattered some of the hay and grass around the boy's bedroom as well as part of the hallway so it looked like the camels had made a mess while eating.

Their son woke up early the next morning, not unlike Christmas morning, and jumped onto their bed to wake them up. Olivia and Rafael both took it in stride as Noah rather boisterously woke them. "¡Feliz Día de los Reyes!" (Happy Three Kings' Day!)

"Buenas," Rafael said with an amused smile. "Y feliz Día de los Reyes para ti también." (Good morning. And happy Three Kings' Day to you as well.)

Olivia eyed her son affectionately. "Did the Wisemen come last night?"

"Uh-huh," Noah replied with a huge grin. "They made a mess too. Come see."

"Okay, okay!" he said with a chuckle. "We're coming. Just let us get dressed."

Following the boy out to the living room, Noah showed them the mess that the camels had left and the presents that he got. There was a small Playmobil set, a memory card game, Spot It! Basic Spanish, two trompos, a thing of marbles, a blue hacky sack, the book Había Una Vez as well as some candy.

Noah flipped through to look at some of the various stories in the book, quickly taking a liking to the story of Ratoncito Pérez y la Cucarachita Martina. While Noah read that, Rafael cleaned up the grass and Olivia brewed coffee and made breakfast.

Eventually, it was time for their son to go to school and both Rafael and Olivia seized the opportunity to walk him to school together. Neither one of them had a very early meeting or had been called into work for an emergency.

"¿Puedo llevar mis bolas a la escuela hoy por favor?" Noah inquired as he put his dirty breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. "I wanna play with them during recess with Liam and Iván." (Can I take my marbles to school today please?)

Olivia nodded. "Sí. As long as you don't lose them, I don't mind." She looked at Noah with a slight tilt of the head and smiled. "So, who is Iván?" (Yes.)

"He's a new kid in my class," Noah explained. "He just moved here from the Bronx and he sits beside me now. He actually brought his own marbles yesterday."

"I'm glad to hear that you made a new friend," Rafael commented happily.

Olivia nodded, feeling quite pleased by it as well. "I am too, Sweetie." She ruffled their son's hair playfully. "Now go put them in your bag and get your shoes on."

Dropping Noah off at school, they both shared a taxi and headed to the 16th precinct to bring Rafael up to speed on the case that her squad caught late the prior afternoon and they wanted Rafael handling.

Rafael then caught an uber to the courthouse to deal with all of the work that he had waiting for him. Counsellor John Buchanan was seemingly trying to drown him with pre-trial motions, so Rafael dealt with that and then made his way to his office a little after eleven o'clock that morning.

He had half a dozen emails and several work calls to reply to and then had a meeting with Minonna Efron who, honestly, annoyed him in a way that even Buchanan couldn't manage to pull off on one of his best days.

He then had a meeting with several individuals from the Human Trafficking Response Unit, as well as a quick meeting with D.A. McCoy and Chief Maxwell.

Rita had been in the building meeting with Carisi regarding a case and then had opted to stop by Rafael's office and invite him to go grab a small lunch. Walking out of the building though Rafael was definitely missing the Miami heat. It was 29° and could be worse but he much preferred 83°. In any case, the pair speed walked and talked in an attempt to get to the sandwich shop as quickly as possible.

"So, how was Miami?" Rita asked.

"It was really good," he replied happily. "Busy but good. Noah's been texting back and forth with a few of the kids he met there so made some new friends. Olivia and I both really enjoyed ourselves too. A nice break from winter. Anyway, how was Sicily?"

"It was great. There was only one day where it was a little damp," she said "Jen was a bit of a baby when we got off the plane back in New York though."

Rafael chuckled. "Glad I wasn't the only one." Jennifer was her slightly younger cousin and after a recent divorce, Rita took her on a trip to try and take her mind off of things. "Did you two end up going to Palazzo Conte Federico like you wanted?"

"We did," Rita confirmed. "Lovely and impressive artifacts. It was probably one of the most interesting places that we saw there. The tour guide was actually the son of the family and he was raised in the palace. It was definitely worth a visit."

After lunch, the pair their separate ways. Rafael then sat down at his desk and got down to work doing prep/review, intake, review discovery… He then had to draft a couple of indictments etc, there was a scene visit scheduled and he had to schedule a meeting with two witnesses for an upcoming trial. He also got another half a dozen work calls from several ADAs as well as an NYPD Lieutenant. The to-do list seemed to just keep growing, but Rafael was more than used to that by now.

He slowly chipped away at the list and shortly before six o'clock Rafael was home after a quick stop by a nearby bodega. Olivia had also apparently tried her hand at making them some arroz con pollo, avocado salad as well as some maduros with a bit of help from his mother who was now busy playing with their energetic nine-year-old. Olivia had done a great job with dinner by all accounts.

"This is really good, Liv!" he said, smiling at his wife with a mix of love and pride. She had really outdone herself. "This is all absolutely delicious."

Noah nodded his head rather enthusiastically before he spoke. "Yeah, Mom. Papi's right. ¡Te la comiste! This is really good." (You nailed it!)

His mother gave a curt nod, smiling. "You're a pretty quick study, Mamita. Well done."

Olivia tilted her head, smiling contently. "Well, thank you. I'm glad you like it."

“We do.” Rafael turned to Noah, smiling. "So, how was school today?"

They polished off their dinner plates and then it was time for the four of them to have some turrones, dates, hazelnuts, walnuts, as well as  torrejas for dessert.

“These make me think of french toast,” Noah commented as he took a bite of torreja.

The Barba matriarch chuckled softly. “Sí, they are a lot like that. But there’s lemon zest.” 

“Makes it just that much better,” he quipped as he shoved a forkful of torreja into his mouth.

Olivia shook her head at Rafael in amusement. “Obviously, Rafa.”

It was Friday night, so after dinner they let Noah pick out a movie for the four of them to watch. The boy ended up picking Home Alone 2: Lost in New York for them to watch and dozed off in the last ten minutes of the movie.

Rafael carried their sleeping child to bed and said goodnight to his mother. He then got pulled into a kiss by his wife who proceeded to beam at him. "Today was great, Rafa. I am so glad that we did this."

Rafael's own grin grew at that. "Me too, Liv. Me too."

Chapter Text

The weekend flew by and Rafael spent all of Monday and Tuesday in court. Rafael had two very late nights at work as well trying to get everything done that he needed to. He felt a bit bad for not being home much lately, but it was what it was.

In any case, while he'd been busy working Olivia had invited Donald and Eileen Cragen over to theirs for dinner. The Cragens just got back to New York after a week-long trip down to Fort Lauderdale from visiting Eileen's daughter and their granddaughters who quite clearly had Donald wrapped around their fingers.

Rafael walked in gave his wife a kiss and was surprised but pleased to see that Donald and Eileen were still there and that Noah was awake, saying goodnight to his Grandpa Don and Grandma Eily. Pleased he was home in time, he read Noah one of the stories from the new book he got on Día de los Reyes. "Fin." (The end.)

Noah yawned. "¿Puedes leerme un cuento más?" (Can I have one more story?)

He gave a slight shake of the head. "No, es tarde, Noah. Mañana hay escuela y tienes que dormir. Mañana es otro día." (No, it's late, Noah. There's school tomorrow and you need to get some sleep. Tomorrow's another day.)

Noah nodded and smiled sleepily up at him. "Te quiero, Papi." (I love you, Dad.)

"Yo también te quiero, Papito." Rafael leaned down and kissed his son on the forehead. "Buenas noches, que sueñes con los angelitos." (I love you too, Kiddo. Good night and don't let the bedbugs bite.)

Walking out of the bedroom, Rafael quickly noted that Olivia had poured him a tumbler of his preferred scotch and he joined his wife and the Cragens in the living room.

"So, how was Fort Lauderdale?" he asked.

"Short but sweet," Eileen replied. "We're hoping to go back down there soon."

Donald smiled fondly. "Brooke and Kelsey are growing up so fast. Brooke's doing really well in middle school and Kelsey's doing equally well in high school. It's still a little bit mind-boggling that she's a freshman already."

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Olivia said, easily understanding the sentiment. "Noah started the third grade this year and I'm already dreading Middle School drop-offs."

"I'm just glad he's old enough to be reasoned with," he commented in jest.

Olivia laughed. "I remember you holding him like a bomb was about to go off the first time I asked you to hold him. You've come a long way."

Donald eyed them both. "Okay, that's one story that I definitely need to hear."

Eileen was equally amused. "Come on, Liv. Spill the beans. You know Don'll get it out of you anyways.

He sighed dramatically. "Before she does, I find it very important to note that I had no exposure to little kids prior to the incident and therefore I cannot be held accountable for my ignorance."

Donalds started laughing. "Spoken like a true lawyer."

He shot the man a cheeky look. "Always, Don."

Waking up the following morning, they went about their usual morning routines. Rafael made himself some pan con mantequilla and café con leche while Noah and Olivia both had some cereal. Well, Olivia ate hers and the nine-year-old boy periodically ate some of his cereal in between chatting about what he was going to do later after school with his friend Iván and playing with one of the wooden spinning tops that he got on Día de los Reyes right there on the kitchen table.

Around a quarter after eight in the morning, Rafael and Olivia both threw their winter gear on and walked Noah down to his elementary school together.

The pair then caught a cab together straight to the 16th precinct for what was going to hopefully be a brief meeting with Chief Dodds. Short but sweet, their meeting came to an end when the conversation started trailing off to the commotion outside. All three of them had heard that loud thud and were concerned.

The squad room was overrun with both police officers and civilians alike at the minute and given the nature of the Special Victims Unit, they weren't surprised that there was some sort of conflict going on. They'd hoped that the various officers and detectives that were on hand could manage the situation well enough.

Opening Olivia's office door, the three of them saw Amanda and Velasco coming out of Interrogation One with a man and a woman. The redheaded woman was in the middle of screaming her head off. "You're lying, you son of a bitch!"

"She is certifiable!" the man fired back.

"That's enough!" Amanda stated firmly, eying both individuals. "Both of you stop." She then turned back towards the redheaded woman. "Vickey, can you please tell me exactly what you saw?

"He was in my daughter's bed last night!" the woman replied. "Lock him up!"

"I was just holding her!" the man exclaimed.

"Holding her?" the woman scoffed. The redhead lunged and began kicking the crap out of her ex-boyfriend. That relationship was definitely over.

"Oh!" Velasco got in there to try and break it up. "Whoa, whoa! Hey, Vickey, come on. That's enough. Sit down and talk to us."

"Whoa!" Amanda said as it continued. "Hey!"

There was overlapping shouting still as Fin jumped in to help Velasco remove the man from the situation and Amanda took Vickey gently by the arm and then walked her in the completely opposite direction.

The man was still yelling. "She's crazy, you see that?!"

Shaking his head, he turned to his wife and shot her a cheeky grin. "Good Luck."

"You leaving already, Counsellor?" she asked in jest.

He smirked at the NYPD captain. Better you than me. "Yep. Text me if you make sense of that before court adjourns today."

Making his way out of the precinct, he swiftly made his way to the courthouse for what was to be the last trial day for a child abuse case against a daycare worker. There was one more witness testifying, the defendant himself actually, and then as twelve o'clock came around the judge gave them an hour-long recess for lunch.

After lunch, it was time for both counsellors to begin presenting their summations and closing arguments. Rafael wasn't as confident about which way things were going to go as he would've liked but he did his best not to show it.

Earlier on in the trial, defence counsel often established during cross-examination that there were other things going on in all of the children's lives at the time, including the deaths of relatives, births of siblings, and other family changes that could account for such behaviour and disorient a child's fragile psyche.

"You know," he stated, "the tragic thing about bringing a child abuse case to court like this is that the victim - the child has to come up here and tell in their own words, the child's words, frightening experiences." He sighed, opting to play the emotional game. "And then the rest of the trial, the entire rest of it, the defence tries to show that they are making it up for whatever reason." He shot the jury members a questioning look. "Do you really believe that in this case that Mr. Matthews did not do what he's accused of? You've seen three children; you've seen a pattern. And we're going to go through that, maybe you've forgotten. I know I had when I started going back through a lot of these things. Forgotten a lot of things that begin to become clear and emerge as a pattern with all three of them. They lived in fear. These kids lived in fear for a long time. They were utterly, totally powerless in their minds to stop it." He lifted both of his hands in a pleading gesture. "And that's what you've got to think about." Rafael paused a beat. "It's hard for me and you to stand up here and think about how a four or five-year-old thinks. It's hard. It's been a long time. I know it has been since I was that age. And it is hard to remember how you would feel as small a child. But I think that all of us here remember what it's like being scared as a young child. The kinds of things that scared you as a child." He then stepped towards the jury box. "So they felt they were utterly and totally powerless to stop what was going on." Rafael gave them a more impressed look. "Despite that fear, they told their parents and you what was done to them. Don't let the defence discredit them because of their age. The children know what was done to them and told you just that. Listen to them. Believe them."

Taking his seat, Rafael watched as Counsellor Efron took her place in the centre of the courtroom and began presenting her closing argument. "Thank you so much for your full attention, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, on this very important case." The very annoying attorney then made a, frankly, less-than-shocking move. "The parents didn't see anything wrong at House of Dwarfs Daycare, the other daycare workers didn't see anything wrong, and none of the alleged victims said anything when the alleged abuse started. Mr. Matthews has dedicated his entire adult life to caring for and guiding these children. And yet, we are all asked to second-guess him today. Does that sound fair to you? It doesn't to me. Several of the witnesses also made misstatements, so how can we believe anything else that they've said here during the course of this trial? How do we believe that this isn't just parents manipulating their children?"

Without missing a beat, Rafael rose to his feet to give his rebuttal. "Thank you for your attention in this matter. Ladies and gentlemen, there's a difference between dedicating your life to helping people and seeking out access to vulnerable individuals. There is a difference between lying and being afraid. And there is a difference between being a repeat offender and a conspiracy." He then shot the jury box a pointed look. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, none of the families are pursuing things civilly, this isn't for financial gain. The only goal is justice for the children." Rafael licked his lips. "There is a saying that actions speak louder than words. We ask you to judge the defendant by his actions, by what he did at the centre, not by what Mr. Matthews said here in court. His claims here do not match his actions at work. He often took children who were not even in his class to the washroom during lunch. That's just one example. Think about it. I then ask that you find the defendant accountable for what he's done. And that is sexual abuse in the first degree." He nodded to the jury. "Thank you."

Taking a seat back down at the prosecution's table, Judge Pepitone finally sent the jury off to deliberate. Gathering his things, he went to the washroom and then headed back to his office at 1 Hogan Place.

He hadn't been back at his office long, however, as at half-past-two he got called back to the courthouse as the jury was back. Rafael had been a little nervous as it had been so quick, but he couldn't help but feel pleased when the guilty verdict was read off.

Sonny caught up with him, wanting to discuss something with Rafael quickly, but then he decided to just call it good. Letting Carmen know that he was going to be working remotely for the rest of the day, he gathered up a couple of things that he needed to get some prep done back at the apartment and headed home for the day.

Lucy immediately greeted him as he walked into the apartment. "Hi, Rafael."

"¡Hola, Papi!" Noah called out, glancing up and over at him from the living room coffee table where he and Iván were busy playing with lego. (Hi, Dad!)

"Got out of work a bit earlier today?" Lucy asked.

"Yep," he said. "Might get a little prep done later but there was nothing keeping me at the office. After the last few days, I wanted to get home."

The nanny nodded. "For sure." She gestured towards the two third-graders. "The boys have both been great, by the way. Nothing but polite. I did say that Noah could do his homework later after Iván goes home though. I also offered them a snack but neither wants one just yet."

"Yeah," he agreed, "that's fine. Thank you, Lucy." He walked over to the two boys and smiled warmly at them. "What are you two making?"

"Robots," Noah replied happily. "And Iván this is my dad. Papi, this is Iván."

Iván gave Rafael a slightly shy smile. "Hola. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Nice to meet you too, Iván." He then kneeled down. "So, how about you two show me these robots you're making? I love robots."

Both of the boys eagerly started showing off their creations, Iván becoming noticeably more comfortable with him almost instantly. After that, they said goodbye to Lucy and Rafael made the boys an afternoon snack. He also let Iván know that it was alright to tutear him rather than use usted. They'd used a fair amount of Spanish once Lucy had taken off to get ready for a dinner meeting her boyfriend's parents.

Both boys were happily eating crackers with guava paste and cream cheese when Iván looked at him questioningly. "¿Me das un poco más de jugo de china por favor?" (Can I have some more orange juice please?)

A confused look crossed Noah's face. "¿Jugo de china?"

Iván nodded and looked at him quite hopefully.

Rafael decided to kill two birds with one stone as it were and answer his son's question with a statement. With Iván being Puerto Rican, his Spanish was a little different from Rafael's and what Noah learned. It wasn't just the accents but some of the vocabulary as well. "Sí, Iván, te serviré un poco más de jugo de naranja." (Yeah, Iván, I'll get you some more orange juice.)

Rafael quickly scanned the contents of the fridge as he grabbed the orange juice.

The boy gave him a grateful smile as he refilled his glass. "Gracias." (Thank you.)

He turned to his son. "¿Qué te parece el arroz con frijoles negros y bistec empanizado para la cena de esta noche?" (What do you think about us having rice with black beans and breaded steak for dinner tonight?)

"Me parece bien," Noah replied without missing a beat. (It sounds good to me.)

"¿Qué son los frijoles?" Iván inquired. It was yet another one of those words that were different depending on the dialect. (What are frijoles?)

"Es otra palabra para habichuelas," he explained. (It's another word for beans.)

Iván nodded. "Está bien, gracias." (Okay, thanks.)

Rafael refilled Noah's glass as well and then once the boy's finished their snack, Rafael sent them both off to play again. The boys decided to play Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch that Olivia gave Noah for Christmas two years ago during the pandemic.

He had to laugh when Noah was grumbling about accidentally driving off the track and Iván feigned pity and dramatically said, "¡Ay, bendito!" (Oh, poor baby!)

Noah rolled his eyes in a very impressive imitation of Rafael and smiled playfully at his friend. "Sólo espera un momentico." Noah threw some bananas on the track, giggling, and just like that he was right back in the race. (You just wait a moment.)

Shaking his head in amusement, Rafael then refocused on the work email that he was in the middle of replying to. A prosecutor's job was never done.

Chapter Text

The next week seemed to pass in a bit of a blur for Rafael. Work wasn't the only thing that was keeping him busy either. Both his mother and Billie - who Al Pollack had just agreed to allow to be adopted - had birthdays and they'd all gotten together. Billie had a birthday dinner at the apartment and Rafael took his mother out for a nice dinner at one of her favourite restaurants.

Waking up that Thursday, they all went about their usual morning routine. Rafael had an early meeting and wasn't able to walk Noah to school. After the meeting with the District Attorney, he had arraignment court for a felony assault and a motion hearing for a case that Buchanan was trying to drag out.

The rest of the day wasn't much calmer and he was glad when he was able to go home and just call it a day. Olivia had been called into work for a close job on a domestic violence case, so wasn't home yet. Admittedly, that put him a little bit on edge. Rafael knew full well that DV was one of the most dangerous situations in the world. There was a reason that the wife had requested a police escort out of there.

Trying to distract himself, Rafael was in the kitchen making dinner while their son was doing his homework. Noah had been excited about dance class that, chatting happily about what he'd learned and their new routine. Until he started his school project.

In any case, he had decided on making them some picadillo, white rice, roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, as well as some tostones. With that in mind, Rafael rummaged through the cupboards and grabbed the olive oil, pimentón, garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary, sea salt and pepper for the roasted potatoes.

As he started washing the potatoes, he stole a glance at Noah. The nine-year-old was staring intently down at his homework assignment, a frown creasing Noah's forehead as the boy chewed furiously on the end of his blue pen.

Rafael shifted his stance slightly, so he could see. It was a blank page. The only thing currently on it was the bright 'MY FAMILY TREE!' title that Noah had made by gluing a series of differently coloured foam letters along the top of the page.

Rafael honestly couldn't believe that assignment was still being done in schools. They clearly didn't think about the children who were in foster care, adopted, had divorced parents or any other number of situations and how it would affect them.

The students in Noah's class had to present their family tree projects on Monday along with a fun story they'd learned about their family or a specific relative of theirs.

Noah was a good student but was also evidently stressed out by this particular project. Rafael watched as Noah wrote his own name at the bottom of the page. From there, it was simple enough to draw a short line upwards and to the left slightly, where the boy then paused once more. Before he could say anything, the nine-year-old boy muttered something under his breath. "I have no idea where to even start."

Rafael turned the tap off, grabbing a knife so he could chop the potatoes. "¿El nombre de tu mamá?" he suggested gently. (Your mom's name?)

"¿De cuál mamá?" Noah replied. (Which mom's?)

That comment didn't surprise him. He'd suspected that was a key issue. Noah was not sure about how the adoption of it all fit into this. Rafael had a feeling that this was also going to be a necessary conversation if Noah ever found out about his half-brother. He put the knife down and turned to face his son. "Hay una diferencia entre una mamá y una madre." (There's a difference between a mom and a mother.)

Noah considered that statement for a moment and then picked up the pen again and wrote "Olivia." Rafael then watched him add "Mom" underneath it in parenthesis as it seemed a little strange in a way for him to use her actual name. The boy then glanced over at Rafael, smiled, and then drew a line to the right, printing "Rafael" with the word "Dad" written right below it in parenthesis.

The boy drew a short line upwards and to the right slightly of Rafael's name and wrote "Lucía." Drawing the line up from Olivia's name, Noah paused. "Mamá nunca habla de su papá." (Mom never talks about her dad.)

"¿Quién llevó a tu mamá al altar en nuestra boda?" he said without missing a beat. He knew that genetics had been something she had struggled with for years and how she now felt about it. (Who walked your mom down the aisle at our wedding?)

He saw the moment his point clicked on Noah's face. "Grandpa Don." Noah titled his head slightly. "¿Y quién es tu papá? Tú tampoco hablas nunca de él, Papi." (And who is your dad? You never talk about him either, Dad.)

Rafael tried to cover up a sigh. He didn't really want to get into a discussion about the man who had made growing up more than a tad miserable, had bullied him in his very own home. "Se llama Manuel y sus padres se llamaban Josefina y Rafael." (His name is Manuel and his parents were Josefina and Rafael.)

Noah nodded, jotting that information down.

He gave his son a warmer smile. "Chico, tienes una familia elegida pero es tu familia." (You have a found family, Kiddo, but it is your family.)

Feeling a lot more confident now, Noah began furiously scribbling various names down on the large piece of paper. No, he didn't have much in the way of a biological family but who cared? He had a mom, a dad, an Uncle Fin, an Uncle Sonny, an Aunty Amanda, a Jesse, a Billie, an Abuela Lucía, a Grandpa Don and a Grandma Eily. He was not alone by any stretch of the imagination.

Leaving Noah to it, Rafael smiled and picked the knife back up, starting to chop up the potatoes and get their picadillo started. Hopefully, the point that he had been trying to make had fully clicked and would actually stick with the boy. Especially if they did end up deciding to open the door and introduce Noah to the McCanns.

What was that quote he'd read by Leigh Anne Tuohy? Ah, yes! 'Families don't have to match. You don't have to look like someone else to love them.'

Chapter Text

Rafael had just finished watching his son walk through the main doors of P.S 199 when his cell phone started to ring. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he saw the name on the caller I.D. and then frowned slightly at it: Captain Harris.

Answering the call, Rafael was less than pleased by what he was told. Apparently, one of his subordinates had decided to, yet again, not play nicely with the SVU detectives. This time, those from the 10th precinct where the captain was currently assigned due to some staffing issues there. Rafael knew that she had pulled some stunts before but at this point, she was further burning bridges and just making Rafael look like a fool. In the middle of working a sex trafficking case, nonetheless.

I'm sorry, my Bureau Chief did what?! "That's unacceptable," he stated, trying to keep his temper under check. The captain wasn't who he was irritated with. Actually, quite the contrary if he was honest.

Captain Harris sighed. "Yeah. All she did was criticize everyone this morning and after what she yelled at Detective Lowe yesterday everyone's patience was already running dry. I am done trying to mediate between everyone when she won't try and thought I'd give you a heads-up. Professional courtesy. Sergeant Vásquez has made it clear that he wants to request another ADA take the case. He's not the only one."

"I'll handle her," he explained. "Send me the formal written request. I'll also have ADA Novak meet you down at the precinct and take over the case."

"Thank you," Captain Harris commented. "Good luck."

Getting on the phone, he called the Bureau Chief to demand a meeting and then met up with Sonny to discuss her conduct with him in more depth.

Walking into his office at half past nine, he was glad that he didn't have to be in court that morning. He had just set his large coffee down on his desk when he heard a loud knock at the door to the office.

"Yes?" he called as he took off his coat and laid it on the back of his chair.

A couple of seconds later, the door opened to reveal Vanessa Hadid - the Bureau Chief for the Sex Crimes Unit that he had inherited from E.A.D.A Crawford - standing at the door with several manilla folders in her hands.

He gestured for his subordinate to come in, managing to keep his tone in check. "Take a seat."

"You said to bring it all, sir?" she asked

"I did," Rafael agreed, walking over to take some of them and set them on the coffee table at the other side of his office. "Let's start with why you're here."

Rafael definitely lost his temper on Hadid somewhat as they talked but after hearing a rather impressive series of excuses he told her she would be finishing off her current caseload with ADA Novak as co-counsel and was going to be relieved of her position as Bureau Chief. He had no use for a Bureau Chief that had at least two precincts pretty much refuse to work with them outright as well as compromised no less than two sex trafficking cases due to their highly inflated ego. Not to mention that the woman kept being absolutely disrespectful to Sonny and making comments about the younger man going back to the NYPD if he even appeared to disagree with her about anything.

Novak had agreed to be his interim Bureau Chief for the unit but he was hoping to get the woman to agree to take it on and come back full-time. She still wanted to continue her work with the non-profit support woman still, understandably, but he was still very much hoping to persuade her.

Once that whole situation was dealt with, Rafael had a quick phone call with one of his other Bureau Chiefs and then sat back down at his desk so that he could cross off one or two of the items on his rather extensive to-do list. He'd just finished setting up a witness interview when his cell phone began ringing. He was taken slightly aback by whose voice was on the other end. "Judge Linden."

The judge didn't miss a beat. "Counsellor Barba, I was wondering if you and your wife would be amicable to meet me in chambers later today."

Feeling even more confused, Rafael scrunched up his face slightly. "Sure, Judge. I'll talk to Olivia but can I know what this is about?"

"It involves a potential foster placement," the judge explained. "I'll explain more of the situation in person if you can come in around say… four this afternoon."

He frowned slightly. The judge wants us to take in a child? It wasn't something that he and Olivia had discussed, having or taking in another child. With their ages and jobs, it hadn't seemed particularly necessary. "I see." He wracked his brain slightly. "I'll talk to Olivia and we'll plan to be there around four o'clock."

"That's great," the judge said gratefully. "I'll hopefully see you both then."

Getting off the phone with Judge Linden, he called Olivia and swiftly filled her in on the situation with the judge. Olivia agreed to meet with her, so they both ended the call to go back to work and get as much done as they could before it was time for them both to make their way to family court to meet with the judge.

Meeting with Trevor Langan in the hallway, the three of them quickly discussed things before finally being called into the judge's chambers. In the end, Rafael and Olivia decided to hear the judge out and actually consider the foster-adopt proposal.

The judge smiled. "Captain, Counsellor. I am glad you both could make it." She gave a slight nod towards Counsellor Langan. "I see that you've brought counsel."

Counsellor Langan gave a slight nod and smiled. "Good afternoon, Judge."

Olivia smiled at the Family Court judge. "We're glad we could make it too, Your Honour."

Rafael dipped his head slightly. "Good afternoon, Judge. So, you mentioned some sort of foster placement when we were on the phone earlier?"

Judge Linden gave a small nod of the head. "Yes, I did." She glanced between both him and Olivia. "Are either of you familiar with the name Alejandro Ramírez?"

"The Del Toro Lieutenant?" Olivia asked. They had dealt with the Del Toros a few times over the years. Almost as often as they did with BX9.

The judge nodded and shot them a very serious look. "Ramírez was taken into custody about three months ago for killing his girlfriend. They had a young child together who is in need of a home." The judges sighed. "The two remaining relatives were declared unfit quite quickly." She leaned towards them slightly. "One of the foster mothers has filed for legal separation after the husband relapsed and the other placement had too many children in the home, finding themselves stretched thin. This will be baby Sofía's third home in just a matter of months."

He swallowed and then caught Olivia's eye. That poor little girl. The system's failing.

"That's just so heartbreaking," Olivia replied as she took the information in. It sounded so much like Noah's situation had been as an infant in foster care. "So, you are looking for something permanent for her?"

"Always," the judge confirmed. "And ideally it would be with a family where Sofía could learn both her language and culture. Unfortunately, we need more qualified and caring foster parents all around, let alone Latin ones."

He swallowed. "How old is Sofía exactly?" he inquired.

"She's seventeen months old," Judge Linden said. "If you both agree, I will order Sofía García-Ramírez into your care as custodial parents for six months, at which time you'll be given the option to permanently adopt her."

He dipped his head slightly and then turned his wife. "What do you think, mi amor?"

Olivia tilted her head slightly. "If you're open to it, Rafa, I think we should.”

Rafael nodded. "Yeah, me too." He turned back to Judge Linden. "Can we meet her?"

"Of course!" the judge replied with a pleased smile as she had the social worker bring in the baby girl so that they could finally see her.

Chantal Jackson walked over and handed baby Sofía over to Olivia and Rafael watched his wife melt as Olivia looked down at the little girl. She had soft brunette curls, green eyes, and was smiling brightly as she looked around at Olivia and their surroundings.

"She's amazing," Olivia stated while holding the tiny bundle in her arms. Her voice was as gentle as her face. Olivia was smiling affectionately and he watched his wife place a small, gentle kiss on their young foster daughter to-be's forehead.

"Do you want to hold her?" she asked as she glanced over at him.

"I'd love to." Rafael gingerly took the little girl from Olivia's arms and sat back down in the chair in front of Judge Linden. Looking down at the baby he was holding, Rafael's heart melted too. This little girl was adorable and he felt so bad that she'd been given such a rough start to life. "Hola, princesa." (Hey there, princess.)

Signing all of the necessary paperwork, they had Rollins drop them off a car seat and then headed to a nearby store to grab all the things they needed. It looked like their family had just gotten a little bit bigger. I can't believe I have two kids now. Not too long ago, I didn't think I'd ever even have one child. I just hope I don't mess this up.

Chapter Text

The next week was quite an adjustment for the entire Barba-Benson family, Noah was, thankfully, a little bit older and could do quite a bit around the house, at least, rather independently. With that being said, Rafael and Olivia were also juggling a lot more as they managed both kids. After what was a rough first two nights, Sofía was sleeping through the night. Olivia had taken time off as well and stayed home from work since they'd brought Sofía home and was going back to work today. That made this morning just that little bit more hectic.

Space was an issue though as they currently had Sofía sleeping in their room. He and Olivia had started looking at brownstones in Noah's school district. They'd found a few decent options and were going to look at one later on that afternoon.

As everybody was eating breakfast and getting ready for their day, Rafael couldn't help but smile at the interactions between Noah and Sofía.

Noah handled the sudden new addition to their little family so much better than either Rafael or Olivia had really expected. They'd expected some initial jealousy or reticence about now having to share them and no longer being the only child.

So, who's that?" Noah asked curiously, pointing to the seventeen-month-old baby who was currently laying quietly in the new stroller they'd just bought.

"We actually wanted to talk to you about that," Olivia said. She and Rafael took a seat on either side of Noah who'd been seated on the couch with a book when they walked in. "Her name's Sofía. Do you remember Judge Linden, Sweetie?"

Noah nodded. "Uh-huh. She was very nice."

Olivia smiled and tilted her head slightly. "She is. Judge Linden also asked your father and I if Sofía could come and stay with us."

Noah immediately frowned. "Why?"

Rafael decided to jump in and help his wife, wracking his brain for how to best explain it in the most child-friendly manner possible. "Her mother passed away and her father can't take care of her. She has no other relatives who can take her in either."

Their son tilted his head slightly and eyed Sofía. "So this is permanent then?"

"That's the plan!" Olivia confirmed, hoping that the frankly huge surprise didn't bother their son too much. "Are you okay with this, Sweetie?"

The nine-year-old boy seemed to consider that for a moment and then addressed both adults. "Yeah, I am. I figure there's enough to go around."

Both Olivia and Rafael were a little confused by that statement but Olivia was the first one to speak. "Enough what, Sweetie?"

Noah smiled at them both while shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Everything."

Of course, Noah had some questions and they explained things to him as best as they could. After that though, their son had thrown himself into the role of big brother and became quite fond of the bubbly little girl.

Noah giggled as Sofía enthusiastically played with her Cheerios. The little girl had quite the talent for getting food everywhere. "You're supposed to eat those silly."

Olivia rolled her eyes in amusement. "She apparently seems to have other ideas."

Noah quirked an eyebrow, equally amused. "Clearly."

"You weren't much better," he gently teased, ruffling the nine-year-old's hair playfully. "You single-handedly ensured several dry cleaning trips for my suits."

Noah laughed. "Your poor suits and suspenders."

"They survived," he deadpanned without missing a beat.

The seventeen-month-old grabbed her empty sippy cup and then banged it audibly on the tray of her high chair. "Yeche." She did it again. "Yeche."

Easily understanding the solid attempt at Spanish, he got up and refilled the little girl's sippy cup with some milk. She grinned as Rafael handed the cup back to her and then immediately shoved it into her mouth.

Rafael had just finished his second cup of coffee when there was a knock on their door and Lucy walked in. She had stopped by the night before for dinner and to meet Sofía. The Pattersons no longer needed a regular nanny due to the mother's hours changing among other things. Lucy had happily taken them up on watching Sofía when it came up and both he and Olivia were thrilled. They'd both been a little nervous about trying to find Sofía a nanny that they didn't know. They trusted Lucy implicitly.

Lucy chuckled as the little girl immediately went for his glasses. He was out of contact lenses at the moment and although Rafael had ordered himself some new contacts the aforementioned order hadn't come in just yet.

He gently removed the little girl's hand from his glasses. "No, Princesa. Mis espejuelos no son un juguete." He then handed Sofía one of her toys from the ground beside him and had her start playing with that instead. (No, Princess. My glasses are not a toy.)

Lucy gave him a lopsided smile. "I feel like that's going to be an ongoing battle."

He rolled his eyes. "She wouldn't keep her hands off of Sonny's crucifix either."

"Now that is going to be a losing battle," Olivia quipped.

Their nine-year-old gave a little snort at that. "Yeah, she can be a little grabby."

They all quickly discussed everything that was going on and then Rafael had Noah get his backpack and the pair ran out the door to make sure that Noah got to school on time. Honestly, the jump from one kid to two is, whew!

Rafael was even more grateful to Carmen who always managed to help keep his chaos organized and very manageable. There were a couple of changes to his schedule and it would've driven him crazy otherwise trying to keep it all straight

Two of his hearings that morning were moved around and one of them didn't go quite the way Rafael would've liked. It could've been worse though. He then had a meeting with Sonny and Chief Maxwell regarding a high-profile case that the junior ADA caught several months before and was finally going to trial. After that, he had a meeting with Counsellor Novak who was doing quite well as interim Bureau Chief.

Rafael had a quick lunch at his desk, going over several reports and returning a dozen or so work calls and emails before heading to the courthouse with Sonny to assist him with prepping one of his witnesses for the aforementioned high-profile rape case.

A little after four o'clock, Rafael gathered up his things and headed right outside of the D.A.'s Office. He was meeting Olivia there as she was picking him up so that they could go to the viewing for the brownstone they'd been looking at.

It was a four-bedroom, one of which could be turned into a study for Rafael, as well as what looked to be a decent-sized backyard for both of the children to play in. It would also only add a couple of minutes to the walk to school in the morning.

Things had changed quite a bit lately but he was honestly looking forward to this next, rather exciting if he was honest, chapter in their lives.

Chapter Text

The next couple of weeks felt like an absolute whirlwind in both Rafael's professional and personal lives. Between Olivia's birthday dinner, work, moving, and still adjusting to having two children to look after… he loved it, but it was definitely a lot.

There was nobody currently in the brownstone that Rafael and Olivia had looked at as it had been empty for a month already. Thankfully, that meant that after they put the offer on the places they were rather quickly approved and got the keys.

Moving ended up being a chaotic mess with two young children but Fin, Rita, Eddie, as well as the Carisis got right in there helping. His mother helped them out with some of the unpacking as well but there was no way Rafael was letting her deal with any of the furniture. He frankly didn't want her unpacking either but he knew it wasn't a fight he was ever going to win. Besides they needed to get settled and organized as quickly as possible in order to pass ACS's required home study.

They quietly showed the social worker around both floors of their brownstone and then reconvened in the living room on the main floor while the social worker went and took yet another look around their kitchen.

Olivia turned to Ms. Jackson. "So the outlets are covered. Um, corner padding."

"We also put child locks on all of the lower cupboards," Rafael quickly added.

Their counsel evidently felt the need to back them up with the frequently hard to read social worker. "My clients have child-proofed every inch."

"And she's been eating a lot lately," Olivia said.

Ms. Jackson nodded. "How about outdoor activity?"

Rafael took this question. "She has several toys to use in the backyard, and, of course, the babysitter takes her out to the park and such every day."

Counsellor Langan chimed back into the conversation. "And they both spend weekends and mornings with Sofía. Evenings too as much as possible."

Olivia dipped her head slightly. "And at night, of course, we read. Given the, well, lack of stability Sofía's had as an infant we want to make sure that she doesn't get too far behind in her language development."

"In either language," he added without missing a single beat. "We're making sure that she has solid exposure to both English and Spanish."

"Good." Ms. Jackson was now looking at the toys in the living room. Noah had, much to their relief, remembered to put all of his lego projects away when they'd asked him to do so the night before. "Are you using the One Parent, One Language method with her?"

"For the most part," he confirmed. "If we're in a group, that's a little different."

The social worker gave a slight nod. "That's fair." She walked over to where the three of them had been waiting for her. "Do you sing with her? That's also important."

"Of course," Olivia confirmed easily. "We both do."

Ms. Jackson gave a small nod. "Good."

Olivia eyed the social worker. "Okay. So..."

The social worker smiled ever so slightly at the pair. "You two passed today's home study. I'm also impressed you decided to move to better accommodate Sofía and did so as quickly as you did."

So, two weeks later they were unpacked, settled into their new home, and passed the social worker's home study. With that huge relief in mind, Rafael got up a bit early that Monday morning with Sofía, changed her and dressed her in a clean onesie, and then got her settled into her highchair. Rafael then gave the little girl some milk, Cheerios, as well as half of a banana to eat. Getting some good Bustelo brewing, of course, was Rafael's next step. He definitely needed the caffeine right now.

Not much later, both Noah and Olivia woke up and started their usual morning routine. They enjoyed breakfast together and then Lucy arrived and it was time for them to get going. Olivia had to get to a meet a bit earlier than usual so Rafael ended up being the one to walk Noah to school before going into work.

Rafael had a couple of meetings that morning so had only been in his office for maybe an hour and a half when Olivia and Fin stopped by his office to speak about a case his office had caught about seven weeks before. Someone posted a video on YouTube of a seemingly violent altercation between a couple, deciding to record it and post it rather than stepping up and doing anything to actually help the situation.

Rafael glanced up from the iPad and opened the office door. "Out of context, this video is disturbing, but it doesn't contradict the police report sent to the A.D.A."

"Who was this A.D.A.?" Olivia inquired.

"Uh, Danielle Fichter." Rafael took a seat at his desk. "Green, but good. Taking her first vacation in two years. To say that she is dedicated is an understatement."

Olivia didn't seem at all pleased by his comment but it wasn't the first time that they'd disagreed about how to best handle a case that came across their desks. He and Olivia were both more than a little bit stubborn. "Well, to say that she threw the book at him is an overstatement."

He rescanned the file quickly before speaking. "The arresting officers said that it was a drunken spat. Fichter dropped the charges against Madison, offered Tyler adjournment in contemplation of dismissal." There's nothing wrong with the deal Fichter offered. It's fairly standard actually. Why is Olivia so mad about this? "He does community service, doesn't re-offend..."

Fin gave a slight nod. He wasn't necessarily a fan but was reasonable. "In six months, it all gets dropped."

Rafael gave the police captain a rather pointed look and then spoke. "Look, that's the deal that I give when the victim refuses to cooperate. Or are you saying that because they're rich, we should have given them anti-preferential treatment?"

The captain looked slightly taken aback by Rafael's retort. "I'm saying that your A.D.A. shouldn't have taken the arresting officer's word."

Rafael raised an eyebrow. "I take your word all the time." He rather audibly closed the manilla folder. "Anyway, this is moot. The deal was offered. The lawyer said no."

"They turned down a 'get out of jail free' card?" the SVU sergeant asked. "Why?"

"It's the smart move," Olivia stated. "Tyler called the A.D.A.'s bluff. He just assumed that he'd get away with it regardless." Rafael licked his lips as he sat there and listened to Olivia's likely accurate conjectures. "What? He's probably worried about p.r. He's trying to avoid community service. So, great, he just gets away with everything."

"Everything?" he reiterated without missing a beat. He had listened but she still didn't have the case that she thought she did. Yet. "Look, there's not a lot here. Any footage from a different angle? Any witnesses?"

"Detectives Velasco and Carisi are looking into it," Olivia said. They were finally getting used to Amanda's new name. "And when they find it, we know what we're gonna see. The same thing that we've seen time and time again from these guys. She tripped on the steps outside? Come on!"

Rafael exhaled. "Since he didn't take the offer, the case is still open. Find something or get Madison to cooperate. Go from there."

"We will," the captain agreed with a much more amicable tone. "Talk to you later."

The sergeant gave him a small nod. "See ya, Counsellor."

Rafael waved them off and as Olivia and Fin walked out, he couldn't help but shake his head in fond exasperation. Today was definitely going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

Wednesday morning, the Barba-Bensons got up and went about their usual routine. He and Olivia had gone out for a nice Valentine's Day dinner the evening before, Rafael's mother eagerly watching both of the kids. They had gone to a French restaurant and then went out dancing.

Rafael smiled at his mother after they got her some clean bedding and settled into the brownstone for the night. "Bueno, gracias de nuevo por cuidar a los niños, Mami." (So, thanks again for watching the kids, Mom.)

The Barba matriarch waved the comment off. "No hay necesidad, Hijo. Sabes que me encanta pasar tiempo con mis nietecitos." She then shot both Rafael and Olivia a rather pointed look. "Vayan, diviértanse." (No need, Son. You know I love getting to spend spend time with my grandbabies. Go, have fun.)

Rafael selected a dark grey suit, a white Oxford-style shirt, a red polka-doted tie, and the matching pocket square. He also grabbed a pair of light grey suspenders, a pair of black dress shoes, and his light grey overcoat to complete the set.

His wife threw on a pair of black dress pants, a white blouse, and a black blazer with a nice pair of dress shoes of her own. Seated across from Rafael, Olivia was reading the morning paper over some toast and coffee. The brunette looked less than enthused by what she was reading right then.

He gestured to the paper. "Nothing worth reading?"

His wife finished the section of the newspaper she'd been reading and, putting it down, her gaze landed on him. "Nope. Just the usual."

He gave a little snort. That was hardly shocking. "Yeah, sounds about right." He took a sip of his second cup of coffee and then turned toward their son. "You looking forward to the field trip this afternoon?"

Noah swallowed his bite of cereal. The nine-year-old boy then nodded, grinning widely. "Uh-huh. It's going to be so much fun."

"Yeah, it will." Olivia tilted her head slightly. "Did you remember your water bottle and hand warmers? You're going to be spending some time outside."

"Yep," Noah assured her. The boy then burst out laughing as Sofía dumped her bowl of yogurt and banana onto the ground beside her.

Rafael rolled his eyes, smiling down at the seventeen-month-old girl. "Niña, se supone que debes comerlo, no tirarlo al piso." With that, he got up to grab a cloth and tidy up the mess. (Kid, you're supposed to eat it, not throw it onto the floor.)

"Sí, buena suerte con eso," Noah quipped. (Yeah, good luck with that.)

He rolled his eyes again and replied sarcastically. "Gracias, Hijo." (Thanks, Son.)

They continued chatting about their day and then Lucy got there and it was time for them to all head out. Lucy walked Noah to school and he and Olivia left together to drop Sofía off at 9th Avenue Preschool. Noah had gone there when he was younger. Sofía was only going there for a couple of hours a week but it gave the nanny a small break as well as had socialization benefits. The only class there with a spot open for Sofía at the moment was Ms. Miley's room but Olivia wasn't as bothered by that as Rafael had expected her to be after causing the whole child abuse investigation.

"Welcome," Ms. Miley greeted them as they walked through the door of her classroom. "Well, this must be little lady Sofía."

He and Olivia both returned a polite greeting.

"How is everybody today?" Ms. Miley asked, shaking Rafael's hand.

"Good," Olivia said, looking down at the seventeen-month-old with a warm smile. "We were up bright and early this morning."

They both opted for a quick and loving goodbye, so they gave Sofía a kiss on the head and a hug and then left, waving at her as they walked out.

Sofía started crying and Olivia took him by the hand and started guiding him down the hallway and out of the school. "She'll be okay, Rafa."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I know. It's just -"

"Your first time doing this?" Olivia replied knowingly. It had been hard for her that first day with Noah as well, so she easily understood.

Getting to work, Rafael was swiftly thrown into a rather busy day and was in court first thing for an arraignment. Steven Thomas was accused of date raping a woman who'd been more than a little bit drunk.

"The defendant has means and reason to flee, Your Honour." Rafael shot the suspect a quick look. "He's facing twenty-five years on Rape One."

"My client is eager to go to trial and clear his name," Counsellor Stannich said.

"This is ridiculous," Steven stated. "It was consensual. She never said 'No.'"

Rafael raised an eyebrow at that remark. "The victim's blood alcohol was 0.24."

Steven tried again. "We were both drunk."

"That's enough, Mr. Thomas." Judge Bertuccio then turned towards Rafael. "Mr. Barba, I'm granting your request for a remand."

Rafael smirked as the judge banged the gavel. Back at his office, though, things really began picking up. Besides a dozen phone calls and emails, one of Rafael's more senior A.D.A.s was off work due to a family emergency. As a result, Rafael needed to rather rapidly fill himself in on all of the even seemingly inconsequential minutiae of the sex trafficking case that he was taking to trial the following morning.

His assistant Carmen opened the door to his office and walked his opposing counsel on the aforementioned sex trafficking case in. "Right this way, Mr. Braun."

The defence attorney looked around his office, Rafael wanting to whip the smug look off the man's face. "Hmm. Nice digs. My tax dollars are still at work."

Rafael kept his expression neutral. "Hmm. Your clients still paying you cash?"

The defence attorney placed his briefcase down on the coffee table at the other end of the office as he replied. "Ha. That's funny."

Why in the hell is he here? "What can I do for you?"

The obnoxious defence attorney still looked much too smug. "Well, while my motion is pending, I thought it'd be a good time to be proactive."

Rafael tilted his head slightly. Apparently, the man was aware he was going to have an easy time getting the Motion to Suppress tossed out. "Mm-hmm. Go on."

"Here's what I can offer," the man said. "Three to five years for prostitution."

"Not happening," he replied. Rafael then made the only counteroffer that he was even willing to consider. "One count of trafficking, pleaded down. Ten years."

In the end, they managed to work out a deal that he could stomach. After that, Rafael headed out and met with Olivia and Sonny over lunch to discuss the Madison and Tyler Terleski mess. They had managed to get Madison to cooperate and agree to testify after yet another incident. It was unfortunate it took that though.

His two o'clock appointment showed up a half-an-hour late. That break gave him some time to return the series of calls and emails that had pilled up.

His 2:30 appointment didn't leave until half past three and he was lucky that his three o'clock cancelled. Rafael settled in at his desk to do some work for the hour and a half left of his shift. However, one of the office's long-term investigations finally broke wide open and he had a meeting with Senior ADA Hadid. He then spent the remaining time he had on the phone helping her organize the prosecution of the case.

Walking into their brownstone at half past five, Rafael relieved Lucy and set Sofía up in her highchair with the Crayola Colour Wonder Mess-Free Colouring Pad that Rafael had quickly learned to love. He then helped Noah with the last bit of his homework before he got started on making some spaghetti and garlic toast for dinner.

Once Olivia was home from work, they had a nice dinner together and it was time for them to put a now very overtired Sofía to bed. The remaining three then migrated to the living room to have a movie night.

"Here you go," he said, putting three glasses of iced tea down on their coffee table. "I will be right back with the popcorn." Noah and Olivia had both wanted some snacks to go along with their movie, so he'd run to the bodega down the street. He really wasn't one to say no to snacks and was more than happy to do so.

"Thank you!" mother and son chorused.

A couple of minutes later, Rafael was back with a rather large bowl of popcorn, placed the popcorn in the middle of the coffee table, and then took a seat down on the couch right beside Olivia. "So, what are we watching?"

Their nine-year-old boy grinned. "Hotel Transylvania 2."

"Your son insisted," his wife deadpanned.

He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh, so he's my son when he's being stubborn?"

Olivia gave him a playful smile. "Yeah, pretty much."

Rafael rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Share the blanket, please!" Noah said, tugging at the blanket gently.

"Hold your horses," Olivia replied with a soft chuckle.

"Shhh," he stated with levity as he pressed play on the movie. As had become a habit, they watched Netflix with Spanish audio and English subtitles.

Rafael couldn't help but smile as the three of them relaxed on their couch and watched the corny kids' movie. No matter how stressful the workday was, coming home to this family he and Olivia had built just made things so much better.

Chapter Text

Thursday night was fairly calm so far. Work had been less hectic than usual as well and Rafael got home at a decent hour. He was cooking dinner, Sofía seated in her highchair with a couple of toys, while he waited for Olivia and Noah to get home from the young boy's dance class that evening.

He heard the front door open and smiled and then his heart dropped as he noticed his son looked extremely worried, had walked inside alone, and was carrying Olivia's black purse. No, no, no. "Chico, ¿qué está pasando?" (Kiddo, what's going on?)

The nine-year-old took a shaky breath. "Es Mamá. She told me to come in and tell you to call the police. She said that it's a… a 10-13." (It's Mom.)

A 10-13? Officer in need of assistance. He took a shaky breath but then pulled himself together and turned off the stove. "Okay, take Sofía to your room and stay there. And don't come out until your mother and I say. ¡Lo digo en serio!" (I mean it!)

Making sure Noah listened, he called for backup and carefully surveyed the rather tense situation out on the street. As best as Rafael could tell, Olivia had found herself cornered by a couple of teenage thugs. They looked to be about fourteen or fifteen as well as both boys were visibly latino. It seemed as though the BX9 Tremont clique had somehow found out where they lived.

Someone had just driven by and knocked Olivia down with a motorbike and two of the boys on foot were now approaching Olivia. One of the boys had what was evidently a machete in hand. Rafael had seen more than enough to testify quite solidly in court if and when it came to that. Rafael also needed to assess the situation so that he didn't inadvertently make it worse. It was a skill Rafael had learned young while growing up in the South Bronx, a frequent target of a gang from P.S 109.

Grabbing Noah's old baseball bat from by the front door, Rafael walked up to the boys who almost instantly turned to him. The boy closest to him was the one who spoke to him. "Oye, qué carajo quieres, viejo?" (Hey, what the fuck do you want, old man?)

The other teen approached Olivia with the damn machete so Rafael swung Noah's bat at the jerk's arm to force the boy to drop it. Rafael then eyed the other piece of work. They might be teenagers but that did little to change his opinion of them. "¡Apártense de mi esposa, carajo!" (Get the fuck away from my wife!)

Olivia had managed to get ahold of her service weapon again and pointed it at the pair of underage thugs. "Hands up where I can see them!"

Rafael carefully picked the machete up off the ground and when one of the boys made a move to run, he shifted his hold on the baseball bat in a clear threat. Rafael heard at least one bike coming back around and drew Olivia's attention to it. He and Olivia made the teens back off of the street and onto the sidewalk.

At this point, the neighbours to the left came outside. The husband was an active duty Marine and swiftly jumped in to help them. When two motorbikes came flying around the corner, Olivia and the man shot the back tires, causing a crash.

They subdued the lot of them and held them at gunpoint until the two patrol cars that Rafael had called for earlier finally pulled up. They took the teenage thugs into custody and then he and Olivia had to give their statements to the responding officers. Olivia, of course, did not want to go to the hospital.

"Okay, are we done?" Olivia asked. "I really need to get back to my kid."

"Blow until you hear the beep," the officer replied. They were all required to submit to a breathalyzer test. Olivia did as asked and the device beeped. "0.0, in the clear. We'll take you to the hospital."

Olivia gave the officer an annoyed look. "Okay, I don't need to go to the hospital."

He shot his wife a pointed look. "Yeah, you do. If only for Noah's sanity and mine."

"That's playing dirty, Counsellor!" Olivia replied.

"I will if it works," he retorted. "Go get checked out."

Thankfully, after some more bickering back and forth, Olivia eventually conceded and agreed to get checked out. Mostly thanks to Fin.

"Can you believe this?" Olivia asked.

"It looks like the Tremont clique know where you live," Fin commented.

Olivia shook her head, her mind reeling. "I mean, these people are pretty ballsy going after a New York City captain on her turf."

Fin raised an eyebrow. "Well, you have a lot more restraint than I would have."

"They're somebody's son," she pointed out.

"Some bullets have a lesson behind them," Fin stated. Growing up in Harlem, the man had seen his fair share of fisticuffs. Not unlike himself.

"I can't say that I disagree," he muttered.

"You know what I don't understand?" Olivia stated. "We put these bangers away in the summer. Why are they coming after me now?"

"Your boy Duarte might know," Fin said. "But you need to go get checked out before having that conversation."

"Fine," Olivia said with an audible sigh. "Will you please stay with the kids, Fin?”

"Yeah," Fin readily agreed. He gestured to the sea of officers wandering around, busy processing the scene. "Me and a half dozen of New York City's finest."

That night was a mess, Fin and several others standing guard while Chief Dodds set up a task force to deal with several issues coming out of the Bronx, namely the gang and sexual assault case that had got Olivia greenlit by BX9 in the first place.

"How are you sure that Oscar Papa's behind all this, anyway?" Velasco asked.

"It's not hard to put together," he pointed out.

"Who else has the power to greenlight a New York City captain and her family?" Olivia said matter-of-factly.

Chief Dodds gave Olivia a curt nod. "Well, I got a call from Bronx Gangs, who no doubt will handle this with all the delicacy of a tornado."

"You called Duarte?" Olivia asked.

"He's our expert on BX9," Dodds replied. "But I assume asking you to stay away from this is too much at this point so I'm not even going to try."

Noah was stressed out and ended up having a nightmare after they finally got him to go to sleep. Neither he nor Olivia had gotten much sleep that night either but they'd made sure to thank their neighbour for actually stepping up and helping them when so many others would've just turned a blind eye. Something he and Olivia had both seen far too often.

They had gotten quite lucky. Rafael just hoped that the whole mess would be resolved before anything else happened and someone really got hurt.

Chapter Text

The ensuing week was chaotic. Rafael was in court every day and Olivia had ended up having to go work out of the Bronx. He had tried to convince Olivia to take a couple of days off from work, but he'd lost that battle.

There was a civil rights investigation going on by the D.O.J into the Bronx's SVU; due to the wrongful termination case of a whistleblower officer. He ad Olivia were both glad that the man, Terry Bruno, had finally come forward. Of course, Chief Dodds and the other powers that be wanted to clear a bunch of the Bronx SVU's cases. The only way to get the Feds out of there was to clear a bunch of cases and actually show that the 44th precinct was doing their jobs. Olivia got voluntold by the chief to go up to the Bronx to deal with the mess there for him.

In any case, they were all trying to go back to normal. Olivia and Duarte had managed to make another arrest, so that made them feel a little bit safer. Still, until Oscar Papa was taken into custody, fully relaxing was going to be a challenge.

At least Noah was acting more like himself again as was Olivia, who'd been all over the place the first couple of days after that attack. Thankfully, Fin ended up being a major source of support for Olivia. For them.

"No child should have to live like this," Olivia said as she sat down beside her sergeant after the forced trip to the hospital earlier that evening.

"You don't need any kind of parenting book to know that," Fin replied without missing a single beat. The man was matter-of-fact as always. "So what's the plan?"

"I don't even know," Olivia said. "Rafael?"

"I'll support whatever will make you feel safe," Rafael said as he took his own seat. "I want these people handled, though."

"I can spend the night if you two want," Fin offered.

Olivia shook her head. "No, no, no. Go home to Phoebe."

The sergeant shot Olivia a pointed look.

"We have a large detail outside," Rafael stated. "I really appreciate the offer, we both do, but I would go home to your other half while you have the chance."

"Should be a crazy next few days," Fin agreed.

Olivia sighed. "I don't even want to think about it yet."

As he had every other day this week, Rafael arrived at the office, checked his emails, and grabbed his files and paperwork for court. There was some waiting, as there was always, but eventually, they went to court for what was the last day of this trial. They were scheduled to give their closing arguments and such finally.

Rafael got out of court shortly after two o'clock and then he sat at his office, doing a bit of sudoku, while he waited for the verdict to come through.

He did manage to get out of court early enough to go and pick up Noah from his dance class and spend some quality time with him. Even better was the fact that Rafael got a guilty verdict on two out of three of the charges he'd filed.

He spoke with the dance instructor, Natasha Haywood, briefly while Noah got changed out of his dance clothes and into some warmer stuff for the walk home.

The dance instructor turned towards Noah and smiled encouragingly. "Noah, I was just saying to your father that you did really well you today."

The nine-year-old beamed. "Thank you, Ms. Tasha." Noah then proceeded to swing his duffel bag onto his shoulder so it was more comfortable to walk with.

"Just remember what I said about posture during that pirouette," the dance instructor added, still smiling warmly at the boy.

"Oh, I will!" Noah agreed. The boy began leading Rafael out of the dance studio with a big grin on his face. The pair then started the mile-long walk home.

"Entonces, comeremos primero y luego haremos la tarea, ¿no?" he stated as the doors to the studio shut behind them. (So, we'll eat first and then do homework, right?)

The nine-year-old rolled boy his eyes dramatically. "Sí, Papi. Tengo hojas de ejercicios para mis clases de inglés y estudios sociales ." (Yes, Dad. I have worksheets for Language Arts and Social Studies.)

Rafael gave a slight nod and then tilted his head slightly. "¿Tu grupo de lectura escogió un libro nuevo hoy?" (Did your reading group pick out a new book today?)

Noah gave a content nod. "Sí. Escogimos Charlie y la Fábrica de Chocolate." (Yeah. We picked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.)

Rafael smiled at that. "¡Qué chévere! Eso es una muy buena elección." (Cool! That's a really good choice.)

He and Noah turned the corner and started walking down the main street, the subject naturally shifting back to the boy's dance class quite quickly.

"Bueno, ¿estás listo para mostrarme esos nuevos pasos de baile?" he said playfully as Noah prattled on happily about the latest routine that they were learning. (So, are you ready to show me those new dance moves?)

"¡Anjá!" Noah said with an enthusiastic nod. "¿Podemos tomar un chocolate caliente?" Noah raised his hand and indicated the direction they were walking in. "Estamos cerca del café." (Uh-huh! Can we get some hot chocolate? We're right by the café.)

He shot the nine-year-old boy a sideways look. "¿Antes de cenar?" (Before dinner?)

"No tomaré postre después," Noah tried to bargain. (I won't have dessert after.)

Rafael chuckled softly at the feeble negotiation attempt. "Está bien. Vámonos, que me vendría bien un café." (Alright. Let's go, because I could use a coffee.)

They stopped by Columbus Cafe which was just around the corner and got them both a warm drink. They then headed back out into the cold, finishing the walk home. Noah continued to chat about his day and how his day at school had gone.

Walking into the brownstone, Lucy smiled as Sofía toddled as fast as she could over to Rafael and threw herself around his leg. "Papá."

Rafael leaned down slightly and picked the little girl up. "Hola, mi princesita. Were you good for Lucy today?" (Hey there, Princess.)

As Sofía grinned, Lucy eyed him and chuckled softly. "She was great. Got a bit cranky around nap time, but that was about it."

He dipped his head slightly, smiling. "Glad to hear that."

"So, how was dance, Squirt?" Lucy asked.

The pair chatted for a moment and the Rafael finished checking in with Lucy before the nanny headed home for the night.

He and Olivia had decided to order in dinner that night, so while Noah sat down to do his homework, Rafael played on the living room floor with Sofía. It wasn't long before Olivia waltzed through the door. Thankfully, safe and sound.

After dinner, Rafael took Sofía upstairs to put her to bed and Olivia and Noah threw on their coats and headed out to make a quick trip to a bodega.

Noah's school was having Cultural Day the next day and Noah had made a large poster with some things he'd learned from Rafael over the years as well as a lot of stuff that he had learned about Cuban history during their trip to Miami.

Noah was planning to wear his tan khakis, white guayabera, and Panama hat to school which was fine and had also asked to take some pastelitos de guayaba as well as some always dependable plantain chips to share.

He changed Sofía and put her in a clean onesie. Instead of settling down, though, the little girl was scrunching up her face, crying. Calmly, Rafael picked Sofía up and walked over and sat down in the rocking chair Olivia had bought back when Noah was a baby.

Gently rocking the overtired toddler, Rafael started singing the first lullaby that came to his mind. It was one that his mother had sung to him all the time when he was little and had only one association for him. Comfort.

He didn't sing often but he wasn't about to worry about it. If he was honest, Rafael did like to sing, especially when it wasn't made a huge thing.

'Arrurú mi niña, arrurú mi amor, arrurú pedazo de mi corazón.' Rafael slightly adjusted his hold on Sofía as he sang the lullaby. 'Esta niña linda que nació de día, quiere que la lleven a la dulcería.'

As he sang, Sofía started to finally settle down and doze off. That was a huge relief.

'Esta niña linda que nació de noche, quiere que la lleven a pasear en coche. Duérmete mi niña, duérmete mi amor, duérmete pedazo de mi corazón.'

Rafael had to repeat the last verse but then Sofía was out cold. He gently placed her in her bed and then leaned down and gently placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Que sueñes con los angelitos." (Sweet dreams.)

Making his way out of the room, he ran into Olivia who was at the door. She smiled at him as he quietly closed the bedroom door. Walking down the hallway, she then spoke. "You're so good with her."

He gave a little snort. "Well, clearly I learned something from a certain young boy that we both know."

His wife chuckled. "You've come a long way from that man who held Noah like a bomb that was about to go off at any given minute."

He shook his head in amusement as the pair made their way back downstairs.

Chapter Text

Friday evening, Rafael was shut in his study trying to get some preparatory work for a case done, the time flying by. Noah really wanted them to make it to the Cultural Day at his elementary school, so with the lack of court, Rafael decided to work from home after his meetings that morning and show up for his son. Of course, he still had work to do so ended up in his study. He didn't want to fall too far behind.

He did enjoy Noah's Cultural Day presentation and was glad that he was able to make it on time and be there for his son. Noah had done a really good job with the public speaking and all of it, something that wasn't always easy.

Olivia knocked on the door to his study and walked in. Olivia shot him a warm smile as she took in the room. Besides all the notes and cue cards all over his desk, there were law books and literature classics, notably quite a bit of Shakespeare and Don Quixote, arranged on the bookshelf up against the back wall. There was also a separate, small stack of books on the other end of the large L-shaped desk, leaving more than ample room for the coffee that the Cuban-American mainlined as well as the bag of Cheetos that he was happily snacking on while working. "Dinner's ready, Babe."

He nodded, giving his wife a grateful smile. "Thanks, mi amor. I'll be out in a minute. I just want to put these cue cards away."

She nodded and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Okay, don't take too long."

Wrapping up in his study, he got up and went to join his family for dinner. After which, they put Sofía to bed and picked a board game to play, wanting to spend some quality time with Noah between Sofía and how hectic work could get.

He and Olivia decided to call it a bit of an early night as well. It had been a long couple of weeks and they wanted to catch up on some rest.

The following morning, Olivia woke up shortly before he did. As he woke up, he smiled at her. Once she noticed he'd woken up, Olivia swiftly turned onto her left side. "Well, it looks like morning happened again."

Rafael gave a little hum and then turned onto his right side so that he and Olivia were laying face-to-face. "Yeah. It would seem that way, wouldn't it?"

"At least it's not Monday," Olivia quipped. She then stole a glance over at the bedroom window. "Looks like it snowed pretty well last night."

Well, that's just my luck. I hate the cold. "Indeed."

The pair kissed and then laid there, cuddling, for a while. Around half past seven they botj finally got out of bed, showered and dressed, and took a very much awake Sofía out of bed. Olivia changed and dressed the toddler while he made his way downstairs to make them all some breakfast. With Olivia actually having the day off, they wanted to take advantage of the time together.

Hearing a show playing on the television downstairs, Rafael assumed Noah was awake and busy watching one of his cartoons on either Netflix or Disney+. He walked around the corner and smiled. "Oye, mi hijo. ¿Dormiste bien?" (Hey, Son. Did you sleep well?)

Noah turned to him and smiled. "Buenas. Sí, dormí bien." (Morning. Yeah, I did.)

He gestured to the television. "¿Qué estás viendo?" (What are you watching?)

"Phineas y Ferb," Noah replied without missing a beat.

"Qué chévere." Rafael then gestured to the large window looking out onto their street. "¿Viste que nevó anoche?" (Cool. Did you see that it snowed last night?)

Noah nodded enthusiastically while he turned to face Rafael. "Sí, claro. ¿Podemos ir en trineo hoy?" (Yeah, of course. Can we go sledding today?)

Rafael tilted his head and pressed his lips together, actually considering it. "Tengo que hablar con tu mamá, pero no veo por qué no. Y recuerda que vamos a salir a almorzar con tus primas esta tarde." (I have to talk to your mom, but I can't see why not. And remember, we are going out for lunch with your cousins this afternoon.)

That last comment clearly piqued Noah's interest. The nine-year-old absolutely loved it when he got to see Jesse and Billie for whatever reason. It wasn't remotely surprising, given the fact that the three kids had grown up together. "¡Qué cool! ¿A dónde vamos todos para el lonche?" (Cool! Where are we going for lunch?)

He internally cringed at the Spanglish but was just happy Noah hadn't full-on refused to speak Spanish. He knew that Eddie had struggled to get Nicolás to respond to him in Spanish at one point because the kid wanted to talk to him in English. Outwardly, he just smiled and tried to reinforce the proper word. He had nothing against that way of speaking but Rafael wanted Noah to also know the proper words for things. "Vamos a almorzar aquí. Todo el mundo viene a la casa." (We're having lunch here. Everyone's coming over to the house.)

Noah nodded and then went back to watching his cartoon while Rafael got started with breakfast. They ate breakfast and then relaxed around the house for a bit. Noah could not wait to play in the snow so happily bundled up and went into their backyard while Sofía went back and forth between playing with her Mega Bloks set and her Laugh and Learn Magic Colour Mixing Bowl.

Shortly before nine o'clock, they all hopped into Olivia's car and met up with the Carisi clan down at Central Park's Pilgrim Hill which often drew quite the crowd after a decent snowfall so that the kids could go sledding.

"Momma!" Jesse yelled as she ran over to them. "Did you see that one, Momma?"

"Did you see that, Mom? Papá?" Noah asked at the same time. The pair had just gone down the hill together, ending up backwards for most of it.

"Yeah, Baby, I did!" Amanda said with a big grin. "That was great!"

Olivia tilted her head, smiling. "I did, Sweetie! You were amazing."

"Come on, Jes!" Noah called out as he took off again. "Let's go again!"

Jesse rolled her eyes but was grinning. "Coming, Noe!"

Rafael just shook his head in amusement as Jesse laughed and beelined it after Noah. "I have no idea where the kids get all of that energy from."

His wife chuckled softly at that and also leaned to grab Sofía's cup up off of the ground from where the toddler tossed it. "You and me both, Rafa. Endless energy."

Sofía grinned as she almost immediately popped the straw into her mouth. Apparently, it was somehow a game to the little girl.

"Whoever could bottle that and sell it would be set for life," Sonny quipped.

Mason pulled at Sonny's jacket and the Italian-American smiled down at the still more than a little subdued four-year-old boy. "Yeah, Mase?"

The boy looked hesitant but hopeful. "Can you go with me, Uncle Sonny?"

Sonny leaned down and tussled the little boy's hair playfully. "Sure, Kid. I'd love to go with you. Sledding's the best, you know."

"Really?" Mason beamed with a tinge of disbelief still on his countenance.

"Yeah, Mase!" Sonny replied. "So how about we go show your cousins how it's done?"

"I want to go with Momma!" Billie chimed in.

"Alright," Amanda agreed. "Well, it looks like Billie and I are gonna show y'all the right way then, Sonny." She held her hand out to Billie for a high-five.

The four-year-old girl gave Amanda a high-five, evidently thrilled with the idea. "Yeah, Momma! Let's go!"

They stayed for a while longer, the children having a blast, and then it was time for the group to leave. The kids were getting cold and all of them were getting hungry as well. Loading up the sleds into their respective vehicles, the group left the park behind them and made their way to casa de Barba-Benson for some lunch.

Amanda and Olivia were both outside in the backyard with Noah and Jessie after lunch while Mason took a nap in Noah's bedroom and Billie in their bedroom. Sofía, naturally, had been put down for her own nap as well. Sonny along with Rafael got sent inside to make some coffee and hot chocolate. Not that Rafael was complaining about having an excuse to get out of the cold for a bit.

Rafael had just finished putting their kettle on for the kids' hot chocolate when Sonny completely shifted the direction of their conversation. "So, I finally got the all-clear to adopt both of the girls."

"Oh?" he asked. "Both Murphy and Pollack voluntarily terminated their parental rights? That's fantastic, Sonny." The reality was that neither man was remotely involved in the girls' lives and Rafael would have lost even more respect for the pair if they had opted to further drag things out and make it more difficult for no reason.

Rafael could see the relief in Sonny's eyes as the younger man replied. "Yeah. So, now we're just waiting on a court date to hopefully get it all finalized."

"You'll get granted the adoption order," he tried to assure his mentee. "You're so good with them, no judge in their right mind would deny it."

The Italian-American smiled, much more relaxed, and pointed up at the ceiling. "From your mouth to God's ears, Rafael." Sonny tilted his head a touch. "You know, the girls both started calling my parents Nonna and Nonno. Jesse's going to an Italian language class after school as well now. Started there yesterday."

"You're rambling," he replies with a soft chuckle. "But I get it. Honestly, that's great. It is clear as day that the girls adore you, Sonny. Energetic ramblings and all. You've got nothing to worry about, believe me."

"Thanks," Sonny said before playing with his face. "We've also moved to terminate the parental rights of Kim, so there's that."

He sighed. "She's never going to get her act together."

The blond nodded. "Unfortunately, it seems that way."

The pair continued chatting for a couple more minutes before getting all of the drinks ready and taking them outside to the others.

"What were you two boys gettin' up to in there?" Amanda inquired in jest.

Sonny gave Amanda a quick peck on the cheek. "Nothing, Hun. It's all him."

Amanda shook her head in amusement. "Now why don't I believe that?"

Rafael smirked. "Because you weren't born yesterday."

Sonny rolled his eyes, but couldn't quite hide his amusement. "Gee, thanks, Rafael."

Jesse and Noah both came over to grab their drinks and the adults continued chatting, watching the kids run amuck around the backyard, enjoying themselves.

Rafael sipped on his hot coffee, feeling completely at ease. It was a little chilly out but he didn't care. There were far worse ways to spend a Saturday.

Chapter Text

Sunday, they actually all ended up at Mass with his mother before then going out for a nice brunch together and spending the day with the Barba matriarch.

However, come Monday things got hectic. Monday morning Olivia was still working out of the Bronx and began training a female officer who'd worked vice for a year and had decided to make a change as it were. The 44th's SVU had also been slammed with no less than three felony sexual assault cases within minutes of each other at four o'clock that afternoon. Not that the 1-6 in Manhattan was fairing much better.

In any case, Olivia had been getting home quite late every single night that week. As for Rafael, he left the office by five o'clock every single day, despite being more than a little slammed himself. He ended up working in his study or at the kitchen table pretty much daily so that he could relieve Lucy and watch the two children. Counsellor Carter was clearly attempting to drown Rafael in pre-trial motions along with everything else that Rafael had going on at work. Not to mention the home study they had on Tuesday morning for Sofía, which had thankfully gone off without a hitch. It scared Rafael a bit just how quickly he had come to think of her as his daughter. He really didn't want anything to cause a problem or to interfere with their adoption of the toddler.

So Thursday, they woke up, went about their usual morning routine, and then he took Noah to school and Olivia drooped Sofía off at daycare where Lucy would pick the little girl up in a short couple of hours.

Getting to work that morning, Rafael was pleased to note that he had Judge Serani for arraignment court. The judge was consistently quite fair.

Judge Serani looked over at the defence's table. "On the charges of robbery, predatory sеxual assault, and unlawful imprisonment, how do you plead?"

"She wasn't imprisoned," the defendant scoffed.

Defence counsel was clearly irritated by the man's antics but stuck to the deal that he and the man had hashed out. "Guilty, Your Honour."

"The victim was fifteen years old, Your Honour!" Rafael stated without missing a single beat. "People request remand pending sentencing."

"So ordered," the judge replied with a slight nod. Judge Serani then turned to face the bailiff. "Next case."

Rafael swiftly gathered up the file that he had taken out earlier and put it back into his briefcase so he could get out of there.

"There you are," the bailiff said while handing the judge the next case file.

Judge Serani dipped his head slightly. "Thank you, let's see." Rafael moved out of the way so that Sonny could step up for one of his own arraignments which was next up on the docket. "People versus Roger Bailey." Rafael decided to hang out towards the back of the courtroom, shamelessly listening in on the arraignment proceedings. "On the charges of driving without a licence, driving while intoxicated as well as vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, how do you plead?"

The legal aid attorney spoke up. "Not guilty, Your Honour. We request R.O.R."

"And the People on bail?" the judge asked.

His mentee didn't miss a beat. "We request $50,000."

The judge glanced between both attorneys. "Bail is set at $50,000, cash or bond. Until such time as bail is posted, the defendant is held over for trial."

Rafael nodded to himself, pleased the man hadn't been given ROR. It was on the lower end but there was no way that the man could pay the $50,000 for his bail.

He stayed back to talk to Sonny quickly before making his way to his next hearing. He had the annoying pleasure of dealing with Counsellor Mason Carter again in about ten minutes' time. As much as it pains me to say it, the guy is good.

He spent all morning in one hearing or another but was able to take a break for lunch at the Breakroom with Rita Calhoun more for his sanity than anything else. She had a busy schedule too, but they did need to eat.

The rest of his afternoon wasn't any less hectic. He had several meetings and then sat in on a few of his junior ADAs' hearings in between various work calls and emails and talking with Captain Harris to help confirm ADA Hadid's behaviour was in check.

Once his meetings and court were done for the day, Rafael checked the time. He had just enough time to make it to Noah's dance studio on time to pick the boy up from class. As they were walking, Noah asked if they could cut through the still snowy park, so they did.

Of course, Noah had decided to act silly, and generally, just be a typical kid.

"Ha, ha, Papi!" Noah squealed as he threw a snowball at Rafael and began beelining it straight across the park. "¡No puedes atraparme!" (You can't catch me!)

He laughed, staying right on Noah's heels. "¡Te voy a atrapar!" (I'm gonna get you!)

As Noah cut the corner by the swings, Rafael reached out too far and lost his balance slightly, quickly finding himself laying in the snow.

His son stopped and saw Rafael sprawled out and giggled in earnest. Rafael looked at him, tilting his head so that Noah appeared to be upside down, and burst out laughing himself at the silly situation.

The nine-year-old walked over to him, squatting down, and then booped Rafael square on the nose with his finger. "¡Te atrapé, Papá!" (I got you, Dad!)

Rafael smiled fondly up at Noah and then held his right hand out to the boy. "Ven para acá, mi monstruito de nieve." (Come here, you little snow monster.)

The nine-year-old shook his head emphatically and shot Rafael a very playful look. "Nunca." (Never.)

Rafael carefully grabbed Noah and rolled over, gently causing the grinning boy to lose his footing and join him down in the snow.

Noah's boisterous laughter warmed his heart and, smiling, Rafael let his son scramble enthusiastically to his feet. "¿Te estás rindiendo?" (Are you giving up?)

Rafael chuckled softly as he got to feet up. "Sí, me rindo, Papito." (Yeah, I give up, Buddy.)

Feeling quite relaxed, the pair started making their way through the park and resumed the walk home, stopping by the café for a hot chocolate on the way to warm up.

When Noah and Rafael walked into the brownstone ten minutes later, they were both a little surprised to find that Olivia was already home, cooking away in the kitchen. Sofía was in her highchair, drawing on her Colour Wonder pad. A major benefit of their place was just how open the main living area on the first floor was.

Rafael smiled as he took off his jacket. "Hey, Liv."

Noah did the same thing in a much more energetic fashion. "Mom, you're home!"

Olivia turned and smiled. "Hey, boys. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen. Noah, head on upstairs please to change and wash up before dinner."

"On it, Mom!" the nine-year-old chirped before running off to do as asked.

Rafael walked up behind his wife and hugged her before kissing her neck. "It's good to actually have you home this evening."

Olivia turned slightly and smiled at him. "Yeah, I decided to punch out early. I missed you guys. I haven't seen Noah or Sofía properly all week and I've even seen you after you had already gone to bed."

"Nature of the beast," he stated. It comes with the job. "So, I was thinking about making a trip to the bookstore this weekend."

"Saturday afternoon?" Olivia suggested. "Noah is going over to Jake's tomorrow night, but we're picking him up around eleven."

He nodded. "Sure, works for me." He just hoped that Noah was smart enough to say no to vaping if Jake or the kid's older brother pulled him into it. Austin had already got himself suspended from school for vaping in the bathroom at least once. "And you're still fine with him going over to Jake's?"

Olivia gave him a small shrug. "Yeah, mostly. Noah knows to not ever do anything like that and Jake's a good kid. We'll keep an eye on it, but, it's fine, Rafa."

They continued talking while Rafael set the table, and then they all finally sat down for dinner together, the four of them actually getting to spend time together.

Chapter Text

The next couple of days were hectic. Rafael was in and out of meetings and court and, in general, he and Olivia were swamped at work.

Wednesday, after a later night the day prior, Rafael got home at a decent time and not a minute too soon by his estimation. The Executive A.D.A had very much not been in a good mood when he left. His day had, frankly, been hellish. He lost his case after only a couple minutes of deliberation - because his witness had to go and screw up on the stand and disregard everything Rafael had advised during their prep.

Olivia walked briskly over to where he and Sonny were standing, the latter deciding to stop by and see Rafael's closing arguments. "Hey, guys... the jury's back?"

Sonny looked beyond shocked at that. "What, already? They just sat down."

Rafael sighed and then eyed both his wife and mentee. As he spoke, Rafael knew how he felt about it had come out in his voice. "I doubt they even sat."

Then the mother of the victim had decided that it was Rafael's fault they'd lost the case meaning he was the lucky one that got to deal with the utterly hysterical woman. Yeah, he was disappointed too with the verdict but no amount of screaming in Rafael's face was going to change things! And to top it all off, one of the newer interns spilled Rafael's fresh cup of coffee all over his desk, ruining the case notes that he had spent hours preparing over the last week whilst simultaneously depriving him of the much-needed caffeine.

Getting home had changed his mood for the better though. Olivia was home too and both of the kids were running around and playing. Olivia had the latest song Noah was obsessed with blasting through the apartment. Sofía even tried to do a cute little dance to the song in between playing with whatever else caught her fancy.

Rafael was busy playing with Sofía and her blocks an hour later when his wife got his attention. She was in the kitchen, stirring the cream sauce on the stove to go on their pasta. "Dinner's almost ready, Babe."

"Want me to go and drag Noah away from his Lego?" he asked without missing a beat.

"Would you mind?" Olivia asked, a visibly relieved look on her face. She had already been the 'bad cop' this week as far the boy was concerned so clearly wasn't relishing telling him to tidy up, so that he could come out and eat pasta and vegetables.

He shot her a small, reassuring smile. "Not at all."

Olivia returned the smile. "You're the best, Rafa."

Rafael chuckled loudly as he started walking towards the staircase. "I'll remind you of that, Liv, the next time you inevitably ask me for a warrant I can't get you."

"I thought we'd both agreed to keep our professional and personal lives separate?" his wife shot back in jest.

"Verbal agreement. Wouldn't stand up in court," Rafael quipped, backing away as his wife playfully waved the wooden spoon at him.

Rafael was still smiling to himself as he approached Noah's bedroom, a smile that only grew as he slowly peered intk the slightly ajar door. Noah wasn't playing with his Lego as Rafael had expected. Instead, the boy was sitting cross-legged on his bed, Eddie in his lap, a book open: James y el Durazno Gigante. The James and the Giant Peach book had been checked out of the library by Noah the other day.

Rafael gave the nine-year-old a warm smile. “Oye, chico, es hora de cenar." (Hey, Kiddo, it’s time for dinner.)

Noah nodded, closing the novel. "Está bien, ya voy." (Okay, I'm coming.)

Relieved that it had gone so easily, they enjoyed a nice dinner, played a quick game of cards, and then Noah went back to his room to continue reading. In between Sofía not wanting to go down to sleep.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just Sofía who was in a mood. Noah was usually a really sweet kid, but Noah was really pushing Rafael's patience tonight. The nine-year-old boy was stubbornly refusing to go to bed, in spite of the fact that it was now half an hour past his bedtime. A bedtime which, by the way, was rather liberal to even begin with. Noah just kept insisting on reading another chapter of his book. "¡Solo un capítulo más! ¡Por favor, Papi!" (Just one more chapter! Please, Daddy!)

Not able to hold back the tired sigh that wanted to escape, Rafael rubbed the bridge of his nose in what Rafael suspected was going to be a vain try at staving off yet another headache. "Noah…" He was fighting to sound as patient as he could possibly manage. "Ya deberías estar acostado. Ya hablamos sobre esto." (It's already well past your bedtime. We've talked about this.)

His son violently shook his head. "No estoy cansado. Quiero seguir leyendo mi libro." (I'm not tired. I want to keep reading my book.)

Rafael gave Noah a gentle yet stern look. "Bueno, realmente no tienes opción, Papito." (Well, you don't really have a choice, Buddy.)

"¡Sí, tengo una!" Noah argued, sounding so serious for a child his age. "Duermes porque estás cansado. Así que si no estoy cansado, no tengo que irme a la cama." (Yes, I do! You sleep because you're tired. So if I'm not tired, I don't have to go to bed.)

Closing his eyes for a moment, Rafael silently reminded himself to keep calm. His wife had clearly decided to sneak away after putting Sofía back down for the third time and to let Rafael deal with their cranky nine-year-old. "Incluso si no te sientes cansado, el cuerpo necesita una cierta cantidad de sueño, Noah. Como todavía estás creciendo, tu cuerpo necesita mucha energía, lo que significa que también necesitas dormir más que un adulto. Hay una razón por la que tienes que ir a la cama cuando lo haces." (Even if you don't feel tired your body needs a certain amount of sleep, Noah. Since you're still growing, your body needs a lot of energy which means you also need more sleep than a grown-up does. There's a reason you have a bedtime.)

Noah lightly bit his lip, looking deep in thought for a moment. The boy then frowned. "Pero como no estoy cansado, no podré dormir de todos modos. No importa si leo un capítulo más o no." (But since I'm not tired, I won't be able to sleep anyway. It makes no difference if I read one more chapter or not.)

"Noah," he cautioned sternly. He'd explained the reasoning behind the rule; when the boy still didn't listen than Rafael really couldn't do much else but order it. "El horno no está para galleticas." (Now's really not the time for you to push it.)

"¡Pero, Papi!" his son whined, pouting. "¡No quiero ir a la cama!" (But, Daddy! I don't want to go to bed!)

Rafael's patience was, honestly, starting to wear thin despite his best effort. "Bueno, te vas a la cama. Ahora." (Well, you are going to bed. Now.)

His son's lower lip started to wobble, seriously testing Rafael's will. Quite quickly that look changed and with an angry expression on Noah's normally quite amiable face, the boy stomped his foot. "¡No quiero!" (I don't want to!)

He eyed his son, trying to remain firm. "Noah. A la cama. Ahora." (Bed. Now.)

"¡Bien!" Noah fired back before angrily stomping over to his bed in a fit. (Fine!)

"Hablaremos de esto por la mañana." Rafael walked over to Noah's bed and pulled the top of the blanket back, the nine-year-old quickly hopping in. Rafael leaned down and gave Noah a kiss on the forehead. "Buenas noches. Te quiero." (We're going to talk about this in the morning. Good night. I love you.)

"Te quiero también," Noah grumbled under his breath. (I love you too.)

Finally closing the bedroom door behind him, Rafael leaned against the wall, massaged his temples and exhaled heavily. Rafael absolutely hated it when he and Noah got into little arguments like that and he raised his voice at Noah. Especially when it looked like his son was going to cry. It reminded him too much of his own father.

Composing himself, he headed back downstairs to his wife. At least that was over.

"Sofía finally stay down?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen a moment later.

She gave a wry smile, passing him a glass of scotch. "I could ask you the same."

"That's certainly true," Rafael agreed as he took a sip of his drink. Both of the kids had acted a bit difficult that evening. It was what it was, though. They were both just kids, learning. "So, Liv, you said you wanted to talk about something earlier?"

"Just work," she explained happily as she gestured for Rafael to follow her over to the couch with his drink. Once they were seated, she filled Rafael in on the day's events.

Apparently, she had been quite busy out in the Bronx. Captain Duarte finally came forward with a shocking piece of evidence on the gang violence case that he'd been sitting on for about a year and a half.

It was a tree way in the back of a Bronx park where BX9 put the underwear of the girls and women they raped. The tree was their trophy. He didn't tell Bronx SVU about it because he wanted to get surveillance on the ground. But that was out the window. Olivia knew about the rape tree now and called in a forensics team. They began taking down each pair of underwear and testing it for DNA. Olivia, understandably, wanted to prosecute every rape and fought for all of the kits to be tested. Quickly. Thankfully, the Feds had helped make it happen in record speed.

At a meeting with Oscar Papa later in a restaurant, the BX9 boss made several taunts about Olivia's attack and attempted to undermine Captain Duarte with Olivia as well. Detective Muncy also reached out to one Maria García who was attacked a while back in connection to her brother's recruitment to BX9.

Eventually, that gave them the background information that the task force desperately needed and they were finally able to earn the trust of one of the boys who'd attacked Olivia. The fifteen-year-old boy, Albert Díaz AKA Fugazi, eventually led the squad to El Maestro, Oscar Papa's driver. Once they arrested the man, Benny Barros, they'd found a metaphorical goldmine. Barros wanted out of the gang and had recorded Oscar Papa each and every time he was in the car on the phone with the boss and he was willing to hand all of the audio over and testify against Oscar Papa in exchange for protection.

And that proved to be the downfall of Oscar Papa.

It all happened very quickly, but once they had those exchanges, they were able to go and bring Oscar Papa in, Olivia and Duarte finally making the collar for rape as well as the attempted murder of Olivia.

"You got to bring down the man who tried to kill you," he commented. It felt good to know that the man was finally behind bars.

"And Chief Dodds finally got the D.O.J out of his underwear drawer," Olivia added with a cheeky smile.

"Indeed," he said. "100 cases on their way to being cleared in a matter of two days…. that's one hell of a clearance rate. I take it Dodds is going to let you transfer back to Manhattan now that the D.O.J's cleared out?"

"Yeah," Olivia confirmed. "Terry Bruno just passed his Sergeant's exam and he and Fin have successfully managed to vet and hire three new detectives who were transferring in from other departments. And of course, Churlish is staying. All in all, I think that the 4-4's in pretty good shape for the moment."

He smirked. "And now it's Sergeant Bruno's problem."

His wife laughed. "Yeah, now I can just worry about my own squad again."

He knew that there was always going to be something with their jobs, Rafael being no stranger to death threats himself, and he knew Oscar Papa was likely going to try and put up a fight. He hoped this was it for a while at least, though. They needed a slight reprieve before they got pulled into the ring for round two.

Chapter Text

As soon as Rafael stepped inside the rather shabby apartment on Jerome Avenue, he did his best to be silent, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. The twelve-year-old was already late getting home from school as Rafael had been stopped yet again by the P.S 109 gang. His buddy Eddie had frequently walked him to and from school lately but Eddie had been home sick all day. He was already sporting a black eye and knew it would set his father off and not due to any compassion.

He kicked off his shoes and darted straight down the hallway to the hole of a room he resided in. He passed his mother, who, after giving Rafael an assessing look, continued on toward the kitchen. Before he could reach his room, however, Rafael was met with the stern, brutish face of his father, blocking the path.

As usual, his father's breath smelled quite heavily of alcohol. The clearly annoyed man eyed Rafael, making him wish that he could become invisible for a couple of minutes. "¡Oye, chico, llegas tarde!" His father finally noticed the latest black eye that he was sporting. "¡¿Y qué carajo es esto?! ¿Cómo te pusiste el ojo morado?" (Hey, boy, you're late! And what the hell’s this?! Where did you get that shiner?)

Rafael gulped anxiously. "Solo estaba tratando de..." (I was just trying to…)

"¡Dale! ¡Tienes que empezar a defenderte, coño!" his father yelled, coming even closer to Rafael as he did. "¡¿Cómo puedo tener un hijo que es un debilucho tan patético?!" (Oh, come on! You have got to start fucking defending yourself! How do I have such a pathetic weakling for a son?!)

Rafael's whole body tensed up, and his mouth went bone dry. He didn't dare meet his gaze at the moment. Manuel lifted Rafael up by the collar of his shirt; his father's hot, rancid breath filled both of his nostrils. His father then dropped Rafael roughly onto the floor and slapped him across the face for good measure.

His eyes were now filled with tears, his cheek turning pink from the slap that he'd just received. "Lo siento, Papá." (I'm sorry, Dad.)

That was clearly the wrong thing to say because his father raised his hand again. "Muy bien, mequetrefe, tú lo pediste." (Okay, you little wimp. You asked for it.)

He instinctively flinched away from his father.

Suddenly, Rafael jolted awake in the pitch darkness of their bedroom as a cold sweat washed over his face and chest. He was shaking, heart pounding, looking around the bedroom with suspicion and paranoia, in full fight-or-flight mode. After a moment, the realization that it was a nightmare came crashing into his mind and he began to think he was a bit silly for getting himself worked up all these years later.

Careful not to wake Olivia, he got up, still shaking, rubbed his face and eyes and tried to fully awaken. He groggily stumbled over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror slowly, cautiously, as if not sure of what he'd see when he did. It still felt as though his heart was trying to jump straight out of his chest.

It had been a little while since Rafael had a nightmare, but despite his being much more familiar with them than he liked they still rattled him.

Deciding that he wasn't going to get much more sleep anyway, Rafael, still half asleep, got out of bed, threw his bathrobe on, and headed downstairs.

At a quarter to seven, Sofía woke crying so Rafael quickly settled her so she didn't disturb the others in the house just yet. It was early.

About twenty minutes later, Rafael heard the telltale sign of Olivia now walking around upstairs, getting ready to start her day. Finishing off his third cup of joe, Rafael stood up and made his way over to the counter, quickly throwing on a fresh pot of coffee. He glanced over at the clock. Noah can still sleep for another fifteen.

"You were up early," she said with a note of concern.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I just couldn't sleep."

She gave a small nod before leaning in and kissing Rafael. When they parted, his wife eyed him with concern. "Everything okay, Rafa?"

He shot his wife a reassuring smile. "Yeah, Liv, I'm fine."

Olivia gave him a knowing look, having presumably also been on the other end of this conversation herself with the likes of Brian Cassidy over the time that they'd still been together after everything with William Lewis. "Alright, well, if you wanna talk."

Rafael took a sip of his coffee and then glanced back up at his wife. "I know." He gave Olivia a much warmer smile. "You glad to be back in Manhattan today?"

"Don't you know it," she replied. "Fin and I both."

They continued chatting for a few more minutes and then Noah woke up, Olivia threw together some breakfast, and they all went about their usual morning routines.

He had an early meeting so, Lucy watched Sofía and Olivia walked Noah to school.

After the meeting with Casey Novak, he had to meet with another Bureau Chief as well as a fairly green A.D.A who was coming out of E.C.A.B and taking his first case, a run of the mill Domestic Violence case, to trial

That wasn't all, because things got even more interesting when the District Attorney wanted to meet over coffee to discuss something.

Little after ten o'clock that morning, Olivia walked into his office. His wife was clearly feeling a bit confused about why she was needed at his office and what was so important that they couldn't discuss it over the phone.

For what it was worth, Rafael felt a little nervous as well but he didn't want to have the discussion over the phone for a myriad of reasons. As always, the police captain didn't bother to knock before entering.

He gave her a reassuring smile "Captain."

"Counsellor," Olivia replied calmly. "Mr. McCoy."

The D.A. dipped his head slightly and gave Olivia a small smile. "I seem to recall telling you before that colleagues get to call me Jack, Captain."

"Alright, Jack. So, what am I doing here?" she asked, obviously pleased to see Rafael but concerned at the same time. It was obvious something was going on.

D.A. McCoy jumped right in. "Your husband was kind enough to be my coffee date this afternoon so we could have a little chat."

Olivia shot the man a concerned look. "To talk about us?"

"Nothing like that," the District Attorney quickly assured her. "But it does concern you in more ways than one. Given the circumstances, we wanted to pull you in."

"He wants me to first chair the Oscar Papa trial," Rafael explained. If given the chance his boss would wax poetic for as long as he could.

Olivia stared at him. "Wow, well, we all know you're probably the best prosector for it. You'll definitely nail the piece of work to the wall."

"So you’re alright with it then?" he questioned. "It will clearly come with some risk."

"I take that risk every day," she reminded him. "And it's not like you're not already an interesting target to them because of me."

"If Rafael agrees to take the case," D.A McCoy stated, "I will be ordering protection for your entire family for the duration of the trial." The older man shot Rafael a fond and yet slightly exasperated look. "As I have already informed your stubborn husband, it's non-negotiable." Olivia tried not to laugh at Rafael's instantly exasperated expression. "This is still my jurisdiction and people do what I say or they pay the price."

"I'll play nice," he retorted. "And honestly, I agree. You're also stubborn but we've also both seen what Oscar Papa and BX9 are capable of."

Olivia nodded. "If it was just us that's one thing but I would feel a lot better with some protection for the kids. Protection on the building and for both of the kids when they're out without us. I don't want a detail at work."

The District Attorney easily nodded his assent. "I can make that work." The older man arched an eyebrow and spoke more sternly to him. "And do play nice with the security detail, El Tiburón. Do you understand me?"

"Don't worry," Olivia quipped. "I will make sure he does."

The District Attorney chuckled. "I am sure you will, Captain." McCoy turned to Rafael. "You've built yourself a good little family here, Rafael. You be careful so that you can take care of them. Those kids need their father."

He dipped his head slightly. "Yes, Sir. I plan on it."

His boss nodded, evidently satisfied that Rafael was going to behave. "Very good." The man then shot him a cheeky smirk. "Now get back to work Mr. Barba."

Rafael shook his head as he watched his boss walk out. He then turned to Olivia. "That man gives me whiplash sometimes."

Olivia barked out a laugh. "Rafa, you do realize he treats you much the same way that you do Sonny? How do you think that poor guy has felt for years?"

Rafael smirked. "McCoy started it. I merely continued the timeless tradition."

Olivia rolled her eyes, not at all surprised by the statement. She then leaned in to give Rafael a quick peck on the cheek, closing the office door behind her a moment later.

Knowing that he had a ton of work ahead of him, Rafael poured himself a fresh cup of coffee and sat down. He then got to work preparing his case against the leader of BX9. Rafael wanted to make sure that this was it. That it was Oscar Papa's last dance.

Chapter Text

Over the next few days, the air began to warm, the temperature rising slowly. Not only that, but the days seemed to finally be getting longer as well. As Rafael wasn't a fan of winter due to the cold and the less-than-stellar walking and driving conditions outside, his spirits were definitely up at the first signs of Spring. A good thing too, because his professional life was anything but calm at the moment.

Waking up Monday morning, breakfast was a rather rushed affair. They had all slept in and then all three of them had to rush to get to work.

Rafael had a suppression hearing for the Oscar Papa case first thing that morning as it seemed that opposing counsel was ready to try drowning him in pre-trial motions and to drag the court proceedings out for as long as humanly possible.

Judge Hashi Horowitz sat down and the clerk called their case. "The State of New York vs. Oscar Papa. It's case No. 23-CF-000433.” 

Judge Horowitz nodded. "Appearances, please, counsel?"

Familiar with the drill, he calmly took his cue. "The State appears by New York County Executive Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba appearing as lead prosecutor."

With a small smile, Rafael's second chair followed suit. "Also appearing this morning on behalf of the State as co-counsel is New York County Assistant District Attorney Anne Frasier."

Opposing counsel then took their turn declaring themself. "And the defendant appears personally with Attorney Evan Braun."

The judge quickly eyed the documents in front of them. "This matter was last in court on March 3, 2023, at which time the defendant's continued arraignment was concluded and the defendant reaffirmed his previously entered not guilty pleas. At that time, the Court set today as the date to hear any motions to suppress any statements given by this defendant. That same day, the defendant filed a motion seeking to suppress certain statements that he contends were private conversations taken out of context and are more prejudicial than probative. We're here today to hear that motion." Rafael had by all accounts not been overly surprised that opposing counsel had filed the motion to suppress. "While this is the defendant's motion, the State has the burden of proof to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the statements given were voluntary. The motion before the Court today is not directly concerned with the truthfulness nor with the falsity of the statements given, but, rather, with their voluntariness." Both the attorneys curtly nodded their assent. "The Court will render a decision on this motion, uh, Monday, March 6, at 9:00 a.m. Gentlemen, any stipulations? The State?"

Rafael calmly indicated his wish to speak. "Your Honour, there are several stipulations that have been entered into." He took a quick breath before he continued. "First of all, the record should reflect that prior to this morning's hearing, the State transmitted to the Court several audio recordings. They are the subject of the motions. Although the State is offering the March 3 admission by the defendant, we have included all of the recordings of March 2, as Counsellor Braun included those in his motion. The State is asking the court to allow the audio records to all be marked for purposes of this hearing and to be placed in the record at the conclusion of the Court's decision today to avoid any possibility of pre-trial publicity that may adversely affect the fairness of this trial.”

The judge nodded and then turned towards the defence table. "Mr. Braun?"

The defence attorney readily chimed in. "My client never agreed to being recorded and had no idea that his friend was recording private conversations, Your Honour. All of the aforementioned recordings were illegally obtained."

Rafael arched an eyebrow. This is ridiculous. "New York is a one-party consent state for recording. Defence Counsel should know that."

Counsellor Braun stepped forward and placed a Manilla folder down right in front of the trial judge. "Katz Versus United States. Supreme Court ruled in favour of protections of intrusions of privacy."

"With exception for exigent circumstances," Rafael countered without missing a beat. "We have a concerned party's consent for all of the audio files."

"It's an overt breach of privacy," the defence attorney retorted. "Privacy is an inherent human right and a requirement for maintaining the human condition with dignity and respect. These recordings should be excluded."

He shot the defence attorney an incredulous look. Dear, God! Sometimes dealing with Braun is too much like dealing with Dworkin. "Are you done?"

"Help yourself," Counsellor Braun replied.

"If opposing counsel would get off their legal soapbox long enough to take a dive into legal precedence he would see that the statute is clear." Rafael shot Counsellor Braun a rather pointed look. "If he'd like to change that, he is welcome to bring up his points in the proper venue, the legislature."

The judge nodded. "Mr. Barba is correct. I'm allowing the recordings to be admitted."

Rafael smirked and gave Judge Horowitz a curt nod. "Thank you, Judge."

Counsellor Braun chimed back in. "Then, Your Honour, I request that the Court have all of the audio recordings sealed. That is, uh, having those recordings remain part of the court record but without access to the general public."

The judge nodded curtly. "So ordered." Judge Horowitz then glanced between both attorneys. "Any further proceedings today, gentlemen?"

Rafael shook his head in the negative. "Not for today, Judge. Thank you."

Opposing counsel did likewise. "No, Your Honour."

Judge Horowitz nodded. "Alright. We're adjourned."

Relieved that the hearing went well, knowing it was only one of the hurdles, Rafael set to work quickly gathering up his files and heading back to 1 Hogan Place.

Fresh coffee in hand, Rafael quickly talked with Carmen before making his way into his office and returning some missed calls and checking his e-mails. Rafael then spent the rest of his morning drafting motions as well as subpoenas.

Rafael went out for a little bit of shop talk and sandwiches with Olivia who then joined Rafael for a brief meeting with Sergeant Ayanna Bell from the Organized Crime Control Bureau along with Detective Stabler.

At three o'clock, he then had a scheduled interview with Maria García who showed up with her father. Her father was clearly father pressuring her not to testify.

At four o'clock, Detective Grace Muncy and Captain Miguel ‘Mike’ Duarte stopped in for a brief meeting he'd requested regarding the Oscar Papa case.

"How exactly do you know Ms. García, Detective?" he inquired. Rafael was well aware that Detective Muncy had led them to the young woman.

"Maria's one of my girl gang contacts," Muncy explained. "She was raped by two guys in the Tremont clique last year right before her brother got jumped into BX9. I tried to talk to her at the time but she clammed up and they never followed up.

"But García did I.D a pair of her underwear in that tree," the captain added, "and she ID'd the two guys who raped her as Bug Bear and Sacrilege."

"Lindsay Del Toro and Hector Suárez," Rafael reiterated as he jotted all the information down in an attempt to keep the various street names straight.

Detective Muncy nodded in confirmation. "Yeah."

"That's a good start," he stated. "But, Detective, why was Maria so willing to talk when you approached her recently? What changed her mind?"

"Because her brother Rodrigo got mowed down a few weeks back by Ninth Street," the young detective explained. "Of course, we knew how that ended."

"Yeah," Duarte retorted, clearly upset. "With Maria setting us up."

He shot the Dominican NYPD Captain a dirty look. "Fue coaccionada, mi socio. Maria es una víctima." (She was coerced, Man. Maria's a victim.)

"A mí no me importa esa vaina," the captain retorted. "Look, either way, it all ends in the same way. Benson and I walking into that damn trap at La Capital. So, Abogado, what d'ya need from us?" (I don't give a crap.)

Rafael shot Captain Duarte a very pointed look. "Well, first of all, Captain…"

The three of them continued discussing case specifics for about ten more minutes and then after the little fact-finding mission, Fin picked Rafael up and the pair drove out to Riker's to interview Benny Barros once more.

Rafael had a feeling he was in for a long next few weeks.

Chapter Text

The next three weeks or so seemed to just fly by, Rafael worked more than a few late nights to prepare his case for court and to also deal with the sea of pre-trial motions that Counsellor Braun was throwing at him. Not to mention all of the other meetings, interviews, as well court appearances regarding other matters that Rafael still had to make. He'd almost missed their latest home study but had got there just in time to not irritate Ms. Jackson who had a track record for not being the most understanding when it came to those individuals who didn't work your typical nine-to-five jobs. He was so damn thankful for Carmen at the moment.

Waking up that Monday morning, the Barba-Bensons got up and all calmly went about their usual workday and school morning routine.

Olivia was upstairs quickly changing Sofía and Rafael checked the time. Noah needed to get moving if the boy was going to make it to school on time to join his classmates on the field trip to King Manor Museum. "¡Noah, apúrate que vas a perder la guagua!" (Noah, hurry up or you're going to miss the bus!)

His son yelled down the stairs. "¡Ya voy! ¡Ya voy!" (I'm coming, I'm coming!)

He shook his head in amusement. Rafael then heard a loud sound coming from Noah's bedroom that sounded a lot like a crash. The boy popped his head around the corner, appearing right at the top of the staircase a moment later. "Eh, Papi, se me rompió la alcancía." (Uh, Dad, I broke my piggy bank.)

His eyebrows furrowed in slight disbelief. "Se te rompió la alcancía?" How exactly did you manage to do that? Ah well, there's no use in getting upset over it. "Bueno, más se perdió en Cuba." (You broke your piggy bank? Well, there are worse things.)

Noah visibly relaxed at his response and then gestured in the direction of his room as he eyed him questioningly: What do I do here?

Rafael grabbed the broom and helped Noah safely clean up the mess. They didn't have the time to gather up all of the coins, but that was something that could wait until the boy had a couple of minutes after school to do so.

They said goodbye to Olivia, let Lucy in and said a quick hello to her, and then he and Noah started the walk over to P.S. 199. Thankfully, their security detail was so far being very discreet. He and Olivia had also decided to not have a security detail accompany Noah on the field trip. They wanted him to have some normalcy.

Watching Noah walk through the main doors of the elementary school, Rafael quickly made his way to his office to grab some files before running to the courthouse. He'd also wanted to give the jury questionnaires a quick once over before court. They did only provide minimal information about the potential jurors but any information was useful information to have in his arsenal. The most important goal in jury selection is to eliminate your worst jurors and an attorney needed all the information they could get in order to effectively do that.

The case was finally called and Judge Horowitz started the proceedings, giving their venire a pointed look. "You know who the parties are in the case and what types of claims have been brought. Based on this information, would you raise your hand if you have such strong feelings about the case, the parties concerned, and what the claims are that you could not be fair and impartial?"

He watched as none of the veniremen raised their hands.

"There are no hands?" Judge Horowitz pressed after a beat. "The record should reflect that no one has raised their hand." The judge gave a slight sigh. "Okay, looking at the list of lawyers, parties, witnesses, and law firms involved in this case, is anyone here familiar with any of them?"

The judge dipped his head slightly. "Let the record reflect that everyone has raised his or her hand. Is anyone here familiar with either of the witnesses?"

Once again no hands were raised.

"Let the record reflect that no one has raised their hand," the judge said. "We will now have the lawyers introduce themselves and then proceed with the questioning." Judge Horowitz turned to him. "Mr. Barba, you may start."

The three attorneys went about their introductions and then voir dire was in full swing, Rafael and his second chair setting to work on cherrypicking jurors. A.D.A Frasier had agreed to take more of a backseat during voir dire.

"Is there anyone here who has been through a traumatic event, such as a car accident or physical injury, perhaps even a mugging or burglary?" he asked. He noted the four or five hands that went into the air. "How did you respond right after it occurred?"

Rafael asked three jurors to explain their responses to the trauma and got a couple of varied responses from them as Rafael knew he would. it was to prove a point.

"Did you react the same way you had thought you would?" he asked.

Rafael finished that line of questioning and then opposing counsel stepped forward for their turn questioning the venire. "You promise me, keep an open mind and hold the government to make its case?"

Rafael stepped forward again. "I need to ask if anyone here or a friend or family member has been the victim of sexual violence?" Rafael wrote down some notes as he got the answers from various individuals.

"Do you feel that it is human and even expected that as we recount an event there are variations in the telling of that event?" the defence attorney asked.

It went back and forth like this for a couple of hours and then opposing counsel made their first peremptory challenge. "I challenge jurors 23 and 16."

He glanced up from his own cue cards. Both women had some history which meant he wasn't all that upset at losing them. "No objection. I challenge number 31."

At one o'clock, they broke for lunch and then went right back to questioning the venire and, with any luck, finalizing their jury.

The afternoon went much the same way as the morning had, both sides slowly making their way through the question trees that they'd drawn up

"Do you think it is unusual for a victim of sexual abuse not to report it?" Rafael asked. He followed that one up by asking, "Can you think of any reasons why a victim might not report their assault to the police immediately after it occurred?"

"Do any of you think that you can tell just by looking at someone if they've committed a physical or sexual assault?" the defence asked.

"Do you agree that there's no one certain or specific profile of a person who commits sexual assault?" Rafael inquired next.

"How might your ability to judge the evidence in the case be affected by the fact that the defendant is Latino?" the defence asked.

Rafael quickly played off of one of the comments that Counsellor Braun had received. "Thank you for your comment, Sir. You have a First Amendment right to express your views openly. We all have those rights and should feel free to state what we think. Is there anyone else here who has similar views?"

He wanted to see what the other jury pool members had to say. It was strange, but by rewarding the worst possible answer he can imagine, he was trying to get the other people in the venire to reveal themselves as people who held like-minded racial views. His goal was to create an atmosphere where people could admit to their racially tinged thoughts and feel free to say what they were really thinking.

"Have any of you here ever been in an argument where somebody verbally threatened or intimidated you?" Counsellor Braun asked next.

"Do you believe that if you were assaulted and there were no witnesses that you would have the right to come to court and tell what happened, and be believed?" he inquired. Rafael followed that up by asking, "Do you understand that an assault can occur even though there are no visible injuries?"

"What does 'beyond a reasonable doubt' mean?" defence counsel questioned. "Does it mean beyond all doubt? Beyond any shadow of doubt?"

Question after question, they slowly chipped away at the venire although it was mostly due to challenges for cause at that point.

Counsellor Braun made another peremptory challenge, one that he'd been hoping that the defence attorney wouldn't. "I challenge jurors 36, 28 and 12."

He and Counsellor Frasier chatted quietly amongst themselves for a moment, a couple of cue cards being shuffled around. He had honestly wanted to keep juror 28. He then glanced over at the judge. "I challenge numbers 18, 26, and 29."

The judge nodded. "That leaves you two peremptory challenges, Mr. Barba."

"And I challenge number 14," Counsellor Braun stated as he glanced up from his own sea of scattered cue cards.

Judge Horowitz nodded. "And you're out, Mr. Braun."

A couple of hours later, they had finalized a jury that Rafael was actually quite happy with and he and Frasier both headed back to Rafael's office, accompanied by Rafael's security detail, to discuss some matters pertaining to the actual trial itself.

At five o'clock he had another meeting with Maria García, the young lady seeming a lot more willing to testify than she had the last time they had spoken. Rafael had actually been able to have an honest conversation with her this time.

Once the meeting with Maria was done, Rafael grabbed himself a coffee before sitting back down at his desk. Rafael then replied to a dozen e-mails and returned nearly as many phone calls before finally gathering his things and calling it a night.

His cell phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his pocket. Rafael shook his head in fond exasperation. 'Hey, Rafa. Can you grab dinner on the way home?'

He closed his eyes for a second before replying. 'Sure, Liv. What were you thinking?'

The reply was immediate. 'Thanks, Babe. Pizza night?'

Rafael quickly typed back a response. 'Okay. See you at home soon, mi amor.'

Chapter Text

The following morning, Rafael and Olivia woke up to the alarm on Olivia's phone going off, the sun shining through their bedroom window as well as the sound of birds chirping. Thankfully, Rafael hadn't had another nightmare since the last one and he was feeling quite rested that morning all things considered.

They both groaned. Olivia then moved to grab her cell phone and turn the loud alarm off while he snuggled in closer to his wife. She laughed softly at his actions.

He smiled affectionately at his wife. "Good morning."

Olivia returned the smile. "Good morning, Babe." Rafael snuggled in even closer to her. "You know, I'd like mornings better if they started just a little bit later."

He gave a little snort at his wife's comment and then Olivia moved onto her left side so that they were both face to face. Locking eyes for a moment, the couple shared a quick kiss.

Once they finally broke apart, Rafael was the first out of the pair to speak. "I feel like today is going to be one of those days where even my coffee needs a coffee."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Let's hope not." She then moved to sit up. "We do need to get up though before our two kids burn the house down."

He laughed as he started to sit up. "They are both rather quiet at the moment."

Getting up, it was a circus act of getting into the shower, feeding the kids, and getting them ready for their day. Olivia put on the news for them to watch while they were all seated and eating breakfast at the kitchen table. The others were having cereal but he had stuck to his coffee and pan con mantequilla.

"The much-anticipated trial of alleged BX9 gang leader Oscar Papa is set to start this morning," a reporter said. "The man has been accused of multiple counts of rape as well as attempted murder. Benny Barros, Papa's personal driver, is expected to take the stand, after turning state's evidence and implicating numerous individuals."

Counsellor Braun was there, busy grandstanding as well. "In the eyes of the Lord, the ultimate judge, my client is innocent. The jury will bare that out."

Olivia didn't take her eyes off of the tv. "Son of a bitch."

Rafael scoffed at the television as well. "Well, with all due respect to the Almighty, His laws are meaningless when it comes to sexual assault." He didn't notice Sofía tugging on his sleeve to get his attention at first. Once he did though, Rafael felt a bit bad for not immediately noticing. "Papá."

He turned to the little girl and gave her a warm smile. "Sí, Princesa?" (Yes, Princess?)

The toddler pointed forcefully at the ground. "Go."

"¿Quieres bajar?" he asked, trying to make sure she got the Spanish version of it due to her mostly being around English. (Do you want down?)

Sofía gave a small nod. "Go me."

"Está bien," he said as he took Sofía out of her high chair. "Ve a jugar con tus bloques de construcción, mi hijita." (Okay. Go play with your blocks, baby girl.)

Beaming, the bubbly nineteen-month-old ran over to where her favourite stuffed animal as well as her blocks were laying on the ground. She could do her thing and Rafael and Olivia were both close enough to intervene if something happened.

"Why were you guys mad?" Noah questioned after a moment. "Is it because of the bad guy they were just talking about on tv?"

Olivia looked like she was going to deny it but then nodded. "That man did some very bad things, Honey, but you don't need to worry about that."

Rafael nodded, attempting to help reassure their son. "Your mother's right, Noah. So, are you looking forward to the book fair this afternoon?"

Noah nodded, grinning widely. "Uh-huh! And I already know what I wanna get!"

Olivia laughed. "Well, maybe don't spend all of your allowance in one go, Sweetie. I am sure they will have some pretty neat stuff though." She gestured to his cereal. "Eat up though or you're going to be hungry this morning at school."

"Y enderézate," he gently chided. (And sit up straight.)

The nine-year-old rolled his eyes and cheekily finished the now rather familiar mantra. "O voy a coger maleta." (Or I'm going to give myself a hunchback.)

He tilted his head slightly and fired back a reply. "Posture is important and you'll thank me when you're older."

Olivia shook her head in fond exasperation. "Boys."

Eventually, Rafael needed to head into work, leaving Olivia to walk Noah to school. He had a brief meeting before court scheduled with the District Attorney, the Bureau Chief of the Trial Division, and the Bureau Chief of the Homicide Bureau, Phillip Baptiste.

After the meeting, Rafael hurried straight over to the courthouse, still escorted by that security detail the District Attorney assigned to him, signed in, and then waited for his case to finally be called.

"All rise," the clerk said about twenty minutes later.

Judge Horowitz calmly approached the bench and sat down. "And good morning again, everyone, please be seated."

Rafael dipped his head slightly. "Good morning, Your Honour."

His second chair did likewise. "Good morning, Judge."

Opposing counsel then took their turn. "Good morning, Your Honour."

"Back on the record in the matter of The People V. Oscar Papa," Judge Horowitz said to the court. "Criminal Number 23-0433. And are we ready to begin this morning?"

Rafael nodded. "We are, Your Honour."

The judge nodded. "Okay. Bring the ladies and gentlemen in."

He watched as the twelve jurors quietly entered the courtroom and almost wordlessly took their seats over in the jury box.

"And good morning again, everyone." The judge glanced between both of the counsel tables. "Note for the record we have all of our jurors present." Judge Horowitz turned to the prosecution table. "You may proceed."

Rafael dipped his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Honour. The People would like to call NYPD Captain Miguel Duarte to the stand."

And so, this spring morning, the trial for the case of the People versus Oscar Papa had officially begun. He'd done what he could to push it through the court quickly and just hoped that all of the preparation he and Frasier had done was enough.

Chapter Text

The court was rather intense and Counsellor Braun showed loud and clear that neither he nor Oscar Papa were going to go down without a fight. Captain Duarte held his own, but the trial ended as a rollercoaster.

Opposing counsel was, unsurprisingly, attempting to discredit everybody as much as possible and seemed to have honed in on Olivia, in particular, trying to paint Olivia as traumatized and acting out of a vendetta. The NYPD Captain held her own though and Rafael kept his cool throughout it all too, treating it all much like it was a master class in acting, controlling every micro-expression as best he could manage.

It helped that Oscar Papa's own driver had testified against him. It was rather difficult to come back from that testimony and the audio recording snippets that Rafael had so painstakingly selected alongside A.D.A Frasier. As far as evidence went, that definitely was more than a little bit damning. Maria García cinched the deal.

So, with all of the evidence that they had against Oscar Papa as well as the numerous testimonies, Rafael wasn't overly concerned. He just flipped the script on the defence, hammered home that it wasn't a vendetta, that she had an exemplary service record, and moved their neighbour Joseph Westcott and Albert Díaz up on his witness list. He wanted them both to testify as soon as possible. Although he also prepped Detective Muncy, he opted to save her testimony for last. The detective was inexperienced in testifying on the stand and seemed to have a bit of a Nick Amaro disposition in ways he wasn't certain he wanted to risk. Unless it was necessary. The last thing he needed was an angry cop taking the stand. Juries hated those. As it was, he'd already had the rather unpredictable Captain Duarte take the stand for him as the commanding officer of the investigating precinct's gang unit. Rafael had needed his testimony.

The trial ended late that Thursday afternoon and then the jury was sent to deliberate. It wasn't until one o'clock on Friday afternoon though that the jury came back for the second and hopefully last time. Rafael had been grabbing a quick lunch with Olivia at the Breakroom by the courthouse - his protective detail agreeing to sit off to the side and be discreet - when he was notified. God, I can't wait until I can lose the security detail. I want my privacy back. Sooner rather than later.

He'd been checking his phone a little bit anxiously and Olivia eyed him. "I'd like you to know, whichever way this goes, you did a hell of a job, Rafa."

"Thanks." Just then his phone buzzed and he quickly read the message that popped up on the screen. "Jury's in." He took a breath, raising to his feet. "Here we go."

Walking out of the Breakroom with the protective detail, Olivia joined him for the walk back over to the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

The clerk and judge quickly started proceedings and then the judge turned towards the jury table. Judge Horowitz then had the jury foreman read off their verdict for the first of the charges. "On the nineteen counts of Rape in the First Degree how do you find?"

The jury foreman spoke quite confidently. "We find the defendant, Oscar Papa, guilty."

There was instantly a cacophony of murmurs flooding throughout the rather sizeable courtroom as the first verdict was announced.

The judge gave a curt nod at that. Rafael also couldn't help but relax at that. If he got a guilty verdict there, it was now clean sailing. The look on Olivia's face when he stole a quick glance back at her said she was feeling much the same way. Fin did as well by the looks of things. "On the two counts of Conspiracy in the First Degree, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant guilty," the jury foreman said.

"On the two charges of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, how do you find?" Judge Horowitz questioned.

"We find the defendant guilty," the jury foreman stated.

"And on the charge of Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer, how do you find?" the judge then asked. Rafael could tell the judge agreed with all the verdicts so far.

"We find the defendant guilty," the jury foreman replied.

He glanced back at Olivia and they shared a little nod. It was a little tradition of theirs that had begun years ago when he caught the People vs. Adam Cain case.

Judge Horowitz gave a curt nod at that and turned towards their defendant. "Mr. Papa, you will remain in custody pending sentencing." The judge turned to the bailiff. "Bailiff, take the defendant into custody." The judge faced forward once again, now addressing the whole courtroom. "Members of the jury, the State of New York thanks you for your service. Court is adjourned."

A small yet smug smile playing on his lips, Rafael gathered up all of his files, shared a brief exchange with his second chair, and then made his way over to those large doors beside which his wife and Fin were waiting for him now that court was done.

The sergeant shot Rafael a small smile. "Good job, Barba. Hopefully that guy gets the maximum."

Olivia smiled proudly at Rafael as she stepped a little closer to him. "Congratulations, Counsellor."

He dipped his head slightly. "Good jury," he countered. "They looked past Oscar Papa's charming little act, saw him for who he really is."

"Res ipsa loquitur," the district attorney chimed in as he walked up to them. "Don't sell yourself short. Not many prosecutors would have even touched this case."

He quirked a brow. "Be careful, Sir. That is beginning to sound an awful lot like praise."

District Attorney McCoy chuckled at that. Rafael would likely never manage to actually catch the man off guard. "Like I said, res ipsa loquitur."

Fin and Olivia headed out to go back to their precinct and he had a quick meeting with the district attorney over coffee before heading back to his office to get some more of his to-do list done. He was hoping to actually get out a bit early that day given all the overtime he'd been doing lately due to the case he'd just wrapped up.

The press was waiting to question Rafael outside of the courthouse, but that had been expected And he knew how to handle the press.

Thankfully, that little plan of his did successfully pan out. Rafael was going to have to work from home a little bit but there was nothing major that was keeping him at the office. He'd also been able to get McCoy to officially dismiss his protective detail.

Rafael entered the courtyard right outside of P.S 199, well aware that he'd gotten there a little early. He stopped briefly to take in the new bulletin that had been put up before taking a spot back by the gate. Rafael kept getting a dirty look from one man who was clearly waiting for his own kid and it made Rafael, admittedly, feel a bit self-conscious. The fact that he was dressed for court just made him stand out even more.

Rafael had picked Noah up from school quite a few times but hadn't met the man yet. Rafael had no clue what the guy's issue with him was until he heard a comment that made it as clear as day. "What are you, the janitor?"

He shook his head, taken slightly aback. So, that's his issue. Well, it's not like I haven't dealt with his type before. "No, I'm just here picking up my kid."

The man gave a little snort. "So, what, it's your day of the week for custody?"

Rafael rolled his eyes dramatically at the extremely ridiculous comment. "No, and I am very happily married, thanks for your concern."

The man gave a little snort. "Surprised that she hasn't left you." Rafael fought hard to keep his expression calm and seemingly unaffected as the much larger man smirked at what was clearly thought to be a very clever insult directed at Rafael. "I can smell the flop sweat and the cumin coming off you from here."

Rafael fought to keep his face calm and unaffected as the man smirked at what he had clearly thought was a clever insult. "Is that all, Sir?"

There was a near collective gasp as people finally realized what was going on, the sea of adults swiftly moving to stand up for Rafael with comments like "You need to grow the hell up," "That is disgusting," and "Sorry you had to deal with that."

The man backed down but made sure to sneak one more comment in, calling Rafael a slur and demanding that he go back to Puerto Rico.

Rafael fought against every instinct in him once more to not visibly react and to keep his countenance calm. Any reaction on his part would just feed the man and likely just play unfairly into the whole "aggressive Latino" stereotype. It would just make things even worse; it was a battle he wasn't going to win.

He briefly thought back to the whole Martha Cobb debacle shortly after it turned into a Rorschach test about which side buttered your political bread and Rafael was forced to quite publicly dismiss the indictment. Which only got worse when it was confirmed that Mr. Platt's own supporters had been behind the rather conveniently timed firebombing of his house, the false-flag and grandstanding making it even more likely that Mr. Platt had in fact been the one to rape Martha Cobb and not Justin Vichinsky as SVU, as well as the struggling right-wing pundit herself, had initially thought.

"And let me tell you something," Mr. Platt said, addressing the sea of reporters outside of the courthouse. "What do you expect from an immigrant prosecutor in the pocket of the fake, liberal media?"

Rafael played on his phone for a moment and then glanced over towards the doors as he heard the school bell ring. A few seconds later, the main doors opened up to reveal a line of students, Noah was there right at the front of the group.

Noah quickly spotted him and the nine-year-old's face instantly lit up. Smiling, his son ran over, dragging his school bag behind him.

Despite the nasty conversation that had just happened a moment prior, Rafael couldn't help but smile at the nine-year-old's reaction to seeing him in the schoolyard. "Hola, Papito. ¿Qué tal la escuela hoy?" he greeted, bending down and enveloping his son in a bear hug. (Hey, Buddy. How was school today?)

Pulling back from the hug, his son looked up at Rafael with a warm smile. "¡Muy bien! Aprendimos a escribir en cursiva." Noah then eyed him curiously "¿Pensé que Lucy me recogería de la escuela hoy?" (It was really good! We learned how to write in cursive. I thought that Lucy was going to pick me up today?)

Rafael ruffled the nine-year-old boy's hair playfully. "¡Qué chévere! Y mi jefe me deja trabajar desde casa esta tarde." (So cool! And my boss is letting me work from home this afternoon.)

"¡Alabao!" Noah stated excitedly. "Es genial. Podemos pasar la tarde juntos entonces." Rafael couldn't help but feel a bit moved by the boy's excitement "¿Caminaste aquí o vamos a coger el carro? (Holy cow! That's great. We can spend this afternoon together then. Did you walk here or are we taking your car?)

"Manejé aquí desde el palacio de justicia," he replied. He indicated the direction of the car with his right hand. "Parqueé justo por allí, al otro lado de la calle." (I drove here from the courthouse. Parked right over there, across the street.)

"¿Podemos ir a tomar batidos?" Noah asked hopefully. (Can we go get smoothies?)

He considered Noah's request for a second before nodding his assent. "Claro, niño." He gave a slight shrug of the shoulders. "Es hora de merendar. Y a propósito, vamos a cenar bacalao esta noche porque es Viernes Santo." (Sure, Kiddo. It is snack time. And by the way, we're having cod for dinner tonight as it's Good Friday.)

Putting his arm around Noah, father and son both happily made their way over to the crosswalk not far from the school gate. It felt good not having the stress of the trial or that constant protective detail looming over them any longer.

As he and both of the kids ran around playing and laughing in the backyard some time later, taking in the lovely Spring weather, he wanted nothing more than to press pause and cherish the sense of peace that washed over him.

Kids put life into perspective. Life happens and you get bad news sometimes, or thing don't go your way at work - for Rafael that might mean he lost a case or was under a lot of pressure from the eight floor - but it didn't affect his mood as much from day to day. He loved going home and seeing the happy smiles on both of the kids' faces as they saw him. It would instantly make everything alright.

He momentarily thought back to his own father and that relationship. You could've had this, Papá. You could've had this, and you threw it away. Why?

Shaking his head, he refocused on the game he was playing with both of the children, grinning when Sofía let out a loud squeal. I love you both so much.

Chapter Text

Easter Sunday, Rafael woke up a couple of minutes before the brunette laying in bed beside him did. The curtains in their room were drawn with only small cracks of light shining through, gently illuminating their bedroom. Rafael yawned as he gently took one of Olivia's brunette locks and then twirled it absently with his fingers. They'd gone to the Paschal Vigil the evening before as well, Rafael teaching Noah how to tie a tie when they were getting ready the evening before.

The boy had been eager to learn and had also found the Lucernarium fascinating along with when the deacon chanted the Easter Proclamation.

Olivia fidgeted slightly in bed, scrunching her nose up slightly before she finally blinked her eyes open and turned onto her left side. She then shot Rafael a sleepy smile from where she was laying.

Still only half-awake, Rafael spoke softly. "Morning."

"Good morning, Handsome." His wife then leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she spoke again. "Happy Easter."

He smiled affectionately at his wife. "And Happy Easter to you too, mi amor." He then gently pulled Olivia in for a deep kiss. God, I love you.

Once they parted, he and Olivia both rolled over onto their sides again, the pair simply laying there as neither one of them wanted to get up just yet.

Olivia gave a happy little hum, snuggling in closer to him. "You're so warm."

"I'm glad to be of use," Rafael quipped with a small laugh. He then stole a glance over at the clock on the wall by the door. "Should we get up?"

When Rafael had been a child, Easter had been about dressing up smartly and going to Mass with his parents and grandparents, sitting and listening as the priest had spoken about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and what a special day it was. Along with him being told under no circumstances to embarrass his father. While Rafael still respected the Catholic meaning of Easter Sunday, he was also looking forward to a bit of childish fun with Olivia and both of the kids.

His wife gave a cheeky little grin. "Oh, the kids'll bug us soon enough, I'm sure."

As if right on cue, a small voice came floating into their bedroom. "¡Papá! ¡Mamá!"

Rafael shot up to a sitting position, beaming at where his daughter was running over to him in her flowery little pyjamas, brunette curls flapping in the wind. He scooped Sofía into his arms and hugged her tightly, kissing her hair several times before she giggled, pulling at his cheeks to look at him. She was closely followed by Noah who had presumably been the one to let Sofía out of her bedroom a moment earlier.

"Buenos días ustedes dos." Rafael smiled affectionately at both of the kids as he spoke. "¡Y Felices Pascuas!" (Good morning, you two. And Happy Easter!)

"Happy Easter," Olivia said as she hugged Noah.

Noah happily returned his mother's hug and greeting before then pulling Rafael in for a bear hug of his own. "Felices Pascuas, Papi." (Happy Easter, Daddy.)

Rafael glanced between both of the kids. "Entonces, ¿el Conejito de Pascua les trajo muchos dulces?" (So, did the Easter Bunny bring you guys lots of candy?)

Sofía gave a little shrug of the shoulders and pointed over to the bedroom door. "Go."

"We haven't gone downstairs yet," Noah replied with a big grin. He wasn't about to let either adult sleep in if that had been their intent.

"You didn't?" Olivia asked in mock scandalization. "How could you not go see if the Easter Bunny came?" Olivia then patted Rafael's leg, smiling. "Come on, Mister. It would seem our son forgot how Easter works." She gave a shake of the head. "Silly kids."

Rafael chuckled lightly as he got out of bed, quickly threw a shirt on, and followed his wife and the two kids who were bouncing off the walls downstairs. Noah was thrilled to see the small toys, two chocolate rabbits and other treats that had been left on either side of the couch for both of the children. Sofía ran over and immediately latched onto her stuffed rabbit and Noah smiled at his small Lego Easter Bunny kit

"Can we start looking for eggs now, Mom?" Noah asked, itching to start looking for all of the eggs hidden on the main floor and throughout the backyard.

"Go ahead," Olivia replied with a soft chuckle. She made a very dramatic gesture with both of her arms causing Rafael to laugh. "Let the egg hunt begin!"

As soon as Olivia finished her little proclamation, Noah enthusiastically grabbed Sofía's hand and dragged the little girl around. Sofía didn't entirely grasp what was going on but was more than happy to try and help Noah track down the eggs that were hidden around the main floor and backyard. He and Olivia had hidden the eggs they had all decorated together as a family as well as a bunch of Hershey's chocolate eggs mixed with some Cadbury creme eggs.

Once all of the eggs were found, they let both of the kids have a couple of pieces of their Easter chocolate before they all quickly bathed and dawned their Sunday best for Easter Sunday Mass out at his mother's Church.

Both of the girls were in dresses, Olivia in a floral one and Sofía in a white guayabera one with some Agua de Violetas baby cologne to top it off. On the other hand, he and Noah were both wearing a pair of black slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie, the young boy proudly doing it on his own this time.

The nine-year-old boy did his best to push the part through the tie, but it was getting all messy. "Eeeh…" Noah said, flashing a look up at Rafael. (Umm…)

"Está bien," he said as he reached out for his son's tie. "Solo tienes que aplanarla, es todo. A ver… Simplemente alisamos aquí." As Rafael talked, he flattened the tie out. "Y ahora estamos listos para ir." (It's alright. You just have to flatten it out is all. Let's see... We just smooth out this part here. And now we're good to go.)

Noah nodded, looking more determined than before to finish tying it on his own.

"Bueno, el paso final. Sostenla, pero sigue tirando hacia abajo." Rafael smiled as Noah tried to better situate the new dark blue tie on his neck. "Tienes que prestar atención a cómo la doblas porque ese es el frente de tu corbata." (Okay, last part. Hold it, but keep pulling it down. You have to pay attention to how you wrap it because that's the front of your tie.)

"Cómo se ve," Noah said. (Like how it looks.)

"Exactamente," Rafael readily agreed with a small smile still playing on his lips. "Así que sostén la parte de atrás." (Exactly. So hold the back side.)

Noah nodded, quickly figuring out what Rafael meant. "Y esta es la palanca." (And this is the lever part.)

"Está bastante bien centrado, pero me gusta doblar el cuello de la camisa y luego ajustarla una última vez," he remarked as he folded the nine-year-old's shirt collar down and finished adjusting Noah's tie. "Perfecto, mi hijo." Rafael then placed a quick kiss on the top of Noah's head. (That's centred pretty well, but I like to fold the shirt's collar down and then give it one last touch-up. Perfect, Son.)

Noah smiled up at him and then apparently noting that his shirt collar was still up, the boy tentatively reached up to fold it down. Noah smiled when Rafael kneeled down to let him do exactly that. Noah then moved the dark blue tie ever-so-slightly to what the boy clearly figured was the middle proper.

Rafael had to smile at his son's actions. When Noah was finished Rafael gave himself a quick once over. "Gracias, Papito. Es perfecto." (Thanks, Buddy. That's perfect.)

Olivia had walked in, seeing the end of that interaction. "Well, don't you look smart."

"Thanks," Noah replied proudly.

Olivia shot Rafael a teasing look. "Just as long as you don't have him trying to live out of three-piece suits. We barely have room for your collection."

"Clothes maketh the man," he quipped back with an exceptionally amused expression.

Sunday Mass at the St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church was lovely. The Easter service included various readings, music, a procession, as well as performing several of the Sacraments of Initiation for new converts as well as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults or the RCIA for several individuals.

Once Mass ended at eleven o'clock, they made their way out of the church and to one of his mother's favourite restaurants for an Easter brunch, his mother being invited to enjoy them back at their Upper West Side brownstone for the rest of the day.

It had definitely been one of the best Easters that Rafael had had in a good while. I am blessed to have so many great things in my life.

Chapter Text

Easter Monday, Olivia got called into work first thing and had to deal with a couple of incidents. Rafael ended up having Eddie and his surrogate nephew over for lunch that afternoon and Rita stopped in that afternoon as well.

Tuesday morning's arrival meant that it was back to work and school for everyone in the Barba-Benson household. They got up and went about their usual morning routine. Olivia had an early meeting so she had to go into work a little earlier than usual.

"Have a good day at school, Sweetie." Olivia played with their son's head momentarily in an effort to tame the boy's wild curls. "I'll see you after dance tonight." She planted a kiss on the top of Noah's head. "Love you."

The nine-year-old smiled. "I love you too, Mom."

"Let me know if you can meet for lunch," Rafael said. "Even if it means me grabbing a couple of sandwiches and us eating in your office."

"Will do," Olivia replied before she pressed a soft kiss to Rafael's lips. She then had to go, grabbing her shield and weapon and walking out of their brownstone.

It was about fifteen minutes later when Lucy got there.

"¡Vamos, chico!" he called from the entranceway, waiting on his son. "No queremos llegar tarde a la escuela." (Come on, Kiddo! We don't want to be late for school.)

"¡Ya voy, Papá!" Noah yelled as he came running out of his bedroom with his backpack being slung onto his shoulders. "Quería llevar mis bolas para jugar durante el recreo." Noah quickly stopped to give Lucy a quick kiss goodbye on his way to their front door, to nobody's surprise. "Bye, Lucy!" (I'm coming, Dad! I wanted to bring my marbles to play with during recess.)

"Have a great day, Kiddo!" Lucy said. "I'm picking you up to take you to dance class tonight." The nanny then gave Noah a gentle shove toward the shoe rack. "Now go get those shoes on, Squirt."

Noah rolled his eyes but swiftly did what Lucy had just asked of him. Sometimes those two act so much like siblings it’s scary.

Rafael smiled warmly over at the nanny who was picking up a grinning Sofía. "Thanks again, Lucy, and have a great day. As always, call if you need anything."

Lucy dipped her head slightly, smiling. "You know I will, Rafael." She then shot Sofía a playful smile. "We're going to have lots of fun today, aren't we?"

Sofía nodded before making a silly face and throwing herself into Lucy's shoulder.

He chuckled. "I'll leave you two to it then." Rafael placed a kiss on the top of Sofía's head. "Compórtate. Te quiero, Princesa." (Be good. I love you, Princess.)

Sofía tried to blow Rafael a kiss as he and Noah left.

It was a beautiful day out as he and Noah made the fifteen-minute walk to P.S 199. He definitely preferred the Spring weather they were having lately. They got to the school and Noah immediately spotted and rushed over to his friend Iván.

Iván's mother shook her head slightly, smiling at the kids, and then turned to him and spoke. "¿Cómo está, Sr. Barba?" (How are you, Mr. Barba?)

Rafael gave the woman a small smile. "Estoy bien, gracias, Sra. Pérez. Y tutéame por favor. No soy tan viejo. Todavía." (I'm good, thanks, Mrs. Pérez. And please address me informally. I'm not that old. Yet.)

"De acuerdo," she said, chuckling. "¿Qué tal Pascua?" (Alright. How was Easter?)

"Fue divertido," he replied. "Mi esposa y yo organizamos una Búsqueda de los Huevos de Pascua para los niños. También salimos a tomar el desayuno tardío con mi mamá. ¿Y tú?" (It was fun. My wife and I organized an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids. We also went out for brunch with my mom. And yourself?)

"¡Genial!" The woman replied, stealing a quick glance over at their sons. "Almorzamos en casa de mis padres después de la Misa y luego todos los primos buscaron Huevos de Pascua juntos." (Great! We had lunch at my parents' after Mass, and all of the cousins looked for Easter Eggs together.)

They chatted for a few more minutes and then it was time for the children to go in. His son gave him a quick hug and then he watched as the nine-year-old boy happily made his way into the elementary school. Once those doors closed behind him, Rafael turned and made the short trip to 1 Hogan Place.

Thankfully, today was largely an office day for Rafael. He spent the first half an hour in court arraigning a man for a domestic violence incident. Rafael then sat down at his desk, cup of coffee in hand, and spent the better part of his morning taking work calls and emails, thoroughly reading several reports, and drafting several motions.

At half past eleven, he had a quick meeting with Casey Novak regarding several things that had to be discussed. Things were calm enough though that shortly after noon had rolled around, Rafael was sitting down with Rita for a last-minute lunch. Olivia had had to cancel due to something at work.

"Are you okay?" he inquired. She looked exhausted this morning, a little bit off.

Rita shot him a pointed look. "Yeah." She then sighed. "I've dealt with the good old boys club for how long now? I am just tired, Rafael. That's all."

Rafael nodded, clinking his mug with hers before taking a sip. "I hear you. That whole situation with Judge Ellery is damn infuriating. I could do without all the fools, but they also keep us both in business." Rafael was angry that someone like Joe Ellery was still a judge. Even so, the man appeared to have forgone his reputation of letting suspects go and had been making sure that the cases landing in his court were taken seriously. That didn't forgive the man his sins, though.

The blonde attorney chortled. "Yeah, it's a real-life scorpion and the frog. Whoever said that crime doesn't pay wasn't a lawyer."

He gave a soft hum. "Where there's a will, there's a lawyer." Rafael took a large swig of his cup of coffee. "Enough about that, though. So, what was with you cozying up to Trevor Langan in the hallway back there?"

Rita rolled her eyes, cheeks turning a bright shade of red. "Drop it, Island Boy."

He shot his long-time friend a playful smile. "Oh, hell no!" Rafael tilted his head a tad. "And by the look of things, you totally have a thing for the man."

She shook her head and conceded. "Okay… We've gone on one date. One."

His cheeky grin grew as the server placed their orders in front of them. "So how in the world did that even happen? Start talking, Ms. Congeniality."

Rita rolled her eyes at him in fond exasperation and then gave a small huff and spoke. "Fine, so it started a few weeks back when…"

They continued chatting over lunch and then it was time to go. At one o'clock, Rafael was back at the Manhattan D.A.'s Office, quickly going over his schedule with Carmen once more before Rafael closed himself in his office to hopefully get some work done. Rafael spent that afternoon reviewing several DD5s, medical reports he'd requested, as well as reviewing discovery materials he'd just received from opposing counsel. He also drafted both a Subpoena Duces Tecum and a Witness Subpoena. Rafael then went with Amanda and Velasco to do a brief scene visit.

Rafael had managed to squeeze in a meeting with their domestic violence victim, who wasn't the most solid witness that he'd ever had but also wasn't the worst, before he officially called it a night and headed home.

Chapter Text

Rafael sipped his coffee and smiled fondly as he thought back to the prior six months, including celebrating his first Father's Day as a father. It was almost a month into the summer break from school and Rafael's mother had finally retired. As for the children, both Noah and Sofía were growing up way too fast. It had certainly been a shock when they got that phone call from Judge Linden asking if they could meet to discuss taking in a foster child. A good one though and later this morning Sofía was going to officially become their daughter.

They'd already agreed to let Noah miss a bit of school that morning so that Noah could join them at the adoption finalization hearing that morning. "Oye." (Hey.)

Rafael tilted his head slightly, Noah getting his attention. Olivia was upstairs with Sofía so it was just him and Noah for the moment. "¿Sí?" (Yes?)

Noah indicated his coffee with his head. He'd poured himself a coffee but hadn't eaten anything yet. "¿Ya tienes hambre?" (Are you hungry yet?)

Rafael shook his head with a small smile. "No, hijo, fíjate, no tengo hambre, pero sí un poquito de debilidad." (No, Son, look, I'm not hungry, but I'm a little peckish.)

Noah gave a little shrug. "Está bien." The nine-year-old boy then shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. The boy then shot him a questioning look. "¿Puedes hacer Dulce de Fruta Bomba para el postre esta noche?" (Alright. Can you make us some Dulce de Fruta Bomba for dessert tonight?)

He shook his head slightly. "No esta noche, niño." Noah immediately looked more than a little bit disappointed by that but he would get over it. "Tu abuela nos está preparando un cake de nata para esta noche." Rafael's lips turned upwards slightly. "Y compré helado." (Not tonight, Kiddo. Your grandma's baking us a Cream Cake for tonight. And I bought some ice cream.)

As expected, Noah instantly perked up at hearing that. "Riquísimo." (Yummy.)

"¿Qué te parece si hago Dulce de Fruta Bomba mañana en lugar de eso?" he inquired. (How about I make Dulce de Fruta Bomba tomorrow instead?)

Noah nodded. "Sí, por favor." (Yes, please.)

They chat for a few minutes and then Olivia and Sofía joined them downstairs. Rafael then had a pan con mantequilla while Olivia grabbed some Cheerios and banana for both her and Sofía to have for breakfast.

Just before nine o'clock that morning, the four of them ran into their social worker and Counsellor Langan right outside of Judge Linden's courtroom. After a quick chat, it was time for them to go inside.

"Good morning," Judge Linden greeted them.”And that’s a very pretty dress, Miss Sofía.”

Sofía instantly beamed. “Fank you.” 

Judge Linden smiled. “You’re very welcome.”

He and Olivia shared a small smile.

"Please have a seat." As they took their seats, the judge swore them in. She then turned towards Counsellor Langan. "And the agency has been unable to locate any suitable living blood relatives?"

Counsellor Langan nodded. "Yes, Your Honour."

Chantal Jackson gave a curt nod, a small smile playing on the lady's lips as she spoke to the judge. "And as the couple has successfully passed all of their home studies, it is ACS's recommendation that both Mr. Barba and Captain Benson be recommended as adoptive parents."

"Okay," the judge said with a warm smile. She then turned towards him and Olivia and handed them a set of papers. "You need to look over these forms, make sure they're correct and then sign them in all our presence."

They looked over the documents quickly before signing them and giving them back to the Family Court judge. Their case was officially called at that point and he and Olivia were both formally sworn in.

Judge Linden turned to Noah. "How do you feel about the adoption, Noah?"

Noah grinned. "I love having a little sister!"

The judge grinned and chortled softly. "I'm glad to hear that." She then turned toward Rafael and Olivia. "You're both familiar with the process but in a moment I'm going to hand you the forms and have you sign them in my presence." He and Olivia both gave a small nod of the head. "Beautiful little Sofía has been with you both for six months and you have been raising Sofía in a fantastic manner and she is as healthy and happy as can be. And I understand that Sofía García-Ramírez's formal name will be changed to Sofía Barba-Benson after adoption." He and Olivia both nodded in confirmation. The judge then shifted slightly to face Rafael better. "To Rafael Eduardo Barba. Sir, did you read the Adoption Agreement?"

He dipped his head slightly as he spoke. "Yes."

"Did you understand everything?" the judge asked.

"Yes," Rafael readily confirmed.

"Do you understand by the Adoption Agreement that this means you will be treated as the natural father of Sofía," the judge said, "that you will have all responsibilities under the law of the State of New York and the United States to take care of her, to provide her with clothes on her back, to put a roof over her head, food on the table, medical care and schooling. Do you also understand that Sofía will be treated as your natural daughter for all purposes of inheritance? Do you understand that?"

Rafael gave another slight dip of the head. "Yes."

"Okay," the judge stated with a warm smile. She then turned to his wife. "And to Mom, Olivia Margaret Barba-Benson. Did you read the Adoption Agreement?"

"Yes," Olivia confirmed without missing a beat.

Judge Linden went through the motions asking Olivia the same series of questions that she'd just finished asking Rafael. The judge then picked up a file and addressed them. "Okay, now I have the Adoption Agreement in front of you. Will each of you review it, make sure everything is spelled right, that the birthdates are correct, and then please execute it on the second page."

They did as asked and then handed it back to the judge once it was signed. Sofía kept trying to grab the pen to play with it though much to Rafael's amusement.

"Alright," Judge Linden stated. "Rafael Barba and Olivia Margaret Barba-Benson have signed the Adoption Agreement in my presence." The judge smiled much more warmly as she added her own signature. "Everything seems to be in order."

He and Olivia smiled at each other, Noah grinning as well. Sofía, who was in playing in Olivia's lap didn't really know what was going on. Then again, they didn't really expect a twenty-three-month-old child to really grasp their current situation.

Judge Linden finished up what she was doing and then moved into the Adoption Order. Once that was done, she congratulated them, and then the four of them got their first official photo together as a family taken.

"Congratulations," the judge said. "And all the best to you and your family."

He dipped his head slightly, a small smile on his lips. "Thank you, Your Honour."

Olivia smiled at Judge Linden. "Thank you, Judge."

Noah smiled up too. "Thank you for making us a family."

The judge was clearly touched. "You're very welcome."

Sofía who was now in Rafael's arms went for his glasses. Again. Rafael shook his head in mild amusement as he gently took them from her. "¿En serio, princesa? Papá necesita sus espejuelos que estoy tan ciego como un murciélago sin ellos." (Really, Princess? Dad needs his glasses; I'm as blind as a bat without them.)

Sofía arched a brow. “Juego.” (Play.)

Olivia shook her head in amusement, chuckling. "Every time, without fail."

Noah arched a brow playfully. "And we wonder why he prefers his contact lenses over his glasses."

Olivia rolled her eyes in good humour. "But what about all the years before Sofía?"

Rafael smirked. "Inadmissible, Captain."

"On what grounds, Counsellor?" Olivia asked in jest.

"Far more prejudicial than probative," he replied in kind.

Judge Linden laughed softly at the couple. "You two are certainly something else."

Heading out of the courthouse officially as a family of four, he and Olivia dropped Noah and Sofía off at school and with Lucy respectively before heading into work. They were having a dinner party later with everyone but for now, they had work to do.

Work was busy. He had a meeting right at half past ten and somehow seven officers, a defence attorney, and his client all arrived on time for it. The client then spent an hour waffling on whether to participate in the meeting or not. When the man finally did, the meeting lasted until a quarter to two. His cell phone would not stop ringing during the meeting, so Rafael had to keep on excusing himself to guide an officer out of the 20th Precinct through a specialized juvenile arrest to ensure that it was all by the book. It was looking to be a Romeo-Juliette situation as it was.

That meant a quick bite of a sandwich at his desk as Rafael waited for his two o'clock appointment, who decided to finally show up at half past two. That break gave Rafael some time to return the six voicemails and the eleven e-mails that had piled up.

His two o'clock meeting with Counsellor Josie Malone went as expected. The legal aid attorney had twenty minutes for her client and proved nothing had changed since she had very briefly represented Delia Hackman before Rafael had been called in.

At least the woman was reasonable though and they were able they were a deal. His three o'clock cancelled on him but Rafael ended up having a very impromptu meeting with his Bureau Chiefs of the Domestic Violence Unit and the Child Abuse Unit about a policy change that was being considered.

The Bureau Chief of the Human Trafficking Response Unit called to schedule a meeting for the following day while Casey Novak also wanted a meeting.

By the time five o'clock rolled around, Rafael was more than glad to close up and head home to his family for the rest of the day. They had an adoption to celebrate, after all! If there was a cause worth fighting for, it was this: Children belong in families.

Chapter Text

The next couple of days seemed to just fly by. Rafael was in court every single day on a domestic violence case that took a turn for the worse and was far too similar to the Delia Hackman case for his liking. After Alyssa Forman eventually got pushed over the edge and lashed out in self-defence, he had at least been able to work out a solid deal with her defence attorney, Dara Miglani, to get the woman the help that the poor woman so desperately needed. Misdemeanour assault, with jail time and fines waived, along with the stipulation of regular mental health evaluations.

Rafael honestly felt relieved that they were able to reach a deal and do the right thing. All things considered, Alyssa’s in a better place.

Getting up that Friday morning though they went about their regular morning routine, Olivia making them pancakes for breakfast as everyone in the house had woken up a little bit earlier than usual that morning.

"Mamá," their daughter said. She had both hands up and was doing what Rafael could only describe as jazz hands. Unsurprisingly, the little girl had gotten syrup all over her hands and face. It had been her first time trying it and well, it had been a real hit with the little girl. It was a little amusing if gross. "Sticky hands."

Olivia laughed in earnest. "Yeah, they are, Sweetie."

Noah quirked a brow in a very Barba fashion. "She's got more on her than in her."

Rafael chuckled softly and then turned to address his wife. "I'll take care of her, Liv. Go ahead and finish eating your breakfast."

"But yours will get cold," Olivia protested.

"You're the one who cooked," Rafael pointed out. "It's fine, mi amor." In truth, it didn't matter to him if his pancakes were cold or hot. So long as everyone else was happy at the end of the meal, he would gladly eat the scraps. He leaned over and gave his wife a quick kiss.

"Ew," Noah protested under his breath as he looked away from them. A short moment later, their son looked back over at them. Noah tilted his head slightly and then spoke. "Papá, ¿puedes ayudarme a buscar mi sombrero después del desayuno?" (Dad, can you help me look for my hat after breakfast?)

"Sí, ahorita." He gave Noah a warm smile. "Solo déjame desayunar primero." (Yeah, in a while. Just let me have breakfast first.)

The boy nodded, satisfied. "De acuerdo." (Okay.)

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Hang it up where it belongs next time, hmm?"

Red flooded Noah's cheeks and he nodded. "Yes, Mom."

Helping Sofía down from her high chair the little girl scurried off down the hall to the main washroom, Rafael tailing close behind. "¡Papá, ven!" (Daddy, come!)

He rolled his eyes, smiling. "Dale, ya estoy yendo." (Okay, I'm coming.)

When they headed back out to the kitchen, Sofía instantly beelined for an object up on the counter: her cup. Olivia got up to help the twenty-three-month-old and swiftly got told off. "I do!" Sofía said, shaking her head. "Mi taza." (My cup.)

Rafael couldn't help but smile at the interaction. She mixed the two languages often but it was cute and he loved how much Spanish she was picking up lately.

Olivia rolled her eyes but smiled indulgently at their daughter. "Alright."

The twenty-three-month-old nodded approvingly before setting her focus back on her attempt to get the cup off the counter.

Shaking his head slightly, Rafael sat down and shovelled down his breakfast so that he could head upstairs to help their son quickly look for the hat he had lost. By that point, Lucy had arrived they quickly checked in with the nanny. Rafael and Olivia were then both throwing their shoes on and heading into work.

His day was spent answering numerous e-mails and meeting with Chief Maxwell and D.A. McCoy. Rafael had a meeting with Casey Novak as well before going into yet another series of meetings with several of his junior ADAs. He needed to review some of their discovery materials, various drafts for motions, and the like. A lot to get done. He was also doing some last-minute shuffling as far as case assignments went.

He was busy, attempting to get everything organized for their trip down to Miami the following morning. Between Olivia's chart days and additional vacation time as well as Rafael's five weeks of additional vacation time, he and Olivia decided to take a trip down to Florida to see Rafael's side of the family.

There was a knock on the door and Rafael was absolutely stunned by who had decided to walk through the door. "Good afternoon. It's been a while."

"Alejandro," he greeted with a small nod. He was going to play nice but he also wasn't overly happy about seeing his old childhood friend. Alejandro had cut a solid deal and got a five-year probation sentence with adjudication withheld and to not be placed on the registry. Alejandro had also been working on his political career again, with a hell of a lot of success. It didn't exactly surprise Rafael either. He'd said as much when he, Olivia, and Amaro were all talking in Forlini's back then: "Don't count him out. He's a winner. When I was seven... When I was seven, my mom said, 'stick with Alex. He'll be mayor of New York someday.'" He had meant it.

He had a fake smile on his face as he got to his feet. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He walked around to the front of his desk. "Personal or buisness?"

"I was doing a presser in front of city hall," Alex explained, his hands in his pockets. "I figured I'd stop in quick to see if you had a few minutes to talk."

He tilted his head slightly. "What is it, Alex?" He switched to Spanish, hoping for a little bit of extra privacy for this conversation. "¿Qué pasa?" (What's up?)

"Te lo acabo de decir." The career politician did seem genuine enough but he knew now to take everything the man said with a grain of salt. Rafael wasn't about to get burned by Alex yet again. "Quiero hablar." (I just told you. I want to talk.)

Rafael wracked his brain for what to say to Alex at this point. He hadn't expected to be in the same room as his former friend alone again. Before Rafael found his voice, Alex indicated the photograph on his desk. It was a picture that Sonny had taken of Rafael, Olivia, Noah, and Sofía together out in the backyard when the Carisis had been invited over to their place for a barbecue dinner two days before. "¡Ay, qué lindos estos niños! Y a propósito, felicitaciones por el matrimonio." (Oh, the kids are adorable! And by the way, congratulations on the marriage.)

"Gracias," he said with a small smile. "Olivia es el amor de mi vida." He indicated that same photograph, smiling warmer. "Nuestro hijo Noah tiene nueve años y nuestra hija Sofía tiene casi dos años." (Thanks. Olivia is the love of my life. Our son Noah is nine and our daughter Sofía's almost two.)

The man's smile grew, clearly thinking that he was winning Rafael over somewhat. "Es una gran diferencia de edad," Alex lightly teased. (That's quite the age gap.)

"Lo es," he agreed with slight amusement. Rafael then shot his former childhood friend a rather pointed look. "¿Qué tú quieres?" (It is. What do you want?)

Alex gave a one-sided shoulder shrug as he spoke. "Ya te dije. Solo quiero solucionar las cosas." (I already told you. I just want to clear the air.)

"¿Por qué?" he asked coolly. He fully suspected that Alex was just there trying to work an angle of some sort; probably part of his newest political campaign. Mayor Bashner's announcement that he was resigning from office and calling for a snap election to take place in just thirty-six days had been on every news outlet yesterday. "Pensé que solo soy un vendido celoso, que soy el perrito faldero de la aristocracia de esta ciudad. ¿No es lo que dijiste?" (Why? I thought that I'm just a jealous sellout, that I am the lapdog of this city's aristocracy. Isn't that what you said?)

The state senator let out a barely audible sigh. "Rafael."

He tilted his head slightly. Fine, let's talk. "Solo para aclarar las cosas, no hablé mal de ti." He then arched a brow. "Eso fue estrictamente tú y tu mujer." (Just to clear things up, I didn't badmouth you. That was all you and your wife.)

Alex dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Lo sé y te pido perdón. Entiendo ahora que solo estabas haciendo tu trabajo, Rafi." (I know and I apologize. I get it now that you were just doing your job, Rafi.)

Rafael gave a small hum, tapping his fingers on his leg. "¿Y esto no tiene nada que ver con la campaña para la alcaldía que lanzó esta mañana?" (And this has got nothing to do with the mayoral campaign you launched this morning?)

Alex crossed his arms, giving himself away. "Voy a ser el primer alcalde hispano de la ciudad de Nueva York." The man's expression softened slightly but was still confident. "Pero voy a necesitar tu voto, mi socio." (I will be the first Hispanic mayor of New York City. But I am going to need your vote, my friend.)

Rafael kept his expression neutral as he listened. Apparently, ever the politician, Alex had a whole damn spiel prepared for him. Rafael really shouldn't have been surprised that Alex came to the discussion prepared.

The state senator then stood a little taller. The man's chest was pushed out slightly as well as Alex pontificated. "Mira, sé que dije algunas cosas maleducados la última vez que hablamos y te pido perdón. Pero recuerdas de dónde venimos los dos. La pobreza, el crimen. Como alcalde, puedo hacer algo realmente grandioso por todos nosotros y cambiar realmente las cosas en el barrio." (Look, I know that I said some discourteous things the last time that we talked and I apologize for it. But you remember where we both come from. The poverty, the crime. As mayor, I can do something really great for all of us and really change things in the neighbourhood around.)

He briefly thought back to what Reverend Curtis Scott had said. "This city's poor have been ignored for the last twenty years. This is a candidate who can actually save our schools, rebuild our neighbourhoods, and you choose to sacrifice all of that because of a zipper problem?"

Unfortunately, things were more complicated than that.

He gave a slight-closed-lipped smile as he eyed his childhood friend. Rafael knew that he was sincere in his desire to help the community they'd grown up in and in fact had done a lot of good for it over the years. Alex had fought for more services and centres to stay open and had almost singlehandedly saved the neighbourhood. Regardless, the man had also lost his head the last time he ran for mayor. "Bueno, no es tan simple, Compay." (Well, it's not that simple, my friend.)

"¿Cómo que no es tan simple?" the state senator pressed. (What do you mean it's not that simple?)

Rafael adopted a slightly more serious expression as he eyed the state senator. "Si es todo, creo que deberías irte." He then gestured to the door of his office with his right hand. "Vete. Sal de mi oficina, por favor." (If that's all, I think you should go. Get out. Just get out of my office, please.)

"Claro," Alex said with a small nod. The man then turned towards the office door. "Por favor considere lo que dije." (of course. Please consider what I said.)

Rafael felt exhausted when the man walked out and the second the door to his office closed behind Alex, Rafael let himself lean back against the wall, letting out a sigh. His mind was racing, all of these memories of him and Alex together flooding his mind.

He was playing with his face when Carmen opened the door. "You okay?"

He shot his assistant a sad smile. No, but I will be. It's not like Rafael hadn't been here before. "It's politics, Carmen. No danger of a traffic jam on the high road."

"Still, he was your friend." Carmen walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright to miss the memories, the kid you grew up with."

He nodded and then gave her a lopsided smile. "I know, Carmen." Composing himself slightly, Rafael made his way over to his coffee press and poured himself a strong cup of coffee. He turned back and then arched his brow.

Carmen quirked a brow of her own and smiled. "Hey, if you're offering."

He smirked playfully. "Black, three sugars, more sugar, then coffee, right?"

"You know it," Carmen fired back happily. "You looking forward to your vacation?"

The pair continued chatting for a few minutes over coffee before getting back to work. Thankfully, the rest of his afternoon went rather smoothly and Rafael was able to just focus on getting his work done on time to get home at a reasonable hour.

When Rafael got home shortly after six o'clock, he set to work making them some Fufú de Plátano and mamey smoothies for dinner along with some Dulce de Fruta Bomba for dessert. He boiled some plantains and then Noah helped him mash them up before they added a generous amount of pieces of pork and onions to the mashed plantains. All in all, it was a really good dinner.

They finished packing after dinner and then watch a short tv show together, curled up on the couch. They did call it a bit of an early night, though, wanting the four of them to be well-rested for all of the travel the following day. It was going to be a long day as it was and travelling with two cranky kids didn't sound fun.

Chapter Text

"Noah, grab your bag!" Olivia called up their staircase, helping their bubbly toddler get her shoes on. "We've got to get going or you'll be late!"

"I'm coming!" Noah yelled back, with something else grumbled under the boy's breath. There was some shuffling around upstairs and then Noah ran down the stairs, clad in a brand-new pair of jeans, a new shirt, as well as a new pair of sneakers.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Don't run on the stairs please."

Noah immediately looked sheepish. "Yeah, sorry, Mom."

"Chico, tienes que dejar de comer de lo que pica el pollo por las mañanas," he gently chided. "Las vacaciones terminaron." He then tussled their son's hair playfully. "Dale, subámonos al carro." Today was the first day of the new school year and Noah was in the fourth grade now at P.S. 199. (Kid, you need to stop fooling around in the mornings. Summer vacation's over. Come on, let's get in the car.)

The nine-year-old gave Rafael a small smile and nod before indicating his new outfit. "Gracias de nuevo por los pitusas y la camisa nuevos." (Thanks again for the new jeans and shirt.)

He gave a small nod, smiling. "De nada." (Thanks.)

Sofía got her brother's attention, beaming. She was wearing a pair of black leggings, a white long-sleeve shirt with a Cinderella logo on it, and this new glittery light-blue tulle skirt she'd really wanted. "Noah, mi saya. Mi saya." (Noah, my skirt. My skirt.)

"¡Es linda, Sof!" Noah replied with a smile although Rafael could tell that Noah really wasn't interested in discussing a skirt. (It's cute, Sof!)

Sofía tilted her head slightly, smiling. "Beso." (Kiss.)

Noah rolled his eyes slightly but was smiling as walked over to Sofía and gently pulled her in for a quick bear hug. "Está bien. Come here, Silly." Noah then gave his sister a gentle kiss on the forehead. (Alright.)

Rafael's heart warmed at the duo's interaction. He's such a good brother. Grabbing his briefcase, they all headed out the door. Sofía instantly perked up and pointed at the black Ford Explorer they were walking towards. "Car go."

Olivia nodded with a warm smile. "That's right, Sofía. All of us are going in the car this morning."

Sofia gave a very solemn nod. "Bery nice, Mamá." The toddler then looked up at Olivia and Rafael with a look of mixed inquisition and hope. "Cookies?"

He shook his head slightly, smiling down at the little girl. "No galleticas. Tal vez puedas tomar una más tarde." (No cookies. Maybe you can have one later.)

"A photo first!" Olivia stated with a warm smile. "It's the first day back."

The nine-year-old gave them a slight eye roll before posing for the obligatory first-day-of-school photo, Noah smiling widely as he did so.

Getting into Olivia's car, the four of them headed to Noah's school. It had been a very busy end of summer for them. Their trip to Miami had been amazing, Noah and Olivia even got to try some fresh guarapo for the first time. Rafael's aunt and uncle grew sugarcane out in their backyard and had since they moved into the house.

When they got back to the city though, work kept both him and Olivia extremely busy. It wasn't just the playing catch up, but in influx in cases as well. Velasco also got put under quiet investigation by Fin for something the man did when he and Amanda were visiting a remanded suspect for an interview.

Parking down the street from the elementary school, the four of them walked down to the large, black-and-white brick, building belonging to P.S. 199. The large playground was crawling with a group of children already who were running around and playing on the swing sets and monkey bars.

Noah waved at a friend of his and then the four of them made their way over to where the class lists were posted for the fourth graders. There were four possible classes for the grade and one of those was a 4/5 split.

Rafael had just started scanning one of the lists when he spotted the name they were looking for: Noah Barba-Benson. "Got it."

"Mr. Bolton," Olivia said as she glanced over at the list. "How do you feel about that?"

"Horrible," Noah replied.

"Why?" Olivia asked. "Why don't you want him?"

"Because he's so strict," Noah whined.

Olivia gave a slight tilt of the head. "Oh?"

"He's strict?" Rafael inquired. "How do you know that?"

"Because I know he's too strict," Noah reiterated.

Rafael tilted his head slightly. "How?"

Noah eyed them both as he replied. "Because I see him go outside, sending people to the principle’s office."

"That's good though," Rafael said. "You'll learn faster, learn better, in an -"

The nine-year-old shot him an incredulous look. "No."

"Yeah," Olivia countered. "You learn better in a, you know, disciplined area."

"I think this will work out for the better for you," Rafael said. "And your class is a split, so that'll be a bit different for you."

"Yeah," their son easily agreed. "That'll be neat. And I have Spanish class this year."

Rafael chuckled softly. "Probably Castilian Spanish. You'll notice a couple of differences in vocabulary but just go with it. Use the word the teacher wants."

"Like what?" Noah asked, interest piqued.

He didn't have to think too hard for an example, catching Sofía and her stroller out of the corner of his eye. "Saying una silla de paseo instead of un cochecito for a baby stroller." And not to mention using vosotros.

They walked Noah to his new classroom, hugged the boy, and then headed out to drop their daughter off at 9th Avenue Pre-school where they'd managed to get Sofía a spot in the school's Spanish Montessori program.

They met with the new teacher, Daniela Ortega, briefly and Sofía quite quickly started to settle in. Rafael and Olivia watched their youngest turn heel and rush off to join the other kids, only glancing back briefly to wave.

Seeing that they weren't needed, the pair made their way out of the pre-school, Olivia dropping Rafael off at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office before then making her own way to the 16th precinct right after.

Rafael spent the first part of that morning in Arraignment Court. Rafael then spent the next few hours answering e-mails and returning phone calls and drafting motions. At eleven o'clock. he had a quick meeting with one of the junior ADAs before sitting in on another one of his green ADAs' first pre-trial hearings to see how well the lady was doing in court now that they'd pulled her from strictly ECAB shifts.

He then grabbed a quick lunch before setting back down at his desk and going back to managing the stack of files on his desk, working rather than taking a break.

He had several DD5s to read thoroughly and other reports to go over, intake for a joint case with SVU and the Organized Crime Control Bureau, discovery materials to review, and calls to multiple witnesses to make. Rafael also needed to meet with Novak to discuss a few things.

Shortly after three o'clock, walking back to his office after the aforementioned meeting with Novak, he quickly touched base with Carmen. He'd just finished asking Carmen to reschedule one of his meetings for a later date when her expression shifted, someone catching her attention. She straightened up instantly. "I'm sorry, sir, do you have an appointment?" she asked in a very clipped tone. "Mr. Barba is rather busy at the moment."

"I just need a few minutes of his time," Stabler stated, holding up his hands. "Sorry. I didn't mean to cause problems. If it's inconvenient –"

Rafael was a little suspicious about why exactly Stabler was there but also didn't want to make a scene. Especially because the man hadn't done anything since even before his and Olivia's wedding. If he's here in peace… "It's fine, Carmen." He gestured to the door to his office. "Come on, Detective."

Closing the door behind them, Rafael turned to face the man. "What is it?"

"Why didn't you call me?" the man demanded.

"About?" he asked. I have no idea what you're talking about, Man.

"The attack on Liv," Stabler retorted, clearly annoyed that he didn't been made privy to the situation. "The Tremont clique."

"Because it's not my job and I had other things to deal with," he stated pointedly. "If Olivia wanted to discuss it with you, she would've done so."

"She didn't tell me," Stabler said. "Apparently, 'cause she knew I'd try to protect her. As though there's something wrong with that." The man's expression softened slightly as he continued speaking. "I care for her. She and I were partners for over a decade."

"Because I'd have no idea what that's like," he fired back unsympathetically. "It's Liv's choice what she shares or doesn't with you. I would also like to add, Stabler, that you just up and abandoned her for a decade."

The Organized Crime detective pressed his lips together and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, that's not really your business, is it, Counsellor?"

He shot the detective a dirty look. "In this case, it is. You hurt Liv, both back then and with how you came back into her life like a damn hurricane." Rafael exhaled. "She is still hurt although less so. You need to give Olivia time and prove yourself. You don't get to act like the ten years of ghosting her didn't happen. Or that you didn't give her that offensive missive you didn't even compose yourself." Stabler moved to speak and Rafael raised his hand to signal for the man to shut up and listen. "She's forgiving you and wants to work on your friendship but you need to give her time." He then quirked a brow. "I'm not going to go behind Liv's back. She'll talk to you when and where she wants to. If you care about her, Detective, you'll respect that."

"I'm not asking you to go behind her back," Stabler countered without missing a beat. "Just to let me know if she's okay." The man briefly pinched his nose. "And you think I don't know that I hurt her?" The man's expression shifted. "I'm well aware I seriously fucked things up. I'm trying to fix that. I just wanna be there for her now."

Rafael tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips together. "Then you need to give Liv time and show her that." He started walking across the office to his coffee pot. "She's trying to make things work too but there's a lot of hurt there." Rafael started pouring himself a cup of joe. "Now if that's all, Detective?"

Rafael spent the rest of the workday drafting a Witness Subpoena, meeting with the head of the Trial Division and a junior ADA, observing a witness interview down at the 10th precinct, and scheduling two witness conferences. He was also waiting on a video deposition that he'd requested from an older case connected to the current one.

At about half past five, Rafael was called up and asked to go down to the 16th precinct to observe an interrogation there as well.

"Mr. Nguyễn," Amanda said as she and Velasco took their seats across from their perp. "Can you tell me how we ended up here this evening?"

"Don't patronize me," the guy snapped. "Look, I got a little drunk while out on a date and had some mutual fun after. Who here hasn't?"

Amanda gave smiled. "We just need to clear some things up, you know how it is." The detective opened their file on the perp and quickly looked over it. "You've been in and out of prison, theft, assault…"

"But nothing about rape," Velasco pointed out. The detective crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall, smiling. "So, Dave… how was your date with Elena?"

"Uh, it was good." The man seemed to have been caught completely off-guard by that rather deceptive non-sequitur. David's face was scrunched some in confusion, his brow furrowed and eyes squinting.

Nodding, Velasco continued. "She said you took her back to your place afterwards, had a couple of more drinks, talked. She thought you were the perfect date."

Amanda chimed in. "Until you pushed her face-first into the couch and raped her." Her eyes hardened slightly as she spoke, eying their perp.

"What?!" David's mouth dropped open in surprise. The man shook his head adamantly. "No. No. I didn't touch her until she asked." His indignation turned into a disbelieving laugh. "I don't get why she'd say something like that."

Amanda leaned back slightly in her chair. "Alright."

"We hear that all the time," Velasco said seriously. The detective leaned over the table just a touch. "So, walk me through your date." The Mexican detective's request came across as quite sincere, his clasped hands both resting on the table.

David leaned forward slightly. "She wanted it."

"I'm sure she did," Velasco agreed, expression relaxed and friendly.

The perp inched forward again, clearly more confident. "First of all, she was hot."

Velasco nodded. "Okay. Okay, hot. Got it."

"What exactly was it she liked?" Amanda asked.

On the other side of the glass, Rafael smirked as he watched the suspect get played by the pair. He enjoyed watching the detectives weave a web, almost as much as he liked being the one doing the weaving.

At about half past six they all headed home. Court was already closed for the day, so they placed Mr. Nguyễn in Lockup for the night. Rafael would get him arraigned that following morning, but he really wasn't about to bother a judge at home.

They began chatting out in the squad room and Fin shot Velasco a mildly amused look in response to one of the younger detective's questions. "Nah, I prefer to not get involved. Not my circus, not my monkeys."

The sergeant's quip made Velasco laugh. "That's fair."

"How's Phoebe doing?" Olivia asked.

"She's real good," the sergeant said. "Ken, Alejandro, and Jaden too. Phoebe and I are actually gonna have Jaden all weekend 'cause Daddy and Papa wanna take a little trip to Rhode Island for some alone time."

"Good for them," Amanda replied earnestly.

Fin's cell phone dinged. Pulling it out of the pocket, the man checked it and glanced up at the group with a big smile. Anyone could figure out it was from his partner; Fin was absolutely smitten with the lovely Vice Squad sergeant. "And that would be my better half asking when I'm gettin' home tonight."

"Yeah," Amanda said. "I should get goin' too. I've got three kids and an Italian man I can guarantee is spoiling them silly right now." Sonny spoiled the kids on a good day but since the girls' adoptions were finalized that prior Thursday, the man was over the moon. They were all thrilled for him as well, of course.

He barked out a laugh. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"You ready, Babe?" Olivia asked, turning toward him. "Because we've got two kids and a sitter on the meter."

He smiled affectionally as he replied. "Whatever you want, Liv."

"And if I want to curl up on the couch with you and watch a cheesy movie while eating Chinese takeout?" Olivia quipped, hoping he'd take the bait.

Rafael pretended to consider it and smiled playfully. "Cuddling and a movie it is."

Amanda shot him an amused look. "Smart man."

He smirked. "I wasn't born yesterday." He then took his wife by the hand. "Come on, I believe we've got two small hurricanes waiting for us at home."

Olivia chuckled. "Yeah, if only they could share some of their energy with me."

Amanda laughed in earnest. "Yeah, tell me about it."

Velasco dipped his head slightly. "Night, guys."

Walk through the doors of the squad room, they were both glad to be going home for the night. It had been been a rather long day.

Chapter Text

The following morning, Rafael woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Groggily, he leaned over and grabbed the cell phone off of his bedside table. He quickly noted that it was Eddie García who was calling. It's a quarter past seven in the morning. I hope everything's okay. Answering the phone, he carefully got out of bed, making his way out of the bedroom before starting to speak. "Oigo." (Hello.)

"Buenas," his friend replied. "¿Cómo estás?" (Morning. How are you?)

"Estoy bien," he replied, feeling a little more alert now. "¿Y tú? Te levantaste temprano hoy." (I'm good. And you? You're up early this morning.)

"Estoy bien," Eddie said with a small hum. "Estaba desvelado todo la noche. ¿Viste a los Yankees jugar contra los Blue Jays anoche?" (I'm good. I was awake all night. Did you watch the Yankees play against the Blue Jays last night?)

"Sí," he said. He didn't follow baseball as much as some but he'd thrown on the game the prior evening while Olivia was video-chatting with Nick Amaro back in Los Angeles. "Ganaron el partido, siete a cuatro." (Yeah. They won the game, seven to four.)

"Lo sé," Eddie said happily. "Fue un buen partido. Toda esta temporada ha sido buena hasta ahora, en realidad." (I know. It was a good game. This entire baseball season's been good so far, actually.)

He hummed. "¿Cómo está tu mamá? ¿Y Nico?" (How's your mom? And Nico?)

"Están bien," Eddie replied quite happily. "Nico es..." (They're good. Nico is…)

He and Eddie continued catching up for a couple of minutes and then his friend had to go and give his mother a hand. "Dale, dale, chao." (Okay, okay, bye.)

Getting off the phone, he went and got dressed before sitting down for a light breakfast with his family, all of whom were now out of bed and going about their usual morning routine. Unfortunately, Olivia got called out to a crime scene before she even finished her breakfast.

With Olivia having to go to work early, Rafael dropped Noah off at school before then heading into the Manhattan D.A.'s Office to get some work done himself.

He spent the better part of his morning answering emails, returning phone calls, going to two court hearings, and then meeting with Counsellor Mickey D'Angelo and the defence attorney's client who had been arrested on domestic violence. With the victim being of the wholly uncooperative sort, he ended up spending the rest of that morning drafting all the paperwork for the deal that they'd agreed to.

Rafael had a quick lunch at his desk, just finishing it when a knock on the door got his attention and he heard a voice that he hadn't expected to hear there in his office since the last time she was there. "¿Guapo?" He took a deep breath, composing himself. He couldn't believe Yelina Muñoz was standing there. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

He got to his feet. "It's been a while, Mamita." He decided it was just best to go along with her and let her talk. Besides, she was now the First Lady of New York and could make things rather difficult for him. He did know politics and knew how messy things could get. He smiled warmly. "You look so great."

"You used to always tell me that," Yelina replied with a small, flattered smile. "I'm actually on my way to another rubber-chicken luncheon."

He tilted his head. "Well, then, they're very lucky."

Yelina laughed, clearly pleased with how the conversation was going. She then saw the family photo on his desk. "¡Qué chulo son tus niños! ¿Cómo se llaman?" (Your kids are so cute! What are their names?)

He smiled at the photograph. "Es mi esposa Olivia y nuestros dos hijos, Noah y Sofía." He tilted his head slightly, grinning affectionately. "¿Quieres un café?" (That's my wife Olivia and our two kids, Noah and Sofía. Would you like a coffee?)

"¡Ya tú sabes!" she quipped. (You know it!)

He indicated the chairs in front of his desk with his right hand, a small smile still there on his lips. "Siéntate, por favor." (Please, take a seat.)

The Dominican woman nodded, smiling. "Tato." (Alright.)

He started walking over toward his small coffee bar. "Y por favor felicita a tu esposo por ganar la elección de alcalde." (And please congratulate your husband on winning the mayoral race.)

"¡Claro que sí!" Yelina replied proudly. "Estoy tan orgullosa de él; toda la familia lo es." (Of course. I'm so proud of him. The entire family is.)

They were silent for a moment as he poured them both their coffees, Rafael being the one to break their silence. "Bueno, ¿qué pasa?" (So, what's up?)

She vaguely gestured between them both. "Quiero arreglar las cosas entre nosotros." (I want to fix things between us.)

I wish I could actually believe that. "¿Tu marido sabe que estás aquí?" he asked. (Does your husband know that you're here?)

Yelina gave him a small shake of the head. "No, y no es asunto suyo." Rafael shot her a pointed look. "Vamos, papi. Quiero a mi esposo, pero tu relación con él no tiene por qué afectar la nuestra." (No, and it's none of his business. Come on, Papi. I love my husband but your relationship with him doesn't have to affect ours.)

Rafael swallowed the lump in his throat. You're really saying that after everything that you accused me of? "Bueno, debiste pensarlo antes de arruinar una amistad de tantos años." (Well, maybe you should've thought about that before you threw away so many years of friendship.)

Yelina dipped her head slightly. "Tienes razón." She stepped closer to him. "Lo siento, Rafi. Debería haber llevado mejor la situación." (You're right. I'm sorry Rafi. I should have handled the situation better.)

He exhaled. "¿Qué tú quieres?" (What do you want?)

They talked for a couple of more minutes, Rafael not really sure what to make of their little chat, before Yelina took her leave, closing his office door behind her.

Pouring himself another coffee, he sipped it while looking out the window of his office, mind running a mile a minute. Once Rafael felt a little more put together, he gathered his things and headed to the courthouse to help Sonny with preparing a rather shaky witness of his for trial. The idea was that Sonny would walk them through the initial testimony and Rafael would play the role of the mean defence attorney. With as shaky as the witness was, it was better if he only saw Sonny as an advocate and Rafael was the one who really pushed.

Once that was done, he had a series of meetings straight through until six o'clock that evening with the District Attorney himself, Chief Maxwell, two other Bureau Chiefs, and several NYPD officers regarding a myriad of issues.

Leaving work, Rafael made a quick stop at a bodega on his way home. He'd grabbed the few items that he needed and was close to the tills. Texting Olivia who was still at work, he overheard an exchange between a woman and a girl who seemed to be arguing but by all accounts were just… Cuban… and merely talking loud. Most of the Latinos in New York were Puerto Rican or Dominican, so the Cuban accents stood out.

It turned out that one of them didn't have enough cash on her to pay for her stuff and didn't have enough in her bank account either so she told the cashier to go ahead and just cancel the purchase.

The woman clearly wasn't having it. "No, no, yo te pongo la diferencia." (No, no, I'll give you the difference.)

The girl shook a small shake of the head. "No, no, está bien." (No, no. It's fine.)

He watched as both women went back and forth for a moment, Rafael noticing that a few customers were clearly confused about what was going on and a few seemed a bit impatient. They thought it was an actual argument most likely.

The girl shoved her hands in her pockets. "¡Qué pena!" (What a shame!)

The woman's eyes widened, putting her hands on her hips as she spoke. "¿Oye, tú no eres Cubana?" (Hey, are you not Cuban?)

The girl raised her brows then nodded. "Yo sí." (I am.)

"Yo también," the woman said. She then indicated the items that the woman had been trying to purchase. "¿Qué pena de qué? ¿Como tú te vas a ir sin tus cositas?" (Me too. What's a shame? How are you going to leave without your things?)

The girl then noticed him and he gave a small sigh. "Soy Cubano también. Mira, crecí un muerto de hambre. No hay nada de malo en aceptar ayuda a veces. Todos hemos pasado por eso." (I'm Cuban too. Look, I grew up quite poor. There is nothing wrong with accepting help sometimes. We've all been there.)

The woman gave a small, pleased nod. "Como dice el dicho,`Hoy por ti, mañana por mí.' Déjame pagar la diferencia." (As the saying goes, 'Today I help you, tomorrow someone will help me.' Let me cover the rest.)

And that was the end of that argument because… enough said. The entire Cuban exile community had come to this country with nothing more than the shirts on their backs, barely speaking the language, and just trying to make ends meet and rebuild their lives.

It wasn't long before Rafael was rung up and paying for his own purchases. Loading a bag of groceries into the car, he headed home to his family.

He thanked Lucy for the help and then it didn't take long before Noah asked him about the plans for dinner that night. "Papá, ¿puedes hacer picadillo para la cena?" (Dad, can you make picadillo for dinner?)

"Claro," Rafael readily agreed. That was my plan, funnily enough. "¿Quieres tirarme un cable, Papito?" (Sure. Do you want to give me a hand, Buddy?)

"¡Sí!" Noah replied, wasting no time before running straight for the kitchen. "Me gusta cocinar contigo." (Yes! I like cooking with you.)

Shaking his head in amusement, he got Sofía settled into her high chair and busy with her Colour Wonder book. The two-year-old smiled as she flipped the page and landed on a picture of a large ladybug walking in some grass. "¡Bicho!" (Bug!)

Rafael chuckled softly at the little girl's enthusiasm. "Sí, princesa, es una mariquita. Es un tipo de bichito." (Yeah, Princess, that's a ladybug. It's a type of tiny bug.)

With a comically serious nod, Sofía picked up her red marker from the tray and started to scribble away happily, colouring the picture.

Pleased, he washed his hands and had the nine-year-old help take out the ingredients they needed, showing the boy how to make picadillo, white rice, papas fritas, as well as tostones. He had Sofía help with one or two of the more simple things as well but she was still quite young for most of it. In any case, it was fun.

He had a huge smile on his face as they cooked dinner together, Rafael really enjoying the quality time. He was trying really hard to balance his professional and personal lives and knew Olivia was too. It really wasn't easy and Rafael hoped he was doing enough. I don't want to look back and say, 'Yeah, I was really successful, but I failed at fatherhood because I wasn't there.'

Chapter Text

Waking up that Thursday morning, the Barba-Bensons woke up and went about their usual morning routine, the kids having cereal while Olivia had some oatmeal and he had some café con leche and pan con mantequilla.

Rafael was a little tired from staying up late with Olivia chatting but it wasn't anything too bad. She'd been taken aback by how bold the Muñozes had been, though she was not very surprised in truth given the things she'd seen over the years.

The morning was going smoothly until Sofía decided that she didn't want her hair done and threw a temper tantrum. He had tried to lend Olivia a hand but Sofía just seemed to get even more elevated. It wasn't the first time, naturally, and Olivia did her best at staying calm and eventually got the little girl to grudgingly concede.

It wasn't the first time, naturally, that Sofía was unregulated and Olivia did her best at staying calm and eventually got the two-year-old somewhat emotionally regulated and albeit grudgingly conceding to having her hair brushed and done.

Rafael raised an eyebrow, muttering his thoughts about the situation under his breath. "Alguien amaneció con el moño virao esta mañana." (Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.)

Olivia barked out a laugh of mixed amusement and exasperation. "You stole the words right out of my mouth there, Babe." Olivia smiled down at their daughter. "So, do you want me to do pigtails or a regular ponytail?"

The two-year-old girl held two fingers up. "Taiws, Mamá."

"Pigtails?" Olivia reiterated, wanting to make sure.

The two-year-old nodded much more contently and once Olivia started on the pigtails started rambling - as much as she was able - about playing on a playground.

Once Lucy arrived, they checked in with her as they always did and then he and Olivia started walking with Noah over to the boy's elementary school.

Rafael glanced at his son as they were making their way down the street. "So, how are you liking your new class so far? The split-grade and everything?"

"Good," Noah said. "It's a bit different being with the older kids but good."

"Mr. Bolton not as bad as you thought?" Olivia asked with a mild note of 'I told you so' in her voice as she spoke.

"No," their son admitted. "But he has this book and if you get in trouble he writes your name in it and then it goes to Mrs. Tyssen." Mrs. Tyssen was the Assistant Principle of the elementary school.

"And then you have to go see her?" Rafael asked.

Noah nodded. "Yeah." The boy then started chatting away about what he'd done with his friends during their lunch break the day before.

They got to the school a couple of minutes early but it wasn't a long wait at all before the school bell rang and they were watching Noah walk through the main doors.

Arriving at work at nine o'clock, he spoke to Carmen quickly about the day's schedule and then sat down at his desk to answer some e-mails and deal with the rather large list of reports and such he had to deal with. Thankfully, it wasn't a court day.

Around eleven o'clock, Rafael was called by Fin and asked if he could head down to the 16th precinct and take a case that according to the NYPD sergeant was definitely going to stir the press up once they got wind of it. On top of the optics, Sonny was already juggling a heavy caseload before the junior ADA had caught no less than three felony assault cases the night prior. Sonny could handle this case but at what cost?

"So, where's the fire?" he asked.

"She's currently refusing to talk to us," the police captain told Rafael without missing a beat. "Thirty-two-year-old Miranda Vanderhorst. We are looking at her for alleged child abuse as well as child neglect."

Velasco shot him a look. "Lady's a real piece of work."

"Great," he replied, pushing several intrusive thoughts about his own upbringing away, doing his best to focus. "How old are the kids?"

"They're not her kids," Amanda explained to him. "She runs a daycare out of her home and several incidents were brought to our attention, involving four children who are all under the age of two."

"How did it come to your attention exactly?" he asked. She didn't likely report herself and the kids are all so young. A coworker then? A parent?

"A family of a one-year-old boy came in this morning," Fin told him. "Parents claimed the boy received injuries while Vanderhorst was watching him."

"After getting home from the daycare, the child's father came in and said he noticed some bruising on the boy's ear," Amanda continued, "as well as marks on top of the boy's scalp, arms and feet."

Damn. Rafael tilted his head slightly. "Did the parents contact the daycare as well?"

"She told them she did not know where the marks came from," Amanda informed him, "and suggested they may have been self-inflicted." Her expression then shifted as she continued briefing him. "The parents took their one-year-old to Lenox Hill to have his injuries evaluated."

"Good," he said with a curt nod. That's something at least. "I want a copy of those reports the minute you guys get them. Understood?"

Olivia dipped her head slightly. "Of course, Counsellor."

They discussed the situation some more and then Rafael headed out to deal with some other things that needed his attention. He had to wait for the medical reports and such before he could do much else.

After grabbing a sandwich and coffee for lunch, Rafael had a few impromptu meetings with Novak, Sonny, and another one of his junior ADAs. Rafael also sat in on a motion hearing for yet another green ADA.

At half past three, Olivia popped in and updated him on the Vanderhorst case. Rafael scanned the medical reports, frowning slightly. No child should go through that. Ever. How can anyone do that to an innocent child? That woman's absolutely heartless.

Dr. Jada MacLeod had diagnosed the first child's injuries as being consistent with being pinched and getting an open hand slap as well as expressed concerns about the other children who attended the daycare. The 16th precinct had also been contacted by yet another parent stating that they were trying to pick up their child from the daycare but Vanderhorst wasn't answering the door. Then there was the family member of the lady who contact them to say they'd noticed a little girl's diaper hadn't been changed while at the daycare. The girl's parents said that they'd found bruising on the back of their daughter's neck as well as a laceration.

Obviously, SVU had been reviewing each child attending Vanderhorst's daycare so as to verify the physical abuse and neglect in person. Meanwhile, Rafael had made sure to quickly reread the New York Child Victims Act.

Dr. MacLeod said one of the children was found to have multiple unexplained bruises, which were concerning as the child was not walking or crawling according to the parents, also backed up by the child's regular pediatrician. The doctor also said another child who'd been pulled out was "failing to thrive while they attended the daycare."

All of that meant that Vanderhorst was finally arrested and Rafael was now arraigning the piece of work who, hopefully, wouldn't get R.O.R.

Judge Constance Copeland sat down and then the clerk called their case. "The State of New York vs. Miranda Vanderhorst. It's case No. 23-CF-000522."

Judge Copeland nodded. "Appearances, please, counsel?"

Familiar with the drill, he calmly took his cue. "The State appears by New York County Executive Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba appearing as prosecutor."

With a small smile, opposing counsel then took their turn. "And the defendant appears personally with Attorney Athena Davis."

They went threw the legal motions for another minute or so and then finally got to the heart of the matter, Vanderhorst's arraignment and bail. "Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Reckless Assault of a Child By a Child Day Care Provider, and Aggravated Assault Upon a Person Less Than Eleven Years Old. Does the defendant have a plea?"

Counsellor Davis turned to the judge. "Not guilty, Your Honour. Mrs. Vanderhorst has dedicated her life to caring for children. These charges are completely baseless."

Rafael shot the defence attorney a rather pointed look. "So, opposing counsel would apparently like to just ignore the existence of medical records."

The defence attorney arched a brow and tilted her head. "The E.A.D.A might want to ditch the condescending attitude before it drips onto his suit."

Judge Copeland shot both the attorneys a pointed look. "You two hash this out on your own time. Assuming no objection, I'll enter a plea of not guilty. Bail is set at 100,000, cash or bond." That's a bit better than I expected. "Next."

Quickly gathering up his things, Rafael made his way out of the courtroom. Given the time, he then headed for a coffee and sat back down at his desk to prepare a motion for the Vanderhorst case and return a dozen missed calls. One of which was from his wife who had something come up with one of the victims from one of Sonny's felony assault cases that he'd recently caught.

He didn't get as much done as he would've liked but gathered his things at six o'clock and headed home. He could always work out of his study for a bit after the kids were both in bed but he wanted to spend a little time with them. As it was, they tried to get Sofía asleep by half past seven and he wouldn't have long.

Noah was playing with Lego at the living room table when he walked in while Sofía and Lucy were playing a few feet away with some blocks.

Lucy really didn't miss a beat which he was grateful for. "Hey, Rafael."

"Hey, Lucy." He dipped his head slightly as he replied. "How was your day today?"

His son then glanced over at him, grinning. "Hi, Papá."

His daughter grinned up at him. "¡Papá¡"

"It was good," Lucy confirmed. "Sofía did well at daycare this morning and we got out for a bit of a walk this afternoon. Noah's homework is done as well, although I got a bit of a lecture on Spanish pronunciation."

The nine-year-old laughed cheekily at that.

Lucy continued speaking unperturbed. "Oh, and Sof did have a slightly later afternoon nap because -" The young woman started tickling Sofía who was now squealing quite happily. "- this silly little monkey insisted that it was still play time."

"Sounds about right," he said with a chuckle. He hung up his overcoat, walked over to his son, and ruffled Noah's curls playfully. "How was dance class, Papito?"

"Good," Noah replied. "I need a new pair of demi-pointe shoes though. They're getting a bit too small now. Can we grab a pair this weekend?"

"Of course," he agreed. He really wasn't about to let Noah possibly hurt himself over something that was so easily fixable. "I wanted to stop by a bookstore as well so we can do both on Saturday. He kneeled in front of Sofía. "Did you have fun at daycare today, Princesa?"

The two-year-old nodded, grinning widely. "Sí." She climbed up on him. "I go swing. Read doggy book. Bery fun, Papá." (Yes.)

Rafael ruffled his daughter's hair much like he had Noah's and then kiss her on the top of her head. "I'm very happy to hear that, mi hijita."

They continued chatting for a few minutes and then said goodbye to Lucy who had a few things she had to get done that night. He then put sesame street on for Sofía, set up the video monitor to help him keep an eye on things, and Noah opted to keep on building his latest Lego structure.

Rafael was in the middle of pulling out ingredients when Noah got his attention. "Papá, ¿puedes poner música?" (Dad, can you put some music on?)

"Claro," he replied. There was no reason not to and he quite enjoyed listening to music himself. "¿Alguna canción en particular?" (Sure. Any song in particular?)

Noah shook his head. "Sorpréndeme." (Surprise me.)

Shaking his head at the comment that was so like his wife, Rafael pulled out his phone and started playing La Vida Es Un Carnaval by Celia Cruz. The nine-year-old started to dance around the living room, Olivia walking in at that moment as well. Rafael couldn't keep the big grin off of his face as the three of them danced around the living room while he made them some arroz con pollo, maduros, as well as an avocado salad for dinner. I love this crazy little family of mine so damn much.

Chapter Text

Friday, Rafael had a brief morning with Casey Novak first thing. He then spent some time in court dealing with the motion in limine he'd requested in regard to multiple issues with the Vanderhorst case as well as interviewing Dr. MacLeod and the parents who made the initial accusation himself. He also had a fairly brief impromptu meeting with the District Attorney and Chief Maxwell.

When he wasn't in meetings or motion hearings he was busy preparing his case. He'd been happy when six o'clock rolled around and he was able to call it a day.

Saturday morning, Rafael woke up a few minutes before Olivia. He just laid there for a long moment, watching the gorgeous brunette beside him sleeping peacefully with her head laid against his chest.

"Good morning," his wife said as she finally stirred. Having just woken up, she almost instantly started to snuggle up close to him.

"Morning," he replied, snuggling up even closer to her.

They both laid there contently for a moment before Olivia turned onto her left side and smiled. "You should make us some breakfast."

Rafael gave a happy little hum in response before shifting slightly to give Olivia a quick kiss. "Yeah, I can do that. And coffee. I need coffee."

"Naturally," Olivia quipped. "You mainline caffeine, Babe."

He smirked. "And I'm not about to stop it now, mi amor."

He didn't get up immediately, wanting to prolong the moment, but before long Rafael was getting his shoes on and headed to a small Latino bakery about two blocks away. Back at the house, Rafael started unpacking the stuff he'd grabbed for breakfast and got some Café Bustelo brewing. He had settled on guava and cream cheese pastelitos with some tostada and, of course, freshly brewed café con leche.

He was almost done when Noah came downstairs, popping his head into the kitchen to see exactly what Rafael was making. Olivia was still upstairs with Sofía who had woken up just a couple of minutes prior as well. "Buenas, papá." (Morning, Dad.)

"Buenas," Rafael replied warmly. "¿Dormiste bien?" (Morning. Did you sleep well?)

Noah nodded happily. "Si, dormí bien." The nine-year-old boy gestured toward the bag of pastelitos sitting on the counter. "¿Compraste los que tienen queso crema?" (Yeah, I did. Did you get the ones with cream cheese?)

He shook his head jokingly, shooting his son a playful smile. "Nunca. ¿A quién le gusta el queso crema?" That earned Rafael an amused eye roll as he gestured to the kitchen table and addressed his son. "Pon la mesa para el desayuno, por favor." (Never. Who likes cream cheese? Set the table for breakfast, please.)

His son nodded and swiftly went and did as asked. It wasn't much longer before Olivia and Sofía joined them downstairs in the kitchen as well. The two-year-old was happily drinking a cup of orange juice while Noah had some café con leche. Their son's drink was a little heavier on the milk though than his and Olivia's were.

Rafael was a little taken aback when his cell phone buzzed and he got a news alert.

Mayor Muñoz Announces Creation Of First-ever Mayor's Office Of Childcare And Early Childhood Education

"Today, we are making a historic investment both in childcare and in early childhood education so that New York City families will have the support they desperately need to thrive," Mayor Muñoz said. "Not only will the new Mayor's Office for Childcare and Early Childhood Education provide our early childhood students and their families with the support systems they need, but with Dr. Michelle Landry at the helm, I know that we will give every child the opportunity to succeed. Early learning is the key to success for young children, and this administration is committed to making sure that all of our children receive the support they need so that they can thrive both inside and outside of the classroom as well as increase access for families to much-needed high-quality, affordable childcare."

He smiled and pushed his cell phone over to Olivia. Hopefully, Alex continues to do the right thing. "If this is done right, it'll be huge."

Olivia read the article and nodded. "That'll help so many struggling families out."

After breakfast, they watched a cartoon together, deciding to spend the morning in the brownstone. Olivia had been contacted about a close job for a domestic violence victim but opted to send Fin and Velasco in. They were more than capable of handling it.

Olivia then got some of their laundry and cleaning done while Rafael organized several boxes of stuff from storage out in the living room where he could watch both the kids - who were watching cartoons and playing with Lego respectively.

Rafael was just over halfway done sorting through box number two when he muttered under his breath. "Ay, tenemos tantos tarecos." (Jeez, we have so much junk.)

"¿Qué significa tareco, papá?" Noah asked. (What does tareco mean, Dad?)

"Significa un objeto viejo e inútil," he replied without preamble. Rafael wasn't all that surprised that Noah had heard his comment, honestly. The nine-year-old was quite observant. "También puedes decir traste." (It means an old, useless object. You can also say traste.)

Noah eyed the boxes and then nodded in agreement. "Es un montón de cosas." (It is a lot of stuff.)

He chuckled. "Sí, sí, lo es." (Yeah, yeah, it is.)

He'd just restarted sorting the box when Sofía tugged on his sleeve. "Papá. Pápa."

Rafael turned and smiled down at her. "¿Sí, princesa?" (Yes, Princess?)

The toddler pointed at the tv. "Más Dora." (More Dora.)

"¿Quieres que ponga otro episodio de Dora para ti?" he asked. He understood her just fine but was trying to also model the proper language for her. (Do you want me to put on another episode of Dora for you?)

Sofía nodded eagerly. "¡Sí! ¡Sí! Otro Dora." (Yes! Yes! Another Dora.)

Rafael gave his daughter a small nod and started the next episode. Satisfied, he then went back to sorting through the boxes and what if anything they were going to keep. He managed to finish that up shortly after noon and then got started on lunch.

He made them all some Cuban sandwiches with some plantain chips and croquetas de jamón. Rafael had just finished pouring Sofía a cup of orange juice when Noah got his attention. "¿Me das una Materva por favor?" (Can I please have a Materva?)

"Claro," he said, grabbing the can of pop from the fridge a couple of seconds later and placing the drink down in front of the nine-year-old boy. "Which do you think is better – being invisible or being able to fly?" (Sure.)

Noah gave a little hum. "Being able to fly. We could go to lots of places easily."

Olivia chuckled softly. "Might get tiring though."

The boy rolled his eyes. "That's what breaks are for."

He barked out a laugh as he took his seat. "I think he's got you there, Liv."

His wife took a sip of her coffee and gave a little snort. "He's so your son." She turned to their daughter. "What do you think, Sof? Do you want to fly or be invisible?"

"I want pwy," Sofía replied before happily shoving a piece of sandwich into her mouth. Of course, you agree with your brother about flying.

He swallowed a bite of his sandwich and then smiled. "Flying it is then." He turned to face his wife. "And what about you, Liv?"

Olivia grinned at the three of them. "I'd be invisible because I could literally just travel by plane without paying and get into museums and stuff. Plus, it'd be less exhausting."

He chuckled softly. "That's some sound logic. I think I have to agree."

They continued chatting about whatever over lunch and then washed up and made the trip into the theatre district. Sofía was fast asleep in her stroller. Their first stop was at Capezio to get Noah a new pair of demi-pointe shoes and then they headed into Rizzoli Bookstore just down the street from the dance supplies store.

A tall young man with chiselled features, blond hair, and bright blue eyes approached them as they walked into the shop. "Hello, may I be of any assistance?"

Olivia shook her head. "Not at the moment, but thank you. We're just gonna take a look around and go from there."

The young man nodded. "Sounds good. Well, let me know if you need anything

They weren't looking for anything in particular, so checked out a few sections to see if anything jumped out and caught their interest.

Noah, got the first three books of the Harry Potter series in Spanish as he just finished reading the school library's copy of the first book. Noah had seen the first film with him and Olivia, of course, but the books were different from the movies.

Olivia picked The Mad Girls of New York by Maya Rodale for herself as well as two new English-Spanish bilingual books for their daughter who was still out cold in her stroller. They were going to let her nap for a bit longer.

Rafael had just finished selecting El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera by Gabriel García Márquez for himself when he saw somebody that he hadn't seen since graduating from St. Joseph's High School back in 1987: Lauren Sullivan.

"Rafael," the brunette said warmly as she came to a stop right in front of him. She was half Puerto Rican on her mother's side. Lauren was wearing a light brown blazer with a white blouse and a pair of jeans.

He dipped his head slightly, a small smile playing on his lips as he spoke. "Lauren."

"It's been a while," Lauren said. "Last I heard you were out in Boston. Of course, I was out of state as well. Just came to visit family for a couple of weeks."

Rafael internally snorted. She can still ramble. "Yeah, it has been a while. I moved back to the city right after I finished law school." Smiling more warmly, he gestured towards his wife. "This is my wife Olivia and these are -" He indicated both of their children as he continued to talk. "- our two kids, Noah and Sofía."

Sofía waved and both Olivia and Noah offered the woman their hands. Lauren happily shook both of their hands. "It's lovely to meet you both." Lauren turned back toward Rafael. "So, I heard about the Alex and Yelena rollercoaster from my mother."

"That's been a headache for all concerned," he said. "But as far as they're concerned, it worked out well for them." He arched a brow. "Alex always was a brawler."

Lauren gave a little snort. "Yeah, Alex never was the type to back down from a fight." She shook her head a bit incredulously. "And now he's the mayor. Mad respect, but I don't get it." She glanced down at her watch. "I've gotta go, but maybe I'll see you around. It was really good to run into you all."

"See you around," he agreed. Lauren started walking around and he turned back to his family. They quickly confirmed they had everything they wanted to get that afternoon, paid for their items and made their way out of the bookstore.

"¿Quién era esa mujer del saco carmelita, papá?" Noah inquired. "¿Cómo la conoces?" (Who's the woman in the brown jacket, Dad? How do you know her?)

"Fui al bachillerato con ella," he explained as they started walking towards the nearby train station, intending to make their way home now. "We attended the same Catholic school in the South Bronx." (I went to high school with her.)

Noah nodded, seemingly satisfied by that answer.

He gently grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it. "We were just classmates." He had been interested in her when they were in the eleventh grade but that was decades ago and nothing had happened between them.

"I wasn't worried," Olivia replied, some relief still evident. "I trust you, Rafa." She then smiled down at Sofía, Rafael pushing the little girl's stroller now to give Olivia a break. "Thank God she actually napped today."

He gave a little snort, eying his wife. "I thought for sure the noise would bug her."

Their nine-year-old gently tapped him on the arm. "Papá, ¿puedo empujar el cochecito de Sofía un rato?" (Dad, can I push Sofía's stroller for a bit?)

He considered it for a brief moment and then conceded. Noah knows to be careful and pay attention. "Sí, por unos minutos." (Yeah, for a few minutes.)

Noah took the stroller from him gently and started to randomly recite a tongue twister he'd taught Noah to help the boy roll his rs. "Erre con Erre cigarro. Erre con Erre barril. ¡Qué rápido corren los carros del ferrocarri!"

Heading back home, the four of them had some Goya crackers with cream cheese and guava paste for an afternoon snack and then the Carisi clan joined them for coffee, all five kids running around the backyard and living room. Billie and Sofía both loved playing with the two-year-old's sand toy.

At about a quarter to six, Rafael headed into the kitchen and started making them all some bistec empanizado, white rice, black beans, and tostones for dinner. Along with some homemade Arroz con Leche for dessert.

"This looks great," Amanda said. "Thanks for dinner."

"Yeah," Sonny agreed. "Thanks, man. Where'd you learn to cook? Family?"

"My mother and grandmother," he replied. "Although, learning from Abuelita was quite interesting." Rafael's expression shifted. "Abuelita, how do you make this?" He tapped the palm of his hand and did an impression of her. "Así." Rafael tapped the palm of his hand again. "Como esto, y así." His expression shifted yet again. "And you're like, 'Oh, okay. I don't know what that is, Abuelita, but sure."

Olivia chuckled softly, eying him. "You do the same thing to Noah now."

Sonny barked out a laugh. "That's about how it went in my house with Ma and Nonna too."

He shrugged, smirking. "If it works, it works."

All the kids liked the bistec empanizado as well but Billie and Mason decided that they wanted to eat theirs with some ketchup.

Noah shot the pair a scandalized look which he couldn't help but be a little amused by. That wasn't how Cubans ate it. Passing the torch! "¡Ño! You don't eat bistec empanizado with ketchup," Noah said matter-of-factly. "That's what the lemon is for."

Amanda looked like she was going to spit out her drink, laughing. Sonny had a rather similar expression and Olivia was shaking her head, also trying not to laugh.

Mason gave a small little shrug in response and Billie merely tilted her head slightly.

As funny as he found it, Rafael kept a straight face and addressed his son. "Noah, let's let Mason and Billie eat their dinner how they want."

"Y'all should try it," Jesse said to the younger pair as she shoved a forkful of the bistec empanizado into her mouth. "It's good."

He grabbed his lemon and grinned at Noah as he squeezed it over his plate. "Limóncito exprimido por encima." (A little lemon squeezed on top.)

His wife shot Rafael a look of clear amusement mixed with fond exasperation. "You're just as bad as he is, Husband of Mine."

Jesse swallowed a bite of her food and then looked up from her plate. "He cooks good though."

Mason nodded in agreement. "Uh-huh. It's yummy!"

Sofía grinned and nodded. "Bery yummy, Papá."

The table all started laughing and Sonny turned and gave Rafael a huge grin. "Out of the mouth of babes, Rafael. Out of the mouth of babes."

Rafael rolled his eyes and smirked at his mentee. "Well, I heard you recently expanded your cooking repertoire, Sonny. So, maybe we should let our resident Italian-American chef host dinner next time."

Sonny chuckled softly and fired back. "Alright, you're on, Rafael. I make a rather mean Rigatoni alla Carbonara and tiramisù, Compà."

Billie held out her hand to Sonny and grinned when her father immediately gave her a high-five. "Sì, diglielo, papà!" (Yeah, tell him, Daddy!)

That was so similar to Spanish that between that and Billie's expression everybody at the table knew what was being said and burst out laughing again.

Sonny reached over and then proceeded to tussle the four-year-old girl's hair playfully. "Grazie mille, principessa." (Thank you very much, Princess.)

Taking a swig of his coffee, Rafael smiled. This little family that they'd built was one clown short of a three-ring circus but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Chapter Text

Sunday morning, they went to Mass with Rafael's mother before then heading to her apartment for lunch, spending the rest of the day in the South Bronx playing dominos, listening to music, and just enjoying time together as a family.

Monday, of course, meant it was back to work and school for everybody. That morning in the Barba-Benson household was hectic and that was, to be rather frank, quite the understatement. He and Olivia slept in some and then Olivia had a quick shower while Rafael helped their fussy two-year-old get washed and dressed in the main bathroom. Noah, thankfully, ate the school lunch so they didn't have that to worry about.

Once Olivia was out of the shower, Rafael quickly washed and got ready before finally joining his family downstairs for a light breakfast. They were having cereal and Rafael had some pan con mantequilla and café con leche.

"So, when do you find out how you did on the Spanish spelling test?" Olivia inquired as she took a sip of her second cup of coffee that morning.

Noah swallowed the spoonful of Cheerios in his mouth and then replied. "Today, I think."

"How do you think it went?" he inquired, not overly worried about it. Noah generally performed really well academically and the Spanish classes were very basic.

The boy gave a small shrug. "Mr. Bolton was surprised when I said '¿Puedo ir a buscar la hoja de ejercicios de mi casillero?' He gave me a note for you and Mom but, uh, I forgot to give it to you yesterday." (Can I go grab the worksheet from my cubby?)

He gave a little hum and Olivia chimed in. "That's okay, Sweetie. Where's the note? We can read it now."

The nine-year-old boy gave a vague wave. "It's in my backpack." Noah started to get to his feet. "I'll run and grab it." The boy spent a moment digging dig the note out of his bag before handing it to Rafael and taking a seat at the kitchen table again.

He opened the folded paper and started perusing the contents. It was vague though which just made Rafael quite curious.

The nine-year-old watched him a bit apprehensively as Rafael read the teacher's missive. "Am I in trouble for something, Papá?"

Rafael smiled and shook his head. "No, para nada. Your teacher merely wants to meet with your mom and me later today." He then handed the missive to Olivia for her to give it a quick read as well. (No, not at all.)

Noah visibly relaxed. "Oh, okay." The boy then started laughing as Sofía began making funny faces at him and generally being silly.

They chatted about other things, Noah asking to take his marbles and his trompos to school to play with during recess until it was time to go. Rafael and Olivia walked Noah to school while Lucy took Sofía to daycare for a couple of hours.

Rafael had a meeting first thing with the District Attorney and then sat down to answer some e-mails from various officers who caught the weekend shift. He was pleasantly surprised when Counsellor Davis and her client stopped by his office at half past ten to discuss a plea deal.

He had actually been able to leverage a pretty decent one, considering all the evidence they had on the woman. Still, Rafael didn't want to get into a media frenzy if he could avoid it. Before Rafael had left the D.A.'s office after the Drew Householder case, he'd lost sight of some things, compromised where he really should not have done. Rafael thought back to the Tom Metcalf case briefly. He absolutely refused to make the same mistakes. It was totally unbecoming of a seasoned prosecutor who needed to remain as objective as possible to do their jobs. Finding a balance was hard, though, and it was pretty common for them to get hit with compassion fatigue.

As it was, for Endangering the Welfare of a Child the maximum was up to one year or probation for three. For Reckless Assault of a Child By a Child Day Care Provider it was up to four years. Lastly, for Aggravated Assault Upon a Person Less Than Eleven Years Old it was up to four years. All this meant that the maximum sentence would be nine years behind bars for one count of each if sentenced consecutively. Rafael was initially charging the woman with four separate counts, so the defendant was looking at doing serving thirty-six years.

The plea deal, however, was for Rafael to drop the charge of Aggravated Assault Upon a Person Less Than Eleven Years Old. Mrs. Vanderhorst would allocute in open court to the abuse and go on probation. The woman, in the end, had agreed to twenty years in prison and five years on probation. Counsellor Davis had tried to get Rafael to agree to all counts being served concurrently but he felt it was too lenient.

Rafael then spent the rest of his morning preparing the paperwork for the deal as well as jumping from meeting to meeting until he grabbed lunch with Rita Calhoun who he hadn't seen as much as he would've liked lately. They were both busy, though, and it was what it was. They'd both enjoyed their lunch at Chipilo, in any case.

Rafael had a half-hour's reprieve to get some paperwork and such done before he had to head down to P.S. 199 to meet with Noah's teacher.

After signing in at the school's office at two o'clock, he and Olivia walked through the halls to Mr. Bolton's classroom, knocking on the open door to get the man's attention as he was occupied.

"Hello," the teacher greeted as he stood and closed the door behind them. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me." The man gestured vaguely to the rather empty room. "The children are down the hall in music class. I'm Michael Bolton." The man gestured to the woman now walking up to them from the table a few feet away. "And this is Ángela Sánchez. Quite a busy woman but agreed to join us today."

They all shook hands and then took a seat down at one of the larger tables. "First of all, I want to reiterate that Noah is not in any kind of trouble. He's a delight, actually. Very bright and always respectful in class."

"We're glad to hear that," Olivia said happily, squeezing his hand under the table.

"This is Noah's spelling test from yesterday," Mr. Bolton continued, turning the paper towards the couple. "These last two words we haven't learned yet… but he spelled all of them correctly, accents and all. He also asked in Spanish for permission to go to his cubby for something." The teacher tilted his head slightly. "Am I correct in assuming that Spanish is used in the home? And that you read in the language?"

He nodded. "Yes. I'm first generation Cuban-American and Spanish my first language. My wife is extremely fluent as well although she learned it later. Noah has quite a few books in Spanish and we regularly read together before bed."

Mr. Bolton nodded, giving both parents a small smile. "That's great that you're passing your culture and language on." The man then indicated Mrs. Sánchez with a slight tilt of the head. "Mrs. Sánchez is one of the teachers with the school's Advanced Learning Program - which is why I asked her to be here."

"I'd like to challenge Noah a little more," Mrs. Sánchez explained. "Give him more advanced Spanish books and schoolwork to do as well as catching his writing up to his speech. Noah would work on that during Mr. Bolton's regular Spanish class and once a week during that time I would pull Noah out to review his own schoolwork with him." The woman leaned forward slightly. "If that's okay with the two of you and if you think Noah would welcome the challenge."

He and Olivia shared a look and then Olivia spoke for them. "I think we should do it. I don't want Noah to be bored and, family-wise, we'd love to support him in developing his language skills as much as possible."

He dipped his head slightly. "We'll revisit things if it turns out to be too much for Noah, but I agree with my wife. Let's do it."

"Alright," Mr. Bolton stated. "I think it's the right call. Sadly, for heritage speakers, it is not uncommon for the use of the language to dissipate. It's a shame. Not to mention, he really won't get much out of my class."

Rafael nodded and then he and Olivia stood up and shook both of the teachers' hands. He and Olivia thanked both of the teachers and then made their way out of the school and back to their respective places of work.

Back at 1 Hogan Place, Rafael had several calls and emails to deal with before heading to the courthouse where he was preparing to entire the aforementioned agreement he had cut with Counsellor Davis and her client earlier that morning.

"Good afternoon, Your Honour!" he said. "Rafael Barba for the State. With the Court's permission, I'm adding a case to the day's docket. The State versus Miranda Vanderhorst. That's V-A-N-D-E-R-H-O-R-S-T." He glanced down at the case file in front of him as he continued addressing the judge. "Case Number 000522." Rafael then glanced back up at the presiding judge. "Pursuant to a plea agreement the defendant is to enter a plea agreement to four counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child as well as four counts of Reckless Assault of a Child By a Child Day Care Provider at this time. We want an advisement of rights all the way up to the point where the Court can find knowing, would accept and the Court advise. We would like to make it clear for the record that the defendant has fully entered her guilty plea."

Judge Karen Taten dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment. "Okay. But, you would like me to advise her and accept the plea today, is that correct?"

He nodded. "As well as hear the defendant's allocution, Your Honour, and enter the finding of guilty at that time and be sentenced pursuant to the plea agreement."

Judge Taten gave a curt nod. "Alright."

Opposing counsel then took her turn addressing the presiding Judge. "Good afternoon, Your Honour. Athena Davis on behalf of Mrs. Vanderhorst.

The judge nodded. "And is that your understanding as well, Mrs. Davis."

The defence attorney nodded. "Yes, Ma'am, it is."

Judge Tate gave a curt nod and eyed the defendant. "Alright. Mrs. Vanderhorst, would you raise your right hand, please?"

The defendant did as she had been instructed.

"Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" the judge then asked her.

Mrs. Vanderhorst swallowed and gave the judge a curt nod. "I do, Your Honour."

The clerk nodded and then spoke. "You may now lower your hand. Please state your name and address for the Court's record."

The defendant exhaled and then did as she had been instructed by the court clerk. "My name is Miranda Vanderhorst. I live at -"

As tedious as some aspects of his job were, they went through all the motions and the defendant gave a complete allocution to the judge and shortly before five o'clock, their plea agreement was accepted. This went about as well as any case could go.

Gathering his things, Rafael headed out of the courtroom and returned several missed calls and e-mails before calling it a night and heading home to his family.

Chapter Text

Tuesday morning, the Barba-Benson clan all woke up and then went about their usual weekday morning routine. It was, thankfully, a lot less hectic than their prior morning had been after they'd accidentally slept in.

He and Olivia both walked Noah to school that morning which was quite nice and then things hit the fan once they'd got to their respective places of work.

Although, Rafael's morning hadn't started out too hectic he did have a disciplinary issue that he needed to deal with. He also had a last-minute meeting with one of his greener ADAs, Clare Crawford, before she was expected at the courthouse for a voir dire that morning.

While investigating the murder of married divorce lawyers Julia and Patrick Thompson, homicide detectives had become interested in one of the Thompsons' clients, Madison Harris. Her ex-husband suddenly agreed to settle what was an extremely contentious custody case with her, suggesting that she had some leverage on him. They had then suspected that Anthony Harris had been molesting his adoptive daughter, who'd since been returned to her native Mexico, and called the Special Victims Unit in as there was still a child, albeit male, in the home. Amanda and Velasco had agreed with the initial detectives about the abuse suspicions and that the Thompsons wanted to report him, so he killed the couple. Harris had also recently received a large sum of money from a Mr. and Mrs. Williams, whose son Javier was also adopted from Mexico and seemed to be unusually subdued as well.

After Rafael got them a Material Witness warrant for Javier, Velasco and Fin went and picked up the twelve-year-old boy, bringing him in for an interview.

Rafael had decided it was best for him to observe the interview and be as involved as possible from the beginning as immigration, adoption, and child abuse were all serious hot buttons and experience told him that things could go south fast.

"What school do you go to, Javier?" Amanda asked.

"I learn at home," the boy replied.

"What else do you do at home?" Amanda asked, trying to keep her voice light. "Do you work?"

The young teenager stammered. "I do... ch-chores."

"And your fingernails," Amanda asked curiously. "How'd your fingernails break and get so dirty? Is that from chores too? Before your parents fixed up your room, where did you sleep?"

"Please," the young teenager begged. "Can I go home? It's good now. I have my own bed. It's good. It's new." Rafael's heart broke for the boy. "Please."

Knowing that they weren't likely to get anything more out of the young teenager right then, Amanda got up and joined them in the main area.

"Get Child Services over here," Rafael demanded, "and I'll go call the D.A. and give him a heads up about this." And please find a way to get that boy to talk.

"Yeah," said Fin. "A case like this, I doubt it's gonna stay quiet for long."

Olivia nodded, gesturing for Velasco to go make the call. "Amanda, take Javier to the hospital to get checked out."

Amanda gave Olivia a small, solemn nod. "On it, Captain." Before anything else could be said, Brandon and Victoria Williams walked up.

"Where's our son?" Mr. Williams demanded. "Where's Javier? Our daughter told us that you came to the house and..."

"I'm Captain Barba-Benson," Olivia said without missing a beat. "Javier is being put in the care of Child Service. He's actually being taken by one of my detectives, Detective Carisi, to be examined by a doctor and a psychologist as we speak."

"You can't do that!" Mrs. Williams said. "He's ours."

"Yours?" Olivia reiterated.

"Our legally adopted son," Mr. Williams reiterated.

Rafael took several steps forward. "I'm Executive A.D.A Rafael Barba and we have a material witness warrant for Javier." He raised an eyebrow at the pair. "I suggest you get yourselves a lawyer."

Olivia shot the pair a dirty look and indicated one of the Unis standing a few feet away. "Officer Brown will escort you both out."

The beat cop nodded, signalling for Mr. and Mrs. Williams to follow her out. Rafael was glad because he really had zero desire to breathe the same air as the pieces of work for longer than was strictly necessary.

Heading out, Rafael grabbed lunch with Rita Calhoun again before heading back to his office to handle some calls and e-mails as well as meet with Sonny about an assault case the younger prosecutor was working with the 20th precinct's SVU. There were multiple things that Sonny had asked to go over with him.

At four o'clock, Rafael, Olivia, and District Attorney McCoy were meeting in his office. Olivia's squad had obviously continued to investigate and they'd received the doctor's reports from Javier's medical exam earlier that day.

"Bruises on his upper arms," Rafael said as he read the report, "untreated skin rashes, calcium, vitamin and protein deficiencies, untreated cavities." He let out a heavy sigh. "It's just what you'd expect for a neglected, abused child."

Olivia nodded and continued her briefing. "The furniture in the boy's room, if you can even call it that, was bought two weeks ago for cash at a store in Washington Heights. CSU found traces of cat urine under the linoleum. Javi probably shared the space with the litter box before they fixed it up."

"I want to rip these people a new one," he muttered.

Olivia shot him a pointed look. "Take a number, Counsellor."

"All noble sentiments," the District Attorney stated, shooting both Rafael and Olivia a questioning look. "What kind of witness do you think this boy will make?"

"He's a traumatized kid," Olivia replied. "He didn't want to talk to us about what happened to him. Hopefully, Child Services will have better luck." Olivia exhaled. "What we do know is that three years ago, the Williamses adopted Javier out of Mexico and there is every sign of abuse and neglect in that home. He's received no education and that's not the worst thing going on there." The police captain's expression hardened. "They've been using him as their servant."

"What about the little girl, Isabela?" McCoy asked.

"Same story, more or less." Olivia shot Rafael and the District Attorney a pointed look. "Williamses probably helped the Harrises bring her in from Mexico as well. My guess is that's what Mrs. Harris used to leverage a divorce settlement from her husband."

"It certainly might explain why Williams lent Harris two hundred grand," he replied. "A probable payoff to ensure Mrs. Harris's silence. It would also explain why he'd keep his mouth shut if he thought Harris was involved in the Thompsons' murder."

"Give him a reason to talk," the District Attorney suggested. "Charge Mr. Williams with endangering the welfare of a minor."

"An A misdemeanour, Sir?" Olivia replied. "That's nowhere near enough."

The District Attorney eyed Olivia. "I don't disagree, Captain, but unfortunately, without being able to talk to Isabela you're not getting an indictment on trafficking."

"He's right," Rafael said, jumping back in. "But we can maybe for kidnapping statute. The boy was only adopted to transport him out of his home country and use him as a servant." Rafael then took a step towards his boss and quirked a brow. "An adoption in furtherance of slavery, a fraudulent adoption. That's kidnapping." He eyed Olivia. "Still not enough, I agree, but a much easier case to make than trafficking. It's not a crime to adopt a child."

"Then get me an arrest warrant," Olivia demanded. "We can then -"

Rafael put his right hand in the air. "Hold the fire, Captain." He dropped his hand back down to his side. "You're not arresting anyone on a charge we can't sustain." McCoy smiled, clearly pleased at his stance. There was a time when Rafael had a bad habit of giving into her when he shouldn’t. "I said we can make a case, not that we have enough to. The boy's still refusing to talk."

"Give him time, Counsellor!" Olivia replied. "That boy's gone through hell."

He exhaled. "I know that, but we still don't have enough. Find me something, fast." If you get me enough evidence and get Javier to actually cooperate, I might even call in Connie Rubirosa and go for trafficking. Until then, my hands are tied.

Olivia eyed Rafael pointedly. "So, you will get me a warrant for Williams' financials, for his phone and e-mails, his house, his office."

He sighed, giving her a fond yet exasperated smile. "Yes."

The police captain smiled, satisfied. "Thank you."

As Olivia made her way out of Rafael's office, the District Attorney turned to him. "She definitely likes to keep you on your toes, doesn't she?"

He gave an amused little snort. "Oh, you have no idea, Jack. She drives me crazy." But I wouldn't have it any other way.

He stayed at the D.A.'s Office working until six o'clock that evening going over various reports and such as well as briefly meeting with junior A.D.A Crawford regarding how her voir dire that day as well as the move up from working ECAB had gone.

At six o'clock though, he was more than happy to gather his things and head home to his family, needing the break. It had been a long day in more ways than one.

Noah was playing with Lego at the living room table when he walked in while Sofía and Lucy were playing a few feet away with some blocks.

Lucy, as always, immediately noticed he was there. "Hey, Bean Affleck."

He arched a brow, lips curling upwards. A coffee-related play on Ben Affleck's name, really? Ah, well, why am I even surprised? "Really, Lucy?"

"I had to," the young woman quipped with a grin.

He rolled his eyes, smiling. "Duley noted. How was your day today?"

The nine-year-old then glanced over at him, grinning. "Hey, Papá."

Sofía turned and smiled up at him. "¡Papá¡"

"It was really good," Lucy confirmed. "Daycare this morning went well; the class did a short community walk and started a nature craft. I took Sof to the park for a bit after her afternoon nap as well." She indicated Noah with her head. "He did have a bit of attitude during his homework but apologized. School and dance went well."

He smiled. "Thanks, Lucy." He turned to Noah. "I hope you meant that apology, young man. Lucy was looking out for you."

The nine-year-old nodded. "I know. I apologized and I'll try and do better."

He dipped his head slightly. "Good, that's all I ask." He then turned back toward Lucy. "So, how are things going with Ethan?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that," she replied in a manner that made Rafael go cold. Noah, thankfully, didn't notice. "I think I want to get an OOP."

He nodded, keeping his expression calm. "Noah, watch Sofía for a moment please." He gestured to the kitchen. "Let's go chat."

She nodded and followed him to the kitchen. Already knowing that he wasn't going to like this, he asked. "What happened?"

"He pushed things," she said. "He stopped when I reiterated the point and claimed he didn't hear me ask him to stop at first, but -"

"But your gut is telling you he did hear you that first time and he might push it or do worse again," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah," she said with a small nod. "I don't know. Am I overreacting?"

"Not at all," he assured her. "If he makes you feel unsafe, listen to your gut. Too many men and women don't and end up in horrible situations. Our instincts can be a highly valuable tool to keep us safe." He frowned. "How did he take you ending it?"

"He wasn't thrilled," the brunette admitted. "He wasn't aggressive or anything though." She took out her phone and showed him some texts. "He's texted twice though about wanting to talk and work things out."

The pair continued their discussion for another minute or two and then made their way back into the main living room, chatting about other things. It was late though and the lovely nanny did have things to do that evening. Rafael did make Lucy promise to text either him or Olivia when she got home though to let them know she was safe as well as to lock her apartment door.

He thanked Lucy for the help and then it didn't take long before Noah asked him about their plans for dinner. "¿Qué hay para cenar, papá? (What's for dinner, Dad?)

Sofía started pulling on his sleeve. "Hambre, papá." (Hungry, Daddy.)

He rolled his eyes, smiling. "¿Ustedes dos tienen hambre?" He wracked his brain for a moment. He didn't really have any meal ideas. He had a decent idea of what they had in their kitchen cupboards though. Rafael gave a slight hum and spoke. "Creo que voy a hacer papas rellenas esta noche." (You two are hungry? I think that I'm going to make some papas rellenas tonight.)

Both Noah and Sofía seemed happy enough with that so he had the kids wash up and then had the kids give him a hand with making dinner, playing some Benny Moré for them on his phone. Papas rellenas with moros and maduros along with some avocado salad and leftover pastelitos de guayaba y queso crema for dessert.

The house smelt great and the food tasted even better and as always he found it quite nice getting to cook and spend some quality time with both of the kids. A great way to relax after a rough day at work. It was made even better when Olivia finally walked in and they were able to all sit down for dinner as a family. I love you all so damn much.

Chapter Text

Over the next couple of days, Connie Rubirosa and Manhattan's SVU uncovered over a dozen so-called "adoptions" from Mexico that the Williamses had arranged, all of which were covers to get visas for a child slave. The Williamses owned a gun that was a clear match to the weapon used to murder the Thompsons and the gun was now incidentally missing. The Williamses, unsurprisingly, still maintained their innocence. However, the family's equally revolting friends had started meeting with Rafael and Connie to try to cut various deals, turning on the Williamses.

That had eventually allowed them to leverage a confession from Victoria Williams who had killed Julia and Patrick Thompson out of concern that the married divorce lawyers were going to report her and her husband. Connie was dealing with the various slavery charges and Rafael handled the murder. They were fighting a war on two fronts and he hoped it would be enough to actually make a difference for these poor kids.

That Friday, the Barba-Bensons woke up and went about their usual morning routine. Olivia hadn't been called in early so they were both about to walk Noah to school.

Once Noah was at school Olivia dropped Rafael off at 1 Hogan Place before heading to the 16th precinct. He then quickly stopped by his office, talked with Carmen, gathered the necessary documents for the upcoming court hearing, and walked over to the New York County Supreme Court for Mrs. Williams's arraignment.

After a bit of a wait, the court clerk finally read their case. "Case No. 23-CF-000642, The People vs. Victoria Williams. Murder in the Second Degree, two counts."

The presiding judge, Victoria Hayes, gave a curt nod. "Does the defendant have a plea?"

Counsellor Rebecca Balthus didn't miss a beat. "Not guilty, Your Honour."

The judge nodded. "And the people on bail?"

Rafael stood straighter. "The People request remand."

"That's an overreach," opposing counsel countered.

Rafael arched a brow before turning toward the judge. "Your Honour, Mrs. Williams and her husband are charged with operating a slavery ring, of abusing and neglecting their adoptive child. Furthermore, she has numerous assets and contacts overseas and has a record of flouting our laws. We have no doubt that the defendant would avail herself of those resources to escape prosecution." Rafael sent a pointed glance at the defence attorney. "She's the definition of a flight risk."

"I agree with the prosecution," Judge Hayes said. "The defendant is remanded to secure detention."

Pleased with the outcome, Rafael grabbed his suitcase and headed to family court with Counsellor Langan to deal with the resulting custody issues. The Williams' daughter would be staying with her father for now and Javier would be remaining at Manhattan Place, a group home for children and teens who are referred through ACS until Javier was either reunited with his biological family or it was in his best interest to be moved.

Javier eyed him and Langan. "That place- they seem okay. I've made a few friends."

"I'm glad," Langan said. "You know, Javier, we're working on getting you reunited with your birth mother. It might be a while for things to do sorted out, though."

"That's good!" Javier replied with a much wider smile. "I will see mi mamá."

Rafael squeezed the boy's shoulder gently and then gestured toward the social worker who was currently walking toward them. "Es hora de irte." (It's time to go.)

Javier gave him a small nod. "Gracias." The boy glanced between him and Counsellor Langan as he continued to speak. "To you both." (Thanks.)

Counsellor Langan turned to the social worker. "Mrs. Rogers, take good care of him."

The woman gave a small nod of understanding. "Always trying to, Counsellor."

Reeling but trying to focus on what he could actually control, Rafael took a breath and then headed back to his office to get some more work done.

He handled several e-mails and work calls, checked in with his assistant Carmen about a change to his schedule and then grabbed a quick lunch with Sonny.

After lunch, Rafael had some reports that he needed to go back over once more before his meeting with Bureau Chiefs Novak and Maxwell later on as well as return around a dozen or so voicemails and work e-mails that had piled up.

At two o'clock, Rafael had that meeting with the two Bureau Chiefs regarding several of their active cases. That conversation took them until about a quarter to four when he settled in at his desk to do some paperwork for the rest of his shift. Rafael had an ever-growing stack of files on his desk it felt like some days.

He was extremely engrossed in a document when there was a loud knock on his office door. Glancing up, he shot his assistant a small smile. "Carmen."

"I'm heading home for the night," she said. "You should consider doing the same."

He glanced at the time and gave a little hum. "Five o'clock already? Alright, well, have a good night Carmen. I'll see you tomorrow."

Carmen gave a little head tilt and arched a brow. "Don't stay too late."

He dipped his head slightly, smiling, and rose to his feet. "I won't. No meetings and no paperwork that can't wait until Monday." He started gathering his things. "I'm going to call it a week myself."

His assistant gave a pleased little nod. "Good." She shot him a cheeky look. "Tell your better half that I say hi."

Rafael rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. "Will do, Carmen. Have a good weekend."

"You too," Carmen replied warmly. "See you Monday."

His smile grew and he dipped his head slightly. "See you on Monday."

Walking into the brownstone, Rafael was immediately greeted by Lucy and both of the kids running over to him. Lucy laughed and spoke. "We just came back from the park and they're a little hyped up."

He chuckled, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, I can see that." Sofía latched onto his leg. He smiled affectionately, kneeling down and addressing the two-year-old. "Did you have fun at the park, Princesa?"

The two-year-old grinned a nodded enthusiastically. "¡Anjá! I swing, Papá!" (Uh-huh!)

He ruffled her hair playfully and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm glad." He stood up and turned to his son. "Bueno, how was school today?"

"It was good," Noah said. "I need some help with my Spanish homework though and I got a permission slip for you to sign for next week."

He dipped his head slightly. "Consider it done, Papito." Rafael turned back toward the nanny-turned-family. "So, how was the rest of your day?"

"Really good," Lucy replied. "Put Sofía down for her nap today and Little Miss was out like a light immediately. We did some finger-painting earlier too."

"Perfect," he replied happily.

They continued chatting for a few more minutes until Lucy took her leave, leaving him with his two very energetic children. Olivia had also texted saying she was going to be at work for at least another hour or so.

Getting Sofía occupied, he got Noah settled at the kitchen table so he could help Noah with the remainder of his homework. "¿Y ya hiciste el resto de tu tarea?" (And you've done the rest of your homework already?)

His son gave him a slight nod. "Anjá, hice mi tarea de matemáticas y ciencias con Lucy." The boy pointed at his worksheet on present tense conjugations. Rafael noted that it was all completed except for those involving the vosotros form. "Solo me queda esto." (Uh-huh, I did my math and science work with Lucy. I just have this left.)

Rafael picked up his son's notebook and then smiled reassuringly at the boy. "Dale, veamos tus apuntes de clase." (Alright, let's see your notes from class.)

The boy shot the worksheet an extremely annoyed glance, pointing at it in frustration. "¡Es un arroz con mango!" (It's so confusing!)

He went over the notes with Noah and the, albeit short, assigned reading and pointed out the pattern of the verb endings: -áis, -éis, and -ís. Once it was spelled out clearly, the nine-year-old quickly caught on. Noah then quickly filled out the verb chart and did the remaining questions on the worksheet. Thankfully, Sofía was rather engrossed in her blocks and the cartoon playing and he was able to focus a bit more on Noah.

Once that was done, Noah happily started to pack his stuff up and eyed him. "¿Puedo ir a jugar ahora, papá?" (Can I go play now, Dad?)

Rafael nodded. "Sí. Ve a poner tu mochila en tu cuarto y luego puedes jugar en la sala mientras preparo la cena." (Yeah. Go put your bag in your room and then you can play in the living room while I make dinner.)

His son gave him a slight nod before tilting his head just a touch and speaking. "¿Qué hay para cenar esta noche?" (What's for dinner tonight?)

"Camarones enchilados," he replied without missing a beat. He'd already planned on it along with some white rice, tostones, and avocado on the side.

His son looked confused for a second but then grinned. The boy had only tried the dish once, during their latest trip down to Miami, but Noah had really liked it. It was shrimp in a Creole sauce and it made for a nice change of pace; something a little bit different from their usual. "¡Qué rico!" (Yummy!)

Rafael let out a laugh. "Me alegro que te guste." (I'm glad that you approve.)

Grinning widely, his son threw his backpack over his right shoulder and started making his way toward the stairs in an evident rush.

He shook his head in slight exasperation. "¡No corras en la casa, te vas a caer!" Rafael muttered something under his breath. "O vas a derribar el búcaro de tu mamá." (Don't run in the house, you're going to fall! Or you'll knock over your mother's vase.)

"¡Lo siento!" Noah replied a little bit sheepishly. "Estoy caminando." (Sorry! I'm walking.)

He rolled his eyes knowingly. They were going to have the same conversation again sooner or later. He did know his child, after all. "¡Anjá! Y eso dura lo que dura un merengue en la puerta de una escuela." (Uh-huh! And that's not going to last very long.)

"¡Me gusta echar un patín!" his son quipped right back without missing a beat. (I like running around!)

He rolled his eyes again. "¡Ah, ya sé!" (Oh, I know!)

Satisfied that his son had made it up the stairs without hurting himself, he checked on Sofía and got started on making dinner, the little girl helping Rafael where she could. Meanwhile, Noah decided to play some Luigi's Manson 3 on the Nintendo Switch.

All and all, it was really not a bad start to their evening. Rafael just hoped that his wife would be home safe with them soon. You never really knew with her job; things could go south in a matter of seconds. Dwelling on that wouldn't do Rafael any good though, so he pushed that aside and focused on the one-on-one time with Sofía.

Chapter Text

Saturday morning, Rafael woke up a little earlier than his wife, quietly dressed, and headed out to grab some groceries. When he got back to the brownstone, several reusable bags full of groceries in hand, everyone was clearly awake. Rafael could hear Olivia chatty with Sofía upstairs and Noah was running up to him, grinning. "¿Quieres una mano con todo eso?" (Do you want a hand with all that stuff?)

"Claro." He held two of the bags out for Noah to take, a small smile playing on his lips. If you want to give me a hand, I'm not about to stop you. "Dale, lleva estas jabas a la cocina por mí." (Sure. Alright, take these bags to the kitchen for me.)

Noah nodded, returning the smile. "Está bien." (Okay.)

He gave his son a much warmer smile. "Gracias, niño." (Thanks, Kiddo.)

The nine-year-old then headed towards the kitchen, Rafael following close behind with two bags of his own. He and Noah started putting all of the items away. He waved the small stack of brown paper bags in the air slightly after he took them out of one of the bags. "Mira, incluso me acordé de comprar cartuchos." (Look, I even remembered to get some paper bags.)

A couple of classes from Noah's elementary school were taking a field trip to the Alley Pond Environmental Centre that coming Wednesday and, as such, their nine-year-old needed to take a bagged lunch to school that day.

Noah gave him a small smile. The nine-year-old was really looking forward to the class field trip. "Muchísimas gracias." (Thank you so very much.)

Olivia and Sofía finally joined them downstairs and then the four of them sat down for breakfast together. He'd set out some pastelitos de guayaba with some tostada and, of course, some freshly brewed café con leche.

After breakfast, since it was nice enough out, Rafael, Olivia and the children all headed into the backyard chatting, reading in the lounge chairs, and both of the kids running around playing. He'd just begun reading his new novel from the prior weekend, 'El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera,' by Gabriel García Márquez for the first time. So far, it was quite good.

Rafael wasn't the only one to pick up a novel for a bit of light reading either. Olivia had just wrapped up the book that she had been reading and decided to start on `The Mad Girls of New York,' by Maya Rodale which she'd bought at the same time.

At half past ten though, Noah clearly wanted some time to do his own thing. Olivia had gone inside to grab them both a fresh cup of coffee so it was just him outside with the kids when Noah got his attention. "Papá." (Dad.)

He closed the novel and turned to his son. "¿Sí?" (Yes?)

"Quiero saltar la suiza," Noah replied. "¿Puedo entrar y cogerla de mi cuarto?" (I want to jump rope. Can I go inside and grab it from my room?)

Rafael dipped his head slightly, smiling. "Sí, adelante." (Yeah, go ahead.)

Noah ran inside and it wasn't much longer when Olivia made her way back outside. He drank his fresh cup of joe and then while Noah was doing some jump rope, Rafael and Olivia both put their books down to focus a little bit more on Sofía.

Olivia kneeled, getting down to the toddler's level. "What do you want to play?"

"Play sand!" Sofía said without missing a beat. The two-year-old then grabbed Olivia's hand and started to walk over to the sand table. "¡Ven, papá!" (Come, Daddy!)

When lunchtime finally rolled around, Rafael made them some Cuban sandwiches with some plantain chips as well as some croquetas de jamón. The four of them sat around chatting and eating their meal.

While Rafael washed the dirty dishes from lunch, Olivia took their daughter upstairs to put her down for her afternoon nap.

While Sofía was sleeping Noah watched some tv and played some video games while he and Olivia got some work around the house done.

Once Sofía was awake they headed out and took the train to Bryant Park, spending the remainder of their afternoon there. There were a few activities going on that he and his wife figured both of the kids would enjoy.

Around half-past-four, Sofía started grabbing Olivia's sleeve. "Mommy, want esnack."

"You want a snack?" Olivia asked, both parents internally grinning at the Cuban accent sneaking into the toddler's English. It honestly was quite adorable.

The two-year-old nodded but then lit up at something that caught her attention. Sofía pointed at whatever it was. "There big doggy!"

Olivia nodded, smiling proudly at the little girl. "Yeah, there's a doggy. That's right."

"That's a Lab, right?" Noah asked curiously.

He gave a small nod. "Yeah, looks like a yellow Labrador to me." Rafael then tilted his head slightly. "So, you want a snack too, Mister?"

Noah nodded. "Yeah, I'm a little hungry too."

Olivia turned toward him. "Do you wanna run to La Colombe then? It's pretty close by and their bakery section is usually pretty good."

It's as good a place as any. "Sure." Rafael gently pulled his wife in for a quick, chaste kiss. He then indicated the general direction of the aforementioned coffee shop. "Lead the way then, mi amor."

They each grabbed a snack from La Colombe and then took the train back home. Both of the kids needed some downtime and he and Olivia had a late night planned.

Olivia was in the middle of ordering some pizza for the kids' dinner that night when an audible knock on the door got their attention. Olivia turned to him. "Can you get that, Rafa? I'm a little busy."

He nodded. "Yeah, of course." He then indicated the door with a tilt of the head. That'll be Don and Eileen." The Cragens had, quite enthusiastically, agreed to come over and watch the kids while he and Olivia went to dinner out in the Bronx.

Answering the door, it was exactly what he'd expected. The Cragens had arrived. They all quickly caught up and discussed a couple of things before it was time for Rafael and Olivia to get going. Their taxi was almost there to take them to the dinner party.

"You two be good tonight, alright?" Olivia then gave both kids a kiss on the top of their heads. "Listen to Grandpa Don and Grandma Eily."

"What time are you coming home?" Noah asked.

"You'll be fast asleep by the time we get home tonight, Sweetie." Olivia tilted her head slightly. "Don't stay up too late. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

The nine-year-old grinned. "The zoo's going to be so much fun."

Olivia ruffled their son's hair playfully. "Yeah, it will."

Rafael glanced between both of their kids, smiling affectionately. "Alright, be good, you two. Los quiero a los dos." (I love you both.)

Noah smiled back up at him. "También te quiero, Papá." (I love you too, Dad.)

"Wove you," Sofía said as she threw her arms around him. He picked up the little girl and gave her a bear hug.

As he and Olivia started walking to the door, Olivia turned around and gave both of the Cragens a grateful smile. "Thank you both."

"You're welcome," Eileen replied. "But believe me, we're both looking forward to a little quality time with their surrogate grandkids.

Olivia's smile grew at that comment.

Don shot them both a look of mild amusement. "Get going, the both of you. We've got it. Go, have some fun."

They both nodded and made their way out of the building. Their taxi was just pulling up as they walked outside. Giving the taxi driver their destination, they started making some small talk as they made the half-hour drive out to the South Bronx.

When they arrived at Rafael's mother's house, his aunt and uncle were both, as he had expected, already there. Reina Rumba was currently playing on his mother's turntable. His mother had also made them quite the dinner spread: Ajiaco with white rice, fresh Cuban bread, along with sliced avocado and tomato. It looked like she was making his abuelita's flan recipe as well for dessert.

After everyone greeted each order, Olivia found herself pulled into a conversation with his mother who was now back in the kitchen and his uncle got his attention. "Rafi, ven acá, ¿cómo están los niños?" (So, Rafi, how are the kids doing?)

"¡Nos mantienen ocupados!" he replied with a soft chuckle. "Ambos están bien." (They are keeping us busy! They're both doing well.)

"Me alegra oír eso," his uncle said with a warm smile. "Pues, la semana pasada…" The man went off, sharing a silly story. (I'm glad to hear that. So, last week…)

After chatting for several minutes, the five of them all sat down for dinner.

They were all sipping on Cuba Libres and Mojitos while they ate and his mother decided to rather abruptly change the topic of conversation. "Me encontré con el hermano de Eduardo el otro día." (I ran into Eduardo's brother the other day.)

That caught Rafael's full attention. The man was a major alcoholic and was also far, far too much like his bully of a father for Rafael to want anything to do with the drunkard. Rafael was unable to fully keep his distaste for his paternal uncle out of his voice as he spoke. "Que desafortunado." (How unfortunate.)

His mother made a vague gesture with her right hand while she spoke. "El tipo se va a casar. De nuevo." (The guy's getting married. Again.)

"Éramos poco y parió Catana," he drawled. Tío Luis is the last person who should be in a relationship. (And things somehow managed to get worse.)

His mother shot him a rather pointed look. "Papito."

"¡Ay, por favor!" Rafael replied, not exactly appreciating being chastised by his mother given the current topic of discussion. "Va a terminar como la fiesta del Guatao, y todos lo sabemos." (Oh, come on! It's not going to end well, and we all know it.)

Tío Ricardo didn't seem to be surprised by his reaction. "Bueno, nunca tienes pepita en la lengua. Y tengo que decir que no estoy en desacuerdo." (Well, you have never been one to mince your words. And I have to say, I don't disagree.)

"Olvida el tango y canta bolero," his aunt told Rafael matter-of-factly. She also knew the history there. "Ese tipo no vale tu energía, Rafi." (Put a pin in it. That guy's not worth your energy, Rafi.)

His mother then made a rather less than subtle try at changing the topic of discussion. Meanwhile, Olivia was trying to make sense of all the various sayings that were being thrown around. Olivia did understand more than enough to get the gist of it, though. "¿Quieres otro trago? Me vendría bien otra copita." (Would you like another drink? I could use a refill myself.)

"Claro," he stated, agreeing it was probably best to just drop the entire subject. Rafael getting himself worked up wasn't going to change things anyway and would only serve to ruin their evening. "Gracias, mami." (Sure. Thanks, Mom.)

As his mother started heading toward the kitchen to top up both of their drinks, Olivia got Rafael's attention. "Tu tía tenía razón." (Your aunt has a point.)

"Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo." His Tía Teresa then shot Rafael a teasing look before turning and giving Olivia a broad smile. "Y sabía que me ibas a caer bien." (The older you are, the wiser you get. And I knew I was going to like you.)

His wife started laughing and then replied in jest. "Y me estás empezando a caer bien también, Teresita." (And I'm starting to like you too, Teresita.)

His mother rejoined them with the refills and they all continued chatting about lighter topics and making the most of their evening together. His aunt hadn't taken long to start recounting stories about her life in Cuba. "Cuando Rico y yo empezamos a salir, fuimos a un baile en el centro de La Habana." (When Rico and I first began dating, we went to a dance in downtown Havana.)

He smiled at his aunt. Yeah, that sounds about right.

"Fue en el Centro Gallego," his aunt explained. He knew of the building and association but Olivia did not, so his aunt continued to elaborate. "El edificio tenía varios niveles y había diferentes orquestas tocando en cada nivel." (It was at the Galician Centre. The building had multiple levels with different orchestras playing on each of them.)

He nodded, well aware that his family had been members of the association after more than a few stories from various relatives over the years. "Un montón de la familia eran miembros, ¿no?" (A lot of the family were members, right?)

"Sí. Bueno, fui al baño y cuando regresé, miré por el balconcito y vi a Rico." Tía Teresa was cracking up in earnest now as she shared that little anecdote. "Estaba echando un pie abajo." (Yes. In any case, I ran to the restroom and when I returned, I looked over the balcony and saw Rico. He was dancing down below.)

His uncle began moving in his seat to the beat of the Willy Chirino song that had just started playing. "Y todavía lo tengo." (And I've still got it.)

He shook his head and laughed in earnest. "Sí, tío, todavía lo tienes." (Yes, Uncle, you've still got it.)

"¿Qué es el Centro Gallego?" Olivia asked. (What is the Galician Centre?)

Tía Teresa instantly jumped in to explain it a little bit more to Olivia. "El Centro Gallego de La Habana se ubicó en pleno corazón de la ciudad, en el Paseo del Prado, frente al Parque Central. Hubo muchos eventos organizados allí por la asociación." (The Galician Centre of Havana was in the heart of the city, on Paseo del Prado, in front of Central Park. There were a good deal of events held there by the association.)

Hours later, his mother glanced at the time and had evidently decided that they should probably call it a night. She more or less sang an expression he'd heard all of the time growing up when they had guests over and more than a few times as an adult as well. "Calabaza, calabaza, cada uno pa' su casa." (Alright, I think it's time to wrap up this party.)

Rafael gave a little snort and checked the time on his cell phone. It's two o'clock in the morning. "Sí, ya es tarde." (Yeah, it's getting late.)

Olivia gave a small nod. "Sí, yo tampoco me di cuenta de la hora." (Yeah, I didn't realize the time either.)

Their goodbyes were a little dragged out but, more than a little tired, they were more than happy to head home. It had been a long day and the pair fell fast asleep as soon as their head hit their pillows that night.

Chapter Text

Sunday was spent first at Mass and then heading to Victor's Cafe for lunch. They then all went to the Bronx Zoo for the better part of the day with Rafael's mother, aunt, and uncle who were flying back to Florida on Monday.

Monday morning also meant it was back to work and school for all the Barba-Bensons. The day was a bit slow, thankfully. They did have to do some preemptive baking Monday evening for Noah, though.

The following morning, Rafael and Olivia's alarm clock blared, signalling the start of another hectic day. Groggily, they both rolled out of bed, showered, and started their usual morning routine. Thankfully, Sofía was pleased with her new floor bed and her ability to safely play in her bedroom; they could hear the bubbly two-year-old girl giggling away happily.

He got Sofía up and dressed and as they headed downstairs, it wasn't long before the tantalizing aroma of freshly brewed Bustelo was filling the air. Olivia poured two large cups, offering one to Rafael, who eagerly accepted the warm drink.

Noah finally emerged from his own room, rubbing his eyes and stretching his lanky frame as he walked into the kitchen. "Morning, Mom. Papá."

"Buenas," he replied warmly. (Good morning.)

"Good morning," Olivia said. "Remember what today is?"

"Yep," Noah replied with a wide grin. It was Cultural Day at P.S 199, an event that the boy had been eagerly anticipating for days now. "Cultural Day."

Noah's excitement was palpable as he prattled on quite animatedly about the different countries that his classmates would be representing. The nine-year-old had chosen to do Cuba, yet again, with pride.

Rafael glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall and took another sip of his coffee, the aroma of freshly brewed beans filling the air, and turned to his wife, Olivia, who was busy giving Noah breakfast. "Everyone's awake on time today," he quipped.

"It's a miracle," his wife deadpanned before turning to Noah. "Your bag packed?"

Noah gave a small nod. "Yeah, I did it last night."

Rafael nodded and walked over to where Sofía was sitting in her high chair, a small guava pastry in her tiny hands. He smiled and gently wiped away the crumbs from her chubby cheeks. "Hola, princesa. Enjoying your pastelito?" (Hi, princess.)

Sofía giggled, her mouth full of sweet guava filling, and nodded enthusiastically. Rafael chuckled and picked the little girl up, balancing her on his hip. "Voy a suponer que eso es un sí." (I'm going to guess that's a yes.)

Noah smirked. "Buena suposición, Papá." (Good guess, Dad.)

Olivia quickly places a couple dishes into the dishwasher and then turned to their son. "Noah, have you finished your breakfast, Sweetie? We need to get going."

Noah looked up and grinned. "Yep, all done, Mom! And I've packed my science project too." Noah's classmates all had to give a presentation on an animal of their choosing. "It's all about lions, you know."

Olivia gave a small nod. "That's great, Noah. I can't wait to hear all about it."

"Me as well," Rafael readily agreed. "Just remember to speak clearly and confidently, Papito." He ruffled his son's hair. "You've got this in the bag."

Olivia joined them, her hands free now, and gave their son a reassuring smile. "Your dad's right, Sweetie. You're going to do great today. Now, finish your drink, and let's get some shoes on."

As Noah gulped down the last sip of his milk, Rafael set Sofia down and helped her with her shoes. The lively chatter and laughter filled the room as they all headed out for school and work respectively. Most of the school trip was spent answering various questions from Noah about his work, which he tried to answer age appropriately.

Shortly before nine o'clock, he stepped into his office, greeted by the familiar hum of activity that always filled the Manhattan District Attorney's office. As the Executive Assistant District Attorney, his days were often a whirlwind of meetings, negotiations, and the pursuit of justice. Today was no different.

He settled into his chair and glanced at his busy schedule for the day, marked with a series of appointments and case updates. He sipped on his coffee as he waited for his assistant to join him so they could discuss the day's agenda.

A few moments later, Carmen entered the office with a stack of files in her arms. She greeted Rafael with a warm smile, setting the files down on his desk. They dove into a detailed discussion, reviewing the various meetings and tasks for the day, ensuring that everything was in order.

One particular case caught Rafael's attention - the delicate matter of a rape accusation that seemed to bear all the markings of a complex Romeo and Juliette situation. The young couple involved seemed to genuinely care for each other, and the girl's parents' reaction seemed a bit disproportionate. Rafael knew he had to approach this case with sensitivity and delve deeper into the circumstances before making any decisions. He'd been here before and it was the teens who too often payed the price.

Leaving Carmen to handle the logistics, Rafael walked down the bustling corridors of the office towards Buchanan's office. Buchanan, a seasoned prosecutor with a knack for negotiation, was an essential ally when it came to striking deals and navigating complex legal waters. He hoped that Buchanan would lend his expertise and provide fresh insights on the case.

Their meeting was intense, filled with passionate arguments about the nuances of the case. Rafael listened carefully as Buchanan made his case for a more lenient approach, emphasizing the couple's genuine affection and the potentially harmful consequences of pursuing criminal charges. They weighed the legal options, knowing that their decisions could have far-reaching implications on the lives of those involved.

As the day progressed, Rafael found himself immersed in a series of back-to-back meetings. Each one required his undivided attention and legal acumen. Some involved strategizing with detectives and officers, while others centered around coordinating with other agencies to ensure a seamless prosecution process.

Finally, it was time for a brief respite. Rafael had scheduled a lunch meeting with Rita Calhoun, which he was looking forward to.

They sat down at a cozy corner table in their favourite Italian restaurant, the clinking of silverware and the aroma of freshly baked bread filling the air as they both settled into their respective seats.

Rita eyed him with a playful grin. "So, how are the little minions doing?"

Rafael smiled warmly, his eyes lighting up at the mention of the kids. "Ah, you know, they're always keeping me on my toes. Sofía is growing up so fast. She's a whirlwind of energy, exploring everything in her path. Yesterday, I found her trying to build a tower out of shoeboxes. It was quite a sight!"

Rita chuckled at the image. "Sounds like she's got your determination. And what about Noah? Is he still the aspiring lawyer in the making?"

Rafael nodded proudly. "Indeed he is. He's been peppering me with questions about my cases lately, asking about the courtroom drama. I can already see the makings of a brilliant attorney in him."

Rita raised her glass of water in a toast. "Here's to the next generation of legal eagles, then! May Noah and Sofía continue to keep you on your toes."

Rafael clinked his glass against his friend's, a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you, Rita. Parenthood has its challenges, but I love it."

As they ate their meals, their conversation turned nostalgic, back to their days in law school. Rafael recalled a particularly amusing incident during their constitutional law class, where Rita had successfully argued a case against an overconfident professor.

"Remember that time when you single-handedly dismantled Professor Harrington's argument with that razor-sharp cross-examination? You had the entire class in awe, Rita," Rafael reminisced, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Rita chuckled, her eyes sparkling with fond memories. "Oh, that was a classic! The look on his face when his carefully constructed argument crumbled. Good times, indeed. We were quite the formidable duo back then, weren't we?"

Rafael nodded, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "We were, Rita. We pushed each other to excel, to challenge the status quo. I'm grateful for those moments and for the friendship we've maintained over the years."

"Me too," he readily agreed. It certainly hadn't always been as they frequently found themselves at odds in the courtroom.

Their conversation continued, punctuated by laughter and shared anecdotes, until it was time for the pair to head back into work. With renewed energy, Rafael sat back down in his office and dove back into work for the afternoon.

Walking into the brownstone that evening, the living room was filled with the sound of Cuban music. Rafael stepped inside and put his briefcase down on the hutch near the door. He was a little tired but a smile immediately formed on his face as he saw both of his kids dancing rather enthusiastically to the music.

Noah quickly noticed Rafael and rushed over and gave him a hug. Sofía was toddling close behind, clapping her hands with a huge grin on her face. "Papá, estás en casa." (Dad, you're home.)

Grinning, Rafael playfully ruffled his son's hair. "Sí, Papito!" He gestured toward both of the kids. "I see you two are tearing up the dance floor." (Yeah, Kiddo.)

Noah grinned while Sofía giggled and tried to imitate her big brother's moves. Rafael then turned to find his wife standing behind him. Olivia pulled him in for a quick kiss and then eyed him playfully. "Look who decided to join the dance party. I hope you're not too rusty, Rafa. They might outdo you."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Rafael fired back in jest. "Well, watch out. I may be old, but I still have a few moves up my sleeve."

They exchange a playful grin, their love and humour shining through.

After some dancing, the pair made their way to the kitchen and started cooking arroz con pollo and tostones for dinner together while both kids continued their little dance party. After all, you can never listen to enough Benny Moré.

Chapter Text

Rafael woke up to the gentle rays of the morning sun streaming through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the bedroom. He turned to his side, his gaze falling upon Olivia, peacefully sleeping beside him. His wife's chest rose and fell rhythmically and she looked so peaceful. He couldn't help but smile.

The morning routine was well-rehearsed by this point. He quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Olivia.

Rafael made his way down the hallway to Sofía's bedroom to check on her, where the two-year-old was happily playing on the floor with her stuffed animals.

"Buenos días, mi princesita." Rafael smiled at her as he scooped her up into his arms. Sofía giggled and hugged him tightly which made his heart soar. (Good morning, my little princess.)

Sofía, her eyes shining with morning excitement, pointed to her stuffed bunny and said, "Papá, jugar conejo." (Daddy, play bunny.)

He chuckled affectionately. "Claro que sí, mi amor," he replied. Rafael then gently put the rabbit in her little hands and started playing with her. He was more than happy to take the opportunity for a little daddy-daughter bonding. (Of course, my love.)

Heading downstairs a little later, the aroma of coffee filled the air as Rafael prepared himself some café con leche. Noah soon came rushing down the stairs with a frankly astounding amount of energy; not that it was anything new. "¡Buenos días, papá!" Noah exclaimed. (Good morning, Dad!)

Rafael chuckled lightly. "Buenas, Papito." He ruffled the boy's hair as he continued to speak. "¿Dormiste bien?" (Morning, Buddy. Did you sleep well?)

Noah nodded happily. "Si, dormí bien."

The nine-year-old made his way over to the bag of cream cheese pastelitos sitting on the kitchen counter and selected one, grinning as he took a bite. "Mi favorito." (Yeah, I did. My favourite.)

He rolled his eyes, smiling. "Oh, ya lo sé." (Oh, I know.)

It wasn't much later when Olivia joined them downstairs, and they all gathered around the kitchen table for some breakfast. As they all enjoyed their meal, the conversation flowed easily between them.

"Mom, can we go to the park after school today?" Noah asked, anticipation written all over the young boy's face.

"That sounds like fun," Olivia replied, smiling warmly. "If I'm home, sure."

Rafael considered his work schedule. "I should be able to get out by a fairly decent hour today as well, barring unforeseen surprises."

After breakfast, it was time for them to head out. They left Sofía in the very capable hands of Lucy, who was taking the toddler to pre-school a little later that morning, and walked Noah to school together.

Rafael's morning at the D.A.'s Office was a whirlwind of meetings, phone calls, and paperwork. The bureau chiefs chiefs for the Child Abuse Unit, Domestic Violence Unit, Elder Abuse Unit, and the Human Trafficking Response Unit all wanted to meet with him that morning. Rafael also had a slightly impromptu meeting with Bureau Chief Novak about one of their newer additions to the staff. Although the man had clear potential, he seemed to struggle with juggling the many plates in the air.

"Good morning," Rafael greeted as he took a seat across from her.

"Morning, Barba," Novak replied, her tone businesslike. "I assume this is about our discussion regarding Eric Kelder."

He nodded. "Yes, it is. It's come to my attention that there have been some concerns about A.D.A Kelder's recent performance."

The blonde leaned forward, her expression serious. "I've heard similar feedback. Lack of attention to detail, struggling with deadlines, and courtroom jitters. It's not the level of performance generally expected from an A.D.A.”

Rafael sighed, knowing that addressing these issues was crucial for the integrity of their office. "I've reviewed some of Kelder's recent cases, and there have been several instances where his inexperience has shown. We can't afford any missteps, especially concerning our more high-profile cases."

Novak nodded, her expression softening. "I agree. I want to ensure that Eric receives the necessary guidance and mentorship to excel in his role, I just don't know how to get through to him."

He considered the situation carefully. "I suggest we have Kelder go back to working primarily in the E.C.A.B. It'll give him a chance to work on his case assessment skills as well as build a stronger foundation. In addition, I recommend that he shadow one of our more seasoned A.D.A.s."

"How about assigning him to work closely with A.D.A Macneil?" Novak suggested. "She has a wealth of experience and a solid track record."

Rafael nodded, satisfied with the plan. Ashley Macneil had a temperament that might lend well to connecting with Kelder. "I'll talk with her and see if she's willing. And let's schedule a meeting with Kelder to provide feedback and set expectations."

As they concluded their discussion, both he and Novak were determined to turn the situation around. After a working lunch, Rafael then headed across the street to the courthouse for an arraignment.

Rafael squared his shoulders and then made his way into the assigned courtroom to formally arraign Dr. Williams, who'd been arrested by Olivia's SVU squad earlier that morning. The thirty-three-year-old New York City gastroenterologist was suspected of raping three women at his home in Queens as well as drugging and raping three of his patients at the hospital where he worked, filming the assaults.

Inside the courtroom, the air grew heavy with anticipation. Finally, the clerk addressed the room. "All rise."

With the arraignment officially starting, Judge Herman Mooney took a seat at the front of the courtroom. The clerk then handed the judge a file. "Case ending 00957. People versus Williams, Daniel J."

Rafael glanced at the defendant, wanting to see the man's reaction as the court clerk read all of the charges out.

"Charges are six counts of Rape in the First Degree," the clerk stated, "four counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree."

"I see," the judge said. "Counsellors, please state your appearances for the record."

"Rafael Barba, Your Honour, for the State," Rafael announced, his voice steady and resolute as he did so.

Opposing counsel swiftly chimed in. "Milton Schoenfeld, Your Honour, and I am here on behalf of Dr. Williams."

The judge turned his attention to the defendant. "Dr. Williams, how do you plead?"

The defendant, who was maintaining his composure better than Rafael had expected, calmly said, "Not guilty, Your Honour."

Judge Mooney, his expression solemn, nodded. "Very well, Dr. Williams, your plea of not guilty is noted." The judge then turned toward him. "And the People on bail?"

Rafael stood a little straighter and addressed the judge. "The People request that the defendant be held without bail."

Counsellor Schoenfeld immediately raised an objection. "Your Honour, we contest the prosecution's request for remand. Dr. Williams has strong ties to the community and poses no flight risk."

Rafael immediately moved to argue the point. "He's a violent felon with the financial resources to evade prosecution."

Judge Mooney seemed to be considering both arguments carefully, the judge generally being quite reasonable. recognizing the gravity of the charges and the potential risk to public safety. After a moment, the judge rendered his decision. "The People's request is granted. The defendant is remanded."

Rafael nodded, a sense of satisfaction settling in his chest at the judge's ruling.

As the arraignment proceedings concluded, he couldn't help but steal a glance at the defendant, Dr. Daniel Williams. The accused physician maintained his stoic facade, his eyes betraying nothing but an enigmatic composure. It was a facade that Rafael had encountered many times before, but he was going to enjoy tearing it down.

Rafael swiftly gathered his things and made his way out of the courtroom, a maelstrom of thoughts and strategies swirling in his mind. He was aware that this case was liable to get messy but felt more than capable of handling it.

After a long day at work, including the meetings with ADAs Kelder and Macneil, Rafael was finally able to grab his briefcase and head home.

Upon reaching home, the sound of laughter and the smell of a delicious home-cooked meal greeted Rafael at the door. Olivia and the kids were in the living room. Noah, fully immersed in his video game, was huddled in the corner of their couch, the boy's Nintendo Switch in hand.

Meanwhile, Sofía was trying her very best to sing along with some new tune that his wife had put on for the little girl.

A warm smile tugged at the corners of Rafael's lips. It was moments like these that reminded him of what truly mattered in life. He kicked off his shoes and then joined them in the living room, sharing a knowing look with Olivia before she pulled him in for a quick kiss.

Noah paused his game briefly and chimed in, "Papá, you won't believe what happened at school today!"

Rafael raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What happened, Papito?"

Noah's eyes lit up with excitement as he recounted his day. "We had a visit from a police officer. He showed us his patrol car, and we got to see the sirens and ask him questions about being a cop. I told him Mom's one too."

He smiled at the nine-year-old. "That's great, Noah."

Sofía looked up at Olivia with a bright smile. "Mamá, powice."

Olivia chuckled, ruffling Sofía's hair. "That's right, I'm a police officer."

As the evening continued, dinner was served, and Noah regaled the family with more anecdotes from his school day. While they laughed and enjoyed Olivia's lasagna, he couldn't have felt more grateful for where his life had ended up. He couldn't help but think of his own father though: Why was Papá so willing to throw it all away?

Chapter Text

Rafael woke to the soft murmur of morning light filtering through the curtains, casting a warm hue over the bedroom. As he stirred, he noticed Olivia's side of the bed was empty, and he could hear the faint sounds of activity downstairs.

Quietly slipping out from under the covers, Rafael made his way downstairs, following the inviting aroma of brewing coffee. The scent led him to the kitchen, where Olivia was already busy preparing breakfast. In the corner, Sofía giggled from her highchair, happily playing with a toy while munching on a piece of toast.

Olivia turned to him with a warm smile, "Morning, sleepyhead. Coffee's ready."

Rafael returned the smile, grateful for the consideration. "Thank you."

Noah joined them downstairs not much later, eagerly sitting down for the bacon, eggs, and toast that Olivia made for the four of them.

As they ate their breakfast, Noah rather animatedly shared a story a friend of his from school had told him. "So, Alex said that his little brother tried to put their cat in the laundry basket because he thought it needed a nap. Can you believe that?"

Sofía periodically chimed in with some of her own delightful chatter, trying to mimic her brother and join. "Cat take nap!"

"That sounds funny, Noah," Olivia said with a chuckle. "Did the cat go along with it?"

"Nope," Noah said with a grin, shaking his head.

Rafael arched a brow in amusement. "Gee, I'm absolutely shocked."

"Alex said the cat jumped out and ran away before they could even close the lid," the young boy remarked. "Flipped the laundry basket over."

After breakfast, Rafael double-checked that Noah was ready for school while his wife quickly changed their daughter. Unsurprisingly, the toddler had managed to get more food on her than she did in her mouth.

Just as Rafael finished verifying Noah's schoolbag was properly packed and ready, the front door opened, and Lucy walked in, her cheerful voice ringing out, "Good morning, everyone! How's everyone?"

"Morning, Lucy!" Rafael greeted the nanny, smiling as she approached.

"Good morning!" Olivia chimed in, putting down Sofía, who was now clean and dressed in a fresh outfit. "We're good. Just finishing getting ready."

"Morning, Lucy!" Noah added, finishing his last bite of breakfast.

Lucy smiled down at Sofía who was pulling at her pant leg. "Hi, sweetheart! You ready for another fun day?"

She picked Sofía up and the two-year-old squealed in delight. "Yes!"

"You two have that playdate later, right?" Olivia said, glancing at the clock. "Noah, get your shoes on, please."

The nine-year-old boy nodded and ran to do as asked. Not that they'd really expected otherwise. Noah had his moments, of course, but overall was a pretty easygoing kid when it came down to it.

"Yep," Lucy confirmed, placing Sofía back down on the ground. "We'll be meeting them at Heckscher Playground at eleven."

"Sounds fun," Olivia replied, starting to put her own shoes on.

After giving Sofía a quick kiss and making sure that Lucy had everything she needed, he and Olivia grabbed their coats and headed out the door with Noah. The trio walked down the sidewalk, the cool morning air refreshing and invigorating.

As the three of them walked, Noah continued his enthusiastic chatter about school and the art project they were going to start with Mr. Bolton.

"He said we get to draw any landscape," Noah informed them, "and I'm going to draw downtown, the buildings and stuff. Maybe I'll ask Mr. Bolton if I can use some photos."

He nodded approvingly with a warm smile. "That's a great idea, hijo. The more details, the better your drawing will be."

"I can't wait to see it, Sweetie!" Olivia told their son. "Are you going to add any people to it or just the buildings?"

"I think just the buildings for now," Noah replied. "Maybe I'll add some people and cars or something to it later, though."

"Sounds like a plan," he said, still smiling. "I'm sure it'll turn out great, Papito."

"Thanks," the young bot replied proudly. He then briefly commented on his class with Sra. Sánchez which seemed to be going really well.

When they reached the front of the school, Noah spotted a group of his friends over by the playground and eagerly waved goodbye to him and Olivia with the ILY sign before rushing off to join his friends. "Bye, Mom! Hasta luego, papá!" (Bye, Dad!)

"See you after school," Olivia said, waving back at their son.

"Que tengas un buen día," Rafael chimed in. (Have a good day.)

Rafael and Olivia watched him go, smiling as they heard the boy laugh at one of his friend's jokes. Before long, their son blended into the crowd of students walking inside.

Finally, the pair turned and began the walk back home to grab Olivia's car, his wife dropping him off at the D.A.'s office before heading into her precinct.

He touched base with Carmen before heading to his office. He poured himself a cup of coffee and settled into his chair, sifting through the files on his desk.

A knock on his door broke his concentration. "Come in," Rafael called out, glancing up to see A.D.A. Ashley Macneil standing in the doorway.

"Morning, Mr. Barba," the young woman greeted politely, stepping inside the office and gently shutting the office door behind her. "I wanted to touch base with you regarding the Kelder situation if you had a minute."

Rafael nodded, gesturing for Macneil to take a seat across from him. "Of course. And thank you for agreeing to mentor him."

Ashley smiled, her confidence evident. "I think he'll benefit from the extra guidance. I've already set up a schedule for him to shadow me on a few upcoming cases."

"That's good to hear," Rafael replied, appreciating her proactive approach. "I think he just needs a bit more structure and support."

As they wrapped up their conversation, Rafael's phone buzzed with a message from Olivia: 'Hey. Got a lead on another possible victim in the Nguyễn case. Call me when you have a minute.'

Rafael felt a surge of determination and quickly dialled his wife's number. Expecting it, the SVU Captain picked up almost immediately.

"Hey, Liv. What's the lead?" he asked, his tone all business.

"A lady came in earlier and said David Nguyễn assaulted her as well," the SVU captain explained. "She's talking with Rollins now and seems credible."

"Still vetting?" he asked, subtly nudging her.

"Doing our due diligence," she confirmed. "Just thought you'd want to know."

"Absolutely. Thanks for the heads-up," he replied. "Keep me posted."

The morning progressed with back-to-back meetings and witness conferences. He'd just managed to finish watching the video deposition he had requested from the 10th precinct regarding their serial sexual assault case in time for that.

By the time lunch finally rolled around, Rafael was grateful for a brief respite. He took a short moment to reflect on the morning, feeling a sense of accomplishment despite the rather hectic pace. Then again, you did get used to it.

After grabbing a quick sandwich from a nearby deli, Rafael headed down to the 1-6 to meet with Olivia and her unit regarding the Nguyễn case.

As Rafael arrived at the 1-6, he was greeted by familiar faces and a flurry of activity. The atmosphere was intense, as it often was in the SVU squad room, with detectives moving about purposefully.

"Barba," Olivia called out, spotting him as he entered. She walked over, her expression a mix of determination and concern. "Glad you could make it."

"Of course. You mentioned a potential new victim?" Rafael prodded, getting straight to the point as he was wont to do.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, Rollins just finished interviewing her. Her story matches what we know from the Nguyễn case. Same MO, same timeline."

"So, he took her out to a nice bar, got her drunk, and assaulted her," Rafael rattled off as he knew the man's history.

"Yep. We've got enough to bring him back in for questioning," Olivia said. "But I wanna make sure we have all our ducks in a row before we do."

"Preferable," he agreed, matching her determined stride. "This new witness, she's already agreed to testify?"

"Yep," Olivia said, "but she's understandably nervous."

Olivia led him to a conference room where Amanda Rollins was seated with a woman in her mid-thirties, who looked visibly shaken. Velasco was nearby, organizing the files and evidence they had collected so far.

"E-ADA Barba, this is Emma Lee," Olivia introduced. "She came to us with allegations against David Nguyễn this morning."

Rafael extended his hand to Emma, offering a reassuring smile. "Ms. Lee, thank you for coming in. I know this isn't easy, but your cooperation could really help us."

Emma nodded, her eyes filled with a mix of resolve and apprehension. "I just want to make sure he can't do it to anyone else."

Rollins gave Rafael a brief rundown of Emma's statement, highlighting key points that aligned with their other victims' accounts. As they conversed, Rafael took notes, his mind already formulating a strategy.

After wrapping up the meeting with Emma, Olivia walked him outside and he took an Uber back to the District Attorney's Office.

The rest of his shift continued with meetings and paperwork. By the time Rafael looked up from his paperwork, the sun was setting. He packed his things and headed home, wishing Carmen a good night on the way out.

When Rafael walked through the front door, he was greeted by the comforting sight of Olivia playing with Sofía on the living room floor. Noah was on the couch, engrossed in a book, but glanced up for a second. "Buenas, papá." (Hey, Dad.)

The smell of dinner wafted through the air, and Rafael felt a sense of warmth and relief wash over him after the long day. Rafael dipped his head slightly as he replied to their son. "Hola, papito." (Hey, Buddy.)

"Papá!" Sofía squealed, abandoning her toys to run toward him with open arms.

Rafael scooped her up, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Hola, princesa. ¿Tuviste un buen día con Lucy?" (Hello, Princess. Did you have a good day with Lucy?)

She nodded enthusiastically. "¡Sí! Jugué con Gabriela." (Yes! I played with Gabriela.)

"Lo sé," he replied with a big grin. "Fue muy amable de Lucy llevarte al parque hoy." (I know. It was really nice of Lucy to take you to the park today.)

The two-year-old nodded happily. "Anjá." (Uh-huh.)

Olivia stood up, smiling as she walked over and greeted him with a kiss. "Glad you're home. How was the rest of your afternoon?"

"Meetings and paperwork," he replied with a smile. "And yours?"

"It was good," Olivia replied. "My meeting with Dodds went well and I had my own fair share of paperwork to get caught up on."

"It never stops," he quipped. He then leaned in to kiss Olivia. "I'm going to start on dinner while you and Sof finish your game."

"Thank you," Olivia said, heading back over to the couch with their daughter.

Rafael headed to the kitchen and started taking everything out that he needed. Before long, the scent of the picadillo simmering, rice cooking, and plantains frying filled the brownstone, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Once the food was almost ready, Olivia helped by setting the dinner table and pouring the drinks before calling their kids to the table.

As they began to eat, Noah excitedly shared a fact that he'd learned in Social Studies. "Did you know that the Lenape people used to live in the area where New York City is now? They lived in round houses called wigwams and spoke a language called Unami, but most of the language is lost now."

Olivia looked impressed. "That's right! The Lenape people were also known for their beautiful beadwork and basket weaving."

Noah's eyes widened. "Really, Mom? That sounds cool! Do you think that any of their artwork is still around today?"

Rafael nodded. "Yes, actually. Some of their artwork is still preserved in museums and collections. It's a great way to learn about their culture."

Noah grinned. "That's awesome! I hope we get to learn more about it in class."

Sofía babbled excitedly. "Mmm, yummy!" the little girl exclaimed as she stuffed her cheeks with the fried sweet plantains.

"You always make a mess with maduros," Olivia said with a laugh as she wiped Sofía's face and hands off. "They're supposed to go in your mouth, silly."

Sofía giggled and shoved another bite of plantain in her mouth.

As Noah launched into another story about his school day, Rafael and Olivia exchanged amused glances, enjoying the lively chatter and delicious spread.

After dinner, he helped Noah with the remainder of his Spanish homework while Olivia tidied up the messy kitchen and kept an eye on Sofía. The rest of Noah's math, social studies, and English homework had been done earlier with Lucy. The peaceful evening contrasted sharply with the workday's hectic pace.

Noah had to read "Manolito Gafotas," by Elvira Lindo and then answer some questions about what he'd read and had finished his Spanish grammar worksheet earlier.

When it was their daughter's bedtime, Rafael carried a very tired Sofía upstairs to her bedroom. After tucking her in and sharing butterfly kisses, he and Olivia stole a quiet moment together in the hallway before heading back downstairs to watch a bit of TV with Noah before it was his time to head to bed.

All in all, Rafael couldn't think of a much better way to end the day.

Chapter Text

A week had passed since the whirlwind of the Nguyễn case, and Rafael found himself buried in another courtroom battle. What had started as a routine case for another prosecutor had quickly spiraled into chaos when the lead prosecutor had suddenly taken ill and ended up hospitalized. With no one else available, Rafael had stepped in, not even allowing the case to go to recess as the days bled into long, exhausting hours.

Despite his initial reluctance, Rafael quickly found himself invested in the trial as the defense threw unexpected curveballs. He'd spent the past week pacing in and out of courtrooms, fighting not just for the victims, but for some semblance of justice in the courtroom as well. It had been messy - admissible evidence suddenly questioned, key witnesses retracting their testimonies, and the defence attempting every trick in the book to stall or muddy the waters. But Rafael's instincts and knowledge of the law kept him grounded, pushing the trial toward its inevitable end.

By Thursday night, his exhaustion was palpable. He'd just returned home late after a particularly draining day in court. Olivia greeted him at the door, Sofía in her arms, her soft giggles a welcome distraction from the weight of the day.

"Long day?" she asked, her eyes scanning his tired expression.

Rafael nodded, managing a weak smile as he kissed his daughter's cheek. "Yeah. It's been a mess, but I think we're getting close to the end."

"Good," Olivia replied, gently resting her hand on his arm. "You need some rest. No case is worth running yourself into the ground."

Rafael appreciated her concern but could feel the trial pulling at him. "I'll catch up on sleep this weekend. Right now, I just need to finish this one."

Friday evening finally arrived, and the trial came to its dramatic close with the judge's ruling. It wasn't the perfect verdict, but it was a step toward justice. Rafael could finally breathe, but there was no time to savor the victory. He had other commitments to attend to.

The following Monday, was marked on their calendars for a different kind of event. It was Parent-Teacher Conference day at Noah's school.

The early morning light broke through the curtains, and Rafael stretched out, feeling the remnants of fatigue from the previous week in his muscles. But, as always, family came first. He turned to see Olivia already up, checking on Sofía as she wandered around the bedroom, playfully pulling at her hair.

"How's she this morning?" Rafael asked, his voice low with sleep.

"Good. She was up early wanting to play," Olivia replied with a smile, brushing some stray curls from Sofía's face.

Rafael chuckled softly, getting out of bed. "Sounds about right." His expression softened. "You could've woken me."

"You needed the sleep," his wife pointed out. "Anyway, today should go well. Noah's grades are high." Olivia's voice held a note of pride. "Mr. Bolton's been saying he's doing great in class."

Rafael nodded. "I know. And putting him with Sra. Sánchez for Spanish was the right move. He's enjoy it and improving a lot."

His wife nodded. "Oh, definitely. He was so far past what Bolton could teach, just because of you using Spanish at home with him."

They talked for another minute and then, heading downstairs, he had some coffee, breakfast, grabbed his briefcase and headed out the door. Rafael had to leave early for work that morning, but Olivia was going to be handling the school drop-off for Noah before heading into work herself.

Rafael had a bunch of phone calls and paperwork to juggle that morning, but at least made a slight dent in his to-do list. The morning honestly felt like it as flying by.

When Rafael arrived at P.S. 199 at 2:20PM, he was greeted by the familiar hum of busy parents and teachers walking through the halls. The school, tucked away in the Upper West Side, had been Noah's school for a few years now and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in how well Noah was doing there.

As he approached the school office, he saw Olivia waiting by the entrance. Noah, ever the curious one, was talking excitedly about something to her. The sight of his family brought a smile to his face.

"Hey, Noah, Liv," Rafael said, walking over and hugging his son and giving Olivia a kiss on the cheek. "How's it going?"

"Good! We're just about to head to the conference," Olivia replied, smiling up at him. "Noah's been asking all morning if he'll get to show his artwork to Mr. Bolton."

Noah, holding onto a folder filled with his work, nodded eagerly. "I made a picture of the city with all the buildings, just like I said I would!"

"That's awesome, niño!" he replied, ruffling the boy's hair. "I can't wait to see it."

They made their way to Mr. Bolton's classroom, where the fourth-grade teacher, a warm and approachable man in his early 40s, greeted them. He was a solid teacher with a reputation for being strict but fair and engaging, and Noah seemed to really enjoy his class and the environment.

Mr. Bolton greeted them with a handshake and a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Barba. Thanks for coming in."

"Thank you for having us," Rafael said, sitting down next to Olivia.

"I've been very impressed with Noah's work this year," Mr. Bolton began, his tone friendly but professional. "He's a quick learner, and he's been really enthusiastic about the art projects we've done. And I'm especially looking forward to seeing how his poster for our current social studies unit turns out. He's got a great eye for detail."

"Thank you," Olivia replied with a smile, clearly proud of their son. "He's been really excited about the class."

"I also wanted to touch on Noah's Spanish class," Mr. Bolton said. "As you know, we placed him in the Advanced Learning Program with Sra. Sánchez for Spanish, and from what I can see, it's been the perfect fit for him. He's getting far more out of that than he would be in the regular class."

Olivia smiled and glanced quickly over at Rafael before addressing the teacher. "We're a blended family, but it's really important to both his father and I that Noah understands the culture and language. And we don't want him bored either, which would've ended up being the case."

"We're really glad that he's in a class that is challenging him in positive way," Rafael readily agreed. They didn't want him overwhelmed but they didn't want him bored, either. And he was enjoying it.

Mr. Bolton nodded. "Absolutely. His proficiency with the language is impressive, and it's clear he's quite comfortable with it. And I know several of the other kids in my class have asked Noah for help a couple of times when they didn't quite get something."

"That's great," Olivia said. "And something that's always been encouraged."

Mr. Bolton smiled, tapping his pen on the desk thoughtfully. "It's a great quality, and it's showing in his classroom behaviour as well. He's focused, respectful, and engaged. He's definitely become one of the leaders in the class."

The conversation shifted then to Noah's academic progress. Mr. Bolton passed over a stack of papers to Rafael and Olivia. "Here are Noah's recent spelling tests for both English and Spanish, along with his science, social studies, and math tests." The man's voice was upbeat. "As you can see, his scores are high across the board. In all of the subjects, he's performing at a level well above expectations."

Olivia and Rafael both raised an eyebrow as they glanced at the test results. Noah had always done well in math, but it was clear that it was his most challenging subject at the moment. His math grade was still quite good, but not as high as his language arts or science and social studies scores.

"Math is definitely his lower grade," Mr. Bolton continued, "but the important thing is that Noah is showing improvement. He works hard, and I believe he just needs a little more practice with some of the concepts. Given how high his grade is though, I don't see any need to be concerned."

Rafael nodded thoughtfully. "We've noticed that he sometimes needs a bit more time with math, but he's been really focused on improving. I agree that it's not a concern though at the moment. If his grade does drop off though, please let us know."

"I certainly will. Noah tells me you read together a lot in the evenings," Mr. Bolton added, his tone genuinely interested.

Olivia smiled warmly. "We just finished The Lightning Thief last night."

Mr. Bolton's smile grew. "That's wonderful. Reading together at home can make such a big difference, not just for comprehension, but for building critical thinking skills. I'm sure he's learning a lot through those books."

As the meeting went on, Mr. Bolton showed them a couple of Noah's art projects. They then discussed Noah's behaviour, the classroom dynamics, and his overall growth. It was always nice to hear the positive feedback. Noah was a bright and eager student, got along well with most of the kids, and Mr. Bolton had a lot of good things to say about his work ethic and curiosity.

Mr. Bolton wrapped up the meeting with a few more details about upcoming projects and tests, then handed them a packet with information about the next unit in social studies and an upcoming field trip. Rafael and Olivia exchanged glances, already planning how they'd balance work and home life for the next few weeks.

As they stood to leave, Mr. Bolton shook their hands again. "It was really nice speaking with you. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns."

"Thank you, Mr. Bolton. We will," Olivia said, giving him a warm smile. "We appreciate everything you're doing for him."

On the way out of the classroom, Noah proudly held onto the folder of artwork he was able to bring home, the boy's excitement palpable.

"It's amazing, Noah," Olivia said, her voice filled with pride. "You've really captured the energy of the city."

"I can't wait to hang it up at home," Rafael added. "It's going right on the fridge."

Noah's eyes lit up at the idea. "Really? Right on the fridge?"

"Of course," Rafael said, ruffling his hair. "Your art deserves to be front and centre."

The family made their way down the hall, their footsteps echoing softly in the quiet school. As they exited the building into the crisp afternoon air, Rafael glanced at Olivia, her tiredness matching his own. They had both been juggling so much lately, between their careers and their roles as parents, but moments like this—when they could share in Noah's growth and excitement—made it all feel worth it.

"So, what now?" Olivia asked as they reached the car, Noah happily chattering about his artwork.

Rafael thought for a moment before replying. "How about we grab a treat? Somewhere simple. Just the three of us."

"I like that idea," Olivia agree, sliding into the driver seat. "I think we've earned a little family time."

Noah piped up from the backseat. "Can we get cookies and hot chocolate?”

"Sounds perfect," Olivia said, starting the engine. "Cookies and hot chocolate, it is."

Chapter Text

The scent of coffee reached him before the sun did. Rafael stirred in bed, one arm stretching across the cool sheets to find Olivia already gone. The hum of the baby monitor was low and steady on her nightstand - no crying, just the soft rustling of toddler limbs.

He blinked at the early light filtering through the curtains, the quiet serenity of their bedroom an illusion he let himself enjoy for ten more seconds.

Then the sound of small feet hitting the hardwood floor. "Papáaaa!"

Rafael sat up, a sleepy smile tugging at his lips before his eyes were even fully open. "Ay, mi princesa, es demasiado temprano pa' tanto drama." (Hey, Princess, it's too early for this kinda drama.)

Sofía barrelled into the room, her curls wild from sleep, her grin unbothered by time or propriety. The two-year-old climbed up onto the bed like a tiny conqueror, dragging her beloved stuffed rabbit behind her. "Wa coneja tiene hambre. Tengo hambre. ¿Dónde tá mamá?" (The bunny's hungry. I'm hungry. Where's Mamá?)

He scooped her into his lap, her little legs folding easily against his chest, the smell of lavender baby shampoo still clinging to her curls. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Mamá está en la cocina. Probablemente es donde deberían comer los conejitos, ¿no crees?" (Mamá's in the kitchen. Which is probably where bunnies should eat, don't you think?)

The toddler rolled her eyes and giggled, hugging her stuffed rabbit tight. "Sí." (Yes.)

He grinned and lightly tussled her hair. "Dale." (Alright then.)

Downstairs, the sound of pans clinking and Lucy's voice floated up faintly. The familiar rhythm of a weekday morning. As they eventually made their way out of the bedroom, Sofía said, "Llévame a pewa, papá!" (Give me a piggyback, Daddy!)

He smiled. "Claro, mi niña. Dale." With that, he picked up the two-year-old and gently threw her onto his shoulders. (Sure, Kiddo. Let's go.)

His little girl squealed. "¡Yupi!" As the pair headed downstairs, her giggles bounced off the brownstone's walls. (Yay!)

By the time he and Sofía made their way into the kitchen, the day was already in full swing. Olivia had two fresh mugs of coffee out, and Noah was half-dressed, hair still wet from a shower. The nine-year-old was aggressively cramming something that looked suspiciously like a doodled-on worksheet into his backpack.

"Rafa, your son," his wife said without turning around, "has apparently decided waffles are beneath him this morning."

Noah shrugged. "They're soggy. And I have gym first period. That's basically a crime."

Rafael rolled his eyes and handed Sofía off to Lucy, who took her with practiced ease. "So now we're all litigating breakfast?"

"Welcome to democracy," Olivia muttered, finally turning and handing him his café con leche with a knowing smirk. She then took a sip of her own coffee.

He kissed her temple - warm, familiar. The little domestic chaos he'd never expected to want, and now couldn't imagine waking up without. Once they parted, he turned to their son and addressed the boy. "Niño, come lo que te hizo tu madre, por favor. Te gustan los waffles." (Son, eat what your mother made you, please. You like waffles.)

Noah rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Bien." The nine-year-old boy then shoved a fork of waffle into his mouth. (Fine.)

Olivia glanced at Rafael and arched a brow. "Remind me again which side of the family the dramatics come from?" She took another sip of her coffee.

Rafael gave his wife a pointed look over the rim of his coffee. "Would you like that list alphabetically or chronologically, mi amor?"

From the kitchen table, Noah chimed in without looking up. "Tengo una pluma que puedes usar, papá." The boy then shoved a forkful of waffles into his mouth. (I've got a pen that you can use, Papá.)

Olivia laughed under her breath, shaking her head as she did so. "Parece mentira. You two boys just made my point for me." (Unbelievable.)

Eventually, breakfast morphed into routine: Sofía's sippy cup drama, Noah forgetting his gym shoes, Rafael putting some files from his study into his briefcase while Olivia was issuing reminders about pick-up logistics. Then it was time.

They left Lucy in charge of Sofía and headed out into the soft hum of the city, with just enough time to not be late.

On the walk to school, the city was just waking up - the low hum of traffic, the scent of hot bagels in the air, someone's dog barking three floors up. Noah walked ahead, backpack bouncing, chatting animatedly.

The boy was narrating a story about gym class dodgeball, and his friend's weird science project made entirely of Jell-O.

At the school gate, he hugged them both quickly and disappeared inside. They didn't linger, having to now head to their respective places of work.

It was nearly 10:15 AM when his work rhythm was interrupted. He had just finished tearing into a motion brief that was equal parts pretentious and misguided when his phone buzzed on the edge of his desk. His wife always texted rather than called if she thought that he was possibly in court, as it was less disruptive. 'Emergency case. Need you looped in ASAP. Victim walked into the 16th. It's bad. - Liv.'

He stood instantly, jacket already in hand before he hit dial. "Talk to me."

Her voice was clipped. Controlled. The kind of calm that told him she was managing a horror. "Woman says she was held captive by a man named Ryan Doerges - private equity guy, former litigator. Torture, rape, filmed everything. This didn't happen once. We're looking at multiple victims. He knew what he was doing - legally and otherwise."

Rafael was already walking toward the elevator. "Jesus. Are you on scene?"

"Just left the hospital with Fin. Velasco and Rollins are at the precinct," the brunette explained. "I want you on this from the start, Rafa. This guy… he knows how to play the system. I need you one step ahead."

He was quiet for a second, stepping into the elevator as the world shifted underneath him. The usual sense of morning routine was gone, replaced by something colder - both familiar and unwelcome. "Send me everything. I'll be there in fifteen."

As the elevator doors slid shut, he glanced at his phone background - Olivia and the kids, bundled up in scarves in Central Park last winter. Laughing. Safe. He tucked the phone away. And walked outside, heading towards the fire.