"You can't go doing that!" She yells angrily.

He yells right back, "Can't what?"

"You can't just say things like that, it sounds suspicious, like we have something to hide," She says quieter, trying to temper the anger and volume in her voice.

His voice lowers as well as he replies, "Why don't—"

"Why don't I what?" She snaps interrupting him. "Why don't I want to lose my job? Because that is what will happen if we tell them."

"You don't know that," He argues.

She glowers at him and pulls loose strands of hair away from her face, tightening her pony tail. "I do know that. So should you; your job would be at stake too."

"I could transfer to another precinct," he says quietly after a while, moving a few steps closer.

Before she can reply her partner is knocking on the door. "We have a lead on the suspect," he says looking between the two.

She nods in response as she says, "I'll be right out." He nods and leaves while she turns her attention back to the man in front of her. "We'll continue this later," She promises and leaves. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck to relieve tension as he thinks to himself: Why does she have to be so damn good at fighting.

…

The special victims unit had their suspect in custody. Sergeant Olivia "Liv" Benson and Detective Nick Amaro walked him through the precinct into the interrogation room where Fin Tutuola and Amanda Rollins were waiting.

"Just confess, and make it easier on us, Liam," Fin starts off.

"Confess for what," Liam retorts. "I didn't do anything."

Amanda stands and makes her way around the table, perching on the edge by Liam's chair. She leans in close and whispers, "We both know that's not true."

"Sugar," Liam says with a smirk. "If I did do anything; they wanted it. Just like you do, I can tell." She gives a tight-lipped smile but it drops slightly as Liam grabs her thigh.

"Let her go," Fin says forcefully. Liam raises his hands in a mocking gesture but keeps his eyes Amanda. She gets up and walks back beside Fin, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She slides the pictures of the four victims to Liam.

"You're telling me you don't recognize any of these girls," She says leaning forward. "Not one of them."

Liam can tell he is getting to her as he replies with a smirk, "Nope." Then he pauses. "What was that magic word again? Lawyer?"

Amanda collects the pictures and stalks out of the interrogation room, a scowl forming on her face. Fin followed slowly after and they stood on the other side of the glass with Liv and Nick.

"He knows we were getting close," Nick observes.

Liv nods before she replies, "That's why he lawyered up."

"While we're waiting for the lawyer get the victims here to make am ID," Barba instructs, before turning and walking out without another look.

…

He heard the door to his office open and turns towards the door. He's surprised when he sees his girlfriend standing mere centimeters away from him. Before he can say anything she's kissing him; pulling him closer by the belt and holding tight. He doesn't fight it, though he knows he should, his reasoning being he couldn't get enough of her at the moment.

When she finally pulls away to breathe he wraps an arm around her waist and leads her towards the couch.

"Not that I'm complaining," He starts. "But what's gotten into you?"

"This case," she sighs. "I am sorry for how I acted earlier. I've been very stressed on hormonal these past few weeks I don't even know why. I must be getting sick or something."

He nods. "I understand."

"Are you getting ready for the case in the morning," she asks, noticing the extra piles of paper work on his desk. He nods but pulls her close, tucking her into his side.

"But I can take a break," he teases wiggling his eye brows at her.

She chuckles and gives him a kiss before saying, "I just might take you up on that."

…

The shot rings out; then another as if in slow motion. A male voice screams, "Detective down. Someone call a bus." Chaos and panic ensue, the crowd pushing against one another trying to figure out what was happening. It had all happened to fast.

...

"We find the defendant, not guilty," the speaker juror states.

A clamour rises from the audience and the judge slams his gavel. "Order, order. Bailiff!"

Raphael Barba was not happy. The man on trial was getting away with what he'd done. He starts packing up his papers and briefly made eye contact with his girlfriend. He made sure not to linger too long as they had been keeping their relationship under wraps but she gave him a solemn nod. The crowd in the room however was still in an uproar and the victim's family was making the most noise. The brother starts straight for the defendant and before the bailiff can intercept the brother pulls out a gun. He shoots the defendant and that's when the chaos really starts. The SVU team has their guns drawn and are ushering the crowd out.

Liv starts talking, "Earl put the gun down."

"He hurt my sister and he gets off," Earl says.

"Not anymore," Amanda shouts over the clamour. "You just shot him. He's going to die if you don't let us help him."

"Let him die," Earl shouts back.

Amanda the only one with a clear line towards him moves forward. "You don't want to do that Earl, how will that help your sister?"

"Shut up!" Earl screams. His gun is trained on Amanda.

"Earl," she starts, cut off as a second shot rings through the court room. A soft grunt escapes from her as she falls heavily onto the ground. Earl to his credit looks horrified by what he did as he watches the blood drain from her face and doesn't even fight as a bailiff takes his gun and arrests him. Nick Amaro is the one that calls officer down as Fin holds a hand over the bleeding wound in her stomach. Fin is muttering under his breath what sounds like prayers as Barba approaches. Panic is written across all their faces as Amanda chokes on her own blood but none more so than Barba. Liv is patting Amanda's face trying to keep the blonde's eyes open as Barba kneels down, his pants soaking in blood-his girlfriend's blood- while tears stream down his face.

"Mi amor," he says quietly. "Amanda, por favor, please stay awake!"

Amanda groans as Fin pushes harder onto her stomach. "C'mon 'Manda," Fin urges. "The bus will be here soon."

"Amanda, keep your eyes open, look at me," Liv practically shouts as the blondes eyes flutter closed.

"Everyone out of the way," a man shouts as he and another make their way to Amanda. Everyone moves, save for Barba who clutches to her hand for dear life. Finally Fin and Liv manage to pull the distraught ADA from their coworker and the two EMT's load Amanda onto a gurney and wheel her away.

Barba wrestles himself out of the two SVU detectives grip and puts his head heavily in his hands. Liv rubs his back soothingly and shares a look with Nick and Fin. "Let's get to the hospital," Liv says to Barba. "I'll drive." They manage to get Barba up and out into Liv's car before Nick and Fin head to their own.

The drive is silent save for quiet sobs of a broken hearted man. "She can't die," He mutters, head dropping into his hands again.

"She'll make it through Barba," Liv starts. "She's a fighter. No matter how many times you shoot her, she always fights back."

"You don't understand Olivia," He says harshly.

She looks taken aback briefly and hurt flashes in her eyes but she evens her voice as she replies, "What don't I understand?"

"She is everything to me," he says. "We were keeping it under wraps but we're dating."

Liv, trying to keep him talking says, "Talk to me about her, Rafael."

He wipes his tear streaked face and sucks in a deep breath trying to compose his self. "One day, while we were out for a morning run, with Frannie, we were in the middle of this park. It was really windy and we saw this little girl, all grungy looking, with her mother that looked far worse. Amanda made me take off my windbreaker jacket and she took off hers and gave them to the family. The smiles they had on their faces were indescribable and Amanda's matched theirs." He gives Liv a small smile, which she reciprocates. "Last night, I was um, praying, and she was lying on my bed, an arm tucked under her head, the other hand clasped between mine."

"I'm happy for you Rafael," Liv says.

"She's the love of my life Olivia," He says quietly.

She nods back. "We're almost there."

…

"How's she doing?" Liv asks Fin who'd gotten to the hospital before her and Barba.

He sighs before answering which is the cause of Barba collapsing into the closest chair. "She's still in surgery, she's lost a lot of blood and apparently she died on the way here briefly before they brought her back," Fin informs heavily. A sob of anguish escapes Barba. "She'll pull through man."

Barba doesn't reply just pulls out his wallet and a picture from behind one of his credit cards. He gazes at if forlornly and lets out a low, rueful chuckle. Trying to keep a light mood Nick asks, "What is it?"

Barba wipes the tears off his face as Liv and Nick sit on either side of him and says, "It's Amanda. On our second official date that wasn't just coffee over a sparse lunch." He shows them the picture: she's dressed in a holey pair of jeans, yellow running shoes, white tank top and a pair of sunglasses perched on her nose. To him she had looked amazing so casually dressed. "She took an hour to get ready because she couldn't decide what to wear and when we finally got to the movie, she demanded we get two bags of M&M's to share."

"She's not gone yet, Barba," Fin says. "She won't go without a fight; she's our Amanda."

They fall into a heavy silence only interrupted at least two hours later by a doctor in scrubs walking into the waiting room area. "Amanda Rollins," he says in question.

Immediately the SVU team and Barba stood up. "How is she?" Barba asks a wobble in his voice.

The doctor gives a small smile as he replies, "it was touch and go for a while but she pulled through. She's sleeping right now but I can allow one or two of you to go in now and sit with her."

As they approach the room the doctor told them to go to Barba got cold feet. "You guys go on in, I'll be there in a minute," he mumbles out.

"You sure," Liv asks. He nods and takes a few steps back allowing them space to move into the room.

He sits down heavily in the chair beside her door and stays there until her team leaves the room. "If you need anything," Fin says as he passes. "We'll be here; give us a call."

"Thank you," Barba replies wiping his tear-streaked face and standing up. Once they leave he stands in the doorway to her room and stares at her, relieved that she is alive. He approaches her bed and grabs her hand, feeling the warmth of blood still pumping in her veins encouraging him to scoot a chair close to her bed and sit down. "Amanda, I want to tell you, you're everything to me." He pauses to take a shuttering breath. "I thought I was going to lose you, today. I was so close to losing you. I kept replaying moments, when I loved you most mi amor; like the first time you slept over and I found out the hard way you steal the covers. Or the time you surprised me with the bubble bath and candles. I've wanted to ask you to marry me for so long Amanda but I never found the right time, something always gets in the way and today it was because you were shot. I was going to whisk you away after the trial and go to that coffee shop we had our first official date. I guess I have to plan a new way to propose."

He looks up sharply when he hears the whisper of his lover's voice. "Amanda?"

"Yes," she says stronger.

"Yes what, mi amor," he asks.

She gives a soft chuckle which turns into a low moan of pain before she replies, "Yes I'll marry you Rafael."

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "You heard that?" She looks at him and nods, a small smile forming on her face. "I'll be back," he says, wiping happy tears from his face. "I'm just going to get the doctor." She nods in response and closes her eyes. "Doctor," he calls from the doorway. "She's awake."

The doctor follows him into the room and sees Amanda with her eyes open. He gives her a once over, checking the monitors and the bandage before he asks, "Amanda, we have some news and were wondering if you wanted to share it with this gentleman?" The doctor turns to Barba and asks, "are you her—"

"Yes I'm her boyfriend, what's wrong?"

"Amanda, were you aware you were pregnant?" The doctor asks.

Amanda shakes her head no with tears in her eyes and shares a look with Barba. "Were," she asks, having caught what the doctor had said.

The doctor smiles and claps a hand on Barba's shoulder. "Don't worry, Amanda, you still are. You were very lucky, the bullet completely missed the fetus and all is well. You're about eight weeks along; congratulations you two." The doctor leaves the couple with that news and they sit in awed silence, Barba holding Amanda gently so as not to disturb the bullet wound and both begin to cry.

She was his everything.

…

"Daddy, will you come sit with me?" she asks quietly from her spot on the floor. Blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail and round face smiling cheekily.

He nods and moves to kneel beside her. "Of course," he replies. She starts whispering under her breath, praying like she does most nights as he thanks God for everything in his life; his daughter and his wife.

"Time for bed Raelyn," Amanda says from her spot, leaning against the door frame.

"But mom," she complains as Amanda walks over and picks her up, before tucking her into bed.

Amanda kisses her cheek and replies, "No buts, I love you, goodnight." Giving her husband a pointed look, she taps her wrist to tell him to hurry up. He nods and sits on the edge of Raelyn's bed until her mother leaves the room.

As soon as she does Raelyn sits up and crawls onto her dad's lap, giving him a tight hug and butterfly kisses. "Goodnight Rae," he whispers as he tucks her back under her covers.

"Goodnight daddy," she mumbles, closing her eyes.

…

Raelyn shrieked in delight as she caught sight of the ponies, pulling her mother by her sleeve towards the pen. Amanda laughed at the young girl's excitement. "Slow down, they aren't going anywhere," she joked.

"Let her have fun, Amanda," Rafael chided as he wrapped an arm around his wife.

His wife gets a small frown on her face as their daughter scampers off. "You know my job, what we've seen, what can happen if we aren't too careful."

"I know mi amor, but you can't make her live in a bubble, she's a child, she wants to have fun," he says gently.

"You're right," she agrees sullenly before smirking. "But since you're right you can be the one to take her on the ponies." He just smiles back knowing not to argue with this one.

"Walk beside the pony daddy, it's my first ride," Raelyn says as her dad walks up behind her. He nods as he lift's her onto the chestnut pony.

…

"Daddy," a voice harshly whispers. "Daddy, wake up." He blinks his eyes open sleepily and sees his little girl staring at him from his wife's pillow.

"What's up Rae," he asks, sitting up. He catches sight of Amanda beside the bed, holding a camera and a misshapen cake.

Rae points to the cake and says, "It's your birthday so mom let me make you a cake. I know it looks a little funny," she says wrinkling her nose in consideration. "But I got up real early to make it so I hope you like it."

"Well thank you, Rae," he says with a smile. Rae leans over and gives him a hug.

"I love you daddy," she whispers into his collarbone.

He smiles as he replies, "I love you too."

…

"You look like your mother even more when you look at me like that," he says to her scowl. "Quit it out."

"Ha, ha," Amanda says sarcastically.

However Raelyn is still mad. "Why would you post that picture, it's so embarrassing."

"I think it's cute," Amanda says taking it from her daughter's hands. Said picture is of Raelyn when she was little, her hair as in curled pigtails and decorative ribbons.

"It's embarrassing!" Raelyn shouts storming off to her room. The echo of her door slamming reverberates throughout the house.

Amanda and Rafael sigh as she hands him back the picture. "She's a teenage girl, one part woman, and one part girl. She bought sixty dollars' worth of make up over the weekend; I think that says enough," Amanda explains.

"Did you ever buy that much make up?"

"No," she replies. "But then again growing up in my family wasn't always fun so that's part of it."

They both fall silent for a few heartbeats, sitting curled on the couch together. "I should go talk to her, shouldn't I," Rafael says quietly.

She nods. "Yeah that's probably a good idea."

He sighs getting up and patting his wife's knee. He walks down the hall towards Raelyn's bedroom and knocks on the door. "Mom," he hears come from the room.

"No Raelyn," he answers. "Can I come in?"

"Actually can you get mom please," she says quietly.

He stiffens as he asks, "What's wrong Rae?"

"Just get her please," she replies.

"Amanda," he shouts worriedly.

She is beside him in a few seconds, panic on her face. "What's wrong?"

"She won't let me in; she just keeps saying to get you."

Amanda nods and knocks on the door. "Rae, hun, can I come in?"

"Yes," Rae says. Amanda opens the door and slips into the room. She sees her daughter in front of the mirror, her shirt lifted, trying to see something near the top of her back.

"What happened?" Amanda asks as she catches sight of a large, ugly looking bruise.

Rae pulls her shirt down as she replies, "I fell about a month ago, and the bruise just won't go away though."

…

Raelyn sat in a waiting room chair, flipping through an outdate magazine with her mother to her left and her father to her right. They hear a voice from the doorway and the three turn in unison to see a nurse standing there. "Raelyn Barba-Rollins?"

She nods and the small family follows the nurse into a small room. She sits in shocked silence as the doctor tells her the news. Her mom starts crying and clings to her father.

"I'm sorry, but with this new therapy we're going to try you have a great chance."

…

"Mom," she shouts crying.

Her mom comes rushing into the room, panic and worry on her face. "What's wrong?"

Raelyn sits on her bed, collecting strands of blonde hair from her pillow. "No one's going to want to take me to prom, if I don't have hair," she sobs.

"Oh honey," Amanda says as she sits on her daughter's bed and pulls her close. "I'm sure someone will."

"Stop making promises you can't keep," Raelyn shouts before collapsing onto her bed with a sob of anguish. Amanda says nothing, just rubs soothing circles onto her daughter's back.

…

Knock. Knock. Knock. "He's here," Raphael calls as he opens the doors.

"Hi sir," the young man says holding out his hand.

Rafael shakes his hand and gestures for him to come in. "You treat her right, do you hear me? I want her home by nine thirty."

"Eleven is fine," Amanda says from the hall doorway.

"Detective Rollins," he says. "It's nice to see you again."

She doesn't reply as the soft click of high heels comes from the hallway. Raelyn walks out, scarf tied securely around her head. She's wearing an aqua blue dress and wedged heels.

"Wow," both Rafael and the boy say at the same time; said boy earning a glare from Rafael. "You look beautiful," he says not taking his eyes off of her.

"Okay pictures," Amanda says, breaking the tension and waving the camera in Rafael's face. Raelyn moves to beside her boyfriend and he puts a tentative arm around her. Amanda says, "Smile." And Rae leans in close to him.

…

The young man stood in the living room, dressed up in a tux and waiting for his girlfriend's father. He took in the pictures around the room. In one she was dressed in a Halloween costume of Cinderella, riding her bike, running through a sprinkler and dancing with her dad, looking up at him.

"Isn't she something?" he hears a voice ask behind him. He whirls around to find her father standing there.

"Yes she's quite a woman," he replies. Rafael didn't say anything. That's when he realized to her father Raelyn would always be his Cinderella and he was stealing her away.

"Raelyn," called Rafael. She came into the room and wrapped her arms around her father.

He hears her whisper, "I love you," to her father before she pulled away. He knew then he was the one stealing Cinderella.

…

"What are you thinking daddy?" Raelyn asks as she stands across from her father in the bride-room.

He smiles as he replies, "I'm not sure. I just feel like I'm losing my little girl." She leaned and gave him butterfly kisses as Amanda put white flowers in her hair.

"Walk me down the aisle daddy, it's just about time," Raelyn says when she pulls away. He nods and wraps his arm through hers.

…

"Do you Raelyn Barba-Rollins take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the pastor asks.

She smiles up at the man across from her as she says, "I do."

"And do you Noah Benson take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife."

He smiles down at her as he replies, "I do."

"You may now kiss the bride," the pastor finishes. Noah and Raelyn lean in, her soft, earthy perfume mingling with his fresh spice cologne; breathe whispering across each other's lips as they pull away.

In the pews Amanda Rollins sat with Rafael on one side and Liv on the other. Both women were smiling as they shared a look and Rafael grabbed his wife's hand. Fin and Nick sat one row behind the three. They overcame death, cancer, stern fathers and the grumpy teenage years. They were one big happy family.

A/N: So if you're reading my criminal minds story I've most recently posted I will get a new chapter as soon as possible but this has been a while in the making and I'd like to post it. *Disclaimer* I've used many different songs as inspiration but none of them are mine most prominent ones are: Stealing Cinderella, Sarabeth, Butterfly kisses, and she's everything. Enjoy the story please read and review it would be much appreciated.