Okay, this is a fluffy one-shot that I just had to write. Please review at the end if you can!
It had all started because of one stupid dare.
'Come on Liv. How hard could it possibly be?'
'Barba, he's a two-year-old.'
'Case in point: he's a child, piece of cake. Besides, I'm not some random stranger. The kid quite likes me and my suspenders.'
'You wouldn't last a single day.'
'Try me.'
That conversation led to Barba being roped into spending his Saturday caring for Noah Benson while Olivia had some quality time with her favorite IAB captain.
"Okay Noah. Tell me, what do toddlers like to do for fun these days?" Noah stared blankly.
Okay, so maybe it's a little harder than I thought.
-/-
The detective searched her purse for her ringing phone.
Seriously? Do people have no respect for the lunch hour?
She sheepishly looked up at Tucker and gave an apologetic smile while she continued to search her disorganized handbag. The ringing soon stopped, and Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. And then it started ringing again.
Curse words flew through her head until she found the damned piece of metal she had been searching for.
"Benson."
"It's Rafael." She started grinning before she could help herself.
"You know, I hate to say I told you so-" Olivia started, but Barba cut her off.
"Actually, I just called to interrupt your lunch with Tucker. Noah and I are getting along just fine, isn't that right amigo?" Olivia heard a quiet giggle in the background. "I may have to lay claim to the title of 'best babysitter ever' by the time you come home." She could almost hear him smirking into the phone.
"Oh, well, I suppose I've pissed off your date enough. Tell Tucker he's an ass for me, would you?" Olivia looks up at her date.
"I'll let him know you said hello," Liv tries not to laugh at Barba's ongoing disproval of Tucker.
"But seriously Raf, if you need any help or anything, just call-"
"Relax, I've got this. Bye Liv." Click. Olivia puts her phone back into her purse and then looks at the man sitting across from her.
"So, where were we?"
-/-
"Alright Noah. You win. You are officially the champion of hide and go seek. It's time to come out now."
Rafael is panicking. He's managed to lose the two-year-old, and an hour hasn't even passed since Olivia had walked out the door.
He had dialed Olivia, certain that he'd have to break the news to her that he would be getting in touch to set up an Amber Alert on her son.
She is so going to kill me.
She didn't pick up her phone. He dialed again.
And then he'd heard it: giggling from the cupboard under the sink. He smiled to himself; maybe he'd make it through today after all.
He smirked into the phone. Actually, I just called to interrupt your lunch with Tucker. There was no doubt in his mind that Olivia was skeptical about the events that were transpiring at her apartment, but he had narrowly avoided admitting defeat for now.
"Hm… I wonder where Noah is…" he paused, and then quickly opened the door to under the cupboard.
"Got you!" Barba exclaimed, before the child erupted in a fit of giggles and took off running across the apartment.
Best Babysitter of All Time: Rafael Barba. Hm. That's got a nice ring to it.
-/-
"Who was that on the phone?" Tucker had looked at her with an eyebrow raised after the mid-meal phone call fiasco.
"Just the babysitter calling to check in." She couldn't help the little part of her that was laughing internally.
"Oh," Tucker relaxed a bit, "how is Lucy?"
Oops. "Uhm, actually, Lucy has the day off."
"Well good for her. She works too much." He smiles, and she forces a smile back.
She doesn't know why she sighs with relief when he doesn't ask any more questions.
-/-
"Noah Porter Benson."
There is paint everywhere. Barba's sweater is covered with purple handprints. His hair is matted with the sticky orange liquid. Noah's face looks like a rainbow threw up all over it.
The boy looks up at his new best friend with huge eyes and sticks his lip out.
"Soh-way Raf." Barba can't help the grin that spreads across his face-the child knows how to play him.
"Let's just not tell Mami, okay?" Barba laughs as Noah nods vehemently and continues his finger-paint masterpiece.
-/-
"Ed, where are we going?"
"I told you-you'll find out." Olivia groans in the passenger seat. If there was a word to describe Olivia Benson, impatient would fit the bill.
"Please… just tell me. I promise I'll still pretend to be surprised." Olivia widens her eyes and subtly juts out her lower lip, a tactic her son has become increasingly fond of in the last few weeks.
"Oh alright. We're going to see a show on Broadway. It's called Leap of Faith."
She smiles victoriously before reaching into her bag to check her phone. No new notifications.
That's got to be a good sign, right?
-/-
Noah had decided a little after four that he wanted cookies. After reading three different recipes on the internet, Rafael had determined that he was a fit chef for the job.
He did not take into account the skills of his sous chef.
The cookies turned out beautifully-warm and gooey discs of perfection. The kitchen, however, was a war zone.
There was chocolate on the ceiling and eggs on the floor. Rafael had finally managed to get the paint off of Noah's face only to have it replaced by a sticky mess of flour and sugar.
"Let's not tell Mami about this either, amigo."
-/-
"Is it just me, or does the lead look exactly like that ADA of yours?" Liv looked at the man on-stage.
"You think he looks like Rafael? No way. No resemblance." Tucker paused for a second, but she was pretty sure he wasn't still thinking about the actor's looks.
"First name basis, huh? What's going on there?"
Liv merely placed a finger over his lips. "Shhh… enjoy the show."
-/-
"No, Raf, I wanna be Olaf. You be Sven." Barba held up his hands in resignation.
"Okay little man, I'll be Sven." Noah had gone through nearly every toy in his bin while Rafael attempted to clean the kitchen. There were still remnants of chocolate chips on the ceiling.
Now the pair was sitting among dozens of stuffed animals and building blocks on the floor, mesmerized, as the snow queen built her ice fortress with nothing but her hands and her gift of song.
"Noah? I changed my mind. I want to be Elsa."
-/-
Olivia and Tucker exited the Broadway theatre and took a walk down the street. Two blocks into their relaxing stroll, the shrill whistle of a cat call caught their attention.
"Oooh… Damn. Mama is fiiiine." A clearly intoxicated man was calling to Olivia, but she brushed it off and kept walking. Tucker did not remain so cool and collected.
"Leave her alone, asshole." Olivia scowled at Tucker, but appreciated his gesture.
"I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl, you know that." Ed looks a little defensive, but nods at Olivia.
The drunken man continues on, but accidentally brushes up against Ed.
Smack.
Tucker's fist collides with the man's face.
"Ed!" Olivia screeches, quickly becoming angry.
"Liv, he was-"
"Save it Tucker. I don't need any more hotheads in my life. I'll take a cab home."
-/-
"Noah, please put your pajamas on." Noah bursts into another fit of giggles as Rafael unsuccessfully makes another lunge for him.
They have been at this game for twenty minutes now. I shouldn't have let him have that third cookie.
Barba sighs. It's time to make a plea deal.
"Noah, if you put your pajamas on like a good boy, I'll read you a bedtime story…" Barba draws out the word 'story' and eyeballs the bookshelf in the corner of the room. Noah considers Rafael's proposition for a second before running over and jumping into the ADA's arms.
"Raf read story!" He exclaims, allowing his arms and legs to be guided into his pjs.
"Yep, that was the deal. Which one do you want to read?" Noah scurries over to the shelf and pointedly searches the shelves until he pulls the book he's looking for.
Rafael grins. It's the book he bought Noah for his 1st birthday, and it's called ¡Que desastre! (What a Mess!).
"Come here, mi desastre," he chuckles. "Let's read."
-/-
Olivia is still red from her encounter with Tucker. She cannot believe he lost his temper like that; it reminds her of another tantrum-waiting-to-happen from her past.
First Elliot, now Tucker. Am I ever going to find a decent man to father my son?
-/-
Rafael finished the story a few minutes ago, and Noah was drifting to sleep.
He stood up and attempted to place Noah in his crib, but the child had a death grip on his suspenders.
"Don' wanna go to bed," he murmured.
Determining that Noah would not release his suspenders anytime soon, Rafael moved into the living room and turned off the lights.
He rocked back and forth, lulling Noah to go to sleep. Lord knows Barba would give half of his salary to sleep after the day he has had.
Duérmete mi niño, duérmete mi amo.
Barba whispers the opening lines to the lullaby his abuelita had sung to him when he was a child.
Duérmete pedazo de mi corazón,
Ese niño quiere que lo duerma yo,
dormir en mis brazos y en mi corazón.
By the time the song is over, Noah is fast asleep. Not wanting to wake him up and start the process over, Barba resigns to sitting down on the couch with Noah still firmly attached to his suspenders.
Ha, Liv, I did it.
-/-
Olivia turns the key to her apartment door. She prays a silent prayer that Rafael doesn't make any of his usual comments toward Tucker tonight. She's had a rough enough time as it is.
When she opens the door and turns on the light, her heart melts just a little bit.
There, sitting on the couch, is ADA Rafael Barba and her son, his little hands wrapped around Barba's suspenders.
After digging through her purse for her phone, Olivia finds the damned device and snaps a picture. Barba starts to stir.
"Shh… go back to sleep. It's just me." Barba squints his eyes a little bit, and Olivia reaches to turn out the light again.
"Where's Tucker?" She scowls.
"It appears I will no longer be seeing Ed." Barba smirks.
"Not to say I-told-you-so, but-" Olivia gently smacks his arm.
"Whatever. You were right. Now go back to sleep." Rafael smiles through the dark, and the closes his eyes again.
The weight of the couch shifts, and Olivia plops down next to Barba, leaning her head on his shoulder.
He peeks one eye open, "Lieutenant-" he smirks, before being cut off one last time.
"I don't want to hear it Barba. Now sleep."
-/-
A few days later, Carmen walks into Barba's office with a small package wrapped in paper and topped with a bow.
"Someone dropped this item off for you." Carmen smiles mischievously and exits the room before her boss can ask any questions.
He opens the paper and grins. It's a painted frame (he guesses the paint is courtesy of Noah) with the photo of Rafael and Noah sleeping on the couch. He could still make out the leftover paint in his hair and on his clothes. He laughs when he reads the painted message in Liv's distinct writing on the bottom of the frame: World's Best Babysitter.
Still smiling, he dials Liv's cell.
"Alright Benson, I've waited long enough. I'm officially telling you I-told-you-so."
End.
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