"I really appreciate you inviting me over for dinner, Amanda," Sonny Carisi said as he and his coworker walked into her apartment. He was toting the grocery bags, and Amanda was carrying her three month old daughter, Jesse, in her car seat.

"What is it that we're having again?" Amanda asked, a hint of amusement in her voice, as she took Jesse's coat off and lifted her out.

"Chicken Carbonara," Carisi laughed, heading into the kitchen. "It's pasta dish with a cream sauce and bacon."

"Sounds delicious," Amanda commented, following him into the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle from the fridge and sat down to feed Jesse at the kitchen table. As the little girl sucked on her bottle, Carisi and Amanda made small talk while he went about the kitchen cooking their dinner. As Amanda watched Carisi move around her kitchen, she couldn't help but think how nice and comforting it was to have him here, cooking dinner for them. She'd grown fond of the Detective over the months, and she slowly found herself falling in love with him.

What's there not to like about him? Amanda thought to herself as Carisi finished making their dinner, leaving her alone with her thoughts for a few minutes. He's tall, and handsome, and kind, and passionate about his work, and caring, and he's sweet to Jesse…

"Amanda, you there?" Carisi laughed.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Amanda asked sheepishly, blushing slightly as she looked up at him. "I was lost in thought."

"I can see that," he laughed again. "I was wondering what you wanted to drink with dinner."

"Water is fine," she told him. He nodded and filled two glasses with water from the sink, then sat down with her, the pasta already in bowls on the table. She ate one handed, bouncing Jesse to sleep slightly as they ate.

"This is delicious, Carisi," Amanda commented, going in for another bite. "Where'd you learn to cook so well?"

"My gram," he shrugged. "Big Italian family, lots of family dinners, you learn a thing or two."

"Well, she taught you well," Amanda said. Soon enough, they'd both eaten all their pasta, and Jesse was fast asleep. Luckily, the little baby was in only a onesie, pants, and socks, so Amanda decided to put her in the crib as she was.

"She's sound asleep," Amanda said quietly, closing her daughter's bedroom door. Carisi was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels on the muted TV. He looked up and smiled at her.

"You wanna watch anything?"

"Maybe the Food Network?"

"Why the Food Network? You don't cook," Carisi laughed.

"I like to watch them create stuff. Bite me," she scoffed, going into the kitchen. "You want a glass of wine? My doctor said it's okay, as long as I don't drink too much and don't drink it every night."

"Sure," Carisi nodded. He finally found the Food Network for Amanda, and put the volume on low.

"What is this?" he asked as Amanda sat down, gesturing to the TV.

"Ooh! Guy's Grocery Games, I love this show!"

"What's it about?"

"These four chefs compete in a cooking game show of sorts. They're in a grocery store, and they have to cook dishes based on the game they play and the ingredients in the store."

"What kind of games?" Carisi asked, confused.

"Well, this one they're playing is Food Wheel," Amanda said, gesturing to the screen. "Guy - the one with the bleached hair there, he's the host – will spin the wheel for the chefs' protein, and then the other one for how much they can spend on other ingredients. They have to make a dish starring that protein, and pair it with whatever they can afford from the store."

"Sounds interesting," Carisi chuckled, taking a sip of his wine. They watched the show together, commenting on things the chefs said or what they were cooking. Amanda was starting to feel warm and fuzzy from the wine, probably because she hadn't drank in over a year, being pregnant with Jesse and all.

"I'll admit, that was a good show," Carisi said. "Now it's my turn," he said, picking up the controller.

"What do you mean?" Amanda asked, looking at him with confusion.

"We're gonna find a movie and watch it."

"Do we have to?" Amanda whined. Carisi laughed and nodded.

"Here, let's watch this," he said, settling on an Ashton Kutcher movie, No Strings Attached.

As they watched the movie, Amanda found herself leaning closer to Carisi, and Carisi didn't seem to mind. Pretty soon, his arm was around her, holding her close to his side. He was warm, and Amanda leaned into his embrace.

When Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher kissed outside the hospital, Amanda looked up at Carisi. He was so kind to her, and so sweet. Did he like her? She couldn't tell. He seemed to be nice to everybody, but his attention towards her seemed genuine and sincere.

"Are you even watching anymore?" Carisi laughed, before looking down at her. He saw how close she was, and the words got lost in his throat. She saw his eyes flicker to her lips, then back up to her eyes. As they leant in towards each other, Carisi brought his hand up to hold her face. Amanda's eyes dropped to his lips, and before she knew it, he was kissing her. Carisi's kiss was slow, but soft and passionate. He didn't want to push Amanda any farther than she wanted to go, but he wanted her to know he cared about her. Amanda placed a hand on Carisi's chest and gently pushed him back, her forehead resting against his.

"You ok?" he whispered, brushing her cheek with his thumb. She nodded, then looked back up at him.

"Can I tell you something?" she said softly. "And please don't freak out?"

"Of course, you can tell me anything, Amanda," he said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently.

"Declan is Jesse's father," she said bluntly. Carisi blinked, but nodded.

"Okay," he said. "I'm guessing he's not involved, given his current situation?" She shook her head, biting her lip.

"I wish he was," she sighed. "I just feel bad for Jesse, she doesn't have a father in her life. I was a daddy's girl, so it just kind of hits me hard, you know?"

"I understand," Carisi nodded. He brushed Amanda's hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear and smiling.

"That's not the only thing I wanted to tell you," Amanda said quietly.

"Okay…"

"Carisi," she sighed, looking up at him. "Getting to know you over all this time has been great. You're so sweet, and kind, and you're good at what you do. And you help me out when no one else does, especially with Jesse. I…" she gulped, but Carisi nodded, giving her reassurance. "I think I've fallen in love with you." Carisi looked into her eyes for a minute, before pulling her into another kiss. This one was deeper, harder, and even more passionate.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that," Carisi said when they finally broke apart, out of breath. "I love you, Amanda. God, I love you. Ever since I walked into that squad room, I thought you were beautiful. I found myself falling in love with you over time too. You make my heart stop and go at the same time, and you consume all my thoughts. I love you, Amanda, I really do."

"I love you too," she smiled. She leaned in and gave him a slow kiss. "Do you…wanna stay the night?" she asked.

"I'd love to," he grinned. They turned off the TV and walked to Amanda's room. Amanda changed into a tshirt and pajama shorts, and Carisi changed into his boxers and undershirt. They crawled into bed, and laid there for what felt like hours, just touching each other's faces, smiling, and kissing. Eventually, Carisi turned off the bedside lamp, and pulled Amanda into his arms. They fell asleep in comfortable silence, happy to be in each other's arms.