A/N: I'm working hard on my other fics, I promise, but it's also nice to take a break from those and work on a one-shot when I need to get rid of my writer's block! I hope you guys enjoy Mama Barba as much as I do! I don't own SVU or any characters. ENJOY!
Lucia Barba wasn't known for her timing.
In fact, she had terrible timing, always had. Her Mamí, God rest her soul, had always told her that. From the moment she was born till now, Lucia showed up at the most inconvenient of times. On dates, to meetings, to family dinners and all the above.
Most importantly, she always seemed to show up at her son's apartment at the most inconvenient times as well. How many times had she knocked on his door while he'd been right in the middle of school work, or work work or even entertaining the occasional friend? Of course, those friends always tended to be work friends and nothing more, which was no fun and always left her feeling down.
She prayed almost every night that he would settle down someday, but that had yet to happen and all the waiting she was doing was driving her crazy. He rejected almost every blind date she tried setting him up on, for seemingly no good reason other than the classic, 'It's not the right time for me' or 'I'm too busy with work.'
It was aggravating as hell. What was even more aggravating was spending her nights fretting and worrying about how lonely he must be, all cooped up in his big apartment with no one to keep him company. Not even an animal.
She had taken it upon herself to visit him often and make dinner at least once a week at his apartment, just to get the aroma of a freshly cooked meal to make his home a little more inviting. Most of the time when she walked in there, it was clean and smelled like leather and scotch and that was not a good combination in her book.
Her Rafi was so full of life and had so much to give, yet he was so hesitant to show anyone other than her (and that was rare these days) that he did. It was upsetting and she had plans to rectify that soon, in the form of a brunette bombshell that just started at her work. She was single, ambitious and dressed like a million bucks and there was no way she was going to let her son refuse this blind date.
Not tonight.
Lucia cursed as some of the shopping bags in her hand and around her wrist began to hurt as she made the short walk from the elevator to his apartment door, hoping beyond hope he was even there. She had sent him a text a little over an hour ago and didn't receive a response, which was odd for a Tuesday night. Those were usually his light days.
She was able to knock twice and sighed when she heard him on the other side of the door, lest she have to lug all those bags back down to a taxi and catch a thirty minute ride home. When the door swung open, she smiled brightly, seeing his beaming face, and then it disappeared just as his smile immediately fell.
"Since when did seeing your beautiful mother's face make you so unhappy? You should be grateful I'm here after slaving away all day, dealing with inconsiderate children, just to make you some real food."
Lucia rolled her eyes, but quickly looked him over after, realizing he was quite the disheveled mess. His hair was mused and his shirt was pulled out of his pants, half unbuttoned, over a white t-shirt. He looked like a mess, which was unusual for her always neat and clean lawyer son.
"Why do you look like hell?"
"Mom," Rafael finally said, keeping the door tight to his body, "Uh, I already ate dinner."
"Well, then I'll make you some leftovers for the next few days. God knows, you need to lay off the take-out sweetie. I'm not dealing with my 47-year-old son having a heart attack. Move."
She pushed the door open despite his protest and walked past him, head held high as he pathetically tried to explain that he didn't need leftovers crowding his fridge. She heard none of it. Instead, she popped off her heels and trekked through the foyer and towards the open kitchen and living room area.
"Now, I can either make chicken or beef-oh!"
Lucia stopped when she saw movement from the living room and her free hand flew to her chest, nearly making her drop the countless bags in her arms as she startled. A small smile drifted lazily over her lips as a familiar face stared back at her, looking equally as disheveled. She could see Rafi out of the corner of her eye, scratching the back of his neck and shaking his head.
"Benson. Olivia Benson, right?"
Liv, chuckled humorlessly and nodded, closing her button down blouse the best she could, but Lucia caught the sight of a red lace bra (which was super cute) and she nearly jumped up in the air with excitement. Instead, she held back that reaction, for her son's sake.
"Mrs. Barba," she said, standing to make herself look presentable, "So nice to see you again."
"You too," Lucia grinned, doing her best to contain her happiness, "Uh, dear, your pants are undone."
Liv's face grew a deadly red and she turned her back on them to rectify the issue. Lucia couldn't help but giggle and continue around the kitchen counter, depositing the grocery bags on the marble. She pretended like she didn't catch the look the two shared as Rafael stepped up on the other side of the marble.
"Hey, mom, I don't want this to sound bad, but we were in the middle of working- "
"Working," Lucia chuckled and pulled out the ingredients she was going to use to make her famous enchiladas and homemade salsa, "If that's how colleagues work nowadays then I might consider a career change."
Rafael stepped back, disgusted, "Maim!"
"Oh, stop! You two can have fun later. Since I'm here, we might as well have a nice dinner. I won't be here late, I promise. I'm going to breakfast with my girlfriends Laura and Vicky in the morning and then we have hair appointments because we're all going speed dating and I need a trim. Plus, my nails look atrocious…"
As Lucia rattled on, rolling up her sleeves and getting started on their dinner, Rafael walked over to Liv, who was still trying not to seem too embarrassed about her clothes mishap just moments before.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, hand resting on her lower back. Liv shook her head and pressed her hand on his chest, telling him not to worry. Even though their night of couch sex and drinking was derailed, she really enjoyed the motherly energy rolling off Lucia in the kitchen. Plus, they hadn't gotten around to ordering that pizza earlier on, so she was starving and eager to see what the woman would cook up.
"She can be a little…nosey. So, expect a lot of questions," he said, picking up his scotch and taking a large swig. She snorted and moved around him, taking a few steps towards the kitchen.
"Do you need help with anything," she asked, hands sloppily and discreetly buttoning up her shirt and cutting off her prattle. She waved her off, shaking her head.
"Oh no, sweetheart. You two go watch a movie and I'll let you know when it's done!"
Liv nodded and smiled, feeling like she was a teenager on a date more than a grown woman in her secret boyfriend's apartment. She supposed it wasn't a secret any longer, now that his mother knew, but it didn't really make her feel anxious. Who was Lucia going to tell from their jobs, anyhow? It also kind of felt nice to have someone else know, which was surprising for her.
She walked back around the couch and pulled Rafael down on the couch while grabbing the remote. He looked at her confused, but she merely shrugged and began to flip through the channels. He clearly was still a little embarrassed about the fact that his mother had shown up and invaded their private time, but she did her best to put those to rest.
"So, Titanic or Speed?"
By the time dinner was done, they were halfway through Titanic and Rafael was glued to the screen. Whether that was because of his admitted crush on 90's Leo DiCaprio or the fact that he was kind of a history buff, she wasn't sure, but she enjoyed cuddling with him, out in the open while his mother hummed away in the kitchen.
It felt so…normal, oddly enough. She wasn't sure what to make of that, but she didn't question it when a heaping plate of enchiladas was placed in front of her. There was also a bowl of salad and another bowl of rice that was making her mouth water. She was hungry and she knew Rafael was even hungrier, since they both skipped their lunches to get off early before the weekend.
"This looks amazing," she said, digging into the steaming food and nearly moaning. Lucia looked proud of herself as she did the same. Rafael didn't say anything, too busy stuffing his face full next to her. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Lucia dabbed at her mouth, effectively swiping off her dark red lipstick on her napkin.
"So, Olivia, how did you two become…so acquainted?"
"Oh God," Rafael groaned, his fork falling on his plate so he could take a drink from his refilled scotch. Lucia kicked him under the table and sent him a glare. She smiled at Liv, prompting her to continue. Liv bit her lip nervously, unsure how to start this story.
"Uh…well…it just sort of…happened? We, kind of, decided to act on whatever was happening between us and, you know, one thing leads to another…"
Lucia nodded, "Oh, I know what you mean. It's happened to me a couple of times."
"I don't need to hear that," Rafael interjected, brows knit and eyes focused on anything other than his mother. Lucia rolled her eyes.
"The women are talking. Anyway, how long have you two been dating? I presume you two are dating, correct?"
"Yes ma'am. Two months, now. It's been quite the ride. I didn't expect him to be so romantic and carefree outside of work. It's a pleasant surprise."
It truly had been. On their first date, when he showed up at her apartment with roses and in jeans, her jaw almost dropped. More so over the jeans than anything. But learning him and getting to know him outside of work had been an adventure from the beginning and the more she learned, the more she fell in love with him.
"Well, I'm glad someone finally broke through his walls. I was beginning to think he was going to die alone. Thank God my prayers have been answered."
Liv stole a look at Rafael, who was staring her, a small smirk on his face. She reached under the table and laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand. Lucia, too focused prattling on again, didn't notice as they leaned over and shared a kiss.
By the time their meal was finished, Rafael had been assigned to dish duty while Liv and Lucia sat on the couch, flipping through his old baby pictures she carried around in her wallet with her. Why she carried them, he wasn't sure, but he was happy that two out of the three (if Noah was here he would have stolen his mother's heart, for sure) most important people in his life were getting along like old friends.
Unfortunately, that meant Liv was seeing potential blackmail material and that was not good for him.
"Oh, and look at his little birthmark on his right butt cheek! Please tell me it's still there." She practically squealed when Liv nodded her head and the two laughed, head's thrown back when Lucia whispered something to her. Rafael would take the humiliation in stride, though. Anything to make his mother happy.
Although, the woman had mentioned that she could die happily now knowing he wasn't going to spend the rest of his life married to his briefcase. Which, he would admit, had been looking like the case for quite some time before he began to acknowledge his growing feelings for Liv. He, too, was grateful he wouldn't die alone. At least, he hoped. Two months in and he was already thinking about the rest of their lives?
Maybe he drank too much scotch.
"Oh, it's getting late. I better go. I need my beauty rest and I suspect you two have a full weekend of fun planned," Lucia gathered her things and slipped on her shoes. Rafael, wiping his hands on a dish towel, walked with her and Liv to the door, giving her a hug and a kiss.
"Thanks for dinner, Mamí."
"Any time, baby," she kissed him on the forehead and then wrapped Liv in a hug, making her promise that just the two of them would grab lunch sometime. "And bring that little boy with you! He sounds like a joy and I must meet him."
"Will do. Thank you so much."
"I'll see you both later. Have fun!"
Rafael watched her get on the elevator before he shut the door and fell back onto it, head resting against the wood as he watched Liv, with a giant grin on her face, sip on her glass of wine. She chuckled at his expression as he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Congratulations. You survived almost three hours of Lucia Barba. How do you feel?"
Liv kissed his temple and set her glass on the counter and turned around in his arms, "I feel like your mom needs to come over and make dinner more often because she is an amazing cook."
"Hence the reason why I was so chubby as a kid," he smiled, giving her a long kiss. She hummed against his lips, her fingers coming up the play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled back and trailed a few kisses down her neck, his mood from before coming back with vicious intent.
"You were adorable as a kid," her giggle turned into a moan when his hands slipped under her blouse and found the red lace bra he'd been ready to rip off her seconds before Lucia blew in.
"Am I still adorable?"
"Yes. But you're also sexy and handsome," she said softly, her hands moving from his neck to trail down his chest and land on his belt. She was stroking his ego, something she refused to outside of their apartments. It worked like a charm, every time.
He kissed her lips again and removed his hands from her shirt, grabbing hers and leading her back towards the couch to resume their original plans. As he laid her down and helped her unbutton her shirt for the second time that night, he apologized again for the interruption.
"Stop. I like your mom."
The look he gave her was skeptical, even as they followed his hands movements down her body. She rolled her eyes, "I do. She just has bad timing."
On that, he could agree.