an: First of all, thank you! The amount of support I got for the first chapter was mind-boggling. I LOVE everyone who has favorite/followed/reviewed this story, and I hope you guys stick with me until the end! You're all amazing. Here's the next chapter:

Olivia Benson stood, feet glued to the floor, with two fingers pressed tightly against her lips. Barba's heart raced in his chest—his face burning with an embarrassed heat.

Amanda Rollins and Sonny Carisi stood behind their Lieutenant. They had come to celebrate the conclusion to a long interrogation, but their night had just taken a one-eighty.

Barba slapped the contents of his wallet on the counter, not bothering to count out cash or caring that he was leaving much more than he owed. He pulled his hand from his mother's grasp, nodding curtly to his colleagues.

"Detectives, Lieutenant," he greets, muttering some excuse before pushing past them and the crowd. He was vaguely aware that he had left his mother to her own defenses, but he needed to get out of the space that seemed to be shrinking. The air felt thicker, or maybe he was just forgetting to breathe.

A few moments passed as he leaned against the stone exterior of the building. People entered and exited, going about their nights unscathed by his emotional dilemma. A familiar face walked through the door, and Barba scowled as the person moved next to him.

"I'm not in the mood for one of your motivational speeches tonight. Or ever, for that matter," Barba says to the detective standing next to him. Carisi gives a half-smile.

"Do you want to talk about what just happened in there Counselor?" The lanky man motions to the door.

"No," Barba says. If it were up to him, he'd go on pretending that nothing had happened. Until Olivia eventually prodded him for answers—he'd come up with a way to deal with her later—he was going to ignore whatever it was he felt.

Carisi, not wanting to say something to upset his mentor, let the silence hang between them. Barba began feeling claustrophobic, and, reasoning that his mother would be alright without him, decided that he was going to explode if he stayed any longer.

"As fun as this has been, I'm going home. Goodnight, detective."

The detective had no rebuttal, only a look of understanding. The ADA silently thanked him.

When he reaches to put his hands in his pocket, he realizes he must have left his coat in his haste to leave. As expensive as the Burberry jacket was, and as brisk as the air felt, it wasn't enough to get him to go back inside. He resigned to walk in the cold, even though it was a relatively long one. He just hoped that by the time he got back to his apartment he would be as numb as his fingers.

Mrs. Barba sat awkwardly on her stool. Olivia Benson was still trying to gather her bearings, and Detective Rollins was unsuccessfully attempting to ease the tension.

"You must be Barba's mother," she extends her hand to the woman, "Amanda Rollins."

She had sent Carisi outside to deal with Barba, but she desperately wants him inside as a lifeline now.

She's thankful when Lucia Barba starts to speak.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Rollins. And it is good to see you again Lieutenant Benson, but I think it is about time I headed home as well. It's been a long day," she says calmly, and Amanda thinks that is an understatement.

"You two ladies enjoy your evening."

Lucia places a hand on Liv's shoulder as she makes her exit, and then disappears into the crowd. The touch leaves a burning sensation on Olivia, and her stomach drops. She wants to go outside and confront Barba, but she can't do it. Not right now. She needs a couple of drinks and to gather herself before she can go down that road.

Rollins bites her lip, trying to devise a way to comfort the woman who was her friend, but also her boss, and who was clearly affected by the conversation they'd all overheard.

"Do you, uh, want to stay?" She was perfectly flustered, because it wasn't as if 'how to deal with your boss when her ADA and friend effectively admitted he loved her' was a section in the police academy.

Liv, still wordless, shook her head and took the seat that Barba had been in moments before. His jacket still hung on the back of it, and she vaguely thought that she should return it in a week or two when they would finally be able to make eye contact again. For now she'd sit, drink, and probably not smile.

"I'll have a vodka soda, please. And make it a double." Liv says, ignoring the bartender's raised eyebrow as Amanda took the seat next to her.

"Just a water, thanks," she says when the bartender cuts his attention to her. She had a feeling she needed to keep an eye on the Lieutenant tonight.

"Look, Liv, we don't have to talk about... that. But we can, if you need, and it doesn't have to be tonight, you know I'm always-" Amanda trailed off as Olivia finally spoke.

"I'm fine, Amanda. Thanks though." Liv forced a tight smile at her detective that wasn't at all believable, but Amanda raised her hands in surrender.

Carisi, finding his two companions, takes the empty seat next to his partner. Rollins shoots him an inquisitive look, and he shakes his head. She just gives a tight nod, not surprised that Barba has left, effectively avoiding hashing it out with Liv.

"You two do know that I can see you, right?"

Carisi is the first to break out of their unspoken conversation, feeling caught.

"Nothing happened tonight," Liv continues, "Really. I'm perfectly fine; you don't need to tiptoe around me."

Neither of them believes her, but they smile and nod anyway. Sonny switches the topic to a current case, and it's all business-as-usual again.

Liv finishes her first drink and another in under an hour. The knot in her chest was just beginning to loosen when Amanda offered to get her home. Olivia rolls her eyes.

"No, Rollins, I'm alright. I think I'll just take a cab." Liv stumbles a bit when she stands up, cursing herself to sober up in front of her detectives. She finally regains her balance and settles her tab. As a fleeting thought she remembers to grab the jacket on the back of her chair.

Carisi follows her out of the bar, to her annoyance, and makes sure she gets in the taxi.

"Okay, Carisi, I think I've got it from here." The detective simply smiles.

"See you on Monday," he says, and on a rushed second though adds, "Don't worry about this thing with Barba, you two will work it out."

He closes the door before she can get a word in, and the car drives away.

She settles into the seat, overwhelmed and exhausted. Her arms clutch his jacket tightly, trying to ward off all the indescribable emotions she's feeling, but her plan backfires, because it only makes them worse. She can smell him on the fabric, and it's almost as intoxicating as the alcohol in her system.

The more she sits in the taxi, the more inebriated she feels. Loneliness creeps in.

She calls him when she gets to her apartment.

"Hey, it's Liv. I know it's late, but could you come over?"

It registers in her head that he's said yes, and has hung up the phone. She goes into the kitchen to grab some water and a bagel to soak up the alcohol. Noah is sleeping soundly; Lucy must have taken the spare bedroom.

The buzzer to her apartment sounds a few moments later, and she lets him in without a second thought.

The bagel has helped to bring some clarity back, but with it comes the dull ache in her chest.

A knock reverberates on her door, and Olivia glances briefly through the peephole. Sobering horror hits quickly. She checks her cell phone, looking at her recent calls, and inwardly punches herself for being reckless and irresponsible because, God, what has she done?

Frantically attempting to feign calmness, she opens the door and greets her visitor.

"Hi, Barba."

I appreciate all comments/critiques/love, and it really helps me gauge where I want this to go and how I write my stories.