A/N: Here's another chapter I wrote up real quick! Hope you like! I don't own svu or its characters. ENJOY!

Their first kiss happened in her office, when he was visiting her on her lunch break.

She had been having a rough day, he knew, through the constant text messages she was sending him all morning. One right after the other, making idle chat about where he wanted to go to dinner that night, or if he wanted to stay in with her and Noah and eat whatever slop she could throw together.

He had graciously offered to cook, knowing she was probably going to be worn out and out like a light as soon as her belly was full, she was showered, and she was cuddled up against him on the couch with Noah in between them. It was one of those days, he could tell.

They'd only been dating for a week, but they had six years of friendship and getting to know you time, so he knew when she was holding back. He had point blank asked her what was wrong while he was shuffling through some of the papers on his desk in his office, but all he received in return was a 'Nothing. I'm fine. Don't worry.'

But, he knew her better. Something was bothering her, and she wouldn't tell him through a text message, which was fine. He was itching to see her after their date was cut short last night, and this gave him the perfect excuse to take an extended lunch break and bring her some of her favorites from the deli just two blocks from the precinct.

He waited to text back until he was about to leave the office, timing it to fit with her normally scheduled lunch breaks that she tended to work through. She sent him a smiley face and a heart at his lunch plans and he quickly rushed down to the deli, that was thankfully, just a ten-minute walk from his firm.

With two, full white bags in one hand, he shot her a text, warning her that he was on his way up. He hoped she could intercept him as soon as he entered the precinct, but he caught sight of her sitting in her office, forehead cradled in her hand before Carisi jumped into his line of sight, greeting him happily.

"Long time no see, Barba," Fin said from his desk, looking over his glasses at him. Amanda, who had come back from the break room, clapped him on the back, a warm smile on her face. He nodded back at them, his focus on Olivia, but he didn't want to be rude. The squad had been incredibly supportive of him during his trial and subsequent departure, and he didn't want to seem ungrateful, even if that was two months dead and gone.

"Hello, everyone. If you'll excuse me, Liv's lunch is getting cold," he scoot past them but before he could even two steps, Amanda stopped him and nodded towards her office.

"She's had a rough day. We responded to a call this morning…little girl…you know." She didn't elaborate. Cases with kids were always incredibly hard for everyone involved. Liv took it especially hard, with everything her son had gone through, she tended to put him scenarios like that in her head and he knew it impacted her greatly.

"Gotcha," he nodded and proceeded to her office. He opened the door and knocked on the frame, smiling when she lifted her head. She looked tired with her glasses perched on her nose and her hair up and away from her face. She smiled back, eyeing the logo of the bags in his hand.

"You know me so well," she tried joking, but he could hear the forced amusement in her voice. He chuckled despite that and closed the door behind him, moving over to the blinds to give them some privacy. He set the bags on the desk and walked around her desk, leaning against the side as she sat back and looked up at him.

"Did they mention anything?"

"Rollins did."

Liv nodded and slipped her glasses off, dropping them on the desk without care. She rubbed her hands over her face, careful not to disturb the light makeup she wore. "It's been a while since we've had to deal with one and it just…I don't know, it just messed me up."

He hummed, understanding completely. He had always appeared stoic and unaffected during those kinds of cases when he was working SVU. But, alone, in his office, afterwards? She was so much stronger than him when it came to stuff like this. That was for certain.

"She was five. Five-years-old. She's Noah's age. And all I could imagine when I was there was him sitting in front of me, telling me all of these horrific things that happened to him…," she trailed, eyes filling with tears. He grabbed her hands and pulled her out of her chair, wrapping his arms around her. She sniffed and pressed her cheek against his, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and her hand around the back of his neck.

"I know it sounds stupid but I can't help but do it sometimes."

"It's not stupid. After Sheila…," he tried not to spit out the woman's name with so much disdain, but he knew he failed, "No one can fault you."

He could feel her smile against his cheek and her fingers start to trace up the back of his head, through his hair.

"Thank you," she said softly, her breathing hitting his ear. He tried to suppress the shiver than ran through him and pulled back, placing his hands on her waist. She kept her hands on his shoulders and he couldn't help but notice their proximity.

They hadn't kissed yet. It was a facet of their new relationship that hadn't been explored, like so many others, but it was one that was important to him and, he was sure, her as well. A few times he had daydreamed what it would be like to kiss her. Brush her hair from her face, cup her cheek and just do it.

It crossed his mind a few times within the past week, when he would walk her up to her apartment, their hands hesitantly hovering close to each other as they stood by her door, talking and laughing or just shyly staring at each other. They were taking things slow, something that had been decided upon unanimously on their first date, and they were true to their word.

But, something was urging him to lean forward and press his lips to hers. Maybe, it was because her eyes were still a little glassy or her hands had trailed from his shoulders to his chest, fingers playing with the satin material of his tie. It could have been how close she was to him and how it felt touching her like this for the first time.

He wasted little more than a few seconds on an internal struggle, deciding whether or not now was the right time to do. Instead, he took a deep breath and slide his hand against her cheek, shifting forward. Her hands were still on his chest, trapped between them now, but she had that little smirk on her face when his nose brushed against hers.

In the end, she was the one to ultimately make the move. He supposed he had been taking too long with the playful eye roll she sent him and tugged on his tie, bringing them chest-to-chest and lips-to-lips.

It lasted for a while, their lips moving softly against one another's, exchanging tiny chaste kisses and long drawn out ones, saying everything that had yet to say to each other. And then they turned passionate rather quickly. With her arms sliding around his shoulders and his trailing up and down her back.

He groaned into her mouth when her tongue touched his and the response to that was immediate as she arched her body against his. He walked them back a few steps, her feet stumbling a little to keep up, and he was just about press her into the wall of windows behind her desk when a short, sharp knock broke through the atmosphere.

They jumped apart quickly, only having a second to adjust themselves as Fin came barreling in, gesturing behind him. "Stone got us the warrant. I'm taking Carisi with me."

"Stay safe," Liv called after him, sounding just a little breathless as the door closed. If Fin noticed anything, he didn't let on about it. He hoped he would keep his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted for Liv to be caught up in office gossip.

"Well that's a mood killer," he laughed and ran a hand through his hair. She laughed too and turned back to him, back into his arms. She pressed her lips to his again, framing his face in her hands.

"I like kissing you."

"I like to be kissed by you."

She giggled and pressed a few more kisses against his lips before she pulled away completely and grabbed for the bag of food that had sat forgotten on her desk. He helped her pull out their lunch and they settled on the sofa together, talking about anything and everything for the next hour and ten minutes.

By the time they had finished up and were saying their goodbyes, her suspect was walking in in handcuffs, being led by Carisi and Fin and followed by Amanda, who was looking pissed and determined to nail the guy. Liv's happy grin had disappeared, but she didn't look so tired and sad like she did earlier, and he was glad. She was going to destroy this guy, he already knew.

"Back at it," he sighed and ran a hand up and down her back as she watched the man being led into the interrogation room.

"Unfortunately." She walked him to her office door and leaned into kiss him again, hand on the knob. She hummed against him and pulled back, "That's never going to get old."

"You're tellin' me," he said softly, kissing her cheek. She smiled and ran her hand over his chest.

"I'll pick you up on my way home?"

"Sounds good. Don't kill him, ok?"

"No promises," she smiled and with one last parting kiss, he left her to her duties so he could get back to his. He had trial to prep for and he wanted all of his work done before four o'clock, so he could get out of there in time.

He had two special people to cook for.