Aww, thank you all for reading so far! It really does encourage me, in spite of some personal drama at the moment.

Anyway, I was in a groove and decided to finish Chapter 2 while I had the time. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Keeping Up with the Carisi's

Barba took a deep breath before knocking on the door of the modest mocha brown, semi-detached, two story-house nestled among other similar houses in Pleasant Plains, Staten Island. He should have been having dinner at Forlini's and maybe catching a show afterwards, which was his usual mode of relaxation on a Friday night. And yet here he was...lost in suburbia. It wasn't exactly in the ritzy part of town, but it was a far cry from the concrete jungles of the projects in the Bronx where Barba had spent his youth.

"What the hell am I doing here? Why am I even going through with this?" Barba muttered under his breath as pressed the doorbell buzzer when no one answered. Then he remembered why. Liv practically nagged at him nonstop until he couldn't take it anymore.

For a split second, he considered turning around and heading back to his comfortable apartment in Manhattan. It wasn't very often that he went out of his way to do something like this. Unfortunately, the decision had been taken out of his hands when the front door opened just as he was about to turn on his heel and leave.

"Counselor?" Sonny asked in complete surprise when he found the ADA standing right in front of him. It had been several weeks since their last unfortunate encounter in his office and the sting had not yet lost its effect on Sonny. He certainly hadn't expected Barba to reach out to him after all this time. "What are you doing here in Staten Island?"

For a moment, Barba was taken aback at a very casual looking Carisi wearing a baby blue pullover that almost matched his eyes and a pair of hip hugging denims that were just a bit too snug for his own good. Also, his light brown locks flowed freely over his forehead sans any hair care product, making him look even younger than he usually did even with a few gray hairs at his sideburns. It wasn't the first time he had seen him in a casual setting, but Barba had never seen Sonny literally in his own backyard and looking so eye-catching.

"I assure you, it's not to take in the local sights," Barba replied sarcastically. "And, since you've cut me off from all forms of communication, I had to resort to taking drastic measures. Do you know how many Carisi's there are in Staten Island alone?"

Barba had just come from another long session in court followed by traffic jam after traffic jam and he was in no mood to be civil. He was still dressed in an undoubtedly expensive pin striped charcoal gray suit that molded every curve of his body in all the right places. It had just the right amount of color and was accentuated with a black and raspberry striped tie with matching pocket square to complete the ensemble. Sonny even bet that his socks were coordinated as well. The man could carry just about any look and rock it without even trying. There was just something about him that exuded confidence, style, and panache daring anyone to ignore him.

Sonny did a quick look over his shoulder and then turned back to Barba with an almost hunted expression on his face. He leaned forward slightly so that only the other man could hear.

"Leave now," he muttered under his breath.

"Look Carisi, I know that you're mad at me, but I can't make things right if you're going to excommunicate me like some heretic."

"Trust me. It's for your own good."

"Junior? Who is it?" an older woman's voice called loudly from inside the house.

The younger man cringed before giving a look of resignation that screamed, "Too late."

"Just someone I work with, Ma," Sonny replied over his shoulder. "We're finished here. He was just leaving."

"I told you I'm not leaving until we sort this out between us," Barba replied stubbornly.

"Don't be such a rude host. Tell him to come in and meet the family," Sonny's mother chided her only son. "Dominick! Gina! Theresa! Come down here. Junior's co-worker came to visit."

"Ooo, I thought I heard a man's voice! I got first dibs!" a young woman's voice immediately replied as she practically ran down the stairs. She looked like slightly older version of Sonny's younger sister Bella, but with darker and more wavy hair. Another woman with similar features, but brandishing a chic and stylish pixie hair cut came quickly after and matched the younger woman stride for stride as they reached the front door at the same time to stake their claim.

"Gina, will you cool it? You're so immature. And besides, I'm older so I get first crack at him," replied Theresa as she looked over Barba with approving eyes. "So, how much do you make a year, handsome?"

"No way, Theresa! I'm not gonna let you get your money-grubbing hands on my man! I saw him first."

"Says you. Don't you have another engagement to break off?"

"At least I'm not after his bank account like SOME people I know."

"Yeah, you like to go after something else."

Sonny hung his head in embarrassment before he was immediately shoved aside as his sisters continued to argue right in front of Barba who was smiling in unbridled amusement. For the first time in a long while, Barba actually laughed without any malice or snark. From the silliness of the women arguing over a complete stranger to Sonny's mother calling her son "Junior", Barba couldn't help, but laugh. It was like he had walked into the middle of a sitcom, complete with dysfunctional family. With all the stress of the Terence Reynolds police shooting case, dealing with politicians, dealing his own boss, and being the recipient of several anonymous threats over the past few months, not to mention tackling some really draining SVU cases, it felt good to genuinely laugh again. Seeing Barba relaxed and actually laughing was truly a rare sight to behold as Sonny stared at him with wide eyes. Lately he seemed to be scowling most of the time. It was an almost surreal picture.

"Enough!" the patriarch of the Carisi family shouted which immediately silenced the two bickering women as he joined them at the front porch.

Dominick Carisi Sr. was quite an imposing figure in his own right. He was tall, well-built, had ashen colored hair that used to be brown, and sported a matching mustache that looked much better on him than it did on his only son. Even in his advanced age, he still towered over Sonny and then some. In contrast, his wife who had accompanied him, was smaller in stature with wavy, flaxen colored hair and had brilliant blue eyes. She must have been stunning in her youth. It was obvious that all the Carisi offspring had their mother's eyes.

"Dominick Carisi, Sr. This is my wife Rose and our two older girls, Theresa and Gina. You'll have to excuse them."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Barba replied politely while shaking the older man's hand and as well the rest of the Carisi clan. Sonny's sisters were practically drooling over Barba. He just turned up his usual charm to diffuse the situation. "No apologies are necessary, especially when I'm in the presence of three lovely ladies. I'm Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Rafael Barba."

"OOOHHH, so you're the infamous ADA Barba," Rose replied recognizing him from what Sonny told them. "I see you on the news once in a while. Junior talks about you all the time."

"Does he?" Barba replied silkily looking directly at Sonny, who was squirming slightly in embarrassment.

"Oh, yes. You're like his idol or something. But to be quite honest, you're not what I expected at all."

"I'm afraid my reputation can put people off upon first impressions. I hope I haven't given you that vibe, Mrs. Carisi."

"Oh don't get me wrong. I meant it in a good way. Junior made you sound like some sort of sarcastic, arrogant, know-it-all most of the time, but I don't get that impression so far."

Dominick Sr. gave his wife an imploring look to stop before things got worse, which was exactly what was going through Sonny's mind.

Barba quirked an eyebrow up as he gave Sonny one of his patented stare down courtroom looks. The younger man just wanted to crawl into a deep hole into the ground and disappear.

"Just comes with the territory ma'am. I apologize for the unannounced visit, especially on a Friday night but it was something that couldn't wait. Would it be all right to speak with Cari..if I speak with Sonny for a moment?"

"Oh, of course you may. Why don't the two of you talk in the living room? We'll go into the kitchen. You girls can help me put the finishing touches for dinner. Take all the time you need, Mr. Barba."

"But Ma," both Gina and Theresa implored simultaneously.

One searing glare from the Carisi matriarch was enough to send the bickering sisters away so that Sonny was left alone with Barba.

"Your family is very...interesting," Barba noted in amusement after Sonny ushered him into the small, but comfortable living room so that they could talk in private. If Sonny had to guess, his family was probably hovering behind the kitchen door in the next room in unison, with their ears pressed up against the door to eavesdrop with this mother leading the way.

"I warned you, didn't I? Anyways, I thought you didn't want to be bothered with this millstone around your neck?"

"Now, now, Junior. No need to get snarky."

The veins in Sonny's forehead looked like they were about to burst. He had always hated that nickname. Only his parents ever used it to address him by name. "Don't call me that."

"All right. I won't call you Junior," Barba replied crossing the gap between them, "IF you give me a good reason for why you're thinking of quitting law school."

"How did you...?" Sonny replied in confusion. And then he immediately realized who the culprit was that spilled the beans. "Oh."

"Oh, is right. I got an earful from Liv for about half an hour. And you know how persuasive she can be when she believes in something."

"So the only reason you're here is to get Liv off your back," Sonny replied sarcastically. "Well you're relieved of your duty, counselor. I'm not your responsibility. And for that matter, I DON'T have to answer to you."

"The hell you don't. If you want to quit law school, then fine. Knock yourself out. But I won't let you blame me for your decision without a chance to give my side of the story. And for the record, I didn't force you to do anything. I'm just a convenient scapegoat you chose to pin the blame on for your own issues."

"That's NOT what I'm doing."

"Then what would you call it? You were doing just fine before I came along. What I say or do shouldn't make that big of a difference in the grand scheme of things. You knew what you were getting into when you came up with this idea about shadowing me."

"I never said that I didn't appreciate the opportunity. But you should have refused my request upfront and you should have been completely honest if you didn't want me bothering you in the first place. I don't need charity and I'm not some object for your amusement."

"Did I ever say that you were bothering me?" Barba shot back.

"You didn't have to. Call me crazy but when someone says 'He annoys me to no end', I do believe that's a basis for bothering said person."

"It seems that I underestimated you, Carisi. I thought you were serious about becoming a lawyer. But you're being immature and giving up law school because of one little incident. An incident based on circumstantial evidence, no less. For your information, I was referring to the situation as a whole and not you personally, when I made the comment about the millstone around my neck. That Hodda case was tough on everyone involved and it was a relief off my shoulders when we were able to finally nail him in the end and put the case to bed. If you hadn't made assumptions and allowed me to present my side of the story, I could have told you that."

"So it's my fault then."

"You should be getting used to that by now," Barba replied snarkily.

"All right, fine. You weren't referring to me, personally. What about everything else you said? Or am I supposed to brush that off as well?"

"Carisi, you've known me long enough to know that I'm a straight shooter when it comes my personality. I don't sugarcoat anything and I'm going to be frankly honest."

"You mean callous and blunt," Sonny corrected him.

"That's how I am. Take it or leave it. Sometimes it's necessary to step on some toes in order get justice served. If you're going to become a lawyer and especially a prosecutor, heaven help us, then you're going to have to learn to have thick skin in this business and have a short memory by not taking things personally. In my position, you can't please everyone. The sooner you realize this, the better off you're going to be."

"Don't patronize me, Barba. I think I know the difference between perception and reality. You can't deny that your description of me to the person on the other side of the phone wasn't exactly flattering."

"All right. Guilty as charged on that count. You'll be glad to know that my friend was on your side the entire conversation, by the way. But in my defense, you wouldn't be reacting this way if you hadn't come to my office at that precise moment. Not to mention eavesdropping on my private conversation. And in the court of public opinion, that evidence against me would be inadmissible all day and twice on Sundays. I'm the one that should be angry here."

Sonny looked down at the floor in contemplation to avoid looking at Barba. Of course he was right…as usual. It was easier to blame Barba than for Sonny to admit his own insecurities and shortcomings. After all, no one likes to be told that they're a bother; especially not by someone who you aspire to become and emulate professionally. Barba was the only one who understood what Sonny was going through trying to pass the bar, but he also knew how much hard work it required especially coming from a humble background. He had been there before and he could see what the other cops could not see through the eyes of a lawyer. Perhaps Sonny had put Barba on such a high pedestal, that he forgot that he was also human.

Sometimes Sonny forgot just how difficult of a position that Barba was in being an ADA in Manhattan, prosecuting SVU cases, playing the politics game, swallowing his pride, and sometimes having to step on some toes, just like he said. And yet, he still gave up his precious time to work with Sonny and help prepare him for the bar exam whenever he could. That's what hit Sonny the hardest when he overheard Barba's less than flattering phone conversation. When he thought that support system was no longer there, he had a severe panic attack that undermined his confidence in himself and made him lose sight of his goals. Plus the fact that he was incredibly hurt by what he had heard. Fortunately, Barba was able to knock some sense back into his befuddled brain and snap him out of his pity party. It was exactly what Sonny needed. A dose of tough love.

"You're absolutely right," Sonny replied softly.

Barba was momentarily thrown off, but disguised it well. He was used to sparring verbally with Sonny, but he didn't expect him to acquiesce so readily, even though Sonny had every right to be ticked off under the circumstances. In the beginning, the young detective had to take the not so good-natured ribbing and verbal abuse he got from Barba with a roll of the eyes or helpless shrug since he was the new kid on the block at the time. It was just so easy to tease Sonny. Plus, it was fun. Barba could always count on getting a rise out of Sonny, but it never got too out of hand because Barba knew that he could handle it. And added to the fact that he wanted to see what kind of mental fortitude the detective had.

As Sonny settled in to his role and gained confidence, he took the teasing in stride, even returning some occasionally sassy comments of his own. Now it was like a game between them. As time passed, even Barba had to admit that Sonny was spot-on with his theories and hunches more than once during their investigations, proving that he was no fluke. And that meant that he was in fact, a competent detective and was on the path to becoming a competent lawyer as well. And that also meant that Barba had to respect him on a professional level, albeit sometimes begrudgingly. But he wasn't going to tell Sonny that.

When Liv had informed him of Sonny's intentions to quit law school, he felt even more guilty than before. Truth be told, Barba was planning to see him anyways, but Sonny had avoided him at every turn, refusing to discuss the elephant in the room. Barba hated to think that Sonny would just give up his life's goal just because of a misunderstanding. And especially because of Barba, himself.

"Excuse me? I didn't quite hear that," Barba replied in fake innocence. "Did I actually hear you admit that I was right, detective?"

"Don't push it, counselor," he warned, which earned a smirk from Barba and a reluctant smile from Sonny himself. There was peace in the land again.

"I take it this means that you'll be continuing your path to becoming a lawyer, then?"

"Yeah. I've made it this far. It would be a shame not to finish what I started."

"How pragmatic of you."

"Don't get me wrong. I want this more than anything I've ever wanted before in my life. Deep down, I knew that I wasn't going to really quit. I think I just needed to get it out of my system. You know what it was like in the final year of law school and how tough it was."

"I gather, it was a cathartic moment for you."

"Something like that," the detective smiled ruefully. "But I think I'll be okay now."

Barba gave a slight tilt of his head with an unreadable expression on his face. "Then my work here is done. Maybe I can salvage the rest of this evening after all."

"Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it."

"I didn't do it for you. I only did it to get Liv off my back, like you said."

Sonny smiled knowingly. Barba was back to his usual self. "Of course, counselor."

"Mr. Barba, are you leaving already?" Rose asked in surprise as the rest of the Carisi clan entered the living room.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm afraid I've overstayed my welcome."

"Not at all. We're just glad Junior has someone like you in his corner to look out for him. We know how much of a handful he can be."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Sonny gave him an annoyed look and Barba just flashed a charming smile in response, which only made Sonny even more annoyed.

"I know, right? Did you know that when he was five years old, he thought that he could fly so he jumped out of his bedroom window to prove it?"

"Good thing he landed on the awning," Gina chimed in.

Not to be outdone by her sister, Theresa also added, "Yeah, my brother, the cop. And now he wants to be a lawyer. Good luck with that one."

"Kill me now," Sonny implored silently up to the heavens.

Barba bit his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud. "I wish I could have been there to see that."

"Would you settle for dinner instead? It would be our way of showing our appreciation for helping out Junior."

"That's very tempting, Mr. Carisi, but I don't want to inconvenience your family."

"Call me Dominick. And there's plenty for everyone," Dominick Sr. replied. "My Rosie here has never let anyone leave this house with an empty stomach."

"Pop, I'm sure the ADA has other plans already and he would like to get going."

"Actually, I don't. The roads are probably still crowded anyway and dinner sounds like a better proposition than sitting in traffic."

Sonny almost did a double take. Was Barba actually serious?

"Are you SURE you don't have other business to attend to?" Sonny asked coaxingly. He didn't enjoy the prospect of an entire evening of his family regaling amusing and embarrassing anecdotes about his life to Barba. It was like giving him a loaded gun to blackmail him with in the future.

"Junior! Stop being so rude," Rse chastised Sonny sternly. Theresa and Gina both elbowed him in the ribs on either side as well, causing him to double over slightly in pain.

"Nope. My itinerary for the evening is clear."

"That settles it then," Rose replied in satisfaction as she linked her arm through Barba's arm while ushering him into the dining room. Meanwhile Gina and Theresa looked on in envy. Dominick Sr. just put a hand around his son's shoulder in sympathy.

Poor Sonny couldn't do a single thing about it, and Barba knew it.

"Please thank your family for dinner for me. Your mother is a terrific cook," Barba said as he was getting ready to leave.

"She'll be ecstatic to hear that. I can't believe that she even extended you an open invitation to come over anytime you're in the neighborhood," Sonny replied shaking his head from side to side in disbelief.

"Maybe I just might take her up on that offer. It was quite an enjoyable experience that I wouldn't have missed for the world."

"Of course, you enjoyed it. You weren't the one in the hot seat all night. I felt like I was the one on trial."

"That's why it was so pleasant," Barba replied teasingly. "Who knew you were such a troublemaker as a kid?"

Sonny rolled his eyes in exasperation, but there was no malice behind it. Things were really back to normal.

"I'm glad I could oblige. It's a good thing the statute of limitations for my youthful misadventures have expired. Oh, and um, I'm sorry for my sisters ogling you all night long and fawning all over you. They're harmless more or less, but when it comes to men, all bets are off. You're lucky you got out in one piece."

"Why Detective Carisi, how kind of you to be concerned about maintaining my virtue. Don't tell me you were jealous?"

"Come on," Sonny replied dismissively in his distinctive Staten Island accent. "I admire you, counselor, but not THAT much."

"The feeling is mutual, detective. I take it you'll be dropping by my office next week, as usual?"

"You mean, it's still okay to continue working with you, even though the Hodda case is done?"

"Well if you'd rather not, I think I can find other things to occupy my time."

"No, no, no, that'd be great! I just wasn't sure if YOU would be all right with it. I mean I didn't want to assume, all things considering with your work load and you know...what happened earlier."

"Didn't I say that having short term memory was necessary at times?"

At that moment, Sonny gained more respect for Barba if it was even possible.

"Oh, and one more thing, Carisi," Barba noted as had his hand on the front door knob. "You should leave your hair up away from your face. It looks better, especially with a shorter cut. And maybe lay off on the pomade just a bit so the hairstyle doesn't look so severe."

"Huh?" Sonny asked in complete confusion. Since when did Barba give out fashion tips? Or care about Sonny's appearance for that matter? "You're kidding, right?"

"Actually, I'm being quite serious."

"Let me get this straight. Are you saying that you LIKE my hair that way?"

"I'm SAYING that jurors more often than not will tend to take you more seriously based on your appearance. But whatever."

"Okaaaay," Sonny replied cautiously. "I'll keep that mind. G'night, counselor."

"Good night, Junior."

Sonny was about to say a snappy comeback, but sighed and decided to let it go as he watched Barba saunter down the brick steps to his car with his distinctive swagger. He could have sworn that Barba was still laughing as he drove away into the night.

Oh these two :)

Barba, you know you admire Sonny. And Sonny, who are you trying to kid?