Thanks a lot for all these nice reviews, guys :)
I'm sorry it took me a little bit longer to finish this chapter, I didn't have the muse! I hope you enjoy this chapter – it turned out a bit longer than intended, guess it makes up for the long wait ;)
A big thank you to the amazing barsonaddict, who once again helped me to brainstorm for some scenes!
And I also need to thank Dina, who betaed this for me!
Rafael felt like his lungs were on fire and his legs were so wobbly from the long run that he was glad the niche Olivia and him were in was so narrow he was sandwiched between the brick wall and her body.
Her body. He became more aware of it with every second that passed. She was pressed against him, her chest heaving against his, and he swore that his racing heart was still picking up speed. It seemed like the world outside the niche vanished, the screams of the officers running by and not finding them being reduced to muffled sounds while his gaze wandered over the woman opposite to him.
Every nerve end of his seemed to be hyper-sensitive, like all of his senses; her body heat was seeping through their clothes and made him feel even warmer. Her pants were still harsh, but he could detect the faintest of chuckles between the puffs of air she released. Next he noticed her scent, and he felt like it was positively intoxicating – sweat mingled with fresh coffee, something flowery and the faintest trace of chocolate.
Their gazes met and the corners of her dark red lips curled into a crooked smirk; her cheeks were flushed from the exhaustion and her brown curls were slightly tousled from the wind, but Rafael caught himself thinking that it only made her look more beautiful. She reached up to run her hand through her hair and on the way up her arm brushed against his side, causing a tingle to shoot down his spine.
Rafael had no idea of how long they'd stood there, trying to catch their breaths without making any noise and waiting until the coast was clear for them to come out of their hiding place. However, he couldn't deny that a part of him thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of Olivia Benson's proximity – while another part of him hated that she'd just basically saved his arse from the coppers. After trying to rain on his parade. Again.
"I think they've moved on," Olivia whispered eventually, and Rafael had to control himself so he wouldn't suck in a breath as she moved against him to be able to peer around the corner – her action woke fantasies he normally didn't surrender to in public. "Well, that was a close call, wasn't it?"
"Certainly," he replied, investing a lot of strength into controlling his voice so it sounded calm. A little bit of disappointment rose inside of him as she slipped out of their niche and leant back against the brick wall. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Rafael looked at her with something that he hoped was a stern expression. "How much of a coincidence is it that you're always ruining my operations, Benson?"
Olivia chuckled lightly about his question and wiped the sweat off her forehead before answering curtly: "Talk about coincidences."
She could tell that he was completely puzzled by her words, so she made a general gesture at the alley – it was the same one in which they'd arm wrestled many years ago. The corners of his mouth twitched and they smirked at each other for a long moment. Then, she suddenly pushed herself away from the wall and closed the distance between them, her brown eyes sparkling in amusement as she leaned forward. A shiver ran down his spine as her warm breath brushed over his skin as she whispered: "Well... if you want me to be honest, I don't believe in coincidences. Do you?"
Her fingers briefly touched his forearm before she turned on her heel and walked down the alley, her hips swaying slightly, as if she knew that he was staring after her like in trance. His mouth was feeling dry and he nervously licked his lips, asking himself if the last minutes had been real at all. Only as she vanished around the corner he was able to move again, slowly making his way home while trying not to bump into too many people – his mind was still spinning around Olivia Benson, her words and her smile.
OoO
Rafael learned the next day that two of his men had been arrested, but as no copper had yet showed up at his home he could be sure that none of them had sung – they knew that they wouldn't live to see another sunrise if they sold out one of the best associates to the family. While that was certainly good for Rafael, their arrests proved to be a problem, as they'd been supposed to scout the next warehouse they wanted to break into. If he wanted to or not, he had to do it himself, but his annoyance disappeared soon when he made his way to the location – the work promised to take his mind off a certain lady whose smile had dominated his dreams the previous night.
The sun was shining brightly, standing high on the blue sky as he arrived at his destination, and it was so warm that he took his suit jacket off and draped it over his arm. Casually strolling down the road, he acted as if he was taking a walk to enjoy the nice weather in case anybody was watching, but in reality his eyes were scanning the warehouse and taking in every detail he could spot.
Just as he wanted to lean find a good spot to take a closer look at the watch system of the men guarding the warehouse, he spotted something from the corner of his eye.
A woman was sitting on a bench on the other side of the street, wearing a light blue summer dress and a rather huge sun hat that threw a shadow over her face, but still he knew immediately who it was – he would have recognised those legs anywhere. Acting on instinct, he turned his back to the warehouse and crossed the street, feeling her gaze on him as he moved towards her and ultimately sat down next to her. She was holding a newspaper, but he knew that she wasn't really reading it – it was one of the oldest tricks in the world. But, well, it still worked.
"This time I was here first," she said after a long moment of silence, and he could hear the smirk in her voice before she turned her head to look at him and he actually saw it. "Were you following me?"
"No," Rafael replied instantly, a little bit confused, then he put on a cool expression. "Why should I follow you? I got my own business to take care of, I don't have time for such nonsense."
Olivia shrugged, her lips still curled into a smirk that made her brown eyes gleam. "I wouldn't be mad if you were following me, Barba."
He tried to mask his surprise about her statement, but his expression ultimately got out of control when she leaned over, her shoulder bumping into his – a shiver ran down his spine, her proximity waking memories of the previous day. A mere second later, her breath brushed over the skin of his neck and she whispered into his ear in a sweet tone: "They all want to know the secret of my success."
Clearing his throat slowly, he turned his head so their gazes met again, and his heart was beating faster. He hated how she always seemed to be able to tamper with his confidence, causing him to either be too reckless or completely speechless in front of her.
Right now, it was the latter, the option that usually was less likely, as he had himself under control most of the time, but still she sometimes managed to dumbfound him. There weren't many women he knew that had such a sharp tongue, were so daring and witty and weren't afraid of showing it all, even though they knew it could get them into trouble. She was strong and independent, and though he would never admit it, it greatly impressed him.
Her voice ripped him from his thoughts, and he could tell from her smile that she had caught him pondering. A shiver ran down his spine again as she brushed her fingers against his knee and repeated her move from earlier, her voice teasing and her lips nearly touching his earlobe when she purred: "I will make it easy for you this time, Rafael. I don't need the success, I've already made enough this month. But I heard that the Coppolas are planning to be a lot harsher with associates who don't make their cut."
"You would miss me if they got rid of me, huh?" Rafael shot back, having found his voice again – he would only let her tease him so much. He returned her smirk and relished in spotting the faintest of blushes on her cheeks.
However, her voice sounded steady and unbothered when she suddenly scooted away from him and said: "Well, I wouldn't miss you, Barba, but it would definitely be a lot more boring without you, don't you think?"
Shooting him a brilliant smile, she elegantly stood up, folding her newspaper before slipping it into her bag. And for the second time in less than 24 hours, Rafael watched her walk away from him, the sun gleaming around her body and it looked like she was some otherworldly being disappearing into the light.
After she'd vanished, he released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and leaned back on the bench, shaking his head to get rid of the various kinds of thoughts that were racing through his head.
There was something that he'd always felt about her, since the day they'd first met. He couldn't put his finger on it, no matter how much he tried, and he also often failed to deny to himself that whatever it was, it was getting stronger with every day.
OoO
It was rather unusual for Barba Sr to take his son on a walk, and Rafael didn't feel really good when he walked down the street next to his father. For the boy, it just felt wrong how nicely his father behaved outside their flat in comparison to the way he usually treated his son, and he knew that this false peace wouldn't last long.
"Rafael, get your head out of the clouds," Barba senior said sharply, and out of reflex, Rafael twitched and stumbled a little bit to the side, as if he tried to get out of his father's reach. "There are some important matters I have to talk about with you."
"Oh," Rafael made, not daring to say more – his father usually preferred it when he kept his mouth shut and senior could pretend that he didn't exist. To Rafael, it was the most peace he could get; being ignored was a lot better than being beaten up.
"As you're starting to make friends in school, I decided that it is time for you to learn that there are some kinds of people that you shouldn't associate with."
Rafael had to mask his confusion, knowing that his father didn't like to be interrupted by what he called silly questions. Barba senior didn't say anything for a long moment, during which they crossed the street and walked into the small park on the other side. Children were playing ball on the meadow nearby and Rafael looked over to them with longing inside of him. They'd only moved into this part of the town a few weeks ago, and he'd barely had the opportunity to get to know the other kids that were living in the area.
A girl about his age was standing at the edge of the meadow with another girl, looking disgruntled – she seemed to have been told that she couldn't play with the others. Her brown hair was in a messy braid, her clothes looked a little bit dirty and worn, but her brown eyes shone with intelligence as they met his across the meadow. The corners of her lips lifted in a shy smile, then the girl next to her whispered something into her ear and her face fell before she looked away.
"Boy, pay attention!" Barba senior growled and seemed to forget that they were in public for a moment, grabbing Rafael by the harm so tight that it hurt.
"Yes, Sir," Rafael mumbled, looking down at his shoes and he trembled slightly as his father let go of him.
"Those children over there, you should stay away from them. Especially that Benson girl. They are all connected to the Lucarno family, and what did I tell you about them?"
A stern glare was directed at him and Rafael hurried to answer: "That they are our enemies."
Barba senior nodded, looking around before explaining: "Yes. We are loyal to the Coppola family, and you know how lucky we are to be their associates. One day you will take over my business and work for them, and it would ruin your and especially my reputation should you ever be seen near them. You must chose your friends wisely, Rafael."
Rafael let his gaze wander over to the girl again, not quite understanding why it would be wrong to talk with her – she looked like a normal child, after all – but he also knew that it was easier for him not to question the things his father said or told him to do. Keeping his head low, he followed his father down the path that led along the meadow. "I understand, Sir."
OoO
Olivia smiled to herself as she walked down the street, knowing that Rafael Barba's gaze was on her, and that knowledge warmed her more than the sunlight. One hand subconsciously moved upwards and her fingers played with her chestnut hair, her heart performing a small leap in her chest. Something about teasing Rafael Barba and catching this usually very confident man by surprise excited her, and the fact that they weren't supposed to have any close contact at all just made her want to do this more. The attraction of the forbidden had a strong pull, and she just couldn't resist, especially when a confused glance or a playful smirk from one handsome Rafael Barba was the reward.
Olivia Benson knew exactly that she was playing with fire, and it was dangerous that she sometimes forgot that they were from rivaling families. The animosity between the Lucarnos and the Coppolas had always been strong, but with the Prohibition promising riches and power, it had definitely gotten worse. But it also meant that Barba and her had more opportunities to come across each other, and she just couldn't keep herself from having her fun with him.
OoO
A few days later, Olivia was on her way to meet one of her black market contacts to prepare a deal about a cartload of alcohol she'd 'organised' the previous night. She had been too busy to think about raining on Barba's parade as she had to compensate the loss of money from the night they were nearly caught by the police – thus she was more than surprised to see him when she entered the bar owned by her contact. The smirk he sent her way while his long fingers ran along the edge of his scotch glass wiped her mind blank for a moment, then she straightened her back and strode towards him confidently.
"Hello, Benson," he greeted her with a smirk before lifting the glass to his lips and taking a sip. "Surprised to see me?"
She leaned against the wooden bar next to him, cocking an eyebrow. "I have to admit I am, but just a little bit. Never thought you were suicidal."
The bar was known to be a place the men of the Lucarno family traded at or sealed all kinds of deals, and it wasn't the wisest thing for a known associate of the Coppola family to hang around there. At this time of day, the bar was relatively empty, only a few shady figures lingering in the booths in the back, ignoring Barba's presence for their own good. However, there was no way for him to know when a Lucarno could enter, and they probably wouldn't ask before shooting him.
"I knew you would be worried about me," Rafael replied, grinning and setting his glass down on the counter. Patting the bar stool next to his with his hand, he added: "Sit. Drink. Smile."
"Seriously?" Olivia asked, barely able to hide that she was indeed worried – it could end badly for both of them. She wasn't ashamed of showing her fear to him, but his smile didn't falter much.
"Yes, seriously. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
For a moment, she was tempted to follow his invitation and sit down next to him, but then she realised that it would be foolish. This was a situation she couldn't control, unlike the usual situations during which they met, and she wasn't ready to take this risk, even though a part of her really wanted to spend some time with him.
"No," she answered boldly, forcing herself to appear completely disinterested in his offer, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "I have some important business to take care of."
"Wow," he mumbled, giving her a mock hurt expression in an attempt to cover up his disappointment, but of course she'd already spotted it. "You really don't know what you're missing here, Benson. I'm a great drinking buddy."
Olivia smirked before moving around the bar, opening the secret trap door leading to the second cellar of the bar. "My loss, I guess," she said with a shrug, holding his gaze for a moment. "Don't be too sad, Barba, I'm sure we'll see each other again sooner or later."
And while she climbed down the steep stair, she was convinced that she could hear him mumble: "Hopefully sooner, Olivia."
OoO
The fact that he'd obviously tracked her down – having done what she usually did with him – didn't leave her alone all day and she barely slept that night, asking herself what would have happened had she agreed on having a drink with him, even though she knew that it didn't make any sense. It was the past now and regretting was in vain, but she still found it hard to convince herself that it had been the right decision.
Olivia didn't know why, but the desire to spend time with Barba was getting stronger with every time they came across each other, and so she wasn't really surprised when she felt content upon spotting him at her usual news stand the next morning. A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she took the New York Times and scanned the front page without really reading it. From the corner of her eye she watched how Barba turned around to pay for the newspaper when he saw her, his face lighting up causing her heart to skip a beat.
She briefly lifted her head to smirk at him playfully, then she acted as if the headline was highly interesting. Before she knew it, he was slowly brushing past her, and a shiver of excitement ran down her spine as he whispered into her ear: "After you turned me down for a drink, how about we have a coffee?"
His question honestly surprised her, but she didn't hesitate to follow him down the street with a gap of a minute after paying for her newspaper. It was still early in the morning but the sun was already shining brightly, a reason why the street was already buzzing with activity, allowing them to melt into the crowd without drawing attention towards them. After a few minutes, he stopped in front of a little café; a few of the tables on the sidewalk were unoccupied and Rafael casually sat down at one of them, watching how she casually seated herself at the table next to him, a smirk on his lips.
They were silent for a few minutes, except for both ordering a coffee, then Olivia couldn't take the silence anymore. A teasing smile stole its way onto her face while she opened the newspaper she'd bought and said: "One could think that you're stalking me, Barba."
He mirrored her gesture of opening the newspaper to shield from anybody passing by that he was actually talking to her and snorted. "Funny. That's what I always thought you were doing."
"As I said, I don't believe in coincidences," Olivia replied with a mischievous wink, cocking her head to the side as if she was studying the commentary on the latest political developments. For a long moment neither of them said anything, and Olivia had to admit to herself that she didn't know what she was supposed to talk about – but then he'd been the one to ask her to sit here with her.
"The nights are really mild at the moment, aren't they?" Rafael suddenly said to break the awkward silence, his voice not as steady as before, showing her that he seemed to be nervous.
And somehow, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.
She'd thought that he had something he wanted to talk with her about; despite is recklessness the previous day she doubted that he would endanger them both just to have a conversation about something as trivial as the weather. Taking a deep breath, she kept herself from turning towards him with a glare and answered in a serious tone: "I'm risking my ass here to talk with you, so I seriously don't care about the weather – tell me why we're sitting here together, Barba."
From the corner of her eye she could see him smirk and she was sure that he was suppressing the urge to reply to the comment about her ass, but thankfully he didn't waste time on that. They were vulnerable out here on the street, and the longer they stayed in the vicinity of the other, the higher was the risk to be spotted by someone they knew.
"I like you and I want to spend time alone with you to get to know you."
He'd talked quickly but boldly, his tone serious, and he caught her by surprise, even though in the back of her mind she'd had a little bit of hope that he would ask her this. Olivia could feel her heart speeding up in her chest and she was well aware that her cheeks were starting to glow – and she was convinced that he'd spotted that, too. Her heart and the logical part of her started to argue, pointing out the dangers and how foolish agreeing would be, despite the good feeling his interest was waking inside of her...
But then she already knew that she only had one answer for him.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Let me surprise you," he replied quietly and she nodded softly before standing up, earning a weird glance from the waiter who'd just been about to ask her what she wanted to order. When she pushed past Rafael's table she felt how his hand briefly brushed against the pocket of her coat and she smiled inwardly. Any normal person wouldn't have noticed, but she knew all the tricks of the pickpockets just as well as he did. Slowly wandering down the street, she knew him to be only a few steps behind her, and it was a new but not entirely uncomfortable feeling.
Her fingers slipped into her coat pocket and brushed against a piece of paper that definitely hadn't been there before. After crossing the street and walking into the little park she used as a shortcut to her home, she pulled the paper out of her pocket and a smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she read the address, date and time scribbled on it, followed by an invitation "Dance the night away with me".
OoO
Olivia's heart was beating fast in her chest and she couldn't deny that she was incredibly nervous as she examined her reflection in the large mirror hanging in her hallway. She'd spent the last two hours in front of her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. Usually she wasn't the type of woman who spent her nights at dance clubs, as she was mostly too occupied with her work, and if she happened to visit such etablissements it was for work. But tonight was different.
It was a date... a real date with Rafael Barba. It was something she hadn't dared to hope for for years, but now it was finally happening. It was scary and exciting at the same time, and she really wanted everything to be as good as it could be when you had to watch out that nobody recognised you.
Ultimately she'd decided for a rather simple but elegant knee-length black dress with a lace neckline that was slightly revealing, black t-strap heels and a long pearl necklace matching the dress. A sparkly black pin was holding her curly chestnut hair back on one side of her head and she'd completed the classy but sexy look with dark red lipstick and a little bit of makeup that brought out her brown eyes. Her fingers were shaking slightly as she smoothed down her dress and then grabbed the black coat she'd already picked out, knowing that she had to leave soon if she wanted to catch the train.
Rafael had picked a club in the Upper West Side, far enough from Lower Manhattan to minimise the chance that someone they knew would be among the visitors. Unfortunately, the long ride on the subway gave Olivia enough time to become even more nervous, and she couldn't keep herself from checking her appearance in the little pocket mirror she carried in her purse.
When she walked down the street towards the club she feared for a moment that Rafael wouldn't be there, but only a moment later she spotted him in front of the entrance. Relief flooded her, washing a little bit of the nervousness away and she managed to put on a smile as she approached him. Her heart made a few big leaps as she took in his appearance – he looked incredibly good in his black suit with the matching fedora sitting slightly askew on his head, but what really made her body tingle was the smile he shot her when he saw her.
"You look phenomenal," he said after a moment of silence in which they'd just stood in front of each other, smiling and taking in the other's appearance, as if they both couldn't quite believe that the other really showed up.
Olivia felt her cheeks glowing but somehow she didn't mind. "Thank you," she answered quietly and then took his arm as he offered it to her, letting him lead her inside.
A mere half hour later Olivia felt a lot more relaxed and wondered why she'd been so nervous in the first place. The conversation between them was flowing easily as they sipped champagne and ate a little snack, talking about books and travelling. They purposely avoided the topic of their work, except for the occasional tease that lightened the mood.
And even when they were silent to listen to the band for a moment it didn't get uncomfortable at all, especially when they exchanged small smiles and Rafael tentatively reached over the table to brush his fingers over the back of her hand. To Olivia, the gesture felt comforting and natural, and to keep him from pulling back, she gently laced her fingers through his, causing him to smile.
"Would... would you like to dance?" he asked a few minutes later after clearing his throat, and she found it nearly adorable how nervous he could sometimes be.
"I would love to."
He hurried to stand up, not letting go of her hand when he bowed slightly and escorted her to the dancefloor. The band played a catchy, cheery tune as he slipped his arm around her waist and she placed her hand on his shoulder. Their gazes were locked as he led her into a rhythm matching the music and she forgot about their surroundings very quickly, him being the only thing that was left in her focus. A few rather fast songs later the band changed to a slow song and they stopped dancing in surprise, staring at each other before starting to chuckle at the same time.
"Do we want to stop?"
"No, no," Olivia hurried to reply, afraid that he could let go of her, but to her relief, he didn't. Instead he pulled her closer and she happily wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent and enjoying how his warmth seeped into her where their bodies were touching. Her cheek brushed against his accidentally, and when he didn't pull back she closed her eyes, wishing they could dance like this forever. In this moment they were just one of many couples on the dancefloor, a man and a woman enjoying their date, not two people who belonged on opposite sides of a ruthless criminal system.
Being close to him, being held by him gently while he hummed the melody of the song close to her ear... it just felt so right.
They danced until the club closed a little after two in the morning and while Rafael helped her into her coat, he quietly asked her if she wanted to take a walk along Central Park before going home. Without hesitating she agreed, the thought of being able to walk right next to him without having to keep a safe distance lifting her spirits to unknown heights. If there was something like a perfect date, she was sure that it would be like this.
His hand slipped around hers as they left and she smiled at him, the expression of adoration and affection in his green eyes making her feel warm in the cool night air. The silvery light of the full moon was shining down at them as they wandered through the empty Central Park hand in hand, talking about everything that came to their minds. Time flew by fast and before they knew it, the first golden rays of dawn illuminated the sky. Rafael brought her to the next subway station and before their ways parted, he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, whispering into her ear that he couldn't wait to see her again.
OoO
The summer slowly went by, and so did many secret meetings between Olivia and Rafael. Olivia felt like she was caught in a wonderful dream whenever she was with him and she found it easy to forget about the harsh reality in which the Lucarnos and Coppolas had already had some violent collisions. When they explored a different part of the city together, danced all night or just sat together in a park, she felt like a normal person without worries.
This romance seemed to give her some of the innocence back that she'd lost too early in her life, and for the first time she really felt wanted and... loved.
Not even the caution with which they had to move all the time could put a damper on the effortlessness with which they grew closer.
Even though they both hadn't said these three magical words out loud they both knew what the other one felt. Sometimes, neither of them had to say something – they could communicate with a few glances, knowing what the other one was thinking about.
However, while the summer warmth was slowly leaving the city, the heat between the rivaling families only seemed to rise, and one day, even their safe little bubble burst.
Olivia was walking through Lower Manhattan on her way to yet another date with Rafael, a spring in her step and a small smile on her face, when she suddenly saw a dozen police men on the other side of the street. They were gathered in front of a shop, but the knot of spectators prevented her from getting any clue about what might have happened there. An uneasy feeling started to spread in her stomach as she slowly pushed through the crowd on the sidewalk, and it only got worse when she picked up a few words of the conversations.
"It's the mafia, they're starting a war..."
"They killed an associate, just shot him while driving by..."
Forcing herself to continue walking, she tried to blend the mumbling out, but still she felt fear rising inside of her. The harsh reality suddenly hit her and she curled her hands into fists to keep herself under control while moving forwards steadily. Her heart was beating painfully against her ribs and she could hear her own breathing very loudly as she saw from the corner of her eye how a body, covered with a thick, bloody cotton sheet, was loaded into an ambulance.
Tears started to burn in her eyes as she quickened her pace and ended up running through the streets towards the building whose rooftop had become their secret meeting point. Her coat was flying behind her as she hurried into the staircase and sprinted up the steps to the roof, inwardly begging that her worst fear wouldn't become reality.
To Be Continued...
A/N: My writing music this time was the Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack by Abel Korzeniowski, especially 'Cheek of the Night' – it's absolutely wonderful :) The slow dancing is to 'Love is just a little bit of heaven' by Nat Shilkret & The Victor Orchestra.
