Your laugh echoes down the hallway
Carves into my hollow chest,
Spreads over the emptiness
It's bliss.

River stood outside of Barba's office. His secretary was on lunch, but she knew that the other woman would be back soon. She took a deep breath before using her foot to knock since her hands were full.

Barba opened the door and was surprised to find River standing there, "What are you doing here?"

She gently hip bumped him so that he would move out of her way. She marched over to his desk and set down the bag and drinks she was carrying, "Bringing you lunch."

Not wanting the whole office to hear what he was sure would be an argument, he shut the door, "And Nina just let you waltz in here without asking me?"

"No," River answered as she flopped down in the chair in front of his desk, "I timed it for when she would be on lunch so she wouldn't try and stop me."

"Remind me to tell Nina she's only allowed to take her lunch at her desk from now on," he replied as he crossed his arms.

Instead of turning around and acknowledging his statement, she started to unpack the food, "Gyros from the cart on 32nd. Don't even try and act like you're going think about turning it down. You know it's basically the most heavenly thing you've ever eaten."

"Is it poisoned?" Barba asked as he reluctantly made his way back to his seat. He had no problem throwing River out of his office, but he knew her well enough to know she would take the gyros with her.

"Yes, because offing you in the DA's office is only the best plan ever," she quipped.

"Point taken."

After pulling out her food, she slid the bag across the table to the ADA. As he began to inspect what she got him, she said, "We need to talk."

Barba stopped moving, "River, I-"

"Chill, Rafi," she interjected with a wave of her hand, "Not about me and you-although that is a conversation that we will have to have at some point."

"Then what, pray tell, do you want to talk to me about.?" He continued unpacking the food she had brought, "Has to be good if you're bringing me lunch."

River took a bite of her own gyro before answering, "We need to talk about you and Andrea."

"I don't want to talk about that either."

"Oh really?" River leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms, " So you don't want to talk about how both of us broke our promise that no matter what happened between us, she wouldn't lose her sister nor her best friend? Or maybe you don't want to talk about how you promised me in the one and only email we exchanged after I left, that you wouldn't abandon her? Her circle was always small. You lied to me."

He scoffed, "You moved to Boston without telling me so I think we're even."

She snorted, "Hardly."

"River, I-"

She decided to make a joke to break up some of the tension, "Yes, after knowing each other for over ten years, I'm well aware that you know my name so you can stop chanting it over and over." She looked him up and down and then winked, "Unless you want to lose some clothing. Then, as you know, I'm all for chanting. "

Her last comment caught him off guard and he couldn't stop himself from laughing. When he stopped, he found River staring, "What? Do I have tzatziki on my face?"

"No," River shook her head, "I just haven't heard you laugh in the two and a half months that I've been back. Even after we found an uneasy truce, you never so much as cracked a grin."

"That's because Carisi is your partner. I spend 90% of our interactions annoyed at his existence."

"You should be nicer to him. He looks up to you," she scolded even though she cracked a smile at his statement.

Barba grinned, "As he should."

The detective rolled her eyes, "Back to the original subject. Since you boot scootin boogied out of Brooklyn, you probably don't know this, but Andrea's engaged."

"Boot scootin boogied?" Barba parroted with a raised eyebrow, "Who are you?"

River wadded up a napkin and threw it at him, "Shut up. My partner in Boston was a southern belle originally from Texas. I picked up all sorts of language from her. She even took me hunting!"

Rafael paused, "You went hunting?"

"Camping too!" She rubbed her hands together, "Her husband taught me how to shoot a crossbow!"

Barba shuddered, "That is...terrifying."

"And you, counselor, are deflecting," she countered.

"Yes, I knew she was engaged," he answered.

"He spoils her and is so much easier to get along with than Brian."

"Brian wasn't a bad guy," the ADA defended.

River snorted, "He certainly wasn't a good one."

Determined not to have that particular argument since they had beaten that horse to death years ago, he moved past that point, "Surely you didn't come down here with food just to tell me that Andrea was engaged."

"No. I came to tell you that she and Lucas are having a party." River took a deep breath before speaking quickly, "The food is because I may or may not have told her that you would be in attendance."

"River Clark, y-" Barba bellowed.

River exclaimed, "We went over the name thing already!"

"River," he chided.

"Listen. I stole her best friend when we got together and you walked out of her life because I walked out of yours. Also, how many times, when we were together, did she get put in the middle?" River lamented.

"How many times did she put herself there?" Rafael challenged.

"Besides the point, Rafi. I left. You left. We did it in the most callous way possible," She leaned on his desk, "I was in Boston for a whole week before I finally emailed my sister and mother to tell them Boston was a permanent move and not just me helping my Captain and his family get settled in. You told her you were taking a vacation to process my leaving. She found out a month later from your old boss that you didn't take a vacation but transferred to Manhattan a week after you left. We hurt her. She missed me. She misses you and if you stop acting like you've got a heart of stone, you'll admit you miss her too. Unless Lt. Benson has filled that role?"

Barba tilted his head, "Is that jealousy I hear?"

"I have never and will never be jealous of any woman in your life," River asserted.

"Oh really?"

"Of course." She sat back in her chair, " Your mother adores me. Any woman that comes next won't surpass me on her list. I mean, the woman still sends me tamales every Christmas."

Knowing there was no way he had heard her correctly, he asked, "She what?"

"You didn't know?" When Barba shook his head, she said, "She told me you did."

He crossed his arms, "And you believed her?"

She laughed, "No, but I really love her tamales."

Barba joined in her laughter as he said, "You have no shame."

"Not when it comes to your mother's cooking," River giggled.

When the laughter subsided, he asked, "When is the party?"

"Three weeks from now. I figured that was enough time to guilt you into if you told me no today."

He glared, "I don't do guilty."

"You didn't used, but you've gotten softer since I left." She could tell he about to argue, but she cut him off, "Not in a bad way, Rafi. You're still a force to be reckoned with in court. Maybe even more so now then when I left. But, there's something about you that's easier to be around. Even with the awkward elephant in the room between us, it still seems easier to talk to you and be around you then when we were together."

He shook his head, "Rive-"

"I know. I know." She looked down at the ground, " You don't want to talk about us."

He rubbed his temples and sighed, "I don't want to talk about us here. Do you have any plans tonight?"

Her head snapped up and she hesitantly answered, "No."

"Come by my place at 7. I've moved from the loft we shared so get the address from Nina. She should be back at her desk," he instructed.

Afraid that he would change his mind if she stayed any longer, she quickly gathered her trash and rose to leave, "Okay."

"Riv," he called before she opened the door.

She tentatively turned around, "Yes?"

"No matter what happens tonight, I'll be at Andrea's party," he assured her.

River smiled and gave a short nod before exiting his office.