A/N - Thanks for the lovely reviews & follows for far :) This chapter has a couple of paragraphs that toes the line of M.

Chapter 7

They, and the case pending investigation, had been dismissed. Olivia didn't know how to feel, she knew she should feel elated, but nothing about what had been declared felt final enough. What she also wanted to know, was why on earth her son was clinging to Rafa like a koala, and not in school. As soon as court was dismissed, Olivia had turned towards the benches behind her and laid a hand on Noah's back, who was still being held close by Rafael. "Not here", Rafa said before she could open her mouth, he glanced towards opposing council and she understood. Lowering Noah to the ground for the first time since he got to the court, Olivia took her sons hand and lovingly ran her other over his head, with them both there Noah was obviously feeling more secure. Exiting the courtroom to find a quiet corner, Lucy rejoined them, away from prying ears. The truth is, they didn't have much to discuss, but they weren't willing to let anything on to Sheila's team. Lucy recounted everything she knew from the school, which wasn't a lot as her focus had been on Noah, and Trevor had asked a few questions; ultimately it was going to be a waiting game until they could get hold of Fin who in that moment wasn't answering his phone.

With little else they could do, Olivia and Rafael had done their best to ease Lucy's mind, telling her not to worry and that they'd see her tomorrow. Then they had taken Noah home, where he'd recovered much quicker from his scary ordeal, than the two adults who hadn't taken their eyes off him.

Olivia and Rafael were largely still in the dark, neither able to get many details at all, regardless of their connections. There wasn't an adequate word to describe how angry Olivia felt, once they had got home the shock had worn off to be replaced by rage, it radiated off off her, and not even Rafael was willing to try and calm her. Frankly, he didn't blame her either, he felt the same, just more able to keep his cool.

They were both torn between one of them going to the station where Sheila was being questioned, and neither of them wanting to leave Noah. Knowing full well that it was highly unlikely either would be allowed to get even close, they'd stayed together watching cartoons with Noah sandwiched between them on their bed, which had felt like a safe retreat.

Noah had fallen asleep mid afternoon, something that he hadn't done for a few years, the events of the day taking their toll. Olivia was running her fingers through his curly hair, watching his chest rise and fall, when there was a knock at their door. Rafael shot up from the bed in heightened alert, before he could remember that Sheila was at the station. He looked to Liv wondering out loud if it could be her team, but Olivia really didn't know.

He opened the door to find William Dodds in the hallway, automatically stepping back to let him in. "I'll get Liv", it was obvious why he was there. Joining Dodds in the living room, Noah safely tucked up asleep in their bed, they were able to find out more. The senior had stepped into Olivia's role to lead her team, it was attempted child abduction and SVU were desperately trying to hold onto the case. He first asked how they were, before launching into the details they had been desperate to know.

"A teacher at Noah's school intervened when she spotted a woman she didn't recognise with Noah in the playground, Porter told them she was his Grandmother there to take him to a Doctors appointment. There was an altercation when she tried to pick Noah up, and she was forced to leave. The school called 911, and your Nanny. When Fin and Rollins arrived, the school had assumed they were the response team to their call; they'd given a description of the woman and Fin was able to ID her. We picked Porter up at her air b'n'b just in time, she was packing her bags. Barba I don't know what 6th sense you've developed, but we would have missed her if you hadn't sent Fin over". Rafael passed a pursed smile towards Dodds, he appreciated the comment, but it didn't feel like something to be proud of considering the circumstances.

Olivia felt like all the air had left her body and reached out for Rafa's hand to ground herself, how could Sheila have known where Noah's school was? She voiced to Dodd's and Rafael that she had consciously never shared those kinds of details. She had been so wary of Sheila, that she hadn't even said what Rafael did for a living, let alone give away details like Noah's school. She was still a Lieutenant, and all of her training and experience had made her extra cautious, so she specifically hadn't given away anything that could be searched or looked into.

Dodd's looked a little uncomfortable, "I have to ask, have either if you experienced anything out of place, or odd recently?" Rafael and Liv shared a look, and Rafa spoke on their behalf. He didn't know how much Dodds knew, so he started at the beginning. Sheila appearing at the apartment out of the blue, challenging Noah's adoption, the tone the conversation in the coffee shop took, what Olivia thought she'd seen at the park. Dodd's just gave a well practised, classic NYPD non-committal nod, that gave away nothing but let you know they were listening.

"You understand we have to investigate further, but it looks like your instincts were right here Olivia. We think Porter has been tracking Noah, with the help of some information from her PI. When she lost the custody hearing and realised her chances at visitation were slim, she resorted to extreme desperate measures by trying to take Noah at school". He left out that Fin had uncovered a record of her being committed to a stint in a mental health institution some years ago, he felt like that could wait for another day, they'd been through enough.

"She knew we'd all be in the courthouse, she planned it all." Olivia whispered. Rafael dropped her hand and guided her to the sofa to sit down with him, though he couldn't tell if it was more for her or for him, his legs felt like they might give way. Rafael had experienced plenty of hate and threats directed towards him over time, when you had to pick a clear side for a living you were never going to please everyone, but this was Noah. A five year old little boy, who couldn't fend for himself. The last time Rafael had felt like this, was when he found out Olivia had been taken by Lewis, Noah's ordeal had ended up the polar opposite to that, but it showed just how strongly he felt.

They both had more questions, but Dodds either couldn't or wouldn't share. "She will be held at least for tonight. Your detectives are interviewing at the school as we speak. I just need your Nanny's details if it's ok?"

Getting up to leave, Dodd's addressed them both, "I promise to keep you as updated as I can, but I don't want to see you at work tomorrow, you're on a day's leave. You too Barba, I've already spoken with the DA. We're in agreement that neither of you can be near this anyway, and is a good a reason as any to have some family time". Both were grateful at the sentiment from their bosses, they hadn't had a chance to think about work or what tomorrow might bring.

Dodds departed, leaving them feeling shell shocked. Rafael was the first to speak with a small smirk on his face, "Should I ask how much Fin knows?", Olivia looked at him a little sheepishly, "All of it. But more importantly, you sent Fin to Noah's school?", they hadn't fully dissected the day together yet, choosing instead to focus on Noah, and contemplate individually in their own minds. He brushed over her reply about Fin, he wasn't bothered, "I just had this feeling I couldn't ignore, it was like I knew he wasn't okay Liv. Am I crazy?", Olivia smiled at him, her heart bursting with love for the man in front of her, "No, you're just a parent Rafa".

That night, they slept 3 in the bed, each flanking Noah, sleeping just a little better knowing that he was safe with them. They set no alarms, their enforced day off meant they had nowhere to be.

Things felt unsettled when they woke the following day, neither had slept particularly well. Partly because with Noah in their bed they had both experienced a foot in the stomach or a hand in their face as he'd wriggled around, and partly because when they were woken their brains wouldn't quieten down.

Rafael had woken first, feeling the urge to run. He was tired, but he needed an outlet to clear the fog in his head. A lot had happened in the last few weeks, and the unrelenting pace of of their lives had meant he hadn't had a chance to properly contemplate everything. He wouldn't for a moment change the permanent addition of Olivia and Noah to his life, but very quickly he had gone from a bachelor, living alone, dancing around a woman he'd fallen in love with from afar, to a fully fledged family man with some serious responsibility. He realised he was using his apartment as a glorified storage locker, and hadn't stayed there for weeks. He had a five year old calling him Dad like it was second nature, and navigated being a boyfriend, which if his history was anything to go by, was not his forté. He was in deep, and Noah was now a lifelong commitment even if things didn't turn out well with Olivia, he knew he'd always do his best to live up to being his Dad. It wasn't that Rafa wanted to be extracted, not at all, it had all just happened so fast that he needed a chance to breathe. Leaving a note in the kitchen, not to disturb Olivia or Noah, he headed for his apartment.

It was early afternoon before Rafael had headed back towards Olivia's, choosing to walk in the summer sun. He'd run 10k, the burn in his lungs as he pushed himself felt good, grounding. Back at his apartment the silence was hard to get used to again, but he'd caught up on his post, dealt with some personal paperwork, and sorted out some of his things. Feeling organised again helped, and he felt far more 'together' as he made his way through the New York streets. Walking past a florist, he spontaneously chose a bouquet for Olivia, hoping it would bring a smile to her face. He knew he'd have to keep working hard on himself to cope with the changes in his life; they weren't bad things, just big things, and he truly wanted to give them the best of him.

Rafael had found them both in the living room building K'nex structures, "For you" he'd said simply, letting the gesture speak for itself. She'd smiled feeling lucky, and kissed him in thanks, "they're beautiful". Olivia had woken up in a foul mood, still feeling angry about everything that had happened, barely keeping her feelings in check around Noah. She felt irrationally annoyed that Rafael had gone out too, but she didn't say anything. He had every right to, he wasn't a prisoner confined to her apartment, and if she really thought about it, he'd been accepting of an awful lot recently. Much more than she thought he'd ever have been prepared to take on when she first met him, but he'd proved her wrong again and again, and here he was surprising her with flowers, just because.

"What are we making mijo?" He knelt down at the coffee table opposite Noah, playing with some of the pieces. "A rocket to escape from the dinosaurs! Can you help?!". Of course they were. Noah's crazy imagination never failed to amaze him. "Absolutely", as he started to gather the bits. "Hey Liv? When did you buy some more of this?!" He asked her, clicking the plastic pieces together. "I didn't? What do you mean?" she looked genuine. "These bits aren't from the set that we bought him", "That's weird, maybe Lucy bought it for him?". Addressing Noah, "Hey Noh, did Lucy get you some more K'Nex?", knowing they needed to thank her. "It was a present!" he said brightly, not looking up from his construction.

The three of them felt more calm as the afternoon wore on, and by dinner time they were feeling a lot better. Not enough to want to head out into the outside world, but enough to relax back into their night time routine. It was important to normalise Noah as soon as possible and not have him in bed with them every night, even if Olivia and Rafael didn't feel completely over it all.

With Noah safely back in his own bed, Olivia had run a bath wanting to soothe the stresses that her aching muscles carried. She'd been so tense, and could feel referred pain all through her shoulders. She was removing Noah's toys from around the edges of the bath, when Rafael appeared in the doorway, setting a glass of wine on the side for her. "Where's yours?" She'd asked him, heavy with implication. He felt the burning desire build in the very base of his stomach, instantly twitching with hardness. It might only have been a little over a week since they'd had any intimacy beyond kissing, but he was craving her. He stepped forward, capturing her in his arms, pressing a searing kiss to her lips and leaving a trail down the side of her neck to her collar bone, before pulling away to retrieve his own glass.

They'd sunk blissfully into the bath, Olivia settled between his legs, her back pressed against his chest. They spoke no words, instead just enjoyed the serenity together, all touches and strokes. Rafael grazed his fingers across her wet body, dropping kisses to her shoulder, lazily dipping his fingers in and out of her core. He worked her to her peak, her hand reaching behind her to anchor on his neck as she slipped further from reality. Her action only exposed more of her body to him, and he was almost painfully hard pressing into her back, but focussing on Olivia's pleasure was all that mattered to him. Their bath had been incredibly intimate, and it wasn't until afterwards that they realised it had been exactly what they had needed after the pressure recent events had put on them. Being a couple was still new to them, and they didn't wan't to lose out on any of that special bonding time exploring and getting to know each other on a new level. Back in bed, she'd surprised him again with her confidence, pushing him backwards and straddling him. The sight of her riding him had almost instantly pushed him over the edge alone. Spent, they'd fallen asleep tangled together; work, Sheila Porter, the case, all far from either of their minds.

The following morning Olivia was hesitant about taking Noah back to school, but their activities from the previous night had left her feeling particularly connected to Rafael still, she took strength and confidence from him, and with a little cajoling had dropped him off directly to his teacher. The school were still on high alert too, the incident still resonating, but that made Olivia feel better. She re-confirmed that Lucy would pick him up, and headed to the precinct, hoping for as normal a day as possible.

When she arrived at work Olivia had found that she was still being stone walled, her team had been given strict instructions not to speak to her about the case to ensure its integrity was protected. She knew she would have done the same if the boot was on the other foot, but it didn't make it any less frustrating. Instead, she'd barricaded herself in her office and tackled all the paperwork she usually tried to ignore, just needing to be busy. There wasn't even a lunch time reprieve with Rafael, he was snowed under playing catch up from their enforced day off. There hadn't been any point handing off his case load to someone else just for one day, and so he was doubled down. He had promised to make sure he came home that night though, which had made her smile.

One advantage of her being excluded from the case, was that Olivia easily left work on time, and she was looking forward to some one on one time with Noah. Rafa was definitely still flavour of the month with him, and although she didn't mind, secretly loving watching their bond grow, she was selfishly looking forward to being the centre of his attention for a few hours.

Opening the door to her apartment, she found Noah at the table eating his dinner with Lucy. "Mama!" He was bright eyed and happy to see her. "Hey sweet boy", pressing a kiss to his head, "dinner looks tasty!", "The broccoli doesn't!" He pouted. Olivia laughed, some things never changed!

Lucy followed Olivia into the kitchen, knowing Olivia wanted to get an update on his day. She had been worried that Noah would have been a little re-traumatised going back into school, but Lucy assured her he'd had a great day and not mentioned it once. Relieved, the two ladies chatted; Lucy might be their godsend of a Nanny but Olivia regarded her as a friend too. Grabbing her coat and bag, Lucy went to bid farewell to them both, when Olivia remembered the K'Nex. "Oh Lucy, I meant to say, it was really sweet of you, but you didn't have to buy K'Nex for Noah. You do enough!" Olivia didn't want to look unappreciative, she wasn't at all, in fact she had figured the new toy was part of a distraction tactic during the heavy case week where they had barely made it home, but she didn't want Lucy feeling obliged to spend her money on her son. Lucy looked puzzled though, "Liv that's nice of you to say, but I didn't buy anything?". "Sorry?", it was a confused statement more than a question from Olivia, "I didn't buy anything" Lucy repeated slowly "I figured it was from you and Rafael because you were stuck at work?", "Figured what was from us?", "The K'Nex, it was wrapped up on the coffee table when we got back from school last week, Thursday I think?". Olivia's head span, and she felt sick. At her paling face, Lucy dropped her bag and coat and guided Olivia to a seat in the living room a safe distance from Noah. "We didn't leave him anything Lucy" she said barely audible. The two woman felt shocked, no one else had a key but them and Rafael, how had it got there? Olivia was the one who sprang into action first, "Lucy, I hate to ask, but could you stay just a little longer?", "Of course" Lucy knew everything that had happened the last few weeks, and sensed that the saga wasn't over.

Selecting Fin's number from her contact list, she impatiently waited for him to answer, "Hi Lieu" the voice of Amanda answered. Olivia was momentarily confused thinking she'd dialled the wrong number, "Fin is in, erm interviewing", Olivia took that to mean Sheila Porter. "Manda, I think Sheila has been in my apartment.", a shocked "What?" came down the line. Olivia knew how it sounded, it sounded unbelievable even as the words came out of her mouth, but her instincts were screaming at her. Through the phone Olivia heard a familiar tap on glass, usually she was the one on the receiving end of the sound, being summoned out of the interrogation room. She heard the muffled voices of her team, as Amanda relayed what Liv had said. Coming back on the line, "Liv I'm coming over".

Hanging up the phone, she dialled Rafa's number to let fill him in. He was ready to drop everything and come to them, but she persuaded him to stay at work knowing his workload must be enormous, even if he played it down to her; in the nicest possible way there was nothing he could do anyway. Promising to keep him in the loop, she hung up and went to sit with Lucy, needing to understand everything that she had seen before Amanda got there and separated them for interviewing.