Established Barson, set sometime after Barba is threatened outside the courthouse.
Nightmares are something they both deal with regularly, and though sometimes that means twice the missed sleep, it also means that they understand how to help each other deal with them.
For Olivia they are vivid and harsh, but she tends to forget them quickly, only the absolute worst sticking in her mind after she wakes with a start.
Rafael's nightmares are more subtle; he rarely wakes in the middle of them. Rather when his alarm goes off in the morning he will be saved from the horrible scenarios his mind has conjured: twisting his past and present with horrifying cases he's tried.
Tonight, they had a quiet evening at her place: some time with Noah before he went to bed, a simple pasta dinner by candlelight, and reruns of old tv shows. They went to bed early-ish, and made love before dressing minimally and falling asleep, snuggled together.
A few hours later Rafael wakes to a familiar noise coming from Noah's room: his water bottle dropping off the side of his bed. Dropping a quick kiss on the crown of Olivia's head, he slides out from between the sheets and sleepily makes his way to the next bedroom.
He misses the frown on her face and the restless moving around when her subconscious notices she's alone in bed. In her mind an innocuous dream about a picnic in the park has taken a dark turn and all of a sudden she hears shots ring out.
Crying, gasping for breath, Olivia wakes suddenly and sits up in an attempt to orient herself. Puzzled that Rafael hasn't yet placed a calming hand on her back, rubbing and reassuring her that everything is fine, she looks over at his side of the bed and frowns when she sees it empty.
The nightmare still at the forefront of her mind, it hits her: it wasn't just a dream. The scene in the park really happened. Rafael was gunned down in front of her and she didn't do anything to stop it. He bled out in front of her.
A wave of nausea washes over her and she throws the blankets off, stumbling to the ensuite bathroom. She doesn't realize how much noise she's making until she notices the sound of her sobs echoing in the small room.
Hoping she hadn't woken Noah, she splashes cold water on her face, trying to calm herself down. She takes a few ragged breaths then screams when a hand lands unexpectedly on her shoulder.
Barba draws back in surprise. "Liv- it's Rafael." Trying not to crowd her and inadvertently cause a panic attack, he steps back into the doorway and raises his hands in a defensive posture.
"Raf? But- you're? Oh god it was just a dream," she says before launching herself at him.
She starts crying again at the feeling of his arms holding her close, rubbing up and down her back, and his husky whisper that he's here, everything's fine, and she's okay.
He simply holds her for a few minutes as she clings to him. Eventually her tears slow and once her breathing is back to normal she pulls back.
Rafael looks at her, worry written all over his face. She's never been like this after a nightmare before, at least not when he's there.
She gives him a small smile, trying to reassure him that she's fine. "I'm just going to wash my face," she murmurs. "Then I'll be out."
He nods, still worried but trusting her judgment. He steps back into the bedroom, staring at the twisted sheets for a moment before fixing them and crawling back into his side. He reaches over and turns his bedside lamp on the dimmest setting, assuming Liv will not want to go straight back to sleep.
When she emerges a few minutes later some of her colouring is back but her eyes are still bright with tears. She climbs in bed and immediately scoots over to Rafael, who pulls her into his side.
"Better now?" He asks quietly, running his fingers through her hair.
She nods against him, contemplating her next words.
"We were in the park this time," she begins after a few moments. Since the threat outside the courthouse she's been having variations on the same dream: Rafael is attacked in front of her and she doesn't do anything until it's too late. "We were having a picnic. Noah was playing with something in the grass nearby and we were sitting on a blanket. I noticed these two guys lingering nearby but I didn't call it in. They walked up to us. One pulled a gun, and shot you in the chest. I was frozen. I didn't do anything! When I finally reached out, you were gone. That's when I woke up."
His shirt is soaked from the tears sliding down her cheeks.
"And I wasn't in bed so you thought I was dead?"
"Yeah. I knew it was a nightmare but I also thought it was a memory. Usually when I wake up like that you're right there."
There is no blame in her voice, but he feels the need to explain himself regardless. "Noah knocked his water bottle onto the floor and the thump woke me up. I went to put it back and check on him- he was asleep. I don't think I was gone for more than three minutes."
They're quiet for a few moments, Rafael's continued stroking of her hair soothing them both.
"Think you can sleep now?" he asks.
She opens her mouth to answer but a yawn escapes instead. Barba chuckles.
"I think that answers my question," he murmurs, reaching out to turn off the light.
They shift around getting comfortable, ending up with Rafael spooning Liv. She hugs his arm and relishes the feeling of him pressed along her back.
He's almost asleep when he hears a faint whisper, "Thank you for being here."
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
At his answer she smiles and drifts off, thoughts of death threats and gunmen gone, at least until morning.