"If you two have finished playing tonsil hockey, Noah and I would like to eat before the food gets cold."

Rafael and Olivia sprung apart, heat blazing in their cheeks – heat that had nothing to do with the passion of moments ago, but the embarrassment of being caught in a compromising situation by a teenager. Rafael chanced a glance down the hallway just in time to see Mia disappear into the living area. He turned back to Olivia.

"I am so sorry! I can't believe she… Honestly, she's just like her mother." He smiled for a moment as he recalled the teasing his cousin would throw his way, but then he began to frown. "Tonsil hockey… I mean… how does she even know that term?" He was pacing now, taking five steps one way before turning on his heel and retracing his movements.

"She's thirteen, Rafa," Olivia tried to reason.

"Exactly! She's too young to know about…" he trailed off and gestured, "…all that." He wasn't mad at her. For a moment he was actually relieved to see a glimpse of the 'old Mia'. But then his mind had run away with him.

Olivia raised a perfectly arched brow, wondering how he could be so naïve. He worked SVU for goodness sake. Given their line of work, he knew more than most that teenagers nowadays were more knowledgeable about sex and relationships than ever before.

"I know…" Rafael replied with a sigh. "But she's still just a kid."

Olivia shook her head. If this is what he was like about her knowing certain phrases, goodness knows what he was going to be like when he got her first boyfriend. Neurotic probably. Like when he suspected his mother of having an admirer. Only worse. A lot worse.

"Come on," she said, taking his hand and tugging him down the hall. "Goodness knows what she'll think If we stay out here much longer."

"That's not exactly comforting, Liv…"


The four of them enjoyed a quiet, relaxed dinner with Noah providing a much-needed distraction as he talked non-stop about his day at school. Mia didn't speak much, choosing instead to listen. She didn't eat as much as Rafael would have liked either, but he reminded himself that she was grieving, and she was on some pretty strong painkillers and antibiotics which would also be playing havoc with her appetite.

Once dinner and dessert – strawberry ice-cream with sauce and sprinkles – were over, Rafa offered to clean up and recruited Noah to help. This left Olivia and Mia alone together for the first time since that day at the hospital.

They retreated to the large corner sofa that took up almost the entire wall and separated the living room from the kitchen/dining area. Mia pulled the fleecy throw from where it was draped over the back of the couch and laid it over her legs. Picking up the remote, she switched on the television, channel hopping for a few moments before settling on some repeats of The Big Bang Theory. The two lapsed into silence for a few moments, watching the story play out on the screen before Mia took a deep breath and turned to Olivia.

"Olivia… can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Olivia shifted to face the young girl, sensing from her tone that whatever was bothering Mia would require her full attention.

"Raf said he talked to you about me staying here?" Mia questioned, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

Olivia nodded. "We spoke about it briefly, yes. Why?"

"Well, he said you were okay with it, and I just…" She sighed. "I guess, I just wanted to make sure that you really were."

"Honey, it's really nothing to do with me."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Sure it isn't! You two have just started dating and then I appear out of nowhere."

Olivia glanced towards where Noah was helping Rafa load the dishwasher and was relieved that the little boy didn't seem to have overheard. She hadn't had time to address the change in their relationship with her son and wasn't planning on doing until she was sure of what she was going to say. She and Rafael had barely had time to discuss it themselves, let alone talk about what to tell the kids. She didn't know if Rafael had spoken to Mia about their relationship, but there was no point denying there was something between them – not after she'd caught them making out in the hallway.

"Mia, I will tell you exactly what I told Raf. You staying here does not, and will not, change the way I feel about him, or the fact that I want to be with him. Okay?"

"So, he did ask you if it was okay before he made up his mind?" Mia huffed. "He told me he didn't. I can't believe he lied to me!"

"No." Olivia shook her head. "He didn't lie sweetie. Rafa told me he was going to take custody of you and then offered me the chance to walk away with no hard feelings." She stretched her arm along the back of the couch and squeezed the young girl's shoulder. "I said no, but if my being around is going to be a problem for you then I can always-"

"No!" Mia protested. "I want him to be happy and, well, it's pretty obvious that he loves you so, I guess I'm good with it. Just maybe cool it on the PDAs? I mean, I don't need to see you and him sucking face, y'know? I'm young and impressionable after all and-"

Olivia held up her hand to cut her off, grateful that Rafael hadn't heard Mia's use of the term 'sucking face'. "I get it. I'm sorry we got carried away. We'll do our best not to let it happen again." She couldn't guarantee that Mia would never see them kissing or embracing, but she could promise to respect the girl's wishes and try to keep it to times when she wasn't around. Olivia didn't know how much Maria had dated, if at all, so it was possible that Mia had no real experience of adult relationships other than what she saw on television; which wasn't always a healthy representation. Happiness did not make for good drama after all.

"Thanks," she replied turning her attention back to the television.

Olivia wanted to ask her how she was doing but by refocusing on the screen, Mia had effectively ended the conversation. Noah joined them a few moments later, his kitchen duties complete and climbed up onto his mom's lap. He was followed by Rafael. Olivia smiled at him as he settled in between her and Mia and he returned the gesture, a weary look on his face. She was about to suggest that she and Noah head home when her son lifted his head and asked,

"Momma? What's tonsil hockey?"