NOTES: Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with this fic, and with me, to the end here. Writing this fic has been so fun and rewarding these past months and getting your feedback has been simply put, amazing. You guys are the best. I hope this last chapter is satisfactory and thank you, thank you, thank you again for reading Dangerous Distractions.

He'd handed her the coffee cup without thinking, really. Originally it was going to be his, but she'd been running around the kitchen muttering under her breath and panicking a little so when she'd stuck her hand out he just... handed her the coffee cup.

And now, instead of thanking him, she was standing there shooting daggers at his little smirk as she sucked down his goddamn cup of coffee.

"Glare at me all you want cariño," Rafael snarked, "but it was you who dragged me into the shower this morning, was it not?"

Her lips twitched as she shot back, "Maybe, but you didn't have to be so thorough about it, Barba!" The glint in his eye screamed, Oh, but I did. She ignored it, "I'm gonna be late now 'cause of you," she complained half-heartedly.

She set the cup down and went to swerve around him only to be foiled by Rafael as he blocked her and pulled her in for a chaste kiss. "You loved it," he breathed, laughing at her feigned annoyance when she pushed him away good-naturedly moments later and made her way to the door. "I am sorry you know," he added, following her and waiting for her to pull her shoes on.

"Oh, I know," she said fondly. She shrugged on her coat before pausing and allowing him to gather her up in his arms.

"You'll do great today," he whispered, fisting her hair as he breathed in her comforting scent. She simply sighed as some of the tension in her shoulders melted away. His heart swelled with pride and the words he'd been grappling with for weeks finally fell from his lips before he could stop them. "I… I love you."

Olivia gasped and pushed him away, "Rafael!"

His heart stopped. Oh god, what had he—

"You can't say that now!" she cried, her voice thick with emotion, "I'm gonna look a mess, I just did my makeup, and I have to leave!" A tear ran down her face as she gave him a watery smile, her eyes filled with affection.

Rafael scowled as relief and annoyance flooded his body, "Really, Benson? Really? You gave me a heart attack!"

"We'll call it even then," she said thickly as she wiped under her eyes, blinking rapidly.

"Even?!" he cried.

She grinned at his scandalized expression cheekily before she looked at her watch and frowned. "I really do have to go, Rafa," she said dejectedly, "I promise I'll make it up to you," she reassured him, kissing his cheek before opening the door and stepping through. When he went to close the door, she grabbed it. "By the way, Rafa..."

He eyed her radiant smile curiously, "Yes?"

"I love you too."

Olivia couldn't help but linger outside the doors to the precinct as a twinge of doubt twisted her stomach. Her decision to come back had not been taken lightly. She'd known first-hand going into this the dangers of PTSD especially when working Special Victims and for herself and the people she worked to protect, she'd known she couldn't go about this like she had after Sealview. So instead of rushing forward, instead of begging her captain to return like she'd wanted to, she'd waited. And waited…

While Amaro had been the first to ask when she was coming back, he predictably hadn't been the last. It was as if their conversation at the dinner had shattered some sort of invisible barrier that kept her squad from reaching out, from assuming she wanted space. Of course, every one of them had stressed how much she was missed, but despite the way her heart had clenched at their words, despite the way she found herself itching to drive past her therapist's office and keep going until she got to the precinct, something… something had held her back. She'd tried to brush the idea of returning aside, to make it a problem for later, but when her doctor had scheduled her next appointment for next month instead of next week Olivia had found herself physically incapable of ignoring it anymore.

Olivia leaned forward in her chair, her eyes distant. "I've been working Special Victims for over a decade. A decade. And in all that time, I have never doubted that I wanted to be there. Hell, even when I chose to leave, I wanted to be there." She let out a huff of air, amused, "You know, I worked an SVU case while undercover for the FBI once. In Oregon. My handler was pissed."

Dr. Stanton's eyebrows shot up, "Wow. That's dedication."

Olivia shrugged, "It comes with the job."

"But now you're doubting whether or not you want to go back," Stanton prompted. It wasn't a question.

Olivia's nose scrunched up and she let out a hum, "Mmmm, I mean, not really. It's more… doubting whether or not I can handle it."

Dr. Stanton nodded, her eyebrows furrowed. After a moment she leaned back and cleared her throat. "You know… I actually cleared you for work a week ago."

Olivia's mouth dropped open a little, "You…? You did?"

Stanton nodded. "I did. Olivia, the fact that you're worried about it tells me you'll be okay." She gave Olivia an amused little half-smile, "Ironically, you're far more self-aware than you think. Trust yourself."

Trust was hard these days. So still she waited until she could wait no more. Until the death of Albert Jones's third victim.

Olivia had gotten the news of her death the day after her talk with Dr. Stanton. Sophia Waterhouse, age 42, would never live to reach 43. Everyone had known her odds of coming out of her coma weren't good but the news had still hit Olivia hard. She went alone to the funeral two days later, joining the many friends and family members who had filtered in and out after the service to share a private moment with Sophia, joining the constant stream of black misery while Sophia's husband kept vigil by the coffin. He, who had never left Sophia's side as she laid in that hospital bed, remained steadfast now too, never wavering from his spot next to her coffin. He only looked up to speak to a few people that day and Olivia had been one of them.

"I am so sorry for your loss, Mr. Waterhouse," she said softly, a weight on her chest, on her shoulders.

He could barely look at her.

The quiet was deafening and heavy, the murmur of mourners a hum in the background that did nothing but amplify the overwhelming grief emanating from the tired man next to her.

She cleared her throat, "I should go—"

"No. Stay." His voice was rough and thick with tears. "I want to thank you. The other detectives told me what you did."

Jones's final words whispered in her ear. What did you do? Her body went rigid.

"Detective?"

Olivia blinked rapidly, shaking her head as bile rose in the back of her throat. "I—I'm sorry."

His expression was too shrewd, too understanding for her liking, leaving her feeling raw and exposed. "Don't apologize," he said firmly, "It's because of you that my Sophia will—" his voice cut off into a sob—"Will be able to rest peacefully."

Olivia said nothing, her eyes distant. Quiet settled over them again.

"I don't know what you've been through," he said suddenly, "but I do know that he hurt you. For my sake," he placed his shaking hand on the smooth, curved oak, "For hers," Olivia's heart clenched, "Please don't give up."

Olivia's eyes closed briefly and she nodded. "I won't."

In the end, it had been all the confirmation she needed. Olivia couldn't let that bastard win. She wouldn't.

She thought of Katherine, of Emily, of Sophia, Susie, and Heather, as Olivia grit her teeth and opened the door.

"Surprise!"

Olivia tried her best to look shocked as she took in the sight of Amanda, Fin, Munch, Cragen, and Rafael standing in her dining room and kitchen later that night, grinning ear to ear. She turned to Amaro who was standing next to her with a sheepish smile and shook her head as she stepped into her apartment. While there weren't any balloons or streamers—not really her style—she saw bags of take-out, wine, and beer and there was some music playing lightly in the background. It was perfect.

"You guys," she cried happily, "You didn't have to do this!"

"Yeah, well if it makes you feel better, this was all Barba's doing," Fin said putting his hands up, "I just showed up."

Olivia rolled her eyes, shaking her head as Amanda elbowed him in the side, "Real nice Fin," she drawled.

"Don't exaggerate, Fin, it wasn't all me," Rafael said from his spot in the kitchen while Olivia shrugged her coat off. "Amaro helped too." Olivia's eyebrows shot up and he smirked at her. "I needed help to stall you, after all."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day," she said, half-joking. She turned to the others and pointed at them, "Okay, which one of you kept them from killing each other? And how?"

Amaro shot her a dirty look, "Ha ha, Benson, very funny. No one did anything because we're good now, right Barba?"

"It was Munch," Rafael immediately deadpanned causing Nick to scowl.

Olivia and Rollins laughed at Amaro's affronted expression while Munch puffed out his chest, "All in a day's work."

Nick bristled, starting up with an "Oh, please Old Man—" just as Fin turned to Rollins rolling his eyes with a "Yep, I'm going to need some beer." Whatever response either had was lost to Olivia as conversation broke out, giving her the opportunity to hang up her coat. She took in the scene with a fond smile before she set down her purse and bent over to take off her shoes. When she stood back up, she instinctively found herself searching for Rafael but Cragen caught her eye and waved her over. As she joined him, leaning against her couch, he gave her a proud smile.

"It was nice having you back today."

Olivia's eyes landed on her partner and she nodded, "It was good to be back," she replied warmly.

Cragen cocked his head to the side, catching her eyes, "I'm proud of you, you know," he said sincerely.

She blushed lightly, "I know," she said softly.

Before Cragen could respond, Nick called out to her over the music, "Am I right, Liv?"

"Go," her captain said quietly when she looked at him, "Join him, he's been miserable with you gone. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Okay."

Cragen patted her on the arm, gave her a significant nod, and gravitated to where Rafael was pulling cartons out of take-out bags.

Olivia's lips twitched as her partner frantically waved her over and again said, "Liv, c'mon, tell Munch I'm right."

She wasn't falling for that one. "Right about what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Nick as she joined them. Munch winked at her.

"Oh c'mon, just say I'm right," he said, looping his arm around her shoulder.

"How about no," she snarked, grinning at Munch.

Before long, everyone was hungry and gathered around her table, beer and take-out in hand. Olivia, who'd been too distracted talking to everyone to grab anything at first, stared down at the leftovers on the kitchen counter with indecision before she was joined by Rafael who slipped her a take-out container of her favorite sweet and sour chicken and a fork.

"I hid your favorite," he said quietly.

Their eyes met and Olivia was hit with an overwhelming rush of gratitude and affection. She said nothing, choosing instead to stay there with him if only for a moment. As she leaned against him, side-by-side in her kitchen, and watched her squad laughing and chatting away, the world seemed to brighten a little and she knew... Everything would be okay.

Final note (and shameless promo): First off, thank you again for reading. So much. It's because of your amazing feedback that a huge part of me didn't want to end this fic but alas, it had to end lest I ruin Dangerous Distractions with dangerously unplanned epilogue chapters. I didn't want to do that to you or to this story and I pray this ending was as satisfying for you as it was for me. Feel free to let me know if otherwise so my *next work* doesn't fall victim to any flaws this story had (queue the shameless promo...)

So this fic has finally come to its inevitable end. A shame, I know, but to soften the blow, I'll leave you with the promise of more to come! I am currently working on a new multi-chapter Barson fic that I hope to get out in the new year—I'm not sure when but definitely in January—and in the meantime, I'll continue to add to my Barson one-shot collection (So It's a Little Cliché if you want to check that out). This new fic will be slow-burn and angsty and will span the second half of Season 15 onwards, exploring the complexities of how a little bit of compassion could affect Olivia and Rafael's relationship. Keep an eye out!

Thank you again,

Justabensonfanatic