Just a little drabble wherein Carisi tries to move on from his unrequited love, unsuccessfully. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Sonny Carisi was a one woman man.

Ever since he was a teenager and he became interested in girls, he was only ever involved with one at a time. His dad had impressed on him how important is was to be loyal and devoted, no matter what. His parents had been together since they were fourteen, married since they were seventeen, and his mother still looked at his father as though he had hung the moon.

Obviously his dad knew what he was talking about.

He went through his life following that rule without fail. If he was in a relationship and began to feel himself wander, he immediately broke things off. That only happened twice in his life, and if he was honest he had only been in four real relationships since. Only two came home to meet his family, and neither made the cut.

Then Amanda Rollins came into his life like a goddamn hurricane and for two years he didn't so much as go on a date.

It took Amanda rejecting his drunken advances in front of a rundown motel for the message to finally sink home: he didn't have a chance with her. Of course he didn't. It took another year for him to begin dating. It didn't take long for him to meet a willowy brunette by the name of Harper. Harper was a clerk of the court and she laughed at all of his jokes, and when they fell into bed together he almost forgot about Amanda.

Almost.

Harper's dad was a cop and she knew the drill. Late night calls, dates cancelled at the last minute, and learning to dread incoming phone calls. He brought her around the squad and Olivia told him she was perfectly lovely. Fin just gave him a knowing look, one Carisi was all too familiar with. But if he were perfectly honest, there was only person whose opinion mattered.

Amanda was polite and kind to Harper, a true southern lady to a fault. Harper later told him that Amanda seemed nice and she was glad he had such a good friend.

But as their relationship deepened, something began to unsettle Harper. Carisi knew he talked a lot about Amanda and Jesse, but that was because she was his best friend and Jesse was his goddaughter. Until he had a child of his own, she was the closest he came. More than one or two dates had been cut short when Amanda called and needed him. Harper never argued when he apologized and left, but her reservations grew.

She was the daughter of a cop. She knew better than to ever interfere, or even imply that she felt uncomfortable with their friendship.

He did his best to show her that she was his priority, time and time again, but as their talks began drifting toward marriage and a real future, there remained a niggling doubt in her mind.

The moment came on a warm summer night. They were lying in bed together, legs entangled, when his phone vibrated. She closed her eyes as he grabbed the phone and held it to his ear.

"Rollins? What's up?" he murmured into the phone. His heart clenched when he heard Jesse sobbing in the background and Amanda said something about a high fever and going to the hospital. That was all he needed to hear. He sat up and got out of bed, tugging on pants and a t-shirt. He could feel Harper's eyes on him as he tried to soothe Rollins over the phone, assuring her he would be there soon. It didn't matter that it was three in the morning or that his girlfriend was watching him with heartbroken eyes.

Rollins needed him.

Ending the call, he turned to the bed. "Harp, I'm so sorry. Jesse's sick and Rollins-"

"Rollins needs you," she supplied wearily, nodding.

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. "Go back to sleep. I'll call you when I know something." Turning around, he grabbed his keys and wallet before walking out of the bedroom. As he left the apartment and locked the door, somehow he knew the apartment would be empty when he got home.

When he got to Rollins' apartment and he had Jesse in his arms, realization dawned on him. He cuddled the toddler to his shoulder, patting her back as he bounced her and felt her hot skin against his.

Maybe, just maybe, his dad was wrong.

Maybe he needed the child in his arms and her exhausted, beautiful mother.

The End.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.