Rafael,

Thanks again for all your help with the ADA orientation programme. Enjoy a drink (or many) on me.

Jack

Rafael resisted the urge to roll his eyes seeing the exquisitely-wrapped top-shelf Macallan on his desk, accompanied by a card with Jack McCoy's impeccable penmanship. This was a gift that would displease many a taxpayer, but he appreciated the sentiment, and carefully stashed the bottle in his liquor drawer, right next to his already-opened bottle… and the glass that Olivia had given him, back in that hotel room.

He slammed the drawer door shut with a resonant clang and glanced at the calendar on his desk. Thursday.

Four days until he was due back at work on Monday.

Was he ready to head back to work? He didn't quite know.

He'd passed Jack McCoy in the hallway a couple of days ago, and he'd casually asked Rafael if he was ready to end his leave of absence, offering an extra week or two of paid leave if he needed it. Rafael had hemmed and hawed for a few moments, suddenly aware of the fact that he hadn't quite given the issue serious thought. Sure, he'd taken well to this change of pace, and even enjoyed interacting with the fresh-faced new blood, but he was starting to miss the intellectual stimulation and fulfilment he got poring over case files and preparing witnesses. Not being in the office all day made it easier for him to avoid Ed Tucker, too, and he hoped that the "out of sight, out of mind" adage applied to both him and Ed - he wasn't about to escalate the issue to HR, or worse, Jack himself, and get even more people involved in the mess they'd already created.

(He was starting to miss Olivia Benson too, of course, but he refused to admit that to himself.)

But was he ready to face Olivia again?

He hadn't yet decided what to do on his first day back. Maybe he'd have to pull her aside - or perhaps she'd beat him to it - for them to talk about their game plan going forward. The last time they'd both pretended that nothing had happened between them, that had ended miserably, and he couldn't let history repeat itself. But they both had to be on the same page about navigating this new normal, and he prayed that they'd be.

Maybe it'd be best to put the ball in her court - she was the one caught directly between him and Ed, and probably wanted to decide how Rafael was going to fit into her squad room from here on.

As though God had heard him, his phone buzzed with a new message from her.

Rafael, I'm so sorry for the mess that we're in right now. I talked to Ed after you texted me and it didn't work out; I'm going to give it another shot tomorrow.

And then, two more messages, like she was desperate to get another word in while she had his attention.

I'm going to make this right.

I'm sorry, Rafael.

There was so much uncertainty in their relationship at the moment, but Rafael was sure of one thing - that he wanted things to be right again, just as much as Olivia did.

She didn't have to say it - he knew that she wanted him back at work, just as much as he wanted to be back at work too.

And he decided to trust her.

"Detective, I'm surprised that you volunteered to come in for another interview. You didn't seem too enthused when you last came in." Ed stared across the desk at Odafin Tutuola, still confused that the senior detective had called his office to ask about setting up another meeting. The week before he was as nonchalant and detached as he always was when he attended one of these interviews - and Ed had plenty of practice squeezing blood from stones - but seeing him so laser-focussed and maybe even eager unnerved him.

The first time he'd been interviewed, he hadn't quite picked up on the hints that Ed had dropped throughout - it was like he was programmed to avoid a single mention of Olivia Benson. Ed didn't blame him. IAB interviews had a way of making detectives squirm, and after they'd mercilessly gone after SVU for years, the squad had practically been trained in avoiding implicating their friends.

And Odafin Tutuola was zealously loyal to Olivia Benson.

Ed watched Fin casually fold his jacket sleeves, as unflappable as always. Maybe he'd reached some kind of epiphany after the interview? Or maybe he'd discussed everything with Rollins - or heck, Olivia - after and come to set the story straight?

In any case, Fin had piqued his interest enough for him to agree to this very sudden lunchtime chat, and Ed decided that it was reasonable to hear him out.

"Does your lieutenant know that you're here?" Ed began cautiously, still wary of Fin's motives. Fifteen years in IAB didn't make the detective any easier to read.

"No," Fin replied assertively, making sure to look him squarely in the eyes. "No one in my squad knows I'm here."

He'd slipped out of the squad room at lunchtime, saying that he was going to run a few errands, and no one batted an eyelid - Amanda and Sonny were too busy laughing over the photos from Sonny's recent family gathering, while Olivia spent yet another melancholic lunch hour alone in her office, guilt and sadness still written all over her face. Never in a million years did he guess that he'd volunteer to talk to Ed Tucker, but the look on Olivia's face had only confirmed his desire to get this out of the way, before more damage was done.

Ed was skeptical, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "So… what is it you want to talk about today?"

Fin folded his arms and leaned towards Ed, his eyes still meeting the former IAB captain's intense gaze. "I'm here to tell you that Liv and Barba are not involved. On the record."

Straight-shooter, Ed thought. He wondered what had precipitated this firm declaration, although it didn't take much guessing to reach a conclusion. "You're sure of this?"

"They're not involved. They're not dating. They never were." Fin asserted.

"You heard this directly from your lieutenant?"

"Yup," Fin replied confidently, popping the "p" so casually that it infuriated Ed.

Ed frowned. Fin was looking awfully smug - what if he was right and Barba and Olivia weren't actually dating secretly the whole time? "And you believe her because…?"

"Twenty years of friendship teaches one how to tell if someone is lying, Captain. Thought you, of all people, would know that. Or are you so jaded that you can't believe that someone is telling the truth?"

Ed was visibly unnerved hearing that, and Fin worked hard to resist the smirk that was threatening to appear on his face. "Do you think it's very appropriate or becoming of you to come in here and lie on the record to protect your superior officer, Detective Tutuola?"

"I'm not lying. And is it very appropriate or becoming of you to be leading the investigation on the unit commanded by your ex-girlfriend?" Fin retorted, which stopped Ed dead in his tracks.

"We're not involved anymore, Detective. This investigation is within reasonable limits," Ed fired back, although he was visibly more rattled than he'd been just a couple of minutes ago.

"But that doesn't make you objective. Especially when you're clearly just using these interviews to get the scoop on her and Barba."

"You planning to go to Jack McCoy and tell him that?" Ed taunted, although he really hoped that Fin wasn't actually going to march into his office and do just that. Shit, he'd been so consumed by his anger that he hadn't stopped to think of what would happen if this made its way back to the big bosses - especially when Rafael Barba was one of Jack's most well-liked and high-profile ADAs.

Without skipping a beat, Fin leaned in even further and dipped his voice two tones. "Well, I won't have to tell Jack McCoy if you drop this investigation, Captain."

Ed crossed his arms defensively, feeling his skin grow increasingly flushed. "Is that a threat, Detective?"

"Not much more than you threatening to tell everyone about Liv and Barba," Fin retorted, his eyes boring into Ed's soul. "Look, I'm not going to make a fuss about this, but I think it'd be best - for everyone - for you to drop this investigation or let someone else handle it, at the very least. I'm asking you - nicely - to leave Liv and Barba alone."

Fin stared across the table at Ed, who was sitting in a stunned silence, and felt pride swell in the recesses of his belly knowing that he'd successfully gotten into his head. "We don't have to make this any worse. Close the chapter on this, for everyone's sake."

Without another word, Fin got up from his seat and strode towards the door, not waiting for Ed's response. "I hope this is the last we'll hear of this, Captain Tucker," he added with one final withering glance at the former IAB captain.

Fin hoped that it was enough to get him to back off, because he didn't know what else to do if it didn't. But judging from Ed Tucker's silence and the way his face fell, Fin had a good feeling about his casual visit to the DA's office.

Louboutins click-clacking against the concrete, Rita Calhoun smoothed her pencil skirt (brand-new Gucci, and she was proud of it) as she marched down the Upper West Side sidewalk she'd practically memorised years ago during one of her countless trips to a nondescript apartment block along West End Avenue. Even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, she still avoided this part of town whenever she could, or at the very least kept to the chic cafes on Amsterdam Avenue.

Over five years since she'd had her heart broken and the way his voice rang in her ears still made her heart sting. She remembered the way the sun dipped over the skyscrapers; the tears that'd formed in her eyes realising that she couldn't sleep next to this man, knowing that someone else had been in the side of the bed that was hers. After that day, she'd hardened her heart, collected her things from the apartment, and went on a career warpath that ended up in her moving to the Madison Avenue office of her brand new firm and a cavernous apartment in a luxury building a few blocks away. That night now was far behind her, and she dreaded revisiting the site of her heartbreak.

But here she was, yet again, for a completely different reason.

"Hello?" a crackly, but familiar, voice piped through the rusty intercom speaker. She'd never done this - once upon a time she'd let herself in with the spare key - and wondered what was on his mind.

"It's Rita Calhoun."

There was an uncomfortable silence and Rita wondered if he'd hung up on her, but the door clicked open a few seconds later, and with a deep breath and final smooth of her skirt, she was at Ed Tucker's doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. She couldn't tell if he was annoyed, surprised, or neither - but in any case, she didn't really want to know.

"Let me in. We need to talk," she declared.

Ed frowned skeptically, but ushered her inside anyway. "It's nice to see you too, Rita," he muttered sarcastically.

He moved towards the kitchen to pour her a drink, but she stopped him before he left her line of sight. "I'm not here to catch up, Ed."

He stared at her, perplexed, for a few seconds, until he came to his senses and anger started to flood his system.

Rafael Barba. Of course Rita's oldest friend was going to run to her about his ongoing problems. Of course he'd told her about their showdown in his office.

"Are you here to chew me out too?" he sighed, thinking of Fin Tutuola's unnerving visit to his office the day before.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm here to tell you to stop bothering my friends," she declared, looking him squarely in the eye.

When Ed didn't say a word, responding with only a remorseful stare, she took a step towards him and continued. "You know what I'm talking about."

Looks like I'm the one leading this conversation, Rita thought to herself as she eyed her unusually silent former flame. The sun was dipping rapidly, bathing the room in an amber glow, and Rita's mind wandered back to one of the many arguments she'd had with Ed in this apartment, against this exact same view - the way he'd roared at her about her staying late at the DA's office, the way she'd shouted back so loudly she almost thought the neighbours would call the local precinct on them. Her memories of the nights they laughed in front of the TV for hours paled in comparison to the ones of her crying herself to bed as Ed stared at the bedroom ceiling in a stony silence beside her.

It'd taken half a year of therapy for her to get over that relationship, and maybe she'd turned to private practice and the ruthless pursuit of the toughest cases that every other defense attorney avoided like the plague to remind herself that she was worthy - that she was better than the person Ed Tucker had cheated on. And that feeling of inferiority; of feeling small and inadequate, lingered, even five years on, and she quickly moved behind the kitchen counter to hide her trembling legs.

But she wasn't here for herself. She was here for Rafael and Olivia.

"I know you're angry at Rafael and Olivia, but do you really want to do this? You, of all people, should know what it's like to be in their position."

Ed kept his gaze trained on the Manhattan skyline right outside his window. Fuck, the disappointment in Rita's voice was taking him back to a place he really didn't want to revisit. He didn't have a clue what to say to her.

"I really expected better from you, Ed. Even after what you did to me," she said pointedly.

He bristled recalling the frantic morning he'd spent fretting about whether or not to tell Rita that he'd just woken up with an unfamiliar body next to him; the way she'd withered, standing right in the middle of this very living room, as he'd come clean to her. That was probably the only time he'd ever seen Rita Calhoun cry, and he'd never stopped feeling bad about it.

"I'm asking you, now, to let this go, Ed. Don't make this even more painful than it already is," she added after a long silence, the pain of 5 years ago now just starting to seep into her voice.

He finally raised his eyes to meet hers, feeling the pain and anger in them burn into his skin. He'd once loved this woman - loved the warmth and adoration she always looked at him with, a 180-degree change from the stone-cold glares she saved for the courtroom; loved how special she made him feel. But now, he looked at her and saw none of that affection, now replaced with fury and dismay. He hated seeing her this upset.

Suddenly, all the emotions he'd spent the last 5 years trying to bury came flooding back.

"I'm sorry, Rita. I know I said this a million times back then, but still… I'm sorry," he blurted out nervously, not caring that it wasn't related to the topic at hand. "I know it was wrong…"

"If you really want to make it up to me, Ed, leave Rafael and Olivia alone. Walk away. You're better than this," she interjected firmly, her tone now softer and more empathetic.

She took a step towards him and placed a firm - yet gentle - hand on his shoulder. "I know you're better than this."

This was the closest they'd stood to each other in years, and Ed didn't miss the Gucci skirt and Chanel No. 5 she sported - or the Louboutins on her feet, or the Balenciaga purse on the kitchen counter. He couldn't miss the quiet confidence in her voice, or the smouldering intensity of her stare. Heck, she'd practically barged into his apartment building to look for him. Signs that she'd moved on; signs of a successful woman.

Ever since she'd walked out five years ago all she'd done was move up in life - leaving the DA's office, settling into a cushy new job and apartment on the other side of town… and now, her standing over him in his kitchen, telling him to get his act together while he stewed in 5-year old unresolved feelings and residual regret, he felt small.

A smallness that wasn't helped by the growing realisation that he'd let Rita down a second time.

Rita picked up her purse from the kitchen counter and turned towards the door of Ed's apartment, taking one at glance at the familiar-looking - although now worn - furniture in the living room and view out the window. A part of her still couldn't believe that she'd willingly returned her to stare him down and tell him to wise up after actively avoiding him for 5 years, but she'd done it, and the regret that Ed wore all over his face was a clear sign that the trek here was worth it.

"I know you'll do the right thing, Ed," she added with a knowing glance as she pushed the door open.

Ed didn't reply, but his met eyes hers, and she knew that at the very least, he'd taken what she'd said to heart.

He had a chance to make things right.

"Take care of yourself, Ed." She managed a small smile.

"You too, Rita."

The door slammed shut behind her, and Ed stood in the middle of his empty living room, feeling the gravity of her visit start to sink in.

After Fin Tutuola's sudden visit to his office he'd spent a sleepless night contemplating what he'd done - and had threatened to do - to Rafael Barba and Olivia, and from the looks of it, he was in for yet another night of tossing and turning as his conscience ate away at him.

Maybe he'd really gone too far with this vendetta.

In any case, he knew that Rita's sad, disapproving eyes were going to stay with him, like they had five years ago.

He had some thinking to do.

Olivia had made a habit out of leaving the precinct at lunchtime to attend to one of her many pressing personal matters, and she hoped that this would be her last trip out. She was starting to get tired of this mess, and if this didn't work, she didn't know what else would.

Hence, even though she really didn't want to be, here she was, sitting across from Ed Tucker in a corner table in Forlini's, for hopefully the last time in a long time. It'd only been a few weeks since she'd broken his heart that summer night along the Seine, but the blue eyes she'd once spent all night staring into now felt cold and unfamiliar, like the ones she had to force herself to stare into when they sat on opposite sides of the table in one of IAB's many interview rooms. Barely a month of distance and already they felt like strangers.

Olivia watched as Ed twirled his spaghetti around his fork, his face still unreadable - although she hoped from his willingness to meet up with her and his slightly more relaxed body language that he was more open to having a proper conversation about everything that was going on.

"You have every right to be angry at me, Ed," she started hesitantly, "but I don't want others to suffer for my mistake. Punish and hurt me all you want - but please, I'm begging you, don't drag Rafael and my squad into this too," she added more imploringly than she'd intended.

She put down her soup spoon - soup was the only thing she could ingest when her stomach felt like it was going to eat itself - and leaned in towards him in another attempt to read his facial expression. This was one skill she hadn't quite mastered all through their relationship, and she'd always wished she had - especially now.

Ed laid his fork to rest beside his plate and took a slow sip of his cappuccino, as though in slow motion, and Olivia anxiously tapped her foot against the floor, praying that he wouldn't get in her face or worse, storm off right in the middle of lunch hour while faces she recognised from the DA's office dined at the opposite end of the restaurant.

He put his cup down and sighed deeply before speaking, like what he had to say was physically painful to admit. Olivia leaned in with bated breath, ready to talk him down when he inevitably flew into a rage, but…

"I know. I'm sorry, Liv," he said quietly, fingers nervously laced.

Was that Ed Tucker… apologising to her? Olivia's jaw dropped.

Ed continued without making eye contact, although Olivia knew from his trembling voice that he meant every word he said. "I was angry, I did some really stupid things, crossed the line… I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

"Ed, I…"

He waved his hand in her direction, silencing her. "This is on me. I overreacted. I'm going to back off on the investigation, and I won't drag you and Barba's reputations through the mud. You don't have to worry anymore."

Olivia took a few seconds to process everything he'd just told her. She'd come expecting yet another argument, and if she were lucky, to get him to concede very reluctantly, but here he was, not only apologising, but also admitting that he'd overreacted? What on earth had gotten into him?

As though he'd read her mind - or maybe read the confused expression on her face - he explained, "A couple of people talked some sense into me."

She recalled Fin's sudden departure at lunchtime to run "errands" a couple of days ago - had he gone to set things straight with Ed? She decided not to ask, but felt her heart swell thinking of how lucky she was to have an incredibly loyal detective and friend in her corner. It had to be him.

"And…" he added, while Olivia tried to gather her thoughts, "I'm sorry that you had to find out about Rita and me like that." His face turned a beet red, and Olivia watched him fiddle nervously with his napkin, knowing that it definitely hadn't been easy for him to choke out.

"Well, given everything that I did, I think we're pretty even on that front…" she said remorsefully.

"I don't know why I didn't tell you about it." He sighed and stared out the window. "I know I should have told you at some point, but I guess I just couldn't find the words."

"And I think I know better than anyone exactly how that feels." Guilt hung heavy over their table, and their eyes found each other's, silently speaking their apologies.

"I guess that was the problem all along," he ruminated.

Olivia nodded in agreement. He was right - they never were going to last if they couldn't bare their souls to each other. All the fights they'd had, how she'd run to Rafael when she had something on her mind, how he'd never told her anything about his relationship with Rita - they were only symptoms of the much bigger problem at hand. Ed was stable and reliable, of course… but he simply wasn't a person she could peel back the layers to, or let into the deepest recesses of her heart.

"We've both done some pretty shitty things, huh?" he added, letting out a dry chuckle.

"We certainly have," she noted defeatedly, although she quickly straightened in her seat and cleared her throat. "Ed… Barba and I weren't involved. We've never been. It doesn't excuse everything that I did, but I just wanted to tell you, face-to-face…"

He didn't say a word, but nodded slowly to tell her that he believed her.

"I did love you, Ed, and a part of me will always be sorry for letting you down. You deserved so much better. I'm sorry things between us had to end this way."

He reached out for her hand and gave it a gentle, affectionate squeeze. "I'm sorry too, Liv."

She cracked a contented smile at him, feeling the last of her anxiety wash away. "We're even?"

He smiled back at her. "We're all good."

Half an hour later, Olivia watched Ed walk away in the direction of the DA's office, with a spring in his step she'd never quite seen before, and she realised as she walked back to her car that she felt exactly the same as he did. For the last couple of months she'd savoured all the little victories she'd gotten amidst this mess, but only now did it feel like the weight was truly and finally off her shoulders. It was all over.

As Olivia fished through her pockets for the keys to her car, she rushed to unlock her phone when she caught sight of a new email from Carmen.

Subject: ADA Rafael Barba - Return from Leave of Absence

Detectives,

This email is to officially inform you that ADA Rafael Barba's leave of absence is ending. He will be returning to work on the next business day (Monday)...

She broke into a jubilant - and relieved - smile. First she'd resolved the mess with Ed, and now Rafael was officially returning to work.

A part of her was still nervous about how she was going to work things out with Rafael - they certainly needed to sit down and have a serious conversation about how to handle things going forward - but at least she had the assurance that he'd chosen to come back to work. No more afternoons alone in her office wondering if she and Rafael would ever speak again: hopefully a return to their old work routine - the comfortable one they'd settled into before that sex trafficking investigation where things went downhill - would help them find some normalcy.

What was she even going to say to him when he first showed up on Monday? It'd probably consume her mind all weekend.

Even if she didn't know how exactly everything would play out, things were starting to look up, and Olivia let hope creep into her chest.

Even though he'd worn this very suit countless times, almost to the point of it feeling like a second skin, Rafael hadn't felt this alive - or energetic - in a long time.

As he walked down the familiar street, drinking in familiar sights and sipping coffee from the cart he'd visited for the first time in weeks, a buzz in his pocket brought him back to reality.

Everything's settled.

He looked at his phone and smiled.

What did you do, Rita?

You don't need to worry about it. Let's just say Ed was *very* unhappy to see me at his door.

He suppressed a chuckle thinking of Rita showing up at Ed Tucker's door and giving him a piece of her mind. Sure, Rita Calhoun was quite possibly the scariest friend he had, but that intensity came in handy when rescuing them from messy situations - like the one he'd just been in. What would he have done without her?

I owe you a huge one, you know.

You know I'm always in your corner, Raf. Don't mention it. And I heard you're back at work today.

Rafael adjusted the buttons of his jacket and dabbed at the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead - a combination of the balmy summer weather that hadn't yet given way to a breezy fall, and the nervousness he now felt as a familiar-looking building came into his field of vision.

Yup, I'm on my way there now.

I hope you work things out with Olivia.

Thanks, Rita. I hope so too.

Another message from Carmen quickly diverted his attention.

Mr. Barba, the Conviction Integrity Unit left a message saying that they're calling off the investigation on SVU's cases. They've decided to start with White Collar Crime instead.

Whatever Rita had done, clearly it had worked. Rafael's lips curled into a relieved grin.

Thanks, Carmen. I'll see you in the office later.

He stepped into the elevator, nodding at the duty officer at the reception desk, just like he always did when he arrived. It still smelled like stale coffee and pencil shavings, and the door hinges still squeaked as he pushed it open. Exactly like things were a month ago - except that he had his work cut out for him, and it wasn't just the legal type.

"Barba! Nice to see you back," Fin called out from across the squad room when he saw him emerge through the glass doors.

That caught Amanda and Sonny's attention, and they couldn't resist the smiles that appeared on their faces when they caught sight of the ADA. Finally, he saw Sonny mouth to her. The dark days of their replacement ADA were officially over.

Familiar faces, familiar sounds, familiar tables. Yup, he was officially back in the 16th Precinct. Drama be damned - this place had become a quasi-home of his, and being back made him realise that he didn't want to stay away for this long ever again.

Rafael took his usual seat around the table they'd gone over hundreds of cases at, and helped himself to the pitcher of coffee someone had laid out. Watery, weak and nowhere near as aromatic as his Cuban blends, but it tasted like home, and he luxuriated in the familiar taste of the brown liquid.

"Welcome back, Rafael," he heard a very familiar voice say from behind him, crystal-clear over the cacophony of noise in the squad room.

He turned around and was greeted by the smiling face of Olivia Benson, her brunette curls glistening under the harsh fluorescent lights, and floral blouse peeking from underneath her usual black jacket - a brighter choice than her usual dark-coloured wardrobe staples, but uniquely her nonetheless.

God, she's beautiful, he sighed to himself. How had he stayed away for so long; gone all those weeks without seeing her smile?

At the same time, he was happy they'd had this break - finally, it felt like they could start over once more. And judging from the joy written all over her face, they were going to do so on the right footing this time.

"Hi, Liv," he managed, a shy but excited smile forming on his face. God, he was already blushing like a love-smitten teenager, his eyes never leaving her as she confidently strode towards the head of the table.

"Let's get to work, everyone," Olivia announced, although Rafael could have sworn that she was looking directly at him.

"Let's do it," he replied, with a twinkle in his eye.