Olivia was stuck doing paperwork. Raphael had been trying to figure out precisely what his intro law school class would be, and although he had texted Liv and talked to Noah almost every night, it was currently Thursday, and he had missed seeing them. He knew he wanted to spend every second he could with them. No one in the DA's office has contacted him since he left. Rita had reached out, and a few other friends, but Rita had her own life, and if he had to admit it, Noah and Olivia were all he had. He knew he would make new friends at the law school. He felt like a ten-year-old thinking that way, but right now, it was only them, and it made him yearn to be with them even more.
Raphael quickly messaged Olivia checking if it was okay to meet her at her apartment, and of course, she agreed.
He only had to be with his newfound colleague Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, she only had two classes in the summer, and one started at noon and the other at 3 pm. She was accommodating and explained to him after the class how she decided to do notes, the fast pace of summer classes opposed to fall and spring semesters. She had been a professor for 15 years, and it showed. She tried to warn him of traps she fell into and told him that he will be shocked by how close he will get to some students. She told him that there is still a student she follows from 10 years ago and a girl who is now working in Congress for mental health reform. She mentioned another student from 5 years ago who works at Bellvue and another student from 2 years ago who just went on to get her doctorate. Raphael wasn't sure if he'd have the same relationships maybe, with time, but this first year, he just needed to prove to himself and the rest of the law school he could do it.
Raphael packed an overnight bag, not wanting another night alone, and went to the apartment. It was only four and knew he would meet Lucy at the apartment. When he arrived, Lucy and Noah had been building legos.
"Still no key?" Lucy stated.
Raphael didn't answer her.
Lucy looked at him and bit her lip for a second.
"Can I ask you a question?" Lucy asked.
"You just did, but go on," Raphael stated.
"Well, you know this is my last semester undergrad, and I am going to grad school after this," Lucy stated.
"Well, I have been seeing James for a while now, and I would like to be able to spend more time with him," Lucy stated.
"So you want to tell Liv your quitting?" Raphael stated.
"NO! No, I was just wondering do you think it would be too much to ask, if when I am with Noah if James comes around, not here, but the park, or when I have Noah, at my house. I know Liv would want to meet him first, but I don't even know how to broach the subject." Lucy admitted.
"Have you told Liv how serious it is between you and him?" Raphael asked.
"No." Lucy stated.
"Do you think it's he's the one?" Raphael asked.
"I don't believe in stuff like that," Lucy stated.
"You're the hopeless romantic trying to get details of our love life, and you don't believe there is a person out there for everyone?" Raphael asked.
"Nope, I think there are several, and sometimes you happen to choose someone who comes along in your life early on, and sometimes later on. Sometimes things don't work out, and it's no one's fault. Sometimes you are with the right person, but it's the wrong time. I think if you want to make it work, you will no matter what with whoever you are with." Lucy stated.
Raphael contemplated her thoughts for a moment and thought back through serious relationships and he didn't think any of them held a candle to Olivia.
"Sorry, have to disagree," Raphael stated.
"So you're saying that if you never met Olivia, you wouldn't eventually find someone else who you would want to be with." Lucy asked.
"Well I am not saying that, I am just saying things are different with her." Raphael stated.
"Things are different in every relationship, I don't think there is a perfect someone you have to make it work." Lucy stated.
"I'll agree with you there. If Olivia and I weren't friends for so long, I would never even believe she would even bat an eye at me." Raphael stated.
"Olivia had her eyes on you a long time, Raphael," Lucy stated.
Raphael's jaw dropped.
"What do you mean?" Raphael asked.
"Nothing, I shouldn't have said anything," Lucy stated.
"No, tell me." Raphael stated.
"Nothing, it's just Olivia talked about you all the time, even when she was with Ed. She would talk about you. You know she would choose you over him a lot." Lucy stated.
"We were busy; we had to talk about cases a lot," Raphael stated.
"No, she lied to him a lot, and I've seen her with you she was and is a lot different around you," Lucy stated.
Raphael wasn't mad at Lucy, or Olivia just mad at himself with what could have been, and they could have been doing this for a long time now. But he shook the thought out of his head, he was here now, and that's all that matters. Lucy walked away, and Noah asked Raphael to join them in lego building.
"Just talk to Liv, she trusts you if you trust James she'll at least entertain the idea," Raphael stated.
"I hope so." Lucy stated.
Noah was building a lego tower when out of the blue he said
"I wish you were here to build legos every day."
Raphael felt his heartache because he wanted nothing more than the same thing. How do you explain to a six-year-old that you want that but can't give it to him right away? Raphael didn't say anything, so Lucy took the lead.
"You know how you wish mommy was home all the time, but she's out catching bad guys?" Lucy stated.
Noah simply nodded.
"Well, Raphael is going to teach people how to keep the bad guys in jail, and he is working really hard, so he makes sure they learn what to do so the bad guys can go away for a long time," Lucy stated.
"But that doesn't mean he can't live with mommy and me," Noah stated.
Raphael's heart clenched again. Technically the little boy was right, but without missing a beat, Lucy came back and said.
"Maybe one day you'll all live together, but right now, your mom and Raphael need to get to know one another better, and they both have apartments they have lived in for a long time. Think of your two favorite toys, and then being told you could only keep one, it could take you a long time to decide which one to keep, right?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, forever even," Noah stated.
"Exactly, think of it like that your mommy and Raphael both like where they live, and if you guys moved in together, one of them would have to pack up everything and move to the other place, or find a totally different place together. It takes a long time to make important choices, and if they make a choice too quick, it could be the wrong one." Lucy stated.
"I guess that it's okay then," Noah stated.
Raphael smiled and lipped, "Thank you." to Lucy.
Olivia walked through the door to see all 3 of them on the ground with legos everywhere.
"Mommy!" Noah screamed and ran to her.
"Hey, sweet boy." Olivia hugged him back.
"Mommy I went to the park today, and Lucy wants to know if you'll meet her boyfriend James." Noah shouted.
Raphael couldn't help but laugh, and Lucy turned beet red.
"Well, I guess that's one way to ask," Raphael stated.
"I'm sorry Liv, I didn't know he heard me." Lucy stated.
"So James, huh, that's who it is who has you out on the weekends." Olivia teased.
"Yeah, We've been seeing each other for about nine months now." Lucy stated.
"Lucy, why didn't you say something sooner," Olivia asked.
"I don't know I wasn't sure if it was that serious until recently, and I don't want to bring someone into the rest of my life if I'm not sure where it's going," Lucy stated.
"Well, I appreciate that," Olivia stated.
"So you're wondering if he can come over and hang out when you're here." Olivia asked.
"No, I wouldn't do that, just if Noah and I were at the park or going for lunch." Lucy stated.
"Well, you guys pick a time, and I would love to meet him," Olivia stated.
"Mommy, what's for dinner?" Noah asked.
"What do you want?" Olivia asked.
"Can we have hamburgers?" Noah asked.
"Of course." Olivia stated.
Lucy packed up her stuff and left, Raphael followed Olivia into the kitchen and helped her as Noah continued building a tower taller than him in the living room.
"Noah asked why we don't live together today," Raphael stated.
"What did you say?" Olivia stated.
"I didn't know what to say. Lucy saved the day," Raphael stated.
"How am I supposed to answer that when I ask myself the same thing," Raphael stated as she pulled her close him.
She dropped the spatula at his confession. Her whole body tingled as he put his lips on her neck. Her heart was racing, and if Noah weren't in the living room playing, she would have already been all over him. She moaned in pleasure, and Raphael continued, but knew the little boy in the living room was more intuitive then he realized and stopped picking up the spatula and getting Olivia a new one before the burgers burnt.
Olivia couldn't imagine either one of the moving into each other's apartments. Olivia and Noah's was too homey for Raphael Barba, and Raphael even though he had more space and the "spare room" which he had cleaned out since getting the NYU professorship, it didn't seem quite right yet. Maybe it was an option, but right now, that was a lot at once, so she stared down at the burgers trying to focus her whole mind at cooking them and would let her mind wander to that future another time.
Dinner was ate, and Noah had talked them into letting him stay up late to watch America's Got Talent, it didn't go off until ten, and they weren't sure he would make it to the end, but sure enough, his lids started closing as soon as the credits showed.
Raphael tucked him in, and Olivia was waiting outside the door.
"Rafa…" Olivia whispered.
Raphael was on immediate alert. Her lips instantly on his. Her hands all over his body a desperate need that she had been patiently waiting for, and Raphael was willing to allow her to do whatever she wanted with him.
Raphael was pinned up against Noah's closed door. He was praying that the latch was secure because all of his weight and hers was up against it. They were impossibly close, and Raphael felt as if they had melted together, and the shivers he felt as fingers grazed all over him was enough to make his knees go weak.
"I missed you." He stated.
"More than you know," Olivia stated.
"No, It's pretty clear." Raphael laughed.
She smiled back, and shoved him, playfully turning away from him.
He followed her into the bedroom. Olivia was taking her clothes off all at once. Raphael was desperately trying to keep up with her, but all the buttons got in the way. She teased him as she lay on the bed on full display not helping one bit with the buttons he was stumbling over, and she knew he wouldn't dare rip one, it was his favorite silk shirt, and so she just laid there holding back the urge to rip them off herself.
When he was finally bare, he joined her on top of the covers, neither one hiding from one another it was sensual, the lights were on, and it wasn't romantic, it was just pure need of one another. Olivia didn't want to waste any time. She pulled him on top of her and pulling him close touching him as if she did in the hallway, and she was all over him kissing where ever her lips could touch, touching where ever her fingers could trace and greedily bucking her hips in want of the man who was currently on top of her.
Raphael was inside of Olivia in record time, and her warmth instantly did him in. This was the 2nd time he had been with her, and it was different that the first this was raw and needy and he knew she needed him just as bad as he did her, and this time it was fast, and unforgiving and felt intense. It was almost over as fast as it began. Both breathing in deeply moaning in pleasure and when Olivia finished right before Raphael, he had never heard a deeper moan come out of her mouth and that's what sent him over the edge. He instantly rolled over to his side of the bed after he was finished, but neither wanted to lose the warmth, and face to face they stuck their whole bodies together despite the sheen of sweat that washed over both of their bodies they stayed there another half hour until they agreed on a change of bed sheets and a shower was a good idea.
They were both tired and didn't even acknowledge each other in the shower, they both washed themselves knowing that this late on a weekday would spell disaster if they started touching each other again. Olivia got out first and wrapped her robe around her as Raphael thought about how lucky he was to enjoy the view, let alone share the bed with her. He scrubbed the soap out of his hair and changed and put on his clothes before helping Olivia with new sheets and laying back down.
Olivia had her arm wrapped around his torso, and he felt so many things at once. He felt happy, he felt needed, and most of all, he felt love. Something he had thought was a bit of a lost cause on him before her. He was thinking about his future, and every time he did, he pictured Olivia and Noah in it. Then he got thinking about the both of them, and he was overthinking like he tended to do he suddenly realized he didn't even know Olivia's birthday, or Noah's for that matter. He didn't know what her favorite restaurant is or if she wanted more kids. He didn't know a whole lot of her history, and his heart raced, and breath quickened, and suddenly, he felt like he didn't know Olivia at all and how she didn't know him either. He tried to breathe through the panic attack he was having. Knowing he could easily remedy the situation in time, he made a plan; plans calmed him down. So he thought he would call Lucy and give her quadruple pay if needed. All he wanted was to sit down and learn everything there is to know about Olivia Benson. Raphael fell asleep feeling confident in his plan.
Morning came slowly, and for that, Raphael was thankful. Despite the minor panic attack, he had gotten himself some rest. He seemed to sleep better next to Olivia. Olivia's alarm hadn't rung he looked over to see it was only 6:30 and she had another hour before her alarm went off he turned over finding her on the edge of the bed, and laid his arm across her side his and against her thigh and drifted back to sleep.
Raphael heard the alarm but didn't want to let Olivia get up, he wished they could stay that way forever, but knew that they couldn't. He let her turn off her alarm but reached over towards her; she turned overlooking at him, she reached towards his face and rubbed it.
"Morning Rafa." Olivia stated.
"Mmm morning." Raphael stated.
"you sure you can't take a sick day?" Raphael asked.
Olivia laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure."
Raphael thought about last night and looked at her, she instantly knew he wanted to ask her something he wasn't entirely comfortable asking.
"What is it Raphael?" Olivia asked as she rubbed his arm.
"Can we have this weekend together, just you and me?" Raphael asked.
Olivia thought about it for a second it would make Lucy work two weekends in a row, but she couldn't deny she has been thinking the same thing herself.
"Lucy will be here soon, ask her," Olivia stated.
Raphael nodded his head, Olivia turned over to go, but he stopped her.
"I have to get ready," Olivia stated.
"5 more minutes?" Raphael asked.
"You're impossible," Olivia stated.
"You didn't say no." Raphael pointed out.
"Five," Olivia stated.
Raphael pulled her close, and she couldn't deny the warmth she felt when he was beside her. She relished the time she had with him. After about 10 minutes she knew if she didn't start getting ready, she would be late, so pulled away, and Raphael let her go. He got up and got dressed for the day, excluding his jacket tie and suspenders, and walked out once again, making breakfast and deciding on french toast.
Lucy came through the door at 8 am, and Raphael set down a plate of french toast for her.
"What do you want?" She asked jokingly.
Raphael lost his breath for a second.
"This isn't a bribe, but… " Raphael stated.
"Your want to actually cash in on your weekend that I gave you weeks ago but didn't follow through with." Lucy finished his sentence.
"In not so many words," Raphael stated.
Lucy smiled widely.
"Yeah, of course." I have things I need to do tonight, but I can be over anytime tomorrow.
"How about 5, I want to take Liv, to dinner," Raphael stated.
"That can be arranged," Lucy stated.
"We'll be back Sunday evening." Raphael stated.
"Maybe I'll introduce Noah to coffee over the weekend." Lucy stated.
"You wouldn't." Raphael stated.
"Well, with lots of milk and sugar, I can see it being his new favorite drink." Lucy laughed.
"He's our kid. He will be addicted soon enough." Raphael stated.
Lucy stared at the man, and he was confused why. What did he say that had her looking at him like that.
He thought back 'He's our kid.'
Lucy smiled when it hit him what he said his mouth opened and shut like a fish.
"You know Liv and Noah would love to hear you say that." Lucy stated.
"It just feels like this is all moving so fast," Raphael stated.
"It is, but it isn't you've known Olivia for six years and Noah for 5. You are making up for the lost time. He loves you too. And Olivia would want nothing more than a daddy for Noah. She knows you're it." Lucy stated.
"I don't know Lucy, I want to believe that more than anything, but its a big step. I won't just walk out him, and if this doesn't work out, I don't know what I'd do." Raphael confessed.
"Sounds like you and Liv have a lot to discuss this weekend," Lucy stated.
"That we do." Raphael agreed.
He continued making enough french toast for Olivia, Noah, and himself. Olivia I didn't walk out to long after the conversation ended with Lucy.
Olivia ate happily and smiled when Noah walked out of his room before she left for the day. She hugged him goodbye. She kissed Raphael and said she would try to be home by 6. He pulled her close once more before she headed to work.
"You're too cute," Lucy stated.
Noah seemed preoccupied with his breakfast to make comments of even realize what Lucy was discussing.
Raphael blushed.
"Glad your not an English major, I have a feeling you'd write a romance novel based on the two of us." Raphael stated.
"You don't need an English major to write a book," Lucy stated.
"Great, now I've given you an idea." Raphael joked.
Lucy had a paper she had been proofing for her childhood development class and had it in her bag by the floor, she pulled it out to tease him, but for a moment he thought it wasn't a joke his eyes went wide. She said.
"Its the first chapter."
Raphael's mind took longer than it should to process the joke, and his heart stopped for a second until Lucy giggled and threw him the paper, something to do with the history of child development.
"Not funny." Raphael simply stated.
Raphael had decided he should go into his office a little early he still had a lot of work to do. He watched a cartoon with Noah for about an hour, and finished getting ready and was about to head out the door.
"Why do you and mommy both have to work?" Noah asked.
"Well, most adults work to make money so that they can take care of their self, and their family," Raphael explained.
"Well mommy worked before you started coming over all the time, and we were fine, why can't you just stay here with me?" Noah asked.
"Well, mommy loves you, but she loves her job too. She's helping other people. She makes money at a job she loves so she can pay for this apartment, and your clothes and your food, and for Lucy to take care of you. I have my own apartment, and I have to pay for all my suits and the windows overlooking the water, they aren't cheap." Raphael explained.
"I just really miss you and mommy when you're not here," Noah stated.
"I know mijo and mommy, and I miss you a whole lot too. I will be around the same time, mommy comes home, and we can do whatever you want." Raphael stated.
"Okay, I love you," Noah stated.
"Oh, Noah, I love you too," Raphael stated as he hugged the little boy close. Tears were threatening to fall, and he said goodbye to Lucy and walked out the door wondering how on earth the little boy could say just the right thing to make him crumble.
When Raphael walked through the door, Noah was excited to see him and told Raphael this excellent plan Lucy had come up with to kick him and Olivia out of the apartment for the weekend so they could eat ice cream for breakfast, and watch the scary show on tv that mommy would say no too and they would even go to the M&M world to get candy.
Raphael laughed.
"Well, don't tell your mommy of those plans she might just say no, it will be our secret." Raphael stated."
"Okay, but you got to get mommy out of here when Lucy comes Saturday," Noah stated.
"I think I can manage that," Raphael stated.
Olivia walked through the door with groceries deciding salad would be right on the hot day for dinner. Lucy left, saying she would see them tomorrow evening, and Olivia got to work cooking some chicken breast to top their salad. Noah didn't tell his mom about all the cool things Lucy promised him. He took a bath and went to sleep without a fight. Raphael and Olivia glued themselves to the couch, both excited for the prospects of tomorrow.
