There he stood, outside her now opened front door. Red in the face, likely from drinking though perhaps from the tear stains.

"I'm sorry-" Elliot started.

Liv held up a hand and shook her head, "you should know better than to slam on this door at this house at this hour."

"You weren't sleeping, you're still wearing jeans," he counterd.

"I'm not the only one who lives here, Elliot."

He grimaced as she used his whole name, "I needed to see you."

"I don't want to see you. Not only because of what you said earlier but you also chose to make an unwanted advance on a superior officer, specifically captain of the Special Victims Unit. You do remember that, right? I'm a Captain," she shook her head, "I told you to call when you cooled off."

"I have been calling."

She remembered then that she'd muted her phone before dinner because she didn't want to be interrupted by work.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Let me come in and explain."

"No, Elliot. No. We are friends and we will always be friends but that's all we'll ever be. And if that upsets you I am sorry, I am. And if you hate me, that's okay. I'll still be your friend even if you're not mine."

"He's here, isn't he?"

"I'm closing the door now because you smell like booze, you're clearly not listening to me, and I really don't need this tonight," she started pushing the door closed.

One of his large hands came up and pushed against the door, "he's here, isn't he?"

The moment he made that move, Rafael was behind her, "she asked you to leave."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Elliot countered, his volume increasing slightly, "you think you can just set my wife's killer free and then screw my partner?"

"What am I going to do about it?" Rafael's voice was calm and soft, "aside from being appalled that you would come to your former partner's home in the middle of the night and raise your voice when there are sleeping children?"

Elliot's face reddened further, "yeah what the hell are you gonna do about it?"

Liv turned to Rafa, it was a clear warning not to try to physically go toe to toe with Elliot.

But that wasn't his intention, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and turned his back to mumble into the phone.

"Did you just call the police on a police officer? What kind of idiot are you?" Elliot pushed harder on the door.

The pushing knocked Liv off balance and she stumbled against Rafa, who righted her again.

"Momma?" Noah's voice was soft behind them.

"You need to go," her voice was low and dangerous as she nearly growled the words.

"Go, Liv. I got it," Rafa slipped past her so she could go back into the apartment, putting himself between the drunken and angry detective and his family.

"You got it?" Elliot laughed.

Olivia squeezed Rafa's shoulder and mumbled an "I'm sorry" as she moved to take care of Noah and Aspen who she could see peeking from the bedroom door further in.

"You really think you can make me leave?" Elliot looked down at the shorter man.

"I don't, in fact, I almost hope you don't go," Rafael smiled at him, his own drunken-ness just glossing the edges of the ever cocky smirk on his face.

"Whatever reverse psych lawyer crap you think this is, won't work on me. You are keeping me from the woman that I love."

"Stabler, the woman you love asked you to leave. If you truly loved her, you would respect her wishes. But I hear you have a history of disrespecting her."

"You hear that? Is that so? So you've heard that you betrayed her?"

"I have, yeah. And I'll never forgive myself for hurting her as much as I did but I did what I did to protect her because no one else was."

"I protect her."

"You put her in the situations that she needs the protection from. How many times did she put her own ass, her own job and life, on the line for you? And how many times did you protect her? And where were you to protect her from all of the crap over the last decade? Where were you when she was taken from us? Where were you when her son was kidnapped? Where were you when she needed you, Stabler? Were you with your family or were you avoiding them by pretending to be a hero somewhere else?"

Elliot smiled, it was a wicked smile similar to one he had years and years ago when Sonya Paxton had slapped him across the face and he laughed in response.

"All of that is funny to you?"

"I think it's funny that a man who doesn't know me and wasn't there is standing in front of me trying to tell me how things are."

Rafael's cocky demeanor didn't crack or shift, it was impenetrable the same way it was in the court room. Unless Elliot threw a punch, Rafael would win every time. He always fought with words. This was his turf. If Elliot got physical, then he'd be in trouble.

"You're not denying anything or answering any questions. Have you always deflected things like this? Do you get physical because you can't articulate what you want to get across? Or is physical the only response you know because it was used on you?"

"Don't act like you know me, Barba."

"I only know what I've read in your rap sheet. Everything else is merely speculation but your lack of denial speaks far louder than any threats or threatening tones. Thus far I've learned that you didn't care to protect Liv in any way during that decade you were away and someone got physical with you. Shall I continue or are you leaving?"

"I came here to see Olivia."

"And you saw her. She said she didn't want to see you. I do think I've seen that you have a history of hearing only what you want, though. Interesting."

"Do you ever get tired of the sound of your own voice? Just let me in and go home. I'll take care of Liv."

"I don't think I'm going to do that and no. I don't get tired of the sound of my own voice. Unlike you, I kind of like myself. You reek of someone who deals with a lot of self-loathing. It carries, like the scent of wet dog or booze. The fact that you're still standing here speaks volumes to your lack of self preservation."

"What the hell does that mean? What are you gonna do? Make some little phone call and not have anything come of it?"

"We live in New York City, big man."

"What does that matter?"

"Means we got caught in traffic."

Elliot turned and came face to face with Odafin Tutuola, flanked by Dominick Carisi Jr. and Amanda Rollins.

"What are you doing here?" Elliot spat.

"We're here to ask you to leave on behalf of our captain," Fin gave a dry smile.

Rafael's cocky smirk grew as he felt Olivia return behind him.

Elliot was surely outnumbered and far outranked, he turned and looked at Olivia, "don't let them poison you against me, Liv. You know in your heart, in your heart you know the truth."

Fin and Carisi each took one of Elliot's arms.

He wrenched himself free, "I'm going," he looked at Rafael, "someday you'll fight your own battles and you won't win. Until then have fun fighting other people's."

They all watched as Elliot stormed toward the elevator and as he slammed the button hard enough that Liv was worried he'd break it.

Once he was gone, Rafael turned to the new arrivals, "thank you."

"I almost didn't answer you," Fin said, "figured if you were callin' this late, though, probably had something to do with Liv."

"I didn't anticipate the whole battalion but I do appreciate your assistance, all of you," he gave an incredibly sincere and grateful smile to them all.

"Thank you," Liv's voice was soft.

The three of them nodded.

"If he shows up again, don't hesitate to call, alright, Liv? If you don't want him around, we'll make sure he isn't," Amanda said.

"And if it really gets bad, I can get some legal help," Carisi added.

"I'll just show up and look at him that disappointed way I always have. Never forget when I hated him, still do sometimes," Fin tossed in.

"Thank you all, really. He's proving to not be worth the time or effort right now," Liv shrugged, "but I appreciate how quickly you all got here."

"We appreciate it," Rafael corrected softly, "I owe you all."

"You do. More than just for this," Fin raised an eyebrow, "I'm gonna head out, though. Y'all be good."

He waved at them and made eye contact with Liv to check in.

She gave a nod and smile.

And with that Fin headed for the elevator, "I'll make sure he's gone before I leave the lot."

Amanda looked at Rafael, "remember what I said earlier about forgiveness and the three of us?"

The lawyer nodded.

"We gotta go, too," she said, "I left the girls with a neighbor."

She headed toward the elevator.

Carisi hesitated a moment longer to give Liv a smile and he reached out and gave Rafael's shoulder a firm squeeze, "call if you need," and then he followed Amanda.

Rafael pushed the door closed finally and turned to Liv.

She looked utterly exhausted.

He wrapped an arm carefully around her shoulder and tugged her down gently, just enough to press a careful kiss to her head, "go get ready for bed, darling. I'll sleep on the couch."

"We're adults, Rafa, we can share my bed."

His look asked if she was sure without any words.

She nodded and took a moment to clean up the wine glasses and the rest of the bottle.

He grabbed the bag of things he'd brought along and followed her as she headed to her bedroom.

They changed into their pajamas, taking turns in the bathroom, and unceremoniously went to sleep with a soft kiss on Liv's head once again.

Rafael was awoken sometime in the night by Olivia thrashing beside him.

He was afraid to touch her and add to any nightmare she may be having so he tried whispering to wake her. Then he tried speaking at a low, gentle volume but as the thrashing continued he realized he was going to have to get creative. He started humming and slowly started singing to her as she still didn't wake.

When she finally calmed down and woke up, she was crying and her breaths were shaky.

"Is it alright if I hold you?" He whispered through the dark to her.

Without hesitation, she curled into his chest and allowed him to envelope her in his arms.

He was curious about the nightmare but he knew better than to ask. He figured she would tell him in her own time. He continued softly humming to her and rubbed her back gently.

Neither of them spoke any further and eventually she drifted back to sleep in his arms.

He laid awake a bit longer, he listened to the sound of her rhythmic breathing and relished the way she felt curled up against him. He was overwhelmed with adoration for this woman and couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky to have this moment. To have this night, even if it had been rudely interrupted. He carefully smoothed her hair and moved to press the softest kiss he could to her head, he didn't want to wake her, so he kept his movement minimal and eventually sleep took him again, too.

Rafael was woken up by Olivia shifting against his chest and the warmth of the very early morning sun coming through the window. He could vaguely hear her cell phone buzzing as he moved to let go of her.

Once she'd been freed from his arms, Liv rolled to grab her phone on the bedside table. She slid her thumb across the screen to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cap. Sorry to wake you, we got a call from Velasco, he's covering overnight at the precinct and he just heard that the son, one of the two kids who inherited the facility, had a… let's call it a rough night come over the wire," it was Fin.

"Slow down, what do you mean?" She sat up and rubbed at her face.

"The original owner and CEO was Marigold "Goldie" Sullivan," Fin explained, "she and her first husband had their son, Sebastian, and then with second husband had daughter, Sophia. Sebastian and Sophia took over the business when Goldie passed."

"Okay, go on," Liv glanced at Rafael who was watching her and reached to take his hand with her free one.

He played with her fingers while he listened to her side of the conversation.

"We spoke to Sebastian and Sophia Sullivan yesterday. Asked them if they had anyone on their staff that they didn't exactly trust and Sophia was adamant that their staff was incredibly trustworthy while Sebastian got real quiet."

"Why didn't you tell me all of this earlier?" Liv inquired.

"We just wanted to give you the basics. Sebastian was the one who claimed he was an innovator in their field."

"So your theory is that the brother is doing the shady business and the sister is unaware? Or do you think she's just the better liar?"

"Sebastian is currently en route to the hospital because he tried to take his own life. I think he's feeling guilty about something, but I think they both knew what was goin' down. There was a few other doctors on staff that wouldn't talk to us so we gotta get that warrant from Carisi and take a stab at them."

"Alright. I trust you, Fin. Just call me before you make any arrests or if you need some direction. Go to the hospital and see if you can get anything from the sister or, at least, get called if he wakes up or otherwise."

"You got it, Liv."

There was a long pause where neither of them spoke or hung up and she could feel a question hanging in the air even over the phone.

"What is it?"

"I just wanted to know if you're doin' alright after last night."

"I'm okay, Fin. Thanks. Keep me posted, okay?"

"You got it. Call if you need us, too. Okay?"

"Of course."

"Oh, and hey, it's up to you but since you can't really do much in office, maybe you should take the day. Spend some time with the kid, well, kids and we'll call if we need you."

"I can't just-"

"You can. I can take care of the office and you can be on call if we need you to come in. We all know you need a break."

"I'll think about it."

"You do that. Keep me posted."

"Thanks. You do the same."

And with that he was gone.

Liv slid her phone back onto the nightstand and laid back down with a sigh as Rafael continues to sleepily watch her.

"Lot going on?" He asked, his voice a bit raspier than normal.

"Never stops. It's fine."

He laughed slightly, "there's that word again."

"Do I really do that that much?" She looked over at him.

He gave her a tired, amused smile, "yes. When you're stressed and tired and you don't want to explain things mostly. It's alright, though. I've learned to be able to tell when it's actually fine and when it's not. There's a tone to each."

She smiled a bit, "so you can read my tones now?"

"For years, actually. The difference between the fines is much more obvious than others, though. You just sound more exasperated when things aren't really fine."

"Is that so?"

He nodded and smiled at her.

She reached over and carefully brushed her the fingers of her free hand over the beard, straightening out a few places that got messed up in the night.

His eyes softened with adoration as she did so, "do you like the beard then?"

"Would you be offended if I said I genuinely don't have an opinion? I think it's quite magnificent and handsome, but I also think it hides your face. You did say it helps you, though, so I would never ask you to shave it. I want you to make your own decisions on it."

A small smile came to his face, "what an incredible non-answer."

"What? You thought I would tell you to keep or to shave it?"

"You? Of course, not. You're Olivia Benson."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I didn't expect you to tell me what to do. I just wanted to hear your thoughts because I generally like to hear what's going on in that head of yours."

She turned so she was laying facing him, "you are just so charismatic, aren't you?"

"No, not really. I'm just very good at pretending I am," he laughed.

"Which I think makes you actually charismatic."

He rolled his eyes playfully at her, "can you give me an update on what's happening or do you think it's better we don't discuss it?"

"Probably better we don't. I'm not even supposed to have the level of knowledge I have since I recused myself. On your advice, I might add."

"You're blaming me?"

"No, I'm reminding you."

"I was going to say."

She hummed at him, "I, however, can tell you that Fin thinks I should take the day and just be on call if I'm needed since I can't do much in the office."

His heart fluttered just a bit at the idea of the four of them getting to spend the day together, "what do you think you're going to do?"

"I wanted your opinion. I know he's right but I also feel like I'm not doing my job as captain if I'm not in the building, even if I'm on call."

"I think Noah would love to spend time with you and I think it would give you time to get to know Aspen a bit more."

She had a feeling he was hiding something, "yeah. That's true."

"And I was thinking I might take them to the park and to get ice cream later this afternoon."

"After work?"

"I don't work today. Wednesdays and the weekends are my days off."

She smiled a bit, "and you were going to tell me this, when?"

"Well, early enough that you could let Lucy know that she doesn't have to come take care of Noah today. She deserves a break. Not because he's a difficult kid or anything, please don't take that the wrong way-"

"Raf, I knew you meant because she works so many hours for me."

He let out a heavy sigh, "okay good."

She smiled, "you don't have to worry about upsetting me, Rafa. You really don't."

He looked back and forth between her eyes and turned a bit more to fully face her, "I'm not worried about upsetting you, per se."

"Go on."

"I'm worried… I'm worried that you'll change your mind about last night's conversation. That you'll decide you were wrong about me," he admitted quietly.

Her face softened, "Rafa."

"No, I know it's dumb. I do. It's irrational. I know. I just," he released a frustrated groan, directed at himself, "Liv, I have wanted this for years and now that it's here, I'm terrified of being a dumbass and messing it up somehow."

"Rafa, I know you well enough to know when you're joking, to know when you're hiding things, and to know when to stay out of your way. You don't have to walk on eggshells because you're worried about this relationship."

His heart pounded in his chest as he heard her refer to it as a relationship.

"Things aren't going to change that much between us, Raf. We're going to be best friends and we're going to argue and we're going to have disagreements and fights and some days we're gonna swear we hate each other."

His brow furrowed, "I don't think I've ever felt that way about you."

"You probably will at some point when I have to miss some date or anniversary because of work."

He shook his head and smiled, "I'll never be mad at you for your job. The way you handle your job is part of the reason I loved you in the first place, Liv. You're always fighting for the victim, sometimes even the ones who don't think they want you to fight for them. You're a hero."

A slight redness appeared on her cheeks and she sighed, "I don't feel that way."

"That's okay, I'll remind you as many times as you need me to."

She rolled her eyes a bit, "okay. Can I continue?"

He nodded and gestured for her to go ahead.

"We're gonna argue and pick on each other the way we always have. We're gonna have disagreements. Things aren't going to change that drastically between us."

He smiled a little.

"There is going to be a couple changes, though."

"Like what?"

"Like this," she leaned forward and rested one hand on the side of his face, her lips finding his.

Rafael's eyes fluttered shut and one of his arms slipped around her waist and pulled her across the bed, closer to him. There was a need to his kiss, one that hadn't been there before.

Liv tugged back and looked at him, her breathing a bit labored, "do you remember the day in my office, right after you took the Mickey Davis case?"

"The day I met Garland, yeah," he wiped the edge of his mouth and cleared his throat, trying to hide the fact that he had no clue why this was coming up now and that he was a bit disappointed by the interruption.

She noticed his slight fidgeting and smiled, "after he left, it was you and I. I said he's guilty and you said 'that depends on the jury'."

He was confused as to why she was bringing this up, why she remembered the conversation so clearly. His face reflected the confusion.

Olivia took a deep breath, she knew now that he hadn't noticed her reaction, the way she'd paused when he'd asked that question and the smirk he had. Her brown eyes searched his face.

"What about it?" He inquired, he didn't sound frustrated.

Rafael's memory of that case was primarily the fact that Liv had called, how happy he'd been to sit across the table from her. How disappointed he'd been, thinking she was angry with him, when she didn't show up to get a drink before he'd had to leave. The way he'd wanted to hug her on that sidewalk after they'd talked but hadn't because he knew if he touched her, he'd snap, but if she asked he probably would've said it was social distancing.

"That was the moment I realized that I wasn't going to get over you, I wasn't going to be okay with you being gone from the DAs office. That was the moment I realized my life was intrinsically intertwined with yours," Liv explained.

"What was it about that moment?" He questioned, he didn't understand.

"The smirk, it's always the damn smirk, but there was this air. It'd been there so many times when you were in prosecution but that time… that… that cockiness. The confidence," she began.

Hearing her describe it, he remembered now. He remembered the way she'd paused and looked at him. He remembered the way she'd ushered him out not long after while mumbling that she couldn't be involved with the defense. He remembered that feeling he'd gotten deep in the pit of his stomach.

"And how long it had been since I'd seen you in person, since I'd seen that smirk right in front of me."

He tightened his arm around her, "you practically threw me out of your office."

"You remember."

He nodded, "not the words I said, no. I don't remember any of what we said as you shoved me out."

She was curious now because she knew where she was headed with this, why it had interrupted their kissing.

"I remember that I wasn't mad that you were throwing me out because I knew I needed to leave or I would do something I couldn't take back."

"How do you mean?"

He bit the inside of his cheek, his lips pursed as he considered, "if I'm being honest, I don't remember anything past saying it was up to a jury. I remember the way you looked at me. I remember the way you paused and the taken aback look on your face and I remember that normally in that moment I would've been worried about you being angry but that… I remember I wasn't worried. I remember that that was the moment I realized just how badly I wanted to bend you over that desk."

Liv practically choked on the breath she'd just taken as he spoke so crassly, her eyes widened slightly. She couldn't find words to say in that moment because seconds before she'd been prepared to say something similar but not nearly as brash and up front.

"I'm sorry, that was…" Rafael started to pull his hand from her waist, worry etched across his features.

Her hand flew to clamp his there and she looked at him, fire dancing in her eyes, "that's why I'd paused. That's why I threw you out so fast because never in my life had I heard you say something or give me a look like that one… that just… caused something to snap."

His heart was pounding, his eyes searched across her face, and he pulled her closer again. She was pressed tightly against him now.

"Raf, I don't think, in my life, I ever needed someone the way I needed you in that moment and it's partially why I was late to drinks."

"And here I thought you were upset with me."

"Part of me was."

"And the other part?"

"Couldn't stop imagining your very, very expensive suit strewn across my office."

The smile that took his face hearing her say that was unlike any she'd ever seen. Unlike any he'd ever felt. It was almost dark, as one of his legs moved to drape over hers and pull her even closer.

"I have dreamt about your office several times since then," he admitted.

"Probably not unlike the way I once dreamt of your office," she muttered, her eyes slipping to his mouth and back up.

"The kids will be up soon," he whispered as his face moved closer to hers.

"I know," she breathed, "but I think I'm free tonight."

"Good, me too," and his mouth was on hers.