Sunday morning was the first quiet morning Olivia had had for a while, as she lazily opened her eyes, the glowing numbers on the digital clock swimming into her view blearily. She closed her eyes again, and snuggled once more into her pillow. She could feel Barba's arm resting heavily on her waist, as he snored softly behind her. She blinked open her eyes once more, and squinted a little to focus her vision as she looked at the bright red numbers. She was surprised when she saw it read 8 am. Noah usually woke up by 7 tops, and he usually woke up a couple of times during the night. Not to mention Savina. She wasn't sure if she should be glad or absolutely horrified that Savina didn't wake up screaming in the middle of the night. She had left the door to her room open, and Olivia had put the baby monitor on the dresser by Noah's door facing Savina's room so she could hear Savina in case of a nightmare. She didn't know if that meant Savina closed the door, the monitor, or just somehow endured the nightmares on her own. Or worse, had some sort of relapse, and was either unconscious, hurt, or even worse...dead.
In her hurry to get out of bed and check on Savina, she wasn't as gentle as she normally was when slipping from under Barba's arm, and his eyes flew open when his arm hit the bed.
"Liv, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, when he saw her jerky movements as she pulled her yoga pants on, and headed for the door.
"It's 8 am, and Savina didn't wake up a single time during the night," she stated almost frantically, the door already swinging open.
The sleep fog was gone in a second, as he too swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulled a shirt over his head, and followed her out. His brain had jumped to the same conclusions her did, and he didn't like either scenario. He had barely made it out of their room, when her panicked voice reached him. "Rafi!"
The master bedroom was located in a hallway by its own, along with the in-suite bathroom, and the linen closet. While another hallway housed the other two rooms, a small bathroom, another closet, and the make-shift office Barba had set up for himself. And in less than a second, Barba had closed the distance from their room, to where Olivia was standing, glued to the spot between Savina and Noah's rooms, which were facing each other. Both doors were open, and both beds were empty.
Olivia's head ran wild with scenarios, each more terrifying than the other. She wanted to move, to go check the rest of the apartment, but her feet refused to work. Her eyes were frantic as she pleadingly looked at Barba, as if he somehow held the answer to where both her children seem to have suddenly disappeared.
Luckily for her, Barba didn't have the habit of jumping to conclusions like she did. After all, he hadn't been working SVU nearly as long as she was, so his first response wasn't to always assume the worst. He perfectly understood why she would react like this, but he also knew that if her brain wasn't too busy panicking, she would've noticed the same things he did; the baby monitor was switched off, and no longer on the dresser by the bed where they left it; Savina's bed - while showing signs of being used - was missing one of the pillows; and most importantly, the faint sound coming from the living room. She would've also remembered that she was the one who locked the door, windows, triple checked them, that they lived on the twelfth floor, and the fire-escape ladder didn't lead to any of the windows. His heart broke when he saw the panic and fear in her eyes, as she silently begged him to give her an answer. He put his hands on her arms, and held her gaze firmly and reassuringly, before he spoke. "Why don't we check the living room?" he kept his voice low and leveled. Since there were no sounds of scampering feet as a certain toddler made his way towards them, he assumed that they didn't hear Olivia's panicked cry moments ago, and he didn't want to startle them. She wordlessly nodded, and he maneuvered her towards the living room, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, while the other held onto her hand firmly.
The noises coming from the living room grew louder as they approached the room, and Barba immediately recognized the monotonous voice of the morning stock market news report. He frowned, Noah would never allow Savina to watch something like this - especially this early in the morning, and not when morning cartoons were on - and he seriously doubted that Savina had any interest in the stock market. He knew Olivia heard the sound from the TV when he felt her body relax slightly, but one look at her face told him that the same thoughts were going through her head.
Once they reached the room, Olivia released the breath she was holding, and her face broke into a smile at the sight that greeted her. Just like Barba suspected, the TV was showing the morning stock market report from around the world. And the reason why Noah was actually letting it play, was because he was fast asleep on the couch, snuggled up to a soundly sleeping Savina. The missing pillow was propped up against the armrest of the couch, with a throw blanket covering them both. Savina was on her left, both her arms encircling Noah.
Barba silently walked over to the remote, and picked it up from the coffee table, intending to switch it off, but Olivia stopped him. "No, leave it. It's probably what helped her sleep," she whispered, as she fell to her knees by the couch. She brushed some of Savina's hair away from her face, her other hand rubbing Noah's side gently, before she leaned down and feathered a kiss to each of their temples. The kiss made Noah stir, but didn't affect Savina at all, much to her surprise. She kept rubbing his side, but his eyes fluttered open nonetheless, and she quickly - but gently - turned him within Savina's arms to face her, and pressed her finger to her lips, when he grinned at the sight of her in the morning for the first time that week, and she was worried he would squeal or make some loud noise, and wake his sister up. Luckily for her, he seemed to get the message, and pressed his own finger to his lips, and even shushed her himself. "Sina sleeping," he whispered, and she smiled softly at him, before she looked over at Savina, who was still seemingly oblivious to the whole interaction. She pulled herself to her feet, and helped Noah slip from Savina's arms carefully without waking her, before they all made their way once more to the back of the apartment.
"Rafi, can you start getting him ready for the day? And your mom is coming over at 10 to have breakfast with us, so can you text her and tell her not to knock or buzz, and to just use the spare key we gave her?" she wondered, and he nodded. "You think she'll be asleep till then?" he asked, and she shrugged. "Don't wanna take any chances," she replied, as she went into Savina's room, and pulled the comforter off the bed, and made her way back to the living room. She put the comforter over Savina, and made sure she was fully covered, before she pressed another kiss to her temple. "Sweet dreams, baby," she whispered softly, before she headed to her room to get ready for the day.
By the time 10 am rolled around, both Barba and Olivia were standing in the kitchen - which was thankfully closed off from the living room - preparing a Sunday breakfast feast, with Noah munching on some bananas in his high chair, while Savina continued to sleep soundly on the couch in the living room. Barba left Olivia to stir the eggs, and went to set the table, just as Lucia walked through the door. He put the plates on the table, and made his way over to the door, just as she was taking her coat off.
"Hola, Mijo," he greeted.
"Good morning, Mami," he said, as he kissed her cheek, before he took her coat from her, and hung it in the closet by the door.
"Savina still sleeping I take it since you're practically whispering," she stated, and he nodded. "We woke up this morning, and found both her and Noah fast asleep on the couch," he informed her, as they walked together into the apartment.
"Olivia nearly had a heart attack when she found their beds empty, didn't she?" It was more of a statement, rather than a question, but he nodded nonetheless. By then, they had both made it into the living room, and Lucia smiled softly at the sight of Savina curled up on the couch. "She looks so much like Olivia," she commented, and he chuckled.
"Yeah, something about her seemed familiar when I first saw her picture but I couldn't place it. When I read her birthdate, some distant part of my mind made the crazy leap, but I simply scoffed at the idea, and simply attributed it to the exhaustion, and the stress the day put us all under. But then..." he trailed off.
"But then it came true," she finished for him, and he nodded.
"I couldn't believe what I was reading when Melinda showed me the results, but her face kept floating in front of me, and...and I didn't know what to think. I was thrilled that her baby was alive, but then I realized what that bitch had put her through...and I suddenly wished Liv had shot him when she had the chance. I didn't care if it would've cost her her job, if it meant that girl didn't go through the same hell Liv went through," he confessed.
Lucia rubbed his back gently, and rested her head against his temple. "She has you two now, and a whole squad who are willing to track that woman through the dark depths of hell. You will get through this," she assured him, and he nodded.
Just then, Olivia came out of the kitchen looking for Barba, who seemingly disappeared when he went to set the table. "Oh," she exclaimed when she saw Lucia, and ushered her over. "So that's where you disappeared off to," she said, once they were close enough to hear her. "I thought Savina had a nightmare," she told him, and he shook his head. "No, she's fine. Sleeping like a baby."
"Why don't I set the table, and you can help Liv bring out the plates?" Lucia suggested, and Barba nodded.
"Do you think we should wake her to have breakfast with us, or let her sleep?" Barba wondered, and Olivia sighed audibly. "I've been debating that for the past hour or so, I don't know. She might take it the wrong way if we don't wake her, or she might not eat at all. You saw how well she ate last night when we were all sitting together. But I don't know when she fell asleep," she rambled.
"How about we wake her, and she can go back to bed after we eat? She needs to take her meds anyways," Barba offered, and she just hung her head helplessly.
"I feel so helpless," she whispered, and he moved closer to her, and pulled her into him. "I know," was all he could say.
Once the table was ready, Barba went to get Noah from his high chair, while Olivia slowly made her way over to the couch, and knelt next to it again. "Savina," she called gently, one hand on her shoulder, rubbing it, but she didn't as much as stir. "Savina, sweetheart, time to wake up," she tried again, as she shook her gently, careful not to aggravate any injuries. She ran her other hand through her hair, as she continued to call her name. After a few seconds, Savina groaned slightly, before she cracked her eyes open. Olivia smiled softly at her, her heart aching when she saw the exhaustion in them. She remembered the first couple of weeks after the attack, the dark circles, the bloodshot eyes, the slow movements. And if the week they spent in the hospital was any indication, Savina didn't sleep till the sun was up.
"Good morning," she greeted lovingly, her hand still running through her hair, smiling sadly when Savina groaned. "What time is it?" she croaked out.
"A little after ten. Breakfast is ready, and Lucia is here," she told her. "Do you want to have breakfast, or go back to sleep and eat later?" she asked, as she watched Savina struggle to keep her eyes open, so she decided for her. "It's okay, go back to sleep. You can eat when you wake up," she stated, but wasn't sure if Savina even heard her, since her eyes had fluttered closed and didn't open once more. She pressed a kiss to her forehead, made sure she was tucked in, and headed for the table.
"I take it she chose sleep," Lucia stated when Olivia came in on her own, and Olivia nodded. "She could barely keep her eyes open, and I don't even know if she was fully aware of what was going on," she told them, as she took her seat by Noah's high chair. "Come on, dig in, I'll make her some when she wakes up," she said, pointing to the beautiful spread on the table.
"Olivia, I don't know who you think we are, but I don't think the three of us can finish all that!" Lucia scoffed, smiling gently at the brunette.
About an hour later, they were all done with breakfast, but were still sitting around the table, chatting amicably with each other, each with their own cup of coffee.
"Any news on the nuns, or the baby's birth mother?" Lucia asked, and Olivia shook her head. "She's not on any escort website, or with any of the escort services. She was arrested a few times for soliciting, but none of the addresses we managed to find have panned out," Olivia responded. "And the nuns are still in Guatemala, the Church won't give us an exact return date, and we don't really want to let on that they're under arrest," she added.
"You think they might keep them there if you guys serve them a warrant or something?" Lucia was surprised, and a little reluctant to believe that the entire church was in on it.
Olivia shrugged. "We don't really know who was in on it. I only saw the two nuns, but we don't know how far it goes. That's why we want to talk to the other mother first. See what she has to say, and take it from there."
"Did you try talking to the Matthews? Maybe they know something," Lucia suggested, and turned around when Barba snorted. "Fin and Rollins went to talk to Charles, Michael Matthews eldest brother," he started, his voice strained with anger, and his face clenching slightly to keep himself from growling, or using some of the colorful language he had in mind. "He said that the family didn't approve of the whole thing. That adopting a twenty-first century Quasimodo," he air-quoted the last part, and Olivia's eyebrows shot up in surprise, her face showing the sadness she felt, before it all morphed into anger. And judging by the look on her face, if Charles Matthews was within her reach, she would've rung his neck where he stood. He took a shuddering breath to calm his nerves before he continued. "That it brought disgrace to the whole family. That apparently they told Michael to choose between Savina, and his share in the company, and he chose Savina. So the only thing they know is that the baby was unwanted by the birth mother, and that the church arranged the whole thing, and that the mother didn't even stick around to see her kid. She simply abandoned her on the steps of the church," he finished his tale.
"Jesus Christ," Lucia breathed in shock.
"That's why she didn't inherit any of her father's money when he died," Barba added.
"I'm gonna kill them," Olivia breathed, and Barba had no doubt that she meant every word.
"I'm gonna get another cup. Anybody up for refills?" he asked, as he abandoned his seat, but both women shook their heads, as he headed for the kitchen, snagging Noah's water cup on his way to refill it. As soon as he went into the kitchen, Savina appeared in the doorway, sleepily dragging her feet over to the table.
"Morning, Niña," Lucia greeted, as she rose from her chair, and kissed her softly on the cheek. She smiled back. "I think it's almost noon by now," she corrected, as she took Olivia's hand and squeezed it in greeting. "Morning," she said, as she squatted down slightly to kiss Noah's cheek. "And morning to you, kiddo," she cooed, chuckling lightly when Noah turned around and gave her a sloppy, sticky kiss with his syrup covered lips and chin.
"I take it we have pancakes for breakfast," she quipped, as she grabbed a tissue and wiped the syrup off her face.
"It's a full Sunday spread; pancakes, bacon, eggs, French toast, and waffles," Olivia listed, as Savina went around the table and plopped down onto the chair that Barba just vacated. "Was I dreaming, or did you try waking me up a while ago?" she wondered, as she put some toast, and eggs onto her plate.
Olivia smiled. "No, you weren't. You could barely keep your eyes open."
"Yeah, I don't remember anything, just you...vaguely," Savina stated. "I wasn't rude or mean, or something, was I?" she added as an afterthought, and Olivia shook her head. "No, sweetheart, you weren't," she assured her.
Just then, Barba returned from the kitchen and smiled when he saw Savina in his chair, eating. "Morning, sleeping beauty," he teased, and she chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about the couch," she said between bites, but he shook his head, as he put Noah's cup back in front of him, and moved around the table.
"Don't worry about it. I just don't know how comfortable it is," he declared.
She looked up at him, and chuckled. "I've slept on worse," she said nonchalantly, and Olivia nearly spit out her coffee. Barba was thankful that he was already moving around her chair to get to the one next to her to sit down when she said that, otherwise she would've seen the anger and pain flashing in his eyes, and she might've misinterpreted them.
"I'm in your seat, aren't I?" she realized when she saw him pull the chair next to her, and made a move to get up, but he placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. "It's fine, I'm just glad you're actually eating."
Savina smiled gratefully at him, before she eyed the coffee mug in his hand critically. "I don't think I've ever seen you without a coffee cup in your hand," she teased, and he laughed genuinely at her.
"That's because he's seldom without one," Olivia stated with a smirk, as his mother groaned. Luckily for him, the doorbell rang, and saved him from any further torture. They all looked surprised, no one was supposed to come that day. Olivia slid out from her chair, and headed for the door, just as Lucia asked Savina what time she finally fell asleep that night.
"I think it was close to five. Noah woke up around three, and wanted me to snuggle up to him on the bed, but I couldn't quite fit into the toddler bed just yet. So I took him out with me, and he fell asleep before I even made it to the couch, but I couldn't put him back in bed, so I gave up and let him sleep with me on the couch," she recounted, before she turned to Barba. "I don't what routine you guys have him on, so I hope I didn't mess anything up," she said, and he smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry, he ends up in bed with me and Olivia sometimes too. I just hope he wasn't too much trouble for you," he alluded, and she shook her head. "He hardly moved, or I was just that exhausted," she told him, just as Olivia, and Diana - much to their surprise - appeared.
"Are you trying to give me a stroke?" Diana practically screeched at Savina, who frowned at her. "What? No, why?"
"I called you like a billion times, and you weren't picking up," Diana exclaimed as if it explained everything.
"My phone's in my room, with the ringer off, and I was asleep," Savina shot back gently. "Why did you freak out?" she wondered.
"Because the last time you did that, you ended up disappearing for a week!" Diana hissed, and Savina sighed.
"I know. But I'm not living with Salerno's anymore," Savina refuted, as she abandoned her seat, and moved around the table to hug her friend, who still didn't seem convinced, and simply raised an eyebrow at her, as she defiantly spoke. "So?!"
"So, I think if I go missing, they're gonna notice," Savina stated simply, and Diana sighed audibly, as she dropped her head on Savina's shoulder.
"Don't do that to me again," she mumbled into her shoulder.
"Don't call before noon, and I promise I won't," Savina quipped, earning herself a jab in the ribs, the uninjured ones.
"Sit down, and help yourself," Olivia offered, as she gestured to the chair she just vacated.
"No, thanks, I already ate," Diana smiled. "I wanted to give her this week's stuff to work on them when she can," she added, before she turned back towards Savina. "I know Dr. Thompson said to take it easy, so deadlines don't really apply to you. I will swing by once a week to pick up Calculus, Physics and Chemistry stuff, since those are a pain to do on a computer, and the rest you can submit online," she informed Savina.
"And how many more days are they letting me take off?" Savina wondered.
"Until Dr. Thompson signs off on you," Barba was the one who answered her, and Diana -to Savina's surprise - nodded. "Yeah, take as much time as you need," she concurred.
"Uuuuuh, Mr. Bernstein hates me, and I highly doubt that he agreed to this!" Savina interjected, but Diana simply smirked. "True, but when your parents happen to be an NYPD lieutenant, and an ADA, he pretty much doesn't have a say in the matter. Take all the time you need, school won't go anywhere until then. Despite our many prayers that it goes up in flames," Diana grunted at the end, and Savina chuckled.
"Trust me, bedrest is not all that's cranked up to be. I was bored out of my mind at the hospital," she told her.
"That's because hospitals are boring, I don't think you'll be bored now," Diana shot back. "Speaking of boredom, I, unlike you, actually have to abide by the deadlines, so I have to go. If you need anything, just give me a call, I'm literally two blocks away," Diana added, and Savina nodded.
By the time noon had actually rolled around, Savina was done with her food, and was putting the leftovers in containers, while Olivia loaded the dishwasher. Barba and Lucia were both in the living room, playing with Noah, and chatting amicably, after Barba had put the comforter and pillow back into Savina's room.
"What time did you fall asleep last night?" Olivia asked, not having heard Lucia and Barba ask her before.
"Around five I think, late night TV is magnificent for insomnia," she joked, and Olivia laughed. "Yeah, infomercials have a way of hypnotizing you."
"Yeah, so does Keeping Up With The Kardashians. I didn't even make it through an entire episode!"
"You want me to get you the DVDs?" Olivia quipped, and Savina laughed.
"I think I'd rather stay up!" Savina confessed jokingly.
"Thank you for taking Noah, I don't know why I didn't hear him," Olivia apologized.
"He didn't cry, he was barely even fussing, so I went to get him before he woke you guys up. This is the first decent sleep you've had all week," Savina told her.
"If you want me to, I can stay up with you," Olivia offered, but Savina shook her head.
"No, no, that won't be necessary. You can't go to work on next to no sleep, and I actually did doze off yesterday when I first went to bed, but I woke up later," she explained, and Olivia paled. "I didn't hear you..." she trailed off, not entirely sure how to finish that sentence, but she knew Savina understood what she meant.
"I didn't wake up from a nightmare, I moved in bed, and turned over to my right side. My ribs screamed in protest, which woke me up," Savina quickly assured her, and Olivia nodded stiffly. "That's why I took the couch, if I don't have enough room, I usually don't move in my sleep," she stated, and Olivia's heart broke. She knew that it was a skill she had developed from years of sleeping on bunk beds, sofas and God knows what. "But I can't really keep doing this, or else I might ruin the couch," Savina added, as she placed the last container in the fridge.
"Don't worry about the couch, whatever helps you sleep," Olivia refuted sincerely, and Savina turned around and smiled shyly at her.
"Can I ask you something?" she hesitated, and Olivia turned around from the sink, grabbing the washcloth as she went, and drying her hands.
"Anything, baby," she said simply.
"Is your offer to go see someone still up?" she wondered, and Olivia wordlessly nodded. Savina took a deep breath and released it slowly, and Olivia simply waited patiently for her to say the words. Dr. Lindstrom had told her not to assume anything, and to let her decide what pace she wanted to set. She knew it wasn't easy for her asking for help, but she hoped that if she was asking to see Lindstrom, that it was a step in the right direction.
"Can I take you up on it?" she asked hesitantly, as she started to fidget with her fingers.
"Of course, you can. I'll call his office tomorrow, and see when he can fit you in," Olivia told her, and Savina nodded.
"Thank you," she whispered, and Oliva moved a bit closer to her. She took her chin between her index and her thumb, and raised her head to catch her gaze. She desperately wanted to hold her, but Savina didn't seem like she was ready for that yet. So she had to settle for making sure she understood that she meant every word, and made sure that she could see the sincerity in her eyes. "You never have to thank me for anything. You're my daughter, and I already told you that I will do whatever it takes to help you get through this," she promised, and Savina nodded, as she tried to blink away the tears.
Soooo sorry for the long wait you guys, but I do have five active stories, and I was trying to update the ones I haven't updates since November, but one of them happens to be a Once Upon A Time fic, and the show wasn't really helping me not get pissed off at it, so not only did I not update that story, but I also couldn't update this one, but I do hope the long chapter makes up for it.
I would love to hear what you guys have in mind about this chapter.
And was I the only one who noticed Barba patting Tucker on the back as he entered the squad room? I mean, he still went straight for Olivia, and stood next to her, and even the look on Tucker's face said that he knew those two were meant to be :D.
Anyways, I do hope that in the finale, when Barba's life is in danger, Olivia will finally wake up and risk her life for his sake, pissing off Tucker, and then ending it with him. I can't take a full season of Tuckson, I barely survived Bensidy!
Anyways, rant is over. Let me know what you guys think.