Author's note: Thank-you for reading!

Hi" Bara said when Olivia opened her apartment door.

"Hello", she answered surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I promised Noah I would read him a book."

"Oh that's Sunday right? He hasn't stopped talking about it. He said you were coming over the next time we are both off from work."

"I did say that, but I finished my paperwork and had some time. I should have called."

Noah is sleeping. After school he had a play date, and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow."

"Oh, I can come back another time. I promised him." He said quickly, so that she would know she had to invite him back or disappoint her son.

Raffa, you don't have to leave. Unless you want to."

"You haven't invited me in."

"Oh sorry, she said letting out a little laugh.

Olivia stepped back and he entered, he closed and locked the door, then he turned to face her. "So Liv how are you?"

"Fine." She answered, and Barba was doing it again, he was reading her, that was her job, and she was more than good at it, she was fantastic at it, but so was he. She hated to admit it. He looked deeply into her eyes, and tilted his head. She looked away the eye contact was getting too intense for her.

"You sure?"

"Yes", she answered quickly, glad she heard no hesitation in her voice.

He continued to look at her intently. "Look me in the eye and say that."

She looked him directly in the eye and signed "I'm really fine Raffa, it's just been a long day, and don't do that.

"Don't do what?"

"Try to read me, that's my job. I do it for a living,"

"So do I."

"Point taken." She placed her hands over her face. I'm sorry Raffa, "It's been such a long day." Barba could hear the exhaustion in her voice. She uncovered her face.

"One too many rapists. He replied.

"Something like that. "Can I get you something?" Olivia walked to her kitchen. If I have coffee now, I won't sleep. I don't have scotch in the house." I should get some she thought but would not dare say that out loud.

"No" Barba said sitting down on the couch and taking off his winter jacket.

Within moments Olivia was standing beside the couch, holding 2 ice teas "Take one, if you don't want it, I'll throw it away later, he took the glass in her left hand. She sat down, and he took a sip, and placed it on the coffee table, she placed her drink beside his. "I never want you to say I'm a bad host." She said.

"I would never say that." No Cabernet for you tonight?"

"No" She answered quickly.

"What's in the tea?' it's good."

"A touch of cranberry." She picked up her glass and sipped, there was a long moment of silence before she spoke again. "Sorry I fell asleep on you last night while we were watching the Godfather."

"I did too." Barba turned, and was looking into her eyes again. "What's wrong LiV?"

"Nothing... I'm just... I have a lot on my mind... and on top of that I've been thinking about my mother."

"That's why you're drinking tea, it was a statement, not a question."

"Yeah, Noah has been asking me a lot of questions. Did your mommy take you to the park, did your mommy read Good Night Moon to you?"

"Did she make you eat salad?" Barba continued.

"Exactly. She didn't. She was the first rape victim I dealt with. Olivia paused, sighed softly, and continued. "The other day Noah said mommy when I grow up I want to get bad guys like you... and Barba. I explained to him that we caught bad guys in different ways" He asked "What is Barba? " I told him you're a lawyer, that's when he said to me I want to be a cop and a lawyer mommy." Barba smiled, "I let it slip that I could have been a lawyer."

"You could Liv, you're smart enough, my question is when did you think you wanted to be one."

"You can thank my mother for that, remember I told you about the boy who want to marry me."

"Yes."

"When I told her I was moving out, she yelled that no one else could have me, she was drinking, she was drunk and holding a bottle, she fell. The bottle broke and she came at me with the jagged edge, I never hit her before, but that time I did, she hit the wall and slide down. I called Simone Brice who was a law student at the time."

"I know her."

"A lot of people do. Years later, I was working a case and I called her to help a girl whose mother I had a bad feeling about. The mother wanted her daughter to endure a rape kit, because she found her with a boyfriend. Later, the young girl killed her mother, she wouldn't, let Simone use abuse as a defense, but she could have, because this girl's mother was coming after her." I told Casey Novak my story only to convince her to plead the girl out. She asked me why the girl didn't say anything, and I said when you admit to the abuse it becomes real. " I haven't thought about that case in years, I haven't thought about feeling like I had to tell Casey for the sake of the girl." Barba was filled with gratitude, that his closest friend trusted him, was talking to him because she trusted him enough, not because she had to save someone using her own pain to do it, he knew she did that a lot, and was glad this was not one of these times. He heard her voice again. "After that for awhile I thought I would be a lawyer, I even took the LSaT to see how I would do."

"And"? Barba said grabbing his iced tea and taking a sip.

"And nothing, I did good, but it wasn't for me. What can I say I was born to be a cop?"

"Bet with your scores, you could have gotten into any law school.

She laughed. "You're right, I told you they were good."

"Good by your standards means spectacular. You still can, I'd help you study."

"No way Barba, I'm good where I am", she said laughing. Her laughter stopped suddenly. "I don't want to be like my mother Raffa. I can't be."

Bara quickly put down his drink, and grabbed her right hand. "Hey look at me, you are not like her. You hear me?" She looked deeply into his green eyes, they were filled with reassurance she had not ever seen in any other.

"How do you know,?" She almost whispered.

"You don't go after Noah with jagged edges of bottles, You don't beat him." You make sure he has a winter coat, you read to him,." What you're really saying is you don't want to be the kind of mother she was, you're not. You're a good mother Liv."

"She loved her job, I love mine, maybe I work too much."

"Don't do this to yourself please. You work at being a good mother every single day! Noah is proud of you! Yes, you love your job, and you are the best at it, but you make sure Noah is never alone!" Whenever you see yourself doing something less than perfectly, you worry about it, but more importantly you work at it. I'm so sorry your mother was raped, you have to understand her rape was not your fault."

"I never had a "normal" family, I never had a normal family support system, especially growing up." What if I don't know what I'm doing?"

"You will get through it, and Noah will be fine."

"You're not ever afraid of being like your father?" The question escaped her lips before she could stop it." She was flooded with guilt, and her face felt suddenly hot. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

It's fine, thinking of him makes me shake and cringe, but I know I'm not like him. I question myself and if I don't like what I'm doing, I work at it. My father would never do that. I'm loyal."

Olivia smiled, "And Damm charming,"

"Thank-you, he smiled back. He was still holding her hand.

"Thank-you for talking to me, thank-you for stopping by for Noah, and for staying I'm sure this is not how you wanted to spend your evening."

"Don't be so sure, this was enchanting, it is enchanting"

Olivia rolled her eyes at him "Yeah I've been very enchanting tonight". She replied sarcastically.

"Don't do that. I mean it, this is great." Barba had a question for his friend, a question he had been wondering about since the night she fell asleep on his office couch, but that question could wait. She finally looked relaxed.