Summary: Sweet domesticity during their first Christmas together.

Notes: Apologies for the delay in posting new chapters! We were hit hard by Hurricane Ian and still haven't gotten power or internet back. I'm just taking advantage of my aunt's wifi while doing laundry at her house lol. Updates will be sporadic for a bit until all this nonsense is sorted. Sorry.

"We should probably talk about how we want to handle this at work," Rafael said with a guttural growl as Olivia ran her nails over his sensitized skin. He woke a short while ago, Olivia's mouth on him, already on the brink of coming. It was a glorious way to wake up. He lost count of the number of times they made love throughout the night. They could not get enough of each other now that the floodgates opened.

"I know, but is it bad that I want to keep this to ourselves, for now?" Olivia responded, tracing patterns on his chest. "As much as I want to shout it to the world, I also want to live in this little cocoon of ours for as long as we can."

Turning on his side, he bent his elbow to prop his head up, intense green eyes gazing at her. "I, too, want to live in this cocoon, but we need to be very careful at work if are to hold off on disclosing."

Sighing, Olivia ran her fingers along the scruff on his cheeks. "I learned that lesson already."

"With Tucker?"

"No – well, yes, but also with another ADA a number of years ago," Olivia admitted to a surprised Rafael.

"Anyone I know?" he inquired, sitting up a bit. Rafael had to tamp down the pang of jealousy beginning to rise in him. Logically, he knew they both had pasts, but the fact that she had been with another ADA just… irked him.

She sensed his jealousy and grasped his hand tightly. "David Haden. Did you know him?"

"By reputation only. I never had the chance to work with him." From what he heard about the man, Rafael could understand why Olivia would have liked him. "What happened?'

"Long story short, we were together but did not disclose. There was a conflict of interest in a case. He left," she explained. Olivia had been hurt at the time, but here with her Rafa, she could not imagine it working out any other way.

"I'm sorry that it didn't work out the way you hoped, Liv. At the same time, I am very glad it didn't." He flashed her a cheeky smirk before crashing his lips against hers. His fleeting jealousy vanished.

Coming up for air, Olivia ran her fingers through his rumpled hair. She loved his bed head look and the feel of the silky locks of hair on her fingers. "We will keep it professional at work for now as we explore this more outside of work. We can revisit disclosure in a couple weeks?"

"You expect the honeymoon phase to be over that soon?" Rafael teased.

"Not at all, Rafa," she murmured, leaning in to kiss him again. She could spend all day kissing those lips. "I suspect this honeymoon phase will last a very long time."

"What are the Bensons' plans for Christmas?" Rafael asked suddenly. Christmas was only a few days away.

"Noah and I were just going to have a quiet day at home playing with all of the presents Santa brings him," Olivia replied. "What are your plans?"

He shrugged, trailing his fingers lovingly down her arm. "I usually travel somewhere to ski but didn't book anything this year. Mami is volunteering at her church. She invited me to go, but I declined since I just helped at Thanksgiving. I guess my plan was to spend it alone in my apartment…. That was until this happened. Now I'm hoping to spend it with you and Noah, if that's not too much, too soon."

Olivia smiled so bright her eyes and nose crinkled. "It wouldn't be a happy Christmas without you here with us, Rafa."

….

Rafael gave serious consideration to what to get Olivia for their first Christmas together. It needed to be something meaningful, yet appropriate for this early stage of their relationship. He would prefer to get her something that she could wear often, but a coat was too impersonal. In the end, he settled on jewelry and a designer scarf.

He selected a pair of white gold earrings with a teardrop setting of Noah's birthstone to pair with the ring she wore around her neck. In addition, he chose an indigo blue French floral cashmere and silk scarf knowing she would make use of it this winter. He hoped Olivia would love it.

For Noah, Rafael kept it simple by picking up a Lego set for young children and a medium-sized stuffed shark named El Tiburon.

On Christmas Eve, Rafael arrived at Casa de Benson bearing wrapped gifts for mother and son, as well as a bag of Italian takeout, a bottle of fine wine, and a duffle bag containing his belongings. His arms laden so, he used his forehead to tap on the door.

"Uncle Rafa!" Noah exclaimed as Olivia ushered him into their home with a scorching kiss and relieved him of the takeout and wine. Noah rushed in for a hug as Rafael dropped the duffel bag.

"Hi mijo, are you ready for Santa to come tonight?"

"Yes! We already made cookies to leave out and I've been a good boy all year!" Noah chattered excitedly as Rafael placed his gifts under the small Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. The tree was decorated haphazardly as Noah insisted on doing it himself.

A few minutes later, Olivia brought plates filled with pasta and garlic bread out to the living room, followed by glasses of wine, and the three of them settled on the couch to watch The Elf. Rafael cleared their plates when they finished and settled back on the couch in between Olivia and Noah. The mother and son both cuddled into his sides and Rafael grinned, planting a kiss on Olivia's forehead.

"That movie was funny!" Noah declared as the movie ended, and the adults agreed. Rafael never thought that he would enjoy such a movie, but he loved every minute of it.

"Okay sweet boy, it's time for a bath and bedtime. Santa won't come until you are asleep." Olivia herded the boy in the direction of the bathroom.

"Uncle Rafa, can you read me a story?"

Olivia gazed at Rafael warmly as he eagerly replied. "Of course, mijo."

"We'll be about ten minutes, then you can read his bedtime story," Olivia said. Rafael nodded, content to relax on the couch, sipping his wine.

In the bathroom, Noah brushed his teeth as Olivia ran the bath and added bubbles. When he was done, Noah turned to Olivia. "Is Uncle Rafa going to become my daddy?"

Olivia nearly choked at the unexpected question. Sputtering, she was not sure how to respond. Although she and Rafael were serious about their relationship, it was still early days. Even thinking about marriage at this point was crazy, right? But a young boy would not understand the complexities of adult relationships. A simple, honest answer was best.

"I don't know, sweet boy. I would like him to, but we'll see." There, that about covered it.

She could see Noah giving thought to her response and wondered what he was thinking.

"Would you want him to be, Noah?"

He stared up at his mom with wide, glistening eyes. "Yes," he whispered.

Tilting her head to the side, Olivia picked up the shampoo to wash his curly hair. "I would like that too, sweet boy. But we can't rush this. He loves you and you have a special bond. That has to be enough for now. Okay?"

"Okay Momma," Noah agreed, dunking his sudsy head below the water. Adults were so complicated, but he would do what he was told.

A few minutes later, Noah was tucked into bed ready for Uncle Rafa to read his story. He gazed at Rafael with big eyes as he read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and thought what a great dad his Uncle Rafa would be as he drifted off to sleep. Rafael kissed the boy's head as he put the book down. Olivia watched from the doorway, her heart swelling at the sight.

"He adores you," she whispered as Rafael exited the room, turning the light off and shutting the door behind him.

"The feeling is mutual," he whispered back, taking her hand. "I think the Bensons are my favorite people on the planet."

"Back at you, Rafa." Olivia brushed her lips against his and sighed. "Let's get the presents under the tree so we can go to bed. Noah will be up bright and early."

….

Olivia crawled into bed next to Rafael, cuddling up to his side. "I am so glad you are here."

"Our first Christmas together," he replied with wonder. "So much has happened in the past few weeks that I occasionally need to pinch myself to prove it's real."

"I know," Olivia agreed, leaning in to kiss him.

The kiss deepened as Rafael teased his tongue along her lips and slipped into mouth. Olivia's hand spread like fire across his chest and shoulders, searing his skin with her touch. He was already breathless as she reached down to tug his boxer briefs off. Her fingertips teased over his hardened length making Rafael growl with need. His hands grazed up her thighs to find that she was naked beneath the tee shirt, and he slipped a finger along her folds to tease her clit. All the while, their tongues danced in a heated kiss.

Olivia moaned as Rafael slipped a finger inside her, shortly followed by another one. She was ready for him; she had been all day. Olivia shifted to straddle him. Rafael pulled his fingers from her heat and slipped them into his mouth to suck them clean. He loved the taste of her.

Her eyes blazing at the sight of this sexy man beneath her, Olivia positioned herself and slid down onto his length. She moaned at the fullness of him and slowly worked her hips as she leant forward to kiss him.

"Mhmm, you feel so good, mi amor," Rafael breathed into her mouth as she rode him. He reached down to grab her ass as the pace increased. Soft, breathy moans filled the air as they approached their peaks together.

"I love you, Rafa," Olivia moaned as she came apart. The words echoed in his soul and drove him over the edge.

"I love you, Liv," he replied breathlessly, chest still heaving. He slipped from her body as Olivia shifted to his side. "Sleep now, mi amor."

"Merry Christmas!" Noah yelled from the doorway, bounding into the room, and pouncing on the bed. The excited boy jumped up and down in the middle of the bed as Olivia and Rafael were shocked awake.

"Merry Christmas, sweet boy," Olivia said with a sigh, stretching her tired muscles. "Did you check to see if Santa brought presents?"

Nodding, Noah jumped off the bed. "He brought lots of presents! Come on, Momma, Uncle Rafa. I'll show you!"

Olivia grinned at her son's antics, turning toward Rafael. He looked decidedly endearing in his morning grumpiness. "Merry Christmas, Rafa."

Flashing her a glare, he said, "Merry Christmas, mi amor. I need coffee. Lots and lots of coffee."

It took ten minutes for Rafael to pull himself together and settle onto the couch to watch Noah open his gifts, mug of coffee in hand. "Alright, mijo, let's see what you got."

Olivia and Rafael shared loving glances as they watched the young boy sort through the wrapped gifts to find the ones with his name on them. Once he amassed a large pile, Noah tore into the wrapping paper, exclaiming over each present.

When he got to the final two presents, which were from Uncle Rafa, Noah paused. "You bought me presents, Uncle Rafa?"

"Of course, mijo!"

The young boy smiled brightly and ripped the wrapping paper away from both packages at the same time. "Woah, that's a huge Lego box!" he declared, wide-eyed. After a few moments, he turned to the stuffed shark, hugging it to his body.

"I named him El Tiburon, but you can call him whatever you'd like," Rafael said.

"El Tiburon." Noah tried to imitate the way Rafael said it. "What does it mean?"

"It is the shark in Spanish, mijo."

Noah tried the words out a few more times, deciding that he like it. "Thank you, Uncle Rafa!" Holding El Tiburon in one hand, Noah climbed into Rafael's lap and hugged him tightly.

Beaming at her boys, Olivia rose from the couch to get Rafael's presents since it was clear that Noah had no interest in moving from his lap. She also grabbed her presents and brought them back to the couch.

Rafael asked Noah to help him open his gifts. "Wow, mijo! Did you pick this out yourself?" Rafael asked, holding up a blue silk tie with small sharks printed on it. He grinned when the boy nodded. He could not wait to wear it to court. "Thank you, Noah, I love it!"

Turning his attention to the small box Noah unwrapped for him, he pulled the top off of the box. Inside were silver cufflinks engraved with his and Olivia's initials. He ran a finger over the initials and smiled warmly at Olivia. He was touched by the thoughtfulness and leaned over to kiss her. "These are fantastic, Liv. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Rafa."

"Momma, you need to open your presents now!" Noah interrupted the adults as they gazed at each other.

Chuckling at her son's impatience, Olivia unwrapped the present from Rafael and opened the small jewelry box. Beautiful white gold earrings adorned with Noah's birthstone sparkled up at her. This was the most exquisite present she ever received. "Rafa," she gasped, "this is too much. They are gorgeous."

"Let me help you put them on," he replied, taking the box from her trembling hands. He slipped each earing from the box and delicately slipped them into her earlobes. "Beautiful," he breathed, sitting back to admire her.

"Those are nice, Momma," Noah said, still perched on Uncle Rafa's lap. He giggled as his mom placed a kiss on Uncle Rafa's lips. Noah was certain that Uncle Rafa would become his daddy if he kept giving his momma presents that made her eyes glisten like that. Feeling overwhelmingly happy, Noah declared, "This is the best Christmas!"

"Yes, it sure is, mijo," Rafael agreed wholeheartedly. He had never been so happy on Christmas.

They all stayed on the couch for a while longer, cuddled up to one another, basking in the love and happy permeating the room. They were becoming a family, and this was the first of many Christmases to come.