A/N: More fluff and cuteness in this chapter! Until you get to the end. LOL. I don't own SVU or its characters. ENJOY.

Saturday – 6:45 p.m.

"Six in a row! Right there!"

Carisi vaulted over two lounge chairs and spread his body across the six that sat unattended before anyone around them could grab them.

Amanda dipped her head in embarrassment, leaving Fin and Rita to shake their heads at his idiocy. Liv and Rafael brought up the rear with the kids in tow, candy in their hand as a movie snack, despite the fact that they all had eaten just an hour before.

The decks were filling up quickly with people wanting to catch the movie that played on the giant projector over the pool, which was lit up and still filled with vacationers braving the dropping temperatures. It was surprisingly cold out there on the sea as they day went on and they all made sure bring a few blankets and jackets just in case.

"You're hopeless," Amanda said as she nudged him and took the farthest chair, sitting Jesse down on her lap. Carisi scrambled up next to her, trying to look somewhat dignified as people shot him weird looks are laughed in their direction. Rita and Fin opted to curl up one together, since Rita was slightly drunk and shivering and Fin was about to pass out into a food coma. Noah immediately grabbed up his own seat and spread out the candy Rafael bought him like they were his prized possessions.

"If he doesn't go to sleep tonight, you're watching him," Liv said to him, curling up in the last chair beside his. There was a timer on the projector, giving them a running countdown until the movie started. It was some family friendly, animated kid's movie that the kids were excited to see, and Noah had made sure that Rafael was going to be there with him to see it.

After what Noah had said back in the room, it made his heart hurt to think Noah thought he was just going to disappear on a whim like that now. He spent most of his incredibly long shower thinking about that, and how he never wanted to see that sad look on his little face again.

"And if he does, then he's sleeping with you in your tiny little bed," he smiled at her, admiring the way the wind had swept her hair over her shoulder and how cute she looked wrapped up in a blanket.

"Uh-huh. We'll see who's bed he's going to be crawling into tonight. I have a feeling it's going to be you." The way things were looking, she was probably right. Noah had been all over him all day, not that he minded. However, he did hope they were able to slip away from the toddler for just a little bit to have their talk. He finally had some semblance of an idea of what he was going to say and he hoped he didn't choke when the spotlight was on him.

"Maybe. But, I don't mind."

Liv smiled at him and rested her head against the back of the lounge chair, shivering as a cool blast of air hit them. She was half-tempted to just crawl onto his chair and cuddle into his warmth, but friends who really weren't sure if they were more than friends probably shouldn't do that. But, she wished she could.

"You will when he kicks you for the first time. My boy has a leg on him. Definitely a soccer player."

"Baseball," Rafael corrected, wagging his finger at her. It was the only sport he ever truly liked, and he was happy to impose that onto Liv, who was looking into signing Noah up for some sort of league. The boy had way too much energy not to waste on a field somewhere.

"Fine, baseball, whatever," she rolled her eyes playfully and shivered again. She stood up and shifted the lounge chair over until it butted up right against his, then burrowed down into her blanket once more, curled up right next to his side. He smiled at disgruntled expression and gestured to his side.

"Would you like to share some of my body heat? I run pretty warm," he joked and she eyed him for a second before she neatly moved over and curled up into his side, moving the blanket so that it covered some of his body as well. Rafael breathed in the smell of her hair, mixed with some chlorine from earlier and the perfume she always wore.

"Friends don't do things like this," she mumbled, low enough for him to hear. She cuddled further in, resting her head against his neck. She watched Noah carefully stack all of his candy on his chair, waiting patiently for the movie that was starting in less the three minutes now to begin. He was getting tired again, she could tell. He only took a 45-minute nap earlier and he was beginning to rub his eyes, which was always a telltale sign.

"I wouldn't refer to as friends much anymore," he said smoothly, just as the feature presentation sign started and lights on the decks dimmed considerably. Liv couldn't argue that point at all. They really weren't considered friends much anymore, not with the way they were both feelings towards each other. For her, it had been a long while since they were anything close to friendship, and she suspected the same from him.

"I suppose we should get that sorted out then," she yawned and looked away from Amanda, Fin, and Rita, who were staring at them with pointed looks. "Tonight, so we don't have to get interrogated by our nosy travel companions." She moved impossibly closer and closed her eyes, feeling sleep creep up on her just as the opening credits of the movie started to roll. People were still strolling about and talking just loud enough that she could hear, effectively preventing her from falling asleep.

However, it didn't prevent her son from passing out less than ten minutes into the movie, as did Jesse, who was cradled in Amanda's arms. Carisi was texting away on his phone and Rita and Fin were both passed out completely in the chair, which was unsurprising considering they both had loaded up on drinks during dinner and before.

After another five minutes, she could see both Fin and Rita move to stand, sleepily waving goodbye to them as they navigated themselves off of the deck. Amanda and Carisi didn't last much longer. Liv waved her over, leaving Carisi to pick up their mess of movie snacks and belongings.

"Would you mind taking Noah back to your room? I'll come get him in a little bit, I have some things to take care of." She could feel Rafael lift his head up, tightening the arm he had wrapped around her while he rubbed his eyes.

"Of course." Amanda glanced up at Rafael, "Take your time."

It took them a while to navigate, but they eventually found a vacant part of the ship that was dimly lit and completely free of people. They leaned up against the railing, standing in silence and basking in the unfiltered beauty of the night sky and the moonlight hitting the ocean water. She felt truly at peace here, with him, alone, touching gently and enjoying each other's company.

"It's so beautiful out here," he whispered, eyes never leaving the moon hanging low in the sky. She hummed in agreement, shivering a little as another blast of cool air blew her hair back away from her face. Rafael pulled her closer, securing his arm around her waist.

"How are you so warm when it's so cold out?"

"I'm a hot-blooded Cuban," he responded, turning his face into her hair.

"You certainly are."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not right now, it isn't. It's only a bad thing when you're being stubborn and not listening to me."

"Which is…," he trailed, making of show of tapping his chin and furrowing his brow, "…the majority of the time?"

Liv nodded her head, snuggling back into his warmth. She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his waist, shoving her face into his neck. He swayed them back and forth, enjoying the small, intimate movement while he hummed a tune. She knew he could sing. She had caught him doing it one time, softly, in his office when he thought no one was around.

One of these days, she was going to goad him into going karaoking and force him stage so he could reveal his true talents.

"So…we were going to have that talk…?" She pulled back, but kept the space between them small. She fisted the material of his jacket along with the blanket, keeping them wrapped up together as another breeze drifted through. He smiled at her and rested his forehead against hers.

"Do we really have to? I think it's obvious by now what we're both wanting to say."

She inhaled his scent and slid her forehead away from his, her nose bumping against his. She could feel his breath hitting her lips and she nearly moaned when his lips met hers. It was a long, sweet kiss, filled with hesitation and so many words he'd been trying to say.

And here she thought she was going to need some big, dumb speech about how hurt she was when he left and how happy she was that he was there now, and how she was pretty sure she was in love with him, and that she was almost positive he loved her back. All of the words she'd been wanting to say as well evaporated into a cloud of smoke.

They didn't need words. They never truly did need words between them. It was in the eyes and the gentle touches the shared. Hands on backs or arms or, later on in their friendship, quick hugs and her arm slipped through his while they walked side-by-side.

True, they would eventually say the words, because sometimes, it was just needed, but for now, all they truly needed was their lips and their bodies pressed against each other, overlooking the ocean and underneath a starry sky.

"This is better than I ever imagined," he murmured, pulling away from her lips with a drunken, dazed look. Her only response was to lace her fingers through his soft hair and pull him back in, unable to get enough of his taste and the feel of his tongue sliding along hers. It was all so surreal, that they were here together and doing this, and it was growing more passionate and needy by the second, to the point where he was pressing her against the cold metal wall of the ship and the blanket that had been keeping her warm slid from her hands without much thought.

"I love you," he whispered to her, breaking away from her mouth to trail kisses down her neck. He nipped at her collarbone when she whispered those words back, failing to bite back an embarrassingly loud moan only the stars were able to hear. The words fell from her lips so easily, especially in a moment like this, where both of their hearts were bursting with joy.

"Oh! Oh my…"

They both jumped apart upon hearing the woman's voice out of nowhere. It took them a moment to realize they were standing near a stairwell that lead up from the cabins out onto the deck, in which anyone could walk out of at any time.

Liv's cheeks grew red as the woman and her husband quickly passed them, the woman apologizing for intruding with a big smile on her face. The husband patted Rafael on his back as they went, leaving both him and Liv to unanimously decide to take their little make-out session inside, where they could be alone in their shared room.

He lead them inside through the stairwell and navigated them to their room while Liv mentally patted herself on the back for having the foresight to invite him to share her room. This hadn't ever been part of the original plan, but with Noah most likely in Amanda and Sonny's room, and with the way they couldn't seem to keep their hands from exploring as they finally stopped outside of their room and searched for the key card, she had no problem adjusting those plans a bit.

Rafael swung the door open, and before they both could enter, he turned to her, "I love you. I know I keep saying it but we haven't really said much else or talked about anything yet and I just hope you know I want to tell you how much I love you."

Liv closed the distance and kissed him quickly on the lips. She grabbed his arm and walked in the room, pulling him in behind her. As soon as he was in, she was the one to press him into the wall of their room.

"We can talk later. For right now, just shut up and show me how much you love me."

So, he did just that.

Sunday – 9:42 a.m.

"What if they're naked? I don't want to see them naked."

Amanda snuck a peek at Noah and Jesse, who were cuddled up under one blanket on the sofa, watching cartoons on the small mounted television in their room. She gestured at them wildly and Carisi bit his lip, hoping he hadn't been heard by the two youngest people of their group.

"Just knock! I'm sure they're both asleep in their own beds and Liv forgot to set an alarm."

"You really going to pretend we didn't hear what he heard through the wall last night?"

Amanda groaned and rubbed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the memories. She didn't ever think she would have to listen to her Lieutenant in the throes of passion with their ex-ADA, but crazy things happened on vacations. Especially, between two people who'd been circling each other for years.

"Maybe, they were just playing a game or something."

"Yeah? What? Hide the gavel?" She reached over and slapped his arm. It was obvious Carisi was too much of a wuss to face the possibility of seeing their boss in a compromising position, so she would have to do it. She knew Liv was going to want Noah bathed and in fresh clothing before they all descended into the ship for the day. They were arriving at their first stop, Cabo San Lucas in a little more than five hours, and would be docked their overnight.

"Noah, sweetie, let's go see if your mom is awake yet, ok?"

"Can I just say that I'm really loving this little ensemble you have going on here?"

Liv glanced at Rafael over her shoulder, seeing him sitting up against the headboard with sheets pooled in his lap and his hair a complete mess. He had his glasses on and his gold cross chain nestled into the wiry curls of his chest hair. She was almost positive she hadn't ever been so turned on her life than at this moment, standing by the dresser in just a towel and skin wet from the hot water, but there was no time to do any of that now.

He had to get in the shower (which was much too small to fit both of them unfortunately), and dressed before they could join anyone for breakfast. They also had to act like they weren't exhausted and spent most of the night having emotional conversations between rounds of amazing sex.

But, she would take the exhaustion in stride. They opened up to each other in ways they hadn't with anyone else before. She told him about how she felt when he was gone and how she always felt before he left. He told her how he'd been in love with her for years and that she meant more to him than she could possibly know.

It was the conversation they needed to have, finally, and she was beyond happy it was done with, so they could move forward instead of being stuck in that weird limbo, where they both knew what they wanted, but weren't sure how to go about it.

"Don't start. We don't have time to finish," she reminded him, pulling out various pieces of clothing from the dresser and from her bag. They had a full day planned ahead and she was ready to get off the ship and out into Cabo. She wanted to go sit on the beach, explore the touristy areas and eat the food. She was also glad Rafael was going to be there to translate. She could speak and understand a good amount of Spanish, but not the way a native speaker could. She also loved listening to him speak it.

"I know, I know," he said and stood up, stretching and popping his back for good measure. He threw his glasses on the bed and walked past her, stealing a few kisses before he locked himself in the bathroom. Liv bit her lip, feeling a giddiness, she hadn't in a long while.

This dynamic to their relationship was brand new, but felt so natural and so right. It was almost as if they'd been doing this for years rather than hours. That was a refreshing feeling in and of itself and she couldn't wait to explore it more.

She was able to get half-way dressed until Amanda knocked on her door, loudly calling her name through the door. Liv, pantless, cracked the door open, keeping her lower half covered and smiled brightly at her soon, who was still wearing the same clothes he had been earlier. His hair was a mess, but he looked rested and happy.

"Hi honey! I was just about to come and get him. Sorry, we woke up late."

The 'we' didn't escape Amanda, but she wisely didn't comment on it. Liv ushered Noah into the room, "Thanks for watching him. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, you know that. Was everything ok, with you and Barba last night?"

Liv nodded, not saying much of anything. There was no reason for her to be secretive about what had transpired, other than the fact that she was positive Amanda didn't want to know anything about her sex life, which had been stagnant until last night. But something in the detective's face told her that she already kind of new, and Liv was unsure how, but she was positive she didn't want to know why.

"Yeah. So. I'll see you guys downstairs at the breakfast buffet." Liv said quickly, just as the bathroom door began to open, leaving Amanda awkwardly standing alone in the hallway.

Rita was on her second Mimosa by the time she was joined by Amanda and Liv, both with plates of food. They were there for all of five seconds when Rita spotted Liv's glowing face and relaxed posture and she didn't bother hiding her smirk, at all.

"You got laid."

Amanda nearly choked on her coffee, as did Liv, and Rita snorted at their surprise. She did, though, nod at the group of men behind her that heard what she said.

"Oh, don't give me that look," she sat her glass back down next to her plate of fruit, "I had a three-year dry spell before I started dating Fin. I know when someone has had sex."

"Do you have to say it so loud? There are kids here, Rita."

Amanda looked around behind them, seeing Carisi balancing two plates of food and a drink while he trailed behind Jesse, who was looking around at all the tables, trying to find her. She called out to them and turned back to Rita, "Yeah, including mine and hers, so tone down the sex talk. You can grill her for information later."

Rita shrugged one shoulder and went back to her mimosa. Despite her natural standoffish attitude, she was genuinely happy for Olivia, and Rafael, who was looking happier than usual. The man was naturally like her, with a cool demeanor and an expressionless face. Seeing him so smiley was a new experience for her, but not an unwelcome one.

Beyond that, she was happy to be on this ship in general and away from the city. She remembered when Fin had brought up the idea to her one night when they were watching television, mentioning it as a mere afterthought.

"A cruise?"

"Yeah," he said tiredly, kicking his feet up on her coffee table. She sat up a little and looked at him, watching the way he blinked slowly and yawned. "I'd love to go!"

He seemed shocked and looked at her like she had grown an extra head, "Really?"

"Yeah. I've been dying to go on a cruise. My last one was seven years ago with a bunch of women from my sorority and it was nothing but a bunch of backstabbing and cat fights the entire time."

"What makes you think going with my squad is going to be any different?"

Rita rolled her eyes and stated the obvious, "Because I actually like your squad. To some degree. Carisi can work my nerve, but I can deal."

"They're bringing the kids."

"I like the kids. They're cute and they say funny things. They can't be any worse than a bunch of drunk forty-year-old women blowing $500 dollars at a male strip club and puking in the dumpster behind a shitty Jamaican restaurant."

Fin was silent, mulling over her words. He shrugged after minute and pulled her back into his side, "Ok. I'll tell them we're down."

She was having a better time than she had on her last cruise, and Fin was the cause for most of it. She couldn't ever remember having a better time with a boyfriend than she had with him, and she couldn't have picked a better group of people to be around.

"Oh! They have snorkeling!"

Well, Carisi was still a question mark for her.

"And whale watching tours! Surfing lessons…hikes…"

"We get it Carisi, they have a lot of stuff to do," Rafael cut in, sitting next to Noah, who took the chair right next to his mother. He set the plate of food down right in front of him, and it was piled so high it nearly covered his face.

"We need to have a game plan here. We can't just get off the ship and go looking around. We waste time that way."

"We're docked for a day," Fin pointed out, the last to join them with a fresh plate of food. Rita reached over and stole the edge of a pancake from his plate, "We ain't missin' anything."

"How about we all go our separate ways when we get there and do what we want? Carisi, Amanda, you guys can go snorkeling, Rita and Fin can go shopping since that's all I've heard Rita talk about since we left New York, and the kids can play on the beach, where I intend to stay the majority of the time."

"Mommy, I wanna see the fishies!"

"Yeah, mommy, I wanna see the fishies, too."

Liv shot Rafael a look and he shrugged his shoulders, knowing damn well what he was doing. She had told him the night before all she wanted to do was lounge in the sand and get some sun, but he was intent on getting her out in the water.

"Ok, we can all go snorkeling, it doesn't matter. Let's just enjoy breakfast and we can all decide when we get there."

"Agreed," Amanda said, "Pass the salt, please?"

They all ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, and then Carisi broke the peaceful calm, "Ooo! Swim with the dolphins!"

Rita threw a piece of mango at him and hit him square in the head. It made everyone laugh loudly, drawing attention to their table, but it was enough to shut Carisi up the rest of breakfast.

Sunday – 2:27 p.m.

High atop the roof of one of Cabo San Lucas' most renowned resorts was the best place to see incoming ships to the marina. Many people sailed in and out of the ports, all year round. Some came down from other parts of Mexico on day trips or travel greater distances to come home to this city.

Other ships, larger ones, docked there for small stays and then left again, headed to their next destination, carrying loads of tourists from across the world. He'd seen them filter out, one by one, before, looking relieved to be on land and excited to see all the sights this tourist trap had to offer.

Juan Gabriel Mendoza was a native of this country and first-time visitor to Cabo. It looked like most of the other tourist trap cities on the coast line of his country. It wasn't breathtakingly beautiful to him, but to these visitors, it was unlike anything they'd ever seen before.

He found it pitiful, watching them awe over simple rock formations or gush about the white, sandy beaches and the marine life that loitered the coast. Of course, he wasn't here to vacation, like most people were. He was here on business. Big business that could potentially prove fatal, if he didn't act right.

He took the cigarette from his mouth and stomped it out, wiping the sweat from his brow and brought the binoculars back up to his eyes. Three of his men stood behind him, canvasing the area and looking out for the local policía, guns hidden behind their backs. Cartel activity was slowly but surely making its way into these tourists filled cities, driving away business, and the government wasn't allowing it. Losing millions of dollars a year because of the drug trade they don't acknowledge? Unacceptable in their eyes.

Juan Gabriel Mendoza was a well-known sicario, and so he had been in hiding since he arrived. He had arrived hidden in the car of a traveling family who drove to the city to sell their goods from their farm, and was slipped into the resort by soldiers who had been securing the city for his arrival. This was a large operation, funded by his jefe, and nothing could go wrong.

The ship was just coming into view now, still some ways out, but it would be docking in less than an hour. He had limited time to work, but a supply an army of men that could storm the beaches and streets within hours if he needed them to.

"El jefe quiere hablar contigo."* He took the phone from the hand of one of his men and brought it to his ear, never taking his eyes off the ship."

"Estará aquí pronto…sí…se hara."**

He snapped the phone closed and handed it back, dropping the binoculars from his vision, the lines in his face deepening as he remembered the plan. It made his stomach churn just thinking about it, but he didn't voice his distaste for it. That wasn't what he was there for. He was a sicario, and they were ruthless killers, no matter what.

He'd murdered plenty of people, for little more tan looking at him weird.

Kidnapping a few American children was going to be easy.

*The boss wants to talk to you.

**It will be here soon...yes...it will be done.