Thanks for reading! I own London, but no one else...

"People on bail?" the Judge asked. The doctor from the clinic was being arraigned.

"Remand your Honor." Barba said. "The defendant has a passport and is a flight risk."

"Objection!" The defense attorney protested. "My client has ties to the community. He is not a flight risk."

"Your Honor…" Barba began.

"Save it for the trial Mr. Barba. The defendant must submit his passport to the court. Bail is set for $100,000." He slammed his gavel.

"Can't say I didn't try." Barba mumbled to Olivia as they walked out of the courthouse.

"I wouldn't dream of it." She smirked.

"The bastard should be under the jail for what he did." He grumbled.

"Let's just keep that between us." She patted him on the back.

He had to admit he was a little off his game. He had been distracted thinking about London.

Harvard University

"Hey You." London whispered in Rafael's ear. She had walked up behind him in the library.

He jumped slightly. He didn't like being startled. "Hey." He ran his hands through his hair. "Are you stalking me now?" He smirked.

"It's not my fault you're a creature of habit." She shrugged.

He shrugged.

"If you don't like it you shouldn't make it so easy for me."

"I didn't say I minded it." He grinned.

She felt her cheeks get hot. She rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Hey London." He stuffed his books and notes in his backpack and rushed after her. "Wait up!"

She heard him calling, but she ignored him.

He caught up to her outside. "London!"

"What?" She turned around, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry. I like that you can track me down."

"You don't have to be an ass about it." She huffed.

"I know. That's why I apologized. I'll buy you a coffee." He offered.

"I should never have said I couldn't pass on coffee." She rolled her eyes.

"But you did." He reached for her hand.

"Thanks for the coffee." London smiled.

"You're welcome." He held her hand as they walked.

"I'll buy yours next time." She said.

"You will do no such thing." He stopped walking and pulled her close.

Her breath caught in her throat. She wondered if he was going to kiss her.

"I don't mind buying your coffee." He let go of her hand to stroke her cheek. "Okay?"

"Okay." She whispered.

He debated kissing her or not. For all he knew she would pop him for it. He was willing to take that chance. He pulled her face closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

She felt her heart skip a beat.

"I wasn't sure how you'd react, but I figured I would take my chances." He smirked, kissing her again.

"I'm glad you did." She smiled.

Present Day

"When will you be back?" Amanda asked. She was sitting at her desk when London called. Her coworkers were trying not to eavesdrop.

"I don't know." London sighed. She knew that wasn't the answer her friend wanted.

"Where are you going? Or can you even tell me?" She was trying not to sound as irritated as she actually was.

"I don't know that either." That would set her off.

"What?! How on earth are you flying somewhere and you don't know where?" She yelled.

"Look. I have to be at Laguardia in an hour. That's all I know right now. Okay?"

"Alright. I'm sorry." She threw her hand up.

Olivia and Barba walked in the squad room. "What's going on?" Olivia asked.

"London called her." Fin said. "All I can figure is she's taking off."

"I thought you were going to be here longer." Amanda sighed. "I should have taken off work to spend more time with you. I never see you."

"I know." London sounded sad. "I'm hoping I can change that. I was supposed to have some more time off. This is something Liam has been working on. I've got to pick up his notes and conduct a few interviews." She was irritated about it, but Liam swore he would owe her.

"Where is Liam at?" Amanda asked.

The name got Rafael's attention. He wondered if it was a boyfriend.

"He's been in Bucharest for six months."

"Romania? Six months? What is he doing?"

"I don't know what he's got going on. He insisted he needed me to take care of whatever this is. And that he would owe me big." She walked out and got in the waiting cab.

"I'll say he does." She muttered.

"Laguardia departures." She told the driver. "Mandy. I'm really sorry."

"I know. I'm not mad at you. I'm just frustrated."

"I am too." She agreed. "Can you send me Rafael's number? Or better yet, will you give him mine and ask him to call me? I'll put the ball in his court." She smirked.

"Uh yeah. I can do that." She nodded. She glanced up and saw Olivia and Barba staring at her. "I gotta go, but I'll take care of that for you."

"Thanks. Bye." She ended the call.

Amanda set her phone down. She wrote London's number down on a piece of paper.

"Everything alright Rollins?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah. Fantastic." She rolled her eyes. "If London ever comes back to see me I'm going to take some time off."

Olivia nodded.

"Barba. She wants to talk to you." She held up the piece of paper.

He nodded taking the paper from her. He needed to prep them for court.

"Call her. Use my office." Olivia nudged him. She knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate otherwise.

"It can wait." He muttered.

"No. Go do it now." Olivia insisted.

He rolled his eyes and walked to her office, closing the door behind him. He sunk into a chair and rubbed his temples. He didn't like that London was leaving.

London was waiting for her flight when her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number so she hoped it was Rafael calling. "Hello?" She answered.

"So you were going to leave without saying goodbye?" He fussed.

She smiled. "You know me." She hated goodbyes.

"I do know you." He smiled. "Or I did anyway. I want to get to know you again." He admitted.

She felt her cheeks get hot. He could be sweet when he wanted to be. "I would like that."

"So I take it you didn't tell Rollins where you were going?" He asked.

"I didn't know and I wasn't going to until I got to the airport."

"Ah." He wanted to ask, but wasn't sure if he should.

"I'll tell you and you can tell her if you want to." She began. "We have a rule. I don't ask her about her work and she doesn't ask me about mine. This crosses into her area. It's about reports of police brutality. I'm flying to Baltimore. I shouldn't be there long. Liam emailed me his notes. I could kick his tail for sticking me with this."

"So why did he?" He asked before he thought it through. "He knows your husband was a cop?"

"Yeah he knows. He said he was dealing with something and couldn't get away to finish this. He says he'll owe me big. I'll make him regret asking me to do this." She fumed.

He chuckled.

"What's so funny?!" She fussed.

"You haven't lost your fire." He smirked. "I always liked that about you. You kept me on my toes."

She wasn't sure what to say. "Rafael." She heard the boarding call for her flight.

He heard the page in the background. "Have a safe flight. Call me if you need anything. And I mean it."

"Like if I need a lawyer because I've been arrested?" She joked.

"Yes. Especially then." He rolled his eyes. "If you need me I will be there in a heartbeat." He was serious.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you Rafi."

He smiled. "You're welcome. Stay safe."

"I will."

He ended the call and smiled to himself. She had called him Rafi. Maybe they were making progress.

"Did she tell you were she was going? What she was doing?" Amanda asked Barba when he walked out of Olivia's office.

"No. She didn't." He lied.

"She didn't even hint at it? She wouldn't tell me anything about it." She was worried.

He sucked in a breath. "She mentioned you two have a rule." He watched Amanda's eyes get big.

"She did tell you! It's bad isn't it?" She fumed.

"Detective. Calm down." He began.

"Calm down? She is my best friend! I am worried about her!" She yelled. "And you? You're just the bastard that broke her heart!"

"Amanda." Nick placed his hands on her shoulders. "Let's take a walk." He guided her to the door.

"Rafael. I'm sorry." Olivia shook her head. "I…"

"No need. She's right." He held up his hands. "I am the bastard that broke her best friend's heart. And I have regretted it every day since. But enough of that." He cleared his throat. "I need to prep your team."

"I apologize that I am filling in for Liam." London smiled at the woman she was interviewing.

"That's quite alright dear. I just want to tell my story. Raise awareness." She nodded. "For once someone isn't telling me to be quiet."

"Let's get started." She glanced over Liam's notes. The woman had lost her son. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry." She wiped her eyes. "I thought I could do this, but I can't. You deserve to have your story told. My husband was a police officer. A detective in Atlanta. He was killed during a bust four years ago. I don't deserve to be the one to tell your story." She shook her head.

The woman gripped her hand. "Baby, you don't deserve to go through that much pain! You are as deserving as anyone to tell my story. I don't harbor ill towards the officers that shot my baby. I want people to know my story and just maybe it saves someone else from going through that kind of pain. You understand the pain. I want you to tell my story." She hugged her.

"Okay. I'll do it." London whispered.

Two days later London was back on a flight to New York City. She took a cab to Mandy's apartment and knocked on her door. "Hey."

"Hey!" Amanda hugged her.

"I'm sorry you worried." London hugged her.

"I never said I worried." Amanda stepped back to let her inside.

"Rafael told me." London smirked and walked in.

"He told you?" She didn't believe her.

"He texted me and told me how pissed you were. You know our rule."

"I know." She rolled her eyes.

"Did you really call him the bastard that broke my heart?" She wondered if he was exaggerating.

"I did." She rolled her eyes again. "Liv read me the riot act over it. Apparently I could have gotten in a lot of trouble for yelling at the A.D.A."

"I'm sure." She sat down on the couch. "So I was in Baltimore. I had to interview a woman whose son was shot and killed by the police."

"Oh my gosh. And Liam knew." Amanda sat beside her.

"Of course he knew." She scoffed. "I haven't talked to him and I will give him an earful when I do."

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too."

"We should go out tonight." Amanda suggested.

"I have a reporter's dinner thing tonight. We can go out after that." She compromised. "I just need to make an appearance."

"Alright. I'll hold you to it. I've got to get to work. But I'm so glad you're back." She hugged her again. "Does Barba know that you are back?"

"No. If you see him you can tell him. If you want." She chuckled.

Harvard University

"Are you sure I can't get you anything Miss?" The waiter asked. London had been sitting at the table for an hour.

"No thank you." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I guess he forgot. I'm sorry I tied up your table for this long."

"Don't worry about that." He smiled kindly.

"Thank you." She picked up her purse before walking out of the restaurant. She checked her phone. Of course he hadn't called. He was probably neck deep in a paper or a case or something. She went back to her apartment and changed into her pajamas half expecting him to call as soon she did. But he didn't. She curled up on her couch and cried. She loved him. And she knew he loved her. She was mad at herself for crying.

Rafael saw London getting coffee. "Hi Vern." He smirked.

She rolled her eyes and brushed passed him. She was miffed that he stood her up the night before.

"Whoa!" He fussed. "What's with the attitude?"

"Really?" She turned and stared him down. "What happened to you last night?"

"What was last night?" He had been working on a paper and a presentation.

"Dinner? I waited for an hour for you Rafi."

It all came flooding back to him. "Damn it." He muttered. "London. I am so sorry."

"What's going on with you?" She touched his face.

"All this work. I am swamped. I feel like don't have time to sleep. And I certainly don't have any time for you. And God I wish I did." He grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her.

She dropped her coffee and wrapped her arms around him, returning the kiss.

"I love you." He whispered as he pulled away. "I can't focus on you like I want to right now." He couldn't believe what he was saying. "I need a break."

He continued talking, but she didn't hear anything else.

"London. I'm sorry."

"Rafi. I love you. And I would have stuck with you. If this is what you want I will walk away and you can always wonder what could have been."

He could see the tears in her eyes, or maybe they were in his. He hated himself in that moment.

"Goodbye." She turned and walked away.

Present Day

"Hey Rollins!" Carisi called her when she walked in the squad room.

"Good morning Carisi." She smiled.

"Someone is in a good mood." Nick smiled.

"Yeah. London's back." She beamed. "She showed up right before I left."

"That's great. Ask Liv if you can take some time off."

"Nah. London has a dinner thing tonight and then we're going out. Y'all are welcome to join us."

"Sounds good to me." Carisi said.

London sat outside a café drinking her coffee. She absently twisted the gold band on her right ring finger. The setting held a ruby and six tiny accent diamonds. She wondered if she should have kept it. But. His grandmother had given it to her. She couldn't exactly part with it. She picked up her phone and sent Rafael a text message. 'I'm sorry.'

Rafael was in Olivia's office with Fin going over some details for trial. He saw her name on the screen and read her message. 'What do you mean?' He texted her.

'I'm sorry I walked away. I should never have done that.' She wiped a tear off her cheek.

"Are we set here?" Rafael asked Olivia and Fin.

"Yeah. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just something I need to take care of." He put his phone in his pocket.

"Alright. See you in court." Olivia nodded.

Amanda looked up when Barba walked out of Olivia's office. "I don't know if she told you, but she's back." She smiled.

"I didn't know that. Thank you Detective." He walked out.

She could have sworn she saw the man smile.

Rafael sent London a message. 'Where are you? Send me the address. I'll come to you.'

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