So I'm basically going to treat Noah as a 3 and a half year old, which is how old my daughter is. Write what you know. I figure that should be pretty close.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our cruising altitude of..." Olivia tuned that out as she got Noah settled with his Kindle. Once he was fully ensconced in his third viewing of Moana, she sat back and let out the breath she had been holding since they got up this morning.

There had been so much to concentrate on that she was able to ignore.. the rest. Until now. No more worrying about tickets and connections. All there was to think about was landing the Keys. And Barba. In the Keys. Where she was headed.

There was NO good reason for her to be making the trip. None. She had run out of all the excuses in the world that would have even somewhat justified this trip. Even using Noah's spring break was a weak one, especially when she said that they weren't going to Disney, but to the Keys. But not once did the thought of canceling cross her mind. Not once. She had been able to keep it on the down low for the most part.

"So the Keys?"
"Please don't start Fin."
"Liv, I'm not. I..."
"Look, I don't need to explain anything to anyone."
"Hell no you don't. You have had a shit year. The townhouse and Dodds and Tucker... you more than anyone deserves a good... trip." She glared at that shit eating grin on his face. "All I wanted to say was have a great time and turn off your damn email. I'll handle whatever comes up and call you if I can't. Plus, at least then I know I'll get two opinions for the price of one phone call". He ran before she could throw her stapler at him.

She looked over at Noah who was fully immersed in his movie. She was always worried about having Noah around Tucker, who never really minded him at all. But Noah had never connected with Ed. He was always polite. Kind. But no more. Granted, it's not like he had spent a ton of time with Barba, but it had never crossed her mind that the two would struggle. There is just something telling her that they will be ok together. More than ok together.

Barba. What was this week going to bring? They had 5 and a half days. She had no idea what they would even do. How they would be. What she did know with every fiber of her being, that this is where she is meant to be for the next 5 days. Here. With him. With no more excuses and reasons to be together other than to just be together. No cases. No witnesses or defense attorneys or reporters. Just them. Barba and Benson. Raphael and Olivia. She sighed and closed her eyes. One could only imagine.

She came thru security holding Noah's hand and hiking her bag up on her shoulder. She saw him before he saw them, so she stopped short and almost forgot to breathe for a minute. Gone was the polished ADA that she dealt with day in and day out. Standing there looking at the arrival board was this man, with a few days worth of stubble and wind blown hair (no product), linen shorts and a t-shirt. She watched him shove his aviator glasses up on his head as he read the board and quickly turned toward security. She smiled brightly at him as he held up his hand and waved, giving them the same kind of smile she knew she had plastered on her face.

"Stupid traffic" he muttered to himself as he looked across the arrival board. He wanted to be here with plenty of time to spare, not rushing in at the last minute. When he saw that the plane had arrived 15 minutes earlier, he spun toward the gate and stopped short, smiling at her and giving her a slight wave. Gone were the tough suits and stern looks. She was here, looking breezy and, might he say, relaxed. He wound his way through the people to where she was standing.

"I'm sorry. The traffic was insane getting out here and I haven't driven a lot since I got here so.."

She could only laugh and smile more than she thought was possible as he started rambling about the traffic and the morons on the highway and the car he wasn't familiar with. She dropped her bag at her feet and grabbed his arm to still him. "Hey." He took a step into her. "Just say hi and how was the flight and where can we get your bags?"

He took a deep breath and shook his head. Here only 60 seconds and she's already guiding him back from the crazy lane.

"How was your flight?"

"Fine."

"Did they say where to get your luggage?"

"Claim 3."

"Hungry?"

"Starving."

They had slowly stepped into each other as the conversation had progressed. They paused and just looked at each other, for the first time since that night in her apartment. The look she saw in his eyes was new. Intriguing.

"Momma, I need to potty." Ah, the musings of a 3 and a half year old. They laughed and took a small step back from each other.

"Hey Noah" he said, kneeling down to her son.

"Hey Mr. Raf. You carry my kindle" he said, handing the man his tablet and headphones.

"NOAH!" She just shook her head.

"Liv, it's fine. No problem, little man. How about your mommy takes you to the bathroom and I'll get your bags. There should be food waiting for us at the house and if we hurry, we can play on the beach for a little bit before it gets dark."

"Yes. I want sand." He just smiled at Barba. Liv relaxed. Noah wasn't even breaking a sweat, which is more than she could say for herself, finding herself in this situation with this man who had been a huge part of her world for the last 5 years, but never in a way they were about to find themselves in. He stood up and was a breath away from her. He turned toward her and she felt him squeeze her hand. "I'll meet you at the baggage carousel." All she could do was nodded and smile and watch him take off, which almost a pep in his step. "It's going to be a hell of a week" she muttered to herself as she navigated toward the bathrooms with Noah.