A/N: Ok, so here's the thing. I thought about ending it at chapter 10 because it would have been a nice, happy resolution to at least one conflict. However, not all things were resolved and also, I have ideas on where I want to take this fic. So, I'm continuing it. Let me know what you guys think because I absolutely LOVE all of the feedback. Ok, here it goes! FLUFF ahead. Enjoy it.

December 7th – 7:57 a.m.

"Thank you, Counselor. See you soon."

Carisi perked up as Amanda threw her phone down on her desk and reached for the box of donuts sitting on Fin's. They'd volunteered to stay back while he went and got some rest, deciding on taking turns to leave the office for some sleep, a shower and a change of clothes. He was going to be back by noon and then it was his turn and he couldn't wait.

This case was starting to heat up and now that Barba was in safe hands once more, and they could throw all of themselves into digging down deep into the information they'd been provided.

"Lang agreed to take it to the judge. She said we have a really good shot based off his confession, so that's good news."

Carisi was relieved, looking in towards Liv's office where they let the kid crash on the couch. He'd been asleep within minutes of laying down and Carisi let him borrow his jacket to cover up.

"Good. Kid's been through a lot," he commented and shifted the box over to him to grab his second donut. He desperately wanted a cup of the fresh coffee brewing and wafting through the squad room, but he'd had so much lately he was afraid an addiction was starting.

"Yeah, he's also done a lot," Amanda grumbled, polishing off the rest of the chocolate glaze that smeared on her finger. She wasn't feeling the same amount of remorse towards the kid that she knew Carisi was feeling, but she understood their outlooks were different. She hadn't been in the room with him when he was talking and everything she'd heard was second hand, no matter if it was factual.

"He's just a kid who got swept up. What's important was that he did the right thing."

"I guess," she shrugged her shoulders and took a seat back at her desk.

"You don't think so?"

Amanda looked at him over her computer screen, letting the monitor boot up for the first time since she arrived back in the office. Carisi leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he waited for a response from her. In truth, it pissed her off a little that he was basically demanding an answer for why she thought the way she did.

"The kid is a gang member. He chose that life knowing what he was getting himself into. Yeah, he saved Barba from a terrible death, but he was still part of the reason why he was there in the first place. I know you sympathize with him, but I would think you would sympathize more with the man we work with on a daily fucking basis."

Her words were harsh. She knew they came out in the form of a hiss, biting and clawing at Carisi because she was so damn tired but also because she was irritated. Had this been any other victim or circumstance, she could have sympathized. He had gone through a lot, from what both Carisi and Fin relayed to her, but he was still a criminal who aided in the abduction of one of their own.

Barba may not have had a badge or a gun, but he was their ADA with whom they've made a difference in the city and the lives of victims. They won when he won and he felt just as much pain as they did when they lost. As far as she was concerned, he was one of them and you didn't mess with one of their own.

She knew Carisi was coming from a good place and knew he felt the same way towards Barba, but she was slightly miffed by the way he wanted to handle the sleeping teenager in their Lieutenant's office. But, she wouldn't tell him that. There was no sense in him preaching towards her when she was running on two hours of sleep. It wouldn't end well for anyone.

"I do," he said quietly. He opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped and closed his mouth. He turned, face blank as he stared into the black screen in front of him. Amanda instantly regretted snapping but didn't bother to recant her statement. Carisi was smart enough to know when to push her buttons and at that moment, it wasn't one of those times.

They didn't talk for a whole hour, staying preoccupied with work until the office door opened hesitantly, grabbing both of their attention. Zeke peeked out, looking meek as he eyed the two of them.

"I have to use the restroom," he spoke softly and Amanda almost had a hard time hearing him over the usual background noises of the precinct. Carisi stood and waved for him to follow, leaving Amanda the opportunity to truly take Zeke in for the first time.

He didn't look much different from the juvenile record photo in his file, which let her identify him so readily down in the lobby just hours ago. He looked older, fitting his age with dark brown, shaggy hair that hung in his eyes. He wore familiar baggy clothing, but it didn't fit the way he walked and talked. He didn't sound like a typical gang member, speaking in slang and cursing every two seconds.

He sounded educated and well-mannered. The way he held himself was with more dignity than all those low-lives and you could tell he knew what respect meant, the way he thanked the detective leading him towards the john.

Amanda knew this kid was genuinely regretful for his actions; she knew because of the way his eyes were cast down towards the ground and his shoulders were slumped. She knew he was regretful, because Carisi wouldn't be so damn soft towards him had he not been.

However, regretful or not, it didn't change what he did.

December 7th – 8:29 a.m.

Liv hadn't moved from her spot on the hospital bed.

Her back ached, her eyes were drooping and she had hunger pains so severe, it was threatening to make her vomit. But she didn't want to move. She didn't want to stop the path of her fingers running through Rafael's dirty hair and she definitely didn't want to stray too far unless he woke up again.

After staying awake through the doctor's check-up, he quickly passed out again, not having the energy to speak much less keep his eyes open. She didn't mind, however. Just having him close and out of harm's way was enough for her. He even said, in all his drug induced euphoria, that he wanted her to stay with him and she easily complied. He was going to be lucky if she ever let him out of her sight again.

Liv stretched her back out as best as she could, hand still moving through his hair despite the serious ache developing in her arm. She was going to have to face the fact that she needed to rest sometime soon. A full eight hours of sleep and an actual meal was going to have to come to a point and she was desperate to cuddle her baby, as well. She felt like a truly bad parent for pushing all her duties onto Lucy (who was getting the biggest paycheck of her life after this) and neglecting Noah in general.

More than one phone call ended with him whining, wanting to see her and left her choking back sad tears, something she'd been doing way too much of lately. She wanted to see her baby and she was going to, soon.

Liv's eyes drifted back to Rafael, who was fidgeting in his sleep and groaning. He had an earlier episode that ended abruptly and she wondered what he was dreaming about, but she was sure that was a dumb question to begin with.

There was a part of her that didn't want to hear about what happened. The pain from him being taken and trying to find him was going to stay with her for a long time. Probably for a lifetime, if she were being completely honest. Her love for him went deeper than she realized, and this time apart had only made that realization come to life.

Did he have any clue what she'd been through while he was gone? It was a selfish line of thinking she shut down immediately, but the question lingered in her mind no matter how hard she wanted to get rid of it. There was a simmering anger bubbling in her gut the entire time this had been going on.

Those threats were very real and very much ignored by him. Liv knew the type of person Rafael Barba was, and it was the type that didn't put stock into words. He was a man of action and, unfortunately, that part of his personality had allowed this incident to take place.

"Stupid man," she whispered into the quiet room, the words bearing no ill will. She was quiet after that, her hand moving from his hair to stroke his cheek. Her fingers ran over the scabbed over cuts on his cheek, taking comfort in the sounds of his slight snoring and feeling content for the moment.

About ten minutes later the door to the room opened, creaking a little and making Rafael stir in his sleep and nuzzle into her hand, causing her to smile. Liv looked over as shuffling caught her attention and she almost snatched her hand away from his face at the sight of Lucia Barba hurrying towards the bed.

"Oh my God, my baby," Lucia cried and ran to his bedside. Liv backed away, giving up her space next to him so his mother could get closer.

Rafael woke up at the shrill cry and scrambled away a with a gasp, only to yelp in pain as he moved too quickly. Liv moved to the other side of the bed, calling his name and trying to calm him down the best she could. Rafael settled down, breathing heavy through gritted teeth as he took in his surroundings with narrowed eyes.

"Honey," Lucia said, hands on his face and a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Mamí…estás aquí," he finally focused in on his mother, eyes widening a bit in relief when he realized where he was. Liv suspected the painkillers had faded as he slept, because he seemed clearer than he had earlier.

Lucia nodded and shifted so she could sit where Liv once was, talking and crying softly while Rafael did his best to reassure her through the fog of his still waking brain. Liv watched on the sidelines for a few moments, Lucia refusing to let his attention waver as she asked question after question.

Liv smiled at the interaction, the longing to go home and see her boy growing stronger as she watched the scene going on in front of her. Now that his mother was there, Liv felt comfortable leaving, but she knew she would be back later in the evening. There was so much she needed to get off her chest and from the look he was directing at now, eyes focusing in on hers as his mother continued to hound him with questions he gave half-assed answers to, he did as well.

She mouthed to him 'I'll be back' and he nodded in understanding, needing no more further explanation. She squeezed his ankle, wanting one last touch before she exited the room and closed the door behind her, leaving the mother and son with some privacy. Before she left the hospital entirely, she called for security agents to stand guard outside his door for the rest of the time he was there.

It was twenty minutes later that she made it back to her apartment and relieved Lucy for a few hours, despite the sleep still clawing at her being. Lucy insisted on staying, taking in her appearance, but Liv waved it off and promised to call her later.

"Mommy!"

She felt an overwhelming sense of calm the moment Noah jumped into her arms and listened happily as he talked all about the brand new toy Lucy had bought him yesterday when they went to the park together. She nodded, making sure he knew she was listening as she settled down onto the couch in her dirty work clothes. Eventually, Noah stopped talking and his attention was drawn to the television playing some musical kid's program and a few coloring books that were laid out for him that morning.

Liv slipped into a fitful sleep, her body knowing that there was a two-and-a-half-year-old that needed supervision and didn't allow her to slip any deeper into unconsciousness. But, she would take what she could get.

December 7th – 12:05 p.m.

"The judge won't see you until Tuesday, so you'll be staying here until then."

Zeke walked through the small hotel room, taking notice of how nice it was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been in such a nice place. Probably never. He spared the detectives a glance as he ran his fingers along the soft bedspread, taking in the view of the window overlooking Central Park.

Amanda and Carisi stood near the door, watching him intently with Carisi propping the door open with his body. Two uniformed officers stood talking out in the hallway. Zeke peeked through the sheer curtains, his face still grim but feeling safer than he had ever before in his life.

"Can I see my abuelita?"

Amanda and Carisi shared a look before Amanda spoke up, "We can arrange something."

Zeke nodded, eyeing the street down below. Sunday afternoon and it was busy. People shopping, going out for lunch, enjoying their days off from work like normal. Zeke wondered what his life would be like if he was normal like that.

"Thanks," he said after a while. He moved away from the window and face the two of them, making sure they knew he would be grateful for it. There was an awkward silence that followed as Zeke took a seat on the bed, sighing at the softness of the bed. At least he would get a good night's rest. He might as well enjoy it while he could.

"No problem, kid," Carisi spoke up. Amanda nodded once and turned on her heel to leave, expecting her partner to follow, but she noticed his hesitation and raised an eyebrow towards him.

"Go ahead," he gestured towards the elevator and ignored the eye roll she gave him, "Guys, give me a second."

The officers barely paid him any mind and he propped the door open with the duffel bag they let him pack before they escorted him here. Carisi leaned against the dresser across from Zeke and waited until the teen made reluctant eye contact with him.

"I don't want you to worry. You're safe here."

The words were meant to calm him, but the storm of emotions that had been warring inside of his body for the past couple of days only gained intensity. He was safe here. But that wasn't going to last forever. They both knew that and so did the people he once (forced to) called brothers.

They were waiting for him out there. Not even in the shadows, like one would expect them to. BX-9 was not known for subtlety. They were blatant show-offs, loving to take credit for the misfortunes they bestowed upon people, like demented gifts. Hell, they probably had plans in the works for the detective's that brought him here.

It was mistake they didn't even know they made, taking him home. He refused, but they forced the address out of him, trying to keep him comfortable. They didn't know they were giving dangerous people information. Zeke's gaze lingered on the tall detectives face in front of him, his mouth moving but his words fell on deaf ears.

Placating sentences that were old and dry, but he appreciated the gesture.

"…order something for you to eat later, ok?"

Zeke nodded automatically, sensing the end of the conversation and he stayed seated on the bed as Carisi left the room, patting one of the officers on the back, who would be standing guard right outside his door for the next day and a half.

Zeke turned and crawled up the bed, thinking for a split second about a shower, but decided sleep was more important.

He was fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

December 7th – 4:14 p.m.

Liv felt refreshed as she entered through the hospital, weaving through the hallways in the same path she did that morning.

She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, hair up and tennis shoes on because she wasn't planning on going back to the office at all that day. She called Carisi and Finn, telling them to head home for the rest of the day and to relay the information to Amanda, who was probably face down in her bed, passed out like Liv had been only two hours ago.

She was lucky enough that Noah took an extra-long nap and she was able to fall into a deeper sleep until he woke her up, complaining of hunger. Liv smiled to herself, clutching the small, folded piece of paper in her jacket pocket, remembering back to the conversation she had with her baby a little after she came home earlier that morning.

"Mommy, where you go?"

Liv chuckled at the question and rubbed her eyes, shifting to lay on her side on the couch so she could face him better. He sat on his knees on the floor, running a toy dinosaur along the edge of the couch, making stomping noises while she ran a hand through his hair.

"I've been working, sweetie."

"Why?"

Liv contemplated just giving him a generic answer, but the words were coming out of her mouth before she could even stop them. She didn't go into a graphic detail or drag any explanation out because he didn't seem all too interested in her answer to begin with. But she gave him the basics, mentioning Barba and the fact that he was hurt and in a hospital.

Noah scrunched up his face, "He ok?"

"I think he's starting to feel better," Liv said, feeling sleep pulling at her again. She'd been dozing on and off for two hours now, most of her time spent thinking about the man in the hospital and paying attention to her son's antics around the apartment.

"I draw him a picture and he feel better?"

She smiled, "Yeah, baby, I think he'd like that."

"Ok!"

Noah stood up and dashed towards one of the opening coloring books he abandoned earlier, reaching for a very word down blue crayon and flipping to a clean drawing of Simba from The Lion King.

She had to promise Noah ten times that she would take him the picture and that she would "kiss his boo boo's" to make him feel better. She lied about the second promise, laughing as she did so, but she definitely planned on giving Rafael the picture. Maybe, she would talk him into pinning it up in the room and she had a feeling he wouldn't say no to that suggestion.

"Lieutenant," a voice called to her and she turned to see Dr. Neville waving at her. She smiled politely, letting him catch up to her, "I was hoping to catch you again."

"What can I do for you," she continued walking, turning a corner and giving him half of her attention. She was almost to Rafael's room and she was eager to see him again. Hopefully, he would be awake.

"Well, I spoke to Mr. Barba earlier and barring any further incident, he should be ok to be released on Wednesday. I will need him to remain here for a full two nights due to policy, but he should be making a nice recovery."

Liv was relieved to hear that. Honestly, she hadn't taken into consideration that his injuries could have been life threatening, too focused on him being back in her eyesight and safely tucked away in a secured hospital room.

"I'm glad. Thank you doctor," she gave his arm a squeeze and bid the doctor a goodbye, feeling a little bad she left him standing in the middle of the hallway, but room 309 was calling to her and it was just down the hall now.

She forgot her badge, but it wasn't an issue. The security guards standing outside of the hospital door knew who she was and even opened the door for her after knocking firmly. She thanked them and walked into the room, noticing the light was on Lucia Barba was fiddling with a television remote.

"How do you work this damn thing?"

Lucia looked up from her struggle and smiled, throwing the device on the couch and quickly pulled Liv into a huge, motherly hug. The Lieutenant froze for a second and then returned the hug, locking eyes with Rafael who had a small smile on his face but rolled his eyes.

"Olivia, sweetheart, I just wanted to thank you. You don't know how much everything you've done for my son means to me," the woman spoke softly in her ear, rubbing her back in comforting circles. Liv was grateful for the words, needing them and she didn't realize she did.

Lucia pulled away cupped her face, taking a good look at her face, "It's no wonder why my Rafi has a crush on you."

"Mamí!"

Liv bit her lip, a blush staining her cheeks as Rafael's smile fell and he covered his eyes with his right hand, shaking his head in embarrassment. Lucia winked at her privately as the door to the room opened again and friendly, smiling orderly trekked into the room with a tray and set it up on the swiveling stand attached to the bed.

"How are you feeling," Liv finally slid up to the side of his bed and took a seat, watching the blush fade from his cheeks to look at her with a sleepy, pained look.

"Better," he sighed, watching as his mom took the lid off the tray to scrutinize the food. Rafael look amused as Lucia picked up the fork in one of the slots and poked around the grey looking meat with a disgusted expression on her face. He turned his gaze towards her and let his fingertips graze hers, "How are you feeling?"

"What are you talking about," she asked, confused.

"I may have been high off the painkiller earlier, but I remember you looking like shit."

"You're so charming," she teased. He winked, opening his mouth to retort but an offended gasp from his mother stopped him. Lucia threw the fork down on the tray and covered it back up, taking a sip from the cup of water that sat at his bedside.

"There's no way you're eating this slop. I don't know why they would feed anyone this crap, it's not even edible! Pendejos…Olivia, have you eaten? Are you hungry?"

"Oh," Liv waved her hand politely, smiling, "I'm fine. Really."

"I'll pick you up something. I hope you like Cuban food," Lucia patted her arm, damned and determined as she put on her coat and snatched her purse from the sofa. Rafael just shook his head, silently apologizing to her but she found it amusing. She needed to laugh anyway.

"Ok, baby," Lucia stopped by her son's bedside and bent down, kissing his temple tenderly, "I'll be back in under an hour if the traffic isn't terrible."

Lucia rubbed Liv's arm in passing, bidding them both a goodbye as she quickly left, but not before asking and then telling the two security guards if they were hungry and that she'd bring them back something as well.

"Your mother is quickly becoming one of my new favorite people," she joked and boldly entwining their fingers like they had earlier when he was still coming off the drugs. She was a bundle of nerves initiating it, but relaxed when he squeezed her hand and smiled softly at her.

"Oh? You like her more than me?"

"Possibly."

"Hey!"

Liv laughed and leaned down, pressing her lips against one of the many scabbed over cuts on his cheek. He froze under the contact, but she realized it was a good kind of reaction based off the goofy smile on his face. She couldn't resist it, so she leaned down and pressed another one closer to the corner of his mouth.

"Man…I need to get abducted more often."

Liv, despite the terrible joke, smiled and lightly tapped his shoulder. He knew it was in bad taste, the way he was poking fun about the very serious and traumatic experience he just went through, but Liv understood it as a coping mechanism. She'd known him long enough to be able to decipher the odd humor behind the words.

"I don't think so."

Rafael realized the statement was odd as soon as it left his mouth, "You're right. It's not all that fun."

Liv's eyes trailed over his face, taking in the sight of his cut-up face yet again. She didn't even want to look at his bandaged arm or imagine the bandages wrapped around his midsection to set his broken ribs. The weight of what he truly went through hadn't hit him yet and, most likely, wouldn't until he was released from the hospital. And she planned on being there for him when reality did hit.

"I can't imagine it was," she looked down and watched her thumb trail a path over the skin of his knuckles. They were quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and being in each other's company without the worries of the past couple of days hanging between them. There were definitely things that needed to be said, though, and Liv was finding it harder and harder to keep it to herself.

She thought back to earlier, thinking about the conversation with Noah again and suddenly remembered the folded-up coloring page in the pocket of her jacket. She pulled it out with her free hand with some awkward maneuvering, not wanting to let go of his hand just yet.

"Noah colored a picture for you…to make you feel better," she unfolded it with one hand and held it up, smiling when he laughed at the blue and orange crayon scribbles that decorated the page, along with a few a few stickers and his name, handwritten by her in the corner.

"I'm starting to feel better already," he unhooked their hands and grabbed for it, bringing it closer to his face with a soft smile, "That little guy…he's something special."

"He is," she easily agreed.

"He's lucky to have you."

He reached for her hand again, tracing the skin with his thumb before he linked them together again and said, "I'm lucky to have you…"

Liv sucked in a breath and her heart fluttered, his eyes showing nothing but complete honesty and another emotion she wasn't sure she was seeing correctly. Those five words he just said alluded to something deeper and it was threatening to make her head spin.

Rafael kept his gaze trained on her, almost as if he was waiting for her to spill whatever it is she'd been holding back. And she fully planned on doing so because he needed to know and he gave her the opening she needed in order to so.

She closed her eyes and pulled their joined hands into her lap, folding her other hand around his wrist, trying to feel more connected to him while she thought about what she was going to say.

"…my life has been a living hell these past couple of days," she blinked, trying not to break down again. She was sick and tired of crying, "and I don't want to begin to imagine what you've been through. But I felt this way because I realized that you had no idea just how important you are to me."

"I did," he said quietly, squeezing her hand gently in support.

"But I mean…in a way that goes beyond friendship. What I feel for you…goes beyond that and I'm just so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. I'm sorry that it took something terrible happening to you for me to realize it…I was so stupid."

Liv's hands trembled in his grasp and his heart clenched in his chest. Despite her best efforts, a few tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, falling onto their joined hands. She couldn't be bothered to wipe them away, feeling like a weight was lifting off her shoulders after sitting there for so long. She felt so light now, especially with the teary eyed, grinning man lying next to her.

Meanwhile, Rafael's heart was about to beat out of his chest knowing that the feelings he'd kept hidden for so long were reciprocated. Granted, the location wasn't what he thought it would be when he first confessed his feelings for her and he also hadn't said it in a way he hoped. But it was done and there was no more hiding behind a little façade any longer.

There was just one more thing left for him to do.

He grunted in pain as he leaned up a little and Liv was quick to try and push him down, but he powered through it and pressed his lips against hers, finally. He was only able to stay in that position for a few seconds and, unfortunately, had to disconnect so he could lay back against the bed. Liv winced as he tried not to moan and helped him settle again, adjusting the pillow under his head more comfortably.

"That wasn't as romantic as I hoped," he said, cheeks staining red and Liv thought it was beyond adorable. She could feel her own cheeks heating up as well, but not from embarrassment. She stroked the side of his face, looking down at him with a loving gaze.

"It was perfect," she whispered and took charge, leaning down to kiss him again. This time, it lasted longer than a few seconds.

December 7th – Time Unknown

He panted as he stopped to catch his breath and slid the gun into the back of his pants, grimacing at the feeling of the cold metal against his hot skin.

He'd been running for close to an hour now, in shape enough to be able to handle that type of activity until he spotted this little gas station off a side road. He felt dirty and disgusting, having spent so many hours crawling through the dirt, hidden to escape the growing crime scene and using every method he could to throw off the scent of the dogs scouring the vicinity.

He was able to hunker down in an old barn, undetected in the support beams until night fell and then he took off on foot. He was thankful he finally found this place.

He slowly moved behind the building, peeking out just enough to see the almost abandoned parking spaces, lit up with giant lamps that illuminated the road signs just across from the entrance. From his position, he could see a gas station attendant speaking with a young woman who looked to be purchasing a few items. There were only two cars in the parking spaces, one of them running and he knew an opportunity when he saw it.

The young woman began to exit the store, leaning against the door and laughing audibly with the man behind the counter still. He pulled out his gun again and smiled predatorially, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

He needed to get back to the city before morning. He had people to talk to, traitors to track down and unfinished business to settle…