Please list your hobbies and/or interests (ie: sports, leisure activities, etc.)

"How about 'chasing down perps'?" Fin offered as he walked past Carisi's desk. "Does that count as a leisure activity?"

Carisi threw a paperclip at him. "Yeah, it doesn't work for my health insurance reimbursement, don't think it's gonna work here." He threw up his hands. "That's it, it's official. I don't have a life beyond the job."

Olivia opened the door to her office, and she and ADA Barba stepped out. She caught the exasperated look on Carisi's face. "Uh oh. Are we catching Carisi mid mid-life crisis?"

Fin chuckled. "No. He's tryin' to fill out his app for the Big Brother program and he's just discovered all he's got is the job."

Barba raised a hand. "Yep. I feel that."

"Well, Carisi," Olivia offered, "I think that's exactly why you need to finish filling out that application. You're telling me you don't do anything when you clock out of here?"

The younger detective shrugged. "I dunno, I mean…nothin' that a little kid is gonna want to do. I haven't played sports since high school, most of the movies I like aren't exactly rated G…" He nodded as Amanda came into the bullpen from one of the interrogation rooms. "I don't even have a dog."

Amanda looked confused. "What's this about a dog?"

"Carisi doesn't have a life," Barba explained.

Carisi pointed at him. "E tu, Counselor?"

"Carisi is filling out an application to be a Big Brother," Olivia explained with a side eye look at Barba.

"I've got one," Amanda offered. She slid the keyboard over a couple of file folders and punched in two words. Then she straightened and grinned, crossing her arms over her chest. "There you go."

Carisi stared at the blinking cursor. "Huh."

"And you can always borrow my dog if you want," Amanda added.

A few days later…

"Thanks, Ron." Carisi handed over a folded ten dollar bill and told the hot dog vendor to keep the change. As he was about to take a bite, his phone rang. He fished for it out of his pocket. "Carisi," he said.

"Detective Dominick Carisi?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Detective, my name is Alyssa Bernhard and I'm from the Big Brother/Big Sister program. Do you have a few minutes?"

He grinned. "Ah, yeah. Yeah, sure."

A few weeks later…

"So what's his name?" Amanda asked him, shifting Billie to her other arm as she watched Jesse climb up the jungle gym.

"Jacob," Carisi supplied. "He's six, lives with his grandma." He leaned back on the bench. "I get to meet him tomorrow." He glanced at Amanda. "And apparently, he's big into video gaming."

"See? I knew that would give you an in."

"Yeah, yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "Except we can't just play video games every time we hang out," he told her.

"So then you bust out those rusty as hell basketball and baseball skills," Amanda said. "Or you get on the ferry, you subway to my place, and you take Frannie for a walk around the block." She frowned. "You're gonna be a great Big Brother, Carisi." She handed him a sleeping Billie.

Carisi took her like an expert and rested her against his chest. "See?" Amanda said. "You're already doing fine."

Carisi parked outside an apartment building and took a breath. Why the hell are you so nervous, Sonny? he asked himself. He got out, and waved at the Big Brother rep that was waiting for him on the sidewalk. "Detective," Alyssa Bernhard greeted him.

"Ah, Sonny, please," Carisi said. He offered her a hand, even though they'd met almost a month ago and she knew who he was. "So Jacob lives here with his grandma?"

"Lola Rodriguez," Alyssa confirmed. "They're up on second. Come on, I'll introduce you. Jacob is pretty excited to meet you."

"He is?"

Alyssa laughed. "Yeah. He's excited to make a new friend." She led Carisi up to the second floor and knocked on 2F. Feet thundered across the floor on the other side of the door, and Carisi caught Alyssa's grin. "That would be him," she explained, as the door opened and Carisi was met by a bundle of nerves in a Mets t-shirt.

"Hi! Are you Sonny? I'm Jacob!"

"Jacob, let the poor people in for goodness sakes." An older woman that looked to Carisi to be in her sixties got up slowly from a recliner and made her way toward them. "Please, come in," she said. She looked down at Jacob. "Jacob, manners."

Jacob obliging walked backwards all the way to the couch, where he sat down, bouncing excitedly. Lola turned apologetically to Carisi and Alyssa. "I'm sorry he's so wound up," she said. "I have such a hard time keeping up with him." She smiled at Carisi as she gave him a once-over. "That doesn't seem like that will be a problem for you, Mr. Carisi."

"Sonny, ma'am," Carisi said with a smile.

"Sonny." Lola nodded. "Well in that case, Sonny, I've got a pot of homemade chicken noodle on the stove. Would you and Ms. Bernhard like to stay for dinner?"

"Say yes!" Jacob called, poking his head over the back of the couch.

Carisi couldn't help it. The kid's enthusiasm was catching. "My mother would have my head if I said no to a home cooked meal," he told her. "Hey, Jacob, you wanna come help me set the table?" He looked at the small table, which was covered in Legos and an emptied-out Minecraft backpack. "Actually, you know what, we better clean this mess first, buddy. Come on."

"Okay!" Jacob clambered over the couch.

"Hey, buddy. Let's try that again," Carisi said. He bit his lip. It was just natural after spending time with Amanda's kids and his own family. He couldn't help it. Oh crap. He's not my kid. I shouldn't have-

"Sorry." Jacob skittered around to the couch, hopped on, and then crawled off the correct way and returned to the kitchen.

Lola looked at Carisi and patted him on the arm. "You two are going to be thick as thieves. I can tell already."