Montserrat walked into the bullpen with a big huff, ignoring the others around her in favor of the one she was currently irritated with. "Sonny, you are completely useless!"

"Ouch," Fin said from his desk, though the sarcasm just went through Montserrat. "What are you in for?" he asked Sonny, who looked more or less defeated.

"Something I have no control over," he raised his hands in defense.

"I told him to get Kara to stop organizing that stupid birthday party, and he couldn't even do that!" Montserrat exclaimed, letting her body plop into her chair.

"Oh yeah, it's this Friday," Amanda remembered.

"What is?" Olivia walked in, preparing to learn of her squad's newest bicker.

"My birthday party," Montserrat bitterly replied. "Which-" she pointed at each and every one of them, "-you can all consider yourselves uninvited to because it's not happening." She then let her head turn towards Sonny. "And you better tell that to Kara."

"It's like you want me to die," Sonny flatly said.

Montserrat rolled her eyes and mumbled a "coward" underneath her breath. Of course when she thought about it, she would have to say she was the coward for not saying the truth. If Kara knew the real reason why Montserrat didn't want to celebrate her birthday, then Kara would never organize anything. But that was the truth, Montserrat thought. She would never have the guts to tell anyone what happened to her.

So suffer.

~ 0 ~

"What do you people want?" Heba's father angrily demanded after flinging his front door open.

Both Montserrat and Nick exchanged glances before answering. They knew they were in for a difficult time getting through Heba's family, but they had to get through in the end or else Heba would never see justice.

"We have to remind you that we are on Heba's side," Montserrat started calmly, despite now having the same exact glares from Heba's father and brother. "But she needs to start telling us the truth about what happened to her that night."

"Why?" sneered Fareed. "So you can accuse her of changing her story?"

"No, we want to find the men that attacked her," Nick used the same calm tone as Montserrat, but it was difficult knowing they were right.

"Your department destroyed her reputation in the newspaper!"

"I swear, SVU knew nothing about that-"

"-we saw the headlines. You don't believe a word my daughter says!"

"Oh for God's sake," Montserrat mumbled as she pulled out her cellphone. She turned it over for the men to see, and what they saw was Heba out in the street way past the time she was meant to be heading home. "This is Heba just before 2:00 A.M. She's crossing toward Central Park. Okay, she had already been assaulted."

"She left the benefit just after midnight," Nick said, watching as the men started to become less hostile towards them now that they saw the clear truth. "That's a two-hour gap in her timeline. Now, did you notice if she was with anyone?"

"No, I told you I left the party early," Fareed reminded. "I asked my boss' assistant, Janelle, to keep an eye on her."

"Where can we find Janelle right now?"

"At the firm."

A short moment later found Montserrat and Nick heading back for their car. As Montserrat was getting into the passenger's seat, her phone dinged with a new text. She checked it to see who it was from.

"Someone important?" teased Nick after realizing she'd been glued to her phone.

"No, um...well…" Montserrat shook her head to start again. "You think you can go to the firm with someone else? Something just came up. Personal-wise."

"Uuh, yeah...is something wrong?"

"No. But it is something important."

"Go ahead, sure," Nick said after watching her practically grip her phone like her life depended on it.

"Thanks," Montserrat smiled and pushed the door open. She quickly got out and shut the door. She made a sprint down the street until she could call for a cab.

~ 0 ~

"Thanks for seeing me without an appointment," Montserrat said after taking a seat in her usual spot.

Dr. Weslin gave a small nod of her head. "I had a cancellation. So, why are we here today?"

"Uum...certain...developments...have happened," Montserrat swallowed hard as the feelings surfaced after thinking about things all over again. "I'm starting to look through possible openings in different division."

Weslin appeared confused with the terminology. "You mean...transfer?"

Montserrat nodded. "Aha. After talking with Olivia, who's still adamant I should press charges, she said something that struck me."

"What did she say?"

"That I work at SVU and so I should know how things work. I should know the benefits of going through with things…" Montserrat paused as the memory of Olivia's words resurfaced in her mind. It made her feel worse. "And I mean, if I'm not willing to go forwards...how can I work at SVU? Isn't that a bit hypocritical?" Montserrat wasn't exactly looking for an answer considering she had answered it herself. "I just started to...look. That's all."

"That's all?" Weslin repeated, though made it into a question to lead Montserrat into saying what she wanted to.

"Yes, well...I don't know," Montserrat brought a hand to her unruly hair. "I want to at least look around. What if I'm a better fit for, I don't know, Narcotics? Or I could just go back to Homicide but in Manhattan."

"Would you be happy in one of these divisions?"

"That's the trick, isn't it? I won't know until I try." Montserrat released a breath she didn't know she was holding. "And it doesn't hurt to try," she found herself saying after a moment.

~ 0 ~

Montserrat returned to the precinct an hour later and since she'd already talked with Olivia about taking some time off, she wouldn't have to explain the reason for her sudden absence. She slipped into Olivia's office just as the group were having a discussion about the newest revelations of Heba's case. She ignored some of the lingering eyes from certain people as she focused on what Olivia was saying. It was definitely a turn twister.

"You're saying that Heba was assaulted in her brother's boss's office based on the color of the carpet?" Olivia practically exclaimed in the office, gaze flickering between Nick and Fin for a better explanation. "We're gonna need more than that to go after Elias Kemp Jr."

"Warner was very specific about these fibers," Fin reminded them.

"He's right," Amanda chimed in once she remembered what Warner had said the first time they visited her. "I bet if we can get a warrant…" she trailed off to look at Rafael over at the couch.

The ADA scoffed before giving them an 'are you kidding me' look. "Don't even go there, Rollins. We can't get a warrant just because of a carpet."

"That's fine," Fin said rather carelessly, even shrugging his shoulders. "We're not gonna need one. He's a neat freak. His assistant made us take our shoes off." HE then presented Olivia with a secured plastic bag of his socks from within his jacket's pocket.

Olivia had to smile. "Nice one. Get that to Warner."

Fin gave a nod and headed out of the office first, along with Nick.

Rafael pushed himself up from the couch with a weary sigh that gave a good indication of what he was going to say. "Even if she was assaulted there, given his profile, given his wealth...and the fact she's already lied to us…."

"Yeah, but if we're right, she lied to us because it was her brother's boss who did this to her," Montserrat spoke up for the first time since she'd walked in. "I mean, I'm not excusing it but it's a hell of a reason."

"Well, will she help us out now?" Rafael tried a different way of looking at things. What Montserrat said made sense but it didn't mean his case would get any easier.

"Not quite there yet," Amanda was the one to answer.

"Okay. Get the security footage from the building," Olivia pointed at Amanda and Montserrat. "Dig into his past. But please be discreet."

"It doesn't matter how 'discreet' we try to be because of Jimmy Mac," Montserrat said, making a rather good point since the newspaper of today included yet another story about SVU.

"She's not wrong there," Rafael had to admit. He'd read the newspaper this morning as well. "Is there any leads on who his sources are? They seem pretty close to your investigation."

Olivia took the light jab with a sour smile. "I can assure you that it's none of my people. There are leaks in the M.E.'S office. There are leaks in 1PP. And you're looking at us?"

"I'm looking at everyone," Rafael corrected and spared a side-glance at Montserrat.

Montserrat looked down at her shoes knowing exactly what that look was for. What was worse was that she hadn't even continued with her research on job openings so his look was really that more unnecessary. And besides that, he just had a sharpness she didn't feel being on the recipient end of...at least not today.

The office door opened as Sonny poked his head inside. "Hey, sergeant. Sorry for the interruption. There's something you need to see. All of you, actually."

Sonny led them towards the conference table, where the television was already on and displaying a heated protest with a familiar reverend at the front.

"Oh, you're kidding me," Amanda raised an eyebrow at the screen. "Who does that help!?"

The Reverend was in the middle of doing a speech for the cameras, and it wasn't a very good one. 'We went to Special Victims Unit, and we were promised that this case would be handled discreetly, that the victim's honor would be preserved, and that justice would be done. Instead, the victim of a violent crime is being revictimized in the press by the very police officers who were sworn to protect her.'

And then of course, because it had to happen, Jimmy Mac showed up to ask questions. 'Reverend Curtis! Mr. MacArthur. Reverend Curtis, why is this alleged victim not here today to answer any questions?'

'Mr. MacArthur, this young woman has suffered enough. I will not have her face a media lynch mob.'

Jimmy scoffed so loud everyone could hear it. 'Reverend, admit it. This is just another Tawana Brawley.'

'Mr. MacArthur, you claim to be the conscience of your newspaper. Where's the compassion for a young woman who's been violently assaulted?'

'The only assault here is on the truth. She lied!'

"Turn it off," Olivia ordered once both sides started to chant against each other. It was going to be a long, long fight.

~ 0 ~

Montserrat rubbed her tired eyes for the third time in the last 15 minutes. She reached for the glass of wine on the kitchen table and downed its remaining contents in 2 seconds. She'd been doing her due diligence by actually looking through any openings in other divisions. As it was, there were plenty. It was really just up to her to make the decision.

She was going through Brooklyn's Homicide division when the front door open with two loud mouths coming in. Though fast as she wanted to be, Sonny caught her quickly slamming her laptop shut. He wasn't that drunk to think it his imagination.

"Hey Montse, didn't know you were up," Kara was nonethewiser about things. Instead she went to drop her purse on the couch.

"It's only 11 o'clock," Montserrat pointed out then gave the two a crinkled-nose look. "You're lame."

The two in question deadpanned with the same tilted head. It was almost scary how in sync they'd gotten in a short time.

"Well, he has work tomorrow," Kara made a gesture at Sonny then crossed her arms, pretending to pout. "Can't do much with a curfew."

"I still brought you home. That counts, right?" Sonny glanced at Montserrat for some back up, but she knew better than to get into one of those fights.

"I'm going to get more wine," Montserrat grabbed her empty glass and stood up.

Sonny shook his head at her. "Thanks for the help, partner!"

"Anytime!"

Kara rolled her eyes at the two. "Fine. I'm going to bed, then. Thanks for bringing me home, though."

"Do I get points?" Sonny asked, but quieter to avoid Montserrat's tease later.

Kara gave him a short kiss on the lips - something Montserrat saw as she was coming out of the kitchen. She crinkled her nose in disgust before turning away. She just couldn't get used to that.

"Night," she heard Kara say after a few minutes.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Montserrat asked, even though she was already walking out from the kitchen.

Sonny turned around with a sour smile. "You're seriously going to stay on that plan?"

"Look, I'm happy that you're happy," Montserrat made a gesture at him and in Kara's bedroom direction, "But I just don't want to see skin-to-skin contact." She took a big swig of her glass, though it was unclear if it was for show or if she just needed it.

"I'll remember this, you know, when you start dating," Sonny's warning came in a manner that indicated he knew something that she didn't.

"What do you mean?" she frowned as she placed her glass down on the table. "I'm not interested in anyone."

"That's not what Kara says."

Montserrat didn't exactly know why her body had stiffened all of a sudden. But Sonny saw that.

"She's been saying for a while you've had some in denial issues about some guy?"

"W-well she is lying," Montserrat awkwardly folded her arms over her chest. "Kara talks too much. I'm not interested in anyone."

"I know Kara tends to talk more than she should sometimes but she seems really serious about this one," Sonny shrugged. Though even as he remained casual he kept a good eye on the way Montserrat was reacting. She was never an awkward person, and all of a sudden she was shifting on her feet? Oh yeah, Kara was onto something.

"Well I don't know where she's getting such an idea," Montserrat grabbed her glass and took another swig, bigger than the last one. She moved around the table for her seat, only to realize her glass was once again empty.

"What were you looking at anyways?" Sonny asked once he'd caught her laptop again and remembered her quick action with the lid. "Did we interrupt something…?"

"Stop," Montserrat crinkled her nose again. "You're just...go home, Carisi. You're drunk. And you're frankly just so wrong tonight."

Sonny playfully rolled his eyes. "Yeah alright. See you tomorrow, Montse."

"Mhm," Montserrat offered a weak smile as he left the apartment. She knew he meant well, he always did, but she couldn't handle his nose in her business. And what's more was that now he was getting a deeper nose into her life thanks to Kara.

Her eyes then looked at the hallway, narrowing as she thought about what she would say to Kara the next morning.

~ 0 ~

"Morning," Kara greeted Montserrat when the ginger walked out of the hallway. "I left some coffee for you."

"Thanks," Montserrat walked straight for the kitchen. She grabbed her coffee cup off the dish dryer and went for the leftover coffee.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Kara after hearing Montserrat's heal drag over a crack on the floor.

"Just a little annoyed," the ginger shrugged. She made her way back to the table and plopped down. She reached for a strawberry sitting on Kara's plate.

"What? Already?" Kara smiled in amusement. "It's not even 8 am yet. Who's so lucky?"

"...you."

Kara's smile faded until it was replaced with confusion. "What? Me? What I do?"

Montserrat put her cup down to frown at her roommate. "You're blabbing to Sonny about me and it's not even things that are true."

Kara's frown only deepened. She wasn't very awake for a full argument. "What? What am I saying?"

"You tell me! Kara, this isn't cool. It's actually pretty annoying."

Kara's mouth opened several times as she tried to come up with a response, but Montserrat gave her no room to think of an excuse.

"First of all, you're going on and on about a birthday that I don't want. I've already told you I don't want it and that I'm not lying so that you'll actually make me a party."

"It's your birthday," Kara said flatly. "It's your 30th birthday this weekend-"

"-and then I'm hearing that you're saying I'm interested in someone?"

Realization struck Kara in a second. Her mouth opened in an 'o' shape once she knew what Montserrat was upset about. "That's what this is about? You're mad about that?"

"Uh, yes!" Montserrat didn't think she'd have to say more than that, bit apparently Kara wouldn't get it like that. "It's lies!"

Kara laughed. "It's really not. I've been your best friend since we were teenagers. I know how you act when you like someone. I know the looks, I know the denials, I know your ticks. And I'm sorry to tell you that you are indeed interested in someone.

"Oh my God, you really are insane," Montserrat concluded 2 seconds later. "I haven't done anything."

Kara laughed out of pure frustration and amusement. Frustration that Montserrat was in denial and amusement because she really couldn't see it. "Oh my God. This is going to be hilarious in years to come."

"KARA!"

The blonde still snickered but she calmed herself down only to get Montserrat to really listen to her. "I'm sorry. I'm in a place where I feel like I can talk to Sonny about things and you're a big part of my life. I like seeing you happy and right now you're...half and half."

"What does that even mean?" Montserrat wearily asked.

"It means that sometimes you're down because you have problems with him, and then other times you're just... enamored. Completely."

"I'm going to regret asking this but who am I supposed to be interested in?"

"Wow, you're really in that denial phase," Kara said dramatically as she stared at her roommate's clueless face. "It's Rafael, dammit! All those degrees and you couldn't figure that out?"

Montserrat went through a series of expressions. The first was her widened eyes for shock, soon followed by utter confusion that consisted of her scrunched face. "I don't think so!" she exclaimed just before getting angry.

Kara picked up another of her strawberries then pointed at Montserrat. "See, that's the denial. Same exact thing when you liked, what was his name? Ian Sunmi! Same exact thing."

"Please tell me you haven't told that one to Sonny yet," Montserrat hoped to God that Kara had some restrain.

"Are you crazy?" Kara blinked, choosing to ignore Montserrat's quiet 'No, but you are' response. "I'm not giving him names. Least, you know, not until it happens."

"It's not," Montserrat assured, deciding that if she showed her anger it would only fuel Kara's game. "Because he's a co-worker, a friend. That's it."

Kara's smile was a knowing one, and it irked Montserrat that Kara thought she knew more than she herself actually did. "I'm sorry, Montse, but I don't think that's the case anymore. No pun intended." Before Montserrat could open her mouth to continue her protest, Kara quickly added, "I mean you're basically me when I kept talking about Sonny. And look where I am now."

At this point, all Montserrat could do was roll her eyes.

"I've been saying this for a while now. And it's nothing wrong," Kara continue calmly, though she did wonder if she would have to hide Montserrat's gun. "Like I've always said, he's good looking and so are you. I mean, he scared me but for you...he's good for you. Definitely."

"He's a smartass," Montserrat snapped, but Kara just smirked as an indication that so was she. "Oh shut up!"

Kara couldn't help but burst into laughter while Montserrat got up to leave.

~ 0 ~

Thanks to Fin's lucky socks, the squad now had a true lead with Elias and his fellow friend. With a swab of their DNA, they were able to get the two of them into interrogation rooms for their side of the "full story" which was really next to nothing but a lie.

"How could they say it was consensual?" Heba was outraged after being told what Elias' and Sullivan's version was, more than that she was destroyed the worst moment of her life was reduced to a casualty. "I would never-"

"It's okay. Nobody believes them," Olivia reassured the young woman while the rest of the squad nodded their heads. "What we need, Heba, is for you to tell us what really did happen."

But that just made Heba's eyes widened in alarm. "You want me to go up against the Kemp family? I can't. I mean, my parents, my brother... I mean, that's why I said I was raped in the park. I thought it would be better for them to hear that."

"If Heba takes the stand, she'll be brutalized all over again," the Reverend told the others, as if they didn't already know that.

"And if you want to clear your name, if you want justice, you have to testify," Amanda responded with, thinking it was a good reason to. "Otherwise, these men go free, Heba."

"And we don't want that," Olivia threw a discreet glance in Montserrat's way. The detective in question looked down at her shoes again.

"We hear you. We will talk it over with her family," the Reverend promised as he ushered Heba towards the doorway.

"She's not wrong, is she?" Nick waited until Heba was gone to say. "Kemp's team will destroy her on the stand."

"Couldn't we make a case without her?" Fin made the question, and the fact that all eyes moved to Rafael it didn't defer his answer from being a flat no.

"It's bad enough she made up her bizarre story."

"Not to mention these guys are charismatic and good-looking," Montserrat added from the top of her head. She hated those guys but there was no denying those facts.

"And of course they got your buddy, Jimmy Mac, hammering her every day," Rafael pointed at Olivia, something that made the woman frown.

"When did you two get on the same page?" Nick made a face at the two, but Montserrat quickly shook her head.

"We didn't! I'm just saying what I think was obvious," she crossed her arms, feeling awkward now that she had all the attention. I'm going to kill Kara.

"...are you okay?" Sonny was the one to ask the dire question after silently agreeing with the others she was acting rather odd.

"Yes! God!" Montserrat answered quickly. "I'm getting coffee!" she announced and turned to leave. She was way too fast to be 'normal', even if she was trying to fake it.

"Should we be worried?" Amanda looked at the rest after the door had shut behind Montserrat.

"Focus on the case," Rafael said, though his eyes were locked on the door. "I've got Novak." He missed the collective surprise of the others as he made his way out of the office.

As Montserrat had said, she was making coffee in the break room.

"Alright, what the hell are you doing?" Rafael went straight for the point as he stormed into the room.

"Making coffee, don't you see?" Montserrat gestured to the coffee pot in front of her.

"I'm not - stop that!" he snapped. Before speaking again, he looked back at the open door to see if anyone was nearby to overhear. "Is this about your decision to transfer? Or did you decide to permanently become weird?"

Montserrat rolled her eyes. "If you're fishing for some answers how about I just give them to you instead of doing this?" she made a gesture between them. "There's actual openings that I think I might be good at. I might switch to Homicide here in Manhattan, or maybe even Brooklyn-"

"-been in Brooklyn, it's not good," Rafael said flatly.

"Oh please," she reached for a coffee cup.

"I'm not kidding. And you know, at least I'm being honest which is more than what I can say for you. I don't buy that this decision to transfer came out of nowhere. If anything, it's out of this damn denial for your birthday-"

At the mention of her birthday, Montserrat nearly dropped the coffee pot. Rafael watched her lose herself in a minute of silence and then fade as if nothing happened. She blinked fast and once she came back to reality, she lowered the coffee pot and her cup altogether until they were safely on the table.

"I need you to stop talking about that," she said quietly, her voice mildly shaky.

"Your birthday?" he said, only to test the effect it had and see for himself to what extent it would cause her to lose herself again.

She visibly cringed. "Just...stop it…" She suddenly didn't need coffee anymore. "Leave me the hell alone, will you?" she practically hissed as she moved to leave.

Rafael grabbed onto her arm and forced her to stay. "Whatever is going on, it's not going away even if you try to run from it."

Montserrat hated that even in his most annoying moments he could be right. She tried to get her arm free from his grip but as it turned out, he had more strength than she thought.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Rafael asked softly for the first time since the conversation started.

Montserrat wished she could say no, but doing that would out her secret. She'd have to tell him everything and she just wasn't there. And she felt a twinge of shame she couldn't tell him because despite her irritation with him, she knew he was just trying to help. She didn't get to see that side of him very often, the one that included absolutely no sarcasm, no snark, just...someone open. She liked it.

It was then that Kara's conversation came back to her.

Oh my God, Montserrat blinked. She pulled her arm out of his grip and took a step backwards. "Just leave me alone." She forgot about coffee altogether. Now all she was focused on was getting away from him, at least to clear her head.

But Rafael wouldn't forget. In fact, he felt like a new layer of frustration had been added to his shoulders. The worst part was that he didn't even understand why he felt such a heavy frustration. Because she's frustrating, that's why, he scowled.

For the rest of the day, he came up with different reasons on just why Montserrat was so frustrating. Her secrets and her lies. That was probably the most irritating thing he could think of when it came to Montserrat. From the very start she had come in with a secret pregnancy that turned out to be a surrogacy process. And then she disappeared for months as if nothing happened. But that didn't stop her secrets and the lies that came with the former.

She hid things constantly and he really didn't understand why. Everyone around her was there to help her, including himself. That's why he let her vent whenever they were out together. Once she started to vent, to just talk, the stress seemed to fade from her eyes. She would smile more, and start making those sarcastic, albeit annoying, remarks at him. But then it would start again. Montserrat would fall into her distant, secretive phase all over again. Only this time, it seemed like two words with him drove her away.

Why can't she just say what's going on? Because that would be too easy.

"What did you say?"

Rafael looked up from his desk to see Nick, Olivia and Fin staring at him. It was then that he realized his last thought hadn't been a thought - he'd actually said it out loud.

"What?" he geniously said once he made his realization.

"You just said something," Nick said, about to go into further detail of how it had nothing to do with their conversation but he paused instead. Like Olivia and Fin, he'd noticed that Rafael hadn't really been paying attention to their conversation and that was odd considering they'd come bearing news that their evidence finally matched up with Elias. One would think it was a great motivator to take things to trial once and for all.

"Did you?" Rafael crossed gazes with Olivia and Fin.

"You're out of it," Olivia remarked.

"I have a lot to deal with!"

"Yeah, but that's just your usual load," Fin's comment actually annoyed Rafael more than it should have.

"So I'm not allowed to have my own problems?" he ended up snapping.

"That's not what we're saying-"

"-then why can't you just say what you mean? You know how easier that would make things?" he punctuated his last words in a near spat if he hadn't been gritting his teeth together. Yeah, he was a bit upset. Maybe he was done with Montserrat's constant lies and secrets, and maybe even more with her snaps. "Maybe she should just transfer!"

It took only a second for Rafael to realize that hadn't been a quiet thought.

With widened eyes he looked to find all three of Nick's, Olivia's and Fin's shocked faces. He'd practically given them a 30 second show of a meltdown with quite an ending. She's actually going to kill me now.

That had been a quiet thought. If only the previous one could've been too.

Author's Note:

That's a bit 'uh-oh!' from me! That can't end well, can it?

And since the two reviews said similar things I'll just thank y'all both here! Hope you liked the new chapter!

And here's a question, if yall are willing to answer: I'm finally up to that point where these two disasters are finally going out and they're to actually going on a date now...what do yall think they might do? Like, where would they go? Let me know what yall think!

Also, P.S I did end up posting a Halloween one-shot for them under 'The Detective & the ADA' on my profile if you want to check it out!