Kara would never ever expect to have Rafael visiting her at her salon, but lately he'd been a very surprising man. He asked if they could talk privately for a moment so she thought it best to talk outside. Plus, she couldn't imagine that he would love to smell the scent of hair dye and nails.

"Is everything okay?" she asked once they were outside the salon.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you for a minute...if that's okay? It's about Montserrat."

"Sure. I can take an early lunch break. After all, I am the boss," Kara shrugged. They decided to take a short walk but from his face, Kara wondered if a short walk would be enough time for him to say what he needed to say. "Is Montserrat okay?"

"Yeah - well... debatable. I know it's odd talking to me about her but-"

Kara's hand practically flew to his arm. "Oh no, no, we're friends." Her gesture between them truly surprised Rafael, it made her chuckle. "We're friends, you know that right?"

"I wasn't aware…" He'd barely exchanged words with her as it was and it usually involved her accusing him of hurting Montserrat.

Kara laughed again. "Yeah, we're not the most compatible people but we do have one thing in common: we both care for Montserrat. So, in my book, we are friends."

"That's good to know," Rafael breathed in pretty sharply before getting to what he came for, "Because I have to ask you some things about Montserrat. She does not owe me anything but I'm worried about her. Actually, I'm always worried about her. Even before we started dating there were times when I got really concerned because she would get so distant and secretive. And it looks like it would take a toll on her…" And as he continued to explain, he noticed Kara's cheerfulness slowly fade away. There was a deep understanding etching itself across her face.

"And she would shut down, right?" She finished for him. He gave a small nod. "Yeah, you know she didn't used to do that before. She wasn't like that, I swear. I mean, yeah she has an attitude but it was never like this. This...this is sadness on a whole other level. Last year, she just...changed. I'm her best friend and I would catch her crying sometimes. It'd be in secret, like none of us were meant to know about something. And she seemed hurt. Not physically, but...inside. She was just...hurt. I can't explain it-"

"-no, I understand," Rafael said. And he did...given his line of work. Even just comparing Montserrat to the many victims he'd seen hurt him in a way he couldn't explain. "Did she...ever say anything? A clue to what made her cry? Or shut down?"

Kara shook her head. "No. And it kills me that I could never figure it out, but then again what did I expect? I'm just a hair salonist and she's a detective so...kind of an unfair fight. I mean, to her credit, she has gotten better within this year. She's like herself again just...with occasional episodes like the ones we talked about."

"Yeah," Rafael didn't know how Montserrat may have acted last year but he could attest to this year. She could go months without having a momentary shut down. It'd actually been a good while since the last time he found himself questioning her past.

Kara stopped walking and turned to him, offering him a kind smile. "I'm glad to know it's not just me that's in this now. She's told me countless times you've figured her out - it'd annoyed her, actually - so maybe you'll be able to figure this mystery out."

"I don't know. We're sort of figuring this argument out-"

"Oh you've had your first argument already?" Kara blinked. "I have to say it took you a little bit longer than I thought it would." At Rafael's deadpanning stare, she cleared her throat and turned away. "Not that we were...betting or anything."

"...you and Carisi are definitely made for each other."

Kara sweetly smiled. "Aren't we?"

Rafael had more to say but for the sake of this new friendship, he'd restrain himself. And as if to help him, his phone rang. "Carisi?"

Kara thought it was a curious thing how quickly color drained from his face. His eyes widened in terrible alarm, almost fear. "What's hap-"

"I'm on my way," Rafael said before hanging up and shoving his phone into his pocket. "I gotta go!"

"Wait, what's happened!?" Kara called but he was already running.

~0~

Montserrat sat on the edge of a hospital bed with nothing less than a frown on her face. Nobody was listening to her and that included her own sergeant and partner. "I really am fine, Liv," Montserrat tried standing up but Olivia wouldn't have any of that. "It was a drive-by shooting but it was just for show. No one got hurt."

"I'm interested in finding out who sent those orders and for the time being I am putting a security detail on you."

"What!?"

"Barba warned me Tino made a threat against you and I should've paid more attention," Olivia shook her head.

"To be fair, he made a threat against SVU as a whole," Montserrat said. She was about to try and get up when Sonny gave her a shake of his head not to even try it. "And by the looks of it, it worked but I'm not scared. In fact, I'm mad."

"So am I," agreed Olivia. "And I'm going to get to the bottom of this, I promise. Just take some time to heal, okay?"

"Olivia, wait!" Montserrat groaned when the Seargent left. Of course her anger possibly heightened even more when Rafael arrived in a hasty speed, because she hadn't called him.

"Are you okay!? What the hell happened!?" he grabbed her in a tight hug, one he didn't even realize he needed.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Montserrat was growing tired of repeating herself, though she did relish in his hug. "But you shouldn't have come. Sonny shouldn't have called you."

When Rafael finally let her go, he turned to Sonny. "Thank you," he said and the detective gave a nod.

"If it was Kara on the line, I would've liked to know as well," Sonny said to Montserrat.

"But there was no line!"The ginger shrieked, looking ready to lunge on him at any moment.

"Montserrat, you were nearly shot," Sonny pointed out. "You have stitches on your back-"

"You have what?" Rafael repeated, now wide-eyed.

Montserrat motioned for him not to get so worked up. "I only got stitches because I fell on the curve of the sidewalk, nothing more. There were no bullet injuries. It was just a scare."

"I don't care, they were obviously trying to send a message and I told Liv that we needed to be careful!"

Montserrat almost groaned again. She was not about to be lectured again. "Sonny, you can go. Thanks for nothing."

"Thanks for everything," Rafael corrected but Sonny didn't say anything as he made his way out, though his smile of amusement said it all. It was so strange seeing Rafael in his 'couple' mode.

"I really am just fine," Montserrat insisted once they were alone.

"Just walk me through it, please," sighed Rafael, trying to calm his nerves to listen better. He wanted to avoid another argument with her, especially when they were in a hospital and she was the patient. "What happened?"

Montserrat only resisted the urge to roll her eyes because he seemed genuinely worried and perhaps a tad scared. "I was about to cross the street when this car came out of nowhere and started shooting. No one was hurt, though."

"Hurting wasn't the point. They were sending a message that SVU detectives aren't safe. You're not safe."

"Look, this-" she pointed at him then herself, "-is not going to work if you get so worked up every time I get mildly hurt on the job."

"Don't you dare say I'm overreacting," warned Rafael. His expression was not to be trifled with. "Because if roles were reversed, you'd be doing the same thing." Montserrat looked away without responding. Of course he was right. "So let me be worried."

She met his gaze with a new softness. "But I'm okay," she said quietly. "I'm gonna be sore for a few days but I'm fine. I've had worse, trust me."

"I'm afraid to ask."

She chuckled and slid off the bed, but her face scrunched for a brief second while her hand reached for her back. Rafael watched her lift the corner of her blouse and saw the "no big deal" scratch.

"That is deep," he pointed out, not too pleased with her attempt to lie. It was a series of scratches with one deeper gash in the middle, the one that needed stitches.

Montserrat let her blouse fall and cover it. She brought her hands to his shoulders and put on her best smile for him. "The price you pay for dating a cop."

She leaned up and kissed him. He was careful not to put his hand over the injured spot on her back but he still wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She was probably right in that he was overreacting a bit but he didn't care. As soon as Carisi told him Montserrat was in a drive-by shooting, his heart stopped. He knew nothing except that he needed to be at the hospital with her, making sure she was fine.

"Miss Novak?" A nurse's voice pulled the two apart, but even Rafael wouldn't let her go. "Your discharge papers are ready."

"Great, thanks!" Montserrat took the papers from the nurse.

"And you have your Motrin prescription," the nurse said before leaving.

"Ah, pain medication, see? I'll be just fine," Montserrat looked up at Rafael with a big smile, like nothing truly happened to her.

Rafael looked tired. He had a feeling she'd be pulling stunts like these and he would have no control whatsoever. "I'm taking you home," he said and as she opened her mouth, no doubt to argue, he added, "Liv ordered a day off so don't even try it."

Montserrat huffed and looked away. There was no fighting those orders for sure. One more day off it would be.

~0~

Kara was so relieved to see Montserrat walking in through the door. "Oh my God!" she rushed to hug her best friend.

"Let me guess, somebody called you," Montserrat looked over her shoulder to Rafael.

"I don't think so," he sourly said, not about to take that fault. He closed the door for them and brought Montserrat's things to the nearest couch. "Carisi can take that one."

"Of course," Montserrat shook her head. She pried Kara's hands off her, forcing the blonde to pull away. "Like I've told everyone, I am fine."

Kara didn't buy it. She turned to Rafael for the actual truth.

"She has stitches on her back."

Kara's eyes widened in horror, meanwhile looked ready to murder him.

"I told you not to say anything!"

"You think she's not going to notice stitches!? Or the bruises and other scratches on your back!?"

"That was the plan before your big mouth ruined it!"

"Carisi beat you to it, Montserrat!"

Montserrat took in a deep breath instead of continuing such a ridiculous argument. He was trying to help and she needed to remember that. Already she had caused a rift earlier and this one was about to be her fault too? She needed to do something.

Rafael assumed she was once again upset. He just couldn't do it right, could he? Exactly what he was once afraid of. "I'll see you tomorrow." He went around them and left the apartment.

"Can I tell you what you did wrong?" Kara said once they were alone.

Montserrat rolled her eyes and went to get her things on the couch. "I'm not in the mood for humor, Kara."

"Oh, this isn't a joke," Kara promised. She followed Montserrat with the intention of making the ginger listen. "Why'd you argue with him? He was just trying to help."

"I know!" Montserrat exclaimed then deeply sighed. "I know," she said in a quieter voice. "I just seem to ruin it. It's my thing."

"No, it's not," Kara gently took what was in Montserrat's hands and placed them back on the couch. She then sat Montserrat down. "I think you just really like him that you don't know what to do now that you're actually together. Plus, it's also just part of your personalities. You're bound to clash."

"I don't want to clash," Montserrat leaned her head back against the couch. She stared at the beige ceiling. "We're also just getting through another argument that's also my fault."

Right. Kara remembered her brief meeting with Rafael just before he got called away. "Why don't you just apologize?"

"Because it's not about apologizing, it's about being honest."

Kara tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

With a sigh, Montserrat shifted on the couch to face her friend. "He deserves honesty but I'm not sure I'm at that point where I can say something. I'm not quite ready."

Kara truly wished she knew what that was so sweet could give Montserrat best advice, but it seemed like even she herself wasn't deemed ready to hear what Montserrat had to say. So, Kara did what she could which was to hug her best friend as tight as possible.

~0~

Two days later, Montserrat reported for work like normal despite Olivia's insistence to stay home.

"I already let the detail follow me around, so consider that the compromise," Montserrat went directly up to their assessment board where the rest of the team was. "So, what do we have so far?"

"Same as yesterday," Amanda said. "Diego Ramirez got a hotshot in Bellevue. Missy Brooks, executed along with a John. Looks like he was just collateral damage. And Little Tino, critical condition."

"And we've already picked up Luna," Olivia nodded as if reminding herself that not all was lost. "Now, what we need to do now is find out whoever ordered these hits, starting with Joaquin."

"We know how this started. Amaro met with Joaquin and an hour later the knives come out?" Fin tilted his head Olivia, letting her and the others make the connection.

"But do we know how he got that message to his boss?" Montserrat was fairly interested in that answer. The case had gotten a bit more personal now and she wanted to see that "big boss" behind bars.

"No idea," Sonny shook his head. He dropped into an open seat next to Amanda and went over their facts on Joaquin. "We had his phone tapped and he was under surveillance."

"Tell Amaro to set up a meet with Joaquin. The second those two sit down, you bring them both in," Olivia instructed them, but of course there was a wave of mutual surprise from the group.

"You want to arrest Nick?" asked Montserrat.

"It has to look good. And I want someone to go back to Quickride to ask exactly how Missy got to Richmond Hill."

"On it," Montserrat said before Olivia could even decide which of her detectives would take the task. She even smiled sweetly at Olivia for her quickness, but Olivia knew the tricks all too well. She'd pulled them herself enough times with Craven.

"Carisi?"

The detective in question nodded at the sergeant. "I know." He got up to follow Montserrat. No way she was being left alone anytime soon.

~0~

As soon as Montserrat and Sonny got to Quickride, they knew something was wrong. The place was vandalized on the outside - windows shattered, signs on the ground - and on the inside every piece of furniture was overturned. Files were sprawled across the ground, some torn and others crumpled.

"Angel Perez?" Sonny called through the mess of bustling employees trying to get organized again. "Angel Perez?"

Angel was in his office, attempting to put his desk back in place. "Get out!" he shouted. "I'm not talking. They did a number on this place."

"I would think you'd want us to catch these guys," Montserrat's passing remark earned the snap of the wife.

"You heard what he said, get out! This is all your fault!"

"One of your drivers may have dropped off a girl who was murdered yesterday," Montserrat kept her cool despite wanting to smack the woman away. Completely unprofessional, she berated herself. She chalked it off to her own problems.

"Not a chance!" the wife still snapped. "This-" she frantically flapped an arm at the mess surrounding them, "-only happened because my husband talked to you before. So leave us alone!" She stormed out of the room and despite the lock of her presents, Angel really wouldn't talk to anyone anymore.

That just left Joaquin so it was even more urgent to get him down at the precinct, even if it meant bringing Nick too.

"How are we doing?" Rafael arrived in Olivia's office where Montserrat and Amanda were watching Olivia and Fin, interrogate Joaquin.

"He's not talking," Amanda shook her head and turned away from the one-way glass. She didn't have to waste more time listening to Joaquin's cycle of denials.

Rafael took a peek into the room and saw Olivia and Fin inside. They were going at Joaquin from every angle but the man would not budge. "Dare I ask about Quickride?"

"...I would not," Montserrat lowered her gaze when she answered. Rafael side-glanced her but she only briefly met his gaze and even then it was strained. Still not quite there yet, he presumed.

"Maybe someone else needs to go in there," Amanda thought it was a fine idea, including Montserrat who nodded in agreement.

"New faces could be the thing," the ginger said.

"Last time you talked to any of these people, you nearly got shot," Rafael couldn't help but remind.

"Well, since this is my job-" Montserrat threw the word out sharply, "-I'll just have to take that chance. I don't see you backing out each time you have to face off in court."

"It's not the same-" Rafael was going to say when Sonny came into the office

"Little Tino is conscious."

"Oh, even better," Montserrat's eyes had a glint of anger but it wasn't directed at Rafael nor anyone else in the room. She was mad as hell that she was nearly shot.

"We need to run it by Liv," Amanda said and went for the interrogation door.

"I'll go get Nick out of his cell," Sonny thought the man was done playing their game.

"And I'll start setting up the visit for Little Tino," Montserrat said in the end.

"Montserrat," Rafael stopped her before she went out the door. "I don't like arguing with you, not when we're...trying something..."

Her face seemed to soften with his admission. "It's not you," she said, coming back to him.

"I kind of think it is. I warned you that this was one of my flaws and it looks like I'm doing it again."

"No, you're not. This is completely me. I just need to figure some things out and the only thing I ask of you right now is to please let me do my job. I'm actually pretty good at it."

The small smile on his face gave her hope that not all was lost. Montserrat took a quick look around to see if anyone was looking and when she was sure there were no eyes, she came back to Rafael to give him a quick kiss on the lips. It was fairly amusing seeing his reaction afterwards.

"I'll see you later," she promised then hurried out.

Amanda re-emerged from the interrogation room only a few seconds later and watched Rafael go through a series of expressions. "Are you okay, Counselor?"

"Uuh…" Rafael thought about it for a good minute then shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly have no idea."

~0~

"Oh, you're back home early," Kara blinked when she opened the door and found Montserrat already in the living room.

"They're doing a small undercover thing, didn't need me," Montserrat grabbed the bowl on the coffee table and kicked her feet up on the table.

"Right," Kara wrinkled her nose. "Sonny called me. I don't like the idea of him pretending to call for an underage girl."

"It's what we do," Montserrat said matter-of-factly.

"Well yeah, but it doesn't mean I like it. I worry about him all the time," Kara dropped her things on the other couch. "Do you know how hard it is knowing he could be shot at any time?"

Montserrat slowly stopped eating her popcorn when she remembered Rafael's words earlier. It was the same story. "Kara, it's our job," she repeated, but like before it didn't do much.

"And that's supposed to make it okay? Montse, you can't possibly understand unless you're on the other side." Kara walked over and took some popcorn into her hands. "You're the cop, you're the one out in danger so you don't even have time to consider it but we-" Kara gestured to herself, "-have to stay on the sidelines hoping to God that everything will turn out fine. You can't possibly understand what that feeling is like."

Montserrat brought a hand to her temple and let out a deep sigh. "Kind of frustrating?"

"Oh yeah," Kara's eyes widened. "It's...it's so frustrating, especially cos he doesn't really listen sometimes." She checked for her friend's reaction. She was no stranger to Montserrat's conflicted face. "You still having problems…?"

Montserrat didn't answer straightaway. She instead shifted on the couch, sitting now on her side to face Kara. "Is it supposed to be this complicated?" Her question had come in a frail whisper and Kara was sure she detected some fear in Montserrat's tone.

"Are you having second thoughts about you and Rafael?" Kara couldn't help the question that tumbled out of her mouth.

"No," Montserrat shook her head then sighed. "I'm just scared that because it's so complicated he might get tired and…"

"Oh he would not end things," Kara flat out rejected such an idea. "Trust me, I've seen him and he is not going anywhere. He's head over heels for you."

"But there's just so many things right now and it's literally only been two weeks."

"Take it piece by piece," Kara suggested, unknowingly reminding Montserrat of her therapist's advice. It was the same one. "What could you possibly be arguing over in the span of two weeks?"

"Well, as of right now, he's a little upset that I would love to work despite being shot at. And I said it was my job but then I still kissed him in the end so I'm not sure where we stand."

Kara's expression indicated pure confusion. "Wow you two really love complicated stuff. No wonder you're both so miserable."

"At first I was genuinely upset with him that he couldn't see that this was my job, something that I do everyday, but then now you have me second guessing myself because you're right. I don't know what it's like being on the sidelines wondering if my partner is going to get hurt. I mean, Rafael's job isn't exactly a walk in the park but I'm the cop. I'm the one who does the shooting and the interrogations and pretty much all the dangerous stuff. I don't know what it's like."

Kara nodded her head. She patted Montserrat's arm and offered her friend a smile. "I think you both have to figure out a way to go from working together to working while being together. It's stupid but-"

"-no, no, it's really not. It's exactly what we need to do," Montserrat nodded her head fast. It was something neither of them had considered before and it showed. She only hoped that she wasn't too late to fix things.

Author's note:

Oh my poor dummies. Kara's right, they do love complicated stuff. But stay tuned for the next chapter, it's a biggie and important!

A little announcement, if anyone cares, I'm actually going back to work tomorrow (also my birthday, on a gloomy Monday, so it's bittersweet because I gotta be up before 7 a.m boooo) so these updates might be a little more sporadic. I mean, it might not even make a difference since my hours could be different with all this corona regulations so who knows. Just a little heads up though!

As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "noble-crescent" and the tag I created for any posts having to do with my work is # noblecrescentedit.

For the reviews:

ZabuzasGirl: Yup,y up, sorry about the cliffhanger but I'm evil :)

Professor Severus Tobias Snape: Like I said above, I might be evil...who knows :))