"I'm so glad we already arranged for me to stay here tonight." Olivia sagged like a ragdoll once inside.

"Rough day?" Barba asked, if only for confirmation. At Olivia's heavy nod, he gently ushered her to the couch. "Alright, off your feet." As they settled, he lifted her legs into his lap and started taking off her shoes.

"Rafa, what -?" Before she could get her question out, Olivia felt the answer. He was massaging her feet. "Oh! You're a saint…Mm."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, continuing his work.

Olivia sighed. "It's Carisi's niece."

Barba paused in his shock. "Oh shit."

"Yeah. And I have to teach the new you how to be the ADA for Special Victims. And he's trying to flirt with me. Already. Why am I a magnet for all the men all of a sudden, as soon as I'm taken? No one goes after Amanda, and she's single."

Barba snorted in amusement. "That's not true."

"Which part?"

Barba looked straight into her eyes. "You've got to realize Carisi has been head over heels for Rollins since the moment he joined the SVU, what, three years ago?"

Olivia's eyes widened. "What?"

"Ask Fin. He'll tell you how obvious it is."

Olivia cocked her head to the side. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

He chuckled again. "That would be because I am. He warned me off. I did my best to listen."

Olivia pulled her feet back and sat up. "Seriously? When did that happen?"

"After Amaro left."

"I'm gonna punch him."

"No, you won't, because I didn't just tell you that. He was protecting you. Whatever happens in your life does have an effect on the job. It's impossible to compartmentalize everything all the time."

Olivia just let her jaw hang open for a moment. "So Fin knew before me?"

"And we know before Amanda."

Olivia let out a laugh of disbelief. "What the hell?" She shook her head. "That took my mind off the case, at least."

"That's what I'm here for." Barba smiled and kissed her softly.

"Do you think it's mutual?"

Barba chuckled quietly. "How would I know? I didn't really know how things would turn out for us until you spelled it out by telling me to kiss you."

"You poor man." Olivia kissed him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing flush against him. He was even better a man than she gave him credit for, and the praise had already been set high.

Barba smiled at the attention. "Worked out alright. Tonight, no getting out of dinner. It's already made and just needs to be reheated."

Olivia melted. "You didn't have to wait for me."

"It's better with company."

So Olivia let him help her up and bring her to the kitchen. They washed their hands and then she watched him put together their plates. She imagined a repeat of the same scene decades later, when they couldn't see, hear, or move as well. He'd press the wrong buttons on the microwave and she'd tell him, he'd mishear her and it would become an argument and the food would be completely nuked and inedible.

"What are you grinning at?" Barba asked as he placed her dish in front of her.

Olivia returned to the present. "Our eighties."

Barba pressed a fond kiss to her temple before sitting next to her with his own plate. "You know, whenever the schedule allows, I'd like to take you on a real date."

"Pick a day and I'll clear the schedule."

Barba was surprised. "Just like that?"

"Well, once you start taking on clients it's going to be harder to coordinate schedules. It's as easy as it's ever going to get right now. And when all three of us live together, it's going to be more family time than just us, based on our Sundays." She took the first bite of her dinner.

Barba chuckled. "It's already 'when', huh?"

"I think we both need something to look forward to, and you can't convince me you weren't just passing time waiting for me to get back today."

"That obvious?" He pondered on what to do for a whole day, and which day of the week would be best. They continued eating. Eventually, he named a date, "Friday, March 2nd. If you're giving me the whole day, start with coffee and a light breakfast, maybe a walk through a park if the weather is nice. Diner food for lunch and a mid-day movie, and then dinner at a fancy restaurant with the kind of waiter that doesn't write down the orders."

Olivia's eyebrows rose. "Three in one! You've definitely put some thought into this."

"The fancy dinner was the main one, but since you said you'd clear a day… Make the most of it."

Olivia smiled at him. "You know, I'd be happy enough to sit on the couch with you, watching soap operas and eating peanut butter from the jar all day. That's also a real date."

Barba looked at her with amused affection. Most adorable woman. "I'll add it to the list. I suppose I meant that I want to take you out."

"Show me off?" Olivia's smile grew. "You want your debut to the public."

"Guilty."

Olivia kissed him. "March 2nd is yours. And…" She brushed her nose against his. "So am I."