A/N: I'm new to the Barson fandom, and this is my first time writing for SVU (and first time in a while writing in general), but after catching up on the newest episodes and reading lots of Barson fanfiction, I got inspired and this happened. Please be kind. [originally published on AO3].


Nearly two years after leaving Manhattan, Rafael saw an unfamiliar number show up on his cell phone screen. Worried someone might be trying to contact him about a family member, he quickly answered.

"Barba."

"How would you feel about coming back to Manhattan SVU?" a female voice asked.

As a million thoughts continued to run through his head, Rafael decided to humor whoever it was on the other end of the line.

"Depends on who's asking," he replied, eliciting a laugh in return.

"Sorry. I still have a tendency to skip the pleasantries and get right to what I want to know. Old habits die hard, I guess. This is Alex Cabot. I'm the new Executive District Attorney for Manhattan."

"I thought you were off making your own witness protection program?"

"I was. Then I thought about some things Olivia had said to me when I saw her. When I was offered the Executive ADA position, I decided to take it. It's a job I've wanted for a while, to be perfectly honest."

"Fair enough. But what does that have to do with me?"

"I'm getting to that. I've been reviewing the work being done by Vanessa Hadid and Dominick Carisi. I assume you're familiar with both of them?"

"Carisi, yes. Hadid not so much. I'm still not understanding where you're going with this, counselor."

"Sorry. I'm just trying to make sure you understand the circumstances under which I'm being allowed to make this offer."

"Is there something wrong with the work they've been doing?" Rafael asked, still trying to figure out what prompted this phone call.

"Yes and no. Carisi is doing wonderfully for how new he is to the position. Hadid, however, I'm not at all pleased with. Apparently Carisi has been raising concerns to McCoy for a while now. When I took over the Executive ADA position, I decided to speak with him myself."

"What concerns?"

"He feels that she has been either hindering or undermining him from pretty much day one. After reviewing case notes and speaking to them both directly, I decided to let Hadid transfer back to her previous position. That leads me to my original question: how would you feel about coming back to Manhattan SVU?"

Rafael was silent as he tried to wrap his head around everything he'd just been told and the question he'd been asked twice now.

"…doing what exactly?"

"Bureau Chief for Manhattan SVU. You'd be supervising Carisi directly, as well as some other junior ADAs that we recently hired. You have six years of experience with this unit and I firmly believe you would be an asset to the team."

Rafael sat down on the nearby couch as he contemplated the offer.

"I quit nearly two years ago…and not on great terms…" He explained.

"I'm aware. Apparently you are still in high demand around there, though."

"I am?"

Alex laughed as she answered. "Yes. I thought you and Olivia had kept in touch?"

"We have…but she never mentioned anything about it to me."

"McCoy avoids her whenever possible. She's pissed at him for what he did to you…and for bringing in Stone. She never liked Hadid, though as with Stone, she reluctantly learned to work with her. The entire squad ambushed McCoy one day. Olivia had a specific list of demands."

Listening to Alex's story, Rafael smiled as he pictured that particular scene. He had no doubt that Olivia had done her research and known exactly which buttons to push to get McCoy to agree.

"Were you there for this conversation?"

"I was, actually. I had been in New York visiting and decided to drop by the precinct before Olivia and I went to lunch a couple of weeks ago, which is where she explained all of this to me. You'd be reporting to me, Rafael, not McCoy. I understand why you did what you did and I firmly believe McCoy is a complete idiot for doing what he did. Stone, too."

It took Rafael all of two seconds to make up his mind.

"I'm in," he said. "But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"I need a couple of weeks to settle things here…and I want to tell Olivia myself."

"Done," Alex said with a smile in her voice. "Welcome back, counselor."


Two weeks later, after meeting with Alex to go over paperwork, Rafael walked back into his old office and smiled to himself as he saw his name, and new title, now displayed on the door. After dropping a box full of stuff on his desk, He set off for the 16th precinct. He and Alex had also filled Carisi in on the plans and he had said that Olivia and Rollins had gone to meet with a victim while Fin and the new officer, Kat, did some research at the office.

"Barba?" Fin asked in near disbelief as he saw Rafael walk into the room. "What are you doing here?"

"It's kind of a complicated story," Rafael replied, not wanting to give too much away before he talked to Olivia.

"You here to stay?"

"I am."

"Are you and Liv going to disclose, then?"

That question threw Rafael and he simply stared at the other man, who started laughing.

"Come on, Barba, we all know she's the reason you accepted this offer. Nothing, and no one, else could have made you agree to it. Not even all of the begging Carisi could probably be counted on to do. It's about time you two stopped dancing around your feelings."

"She might kill me before I can even admit them," he replied with a small shrug.

Fin laughed some more before he clasped Rafael on the shoulder. "Nah, man. She'll be thrilled. Trust me."

"So you're Barba," a new voice said from the other side of Fin's desk.

"Barba, this is the newest member of the SVU squad, Officer Kat Tamin," Fin introduced. "Kat, this is Rafael Barba, our former ADA. Now Bureau Chief of SVU."

"It's nice to finally put a name with a face," Kat told him with a smile.

"Likewise."

"Why don't you go wait in Liv's office?" Fin suggested to Rafael. "We promise not to say a word. She shouldn't be long."

Rafael nodded, noting Olivia's new title as he walked into the familiar room. Weighing his options, Rafael opted to take a seat on the nearby couch.


He heard her voice before he saw her. She was filling Kat and Fin in on what the victim had told her.

"Where's Rollins?" he heard Fin ask.

"Outside yelling at Carisi," came the exasperated reply.

"About what now?"

"I don't even know anymore. Rafael and I had our moments, but I don't think we were as bad as those two."

Rafael smiled at that comment. They'd had their fair share of yelling matches, usually in one or the other's office. Carisi shared an office with some of the other junior ADAs and Rollins didn't have her own office, so they were usually sent outside to settle their spats.


Walking into her office and shutting the door, Olivia immediately felt as if she weren't alone. The presence wasn't threatening…it was…comforting. Calming. She knew that presence. Before he'd left, they had gotten so close that she had begun to know he was in the room before she actually saw him.

"Rafa," she whispered, hoping she wasn't imagining things.

"Liv," the presence replied.

She knew that voice. She often replayed his voicemails just to hear it. Turning, she saw him standing near the couch.

"Rafa?" she repeated, still not believing he was actually here.

"Yeah, Liv, it's me," he said, holding out his hand to her.

Reaching out her own hand, she felt his clasp it tightly as he pulled her closer.

"Rafa," she said once more, immediately letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hug him tightly.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rafael slid his arms around Olivia's waist and held her to him just as tightly. A few minutes later, when she pulled back slightly, she looked at him with a question in her eyes.

"How?" she finally asked.

"How…what?"

"How long are you back for?"

"As long as you'll have me."

"You're not leaving? What about election fraud?"

Rafael chuckled as he shook his head.

"Someone else can handle the election fraud…it wasn't what I really wanted to be doing, anyway. I have been welcomed back to the DA's office with mostly open arms."

"What?"

"Alex Cabot called me a couple of weeks ago, said she had just taken over as Executive ADA. Told me you and your squad were scaring McCoy."

Burying her head in Rafael's shoulder, Olivia simply muttered "Oh my God."

Reaching up to run his fingers through Olivia's hair, Rafael continued his story.

"Apparently I'm still in high demand around here."

"You are," Olivia confirmed, lifting her head.

"She told me what was going on with Hadid, said McCoy was allowing her to choose the new Bureau Chief of SVU. She offered me the job…and I accepted. I start Monday."

Olivia searched his eyes for any hint that he was joking. What she saw there instead took her breath away.

"What made you decide to accept the offer?" she asked, feeling it was the safest of the many questions running around in her head.

"You," he answered simply.

"Me?"

Reaching up to frame her face with his hands, Rafael held her gaze as he spoke.

"Yes. I've missed you so much, Liv. You and Noah. You both weaseled your way into my heart and refused to leave. I'm sorry for hurting you both when I left and I'm grateful that you don't hate me…"

"I could never hate you," Olivia interrupted. "I was extremely mad at you for a long time, but I never hated you. Noah was very hurt, but he could never hate you, either. You're still his favorite."

Rafael smiled a bit at that statement, making a mental note to circle back to it later, before he attempted to continue talking. When he couldn't find his train of thought from before Olivia had interrupted him, he opted for three simple words instead.

"I love you," he confessed, pressing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes.

Olivia felt tears prick her eyes as her heart simply soared. He had finally said the three words she'd been longing to hear for nearly two years. Not trusting her voice at the moment, she did what she felt was the next best thing and leaned slightly forward to brush her lips with his.

Having prepared himself for rejection when Olivia remained silent, Rafael was surprised when he felt a soft brush of lips against his. Sliding one of his hands into her hair and the other around her hip, he pulled her closer as he returned her kiss.

"Rafa," Olivia managed a few minutes later, reluctantly pulling slightly away from the man whose attention she was attempting to get.

"Liv," he returned, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"I love you, too."

This time it was Rafael's turn to feel his heart soar. "Stay with me tonight?" he asked as he leaned in for another kiss.

"I thought I'd be working late, so Lucy and Noah are having a sleepover at her place."

"Is that a yes?"

Olivia smiled at him, running a hand through his hair as she answered. "Yes."


The following morning, Olivia groaned as her alarm went off. Hearing a deep chuckle from beside her, she turned her alarm off and then turned back to see a pair of green eyes watching her with amusement. Hearing his laugh in person, which confirmed that last night hadn't been a dream, Olivia couldn't help but smile back at him as she leaned in for a kiss.

"You're lucky I love you," she told him as she learned back to swat at his arm.

"I know," he replied, suddenly turning serious. At the panicked look on Olivia's face, he pulled her close again. "I don't want to hide our relationship."

"Me, neither."

"You might want to let Fin know you'll be a little late, then."

"…Why?"

"Discolure. We can stop by and see Alex first, then go to 1PP."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Olivia asked him.

"I thought I made that clear last night," Rafael replied, confusion written all over his face.

"I just need you to understand that it's not just my heart you could break again…it's Noah's, too. He loves you so much, Rafa. I don't think either of us could handle anyone walking out on us again."

"I'm not going anywhere," Rafael promised. "I love you both. Some of my favorite memories are the ones where it was just the three of us hanging out…being a family. Spaghetti and movie nights…"

"Really?"

Rafael simply smiled and nodded. "Really," he replied.

"I hope you're prepared for him to not let you leave…probably ever," Olivia told him as she reluctantly got out of bed and began to get herself ready for the day.

"Is that your way of asking me to move in?"

"A nice as this hotel is, it's not a home."

"I was thinking maybe we could look at places this weekend," Rafael revealed, eliciting a surprised look from Olivia.

"You don't like my place?" she teased.

Rafael smiled at her before he continued. "I adore your place, but with our promotions, we can afford some place with better security and more room."

"You've been thinking about this, haven't you?"

"I've been thinking about a lot of things."

"You always do," Olivia said with a smile, leaning in for another kiss before walking into the bathroom.


Later that afternoon, after he and Olivia had filed all of the necessary disclosure paperwork, Rafael made his way across town to his mother's school. He wasn't completely sure she'd be happy to see him, but he was determined to make amends with his entire family. He had debated who to see first, his mother or Olivia. He had ultimately decided on Olivia, not only because he'd been an uncharacteristic ball of nerves before seeing her, but because he knew his mother was bound to ask him about the woman in question.

Walking into the familiar surroundings, Rafael smiled at the sounds of the various activities happening.

"Rafael, is that you?" he heard the school secretary, and longtime friend of his mother, ask as he walked into the office.

"Yes, Gabriella," he replied with a smile. "Is my mom in?"

"Yes. Go ahead. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"I hope so."


Lucia Barba was looking over some paperwork when she could have sworn she heard the familiar voice of her son.

'Impossible. He's still travelling around the country' she thought to herself.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she continued reading the document in front of her.

"Hola, Mami."

Hearing the familiar greeting, from the familiar voice, Lucia looked up to find her son standing in front of her desk.

"Rafi?" she asked, not entirely convinced she wasn't hallucinating.

"What is it with the women in my life not believing I'm really here?" he questioned irritably.

"The women in your life?" Lucia repeated as she rounded the desk to hug him.

"Yes, Mami, women," Rafael confirmed as he returned her hug, feeling as though another weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Leaning back to sit on the edge of her desk as Rafael took a seat in a nearby chair, Lucia eyed him carefully. "Explain."


A short while later, after having explained his new job and the new status of his relationship with Olivia, Rafael looked to his mother to see if she had any further questions before he told her about something he'd been considering since the moment his relationship status with Olivia had changed.

"I want to give Abuelita's ring to Olivia," he told her.

Lucia couldn't help but smile as she heard her son's latest confession. She didn't know Olivia well yet, but she clearly made her son the happiest she'd seen him in a very long time, and that was really all she needed to know.

"Bring her to dinner on Sunday and you can get it then," she decided. "She has a child, too, doesn't she?"

"Yes. A son. Noah."

"Are you going to adopt him?"

"Dios mío, Mami," Rafael said. "We just reconnected last night."

"But you're already planning to move in with her and asking for your Abuelita's ring."

Rafael let out a breath before answering his mother.

"If it's something both Olivia and Noah want, then yes, I would adopt him. In a heartbeat."

Lucia smiled at her son's answer. Truth be told, she had been expecting to have this conversation a lot sooner, but was happy Rafael had come to his senses.

"Bring them both by on Sunday and you can have the ring," she amended.

"I'll talk to Liv."

"Good. Now tell me more about this new job of yours."


Walking out of his school, Noah immediately spotted his mother. She was talking to someone, a man who was currently making her laugh. The last time he had seen his mother laugh like that was when his uncle Rafa had been around.

"Rafa," he whispered as he quickened his steps to get to his mother faster.

Apparently having heard him approach, the man turned to smile at him.

"Hola, mi amigo," he said.

"Rafa!" Noah exclaimed, wrapping his arms tightly around the older man's waist. When Rafael bent to his level, he moved to wrap them just as tightly around his neck.

"Are you back now?" he questioned a few moments later, stepping back to look at him.

"I am," Rafael confirmed.

"For how long?"

Rafael looked up at Olivia before turning back to Noah and answering the boy's question. "For as long as you and your mom will have me."

"Forever?" Noah asked, looking back and forth between Olivia and Rafael for confirmation.

Rafael reached out to run a hand through Noah's curls before he replied. "Siempre. Forever."

Looking up at his mother, Noah posed his next question to her. "Can we go home now?"

Olivia smiled as Rafael moved to once again stand beside her.

"Yes, my sweet boy, we can go home now," she answered, reaching for his hand, her smile growing when she saw him reach for Rafael's hand before they began to walk.


A few hours later, after a dinner filled with Noah's chatter, a bath for the boy in question, and three bedtime stories, Rafael and Olivia relaxed together in the living room.

"That went better than I expected," Rafael revealed as Olivia tucked herself into his side and laid her head to rest on his shoulder.

"Mm," Olivia agreed. "I figured it was going to go one of two ways-either he was going to be completely ecstatic to see you or he was going to be extremely mad at you and refuse to talk to you. He'll probably have a million questions for you at some point, though."

"Hopefully not for a couple of days yet. Between you, my mother, McCoy, Alex, and 1PP, I've had enough questions to last for a while."

"You saw your mom?"

Rafael nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of Olivia's head before he spoke again. "I stopped by her school this afternoon. She wants me to bring you and Noah over for dinner on Sunday."

"She does?" Olivia asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes. I told her about my new job, about us, about how close Noah and I had gotten before I stupidly left. How much I love you both."

Olivia was quiet for a few moments as she contemplated how to bring up her next suggestion. "You could spend the day with him on Friday. Teacher workshop day, so he doesn't have school. I was going to have Lucy watch him in the morning so I could go into work for a little while, but maybe it would be better if you had some time together. Just the two of you."

"Sounds good to me," Rafael replied. "Give Lucy the day off."

Olivia nodded, making a mental note to text Lucy in the morning. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to Rafael's, happy to finally have him here with her again.