Blood is Thicker than Water: Part 5
Summary: You’d grown up around the SVU squad room. The members of your sister’s squad had been your family and helped Liv raise you. You left them and your sister behind ten years ago for school and just never returned. When you get a call saying she’s been kidnapped by William Lewis, you rush back without a thought. What you find is a very different squad, a broken sister, and a snarky ADA. When you decide to stay things begin to change, and maybe, just maybe you and your sister each find your own happy endings.
( Just a warning that there is a rape warning, for the usual mentions of it in the storyline. There will be no graphic descriptions here.)
Also big shout out to those who helped with the Spanish in the chapter! It meant I didn’t have to use google translate. I’m very grateful for their help in the picking out phrases, terms of endearment, and their opinions. You guys rock!
Part 4
“We need to go shopping.”
Your sister scoffs, “I’m a public servant. I don’t have the kind of money needed to go on a shopping spree with you.”
You lean against the bar, and roll your eyes, “You need some color in your wardrobe. A dress other than black.”
Liv turns to her boyfriend of two weeks, “A little help here.”
Ed scoffs, “I know better than to get in-between you two. I’ve lived this long, I’d like to see my own retirement party.”
You wave him off, “Seriously, you’d look really good in green. Maybe blue too?”
She turns back to Ed, and he shrugs, “I think you look great in any color.”
“Smoothe Ed.” You order a drink and drop the subject for now. You move throughout the bar, and take note of all the people in attendance. Then you spot him. He’s in the corner, nursing a drink and on his phone. You step to the side and pull your own out.
You type out your text, ‘You busy?’
You watch his lips twitch up, when your text goes through, ‘Cariño You know I am. Where are you pillina?’
‘Look up.’
A second later Rafael’s eyes meet yours, and he gives you an exasperated look. He motions with his head, for you to come over. You slip through the crowd and slide into the chair next to him. He takes another sip of his drink. “So far I have been approached by several cops about personal law matters, a few judges, and a waitress who gave me her number.”
You raise an eyebrow at that, “You better not have taken it.”
He grins, “Estás guapa cuando te pones celosa.”
You ‘accidentally’ kick him under the table. You mentally give him credit when he doesn’t even wince. “I was with Liv, trying to convince her to add some color to her wardrobe.”
“How’d that go?”
“It’s a work in progress. It takes time to wear her down. And the older she gets the more stubborn she becomes.”
“Must be a family trait.”
You bite your lip to keep from laughing. In the past two weeks you and Rafael have met up several times, talked on the phone, and texted nearly non-stop. “What exactly are you drinking?”
“Mediocre scotch.” He offers you the glass, and you take a sip. You immediately wince and make a face. “I told you it was mediocre. The good stuff is much more pleasant.”
You cough once, “There is no version of that drink that is pleasant. You should be prosecuting that drink.”
“Dale una oportunidad amor. Let me guess, you’re drinking moscato?”
“I like the sweet stuff, so sue me.”
He says nothing else, but a moment later you can feel his hand on your thigh. You try to keep a dopey grin off your face when his thumb rubs back and forth against the skin. “We are in a bar full of cops, and I am not a good enough actress to keep them from guessing why I have a stupid smile on my face.”
“You’re doing just fine.”
You’re stopped from saying anything else when Munch walks in. You try really hard not to laugh, when he walks in with the white tuxedo jacket and the cane. “I really, really wish I could say that I’m surprised.”
“So, this is a regular thing?”
“Years and years of conspiracy theories have prepared me for this moment, I just didn’t know it. I’m very happy right now.” You snap a picture with your phone.
He laughs, “You’re sadistic.”
You sit through the speeches, including your sister’s. While she’s speaking Rafael leans over and asks, “Did she really think that?”
You shrug, “It wouldn’t surprise me. The first time I went in, I refused to speak to any of them. Took me two days to finally say hi to Munch.”
When it’s John’s turn to speak, you brace yourself. He throws out jokes one after another and then he gets to you, “And then there’s Y/N Benson. If her sister is the diamond of SVU, she is the eye of the storm.” He looks at you, and then points, “This little girl is the closest thing to a kid I’ve got. She would flit around the SVU squad room, and teach me how to use a computer. I’m fairly certain she did most of my paperwork in the early 2000’s.” The crowd laughs and so do you, “I love you sweet girl.”
You lift your glass in a salute, and then watch as your sister, Amaro, and Ed move out of the room. The rest of the party moves on. You stay close to Rafael for the most part. You flit away occasionally to talk to Finn, or Cragen. You ignore Cassidy like it’s your job.
After about an hour Rafael asks, “You want to get out of here?”
You look over at John, who’s with his old Boston buddies, and singing. You nod, “They won’t notice if I’m gone. I doubt they’ll know anything until their heads are in the toilet tomorrow morning. Because, whatever is making them sing is bound to hurt. You go out first, and I’ll meet you out there in about ten minutes.”
“See you then cariño.”
You wait ten minutes before you start saying your goodbyes. You make the rounds and end with the man of honor. John smiles at you, “Ahh, the littlest Benson.” He pulls you in for a hug, “I’m glad you came today.”
“Me too John, and thanks for what you said.”
He leads you off to the side, away from the drinking, “I meant it, ya know. Watching you roam around the squad room, get ready for school stuff, almost made me want kids, and it always reminded me of what I was working towards. Making the city safe for kids like you.”
“You did a good job. I grew up safe.”
“Yeah you did. Make sure to keep your sister grounded for me. And call if you need anything.”
You go up onto your toes and kiss his cheek, “Text me John. We’ll get lunch and you can regale me with stories of your retirement.”
He just laughs. You watch him go back to the group of singing cops, and then make your way out the door.
You find Rafael waiting for you, and as you approach he holds out his hand for you to take. It’s warm and reassuring.
“So, with any luck, we have the rest of the day to ourselves.”
“Please. I know how this works. We’ll get half way through something and my sister will call you to get some warrant.”
“Excuse you, but I’m off the clock.”
You look at him, “When has that ever stopped my sister, or you for that matter?”
He kisses your hand, “True, but I didn’t have you around.”
“Sweet talker.”
"Sólo un poco.”. Did I mention, you look amazing tonight?”
“No. I just figured it went unsaid.”
“Who’s cocky now?”
The two of you spend the rest of the day together, until Rafael does in fact get called into the office. You’re able to distract him for more than a few minutes with a little bit of kissing. When he does go, he promises to call you, but he never does.
That surprises you, but you don’t jump to worry. You know what his job entails. You know how easy it is to get caught up in that world. So instead, you focus on your own work. You bury yourself in the foundation of the law firm's new website. And it’s only several nights later, when Ed is over for dinner, that you figure out exactly why Rafael hasn’t called.
You’re picking at the pizza in front of you when Liv starts talking about Alex Munoz, and Eddie Garcia; Rafael’s childhood friends. She details to Ed how far they’ve fallen, and the tight space they’ve maneuvered Rafael into. You don’t eat anymore after that. You wait until Ed and Liv start some cop movie to step out.
They’re so engrossed with each other, that they don’t even notice you slip out the front door. You check Forlini’s first; Liv has talked about Rafael going there. When you find it empty you decide to check the Italian Restaurant. You find him sitting at the same table, completely lost in his own thoughts.
You take the seat across from him, and wait for him to acknowledge you. He smiles, when he does, “What are you doing here?”
You consider teasing him, but decide against it, “Liv has a big mouth. I checked Forlini’s first, this seemed like a logical second option.”
“Maybe you should have been the detective in the family.”
“I only investigate things that are important to me. I'm selfish like that. Is that mediocre scotch or higher quality.”
He gives you a look, “It’s my scotch.” Things go silent for a minute before he says, “They called us the Three Musketeers of Jerome Avenue. Eddie had the muscle, Alex had the heart, and I had the mouth. We grew up together. They’re my best friends. And now . . .” He takes a sip of his drink, “Eddie won’t even look at me. I managed to get him a deal, but I doubt that will matter in the long run.
“And Alex, Alex thinks this is personal. He thinks it’s about Yelina and not the fifteen year old he was sexting. I’d been in love with her for years. I thought I was going to marry her. We dated for the last two years of high school, and then the first semester of college. I went to surprise her with a visit, and found her in bed with Alex. It nearly killed me.
“The funny thing is, when those two got together, everyone in the neighborhood talked about how they were perfect together, and how it was about time. They all made comments about how long distance relationships never worked. Even my mother. The funny thing was, I thought I was doing it for her and me. She always wanted the big house and fancy things. I was willing to go into private practice for her.
“My grandmother was the only one to curse her existence. I still remember her telling me that I was too good for her . . .that I deserved someone who loved me.” He pauses before he looks you in the eye, “Is it too early in the relationship to talk about exes? Is this a relationship? I don’t think we’ve defined it yet.”
You consider things for a moment, “Well baby, you’re a little drunk, so that’s understandable. But yes Rafa, we’re in a relationship. As for the exes thing, that’s going to depend.”
“On what?”
“Are you allowed to defend me in court, after I scratch this woman’s eyes out?”
He actually smiles, “She’s not worth it. In fact I owe her.”
“How do you figure?”
He reaches across the table and takes your hand, “I have you now. And you’re so much better.”
“You sure do know how to sweet talk a girl Mr. Barba. Let’s get you home.”
You get his address from his license and Rafael continues to talk on the way to his place. He tells you how Alex called him a sellout, and when he starts to wonder if he is, you reassure him that he is NOT.
His apartment is actually lived in. There are a few dishes drying on the counter, there are law books scattered throughout, and there are some pictures too. It’s surprisingly easy to get him into bed. You tuck him in and kiss his forehead, and then you camp out on his couch. You smile at the fuzzy blanket he keeps on it, and you’re pleasantly surprised to find the couch very comfortable.
You wake up to your phone ringing, on the other side is your sister, “Where the hell are you? Are you okay?”
You groan, “It’s too early to yell Liv. I met up with some old classmates, and I ended up crashing at their place.”
Liv doesn’t miss a beat, “You really need to work on your lies. You hated everyone in your highschool. Are you at a guy’s house? Are you in a relationship?” You hang up on her.
“She is entirely too cheerful for morning time.”
You look up to find Rafel smiling down at you. He’s dressed in an old Harvard sweatshirt, and pajama bottoms. He has two cups of coffee, and he hands one to you, “I added a ton of sugar and creamer to it, so it should be just to your liking.” He kisses your forehead, before setting in beside you.
“I’m sorry about last night.”
You lean against his shoulder, and his head rests on top of yours. “Don’t be. This is why a relationship had two people, so they can take turns supporting each other, so you don’t have to do everything alone.”
“I might need a little extra support over this next week. They’ll be arraigning Alex and I’ve already started fielding calls from the old neighborhood. I’ve been told to not let a zipper problem get in the way of a great man becoming mayor.”
You snuggle in close to his side, “He’s not a great man. He’s a manipulator, a liar, and a pedophile.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that I won’t be able to go home for a long time. Alex has that place wrapped around his little finger. He practically saved the old neighborhood single handedly.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
“One of the callers was my mother.” You bite your lip, “She always told me to stay close to Alex, that he would be mayor of New York City one day. She never said that about me.”
There’s nothing you can say to that, you just place a kiss on his cheek, and dig your fingers into his sweatshirt so he knows you’re not going anywhere. His fingers start combing through your hair, and he places a kiss on the top of your head. Quietly he asks, “Will you stay?”
Your answer is simple and meaningful, “Always.”
He gives you his first smile of the day, “Siempre, me gusta como suena.”
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