Thank you for sticking with me through this fic! Here is the last chapter, I hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear what you think about the fic :)

Barba couldn't show fear in the courtroom.

Not as he looked at the three defendants sitting across the courtroom from him, not as he described the threats he had received, and not as he recounted the assaults against him.

But he couldn't come off as brash either. He couldn't look cocky or smug.

He had to be likeable, reliable, believable.

And every facial expression, every movement, every change in tone had a purpose.

But sitting on the stand was different than prosecuting, and Barba hated it. He hated not having casenotes in front of him or evidence at his disposal. And most of all he hated talking about himself in a room filled with people.

The courtroom was packed with reporters, ADAs, and Rikers guards and there was a buzz of energy. Cases involving corruption tended to do that. Barba focused himself and listened closely to Cabot's question, answering it easily, because of course he had prepped for this.

And even as defense began their cross, John Buchanan nonetheless, Barba was prepared. He was well enough versed in Buchanan's tactics that he anticipated most of the questions before they came. He was deliberate in his answers, knowing that every word he said had the potential to bite him in the ass.

Rafael looked out into the crowd of people and his eyes immediately landed on Liv. She gave him an encouraging smile. He wished Sonny were out there, but he was in the hall preparing for his own testimony.

And when he was finally done he walked out of the courtroom, shaky and unsteady, and heard Cabot announce, "the state calls Detective Dominick Carisi to the stand."

Barba sat on a bench outside the courtroom, trading the curious and incessant glances of passerbys with the opportunity to see Sonny when he walked out of the room. And as he waited he looked around the courthouse. It felt foreign, as though it wasn't the same building he had spent years prosecuting cases in.

And while the illusion of justice had crumbled before him years ago, these walls had still managed to maintain a sense of purpose.

But now that was corrupted as well.

He continued to look at the space around him, wondering if he would ever be able to reconcile himself with the actions performed here.

Barba was finally pulled from his thoughts when he heard the courtroom doors open. He turned and saw Sonny walking toward him. He was wearing a grey suit, one of his nicer ones, and had his hair styled back.

"Ready to go?" Sonny asked.

"I want to stay here until the trial's done for the day," Barba said as he stood.

"Well," Carisi held out his hand, "if I recall correctly, you have a private office with a couch."

Barba paused for just a fraction of a second before taking the other man's hand. The two of them walked down the hall together and eventually got to Barba's office. He unlocked the door and couldn't help but glance at his desk. No note.

Sonny sat down on the couch and Rafael sat next to him, and when Carisi reached a lanky arm around his shoulder, he allowed himself to be pulled close. He breathed in Sonny's cologne and felt the warmth of his skin against him.

"I love you, Sonny."

Barba felt Sonny place a gentle kiss on the top of his head, "I love you too, Raf."

And Rafael knew that it would take time for both of them to recover. From the stress, from the fear, from the pain.

But now? Right now?

He was safe.