A Barson New Years

A/N So this was supposed to be a cute little New Year's Eve story about how Barson got together but as these things do it has morphed into a longer story. It can be read with A Barson Thanksgiving and A Barson Christmas or as a stand-alone.

Chapter One

December 30th, 2015

Liv pulled Noah's hat down over his ears and made sure his coat was pulled tightly around him. They had not gotten a white Christmas but it was looking like a would be a White New Years as five inches of snow had fallen on the city with more likely over the next few days. She had decided to take him out to play in before it got too bad. They had made their way to their favorite spot in the park where they could build a snowman and sled down the small hills. They had lasted about an hour before they were both too cold and wet to enjoy it any longer.

"You want to stop for a treat on the way home?" She asked him.

"Donuts?" He asked with a hopeful smile.

"Sure, what's one more treat before the New Year." Oliva laughed as they made their way her favorite pastry shop.

The scent of coffee and fresh baked pastries greeted them as they walked through the doors. Olivia felt a smile stretch across her lips when she heard a familiar voice at the counter say, "Dark roast, extra-large black, please."

"Thought about making, cut back on caffeine, a New Year's Resolution, Counselor?" She asked smiling when she saw him jump slightly at the sound of her voice.

"Liv, Noah, what brings you two here?" He asked them warmly.

"Rafi!" Noah yelled happy to see his friend for the first time since before Christmas.

"Hola Amigo."Barba said squatting down to receive the hug the boy was offering him and stood back up with him still in his arms.

"Jennifer, a large French roast with hazelnut cream, a blueberry muffin, a chocolate milk and your donut with the most sprinkles please." He said placing the exact order Oliva had planned on placing.

"Thanks, Barba, it's good to see you." She told him genuinely.

"Can, you guys sit for a minute or do you have to be somewhere?" He asked pointing to the tables.

"What do you think Noah can we stay a minute?" She asked knowing what his answer would be as he happily took the donut Barba offered him.

"Stay with Rafi!" he exclaimed causing both adults to laugh as they made their way to a table.

Oliva and Barba caught up and exchanged stories about their Christmas's Oliva talking in code about getting Santa stuff set up for Noah and Barba telling her about the craziness of his extended family on Christmas.

"Rafi, you need to come see my new toys." Noah told him, "You could make my 'mote control care go fast."

"Noah, Rafi has things to do." Olivia said quickly not wanting him to feel obligated.

"Remote control car? I can't turn that down, let's go." He said quickly grabbing a napkin and wiping the donut off the boy's face and hands.

Oliva smiled as she watched the interaction thinking back to the first awkward time Barba had held him and how far they had come. When they walked out of the café they were all surprised to find that the snow had picked up again.

"Wow, it's really coming down." Oliva said pulling Noah's coat tighter as she picked him up so they could make their way home a little quicker.

"Here, let me take him." Barba offered holding his arms out to the boy who went to him happily and squealed as he tossed him up on to his shoulders. "Now you can catch snowflakes, Amigo."

They made their way the couple of blocks up town to Oliva's apartment the snow growing heavier as they walked. They hung up their coats and piled their shoes buy Olivia's front door. Barba couldn't help himself when he saw Olivia pulled off her knit cap and her hair went everywhere speckled with little bits of snow that had made their way through. He reached out and wiped the snow off her hair standing a little closer and looking into her dark brown eyes a little longer than he would usually let himself.

"I'm close enough to kiss her." He thought and then quickly shook his head and moved his hand off her head with an awkward smile, "So where's this car Noah?" he asked turning his attention back to the boy.

Oliva stood there for a second wondering if he had been thinking what she was thinking in that moment, about how close their lips were and what they would feel like pressed against each other. She shook her head and muttered something about going to start a load of laundry in order to put some distance between them.

When she returned to the living room she found both of them spread on the floor with one of Noah's Lego sets open and spread out in front of them.

"I hope it's ok that we opened this. I haven't gotten to put Legos together in a long time." Barba said sheepishly.

"It's more than fine." She said sitting down on the couch and Barba noticed the stack of files on the coffee table.

"Working during you vacation?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Just trying to catch up a little paperwork when he's napping or a night." She explained.

"Well we will be at this for a while if you want to get some done." He offered.

"You sure you don't mind?" She asked him.

"Not at all." He assured her turning his attention back to the pile of bricks in front of him.

Oliva made her way to her desk with her files and lost herself quickly in her work, looking up periodically when she would hear the two of them laughing and talking. After a while she realized she was finishing up her last file and she looked down at her watch to see what time it was, surprised to see that it was after one o'clock she had been working for almost three hours and had left Barba playing with her son this whole time.

She made her way back in to the living room surprised to find them laying together on her couch a bowl of popcorn in front of them, watching Finding Dory.

"I'm so sorry Barba, I didn't realize…" she was cut off by Barba placing his finger over his lips and pointing down at Noah with his other hand. Oliva looked over the couch and saw that Noah was asleep next to him.

"I guess it is naptime." She said walking around the couch and scooping him up, "I'll go lay him down."

When she returned to the living room she found Barba looking at his phone then moving to her window, "Uh, Liv? Have you looked outside?" he asked nervously.

"No, I got wrapped up in what I was doing, why?" She asked joining him at the window to see that at least another foot of snow had fallen since they had returned home. For the first time she also noticed the wind howling outside.

"Liv we are under a blizzard warning, they are saying people should stay put wherever they are for the next twenty four hours to forty eight hours." He told her nervously knowing what that sounded like. "I should try and get an Uber quickly before it gets worse.' He added nervously.

Oliva shook her head, "Barba, you are not going to get in some strangers car in the middle of a blizzard. Make yourself comfortable because it looks like you are going to be with us for a while."

BarsonBarsonBarson

"Damn, it's cold out there." Barba said kicking off the snow from his shoes on Olivia's mat as he came back in. Once they realized that he couldn't make it home in the blizzard he made a mad dash for the convince store across just up the clock from Olivia's building before it closed. He had managed to grab himself the essentials for an overnight stay as well as some milk and a couple of other things that Olivia had needed.

"Well yes, Barba I have heard that cold is one of the elements that go into making a blizzard." Oliva said dryly earning her an eye roll from him as he set the bags of groceries on the counter.

"You're welcome." He said reminding her he had braved the blizzard.

"Thank you Barba," She said with a slight tease to her voice a she surveyed the contents of the bags. "Milk, bread, eggs, coffee, scotch? Really Barba?" she asked him.

"Hey, you said your house is my house." He responded with a grin picking up one of the cookies she had been baking and popping it into his mouth. "Where's Little Man?" He asked

"Time Out." She said pointing in the direction of his bedroom.

Barba raised an eyebrow, "What are the charges?"

Oliva rolled her eyes again, great her son now had a lawyer. "Refusing to clean up his toys and destruction of property upon refusal. "

"Is it his first offense?" He asked in the tone Olivia was well familiar with.

She laughed slightly, "Since naptime maybe."

"I need a moment with my client." He said as he walked towards Noah's room.

Oliva shook her head and turned back to the cookies and the pot of soup that was finishing on the stove. A few minutes later the two of them emerged from Noah's room. Noah looking contrite.

"I'm sorry Momma. " He told her sweetly, Olivia knelt down and hugged him, "Thank you Noah, now go finish cleaning up your toys so we can eat dinner."

"OK, is Rafi staying?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes, Rafi is staying." She told him looking over him towards Barba who was smiling obviously proud of himself. She stood back up and walked closer to him after Noah ran off, "You think you are pretty good don't you."

"I don't think I'm the only who thinks I'm pretty good." He said correctly reading the look on her face and then smiling when she had no comeback. "Come on, let's eat that soup smells great." He said gently pulling at her hand as he walked passed her and tugging her along.

They ate dinner together and Barba offered to clean up the dishes while Olivia got Noah bathed and in bed. After his bath Noah came out in his pajamas, "Bedtime hug Rafi."

"Buenos Noches Amigo, I will see you in the morning." Barba told him.

Oliva watched them and through back to Barba's earlier comment and knew he was right, yes she did think he was good, with Noah and with a lot of other things. "I won't be long." She told him her voice suggesting something she hadn't meant for it too.

Barba moved into the kitchen and pulled out the bottle of scotch and a bottle of wine and went to look for glasses, "I'll be here."

When she came back out she found Barba had changed into the pajama pants and tshirt he had bought at the convince store. Oliva had to laugh at the sight of him in an "I Love NY" shirt.

"Hey it was that or the Mets and I wasn't getting a Mets shirt." He explained before letting out a yawn.

"Did we wear you out today Counselor?" She teased.

"Seriously Liv, I don't know how you do it every day. You are running SVU one of the most demanding departments in the NYPD, and are still this incredible mom, you amaze me."

Oliva felt herself start to blush, "I do have help you know both a work and at home."

"Don't try that Lieutenant, I spend way too much time with you I know how hard you work at both. When was the last time you had more than five hours of sleep?" He asked her.

"I have no idea, even if I am off there is work to do and Noah gets up early so he's an alarm clock." She admitted.

"Well not tomorrow, tomorrow you are sleeping in. You finished all your work and I will be here so I can get up with Little Man." He told her in his the same tone that he would offer someone a deal that they knew they shouldn't refuse.

"A chance to sleep in? You don't have to tell me twice Barba. Good luck with your client in the morning, he can be a little cranky." She laughed.

"I'm sure I can manage, now how about a movie?" He asked flipping on her TV.

They settled on a comedy and Barba smiled as he watched Olivia try her best to stay awake. Her eyes would grow heavy and her head drop down.

"Liv, you can go to bed, you don't have to stay up with me." He finally told her.

"I'm sorry Barba, I guess I do need some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." She told him making her way to her room.

"Hey Liv," he said as she was walking away and waited for her to turn around, "thanks for today, it's been really nice."

Olivia's blushed a little for the second time that evening, "Yes it has, good night Barba."

Barba finished watching the movie and had just flipped the television off when he heard a noise coming from the back of the apartment. Without hesitating he got up to check stopping first at Noah's room thinking maybe he had woken up, but the boy was sound asleep in his bed. He hesitated for just a minute before continuing to Olivia's room he knocked lightly on the door and it opened and he saw her sitting up in bed half-awake a panic looked on her face.

"Liv, can I come in?" he asked softly not sure if she was awake or not.

"Barba" She said having almost forgotten he was there, "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"It's all right I wasn't asleep yet. Liv, how often are you having nightmares still?" He asked her walking in a sitting on the side of her bed.

"Not as often as I use to." She said hoping to avoid the conversation, of course she was unsuccessful.

"That doesn't make me feel better, will you tell me about it?" He asked her gently.

"It's the same one I've been having for a while, Lewis is back and this time he has Noah and I have to tell Noah all the things that he did to me and that I lied about what I did to him, then Noah is taken away because I lied and I'm an unfit mother." She told him this while staring down at her hands and she felt Barba's hands slide over hers as his voice took a tone she hadn't heard since she told him about Jonny D.

"Liv, look at me please." He waited for her to look up at him and he saw the tears streaking her face, "Nobody is ever taking Noah from you, Lewis is dead and you are an amazing mother."

"There are so many things I can never explain to him." She said tears continuing to fall.

"You don't have to explain it all to him, he knows you love him and that's what he needs to know the most." He wiped the tears off her face and puller her close to him, "Come here" he whispered as he settled them back against her pillows.

Oliva was too tired to argue or even think about why this might not be a good idea. She allowed his arms to wrap around her and hold her and she buried he tear stained face against his chest doing her best to not cry anymore. She relaxed when she felt his hand run through her hair, she could not remember the last time someone had held her like this.

"Do you mind if I close my eyes for a minute?" She asked him and his heart broke and the vulnerability in her voice.

"Rest Liv, I have nowhere to go." He whispered.

"I'm glad you are here Barba," She said before falling asleep against him.

"Me too." He said while thinking that he wished he could be there any time she had a dream like that.

He fell asleep holding her and woke several hours later one arms still around but they were now facing each other. He watched her as she slept peacefully and he was reminded once again how beautiful she was and how complex she was. Part of him knew he should slide out of her bed and return to the couch but he could not bring himself to do so. He watched her for several minutes finally falling back asleep until he heard Noah coming down the hallway. He quietly got out of bed to find the boy before he could wake her.

TBC