A/N: I hadn't intended this to be more than two chapters, but a couple of people requested more and my muse came up with this. I hop it doesn't detract from what was already written.

Olivia's apartment was quiet when Rafael let himself in. He placed his briefcase on the floor and listened for signs of life. Nothing. Given the events of the previous night, Rafael wouldn't be surprised if Olivia and Noah were flaked out somewhere. He'd stayed over – he hadn't actually been home since Christmas Eve – and Noah had woken them both he and Olivia shortly after 3 am, coughing and wheezing. Olivia had administered his inhalers and dosed him up with Tylenol and the little boy had crawled into bed with them. He'd had a restless night too; tossing and turning, which meant none of them had gotten much sleep. He'd left them in bed, to go into the office to prep for a trial starting in the new year, but a text from Liv shortly after he'd arrived at work informed him that Noah had woken up still coughing and complaining of an earache.

Rafael didn't announce his arrival for fear of disturbing any sleeping occupants. He slipped out of his coat and jacket, laying them over the back of the chair and toed off his shoes, before venturing further inside. He found them in Noah's room. The little boy, asleep in his bed and Olivia sat on the edge beside him. She hadn't heard him come in, so Rafael leant against the doorframe of Noah's room and watched as she lovingly wiped the boy's brow with a cool washcloth. He knew, from the look of concern on her face, that they wouldn't be going out tonight as planned.

"Hey," he whispered softly.

She looked up at him. "Hi," she greeted, with a tired smile. "You didn't have to rush here." She'd replied to his mid-afternoon text enquiry about Noah, with a quick message explaining that he wasn't feeling any better and had now started with a fever. Given that it was New Year's Eve, the offices were quiet, and Rafael decided that he could just as easily re-draft these briefs at Olivia's and be on hand to help with Noah.

Rafael pushed off the doorframe and padded into the room. "It was a slow day," he shrugged. "How's he doing?" He knelt next to Noah's bed and brushed a hand through his curls.

"Pretty much the same as when I text you."

"Do we need to go to the ER?" he asked. His eyes raked over Noah's sleeping form, taking in the flushed cheeks, standing out against his pale complexion.

"I hope not. I mean, if his fever doesn't come down, we might have to. I'd just rather avoid it, if possible. He's spent so much time there already," she sighed, "and, he could pick up more germs in there. His breathing is fine for the moment and. I've given him some Tylenol and a cool bath. It's a waiting game now; we'll see how he goes."

Rafael glanced from Noah to Olivia. She didn't seem too worried. She was concerned, but not panicking. He was happy to defer to her judgement as she had far more experience with Noah being sick than he did.

"Would you mind terribly if we didn't go out tonight?" she asked. "I know it's our first New Year's Eve together, but I just don't want to leave him if he's like this. I'm sorry."

"Hey," Rafael said softly, reaching across the bed to cup her cheek. "It's okay. Noah's sick. I understand. I wouldn't be comfortable leaving him either. I'll call Mami and let her know her babysitting services are no longer required." He stood, his knees clicking in protest, and pulled his cell from his pocket. He stepped into the hallway to make the call.

"Mami, it's me…"

Lucia was saddened to hear that Noah was ill, but Rafael suspected it was more disappointment that she wouldn't be able to spend time with the little boy who she'd quickly become attached to. They had gotten along famously at brunch the day after Christmas and Rafael didn't think he'd ever seen her as happy as she was when Noah had referred to him as 'Papi'. She finally had the grandchild she'd longed for. Rafael was pretty certain he'd overhead her introducing Noah to the word 'Abuelita'. When Rafael had told his mother of his idea for New Year's Eve, she had immediately offered to babysit. Rafael had jumped at the chance to take Olivia out. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the time they spent together with Noah, but it was nice to go out as a couple occasionally. And tonight, well tonight he'd had plans. Big plans. But it wasn't right to go out and leave Noah when he was sick, so Rafael resigned himself to coming up with another plan, one that he could achieve right here.

After calling his Mom and cancelling the reservation he had made for them at Guantanamera, a Cuban restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, Rafael returned to Noah's room.

"I hope your mother wasn't too disappointed?" Olivia said, dropping the cloth into the bowl of cold water.

"She'll get over it," he shrugged. "I promised her a full day and night of Noah-fun when he's better in recompense."

Olivia laughed, picking up the bowl and tiptoeing out of the room. "Let's leave him to sleep. I'll check on him in a bit."

Rafael followed her to the bathroom where she emptied the water into the sink and wrung out the cloth. Stepping up behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. Meeting her gaze in the mirror, he spoke gently. "You look tired. Why don't you go and lay down for a while?" he suggested. "I'll keep an eye on Noah."

"I can't," she protested. "I need to check his temperature in…" She looked at her watch, "about half an hour."

"I can do that," Rafael insisted, rubbing her arms. "Go and rest."

She allowed her head to drop back against his shoulder. "Hmmm. A nap does sound good right about now." She turned to face him. "You'll keep an eye on his breathing too and wake me if you need me?"

Rafael nodded. "I promise. Now, go on. Bed." He guided her to her room and pulled back the bed covers, allowing Olivia to slip in.

Pulling the covers up around her as she lay down, he kissed her forehead lovingly. "Close your eyes, Liv. Sleep."

After checking Noah's temperature, which had come down a little, Rafael had settled himself on the sofa with his laptop. It was time for some research. He had a plan to rearrange, and only a few hours in which to do it. Opening Google, he typed in his search and hit enter. After looking at the first few search results, he clicked on a link that took him to a site called Pinterest. He'd vaguely heard of it but never explored it for himself. He found lots of ideas for what he wanted to accomplish within the first ten minutes. The majority of them weren't appropriate but there were a couple of possibilities, but nothing felt quite right. So, he kept clicking.

"Papi?"

Noah's voice broke his concentration. He blinked several times and looked at his watch. He'd been on that website for over an hour.

"Hey, mijo." He put his laptop down on the couch next to him and turned to face Noah, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm hungry."

Rafael smiled, if the boy was hungry that meant he had to be feeling a little better. "Okay then, let's get you some food." He picked him up and carried him to the kitchen, setting him on the counter-top. "What do you fancy?"

Noah turned and eyed the boxes of confectionary that sat under the Christmas tree. "Chocolate?"

"Nice try, mijo," chuckled Rafael. "You need some proper food to help you get better."

"Chocolate will make me feel better," argued Noah.

"Maybe after you've eaten some real food." He opened a cupboard and surveyed the contents. "How about some chicken soup. That always used to make me feel better when I was little." His Abuelita's chicken soup had been the cure-all in his family growing up. He was sure tinned wouldn't be quite as medicinal, but it was warm and light for Noah's stomach.

Noah nodded. "Can I have toast too?" he asked.

"Sure mijo, why don't you find me the bread while I cook the soup."

As he was heating Noah's soup, Rafael's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and checked his watch. With a sigh, he pressed 'Answer' and lifted the handset to his ear. "Detective Tutuola. What can I do for you at five thirty-five on New Year's Eve?"

"Sorry Counsellor. I was hoping to speak to Liv. She with you?"

"She's in bed." As soon as the words were out of his mouth Rafael wished he could take them back. He knew the kind of response his phrasing would bring from the Detective.

"Oh really?"

Rafael could hear the smirk in his voice. He rolled his eyes. "Yes. She was up most of the night with Noah. Is it urgent?"

"Just wanted to let her know we've got the perp in custody."

"I'll pass that on." Holding the phone between his ear and his shoulder, he turned off the heat and poured the soup into a bowl. "Was there anything else, Detective?"

"How's Noah doing?"

He opened the fridge and searched the shelves for the butter. "His temperature has come down so that's a good sign." Noah sidled up to him and pointed at the butter on the middle shelf. Rafael flashed him a thankful smile and closed the fridge. "I'm just making him some soup now."

"Right... Well, I'll let you get back to it. Tell Liv Happy New Year, yeah?"

Rafael hung up, shaking his head slightly. Since disclosing their relationship to the squad, he had been the subject of a little good-natured teasing from them. Mostly sideways glances from Rollins and Carisi but Fin would make the occasional remark.

The teasing was the least of their problems though. It was like every interaction they had was under scrutiny. They were starting to feel like they were under a microscope and it was causing them to second guess even the simplest of gestures or actions. Where Rafael used to pick an extra coffee up for Olivia on his way to court, now he questioned if it was appropriate professional behaviour. And Olivia found herself wondering if she called Rafael too often to update him on cases – should she perhaps let the others do that occasionally.

If it were just scrutiny from her detectives that they were under, it wouldn't bother them as much, but the powers that be had their eye on them both too.

To say that Jack McCoy had been angry when Rafael met with him to disclose would be an understatement. He had poured himself a large scotch before berating Rafael for what he viewed as his 'grave unprofessionalism'. He'd only relented when Rafael had called his bluff and threatened to transfer out of Manhattan. In the end, the two men had come to an agreement; a six-month probationary period, during which time any cases he worked with SVU would be subject to scrutiny from the DA's office of Public Integrity. After that, it would be reviewed again. But he made it clear that one slip-up, even the smallest one, would be catastrophic for both their careers.

Thankfully, Olivia had had a bit of an easier ride. Initially, Chief Dodds wasn't impressed that they'd waited so long to disclose, but after listening to her reasons and seeing her determination to stay in the relationship, he'd promised to fight her corner with 1PP and IAB if necessary.

Both Olivia and Rafael knew that they were in this relationship for the long haul and, as much as they both loved their jobs, they weren't worth losing each other over. They'd agreed to comply with the DA's wishes, but Rafael told Olivia that if it came to it, he would walk away from the Manhattan Office. He'd moved across to fulfil his political dreams, but she'd changed him. His dreams were different now. These days, he dreamt of waking up every morning next to the woman he loved, cooking breakfast with his family and building Lego City structures with his son as he taught him more Spanish words and phrases. Of building a life. With Olivia and Noah. They'd already taken big steps towards achieving that dream and, hopefully, after tonight they would be even closer to it.

Rafael placed the bowl of soup on the table in front of Noah. "Here you go mijo. Be careful, it's hot." He sat opposite and buttered a round of toast, cutting off the crusts just as Olivia did. He slid the plate across the table. "Listen, when you've eaten that, do you think you could help with something? Something really important?"

Noah nodded. "Okay, Papi."

Olivia woke several hours later, to delicious smells drifting through from the kitchen. Pulling on her robe, she padded out of her bedroom. She glanced into the kitchen as she passed, it was empty but there was a pot of Picadillo simmering away on the stove. She continued into the living room and her heart swelled at the sight before her. Rafael was sat, legs outstretched on the coffee table, scribbling notes onto a legal pad that rested on the arm of the couch. His free hand was running through Noah's hair, the young boy curled up, his head in Rafael's lap, watching cartoons.

She walked around the couch, hand rubbing over Rafael's shoulders. "Something smells good."

Rafael leant his head back on the sofa. "Hi. Feeling better?"

"Much. Thank you." She flashed him a grateful smile. Bending down, she lay her hand against Noah's forehead. "Are you feeling better, my love?" she asked, gesturing to the open packet of chocolate animal crackers that lay next to him on the couch.

"I'm okay," he mumbled. "I had some soup too," he told her proudly.

"You did?"

"Mmm. Chicken soup. Papi made it for me."

Olivia smiled at her son's words. He'd been calling Rafael, 'Papi', for almost a week now and every time she heard it, she was overcome with emotion. It warmed her heart that Rafael loved her son enough to claim him as his own and that Noah trusted and loved him in return. The last week had been heaven; Rafael had stayed over every night and it had been like they were a family. He had jumped right into the role of father, playing with Noah, continuing to teach him Spanish, tucking him into bed at night and blending in seamlessly with their morning routine when they returned to work. He hadn't hesitated to comfort Noah when he was upset or to reprimand him when needed. It had only been seven days, but for Olivia, it felt like they'd been co-parenting forever. Now that their relationship was out in the open, Olivia was toying with the idea of asking him to stay. Permanently.

Olivia picked Noah up and then sat next to Rafael, settling Noah onto her knee. "Thanks for feeding him."

"I was hardly going to let him starve." He scribbled one final note before closing the legal pad and tossing it, and his pen, into his briefcase. "Our dinner should be ready shortly."

"Mmm. It smells divine," commented Olivia."

"It's 'Picadillo'," he informed her. "My Abuelita's recipe."

Olivia squeezed his knee, she knew that he was still affected by the death of his grandmother, even three years on.

"Abuelita? That means Grandma, doesn't it?" Noah asked.

Rafael shook his head. It appeared his suspicions about his mother were right. "Technically, 'Abuela' means Grandma. 'Abuelita' means Granny."

"Oh. Your mom said I could call her Abuelita if I wanted to."

"Sorry Liv," Rafael offered. "Mami gets... overexcited about things."

"Well, you are his Papi now. Why shouldn't he call her Granny?"

She had a point, thought Rafael. They were a family now and by default that included his mother. "I just would have liked her to check with us first."

"I know. But like you said, she's just excited." She patted his leg. "Honestly Rafa, it's okay."

With two minutes to go until midnight Olivia, Rafael and Noah were gathered around the television to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Noah was feeling a little better and, thanks to his afternoon nap, it had been easy for Rafael to convince Olivia that he should be allowed to try and stay up. He'd dozed intermittently for the last hour, but he was determined to be awake at midnight; Rafael had requested his help, after all.

"Oh, hang on!" Rafael gasped and ran off to the kitchen.

"Rafa?"

"Papi, where are you going? It's nearly time."

"One second," he called through. A moment later, with just over a minute left, he returned carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses. "Can't celebrate New Year without this."

"When did you have time to get that?" Olivia asked. It hadn't been in her fridge this morning and they had been planning to go out until a few short hours ago.

"I have my ways," he informed her with a wink. "Let's just say, Carmen has gone above and beyond the call of duty and probably deserves a raise."

Olivia laughed, shaking her head at him, as he uncorked the bottle; the pop making Noah jump slightly. He poured two drinks and hands one to Olivia, just as the countdown began.

"10…9…8…7…" Noah joined in, moving closer to the television and staring at the image of the glitter ball as it made its final descent; determined not to miss a second. "6…5…4…" Rafael and Olivia smiled at each other from their position behind him. "3…2…1...Happy New Year," they whispered in unison, clinking their glasses together and leaning in for a New Year kiss. It was brief, but tender; full of love and anticipation for the coming year.

Pulling out of the kiss, Olivia approached her son. "Happy New Year, sweet boy," she told him, hugging him tightly.

"Happy New Year, Momma."

She picked him up and twirled him around.

"Happy New Year Papi!" he called from over Olivia's shoulder when she stopped.

Rafael returned the sentiment, sipping his champagne. "Prospero Año Nuevo, mijo."

When Olivia put him down, Noah glanced at Rafael. "Is it time now?"

Rafael nodded discreetly.

"Time for what?" asked Olivia.

"Time for presents!" Noah announced.

"Oh honey, New Year's Eve isn't like Christmas. You don't get presents, do you, Rafa?" She turned to him, to garner his help in explaining this to Noah but found Rafael grinning widely. Olivia raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, actually…" he smirked.

Noah went to his toy box and retrieved a folded piece of paper. He handed it to his mom, silently. Opening it she found a drawing by Noah. A picture of three people standing next to a house, each of them individually labelled in Noah's childish scrawl: 'Momma', 'Papi', and 'Noah'. It was labelled, 'My Family'. Written above the picture, in Rafael's familiar penmanship, was a message:

'Find the sparkle on the tree and a question you will see.'

Olivia looked between Rafael and the tree several times before he gently nudged her in the direction of the large decorative conifer that sat in the corner of the room. He eyes darted from branch to branch looking, searching for something different, something new.

"Shall I help her?" she heard Noah whisper behind her.

"Not just yet, mijo," Rafael replied, "let Momma try and find it herself first."

A few seconds later, her eyes fell on something glinting within the branches about halfway up the tree. All the air left her lungs in a rush as she looked closer and saw that it was a gold ring set with 5 diamonds, one larger in the middle and two smaller ones either side, dangling on a thread.

With a shaky hand, she reached out to ease the ring off the branch. Olivia gasped as she read the small tag that was attached to the thread.

'Marry me?'

Her heart was beating a hundred times a minute as she turned to Rafael, only to find him on one knee. Noah stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Rafa, I… it's beautiful"

"It was my Abuelita's." Rafael took a deep breath. "Liv… I know we've only been dating for five months, but I love you. And Noah. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, will you marry me?"

"Please say yes, Momma," begged Noah. "Please marry Papi."

"You don't have to answer right away," Rafael continued, "despite Noah's insistence. If you want to think about it that's fine. I'd rather wait a week for the right answer than get the wrong one now."

"Rafa, this is such a surprise. I mean, it wasn't even on my radar, but I don't need to think about it." She stepped forward and sank to her knees in front of him, snaking her arms around his neck. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and whispered by his ear, "Yes."

"Yes?" he clarified, drawing back to look at her. "You'll really marry me?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes, I'll really marry you," she repeated, half amused by the wonder in his eyes.

"Yay!" cheered Noah, throwing himself at his Mom and Papi for a hug.

"¡Gracias a Dios!" Rafael breathed. He was elated. She said yes! He took her left hand and slid the cool metal band onto her fourth finger, staring deeply into his eyes as he did so. "Te amo, cariño," he whispered, before capturing her in a deep kiss. "Siempre."

It wasn't a candlelit dinner at Guantanamera. They weren't dressed for the occasion. But, Olivia reflected as he slid the ring onto her finger, that didn't matter. It was perfect.

"I have something else for you," Rafael said, pushing himself up off the floor and onto the sofa, ignoring the clicking protest of his knees. "Noah, could you get the red folder from my case please?"

Noah nodded enthusiastically and returned moments later with the file. "This one?"

"That's the one, mijo. Now," he lifted Noah onto Olivia's lap, "this is actually for both of you. If you want it."

Olivia opened the folder and skim-read the legal papers she found there. She locked eyes with Rafael. "You want to adopt Noah?"

"If you'll let me. If you'll both let me?"

"What's 'adopt' mean, Papi?" asked Noah. "It doesn't sound Spanish."

"It's not Spanish, mijo. It's a fancy word for saying that I want to be your Dad; that I want you to be my son."

Noah's brow furrowed. "But, I thought we already were. I'm mijo and you're Papi."

"We are," Rafael assured him. "This just makes it 'official', that's all. So that everyone knows and understands."

"So, nothing changes?" Noah questioned.

"Not if you don't want it too. But when your Mom and I get married, she'll become Olivia Barba-"

Olivia raised an eyebrow at his presumptuousness. "Oh, I will, will I? And what if I want to keep my name?" she asked playfully.

"Okay then, if your Mom decides to be Mrs Barba, then you can be a Barba too."

Noah tried out his new possible name. "Noah Porter Barba. I like it."

"Is that a yes then, sweet boy?" Olivia asked. "Would you like Papi to adopt you?"

Noah nodded and smiled. "Yeah!" He reached for Rafael, pulling him into a hug.

"Gracias, Noah," Rafael whispered into his hair. He met Olivia's gaze over the top of Noah's head and she handed him his glass of champagne.

Raising her glass, she smiled tenderly at him. "To us. And our family."

He returned her smile and clinked his glass against hers. "Our family."

Family. It didn't always mean blood. In some cases it was the people in your life who wanted you in theirs; the ones who accepted you for who you were. The ones who would do anything to see you smile & who loved you. No matter what.

For Olivia, Rafael and Noah, their family wasn't created by blood, but by love.