The day of the grand jury had arrived and Melanie was still Barba's only hope of getting the indictment he needed. He should have known things would always have played out like this. That he would have been so blatantly stonewalled by his colleagues. By his friends . Cops always did go out of their way to avoid having to answer certain questions, he knew that, but to see for himself just how far some of them were willing to go...

It had been downright shocking, if he was telling the truth, and had he not already felt more out of his depth than ever before, he'd easily be charging half of them with committing perjury.

Of course, none of those who had unintentionally perjured themselves would have ever thought that they did as they all believed what they were saying was the truth. For example, Liv had remained adamant, throughout her entire testimony, that what went down had been a good shoot. But even Barba himself didn't need to be a detective to know that that was complete and utter crap, and he could only hope that by the end of the day the jury would see it through the same eyes as he did.

He still couldn't quite get a feel for where their heads were at. The entire time, they'd heard one version of the events after another. Terrance had a gun . Terrance might have had a gun . I don't know if Terrance had a gun . Statements were bouncing all over the place like a DVD screensaver and by the end, even Barba himself felt lost as to whose word to truly believe so how in the hell could he ever expect twenty-three regular civilians to know either? He was truly counting on Melanie at this point. She always did have a way of making people see things clearly and if he ever wanted to get the justice that Terrance and his family deserved, then he needed her to do that for him.

The only problem was... when the time came for her to do so, Melanie was nowhere to be seen.

Barba had specifically told her, multiple times both in person and through text, to be waiting for him in the hallway at exactly 3.45pm... which was a whole half hour before he actually needed her to testify — a little move he'd learned from Carisi, unfortunately, for whenever he really needed that fine ass of hers to be somewhere on time.

Most of the time it worked. She'd come strolling in, a smile on her face and a coffee in hand, at exactly the time he needed her. Yet today, of all days, just had to be the day when Melanie was officially late, didn't it? When all eyes, both public and political, were trained on him. Were relying solely on him to do the right thing, and it just so happened that the one godforsaken witness he needed to do that had to go and be awol.

Great. That was just... great. The DA already had him under a microscope. He still needed to weave his way back into the good graces of city hall and as if things literally couldn't get any worse for him than they already had, his smoking gun was nearly an hour late. It was just... P erfect. He might as well go kiss his job goodbye and move on with his life if this was how things were going to be for him now.

Nevertheless, with the blood swirling in his head and rage coursing through his veins, Barba continued to relentlessly pace the marble floors of the courthouse hallway, his dress shoes making an irritably loud tapping noise with each agitated step he took. He kept his eyes trained on the stairwell door each time he passed by it, desperately praying that Melanie would finally come sauntering through it with a large coffee in her hand and an unapologetic grin plastered on that pretty face of hers.

He normally looked forward to seeing that. To feeling how his heart would race and the world around him would simply fade away as he got lost in the intoxicating pull of her presence, but today literally couldn't be more different. He was pissed off. Furious. He couldn't understand how she could do this to him, especially after last night . The way she'd looked at him. With such care. Such adoration. Such intense longing for him , swimming in the ambient light of her eyes, to him, it had almost felt like they were nothing more than star-struck lovers. And when she said his name. God... The way it rolled off her tongue in such a perfect, breathless, desperate whisper that he didn't think he would ever be able to get out of his mind, there was no way that she was intentionally standing him up. Not after that.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself anyway, as he continued to pace. He knew he had to keep the faith that Melanie would never, in a million years, do this to him on purpose, but as another ten minutes flew by where there was still no sign of her, Barba had eventually lost all hope that he'd ever see her today. He couldn't even begin to describe the hurt — The betrayal that was blossoming in his heart when he came to a slow stop next to the stairwell, his chest heaving with each sharp breath he inhaled through his nose. He gave it thirty more seconds of staring optimistically at the door before he finally gave up, shoving his hands in his pockets and beginning to make his way angrily back towards the courtroom.

Only, just before he could reach the heavy, gold trimmed doors that the grand jury sat behind, a soft creak from behind him met his ears and he spun immediately on his heels, his shoes squeaking against the floor in his haste to see who it was. And to his minor relief, yet insatiable annoyance, the first, and only, person he saw when he did was Melanie, her cheeks lightly flushed and her hands free of the large iced coffee she normally sported when she would rock carelessly up to things several minutes late.

"Finally," Barba gritted, crossing the hallway towards her in a few large strides. His nostrils were practically flaring with rage as his hardened eyes pierced straight through hers, missing the faint smear of blood that swept across her hairline as he was too busy being pissed at her, "You're late."

"And you can tell time, bravo," Melanie snapped back, rolling her eyes, "Can we just get this over with?"

It was only when she went to push grumpily past him, did Barba finally appear to notice the faint blood that was crusting on her forehead and in her hair. His face fell and guilt began to build in his chest as he hooked his hand around her elbow, hearing that familiar deep sigh of hers escape her throat as he stopped her dead in her tracks before she could so much as move an inch. He raised his free hand, worry riddling every ounce of his handsome features as he gently brushed his thumb over the faded spot on Melanie's head, causing a soft wince to seep through her lips as she recoiled from his touch.

"It's nothing," Melanie said, ruffling her hair to fix her curls to better cover the cut before Barba could go and get all hysterical on her. "Just a perp with a temper, that's all."

"A perp did this to you?" Barba repeated, and Melanie nodded. He scoffed, his face tightening and his jaw tensing as he tried his hardest to keep his thoughts on that scenario to himself. It didn't work though. He always hated seeing her injured and so, with anger bubbling away in the pit of his stomach, he grumbled, "Carisi is supposed to have your back. Where the hell was he?"

"Not there," Melanie defended, roughly pulling her arm free of the hold Barba still had on her. She watched as he studied her, his eyes narrowing as they cast over the entirety of her face and she could tell that he didn't believe her for a second. Why would he? Her excuse was as pathetic as the cops who'd caused this entire mess in the first place, and deep down she knew better than to try to lie to someone with such a gut instinct as Barba had. Therefore, after a deep exhale through her nose, she gave in and confessed, in barely telligible mumble, "I got into it with Detective Campesi."

"I'm sorry, you what?" Barba stammered, turning his head a little as though trying to hear her better. In reality, he'd actually heard her perfectly. But he was just hoping that the words had somehow gotten jumbled on their way to his ears, as he couldn't bring himself to believe that the ones he'd heard were correct.

"I got into it with Detective Campesi," Melanie said in a much slower, clearer tone like she would with a child. That made Barba frown profusely, the lines on his face only deepening and tightening when he came to realise she was serious.

A delusional laugh then left his lips as Barba placed his hands on his hips and began pacing again, "Oh, you cops are single handedly trying to lower my life expectancy, aren't you?"

Melanie rolled her eyes, "Oh relax, will you? All I did was shove her."

As if that made things better, Barba thought to himself. He came to a slow stop, exhaling deeply through his nose as he eyed her and tried his best to settle his nerves without retreating upstairs and opening the bottle of scotch he had hidden in his office.

"Melanie, with all due respect," He began hesitantly, his tone completely contradicting that statement and Melanie quite clearly picked up on it with the way she folded her arms and raised her eyebrow daringly towards him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"What was I thinking?" She exclaimed, pressing her fingers to her chest and showcasing her bruised knuckles. Sure Melanie, all you did was shove her. "That bitch came at me first, okay? She slammed my head into the doorframe, what was I supposed to do?"

Campesi initiated first? Now that was intriguing.

"Why?" Barba asked, causing Melanie to narrow her eyes briefly in question. "Why did she go after you?"

"And that would be the million dollar question, counsellor. Now, would you like to phone a friend or should we ask the audience instead?" Melanie replied sarcastically, making Barba frown again. She sighed softly, stepping up to him and his brooding face, then placed her hands gently on his outer arms. "Look, I don't know why she did it. Or what her agenda was, but all I do know is that had I not already been planning to win this indictment for you... Then she sure as hell would have made me change my mind."

"You shouldn't phrase it like that," Barba said flatly, "You could get me disbarred."

"Who's gonna hear us?" Melanie chuckled breathily, raising her hands to briefly gesture to the empty hallway they occupied before placing them right back on his arms again. "The ghosts of past ADA's who haunt the building and only wish they could have been as charming and skilled as you are?"

"Now you're just trying to flatter me out of being annoyed."

"Guilty," Melanie smiled sweetly, dropping her sorrow filled eyes from his and moving her hands to adjust the knot in Barba's tie that he must have tugged loose during the time he spent angrily waiting for her.

It pained her to see that she'd gotten him so stressed out that he'd felt the need to claw at his throat for air. She hadn't meant to. Truly . She'd fully intended to be here for him twenty minutes earlier than the fake time she knew he always gave her, but it wasn't like she could just sweep what happened under the rug simply because he needed her. Campesi had attacked her. Unprovoked, simply because she read a situation wrong and in Melanie's book, that meant she needed to be taught a lesson over thinking she could take things out on her fellow detective's just because she, herself, was in the hot seat. Her only wish was that it could have happened later rather earlier as maybe then Barba wouldn't have gotten caught in the crossfire, and she wouldn't be left with such a dark hole of guilt filling the pit of her stomach.

"I'm really sorry, Rafael. I didn't..." Melanie took a breath, running her thumbs gently over his neatened tie as she forced her eyes to draw up the length of it and finally meet the glistening emerald light of his own again. "I know you're under a microscope with the DA, but I just... I want — I need you to know that it wasn't my intention to make things harder for you than they already are."

"I know," Barba said softly, assuringly. He really did know that she hadn't meant it on purpose, but sometimes he couldn't help but wish she wasn't so hot-headed. He lifted his hand, gently brushing his knuckles across the bruise that was slowly forming on Melanie's jaw. "But in the future, just promise me that you'll think before you go punching anyone else... I really hate to see you get hurt."

"It's sweet that you care so much," Melanie said quietly, her heart dancing in her chest as she drew her hands up and over his shoulders, feeling the subtle way in which they loosened beneath her touch. "And I promise I'll try to think before I act next time... But for now, what do you say we get in there and get to it? Then maybe afterwards you can let me buy you a drink by means of an apology."

"As appreciative as I would be of that, it would be ill-advised. Someone could see us."

"Oh, so it's a crime now for us to be seen together?"

"So soon after the grand jury indictment of the woman you just got into it with? Yes, absolutely."

"Indictment, huh?" Melanie raised her eyebrow, her tone shifting playfully. Perhaps even flirtatiously, "You're seeming utterly sure of yourself that you'll even get one."

"Oh, I will..." Barba replied equally, fighting against the smirk that tugged on his lips. "Once I get you in there, anyway."

Melanie chuckled, although her heart was still hammering furiously beneath her chest, "Now who's flattering who?"

"You opened the door, detective, I'm merely following you through it," Barba said plainly, catching Melanie's partially flustered eye roll as he took a step back and gave her a quick once over.

Aside from the cut on her forehead and the yellowing bruise on her chin, there was nothing about her that inherently stood out as alarming. Her t-shirt was appropriate — barely, it was actually covered in flames with what looked like Satan sat right in the middle, but luckily for him it was so washed out you could hardly make out the pattern unless you were up close. At least it was dark, though, which meant it was easily able to hide the small drop of blood that resided at the hem and made his own fists want to curl out of fury.

As for the rest of her, everything looked as good as they could get. She must have picked up the subtle hint he'd dropped last night as he was quick to notice that her eye make-up was a little heavier and a lot more pronounced than it usually was. Even her jeans appeared to have more rips littering the full length of her legs, and he didn't miss the extra thick and pointed chain that she'd added to her belt hoop.

All in all, she was utterly perfect. Not just to Barba in general, or to the point where he suddenly wanted to take her to dinner rather than into the courtroom, but she was completely perfect for the point in which he was clearly wishing to get across by using her to represent this case.

"What are you doing?" Melanie asked curiously, suddenly feeling self-conscious the longer she had to watch Barba's eyes trail slowly down the length of her body, making her wonder if they were about to report to court. Or report to the bedroom.

"I'm just checking," He said simply, swallowing a tad thickly as he stepped forward and reached out to tuck her hair behind her ears, where it was just his luck that she had all of her piercings sitting prettily in. "Do you have a hair tie?"

"Yeah," Melanie drew out, her brow furrowing as she now found herself utterly baffled.

"Use it," Barba said, pulling back his hands as he retreated to his original spot. "Let the jury see you... The real you."

"I don't under..."

"Just do it," Barba cut her off, gazing across at her all doe-eyed. "For me?"

With a deep exhale and lazy nod of her head, Melanie gave into that puppy dog look of his far quicker, and a hell of a lot easier than she ever would have admitted to. Or liked to. She always hated how tightly he seemed to have her wrapped around his finger, yet she failed to realise that she wasn't exactly trying her hardest to unravel herself.

"You're lucky I like you," she mumbled, completely unaware of the somersaults she'd made Barba's entire insides do as she fumbled into her pocket for the hair tie. She then pulled it out, gathering her thick curls into her hands and lazily tying them back before dropping her arms dramatically back down to her sides. "There, good enough for you now?"

Too good, actually. Too perfect. Too beautiful. Too utterly breathtaking in every single way that I would never truly deserve you, was what Barba really wanted to say to her. But in this moment — in this reality that was far away from the dreamscape world inside his mind, all he could appropriately do was nod his head, smile, and hope to God that his face hadn't turned as red as the heat in which he currently felt wash over it.

"Good," Melanie said, satisfied, tugging absently at the hem of her t-shirt as she ignored the intense flutter that rippled across her body beneath it. She then cocked her head towards the courtroom, adding breathlessly, "Now can we get this over with please?"

"Gladly," Barba replied, with equal breathlessness as he spun on his heels and led the way to the courtroom doors, pushing them open and stepping aside to let Melanie in first before following closely behind her.

Watching intently as the doors swung shut Barba wouldn't lie, the uncertain looks Melanie gained from some of the jury members as she sauntered in where exactly what he'd been hoping for. The way she had her hands shoved carelessly into her back pockets; the way her ponytail swung in sync with her steps and drew attention to her heavily pierced ears; even the simple way she had her badge sitting around her neck, knocking lightly against her chest as she crossed the room towards the table had all kinds of doubt and misjudgment fill the eyes of the jury.

It had been exactly what he'd been hoping for: that they would judge her solely based on her appearance before they even had a chance to hear what she had to say to them. It was his plan all along since the moment he stepped foot into her home, to lead them astray and now all that was left for him to do was pray that once he executed it... Once Melanie started answering his questions with the honesty and sincerity that he knew she never once failed to showcase, that it would be enough to get him the indictment that he himself, and this city desperately needed.

"Detective Dodds," Barba soon began, having to constantly remind himself not to call her Melanie now that they were here. "Over the course of your career within the NYPD, how many suspects have you shot?"

Wow, Melanie thought to herself. Skipping the foreplay and going straight to getting down and dirty? That had better not be an indication as to what Barba was like in bed, otherwise she might have to rethink her attempts at getting him there.

"I've shot five," Melanie replied honestly, clearing her throat and shifting a little uncomfortably in her seat when she caught the disgusted looks that flashed across the jury members faces. She always hated admitting that without people knowing the true story, therefore, to Barba's relief, she was quick to elaborate, "However, only one of those suspects was fatally wounded."

And just like that, the jury members' opinions of the rough and tumble detective that sat in front of them soon began to change for the better.

"Only one?" Barba mused. He already knew most of this from his time spent with Melanie, but alas he still had to ask. He had a point to prove, of course, and he could already tell that it was going swimmingly. "Now why is that? I thought police officers were trained to shoot to kill."

"We are," Melanie nodded, keeping her eyes fixated solely to those in front of her. "But unless I can see clearly that there's a gun in their hands. Or that there's a significant threat to myself, my fellow officers, or to those around me, then I simply don't feel comfortable with killing that person."

"I see," Barba muttered, and Melanie didn't miss the partial smile that flashed across his face at the wide eyes of the jury. "Of those five suspects you shot, the one who died... What threat did he pose to make you feel comfortable enough to kill him?"

"He was outside of a school, holding a gun to the head of his eight year old daughter that he'd been molesting for years," Melanie explained, "I could tell that he was serious. That he was going to snap and kill her, maybe even others. So, I got myself into a position where I could get a clear shot and when I assessed that the time was right, I pulled the trigger."

"Only once?"

"Yes. It was a headshot, so he was dead before he hit the ground."

"And the others," Barba carried on, continually glancing towards the jury to get a read on their opinion towards Melanie. And by the looks of it, she was easily winning them over. "The four suspects you only wounded... Can you tell us about those?"

"Uh, sure," Melanie cleared her throat, shuffling again in her seat as for some reason she felt incredibly nervous. Maybe because Barba was holding her on such a high pedestal that she didn't want to accidentally say anything that would make the jury push her off it. "Most of them were just low level drug dealers from my narcotics days. They didn't take too kindly to being told what to do by a woman so they'd often come at me with a knife or a piece of glass or whatever, so I'd shoot them in the leg in order to subdue them."

"And those that weren't low-level drug dealers? What did they do?"

"There was only one," Melanie confirmed, running her hand over the back of her neck as the memory of that day came hauntingly back to plague her. "Back when I was still a rookie patrol cop, I ended up in pursuit of a young man whom I believed matched the description of a murder suspect..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Detective," No he wasn't, Melanie thought to herself. Barba loved interrupting people. "But can you please tell the grand jury. This suspect... Was he black? Or was he white?"

"He was black," Melanie told him, and a few jury members seemed to sit up straighter in their seats as they listened intently. "I was told by some other officers that he was armed, and when I eventually cornered him in a alley he reached into his pocket."

"And did he pull out that weapon?"

"No," Melanie confessed, shaking her head, "He was going for his ID, but in the moment... When all I saw was a flash of black, I felt in fear for my life as I assumed that he was pulling out a gun. Therefore, I shot him."

"How many times did you shoot him?"

"Once. But only in the shoulder, which gave me ample time and opportunity to see that he was actually unarmed."

"So what you're saying is that... as a rookie patrol officer, you were in a sole pursuit of a man who you assumed was a murderer and yet when you cornered him..." Barba reiterated, "When you thought that he was going to pull out his weapon and quite possibly kill you, that you only shot him once? And in the shoulder, not in the chest or in the head?"

"Yes, that's correct," Melanie confirmed, noticing the sudden way in which the grand jury members had started scribbling on their notepads like their lives depended on it.

"So in your opinion, did Sergeant Donlan, Detective Dumas and Detective Campesi... Did they have any other options other than to fire at Terrance Reynolds not just once, but thirty five times?"

At that question, it was as though Melanie was a fish flopping on the deck and the grand jury were the seagulls from Finding Nemo. All eyes were fixated on her. The clear distaste that coated the last three words that left Barba's lips practically dripped from his tongue and had spread out among the entire room, which only made Melanie that much more certain of what she had to say. They did have options. They knew that. The department knew that. Yet the only ones who were actually brave enough to admit it aloud seemed to be sitting or standing in this room, and regardless of whatever professional obligations she thought she might have had, Melanie knew that it was solely up to her to tell the jury the truth.

"Yes," Melanie said with the utmost certainty, feeling a small weight for her own mishap in her rookie days be lifted from her shoulders. "Yes, I believe they had options. And had I been there myself... I can wholeheartedly say that I would not have fired my weapon without visually confirming the presence of a gun first."

"Thank you, Detective Dodds. That's all the questions I have for you. You may step down," Barba said, nodding his head appreciatively. He kept his eyes subtly trained on Melanie as she scooted back on her chair and stood up, rounding the table where she flashed him a quick look that screamed I'll be waiting for you outside, before disappearing through the doors.

Silence then began to fill the room as the jury finished going over their notes and Barba continued to fight against the smile that so desperately wanted to rise in his face. He'd been right in saying that Melanie was exactly what he'd needed to win over the jury. He saw their faces, when she told them of her own endeavours and at the end... When she'd explicitly told them she would have not, under any circumstances, fired her weapon at Terrance without confirming the presence of a gun, he knew he'd got them.

Now all he needed was the winning show of hands to prove it.

"You have in front of you the charges of reckless endangerment in the first degree or criminally negligent homicide."

A jury member then raised his hand, "Before we vote, is it possible for us to indict on more serious charges?"

"Excuse me?" Barba questioned, blinking rapidly as he had trouble believing what he was hearing.

"Well, based on what Detective Dodds just said, I don't... I don't think we're looking at simple recklessness or negligence. I think we're looking at murder here," The jury member explained, and quite a few of his fellow peers nodded in agreement. "Can we bring a charge like that?"

Well... this was new, Barba thought to himself. Perhaps Melanie did too well of a job than he had originally been hoping for, which honestly, wasn't all that surprising. But he wasn't about to go telling her that though, as he really didn't need her riding the high of it and acting all smug for days on end.

"That is well with your preview," Barba replied, stepping out from behind the podium, "But I would like the grand jury to understand that in order to prove manslaughter one or above, you have to prove intent. That's a much higher legal standard requiring an increased level of mens rea. Intent versus negligence."

"Well, I'd like you to explain that standard," The jury member told him, "You know, for manslaughter. Murder. Whatever... Walk us through everything."

"I can, but before I do, I'd like to see a show of hands. How many of you would like to hear the definition of those charges?" Barba asked, glancing down at his paperwork for no more than a second before looking back up, only to find that more than half the grand jury had their hands raised in response to his question.

Okay... This was going to take a lot longer than he thought, and he could only hope that Melanie would choose to stick around and wait for him as he talked the jury through those charges as quickly, yet informatively as he could. Surely she would, right? After all, she'd had him waiting almost an hour for her to show up earlier, so really, she owed it to him to wait. Besides, it wouldn't take that long... Thirty to forty minutes max, and what was that if not nothing?

That's what he thought anyway, but actually it appeared to be everything as by the time Barba managed to escape the courtroom with a manslaughter charge for two of the officers and a reckless endangerment charge for the other nestled securely in his back pocket, Melanie was nowhere to be seen. In all honesty though, it had been a long shot as to whether or not she truly would have waited for him, and he couldn't exactly hold it against her when he knew well that she always needed to be somewhat occupied. She never could sit down and just wait for however long she needed to without growing antsy, and given the lack of people in the hallway for her to bug and use to pass the time, it was no surprise to him to see her gone from it so soon afterwards.

Because of that awareness, Barba simply chose to accept the outcome with a faint cloud of disappointment cascading over him, rather than go off aimlessly in search of her. She could be anywhere, and he was too tired to wander the halls in hopes of coming across her, so instead he just headed back upstairs to his office. He sent Carmen home the second he arrived then broke out the scotch, unbuttoning his jacket and slumping roughly into one of the chairs in front of his desk before flicking on the TV.

"We are extremely gratified that the grand jury has decided to indict Sergeant Donlan and Detective Campesi on manslaughter one, and Detective Dumas on reckless endangerment. This is just the first step toward justice for Terrence..."

"If I'd have stayed out there a few minutes more, you might have gotten to see me trip up those steps behind them," came Melanie's humour filled tone as she appeared in his doorway, leaning her arm against the frame and watching as Barba's eyes drifted tiredly towards her.

The mere sight of her alone made him perk up a little. He sat up straighter and turned off the TV, tilting his head to get a better look at her as she stood there, happily nibbling away at a donut and not caring at all if she was getting sugar all over his carpet. Not that Barba cared either. He was just glad she was still here, with her pretty smile and those luscious locks of hers that were flying freely again, splaying messily over her shoulders and only making him that much more desperate to finally know the feeling of running his fingers through them.

"Sorry I was gone," Melanie said, her chest feeling like it had been taken over by butterflies with the mere way in which Barba gazed at her. "You were taking too long in there so I went to get a pretzel."

Just like that Barba snapped instantly out of his daydream and tilted his head, his eyes falling to her hands as a smile tugged at his lips, " Mi cariño, that's a donut."

"I know it's a donut, you... donut," Melanie retorted, her brow a little furrowed, "But I didn't say I only got a pretzel, now did I?"

Barba just shook his head and chuckled quietly as he glanced away, seemingly outwardly amused by her tale yet at the same time Melanie couldn't help but notice the genuine lack of humour in his tone. It almost sounded empty... Not at all like the Barba she would have expected to see so quickly after his winning indictment and that made her forehead soon crease with worry as she delved deeper into his office, settling herself on the arm of the chair next to him.

"Hey, why are you all sulky all of a sudden?" She asked softly, nudging his foot with her own in order to get him to look at her , rather than down at his drink. "You got your indictment, didn't you? You should be happy."

"They indicted them for manslaughter," Barba replied, taking a long sip of his drink as Melanie finished the last bite of her donut and dusted off her hands. "I knew this case was gonna be tough from the get go, but now?"

A harsh pfft left Barba's lips soon after and he downed the rest of his drink in one swift mouthful.

"You'll manage," Melanie said supportively, reaching out a hand to place it gently on the back of his neck. "You're Rafael Barba... You're the DA who won a case where two boys raped a pornstar. If you can handle that, then you can handle this."

"You're forgetting that the judge overturned that verdict," Barba said bitterly, looking away from her in shame and instead down at his empty glass, wishing he could refill it with his mind at the reminder of that day.

"You still won though, didn't you?" Melanie asked, drawing her thumb over the back of his head until he drew his purposely blank gaze back up to face her. "Not only on that case, but on countless other cases that any other ADA would have declined to prosecute. Look, I know you lack faith in yourself sometimes, but you're good at what you do, Rafael, and I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be able to win this case too."

At those genuine sounding words, Barba's heart clenched tightly in his chest as he found himself at odds over what to do next. He'd always known Melanie admired the way he presented himself in court. He'd seen her there himself, countless times just sitting in the gallery when she wasn't even involved in the case in question and pretty much every single time that seemed to give him the courage he needed in order to hit a slam dunk and take the victory home.

She'd even told him, when he was feeling down, that when it came to being in that courtroom that he was formidable. That he was relentless. That he was a goddamn weapon — her own words — yet half the time he didn't know whether or not she was serious or if she was simply messing with me. But now, with the way she was looking at him? Hearing that sweet sounding tone... Hearing that same truth he'd just heard downstairs leave her very own lips as she stood tall before him? It was overwhelming to say the least, and he couldn't seem to find the words he needed to respond properly.

"Your faith in me is astounding," Barba replied breathlessly and with forcible sarcasm.

"I know. And you're lucky to have it," Melanie said humorously, sensing that Barba wasn't feeling quite up to getting all touchy feely right now. "Now, what do you say to calling it a night and letting me take you home?"

"You don't have to do that," Barba protested, watching as Melanie's posture suddenly stiffened when she pushed herself off the arm of the chair and straightened.

"Rafael, you just indicted two cops for murder," She said seriously, leaning forward to place her hands on the arm of his chair as her eyes slowly widened with every next word, "I'm taking you home."

Knowing it was useless to argue, Barba gave in, a deep, overzealous sigh leaving his lips as he stood up, "Fine, you can take me home but I'm not getting on the back of your bike."

"How'd you know it was mine?" Melanie asked, arching her eyebrow and maintaining her position.

"Because I'm good at what I do," Barba replied wittly, with Melanie's very own words that only made her draw her tongue slowly over her back teeth as he chuckled oh so pleased with himself.

"For your information, I don't ride my bike to work, but if I did..." She drew her eyes slowly up and down the length of his body, then couldn't help but let out a short laugh, "That would be an amusing sight."

Pushing herself off his chair and finding great pleasure in the way he glared, Melanie did nothing but watch as Barba buttoned his blazer and bit his tongue from spilling any quips he may have had with that statement. She then folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against his desk, waiting patiently for him as he shuffled around the place and began to gather his things in order for her to get him home safely.

Once he was done they got there in record time, during which Barba had prayed to all the Gods that existed that he would live to even see the trial, and by the end of it he'd made a silent vow with himself never to get in a car with Melanie again. Her road rage was... intense, to say the least, and he was pretty sure she committed at least three misdemeanours on the short drive it took to get to his place. Not to mention she'd verbally accosted a pedestrian for jaywalking... Twice. But those he was actually rather proud of her for as if there was one thing he hated when it came to travelling, it was jaywalkers.

"I see why Carisi doesn't let you drive," Barba mumbled as he got out of the car, feeling like his legs were made of jelly because they'd literally driven at the speed of sound.

"What do you mean? I'm an excellent driver," Melanie said innocently, yet she kept having to roll her lips to stop herself from grinning so something told Barba she knew all too well that that was a lie. "Got you here in one piece, didn't I?"

"Barely," Barba muttered, choosing not to say anything about the fact that she was following him into his apartment building as though she lived there herself. He went to sign in with the doorman as Melanie lingered beside him, her pale fingers wrapped around the shiny gold bar of the desk as she leaned back, gazing up at the extravagant chandelier that hung in the foyer with wide eyes.

And she thought her place was fancy.

Letting out a slow, impressed whistle, Melanie dropped her eyes to meet him, "My tax dollars at work, eh?"

"As if you even pay your taxes," Barba retorted sarcastically, ignoring the subtle smile of the doorman — who'd never seen Barba come home with anyone, let alone a woman like Melanie.

"True... But I get shot at on a regular basis, so I feel like I shouldn't need to pay taxes."

As usual, Barba just chuckled and shook his head at her response as he scribbled Melanie's name alongside his then made his move for the elevator. He didn't even feel the need to ask if she was going to escort him the entire way up to his floor and into his apartment, as the way she trailed behind him like a lost little puppy pretty much answered that question for him.

"Where are the stairs?" Melanie asked, glancing briefly around before Barba cocked his chin in the vague direction of their location. She then nodded, pressing the elevator button for him as she passed it whilst slowly backing away from him. "What floor?"

"Seven," Barba replied, his lips twitching at the way Melanie's face dropped slightly at just how many flights of stairs she'd have to climb and perhaps that's the reason as to why she opted to live in a brownstone. The elevator then pinged and he glanced at it, watching the doors slide open before his eyes drew back towards her, his eyebrow raised knowingly, "See you up there."

"Not if I see you first," Melanie said with a grin, spinning on her heels and literally bolting for the stairwell door. She disappeared beyond it, the door swinging furiously in place before Barba even had the chance to step into the elevator.

Once he did, however, he hit the button for his floor before he'd even turned around. Then, he began to repeatedly push the close door button as a sudden need to beat her up there came washing over him. It was strange. He wasn't usually this competitive over silly things such as this, and honestly, nor would he have allowed himself to be, but there was just something about Melanie that seemed to coax out his inner child. The one he thought was long gone after years of seeing such heinous crimes brought before him, yet the very same one that was now solely responsible for the way he rocked back and forth on his heels, his eyes following the small dial at the top of the elevator as he waited (im)patiently for it to reach his floor.

He knew for a fact, he was going to beat her there. Seven flights of stairs was a lot for her to climb against the speed of an elevator, regardless of how many she stepped up at once, and when it finally pinged in his favour, the doors sliding loudly open, Barba's features turned smug and he stepped out, with the fullest intention of rubbing it victoriously in Melanie's face brewing deep in his chest.

"Took you long enough," Melanie said calmly, already leaning against the wall next to the window opposite him with her arms folded.

Confused, Barba's brow fell the minute he spotted her, his finger continuously waving between her and the stairwell that she still should have been climbing, "How did you...?"

"There's still a lot you don't know about me, counsellor," Melanie replied, pushing off the wall and dropping her arms back down to her sides. She stalked up to him, his mouth still partially gaped in wonderment as she gently patted his chest, "So for both our sakes... I suggest you get yourself up to speed. And quickly.

At that, she flashed him a rather flirtatious smile before she slid across the floor away from him, leaving him to do nothing but stand with his heart racing in his chest as she made her own way down the hall. It took Barba a few seconds longer than he would have liked to compose himself but eventually he cleared his throat in a fluster and shook his head, turning on his heels to follow her should she grow bored and end up breaking into his neighbours homes just for something to do.

Luckily though, he managed to catch up to her just as she went to walk past his door. He then reached out, grabbing her by a loose part of her sleeve and gently dragging her back towards him, hearing the gentle shuffling sound her feet made as she barely lifted them from the ground. As he let go, Melanie turned slowly around to face him as he dug into his briefcase for his keys, before a sudden, and rather loud, smash came from beyond the door and stopped him.

"Do you have a roommate?" Melanie asked curiously, watching as Barba slowly shook his head, a small amount of fear flashing over his eyes as they darted worriedly between her and his unopened front door. She then reached for her hip and unbuttoned her holster, carefully drawing her gun and motioning for Barba to hand her his keys. "What rooms are near the door?"

"Just a closet," Barba replied, swallowing harshly when Melanie turned the key in the lock and raised her gun up in front of her before she quietly pulled down the handle. He then added in a whisper, "Right side."

Readjusting her grip on her gun to both hands, Melanie gave the door a gentle push with the tip and it opened, a relieved breath leaving her lips when it did so silently. She stepped carefully in, her shoulder opening the door further as she spun quickly on her heels to her right. The closet door was already open, her heartbeat increasing rapidly as she peered around the frame and flicked on the light. She let out a slow breath. It was empty, thank God, and so she retreated a few steps back and ushered Barba swiftly into the apartment, as she didn't feel at all comfortable with leaving him in the hallway as God knows who could be lurking around waiting to hurt him.

"You really shouldn't go in there alone," Barba said worriedly as he allowed Melanie to push him into the closet.

"I can take care of myself," Melanie said defensively, "But I need you to stay in here and be quiet."

"Melanie..."

"I mean it, Rafael," Melanie hissed sternly, "I'll be able to focus better if I know you're safe so... And this is the only time you'll ever hear me say this to someone... Please, stay in the closet."

"Fine," Barba reluctantly agreed, as it was useless to argue with her. "But if, God forbid, there is someone inside, please... No heroics. I really don't need you dying inside my apartment, I'll never get the blood out."

Squinting at him, Melanie muttered, "Just for that tone, I'm dying extra bloody."

Barba stayed quiet and instead simply stared at her, his lips pressed together in clear unamusement at her retort as he watched Melanie give her gun a quick once over then back away. She slipped out through the door, closing it quietly behind her and leaving him to stew in the confines of his stuffy closet whilst she went out in search of a possible intruder. His heart was in his mouth, beating so profusely he felt like spitting it out onto the floor and abandoning it there whilst he ran after her. He didn't like waiting. He didn't like being benched on the sidelines whilst she went out there and quite possibly put her life in danger for him.

It was his apartment. He was a fully grown man, it should have been him that was out there checking things out whilst Melanie took safety in this tiny closet. But he knew better than to ever argue that with her. She'd only pull the this is the 21st century and woman aren't damsels in distress anymore card she used often and whilst that's not at all what he was implying, he just wanted her out of harm's way because he loved her, he didn't have it in him to go through that again.

Therefore, he did nothing but stand there silently.

That was, until he heard a faint scream coming from the direction of his bedroom and like a bat of hell, he found himself running in the very same direction before he could form a single coherent thought.

"Melanie!" Barba called out, his chest heaving with worry as he burst through the door. The first thing he saw was Melanie, just standing there, in the middle of his bedroom with her hair a little messier, her gun hanging loose by her side and all the colour now gone from her face. "Melanie?"

The sound of his worried voice dragged her back to reality, and she turned to him, placing her hands on her hips as she frowned, "What did I tell you about staying in the closet?"

"You screamed, what was I supposed to do? Let you die in my bedroom?" Barba sniped, his eyes shifting from Melanie's still startled looking face to the vase that lay in pieces on the floor. His brow creased and his gaze lifted, landing directly on the open window just next to where the vase used to sit. "What happened in here?"

"Nothing," Melanie said quickly. Too quickly that Barba couldn't help but raise his eyebrow unconvincingly towards her. She then sighed, holstering her weapon and refusing to look at him as she shyly began to mutter, "It was a... pigeon."

Blinking, Barba questioned, "A what?"

"A pigeon," Melaine said louder, her cheeks flushing red as her slowly pronounced words stunned Barba. For a split second anyway , before his face easily loosened up and he slowly but surely began to roll his lips. She pointed at him, her features tightening, "Don't you dare laugh."

Unable to open his mouth from fear of laughing, all Barba did was raise his hands in surrender, his eyes trained on the dark painted fingertip Melanie kept suspended in front of him. However his lips kept twitching. Even his stomach began to tremble out of desperate need to let it out, and eventually he couldn't hold back anymore. A deep laugh was rattling up his chest and he threw his hand to his mouth, covering it as he tried his hardest to stifle his amusement as Melanie did nothing but glare at him.

"I'm leaving," She said flatly, spinning so fast on her heels her hair created a gentle draught that swept over him in a cloud of the fresh apple scent he was becoming far too addicted to, "And I really hope that pigeon comes back and pecks you to death."

"Melanie," Barba called, his tone breathy as he was still laughing quietly to himself as he darted after her, hooking his hand around her elbow and halting her in place in his living room. He cleared his throat and rolled his lips in an attempt at composing himself before she turned around to him, nothing but pure embarrassment written all over her face. "Are you alright?"

"No," Melanie grumbled, "I was just attacked by a pigeon."

Picturing exactly... that, Barba's lips twitched again and this time he had to fight a lot harder to stop them.

"Rafael, so help me," Melanie warned, a soft sigh escaping her nose as she closed her eyes. Her almost motherly tone was all Barba needed to snap out of it, and when she opened them again, his body had relaxed and he'd stepped even closer to her, placing his hands comfortingly on the sides of her neck.

"Would you like a drink?" Barba asked, and all Melanie did was nod her head almost furiously in response. A smile rose on his face as he drew slow circles against her rapidly beating pulse, hoping to help calm her down before she did die in his apartment. Only instead of an intruder being the cause, it would have been a heart attack. "Go sit down, make yourself comfortable and I'll get you something strong."

"Thank you," Melanie exhaled, an appreciative smile twitching at her lips as Barba's hands left her neck and he stepped back, allowing her to make her way almost absently towards the light grey couch as she mumbled, "I really hate pigeons."

A soft chuckle that only he could hear left Barba's lips as he unbuttoned his blazer and slipped his arms out, setting it neatly over the back of one of his chairs as he made his way across the room and towards the kitchen. He loosened his tie and tossed it on the breakfast bar as he passed it, opening his cupboard and lifting out two clean glasses before grabbing a bottle of scotch he'd yet to open and taking it in its entirety back to the living room with him.

By the time he got there, Melanie was already curled up on the farthest couch away from him — no doubt due to its position up against the wall which allowed her ample view of the entirety of his apartment. He rarely ever sat on that couch himself. In fact, he sometimes didn't know why he'd bothered to get another couch as it wasn't like he used his first one often enough to even warrant him needing another.

But at that moment he was incredibly glad to have it. That couch was the only place in his apartment, bar his bed, that they would have been able to sit with a wall behind them, and more than anything, did he want Melanie to feel comfortable enough to want to stay. And by the looks of it she was. Her badge and gun were sitting on the coffee table. She already had her boots off and her feet tucked safely under her legs, nothing but the tip of her toes poking out from beneath and Barba didn't miss the small details of her shark patterned socks. It was just like her to wear bright, colourful socks under her dark exterior and they made him smile as he shuffled past the other couch to join her, taking a seat at the opposite end and leaning towards the coffee table in order to set the contents of hands down.

Sparing no time, Barba then unscrewed the lid of the bottle and poured Melanie a rather generous serving of the amber liquid within. He passed her the glass and watched as she brought it shakily to her lips and downed the entirety in one swift mouthful, placing it back on the coffee table where he refilled it without so much as a second thought.

"You shouldn't leave your bedroom window open when you're not home," Melanie said seriously, taking a slower sip of her scotch this time and resisting the urge to scrunch her face up at the taste. She'd always hated scotch, but she'd happily take what she could get in order to help settle her nerves. "Someone could break in."

"Besides a pigeon?" Barba said humorously, his eyebrow raising playfully towards her as Melanie did nothing but glare at him over the rim of her glass. He chuckled and reached out to gently pat her hand, " Mi cariño , I live in a seventh floor apartment with no fire escape. No one bar... Spider-man has the ability to climb in my window."

"You didn't hear about that guy in Chicago?"

"What guy?"

"Apparently he was free climbing up the front of this building with nothing but suction cups attached to his hands and feet," Melanie replied, and Barba's eyes slowly widened. Maybe he should start closing his window after all. "Erin was telling me about it, they had to call the fire department to come and get him down."

"Erin? That's detective... Lindsay, right?" Barba asked as he took a sip, watching as Melanie nodded her head around one of her own. "How is she doing? After Nadia?"

"She's doing okay," Melaine told him, shifting in her seat a little and leaning her glass on her knee. "It's hard, dealing with the guilt I know she feels. But at the same time, I think it's a whole lot easier for her knowing Yates is behind bars where he belongs."

Uncurling one finger from around his glass, Barba pointed at her, "That's all on you."

"I wasn't the one who convinced the jury he was guilty," Melanie deflected, feeling a great wave of pride for Barba over the memory of that conviction.

"That's true," he nodded, taking a drink, "But you are the one who suggested I use the crime scene photos to get him all riled up."

"I did do that, didn't I?" Melanie said in a smug tone that had Barba sigh. Perhaps he shouldn't have brought that up, as something told him she wouldn't be letting him forget it. "Hm, maybe I should be the one to take the bar exam next."

Barba couldn't help the gentle laugh that left his lip, "Now there's an amusing thought."

"Oh shut up," Melanie uncrossed her legs and nudged him playfully with her foot. "You would love having me as your shadow."

"Would I though?" Barba said in retort, causing Melanie to glare at him as she began digging around her pocket for her phone. She'd felt it vibrate against her back from where it sat, over the arm of the couch behind her, which made it that much easier for her to pull out, a soft scoff leaving her lips as she glanced down at the screen. "Everything okay?"

"Mhm," Melanie nodded, typing a quick response before locking it and putting it away again. "It's just Sonny."

Oh, you shouldn't have said that Melanie, now Barba's going to get jealous again.

"Says he's with the others at some bar in support of Dumas, Donlan and Campesi if I want to join."

"Do you want to?" Barba questioned curiously, casually, all whilst trying his hardest not to get jealous as something told him Melanie probably wouldn't like that.

"No," Melanie scoffed, finishing off her drink then pointing briefly to her forehead. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not exactly a fan of detective — Sorry, ex-detective Campesi."

"About that cut," Barba began, finding that he couldn't seem to draw his eyes away from the darkness of it. "Did you see a doctor?"

"No."

"Melanie," Barba exhaled, about to carry on scolding her before she swiftly interrupted him.

"What? I was already running late, okay, I didn't want to keep you waiting hours whilst I waited for a doctor to do the same thing I can do myself."

"Oh, so you can give yourself CT scans now, can you?" Barba said with minor sarcasm, his eyebrow raised.

"I don't need a CT scan, I'm perfectly fine." Melanie protested, "All it really needs is a proper clean and I can do that myself."

Barba narrowed his eyes doubtfully towards her as she refilled her drink and began sipping on it. He knew, in one hundred percent certainty, that Melanie's definition of a proper way of cleaning her cut would be in the middle of some bar after she'd splashed vodka on a napkin and dabbed half-assedly at it until she was satisfied enough that it wouldn't kill it. Of course, he knew well enough that it more than likely wouldn't kill her, but there was still the chance it could get infected if she left it any longer without giving it a proper clean, and infections could only go and lead to all kinds of more serious issues — ones Melanie would excuse away until it was too late for her to do anything.

And so, with that lingering worry now etched deep in his mind, Barba leaned forward and placed his glass on the coffee table before standing up.

"Wait here," he said, not even giving Melanie a chance to respond with her face, let alone words, before he shuffled towards the bathroom, returning a few seconds later with a first aid kit that made Melanie roll her eyes. She said nothing though, instead she just took a drink as she let him soak some gauze with peroxide before taking a seat closer to her. "Lean forward."

Melanie didn't move.

"Lean forward," Barba said again, this time with a little more firmness.

Sighing exasperatedly, Melanie rolled her eyes and gave in as she knew it was useless to fight with him on it. She shifted forward a little and adjusted her head so that he could reach her, a quiet wince escaping past her lips at the first touch of the peroxide against her cut, along with a gentle shiver rippling down her spine at the first brush of his fingers against her skin, which made her want to hold her breath as he was so dangerously close to her lips.

"How did this really happen?" Barba asked softly, dabbing carefully at her forehead and watching as the white gauze turned a faint pink-ish colour between his fingers.

"I told you," Melanie replied plainly, her heart warming at the delicate touch Barba seemed to have with her, and it almost made her wonder if first aid was all that he was gentle at. "Campesi rammed my head into the wall when I walked away from her."

"She just rammed your head into the wall?" Barba repeated questionably, and Melanie hummed in agreement. Somehow, he doubted that. "Unprovoked? Seriously?"

"Well..." Melanie drew out, chewing at her lips. "Maybe not entirely unprovoked."

There it was, Barba thought to himself. There's what she wasn't telling him.

Continuing to dab at her head, he sighed, "What did you do?"

"Nothing... much," Melanie confessed, watching as Barba swapped out his bloody piece of gauze for a fresh one and encouraged her to elaborate. "But she started it, okay, she got all up in my face when she saw me talking to my dad."

"Your dad? Why would that provoke her?"

"Because she overheard him telling me that no matter what, he trusted me to do the right thing," Melanie said with a sigh, absently raising her hand to hold back her hair in order to allow Barba better access to her forehead — which at this point was as clean as could be but neither of them seemed to want the brief contact to stop just yet. "She thought he was talking to me about my testimony against her."

"But I'm guessing he wasn't?"

Melanie shook her head, forcing Barba's touch away from it, "He was talking about Mikey. But before I could explain that to Campesi, she was already all up in my face about being a daddy's girl."

Barba raised his eyebrow, "And that's when you hit her?"

He wouldn't have put it past her if that was the sole reason as to why she did.

"Not exactly," Melanie said, falling back against the couch and running her fingers through her hair as Barba stayed where he was, which was close enough to her that she could feel her knees brush over his outer thigh. "When she was done she told me I better watch my back..."

Watch her back? That wasn't what you'd call a comforting thought to have pop into your head and without realising, Barba shuffled closer to her.

"Now, of course I wasn't going to let that slide so in response I said: or what, are you gonna shoot me in it too? And when she didn't say anything I went to walk away... That's when she slammed my head into the wall and that's when I punched her."

"She threatened you?" Barba fixated on, as it had been the only part of her tale that had actually gotten into his mind. Mainly because the idea, alone, terrified him.

"She tried," Melanie replied, trying her best to reassure him. "She talks a big game but she doesn't have the balls to go after me. Not with who my dad is."

"Still, you should watch yourself..." Barba said, reaching out to place his hand atop her open palm and feeling his heart leap when she dropped her eyes and immediately laced her fingers with his. "With the city and the department the way it is right now, you don't know who you can trust."

"I know I can trust you," Melanie whispered, glancing back up at him with a whole new softness. She tightened her hold on his hand and placed her other one atop it, drawing her thumb lightly over the softness of his skin. "And I know that I'm safe here."

"Unless anymore pigeons get in through the window," Barba smiled jokingly, as he simply couldn't trust that any of the emotion filled words that wanted to pass over his lips wouldn't send her running right out of his apartment.

Melanie's face easily fell at that remark, and she frowned, "On second thoughts, have I ever told you that I hate you?"

"Frequently," Barba responded, yet he was still smiling wide as even in her playful grievance with him she'd yet to let go of his hand.

Because of that, Barba took a brave step forward and lifted his free one, lightly drawing the back of his knuckles over the darkening bruise on her chin before he uncurled his fingers, splaying them across her cheek to cup it gently and feeling as she tilted her head to better fit into the warmth of his touch. He slowly started to drift closer to her, his heart hammering in his chest with every inch he closed between them as his gaze never once shifted, the two of them staring so intimately into each other's eyes that a whole flock of pigeons could fly in and Melanie wouldn't even have blinked.

Like opposing magnets, their lips continued to draw closer and closer together. It was slow, they'd both admit that. Slower than either of them would have necessarily liked after all the times they'd been left wondering what the other tastes and feels like, but at the same time... Just being able to feel one another's breath escape past their lips, puffing out hot over their skin and sending waves upon waves of goosebumps cascading over their bodies was almost enough for them not to want to let their lips touch because what if it was nothing like what they were both hyping it up to be?

It was possible. That it wouldn't fulfil the expectations they'd both been expecting but regardless of that worry, as deep down they both knew it would be as heated and breathtaking as they pictured it, they continued to close the gap between them. Barba's hand had made its way through Melanie's hair and to the back of her neck, subtly helping to bring her closer to him as her stomach flipped and just as his lips were about to finally meet hers after the relentless torture he'd been through the past few months, Melanie's phone buzzed in her pocket and out of instinct she turned towards it.

Kissing her cheek instead, which she seemed to not feel at all, Barba's eyes closed exhaustively and he drew back his head and dropped his hand, his jaw clenching so hard he thought it might have ground to dust beneath his skin at the sight of Melanie checking her phone.

She was checking her phone. During this... desirable and quite frankly overdue moment that was just about to happen, she was actually checking her phone and Barba couldn't help but feel an unfathomable amount of rage course through his veins at just who she was most likely texting.

"Let me guess, Carisi again?" He muttered bitterly, venom practically dripping from his tongue as he shuffled across the couch and back to his original spot, resting his chin on his closed fist as he all but huffed.

Melanie didn't answer him. She didn't even hear him, and as all the colour ran from her face she brought her hand up to her mouth, parting her lips with a single finger as she let out a slow, shaky breath. That caught Barba's attention easily and his mood soon shifted, his body moving back towards her on its own accord at the thought of something bad having happened and yet all he was worried about was not being able to kiss her.

"Melanie, what is it?" He asked, placing his hand on her arm and drawing her distant gaze towards him. "What happened?"

"During a traffic stop, a rookie patrol officer was shot..." She told him, swallowing thickly as she lightly shook her head. "He was only 24 and uh... He didn't make it."

"God," Barba exhaled, running his hand roughly over his chin as Melanie set her phone down on the coffee table with a rough clack and leaned her elbows on her knees, running her hands down her face and up into her hair.

Both of them had always known there'd be retaliation coming for what happened to Terrance. Protesting. Rioting. Unprovoked attacks on police and other New York citizens, but neither of them thought it would ever get so bad so quickly and with a deep sigh at what the world was apparently coming to, both Melanie and Barba glanced over at each other. It was as though their brains were running on the same wavelength, as barely seconds after they did, the exact same words lips slipped past their lips and out into the air,

"I need another drink."

And it was safe to say that where one bottle of scotch soon ended, another one after had quickly begun.

-
they're already so married, I love them your honour

and see, I can end things differently :D