Quick clarification. So I didn't actually write a fic that would fit into these season 23 Barson fics for the 500th episode. (Check out"Looking at Things Another Way" and "We'll Build a Cocoon of Love and Respect" )I did co-author one y'all can read through. But for clarification I decided to wait until the next SVU episode to write another one. I'll reference bits of it though but I wanted to see where the show was going before I kept writing.- I started this like a month ago and ya know we're all waiting for the December 9th episode and oh boy.
Today was another busy day for the Benson-Barbas. Olivia was working until dinner time so he was going to pick up the kids and make dinner. Tonight was the night they were going to have a serious talk about the past few days. He hated feeling upset and wanted to avoid the conflict but he couldn't hold it in. If months of premarital counseling and seeing he and Olivia's marriage therapist, it wasn't healthy for him to say he wasn't mad at her.
He got in his car and drove to Blythe's daycare to pick her up. The dazzling little two year old Blythe Benson-Benson was excited to see her father.
"Hi Bee." He said as he picked her up and kissed her cheek.
"Hi Papí!" She said with a smile. Her beautiful green eyes behind those purple rubber glasses. Her frilly blue pants and "young, scrappy and hungry" purple t shirt and purple bow.
"Did you have a good day?"
"Yes I did! I stayed on green." She said.
Olivia and Rafael had a two year old daughter who had inherited, mostly from her father, what Blythe's teachers called "an attitude problem" and she had gotten in trouble about it the day before.
"Good job mija. Let's go pick up you're brother and then we need to pick up things to make dinner." Her father said as he filled out the check out form and the two walked to his car together.
Rafael put Blythe's backpack on the seat and buckled her in her car seat.
Rafael got in the driver's seat and turned on the radio.
"Papí, can we listen to the bedtime song from Hamilton?" She said.
"Sure." He said. Rafael played "Dear Theodosia" for Blythe. It was a special memory for him because he heard it on his playlist shortly after Blythe was born and he had recorded himself singing it for her with her name in it.
They sang a few more songs together as they were in Noah's car line at his school. It was Noah's turn to her in the car and he talked about his day.
"Alright you two, Mamí has to work late but will be home for dinner so we're gonna cook. Before we do that we have to go to the store."
"What should we make Papí?" Noah asked.
"That's what I'm thinking too."
"Can we make the parmesan chicken again? It was really good when you and Mom made it."
"That's a good idea." Rafael said.
Rafael actually enjoyed walking with Blythe and Noah in the store. Olivia preferred grocery delivery and went to the story only when necessary. Rafael loved the store, especially when he could take his children to the Cuban market. However when they all went to the grocery store, it was an adventure.
His children had picked up the habit of wanting to get snacks at all times but had a very neat and orderly pantry of snacks at home.
"Fine, ONE individual snack for both of you. We don't wanna spoil dinner." Rafael said as his kids had given him the look of "pleaseeeeeeee?!"
He watched as his children ran down the snack aisle hand in hand. Blythe picked Rice Krispies and Noah picked Gushers as his snack. The three checked out their groceries and headed home to make dinner. The Benson-Barba children helped with the cooking and played together in the living room. Rafael sat down on the sofa and wrote in a notebook about how he was feeling about his wife right now. He was avoiding saying he was angry with her. They had both been through severe trauma during their time together but they hadn't had a big fight before. Primarily because they were both avid avoiders according their marriage therapist. They didn't fight neither of them wanted to. He looked up from his notes to see his toddler daughter standing in front of him.
