Strong [A Barson Fan Fic]

- 11 -

Not a lot happened over the next ten weeks. Olivia continued to work hard, while Rafael finished his second year of law school and started working more hours at the firm. They were still doing great as a couple and were extremely in love. Rafael and Olivia were both extremely excited to become parents in at least five weeks, while Catalina and Lucia couldn't wait to spoil the baby boy they didn't know that they needed in their lives until Olivia showed up.

But with Olivia getting closer to her due date, the Mounts started fighting again. They weren't going to give up easily, even if their son wanted them to forget about the baby all together.

"Do you think that maybe we should get a new place?" Rafael asked, as he and his girlfriend walked around the mall as they grabbed some more last-minute things for their little boy. Five weeks seemed like a long time to wait for the arrival of their little boy, but they still had so much to do and didn't want to be completely unprepared.

"What's wrong with my place?" Olivia mused as she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together.

"Like, it isn't ours..." Rafael trailed off, as he stopped walking before kneeling down in front of his girlfriend and retying one of her shoes for her.

"Thanks for this... but we can make it more ours. Since you are staying there more often than with your Mom and Grandmother." Olivia spoke.

"I also kinda think that we might need more space."

"Space for what?" Olivia mused, as Rafael stood up before smiling at her.

"I'd like an office. Some place where I can do work from home, instead of doing it at work. I'm in my last year of law school, and I'm already promised a position at Adam's firm. I'd just like a little more space so I don't feel the need to stay at work." Rafael explained quietly.

"I get that. But I don't know if I can afford a bigger apartment. I'm just starting to really save." Olivia breathed. 

"Here is the thing though, my love... we'd be paying rent together. It would be our apartment. Where we would be raising our son." Rafael smiled, but it faded when he saw Olivia brush a tear from her cheek.

"Love-"

"Nope. I'm sorry, I just can't get over the fact that you keep calling him 'our son' instead of just my son. It's amazing." Olivia smiled.

"So can we look into a bigger place?" Rafael asked, and Olivia nodded.

"We can. But I don't want to move before he's born. Maybe after. Okay?"

"Okay." Rafael smiled.

///

They continued through the mall and stopped at a few more places before heading to the food court for lunch. Olivia sat at a table and waited for her boyfriend to come back in from putting their bags in his car, so she focused on reading through her weekly alert about her baby. She smiled when she read that her little boy was the size of a honeydew melon, before looking up and expecting to see Rafael standing by the table. Instead she saw Danny.

"Oh. Hi." She breathed slowly, as she locked her phone before sitting it face down on the table.

"Hi." He replied.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I just saw you when I was on my way out... I couldn't stop myself from coming over and seeing you... how are you doing?" Danny asked, and Olivia was shocked that he was even asking her that. 

"I'm fine... just five weeks short of my due date." Olivia replied.

"Really? That is not that far off." Danny breathed nervously.

"Nope, it really isn't. He's really running out of space." Olivia spoke weakly, as she ran her fingers over her stomach.

"He? We are having a... you are having a son?" He breathed, and Olivia nodded.

"Yeah. I'm having a son. I cannot wait to meet him." 

"What are you naming him?" Danny asked, as he ran his hand over the back of his neck. Olivia looked away from him and saw that Rafael was holding the door open for a few people. She wanted Danny to get away before Rafael returned.

"We haven't come up with a name for him yet. So thanks for checking in on me, but my boyfriend is coming back and he's very protective of me and our son."

"Liv-"

"He's raising him, Danny. Please don't fight me on that. You are with Gillian."

"We are actually engaged." He spoke with a smile.

"Good for you two. I promise to not weasle my way into your life if you can do the same for me. Okay?"

"My parents still want him." Danny frowned.

"They will have to fight us for him, then. Rafael Barba, Olivia's boyfriend and that baby's father. Even if my blood isn't running through his veins." Rafael smiled.

"Congrats, you two... I really hope that my parents don't get him. I really don't want to come home and see him at my parents house... being more like my brother than my son."

"Good thing that he won't be either. Bye." Rafael huffed, before moving around the table and helping Olivia to her feet.

Olivia watched as Danny gave her a shy wave before walking towards the exit.

"Liv, did he hurt you at all?" Rafael asked, as he placed his hand to her waist.

"No, he didn't hurt us. He just wanted to check in on me and the baby..."

///

Olivia stood in her son's nursery as she thought about how the Mounts still wanted him. She hadn't heard from them in forever, so she was thinking that they didn't want the baby anymore. But after what Danny said, it sounded like they not only wanted custody of him, but wanted to raise him as their son. Probably a do over since Danny made the mistake of knocking up someone while he was a teenager.

"The blankets are clean." Rafael spoke, coming into the nursery with four freshly clean and folded blankets in his arms.

"Thanks. I would have gotten to those eventually." Olivia breathed, as she finished tucking away a box of diapers.

"Liv, I'm sorry that I was a little short earlier..."

"You weren't short with me. Only Danny."

"But he-"

"Rafael, there is no way in hell that I want anything to do with him. I'm thankful to him because he gave me this little one... but that's all. This baby is ours together, you and me."

"I just don't want him thinking that he is wanted in your life or the life of our child."

"I get that, baby. And I pray that he never will be. But we just have to play nice. We can't give the Mounts more dirt on us. Okay?"