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winchesterszvonecek · 3 months ago

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Prosecutorial Misconduct 18+

Chapter 9 - A Little Brotherly Advice

Word Count: 8401

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It wasn't that much of an uncommon occurrence for Barba to have Melanie show up at his office unannounced for one thing or another.

Most of the time it was for warrants, as the others would often send her in their stead due to the rather impressive fact that she never once returned to them empty handed. Little did they know, however, that it wasn’t because of her persuasive negotiation skills or her way with words when it came to describing why they needed a warrant for the DNA of an entire fraternity or whatever other crazy situation they’d found themselves in.

No, the only reason Melanie got what she wanted every single time she asked for it was because of none other than her eyes. And I’m not talking about her batting her lashes and using her charm to flirt a warrant out of someone, I’m talking about the immense terror that her gaze could rain down over a person when she really put her mind to it.

The way she would simply stare at them as she stood silently in the corner of their office was haunting. Her eyes would fall cold. Hard. Her pupils would fully dilate and the way in which they darkened, as though a demon had emerged from hell and possessed her was truly horrifying and it didn’t usually take long until the poor ADA couldn’t stick it any longer and went personally to find themselves a judge.

The amount of times he’d heard that same story from his co-workers was more than Barba could count on both hands, although he was yet to actually experience it for himself. He’d never had Melanie annoy him, or linger in the shadows until he gave in from the intense fear she brought up with her from hell, as he’d simply never been able to say no to her.

No matter how weak their reasoning for a warrant may have been, all Melanie had to do was ask once and Barba was like a child running after their parents in need of a signature to consent to a school trip, with the way he’d hound the nearest judge to sign off on the warrant. And whilst it may have annoyed him previously: how easily he seemed to have rolled over for a gruff detective with major anger issues, when it came to Melanie he didn’t mind one bit. He knew he was all but wrapped around her little finger but at the same time… he’d grown to enjoy doing things for her if he knew it would make her smile.

It’s all he’d ever wanted, after all, to see Melanie’s smile widen to the point where her dimples bloomed and even her eyes joined in as when he did, it very easily helped to brighten the otherwise dull and depressing day he knew he’d have without it. He may have loved his job, but being a sex crimes ADA was no easy feat and if Barba could make things at least a tiny bit better by seeing his favourite smile in the world then he would, and honestly, if he could… He wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to ask Melanie to move into his office with him simply to make sure he’d never miss it.

Come to think of it, actually, he already had asked her to move in…in his own sneaky little way, that is, as he couldn’t just say it outright. No, instead, after the first time she’d come to him in desperate need of a little break from the never-fading chaos of life, he’d pretty much declared his office a safe space for her to venture into whenever another moment like that arose, as he, along with everyone else in the justice system, knew well that Melanie could get very easily overwhelmed at times.

Overstimulated, even, as her refusal to take her medication meant she often found herself drowning in the murky depths of her busy mind and the world around her. But if she’d rather do that than actually make use of the one thing that could truly help her, then there wasn’t really anything anyone could do other than try their best to accommodate her needs, and it was because of that that Barba had happily opened his office to her.

However today, instead of laying on his couch and drowning out the world like she normally would, Melanie was the exact opposite in that she hadn’t sat down since the moment she appeared before him. Instead, she opted to pacing the entire width of the room relentlessly, all but wearing treads into the fibres of his cream carpet as she ranted on…and on…and on about all things Campesi.

“…but does anyone actually believe me? No. They all think I’m crazy for thinking that a fellow officer would be conspiring against me but like… What else could it be? I mean, come on already, the evidence is all but standing right there in front of them.”

With a heavy sigh, Melanie came to a sudden stop for the first time since she walked in. She turned her body to face Barba properly, white knuckling the back of one of his office chairs so hard he thought that it might break beneath her grasp as she leaned over it, her left eye practically twitching with rage.

“But will they open their eyes?” She asked, rhetorically of course as before Barba could even blink his own in response, she was answering herself, “Of course not! Why would they? Why would they ever agree with someone like me when it would only end up damaging their pretty little reputations?”

At the snake-like venom that her words grew soaked in, Barba raised himself from his chair and carefully rounded the table towards her. He didn’t really know what to do on days like this. Most of the time she wore herself out rather quickly and would lie face down on the couch for a few minutes before asking if he wanted to order take-out, but today was different.

Today Melanie seemed more wound up than a broken car that wouldn’t stop driving in circles. Her shoulders were bunched up tight and tense, her black polish was picked clean from her nails allowing him to see their true tone and her eyes… God. Those once beautiful eyes that he could easily get lost in were downright horrifying. He’d never seen them so dull. So dark. As though there was not a single speck of life left inside and as he grew closer to her all but rage-heaving body, Barba quickly grew familiar with the taunting tales of her demonism that he’d heard about all too frequently.

“Melanie, you need to relax,” Barba said bravely, placing his hands on her shoulders and feeling how truly tight they were beneath her jacket. “Take a breath.”

Melanie sucked in a short, measly breath and let it out far too quickly, and too dramatically, for Barba’s liking, making him frown as his head fell a little to the side.

“You could at least humour me,” He said flatly, yet his lips still curled up a little and when Melanie mirrored it knowingly, a teeny spark of hope began to bloom in his chest. “Take a proper breath, okay? Like this.”

With his shoulders rising and his chest expanding, Barba pulled as deep a breath as he could into his lungs, filling them entirely and holding it for a few short seconds. He then released it, exhaling slowly through his nose and allowing his shoulders to drop as each short burst escaped into the air around them.

“Now you try,” Barba encouraged, ignoring Melanie’s obvious eye roll as she reluctantly began to mimic him.

At first she half-assed it, clearly emphasising that a few deep breaths would not make her feel better but the more she copied him. The more effort she began to put into it, the more it seemed to work. Her shoulders eventually began to move like his did, and Barba could already see the small hint of colour that returned to her cheeks.

Even that sparkle…the one who made her who she so enjoyably was, slowly began to return to her eyes as they brightened. And thank God they did too, Barba thought to himself, as he didn’t think he could see a future with her had she still been possessed by a frothing at the mouth demon. But as the seconds ticked by and Melanie continued to breathe, all traces of Hell washed off her and eventually… the detective was healed.

“Do you feel better?”

“I feel light headed,” Melanie said, her lips falling into an over zealous frown as her shoulders sank so far beneath her Barba had to fumble to catch her before she fell.

Well, maybe she wasn’t as healed as he’d hoped but at least she wasn’t possessed anymore…that was a win in and of itself as Barba didn’t think the devil would take too kindly to his Catholic upbringing.

“Okay, let’s sit you down,” Barba said softly, yet he couldn’t help but chuckle a little as Melanie could really be dramatic when she wanted to be. He led her over to the couch, guiding her safely along the gap between it and the coffee table so as to make sure she didn’t trip before he lowered her gently down onto it. “Better?”

Melanie nodded, a thankful smile tugging at her lips as she felt the leather cushion beside her sink a little. She glanced to her side just in time to see Barba as he settled himself next to her, barely a foot of space left between them as he reached his fingers out towards her, absently brushing the unruly curls of her hair back over her shoulder as he did nothing but gaze softly at her.

A smile rose to his face as he repositioned his hand, allowing it to slot near perfectly in the gap beneath her chin as he cupped the side of her neck, his thumb drawing lightly over the faint beat of her pulse beneath her skin. The mere tenderness of that touch against her was enough to cause Melanie to forget what ailed her and she fell against him, allowing him to wrap his arms securely around her small frame as she buried her face in the warmth of his chest and relished in the subtle hints of his cologne.

God, she’d missed him. It had been two whole weeks since she last saw him, and even then it had only been a brief moment of flirtatious banter before she was pulled into Liv’s office and stripped of her gun. She hadn’t seen Barba since that day. From the very moment during which she walked straight past him on her way out of the precinct to go see Mike, she’d only ever heard his voice on the phone so it was safe to say she was particularly glad to be here.

It had been a rather long couple of weeks for her ever since she’d gotten her gun back, all things considered. She hadn’t had much time to do anything other than fret over the suspected conspiracy against her… teach Mike the ropes of working for the Special Victims Unit… and go to work herself.

But even with the added content falling suddenly into her life, all Melanie seemed to be doing was working — as not long after the whole spiel with Anton Krasnikov, which then turned into an episode of the Rollins family show, did she and the team quickly find themselves wrapped up in yet another complicated case.

Only this time it had involved a religious reality TV show family, but honestly… Melanie was too drained and too annoyed to get into that right now and all she could say was that she was exceptionally glad to finally see the end of it.

“What you said,” Barba began, pulling back a touch in order to get Melanie to lift herself up from him. Even though he didn’t want her to as, if it were even possible, he had missed her more than she had missed him. “About Campesi conspiring against you… Do you really believe that?”

“I don’t know,” Melanie sighed tiredly, slumping back against the couch. “I guess… maybe , there’s the slight chance I’ve been thinking about it all too much and now I’m seeing things that aren’t there.”

“You could be,” Barba mused, leaning back to join her and subtly placing his hand right next to hers as it tapped anxiously against the cushion beneath them. “But then again, your intuitions have never once been wrong in the past.”

“Careful, you’re getting dangerously close to complimenting my complicated way of thinking.”

Barba chuckled softly, “At this point, I’m more than happy to.”

“You’re sweet,” Melanie mumbled fondly, causing Barba’s heart to flip in his chest. “But also quite possibly stupid.”

“It’s not being stupid if it works.”

“I don’t think most people would agree with you on that,” Melanie exhaled, glancing down at the small piece of lint she’d found beside her and was now fiddling mindlessly with. “Liv especially. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got a rather hefty file on all the times I’ve gone off script that she intends to give to my dad.”

“I must say, that would make for quite the Christmas gift.”

Melanie hummed in disagreement, “I feel like that’s more of a father’s day gift than a Christmas gift.”

“Christmas is closer, so my money’s on that one.”

“Well great, now we have nothing to do on father’s day,” Melanie said, hearing Barba laugh softly to himself as he rose from the couch and began to make his way back towards his desk, causing her to tilt her head a little as she watched him. “What are you doing?”

“Getting you a drink,” He replied plainly, crouching down in front of the small cupboard in the corner of the office and glancing over his shoulder at her, “Something tells me you need it.”

“And you would be correct,” Melanie breathed out, lifting herself from the couch with an added groan at how heavy she felt. “But… I have to go.”

At that, a quiet sigh of disappointment left Barba’s lips as he slowly shut the cupboard, having not even felt the brush of his fingertips against his hidden bottle of scotch before she all but ripped it from his grasp. He should have known she wouldn’t stay longer than a few minutes after she’d calmed down. She never did. She was always gone like the wind, the very second she realised she’d been so open and vulnerable around him so it was no surprise to him to have her bailing so soon.

“I told the guys I’d have a drink with them at the bar,” Melanie explained — truthfully for once, as most of the time she’d have to lie just to get herself out of there. She approached him hesitantly, the strings of her heart pinging relentlessly like a bow as she watched him straighten empty handed. “But, uh, if you don’t have plans maybe you could join us?”

The subtle shimmer of desperation that glazed over her eyes and the mere hopefulness that radiated from her tone swept through the air like a warm hug and easily tightened itself around him, squeezing every last drop of agreement Barba had inside of him out of his mouth as he answered her immediately.

In fact, his words came spewing out so quickly after one another that, at first, he wasn’t even sure if Melanie had understood him when he said he’d happily stop by after he’d finished the last of his paperwork. For a second she hadn’t. Her brows had furrowed momentarily and her lips parted as she was about to humorously ask him to repeat that one more time before she suddenly smiled, as the prominent way in which Barba had quickly dropped his gaze and cleared his throat told her exactly what he had said. And that he clearly hadn’t meant for it to sound so eager.

Cute, Melanie thought to herself. She always liked seeing him all flustered like this, yet she purposely said nothing about it. She didn’t want to give him any indication that she had noticed his minor frenzy should he try harder to hide them from her and instead she simply told him to meet her at Forlini’s whenever he could, then went on her merry way.

When Melanie eventually rocked up to Forlini’s thirty minutes late, Mike, Fin and Carisi were already waiting for her in a corner booth, their second round of drinks still nestled between their hands and the preferred spot against the wall sitting empty for their favourite Dodds to fill — but don’t tell Mike or William that. They wouldn’t enjoy hearing that Melanie was the clear favourite of the three, however they would be a little surprised given the terror she normally caused throughout the department.

“There you are,” Mike said as she approached, sliding out of the booth to allow Melanie to take her seat next to him. “I was about to send out a search party.”

“That would be a waste of time, you know they’d never find me,” Melanie retorted, shuffling along the dark red leather of the seat until she was positioned snugly between the wall and her brother.

“Please,” Carisi scoffed, taking a small sip of his beer. “They’d probably find you snorkelling in the nearest fish tank.”

“Or throwing axes at the trees in Central Park,” Mike added, earning a brief mumble of unamused agreement.

They’d never forget the day last week when they found her doing that. They didn’t know where she got those axes from but they were glad to see them so quickly confiscated by William, as Carisi had almost ended up with one to the head and Mike had barely dodged one of his own to the shoulder. Thank God for the fast reflexes he’d developed over having spent a lifetime with Melanie and her accidental homicidal tendencies, otherwise he might have lost an arm.

“Nah, we all know exactly where it is that they’d find her,” Fin said, a playful glint twinkling in his eye as he took a sip of his beer to draw out the partial suspense of the moment, during which Melanie simply glared at him as though daring him to say what she knew he wanted to say.

“Wait, am I missing something here?” Mike asked, his narrowed eyes drawing back and forth between the two like he were watching a game of tennis. “Where would they find her?”

“The courthouse,” Fin said plainly , forcing Mike’s brow to furrow deeply as…that didn’t sound like Melanie.

However, Fin didn’t get a chance to elaborate further on that though, not when Melanie reached out her foot and kicked him, hard, causing him to flinch a touch at the dull pain that then rippled up his shin and spread out across his leg. It was totally worth it though, just to see the demon inside her rear with its evil head as it warned him to keep his mouth shut.

Fin had figured out that Melanie had a little crush on Barba, and vice-versa, the day he first heard her call him Rafael. He hadn’t picked up on it right away but after the whole mystery with the scotch and Melanie’s secret alibi for Campesi’s attack, he’d quickly put the pieces together and ever since…he’d taken every opportunity he could get to tease her about it.

Privately, of course, as he wasn’t about to shout her business around the precinct for just anyone to hear, but when the two of them were alone for their gaming sessions he was, quite frankly, relentless about it. Most of the time, when they’d be doing missions involving intense rescues and he’d die stupidly to no fault of his own, he’d go on to hype Melanie up by telling her to imagine it was Barba that she was saving. And of course, it did nothing but rile her up in the exact opposite of the way in which he meant it but it got the job done and she completed the mission with ease so really, it was a win-win situation if you ask him and he thoroughly enjoyed each and every second of it.

“Is this some kind of insider gamer thing?” Carisi asked, confused. “Because if it is, you both know that I got no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Nah, it ain’t that,” Fin replied, with a mischievous smile that Melanie did not like the look of. “It’s…”

Thankfully, whatever mortifying thing that was about to leave Fin’s big mouth and anger Melanie more got cut rather abruptly off when Barba finally appeared before them, which really only added to Fin’s ever growing amusement when he noticed Melanie’s entire mood shift so effortlessly.

And he wasn't the only one either.

Carisi may have been completely oblivious, or perhaps purposely blind for the sake of his own sanity, to the affectionate tension that built between Melanie and Barba, but Mike wasn’t. Oh no. He’d have had to be stupid to miss it as looking at them now, the two of them practically making out with each other using only their eyes, every piece of the puzzle that was Melanie’s one secret from him clicked so easily into place in Mike’s mind.

Her mystery man? The one she refused to name? The one she had gotten herself so worked up about to the point where she almost went down for assault? It was him. No doubt in his mind was ADA Rafael Barba the man who had so tightly wrapped himself around his sister's heart.

God, no wonder she was so afraid to confess her feelings out loud, even though Mike was now certain she was the only thing Barba cared about as the way he was looking at her…honestly made him a little uncomfortable. But anyway, it was no real shock that Melanie was this closed off. The guy had a stellar reputation that even Mike himself had heard of back in the Anti-Crime unit, and honestly it would be no surprise to him if Melanie took her feelings to the grave simply because she was worried about staining it.

“I’m gonna get us another round,” Mike said, standing up from the table so fast it wobbled. But he ignored it, his eyes fixated on his sister as he clapped her on the shoulder. “Mellie, you wanna help me grab the drinks?”

“Help you grab the drinks?” Melanie repeated, glancing up at him questionably as Barba raised an eyebrow over that nickname. Wonder what would happen if anyone else tried to call her that. Decapitation probably. “What? Are you afraid you might strain yourself?”

“Just get your ass up,” Mike grumbled, shifting his hand and curling his fingers around the scruff of her jacket as he practically lifted Melanie from her seat, a faint babble of protest leaving her lips as he tugged her across the booth and onto the floor. He didn’t give her a chance to say anything else as he dragged her towards the bar, not noticing the playful grabby hands she made at the others before he positioned her in front of him, ignoring her ‘ what the hell was that?’ face as he made sure they were fully earshot. “Barba? Really? That’s who you’ve been fretting about this entire time?”

“How did you…?” Melanie's words faded out, her eyes slowly widening as she glanced anxiously towards the booth to make sure no one heard that. It was bad enough that Fin already knew, she didn’t need Carisi knowing either. Or God forbid, Barba, himself, finding out how wound up she’d gotten. “He literally just walked in.”

“And your eyes lit up like a christmas tree when he did, okay. Don’t think I don't know what it looks like when you’re in love.”

“I am not in love,” Melanie defended, having been rather taken aback by that statement…even though it was true and she knew it.

So did Mike and he’d only just met Barba for the first time, yet he could already tell the two of them were completely head over heels for each other.

“Oh really?” Mike raised his eyebrow, leaning his elbow against the bar he’d yet to even order the drinks from. “So your heart didn’t just flip inside your chest when I said that?”

“No…” Melanie drew out, chewing at her lip as Mike’s brow remained the same: high and unconvinced. She then sighed, rolling her eyes. “Okay fine. Maybe it did, but that doesn’t mean what you think it means.”

“Then what does it mean?

“It means…” Melanie began, having fully intended to spew out some fake ass, garbage excuse for why her heart could have possibly flipped in her chest when he said that. However, as she stood there…watching as Mike grew less and less convinced by her charade, her mind annoyingly fell blank and she quickly grew to regret not staying in the sanctity of Barba’s office. “You know what, nevermind what it means. It’s my heart and it can flip when it wants to, okay? But that does not mean that I am in love with Rafael.”

“Rafael?” Mike repeated, amused at the way Melanie’s face fell and she closed her eyes momentarily out of regret. “What happened to you calling people by the shortest version of their name possible?”

“I still do that… I just…” Melanie sucked in a breath, holding it purposely as she honestly had no idea where she could go from here without telling Mike the truth. Her voice then fell low as she exhaled slowly, “He likes it when I call him that, okay? Now just… stop talking and leave me alone. You’re annoying me.”

Trying to get away from the sudden embarrassment that overcame her at being caught so deeply in love, Melanie turned away and shuffled up the bar, leaning her elbows on the dark oak surface in hopes that Mike would take the hint and leave her be. However, that was a fool’s hope as not once in their whole entire life, did her brother ever leave her be when he could easily agitate her more.

And even now, at his big age and with that big important badge on his hip, he still followed behind her like a child in order to egg her on further.

“Oh he likes it, does he?” Mike taunted, leaning purposely far onto the bar so that Melanie couldn’t avoid seeing him. “He likes hearing you say his first name?”

“Shut up.”

“Tell me this, Mellie,” He nudged her, ignoring the deeply annoyed grunt that rattled up her chest. “What does he call you, hm? Does he call you Dodds? Or Mel? Maybe just detective? Or… does he do the exact same thing you do for him, because he knows you like it, and call you Melanie?”

“Stop talking.”

“Or…” Mike carried on, a very blatantly amused chuckle leaving his lips as he nudged her again, this time making her side step away from him. He followed. “This is even better… Does he have his own special nickname for you? Perhaps… A Spanish one?”

At that, Melanie stiffened and turned to face him, her nostrils all but flaring “I swear to God, Mikey, if you keep talking I’m gonna gut punch you.”

And she meant it. He was truly grating on her every nerve right now and if he wasn’t careful, she'd make good on that threat. But, if anything, her outward annoyance only seemed to encourage Mike more, and it very easily answered the entirety of his question for him as he knew she’d never get this mad if he wasn’t right.

“Oh he does, doesn’t he?” Mike laughed, shaking his head. “He calls you something sweet in Spanish that you’re too embarrassed to tell him you speak. God no wonder you’re blushing so much, you probably… Oof. ”

The rest of Mike’s aggravating taunt was cut swiftly off when Melanie swung around and punched him right where she said she would — in the gut, causing him to whine softly in pain and double over a touch, attracting a few concerned looks from those sitting nearby.

She then leaned in, positioning her mouth right next to his ear as she gritted, warningly, “Not another word about Rafael, or next time…” Melanie drew back, her eyes dropping and her head tilting, “I’m aiming further south.”

And with that she shoved past him and made her way back to the booth.

“Is everything okay?” Barba asked, his gaze following Melanie as she slid back into her seat, seemingly without so much as a care in the world for what just happened.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, for starters… you just punched your brother in the stomach.”

“I know,” Melanie smiled, only adding to Barba’s ever growing confusion — yet not surprising Fin or Carisi in the slightest.

Barba raised his eyebrow, “You don’t want to elaborate as to why?”

“No.”

“Okay then,” Barba exhaled, knowing when to let go should he end up with a gut punch of his own. He leaned back in his chair, basking in the quiet silence until Mike eventually returned.

It had taken him a lot longer than it should have to simply grab a couple of drinks, but when he set the tray on the table and showcased the basket of extra salty fries he’d ordered for Melanie, those who were waiting patiently for their beverage, simply nodded their heads in understanding.

“Truce?” Mike said carefully, sliding the basket slowly towards his sister as though she were a bear.

Or in this case, a lion.

Still annoyed, Melanie eyed him coldly, watching as he swallowed hard whilst he waited anxiously for her answer. She already knew it was yes, obviously. She couldn’t stay mad at him for long after spending five years doing exactly that, but for no real reason. However she did very much enjoy seeing him cower under her gaze, so you could forgive her for wanting to draw out that inner fear a little longer for how much he’d pissed her off.

Staring at him now, she knew that he knew better than to keep her going about Barba in the future. Mike could very easily tell by the way she’d reacted that she was deeply in love with him and that it very much hurt her to keep it bottled up, but he also knew it would be useless to try to talk her out of it. When she had her mind set on something, it was set in stone, meaning he’d more than likely have to go directly to the source of her problem if he ever wanted any chance at solving it.

For now, however, he just wanted to focus on getting back in to her good books before she threw him out of them again and soon enough… Melanie gave in, nodding her head once and happily accepting the basket of deep fried deliciousness.

“Now that we’re all friends again,” Carisi said, earning a few quiet chuckles, “Sarge, you got any stories you could tell us about Mel? Perhaps from her rookie days.”

“Sonny, come on,” Melanie groaned, telling Mike they’d been through this before. “I already told you, there’s nothing to tell.”

Mike scoffed into his drink, piquing Carisi’s interest, “Well, your brother clearly thinks otherwise so come on… Let’s hear some.”

“I’m not telling you,” Melanie said, smacking Fin’s hand away as he tried to steal one of her fries. She picked one up, popping it into her mouth with a snug smile rising on her lips. “So I guess you’ll never know.”

“I’ll tell them,” Mike said happily, to which Melanie nearly choked on her fry as she turned her entire body to face him.

“Um, excuse me?” Uh-oh, the others did not like that tone. “You will do no such thing, Michael Joseph Dodds, as that would be breaking the sacred bond we have as twins and in case you’re forgetting…that’s illegal.”

“As an ADA, I can safely say that it isn’t,” Barba added humorously, as he was absolutely dying to hear some stories about Melanie’s past.

“Okay, whose side are you on?” Melanie asked, raising her eyebrow accusingly.

“He’s on mine,” Mike answered for her, causing her to grit her teeth. “And he’s right, it’s not illegal. Not when it comes to embarrassing stories about your past, anyway.”

Melanie folded her arms, “Well, I beg to differ.”

“Then beg,” Mike retorted, watching as Melanie drew her tongue over her back teeth in irritation. “That’s what I thought.”

Smugly, Mike turned back to the others that still sat before them, all three of whom had their eyes as wide as could be as had they talked to Melanie like that? Well, it was safe to say they’d have been leaving Forlini’s in a body bag.

“Fine,” Melanie shrugged, leaning back against the seat. “Go ahead, but you know I don’t get embarrassed that easily.”

Unless she was in love, then it was a different story.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Mike tilted his head agreeingly, “But still, the story I have in mind is a good one and I think the guys will get a kick out of it.”

“Oh God, it’s not that one, is it?” Melanie asked, biting at her lip anxiously as Mike slowly nodded his head. She then ran her finger and thumb over her eyebrows as she mumbled under her breath, “Jesus.”

“You know that twin telepathy thing you two do,” Carisi said, gesturing between the twins with his fingers before pressing them to his chest. “It scares me.”

“Twin telepathy?” Barba repeated, curious, “That’s a real thing?”

“Apparently,” Fin replied, shrugging. “These two spend half the day having full on conversations with each other without saying a single word… It’s creepy, man.”

With an empty chuckle, Carisi shook his head, “Nah, the creepiest part is when just one of them talks and the other answers by staring at them. Alright, that’s when it gets weird, because their face…” He twirled a finger in the air in front of his own as he spoke. “It doesn’t even change, it just stays blank, I mean… What the hell is that?”

“A lifetime growing up together, I’m guessing,” Barba replied, his eyes a little narrowed as he studied the twins carefully, wondering what the two of them might be telepathically talking about right now as they continuously glanced towards each other. Probably ways to get rid of Carisi without raising too much suspicion, that would be his guess. “But I want to know more about this sacred bond that you both mentioned.”

“No you don’t,” Both Melanie and Mike said in unison.

Melanie then added quickly, emphatically, “Trust me. You of all people do not want to hear about that.”

“Ah,” Barba exhaled, pressing his lips together as he nodded. So they’ve perjured themselves for one another, that was…wonderful. “Remind me never to let the two of you testify together.”

“Will do,” Melanie said, giving him a brief, playful salute that made the corners of his lips twitch up fondly.

“Can we hear this story now?” Carisi asked, eagerly. “I’m dying over here.”

“Alright, alright,” Mike breathed out, shuffling in his seat a little as he took off his jacket, draping it over his lap. He then took a drink, glancing once towards Melanie who gave him her telepathic permission to carry on, as he wanted to be certain she was okay with it before he dug himself into a crime hole, “So this was about… what, ten years ago? Twelve?”

“Something like that,” Melanie nodded, taking a drink. “We were both just out of uniform.”

“Right, yeah. Anyway,” Mike continued, returning his attention back to his respective audience. “We were both partnered together… as no one else in the entire department wanted to be partnered up with her after she made her last one retire.”

“Oh please, he got shot,” Melanie explained, as she didn’t like the unsurprised looks that flashed over the guys faces. Carisi often wondered how long it would be until he was hanging up his holster. “I didn’t force him to hand in his badge afterwards.”

“Did you shoot him?” Barba asked playfully, his heart twitching when Melanie’s attention fell on him and she raised her eyebrow, as if saying really? “You had to know one of us would ask.”

“I was about to,” Fin added for good measure.

“I didn’t not shoot him,” Melanie said, thankfully. “But if I did… Then he’d have had it coming alright, the guy was…handsy.”

“Wait, what?” Mike turned to her, concern dipping into his features, “You never told me that.”

“Cause I knew how you’d react,” Melanie replied, waving her hand to brush it off. “Now leave it be, it was over a decade ago, okay? Just tell your story…before Sonny combusts into a pile of spaghetti.”

And he might have done. He’d been trying to coax stories about Melanie’s past from her for an entire year, yet now that he was on the edge of one, it seemed to be getting anywhere but to the point.

“Alright, but this isn’t over,” Mike said warningly, ignoring the faint yes it is Melanie said in retort as his jaw twitched and he reluctantly returned to his tale. “So, we were out on patrol… The two of us cooped together in an unmarked car for hours just cruising around neighbourhoods, when eventually we ended up neck deep in an area known for its high volume of sex workers.”

“Oh boy,” Carisi muttered, as he could tell where this was going.

“Yeah,” Mike agreed, his face as telling as his tone. “So we slow down. We have our eyes peeled for something to do. Someone to collar. And the next thing I know Mellie reaches over to the steering wheel and jerks us right. Now, my reflexes weren’t as good back then as they are now but I manage to stop the car. You know, before it takes out a mailbox or a neighbourhood cat out for a stroll…”

“I would never hit a cat,” Melanie said in defence, raising her glass to her lips and pausing to add, “A perp maybe, but never a cat.”

“That’s true,” Fin agreed, “You should hear the way she talks to that damn cat of hers… You'd think it was a baby.”

“Um, he is?”

“This is the Roomba riding cat?” Barba questioned rhetorically, as he nodded and answered himself before anyone else could. “Yeah, I could see that.”

At that Melanie frowned…What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“Wait a second, how do you know he rides a Roomba?” Fin asked suspiciously, as last he knew…Barba had never been to Melanie’s house in order to be able to see that.

“Who cares,” Carisi interrupted, growing more agitated by the minute as he glanced at all three of them, silencing them. He then turned back to Mike, a soft sigh leaving his lips, “Sarge, will you please continue? I’m going grey over here.”

“Going?” Melanie snickered, causing Carisi to frown instantly as he glared at her. Maybe retirement didn’t sound so bad after all.

“Alright, just relax…” Mike said, holding out his hand to try and simmer everyone down before fries started flying across the bar… Or worse.

Now he knew what it was like for everyone when he, Melanie and their dad were together, and he suddenly felt the desperate need to apologise for it… But later, he wanted to finish this story before he was forced to testify in the case of the people versus Sonny Carisi, after he ended up murdering his sister.

“So we pull over,” Mike continued, once he knew everyone was sitting quietly. “Mellie gets out of the car and I just sit there, watching as she makes her way towards this minivan on the corner. Now the driver, he doesn’t know she’s coming. Not until she’s leaning on his open window, scaring off the working girl and backing him right into a corner cause she’s already reached in and taken his keys from the ignition… She then asks for his wallet. Or rather, she reaches in and grabs it when he refuses to give it to her.”

“Should I be hearing this?” Barba asked, a little concerned.

“Yeah it’s fine,” Melanie waved her hand briefly as she took a sip of beer, “It was over twelve years ago so the statute of limitations is up.”

A nervous chuckle left the back of Barba’s throat as he shook his head, those words not exactly helping to instil much confidence that what he was about to hear wasn’t a crime he should be charging her for. Nevertheless, he leaned back in his chair, nursing his scotch and happily letting Mike continue with the story that even he was eager to hear.

“So she takes his wallet,” Mike carries on, the amusement from what happened next already dancing in his eyes. “And when she opens it, what does she find right next to the hundred dollar bill he’d been trying to pay the working girl with? A big, happy family picture.”

“Oh, dear,” Barba mumbled into his glass, as now he could easily tell where this tale was going.

“Now at this point, I have the car pulled up right next to the minivan with the window rolled down, because, telepathy or no, I’m not missing a single second of what was to come,” Mike said, pausing momentarily to take a short swig of his beer. “Which in this case, is Mellie asking the guy what his wife’s name is… Him telling her what his wife’s name is, and Mellie using his phone to call the wife and tell her that she just found her husband with a known prostitute.”

“Classic,” Fin chuckled, making Melanie fill up with pride. She should have told this story years ago as hearing it now…it wasn’t embarrassing.

It was downright genius.

“So the guy reaches out, he tries to grab the phone from Mellie’s ear as she’s talking to his wife and what does she do?” Mike asked rhetorically, his eyes drawing towards Carisi who was hanging on his every word. “She grabs his hand and starts squeezing his fingers. Now as he’s yelling out in pain, I’m thinking maybe it’s time for me to intervene, so I get out of the car.

“I approach them, you know slowly, and just as I reach the car I hear Mellie telling this guy's wife that the sound she hears, and I quote… Is the sound of her breaking her husbands fucking hand. And you know what the wife replies with…?” Mike glanced towards Melanie, her shoulders high with self-pride like he should have known this story would bring her. He then tilted his head, nudging her gently, “Mellie, you wanna tell them?”

Around a stifled laugh at what was to come, Melanie replied, “She told me to do it harder .”

Barba’s mouth gaped from shock, “She didn’t…”

“Oh, she did,” Melanie chuckled, not the least bit bothered about hiding her amusement. “But you know, this guy is already crying like a little bitch so I let go. I hang up the phone, toss it back inside and eventually, you know, we let the guy go.”

“Really,” Barba raised his eyebrow doubtfully. “After all that, you just… let him go?”

“Not without breaking a few of his fingers first,” Carisi muttered into his beer.

“Okay so I was a little unorthodox back then…”

“A little?” Mike scoffed, cutting Melanie off, “You pulled the guy out through the window and threatened him before we decided to let him go.”

“Jesus, Melanie,” Barba scolded, yet he couldn’t help but chuckle over the image of her doing so.

“What?” Melanie exclaimed defensively, “The guy was a dirtbag, alright, I had already arrested him twice for getting rough with the girls, that’swhy I approached him in the first place.”

“And why you broke a few of his fingers,” Fin added, to which Melanie raised her bottle in a toast.

“Exactly.”

“It’s kinda nice, you know,” Carisi said, shrugging, “That even all those years back, you still didn’t arrest the girls for solicitation.”

“We have all to make a living somehow, Sonny,” Melanie replied, “So the least I can do is try to keep them safe.”

“That’s true,” Fin nodded, nudging Carisi briefly with his elbow yet speaking directly to Barba, “Remember the time she camped out in your office for hours until you finally agreed to drop the charges against one of her girls.”

“When you say it like that, you make me sound like a pimp,” Melanie muttered, earning a few chuckles.

“You know I remember that day,” Carisi chimed in, “Yeah, Barba got so pissed off that he called me to come and get her.”

At his surprised tone, Mike raised his eyebrow, “And I’m guessing that’s a big deal?”

“For me to willingly call Carisi? Yes, you would be correct,” Barba answered swiftly, making Carisi frown a little and glance down at his beer — he knew he was joking, but still, he liked playing along.

“Hey, leave Sonny alone,” Melanie warned, narrowing her eyes towards them all, bar Carisi. “Only I’m allowed to bully him.”

“But he’s not allowed to bully you, would I be correct in saying that?” Barba questioned knowingly, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

“You would be, yes,” Melanie nodded.

“Seems fair,” Barba chuckled, downing the last of the scotch he’d been savouring throughout the entirety of that amusing story before his tone fell comical, “You get to bully us, we don’t get to bully you… Yeah, I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.”

“Good, I’m glad you agree,” Melanie smiled smugly, causing Barba to roll his fondness-filled eyes as both Mike and Fin shared knowing looks. She then set her empty bottle in front of her and stretched her arms over her head, “Now, which one of you fine gentlemen is going to go get me a margarita?”

“I’ll get this round,” Barba said happily, his heart leaping in his chest when Melanie smiled over at him, with such an added depth to her affection that she got those shallow little dimples in her cheeks that all but made him swoon.

“Let me give you a hand,” Mike said quietly, getting to his feet and following Barba whilst blatantly ignoring Melanie’s suspicious glare that she fired after them.

They approached the bar within seconds, and after giving the bartender their updated order, the two men stood side by side in a slightly awkward silence before Mike eventually spoke.

“Mind if I give you a little advice?”

Barba glanced to his side, narrowing his eyes curiously, “Go on.”

“Melanie, she…” Mike hesitated, unsure whether or not this was actually a good idea now that he’d started it. He knew Melanie hated when he’d stick his nose into her personal business such as this, but at the same time… He knew from past experience that he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he knew she was out there all mopey and heartbroken.

If he continued to allow her to make herself miserable on purpose — because she was so worried that she’d ruin Barba’s reputation should she give in and allow herself to be with him — it would eat away at him constantly. Especially now that he could see, very easily, that Barba didn’t care about any of that, not in the slightest.

The mere way in which he looked at Melanie…with such fondness and adoration swimming in his eyes? It was enough for Mike to know that the only thing he wanted in life was her. And Melanie deserved that. She deserves someone who would treat her right. Who would worship the very ground she walked in and he could already see that that was Barba. He was about one smile away from pledging his undying fidelity for Melanie and it was with that in mind…

With that sole hope lingering in his chest that Melanie could finally be happy with a great, brother approved, guy, that Mike allowed himself to carry on.

“She’s a great girl, but she’s stubborn. She’s angry at the world for what it’s done to her, but underneath all that hate… she’s got more heart than anyone I’ve ever met and I know you see that,” Mike said softly, catching the realisation kick in in Barba’s eyes over him knowing. “I know you care about her, and she’d kill me for telling you this…but I know she cares about you too. And I guess what I’m trying to say is… Don’t give up on her.”

At first, Barba stayed quiet as he wouldn’t lie… for a while there he’d been thinking about whether or not it was time to give up on that dream. He’d always had that deep hope in his chest that he and Melanie would turn into something more, but lately that hope just seemed to keep slipping through his fingers any time he tried to grab a hold of it.

Whether it be an important case. A ridiculous accusation of assault. Or something even stronger like Melanie’s very own shield that she often threw up when she realised they were growing too close to that line , there always seemed to be something standing in their way each and every time they tried to make the next move and oftentimes Barba would wonder, deep down, whether or not it was worth it all the heartache.

A lot of the time, and he hated to admit it, he thought the answer was no, but now? After hearing that? After having Mike… The one person who knew Melanie better than anyone else on the planet, telling him not to give up so easily? That eventually, one day, he might finally get his dream? Well, that was all Barba truly needed to finally grasp that string of hope again and eventually, he responded with the only four words Mike would take for answer,

“I don’t plan to.”