all the stars | sonny carisi svu

chapter eight

i was getting ready to go to sunday mass as i always do.

it was something i was raised doing and i go every sunday, even without my family.

as i was fixing my hair, there was a knock at my apartment door as i rushed out of my bedroom to open it.

"you know you should really ask who's at the door first." sonny says standing there with bouquet of sunflowers, which happen to be my favorite flowers.

"carisi, hi!"

"how are ya?"

"i'm good. please come in." i say opening the door a little wider as he steps in.

"these are for you." he says handing me the flowers and smiling.

"thank you carisi. i love sunflowers." i say as i go to put them in a watered vase.

"i remember you telling me, when we were in the squad car the other day." he says. "sorry, i don't mean to push i just want to help you through this."

"look dom, i know you wanna help, but it happened when i was thirteen. its been seventeen years, i'm really fine."

"what if he comes for you?"

"he should know better then to not to, i mean i'm a cop now. i know how to defend myself."

"yeah and if he tries anything, he'll be dealing with me."

i smiled.

"so, where are you headed looking so pretty?" he asks.

"church."

"church, huh?"

"yup."

"well, it just so happens i was going to the church as well for mass."

"oh, is that right?"

"yes ma'am."

"you stalking me carisi?" i joke.

"not at all russo." he says laughing a bit.

"alright then let's go."

i grabbed my badge and my gun, which was on my hip and under my jacket.

"going to work after?"

"yup, are you?"

"yeah, gotta catch up on some files."

"i think we're sharing those files because it's stacked in between our desk." i say as he chuckles.

"sounds about right." he says.

we walked out of my apartment and the church was only two blocks down so we walked there.

it turns out we go to the same church, but he sits in the front and i always sit in the back, so this time we agreed to sit in the middle.

"so, why don't you tell me about your family." dominick says as we walk back to my apartment afterwards.

"my family is very italian as you know. there's my very italian grandmother, who's eighty-six and going strong. there's my mom who is also very italian, but italian-american, but you would think she's from italy just with a strong new york accent. the full blown italian fights that are in italian that my mom and my grandmother get into are absolutely hilarious."

"trust me i've seen it. my nona and mother did that a lot too. my sisters and my parents got into it a lot, especially, with my mom. just not in italian, just strong new york accents." he says.

"gotta love italian-american families."

"so what about your dad? is he very italian as well?"

"he was yes. he was one crazy italian-american. him and my mom were basically the same person. he died a couple of years ago on the job."

"oh, i'm so sorry to hear that."

"it's alright. we miss his laughs and jokes. and his food."

"captain russo was your father, right?"

"you got that right partner."

"do you have any siblings?"

"i have two older brothers, who are both detectives in the nypd, an older sister, who's an ada in queens, and a younger sister, who's a sophomore in high school. both my brothers are married, with children. the oldest has two, and the younger older brother has one, but there's another on the way. my older sister is getting married soon. and my younger sister is fifteen, about to turn sixteen in less than three months. when i lived in the bronx, that's where i met barba, and he also became like an older brother to me so he knows me and my family quite well." i explain. "your turn carisi."

he chuckles as i tell him it was his turn.

"my family is also very italian. my mother is very much like yours. my father is a crazy italian as well. typical italian father. i have three sisters, one older, two younger. my youngest sister is going to get married soon, she's having a child soon. my older sister is divorced, but i have an eighteen year old niece. and my other younger sister is married and she has two kids, who are adorable. and that's pretty much my family. well, my immediate family."

"well i know one thing, if our families meet, they'll get along very well." i say as sonny opens the door to his car for me as i get in.

"i very much agree with that as well." he smiles as he closes my door and gets into the drivers seat before we head down to the precinct.