Olivia walked towards Rosen's office. She needed a file unsealed and his influence was the fastest way to do it. His secretary wasn't at her desk, probably out to lunch. Good. That way Rosen would be thrown off guard by her unannounced entrance and would put up less of a fight. Taking a deep breath she was about to open the door when the sound of laughter stilled her hand. She knew that laugh; it couldn't be. She gripped the handle and opened the door. Rosen was sitting behind his desk, drinking a glass of scotch. He sat up in alarm and spilled the glass over himself. Sputtering and coughing, he glared. "Olivia, you can't just barge in here."
But Olivia ignored him. Her attention was riveted to the man in the chair in front of the desk. She'd recognized him even before he turned. The immaculate hair, not one strand out of place. The precise suit, even relaxed he still looked professional. Then there was a look in his eyes and that self assured smirk that spoke volumes about his intelligence and his massive ego. He met her eyes and there was a slight look of surprise, then his lips curled into a smile. He stood. "¿Cómo estás, querida?" He asked. She shivered slightly, the endearment reminding her of many late nights shared between the two of them in law school.
"Rafael." She said, "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Well, I am nothing if not unexpected." Rafael said smugly, coming forward to kiss her cheek. She leaned closer to him, closing her eyes and letting herself remember.
"Wait." They turned, both having forgotten that they weren't alone in the office. Rosen was looking at them in horror. "No." He said, jabbing a finger at them. "No. No. No."
"David." Olivia said as Rafael said. "Dave."
"Do you two know each other?" Rosen demanded. They shared a look. It was completely impossible to misinterpret that expression. "Oh Fuck." Rosen groaned, looking at them in horror. "Did you? And him. With her and..." He sat down heavily and grabbed the bottle of scotch. "This is unbelievable. Is there one part of my life that isn't affected by the drama of Olivia Pope? Everything. My job, my boss, my ex and now my college roommate."
"Sorry, Dave." Rafael said. "It was a long time ago." Rosen took a swig of scotch and glared at them.
"I don't want to know." He muttered, shuddering.
"What brings you to DC?" Olivia asked. It was unlike him to leave New York.
"A case of mine. The detectives investigating it think the perp is connected to a few unsolved cases in DC. I just dropped in to see how Dave was doing." He motioned towards Rosen. "Since, as Attorney General, he's technically my boss now."
Rosen smirked. 'And don't you forget it, Barba."
"Oh I won't, believe me." He shook his head, a competitive gleam that Olivia knew too well entering his eyes. "I guess I just have to become a judge and get appointed to the Supreme Court now. So balance can be restored."
Rosen snorted. "You're way too righteous to survive here." He muttered.
"And you aren't?" Rafael countered, reaching for something in the breast pocket of his suit.
"I wish I was." Rosen said softly. "Was there something you wanted, Olivia?"
Olivia looked down at the file in her purse.
"I should get going." Rafael said before she got a word out. "Dave, I'll call you about that baseball game." He turned to Olivia, his hand going to her waist and sliding something into her coat pocket. "It was good to see you, querida."
"You too, Rafi." She used his old nickname before giving him a kiss on the cheek. He nodded and left. She shook herself out of the shock of seeing him and looked Rosen in the eye. He was smirking. "What?" she hissed.
"Oh nothing...querida." He mocked. Olivia rolled her eyes. He chuckled. "You know, you might say it was a long time ago, but it looks like there's still something there. Between you and Rafi."
Olivia pulled the file out of her purse and put it on his desk. "I need this unsealed." She said.
"Of course." David sighed, before adding. "Querida."
She glared as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. "Your accent needs work."
Rafael checked his cellphone for the 4th time in 20 minutes. He'd promised himself he wouldn't look at it obsessively but his resolve on the subject had broken 3 hours after leaving David's office. He'd wondered about contacting Olivia when Benson had announced that Fin and Rollins were investigating in Washington and he'd be lying to himself if it hadn't been on the back of his mind when he'd volunteered to help them using his political contacts. But he hadn't found the courage to reach out. After all; what could he really say? She'd clearly moved on and up. She'd ended things with him; there was no way he could have contacted her without seeming like a jealous ex. And then she'd walked into David's office. Proud, in control and every inch the woman he'd fallen in love with all that time ago. It was reckless of him to have given her his number because if the way he was grabbing at his phone every couple of minutes proved anything it was that he was still helplessly under the spell of Olivia Pope.
"Barba." Fin was trying to get his attention.
"Hm?" He looked up across the diner table at Fin and Rollins. They'd agreed to meet in this hole in the wall and while he was less than enthused about the plastic menus, he had to remind himself that he was here for work. "Right, so I talked to Dave and he said he'd see if he could put pressure on the DC police to release their backlogged rape cases." They were still staring at him. He arched an eyebrow. "I know I look good, but this is getting ridiculous."
"Who is she?" Rollins asked and it took all of Rafael's will power not to groan in irritation. That's what he got for hanging out with detectives.
"Who is who?" He asked, reaching for the glass of water in front of him and taking a sip in an attempt to appear nonchalant.
"The woman who's got you acting like a teenager waiting for their crush to call back." Fin said.
He kept his expression blank, looking Fin straight in the eye. He wasn't in the habit of discussing personal details, and he especially didn't want to share this. "I ran into an old friend." He said simply.
"An old friend." Fin repeated, disbelievingly. Rafael glared at him. He was about to respond when his phone rang. It wasn't a number he recognized and he had to force himself to remain calm and not answer immediately.
"ADA Barba speaking." He said. Fin rolled his eyes while Rollins snorted.
"Do you always answer with your title?" Olivia asked. He smirked.
"It reminds the people who's in charge."
She laughed. "Can we talk and catch up?" He felt his heart hammering and he inhaled, composing himself before answering.
"I'd like that." He paused. "Know any good places?"
She gave him the address of a restaurant and told him to meet her there at 8. He hung up, excited only to be met with knowing looks from both Rollins and Fin. "What?"
"Who was that?" Fin asked.
"An old friend." He said. "If there's nothing else, I think you two have a case to work on." He stood and left the diner. Olivia Pope. After all these years she still had the power to make him completely crazy
"Mr. Barba?"
He turned, still feeling smug about his performance against the Georgetown debate team. Around him, his teammates were congratulating him, making plans to go out and celebrate. The woman who'd spoken was a well composed, beautiful African American woman wearing a simple but sharp black dress and an irritated expression. She'd been on the Georgetown team. He'd seen her furiously scribbling notes but she hadn't spoken once. "Yes, miss..."
"Pope." She said, "Olivia Pope. You made a mistake."
He coughed in surprise. "Excuse me?"
"You argued that the act of dissent is an right that cannot be infringed upon." She looked him directly in the eyes unflinchingly. "Tell me, Mr. Barba have you ever read the Patriot Act?"
"No," He admitted. "But in my defense neither did most of congress before they passed it." He was impressed. He'd planned for the Patriot Act argument and had been relieved when the other side had brought it up as his points were much weaker than the rest of his argument. "If you knew that, why didn't you bring it up?"
Olivia shot her teammates a cold look before answering. "It's my first year on the team. I'm a first year law student and..." She paused before adding. "I don't exactly fit their image of what an ideal attorney should look like."
Rafael looked over at her team. They were mostly white and male with the exception of one redheaded woman who had been sitting next to Olivia. Law school was a real boy's club for the privileged. Even he had had trouble being accepted by his fellow students on account of him attending Harvard on a scholarship and being an immigrant's son from the Bronx. "it's their loss." He said. "If they had listened to you you would have won."
She met his eyes unflinchingly and said, "I know." She had confidence. He admired that.
"Rafael Barba." He said. "Wanna get a drink, Ms. Pope? I've never met anyone who's read the Patriot Act before." She hesitated, then nodded, smiling.
"I'd like that."
He'd fallen for her so quickly. It was his last year of law school and all the time and energy not spent focusing on the Bar exam had been on her. She was his intellectual equal and though they debated constantly, it brought them closer. He glared at his reflection in the hotel room mirror. He'd gone through all the suits he'd brought, and had settled on the black three piece. Olivia liked black and white so he didn't want to clash too much. He sighed. He was putting way too much thought into this.
Olivia walked into the restaurant at 8 pm exactly. She glanced around and there he was. Knowing him, he would have have gotten there earlier. He stood and pulled out her chair. "That's a new color." He remarked, looking at her dress. She gave him a small smile.
"I'm trying something new." She replied.
"I didn't bother ordering wine because I knew you'd only be disappointed with my choice" He said, taking his seat across from her.
"You still only drinking scotch?" Olivia asked. He nodded.
"So." He opened the menu. "What's new with you."
Olivia gaped at him. He couldn't be serious. "I see you've still got a sense of humor."
He gave her a completely innocent look that failed completely. He was also so smug. "What do you mean?"
"So you've been living under a rock for the last few months." Olivia grabbed her menu.
"Well somehow I didn't think the fact that you were outed as the president's mistress and became the official first girlfriend to be good dinner conversation." He remarked. "I'm a gentlemen. I was going to wait until after the first course."
She shook her head in amusement. "Thank you." The waiter came over and Olivia ordered a bottle of pinot noir. Looking back at Rafael, she allowed herself to relax.
"You're looking really good, Rafael." She said. "Assistant District Attorney of the city of New York. That's quite impressive."
He nodded. "Not bad for a kid from the barrio."
"You were always so much more than that."
"Lo sé." He said, looking over at his menu. Olivia was shaking her head at his smugness when she noticed someone in the restaurant discretely taking out their phone and pointing it at their table.
"We're being photographed." She said. Rafael raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, this is probably bad for your image."
Rafael shook his head. "I've never really been concerned about image, querida." He said, glancing over at the table in question and giving the man a smile.
"Is that why you have more designer suits than most fashion boutiques?" Olivia countered. His eyes lit up, eager to begin one of their verbal sparring sessions.
"That's appearance." He said slowly. "People can think whatever they want about me as long as I look good."
Olivia shook her head. "I guess then you'll just have to content with people thinking what they want about you."
Rafael chuckled, raising his glass slightly in her direction. "Touche." He inclined his head. Olivia looked at him in amusement.
"It's not like you to give up so easily."
He smirked. "I figured I'd allow you to get the first round to lull you into a false sense of security." Olivia scoffed. "Besides." He said. "I've garnered quite a few enemies in New York. Who knows; maybe being seen with me is going to blow back on you." There was something he wasn't telling her.
"Anything I can help you with?" She asked. Rafael shook his head.
"Just a criminal I put away retaliating. The problem is, I've put away so many I have no idea who it might be."
Olivia rolled her eyes. Even when describing someone threatening his life, he still managed to brag.
"So how go your plans of world domination?" He asked.
"If you're referring to Mellie Grant's campaign, then things are going well."
"So you're not denying that that's your intention." He retorted.
"Are you saying that a female candidate is incapable of being her own boss?" Olivia shot back.
"She's a politician. They're incapable of doing anything without someone pulling the strings. Otherwise why hire a campaign manager?"
"Impressive." Olivia smiled as a waiter brought her her wine and poured her a glass. "Most men would have backed off when confronted with the fear of appearing sexist."
"I'm not most men." Rafael replied. "You know that."
She hummed in amusement, taking a sip of her wine. "I do." She agreed. They looked at each other; a temporary ceasefire as they assessed how much the other had changed. Through the dinner it was impossible to not slip back into old habits. After all, Rafael was a reminder of her old life. Before she'd learned about b613, her father, her mother. Before Fitz. She knew she wasn't that girl anymore, but for the sake of tonight, she could pretend.
He was doing amazing work in New York. Really making a difference defending victims of sexual assault. It was the kind of thing he'd wanted to do back in law school; protecting people.
"So you're some kind of superman." She said. He shook his head.
"Actually I couldn't do it without this team of detectives at SVU. Lieutenant Benson, she's superman." He paused, drinking a sip of scotch. "I just bring together the puzzle, make sure there's no loose ends and get the convictions. And I do it all for justice." He leaned back in his seat. "So basically, I'm Batman."
"Of course you are." Olivia laughed, His dry direct sense of humor hadn't changed. Because he hadn't changed; she had. She'd liked who she'd been with Rafael. She wanted a part of that girl back. So when they left the restaurant she suggested he come over for a night cap. After all, her place wasn't too far and they could walk. Rafael agreed.
"Do you remember that time we got caught in the blizzard?" Olivia asked, looping her arm through his as they walked.
"We?" Rafael laughed, "I seem to remember you being the one who insisted go to the observation deck of the Empire State Building."
"Because that's what people do in New York."
"That's what tourists do in New York." Rafael corrected. "It was your fault we got stuck in the snow and almost froze to death."
"I don't seem to remember any complaints about the way I warmed you up." She stopped in front of her building, stepping up on the front step of her building. "This is me." She murmured. There was a pause. Rafael seemed to be waiting for her to say something. He knew she'd offered, but he wanted confirmation. "This...this doesn't mean-"
He stepped up and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know." He said. "But we've been living in the past all through dinner; I'm willing to continue if you are." She nodded, opening her door. Walking toward the elevator she heard Rafael following her. They got onto the elevator. Olivia leaned against the wall, watching the door in front of her lose as she tried to ignore the pounding of her heart. Rafael slid his fingers into her hand. Tugging him closer, she paused, face to face. Inches apart. She brought her hands to his waist, bunching her fingers in his outer jacket, her lips just touching his but not quite.
"What are you waiting for?" She whispered.
"To wake up." He replied, he leaned forward as the elevator dinged. She pulled him onto her floor, kissing him, she pressed him against the door. He groaned, gripping her tightly against him. She dropped her purse, her hands roaming over him, cursing his habit of wearing vests under his blazers. "Liv," He said pulling away. She chased his lips. "Someone might see." He murmured, glancing at the apartment across the hall.
"It's empty." She murmured. "Rafi." He closed his eyes, a shudder running through his body pressing against her. She reached down for her purse, groping through it for her keys. Rafael moved behind her, pressing kisses to her neck, his hands at her waist. She managed to open the door and they stumbled inside. Getting undressed was a struggle. It wasn't easy. Rafael tripped over his pants and fell to the ground, Olivia fell on top of him.
"Oh this is humiliating." He muttered, putting his head on the floor and looking up at the ceiling. Olivia sat up, straddling his hips. Pushing her hair out of her face, she smiled down at him.
"It's your fault for having such difficult clothing." She chided, rolling her hips. His eyes fluttered closed and he arched his back, groaning, lifting her up slightly. His hands slid over her thighs, over her ass and up her back. Grabbing her zipper, he pulled it down. She shivered as her skin was exposed to the open air. His expression was reverent. Sitting up he whispered.
"You're beautiful, cariño."
Somehow they managed to fumble their way to the bed. Rafael pressed her down, pulling off any remaining pieces of clothing. She balled up his vest, throwing it across the room, silencing Rafael's sputtering protests by sealing her lips over his. It wasn't angry, it wasn't hurried, there wasn't any fear of being discovered. For the first time in a long time she didn't have to worry about whether or not he was a plant from her father or what the world would think if it knew.
He went slow, re-familiarizing himself with every inch of her, murmuring words of endearment in both English and Spanish into her skin. She tried to give in to the feeling of his fingers, his tongue, his skin, but every touch burned as her subconscious reminded her that she was undeserving of his love. Because he still loved her. She could see that very clearly, but he didn't know what she'd become. Jake and Fitz had seen the darkness. Fitz had helped her clean the blood off her body and Jake had attempted to give her direction and purpose. But Rafael? He was still good. He'd managed to make it in the world untouched by the darkness she knew was inside her. She gulped as she looked down at him, her hips lifting off the bed as he made small circles with his tongue around her clit. She then knew how Jake felt when he looked at her. Rafael was good. He was the sun and she wanted to stand in it.
Tears fell from her eyes as she cried out, gripping the sheets, stars dotting her vision.
"What is it?" He was looking at her, confused. "Are you okay, do you want me to stop?" He started to pull away. She grabbed his arm.
"Rafi, I-" She bit back a cry. "I'm not who you knew anymore."
He relaxed, looking at her with such tenderness she was sure it was hurting her. "I know."
"No you don't." She said. She could never tell him the things she'd done. His moral code was too strict to understand; he'd never be able to see why she'd done it. Hers had been too, once. She wondered when she'd lost sight of it. "I...I sometimes wish I had said yes." She admitted.
It was his turn to tear up. "Querida, we both know I was never going to be enough for you." He murmured.
"Why?" She asked. He looked away. "Why do I run away from things that are good and easy and simple?"
"I think you just insulted me." He said.
"You know what I mean." She muttered.
"I know that you're here with me right now and that we can deal with the how and why of reality when the sun comes up."
She drew him in, rolling him onto his back and bracing herself, she said. "Don't say you love me."
He nodded, "If that's what you want."