A/N: I thought of this after I watched Avengers: Infinity War and I wanted to give my otp super powers. This opening chapter goes quite fast, but I have a somewhat solid plan on where I want this story to go. Idk. It's weird and if ya'll don't like it, then that's fine too! I don't own SVU or its characters. Enjoy!
"Stay calm, Mr. Barba."
Rafael heard the words but couldn't see. His vision was black, and his body felt heavy, his head was swimming and he felt like he was shooting through space at the speed of light at that moment. He tried to lift his head, to open his eyes, but nothing was moving.
"It'll all be over soon."
He tried to make noise, to ask what the absolute fuck was going on, but nothing came out. His lips were glued together, and his tongue twitched against his clenched teeth. Nothing. Nothing. He felt nothing.
"…and Ms. Benson will be fine as well."
Liv. Olivia. He tried lifting his head, ten different questions on the tip of his tongue but he was stuck. Motionless and shooting through time. He'd been awake for what couldn't have been more than thirty seconds and he was starting to panic. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he could hardly breathe, and the sickly little hands of his anxiety were beginning to squeeze at his heart.
"Don't worry. Just feel. And when you wake up…it'll all be worth it."
Rafael shouted in his mind, the only part of him that was still conscious, feverishly trying to talk, to open his mouth, to say something. But it was too late and suddenly, he was flying through the air, eyes wide open, his mouth letting out a terrified scream as two blaring lights slammed into him.
Rafael sat up, a loud gasp escaping into his empty bedroom. He coughed and sputtered, taking big gulps of air, as if he hadn't been breathing when he woke up.
He closed his eyes, propping his elbows on his knees as he tried to steady the spinning room. After a few minutes, the nausea subsided and he threw his legs over the side of the bed, looking toward the moonlight peaking through his thick curtains. He glanced at the clock. 2:45 am.
He hadn't had a nightmare in a long time. Not since the threats stopped coming in. Even then, he never had a nightmare like that. He shook his head and reached for his phone and grunted sleepily when he noticed that Liv had shot him a text no more than five minutes ago.
Crazy dream. You were in it. You ok?
An eerie sense of déjà vu settled over him and he looked around his room. The sudden feeling that he was forgetting something was easily ignored in favor of settling Liv's mind. He knew her well enough to know that she was probably awake in bed, waiting for his response.
He typed out a short reply, exhaustion pulling at him now that his hear rate had returned to normal.
I'm fine. Had a crazy dream, too. Get out of my head Benson.
He settled back into bed, covering himself up and staring at the ceiling until his phone chimed again.
Same goes for you. See you in the morning.
He sent a thumbs up back, feeling his eyes growing heavy. He didn't want to waste the opportunity to go back to sleep. He had way too much paperwork to sift through in the morning before trial on the McCreery case began.
When he fell asleep, he didn't dream at all.
The next morning, he found himself oddly refreshed. No aching joints and so much energy he wasn't even sure he needed coffee. He had a near mental break down when that happened. If he was thinking about foregoing coffee, something in the universe must have shifted. He downed two cups before he even left his apartment. He blamed the extra pep in his step on that.
When he got to his office, he took the stairs, racing up them impatiently. He earned some odd looks as everyone else dragged their feet to get to their offices, but he paid them no mind. His mood was oddly upbeat for a Monday morning, but he wasn't about to question it. Normally, he would be angry, grumpy and spitting fire at the intern who just bumped into him, nearly spilling his coffee all over the arm of his suit. Instead, he smiled politely and patted the kid on the shoulder and went on his way.
He missed the confused and slightly disturbed look on the young man's face.
"Morning Carmen!"
Carmen froze and looked at him, fingers hovering over her keyboard. He stopped by her desk, picking up a few papers she had set out for him that he needed for the day. He had a small smile on his face and he…looked great. She eyed him, noticing that he stood a little taller, the lines on his face softened a bit and the dark circles under his eyes were gone.
"Make sure you make doubles of all my notes. I'm meeting with McCoy at some point today and I want to be prepared. Hey, how's Vicki doing?"
Carmen perked up at the mention of her sister, who had been in the hospital with a ruptured spleen after a car accident in Queens a few days ago. She was slightly shocked that he had even heard that tidbit of info when she left early that day to be with her. Rafael Barba was not known for his empathy. The fact that he was asking about her was a little…disorienting.
"Uh," she tried to reach her words after being blindsided, "Great. She'll be out by the weekend. Thank you for asking."
He smiled and nodded, grabbing the doorknob to his office door, he pushed it open and both of them jumped when the door went flying, hitting the arm of the sofa in his office so hard, it rattled the glass. He cast her an amused glance.
"Guess I need to stop hitting the gym," he chuckled and walked in, leaving Carmen even more confused than she already had been.
An hour later he was greeted by a familiar voice.
"Is that a smile I see?"
He nearly rolled his eyes when Liv came sauntering into the room, badge on her hip and looking exceptionally beautiful. The words almost left his tongue, but he held them back, really not needing the sudden outburst to come out just an hour before trial. They needed to be focused.
"What's got you in such a good mood? It can't be extra sleep considering we were both awake at three in the morning."
"I feel unusually rested, though. Nightmares normally don't do that for me."
"Nightmare?
"Felt like one, anyway. In any case, today feels like a winning day to me."
"Let's hope so. I want to sleep peacefully this weekend," she sat down across from him. They had another hour before they were due downstairs, and he wondered if he could talk her into grabbing a quick bite to eat.
"You and me both. Bagel? Coffee?"
"You read my mind. I woke up a little later than usual and had to rush out the door. Lucy's a lifesaver on days like this."
They talked about anything and everything as they walked side by side down to a little café that was close enough to the courthouse that they could spend a while before going back. They were both in great moods, and he couldn't help marvel at how just a change in attitude could affect his day.
He'd always been grumpy and focused his entire life. When work had to be done, he did it. That usually amounted to a lot of stress with no room for relaxation. He remembered a few times growing up, when his father was out, his mother would force him to go over to Alex or Eddie's house and spend a good few hours running around, getting into trouble. In those moments, he felt really free, but that didn't last long when he knew he what he was going home to.
Perhaps the reason for his perpetual bad mood was because of his childhood and all those repressed feelings he never wanted to think about. He wondered why on Earth he was zoning out, thinking about this when Liv was telling a funny story about a perp from back in her early days on the force. He always enjoyed stories like that, especially when it came from her.
Why was she so beautiful?
"Can you believe that?"
He raised his brows, realizing he missed a vital piece of the story and shook his head, scoffing. He smeared a little more cream cheese onto his bagel and bit into it, his appetite quickly waning when he realized just how late it was.
"Ooo, we better take off. I want to get there before Jenny gets eaten alive by the press. That's the last thing she needs."
They quickly left and walked back towards the courthouse, just in time to see Jenny's car pull up and the girl, along with her parents get out of the car, trying and failing to make it around the cameras and reporters. College stories always got attention. They sighed, sharing a look.
"Just another day at the office," she laughed and they both took off, ready to face the day.
His mood had decreased exponentially after he realized Jenny McCreery had lied to both him and Liv in the weeks leading up to this moment.
He nearly slammed his briefcase shut when Barth called for a lunch break and stormed out, making eye contact with Liv, who was unhappily heading towards Jenny. He would be waiting outside for them, like he normally did when things were going south. Liv would usher their vic outside and he would lay into them while she mediated. Good cop, bad cop.
He set his briefcase down by one of the far pillars, rubbing his temples to try and stop the beating that was beginning to happen in his head. He had to be fresh for when they went back with their tails between their legs and apologized for the inconvenience of a trial. No one was guilty of the charge here today.
It took five minutes for Liv to walk the girl towards him and she was crying, her red, curly hair hanging over her face in shame. That quelled some of his anger, but not all of it. Liv held up her hand, already knowing what he was getting ready to do.
"She already agreed to get on the stand and tell the truth," Liv said, rubbing the girls back comfortingly. Rafael sighed and leaned back against the pillar. He was going to get his ass handed to him for this. False accusations were not things McCoy liked hearing about.
"Good. But she needs to be prepared for the lawsuit that's coming her way for defamation. Why lie? What did he do that was so bad that you had falsely accuse him of rape? His reputation was destroyed."
"Rafael," Liv cut in, glaring at him over her head. The girl was sobbing now, face red and clinging onto Liv like her life depended on it. Nineteen-year-old girl, away from home, fallen in love with a guy who wasn't into her. She got angry when she caught him cheating on her and devised a plan. He did his best to control his breathing, to keep his temper from flaring even more than it already had been. He had a half hour to calm down and collect himself and think up a speech that would apologize thoroughly.
"Let's just go up to my office and- "
Jenny jerked suddenly and, screaming something unintelligibly and her feet took off. She barreled down the stairs, Liv hot on her heels, her mess of red hair flying back from her face as she shoved people out of the way. Rafael cursed and took off after them, realizing Liv was going to need help to reel the girl back in.
When she made it to the sidewalk, Jenny stopped and so did Liv, just a foot away. The girl stood wearily, red face and eyes watching as Liv tried to placate. Rafael came up, noticing she was inching her way towards the street, where traffic was moving quickly. Far too quickly.
"Jenny. Sweetie, it's ok. Just come back to Mr. Barba's office and we can talk, ok? We can call your parents and sort things out for you, ok? Please, honey," Liv pleaded, trying to motion her back away from the traffic.
Jenny shook her head, "No, it's not. Everyone's gonna know I lied, and I can't show my face on campus. I just can't!"
"We'll figure that out, I promise. Just please, get away from the street."
Rafael had he sickly feeling in his stomach triple when he saw the girl look to her right, eyes locked on an empty, oncoming tour bus quickly approaching. He shifted a foot forward, muscles twitching. His hands shook as his gaze darted back and forth between the bus and Jenny.
Liv took a step forward, and that was all Jenny needed. She darted out into the street, Liv following just mere steps behind her. She managed to grab the girl around the waist, but Jenny sent them both spiraling down into the concrete. Rafael took off, no hesitation in his stance at all. The bus was still coming, despite the distinct sound of halted tires screeching against the worn pavement of the road. He ran fast, faster than he ever thought he had before and just as he reached Liv, the bus was inches from him and not stopping.
He did the only thing he could think to do. He locked eyes with Liv in that split second before the bus hit them both, and he threw his arms out to take some of the impact. He grits his teeth when he felt the impact, the sharp sting of a huge bus breaking metal against his back. It creaked and groaned, and there were a few breathless seconds of silence before there was a loud crash behind him, and the pressure against his back was gone. His legs gave out and he opened his eyes, hands landing on the pavement, his knees hitting just second after.
He coughed and sputtered, and then looked up, seeing a strange, blue glowing light pulsating around Liv and Jenny. Liv's back was to him, her body covering Jenny as much as she could manage. Rafael was fixated on it for a few seconds and then looked back behind him, seeing he bus inches away from him. There was a body shaped dent in the front of the bus, the driver pressed up against the windshield and staring at him like he had grown three heads.
He stood on shaky legs, mouth open and brows raised as he realized what happened. He looked back at Liv, who was now looking up at him with the same look, the blue glowing light flickered twice and went out, a flowing mist disappearing into the fabric of her clothes.
Traffic had come to a complete standstill on either side of the road, leaving them blocked in on the street with spectators gathering on the side of the road. The murmurs from the growing crowd was getting louder, causing his mind to start traveling at the speed of light. He felt himself struggling to breathe after a minute, his mind to overstimulated. He looked all around him. People were getting out of the cars, standing and staring at the impossible sight. The crowds on the street were getting louder, along with the sirens of the police and ambulance that were always traveling through this section of the city.
He looked down at his hands, watching as they shook. He closed his fists and took deep breaths. Liv's hands suddenly landed on his wrist and he looked up. She was having the same internal struggle as he was. What the hell just happened?
It took a good fifteen minutes before traffic was flowing again. They closed off one lane of traffic so they could take care of the bus and parked two ambulances on the sidewalk to help with the flow.
The driver had only received a few minor cuts and scratches, but he was shaken up about what happened. Rafael supposed hitting someone and then somehow not killing them would do that to a person.
He and Liv sat side by side in the back of a closed ambulance. They had been checked over, given a clean bill of health and then told to wait there so they could be questioned. The silence between them was long and withering, neither quite sure what to say. It was finally broken when Liv shook her head and ran a finger through her hair.
"You stopped a bus. With your body."
He nodded after a second, mouth slightly agape as he struggled for words. Eventually, he settled for, "Yeah. That happened."
It was quiet as he replayed the event in his mind. The liquid blue…bubble thing she had around her and Jenny wasn't normal. He pointed it out, gesturing with his hands like an idiot. She shook her head, leaning forward with her palms pressed against her cheeks, elbows braced on her knees. Rafael sat back, closing his eyes as the moment replayed again.
Outside, the crowd was still rowdy, and he could just see the news headlines playing at six o'clock. He nearly groaned out loud when he realized he was going to be fielding calls all afternoon. Especially from his mother, who he would unsuccessfully avoid. She knew where he lived.
The door to the ambulance swung open suddenly, startling both him and Liv. An Asian woman, with stick straight black hair and bangs that ended just as large black sunglasses started stepped inside, aided by a burly man with strange red lines painted over thick eyebrows, disappearing beneath the sunglasses he also wore. They both wore all black, including gloves and boots, which were striking against the warm and sunny weather outside. Liv moved an inch closer to him, immediately on guard as she came to a stop in front of them, mouth in a frown and impeccably still.
Another woman, older, with long grey hair and a brilliant red pantsuit stepped up as well, also aided by the man. She wore a large brimmed hat, also in a striking red that echoed off the silver walls. She smiled at them, flashing a bright, white smile. The man stepped in and slammed the doors shut behind him, punching the roof of the ambulance and stayed standing, even as the vehicle jerked to life.
Rafael fell into Liv, who managed to keep them both from falling to the floor. The truck was moving fast, with sirens blaring and weaving through traffic. Liv looked to Rafael, one hand balled into a fist on her thigh and the other curled into the fabric of his suit jacket.
"Jesus," the older woman said as she jerked a little in her seat, "Tell him to calm down. He's going to kill us before we get there." She looked disapprovingly at the stoic man, who's head tilted to the side. The truck slowed down considerably, but they were still moving alarmingly fast.
"Hmm," she brought a red gloved finger to tap her chin. She was smiling coyly, red lips parted just slightly, "A little older than I usually like, but they shall do. You did well, Rini."
The young woman next to her tipped her head down slightly but didn't move anything else. Liv tightened her hold on Rafael's jacket, and he flexed his hands on his legs. Liv decided to speak up, looking apprehensively at the motley crew presented before them.
"What's going on here? Who are you people? Where are we going?"
"Lieutenant…," the older woman frowned and leaned towards Rini, who whispered in her ear, "Benson! Olivia Benson. And Rafael Barba. Lovely to meet you both. Sooner than any of us anticipated, surely. Margaux Marie-Dupont," she held out a hand for Liv. She exchanged a look with Rafael, who shrugged his shoulders, unsure what to make of the situation. He was just as floored as she was. The older woman tsked, taking the same hand and wagging her finger at her.
"Now, now dear. It is impolite not the shake the hand of someone who has offered theirs."
She held it out again, this time, her friendly smile dimmed and her look expectant. The man that stood stepped menacingly towards them and Liv, doing her best not to show how effected she was by this, hesitantly shook her Margaux's hand. Rafael immediately took it, now knowing these were not people to mess with. They were intimidating. Not just in their look but in the energy, they gave off. He could feel it pulsating off them in waves. The way Liv's hand kept twisting his jacket in her fist, she probably could too.
"Now that introductions are finished, I bet you both are wondering why you're here, hmm?"
They didn't answer, but she took their silence as permission to continue.
"To put it simply…you were the lucky two chosen to be part of a great experiment. One that will shape the future of this world as we know it!"
She smiled happily and held out her hand towards the brute, who reached into his thick jacket pocket and pulled out a gold pipe and a gold plated lighter.
"What…what do you mean," Liv asked. Before the words even left her mouth completely, their world blurred around them, flicks of blue and white light bright light blinding them as her and Rafael both went careening to the floor. That was all they remembered before they blacked out.
Carisi had gotten the cell phone footage ten minutes after it happened.
A breaking news bulletin for a local New York blogger he followed uploaded the footage, showing a clear Lieutenant Benson and ADA Barba amongst the wreckage of a dented in bus, in the middle of the street in front of the court house steps. The shaky footage captured just a few seconds of footage before the smoke cleared, showing the bus ramming full speed into Barba, tipping precariously high in the air before slamming back down on the concrete, its wheels taking the brunt of the metal structure of the bus.
Before Barba, Benson was…gone. Her clothing was there. The shape of her body still there. But her face and hands and anything showing skin had vanished. Including her hair.
The three of them must have looked a sight, gathered around his computer, mouths hanging open as Barba and Benson stared at each other while cops and bystanders rushed forward to see if they were alright. They replayed the video ten times before they abandoned their desks and rushed down the street.
Traffic was backed up; police tape was put up around the bus and cops were taking reports from people. Groups of people stood with each other, comparing footage on their phones. The courthouse had been shut down because of the activity and the security risk. Flashes from journalists who had descended upon the scene were distracting. It was madness.
"See 'em anywhere?"
Rollins shook her head at Carisi, trying and failing to locate the two subjects of what was sure to hit national news any second. There were too many people milling about, talking and walking while others, who weren't fazed by the accident or who weren't aware, tried pushing past them.
"Hey," Finn said and she and Carisi both looked to see he had stopped an FBI agent, "You see Olivia Benson and Rafael Barba anywhere?"
"Why?"
They all three looked confused as the man shifted away and walked off without answering their question. That was odd. Feds weren't usually that iffy talking to badged detectives.
Finn pointed after him, "You see that? The hell was that about?"
Rollins had a weird feeling sinking in the pit of her stomach. Something weird was going on. Now that she took a closer look at the scene, FBI suits were swarming the area. They outnumbered the cops for sure. The distant sound of a chopper coming in hot on their location caused her to break out of her trance. Phones were being taken from bystander's hands.
They were trying to cover things up…?
"Something's off here," she shook her head and turned to face Finn and Carisi, who were taking in the scene as well. She began to say something else when she saw ambulance doors swing open (which hadn't been there five minutes before when they arrived), and Benson and Barba step out at the same time. She noticed the agents around the ambulance stare at them for a few odd seconds before they went back to work.
"Liv! Barba!"
She pushed through the two men and jogged over to them, capturing their attention. They both looked slightly shocked at her presence, but that faded into neutral expressions. They stood close to each other; arms pressed together. She tried not to read too much into the way Barba's hand caressed Liv's forearm.
"What the hell happened?"
"Yeah," Carisi came to a stop next to her, "Do you mind telling us? Because you stopped a fucking bus with your body, and you disappeared!"
Liv looked at Barba, who slid his hand down and laced their fingers together. Rollins furrowed her brow at the movement. Rafael nodded his head and Liv, after a few seconds, did the same. When they looked back, all Rollins saw was a flash of bright white light and they were gone.