Author's Notes - Thank you all so much for the positive feedback! Here's Chapter 2. I hope you enjoy! And please continue to review!

Also, I've updated my profile with the dress Taylor wears in this chapter. :)


"Please," said Rafael, lifting a large hand to gesture at one of the leather chairs in front of his impressive desk.

Taylor took the offered seat and crossed one of her long slender legs over the knee of the other, folding her delicate hands in her lap.

"So, Captain Harris told me that you're pre-law," Rafael stated, soon getting to his feet, and tucking his hands into the pockets of his slacks, as he made his way around the desk toward the breathtaking young woman. "And that you're only 19. How did that happen?"

Taylor shrugged. "Graduated High School a couple of years early, took college courses in addition to my normal schoolwork. It's really pretty simple."

Rafael chuckled. "Perhaps to a genius, it is."

"I never said I was a genius," Taylor said, with a shake of her long dark silky head.

"Well, you basically have to be to do the things you've accomplished," replied Rafael.

Taylor's brow narrowed, as she looked up at the man, who was now seated on the edge of his desk in front of her, his arms crossed over his chest. "You know, you don't have to interrogate me. I'm not a witness in one of your cases."

Rafael nodded in agreement. "True. But we are going to be spending a lot of time together. We should get to know one another, don't you think?"

"So, when are you going to start sharing?" Taylor asked, quirking a cocky brow at him, the way he was doing to her.

Rafael chuckled, nodding his perfectly styled head at her. "Touché."

He got up from his desk and headed around it once more, where he retrieved his suit jacket from the back of his chair, and began to don it.

"Come on," said Rafael. "I'll buy you lunch." He quirked his brow at her once again when she looked confused. "All I have is Scotch and you've still got two more years before I can offer you that."

Taylor laughed softly, before getting to her feet, and following his lead out of the office, unable to help the leap of her heart when he lifted a hand to her back to guide her as they walked.


"So, how was it?" asked Olivia, entering the living room from the kitchen, a glass of wine in her hands.

Taylor was back in her usual spot on the couch, her hair now pinned up in a bun, while she resumed the schoolwork she'd been doing earlier when her big sister called. That was hours ago and it was now night.

"It was fine," she responded.

"Yeah?" Liv inquired, settling on the sofa. "What are your first impressions of him?"

Olivia couldn't help but be worried. She'd seen the way the older man was looking at her little sister. Aside from the fact that she works in SVU, Liv's always had one eye on Taylor, and the other on any male who comes close to her. Her sister was beautiful, and young, smart, with a heart big enough for the entire World, just like her own, which didn't make any sense to Olivia, as the parent they shared was their Mother, and she certainly didn't seem to have much in the sensitivity department.

Taylor knew where this was going. Olivia knew her little sister's type. Older man, especially ones in suits. What could she say? Older men were so much better than those her own age, or close to it. Older men are mature, more likely to be successful, and they're experienced.

"I think he can win Jocelyn's case, if that's what you're asking about," replied Taylor, smirking slightly to herself, as she avoided what Liv was really asking when it came to the DA.

"What else do you think about him?" Olivia pressed.

Taylor smirked outwardly now, lifting her blue-green gaze to her big sister's beautiful face, and quirked a dark brow at her. "You mean, do I find him attractive? Of course I do, Liv."

"Listen, sweetie," Olivia began, setting her drink down on the coffee table, then reaching over to lay a hand on her sister's nearest thigh. "I know you like men like him. Older, well dressed, well spoken, charming. But I want you to promise me you'll be careful. Office romances, they're. . ." She paused, licking her lips, before going on, with a sad, soft smile. "They can be dangerous."

Taylor met her sister's gaze and she could see the seriousness in the brown orbs. She knew Olivia wasn't just talking about Brian Cassidy. This was about Elliot Stabler.

She set aside her book and notepad, sitting up on the couch, in order to better face Olivia, who's hand on her thigh she laid her own overtop of, giving it a reassuring squeeze, as she smiled softly at her beloved big sister.

"Olivia, I promise," said Taylor, and Liv breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're a grown woman," Olivia responded a bit sadly. She'd always felt responsible for Taylor. Their Mother had never really been such to either of them, even after 'hitting it big', and marrying Taylor's Father, another man named Bryan, who divorced her when he was unable to stand her drinking any longer.

Bryan had been granted full custody of Taylor, whom Olivia saw every change she got. Sadly, she suspected the divorce, and losing a major role in Taylor's life, had contributed to their Mother's death.

"And you're smart," continued Liv, shaking her head. "You're so damn smart. So much smarter than Mom. So much smarter than me. I know you can take care of yourself. But you're my little sister. And you have no idea how much I love you, Taylor. I'll never stop looking out for you."

Olivia now had tears in her eyes and it broke Taylor's heart to see her like this. She'd seen her big sister cry more times than she could count in her life and Liv only deserved happiness and love.

Taylor sat up the rest of the way and reached over, drawing Olivia into her arms for an embrace, where she rubbed her older sibling's back through the material of her sweater.

"I know, Liv," she said. "And I love you too. So much."


The next day was the day Rafael was meeting with Jocelyn Paley. Taylor awoke with a smile on her face. She knew it was probably wrong to be so excited about the trial. What had happened to Jocelyn was a horrible, horrible thing that should've never happened.

But she'd been waiting for this for what seemed like forever. And it may be silly of her, but she was beyond looking forward to more time with Rafael Barba.

Olivia, who was always awake and ready first, whipped them up a quick breakfast, while Taylor got ready, putting on her minimal make-up, doing her hair, and getting dressed.

They grabbed coffee on the way to the Court House, dropping Taylor off first, before Olivia went to pick up Jocelyn.

Rafael was already in his office, suit jacket off, and slung over his desk chair, when Taylor entered, coffee in one hand, and she offered the man a smile, as she walked over to the table to shed her things.

"Morning," she said.

"Morning," Rafael responded, rooted into his spot by his desk, where he'd been going over the case file, as he watched her every move, his heart skipping a beat, when she set down her things, then removed her coat, revealing her beautiful young form clad in a cream colored dress, that hugged her body to perfection, and showed off almost the entirety of her long legs, until you reached the matching round toed high heels she had on, as well as a small portion of her toned tanned midsection.

Clearing his throat, he forced his eyes back onto the case file, while she approached him with the coffee she'd gotten for him. He didn't exactly look bad himself today, dressed in a grey suit, complete with a vest.

"Here," said Taylor, offering him the drink, as she leaned against the side of his desk.

"Thank you," responded Rafael, taking the coffee from her, their eyes locking as he did so, while his heart did a fresh stutter as his fingers grazed hers when he took the drink from her grasp into his.

Taylor nodded her dark silky head at him, then turned, and headed back over to the desk, speaking, while Rafael was unable to help but admire the view from behind, over the rim of his drink, as he took his first sip of the beverage. Wow, was this unprofessional. Not only was he her mentor, but he's got 20+ years on her. And, at the same time, he couldn't help it. In less than 24 hours, this girl had completely taken over him. Heck, she'd accomplished that in their first meeting at the arraignment yesterday.


"Did you and Adam Cain have any contact before the show?" asked Rafael.

Taylor sat next to him on his side of the table, while Olivia was with Jocelyn on the other.

"No, that was the first time we met," replied Jocelyn.

"And, after the show, he asked you out?" the man inquired next.

"Yes," Jocelyn said, lifting her hands to gesture as she spoke next, unable to believe how many times she has to tell the same story, answer the same questions. "I've gone over all of this."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Jocelyn," Olivia apologized, her beautiful face etched with an expression of the same emotion her voice was laced with. "But this is all part of the process."

"I have to know everything about you," Rafael stated. "Not just you and Cain. But you're whole personal history. Everything. Because the one thing you decide to leave out is the one thing the Defense is going to use to blow up the case."

Taylor hated how true that was. Women just aren't allowed to have any secrets once they've been assaulted, making them feel violated all over again when every aspect of their life is picked apart.

Jocelyn flicked a glance at Taylor, who nodded her head in agreement with the words Barba was saying. She believed her being there helped the woman. Olivia, of course, was a huge support system, but she was a Cop. Taylor was on the other side of the case, the law side of it, and she was a woman too, so it made Jocelyn feel not so attacked, or so vulnerable under the male DA's gaze.

"You may not like me when this is over," Rafael stated, sitting forward, and crossing his arms over the table.

"I don't like you now," Jocelyn responded, and Taylor pressed her lips together to keep from smiling at the woman's comeback.

"Honesty, good," Rafael smirked. "Let's start with your dating life. You currently seeing anyone?" He got up, walked around to the other side of the table, tucking his hands into his pockets as he went.

"No, I don't have time," replied Jocelyn.

"But you are writing a dating advice column," Olivia brought up.

"Those who can't do, blog," Jocelyn quickly responded with her true statement.

Rafael seated himself on the table by the woman, gazing questioningly down at her. "Ever accused anyone else of rape?"

"No," she said, with a slight shake of her head.

"Have you ever been raped before?" he asked next.

"What? I just said, 'No'," Jocelyn looked up at him as she said that.

"They're not the same things," Rafael told her, before getting up, and beginning to walk around, reminding Taylor of a shark circling its prey. "Your dating life in college. Tell me all about it."


"Well, that was rough," Taylor stated, as Rafael closed the door behind Olivia, who was taking Jocelyn home, before she was going to meet the two of them back at the Squad. "Why didn't you just have her get on the table and spread her legs for you?"

Rafael nearly pinched his fingers in the door, which he shut a little louder than he'd meant to, at those words.

"Excuse me?" he said, turning to face the young woman, who was clearing up the table.

"You ever think about putting yourself in the victim's shoes?" asked Taylor, lifting her gaze to the man. "Maybe it'd help you realize they don't want to reveal every single intimate detail of their life to you."

"I stated yesterday, Taylor, that if Jocelyn wants to go forward, it's not going to get any easier," Rafael responded, walking over to the table with his hands tucked into his pockets once more. "And I need to know everything about her, as I said earlier, in order to win this case."

"I know that's true," said Taylor. "But, let me ask you something, have you ever been raped? Sexually assaulted in any way?"

"No, I haven't," responded Barba.

"Then don't act like you have any idea what these people are going through," Taylor said. "And maybe find a way to ask your questions in a manner that doesn't make them feel like they're being violated again, or that they somehow deserved what happened."

Rafael remained quiet this time, after she fell silent. He knew she was right. While he shouldn't sugar coat things for the victims, who deserve to know what they'll be going up against, he does concede that his execution of questioning could use some improvement.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that I have you here now with me," he said, after a moment, being completely serious, speaking to the table, before lifting his eyes to hers from it once he was finished. "I saw how Jocelyn looked to you every time I asked her something personal. She trusts you, because you're a woman, a woman on my side of the table. And she needs that as we go forward."

"I'll be there for her," Taylor promised, not realizing how much she sounded like Olivia as she did so. "Every step of the way."

"Then maybe we'll get this bastard," Rafael smirked, a sight that Taylor was unable to help laughing softly at. "Come on."

He nodded his head at the door and donned his suit jacket, while Taylor grabbed her things, before the two left to go to the SVU Squad Room, his hand lifting once again to her back as they walked, in an action that was very quickly becoming pure instinct to him.


While Rafael talked with Amaro, Fin, and Much in one of the rooms, Taylor sat out in the main Squad area with Amanda and Liv.

"Jocelyn all right?" Taylor asked, looking up from where she was sitting at the table at her big sister.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, she'll be fine." Sucking in a deep breath, she sat down at the table with Taylor. "I prepared her as best as I could on the ride over, but she still wasn't expecting that."

"No one ever is," Amanda replied. "You'd think there was no such thing as Rape Shield, with how the victims have to justify every sexual encounter they've ever had before the attack."

Taylor was going through her phone, as the three women conversed. Her dark brow furrowed, when a text message from one of her best friends, Mia, popped up, with a link to a video on Adam Cain's website.

"What the. . ." Taylor said, without realizing she had spoken.

"What is it?" Liv asked, her brow furrowed in concern and question, as she and Amanda instinctively moved closer to the younger woman.

"Mia just sent me this link," responded Taylor, touching it, which brought up the video on her screen.

"Oh, my God," Amanda groaned, as a video of Adam Cain talking about how he's soon to be accused of rape began to play. "You've got to be kidding me."

Olivia pulled out her own phone and it didn't take her long to find the video, as it was on the front page of everything, and soon the three women were sharing a look.

"Go get them," Liv said to Amanda, gesturing at the room where the four men were, as she rose from her seat. "I'll get it up on the screen."

Amanda nodded and went to inform Amaro, Fin, Munch, and their new DA. Taylor sat forward in her chair, as Olivia pulled up the video on the main screens. Rollins returned a moment later with the men, and everybody surrounded the table, before Liv played it.

"Smart move," Amaro stated, as Amanda paused the video near its end after a few moments, Taylor beyond thankful when it was over, as the things Adam Cain was saying made her stomach churn. "Got out in front of it."

"Right out of Letterman's playbook," said Rollins.

"That's not fair," pipped up Munch. "Letterman didn't rape anyone."

"Just let him keep running his mouth," Fin said, standing with his arms crossed over his chest. "Like the Counselor said, we'll take our time, but we'll get him."

Taylor leaned back in her chair, as the others spoke, and found her back coming into contact with one of Rafal's large hands, which he'd been grasping the back of the chair with, as the group watched the video. She flicked a glance up at him, and sat forward a tiny bit, to allow him to move it, as he gazed back down at her. She was more happy than she probably should've been when, once she leaned back again, he returned his hand to its previous position, this time allowing his fingers to rest over Taylor's slender shoulder.

"And in the meantime?" asked Olivia. "He can just use his show as a bully pulpit?"

Rafael nodded his perfectly styled dark head at Olivia. "Cain just forced our hand," he stated, before shifting his gaze to the paused video. "We have to strike back."