A couple of notes. The first is that I don't know squat about the Keys. Everything I have learned about the Keys, I have learned from watching Bloodline. There was a time in my life I would have googled and researched, but I just don't care. You all aren't here for the geographic lesson about the Florida Keys, you are here for the Barson. Secondly, I did actually look up who the current DA is supposed to be in this world. The last DA even listed on anything is Jack McCoy. So when writing the DA flashbacks, his was the voice I heard in my head. It could also be Mike Cutter. Either one will work. I always kind of like Mike Cutter. But I opted for a nameless DA. Just know that Sam Waterson is who I hear when I read this stuff back to myself. Third, I am starting to evolve from Barson trash to a mashup of Barson/Raul Esparza trash. I may have rewatched Twenty Five Acts and December Solstice today.
He took a deep sigh and laid his book down, staring out over the ocean. He looked over at his phone, but for what. The DA had all but demanded that he turn off his email over the next 4 weeks, or Barba would make the decision for him.
"You need a break. You have been running at 100 miles per hour every day since you walked in here and while I appreciate the effort, you are sacrificing your life."
He went to pull on his running shoes. At least there some benefit from 4 weeks off - he could get his running game back in gear. He was one of the few that could run and use nature as his soundtrack. Until now. Now he wished he had a huge playlist on his phone to help drown out the thoughts and that conversation.
"Rafael, it's like there is a force that drives you in this job, especially with the SVU cases, that you didn't have when you walked in here. I always wondered why the planets had aligned and what force pushed you through my doors and why you felt such a pull the SVU cases. Have you ever thought about that?"
He had always avoided thinking about that, but now with nothing else to focus on but the stretch of beach and the waves, it was all he could think about. Since the Cain case, when he turned to look at her after the verdict was read, he had always made sure that he threw all he had (a bit more) into these cases. The Cain case - taking someone who thinks they were bulletproof and showing them that they aren't above the law - well, that was the reason he used every time someone questioned why he still fought these cases, why he hadn't moved on, run for office, climbed the political ladder in NYC. And everyone understood and looked at him like he was some kind of big damn hero. Except one.
"I know, I know. The Cain case. You bright, shining moment in a time when everyone else around here was hiding under their desks. And it's a good and valid reason. But are you honestly going to sit there and tell me that that case, this one case, is why you fight so hard and go well above and beyond anything I would even do for these cases? Barba, please. Please. I don't even care if you are honest with me. You need to be honest with yourself at the very least."
He stopped running and bent over, hands on his knees. His response to the DA at that that point was just a quiet "yeah". He knew he was good for the most part, but his boss had been around for so long and had seen so much... he just shook his head and headed back to the house. He had three more days. Three days till that that plane landed and he knew as soon as they walked through security, his time of deflecting and hiding behind cases and witnesses were over. There was NO reason for this trip, other than it is something they both wanted. Maybe even needed. Three days. That's all he had left.