"The internet service provider assures me they'll get the info for that IP address to us as soon as they can." Olivia briefed her team the next morning. "In the meantime, I've asked Melanie to come in to ID Dylan in a lineup. I know the end goal is Cahill, but I don't want the case against Dylan slipping through the cracks. What?" She snapped at Rollins who was pinning her with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Sorry, Lieutenant. It's just that your face looks kind of red. Are you okay?"
Sometimes it really sucked working with people whose job it was to pay attention to every detail. She'd done her best to cover up the stubble burn she'd received from Rafael, but apparently she hadn't done a good enough job.
"Fine." Olivia assured her. "I think I'm allergic to my new moisturizer or something." She said quickly before heading into her office.
"Is the victim here yet?" Barba asked grumpily as he walked into the squad room.
"Not yet, she's on her…" Rollins stopped talking when she looked up from her laptop and saw him. As usual he was dressed in an impeccable three-piece suit, not a hair out of place, but what interested her was his tired eyes and the night's worth of scruff on his cheeks. She kicked Carisi under the table.
"Ow, what the hell?"
God, men were so dense, she thought as she tried to communicate with him using only her eyes.
Barba pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have not had enough coffee yet today to deal with you people." As if to prove his point he moved over to the coffee pot to pour a cup.
He'd been unable to sleep after Olivia had left the night before so he'd stayed up working, and drinking, for the better part of the night. He'd finally fallen asleep around 3 and then, for the first time since college, he'd overslept. He hadn't even had time to shave. Thankfully the defense had asked for a continuance on today's motion hearing so he didn't have to be in court at all today.
"Let me know when she's here." He said to the detectives before leaving the conference area to find an empty desk to work at while he waited.
"What was that about?" Carisi asked in a hushed tone once he was out of ear shot.
"I'd bet my pension that it's stubble burn on Liv's face." Amanda told him.
Carisi's eyes widened. "Barba is looking awful scruffy…"
"Liv and Barba? You're nuts." Fin jumped in.
"Are you kidding me? It's all there." Amanda couldn't believe that such a good detective could miss something so obvious.
"They spend half their time at each other's throats."
"Passion." Carisi said matter-of-factly.
Fin just shook his head. "The Lieutenant hears you talking about this and you'll both be on desk duty until you retire."
They knew he wasn't wrong, so they decided to drop it. For now.
"Okay, Melanie, just take your time." Olivia said gently as they stood in front of the window, looking in at Dylan who stood with a bunch of young, brunette, plain clothes officers they'd pulled from downstairs.
The small space was cramped. In addition to Olivia and Melanie, Teri, Barba, and Dylan's lawyer all squeezed in.
Melanie looked from one to the next until she got to Dylan. Olivia felt her start to tremble. "Number four."
"Where do you recognize him from?" Barba asked as a formality.
"He's the man that…attacked me in my apartment."
"Good job, Melanie." Teri said, leading her away as Olivia knocked on the window four times.
"Well, Counselor." Barba said to Dylan's attorney. "I think it might be time you suggest your client get a real lawyer."
Ever since Larson's brother, a tax lawyer, had walked into the squad room announcing that he was representing his brother, Barba had taken every opportunity to get his digs in. He was still annoyed and tired and he loved having this outlet for his bad mood.
The elder Larson bristled at his comment. "I was a defense attorney before going into tax law and I think the smart move here is to ask for a deal."
"Why would I do that? He all but admitted to the rape, he has no alibi, he was just picked out of a line up, and as soon as we have the DNA back, that will match too. This is a slam dunk at trial."
"Then I guess we'll see you in court." The lawyer stomped away.
"Rafael, maybe we should try to deal." Olivia suggested. "It might be better for Melanie."
"Thank you, Lieutenant, but I don't need you to tell me how to do my job." He snapped. "I know you're going to make me drag Melanie through a trial for Zach Cahill if you get the chance, so why is this any different? We have a chance to make the actual rapist do real time. Or do you just want this wrapped up so you can spend your time chasing after Cahill?"
Her eyes narrowed and she glanced out into the squad room where people were starting to stare, having picked up on his raised voice. "Let's not do this here."
"Fine."
The tension that followed them to her office was palpable.
"What the hell is your problem?" Olivia demanded the second she'd closed her office door.
"I don't have a problem. I'm just trying to do what you told me to do. You told me to come to work today and do my job. That's what I'm doing."
She sighed. She should have known that they couldn't just pretend last night had never happened, even though she'd hoped. "You're pissed about last night?"
"I'm not." He said honestly. "I'm just trying to separate it out, what I thought we were from what we actually are. You wanted the ADA, not anything more, that's what I'm giving you."
He knew he was being petulant, but he genuinely wasn't sure how to behave now, so he'd decided to take everything personal out of it. Like he'd told her, he just wanted to work.
"No, I wanted nothing to change. You're acting like you did the first day you walked in here. Before we were friends. Before…before we meant something to each other."
A headache throbbed between his eyes, a combination of too little sleep, too much scotch, and entirely too much confusion caused by one Olivia Benson.
"Fine." He sighed. He didn't have the energy to keep fighting. "I'll be your doting ADA, I'll be your drinking buddy, I'll plead out Larson. Whatever you want, Olivia." He waved a hand in the air as he turned and left her office.
"Did you break Barba?" Fin asked, stepping into her office through the door that Barba had left open. He looked back as he watched the ADA exit the squad room, shoulders lowered.
"I think I might have." Olivia said quietly before shaking herself and refocusing. "What's up?"
"We got the location of the IP address that the last message was sent from."
"Great, where was it?"
That afternoon Olivia walked into Barba's outer office, greeting Carmen. "Is he in?"
Carmen nodded. "Go on in, Lieutenant Benson."
Olivia's hand hesitated on the doorknob, but then she straightened her spine. She'd gone through much more dangerous doorways than this one.
His desk was empty, but when she closed the door behind her she saw that he was stretched out on his couch asleep. A smile slid over her face as she took in the scene. He still held a pen loosely in his right hand, but a file had fallen onto the floor and some of the papers had scattered. There were two paper coffee cups along with a half empty ceramic one on the coffee table, but apparently their contents hadn't been powerful enough.
It was an interesting thing, seeing this man who was always so in control and cocky sleeping peacefully. It was shock to her system, like seeing him in his sweats the night before. It had been easier to compartmentalize her feelings for him before she'd began getting these little glimpses behind the curtain. But now, this vulnerable, handsome man was starting to meld with the brilliant, confident attorney she worked with every day and it was sparking things within her.
Could she really do this again? Her relationship with David Haden had caused so many problems. Wouldn't this just be repeating past mistakes? But what if it worked out this time, a small piece of her argued.
She sighed and shook her head, trying to decide if she should wake him up or just leave. Finally, she decided not to disturb him. The dark shadows he'd had under his eyes that morning told her he needed the rest.
"Liv?"
She'd barely opened the door an inch so she closed it again and turned to him. He sat up, clearing his throat and running a hand over his face. If she thought he was adorable sleeping, it didn't compare to how he looked having just woken up. His heavy-lidded eyes and mussed hair were almost too much for her to take.
"Sorry, I was..." He gestured toward the couch before beginning to clean up the papers that had scattered. "Did you need something?"
"I just came by to update you on the case." It was true, but she could have done it over the phone. Honestly, after the way he'd left her office that morning she'd wanted to see him, to make sure they were okay.
"Did you guys find something?" He gestured for her to join him on the couch and she did.
"The last message to Melanie was sent from a Starbucks in Union Square. The squad is going over the footage now."
He nodded, unsure of why she had to come all the way down here to tell him that. "Okay, well, let me know if they find anything."
"I will." She stood to leave, again finding herself pausing with her hand on the doorknob. "Do you want to get a drink later?"
He sighed, running a hand over his face again. "Olivia, I don't know if that's a good idea right now. I promise things will go back to normal I just need more than a day."
She took a deep breath. "Actually, I was thinking that maybe it could be a…a date."
He froze. Was this really happening? Maybe he was still asleep.
She misread his hesitation. "Or not, you know, just forget I said anything."
"Sorry, I thought maybe I was dreaming." He stood and walked over to her, a small grin playing on his lips. "Olivia Benson has asked me on a date."
"Okay, if you're going to be like that about it." She started to open the door, but he put his hand on it forcing it shut. She turned to face him and he kept his hand on the door, hovering close to her.
"I would love to go on a date with you."
Her heart pounded, whether it was from his words, how close he leaned into her, or nerves about what this all meant she wasn't sure. It was probably a combination of all three.
"Okay then." Her voice was quiet.
He kissed her cheek softly then took a step back. "I'll be here working. Text me when you're done for the night."
She nodded and walked out of his office, oblivious to the knowing smile on Carmen's face.
