Barba could barely walk as he left the courtroom. The look Lewis had given him had been one of pure evil, something he hadn't witnessed firsthand with the criminal. It scared him knowing that that was the face Olivia spent four, life-altering days with. What a horrible thought.
But the reason he shook as he left was knowing he'd won. He had finally won. Lewis was going away for fifteen years. A smile spread over his face as his reality slowed down, enabling him to feel the relief he so deserved. The squad, who didn't care to see Lewis again, had been absent in the courtroom.
Barba grabbed his phone as he exited the courthouse but put it down again as the press approached him. He'd tell them what he thought.
"Mr. Barba, did Lewis get the time he deserved? Are you satisfied with the case you presented?" One woman reporter asked him as he stopped.
Barba wouldn't lie. He had no energy to do so.
"William Lewis has been sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison." The reporters became alive, even moreso, with conversation and buzz.
Barba only briefly smiled, and then answered the second part of the question.
"I'm disappointed in the verdict the jury gave in this case. I'm sure I could have done more than I did, and I wish that I had. William Lewis should have been convicted of every charge brought against him. He's guilty of them all. And he got a little bit of what he deserved in there today."
The lawyer crossed his arms in front of him as he clutched his briefcase.
"Was Detective Benson here today?" Another asked.
"No. She was not." Barba replied in a short, concise manner. He wanted them to know that asking about his friend, his colleague was not something they were allowed to do.
They took the hint silently.
"Do you think he will appeal?" A man standing with a microphone in the back questioned loudly.
Barba nodded. "I have no doubt. But now that he's in, he won't be able to get himself out. We took every precaution during the trial to make sure of that." Barba began to walk away when one last question caught his attention.
"Is there any possibility that Lewis might be granted appeal and become a free man again?"
He stopped with his back toward the press before turning slowly to answer.
"I sure hope not, for his sake." With that last warning to Lewis, Rafael Barba left the vicinity.
After hailing a cab, he grabbed his phone out again, feeling the good news ready to burst out of him. He was satisfied with the judge's sentence, but the injustice Olivia was served in the courtroom still upset him. He put the phone to his ear after he dialed.
Olivia and Brian were sitting next to each other on the couch in their apartment as they anticipated the call from Barba. Days ago, he had told them both that the sentencing hearing had been moved up by three days. Now, all they did was wait nervously.
Brian reached out for Olivia's hand as the TV displayed aerial images and street shots of the crowd gathered outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. The nerves in Olivia's stomach bit into every sensitive fiber in her. She was almost shaking as she held Brian's hand in silence.
The announcer covering the live awaiting of an answer was speaking intermittently.
"Not a word from inside the courtroom. We'll be back with this story." A new story took over the screen and Brian turned it off.
"Barba will call." He assured her.
It only took five more minutes for Olivia's phone to ring. She felt the breath stop halfway out of her lungs as she looked at it. Barba's name was displayed across the screen. She didn't wait a minute longer before letting go of Brian and answering.
"Benson." The tone she used made it impossible for Brian to even suspect she was nervous.
He sat reading her expression. It didn't change for a few moments.
Olivia listened intently.
"Liv. I have news." Barba's voice came across as quickly as she'd ever heard it. She couldn't tell if it was good news or bad.
"Judge sentenced Lewis to the maximum for assault on a police officer: fifteen years in federal prison."
She barely caught the end of his sentence as her mind screamed in relief. Brian saw the sparkle in her eyes. She was about to cry.
"Thank you." She barely had the ability to speak.
Her heart pumped effortlessly, the weight atop it now gone. Her hands clutched the phone so tightly that she could have broken the screen.
Barba was obviously smiling, as his words revealed. "It's finally over."
Olivia let the tears drop over the rim of her eyes and felt them race down her cheeks. Even with the tears, her smile came out a little.
Brian heard his heart beating louder and louder against his chest. His hopes were coming up. The smile she gave halfway convinced him that it was good news she was receiving, but it also made him apprehensive. Her expressions could always have a second meaning to them. She could smile and be terribly sad at the same time. That's one thing about her he knew he'd never figure out. Olivia hung up and turned to Brian, still wearing a smile as the tears stopped.
"Fifteen years." She said, a sigh of relief carrying the words upon it.
Brian could not say anything as a smile graced his own face. He reached out for her hand before they both jumped into each other's arms. She squeezed him so tightly he thought he wouldn't have the air to let a relieved laugh escape, but he still found himself capable. Olivia's fingers clawed into his back, not painfully, but firmly, to assure her everything was real.
"It's over." She repeated Barba's words.
Brian stroked the back of her head, over her silky hair as he rocked her back and forth. He pressed his lips to the crook of her neck as he did.
"It's over." He repeated them as well.
"Ten in the morning isn't too early to drink a little today. How about we share a cold one." Brian offered, pulling away from her arms, but holding her still as he looked at her.
Olivia felt like she was going to implode and explode at the same time. It was the most refreshing feelings she'd had in as long as she could remember. Finally. Something good had come from the trial. Her attacker was going away for one of his crimes against her, and she was free.
"Yes." She nodded at him, still smiling.
Amanda slipped off her gloves as she walked into the bar where the squad occasionally shared drinks. The group was already sitting down at the table in front of the TV, the channel showing the courthouse, pictures of both Olivia and Lewis. As they had found out about the moved date for the sentencing hearing, they decided to be together when they knew. That way they would all know at the same time.
Nick pulled a stool up for Amanda as she sat down.
"Have you heard anything yet?" She kept her eyes glued on the screen as the people at the news desk came into focus again.
"Not yet." Fin replied, obviously as nervous as the others were.
"We don't have word if Detective Benson is here today or not. As we await the sentencing decision for criminal William Lewis, we catch up down on the streets. Earlier today, ADA Rafael Barba made a quick comment as he entered the courthouse this morning. Here it is."
The squad watched in silence.
Rafael was walking up the stairs in front of the cameras as press threw questions at him.
"Mr. Barba. Do you believe justice will be done today?"
He didn't turn around to answer, only looked back as he continued to walk. His face was dismal.
"Until he's dead, justice remains undone."
Fin had to nervously chuckle. "A little fire in that guy today." He commented.
Cragen had his hand on his chin, observing the frustration Barba had held in for weeks.
They continued to show the clip from the morning.
Nick checked his watch. "It's been a half hour. Something's wrong." He shook his head.
He couldn't think about the possibility that another member of the justice system letting Lewis off easy or free. Just as he spoke, the clip faded out, the announcer speaking again.
"We have action at the front of the courthouse. ADA Rafael Barba has just exited the building. Let's go down to see if he has anything to say."
Nick's throat swelled up in anticipation as the crowd shouted at Barba. No one could read the expression the man had on his face.
"Mr. Barba, did Lewis get the time he deserved? Are you satisfied with the case you presented?" One of the women reporting for the news station blurted out.
Barba stopped in front of the microphones, extended up to his face.
"William Lewis has been sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison." His face showed a small smiled, the first in months.
Amanda's mouth dropped open. Had she heard right? Nick snapped his gaze to Cragen.
"Oh my god." Cragen spoke in great, relieved astonishment.
None of them had smiles, until Munch offered his statement.
"The little man pulled it off."
Nick's furrow turned to a smile as he stood up with the others. He accepted his captain's hug gratefully, patting him on the back powerfully as they both chuckled and smiled. Munch did the same with Fin and Amanda.
"Fifteen years is a start." Nick said as he hugged Amanda.
They all kept their arms around each other as they supported each other in the overwhelming beauty of the moment. No one heard what else Barba was saying. The expression on his face and the words he'd said were all they needed to hear.
"He did it." Cragen shook his head in pleased amazement.
The cameras panned over to follow Barba as headed down the stairs and got into a cab. The bartender, Antonio, smiled at all of them, having known Olivia and the rest of them very well.
"Hey. How about a round on me."
Olivia and Brian shared moments of bliss as they shared a cold bottle of beer. Their moods were both higher than they had been in months, maybe even the entire year. As they finished their drink, Olivia's phone rang again. She answered her brother's call and accepted his congratulations and encouragement.
"Listen, why don't you guys come over for supper tonight? Just to celebrate." She suggested.
Simon quickly checked with his wife to find if they were free or not.
"We'd love to." He replied.
After she hung up, Brian stood.
"They're coming?" He asked her.
She nodded, a grin still making her eyes twinkle.
"Yeah. So what are we cooking?" She joined him as she stood up in the middle of the living room.
Brian smiled as he put his hands on her waist, hers snaking around his neck gently. Her face was so close to his that her breath tickled his nose. He smiled even wider, loving the look he saw in her eyes.
It was like the life she had been living, stepping on stones that seemed to be prone to sinking, had been given a small boost. Now those stones were less unsteady. Lewis couldn't get to her. He was behind bars.
Olivia kissed Brian, long and beautifully. He kissed her back as passionately as he could. The nerves had dissolved, still certain to return again with the flashbacks and emotions that came with recovery. But Olivia could bask in the moment of good. They tended to come and go quickly.
Brian kept his lips on hers as he held her tenderly, stepping backward toward the room they shared. The door shut the rest of the world out as Brian whispered between kisses.
"I love you. We're going to be ok."