Chapter 54 has arrived! I know, I know this update is coming to you quite a few days late but I ended up going home this weekend and left my laptop up at school. I went to see my grandma, who's back in the hospital, so there's just been a lot going on.

Enough of my personal crap! Now Rafael goes and rips Strauss a new one, but as you know it isn't enough to convince him not to convene a grand jury to investigate Lewis's death. And we'll deal with that in this chapter as well!

To answer a few questions: yes Elliot will show up again, I have an idea of how but he won't show up just yet. As for continuing with season 16, I didn't really plan on it but there was a few fab Barson scenes in the premiere I might just have to!

But I do want to bring something up with you guys, would you be super opposed to baby Benson not being a baby? I have an idea brewing but I'm not sure if it'll fit…let me know what you think!

Now enjoy! Sorry about the super long intro!

When Rafael dropped Olivia off at the condo, he knew exactly where he was going. He drove into Brooklyn and headed for the DA's office there. Derek Strauss wasn't a close personal friend but he knew him well enough.

His ADA credentials got him into the building and headed straight for Strauss's office.

Once there he sharply rapped at the door and a calm-looking Strauss opened the door. "What can I do for you Barba?" Strauss asked innocently, and Rafael's eyes flashed with anger before his courtroom mask went up.

"You know quite well why I'm here Strauss." Rafael quickly said, and Strauss stepped back to allow Rafael into his office. He shut the door and strolled back to his desk, shrugging his shoulders and saying,

"Look, Barba, this isn't personal…"

"Oh bullshit," Rafael said with a chuckle, sitting down in one of the chairs and crossing his right leg over his left. "You want Jack's job. This is one way of making sure you get more votes, going after the NYPD."

"Come on, Barba, that's not fair." Strauss shook his head, sitting in his own chair.

"No, it's fair if it's true. I've heard you say multiple times that Jack's getting old, and you're making sure you have all of Brooklyn's support in the election whenever you decide to throw your hat in the ring." Rafael said with a lingering smirk on his face.

"And you not planning on doing the same?" Strauss demanded, and Rafael shook his head.

"I wouldn't ruin someone else's life just to get a few votes," he said coldly, and then leaned forward. "You know I would be here even if I wasn't engaged to her. This is wrong."

"Wrong? I think I'll let the grand jury decide that. At this point I'm not sure if Sergeant Benson's behavior warrants her to be left on the force, with that confession and that ambiguous IAB report…" Strauss trailed off, sure that his point had been made.

"You know that confession was coerced and that can be proven, and who says that IAB's report isn't the absolute truth? Everything in that report is possible." Rafael snapped back, and Strauss shrugged.

"I suppose so, yes, but that doesn't mean it's the gospel truth. To be honest, Barba, even if that report came to me and read 'justifiable homicide' I'd be doing the same thing. Sergeant Benson's got some explaining to do."

"And you think she needs to do that explaining to a jury?" Rafael demanded, and Strauss shrugged again.

"She needs to answer for her actions, just like everyone else."

"Her actions?!" Rafael was angry now, and was on his feet. "How about Lewis's actions? She's been answering for Lewis's actions ever since he kidnapped her. You wanna come home with me, Strauss? Do you want to hear her screaming as she relives every single moment in her nightmares? You want to listen to her beg for her life as Lewis made her play Russian Roulette?"

"There is no denying Sergeant Benson has been through a terrible ordeal but that does not excuse excessive force and murder! She's a loose cannon, and she's a danger to the people if she's allowed to walk the streets as a part of the NYPD!" Strauss raised his voice too, and also got to his feet to get in Rafael's face.

"Murder? A threat to the public? Are you kidding me?! Do you know how many people she's helped and saved?!"

"It doesn't matter. You don't know what happened in that room, Barba. The only people that do are Sergeant Benson and a dead man. Unless you're Whoopi Goldberg and William Lewis is talking in your ear right now, nothing you say can change things. I'm convening a grand jury to investigate the death of William Lewis." Strauss said with a final tone in his voice, sitting down and pulling a file towards him.

"You're just victimizing Olivia yet again. She's strong, but I don't know how much more of this she can take. If this pushes her over the edge, Strauss, I swear…" Rafael said angrily, his hands clenched in fists.

"Is that a threat Barba?" Strauss questioned, looking up at him and raising one eyebrow.

"No. Cliché as it is, it's a promise. Don't forget, every politician has a few skeletons in their closet." Rafael said with a deadly look in his eyes as he turned towards the door.

"Blackmail too? Wow, I wish I could say I wasn't surprised at you, Barba. I'm sure this would be of much interest to McCoy." Strauss tossed out, and Rafael scoffed,

"Go ahead. Let me know how that works out for you."

He left the room leaving Strauss fuming that Rafael got the last word in their little argument.

Rafael drove around for a bit to calm his temper down and then he went home. He walked in just as Murphy told Olivia about Strauss convening a grand jury to investigate William Lewis's death.

"I'm sorry, Liv." Rafael said quietly as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Sorry? You didn't tell him to convene a grand jury." Olivia said quietly, and Rafael sighed.

"No, but I fought it. I tried to get him to see reason, but he's a politician. He wants the DA job when Jack retires, and he thinks that if he takes you down it'll get him more Brooklyn votes, since they don't trust the NYPD much anymore." Rafael explained, and Olivia's eyes went wide.

"You did what? What if he goes to Jack? You could be in serious trouble!"

"Relax, Strauss is all talk. If he reported me to McCoy all I'd get is a warning and he'd come off looking like a wimp." Rafael said soothingly, and Amanda sighed.

"We'll go, Liv, so you can get some rest."

"No, you guys don't have to rush off…" Olivia tried to protest, but a yawn made everyone chuckle and head for the door.

"Don't worry, Liv, we've got your back." Fin said quietly before he followed Amanda out the door. Murphy and Nick walked out next giving supporting looks to Olivia.

"What did Strauss say about me?" Olivia wanted to know as she sat on the couch with her glass of wine.

"Well…" Rafael hedged, and Olivia shook her head.

"No, I want to know."

"He said you're a loose cannon, a threat to the public and possibly a murderer." Rafael said gently, sitting down next to her.

Olivia sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I just want all this to be over with. I just want Lewis to go away so I can focus on work and you and the wedding…" Olivia's back suddenly straightened and her hand went to her mouth. "The wedding! We haven't done anything except book the church and…"

"Hey, hey, easy!" Rafael said immediately, taking her glass of wine and pulling her shoulders back until she was leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, saying, "That all can wait. I know you're so eager to marry me," he teased, and she scoffed as he added, "But what's more important is getting past this. Finally burying Lewis, literally and figuratively. After all that then we can focus on us and the wedding. Okay?"

"Okay." Olivia breathed, and reached up to hold onto his arms.

"Movie or bed?" Rafael wanted to know after a few long moments, and Olivia sighed. "Bed it is." Rafael said with a smile, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her upstairs.

"You don't have to carry me. My legs work just fine." Olivia teased, and Rafael shrugged.

"Hey I take joy in the little things in life. Let me have this one."

"Oh alright." Olivia sighed heavily, as if it was so hard for her to allow him to carry her.

"Cut the attitude or I'll drop you," he warned with a twinkle in his eyes and she smirked as they reached the bedroom and true to his word he dropped her…but on the bed.

"Brat." Olivia muttered, and Rafael raised an eyebrow before tackling her and attempting to tickle her.

"What did you call me?" Rafael demanded with a laugh, and Olivia pursed her mouth and childishly stuck her tongue out at Rafael. With a grin on his face he put his hands on the side of her face and went to put his forehead on hers but immediately stopped when he saw her eyes go glassy and her frame went rigid. "Liv…Liv you're okay," he chanted, immediately rolling off of her and pulling her into a sitting position.

Olivia was gasping and Rafael felt a little panicked. He pulled her into his arms and kept repeating, "Liv, it's me, it's Rafael, you're safe. He's gone, Lewis is gone and he will never touch you or hurt you again, I promise."

Eventually Olivia managed to pull herself out of her flashback and she sat up with a jolt, pushing her hair out of her sweaty face. "Liv, I've got you," she heard Rafael say and she looked up at his slightly panicked face.

"I'm…" Olivia started to say shakily but Rafael put his finger over her lips.

"Please, please for the sake of my sanity do not say that you are sorry. If anyone should be sorry it's that bastard Lewis." Rafael said quietly, and she sighed.

"I just, I want you to know that that wasn't your fault, okay? It definitely wasn't your fault." Olivia said firmly, sitting up and taking his hands with hers.

"I should have never put my hands around your face like that…" Rafael said regretfully and Olivia shook her head, mirroring his actions and putting her finger on his lips.

"No. Like you said, this was his fault, this was all Lewis's fault. Don't put blame on yourself that belongs on him." Olivia said firmly, and Rafael blew out a long breath.

"You're right, I know you are. More importantly, are you okay?" Rafael wanted to know, tipping her head back so she was looking at him.

"Yes, I…I think I just need a shower. Then bed." Olivia said quietly, sliding off the bed and heading for the bathroom.

"I'll be here." Rafael called gently and changed into pajamas before sliding into bed and putting his hands behind his head.

He absolutely hated the fact that Strauss was putting her through more hell than she'd already been through. And he really hated the fact that he could do nothing for her at this point other than support her and be there for her at every step of the way.

He didn't even want to think about what would happen if the grand jury did indict her. That was something he refused to let cross his mind from that moment on.

The night before the grand jury convened, Olivia couldn't sleep. She started tossing and turning, and then got up so she wouldn't wake Rafael up, trekking downstairs and getting a glass of water, sitting at the kitchen table and putting her head in her hands.

She started thinking about the what ifs of the grand jury convening the following day, and she just shut her eyes to stop the headache that was coming on.

Rafael woke up in the middle of the night and discovered Olivia was gone. The last time that happened was when she disappeared to go find William Lewis, so he jumped out of bed and hurried downstairs. He found Olivia slumped at the kitchen table, sleeping restlessly. He sighed in relief and watched her sleep for a long moment. Then he gently pulled her into his arms and she jerked awake.

"Shh, it's okay, it's just me." Rafael said soothingly and carried her upstairs. She finally fell asleep in his arms and slept until the early morning.

She and Rafael waited at a nearby bar for Fin, Amanda and Nick to get back from the first day of grand jury testimonies. They started to debate whether Strauss was getting the grand jury to believe his load of crap when Rita walked in.

"Now I know you all aren't discussing the grand jury testimonies today which I don't think I have to remind you would be highly inappropriate?" Rita said with raised eyebrows, and Fin responded,

"We're just talking, counselor."

"Good. How's it going?" Rita questioned, and Amanda told her about how Melinda testified about the autopsy, Olivia's protection detail testified about how she ditched them on purpose, and Amelia Cole was going to be the first witness on the stand in the afternoon session.

Olivia wanted to wait outside the courthouse for the grand jury to let out for the day so she could see Amelia and make sure she was doing okay. Rafael was waiting with her and leaning against the concrete wall with his arms crossed. "I've heard some things about the grand jury…" Rafael started to say quietly, and then Olivia stood up straight because she spotted Amelia.

When Amelia noticed Olivia standing at the bottom of the steps, she hurried down to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Olivia, he kept asking me all these questions and it was like he was putting words in my mouth…"

"Hey, no, it's okay, I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm more concerned with you, how are you?" Olivia asked quietly as Amelia's dad came down the steps.

"I'm okay, thanks to you." Amelia said shyly, and Olivia hugged her.

"I want you to call me if you ever need anything, okay?" Olivia told her, knowing that she had her number already.

"I will. Thank you, Olivia, for everything." Amelia said before running off to her dad who nodded to Olivia before taking Amelia's hand and walking away.

"The grand jury's not going in the direction Strauss wants them to." Rafael said quietly to Olivia after talking to someone who walked out of the courthouse and then went down the street.

"So what's his next angle?" Olivia wanted to know as Rita came walking down the courthouse stairs.

"He's done. He's been baiting the grand jury all day, but my intel is the same as Barba's, they're not biting. He's been pushing the angle that your whole squad waited for you to execute Lewis before they rescued you." Rita said, and then they saw Murphy coming towards them.

"I'm afraid I've got some bad news." Murphy sighed, and Olivia raised her eyebrows.

"What is it?" Rafael wanted to know, and Murphy looked at Olivia.

"Strauss just issued more subpoenas for witnesses to testify before the grand jury, including the doctor that testified at Lewis's trial in the beginning of the year."

"Are you sure?" Rita wanted to know, and Murphy nodded. "Son of a bitch," Rita breathed, adding, "He can't get the jury to go where he wants so he's pivoting."

"Pivoting? To what?" Olivia questioned, and Rafael could answer that question. His eyes flashed with anger as he said,

"Your televised confession. He's gonna use it to widen the investigation. You admitted to assault, excessive force, perjury…basically the only way that he can make his case at this point is if he makes you out to be a dirty cop."

Rafael's hands clenched into fists for a brief moment and then he turned and started to walk into the courthouse but Olivia grabbed his hand. "Rafael, no." Olivia insisted, and Rafael looked at her.

"I'm sorry, Liv, but I have to talk to him. I'm not going to let him do this to you."

Rafael squeezed her hand and then headed up the courthouse stairs to find Strauss. Olivia watched him go with a shake of her head and just hoped that he wouldn't fly off the handle and do something in anger that would come back to bite him later.

Murphy and Rita argued about whether Olivia should take the stand or not as they walked, and Olivia was lost in thought. She was surely going to be indicted now, with her aired confession about being Lewis, about 'wanting' it…she was a goner. The only thing to do now was to look into what her options were, what she could do about her pension and future to prepare for the indictment.

That was when a blaring horn jolted her out of her thoughts and two pairs of hands yanking her back made her look up and around in shock. She realized that she had walked straight onto the street in the path of an oncoming car and only Murphy and Rita yanking her back onto the sidewalk had stopped her from getting hit or causing an accident.

"Olivia, are you okay?" Rita questioned, her worrying eyes looking at Olivia.

"Yeah, yeah, I was just…thinking, sorry." Olivia said quietly, looking at both of them who exchanged a worried look and then looking around.

She was scared, to be completely honest. She wanted to go back to the condo and curl up in bed in Rafael's arms and forget about everything that was happening, but that wasn't an option.

"I'm…I'm going to go wait for Rafael outside the courthouse." Olivia told Murphy and Rita, who looked at her in concern.

"I'll come with." Murphy offered, and Olivia shook her head.

"No. I'll be okay, I just need…I just need some time to think."

"Alright. Tomorrow is when Strauss is calling the rest of your squad, if I find anything else out I'll call okay?" Rita assured her, and Olivia nodded.

"Thanks, Rita." She nodded to both of them and headed back towards the courthouse.

End of this chapter has been reached! We'll continue into the grand jury in the next chapter and hopefully finish the actual jury up! Then we can move onto more personal stuff and the last three episodes! I haven't actually watched the next two episodes, Reasonable Doubt and Thought Criminal but they're online so I'll catch up soon, but not until after my chemistry test on Friday!

And please let me know what you think about the whole 'baby Benson not actually being a baby' thing, like I said it's not for sure it's just a thought bouncing around in my head! And yes Elliot will show up again, down the road! Never fear, Barson fans, he won't get in their way. He just adds a little more drama and plus I hated the way he left. I mean at least the writers didn't just say 'oh he's gone that's it' they actually had a reaction from the rest of the characters, but other than that it just made me mad. So I'm going to try and fix it!

And again sorry about the long author's notes! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!