There had never been any real chance that Rafael was going to rest. Before too long his phone was rousing him once again, except that the person on the other end this time was a rather irate sounding District Attorney. Apparently news about Robert Milszenik's murder travelled quickly, and moreover, the DA was not pleased to be the last one to know. No more down-time.

The rest of the afternoon was spent alternately working on the case and attempting to consume enough coffee to keep Rafael conscious. He was a long way from his years in college where a lack of sleep only meant not staying out late the next night. It was a battle, but the longer he spent his time filing motions and making calls the more awake he felt. There was that fanatical streak in him again, taking the wheel.

The continuance was granted. It was a relief, but in reality it only really felt like a stay of execution for Barba. He had more time, but he wasn't a magician. As they say 'A dead man tells no tales', so despite the additional amount of prep, there was only so much the counselor could do. Still, if there was one thing that Barba were known for it was his unwillingness to back down. Stubbornness, some people called it - others were known to refer to it as being an asshole. Truthfully, he was sure that both were true.

The day hung on Rafael like an anchor, keeping him rooted firmly in his office until the well after the sun had set. If it hadn't been for his secretary, Shannon, leaning into his office to say goodnight, he might have never noticed the time. Once the spell of work had been broken, he was acutely aware of the rumbling in his stomach. God, food sounded good, when had he eaten last? There was that bagel he'd had… sometime. After bidding Shannon goodnight, he stared at the files in front of him- it was time for a break. He was sure that it would be another all-nighter, but it would be nice to get a bite and swing by the SVU office.

There was no time for a sit-down meal, so a Cuban Sandwich from one of his favorite little gems on the way would have to suffice. The sandwich was gone by the time he entered the station, and the addition of food had certainly perked him up a little bit. In fact, he was almost feeling optimistic about this continuance. Funny what a little thing like giving your body the fuel it needed could do for you. Speaking of fuel, before he went to find Olivia, he paused to grab some coffee.

"Barba." He turned to the sound of Amanda Rollins speaking. "To what to we owe the pleasure?"

"I needed to get out of my office for a little while. Stretch my legs. Thought I'd stop by and see if there's any news."

"Nothing yet. Just the same. We think we have a witness, but they're reluctant to talk."

"Can't imagine why." He mused, giving just the hint of a wry smile before taking a sip of his drink. Amanda gave an appreciative nod of her head to show her agreement.

"Didn't the Sarge say we'd give you a call if there were updates?"

"Mm," He agreed. "But I like to be thorough."

"That's fair. Liv is in her office if you're looking for her. I'm assuming that the coffee here isn't a very good attraction. Leg stretching or otherwise."

Detective Rollins was correct, the coffee was not a very good attraction. But it was a by-product of his greater purpose for being there. Much in the same way that you wouldn't stop into a hospital for a muffin from the cafeteria. The counselor didn't make it all the way to Olivia's office, instead he was met halfway.

"Barba, you look tired." Liv threw out, all the while holding a large coffee mug herself.

"Always the flatterer. Speaking of, did you even.. get any sleep?" His dry humor curled the corner of his mouth.

"Let's not talk about that." She dismissed, clearly indicating that sleep had evaded her grasps. "What brings you down?"

"I wanted to stop in myself for a minute, see if there was any news."

"Nothing we haven't passed on. I've been getting read the riot act every couple of hours from Dodds. It's been a real pleasure."

"Mm. I got a wake-up call from the DA. Literally. I've been in my office since noon."

"Then cheers." She raised her coffee cup to him, and he reciprocated with a smile, followed by a sigh.

"The continuance was granted-"

"Well that's good news."

"Yeah, and I think I might have a decent angle for the trial."

"Anything we can do?"

"Catch the guy that killed Milszenik?"

"We're working on it."

"I know." His light eyes cast down at the coffee in his hand, the creamer still swirling before it settled completely. If he were honest with himself, he'd come here for more than just the chance to stretch his legs. He'd come here for exactly this - to see Olivia. He'd needed a friendly face to break up all the paperwork that had been his only company all day. With the DA's office mostly emptied, it had been just him and his coffee maker. Although it could hold 12 cups, it made for lousy conversation. "Aside from getting chewed out by Dodds, how has the day been?" He was just making small talk now. He'd leave soon, probably continue working on the case from home.

"I wouldn't even know how to answer that question." She shrugged. "I'd say 'the usual', but the usual here is, well-"

"Grim. At best."

"Yeah."

Rafael's gaze wandered, the interior of the station felt so familiar to him. He'd lost track of how many times he'd passed through here over the previous few years. There was a certain sort of comfort to it. The detectives didn't always enjoy seeing him, and he would be lying if he said it was always a walk in the park to see them, but at the end of the day there was an understanding. Even when they were at each others throats, there was a common goal.

"What's that?" He asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on a screen near one of the conference tables. There was an image displayed, it must have been a DMV photo. Pictured was a familiar face. Not familiar from his line of work, but familiar from a time of wine and jersey sheets. He walked over, needing to take a closer look - needing to confirm that it was who he thought. It was. "Why are you looking into Katherine Shepherd?" Surprise washed over Olivia's face at his obvious recognition.

"You know her?"

"She…" He glance back at the image. "She's a teacher. She does a lot of work for developmentally disabled children. My mother knows her." Having a poker face was one of Rafael's greatest assets; despite the seed of panic blossoming in his chest, he kept his expression level. Sargent Benson clearly looked unsure of how to phrase her next statement, but resolved herself quickly.

"She was assaulted last night." This piqued the attention of the counselor, his mind immediately racing. He'd just been there the night before. Early morning, actually, if he was honest.

"She disclosed?" He asked, now wondering if he should be making calls of his own.

"Her neighbor found her. Her door was open, she was unconscious on the bed. She came-to long enough to authorize a rape kit, but she hasn't been cognitive since. Her attacker did a real number on her." Rafael felt breathless, unsure of what to ask or how to proceed. He should disclose that he was in the house. He knew that he should. His fingerprints, his DNA, they had to be all over the house. On the bed.

"The rape kit," He said, his voice coming out ever so slightly quieter than he had intended. "It's been conducted? You're running the DNA?"

"The lab is running it. We got a call earlier, there were two semen samples found. There were two wine glasses, dirty dishes. We think she might have had.. a consensual encounter before her attacker found her. Or maybe… I don't know, the other guy brought in back up and they tag-teamed. She was worked over pretty heavily. There's tearing, and bruises, and a pretty significant head trauma. We'll know more when they're able to get two clean samples."

"I'll save you a little time." He replied, looking to the image and then back to Olivia. "One is going to come back as me." It took just over a second for the information to register with the Sergeant, as it dawned over her, her cup was placed on the nearest surface. He could see her searching for words, her brow furrowing as she visibly vacillated between confusion, and something that looked quite a bit like aggravation.

The silence stretched between them, Rafael's expression never wavered, though his mind wouldn't stop it's incessant whirring. He was split, cleanly down the middle. On one hand, he was very much the Rafael Barba that was expected; he couldn't stop worrying about what this might mean for his career. Headlines were whipping through his mind with his name tied to a rape case, and not as a prosecutor. The implications that he had been in the same home, with the same woman. And yet, his other side - he was consumed with needing to know if she was alright. Of course, she wasn't. Not in the usual sense. But something that felt acutely close to fear was welling in the pit of his stomach, and that side of him felt like it would win out. It might have, had Sargeant Benson not broken her silence at last.

"I need a minute to think about this." There was a war going on behind her cool expression. She took two steps away before rethinking, and turning around to him. "Don't go anywhere. You're not leaving until you answer questions."

Rafael had known that he would have to answer questions, even if he hadn't actively thought about it. It only made sense. He had been present in the home where an assault had taken place. There would certainly be things to answer to. Yet, as he stood there, all he could think was one thing: he should have brought coffee.