Chapter Sixty Nine – Aftermath

Ben hadn't gotten a text from Olivia until after eleven. Figuring Olivia was exhausted after hours at the precinct or hospital or where ever she had been, Ben decided not to call her that night. He had, however, told her he'd be over the next morning before work. So at 7:00 the next day he showed up at her door with fresh muffins.

"Good morning, beautiful. Would you like a muffin?"

"Yes, actually, I would. Especially if you made them."

"I did."

"Perfect."

She plucked the entire plate out of his hand and headed toward her kitchen. Ben scrambled after her, trying to dodge Suvi's hello along the way.

"You're taking all of them?" he asked in shock.

"Yup."

"I made them and I don't even get one?"

"I might be able to spare one," she told him with a grin.

Despite what she'd said she was already pulling out two plates so they could both enjoy breakfast together.

"That's sweet of you," Ben laughed as she handed him a plate and muffin.

She nodded and popped a piece of muffin into her mouth. With coming home so late she hadn't had a chance to eat anything for dinner and was absolutely starving. Immediately after the muffin touched her tongue her eyes lit up. Ben wasn't surprised since he knew full well the muffins were delicious. They were a much requested item by his family.

"Cranberry?" she asked and got a confirming nod. "They're amazing. Absolutely amazing."

"Thanks."

"Why haven't you ever made these for me before?"

"Because I was making other things, I guess."

"Well, you should make these again."

He laughed softly. Of course she wanted him to make them again. Almost everyone who tried one wanted another. That was fine though. They were pretty easy to make. Ben actually thought Olivia could manage the recipe on her own once he taught her how to make them.

"So how's Connie?"

She smiled sadly, and Ben could see even more weariness seep onto her face.

"She's hanging in there. Managed everything last night surprisingly well. I'm going to check in on her after I go down to the precinct."

"You're going back to the precinct? Why?"

He didn't think enough time had passed for any progress to have happened, so she couldn't be going back for an update. Going back to work the case wasn't very likely either. Just because she knew the victim didn't mean she would automatically get to consult on the case. In fact, Ben suspected that since she did know the victim she would have less chance than usual to consult. Though maybe not since she hadn't known Connie before the young woman had told her about the assault and that didn't sound like it really qualified as "knowing her." Ben honestly didn't know how that would work.

"I have to do an interview. They would have talked to make last night while they were talking to Connie, but the night shift is small. It was easier to come back than start so late at night. They already have my written statement, but they'll have questions."

Ben's forehead creased in confusion. That wasn't even one of the reasons he'd thought of, and he didn't understand why it was necessary either.

"They want to interview you?"

"I'm a witness. They have to."

"A witness?"

She hadn't seen anything. How could she possibly be a witness? Unless something else had happened on her way back to Hudson to drop Connie off. A thrill of nervousness ran through him. He'd been worried about leaving her alone. Had his fears (which Olivia had believed were over the top) come true?

"I'm the outcry witness," she explained. "The first person Connie told about the assault."

"And that matters?"

Olivia couldn't help being amused. He didn't know anything about the process she'd spend much of her life involved in. He was trying though, but even if he was Olivia honestly preferred that he didn't know too much about it. Even getting a mere glimpse into that world could be dark.

"Yes, Ben. It matters. It'll confirm the consistency of her story. If she'd told me right after it had happened I could testify to her state of mind too."

"Will you have to testify?"

"Probably not, but that's going to be up to Barba."

Ben dropped down onto one of the kitchen stools, and Suvi moseyed over and rested his head on Ben's knee. It was a usual occurrence, so Ben didn't even bat an eye. He did, however, pull a small piece off his muffin and slip it to Suvi. The tidbit was gone in an instant, but even and instant wasn't fast enough. Olivia had spotted it.

"I thought we went over that."

"It was just a small piece!"

"A small piece that turns into another small piece and another small piece. By the end it's not a very small piece."

"Okay, sorry. I'll try to ignore him."

"Mmhm."

She didn't sound convinced in any way. Considering they'd had the same conversation before and he hadn't gotten much better at ignoring Suvi she probably had good reason to be skeptical. A distraction was definitely in order.

"Do you think they'll get the guy?"

Olivia knew exactly what he was doing and narrowed her eyes at him. He tried to look as innocent and generally interested in the answer to the question as possible. Since he was genuinely concerned about Connie and the outcome of her situation it wasn't hard to look the part. Thankfully Olivia allowed the subject change.

"Probably. Since they already know who her attacker was they're a few steps ahead of the game. They're good at their jobs; they'll get him. The question is whether or not Barba can convict him."

"I thought he was good."

"He is, but this is a he said, she said case. They're hard, especially if there's not physical evidence."

Connie had a few fading bruises, but they weren't conclusive of anything. After three days there wasn't anything else left.

"So this guy could get away with it?" Ben asked indignantly.

Anger warmed his voice and seared through his body. Olivia heard it and felt the warmth run through her as well. For her it wasn't anger. It was affection. He didn't like the thought of a guy getting away with hurting a young woman any more than she did. The thought of it visibly pissed him off. That meant quite a lot to Olivia.

"He could. Unfortunately it happens sometimes. I'm hoping the fact that one of her friends heard her boyfriend being pushy about having sex a few times during the party will help her case."

Ben scowled and clenched his jaw. The tension ran through his entire face and made him look almost dangerous. He wasn't looking at anything specific but instead was glaring at the far side of the kitchen. It wasn't the Ben that Olivia knew. She didn't like seeing him like this even if it was in defense of a woman.

"Ben…" She motioned Suvi aside and knelt in front of Ben's chair. "Ben… Come back."

His eyes dropped to hers but his expression hadn't changed. Anger still had a death grip on him. With her free hand Olivia reached up and rubbed her thumb over his cheek. He turned his head into her touch a small amount but didn't relax. Still worried, Olivia released her hand and rubbed his arm.

"Ben, please stop. You're scaring me, and I don't like seeing you like this. Being pissed off isn't going to change anything. Take it from someone who has first-hand experience. Okay?"

He breathed out gustily and slumped over in defeat.

"Okay."

"Good." She kissed his forehead lightly. "Now let me make you something real quick to cheer you up. I don't need you going to work in a bad mood."

Ben watched her skeptically as she headed toward her cabinets.

"What are you making?" he asked like he was almost afraid of the answer.

"What every cop is good at. Well, minus John. Coffee."

She filled a mug with water and stuck it into the microwave to warm up. While she was more than capable of making fresh brewed coffee, there really wasn't time for that.

"Being able to make instant coffee isn't a big talent you know."

"No, but it can instantly make your mood better. That is totally a talent worth having."

She grinned at him and dumped two spoonfuls of coffee grounds and some creamer into the hot water. After stirring it into a smooth dark tan she pressed the mug into his hands. Ben stood and slid one arm around her waist. Already he was feeling better, though that had more to do with her than it did with her coffee.

"You're amazing, you know that? Both now and with Connie last night."

"I do have a talent with victims."

"You have a talent with a lot of things."

Though accepting compliments was definitely not one of them. He'd seen that look in her eyes, but at least she hadn't protested. That was progress. He would definitely take it.