Life Barson Story

Life Chapter 1

Author's note: This is an Alternative Universe Barson story. It is going to be a very long story.

Timeline Payback is the first episode of Law And Order Special Victims Unit. In it viewers learn that Olivia Benson has been with The Special Victims Unit for a year and a half.

This story starts weeks before she starts working in SVU. I am aware that on the show Olivia starts out at 31, but since this is an AU story I have adjusted ages.

In this story Olivia starts out 27

Rafael starts out 29

Olivia starts out in this story with the haircut from Season 1.

March 1,1998

It was 10PM as a depressed Rafael Barba walked slowly into The Night Owl, New York City's first 24 hour cafe and bookstore. He read about it in The New York Times, and he feared if he didn't check it out now he would never have the opportunity again. The place was packed and within seconds he regretted his decision. He needed quiet. He held on tightly to his briefcase, and stood motionless, just contemplating as life went on around him.
"Kevin, give me the strongest coffee possible please." A voice called above the crowd , bringing Barba out of his thoughts, Suddenly, he was moving to the coffee counter, and within seconds he found himself standing behind the owner of that voice.
"You got it.!" The young man behind the counter replied. He turned away, quickly, prepared her cup, and handed it to her, slowly. "It's on the house, Officer Benson. Feel free to arrest me at anytime, I've been a bad boy. I need you to discipline me." Kevin said.
Barba rolled his eyes at the corniness , and the inappropriate nature of the line. He watched with a smile as the brunette placed money on the counter."No thanks, I can pay for my own coffee." She replied. Kevin took the money, and frowned. Officer Benson quickly strode away..
Barba was up next in line, and he moved an inch forward. He gave his order "A medium black coffee." He said quickly. Kevin turned away, and prepared the drink quickly. When he was done, he handed Barba the cup. Barba looked at the large menu on the wall, which listed the prices in large print. Without a word he reached into his pocket, gave Kevin exact change, and walked away with his order. He scanned the cafe area looking for an empty seat, there was only one. "Excuse me, may I sit with you? " He asked. The woman who had stood in line in front of him moments ago looked up from her paperwork, and scanned the cafe area herself."I was just leaving." You can have the table to yourself."

The woman picked up her coffee, and was about to get up when Barba spoke again. "Please, don't get up, enjoy your coffee. I'm not an axe murder." He said, smiling at her.

Barba watched as she studied his face for a moment, before speaking. "You can sit, but I have to warn you. I'm armed." She said.

"I'll remember that. " He answered, sitting down. He extended his hand. to her. "Rafael Barba." She stared at him for a few seconds before taking his hand, and shaking it. "Olivia Benson.""It's a pleasure to meet you." Barba replied"Listen, Barba, I'm reading. I didn't come here to be hit on."
"I'm not hitting on you," "Good,." She answered. She took a sip of her coffee, and stared down at her paperwork. She looked up a moment later. "So what are you doing here?""There's nowhere else to sit, and I don't feel like going home yet. What are you reading?""Rape statistics," She replied Barba's green eyes filled with a mixture of horror, shock, and worry for the beautiful young woman sitting before him. "I'm a cop, a detective. In a few weeks I'm being transferred to Manhattan's Special Victims Unit.""That's commendable." Barba said.

"No, it's not. it's something I have to do. You seem... sad. Why don't you want to go home?""It's a long story.""I have time, and this place is open all night. " She replied.

Barba sighed, and took a long sip of coffee before speaking again. "There's a small boutique across the street, Isabella's. They had a fashion show tonight. My girlfriend begged me to buy tickets. I left work early, I traveled here from the Bronx, and she stood me up."

"Is she OK?" The detective asked., her brown eyes filled with concern. "She's fine. 2 hours into the show, one of Isabella's employees found me, and brought me to the phone .My girlfriend said she was held up at work. Before she called, I was worried out of my mind. I should be at home now, preparing a motion, but here I am drowning my sorrows in caffeine.""Don't feel that bad, you don't know how many dates I had to cancel because I had to go to a crime scene. You said you had to prepare a motion. You're an attorney?""A defense attorney." Barba said, he watched as the woman rolled her eyes."Oh. you're one of those." Detective Benson said.
"Everyone is entitled to a fair trial, Detective." Barba replied, quickly."Every defense attorney I know uses underhanded tactics to get their guilty clients off." She said, taking a long sip of coffee."You don't know me." He said, watching her continue to sip coffee. He felt a sudden need to defend his position in the criminal justice system. "If the state wants to put a client of mine in jail, the state has to prove it. I don't use underhanded tricks, I use the law.""To keep guilty people out of jail." Detective Benson said, suddenly feeling the need to defend every victim she had ever come across to this man.
"No, to keep the innocent ones out of jail. If the state convicts my client they have to have evidence, not underhanded tricks.""If that's true, you're the first defense attorney I've met with integrity." Detective Benson, replied softly.
Barba smiled. I do have integrity If you were accrued of murder, you would want someone to defend you. Without defense attorneys, the system you are so dedicated to would crumble, and fall.""How do you know I'm dedicated?" She asked.
"Because you're here on a Friday night, reading rape statistics weeks before you even have a case, when you could be reading a book you enjoy. You could be out with someone having a good time, but you're here, preparing." Barba took a sip of coffee."You're preparing too." She answered. After a few more sips of coffee she continued. "How do you do it? The whole relationship thing?""It's difficult, especially with the profession I chose, but having a relationship is rewarding." Barba answered."I'm sure, your girlfriend is great, but romantic relationships are not rewarding, they're suffocating.""You get bored with people?" He asked, taking a sip of coffee."No, boredom has nothing to do with it. Relationships are people getting together in order to continuously take from each other."
"That's a sad way to define it." Barba replied, sympathetically."Maybe, it's sad, but it's true.""You just haven't found the right person." Barba replied, he watched as she downed the rest of her coffee.The young detective gathered her things, and stood. "Good luck with your girlfriend." She said, before Barba could say anything, she walked away.