Objection | SVU

Chapter 1

After Barba had briefed us on the case, I sat down at my desk and began going through the case file that we had put together. Munch came over and sat on the edge of my desk as I went through the papers, and he finally broke the silence.

"Why didn't you tell any of us that you're studying law at NYU?"

My eyes grew wide, and I looked up at Munch, who was smiling softly down at me. It was one thing for Amaro to know, but now Munch, my Sergeant, knew. I was struggling to find words that would explain my decision to Munch, but he had already found the words for me. "You think that the team would see you as incapable of balancing law school and being in the field, don't you?" I nodded very discreetly, and Munch replied, "That's not it at all, Jess. If anything, that proves that you're incredibly capable... Do you know what you want to do with your law degree when you graduate?" I sighed and answered, "You know, Munch, I'm not really sure... I was thinking about applying for a position in the ADA's office, but I already feel like I've found a home here. Plus, the law classes I'm taking are helping me with my casework here."

Munch smiled, patted my shoulder, and as he was about to walk away, he said, "I think that you should talk to Barba about his experiences as an ADA. That might be able to give you some insight." I nodded swiftly and thanked Munch, and I resumed my paperwork. I was still curious as to how he found out, but I figured it out as I saw some of my papers for my classes laying on my desk with the letter header for NYU School of Law. I shuffled them all together and put them away, and I went to work on the case.

*

As we prepared for the arraignment and trial, I couldn't help but listen to Barba's input and arguments. He was extremely intelligent, and he was always ready for an argument. We gathered the case evidence and the details, and Benson asked, "So, how many charges do we have against this guy?" Amaro replied, "Well, for starters, we've got him for statutory rape." The gears in my head began turning, and I said, "What about aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault of a minor, and sexual exploitation?" The entire team looked at me with raised eyebrows, and Benson asked, "What do you think, Barba?" I looked over at Barba, who thought for a moment and replied, "She's right. He didn't just rape minors, he broke other laws in the process. The aggravated sexual assault charge would be true, and the defensive wounds on the victims are good evidence of that. If he gets charged with that, he has to get charged with sexual assault of a minor, as well. Molestation and solicitation of child pornography were also part of his MO, which would make him good for sexual exploitation."

Munch and Amaro gave me an approving look, and I smirked. Law school was helping me out more than I thought it was. After the preparations were over, I returned to my desk and began filing some papers and finishing one of my papers for a class. Within 20 minutes, I found myself getting a text from Benson that said,

Hey Jess. Barba wants to see you at the DA's office, you should probably head over.

My insides tingled as I read the text over again silently, and I grabbed my jacket, along with my keys, wallet, and phone. I shut down my laptop and got up to leave, and I made my way to the District Attorney's Office.

*

The walk, along with the elevator ride up to Barba's office, was terrible. I had no clue why he wanted to see me, and I had no idea what to expect. I was afraid that he would be mad at me for what I said during the preparation for the arraignment and trial, but I was hoping that I was wrong. I was now on the third floor of the New York District Attorney's Offices, and I followed the directions that Benson had given me on how to get to his office.

I approached the door, took a deep breath, and knocked three times with my knuckles. I had already gone past Barba's secretary's desk- it was around 10pm, and nobody was there. The only people in the building right now were NYPD officers working night shifts, and attorneys readying their cases for court. I heard his voice say, "Come in!"

I took another deep breath- why was I so nervous? Yeah, Barba was good looking and charismatic, but we were coworkers, and I knew that the relationship between us would be nothing but professional. I twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, and he looked up from his paperwork to see me. I could swear that I saw the faintest hint of a smile, but before I could be sure, his face was back to his usual expression; calm, yet in charge. "Ah, Jess, please sit down." I nervously closed the door behind me as I sat across from him at his desk.

After a few moments of silence, I finally blurted, "I'm sorry if I said something wrong in the meeting going over the preparation for the arraignment and trial." I looked shyly up at Barba, and he chuckled and replied, "No, you didn't say anything wrong. In fact, everything was right. I was impressed." I blushed at his compliment, and he smirked. I knew that he was superior to me, and he was in control of this situation and this conversation. I was curious as to where it was going to go.

"Well, I'd like to get to know you a little bit better. Right now I only know your name and your past assignment with the NYPD."

I was taken aback. Why did Barba want to know more about me? I was just some little detective, what could he possibly want with me?

Well, we sat in his office for over 2 hours, getting to know each other more and more. Barba eventually discovered that I was studying law at NYU, which he wasn't surprised about. He told me, "I had a feeling that you were studying law by the way that you were analyzing this case and the legal aspects of it." He paused, taking a sip of coffee from a cup on his desk, and then asked me, "What was your undergrad in?" I replied, "Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies with a minor in Criminal Justice. I went to NYU for undergrad, too." Barba seemed pleased, and he asked another question. "So when do you take your bar?" I sighed and replied, "Since I'm going part time for law school, I think I have at least another year, maybe two before I can take it."

Barba smirked and said, "Well, I could teach you alot before then."

My brain was scrambling. Was Barba flirting with me?

What he said next affirmed my confusion.

"We can start with a date at Forlini's tomorrow night at 9."