Objection | SVU

Chapter 31

[A/N: Sorry about the really long wait between updates! I've been swamped with assessments and papers and stuff, but I have something like 18 days left in Australia, and then I'll have over a month at home, so I should be able to write much more hopefully. I know a lot of you like this story so I just want to say thank you for bearing with me and being patient! I really appreciate it!]

Carisi and I were whisked away from our squad and taken into black SUVs that were parked outside, and they had federal government plates on them. We were introduced to two of the agents we would be working with, Thompson and Finnigan. The two FBI agents were wearing suits and had their credentials in plain sight. We drove downtown toward the New York Field Office, and Carisi finally opened his mouth - it took him longer than I'd expected.

"Why do you need Mitchell and I on this case?" He asked, and the one who was driving, Finnigan, answered, "You and Detective Mitchell were the first ones to access the evidence on the scene and start making a profile on the perp. We need your help to finish the profile and track down this guy."

I couldn't help but notice how professional and reserved Thompson was being. I immediately pegged Finnigan as the leader of the two, and Thompson was more of a follower. Soon enough, we were at the New York Field Office, and Finnigan got both Carisi and I FBI credentials so that we could enter the building. We went up to the eighth floor, where they had a conference room set up specifically for this case, and we got settled in.

Just as we began setting up visuals and boards for the case, my phone rang. I grabbed it and saw that it was Rafael, and I excused myself from the room and took the call.

"Hey," I said quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone as I walked out into the hallway to look out the windows - the view of the City would always calm me down. Through all the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, I still managed to find my serenity and peace.

"The FBI is here?" Rafael got right into it. I sighed, thinking that it wasn't work related. "Yeah, Carisi and I are at the Field Office now. Why?" He replied, "I heard a rumour going around the office here and I wanted to check it out and hear from the source... They took you and Carisi?"

"Yeah, they have us here working the case with them. It's the Battery Park case, it went serial and it crossed state lines, so it's their case now." Rafael answered, "I figured it was the Battery Park case. That's a tough one... Good luck with the Feds. They can be tough." I answered, "They seem fine so far. They asked for our help, and we're going to give it to them."

Rafael changed the subject, saying, "So does this mean you're gonna have a lot of late nights until you get the perp?" I sighed and pondered the question, replying, "Honestly, Rafi, I'm not sure. I'm hoping to get home by 9pm tonight at the latest." Rafael said, "If you can get off earlier, let me know. I wanted to see if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight... I think it would be good for both of us to get a break and to have some time together."

My heart warmed at the thought, and right as I was about to answer, I heard Carisi say, "Jess, there you are! We need you, we're starting to build the profile." I smiled at him, gestured for him to hold on a second, and returned my attention to the voice on the phone. "Duty calls?" He asked me, and I replied, "Yeah, duty calls. But that sounds great. I'll text you and let you know if I can get out early." Rafael's voice suddenly perked up, and he said, "Okay, I can't wait. Go get that son of a bitch, cariño. I love you." I smiled and replied, "Will do. I love you too, talk to you later."

I hung up and swiftly followed Carisi back toward the conference room, and he asked, "Barba?" I nodded, and he followed up with another question. "How is he doing? I feel like I never see him anymore." I smiled lightly and jokingly said, "I feel the same way too, sometimes. He's good, he's swamped with work right now though." Carisi and I entered the conference room, and Thompson was sitting in a chair at the table as Finnigan finished the visual aid for our investigation.

"Okay, what do we know?" Finnigan asked, and we jumped in to the investigation and began to build a profile.

*

It was around 6pm, and we were hitting a wall for the day. I looked down at my phone, and I saw that Rafael had texted me asking when I'd be coming home for the night. Just as I was about to ask, Finnigan said, "I think we got a lot done today... Want to meet back here tomorrow morning at, let's say, 8:30am?" We all agreed, and Thompson was the first to leave. Finnigan, Carisi and I began walking out together, and I remarked, "Thompson seems more of a follower-type... Is he always this reserved?" Finnigan replied, "Honestly, this is one of the first cases I've worked with him on. Our team usually comes all together, but with the serials out in the Midwest, he and I had to fly out here from there."

We all parted ways with each other for the night, and Carisi and I grabbed a cab back to the precinct to pick up our cars. As we were driving back, my phone rang, and I froze as I realised who was calling me. "You gonna answer that?" He asked me, amused. I simply stated, "It's the Nassau County DA's Office..." Carisi realised what this phone call was, and he prompted me to pick up the phone. So I did.

The conversation was fairly short, maybe 2 or 3 minutes long, and I hung up after hearing what the chief had to say. Carisi looked at me attentively and asked, "So?"

"I got the job. I got it."

I smiled widely as my eyes pretty much bugged out of my head. Carisi hugged me and congratulated me, and he said, "I'm so happy for you, Jess! I know how bad you've wanted that job... That's amazing. Nassau County has no idea how lucky they are." I thanked Carisi for his kind words, and we arrived back at the precinct. We bade each other goodnight, and I got into my car and was about to drive home to meet Rafael when I got a text from him.

I can't wait to see you when you get home, and I can't wait for dinner tonight. Xx

I smiled widely, realising this day was going to have a pretty great ending... I just had to figure out how to tell Rafael the good news.