I do not think it's going to happen for a variety of reasons I have previously discussed but the concept of Rafa bringing up Lewis is delicious and I was thinking about it in the shower like. Come with me on this journey:
Rafa has been questioning Liv and it's fine. And then
"Captain Benson, who is William Lewis?"
And Carisi jumps up "objection!"
"goes to credibility, your honor"
"you have a little leeway, Mr Barba. But get to the point."
"Captain Benson, who is William Lewis?"
And Liv is just looking at him like don't. You know that look. Big eyes looking up at him from under her lashes all full of hurt.
"William Lewis was a serial rapist and murderer."
She's not giving him an inch.
"what is your connection to him?"
"my squad investigated him several years ago."
Rafa getting not frustrated exactly but like, a little heated, bc she's refusing to answer the question fully, but like, of course she is.
"Captain Benson, did William Lewis hold you hostage for four days in 2013?"
Please know, Elliot is in the gallery and he is now actively dying. Olivia can't look at him.
"did you beat Mr Lewis to the point of death with a metal bar?"
Liv looks like if she could she'd jump up out of the box and unhinge her jaw and swallow Rafa whole like a snake.
"during his trial, you testified that Mr Lewis was holding a gun and threatening you, and that you struck him to defend yourself, correct?"
"don't do this, Rafa." She says it very, very quietly but everyone hears. The jury staring bc they were not previously aware of any connection between Liv and Barba. Elliot staring bc he doesn't understand any of this.
"that is what I said, yes."
There's a long, long moment of silence, her just looking at him.
"Mr Lewis testified that he was handcuffed at the time, no threat to you, and that you hit him anyway. Almost killed him. You testified that he was not handcuffed and was an active threat to your life. Captain Benson, was that true?"
"no," she says, very quietly.
"no. So you lied under oath. My question for you captain is, why should we believe anything you say now?"
And Olivia just. Fucking. Snaps. Stands up in the box, the court officer approaches with his hand on his gun, the judge is banging her gavel, Carisi stands up, hell Elliot stands up.
"Don't you think I learned my lesson, Rafael?" She yells at him when he turns his back on her. "When I was in that fucking silo with my legs duct taped to that goddamn table, don't you think I learned my lesson?"
The judge is disturbed but she has a job to do.
"Captain Benson, you will restrain yourself or you will be held in contempt," she says, but her voice is shaking.
"redirect, your honor?" From Carisi.
Judge nods, Carisi approaches Liv, gives her the hey mom you ok look.
"Captain Benson, what had William Lewis done prior to the moment when you struck him?"
Liv knows why he's doing this but she really, really wishes he wouldn't. "he'd raped, tortured, and killed multiple women in multiple states. He'd held me for four days with no food, hardly any water. He'd beaten me, broken my ribs, given me a concussion. Burned me with cigarettes. Drugged me. Made me watch while he..."
Her voice trails off and Carisi doesn't make her finish.
"if I hadn't, he would have walked. There was one woman on the jury who was determined to throw the whole case. She later helped Lewis escape from prison, at which time he raped several more women, including a teenage girl, killed several people, and kidnapped a child. If I had told the truth, we would have lost, and he would have been free to hurt God only knows how many people."
Judge calls for a recess and Liv bolts. Rafael chases after her but Elliot gets between him and Liv, snarling, don't fucking come near her. Rafael steps back, watches Elliot reach for her.
She says don't fucking touch me and they have an almost physical fight, that scramble where he's reaching for her and she's trying to shake him off and both their arms are flailing until he catches her face in his hands and lowers his forehead to hers and Rafa watches in amazement as Liv just. goes slack. Shoulders slump, and the tension leaves her, and she's leaning into Elliot, and he's never seen her give that much of herself to anyone. Even when Noah was missing she only let Rafa hold her for a second. She pulled away, pulled herself together. Here, now, she is trusting Elliot with all of herself.
"I'm so proud of you Liv," Elliot says harshly, and it's the last thing Rafa expected him to say. "I'm so fucking proud of you."
Bc Elliot had to hear what Lewis did to her, what she did to Lewis, had to hear how she lied, how she was hurt, but all that matters to him is that she survived. And that's what she needs in that moment, more than anything else, is to hear him say I know why you did what you did, and you were not wrong, and I am proud of you for surviving.
