blues and greens (barson)

xxi.

August 8, 2022 was the first day of the trial of the People vs Sebastian and Sophia Sullivan. The grand jury had been a week before. Olivia and all the children, except Noah, had testified.
Olivia wasn't allowed to attend the opening statements as she was the first witness ADA Carisi was going to call, but Rafael was seated directly behind Carisi's chair. Noah was next to him, much to Liv's dismay, but the other three children were also on the witness list for the prosecution, having been approved by the judge to answer questions for the trial.
Rafael had spent the week prior preparing the kids with Carisi, they had taken turns asking questions. His experience being a defense attorney was incredibly handy because he knew the kinds of things they ask so he was able to prepare the three kids for any  possible questions thrown their way.
Their playing court had also been good preparation because they had learned different phrases the lawyers and judge would use and if that meant they would have to answer questions or not.
Rafael and Noah were holding hands as they listened to Carisi's opening statement. He was confident and eloquent, sure of himself.
Noah leaned toward Rafa, "he sounds really good."
Rafael nodded, he wholeheartedly agreed and if he wasn't as nervous as he was, he would've been proud.
Carisi had done well with the jury, picking a lot of parents. The defense had managed to slip a couple in that he was unsure of, but he felt his case was strong.

"The people call Captain Olivia Benson," Carisi stated.
Noah squeezed Rafael's hand.
Liv still had a slight limp and was still moving a bit slower than normal as she took the stand.
"Good morning, Captain," the ADA greeted.
Liv gave a small smile.
"You were the one who took the initial statement of the first child to make an appearance?" Carisi inquired.
She nodded, "I was. She arrived at the precinct unaccompanied and refused to speak to anyone except me."
"Were you aware of the situation prior to her arrival?"
"No," she responded.
The questions went on exactly as they had prepared.
When Carisi went to sit, he gave the slightest nod to Barba.
The defense lawyer was someone new, Carisi had never heard of her, and surprisingly, neither had Rafael. Her name was Maria Benito and she had deep brown hair which drastically contrasted her icy blue eyes.
She carried herself with more confidence and cockiness than Rafael, which reminded him of Liv's advice to not be too cocky because it turned a jury off. Clearly this woman hadn't received that memo.
Her questions were almost demeaning in nature, as though Olivia was on trial.
Carisi was objecting every few questions and the judge seemed to agree with him wholeheartedly.
Listening to her questioning made Rafael grow more nervous about the three children. He'd pressed, he'd prodded and poked at them, ensuring that they knew the defense wouldn't go easy and he was confident in them... but this woman worried him.
When Maria had failed to find some hole in Liv's story, she declared that she was done with this witness.
Olivia gave Rafael a look as she passed him on her way out.
It wasn't certain that they would get to the kids today but he hoped they would do they could get this out of the way for them. He was worried enough about the three of them sitting in the witness room with Rollins.
The friends of the Delgados and the Paxylls that the squad had found were next. Two friends each and they all testified to the fact that there were no issues leading up to the births of these children. In fact both couples were perfect prior to having children, but once the kids were born it was as if those people disappeared and were replaced by imposters. The ladies disappeared from social lives and the men grew more aggressive. All four of the stories told by these friends were so similar that it was scary.
After their testimonies it was time for lunch. 
Noah held tightly to Rafa's hand the whole time, when they stepped out during the recess to stretch their legs and get food, Liv joined them.
"How's it going?" She whispered.
"Carisi is doing good," Rafael nodded, "hard to read the jury, though."
"There's a media circus out front," she informed.
"Great."
"She's kinda mean," Noah whispered.
Both adults nodded and the three of them quietly ate their lunches, worrying about the three absent family members.