Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy :)

"...but isn't it in fact true, Mrs Burns, that you left your husband earlier this year?"

"Yes, I did."

"And isn't it also true that you would do almost anything in your power to make your divorce as difficult and acrimonious as possible?"

"No, that's not true..."

"Well if your husband was in jail, convicted of assaulting and raping you, you would have a greater claim on the family finances, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not a divorce attorney..."

"You're saying it never crossed your mind that you might gain financially from concocting this pack of lies?"

"Of course it didn't..."

"So you're telling the truth to this court then?"

"Yes, I am."

"Your husband beat and raped you for the best part of fifteen years, is that what you want this jury to believe?"

"It's the truth!"

"And yet you're very hazy on the details, Mrs Burns. You talk about events that allegedly happened but you can't remember exact dates or locations."

"I..."

"Why is that, Mrs Burns? Is it because you can't remember which lie you've told?"

"No..."

"There's just so many lies, aren't there Mrs Burns? It must be hard to keep them all straight in your head!"

"Objection!"

Ben paused and looked over his glasses. "You're a witness, Evelyn, you don't get to object."

"You're badgering me," she replied, glaring at him.

"Then you need to hope that Jack objects, not you." He looked at her. "Do you want to stop?"

"Yes," she sighed, leaning back in the chair. "We could go over it a hundred times and it still wouldn't make a difference. The truth is, I'm not going to know exactly what I'm going to say until I'm on the stand."

"In cross anyway. You know what you're going to say on direct, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll be fine." He tossed his glasses onto the table and rubbed his eyes. "You want to eat out? There's a new Chinese place just off Times Square that everyone in the office has been raving about."

"Sure. I'll just go change." As she wandered into the bedroom, the harshness of the exchange still ringing in her ears, she couldn't help the butterflies twisting and turning in her stomach. In thirty six hours she would be taking the stand against Edward and telling the world everything that had happened between them. Of course, it wasn't the first time that she had been so close to testifying but back then she had had the comforting thought of her baby nestled inside her and the knowledge that Ben would be right there, silently cheering her on.

This time, she had neither.

She knew he had offered to go over the mock cross examination with her more to take his mind off his own problems rather than help alleviate hers. It had been almost a week since he had seen the children and four days since Laura had received notification of the hearing. Every day since, she knew that he had been waiting for the phone to ring or even for Peter and Pamela to suddenly turn up on his doorstep again. Neither had happened and every night when they went to bed, she could feel the weight of his anxiety on top of her own.

Changing out of the sweatpants and t-shirt she had elected to wear on a lazy Saturday into a pair of dark jeans and a sweater, she looked at herself in the mirror and had to marvel at how haggard she had become. There were dark circles under her eyes, magnified by the paleness of her complexion, and she could feel the beginning of an acne outbreak along her jaw line, not to mention a poking through of grey hairs at her scalp. As she reached into her makeup bag, her nail caught on the edge of a compact and split down the middle. "Damn..."she swore, hunting for a file, knowing it was yet but another sign of how run down she felt.

"You look great," Ben complimented her when she finally came out into the living room and she smiled gratefully at him.

"You'd probably tell me I looked great if I came out wearing a binbag," she replied, hunting for her purse. "You're allowed to be honest, you know."

"I am being honest."

"I believe you, twelve honest citizens wouldn't."

"Why do you do that?" he asked, crossing the room towards her.

"Do what?"

"Always put yourself down."

"I don't," she laughed lightly. "In fact, I'm pretty confident in my own abilities. Didn't I just object to your completely out of line question?"

"I'm not talking professionally, I'm talking personally," he said, putting his arms around her waist. "Did he never tell you that you were beautiful?"

"Ben..." she tried unsuccessfully to pull back, discomfited by his question, but he only held her tighter. "I doubt his lawyer is going to ask me that."

"I'm asking you," he regarded her carefully. "Did he never tell you that you were beautiful?"

She paused and thought back. Edward had always been a man of few words when it came to compliments, preferring to demonstrate how he felt physically rather than verbally and not always in the way she would have wanted. "Maybe at the very beginning. Latterly, not so much."

"Then he's a bigger asshole than I ever gave him credit for," Ben said, kissing her lightly, "because you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen."

"Just one of?" she teased. "Who am I competing with?"

"No one," he replied, kissing her again. "There is no-one like you and if we don't get out of here now, I'm going to be taking you to bed as opposed to dinner."

XXXX

The restaurant in question, The Woo Lan, was crowded as could only have been expected on a Saturday night and as they waited in line for a table, Evelyn found herself scanning the other diners and passers-by and wondering, as she often did, what their stories were. It was a habit she had started not long after marrying Edward, when sitting in a coffee shop and watching the world, and its inhabitants go by, had been an escape rather than simply a pleasurable pastime.

The couple sat at a table near the window who barely looked at each other. Was it just habit that brought them out for dinner? Had they been together so long that conversation had just run dry? Had they had an argument and thought eating out would diffuse the tension between them, or were they simply just so comfortable in each other's company that conversation didn't really matter?

The family in front of them. Mom, Dad and two young boys who were clearly hungry and impatient, stamping their feet, whining and desperately trying to pull their parents out of the line. Was coming to the restaurant a last ditch attempt to assuage the kids and stop them running riot at home? Maybe Mom or Dad or both had had a bad day and needed a break from the endless cooking.

The college aged girl standing behind them, on her own, reading a book while she waited. Was she a student at NYU or did she live nearby? Was she going to be meeting someone for dinner or was she happy to eat alone?

Everyone had a story, and Evelyn couldn't sometimes help but wonder if anyone, doing what she was doing, would ever guess hers. It was unlikely. After all, Sarah had said it belonged in a soap rather than real life. Sometimes, she couldn't help but wish that someone would just yell cut.

A waiter hurried over and motioned to the family of four to follow him which left her and Ben at the head of the line and her stomach grumbled at the delicious smells wafting across the restaurant. Lunch had been a somewhat wilted salad found in Ben's refrigerator and she was looking forward to digging in to some battered prawns and fried rice. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too much longer and, five minutes later, they were sat at a table perusing the menu.

"I used to take the kids to this little Chinese place a few blocks from the apartment," Ben said. "It was called Chows and it wasn't exactly gourmet Chinese cuisine but they always loved it, especially the fortune cookies you used to get on the way out." He smiled wistfully. "Something else that just fell by the wayside as they got older."

"Well you could always bring them here when they come to stay," she said supportively.

"If they come to stay."

"They will."

They ordered quickly and once the waiter had removed the menus, Ben reached across the table and took her hands in his. "You know, I'm not sure what I did with my weekends before I met you. I must have spent a hell of a lot of time sitting home on my own."

"You must have gone out sometimes."

He shrugged, "Not that often. Most of my friends were married with their own families, are married with their own families, and the more times you go and sit in the same bar on your own, the more people talk about you."

"Has there really been no-one else?" she asked curiously. "No-one else since Laura?"

"Well...there was this one woman, Stephanie. I met her in that bar funnily enough. It was a jazz bar and she liked jazz music, or so she said. I'd seen her a couple of times when I'd been in before and this one time she came over and talked to me..."

"And?"

"And...she was nice. We had a few things in common, went out for dinner and drinks a few times..." he shrugged again. "I knew it was never going to go anywhere and I don't really think that I wanted it to, but it was nice to have some company for once."

"Did you sleep with her?"

"Maybe," he replied as the waiter brought their first course. "But there's no comparison when it comes to you."

"I'm flattered."

"You should be." For a moment they ate in silence. "Would Edward have brought you to a place like this?"

"No," she replied. "Not if it meant waiting in line to be seated. He preferred a maitre d' to practically have a heart attack when he saw his name on a reservation list and then fall over himself to give us the best service. I suppose it was nice." She looked down into her dumplings. "I feel much more at home here with you though."

"Good thing I cancelled that reservation at the Four Seasons then."

"Absolutely."

For the remainder of the meal they talked about general things, cases recently decided by the Supreme Court, the policies of the new mayor and Clinton signing the Brady bill on firearms so that by the time Ben settled up the bill and they were heading outside, Evelyn had almost forgotten all the other things going on. They were just a regular couple enjoying a Saturday night out.

"Why don't we go up the Empire State Building?" Ben suggested suddenly as the cold evening air hit them. Evelyn stared at him. "What? Consider it as you conquering a fear."

"I'm going into court on Monday morning to face one of my biggest fears," she replied, the memories flooding back as she had known they would. "I really don't think I need to do two in rapid succession."

"Come on," he persisted. "If you do this tonight, then Monday is going to seem like a breeze in comparison."

She paused and checked her watch, "It's almost eight-thirty."

"So, it's open until two am." He took her arm. "You know, deep down, that you want to."

"As much as I'm sure you want to do a harbour cruise."

"I'll make you a promise," he said decisively. "If you do this tonight then, once the trial is over, I'll get on a boat for you."

"I don't know..."

"Well if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me. If you get scared it means I get to hold you and you know how much I enjoy doing that."

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "But if I faint, you have to carry me home."

"Deal," he grinned.

It didn't take long to reach their destination and, given the time of night, the line was fairly short. The whole time that she stood, waiting on the elevator, Evelyn couldn't help but wonder why she was doing it. She hated heights. She had made that very clear to him in the past. So why was she prepared to go up God only knew how many storeys just to keep him happy? Sarah's words suddenly came back to her. Haven't you just left a marriage where you did and said everything your husband wanted you to do and say?

Because when you love someone, you do things for them, she told herself, and it's not as if he asked you to jump off the building, is it?

As the first elevator shot them midway up the tower, Evelyn closed her eyes and tried to get herself to relax. Nothing could possibly happen to her. Ben was there...everything would be fine. The line at the second elevator was slightly longer and as they waited, she suddenly realised that she was ever so slightly shaking.

"Are you ok?" Ben whispered.

"Fine," she lied. "I swear to God, though, this better be worth it."

"It will be," he reassured her as they finally stepped inside and travelled the rest of the way up.

Evelyn wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but the blast of icy cold wind when they stepped outside momentarily took her breath away. To all sides she could see the lights of the city, burning brightly in the skyscrapers and as they stepped further out, she was grateful for the high metal barriers preventing even the most determined people from being able to get too close to the edge.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Ben said.

"Sure."

"You don't sound convinced."

"That's because I'm not." She shivered and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him and resting his chin on the top of her head. Even through the thickness of her own coat, and his, she could feel his warmth and, ever so slowly, she started to relax. Around them, people were going over to the barrier, posing for photographs or looking through the telescopes and as she felt her breathing start to slow, she realised that he had been right. Coming up here, facing a long-held fear...it did put things somewhat in perspective. She had been afraid of heights all her life and if she could do this, then there was no way in hell that she couldn't face Edward on Monday morning.

"Will you marry me?"

Ben's words caught her off guard, jolting her from her reverie and she started, twisting to look at him over her shoulder, unsure if she had heard correctly. "What?"

"I said, will you marry me?" he repeated, his mouth close to her ear. "I know I said before that I wanted to marry you, but I didn't actually properly ask you, did I?"

She turned in his arms to look at him, at the sincerity of his expression, the hopeful anticipation and suddenly, she didn't know what to say. "I..."

"I could go down on one knee if you like, but I figured I'd need a ring and it's probably best to wait until you're divorced for that." He pulled her tightly into him, his breath dancing over her face. "In case you missed it somewhere along the line, I love you Evelyn Nicholls and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, be it long or be it short. So...I wanted you to come up here so that I could ask you if you would do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

In the face of it, what other answer could she give? Even if she was unsure, to break the tender moment with her insecurity almost felt somehow sacrilegious, especially in the current setting, and she knew that she loved him and that he loved her. The fact that he had used her maiden name only cemented that for her. What could be more natural than making such a promise to each other?

"Yes," she heard herself say. "Yes, I'll marry you."

XXXX

Sleep came easily to Ben that night. Sated with good food, drunk on the acceptance to his proposal and exhausted by the intense sex that had followed, he was pretty sure he had been asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. So, when the phone by the bed started to ring, he initially thought it was some kind of dream and it had rung a good five or six times before he found the wherewithal to snap on the light and lift the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I'm looking to speak to Benjamin Stone?"

"I'm Ben Stone," he replied, sitting up, rubbing his eyes and squinting at the clock on the bedside table. "Who's this?"

"This is Detective Joe Harvey from the East Hartford Police Department. I'm sorry to disturb you at this time of night, sir, but we have your children here at the precinct and..."

"What?!" Suddenly he was wide awake, his mind racing. "What are they doing there? Are they all right?"

"They're both fine, however there was an incident at 1121 Laurel Drive earlier this evening and I'm afraid that your ex-wife, Laura Williams, and her partner, Mark O'Reilly, have both been taken into custody."

"What the hell happened?!" Ben demanded as Evelyn sat up beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'd prefer to discuss that with you in person, sir, if you don't mind," Detective Harvey replied. "We tried contacting your ex-wife's parents but apparently they're out of town on vacation. Your son gave us your number and I'm hoping that you'll able to come up here and collect them."

"Uh, yes, of course...of course I will. It'll take me a couple of hours to get there though..."

"That's not a problem. We can make them comfortable until then."

"They're definitely not hurt?" he asked.

"I can assure you, sir, that they're both physically fine. A little upset is all, especially your daughter, but we have a female officer with them right now."

"Ok...ok, thank you. I'll be there as soon as I can." He slammed the receiver down and leapt out of bed.

"What is it?" Evelyn asked, her face ghostlike in the dim light. "What's happened?"

"Laura and Mark have been arrested," he replied, casting around for his clothes. "There's been some sort of 'incident' at home and Peter and Pamela are at the police station."

"Oh my God, are they ok?"

"The officer said so but..." he pulled on his pants and sweater. "I have to go and get them. What time is it?"

"Almost two."

"Ok, so two hours to get there, maybe less if I put my foot down..."

"Ben..."

"I should be there before four." He paused. "I should probably take some things...in case I need to get a hotel."

"You absolutely need to get a hotel," Evelyn insisted, getting out of the bed. "There's no way you can drive up there, deal with the police and then drive back down here with the kids. Remember how you felt the last time."

Reaching into the closet, Ben pulled out a gym bag and started throwing some clothes into it, unsure whether what he was packing was actually appropriate attire, instead thinking only of his children. What the hell happened? his inner voice demanded. Laura and Mark both arrested? What in God's name has been going on in that house?!

"Here," Evelyn handed him his wash bag and he stuffed it in alongside everything else before heading out into the living room to retrieve his wallet. "Wait...please..." he stopped and turned back to face her. "I know you want to get there but please, please don't be speeding. You'll do no-one any good if you get pulled over or have an accident..."

"I'll be fine," he said dismissively, knowing that she was only being sensible but unable to see past his children sitting in some interrogation room somewhere. He lifted his keys from the counter. "I'll call you as soon as I know anything."

"Ok...I love you."

"I love you too," he said, the apartment door banging closed behind him before he had finished the full sentiment.