AN: If you're up to this chapter thanks for reading I really would love to hear from you. I said I would finish this story and finish it I will. The end is a little more rushed than I intended but I'm finding the drive and inspiration for the story waning for me. I have other stories I'd like to write. I think there will be two more parts after this one.

Two weeks out from the trial Erin started having nightmares and her coping strategies began to fail. Jay began finding it hard to manage too but having Erin on the verge of breaking gave him something to focus on. She tried to keep working, the distraction was good but sometimes the anxiety would boil over. She had a panic attack at her desk, another while she was talking to a witness. A week out from the trial Hank told them both to take time off until it was all over.

Erin agreed even though she didn't want to; in reality though she didn't have time for work. ADA Stone wanted to prep her for the trial, which meant going over and over what she was going to say. Stone had seen the video of her interview, he knew what happened, and he had his opinion on what parts of it were most important. He went through it over and over with her, until she could deliver the message how he wanted her to. Mentally it was exhausting; it made her feel like a wreck. Jay would try and sooth her in the evenings but he wasn't the one testifying. His testimony was deemed too risky given he didn't remember any of the events first hand. His memories were fragments mainly constructed through his dreams; he would almost certainly be pulled apart.

The night before the trial Erin paced restlessly around their apartment, while Jay cooked dinner. She was as ready as she was ever going to be. What was freaking her out was the thought it wouldn't be enough, she wanted it over and done with but not with them being free. She felt sure she'd never sleep well again if they walked free.

"It's going to be okay," Jay tried to tell her, "by the end of the week this will all be over and we can focus on the future."

"What if it's not enough?" she asked. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd asked that question.

"It will be," Jay said, though in truth he had the same fear, as much as Stone was saying the case was a sure thing, he knew better than to think that, "and if it isn't we'll deal with it. We've come this far we can keep going."

Erin nodded but she couldn't get her nerves to settle, that night neither of them slept well. In the morning Erin stood staring into her closet, Stone wanted her to wear a skirt. She'd never been a big fan of skirts but she disliked them even more now for the same reason Stone wanted her to wear one. In a skirt she couldn't hide her prosthetic, the jury would see it without it having to be directly mentioned. Reluctantly she selected a plain black skirt and paired it with a white blouse and black jacket.

…

They arrived at the court house to find Stone looking flustered. Hank was with him as well looking less relaxed than they would have liked.

"What's going on?" Erin asked feeling the anxiety she'd been containing well enough begin to surge again.

"The defence has put through motions to supress the other cases and sequester the witnesses."

"What?" Disbelief ran through Erin's body, she felt Jay reach for her hand, "can they do that?" she asked.

"They can try," Stone told them, "but I won't let them succeed."

"Why do you look so flustered then?" Jay asked.

"I always look like this at the start of trials," Stone told them but Jay and Erin both had their doubts. They didn't have time to discuss it further though, the proceedings were about to start.

…

Erin sat alone on a bench outside the courtroom. Stone had lost both motions and she wasn't allowed back in the courtroom until after she'd testified. Jay and Hank had both offered to sit with her but Stone had his reasons for wanting both of them inside. She'd told them she would be okay, and she was doing her best to stay that way. She was hunched forward with her head in her hands, breathing deeply. She wanted to trust Stone but she was beginning to have her doubts. Beside her she felt the weight of someone sit down.

"What are you doing out here?" she heard her mother's voice ask.

"Trying to stay calm," she said looking up; Bunny really was sitting next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see the trial," Bunny said with a shrug, "why aren't you inside?"

"I'm not allowed in until after I testify," she said sitting up.

"Oh," Bunny said twisting her hands together, "would you like me sit with you?"

The question threw Erin; she wasn't used to her mother being nice to her. In fact it was the first time in months she'd even spoken to her, but having someone sit with her would be nice. She'd let Hank and Jay go inside because it was what Stone needed, but she was better if she wasn't alone.

"Okay," she finally nodded, "stay."

Bunny slid closer to her daughter, they sat together as the hours slowly ticked by. At first they sat in silence but gradually they started asking each other questions. Erin asked about her father, about the man who had kidnapped and tortured her. Bunny didn't remember the man, she'd been in a bad place leading up to getting pregnant with Erin. She'd come to the trial in the hope that seeing him might trigger some memory.

Gradually they both opened up to each other it was hard at first but it felt good. Erin told her mom about how scared she was of them being found not guilty; she was scared of them being out there. Bunny acted like she cared, they connected with each other. By the end of the day they'd talked more than they had in a very long time.

…

Inside the court room the trial plodded along, Stone began laying out his case; though without the New York cases his arguments weren't as strong as he'd have hoped. He kept those feelings to himself though and assured Voight, Jay and Erin, everything was going well. Erin was Stone's final witness; he wanted her testimony to be the last thing the jury would have to think about before the defence began putting on their show. For two whole days Erin sat outside the courtroom with Bunny. On day three she finally took the stand.

…

Entering the courtroom Erin felt every set of eyes turn to look at her. Stone had told her not to try and hide her limp, to accentuate it if she wanted to. She walked in normally, showing how damaged she was would help the case but she didn't want to be damaged, she wanted to be strong. She was going to need all the strength she had to get through her testimony.

…

Jay held his hand out as Erin walked past; they brushed hands, the only touch they could manage at this point. Erin's testimony was what everyone in the room had been waiting for; everything Stone had laid down was leading up to this. Everyone was finally going to hear what actually happened.

Jay sat up straight and fixed his eyes on Erin, he could see in her both fear and determination. You've got this, he mouthed to her as Stone asked his first question.

Slowly Erin began describing what had happened over those two days, she tried to keep her eyes locked on Stone but he'd told her to speak to the jury, she had no choice but to look at them, look at Jay.

Jay had told himself he was ready for whatever Erin had to say, he'd been telling himself he knew what had happened, but what he thought he knew only scratched the surface of what really happened. As Erin's story continued he felt his blood run cold, and a sickness build inside of him. It took every one of his coping strategies not to vomit.

Erin could see her story was getting to the jury, several of them looked visibly uncomfortable. She stole a glance at Jay; he was looking ill himself. She closed her eyes and tried to steady herself, but her voice was breaking and she couldn't hold back the tears. The judge asked her if she needed a break, she did need a break but she just wanted to get it finished. "No," she said, but the judge called a ten minute recess anyway. As the jury filed out and the court room emptied she stayed sitting in her seat, she felt weak at the knees and was afraid to stand. Stone had to help her out, and walk over to the bar where Hank and Jay were standing.

"Erin," Jay said holding out his arms. He didn't need to say anymore, everything he wanted to say was conveyed in the tone he said her name. She let him wrap his arms around her and silent tears ran down her face. She didn't want to cry but she couldn't hold it in.

"You need to pull yourself together," she heard Stone tell her; "we're only half way."

She didn't even acknowledge Stone with a response; she just held Jay tighter and tried to calm herself down. It was hard; she could feel Jay shaking too. By the time she took the stand again she was only slightly better. Stone kept asking her about those days, she kept describing different details. He asked if she was sure it was the defendants, she said yes. Within an hour her words were coming back to bite her. Testifying for Stone had been exhausting but the cross examination almost destroyed her. Her words were twisted, pulled apart and used against her. Stone objected as much as he could but the defence attorney was good, he found every single hole in what she'd said and used it against her.

By the time the defence attorney said he had no further questions, her voice was horse from yelling, from trying to defend herself. The judge told her she could step down but she couldn't stand, the bailiff helped her up and walked her to the bar where Hank and Jay were waiting. She didn't look at Stone, she had no words for him, instead she collapsed into Hanks arms and the judge adjourned the court for the day.

…

Jay ached for Erin with every bone in his body. It had been horrible for him to hear the words come out of her mouth. Imagining what she must be feeling was impossible. He understood better now why it had been so difficult for her, why she found it so hard to talk about. He'd feel the same way if it had been him.

…

Hank was furious at Stone, every one of his fears around Erin testifying has come to be, and worse than he'd imagined. Her testimony hadn't gone well; the defence had torn her to pieces. As he stood holding her he could feel her slowly relaxing into him and the tension leave her body. He wouldn't tell her how bad he thought it went. The trial wasn't over.

Around them the courtroom emptied. He helped Erin sit down, the look on her face said she knew how bad it had gone.

"You did good," he told her, telling her anything else would be pointless and she had done well, as well as she could have.

"It was terrible," she said before turning to Jay. "I'm sorry," she told him, "they're going to get away with it and it's all my fault."

"You don't know that," Jay tried to tell her, "it's not over, you weren't here to see everything Stone has already done."

"None of that matters," she said shaking her head. "Take me home please."

"Okay," Jay said helping her up.

As a group they walked out the courtroom together, sitting up the back waiting for them was Bunny. She met eyes with Erin and gave her a sad smile. "It's going to be alright," she told her as they walked past, "they won't get away with what they've done."

She didn't stop long enough to respond to her mom, she didn't want to go over all the reasons why it wasn't going to be alright.

…

Away from the courthouse Jay and Erin tried to talk about what had happened. Erin didn't want to talk though. For her weeks of stress had finally been released and then immediately replaced by a new kind of stress. For Jay he finally had the answers to questions he'd been asking, he needed to talk about it but Erin was closing in on him again.

"Not tonight Jay please," Erin said lying down on the sofa, "I can't talk about it anymore today."

"Tomorrow?" he asked, "I understand why you don't want to talk but you know holding it all in won't make it go away."

"I know," she said looking up at him, "just not tonight, I'm exhausted."

"Okay," Jay said running a hand through her hair, "I'll make us dinner and we cannot talk about it together."

…

For the next two days the defence put on their case. It was hard for everyone to listen to; their main point was that these people were model citizens who couldn't possibly have done what was being suggested. Without the other cases to show the pattern their argument was easy to believe.

Stone did a good job of challenging their arguments. In between sessions he kept telling them the case was still theirs. Against their better judgement they choose to believe him, they trusted him, and they knew they had the right people, surely the jury would see that too.

By the time closing arguments were finished they were beginning to think Stone really had done it. The case felt good, it was going to be over. They waited patiently at the bar across the road while the jury deliberated. Six hours later Stone's pager went off to say the jury was back.

AN: As always I'd love to hear from you. Sorry for rushing the end of this story.