AN: I'm fast forwarding the story to after Christmas, and it is time for Justin's trial. Also, I only have a vague idea of what goes on in court, so please bear with me :) I don't know if I mentioned it in previous chapters or not, but Justin is also being accused of stalking Nicole, and assaulting Erika.

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"Brock, I don't know if I can do this." Erika said to him as they were getting ready to leave for court.

"Rika, you have to. He's got to pay for what he did." He wrapped his arms around her. "You're strong enough for this."

"I think I just needed to hear you say that. What time is George coming?" George Henderson was the lawyer in charge of the case.

Brock released her and looked at his watch. "About fifteen minutes. Everything is taken care of. Mom is getting Mya ready, we're ready, Kurt and Karen are downstairs, and everyone else will be there when we get there."

"OK, ok. I'll calm down." She gave him a quick kiss. "I love you."

"And I love you. We can handle this, Erika."

"I know."

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"You may call your next witness," the judge said to Justin's lawyer an hour later.

"Thank you your honor. The defense calls Erika Angle to the stand." Erika stood and walked nervously to the stand. She took her oath and sat. "Now, Erika, in your own words, could you tell us what happened the night of the murder?" She nodded, took a deep breath, and began to retell the story.

"Justin asked me to go with him to check out a house he was interested in moving into after graduation. We had been fighting alot, so I asked Nicole to go with me."

"The Nicole you're referring to is Nicole Marie Adams, the victim?"

Erika gave him a look, but affirmed his question. "Yes, she is." George had warned her that Justin's attorney, Alexander Donovan, would often repeat things, or question them to try to confuse her. "May I continue?"

"Of course."

"Nic- Nicole- was feeling kind of uncomfortable, so we stopped downstairs to rest. Justin locked the door behind us, grabbed my arm, forced me down in a chair, and tied my hands behind my back. Nic tried backing away from him, but she fell over something on the floor. Justin started telling her that she had to listen to him, that he had been trying to tell her something for weeks. He said that he was in love with her. He wanted to marry her, and he said that she should be having his child, not Brock's."

"She was eight months pregnant, correct?"

"Yes, she was. After he said that, he ran upstairs. I was able to break the tape on my arms, so I ran to Nic and tried to get her off the floor. Justin came back in the room and started advancing on us with a knife. I tried getting in front of Nic, but he pushed me to the side. The next thing I remember is waking up and finding Nic tied to the bed with a gag in her mouth."

"So you're saying you lost conciousness?"

Erika nodded. "I assumed it at the time, and it was later confirmed at the hospital."

"Alright, please go on."

"I tried getting up, but when I put pressure on my wrist I couldn't help but scream."

"You had broken it, is that right?" He again interrupted.

"Yes it is. As soon as I screamed Justin came back in the room. He started saying that he wished he had more time to prepare, but I ruined that." Erika grew quiet after that, prompting the judge to ask if she was alright.

"If you need more time Miss Angle, we can take a recess."

"No, thank you Your Honor, I just needed a moment."

"Continue when you're ready."

Erika waited another moment before going on with her account. "Justin went up to the bed, lifted her shirt-"

"Now when you say 'her', you're referring to Miss Adams?"

"Yes, I am." Erika looked to the people sitting behind the prosecution, and almost lost it when she saw them all crying. She locked eyes with Brock and knew she had to finish. "After he lifted her shirt, he cut along her belly button line. He started mumbling, saying things like Brock's-"

"Are you talking about Brock Lesnar?" Mr. Donovan asked, with a sneaky grin on his face.

"Yes."

"Brock Lesnar, Miss Adams's then-fiancee, and your current boyfriend?"

"Yes, but I don't believe that has any bearing with what I'm telling you now."

"I think it does Miss Angle, but please continue your story."

Erika wanted nothing more than to go off on Donovan, but she knew better. "Justin said that Brock's baby was nothing more than poison in Nic's body, and that he would take care of it. He cut her stomach deeper, reached in, and pulled Mya out. After cutting the cord, he threw a towel over her stomach and ran upstairs with the baby. I somehow crawled up onto the bed and sat with Nic. She was in a haze, but able to talk for the few minutes before she...before she died. I wrapped a cloth around the knife just before Justin came back in the room. I pretended to be passed out, and when he got close enough I...well, I stabbed him. He was still bent over, so I jumped in his back and we both rolled onto the floor. I took his cellphone from his pocket. I dialed 911, shouted some description of where we were, and got upstairs as fast as I could manage. I found Mya in the kitchen, and sat down in the corner of the room until the cops came in. They took me from her, and the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital."

"You're certain of everything you've just told me, Miss Angle?"

"Completely. It's like a movie that plays continuously in my head."

"Do you feel guilty about what happened?" Erika had been warned this would come up, along with questions about her mental stability, but she was ready.

"For the longest time afterwards I was consumed with guilt, thinking that even though I hadn't caused it to happen, it was still my fault. But now I know that it wasn't. I feel horrible, and that's something that will never change. But I don't feel guilty, not anymore."

"Your medical file says that you saw a psychologist after the incident?"

"Only as a follow-up, it was recommended by both the ER doctor and my personal doctor."

"Is it true that you're dating Brock Lesnar?" Before Erika could respond, George interrupted.

"Objection, your honor. That's already been made clear."

"Sustained. Move on Mr. Donovan."

"Of course Your Honor. Miss Angle, do you think it's wrong that you are now dating the fiancee of your murdered best friend?"

"I think it's wrong that you're focusing on that rather than the real issue here, though that shouldn't surprise me."

"Miss Angle, Mr. Donovan, please contain yourselves and be civil." The judge lightly reprimanded them.

"Sorry You Honor. I just believe that there is something to be said about the fact that Miss Angle can sit up there and profess complete innocence, and then go and start dating the victim's then-fiancee."

George again felt the need to interrupt. "Objection Your Honor, that is nothing more than opinion."

"Sustained. Do you have any more questions for this witness Counselor?"

"No Your Honor."

"Prosecution?" she asked and looked to George.

"Yes Your Honor." He got up and walked over to Erika. "Erika, let's try to clear up some of Mr. Donovan's confusion. Why are you with Brock?"

"Because I love him. I've loved him for as long as I've known him."

"Does it bother you that he was with Nicole before you?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. I know, thanks to something she wrote, that it's ok that we're together."

"Good. Did you have any prior ideas that Mr. Gaikowski was not happy?"

"None at all, really. I knew that things in our relationship weren't great, but I never thought of anything beyond that."

"Do you honestly think there was anything you could have done to prevent this from happening?"

"Besides not asking Nic to go with me that day, I don't. It seemed to me that he had this planned out for some time, I think it was just convenient that she was with me at the time."

"Thank you Erika." She knew that George had only asked those questions because he knew they were things Donovan would bring up later. "That's all Your Honor."

"Very well. Court will reconvene after lunch."

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"All please rise for the Honorable Judge Roberta Lynch," the baliff said an hour later.

"You may be seated," Judge Lynch said after she was. "Both sides will be given an hour for closing arguments, then the jury will be released for deliberations. Mr. Donovan, are you prepared?"

"Yes, Your Honor. Ladies and Gentleman of the jury, I only have this question for you: How can you convict someone who doesn't remember committing a crime? To send an honest man to jail, or to his death, would not only be wrong, but unforgivable. Please consider that before you make your decision. Thank you." He sat back down with a pleased smile on his face. The judge looked disgusted at his pathetic attempt at a final thought, but just shook her head and signaled to George.

"Mr. Henderson, if you would give your argument please."

"Thank you, Your Honor. All I really have to say to you, the members of the jury, is that the evidence in this case is more than enough to convict. So the only plea I have for you is that you make the right decision, and give these people the closure that they have been waiting for for three years. Thank you." He sat back down, but not before giving those behind him a confident nod.

"Thank you counselors. Members of the jury, you will now be escorted to an office where you may discuss this amongst yourselves. You are to let the baliff know when you are ready." The jury left, and the courtroom grew loud with animated talking from both sides. Justin's parents came over and tried to talk to Heidi and Steve, but other than that Erika and Brock's families remained silent. It was less than two hours later when the jury came back in. "Jury, have you made a decision?"

The foreperson stood and nodded. "We have, Your Honor."

"Please hand it to my baliff." He did, and the baliff brought it to her. "Thank you." She opened the paper and nodded. "In the case of the state of Minnesota versus Justin Gaikowski, charge one, stalking, how do you rule?"

"Guilty, Your Honor."

"And on charge two, assault, how do you rule?"

"Guilty, Your Honor."

"And charge three, murder in the first degree?" Erika gripped Brock's hand and tensed.

"Guilty, Your Honor." Erika hugged Brock and started to cry, not hearing the rest of what the judge said. Suddenly everyone was standing, and hugging each other. Erika escaped out into the aisle and looked for George. The baliff was in the process of leading Justin away, and they walked right by her. Justin tried to stare her down, but Erika wouldn't relent.

"You think you're hot shit now Erika? It won't last bitch. Don't think you won't be repaid for this." The cold look in his eyes told Erika he was serious. Brock came up behind her and pulled her away from him.

"You ok?"

She gave an uneasy smile. "Of course."

"The sentencing phase starts tomorrow."

"I missed that, I was going to find George to ask when that started."

"Tomorrow, and hopefully it won't last long."

"Hopefully." Brock was grabbed away by his mom, leaving Erika alone with her thoughts. 'There's nothing Justin can do...right?"

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AN: Sorry for the weak ending, but I couldn't get into anything else in this chapter. R&R, let me know what you think :)

~*Lisa*~