Disclaimer- Charmed belongs to the WB network and Spelling television. This is used for entertainment only and not for profit of any kind.

Recap Chapter 12- Complication arises as Phoebe prepares for the second part of her trial. As Phoebe found a witness for her case, her father finds out her past secrets that she never told him. Cole comforts Phoebe that they will be okay when this is all over, and Jason's lawyer found out that Phoebe was a dancer and is planning to use it against her in court. Will it work? Find out now.

A/N- Hey, guys! Thank you so much for all your support and reviews. You guys have been so great to me. :D I'm really happy because I got to see a picture of Finley (Holly's son), and he's just adorable with big brown eyes! :) He's so cute, and he looks a lot like Holly! You can find a picture of him at Alyssa's message board (safesearching) and stare at it to your hearts content.

Chapter 13: Case on Trial Part 2

This is it! This was the big ending that Phoebe was waiting for. Today will determined who has been telling the truth all along; whom the jury believes is innocent. The whole process seemed to go faster, but it was still as painful as before.

Phoebe stepped into the courtroom fearlessly. She conquered her fears and self-doubt during the last trial. The quarrel with her father made her more fired up to get this through with, so she can go back to her life and fix everything that's wrong. Phoebe was only worried that she won't be able to relive those memories again. She wished she could've closed that file in her mind, and throw away the key. If only life were that simple.

Once again, she was called up to the bench for final questioning. She knew that this was going to be intense due to the conclusiveness of this trial. "Miss. Halliwell, three years ago you did not live here. Where were you?" Mr. Sanchez asked. "Objection, your honor. I do not see why this has anything to do with the case," Mr. Montgomery said. "Mr. Sanchez---" "Believe me, your honor. It does," Mr. Sanchez said.

The courtroom grew silent to let the lawyer continue. "Where were you three years ago?" Mr. Sanchez repeated. "Living in New York," Phoebe answered. "What did you do for a living?" Mr. Sanchez asked. "Objection! This is absurd, how is that even relevant to the case?" Mr. Montgomery asked. "There's a chance," Mr. Sanchez insisted. "Go on," Judge Donnalbain said.

"What did you do for a living?" Mr. Sanchez repeated himself. Phoebe hesitated to answer afraid of what was going to happen next. "I...um...I was a dancer at a club," Phoebe managed to say. Known to the public for being with Cole; Phoebe was considered a socialite and full of money. The media is going to have a field day with this one when they find out themselves.

Mr. Montgomery looked shocked himself. He did not know this fact about Phoebe, and it might just stir up some doubts about Phoebe to the jury.

"Why did you quit?" Mr. Sanchez pressed on. "I found the love of my life," Phoebe answered truthfully. "How can that be when you're so used to picking guys off the street?" Mr. Sanchez asked. Phoebe shook her head in puzzlement. "I don't..." "You don't what? Pick guys off the street?" Mr. Sanchez asked. "No, I don't," Phoebe said.

"I have here Miss. Halliwell's police records from the state of New York. In here is a list of numerous arrests for solicitations, prostitution, underage drinking, drinking and driving...It's all here. Do you deny it, Miss. Halliwell?" Mr. Sanchez asked. "No," Phoebe answered. "You may step down," Mr. Sanchez said turning to the jury who were perfectly quiet.

"Miss. Halliwell has a history of being a dancer at a nightclub in New York. Dancers are taught to be manipulative and seductive, because that is how they make their money. What happened that night between my client and Miss. Halliwell was mutual. Perhaps, she gotten a bit drunk and went back to her old ways. Lied to protect herself. My client is innocent due to the fact Miss. Halliwell did not refuse the invitation, the drinks, and did not say no when he offered to take her home that night!" Mr. Sanchez finished. He took his seat next to Jason who seemed to be sweating like a pig.

Mr. Montgomery stood up confidently. "Your honor, just because a client does not refuse an invitation, drinks, or a ride home does not mean that there wasn't resistance between my client and Mr. Dean. Perhaps, she was trying to impress the boss. To prove my point further, I like to call up a witness. Miss. Michelle Parker," Mr. Montgomery said. Jason's face went completely pale from fear or maybe from embarrassment that he is about to face.

"Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The bailiff asked when Michelle held her hand upon the Holy Bible. "I do," Michelle answered. "Michelle, were you there at the dinner party?" Mr. Montgomery asked approaching her slowly. "I was, yes," Michelle answered. "So, you must've saw Miss. Halliwell and Mr. Dean there?" Mr. Montgomery continued to question. "Yes, they were," Michelle answered.

"Describe Miss. Halliwell's condition when you first saw her," Mr. Montgomery stated. "She was very classy; nothing seemed to be wrong. She was greeting the guests with Jason," Michelle explained. "She didn't seem to be under the influence of alcohol or anything?" Mr. Montgomery asked. "No, she was very alert and smiling," Michelle said. "Explain to the jury what happened as the night went on or the first time that you noticed something was wrong with Miss. Halliwell," Mr. Montgomery said.

Michelle turned towards the jury and began to speak. "As we mingled amongst the guests, I noticed that Jason kept insisting that Phoebe drink the cocktails and wine. It was almost like he was forcing her to drink them. I felt alarm, but I didn't intervened. By dinnertime, I saw that Phoebe wasn't feeling too well. She seemed " Michelle paused.

"Would you say that she was drugged?" Mr. Montgomery asked. "Yes, because it seemed like she was just going to black out at any minute," Michelle answered. "Please, go on," Mr. Montgomery stated. "Well, I followed them outside to the parking lot. It was an extremely dark night, and misty because it was going to rain. So, Jason never saw me or it seemed like he didn't. As he walked Phoebe to the car, he was touching her. As disoriented as Phoebe was, she pushed him away making it obvious that she didn't appreciate it," Michelle said.

"Did you see the attack? What happened?" Mr. Montgomery asked. "I don't know," Michelle answered in fear. "Yes, you do. Try to remember. What happened after Phoebe pushed Jason away?" Mr. Montgomery pressed on. "He pushed her into the limo forcefully, and he hopped in," Michelle stated. "Did you hear Miss. Halliwell cry for help? What did she say?" Mr. Montgomery asked firmly. They were so close!

Michelle hesitated to respond, and looked over at Phoebe who gave her a firm nod. "I was a few cars away from the limo. She was yelling and screaming for him to stop. I heard him yell 'Lay still, bitch!' Phoebe continued to yell for help as the limo started to speed away. A couple seconds later, she fell from the limo to the ground petrified. The limo pulled out of the parking lot. I didn't know what to do; I was scared," Michelle finished.

The courtroom was now in an uproar with comments and whispering. "Order! Order in my courtroom!" Judge Donnalbain demanded banging her gravel. Silence crept up on the courtroom once again. "Counsel, anything further?" Judge Donnalbain asked. "No, your honor. I rest my case," Mr. Montgomery said sitting down.

"Court will recess for two hours and the jury will be back with the verdict," Judge Donnalbain said. "Court is adjourned," She banged the gravel dismissing them.

"Thank you very much," Phoebe said to Michelle. "You're very brave," Michelle smiled leaving. "I'll see you in two hours," Mr. Montgomery said taking his briefcase. "Okay," Phoebe said. It was almost over, but yet so far.

"I think we should go to lunch," Cole stated drawing Phoebe near. "That would be nice," Phoebe said taking his hand. They rushed past the media standing outside of the courtroom, and hopped into their car without a word.

It was such a sunny day outside that they decided to eat out on the patio of the restaurant. It's been a long time since they got a breath of fresh air and it felt good. They really need to get out more.

"Phoebe?" Cole called to get her attention. "Yes?" Phoebe acknowledged him. "Remember a couple months ago when I took you out on the yacht and told you that I would be constructing a building in New York?" Cole asked. Phoebe nodded. "Well, I resigned a couple months before the project was launched," Cole said. "Why? You wanted it so much," Phoebe questioned. "I did, but when you own corporate banks and you're used to not having someone tell you what to do. It's hard to listen to someone. So, I was thinking that maybe after we get married. That I build my own firm here. Be my own boss, because that's all I knew since I was 18," Cole said. "If that's what you want to do. You've got my support," Phoebe assured him.

"I was wondering after this trial is over which it would be in less than an hour, but where do you want to go?" Cole asked. "Go?" Phoebe asked confused. "Yeah, take a nice little vacation with your sisters...my friends. Just a week," Cole said. "Cole, I don't know. We have so many things to do. What about wedding plans?" Phoebe asked a bit indecisive.

"Think about it, Phoebe. We take a week off, come back to plan the wedding, and after the wedding we'll be on...?" Cole paused. "Our honeymoon," Phoebe finished. "Exactly. Then, we can come back home and worry about being a grown-up later. What do you say?" Cole asked. "I like the way you think," Phoebe said. "So, where should we go?" Cole asked. "Somewhere exotic," Phoebe answered. "I was thinking Palm Springs, but that's not really exotic," Cole said. "We'll think about it later. Are you done yet?" Phoebe asked. "Let's go, baby," Cole said.

Court Resumes

"Jury, what is the verdict?" Judge Donnalbain asked. Phoebe sat in her seat shaking from the apprehension in her heart, and Jason continued to sweat in his seat as one of the jurors stood up to answer the judge's question.

This was the moment of truth. This was going to decide whether Jason was going to be set free, or put in jail for what he has done. If Jason is put into jail, Phoebe can finally move on with her life. If he isn't, there will always be a fear in her heart.

"WE THE JURY, FIND THE DEFENDANT..."

TO BE CONTINUED

Cliffhanger! Sorry, couldn't help myself. Please review! :D Thanks