MCS Squad Room, late January

Goren was at his desk, sifting through crime scene reports and photos, while his partner was reviewing witness statements at her desk across from him. One of the civilian staff laid an envelope on his desk as she walked by. Thinking it had to do with the case, he picked up the envelope and opened it. Pulling out the papers, he read them over once, then twice. He got very still and his face turned stormy.

Eames looked up when he stopped shifting, alarmed by the dangerous look on his face. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "No. No fucking way!"

He jumped to his feet and took off out of the squad room, not even pausing to grab his coat. By the time Eames came around the desks to the coat rack, he'd already hit the stairs and was gone.

Ron Carver was expecting the booming knock. "Come in."

He was also expecting the furious detective, however, he had not expected him to come alone. Goren threw the papers onto the desk in front of the ADA. Carver didn't have to look at them. "I'm sorry, detective. She's a witness."

Goren leaned over the desk. "She's four, Mr. Carver!"

"She's important to this case. I need her to testify."

Goren frowned. "And if I refuse?"

"I will have you charged with contempt and jailed. You know that."

Goren straightened up and ran his hand over his hair in frustration. "Hasn't she been through enough?"

"We will prepare her, detective. I will be right there. She will be fine."

"I-I don't trust Wallace."

"There is no way for her to harm Maggie."

"Maggie doesn't need to see her."

"There is no avoiding that."

"She's four, Mr. Carver!" he repeated.

"I have already discussed this with Judge Burrows. The subpoena has been issued and Maggie must testify. We have two weeks before the trial begins. Bring Maggie to the courthouse and we will show her around an empty courtroom. I will introduce her to the judge. Bring her to some sessions so she can see how it works and she will know what to expect."

"Why are you doing this, Mr. Carver? The doctors can testify about her injuries. The 911 operator can testify about her call. Why Maggie?"

Carver leaned forward. "Because Maggie can get to the jury, detective."

"The sympathy factor? You're going to subject my daughter to Nicole's trial for sympathy?"

"She is a powerful witness."

"How? She didn't see Wallace beat her grandfather or shoot any of us."

"But she's four, Detective Goren. And Wallace took her from you and hurt her. She traumatized her. I want the jury to hear about it from Maggie."

"She's just getting past it."

"I need her as a witness." Carver knew him well enough to know he was still thinking of refusing. "Please. I want the lid on this coffin to be airtight and your daughter is my final nail."

"You have no idea how badly I want to get her, but not badly enough to let you use my daughter as a pawn."

"I will take care of her. You have my word. And you will be there. Maggie will do fine."

Goren's jaw clenched. He closed his eyes for a moment, then finally said, "If Eames agrees to it, I'll bring Maggie by on Friday so you can show her one of the courtrooms and introduce her to the judge." He met Carver's eyes. "I'll hold you responsible, Mr. Carver. If this experience gives my daughter nightmares, I won't be the only one not sleeping."

He stormed from the office, slamming the door in his wake.

Back in the squadroom, he threw the subpoena on his desk and dropped into his chair. Eames looked at him. "Where did you go and what the hell happened?"

He tossed the envelope to her. She pulled out the subpoena and read it. "You've got to be kidding me."

"No. Mr. Carver is quite serious. The only other option we have is to hide her and he'll jail me for contempt...which I am willing to do."

"No. Don't do that. He feels strongly about this?"

"He called her the final nail in Nicole's coffin."

"Maggie can do this."

"But she shouldn't have to."

"Come on, Bobby. Let the jury hear from her what happened."

"I told Carver I'd bring her in Friday so he can show her around a courtroom and introduce her to the judge."

She nodded. "Well, she'll be excited about coming to work with us."

He slid a file folder from the stack on his desk. "Great."

"It'll be okay, Bobby. She'll do fine."

"That's beside the point. She's four."

"You can't protect her from everything."

That was the wrong thing to say, and she knew it as soon as she said it. He dropped the file and looked at her. Then he got up from his desk and left the squadroom.

It took her an hour-and-a-half to find him. He was sitting in the park that surrounded City Hall. As she sat beside him, she said, "I'm sorry. That was the wrong thing to say."

He waved a hand. "Forget it. You're right. It's very obvious I can't protect her from everything. I couldn't protect her from Wallace."

She touched his arm, but he pulled away. She sighed. "Bobby, we can't protect her from everything. She's going to start school in the fall and that's the entrance gate to the big, bad world. That's life. She's growing up."

"But no four-year-old should have to testify at a trial."

"I agree. But I'm sure Mr. Carver gave this a lot of thought. He wouldn't ask us to do this if he didn't feel strongly about it. He's trying to put her away for good. Isn't that what we want?"

"Yes, but not at my daughter's expense."

"No, not at her expense. I think she can do this. If it means punishing Nicole for what she did to us, for what she did to you, then Maggie will want to do it."

"I could always just take her and go."

"But you won't."

He grunted. "Bobby..." She leaned forward so she could see his face. "We'll be there. You and I will have to testify as well. So will Dad. Mike and Carolyn will be there. She's going to have half a courtroom full of people she knows. She'll do fine."

"The cross-examination..."

"Carver will prepare her and the judge will keep a tight leash on Nicole's lawyer. She'll just tell it as it is, the way she always does. Maggie runs circles around people. They don't do it to her. She's so much like you, it scares me sometimes."

"But why should she have to relive it?"

"Because we want a solid conviction and appropriate sentencing. Our evidence for the murders is sketchy. We can get her on the rest...but Maggie's testimony will win the jurors over. She's his trump card."

When she touched him again, he didn't pull away. "She'll be fine," she said softly. "As long as we prepare her."

He sighed heavily. He couldn't fight her, and he had to trust her judgment. "I thought mothers were supposed to be the overprotective ones."

She smiled. "Not where Maggie is concerned. I can't be overprotective. It's my job to be the voice of reason because you lose all sense of perspective with her. Who else would play ball with her at three in the morning on a work night, just because she said please?"

"Hey...I haven't done that in awhile."

"Only because she hasn't asked. But you did make her waffles at five in the morning the day after you were released from the hospital."

"She was hungry."

"She could have waited."

He looked at her. "She wanted reassurance that things were back to normal."

"They are. She still has you wrapped tightly around her little finger."

"She always will," he muttered.

"I know. And that's why I can't let her do that to me. She has you and Mike to spoil her, and it's up to me to draw the line."

"Which keeps getting erased."

She laughed. "Well, you haven't broken any more pictures, have you?"

"No."

She slid her hand down his arm and laced her fingers with his, squeezing. "Don't worry. I can handle it. I'll draw that line as often as I have to, as long as you never change." She gave him a light kiss. "Ready to go back to work?"

"I guess we'd better."

"Feeling any better?"

"I still don't like it."

"You don't have to."

Well, that was something, anyway.