Goren stood behind Eames as she knocked on the door of Burrows' chambers. "Come in."

Both attorneys were there, and Shaeffer did not look happy. Burrows nodded toward the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, sit. First, are you doing all right?"

Eames nodded. "Yes, your honor. We're fine."

Goren nodded agreement when Burrows looked at him, but his manner was much tenser than hers. He got right to the point. "Detectives, I want you to bring Maggie back in for me."

As expected, Goren immediately tensed up even more and began to shake his head. Eames wasn't as adamant, but she answered, "Why? We thought that once her testimony was done, that was it."

"Yes, I know. But I don't want the jury having any doubts about what she said. Mr. Shaeffer has attempted to bring her testimony into question in their minds, which is his job, I know." He glanced toward Shaeffer. "But Mr. Carver has expressed a desire to clarify her testimony, which is his job. I know that I have no doubt that her testimony was genuine. I would like you to bring Maggie back in, just to address how she was prepared to take the stand. I, myself, have no doubt that if she was prepped in anyway, she would have told us one of you told her to say things, but I had the pleasure of spending enough time with her to know she would do that. The members of the jury wouldn't know that, and I want them to be clear that nothing wrong was done here."

Goren rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and pinched the bridge of his nose, a gesture his wife knew well. She sighed. "Do you really think it's necessary, sir?"

"I would never ask if I didn't."

She was afraid that would be his answer. Finally she nodded. "If you feel strongly about it...we'll let her."

"Eames..." Goren began, but his voice was tired, his protest weak.

"I know," she answered. "But it's important."

"If it will make you feel better, Detective Goren, you can sit at the prosecution's table again." Goren just nodded, and Burrows was concerned. He expected a more spirited protest from the child's father. "Are you certain you're all right?"

"Yes, sir. I'm fine. It's been a trying day. I...I don't like having to deal with Wallace."

"I noticed she was very interested in both of you."

Eames said quietly, "She takes a certain perverse pleasure in getting a rise out of him, but it wasn't working today and that made her angry." She looked toward the ADA. "I am expecting Mr. Carver to trigger even more of an angry response from her with his cross-examination."

Carver nodded. "I would be surprised if it didn't."

Burrows leaned back in his chair. "Thank you for the warning."

Eames smiled. "You'll let us know if you need Maggie?"

"Yes. And thank you. That's all I needed."

They got up and headed from the office, leaving the attorneys in chambers with him. They heard Shaeffer's angry voice as they closed the door, but neither cared to hear what he had to say. In the hall, Goren turned to her. "I don't know, Alex..."

"We can talk about it later, okay? With Maggie."

"You two are going to gang up on me again."

"Of course."

"I'm never going to win," he complained.

She pressed her body against his and backed him into the wall. "It's not a matter of winning or losing," she said softly. "It's about sending Nicole to prison once and for all. Maggie will be fine."

His hands brushed her hair back off her shoulders. He sighed softly. "Thank you," he said, his voice low.

"For what?"

"For knowing I would need you here, and coming down here in this weather." He fingered her hair. "And for...helping me...in there."

"That's why I came. And I will always help you when you need me."

"I know. I just...want you to know...I do appreciate you."

She smiled. "I know you do." She hesitated, simply enjoying the contact with him in the quiet of the nearly deserted corridor. "We'd better get back in there. The judge's recess is almost over."

She stepped away from him, but he hesitated. Pulling her back to him, he kissed her, which was something he'd been dying to do all afternoon. It was also a rare public display of open affection, something he had never before done in this setting. When he pulled back from her, she smiled at him. He seemed more relaxed now. She rested her hands on his arms and just held his eyes for a few moments. Finally, with a soft sigh, she said, "Come on."

This time he followed her back to the courtroom.

Carver got to his feet and walked from the table toward the witness stand. "Ms. Wallace, I would first like to address your treatment of Maggie Goren. You claim she was about to be hit by a car when you grabbed her arm and dislocated her shoulder. Yet every witness who testified to the incident said she was on the ground after you struck her when you yanked her to her feet and threw her into your vehicle. And that the child screamed in pain when you did that."

"They were mistaken."

"All of them? Independently?" His lips curled into a smile. "Highly unlikely."

Goren pressed his fingers into his forehead and rubbed. He'd hated hearing this testimony the first time from the dozen or so witnesses Carver had gathered to testify. Hearing it again, even summarized, was no easier. Eames felt the same way, reaching her hand toward him, touching his leg and sliding her hand onto it. He covered it quickly and squeezed, glad again for the contact. This time, she needed it as much as he did.

"I suppose it's a matter of who you are going to believe, Mr. Carver."

"You or thirteen independent witnesses...and the child you injured. That isn't a difficult choice to make."

Wallace seemed indifferent. She was pleased that his description of the events seemed to have upset the two detectives in the gallery. That made it worth the recounting. But there was more behind that evil smile than pleasure at causing Goren and Eames emotional upset. She knew that she and Shaeffer did not have to prove their case. Carver bore the burden of proof. She and Shaeffer need only raise reasonable doubt. What a wonderful system of justice where innocence was assumed and need not be proven.

Carver went on. "I suppose they also imagined it when you pulled out a gun and shot Mr. Cummings in cold blood."

"I was protecting myself."

"From a man who challenged your right to strike a four-year-old. And the threat he presented was...?"

She smirked at him. "I thought he had a gun."

Carver snorted. "A gun no one else saw and the police never found. Or perhaps he ate it?"

A chuckle rumbled through the gallery and even Burrows grinned. Shaeffer rose. "Objection. The prosecution is being ridiculous."

"Overruled. Answer the question, Ms. Wallace."

"Maybe he did," she answered. "I still believe he deserved what he got."

"Cold-hearted bitch," Eames whispered softly, not thinking anyone could hear her. But he did, and his hand tightened on hers. She gave him an apologetic grin, which he answered with an understanding smile.

Carver slowly shook his head at Wallace. "Be that as it may...when they got to the deserted barn you retreated to, the detectives testified that you fired the first shots."

"They lied."

"Now what reason would they have to lie about that?"

"You will have to ask them that."

"I already did. They did not fire the first shots. They were both reluctant to fire at the barn because the children were in there, and I am inclined to believe them."

"Of course you are," she replied, still smiling.

"Ms. Wallace, how long have you known Detectives Goren and Eames?"

"About ten years, I suppose."

"You have been lying to them since the day you met them and introduced yourself as Elizabeth Hitchens, a woman you murdered to steal her identity."

"Objection," Shaeffer rose. "That is an unsubstantiated allegation."

Burrows nodded. "Sustained."

Undaunted, Carver pressed on. "That does not alter the fact that you lied about your identity...which was only the beginning. Now I find it difficult to believe the detectives would have fired on you, without knowing the exact whereabouts of those children."

"But they did fire on me."

"Actually, the crime scene unit was able to account for every bullet that was fired from each of the detectives' weapons. Not one bullet entered the barn. Every one of them was embedded in the thick wooden structure of the barn building. This court was witness to the bond of attachment and devotion shared by Maggie and her father-a bond you tried unsuccessfully to disrupt. I find it very difficult to believe those parents would ever put their children at risk."

"I will remind you, Mr. Carver, that one of your upstanding detectives shot me!"

"Detective Logan...who gave you an opportunity to turn yourself in before you shot him in the chest. There will be no pity party for you here today, Ms. Wallace."

She frowned darkly at him. Eames had noticed that Wallace had used nearly every one of her attorney's questions to strike out at them, though her ploy had not worked to her satisfaction. Carver was not allowing her the same opportunity; however, his questions themselves were unsettling Goren. He wasn't agitated...just restless. She slipped her hand back onto his side, and he laid his hand over it. A light caress and he closed his eyes for a moment, then settled.

Carver ignored the dark look Wallace was giving him. "You have mentioned several times Maggie's unique position as her father's little girl. You seem to have a problem with that, to the point that you mentioned her losing that position. I must admit I am at a loss to understand what you mean. You have never had the opportunity to watch this child and her father interact. I honestly cannot see where you were heading with that, except, perhaps, to upset Detective Goren."

There was that feral smile again. "It's a matter of public record that Detective Goren's father was...less than devoted. My prediction is 'like father, like son'."

Now Carver smiled. "I am sorry to disappoint your psychic tendencies, but Detective Goren is nothing like his father was, and he is nothing like yours was, either."

Wallace's face turned dark with rage again. She looked toward the gallery, expecting to see Goren agitated at being compared to his father. But times had changed-he had changed-and that just increased her rage. She had changed him. She had chased away his demons and, in doing so, she had effectively taken away Wallace's power to manipulate his emotions.

Goren did not like hearing about his father; he never did. But Alex had helped him put that demon to rest by giving him Maggie, even before he knew she was his daughter. When he'd held that newborn baby in his arms and fell totally in love with her, when any thought of not being there for her for any reason left him troubled, when he knew beyond all doubt there was no way he could ever abandon her, even if Alex had chosen to chase him from her life, the demons his father had created slipped away forever. Her hand moved against his side, misreading his sudden restlessness as agitation. But it wasn't. He simply wanted to hug his daughter.

When he turned his head to look at her, the first thing Eames noticed was that the hard edge of agitation was gone. She knew well the soft look that was there, and she smiled at him. He smiled back and gave in to impulse, leaning over and gently kissing her forehead.

On the stand, Wallace did not miss the simple gesture of affection and she swallowed down a lump of cold fury. Carver walked to his table and picked up his legal pad. "I would like your opinion on a hypothetical situation, Ms. Wallace. You claim that the detectives set you up with this whole kidnapping and attempted murder scenario. Am I right?"

"Yes."

"So, you are denying any responsibility for anything that happened. You are simply a victim of circumstance and the duplicity of these detectives."

"You are very perceptive for an attorney."

He didn't react to her jibe. "How long do you think it would have taken them to plan the entire thing?"

She shrugged. "A year. Maybe a little more."

"A year and a half, maybe?"

"At the most."

"You didn't have to give that much thought." He turned to Burrows. "Your honor, with the court's indulgence, I would like to ask one of the detectives a question. It is a matter of public record, but for expediency's sake I would rather ask them."

Burrows nodded. "Go ahead, Mr. Carver."

Carver turned toward the gallery. "Detective Eames, how long have you and Detective Goren been married?"

"Just over a year and a half, Mr. Carver."

"Thank you." He turned back to Wallace. "A year and a half. Oddly close to your estimation, Ms. Wallace. Let me offer you my version of these events. You have been planning this kidnapping for the last year and a half, ever since you found out they had gotten married. Initially, Maggie was your only target, until Tom was born. Then you took a little longer to plan the abduction of both children, learning their routine. The fact that their grandfather or Detectives Logan and Barek are their only caretakers besides their parents gave you a little trouble but you decided John Eames was the better target since Detective Logan knows you. You never planned for the children to return to their parents, but you obviously underestimated little Maggie. In particular, you underestimated her devotion to her father. That angered you and ultimately led to your abuse of the child. You also underestimated Detective Goren by assuming he would be more like the father he despises."

Wallace leaned back, smiling. "That's a very interesting scenario, Mr. Carver." She leaned forward a little and challenged, "Prove it."

Carver smiled back. "I already have. John Eames' testimony proves you took those children. The witnesses at the Exxon station, including Mr. Cummings, prove you abused Maggie. Detective Logan's testimony proves you still had the children when you tried to kill their parents. Ballistics proves you shot Detectives Goren, Eames and Logan. And Maggie's testimony brings it all together nicely into a securely sealed package."

"Ah, that's where you are wrong, Mr. Carver. Maggie was simply repeating what she was told to say. Children that age are like little parrots."

Carver shook his head. "Not Maggie. And we will bring her back in on Monday to clear that up for the jury."

That revelation caused the smile to fade from Wallace's face. It had not occurred to her they would bring Maggie back, or that Goren would let them. She knew that the child's testimony had been truthful and accurate and she had never believed for a moment that her parents had coached her. But the jury had to believe it, and now there was a real possibility that Carver would convince them to believe Maggie.

Goren turned his head to look at Eames. They had not missed the look on Wallace's face. Her guilt or innocence was riding largely on the testimony of a four-year-old. They felt confident that the jury could see through her lies. Carver had done a good job. Eames had hoped Carver's cross-examination would be less difficult for them, and she was relieved that she had been right. But even so, she kept her hand on his side, reassured by the contact as much as he was.

"There is one more thing I need to clarify, Ms. Wallace. You seem to think these detectives actively seek you out. Why do you think that is?"

"Obsession," she replied with another smile.

But Carver was immune to her attempts to charm. He knew better. "Whose obsession?"

"His," she answered with a smirk.

Carver paced in front of the stand. "His obsession...with you?"

"Of course."

Eames glanced at Goren, tightening her fingers against his side. But he seemed all right. He even looked at her and gave her a soft grin. She saw amusement in his eyes and she relaxed. The buttons Wallace had identified long ago that always got a rise out of him had been disabled permanently and he had no intention of giving her new ones to push, beyond the ones she had already identified when she took their children.

Carver nodded. "Ms. Wallace, I have worked with these two officers for years. They have never sought you out. It seems to be you doing all the seeking. I have no difficulty believing there is an obsession here, but that you are the source and not the object. Your obsession with Detective Goren is what brought you back to New York, yet again, and caused you to strike out at his children."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because of your own insane jealousy of his partner."

Wallace did not hide her expression quickly enough. There it was. Carver smiled. "Remember, Ms. Wallace. I was there when the detectives interrogated you, after Detective Goren recovered from your attempt on his life. Detective Eames has a gift for being direct and honest, and she clearly hit the nail on the head when she called you on your jealousy of her...because she has him and you do not. You never will. And therein lies your motivation."

Wallace slammed her hands on the stand in front of her. "How dare you! They are the ones who are obsessed!"

Carver smiled at her. Maybe they were, he thought. But only with each other... To Wallace, though, he said, "Why don't I bring them back up on the stand to address your accusations?"

"So they can lie some more?"

Carver shook his head. "False accusations fall upon deaf ears, Ms. Wallace. They do not lie on the stand. Now you, on the other hand, have a documented history of dishonesty." He studied her for a moment before turning away and glancing toward the gallery. "I think Detective Eames has it right...and so does Detective Goren, which makes me feel more comfortable with my own assumptions." He looked directly at her, his challenge clear in his eyes and his voice. "Has there been a grain of truth to any part of your testimony today, Ms. Wallace? We have witnesses to your assault on Maggie and your shooting of Mr. Cummings. The physical evidence fully supports Maggie's testimony...not yours."

Wallace got to her feet. In the gallery, Goren tensed and Eames knew what was coming. And she knew there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Wallace was as dangerous as any cornered animal, and now she glared at Carver. "I will not accept it," she growled.

Carver frowned. "Sit down, Ms. Wallace. You have not been excused from the stand."

She shook her head. "I will not accept it. I will not be brought down by a little girl...by his little girl! I will not allow it!"

Goren moved quickly, and Eames was right behind him. Wallace went for Carver, who jumped back from her, falling into the table behind him. Eames was beside him, ready to protect him from Wallace, before he knew what was going on...and in front of him, Goren had intercepted Wallace's attack and subdued her. The bailiff was at his side, cuffing her as she struggled against them. She glared past Goren toward Eames. "You have taken it all!"

Goren shook his head and said quietly, "No, Nicole. You tried to take it all and you failed. She couldn't take something you never had."

Wallace struggled hard against the bailiff. Burrows was on his feet. "Get her out of here!"

The bailiff couldn't manage her on his own, so Goren helped him. Burrows banged his gavel and called the court back to order. "Are you all right, Mr. Carver?"

"Yes, your honor."

Everything in the room settled, except for a low murmur in the gallery which Burrows allowed for the moment...until gunshots shattered the afternoon quiet.