Chapter Nine-The Price of A Guilty Verdict

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Alex hurried to the front of the courtroom the moment she arrived. Olivia and Elliot took the seats two rows behind the prosecutor's side. "Casey." Alex called. The red head spun. "Thank goodness." She breathed. "I was wondering if you were going to be late. If you had I would've…" Alex placed both hands on the younger ADA's shoulders. "Casey you got it in the palm of your hand. I'm just here to make sure you don't miss anything. Believe me, Casey, you are going to do great." Casey took a breath. "Thanks, Al. I needed that." She sat down and Alex took the seat beside her.

Olivia and Elliot were watching the entire scene play out. Elliot reached over and squeezed Olivia's hand. "Casey and Alex will get him." He reassured. Olivia nodded. "I know." She whispered. "I just don't want this case to take its toll on Casey and Alex is not at her best." Elliot kissed the top of her head. "Try not to worry. You did your job. Let them to do theirs." Olivia nodded.

Alex listened intently, but allowed Casey to take control of the ropes. She would only put her two cents in if she saw something that Casey missed. Casey and the defense took turns ruthlessly cutting down every single witness. They were down to their final witness…the perp himself. "Mr. Riley, did you did you not assault the victim in question?" the defense asked. "I uh…think I did." He said, obviously high. Alex stood up before Casey could even open her mouth. "Objection." She said plainly, her mind elsewhere. "Calls for speculation." The judge nodded in agreement. "Sustained." It was Casey's turn. She cut down the perp until he was stammering and leaving holes in his story. Alex smiled coldly after the jury left the room, her eyes hard as diamonds and colder than ice. She knew Casey had won the case.

Casey let out a breath after the jury left the room but took another one when they returned. Months of laboring over the case and making sure nothing slipped her attention. She also had to deal with numerous threats on her part from Mr. Riley. She hoped she won the case and wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. She stood up with Alex as the jury got ready to announce their verdict.

"We find the defendant guilty of 24 counts of rape-homicide." The jury declared. Casey nearly whooped with joy. She grinned at Alex, who gave her a proud smile in return. The judge then sentenced Mr. Riley to life in prison without parole, which only elevated the two women more.

Olivia smiled gleefully when she heard the jury announce the verdict. "We got him baby." She said happily to Elliot. Elliot smiled and flashed a thumbs up sign to Munch, Melinda, and Fin in the back. He hugged Olivia tightly. Both of them had worked their butts off on that case and both were glad that their hard work at paid off and the victims' families could get some peace.

Casey and Alex walked back to the detectives and both were smothered with hugs. Alex turned to Casey and quietly whispered. "I'm so proud of you." Casey was grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks Al." she flushed. Alex smiled. She couldn't help but scan the crowd for any sign of Jackson. Maybe he would be there to cover a story or something. She couldn't find him, however and fought a wave of tears.

The group walked out of the courthouse with almost everyone's moods elevated, despite the dreary weather. Chatter was lively and bets were paid off, which made Alex glare at Munch a lot.

Suddenly, a shot was fired in their direction. The detective went for their guns as screams erupted all around them. Before anyone could draw their guns and react, a second shot was fired. This one hit Alex straight in the chest and the bullet went straight to her heart. She was knocked off her feet and fell against the courthouse steps.

Munch turned to help the DA, just as the shooter fired another round. It hit him and he fell down, beside her, wondering if any of them would get out this alive.

Olivia was the first to reach her weapon She drew her gun quickly and aimed. She never got close. A third shot was fired and for a moment Olivia felt sure that the bullet would claim her. Someone, however threw himself over her body, and took the bullet for her. She knew who it was, even as her heart rejected the thought. "Elliot!" She screamed as he fell against her, a red spot on his chest. "Elliot!" she screamed. She took aim again, hot tears filling her eyes. She fired two rounds into the shooter, exercising her self control. Fin ran over to make sure the shooter was dead as Olivia knelt beside Elliot. "Baby don't give up. Don't let go. I need you!" She pleaded. "Please baby, don't leave me alone. I'm begging you." He squeezed her hand but didn't reply as his eyes slowly closed.

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Sorry about the cliffhanger. That just means you guys will have to review and then I will update and you won't mind the cliffhanger anymore...lol dont' you just love my powers of deduction? I hope you enjoyed it!