Disclaimer: Owning SVU would be cool…but sadly I don't…tear tear... But I do own people that you don't recognize from SVU…hehe…

Author's Note: My apologies for not updating in a while again; my teachers just love giving out a bunch of homework and quizzes and such...bleh, school is weird. I think this chapter is a little inefficiant, but...whatever...just read and review and I will be happy...

Time and Secrets

Chapter 5: Trial

By: Nimmireth

Courtroom

"…Then he said 'you should be on time,' stood up, zipped up his pants, and just walked away," Melissa told the jury.

"Can you point to the man who did this to you?" Casey asked the rape victim in what appeared to be a normal tone. Melissa then promptly pointed at the defendant. "May the record reflect that the victim has identified the defendant, Ross Delani. I have no further questions, You're Honor," she continued and then sat down.

The judge nodded. "Ms. Landenberg?"

"I have no questions for this witness, you're Honor," she told him.

Again, he nodded. "You may step down, Ms. Albert. Ms. Novak?"

"The People would like to call Crime Scene Investigator Angelina Harrison to the stand," she told the judge.

Seconds later, the African-American woman was sworn in and questioned. "Ms. Harrison, would you please tell us what you looked for when you were at the scene of the crime after you discovered that Ms. Albert had been sexually assaulted?"

"Well, first we looked for hairs, fibers, or any seminal fluids that were left behind after the attack," she began. Seminal fluids. Casey turned to her briefcase and stared at it before she asked the next question. "And did you find any?"

"No, but we did find a fingerprint right next to where the victim was found," She explained.

Casey paced slowly as the CSI continued to talk. "Then what did you do with it?"

"I ran it through the criminal database."

"And?"

"And it matched the defendants print from when he was arrested for drug possession and distribution in 1995."

"Anything else?"

"We were given a sample of his DNA and it is still being compared with the sample from the victim's rape kit."

"Thank you, Ms. Harrison. No more questions, your witness, Ms. Landenberg," Casey said as she turned around to walk back to her spot.

Michelle Landenberg rose from her seat and walked up in front of the CSI. "Ms. Harrison, you say that you are still running a comparison from my client's DNA to the DNA found in the victim."

"That is correct."

"So you don't know for sure if the DNA is a match to my client."

"Well, no, but the fingerprint does match his," she commented.

"Well, couldn't it have been from before?"

"I'm not quite sure I know what you mean," Angelina told her.

"Oh, for instance maybe he fell down in the alley days before. There is no method for determining how hold prints are, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is."

"So we don't really know for sure how old the print is."

"No," Angelina said, her voice somewhat dejected.

Michelle smiled and looked at the judge. "I have no further questions for this witness," she stated and turned around to sit with her client.

"You may step down. Do the People have any more witnesses?" the judge asked.

Casey looked up from her notebook and briefcase. "No, you're Honor, the People rest."

"Does the defense have any witnesses?"

"Yes, you're Honor, we would like to call Kristen Delani to the stand," Michelle informed everyone.

A blonde haired girl dressed in a pink skirt and a black shirt entered the courtroom. She walked up to the witness stand where the bailiff picked up a copy of the Bible and Kristen placed her right hand on it. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do."

"Be seated."

Michelle stood up and walked in front of the table in which all of her belongings lay. "Would you state your name for the record?"

"Kristen Delani," she said.

"Now, Kristen, I know this isn't going to be a very easy topic for you to talk about, but I understand that three years ago Justin Felix sexually assaulted you."

"Yes, that's true," she told her, looking down at her knees.

"Now, your brother, Ross, how did he take it?"

"He was distraught," she said.

"Could you possibly elaborate on that?"

"Yeah, he hardly left my side when I was at the hospital and he rarely let me out of the house alone afterward. He was always there for me and he's always told me that he wouldn't wish what happened to me upon his worst enemy."

"Do you think that your brother could be capable of such a crime?"

"No way, even before I was raped he wouldn't think of doing such a thing," Kristen said.

"Thank you, Kristen, I have no more questions," she said as she turned around and sat down.

"Ms. Novak?" The judge called the prosecutor.

Casey flinched slightly when her name was called. She stood up and stepped up to Kristen. She looked directly into Kristen's eyes. Casey felt the pain that Kristen went through surge throughout her body. She knew exactly what Kristen was thinking and nearly burst into her own set of tears at the sight of the crying young girl in front of her. Casey stepped up to the witness stand and covered the microphone with her hands. "I know exactly what you went through," she told her in an unsteady voice.

Kristen gasped and stared intently at the person who was prosecuting her brother and did not look away. "No questions, Your Honor," the prosecutor told the judge.

He nodded. "You may step down, Miss Delani."

Kristen looked down and stood up, but as she left went back to her seat she never took her eyes off of Casey.

"Any other witnesses, Ms. Landenberg?" asked the judge.

"Yes, you're Honor. The defense would like to call Dr. Alice Briggs to the stand," she told him.

A brown haired Caucasian woman walked into the courtroom and was sworn under oath to tell the whole truth. "Dr. Briggs, did you treat Ross Delani on the morning of June 17th?"

"Yes, I did," she answered.

"What was wrong with him?"

"He had a bruise on his left eye and wanted to see if it needed any treatment."

"Did it need any treatment?"

"Yes, but not much. He had a small scratch over his eyebrow that was still bleeding," she told her. Whoa, Casey thought to herself, I didn't know I had gotten him that good. That must have been where the blood came from.

"What did my client say that this was from?"

"A small car accident."

"How long was he at the hospital?"

"Maybe a half an hour or so, it wasn't that bad," she said.

"Thank you. You're witness, Ms. Novak."

Casey stood up and walked over to the witness. "Did you happen to see the car in which Mr. Delani says was crashed?"

"No I did not, but I believe my colleague, Dr. Aaronson, says that he did."

"Did he say what it looked like?"

"Yeah, I believe he said that the entire passenger side was wrecked and the windshield had some broken glass."

Shit, she thought, he probably crashed his own car, the moron. "Did he say if there was any glass inside the vehicle?"

"I'm sorry," she wondered.

"Well, if there was any glass inside the vehicle then that means he probably would've been scratched more than once, am I right?"

"I suppose so."

"Did he have any other injuries aside from the one on his eye?"

"Objection, Relevance?"

"Ms. Novak, what are you suggesting?" the judge asked her.

It took her a couple moments to recuperate. She didn't really want to say in open court that she had been a victim of a crime committed by the person that she was prosecuting. "Withdrawn. I have no more questions."

"Dr. Briggs, you may step down. Ms. Landenberg?"

"The defense would like to call Alan Lestin to the stand," she said.

Soon afterward, the manager of Sam Goody walked up to the stand and swore under oath. "Mr. Lestin, would you state the whereabouts of your employee, Ross Delani, on the morning of June 17th?"

"He was at the Sam Goody, working like he always does," he responded.

"And at about what time was that about?"

"Well, his shift is from 9:30 to 5:30, and he was there the whole time, save for when he was at the hospital."

"Thank you, Mr. Lestin. No more questions," she said walking back to her spot.

Wait a minute, Casey thought, I told Ross it was 9:45 before he attacked me. This guy is up to something…but I can't just come up and say that he raped me. Who would believe me?

She finally got the courage to stand up. "Are you sure his shift isn't from 9:45 to 5:45?"

He gave her a look of confusion. "Yes, I'm absolutely positive."

"What about from 10:30 to 5:45?" she asked.

"His shift is from 9:30 to 5: 30, Ms. Novak," he said again.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Objection. Asked and answered. Another thing what's your point, Ms. Novak?"

Oh crap, she thought as she felt the tears coming back. Not now, please. I can't break apart now. Keep it together, Casey, keep it together. She looked down at the ground and took a deep breath before saying. "Never mind, withdrawn. I have no questions," she said in a voice that seemed rather small and quiet-like.

"Mr. Lestin, you may step down. Any others, Ms. Landenberg?"

"Yes, your Honor, the defense calls Ross Delani to the stand," she said.