Summary: A ransom leads to a very long weekend for Walker and Alex
Disclaimer: I do not own them
A/N: First attempt at a Walker fic, be nice
Chapter 35
Monday morning dawned on Walker and he was not ready to face the day. True, Alex had been sick the day before, but he had enjoyed their time away from hurtful things such as the trial. The trial was looming ahead, in but three hours, but Walker decided to let Alex sleep awhile longer. Walker got dressed and taking a cup of coffee went to sit out on the porch.
This was the time of the day he liked to reflect on what was going on in his life. Walker sipped at the coffee and thought back to only a few months ago. He had been frantic when Alex was taken. He had taken it as a personal vendetta against him. For some reason he always lost the people he loved.
Walker was dwelling on the past, but hearing the screen door swing open his thoughts came to life in front of him. Alex was beautiful, even more so now that she was carrying his children. Nothing else in the world mattered to him. He would give up everything for her.
Alex came to sit down beside him on the steps, and wrapped her arms around him.
"Good morning Cowboy," she whispered into his ear.
Walker leaned over to kiss her gently upon the lips, and then helped her to stand.
"Come on, let's get this over with."
Hand in hand they walked inside to get dressed, and hand in hand they were later walking into the courtroom. Walker knew he would be called to testify today possibly, and he mentally prepared himself for it.
Inside the courtroom CD and Trivette waited for them, and as Walker and Alex sat down in front of them CD patted Alex's shoulder in support. Court was called to order and Chuck Culliver was brought into the courtroom. This is when Alex visibly shuddered.
Alex knew she shouldn't be afraid as he was shackled. but somehow her mind told her he was capable of anything. She did not know how true it would be at the end of the day.
"Chuck Culliver, if you would take the stand."
Culliver walked over and sat down in the seat, and Alex's lawyer started her questions.
"Did you Mr. Culliver at any time take as a hostage either Mr. CD Parker, a Mr. James Trivette, or Mr. Cordell Walker?"
"I did not take any of them hostage," Culliver denied.
"Isn't it my understanding these men all were bound and held against their will while in your presence?"
Culliver didn't even try to look remorseful for his actions.
"I can't help what my brother chose to do. Who was I to stop him?"
"Are you trying to tell me Mr. Culliver that you could do nothing to help these people? That at no time you could have helped them escape?"
"I couldn't have done a thing to help them. In fact I feared for my own life many times. All of them swore to kill me if I released them. What was I truly to do?"
"Mr. Culliver is it not true that you were threatened only after these men had watched your torture Mrs. Walker for hours on end?"
"I never tortured her. She enjoyed each and every thing I did to her, begging me even."
Alex couldn't help herself and stood up.
"Begging! I never begged for anything, other than for you to stop, but did you, no!"
Walker laid his hand upon Alex's shoulder and helped her back into her chair, but he could see the anger and hurt in her eyes.
"The defense calls Cordell Walker to the stands."
Walker made his way to the stand, and repeated the oath.
"Cordell Walker, could you please tell the court when you first realized Ms. Cahill was missing."
Walker told them how he had found Alex's car abandoned, and how he knew she was missing. He also described to them the phone call he had gotten from Roger Culliver.
"Mr. Walker could you describe to the courts in what condition you found Ms. Cahill."
Walker swallowed the lump in his throat, but went on.
"When I got there I found her bound to a bed. She had several bruises on her face and body, welts along her back. Her lip had been busted, and she was severely malnourished."
It was Culliver's lawyer who next questioned Walker.
"Mr. Walker, was in not rage you felt, wasn't it a homicidal rage, wanting to kill Roger Culliver and his brother in cold blood that you felt that day?"
Walker shook his head no.
"If it was not an urge to kill these men you felt that day then what was it? Do not try to tell me or this court that you felt pity for these men."
When Walker did not answer, nor make any attempt to Culliver's lawyer persisted.
"Mr. Walker, need I remind you that you are under oath, and that you have still not answered my question."
Walker still did not answer, his throat constricting at the thought of answering.
"Mr. Walker, you must answer the question," the judge leaned over and informed Walker.
Walker swallowed both this lump in his throat and his pride and answered the question.
"It was not the urge to kill I felt, it was shame."
"Explain what you mean by shame," the lawyer asked, and Walker could see Culliver smiling at him, gleeful almost.
Walker sighed, "I felt ashamed that I had let something like this happen, and then when I did find Alex, I couldn't do anything to help her. I should have protected her, and yet I let Roger Culliver get to her, and it almost cost Alex her life. If you want to know how I felt that is it, I was ashamed, I felt powerless to stop him."
Alex's mouth was opening and closing, no words coming out though, and behind her Trivette sat stunned. Cordell Walker had never admitted defeat. In all the years he had known him he had never even seen the man look anything but confident. Only one sitting in the courtroom had ever seen Walker as he was now, and that was CD.
"I think I would like to recall Alex Cahill to the stand," Culliver's lawyer asked.
Walker stepped down and went back to his seat, his stomach churning as he did. Alex laid her hand upon his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Once Alex had seated herself again on the witness stand the lawyer asked his next question.
"Mrs. Cahill did you ever willingly have sexual relations with my client?"
Alex jumped up, her face turning red with anger. "What has this got to do with anything!" she shouted.
"Answer the question Mrs. Cahill."
Alex was fuming, she was so angry she could feel her own heartbeat in her ears, but she answered the question.
"I never willingly did anything with this man or his so called brother. If he says anything other than that he is lying."
"Are you sure Mrs. Cahill?"
"It is Mrs. Walker," Alex said through gritted teeth. "That man and his brother raped me over and over for two days while the other watched. I was not ever at any point willing. If he is referring to ever pleading with him, the only thing I pleaded for was for him to kill me so that I would be free from that hell."
Culliver's lawyer ended his questioning, but Chuck Culliver sat in his chair a sickening smile plastered on his face. All around the room were stares of hatred, loathing for the man, and Sydney her head buried against Gage's shoulder apparently in tears.
Alex stepped down from the witness stand, and took a moment to catch her breath, and that was when Culliver lunged forward wrapping his hands in hers, clasping them tightly to him.
Alex yelped, more from fright than from anything else, and the others were on their feet, guns drawn in a flash.
"Mr. Culliver you will release Mrs. Walker at once!" the judge yelled.
"I just wanted to express my sorrow to her your honor," Chuck said, his grip becoming tighter.
Alex closed her eyes, as she could feel his breath on her face. Her arm hurt, but that didn't matter as her mind took her back to the room she was kept, the pain there, the horrors. Two tears rolled down her face though she made no noise.
Chuck Culliver leaned in closer to her ear and whispered. "You know I liked the last time we were together and we will be again, this I promise you. I want to feel you beneath me."
Culliver didn't get a chance to say anything else, as the butt of Walker's gun was placed firmly beside his left temple. Walker wanted so much to pull the trigger, to end Alex's misery.
Culliver released Alex and shoved her into Walker's arms. "We will meet again ranger I guarantee you that, and I will tell you all about how your wife was, I promise."
"If we ever cross paths again outside of the state prison, you will die, that I promise Culliver," Walker said.
Culliver was led back to his holding cell and Walker placed his arms around a now trembling Alex and led her back to the safety of home.