Meredith's eyes widen in shock, her heart feeling like it's about to pound out of her chest. Time stops around them, and she feels her blood run cold. She takes a few steps away until her back hits the wall. William smiles, showing off his foul teeth.
"Glad we finally got a chance to talk."
"Get the fuck out," Meredith spits.
William steps forward. "Make me." When she doesn't move, he laughs, closing the distance enough that she can smell his breath. Her pulse is throbbing, and she holds her breath, terrified. "We don't have very much time together, I'm afraid."
"This trial is almost over, you're done, William." Meredith threatens, wanting to scream or run or anything, but her body is frozen to its spot. Her voice comes out sounding more confident than she expected. The opposite of how she feels.
"Oh," he laughs again, reaching out a hand and wrapping it around her throat, resting it there, as to remind her of everything he's capable of. "This is far from over."
"Fuck you!" She yells, trying to conceal the fear she knows is in her eyes. Her body starts to shake as her worst nightmare starts to come true. He's going to do it again.
"You think I pleaded not guilty for me? It's obvious I did it, and I'm going down anyway, so why not have some fun while I do so? How much harder is it for you and those friends of yours now that I'm dragging this out for days?" He sneers.
"Get away from me!"
"My son is still out there. He knows what to do. I'm just warning you, you're as good as dead. It's only a matter of time." Now he begins to clench his hand, cutting off her airway. Meredith tries to move, to struggle but her body won't obey her. She closes her eyes, just wanting it to be over.
xx
Olivia's jaw drops in front of the officers. "Fucking idiots! How did you lose a psychopath? My team is in that room. You tell them he's missing and find him before he murders someone else!" She demands. The men nod, heading off to the private room where Derek, Jake, Maggie, and Ryan are. Olivia knows that lowly court security guards aren't going to do any good here, but some of the best FBI agents are.
She's off at a run instantly, drawing and checking the magazine in her Glock as she dodges people. There's only one person William would want to see if he escaped. So, if Olivia finds Meredith she finds William. She just hopes that her first instinct is right.
She holds the out gun in front of her, picking up a leg and kicking the door to the women's bathroom open. Her focus is sharp, it barely takes a second for her to process what she's seeing. William, dressed in the flashy bright orange prisoner jumpsuit is pressing Meredith against the far wall, hands around the throat.
"Get away from her, William," Olivia commands, in a booming, authoritative voice. When he doesn't move, she steps closer. "Don't make me shoot you. Let her go."
Meredith lets out a strangled gasp, one that pierces Olivia's heart. She begins to count down from five in her head. If she gets to one and he's still got Meredith, she'll pull the trigger.
At two, William releases his grip on Meredith, slowly turning with his hands above his head, a sick grin on his face. Olivia keeps the gun pointed at him until she slams his front against the stalls, dragging his hands down behind him and pulling out a pair of handcuffs to secure him. She knees him, hard, and he falls heavily to the ground in front of her. At that moment, footsteps approach, and the bathroom door is flung open again.
Derek stands in the doorway, heart pounding with his Glock out in front of him. Olivia gives him a nod, telling him that she's got William under control, and Derek instantly crosses the bathroom to Meredith, who has sunken down to the ground, her fingertips gently tracing her neck as she struggles to catch her breath. He holsters his weapon, crouching in front of her. Her eyes are unfocused, Derek quickly recognizes the signs of a flashback.
When she doesn't react to more people entering the room, he grows even more concerned. Olivia hands off William to the guards, ordering Jake to go with them and make sure he doesn't escape again, and she turns back to Meredith, her features softening. Everyone is crowding outside the restroom now, giving Meredith space but also wanting to see her.
"Meredith?" Derek calls softly, getting no response. Olivia steps up behind him, turning intensely when she hears the click of heels hit the tile behind her. She relaxes when she recognizes the woman.
"May I?" Dr. Katharine Wyatt asks, gesturing towards Meredith. The two FBI agents nod, moving away from the blonde to let the therapist do what she does best. "Give us a few minutes, and close the door." She not-so-subtly tells them to leave.
The two obey leaving the room and clearing the crowd away outside. After a few minutes, the only people remaining are very concerned looking Cristina, Alex, Maggie, Ryan, and Lindsey.
"Where's Quinn? This is solid evidence." Derek breaks the silence.
"Still in the room with Vanessa, reviewing the interrogation tape. She's about to take it to the judge." Maggie replies, her hand resting uneasily on the butt of her Walther at her hip.
"Can we put Meredith back on the stand?"
"Absolutely not." Cristina steps forward. "You saw what just happened after she testified. The last thing she needs right now is to do it all over again."
"Cristina's right," Olivia agrees. "But she's going to have to tell someone at some point what he said to her."
"Someone she trusts, not an entire room full of strangers." Cristina shoots back.
"We should be getting back." Ryan cuts in, glancing at his watch.
"I'm not going anywhere," Alex says firmly, getting nods in agreement from Cristina, Derek, and Olivia.
Lindsey is quiet, studying Olivia. The agent is avoiding looking at her, which worries Lindsey. Ryan and Maggie head back to the courtroom, and a few seconds after they're gone, the bathroom door opens and everyone turns. Meredith walks out, her eyes empty and her face emotionless, Katharine not far behind.
"Let's go," she says, her voice raspy. Multiple people open their mouths to protest, but Meredith cuts them off. "I just need this to be over."
Katharine nods, and the group is off, somehow all of them subconsciously surround Meredith. Olivia is about to bring up the rear when Lindsey stops her. "Are you okay?"
Finally, Olivia risks bringing her eyes up to her girlfriend's. "No."
Lindsey softens, quickly pulling Olivia flush to her, wrapping her arms around the woman tightly. Olivia reciprocates the gesture, the two of them standing there for what seems like forever. When they pull away, a sheen of unshed tears coats Olivia's eyes, and Lindsey leans forward to place a tender kiss on her lips.
"I love you," Olivia whispers.
"I love you too." Lindsey smiles back. Without having to say anything, the two women link arms and quickly make their way back to the courtroom.
Quinn is standing at her assigned table in the front, her gaze unwavering from the doors. As soon as Meredith walks in, the lawyer tries to study her and figure out what to say. The judge is still in her chambers, reviewing the interrogation footage.
"Meredith, I-"
"I'm fine. When can I go home?" The blonde stops her from saying anything and takes a seat in her chair. Quinn is surprised but sits as well.
Derek changes seats, no longer sitting in the middle section with his team, but in the front row, directly behind the prosecution table. As close to Meredith as he can get. She looks tense, and Derek doesn't move his eyes off her, half afraid of her collapsing at any moment. Not exactly knowing what to do, he simply shifts the chair loudly, making Meredith's head snap around.
She relaxes slightly when she recognizes him, but he doesn't miss the fear and anger behind her eyes. She doesn't hold his gaze for longer than a moment, but somehow, it still fills Derek with the warm, fierce feeling of protectivness.
Quinn continues speaking, answering Meredith's question, having missed the entire brief exchange. "I explained to the judge what she's seeing in the footage, I'll probably present it to the jury, and then we should be good. We might even get a verdict today."
"Today?" Meredith sounds shocked, but also detached.
"Today," Quin confirms with a nod.
Meredith sighs, leaning back in her chair. Across the room, only Annalise sits at the defendant's table, flipping through some papers. Meredith has no idea where William is, nor does she care. Secretly, she hopes he's dead in a ditch somewhere, but logically she knows he's still in the building.
After who knows how long, the judge reappears. "After reviewing interrogation footage of Matthew Trahkcol, I have decided it will be included in the evidence. Ms. Perkins, please present to the court." The judge announces.
Quickly, Quinn gets a large screen set up where she can broadcast the recording. It's a long process, she pauses the video and explains what's happening periodically, and she even gets the audio so everyone can hear what Matthew is saying.
Essentially, proving that William and Annalise's little stunt was a lie to get him out of prison.
Only sitting a foot or so away, Derek subtly reaches his hand out, hovering over Meredith's which is clenched at her side. Holding his breath, praying this isn't stupid, he touches her hand gently with his fingers. Meredith pulls away instantly, and Derek hangs his head in defeat. Only- a moment later, Meredith's shaking, sweaty hand returns, this time behind her chair, closer to him. Her palm is up, clearly inviting him back.
Derek has to bite back a smile as he gently encases her hand in his, trying to give her the strength he knows she needs through the touch.
Meredith doesn't listen to what they're saying. The only thing she can hear is William's words, replaying over and over again in her head. She feels his hands around her neck. She's trapped in the prison of her mind that continuously goes over the worst moments of her life. Derek's hand in hers is the only comfort she has- the only thing keeping her grounded at the moment.
When Quinn calls her name, Meredith barely hears it.
"Meredith!" The lawyer snaps sharply, finally getting the blonde out of her daze. Quinn is moving to sit back in her seat again.
"Hmm?" Meredith tries to focus on the woman sitting next to her, who's smiling like an idiot for some reason Meredith can't figure out.
"Did you hear that? The jury is going to vote, we're getting a verdict right now."
It takes a minute for her mind to process what her lawyer just said, but when she sees the empty stands where the judge and jury used to sit and the soft voices of people from around the room fill her ears, it hits her. Derek's hand tightens around hers instantly. This is it. Finally, this is it.
Or, it's not. Maybe William gets away with it. If he doesn't, is Matthew really going to kill her? Maybe it was just something William had said to scare her, the bastard loves to mess with people's minds.
That. That very moment.
That's when she decides what she will believe. No one needs to know, it's just some stupid, empty threat William is trying to scare her with. But she won't let him. Meredith isn't going to spend her life in fear. She chooses to believe that William will get the verdict he deserves, and everything will be okay.
Suddenly, the jury walks back in. William is seated beside Annalise, two security guards within a few feet, not taking their eyes off him. The judge approaches the stand, sitting down. Everyone instantly falls quiet, their full attention on the woman at the front of the room. It's only been about twenty minutes, and Meredith and Derek's hand have not once left the other's.
"Without much debate, the jury has found William Dunn guilty of the abduction and murder of Belle Gildon, Angelica West, Veronica Nicholson, Chelsea Abbott, Jasmine Peters, Bridgett Hewitt, and Kathryn Black as well as the abduction, rape, and attempted murder of Meredith Grey." Judge Churchill announces.
Waves of relief flood over the room, for families and friends of the victims as well as the FBI team, each person finally getting justice. Sighs of relief and noises of joy can be heard from every single person.
"I hereby sentence William Dunn with the death penalty, I have signed the required paperwork. He will be held in a high-security prison for four weeks until his execution. With this, I close the case." The judge continues, bringing down the gavel twice and standing to leave the room.
Annalise doesn't move from her spot, bitterness from her defeat rolling off of her. William doesn't react, he seems to have expected it. The FBI team is out of their seats, happiness heavy in the air around them. The men and women shake hands and embrace tightly, smiling bigger smiles than they have in a long time. Meredith stands by her table quietly, unable to believe it's real. She stands there, allowing the words of the judge to sink in. It's possible her brain is slow from her attack not long ago, but this seems too good to be true.
Olivia pulls Lindsey towards her for a long, passionate, celebratory kiss.
Quinn leaves the prosecution table, joining the FBI team and Meredith's friends in the stands, celebrating with them. Suddenly, Dr. Wyatt appears by Meredith's side, still at the tale.
"Is this real?" Meredith asks softly, studying the ground.
"It's very real. You won."
"And you've been here the whole time?"
"The whole time. Same seat too, right in the back."
"I should be happy right now, I-I should be jumping up and down. But I'm not. I feel...numb."
"You'd be surprised how many other people tell me they feel like that."
"What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing is wrong with you, Meredith. You're recovering. The process is different for everybody. Whatever you feel is okay, frankly, I'd be more worried if you were jumping for joy right now."
Meredith laughs slightly, watching the group of people she'd come to know so well in the past few weeks. "They're probably going to go out and drink. I don't want to ruin their fun."
"You just want to go home?"
"I'm exhausted," Meredith admits.
"Tell them that, they'll understand. I doubt they'll want to go drinking without you anyway. Congratulations, Meredith. I'll see you tomorrow at three, okay?" Katharine begins to walk away.
"See you tomorrow," Meredith confirms. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.