A\N: My apologizes for the extra long delay in getting this chapter to you, I've had a pretty hard summer. My amazing co-author wrote the first part of this chapter for me. Hope you like it,

Disclaimer: Neither of us own anything.

Spoilers: Law & Order 20.16 "Innocence"

Warnings: None

Chapter 8

Mike looked over the heads of his two youngest children, trying to catch his wife's eye. As she finally finished buckling up first James then Claire, Connie secured her own seatbelt then settled back into her seat on the plane with a sigh. She turned her eyes toward Mike, favoring him with a small smile. Mike tried to return it as he settled back into his own seat, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He turned for a moment to look out the window, the chattering from the twins filling his ears as they talked over each other nervously. Though they were both excited to finally be heading home, neither of them really liked flying, especially a cross country flight. Even the promise of seeing Maddie, Andy, and Jack at the airport in Los Angeles wasn't enough to completely ease their worries. Mike glanced over again to see Connie passing each of them a small bag of fruit snacks to eat as the plane was gaining altitude in hopes that this would combat any pain, they might experience from their ears popping. He heard the captain announce that they were about to begin their trip, followed by the sensation of the plane backing away from the runway. Mike was once again glad that they were able to get this evening flight. He was hopeful that once they were in the air, both kids would sleep for most of the trip. None of them had slept well last night, and Mike hated to admit it, but his own exhaustion along with the way he'd spent his morning had both combined to leave his nerves frayed and his patience short.

The plane began to gain speed, barreling down the runway toward take off. Mike felt a small hand slip into his own, and he turned to look down at James. The boy was looking up at his father, eyes wide and bottom lip trembling. Mike quickly replaced the hand James held with his free hand, wrapping his left arm around his son and holding him tight. He leaned down and kissed the top of his head, whispering in his ear, "I've got you buddy."

James did not reply, but Mike felt him release the breath he had been holding as the plane began to climb. He looked over, seeing Claire with her head buried in Connie's arm. Finally, the plane began to level off, and the children relaxed enough to release their hold on their parents. They each began snacking on the gummy fruits, James trading the strawberry flavored snacks for his sister's blue raspberry ones. About 45 minutes into the flight, both children finally nodded off, their mother following them into sleep just a few minutes later.

Leaving Mike alone with his thoughts, which automatically drifted back to that morning, and the trip he had taken with Peter to the Onondaga County Justice Center.

Connie had wanted absolutely no part in seeing Marcus Woll, and though she wished her husband would stay far away from him, too, she understood why Mike needed to go. She had only cautioned him not to lose his temper. She thought back to several years ago, when they were trying the murder case against Cedric Stuber, and he had hurled a racial slur at Connie. She remembered how Mike had lost his temper, got right in Stuber's face, and promised to make sure he died in jail.

The situation they were currently dealing with made that memory seem like a picnic in the park. Connie knew how much Mike hated Marcus Woll even before his latest assault on their family. "Please," she whispered to him that morning as she clung to him briefly before he left with Peter, "Please Mike, promise me, no matter what he says to you that you won't let him get to you. I don't care what happens to him, but I do care about you. Please don't let him hurt us anymore."

Mike had looked into her tear-filled eyes and kissed her quickly. "I promise," he whispered back to her.

Mike stayed quiet on the short ride to the jail. He was quiet as they passed through the security checkpoints. He was quiet as they signed in at the visitor's log and were led back to the secure visiting area. Mike sat stone faced in the hard-plastic chair, Peter at his side, and waited for Woll to be brought in. They did not have to wait long.

Woll shuffled in, his legs shackled at the ankles, not unlike his arms which were shackled at the wrist. Dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit, he slid into the seat opposite Mike, and shot him a sickening smile. "Hello Counselor."

Mike still remained silent. He had tried to plan this moment out in his mind all throughout what had been a mostly sleepless night after he had told Peter he wanted to make this trip. Mike had thought of all the things he wanted to say to this man who had caused such damage to their family.

But now that he was here, face to face with him, he couldn't find the words to begin.

Woll, of course, was never one to stay quiet for long. "So, tell me, Mike," he said, leaning as close to the table separating them as he could. "How angry is Connie? As I remember, she's so hot when she's angry."

Peter shifted ever so slightly in his seat, ready to reach out and restrain his friend should he jump across the table going for Woll's throat. That's what Peter would have wanted to do had he been in Mike's place. And though Peter noticed a barely perceptible tightening of Mike's jaw, otherwise he stayed in his seat, his face impassive, simply staring a Woll, who continued his taunting.

"Do you ever think about that Mike?" he asked, lowering his voice to barely above a whisper. "Do you ever think about that when you're having sex with her, that I was there first? Do you ever wonder if she thinks about me? If she's fantasizing about me when she with you?"

Peter watched Mike carefully, certain that this would be what finally pushed him over the edge. But instead, Mike just shook his head with a sinister smile of his own. "Marcus, you're going to be brought to trial soon. And once you are convicted, you will either be in prison for the rest of your life, or you'll be executed. And neither me nor my wife has any intention of giving you another thought. So, whatever your grand plan was, you've failed." Mike watched as Woll's smile fell and his face began to harden. "You wanted to tear my family apart, you wanted to hurt Connie by taking our children, but you accomplished none of that. Our kids are safe, and you are soon to be nothing but a distant memory." Mike stood, looming over Woll where he sat at the table. "You lose. I win. Game over."

And with that and knowing he had kept his promise to his wife, Mike turned and made his way out of the visiting room, Peter following behind him, paying no heed to the shouts of Marcus Woll following him out the door.

Coming back to the present, Mike gazed once again at his sleeping wife and children as they raced towards the other side of the country, towards the rest of their family and their home. He knew, however, that real closure would only come with Woll's conviction and sentencing. And that was still likely to be several weeks away.

Three Weeks Later:

"Alright Maddie," Kristin Cooper, a young Assistant State's Attorney who had been assigned to assist Peter during the investigation led her into a conference room, "Have a seat," She said and waited for the young teen to sit down before sitting down herself, "Now I understand you've testified at a trial before. You know what witness prep is?"

"Yeah," Maddie slowly nodded her head as she tried to hold back her tears. She really wished that even one of her parents could have come in with her, but they were with Peter who was prepping James and Claire to testify. Her younger brother and sister were so scared and nervous she didn't want to ask her parents to support her.

Seeing the preteen begin to fidget in her seat Kristen sensed that maybe witness prep wasn't going to be ideal. She didn't know why Maddie had testified in court before, but she didn't; want the girl to get to upset, "I'll go and get your Mom or Dad." She offered as she stood up, "Do you want that?" She gently handed her a box of Kleenex.

"No," Maddie took a Kleenex and blew her nose, "They're with Claire and James. They don't like Mom or Dad to leave them right now. They're scared all the time." She placed her head on the table as she began to cry.

"You know what." Kristen sat in the chair beside her's, "I think you're a great big sister for thinking of your younger brother and sister first. But sometimes it's okay to be a little bit selfish and admit you need help."

"No!" Maddie screamed as she shook her head, "It's my fault they got kidnapped! I'm a horrible person!" She loudly sobbed. She tried controlling her breathing and using some of the other methods her psychiatrist had taught her how to use to calk herself own but nothing was working.

Kristin sat there unsure what would be the best course of action. She didn't know if leaving to go get one of her parents would make her even more upset of if she should say something. She was very relieved when there was a knock on the door and then Maddie's mother Connie walked into the room.

"Mom!" Maddie jumped up and ran to her, she cried, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay sweetie. It wasn't your fault," Connie assured her as she rubbed her back, "You were tricked." Connie knew Maddie was still blaming herself for what had happened and so she had decided to come and check on her. She was now very glad that she did.

Maddie shook her head, "But some of the things I sent him were true and they're not very nice. I'm afraid the defense is going to think I wanted James and Claire to be kidnapped. Just like the defense asked me what I thought was going to happen to me when I ran away." She used a Kleenex to wipe away some of her tears.

Connie didn't want to tell Maddie she was wrong; she didn't know what Woll's defense team would come up with. "Maddie," Connie looked at her, "You have to be brave, just like you were when you testified before. I know it's going to be hard and it won't be easy. No matter what though your father and I and your brothers and sister and all your family, we will always love you. You're not a bad person."

"Yes, I am," Maddie sobbed, "I knew I shouldn't be saying those things online, but I was just so frustrated and angry."

"Everyone gets angry and frustrated, Connie reassured her, "Believe me I texted some things to my sister about your father back when we were working together and dating. Sometimes we need to let of a little steam. But it is an important lesson for everyone to learn that you should really know who you're talking to online. Why don't you talk to your friends?"

"Telling people in person about what happened to me is hard," Maddie admitted, "I don't want them to treat me differently or think I'm a freak. What if they don't want to be my friend anymore?"

"The they're not true friends. Any real friend would only want to support you after you tell them. Do you want to talk to Ms. Cooper now or wait for another day."

"How are Andy and Claire doing?" Maddie asked,

"They're pretty scared but they know they won't ever have to face Woll in court. They're going to be in the judge's chambers when they testify. It'll only be the judge, Peter and the defense attorney. It's going to be live streamed into the courtroom."

"That's good," Maddie lowered her head, "I wish I could so that."

"So, do I," Connie told her honestly.

"I can answer some questions now. Can you stay Mom?" She asked Connie.

"Of course," Connie sat down beside her. "Then after when you and your brother and sister are finished, we can go pick up Andy from your aunts house and go out for dinner."

"Okay," Maddie tried to smile as she prepared herself to answer Ms. Cooper's questions.

TBC

A\N: I hope you liked it. Please review.