"Madam Benson, have you ever beaten Alexandra?" John Buchanan asked.
"Never." Olivia replied confidently from where she sat on the witness stand.
"No? What do you do when Alexandra disobeys or steps out of line in some way?"
"I generally use spanking as Alex's main form of discipline."
"So you have beaten her before. Multiple times, according to your own words." Buchanan accused.
"Never. By legal definition, a spanking and a beating are two very different things. By legal definition-"
"Your Honor, I move that Madam Benson's statement be stricken from the record. She is not an attorney, she is not qualified to define legal terms." Buchanan said.
"Objection. Madam Benson has worked in the Special Victims Unit for over twenty years, both as a detective and now as the Captain of her unit. She is more than qualified to define terms that she hears every single day in her line of work." Barba said.
"Sustained. Madam Benson, you may continue." Judge Donnelly said.
"By legal definition," Olivia continued, "a spanking is a punishment given on a submissive's bottom with an open hand or an implement to correct undesirable behavior after a warning has been given to ensure that the submissive knows that what they are doing is considered undesirable behavior, the effects of which should be healed within a day or two, possibly three at the very most depending on the severity of the spanking. A beating is blunt force with a closed fist or an implement on various parts of the body to coerce a submissive into obedience through fear and leaves bruises and other marks for a week or more."
"Madam Benson, according to a report filed by Michaela Brightman, she witnessed you abusing Alexandra on multiple occasions while she was living in your home, and claims that you abused her for breaking a plate while washing dishes."
"She is lying on both counts. She saw and heard me spank Alex on a number of occasions and received a number of spankings herself over my knee. She also saw my administer aftercare when Alex's spanking was over and experienced aftercare for herself when her own spanking was over. I don't believe in beatings, nor do I believe in leaving my submissive to cry herself out alone after her spanking is over. The plate incident occurred on the second evening Michaela was in my home. I told her to wash the dishes after dinner and she accidentally dropped one and broke it. She was afraid that I was going to be angry, but I wasn't angry. I never discipline for accidents, only for intentional rule breaking or careless behavior. I assured her that I wasn't angry, checked her hands and feet to make sure she hadn't been cut by the broken glass, told her to clean up the mess, and we moved on with our evening."
"There is also a report from David Kloss saying that you sold Alexandra to him illegally knowing full well that she was going to be beaten, raped, and abused."
"He is also lying. Check my bank account, you will find no such transaction. The last time I went to the bank, I deposited my check from work at the Special Victims Unit."
"So what happened the evening Alexandra disappeared?"
"The three of us went to a play party at a play space rented by another Mistress in our community, Amanda Rollins. It is basically a big mansion with a social area to sit and relax and mingle and have something to eat, and the rest is dedicated to various equipment for people to enjoy their various activities. When we got there, Alex wanted to play so I let her go with a friend of hers, Casey Novak. Michaela was overwhelmed by the crowd and stayed by me for about forty five minutes or so before she decided to go explore. They knew to come back to me if they needed to be fed or given water, or if they just needed a break."
"And where were you while they were out and about engaged in activities?"
"Sitting on the couch."
"You didn't participate in any activities of your own?"
"No. Often, I do, but that evening I did not."
"Did you know that David Kloss was at the party?"
"No, not until security pulled up a picture of him and I recognized him right away from when we arrested him last year."
"Or you knew David was at the party and you stayed on the couch to be sure that you would be seen by multiple people so you would have an alibi."
"Objection. Speculation." Barba said.
"Sustained."
"No more questions for this witness." Buchanan said, returning to his seat as Barba stood up.
"Madam Benson, what is Alexandra's safeword?"
"Chocolate." Olivia replied without a moment's hesitation.
"Have you ever violated Alexandra's consent by ignoring her when she used her safeword?"
"Never. When Alex uses her safeword, whatever activity is happening stops immediately."
"Is Alexandra allowed to say 'no' to you?"
"As long as she is respectful about it, yes, she is allowed to tell me if she's not comfortable with something. I encourage her to communicate openly and freely with me."
"What would happen if she wasn't respectful about it?"
"I would spank her for being disrespectful, but in my home no means no, so even if she needed to be spanked for disrespect, I would still honor her limits and not force whatever activity she was saying no to. Consent and respect are two separate issues."
"In your home, what would happen if, say, for example, Alexandra disobeyed an order?"
"I would put her over my knee and spank her for disobedience, then she would complete the task I had given her with her bottom still bare. Then I would hold her and let her cry and reassure her that she is a good girl and that I love her."
"Do you always give arnica immediately after a punishment?"
"Not always, no. For a belting or a caning, I would give it immediately after. For a simple hand spanking or a spanking with the wooden spoon, I might wait twenty four hours to give the lesson more time to sink in before giving arnica. But I always give some form of comfort immediately. Alex usually likes to be cuddled on my lap after a punishment."
"How long have you been a Mistress in the D/s community?"
"Since I was twenty seven."
"I won't insult a lady by asking you how old you are now, but it stands to reason that you have been a Mistress in the community for quite a while and are quite experienced. What is your skill set?"
"Rope, impact play, blood play, knife play, wax play, and electrostimulation. I'm currently enrolled in a class for beginners to learn about needle play."
That's quite an impressively wide range of experience." Barba complimented, and then paced Olivia through several examples and had her explain safety precautions and emergency treatment for each example.
"You can't just slap arnica on leathery skin and pray it heals, you have to massage it to break up the blood clots forming underneath the skin, then you can cool the skin down with arnica. There shouldn't be any abrasions after a scene like the one you just described if you're using the proper type of rope, so ointment shouldn't be necessary." Olivia said.
"No more questions for this witness." Barba said, satisfied.
"The witness may step down." Judge Donnelly said, and Olivia stepped down from the witness stand.
Most of the rest of the proceedings were rather boring to listen to, as they mostly pertained to Alex's behavior both at Rosewood and at Kincaid after she was taken away from Olivia. Claire and Teresa were both called to testify, as well as the dormitory monitor from both Transition Stations, and Monique, Alex's physical therapist. Alex zoned out for a while until Agent Dana Lewis was called to the stand.
"Agent Lewis, you and Agent Hammond were tasked with removing Alexandra from Madam Benson's home, true?" Buchanan asked.
"Yes." Agent Lewis replied.
"When you arrived at the home, what did you find?"
"The home was clean and well kept. Alexandra was sitting at the kitchen table exercising her hands with a wad of silly putty given to her by her physical therapist."
"When you explained why you were there, did Alexandra seem eager to go with you, or was she resistant to the idea of leaving her home?"
"She cried in the car, but almost all submissives cry on the way to SPS and while they are there getting photographed."
"According to the hospital report, Alexandra was only speaking in one-word sentences at that time due to trauma she had sustained over a six-week period where she was held captive, but according to the report from SPS, she was traumatized over a six-week period due to negligence by her Mistress. So we have one group of people blaming Madam Benson, who is a victim along with Alexandra, and another group of people blaming David Kloss who is responsible for actually harming Alexandra's body and mind." Barba concluded.
Alex zoned out again for a while until she heard her own name being called.
"I call Alexandra Cabot to the witness stand." Barba said.
Alex went up to the witness stand, was sworn in, and sat down.
"Alexandra, did you willingly and freely enter into a contract relationship as a collared submissive with Madam Olivia Benson on May 12, 1999?" Barba asked.
"Yes, I did." Alex replied.
"And in the years following that date, have you experienced any abuse, physical or otherwise, at the hands of Madam Benson?"
"No. None whatsoever."
"Alexandra, if you don't mind sharing with us, what are your hard limits?"
"My hard limits are scat, animals, children, and oatmeal."
"Have any of your hard limits ever been violated?"
"No."
"Your honor, at this time I'd like to submit a copy of Alexandra's contract with Madam Benson, clearly defining Alexandra's limits and I submit that the other side has failed to prove that any of these limits have been violated. Alexandra, please tell us what happened the evening you were kidnapped."
"My Mistress, Michaela, and I went to a play party at one of the play mansions in the area. When we got there, I went to play with a friend of mine. Later on, Michaela and I met up while I was working on some training in the rope area. After a while, we were on our way back to my Mistress to ask to be fed, and we were approached by David Kloss who threatened to pull a gun and open fire if we didn't go with him quietly. I was held prisoner for six weeks where I was beaten, raped, and tortured on a daily basis."
Olivia silently raised an eyebrow upon hearing that Alex had been in the rope area working on training. Alex knew full well that when they went to play parties, Alex was only allowed to work on training with Olivia, and the brunette dominant made a mental note to talk to Alex about it later at home. Barba sat down and Buchanan stood up.
"Alexandra, have you ever been beaten by Madam Benson?"
"No, never. I have certainly been spanked as punishment to correct my behavior, but never beaten."
"On the night you disappeared, why didn't Madam Benson keep you within her sight?"
"Play mansions are big places with lots of different areas to explore, and I am usually free to roam the mansion as I please as long as I ask first, which I did and was given permission. I know that I have to find my Mistress if I get hungry or thirsty."
"So you are always left unsupervised in crowded places." Buchanan concluded.
"Objection."
"Sustained."
"No further questions."
"We call Michaela Brightman to the witness stand."
Michaela walked up to the witness stand, was sworn in, and sat down.
"Gentlemen, before we proceed, I understand that Ms. Brightman is due to be prosecuted in a criminal trial along with David Kloss at a later date. In light of that fact, please keep your questioning in line with Ms. Brightman's time in Olivia Benson's care and the evening of their disappearance and nothing else, as we do not want anything to taint another trial proceeding."
"Yes, Your Honor." Barba and Buchanan agreed.