"And that's basically the house." Nick said when they got back to the kitchen.

"It's great; you don't see houses like this in Vegas."

"Thank you we like it." A female voice said from behind her.

"Mom." Nick smiled and went and gave her a hug.

"I swear you get taller every time I see you."

"Not really. It's good to see you Mom."

"You should come home more often." Jillian Stokes told her son.

"I'll try Mom but we get busy." Nick paused. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my fiancée Sara Sidle. Sara, my Mom Jillian Stokes."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs Stokes."

"I told you to call me Jillian on the phone. It's nice to finally meet you in person Sara." Jillian hugged her.

"You too."

Nick just smiled.

"Are you kids hungry?" Jillian asked.

"Mom you've had a long day you don't need to make dinner."

"I don't think putting a vegetable tortilla lasagne from the freezer into the oven is going to kill me Nicholas."

"I'll do it. Sit down."

"Fine." She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down at the kitchen table. "Didn't you both work this morning? Aren't you tired?"

"We got a couple of hours sleep in before we went to the airport." Sara said sitting down. "We've worked through longer without sleep."

"You should try studying and taking the bar exam when your seven months pregnant." Jillian said. "That's exhausting."

"I'll bet."

"Mom passed first time and got a higher score than Dad." Nick told Sara proudly.

"Just don't mention that to Bill he hasn't quite gotten over that." Jillian told Sara.

"I think having seven kids and being a public defender is pretty impressive."

"After having twins two more weren't much hassle."

"Thanks Mom." Nick said sarcastically.

"You and Maggie were always pretty independent and your own people. Actually all of you kids were. You could all ride a horse before you could walk."

"Mom refused to let people call Emily and Heather the twins." Nick explained.

"They have names and they should be used." Jillian stated.

"Good point." Sara had to agree.

"Mom, Maggie mentioned a cook out on Sunday." Nick said.

"Emily, Jack and the kids are coming to tomorrow. Since it's going to be the first time you've all been here since Luke's baptism. I thought it would be nice to have everyone over."

"Maggie suggested we get name tags to help Sara out."

"So did you." Sara reminded him.

"We can probably organise that. Put sticky dots on them to tell you which kids attach to which parents. But for starters remember Lara-Jo is the oldest and Luke is the youngest and Justin and Robbie are the identical twins." Jillian advised. "Although she might have trouble telling Clint and Leland apart. They're brothers but they look like identical twins."

"I think I'm going to lots of diagrams." Sara told Nick.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Nick winked at her. "When's Dad get back from Austin?"

"He had to take a later flight back tonight so he should be here by 9.30." Jillian replied.

"Big case?"

"Final appeal in a death penalty case." Jillian replied.

"Any idea what the verdict was?" Nick asked.

"Anthony Charles raped and murdered six women; they had more than enough evidence to prove that it was him twice over. They didn't allow the appeal, the Governor won't grant clemency. He's going to die at 12.01 Monday morning."

"I guess the news is going to be full of stories about why he should have been given life imprisonment rather than the death penalty."

"That's what the sentencing recommendation by a jury of his peers was." Jillian pointed out. "I know the prosecutor from the original case. It's only because it's the death penalty that they dug up enough to let the appeals get this far. Sara do you have an opinion on the death penalty?"

"It depends on the circumstances." Sara replied. In her mother's case the prosecutor hadn't pushed for the death penalty due to the extenuating circumstances of her father's violent nature. She had received a 25 to life sentence instead. "But he seems to have warranted it and if they can prove conclusively that it was him, they should go ahead."

"Well that's enough of depressing subjects." Nick said. "What else have I missed around here?"

TBC