A/N: Sorry about the delay, but real life got in the way (the non-profit I worked for lost its funding, and I lost my job). What a week. Anyhow, thanks to everyone who is still reading along! As always, I'm sorry for any SVU or court errors that I make; the only thing I can say is that this is what things were like for me. All names have been changed to protect those involved.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Law and Order: SVU. That honor goes to the good folks over at NBC.

Spoilers: None.

Summary: An eleventh grader is sexually assaulted at school. Will Olivia, Alex, and the rest of the gang be able to help her cope?

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16th Precinct, 3 months later (March)

Julia cautiously walked into the precinct, her jacket wrapped snuggly around her body. Although it was a fairly decent day considering the fact that it was March in New York, she still felt cold, alone, skittish, and a little off.

Things had not improved for her at school, and in a sense, had only gotten worse: her grades continued to slip, she had a hard time focusing in class, and she saw Mark often. It frustrated her that he seemed so happy with so many friends always swarming around him, when she herself felt more alone each and every day.

"Julia?" Olivia called out in surprise, spotting the student standing in the middle of the precinct's entryway. "What are you doing down here?" she walked over to her, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Uh—" Julia stammered, shifting from foot to foot, her gaze directed at the floor. "Nothing," she whispered.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked in concern, resting a hand on the eleventh grader's arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Julia met the detective's gaze, flashing her a partial smile. "Just, you know, I thought I'd come by and say hi."

"Well hello there," Olivia couldn't help but smile, leading her back toward a private conference room. "Don't get me wrong," she continued "Because I'm very happy to see you, but are you sure that you're okay? That something else didn't happen?"

Julia swallowed, hesitantly nodding. Mark hadn't hurt her again, nor had he tried to talk to her. And without knowing what Mark's teammates had done to her friend, she really had nothing new to report to Olivia. She just felt…off, and there was something that she wanted to know. "Will it ever go away?" she suddenly asked, staring at her hands in embarrassment.

"What, honey?" Olivia took a seat at the table beside her. "Will what ever go away?"

"This feeling of being a victim; I hate it. I hate me."

Olivia's heart sank; she truly felt badly for her. "Why do you hate yourself?" she gently inquired.

Julia shrugged. "Because I'm letting this experience define who I am, and I know that it's stupid. Intellectually speaking, I know that I'm being stupid; I know that worse things happen to people every day, and that in the scheme of things, nothing really bad happened. I don't have a right to feel like this," she jammed her hands into her pockets in frustration, still staring down at the table.

"But something bad did happen to you," Olivia pointed out, leaning toward Julia to try to get her to look at her. "You're beating yourself up because you're reacting to a traumatic experience in a way that you don't think is appropriate, but who's to say what's appropriate and what isn't? He did something wrong, and it wasn't fair," the detective vehemently maintained. "You can't diminish what happened to you just because other crimes are committed every day. You are not stupid… the situation is stupid. And yes, Julia, things will get better for you. I promise."

"I guess," Julia whispered, not really convinced. She still hated the fact that she walked around in a fog every single day, while Mark got to laugh and joke around with his friends. She wanted to feel better, and she wanted to focus on her future. But the counselors weren't helping, the school wasn't helping, her friends didn't understand, her family didn't understand… she just felt alone, and she was afraid that the negative feelings would some day bury her alive. She felt completely consumed by the event, with no end in sight.

"And you have to remember," Olivia continued, "You're having a hard time moving forward because your grand jury hearing was scheduled for the last possible day that it could have been scheduled: exactly five months and thirty days after the assault originally took place. You need to give yourself a break, honey," she tried to smile. "You need to find a way to hang in there."

"Yeah, I guess," Julia let out a shaky, resigned sigh.

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Alex's office, 3 months later (June)

"How are you holding up?" Alex gently asked Julia, handing her a glass of water.

"I'm okay," Julia robotically replied, her hands shoved deep within her suit jacket's pockets. "Or hanging in there, anyhow," she added, her eyes once again wandering around the attorney's office. She was actually far from 'okay,' but she had given her word that she would testify at the grand jury hearing, and she was going to go through with it. Besides, she had also really come to trust both Alex and Olivia, and deep down, knew that neither woman would let her get hurt.

"Good," Alex warmly smiled, taking a sip of her water. "Now in terms of the grand jury itself, there will be eighteen jurors, all members of the community, just like you or me."

"Except they're going to judge me," Julia needlessly pointed out, feeling the acid in her stomach turning. She was definitely more nervous than she had ever been in her life. "And they're going to make a decision about what happened."

"Yes and no," Alex tried to keep her voice even-tempered for Julia's sake. She wasn't nervous about the case, per say, but she knew how worried the eleventh grader truly was. "Remember, they're not going to tell you that what happened didn't happen. He assaulted you," she gazed at Julia. "But what they need to do now is to determine whether or not I have enough evidence to move forward with a case. They won't be judging your actions—"

"Or lack there of—" Julia interjected.

Alex ruefully smiled, wishing that she and Olivia had been successful in convincing the student that she hadn't done anything wrong. "—But rather his actions and if they can be prosecuted under the letter of the law."

"And you'll be there with me?" Julia hesitantly asked, her fingers lightly moving against Hoot's fur; Mrs. Simon had graciously given the beanie baby to her months ago, and it was now safely ensconced in her suit pocket.

"I'll be right next to you," Alex gently confirmed. "And I won't leave your side until you're completely done telling your story."

"Okay," Julia cautiously got to her feet. "Let's just get this over with, then."

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Grand Jury Room A, later that day

Alex, her briefcase held loosely by her side, glanced over at Julia. The student was anxiously fidgeting with her suit, her hands, her hair, her feet—she couldn't seem to sit or stand still, although Alex completely recognized the fact that she was scared out of her mind.

The attorney felt badly for her, too. She understood how difficult it was to put oneself out there, especially when talking about a subject matter that was uncomfortable. But she also knew that Julia was strong, and that she would get through this. "I'll be right back," she smiled at the eleventh grader, stepping closer to the door. "I need to prep them on your case, and then I'll call you in."

Julia took a seat on the bench, trying to ignore the hustle and bustle of the lawyers, prisoners, and police officers who were scurrying like mice up and down the hallways. It was definitely a busy day, she ruefully noted, nibbling on one of her fingernails, made even more depressing by the fact that it was cloudy and rainy outside.

"Is this seat taken?" someone cleared her throat, jostling her out of her own thoughts.

Momentarily startled, it took Julia a second to realize that Olivia was standing right in front of her. "No, please sit," she smiled.

"I just came down to wish you good luck," Olivia admitted, leaning against the back of the bench. "Just remember to breathe, and know that no matter what happens, both Alex and I are proud of you."

Julia nodded, doubt filling her voice. "I'm still a little nervous, though," she mumbled. "Actually, kind of a lot nervous."

"That's okay," Olivia patted her knee, glancing up when Alex emerged from the room. "But it will all be over soon enough."

"We're ready for you, Julia," Alex flashed Olivia a quick smile, thanking her for stopping by. Her client was definitely beyond afraid right now.

"Okay," Julia got to her feet, uneasily staring at the door.

"You'll be fine, just keep breathing," Olivia kindly repeated, giving her a quick hug. "Trust us."

Alex nodded her agreement, gazing at Julia. "Deep breaths," she advised, finally leading her into the room.

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TO BE CONTINUED