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A week had passed since the trial had started and the day for Horatio's testimony had arrived. Horatio hadn't gotten any sleep that night and he was patiently waiting for his turn to come in the courtroom. The trial was set to end the next day and Missus Reardon's lawyer, Campbell, was doing his best to make all of Nevins's witnesses seem incompetent.

Campbell knew he was losing, but at least he tried his best to either get Missus Reardon acquitted or sentenced to an institution for the mentally insane; it was better than jail. The worst thing that could happen was if Mrs. Reardon was sentenced to death. Personally Campbell disliked cop killers and Missus Reardon had killed 6 cops. He was just doing his job as he stood in court and tried to defend her.

Horatio was eventually called as a witness and Nevins started with asking him questions regarding the kidnapping and torture that he had had to endure from Missus Reardon. When Nevins was done it was Campbell's turn to question Horatio.

"So you willingly went along with Missus Reardon after she showed up at your house?" Campbell asked.

"Yes."

"Because she threatened to shoot your daughter?"

"Yes."

"But still, you willingly went with her?"

"I don't think I had-"

"Answer yes or no, please." Campbell said.

"Yes I went with her." Horatio said.

"Why didn't you fight her? A strong man like you could have probably wrestled her to the ground in no time." Campbell said.

"She was holding a gun to my daughter's head." Horatio said.

"But you could have fought anyway. Weren't you willing to fight for your daughter's life?"

"Objection! That is not relevant." Nevins said.

"Overruled." Judge Hicks said.

"During the time in the house where Missus Reardon supposedly tortured you-"

"Objection! Supposedly? Evidence clearly shows that Missus Reardon tortured Lieutenant Caine." Nevins said.

"No, it's his word against Missus Reardon." Campbell said.

"During her phone call to the lab the sound of the Lieutenant being electrocuted was heard by his team and lover." Nevins said.

"But that could have been done by Jimmy Warrens." Campbell pointed out.

"Who just so happens to be dead thanks to your client!"

"Counselors!" Judge Hicks growled, "I'll allow Mr. Campbell to continue."

"Thank you." Campbell said and turned his attention back to Horatio, "So in the house where Missus Reardon supposedly tortured you, were you tied to a chair?"

"No." Horatio said.

"So you could have run?"

"No."

"No?"

"She had tortured me; she had electrocuted me and cut me with a knife." Horatio said, "I could barely keep my eyes open."

"A man like you, a man that stares down criminals at the PD, can't even fight a woman like Missus Reardon long enough to knock her out and escape?" Campbell asked.

"Objection! He's trying to ridicule Lieutenant Caine; who, may I remind you, is a victim." Nevins said.

"Overruled." Judge Hicks said.

"When you and Missus Reardon were running through the woods, you never tried to fight her away." Campbell said.

"Is that a question?" Horatio asked.

Campbell smirked, "Why didn't you try to fight her then?"

"Again, I had been tortured for three hours." Horatio said, beginning to get very angry and losing his patience to witness anymore.

"Did Jimmy Warrens participate in the torture?" Campbell asked.

"No."

"My client says he did all of it."

"She's lying."

"Really? I was told that you couldn't remember much of the torture; you remember leaving the house and getting electrocuted once, then you remember running in the woods and waking up in the hospital, correct?" Campbell asked.

"Correct."

"So isn't it possible that Jimmy Warrens did most of the torture?" Campbell asked.

"Yes." Horatio sighed.

"Nothing further." Campbell said and sat down again.

Horatio left the stand and went straight out of the court room. Mac and Frank followed him. They found Horatio in the men's room where he was throwing up. Mac knelt beside his lover and rubbed his back.

"It's over now." He whispered.

"How dare that asshole try to make it seem as if Missus Reardon didn't torture you?" Frank growled, "Everybody knows she did it!"

"Frank he's just doing his job." Mac said, although he too was very angry at Campbell for disrespecting his lover like that.

"He's right." Horatio sighed, "It's my word against Missus Reardon and I can't remember even half of what happened."

"For all we know Jimmy Warrens was dead half of the time too and not able to torture you." Frank said.

Alexx had not been able to tell exactly when Jimmy Warrens had died due to the trauma his body had endured in the explosion.

"Horatio, we're going out to eat tonight." Mac said.

"We are?"

"Yeah, I already asked Calleigh and Eric to babysit the twins."

"You two need some alone time." Frank said, "I'll be going back to the courtroom now, take care Horatio."

"Thanks, Frank." Horatio said.

Horatio rested his head against Mac's shoulder and sighed. Tomorrow it would all finally be over. Tomorrow Missus Reardon would get her conviction.

-I-

Eric was waiting for Ryan to come over and help him with the twins. Calleigh had been called into work and Eric had found himself unable to entertain the little ones. They just stared at him like he was the weirdest thing they had ever seen. So, feeling helpless, Eric had called Ryan.

There was a knock on the door and Eric went to open it. Ryan stepped inside and the two men went to the living room. Caylee and Noah were in their car seats, (that Horatio and Mac had used to carry them from the car to the Delko and Duquesne household). Ryan knelt down in front of Noah and unstrapped him. The young boy cooed and smiled as his Uncle Ryan held him.

"What did you just do?" Eric asked, "When I picked them up an hour ago they started crying."

"I would too if you held me." Ryan teased.

"Funny." Eric snorted and picked Caylee up.

Caylee's lower lip started quivering and Eric started rocking her gently. When she started whimpering he looked desperately at Ryan.

"Help me out man." He said.

"Are they hungry maybe?" Ryan asked.

"Calleigh and I fed them when they arrived two hours ago." Eric said, "And they haven't yawned so far so I doubt that they're tired."

"Then they must be bored." Ryan shrugged.

He told Eric to go get a blanket and with a crying baby girl in his arms the older man did. Once the blanket was on the floor they put both babies down on it and Ryan grabbed one of the plush toys that their fathers had brought.

Noah seemed to love the plush dinosaur, but Caylee was still unhappy. She looked at Eric and Eric smiled at her. He started playing peek-a-boo, but that didn't work. Suddenly Caylee rolled over again and again. Eric grabbed her quickly and once he picked her up she started whimpering again.

"Put her down, she wants to roll." Ryan said.

"Mac said she hadn't learnt how to do that yet." Eric said and put Caylee down.

"Apparently she has." Ryan smiled, "Record it with your phone and send it to them."

Caylee kept on rolling and rolling and not only did she love it, but she was quick too. Noah had yet to learn how to roll over and was happy just lying on his stomach and lifting his chest up to watch Ryan play with the toy.

"She's quick!" Eric exclaimed, "Does she ever get tired of it?"

Caylee had been rolling around in the living room for thirty minutes now and Eric was beginning to get a little tired of keeping up with her. Ryan was trying to come up with ways to play with the plush toy so that he could entertain Noah.

Caylee cooed and then yawned.

"Finally, she's getting tired." Eric said, "Remind me not to get Calleigh pregnant."

"Oh come on, babies are fun." Ryan grinned and then felt something sticky touch his hands.

He looked down and grimaced at the smell.

"Oh my god." He said.

"What is that smell? It doesn't smell like a dirty diaper." Eric said.

"Yuck!" Ryan exclaimed and his OCD took over as he rushed to the bathroom to clean his hands.

"He threw up on you?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. Disgusting!" Ryan called from the bathroom.

"Good boy." Eric praised.

Noah just smiled. Eric wiped the boy's mouth clean and then looked around for Caylee. He panicked as he couldn't find her.

"Shit!" He said, "Um Ryan?"

"Yes?"

"You think Mac and H will kill us if we misplaced their daughter?"

Ryan came running from the bathroom.

"What did you do?"

"I don't know where she went." Eric said, "Could she have learnt to walk already?"

"Don't be stupid." Ryan said, "Caylee?"

"Ryan, she's not going to answer you, idiot." Eric said.

Noah watched as both men frantically searched for Caylee in the living room. They both froze when they heard someone giggling down the hall closer to the master bedroom. Eric hurried to the bedroom and found Caylee on her back at the door. He picked up her and sighed in relief.

"Found her." He said as he came back to the living room.

"How the hell did she get all the way there?" Ryan asked.

"There's a clear path from the living room to the bedroom; she just rolled." Eric said, "I am so not having kids; these two are giving me a heart attack and I've been babysitting for less than three hours."

-I-

Eric and Ryan looked dead on their feet when Mac and Horatio came to pick up their kids and take them home.

"You have fun?" Mac asked, "Thanks for the video by the way."

"You're welcome." Eric yawned.

"We don't know how you two do it." Ryan said, "How do you keep up with them?"

"We just do." Mac shrugged, "Don't tell me that two young men like yourselves are worn out after taking care of Caylee and Noah for just five hours?"

"Not at all." Ryan said, but then yawned.

"Right." Horatio chuckled.

They all said goodnight and Mac and Horatio put the twins in the car. The drive home was quiet; the twins were asleep in their car seats. When they arrived home they put Caylee and Noah in their cribs and then the two men snuggled up on the couch.

"I won't be able to sleep tonight." Horatio said.

"I think I can make you sleep." Mac smiled and kissed his lover's neck.

Horatio moaned and felt his lover's erection press against him as he was pinned to the couch.

"Mac, I really don't think I will be able to sleep tonight." Horatio said.

"Well, I look forward to the challenge of trying to make you do it." Mac smirked.

Horatio gasped when Mac's hand slid inside his trousers and stroked his hardening length.

"And if you fail you can just try again." Horatio moaned.

"Exactly." Mac smirked and kissed his lover.

-I-

"Having your husband sent to jail for a crime, a murder, can make anyone furious." Campbell said to the jury, "Mister Reardon is guilty of murder; but the difference between the murder he committed and the murders that Missus Reardon committed is that she was unaware of the seriousness of her crimes. She was blinded by rage and the trauma of losing the man she loves.."

Some jury members nodded and Nevins growled silently. She hoped that they wouldn't fall for what Campbell was saying.

"Missus Reardon is, for lack of a better word; crazy. She does not deny it. She lost herself at the same moment that her husband was convicted of murder." Campbell said, "And when someone goes through that they will blame someone else for the crime; in this case Missus Reardon believed that Lieutenant Caine was guilty for making her lose her beloved husband. Now, we all know that it is not his fault. Missus Reardon knows that now too. But at the time of the crimes she truly believed that Lieutenant Caine was to blame."

Nevins shook her head disgusted. Missus Reardon was crazy, but not crazy enough not to know what she had been doing. She just refused to accept the world didn't obey her and that she couldn't do whatever she wanted and get away with it.

"Missus Reardon feels deeply sorry what she has done; she wasn't thinking clearly and shouldn't have to spend the rest of her life in jail for it. Haven't you ever made a mistake? Everyone in this room has made a mistake at some point; some have made big mistakes and some small ones. But we all got a second chance and we all deserve a second chance. Even Missus Reardon." Campbell said, "Now, I think that Missus Reardon needs help and you can give her that. You can set her free or recommend that she gets sentenced to spend some time in a mental institution; where she can get the help she needs. But she does deserve a second chance, right?"

Campbell turned to Nevins and nodded at her to show that it was her turn now. He sat down and Nevins stood up. She glanced at Horatio and Mac sitting behind her before focusing her attention at the jury.

"People do deserve second chances; but it depends on the seriousness of what they have done." Nevins said, "Missus Reardon is crazy, but she is not so crazy that she didn't know what she was doing at the time of the crimes. A person that is insane can't plan such an act of revenge as she did."

Nevins was pleased to see som jury members nodding in agreement.

"The fact is that Missus Reardon is not only responsible for kidnapping and torturing Lieutenant Horatio Caine." Nevins said, "Missus Reardon made a plan and she executed six police officers and Jimmy Warrens. She made 9 children fatherless and three children left without a mother."

One of the SWAT members that had died in the explosion had been a single-mother; her children were now being raised by her parents.

"To plan that and to be able to do that without ever thinking of stopping and without any regret is not the work of an insane woman; it is the work of a cold-hearted woman with no right to a second chance. She took a total of 7 lives, almost 8. Does she really deserve a second chance?"

Nevins sat down again and the jury was told to deliberate. Missus Reardon was lead to a cell and she turned around and smirked wickedly at Horatio. Horatio just glared back at her. While the jury took their time to think about what to do, Mac and Horatio waited outside. Horatio refused to eat lunch and the team wanted to give the two lovers some alone time and left for a while. After thirty minutes Nevins approached them.

"You did a good job, Miss Nevins." Mac said and shook her hand.

"It's Rebecca and thank you." She smiled, "We will win this."

"The jury has been thinking for a long time." Horatio said.

"Well, there is probably one person agreeing with Campbell rather than me, but we will win Horatio." Nevins said.

"Thank you." Horatio said and also shook her hand.

Nevins went to get some lunch and the team came back. After one hour had passed everyone was finally let back inside the courtroom and the jury came back. When everyone was seated, Horatio grabbed Mac's hand and took a deep breath. Mac squeezed his lover's hand.

"Have the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Hicks asked.

"We have your honor." The chairman of the jury said, "We, the jury, find the defendant..."

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