Yay! Avery's alive...haha

So, what happens when Avery has to go to court again for her mother?

Well, read and find out.

The very lucky Dick Wolf owns Law and Order:SVU, not me...wish I did though.

Tuesday

August 12th

"Avery, you ready to go?" Olivia called from inside her bedroom.

"Yeah," she answered from inside the bathroom, fixing her hair. It had been three days since Avery had been released from the hospital, and due to Olivia's constant urging, and her connections with Child Services, Avery had been allowed to stay at her apartment. Avery pulled the brush in hand, through her hair once more, trying to comprehend that her mother had shot her, and had hired another man to kill her. If it hadn't been for Olivia, she would have been dead.

Avery looked inot the mirror and saw Olivia walk into the bathroom, dressed for another day in court. This time Avery had to testify to put her mother away, and they both knew how tough that was going to be. "Let me just finish th-" Avery looked in the mirror and caught Olivia staring at her. "What?" she asked, turning around, leaning against the bathroom sink.

"Wha- uh, nothing" she replied, as she leaned against the doorframe of the the bathroom entrance.

Avery let out a small laugh, as she turned back to face the sink. "Okay," she said, placing the brush on the edge of the bathroom sink. "I think I'm ready." Avery walked out of the bathroom, quickly brushing past Olivia. She couldn't help but feel like she was up to something, and the fact that she was denying it, was making Avery a little uncomfortable.

Olivia walked into the room, grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter, and headed to the door. "You okay?" she asked, as she opened the front door, allowing Avery to walk out into the hallway. She knew the teen knew she was up to something, but if she told her the secret now, it would ruin everything.

Avery walked out of the door and waited for Olivia to follow. She turned around, locking the door, flashing a smile to the teen, as she spoke. "You know you can talk to me right?" she asked, as she pulled the key out of the door, and turned the handle, double-checking to make sure it was locked. Olivia turned around, but was surprised when Avery hugged her, knocking her a little off balance. "Woah," she said, placing one hand on Avery's back, and the other on her front door, to keep herself from falling over, "what was that for?"

"Thank-you" Avery said, against Olivia's shoulder, as she started to cry. "Thank-you, for everything." Avery pulled away from Olivia, wiping her eyes, so her make-up wouldn't smear, and smiled at the detective.

"You're welcome" was all Olivia said, as she smiled back at the teen, and placed her hand on her back, pushing her down the hall, on their way to court.

"How you feeling?" Elliot asked, as he pulled Avery into a hug, careful not to hurt her injured arm too much. Over the past few days, he had learned to trust Avery, probably more than he should've, and he realized how sweat a girl she actually was.

"Better" was all she said, as she pulled away from him and flashed him a smile.

Elliot looked up and caught Olivia's eyes with his own. He could tell something was bothering her, and being her best friend, he felt as though he had a right to konw.

"Yo, Avy!" Fin called out, using the nickname he had given to her when he and Munch had visited her in the hospital. "How you doing?" he asked, as he walked up, with Alex at his side.

"Eh, been better." Avery watched as Elliot walked up to Olivia, but decided to ignore it, and continue her conversation with Fin and Alex.

"What's wrong?" Elliot assked, when he had reached Olivia.

She looked up and caught his beautiful blues with her own chocolate brown eyes. "Nothing's, wrong."

"Olivia, come on, tell me what you've been hiding. I'm your best friend."

Olivia looked at Elliot and sighed. She needed to tell him what she was up to, after all, she was going to need his help. "Fine" she said, pulling him closer, just to make sure no one else heard what she was going to tell him. "I need your help."

"Avery," Alex began, walking up to the witness stand. "Would you say your mother was abusive?" Alex looked over at the defense table, looking at the defendant, Sara Taylor, and her lawyer, Roger Kressler.

Avery looked up and caught her mother's eyes with her own, and for the first time in sixteen years, she wasn't scared of her. "Yes" she answered, looking back at Alex.

"Can you please explain what she did to you" Alex asked, looking up at Judge Petrovsky, who seemed just as interested in learning the horrible things Sara did, as the jury was.

Avery looked out at the people in the courtroom. She smiled to herself when she saw Olivia, sitting inbetween Elliot and Cragen, with Fin and Munch sitting the bench behind them. They had all grown closer to Avery, even though they wouldn't admit it, and had come for support, knowing it would be hard on her, and she was going to need someone to lean on. "She, she would get drunk, almost everyday. When she was drunk, she was really angry, and violent, and usually took that anger out on me."

"Through beatings?"

Avery caught Alex's eye and nodded. "Yes. She would hit me, kick me, whatever she felt like doing."

Alex walked over to the prosecutor table, opened her briefcase, and pulled out a folder. "People's seven" she said, opening the folder, and showing the jury the pictrues of the bruises Olivia had taken on their way back to her apartment. "These are photos, of only a few injuries our victim has recieved, due to her mother's anger outbursts." Alex changed the picture in her hand, showing the bruise on her cheek, that was still visible on Avery's face. "What happened the morning of August seventh?" Alex asked, glaring over at Sara, her arms folded across her chest.

"After learning my mother had hired a man to kill me and my father, I had to know why, so I went to my grandparent's house, where I knew I'd find her, hiding from the cops. She said." Avery looked back at Sara, who seemed uninterested in what her daughter had to say. "She said she hated me, and was going to make sure she got rid of her biggest mistake. She shot at me, twice, but she was so drunk, the first bullet missed me, and the second, hit me iin the shoulder. That's when Detectives Benson and Stabler came and arrested her."

"Thank-you" Alex said, turning on her heel, before walking back to her table. "Nothing further" she said to Judge Petrovsky, as she took a seat.

Avery took a deep breath, as her mother's attorney, Roger Kressler, got out of his seat, and walked over to the witness stand. "If your mother did, in fact, abuse you for so long, why didn't you ever tell anyone? Surely there was an adult at school you could have confided in, perhaps your late drama coach?"

Avery looked at Kressler, and furrowed her eyebrows, angry that he had brought her old drama coach into this. "I'm sixteen counselor. I have a year of school left. If I would have told anyone, I would have been taken out of my house, and put into a place where I knew no one. I would've had to change schools. I was scared." Avery glared at Kressler, telling him she wasn't afraid of showing him up in court, just as she had done to Langan.

"So, why now then? Why wait until now to tell what your mother apparently did? Are you not afraid anymore, or were you forced to speak?" he asked, walking up to the jury.

Alex looked at Avery, then over her shoulder at Olivia. She knew Kressler was known for being tough in the court, but she also knew Avery was smart enough to handle him. "I wasn't forced to say anything Mr. Kressler. I simply found someone I was able to trust."

Kressler followed Avery's gaze to the SVU group sitting and listening to everything. "And by someone, you mean Detective Benson, am I correct?"

Olivia looked at Kressler, who had his eyes glued on her. She already didn't like him, and the fact that he was trying to make Avery seem like a liar, made her dislike for him stronger. "Yes" Avery whispered, hoping she wouldn't get the detective in trouble.

"Nothing further your honor" Mr. Kressler said, walking past Judge Petrovsky, to his table, where Sara sat quietly.

Judge Petrovsky looked down at Avery and smiled, showing the girl some much needed kindness. "Thank-you Miss Taylor. You may step down." Avery nodded, before she stood up and headed to where everyone was sitting.

"The Defense would like to call up Detective Olivia Benson." Alex looked over at Kressler, confused. It seemed odd that he would call up Olivia, considering she'd make it easier for Alex to win the case. Olivia looked over at Elliot, just as confused. She knew she was on the witness list, but she didn't think they were serious. Elliot gently patted her knee, before she stood, and walked up to the stand, patting Avery on her uninjured shoulder, as she walked by.

Avery quickly walked to where everyone sat, taking a seat where Olivia had been sitting previously, inbetween Elliot and Cragen. Elliot smiled down at her, as Cragen wrapped an arm around her, comforting the teen as they waited, as a grandfather would do to a worried grandchild.

"Detective Benson, did you ever witness my client hit her daughter?" Kressler asked, after Olivia had been sworn in.

Olivia looked at Kressler, and shook her head. "No, but I did see-"

"Did you ever see Sara Taylor hit her daughter?" he asked again, this time more stern, and louder.

Olivia sighed, beginning to get frustrated. "No."

Mr. Kressler walked back up to the jury as he spoke. "Did Avery ever tell you her mother hit, or abused her?"

"Yes."

"When?"

Olivia sighed. "I talked to her two days after she was attacked. That's when I noticed the bruises on her face and neck. She told me her mother had gotten angry at her. When I asked her if this was a regular thing, she started to cry, and told me about the abuse."

Kressler walked around again, but soon stopped and stared at Olivia. "Detective Benson, can you relate to Avery?"

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, a little confused.

"Can you relate to Avery?" he asked again.

"What-I don't understand how this relates to-"

"Let me rephrase the question" he said, cutting her off. "Detective Benson, was your mother an alcoholic, and abused you?"

"Objection!" Alex yelled, rising from her chair, starling everyone. "Relevance?" Alex looked at Olivia. She knew she didn't want to talk about her mother, especially in open court.

"I have reason to speculate my client was mistreated, based upon Detective Benson's past."

"That's insane. Your client was treated fairly in the eyes of the law, despite the monster she is" Alex said, slamming her hand on the table, defending Olivia.

Judge Petrovsky looked at Alex and nodded. "Although I agree with you Miss Cabot, I have no evidence that proves otherwise. I'll allow it." She turned to Kressler before speaking. "Don't go too far off track counselor." She then turned to Olivia. "Answer the question Detective."

Olivia looked at Cragen, who nodded. She then looked down at Avery, who gave her a half-hearted smile, unsure of how to react. "My mother," Olivia began, looking Mr. Kressler in the eye, telling him how much she despised him at that moment, "was a drunk, and yes, I can relate to Avery."

"Would you say you are angry at your mother?"

Olivia continued to glare at him. "Yes, I was."

"And would you say you let your anger out on my client?"

"No, I didn't."

"Detective Benson" Kressler began, retreating back to his table, "is it true that you and your partner, Detective Stabler, conducted an illegal search of my client's residence?" he read off a sheet of paper in his hands.

"No. My partner and I asked for permission to search, and when she gave consent, and only when she gave it, I searched the apartment."

"It's clear that you have a connection with my client's daughter. Some would think you'd say or do anything for a conviction."

"Objection!" Alex yelled, once again, standing from her chair. "The defense is trying to persuade the jury by questioning Detective Benson's duty as an officer of the law."

Judge Petrovsky nodded, looking at Alex. "Mr. Kressler, you are walking on very thin ice. I happen to know that Detective Benson is a decorated officer. Do not come in her questioning her duties."

Kressler, who was a little shocked by Petrovsky taking Alex's side, only sighed, as he looked at Olivia, who was glaring at Sara, who was, likewise, glaring at Olivia in the witness stand. "I'm sorry your honor." He retreated back to his table and sat, a little surprised that he had been shown up in court. "Nothing further."
"Very well" Judge Petrovsky said, turning to Alex. "Your witness Miss Cabot."

Alex looked over her shoulder at eveyone sitting behind her. She then turned to Olivia and smiled. "The People have no questions for this witness" Alex said with a smile, confident that they had just won.

"Very well" Petrovsky said turning to Olivia. "You may step down Detective, and I'm sure Mr. Kressler will have an apology for an attack like that in court." Olivia nodded, as she got up, and walked to where Avery sat.

She watched as Elliot slide over, allowing her to sit inbetween him and Avery. Olivia smiled when Avery laid her head on her shoulder. "Remind me to bring you to court more often" she whispered, causing the girl to let out a small laugh. Olivia looked at Elliot, as they both smiled, content with how things were turning out.

"Miss Taylor, you say your daughter was a mistake, why?" Alex asked, stepping up to the witness stand, where the defendant, Sara Taylor, sat. She had called her up, to have the jury better understand how much she deserved to be punished for what she did.

Sara sighed. She knew the jury was going to find her guilty, so she figured she might as well tell them everything. "David and I met at a club seventeen years ago. We were both young, and looking to just have some fun. After a few hours of drinking, and dancing, we went to my place, and, well, had sex. As soon as we were done, that bastard told me he was engaged, with a kid on the way." Sara looked over at Avery, who still had her head on Olivia's shoulder, and still had Cragen's arm around her body. "When I found out I was pregnant, I found him, and told him about the baby. He told me it was the biggest mistake of his life."

"Is that why you hired Jeffrey Osborne?"

Sara looked up at Alex, with what seemed to be a very annoyed look on her face. "I hated that man for what he did to me, and seeing Avery everyday, only brought back the anger. I wanted him dead, and I wanted to kill the constant reminder" she said, looking at her daughter once more. "I hired that man, and waited until the job was done."

Alex looked up at Judge Petrovsky. "Nothing further" she said quietly, angry that someone could so this to their own child.

Everyone waited, as the jury was in another room, deciding on a verdict. The only movement from the entire room, came when the doors to the courtroom opened, and Judge Donnelly walked in. She walked straight up to Alex, whispering something in her ear, as she handed her a folder. Alex took the folder, looked at Olivia and smiled. She nodded, thanking Donnelly, before she walked back toward the door, smiling at Olivia and Elliot on the way out. "Was that-" Elliot didnt' get to finish, before he saw the jury return.

"Has the jury reached a decision" Petrovsky asked, when the last jury member took their seat.

"We have your honor" a man, in his late thirties, answered.

"Very well. On the count of murder in the second degree, how does the jury find the Defendant?"

The same man, pushed up his glasses, as he read from the paper in his hands. "We find the Defendant guilty."

"On the count of attempted murder in the first degree, how does the jury find the Defendant?"

"We find the Defendant, guilty."

"On the count of child endagerment, how does the jury find the Defendant?"

The man with the glasses, as Avery had nicknamed him, looked at Sara before reading. "We find the Defendant, guilty." Avery let out the breath she had been holding, as everyone around her celebrated silently. Olivia placed her hand on her knee, while Cragen hugged her, careful not to hurt her still sore shoulder.

"Very well. We will meet again next week to discuss sentencing." Judge Petrovsky pounded her gavel and stood, as the court officers picked Sara up off the chair and escorted her to the door.

She noticed Avery standing, getting ready to leave, with Olivia's hand on her uninjured shoulder. "You bitch!" she yelled, causing Avery to look at her mother. "I hope you die! Go on, suffer in a foster home. You're gonna pay for what you did, you hear me!" The officers quickly took the screaming Sara out of the room, but not before her words got to Avery.

Before Olivia could stop her, Avery rushed out of the courtroom. Olivia, not wanting anything else to happen to her, followed Avery out of the room, and out of the building.

Oh my goodness!

Was that intense? If not, sorry :/

Well, its good to know that Sara was found guilty, but what does that mean for Avery?

What the heck did Donnelly think was so important that she barged into the courtroom?

And now that Elliot is in on Olivia and Alex's secret, what does he have to say about it?

Don't worry, in the next chapter you'll find out what Olivia's been keeping a secret, but only if you review :)