A/N: Thank you for reviewing the previous chapter. We're heading into the court room for some more twists and turns. I know I promised this chapter yesterday, but as some of you may know, I was in NYC spending a couple of weeks there, but I had to come home back to England a couple days ago. Then I've flown back NYC so with jet lag and such I haven't been in the right frame of mind to write. Now I'm getting settled again, I will be posting more chapters. Keep an eye out for Cabin 37, chapter 2 and Recovery has been updated too. I know it's been a long time. I haven't forgotten about any of my fanfictions. Time just passes far too quickly these days. Please enjoy and review. Thanks everyone :)

"Are you prepared?" I asked Alex over dinner.

"As much as I can be, the defence is going to play the victim card. I need to show the jury that Natasha did what she did in cold blood. It's going to be hard and I'm pretty sure we're going to lose."

"I still don't know how I feel it, if two girls get justice, one doesn't."

"Liv, I'm going to give her a deal if I can but my boss is on my ass." Alex took hold of my hand and smiled. "I know you're worried, but trust me."

"I do trust you. I know you'll do your best, you always do."

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep in Alex's arms once we'd finished dinner. We woke up the following morning where we'd fallen asleep on the couch. I looked at Alex who was still in dreamland. I slipped out of her arms and got in the shower, I put the coffee on ready for when Alex woke up.

I got dressed and decided it would be best if I woke Alex up, I made her a cup of coffee with two sugars, black just the way she liked it.

"Alex," I said as I put the coffee down on the table, "Baby." I slipped my arms around Alex and kissed her cheek.

"Morning."

"Good morning. I made you coffee."

Alex smiled and stretched, "You know me so well."

"I'd be worried if I didn't." I said sitting on the couch.

"Are you coming to the trial today?"

"I'm thinking about it, I should be, it's my case."

"But.." Alex said sipping her coffee, eyebrows raised.

"But emotionally I'm conflicted. I sit there not knowing if Natasha is going to jail knowing she's a conditioned rape, kidnap victim; and, at the end of it, I'm not going to feel the happiness of putting a perp behind bars, I get to be happy for one set of parents, or three victims."

"Listen to me, you have to remember that Natasha didn't like what was happening to her, she knew it was wrong, but she did it anyway. It was her choice, no matter what, you always know how to say no."

I nodded, I agreed but I had one thought that wouldn't leave my mind, "But if she hadn't been conditioned, would she have done it?"

"I don't know, we never will know. What I hope is that the defence doesn't use that to their advantage. Either way Liv, she hurt three girls, one of them is dead. They need justice too."

"You're right, as always."

I felt my stomach churning as Alex and I walked hand in hand up the court house stairs. I'd been here so many times before, but today was one of the hardest. Alex gave my hand a squeeze then opened the door for me. I walked in and smelt the same 'old' smell that lingered in the air.

"Stop panicking." Alex whispered.

"I'm not panicking." I lied.

"Internally, you are. I can see if written all over your face."

"Fine you got me."

"Come on, go and sit down. We have court room three, extra press space."

It seemed to wash over me then, the reality of the situation. This case was huge, a kidnap victim, conditioned and raped was on trial for rape and the murder of two people. Alex motioned me to sit down, I took my seat behind Alex and sat trying to avoid the press.

We were early, but it seemed so was everyone today. Natasha June and her lawyer Marsha Paxton were sat down talking quietly between them.

Judge Anderson entered the courtroom, took her seat and got comfortable. The jury was lead in, I looked at all of them, some looked nervous, the others looked switched off emotionally. They thought they were prepared.

"Miss Cabot, please present your opening statement."

Alex stood up, she was wearing the dark blue skirt suit she often wore for court. She still had her glasses on, as she stood up she clasped her hands together in front of her and looked towards the floor. Alex took off her glasses with one hand and held them at her side, lifting her head to look at the jury, she began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you may have tried to prepare yourself for this case. I tried to prepare my case, but I quickly learned that this trial will play on every emotion you have. But you are not here for emotions. You are here for truth and justice, and those things alone. We are here because the young lady at the defence table, twenty one year old Natasha June assisted in the rape and sexual abuse of three little girls, one of those girls can't be here today, because she was killed by Natasha June." Alex took in a deep breath showing sympathy for the family who lost their daughter.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat the truth for you because you're all adults, Natasha June was kidnapped when she was five. Throughout that time there is evidence to suggest that she too was raped for years. What you're feeling is shock, I was shocked too. But then I thought about the three young girls who were tricked into the van where a man lay in wait to rape them. I thought about how scared those girls must have been, how betrayed they must have felt after a nice young lady asked for directions, then lead them to the most horrific, painful experience of their lives. Something they will have to live with for the rest of their lives, their trust diminished. Now, I know if I could stop someone from being hurt, if I could stop someone from being raped I would do anything to stop it." Alex stopped talking and looked at the jurors, "Surely, if you were being abused daily for years, sixteen years to be exact; you wouldn't put another little girl through the pain you went through knowing how much you hate it. I know I couldn't. Natasha June did. Natasha confessed to police that she had in total help lure and rape forty six girls over the last few years. Forty nine if you include the three young girls we are here to get justice for today. Imagine your daughter, your son, granddaughter, or grandson being lured into a van by this woman. Imagine her telling her sweet story about puppies, lying to your child. Regardless of what she has been through as terrible as it is, would you want justice? Today you can give a grieving family justice for the loss of a mother and daughter who died because of Natasha. Today you can give two little girls who have lost almost all hope, their lives back. Do the right thing, it's our children out there; if we let Natasha June back into the community we have let our children down."

Alex sat down. Seeing it laid out in front of me like that made me realise that Natasha did need to be punished, I couldn't sugarcoat things either. Natasha was guilty.

Marsha Paxton stood up, she straightened her black jacket over her crisp white shirt and looked at Natasha. "My client, Natasha Paxton is a sweet young lady who has made a terrible mistake. However you can't look at my client as a monster, because she is not. Natasha was kidnapped when she was five by a man who raped her, abused her mentally and physically for years. He told her, her parents were dead and he was all she had left. Do you know what that is ladies and gentlemen? It's brainwashing. Natasha was conditioned to do everything her abductor said because if she didn't she would be alone in the world with nothing and no one. Can you imagine how scary that must be? I know I can't. There is only thing you have to remember about my client, she is a victim. She wouldn't have committed any crimes had she not been kidnapped herself."

Alex had to force herself not to roll her eyes, the defence had gone with the best argument they had. The only argument they had.

Alex stood up and called her first witness to the stand, me.

"Detective Benson, can you tell us about Grace Palmwood?"

"Yes, Grace Palmwood was the first of the girls who came to the special victims unit after being attacked by Natasha June and her partner. She came into the squad room with her mother. Unfortunately we had another open case at the time, I had to take a statement and on my Captain's orders. There had been an attack on a twelve year old girl, which we later discovered was related to Grace's case. I was informed that during the time I was overseeing my case, Jessica Palmwood and Grace had been killed in their home."

"And how were they killed?"

"Jessica had come into the One – Six that day, she was holding a bear her daughter had been given as a gift from her rapists. It transpired that the bear concealed a bomb."

"What did you do once you discovered Natasha's MO?"

"As soon as I had seen the devastation at the Palmwood house, I went back to the Wilson house. There I found Emily hugging her bear. She told me she knew what it was because she could hear the ticking inside of it. I begged her to leave, but she told me she wanted to die."

"Did you manage to save Emily?"

"I did. I was with Alec Marshall, the chief bomb examiner; together we tried to convince Emily to give us the bomb but she wouldn't listen to us. After trying to negotiate with her, I pulled Emily off the bed and threw the bear to Alec. We ran out the house knowing we didn't have any time to stop the bomb."

"Can you tell us about the third victim?" Alex asked me.

"Lucy Rogers, an eight year old. She was in the hospital when I was given her case. I drove her back to the precinct where we interviewed her. It was then that she said she had been raped by a man and a woman."

"What do all these cases have in common Detective Benson?"

"A woman named Sadie."

"And who is Sadie?"

"The defendant, Natasha June."

"How do you know?"

"Emily and Lucy both identified Natasha in a line up. They also both provided sketches of her through a sketch artist. And when Natasha came into the precinct and I spoke with her, she admitted to her part in the abuse."

"Thank you Detective Benson. Your witness." Alex sat down, this is the bit I always hated. Cross examination.

"Detective Benson, is it true that the reason you couldn't speak to Grace Palmwood and her mother that day was because in fact you were dealing with a personal case?"

"No case is personal." I said.

"But this one was. Isn't it true you were working on a case that involved a woman claiming to be your mother?"

"Objection, what's the relevance of Detective's Benson's other cases?" Alex asked.

"The relevance is that Detective Benson couldn't handle her emotions and has potentially given my clients case less thought than she ought to!" Marsha defended.

"I'll allow it, but tread lightly." Judge Anderson said.

Marsha tried to hide her smile. "Detective Benson, in your opinion, do you believe you gave your full attention to the case?"

"I have to spread my attention across many cases all at one time. I gave the case as much attention as I would give any other case."

"How did you find Natasha June?"

"Natasha came into the precinct." I said.

"So she handed herself in?"

"Yes."

"Do many suspects hand themselves in?"

"Not many."

"Why did Natasha say she handed herself in?"

"She said it was for what she had done, not who she was." I said feeling knots in my stomach.

"And what was the reason?"

"Because she had been involved with the abuse and rape of minors."

"What was the outcome of the interview?"

I took a deep breath, he was the guilt story for the jury coming from me, the lead detective on the case. "When Natasha first came in, I knew her to be Sadie. The woman who helped rape and abuse children. It was only after a DNA test and a lot of questions that we discovered Sadie to be Natasha June."

"In your personal opinion, do you think Natasha would have committed these crimes if she herself had not been brainwashed into thinking she had to?"

I lowered my head, "I'm not a phycologist. I can't answer that."

Marsha looked at the judge. "Answer the question Detective Benson."

"I don't know."

"Detective Benson, you were ordered to answer my question." Marsha said.

"I don't know. I can't tell you what Natasha may or may not have done; Natasha may have been influenced by her partner to rape, or brainwashed as you put it. On the other side of things, Natasha may have had the urges to rape and abuse on her own and didn't need encouragement. We will never know because of the circumstances. So my answer is, I don't know."

"No further questions."