Sorry for another late post - the website was faulty again.

...

Eventually Bianca's trembling hand was steady enough to reach for her water glass and she took a good long swig.

"Are we ready now?" McCoy asked a little petulantly.

"Okay." said Bianca, although her voice was still a little quiet. She looked up into the crowd expecting to see the judging eyes from seven years ago. Instead all she could see was friendship and support, from Randi, Frankie, Reggie, Camilla, Dr Stanhope, Scott, Madison, Opal and Krystal. Most importantly of all there was Marissa, looking so sympathetic and full of love, Bianca found a renewed strength.

"Let's get this over with." she said much more forcefully.

"Very good." said McCoy, and he began pacing.

"Now you claim that you didn't provoke my client into attacking you?"

"I didn't. He just came at me out of nowhere."

"So you don't believe stealing a man's wife and son are acts of provocation."

"Objection." called Jackson. "JR Chandler and Marissa Tasker were not married."

"Fine." said McCoy a little huffily, "Stealing a man's girlfriend and son. Do you not consider those actions provocative?"

"I didn't steal anything. You are acting as if Marissa didn't have a choice."

"But are you denying that you manipulated the situation?"

"It may seem that way after the fact but that was never my intention."

"So you had no ulterior motive when you were helping JR woo Marissa nine months ago?"

Bianca closed her eyes ashamed. She hadn't been particularly proud of her actions back then, but it had been an act of pure desperation.

"My actions back then were indeed misguided I won't deny that. I was in the position where I was falling in love with my straight best friend. I wanted more than anything to tell her how I felt but I was scared to lose her. So I decided to help make her happy. I thought at the time JR was who she wanted; to be a family again for AJ. I gave JR a music box I'd had made for Marissa, because I knew it would be too much of a romantic gesture coming from me, I was only a friend. It worked so well JR began coming to me for advice and I was just so pleased all the gestures and gifts were making Marissa so happy, I didn't see the implications of my actions until too late."

"The implication being that you sabotaged JR's relationship with Marissa."

"JR wasn't after a relationship with Marissa he was after a conquest. Just JR going after something for the sport of it. He wasn't interested for one second in what Marissa wanted or why else would he need to come to me at all? I know he slept with someone while he was trying to seduce Marissa. He cheated on her – how is that a good start to a relationship?"

"That doesn't change the fact that you stole Marissa from him!"

"Marissa left him, she left him. It was her choice, her decision. She saw through JR's manipulation and found the courage to admit her feelings for me. She came after me," Bianca gave a small laugh at the memory, "I even tried to talk her out of it, but she was so sure, so fiercely determined that I was really who she wanted to be with."

"So you seduced JR's girlfriend and then you helped her steal his son."

"No." said Bianca fiercely. "JR's drinking alienated him from AJ. Marissa went out of her way to keep things civil between her and JR for AJ's sake, only JR was having none of it. He was determined to push Marissa out and in doing so he pushed his son away in the process."

"Your honour I have here custody documents and a restraining order all filed by Marissa Tasker in order to keep AJ away from his father." said McCoy turning to the judge.

"In order to protect AJ from his father." corrected Bianca. "No matter how nice Marissa tried to be JR kept playing dirty. He didn't leave her any choice. Marissa was forced to file for custody to keep her son safe from JR's drinking. She was more than happy to return to shared custody of JR only got the help he needed. But JR kept on drinking and kept on playing dirty. He arranged for a custody hearing only he moved the time without informing Marissa and tried to bribe the judge – so no wonder he didn't win. He then tried to get AJ back by blackmailing us and when that failed he tried to abduct AJ. That was when Marissa was forced to take out a restraining order. Marissa just wanted to make peace with him."

"None the less you did not consider my clients wishes. Surly he has the right to protest his son being raised by lesbians."

"The only wishes I was thinking about were AJ's. JR scared and upset him. My being gay was never an issue for JR until Marissa and I got together. JR would have been equally vile, I'm sure, if Marissa had left him for a man!"

"You have just told me how you systematically destroyed JR's relationship with Marissa and AJ – do you still claim JR wasn't provoked!"

"Yes. Are you going to mention how on the night of the shooting JR broke the restraining order twice in an attempt to abduct AJ? Are you going to mention how after Marissa came out of hospital with amnesia he went out of his way to keep her from me and the truth of our relationship? Are you going to mention how he used Marissa's injury to steal custody of AJ from her? Are you going to mention JR's history with drinking and jealousy? I've seen JR so drunk he threw himself out of a window. JR is someone who blames everyone except himself for his mistakes. This time he decided to blame me! Before that he was blaming Marissa!"

"I think we've finished here." said McCoy aware this conversation really wasn't going his way.

"Very well." said the judge, not surprised McCoy was retreating. "I shall call a short recess, then the lawyers can do a summing up, while I consider the case." The judge slammed his gavel on the desk. "This hearing will resume at one thirty."

…