AN. I've had very little motivation to write this for a while but I'm determined to finish. There's one more chapter after this then an epilogue. Thanks for sticking with me

Casey had been prepping Izzy much as possible. The little girl was quite shy around new people and Casey was worried she was going to clam up on the stand.!As soon as she found out judge Donnelly would be presiding over the case she decided she would take Izzy to meet Casey's own mentor.

"Cassandra. And you must be Izabela." Liz smiled at the little girl who gave her a right smile and nod while gripping Casey's hand. "Yeah. I'm Izzy. You going to be in big chair in the court room?" Izzy asked. "That's right, and Cassandra thought we should meet so you could see me outside of the court room so you might be a little bit less worried in court." Liz smiled. "Who's Cassandra?" Izzy asked. "Me." Casey replied. "Kasia and Casey are short for Cassandra."

"Like how Izzy is short for Izabela?"

"Exactly!"

"My name is Elizabeth. And some people call me Liz Or at work judge Donnelly, but in court people will probably call me your honor" the judge explained.

"That's lot of names!" Izzy said seriously and both of the adults in the room chuckled.

"You ready Izzy?"

"No"

"You'll be great Izzy, Ola?"

"Ready as I'll ever be" Ola said putting on a brave face and taking an obvious deep breath.

"Atta girl" Casey smiled. "As you know Barba and I about to go in there and start. Olivia is going to sit with you guys. I'm not sure when we'll need you. Possibly today for you Izabela, but probably later in the week for you Ola." Casey explained then hugged them both "Good Luck Kasia" Ola said and embraced Casey before the ADA kissed the younger girls head. "dorwiemy go" we'll get him Casey whispered into Izabela's light brown curls. "All you have to do is answer the questions with the truth, and keep looking at me, your family, and Amanda okay?"

"Okay."

It was a tense wait in the small witness room. Liv and Ola tried to distract Izzy with colouring, or reading, but Izzy wasn't bothered, even when Ola offered to let her sister play on her phone. She just sat on a soft chair cuddling her toy cat.

"Izabela Jones?" One of the court officers said coming into the room. "We're ready for you." Izzy looked at her sister wide eyed. "Your okay Izzy-bug. Remember what Kasia said." Ola smiled. "I just need to tell the truth."

"Exactly." Olivia Benson added. "Just look at mama, daddy, Anna, Amanda, Kasia or Rafa." Ola said kissing her sister on the cheek. "Me and Olivia will be right here when you come back."

"Can you tell the court your whole name?" Cassandra Novak asked the tiny 11 year old in front of her. "Izabela Grace Jones."

"And how old are you?"

"eleven."

"And do you understand why you're here?"

"To tell the truth about what happened to me and what Mr D did."

"That's right Izabela, can you tell us what happened, starting at the beginning."

Izabela gave her testimony with occasional questions from Casey to keep it relevant and detailed. "Thank you Izabela. I'm sure that must have been really difficult to talk about. I just have a few final questions." Casey gave Izabela a small smile. "I know you called it rape but I want to check did you want to have sex with Mr D and his friends?"

"No"

"Did you want to leave?"

"Yes but I not allowed. Mr D said in Russian he kill us if we try."

"Is Mr D in here now?"

"Yes, that's Mr D." Izabela said pointing at the defendant.

"Let the record reflect that the witness identified the defendant. Thank you Izabela. No further questions your honor." Casey said giving Izzy a big smile and slight nod. It was time for Rita Calhoun to start her cross. "Hi Bella, is it okay if I call you Bella?" Rita asked. "I like Izzy or Izabela." Izzy replied.

"Okay Izabela. You've been talking to Miss Novak and Mr Barba a lot right? And the police? Did they tell you what to say?"

"They tell me to tell the truth."

"So they didn't tell you to use words like rape."

"They tell me what rape means but it is what happened. I use rape because it the truth."

"You know rape means that someone had sex with you that you didn't want right?"

"Right."

"So did you say no or stop?"

"I did one time and got hurt. And he have sex with me anyway. So I stop saying it."

"So it wasn't rape because you didn't say no."

"Objection!" Casey exclaimed after Rita's comment. "That's a moot point your honor Izabela is a minor so even if she was willing, which you all know from her testimony she wasn't, it would be statutory rape due to her age."

"Sustained" the Judge decided "move on please Miss Calhoun."

"Izabela, where are you from?"

"I was born in Poland."

"What is your first language?"

"My best language is Polish."

"Polish, not English? Are you able to assure me and this court that you are articulate in the fundamentals of the English language?" Rita Calhoun asked Izzy who looked over to Casey for help. "Don't look at Miss Novak. She can't help you. You need to answer my question." Rita badgered. "I don't understand." Izzy said quietly looking at the judge. "Well that's a no then." Rita exclaimed to the whole court. "Approach your honor." Casey asked so all the lawyers came up to the judge. "Miss Calhoun is trying to intimidate and confuse my 11 year old witness using a question filled with SAT words that some adults wouldn't understand. Izabela has been deemed fit to stand trail and to answer questions in English. So it's out of Miss Calhoun's remit to be asking that question. And she should be using age appropriate language for an 11 year old child." Casey explained.

"I was just trying to ensure that your witness understands what I'm asking her." Rita replied.

"We'll surely her answering that she doesn't understand proves that she can understand and is mature enough to ask for clarification if she doesn't." Casey retorted. "Miss Novak is right." The judge answered. "Please use more age appropriate language Miss Calhoun. Izabela's English isn't under question." The judge dismissed the lawyers back to their tables and turned to Izabela who looked pale and upset. "Izabela. Please continue to tell me if there's something that you don't understand. No one will be upset or angry at you. Miss Calhoun just wanted to check that you understood England which Miss Novak and I were able to tell her that you do." She said kindly.

"Okay Izabela. So where were you before you were in Queens with Dillon Dalberg. My client. Mr D?" Rita Calhoun asked. Izabela glanced over at Casey who smiled encouraging even though she was raging internally. She realised what was going on. They were going to say he was trying to 'save' the girls. "Before Mr D I with Mr M." Izabela started. "We went on an aeroplane with Dasha and Alyona."

"And how did you meet Mr M?"

"He taked me from the aqua park in Ukraine."

"He took you from an aqua park?" Rita Calhoun asked. "Where were your mom and dad and sisters."

"Objection relevance." Casey said firmly.

"Sustained. Move it along Miss Calhoun."

"Was Mr M nice to you?" Miss Calhoun continued. "Objection. I still don't see how this is relèvent" Casey argued. "It is pertinent to my clients défense." Rita answered. "Okay the witness may answer" Judge Liz Donnelly decided then turned to Izzy. "Please answer the question Izabela"

"No. Mr M was not nice. I keped on crying because I wanted my family and I didn't get much food. He keeped me in a room what was dark and I didn't like it. I was first then Dasha then Alyona. We all sad. We all scared."

"So it was better with Mr D?" Rita asked.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no. When Mr D not there it better and when we had Carlotta who play games with me and Karolia who speaked Polish and teached me Russian so I can talk with the other girls. But no when Mr D there and he make us dance and he rape us and let other men rape us and he beat us. That was worse." Izzy finished. Rita looked at her shocked. She had just ripped her défense apart. "No further questions your honor."