It was the day after her chat with Jack and Kirsty was being prepped to be discharged from the hospital, much to her relief.

"Okay Kirsty, remember to take the painkillers as prescribed and to take it easy." The doctor instructed her as Kirsty finished getting changed out of her hospital gown. "We know you've been through a lot but hopefully things will be back to normal now."

"What even is normal nowadays?" Kirsty thought to herself as she put on a pair of ripped jeans and a crop top with Metallica's logo across the chest. "I finally find out who my mom is after her death, my boyfriend tried to have me killed twice and once by framing me for a cop killing and oh yeah, I may as well be counting down the days until I get evicted because Rebecca's not around to pay my rent." Kirsty thought with a sigh as she started putting her boots on. "Thanks doc, to be honest I'm just ready to get out of here, the boredom was killing me, err, no offense."

"None taken, but there is one other thing, your hospital bill." The doctor responded and Kirsty winced knowing that she had no insurance to speak off. "Your neighbors helped pay for your initial hospital stay but the bill has racked up quite a bit since then, and I remember you saying you had no insurance?"

"We'll take care of that for her." The pair looked up and saw an older couple, old enough to be Kirsty's grandparents., standing behind them and Kirsty gave them a shocked look. "We've come prepared with the money." The male half added as he handed the doctor a pile of bills.

The doctor counted the money before nodding. "All right, I'll get that payment processed as soon as possible, I'll leave you alone with Ms. Mason because I'm sure she has a few thank yous to deal out." The doctor added before leaving them alone, Kirsty's shock wore off before she resumed doing up her boots.

"Okay, thanks but either this is a dream or you two have something to tell me." Kirsty commented as she finished lacing up her boot and the older couple approached her.

"You look so much like her." The wife of the couple commented earning a confused look from Kirsty as she stood up. "Almost a splitting image of Rebecca when she was your age."

"Rebecca? Wait, you're not her relatives, are you?" Kirsty asked with a confused look and the older couple nodded. "Look, I know all about the bullshit her ex has said to the media but I had nothing to do with her death, I wasn't…"

"We know." The husband interrupted Kirsty and the teenager just looked more confused than before. "Rebecca was our daughter and we've known about you since the day she arrested you Kirsty but we never had the time to visit you until now."

"You're my grandparents?!" Kirsty asked as it dawned on her and the older couple nodded, Kirsty sat back down on the hospital bed as a look of shock washed over her face before she let out a deep breath. "Can you at least tell me why she gave me up for adoption? That question has been haunting me since, well, forever really."

"You weren't exactly a planned pregnancy, but Rebecca still wanted to go through with it, however our financial situation at the time was not ideal for raising a child, especially when the mother wasn't even out of high school, abortion was out of the question so she surrendered you to CPS hoping you'd get a happy life out of it." Her granddad sighed sympathetically and Kirsty nodded as she glanced to the side. "She deeply regretted that choice when she saw how you turned out instead."

"Which is a nice way of saying a that I cynical, jaded girl with more mental health problems than I care to count and a drug addiction by the time she found me again." Kirsty sighed as she let out a deep breath before turning to her grandparents. "Look, I appreciate you guys bailing me out on the hospital bill but that's far from my only problem, without Rebecca around my landlord's going to kick me out as soon as the rent dries up and that's just for starters."

"You let us worry about that young lady, for now we're here to see you through to the end of your ex's trial." Her grandmother assured her and Kirsty nodded before brushing some of her messy hair over her shoulder. "Mr. McCoy asked us to drop you off at the DA's office, he wants you to meet with a psychiatrist that they employ because the defence plans to use your mental health struggles against you."

"Because of course they do, Mike's probably told them all about the medication I've been taking for those problems." Kirsty sighed before shaking her head. "Also, if I had a dollar for every time I've been called "young lady" since this mess started I wouldn't need to worry about rent, can you just call me Kirsty?"

"As you wish Kirsty, but we do need to get you some fresh clothes for your day in court, that outfit simply won't do." Her grandmother responded as she looked over the teenager's outfit and Kirsty groaned. "And fix up your hair, and your makeup."

"I prefer the "au natural" look thanks, and my hair's fine." Kirsty protested before shaking her head. "I shouldn't be arguing with you guys after what you just did for me, but my look is just fine."

"For everyday life I suppose but not for your day in court." Her granddad responded and Kirsty sighed in resignation.

"Fine, if it'll get you off my back I'll go with whatever you say." Kirsty sighed before she followed the older couple out of the hospital.

*later at the DA's office*

"Go with whatever they say I said, wish they had included the power to veto any suggestion because I hate wearing dresses!" Kirsty thought with a frown as she walked down the hallway, her normally messy hair had been straightened out and tied into a ponytail and Kirst was wearing a lot more makeup than she was comfortable with. "Let's get this over with so I can change back into my normal clothes, ditch the makeup and style my hair the way I want!" Kirsty thought before she entered Skoda's office where the psychiatrist was waiting for her. "Doctor Skoda?"

"Call me Emil if it makes you feel any better, this is a lot less formal than my normal work for the DA's office." Skoda responded and Kirsty nodded before sitting opposite him. "My roll at the DA's office is usually to assess a defendant's capacity to stand trial for their crimes, not have a chat with a witness before he/she takes the stand." Skoda explained and Kirsty nodded as she got the idea. "However given Mike's comments about your mental health Jack wanted my opinion on the subject before he puts you on the stand, I've known Jack for years so I was happy to do it as a favor to him so, why don't we start from the top? You were originally charged with Mike's crime how did that make you feel?"

"Even before I knew about the possibility that I'm Rebecca's daughter? That was one of the worst months of my life." Kirsty sighed as she thought back to that trial. "I've been to jail before but that was juvenile hall, Ryker's Island makes that look like a walk in the park!"

"Especially considering you were the prime suspect in a cop killing at the time, if you don't mind I want to go into your childhood?" Skoda asked as he retrieved her CPS file and Kirsty groaned in response. "You didn't have a good time in foster care?"

"The workers were always nice to me but after the first eight years of let down after let down? I just kinda lost hope that any family would adopt me after a while." Kirsty sighed as she started fiddling with her ponytail. "I should've started playing the state lottery considering that CPS eventually had to turn me lose after I turned eighteen, but before that I just kept thinking one thing, why?"

"Why did no one want to adopt you? Or why you were given up for adoption in the first place?" Skoda asked with a raised eyebrow and Kirsty simply nodded. "Both?"

"Pretty much, I had anger management issues throughout my time at CPS, those same issues kept scaring away any potential family I could've had and I turned to crime and metal as a means to escape, feel free to guess which one I kept." Kirsty let out a deep breath as she leaned back. "Not like I was any good at crime anyway, my shoplifting attempt was so badly bungled that I may as well have been flaunting the fact that I was walking out of that store with a video game that I hadn't paid for, I didn't even have a console, I just figured I could sell it second hand and make a quick buck, instead it got me my first stint in juvie."

"Then a few years later you were arrested for drug possession, which is how you finally met Rebecca." Skoda responded and Kirsty nodded. "How was that for you?"

"Even worse than the shoplifting, even if it did lead to me meeting Rebecca for the first time." Kirsty admitted as she leaned back. "My boyfriend at the time got me hooked on some hardcore drugs, between him and Mike I'm pretty sure that confirms that I have seriously crappy taste in men, he took me to that drug den to try a new dealer's stuff, the place got raided before I could even take anything and that led to my most serious conviction, unless we count the recent trial since that was dismissed and all."

"For the purposes of this interview, let's not focus too much on that for now, I have been following the news and we've already talked about how that made you feel." Skoda responded as he wrote down his notes. "Do you think things could've been different if Rebecca had tried to raise you?"

"I don't know, I know that her family's financial situation wasn't great at the time and she meant well and all, if anything I wish she had come clean with me before she was murdered." Kirsty sighed as she shifted her weight. "Instead, all the questions I would've asked her have to be answered by her parents who have kinda stepped into her original role, but I know they won't be around forever, I know I'll have to start looking after myself sooner or later."

"You still have your whole life ahead of you, there's plenty of time for your life to get on track." Skoda responded before he filed away his report. "I believe I've covered everything I need to I'll need to report this to Jack and he'll get back to you soon."

"Right." Kirsty nodded before she followed Skoda out his office.

*five minutes later*

"Jack, I don't know what I could tell you that your conversation with you didn't, that girl's self-confidence has been at rock bottom for some time now." Skoda explained to McCoy as he sat down opposite him and Serena. "She feels like her life has been one misstep after another, and it's likely that the trial for the cop killing was the culmination of that for her."

"I feel for her, but I need to know if Kirsty will make for an effective witness on the stand." Jack responded as he shook his head and Skoda nodded.

"In my opinion? For all her troubles, Kirsty will make for an excellent witness, she's intelligent, bright, and is quick to pick up on things, which you learned the hard way when Kirsty exposed Mike's lies during her trial, if she applies herself once the dust settles on this ordeal then the sky will be the limit, but she has to come out her shell first ." Emil responded before taking a deep breath. "That said? If I were her psychiatrist, I'd recommend getting her tested for at least two conditions."

"You think her mental health issues run deeper than merely having anger issues?" Serena asked and Emil nodded.

"This is out of my area of expertise, but I suspect that her time in Foster Care led to many issues being undetected for years." Emil nodded as he turned to the blonde lawyer. "Based on what I observed? Anxiety, depression, maybe event latent autism, I can guarantee that getting tested for any of those things will lift a massive weight of her shoulders by providing context for some of her issues, this isn't a case where giving her a tight hug will make her problems go away Jack."

"And maybe she'll get her answers one day, but she needs to go on the stand first." Jack responded with a nod before he went to leave the room whilst a clerk handed over a motion paper to Serena. "I'll start preparing Kirsty for her testimony, if she manages to turn on the waterworks running on at least one juror then Mike, Justin and Ryan are as good as convicted."

"That might be easier said than done, the lawyers for Ryan and Justin moving to suppress their statements." Serena said as she handed over the paper to Jack. "On the grounds that the interrogation was already underway by the time they arrived."

"I'd say they are grasping at straws but I said the same thing about Kirsty's lawyer and she was able to get our case thrown out." Jack responded with a frown before nodding. "Serena, you are going to have to prep Kirsty for her testimony, I'm going to fight this as well as I can."

*at the motion hearing*

"Your honor, our clients mentioned at least twice that they wanted a lawyer, at that point the police should've ended the interrogation and waited for our arrival." The layer argued before Judge Arthur Cohen who listened to their argument carefully. "Instead they continued the interrogation until we arrived."

"Their case is not unique, their has been instances of that happening before." Jack argued back as he turned to the younger lawyer. "The police had no way of knowing when they would arrive, and given that they were being interrogated together, if we had left them alone then they could've made sure that their stories collaborated."

"Then surely the solution would've been to put them in separate interrogation rooms." Arthur commented as he turned to McCoy. "Why was that not the case?"

"There was only one interrogation room available at the time, I went down there personally after I learned about the nature of their crime and I can vouch for this." Jack added and Arthur nodded as he got the idea.

"In that case, I'm airing on the side of the DA's office, your motion is denied." Arthur responded at which point the other lawyer stood up.

"In that case judge, we would like to announce that that we are seeking a self defence justification." The lawyer announced at which point Jack did a double take. "It is a legitimate argument….."

"And in this case, it's absolutely absurd." Jack interrupted him and the lawyer turned to him. "Their victim is a young woman who is more than a foot shorter than them and weighs just over a hundred and twelve pounds with no fighting experience or a violent past."

"The same woman who was initially suspected of killing Rebecca Gallagher." The lawyer tried to argue but Judge Cohen shook his head.

"I'm familiar with that case, and why it was dismissed in the first place, if nothing else you have given me a funny story to tell my grandchildren but the motion is denied." Arthur responded before he went to bang the gavel. "Anything else or can we move on?" Arthur asked and once the two lawyers shook their heads he banged his gavel and the court dispersed.

*later at the DA's office*

"It's going to feel weird being on this side of a criminal case." Kirsty thought as Serena finished prepping her for the trial. "So long as I can put this behind me it'll be worth it." Kirsty thought before glancing at Serena. "So I just gotta be as honest as I can right?"

"Right, I understand that some things will be harder for you to recall than others but so long as you keep your cool this will be over before you know it." Serena responded and Kirsty nodded in response. "We've gone over what to say if your relationship with Rebecca Gallagher comes up but you need to be ready for anything on the stand, especially as we'll be putting your ex-boyfriend on trial."

"After everything that's transpired since I was put on trial, I don't think anything could surprise me at this point." Kirsty commented before the door opened and Jack stepped in.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Ryan and Justin's lawyers tried to argue self defence when it became clear that the judge wasn't going to suppress their statements." Jack responded and Kirsty shook her head.

"I've yet to master the art of kicking two guys in the balls at the same time so I'm guessing that got laughed out of the courtroom?" Kirsty asked and Jack quickly nodded. "Serena's already gone through everything I need to be ready for when I take the stand, it'll be weird being on this side of the trial for once but I think I can manage."

"Glad to hear it, just remember what I told you about your relationship with Rebecca, until then we are done." Jack informed her and Kirsty nodded before leaving the room. "Any word on the DNA Test results yet?"

"We are still waiting for them but the technician assured me that the results will be in soon though." Serena responded with a nod as she turned to Jack. "Do you think she'll stand up to whatever Mike's lawyer throws at her on cross?"

"Skoda thinks so and I trust his opinion, my concern is whether she'll keep her cool." Jack responded before the door opened with a clerk standing there with two motion papers, Jack took them and looked at them. "Mike's lawyer has gotten a TRO, he's trying to stop the test, and he's filing for the cases against Mike, Justin and Ryan to be tried simultaneously while also trying to get his prior bad acts suppressed."

"Why is he trying to prevent the DNA Test? And why try the cases together? As far as we know, Ryan and Justin aren't connected to Rebecca Gallagher's murder." Serena asked and Jack shook his head.

"Maybe the defence knows something we don't, and Ryan and Justin's lawyers didn't come off as competent at the motion hearing earlier so maybe he's trying to give them a fair shot." Jack assumed as he read through the motion. "We'll need someone to fight the TRO, is Rochelle available?"

"Kirsty's lawyer? She told me that her case load has been light since she got her case dismissed, I'll see if she can help out." Serena nodded before making a call.

*later*

"Let me get this straight." Rochelle commented as she paced around the DA's office with Kirsty sitting in front of her. "Curtis and Travers are trying to stop Kirsty from learning who her mom is, and you need my help after I got the case against Kirsty dismissed?"

"We understand that this is an unusual situation but we face little options otherwise." Jack responded as he shook his head. "You represented Kirsty at her trial, you must be familiar with her story."

"I know bits and pieces, Kirsty wasn't exactly in a talkative mood during that month from hell, her words, not mine." Rochelle admitted before shaking her head. "I'm a criminal defence lawyer Jack, this isn't exactly in my wheelhouse, but I do know someone who would be better equipped to argue this."

"It's not me, is it?" Kirsty chimed in as she glanced at her lawyer and Rochelle quickly shook her head.

"The "Fool for a Client" phrase doesn't just apply in criminal court Kirsty, I'm talking about my sister Rachel, we went to law school together but she opted to go into civil practice rather than follow me into legal aid." Rochelle responded as she turned her attention back to Jack and Serena. "I can get her on the case without question, she owes me a favour anyway."

"I won't pry but do what you have to do." Jack nodded in response before Rochelle and Kirsty left the room.

*at the TRO hearing*

It quickly became apparent why Chris Andrews had filed for the TRO, namely because he was representing another client.

"Your honour, Mr. Gallagher has been through quite a lot of emotional turmoil since his ex-wife's death, he doesn't need to know whether his wife was fooling around with anyone, much less had a child before they met." Chris stated in front of the judge whilst Kirsty and Rachel watched on to the side. "Never mind the fact that the girl in question was charged with her murder….."

"In a case that was dismissed thanks to the actions of Mr. Andrews' other client, one Mike DiFranco." Rachel chimed in as she leaned forward. "If Mr. Andrews is trying to retry the case against Kirsty then he'd have to take that up with Judge Wright, he dismissed that case with prejudice."

"The girl's lawyer has you there Mr. Andrews, and she does bring up a point, why are you representing Mr. Gallagher here when you have a pending murder case?" The judge asked and Chris sighed.

"I've taken this case pro-bono sir, as I believe the murder case and this DNA Test are intrinsically linked." Chris responded as he glanced over at Rachel and Kirsty. "I am merely acting in the best interest of my client."

"But not the best interest of Ms. Mason, your honour this girl grew up in foster care, a situation that left her disillusioned with the world to say the least." Rachel added as she motioned to Kirsty. "Confirming the identity of her mother would help bring closure to that part of her life."

"Hold on a second Rachel, I want to hear it from the girl herself." The judge interjected and after doing a double take Kirsty stood up. "In your own time young lady."

"Your honour, saying that being bounced around from foster home to foster home isn't fun is putting it mildly, I never got to experience things like Christmas or my birthdays with a real family as a result and there isn't a day where I don't wonder how I could've turned out otherwise." Kirsty asserted after thinking for a minute and the judge scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Err, do you need more or…."

"You've said enough, the TRO is lifted, the DNA Test can proceed." The judge announced and Kirsty breathed a sigh of relief whilst Rachel nodded approvingly. "But young lady? Just because you get the answers you've been looking for may not mean that they are the answers you want, remember that." The judge advised her and Kirsty nodded before the court dispersed.

*later, back at the DA's office*

"Well, Chris managed to win two of his motions, Mike's prior bad acts are out and the cases will be tried concurrently." Jack commented once they had reconvened at the DA's office. "Meaning that all we've got to fall back on is Kirsty's testimony and the evidence."

"Hopefully that'll be enough, last thing this office needs is a repeat of the Mason trial." Nora responded as she entered the room with a frown on her face. "Are you sure we have all our basis covered?"

"As covered as they can, the switchblade came from Mike's apartment, the police found bloody clothes in Mike's apartment, the only thing we don't know is why?" Jack responded as he leaned back. "Why did Mike kill Rebecca Gallagher? And more importantly, did he know that she was a cop? Because that will mean the difference between him getting life in prison and the Death Penalty."

"After everything he put Kirsty through, I think she just wants to see him behind bars regardless of the sentence." Serena responded as she shook her head before there was a knock at the door and a clerk came in.

"DNA Test results are in, who wants it?" The clerk asked and McCoy held his hand out to receive the information, the clerk handed it over and Jack read it.

"Well, Kirsty's going to have her first piece of good news since this whole ordeal started." Jack commented as he read the result earning a curious look from the others. "This confirms it, Rebecca was Kirsty's birth mother."