When the session resumed, I felt the nervousness clawing its way into my gut. The Links were on either side of me, but it gave me no peace. I remained standing after the judge entered, escorted to the witness stand by Rhett. I tried to focus myself on the bailiff swearing my in, doing my best to intone my oath as best I could. Then it was time for me to smooth my skirt as I sat down, looking through my veil at Rhett. He gave me a smile, "Miss Dalian, thank you for taking the stand today. It is not an easy thing to do. If I may ask, would you mind removing your veil?"

"No, I would not." I plucked the veil from below my chin, sweeping it back over the brim of my hat. A gasp echoed through the gallery as my bruised face was revealed, although all I was focused on was Will. He held my gaze as he swallowed, then nodded. I couldn't help but smile a bit, Mother had her hand gripped around his arm.

Rhett waited until the gasp had settled. "Thank you Miss Dalian, I take it you suffered that injury in the attack?"

"I did, when I was struck and fell."

"And you suffered a concussion from the fall, correct?"

"Yes, I was insensible for a time and it took awhile to be recover even a little from it."

The jury muttered slightly at that, and I heard pens scratching across paper. Rhett chuckled a bit. "Well I am certainly glad that you have recovered enough to be here today. Now, could you describe your initial meeting with Mr. Perry?"

"Yes, my fiancé and I were returning from Britain. We offered assistance to his wife, she was suffering from seasickness during a storm. She later cut me at a tea, having discerned who my fiancé was. The second time I saw Mr. Perry was at the engagement party of Zachary Reichster."

"And did you interact with him at all?"

"No, I did not. He had brought some of his," I smiled a bit. "Employees to the party and I did not want to involve myself with them."

"He did not seek you out?"

"No, but he did send someone to annoy a friend and I." I couldn't help the derision in my voice. "He implied that we were some of his 'girls' and that we were available for assignations. The man decided to proposition us. We set him straight." That set off a titter among the gallery, although I could see Perry muttering to Rhys.

Rhett was laughing under his breath. "And have you interacted with Mr. Perry since?"

"No, this has been my most recent interaction."

"So, you met the man once." Rhett began to pace in front of the stand. "His wife clearly has some kind of bone to pick with you, he set out to humiliate you at a party, it's not too far of a leap to think that he may have felt slighted in some way and decided to act out."

"Objection!" Rhys leapt up, "That's clearly speculation."

"Sustained." Judge Withers glanced down, "Keep yourself to the facts, Mr. Link."

"Of course," Rhett nodded his head, although he whipped it around quick when the door to the courtroom opened. A young clerk, clutching a file, rushed up to the bar and passed the file to Dalton. Rhett snorted, "Actually Your Honor, I will need a moment to consult with my brother." At the judge's nod he moved over to the table, discussing something with Dalton briefly before coming back. "I hate to bring this up Your Honor, but I am afraid that the prosecution will be filing an injunction against one of the attendees in the gallery today."

"What?" Rhys snorted. "Someone offend your delicate sensibilities?"

"Actually," Dalton picked up a piece of paper as he moved to the middle of the floor. "There was an attempt at witness tampering during the recess." A murmur erupted in the gallery, and I could see Mr. Reichster's eyes narrow. "We would like to file an injunction against Henry Reichster so that he can no longer approach Miss Dalian."

"Only for the length of the trial?" The judge asked, taking the proffered paper.

"Permanently sir, he apparently has harassed her several times in the past." Dalton picked up the file from his table, bringing it up. "I have here the report from the New York Police Department on trespassing charges filed against Mr. Reichster for intruding in Miss Dalian's residence. You will note that he did pay the fine, so he did admit to it."

Judge Withers leaned over to me. "Miss Dalian, I want it in your own words why this injunction should be issued."

"Mr. Reichster is a good friend of Mr. Perry and as we were recessed, he threatened me if I should see his friend sentenced for what he did. He has harassed me in my home and in public multiple times, despite my, and my fiancé's, request that he leave me alone. Your Honor, I simply want to be able to leave my house without him breathing down my neck." I felt it all rush out of me, a desperate plea. The Links had said they were going to try something, but I had just thought it was to get him thrown out for today. But to never have him bothering me again, to know that he could go to prison for breaking it, oh it was a wonderful dream.

But still, it was a dream. There was plenty standing between the idea and the reality of it, which mean I was on tenterhooks as the judge looked out into the gallery. "Mr. Reichster, please approach the bar."

The crowd shuffled in their seats as he rose and walked up. "Your Honor, I can assure you that I have only offered my sympathies to Miss Dalian for what she went through."

"He's lying." I muttered on the stand. "He always lies."

I didn't expect the judge to look down at me. "You have a point, Miss Dalian. Please bailiff, swear him in." The judge waited until after the oath had been administered to speak again. "Miss Dalian says you are lying, sir, and we have the report about your trespass last year. I must admit that does not make you appear to be as you claim."

Henry snorted. "She's obviously hysterical Your Honor, and I suggest that she be committed for her own safety." I saw him smirk as Will attempted to surge to his feet, only to be held down by Oscar and Mother. Henry spread his hands as he continued. "She maligned not only myself but my son for merely offering her comfort after the tragedy that befell her last year. What woman in her right mind refuses the mere sympathies of her late father's friend?"

Dalton stood. "Your honor, the man is standing behind the defense, currently being prosecuted for attempting to kidnap my client! This is a clear attempt to tamper with my witness and prevent her from ensuring his conviction!"

The judge held up his hand, silencing the room. "Seeing the evidence of his previous behavior, as well as the reactions of those present, I shall grant the injunction. Mr. Reichster shall remove himself from the gallery, and in the future shall not engage in any contact whatsoever with Miss Dalian. This shall carry over into her marriage, so do not think it will become invalid once she is Mrs. Murdoch."

I couldn't help the wide smile on my face as Henry's own grin fell. "Your Honor, please, I can assure you that she is lying."

"You say she's lying and she's hysterical, and yet she was calmly answering questions until you came forward." Judge Withers raised an eyebrow. "I would suggest you remove yourself from my court before I have you removed." I watched as he stiffly drew himself up, a look of studied composure coming over his face as he stiffly turned and strode from the courtroom. The judge didn't even bother trying to rein in the conversation that erupted among the reporters, simply letting it die out on its own. I couldn't help but smile at Will, his fingers buried in Rigel's hair and his face looking far more relaxed than it had for weeks. Even his shoulders had relaxed, his hands ruffling Rigel's ears. After a long moment, the judge gaveled the court back in. "Please continue with your questioning, Mr. Link."

Rhett's voice was far too light. "Of course, Miss Dalian it was noted earlier that it was unusual for you to own such a large dog, and for him to have clearly been trained as a guard dog. Could you explain that for us?"

"I was given him as a gift, specifically because of Mr. Reichster's harassment." I sniffed, trying to hide my glee. "His training was to ensure that I was protected in case he came after me again."

"The person who gave him to you had quite the forethought, then." Rhett looked over to Dalton. "Miss Dalian, do you have anything further you would like to say to the court before you are turned over to the defense for questioning?"

"Only that what has been presented by you two is the truth. I was attacked by men hired by someone I had only met twice, and who seems to feel that I have slighted him in some way. I have done nothing to deserve this, and I hope that has come across."

Rhett thanked me, sat behind his desk, and waited as Rhys got to his feet. I couldn't help but shift in my seat as he approached the stand slowly, smiling. "Well, I hope y questioning won't have quite the theatrics as the prosecution's."

"That depends on you, Mr. Dyer." I replied, doing my best to remember what the Links had told me to do. Don't appear spineless but don't become aggressive. Keep yourself calm. "I am quite prepared to be cooperative."

"Hmm, I certainly hope so." He cocked his head as he looked at me. "What is your relationship with Henry Reichster?"

"He was a friend of my father's, and has been harassing me to sell him my company since my father's passing."

"Ah yes, the unfortunate passing of your father." Rhys tapped his finger against his lips. "Miss Dalian, you were on the Titanic, yes?"

"Objection, Your Honor, how is this relevant to the current case?" Dalton slammed his hand against the table as he stood up, "Those tragic circumstances have no bearing on the attack that she suffered!"

"I will get to it shortly." Rhys looked to the jury, "I assure you, it is quite relevant to the matter before the court today."

Judge Withers considered this for a moment. "Sustained, so long as this line of questioning is finished in a timely manner."

"Thank you, Your Honor. Miss Dalian, answer the question."

I took in a deep breath, trying to control the coil of nerves in my gut. "Yes, I was onboard the Titanic."

"And your boarding party consisted of?"

"Myself, my mother and my father." I felt my eyes begin to sting, and I stopped myself from pressing my fingers to my eyes. I couldn't show them my tears, they didn't deserve to see them.

Rhys didn't seem to notice my distress. "And you met Mr. Murdoch while onboard. He was an officer, correct?"

"Yes, the first officer."

"And he was on watch when the ship struck the iceberg."

"Yes, but-"

I was cut off from defending Will by Rhys whirling on me. "And your father died in the sinking."

"Yes-"

"So it could be said that your fiancé killed your father?"

"No, he-" I could feel my breathing beginning to speed up, and I looked out into the gallery. All the color had drained from Mother's face, and Ezekiel was very clearly prepared to grab Will's shoulder to hold him down. But it was Will that made my heart twist, the look of agony on his face that he tried to hide behind the mask he'd been wearing.

"Or is at least responsible for his death, and you are still planning to marry him."

"I am, but you-"

"And how can we expect a woman marrying her father's killer to have any morals whatsoever? Miss Dalian, are you still a virgin?"

I stood at that, my hands balled by my sides. "I hardly see what that has to do with anything!"

"A woman, of no morals known to decent society, marrying her father's murderer, cannot be expected to keep up any morals at all! Admit it, you've taken men into your bed! You planned this out to ruin my client!" Rhys was ignoring the judge screaming at him, the uproar in the gallery that had erupted after his last question.

"No, I-" My voice sounded weak and far away, and the lawyers hardly seemed to notice me they were so occupied with yelling at each other.

Rhett had charged up before the bench, almost swearing. "That is totally uncalled for! I move that question be stricken from the record and the witness released from the stand!"

"I-" My breath could barely fill my lungs, and I looked out. Ezekiel was now holding Will down in his chair, despite the very clear desire in him to rush over to me. Even Rigel was on his feet, although he was leaning against Mother who had buried her face in a handkerchief. Only Oscar remained calm, looking at me and mouthing a word over and over. Faint. Faint, who was feeling faint? Mother? I glanced to her, but I saw him shake his head, a finger pointing to me. Oh, I should faint.

I stood, trying to get Rhett's attention. "Mr. Link, I, I-" Truth be told it took very little to collapse, I was already feeling lightheaded after everything and closing my eyes felt rather nice. At least the shouting was muffled by the wood of the stand, and I tried to arrange myself in the best way to attract sympathy.

"Miss Dalian!" I heard Rhett call out, but the next sound he made was a startled gasp.

I felt hands on my shoulder, "Ana, Ana what happened?"

"Smelling salts!" Judge Withers was yelling now. "Someone bring some smelling salts!"

A foul smelling vial was thrust beneath my nose, and I opened my eyes to see Dalton waving them in front of me. His voice was barely a whisper. "Well done, Miss Dalian. When you stand, faint again. Mr. Murdoch, carry her out. We'll move for the court to recess for today, make sure the cameras get a shot of you two outside. Don't put her down until you're in the car."

I whimpered as Will helped me to my feet, "Thank you everyone, I'm sorry the events just caught up to me."

"Do you feel comfortable continuing, Miss Dalian?" Judge Withers was leaning down from his bench, glaring at Rhys.

My knees were trembling, "Oh, I think-" I swooned into Will's arms, but he didn't even set me down. Instead he swept me up into his arms, clutching me tight to him. I kept my eyes closed as Dalton moved for, and received, a recess for the rest of the day. It wound up taking quite a bit of concentration for me to be limp in Will's arms as he strode from the court, followed by the rest.

I could hear the pop of camera bulbs as we emerged into the sun, but Will kept his quiet. Instead it was Oscar and Ezekiel shoving questions away, shaming reporters for trying to get questions answered by an obviously distressed woman. I thought they meant me for a moment, until one of them called out. "Mrs. Dalian, your thoughts on Dyers accusations about your daughter's virtue? Or the removal of Mr. Reichster?"

"Shut your damn mouth!" Oscar growled, and if I barely opened my eyes I could see him shove the man away from the car. He held the door open as Will stepped inside, and none of us spoke for a moment as the car started up and began driving away. Oscar blew out a breath, "Thank God, I don't know how long I could have lasted with Rhys going off like that."

"What a horrible, horrible man." Mother sniffed, "And I mean both of them."

Ezekiel chuckled. "Thank God we've got some way to keep Mr. Reichster away from Annie, until you let me kill him." He laughed at the look on my face, "I'm joking, although we should celebrate tonight. The little victories are still victories, after all."

"I think that sounds nice." Will shook his head, "Nothing too fancy though."

"Of course not, although perhaps Morgan would care to join us." Mother smiled, "I'll give her a call when we get home, and invite her over." It was nice to get home, to have Louise fuss over me as she prepared me for the small party. I could almost hear Morgan the second she arrived, loudly calling for Mother to come down and join her. By the time I came down in a pale blue chiffon, clutching Will's dove gray clad arm, the two of them were happily gossiping over glasses of wine. "I swear Morgan, your son strode in bold as brass with half the dock workers!"

"Well, that boy of mine never does anything by half." Morgan giggled, "And bringing in the dog, oh what I would have given to see it!"

"It was rather enjoyable." Will smiled as he leaned down to embrace Morgan briefly. "Especially given that he handed him over to Oscar, and that he conveniently let him loose to menace Reichster."

She rose to embrace me in turn. "You should have let the dog bite him."

"And let the poor dear poison himself?" Mother shook her head, smiling at Oscar and Ezekiel coming down the stairs. "No, it's better that he didn't. Now, on to dinner?" We all agreed, heading to the dining room. The table had been set with roast chicken, salad, fresh flowers and enough wine to drown a full grown man.

We may have all overindulged in the wine, and perhaps a bit of whiskey after. I was curled up against Will's side on the parlor settee while Morgan and Mother were sipping sherry in the chairs. Oscar and Ezekiel had pulled out the phonograph and were sorting through the records. A mischievous grin spread across my face. "Zeke, how have your dancing lessons been going? At least, I hope you've been going to them given that I've been paying for them."

He was facing away from me, but I was sure that he was blushing. "It's been fine Annie, and I have been going."

"Perhaps you should give us a demonstration then," Will sipped on his whiskey. "After all, I want to make sure Ana is getting her money's worth."

He whipped his head around at that. "Then she'd better get on her feet, because there's no damn way I'm doing this unless she does."

I had just moved to get up when Oscar dangled a record in front of Ezekiel's face. "Let me take her place, she's had a hard day. William, would you mind winding this up?" Will gladly made his way to the phonograph and began to wind it up. Oscar stepped up to Ezekiel's assuming the lady's position for a waltz. "She still needs her rest, and I don't mind following." I couldn't even hear what Ezekiel muttered, but I had a feeling it wasn't pleasant.

The waltz began rather stiffly, although Oscar offered a bit of encouragement and they began to move more smoothly. Ezekiel really had improved since he'd been attending the lesson, although I couldn't help myself from speaking up. "Hmm, I suppose you've gotten better. But Oscar isn't wearing a dress with a train, how can I be sure you won't rip mine? I want to keep my wedding gown in one piece, you know."

"That damn dress already comes in multiple pieces." Ezekiel grumbled as he reversed Oscar around a chair.

"Perhaps we should get Ezekiel one of your gowns so he can see what it's like for his partner." Will chuckled, setting off a muffled round of laughter from Mother and Morgan. "I'm sure you've got one that will fit him." I heard another set of laughter, and looked to see Peggy in the corner. She had clearly come in with more ice for our drinks, and was currently pressing her hand tight across her face.

Oscar grinned as the music wound down to nothing. "That was well done, Mr. Fields. Although, maybe don't hold onto your partner's waist as tightly as you did mine. Ladies get a little sensitive about that."

Ezekiel dropped his hands from Oscar like he was a red hot stove, striding over to the bottle of whiskey. "That's enough out of you, Vanderbilt. And you, Murdoch! I swear, you sons of-" He cut himself off as Morgan gave a very deliberate cough, her eyebrow raised. "Sons of well meaning women of upstanding moral character."

Mother snorted, "Such a wonderful sentiment, Ezekiel. Perhaps you could speak a bit more about their parents? After all, William's parents will be joining us for the wedding. When are they getting in, dear?"

"Early May," I smiled, "You'll love Jeanie, Mother. She's very sweet, although we may want to see if we could get a doctor to see her while she's here. She's suffering from some kind of pains."

"She always has." Will shook his head, "I'm sure she would appreciate it though."

"I can arrange that, and isn't your friend coming with them William? Mr. Lightoller?" Mother cocked her head. "Should I have all of them join me at Fifth Avenue?" Will coughed, his whiskey barely staying down.

"Perhaps my parents." He said after he had recovered himself. "I should hate to have to curse you with Charles for several weeks."

"And yet you have no qualms about him staying here." Morgan mused, her voice light.

I reached down to pet Rigel, smiling. "Charles Lightoller is always welcome in my house, as is his wife."