A Different Type of Family

Sentencing

Mariana was physically sweating as she was told to stand up. She eyed Judge Harris with a scared look.  Mariana also felt weak in the knees as she felt like throwing up.

"How does the Jury plead?" Judge Harris asked.

"We find Mariana Gutierrez, not guilty of attempted murder," they added as Mariana smirked. Stef was shocked. "WHAT?" she blurted out.

Lena eyed her wife on the couch in the room they were at with their lawyer Michelle Benton Lee. Lena shook her wife awake. "Babe wake up, you are having a bad dream" Lena added.

"Nightmare more like it," Stef replied with a red face. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Lena added. "What was the nightmare about?" she asked concerned.

"The Jury found Mariana not guilty," Stef added. Lena sighed.

"Oh babe," Lena added. "Come here."

Stef did and was enveloped in a hug as she cried. "She needs to pay."

"And she will," Lena added. "She will."

Stef, Lena, Mike and Michelle walked into the courtroom. Callie was already there and sucked her thumb. A nervous habit and all since she was a baby. 

"She is sucking her thumb," Lena added as she observed Callie.

"Yup," Stef replied. She is nervous we all are. I can't blame her."

"Remember how hard it was for us to ween her off the thumb sucking?" Mike asked.

"Yup. It was torture," Stef added. "I'd rather chase a criminal down a dark alley, then to hear Callie scream."

"How about the pacifier?" Lena asked. "That was another torture."

"Don't get me started. Every time I hid them, she found them. Caleb and Callum would find them too and give them to her," Stef added. 

"And I just threw them away," Lena added. Stef nodded in a smile.

Callie was with Michelle and kept moving her leg back and forth. 

Judge Harris eyed both girls. One was a foster kid and a trouble maker, the other one was a model student. "Good morning and let's get this taken care of."

"Will the Jury please rise. Will Mariana Gutierrez please rise," he added.

The Jury and Mariana each rose as they were instructed. Judge Harris eyed the Jury.

"For an unlawful obtaining of a gun, how does the Jury find?" Judge Harris asked.

"We find Mariana Gutierrez guilty," the jury added.

"For attempted murder how does the Jury find?" Judge Harris asked.

"We find Mariana Gutierrez guilty," the Jury added. 

Stef, Mike and Lena cheered and Callie closed her eyes and sighed. She felt bad for her, but happy she got justice.

Mariana looked defeated and tears escaped her eyes. She quickly dabbed at them. 

Callie felt bad for her in a way, but she put that out of her mind. 

"Sentencing will begin in an hour," Judge Harris added as he hit his gavel.

In the FBI room, Callie, the agents and her parents smiled at each other. Her moms' were grinning ear to ear. "Can we watch something?" Callie asked.

"How about Trolls?" Penelope asked. Callie nodded as the DVD was put into the DVD player.

An hour later, they turned the DVD off and went back into the courtroom.