Fragile (Broken #2) SVU

Chapter Thirteen.

**Sky's POV**

I didn't go back into the courtroom after yesterday's disaster. When I woke up this morning the thought of testifying turned my stomach in knots. I'd even considered calling Barba and telling him I couldn't do it, but I had to do this, I had to. For myself, and for all the girls who didn't make it.

I'm sat in the hallway, waiting for them to call my name. My mom is sitting next to me, twiddling her thumbs and bouncing her leg up and down.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want too." She says, for what feels like the millionth time.

"I have to do this Mom."

She nods and goes back to twiddling her thumbs. A lady dressed in a white shirt and black pants opens a door and peers around the corner. In the silence of the corridor the creaking door goes right through me and I want to scream.

"Sky Benson. They're ready for you now." She says.

I take a deep breath. My mom squeezes my shoulders and smiles at me.

"You've got this. I'll be right there." She says gently, pushing me in the direction of the woman.

I take a step forward, my legs like jelly, and I walk towards what feels like certain doom.

**Olivia's POV**

I shut the court room door and take up my seat next to Amanda. She grips my hand in support. The worry about the trial is growing inside my chest cavity. I know the lawyers defending the perps aren't exactly considerate.

Sky walks out the door and steps up to the stand, she takes a seat and stares at me, her eyes wide in terror. The door creaks open behind me and Elliot slips in, taking a seat in the back pew. Strangely, seeing him sitting there is comforting. I can't knock him for trying to make an effort, even after me and Sky kept pushing him away.

"Sky Leigh Benson. Do you swear you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Judge Barth asks her.

"I do." Sky replies.

I know she's fiddling with her hands in her lap, it's something she always done when she's nervous. She gets it from me.

John Buchanan stands up and walks around to the front of the table. I roll my eyes - typical that the worst possible attorney is working this case. I can already feel the rage bubbling up inside me.

"So Miss Benson, you're mother is a detective at Special Victims Unit, right?" He says.

"Yes."

"And she deals with rapists and abusers everyday of her life?" He continues.

"Objection! Irrelevant." Barba pipes up.

"Please judge. It will be." Buchanan replies.

"Over ruled. Mr Buchanan please continue."

Buchanan edges closer to the stand, a glint in his eye.

"So, you'd think you'd be extra careful not to do dangerous things like meet up with strangers on the internet."

"Yeah but I didn't know what was going to happen, did I?"

"But didn't you? What do you expect? How could you not have thought, even if just for one second, that this man could be an abuser."

"I didn't ask for this!!"

"Buchanan, that's enough." Judge Barth says, giving him a stern look.

Buchanan looks pissed off for a moment before he continues pacing up and down the courtroom.

"So after you met with this 'boy', why didn't you tell your mom what had happened?"

"I was scared."

Sky looks like she's about to cry. Both me and Barba had tried to prepare her for this kind of thing, but it's different when it's actually taking place. Buchanan is notorious for this kind of behaviour.

I glance over at Elliot and see that he's scrunching up his face, like he's trying to hold back from attacking someone.

"You weren't that scared because you continued to communicate with this man. And didn't you WILLINGLY go back even after you knew what happened last time?"

"He threatened me!!" Sky says, raising her voice.

Sky is sitting bolt upright, her hands balled into fists, she is resting them on the table in front of her.

"Did you not think, that maybe, just a little bit, you liked been scared?"

Sky stands up, her hands shaking, fear and anger evident on her face.

"I hated it. I hated been scared. I hated it for every single god damn moment, but he threatened my mom. He said he'd kill her, he said he was watching her. I couldn't let my mom get hurt, she's all I've got. That's why I didn't tell anybody, that's why!! Not because I wanted it and I certainly don't like feeling scared.".

"Miss Benson, sit down and calm down." Judge Barth says.

Sky turns towards the judge and I pray she's not about to start yelling at her too.

"I'm sorry Judge Barth. I can't do this." She says, and with that she's storms out of the court room.

**Sky's POV**

I run. I don't know where I'm going and I don't care. I just have to keep running or this pain is going to break me apart. I run up one flight of stairs and then another. I keep going until my legs burn and my heart feels like it'll explode out of my chest.

I push open the door and find myself on the roof. The fresh air hits my face, the bitterly cold stinging my skin. I collapse onto the ground, my body racked with sobs.

I knew the trial would be rough - but I didn't expect it be this awful. Barba and my mom were right - I should have given my testimony over video instead of embarrassing myself. The jury will never find the men guilty now - they'll think I'm a stupid immature slut who deserved what happened to her.

I pull my knees up to my chest and cry, until my throat burns, until I'm sure I'll never have any tears left again.