Simply Sonny: An SVU love story

Chapter 80: Cross

Although we only walk down the street to get a street pretzel, Gary gets a text from Barba saying he wants to meet. The three of us meet with him and Olivia in a small room back at the courthouse and Barba offers, "why don't we plead this out? If you plead to endangering the welfare of a child we'll offer 3 years probation."

"For providing alcohol to a minor? No, one year or no deal." My lawyer spits back.

"No deal, period. What are you talking about?" Sonny jumps in, looking harshly at Mr. Crowder.

Gary hushes him down, "if she finishes the trial she could get a year in prison."

Sonny retorts, "but she didn't do it! I thought you were going to prove that."

Gary answers, "I will, but small battles."

Olivia and Barba look at Sonny with defeated faces as Olivia explains, "we did everything we could, followed every lead and took a look down every path. All the evidence is pointing to you being guilty" she looks at me as she says that, then back to Sonny, "if you take the deal, then there's no jail time and the arrest goes away when her probation ends."

Barba adds on, "one-year probation, we can do that." He goes to accept my attorneys counter.

"Are you serious?!" Sonny is almost yelling, "no way!"

"Why don't you ask Addison what she wants to do?" Olivia calmly responds to him, then eyes me, "Addison, I believe you when you say you didn't do this but I have to go where the evidence does. Do you want to take the deal?"

I don't even have to think about it and answer, "no, I don't. What I want is Charles, Lori, Griffin and whomever else is doing this to me to fess up. I won't admit to something I didn't do. I don't want that deal." I'm firm in my decision and hope my voice comes off like I am. I know going back into that courtroom will be different from here on out. There's no wanting to lay down and die anymore. I want nothing more now than to prove my innocence and call out everyone else out on all their lies.

"There you have it." Gary grabs his briefcase, "see you in there." I leave the room with my lawyer but notice Sonny lingering behind to talk to them. I follow my lawyer back into the courtroom and stop my leg from bouncing consistently up and down with anxiety as I wait for Sonny to come in and tell me what he talked to them about. Except the judge comes out before he does and I face myself forward. She calls Griffin back out and my lawyer stands to thank him for being here, "I know this must be difficult so thank you for being here today."

"Yeah" Griffin responds, keeping his eyes on Barba.

Gary asks, "you testified earlier that you and Ms. Collins talked openly about things."

"Yeah, mostly schoolwork but occasionally she'd tell me about how she got to work with kids." He answers.

Gary builds, "so you're aware she was a teacher prior to this job?"

"Objection" Barba calls out, "relevance?"

"Goes to her character." My client defends his reasoning.

"You may answer." She eyes Griffin.

He nods, "she mentioned it before."

"So, my client, a previous teacher and rape victim--"

Barba loudly yells, "OBJECTION!"

But Gary answers before Barba could even explain his reason to object, "your honor, his witness opened the door to this when he brought up her rape earlier. He already knew of it. There was no objection when he brought it up.."

"He's right, Mr. Barba. you had a chance to strike the comment from the record but you didn't. I'm allowing it." The judge agrees with my lawyer.

Gary goes on, "so, Addison Anne Collins is a former school teacher, rape victim survivor and after all that she went through, she decided to quit what she knew to help kids with unfortunate backgrounds, kids like yourself. Why?"

"I spose' to help others" He shrugs.

"And what did she help you with?" He follows up.

"Homework" He retorts, shifting in his seat.

He asks, "anything else?" Griffin just stares at him, not saying anything in response. He paces in front of him and asks, "is it true that she helped you with an old friend who was asking for money?"

He shifts more in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. I eye Barba almost going to say something, holding back his objection but waiting patiently to stop this line of questioning, "she didn't help, just told me it was good that I didn't help him."

"Help him with what?" My lawyer wants him to elaborate.

The Fitzman's lean forward to whisper something to Barba as Griffin continues, "he wanted me to give him money but I didn't have any so I couldn't."

"You didn't have anything or just wouldn't steal from your foster parents again to get what he wanted?" Gary phrases it.

Barba lets it out, "Objection. Speculation, your honor."

Gary walks over to his desk, "we have all of Ms. Collin's notes from her sessions with Griffin. You opened the door earlier when you had Griffin talk about what the two talked about during their sessions together. She is not a therapist or a doctor so there is no privilege, as you so pointed out."

"Overruled." The judge agrees again with Gary Crowder and I exhale, knowing the jury will see just a bit of who Griffin is beside the good schoolboy he's playing in court for them, "answer the question young man" The judge insists when Griffin doesn't answer after a few moments of silence.

He hesitates, "I-I- I stole from them once when my friend was in trouble with a dealer. They broke his nose and threatened him, I wanted to help. I was being a good friend."

Gary builds off of that, "what made you stop being a good friend to him? Why not help him out again?"

Griffin, on the verge of more tears, "the Fitzman's are nice people, I didn't want to steal from them anymore. I was changing, I didn't want to get in trouble or make them mad at me."

"So, it is possible that Ms. Collins did not drug you that night. That your friend who is in trouble with drug dealers came over and drugged you for payback?" Crowder eagerly and quickly spits out.

"Objection!" Barba yells loudly.

"Withdrawn." My lawyer quickly retracts his statement "nothing further." He turns and smirks towards me, and I know he just sandbagged all of Barba's work with Griffin, throwing in a possible alternate theory thus causing possible reasonable doubt.