Steam filled the bathroom from the running water in the shower. The water hit the tiled floor uninterrupted. The stall empty. Rachel lay curled over the toilet. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her stomach somersaulted again. Breakfast had been reintroduced. What she had been able to eat of it. Nothing was coming up. But her stomach still twisted and clenched. Reaching up, Rachel hit the handle once again. Time was passing by too quickly. She knew it was getting closer and closer to the time they needed to leave to be at the courthouse when ADA Holden had told them. She hadn't even showered. She had gotten as far as turning the water on and undressing. Then her stomach revolted.

Sitting back, she wiped her mouth with the hand towel she was barely thought to grab before she had fallen to her knees.  She clutched the blue terry cloth in her hands and held it to her face. It muffled the sounds of her cries. Not that it mattered. JC would be knocking on the door soon to see what was taking her.

Sleep hadn't come the night before. She hadn't been able to turn her brain off. Every thought kept her awake. The fear of getting up on the stand. The thought of having to speak in front of dozens and dozens of people and tell them about the one day she wanted to forget. She wished she had that tool Will Smith used in Men In Black that erased people's memories. She could use that now to wipe May 3rd, 2014 from her memory.

JC always told her to wake him if she couldn't sleep. Usually she woke him by snuggling closer into him. The movements would rouse him enough to wrap his arms around her and pull her to him. Cocooned in his arms, his strength around her, feeling his heart beat, his chest rising and falling with each breath was enough to lull her to sleep. She couldn't bring herself to last night. He needed his sleep too. The case was bound to be just as draining on him. So she had laid there on her side facing him. Watching the rise and fall of his chest. Dozing intermittently. All too soon the alarm was going off.

Rachel wanted to run. She wanted to run out the door and keep running until she was far enough away the ghosts wouldn't get her. Far enough where she wouldn't see a bleeding JC laying on the ground. Far enough away where the guilt couldn't find her. Her mother said she needed to let it go. And she knew that. Knowing and doing where two completely separate tasks. She didn't want to feel the guilt she felt. She wanted to be able to be that carefree person she was in mid April before Matt sent her into a tailspin.

She wanted to hurt him. Matt. She wanted to slap him. She wanted to punch him. She wanted to pound on his chest. She wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt her. He took her world and messed it all up.

‘I thought you'd hear it and tear in to him. I was counting on you confronting him.'

She didn't. She heard the words and ran. Ran all the way to Mississippi. Never once did she let JC tell his side of the story. She never even let him know what was wrong. She had been ready to throw everything away. If Lance hadn't been able to talk her in to coming back to LA for her party...

JC wouldn't have been shot.

The tears came out harder and she hunched over. Her head nearly to her knees. She continued sobbing into the towel. Arms reached for her. They slid around her shoulders and across her chest. Her head fell against a broad chest.

"Rachel..." JC said as he held her against him. His heart twisted in pain as he listened to her cries. He had come up to check on her and grew concerned hearing the shower still running. The soft knock on the closed bathroom door had gotten no response. His heart had fallen to his stomach when he saw her hunched over crying into a towel. "Come here," he whispered as he shifted to sit on the floor. With his back against the sink cabinet he lifted Rachel into his lap. He held her in his arms, letting her cry. His fingers tangled into her hair. "You're killing me. I don't know what to do." He spoke softly. "I love you. I love you so much."

Rachel slowly dropped the towel and turned into JC as the tears continued to come. She couldn't stop them. She clung to him as she cried harder.

"It's okay," JC murmured. "This will all be over soon. Then we can continue on with our lives. With our relationship. Being with you had made me the happiest I've ever been. Nothing compares. Nothing." He continued speaking softly; talking about anything that came to mind. How much he loved her. What he loved about her. How he was scared she would realize he wasn't as great as she thought he was and find someone else. He told her how strong she was. How much he needed her. He told her everything, speaking until her cries quieted into sniffles. "I love you," he repeated. "When this is over, we're getting away for a long weekend. It's already planned. Just you and me and a fully stocked cabin. We'll turn off the phones. Start putting this behind us. Start concentrating on us and our future."

Rachel held on to him, her arms around his neck. Her tears had finally stopped. Her breaths were shaky as she struggled to pull herself back together.

"I promise you," JC said, his voice still soft and soothing. "We will get through this. I will be right here by your side. Always."

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered unable to meet his eyes.

"Hey... no...." JC shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Using the hand towel, she wiped her face. She looked down at herself; naked in JC's lap. "Look at me. I'm a mess."

"That's not what I think when I look at you."

Rachel's face heated and she lifted her head. JC cupped the side of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair. Tilting her chin she met his kiss. "Think they'll let me sit like this on the witness stand?"

"Naked or in my lap?"

Rachel's tried to fight the smile from forming on her lips. A small giggle broke free. JC grinned, proud of himself for putting a smile back on her face. "I think naked might be frowned upon by the judicial system."

"Their loss." JC shrugged, the smiled wide on his face.

"I love you." Rachel leaned forward and kissed him again.

"I love you." JC kissed her once more before they booth stood. His phone rang from inside his pocket. "Go shower," he told her. As he walked from the bathroom he pulled the phone from his pocket. His breath caught seeing Los Angeles District Court. He took a deep breath before hitting the button. "Hello?"

"JC? This is Edward Holden."

"Yes Sir," JC looked at the watch on his wrist. They weren't late, even with Rachel's minor episode. He knew she wouldn't take long to get ready. They would still make it to the courthouse at the specified time. "We were just getting ready to leave."

"That's what I'm calling about."

"Don't tell me the court date had been pushed back..." This couldn't be happening. He needed the case to go to court now. He needed it to be over with. For his mental health. For Rachel's. Neither one of them could take a continuance.

"No no," ADA Holden said quickly. "I'm calling because I got a call from Richard Bauer, Ms. Wright's attorney. He requested to meet with me this morning. I'm calling to inform you that Ms. Wright is willing to accept a plea deal. I'm inclined to accept their offer."

"What?" JC's lips parted in shock. "A plea?"

"That's right. Ms. Wright will plead guilty to assault with a firearm. It's a felony and carries up to four years in prison. Which she will serve."

"Assault with a firearm?" JC repeated. "I thought she was charged with attempted murder?" Assault with a firearm almost seemed like an insult to what happened to him.

"Yes, but juries are unpredictable. In order to be convicted of attempted murder, the State of California requires us to prove that Ms. Wright had a specific intent to kill. The defense could argue she only produced the gun as a scare tactic or to maim."

"But she did intend to kill," JC argued. "Rachel told you what she said before she fired the gun." Those were the words JC didn't remember. The ones Addison spoke right before she fired the gun. He couldn't recall the words of even moved to protect Rachel. "Does it matter that she intended to kill Rachel and I got shot instead?"

"No," ADA Holden said. "There doesn't even need to be a victim at all in these cases. There needs to be a direct step and that a person was intended to be killed. We don't need a specific target. She could still have been charged with attempted murder even if the shots fired didn't hit you or Ms. Bass."

"This seems like a slap in the face." JC took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I almost died. Rachel probably would have died. And she only gets four years?"

"Second degree attempted murder carries a five, seven, or nine year sentence. The jury could very well come back with a five year sentence. Think about it JC. We don't know what the defense is going to come up with. They could paint her as a woman who just temporarily snapped. They could gain sympathy from a jury member. Now," ADA Holden continued. "We could go in there get a slam dunk and she get the maximum nine year sentence. But we could also go in there and the case could be drug out. Rachel will be called to the stand as a witness. She will be cross-examined by the defense. I can object to the questions, but I can't guarantee the judge will sustain them. She'll have to answer. After everything, Ms. Wright can be found not guilty and walk free."

JC put his elbow on his leg and rested his forehead in his hand. He didn't like the Assistant District Attorney using Rachel against him. That's what he was doing. Using Rachel to get what he wanted. He knew JC would do what he could to protect her. JC didn't want Rachel to have to get on the witness stand and describe - in detail - the events from that day, especially after what he had seen in the bathroom. The ADA was right. There was a chance Addison could walk. He wasn't sure how it could happen, but he knew it could.

"She gets four years?"

"She will plead guilty to assault with a firearm and take the maximum sentence of four years which will be served at the California State Women's Prison located outside of San Jose. She will also agree to have no contact with you or Ms. Bass. If she breaks that agreement, the plea becomes null and void and she will go back to court and be charged with attempted murder."

"Will there still be a court appearance?"

"Yes. We will go into the court room in front of the judge. There is a slim chance he'll throw the plea agreement out. Ms. Wright will plead guilty. They judge will sentence her according to the agreement. Then it's over."

Over. That sounded great to JC.

"Are you okay with this?"

Was he okay with it? Addison would only get four years for almost killing him. She wouldn't be charged with attempted murder but assault instead. It seemed like a loss to him. On the other hand, there would be no trial. Rachel wouldn't have to get on the stand. In under an hour it would all be behind him. Ultimately that's what he wanted. "Yes. I'm okay with it."

"Great!" ADA Holden grinned. "I will get this taken care of. The trial will still start at nine. I still need you and Ms. Bass here like we planned in case the deal gets tossed."

"We'll be there." JC said his goodbyes and pressed the palm of his hands in his eyes. He blew out a breath.

"Who was on the phone?" Rachel asked coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and another twisted on the top of her head.

JC looked up watching as Rachel let the towel fall from her body when she reached her dresser. His eyes raked over her body. If it had been any other morning, he would have pushed up from the bed and gone to her. He would have wrapped his arms around her from behind. Pressed his body into hers. Pressed kisses along her shoulder.

"JC?" Rachel turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. She grinned seeing his face. She tossed her towel at him. "Hey."

JC grabbed the towel as it fell to his lap and shook his head. He felt his cheeks heat. "You distracted me."

Rachel smiled and quickly pulled on underwear and a bra. She pulled the towel from her hair and laid it over the open dresser drawer as she pulled out a white high neck spaghetti strap undershirt. When the shirt was on, she went into the closet and pulled the black suit pants off the hanger and slipped them up her legs and over her hips. After making sure the shirt was tucked in, she zipped the pants and latched the clips on the inside.

"Who was on the phone?" Rachel asked again when she walked back into the bedroom and took a seat at her vanity table.

"ADA Holden," JC answered as he watched her start applying her make up. He saw her hands freeze and her eyes met his in the mirror.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked slowly.

"Addison and her lawyer contacted him this morning wanting to make a plea deal." JC explained the phone conversation.

Rachel sat quietly staring at her reflection as she thought over JC's words. It could all be over today. There was a chance there would be no trial. No having to get up on the stand. Her eyes flickered to meet his when he stood up to walk toward her. When he placed his hands on her shoulders, she lifted one hand to clasp his.

"Are you okay with this?"

Was she? She didn't know. Four years seemed like a slap on the wrist for what Addison did. For what she put them through. Nine years didn't seem like a severe punishment either.

"Rachel?"

Rachel blinked and brought her gaze back to JC. "Four years doesn't seem long enough."

"I know. That's what I thought too. But there won't be a trial to go through. We'll go to the courthouse today and it will all be over in a matter of minutes."

Rachel shifted on the bench until she faced JC. He was dressed in all black. Black trousers paired with a tucked in long sleeve black button up shirt. The collar was buttoned and he had on a black tie. On his feet were black dress shoes. A black suit jacket, she knew, would finalize the outfit. He was freshly shaven. She could smell the cologne he applied when he was getting ready. It was intoxicating. It made her feel safe. "Are you okay with this?"

JC nodded. "I wasn't when he was explaining it to me, but I am now."

"Okay," Rachel sent him a small smile. She blew out a small breath and grabbed his hand. She meet his eyes when he squeezed her hand. "It will be all over today."

"Yes." JC dropped her hand and cupped her face with his hands. He bent at the waist and kissed her softly. "We can finally move forward."