"Good morning" Dawson stood in the kitchen, formally dressed as he leaned on the bench, scrolling on his laptop with one hand and the other sipping hot coffee

"Good morning" I responded, slowly moving towards the cupboards where I knew the cereal was kept, my eyes down far away from him

As I poured the milk into my bowl Dawson closed his laptop and stood up straight. I could feel his eyes flutter to my face, but used my hair as a shield to protect unwanted contact

"Up for a drive?" He asked, capturing my attention.

I acted casual, shrugging as I continued what I was doing "Sure"

"The prosecutor on your case wants to sit down and have a chat with you, don't stress too much, he's good at what he does"

I nodded, looking forward, knowing well he was looking directly at me waiting for the moment I gave in

He'd almost won when I heard him make a small scoff, suppressing a laugh "Okay then, I'll meet you out front when you're ready"

The second I heard the front door close behind him, I turned, his back retreating to the yard where the sun had graced our presence. He pulled his phone from his pants, dialed a number and pressed it to his ear. What was his game? Why was he being so nonchalant about it?

As I stood in the kitchen eating my breakfast and watching his body move, his face directed to the sun, soaking it up as he spoke the person on the other end of the phone, I realized.

We were both adults, we were past the high school angst and drama, why did it have to be a big deal, why did it have to be awkward? Simple, it didn't, I was making it that way.

Rushing as Dawson waited, I finished my cereal, rinsed my bowl off and left it on the drying rack. I pulled my shoes on and headed to the car, determined to handle the situation like the mature adult my dad had always raised me as.

"All set?" Dawson asked as he started the car, glancing towards me while I pulled my seat belt into place

This would be the hardest part, the initial eye contact after the event, if I could get past that, everything would be fine. I lifted my gaze toward him, nodding "Yeah"

I could see that he was surprised by my sudden change in attitude, a small pull on the corner of his lips as he turned his head and began our drive forward.

Heading to the highway, I refused to allow silence reign "What's his name? The prosecutor I mean"

"Bryce Emmerich, he's been our lead prosecutor for about 2 years, he's thorough, he'll ask you some things that'll make you uncomfortable, he'll push you as the defense will, but it's all in preparation, he needs his witnesses to know their story as straight as an arrow to ensure he gets a verdict the accused deserves"

I was somewhat scared, but if he was thorough and knew what he was doing, then I was comforted by the idea that the brothers would be put in prison for the rest of their lives for what they had done.

"If this goes to trial, which I assume it will.." Dawson continued "The defense it going to do everything in their power to make you a liar, to discredit your testimony, they're going to dig up whatever they can on you and use it against you, so when you speak with Bryce, make sure you're honest"

"They can dig their way to China for all I care, I have nothing to hide" I sighed confidently

Leaning my head back, I stared out of the window watching everything move past at high speed. It was a quite day on the roads, and I could understand why, it was Sunday, most people were still in bed enjoying their sleep in or cooking up a feast for brunch before retiring for a lazy day at home. I thought of what my Sunday would have consisted of had I have not been where I was, I would have slept in til 10, grabbed a coffee and croissant on the way to work, not to work, but to help Al prepare the observatory for the many excursions due for the week. By late afternoon, Camille would likely have called, swaying me into a night of drinks.

As my mind wandered, I felt the burn of eyes on the naked side of my face, my hair tucked neatly behind my ear, exposing me. Shifting, I reminded myself that it was no big deal. I had begun to settle into the assumption that the moment between he and I would be swept under the rug, and then he spoke, diminishing the idea instantly

"We should talk about last night" He began obviously, casually as he looked between me and the road ahead

I shrugged, glancing to him "Okay"

"I think it's obvious that now isn't really the time or place.."

It hadn't been what I'd expected. He hadn't said he'd regretted it, or that it shouldn't have happened, just that the timing had been wrong. This spun me in a new direction.

"If you'd prefer to pretend that it didn't happen, we can take that route.."

I shook my head, pretending it hadn't happened had been my choice from the beginning, surmising he would have felt remorseful, ashamed "Like you said, it's not the time or place, but it happened regardless"

"Let's just keep it to ourselves though, shall we?" He looked between me and the road, a small smile playing on his lips as though he reveled in our new dirty little secret

I couldn't understand him, why was he being so casual about it? The longer we were together, the more I could see him relax. I wasn't sure if it were something to be worried about, I liked that he felt comfortable with me, I liked that he felt he could talk to me and tell me things about himself and his family, but the more I learnt about him, the more I felt myself feel for him in ways I knew I shouldn't.

For the remainder of the drive, Dawson informed me more of Bryce Emmerich's history of successful cases. There was no further discussion of the intimate moment we had shared, and I was thankful for that. I was nervous to meet Bryce, I was nervous for the case to progress, but I wanted it to be over, I wanted it to move along for Tony and his family, and for me. I hoped that once the brothers were put behind bars, I would be able to continue on with life as I knew it.

Walking into the police station my mind filled with flashbacks of the very first moment I'd stepped foot into the homicide unit. It hadn't taken long for Dawson and I to be spotted, I could feel eyes on me, everyone knowing my story, my situation. I felt uncomfortably vulnerable, weak. I wanted to hold my head down, shield myself with my hair, but that only went along with their theories, so I kept my face up, making brief eye contact with whoever looked to me, forcing myself to be unafraid. I had survived so much already, I could survive whatever else was to come.

"Look who we have here" Isaia appeared from behind a desk, a smile on his face as he approached me "How are you going?"

It was nice to see Isaia, he had a vibe that instantly made me feel happy, safe. He was like my dad, he reminded me of him in certain ways.

"I'm good" I nodded as he gave me a gentle pat on the back "How are you?"

"Oh, you know" He shrugged "Haven't slept in about 28 hours, busy.. unlike this one" He shifted his dark eyes to Dawson beside me

"Sounds like you need a holiday" I felt sorry for him, I'd had heard what the police life was like, relentless, consuming

Isaia let out a small laugh "Man, I wish.. my wife would love that"

"I can imagine so"

"Well, Bryce is already here, he's in the office going over the case if you're ready to go and have a sit with him, go over some things for the trial" His voice changed back to business, pointing to the familiar office I'd previously sat inside with Noah.

"So there's definitely going to be a trial?" I questioned

Isaia nodded "It's very likely, the brothers asked for a lawyer not long after they got here, it's looking like they're not going to go down without a fight"

I rolled my eyes and folded my arms over my chest, irritated "Of course"

Isaia sighed "Don't worry too much, you'll be alright" his hand rested on my shoulder "You've got some good people on your side"

"I believe that" I nodded in agreement, glancing slightly to Dawson who had moved to the coffee machine

"I'll see you later Jasmine, it was good to see you" He smiled

"You too" I told him genuinely as Dawson returned with a hot cup of coffee, directing me to the office where the blinds were pulled half closed. Entering the room, I could feel the cool breeze wash in through an open window, refreshing as we approached the man seated at the table. When he raised his head he stood, pulling his glasses off his nose to his receding hairline

He held a hand out for me, bright blue eyes meeting mine "Miss Wright?"

I nodded as I shook his hand "Jasmine" I corrected

"I'm the lead prosecutor for your case, I'm Bryce" He smiled gently, his teeth crooked, pearly white but unaligned "Let's have a seat"

"If you need anything let me know, I'll be back a little later" Dawson moved toward the door, looking between Bryce and I before leaving the room.

I wondered where he was going, I felt more nervous knowing he would not be with me, there to guide me when I needed help, and then I realized just how much I was relying on him, leaning on him for emotional support without him even knowing.

Nervously, I sat opposite Bryce as he adjusted his mountain of paperwork, sifting through the various forms and documents neatly organized and sorted into specific piles. He placed his thin silver rimmed glasses back down on his long nose, studying his information before looking to me

"I've been over the information about Wyatt and Trey and this gang they're allegedly involved in, and from what I've read, it's unlikely they will admit to what they're being accused of. Now their lawyer has already stated that there is only circumstantial evidence in the case, that there is no DNA, no physical or forensic proof that they were at the store and committed the crimes they're accused of, from what I understand and what the defense will quickly understand, is that the most solid evidence against them is you, you're the only witness, you're the only thing standing between Wyatt and Trey and the potential prison sentence.."

I felt my heart jump inside my chest. I knew that this would most likely be the scenario, but hearing it directly, officially, made me fearful of just how deep my involvement was.

"I'm going to be honest with you Jasmine, this isn't going to be easy, this isn't going to be a straight forward open and shut case, it's going to be long and tedious and it's going to push you emotionally to your very limits, but if we persevere and achieve the sentence we set out for, it'll be worth it in the end"

I nodded, soaking it all in. I understood what he was saying, but I wasn't sure I was ready for it. Regardless, I was going to do it, I needed to because if I didn't, Tony's family would suffer more than they already had. If I needed to endure a few months worth of emotional torture to get them closure, justice, then that's exactly what I was going to do.

"Just tell me what I need to do"