A/N: Yes FINALLY the next chapter! I'm SO sorry about the wait. First it was complete writer's block, then a 3000+ mile move and the rest of my RL going crazy. I think I've erased more on this chapter than the whole rest of the story. Hopefully the next one will be out before the end of the month, I make no promises but I'm hoping; I just have to get a couple characters to stand still. ;)

Chapter 21

The ride to the courthouse was tense, no one wanted to be the one that might accidently break Joanna's current calm and start her worrying about the what if's that the trial presented. Carrannelli was driving with Pike beside him navigating them through the downtown Atlanta traffic.

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" Mark asked softly as they passed a construction site.

"I think you already did, Lieutenant, but go ahead," Pike replied with a slight smile.

"Sorry. I wanted to ask what you thought the chances of something happening during the trial were," Mark replied looking slightly sheepish at his slip.

"I think that will depend on how vindictive his ex is and how much she has her lawyer wrapped around her finger where the facts are concerned," Pike said looking at the young Security Officer behind the wheel. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't like surprises that much anyway but in an enclosed area like a courtroom, Martin and I would rather be ready for anything even if it would only happen if the Klingons gave up fighting and took up karaoke, to solve their disputes," he finished looking slightly sheepish.

"I think if there's going to be any serious trouble it'll be from the media," Pike replied thoughtfully. "Though I wouldn't take my eyes too far off Darnell either for that matter; his daughter might try a few last ditch swipes at McCoy but I can't see her trying anything physical. If it comes to that I think Darnell's target would be McCoy rather than Joanna, and from what we read about him in the files he wouldn't stand much of a chance against the good doctor."

"That's true, Sir," Mark agreed with a slightly embarrassed snicker, remembering going up against the doctor during a combat drill a few months earlier, after a mishap on an away mission, Rich was still teasing him about the fact that the CMO had just about beaten him, he hadn't realized that McCoy was such a good or dirty fighter before.

A muffled snicker from the first row of seats had Pike looking back to see Jim smirking at something. Pike simply raised an inquiring eyebrow at the young Captain knowing Jim would spill what was so amusing.

"I remember that, Carrannelli, surprised me a bit too," Jim said quietly with a grin. "It was after that mess on Barengas, Sir, the Chief was fit to be tied at what happened and put all of us that were there through more drills than Academy Basic as a lesson in being prepared for anything. Carrannelli had the bad luck to be picked to spar against Bones, who was livid at getting pulled out of the Medbay when he still had patients in serious condition. I think if the match hadn't been called, Bones might have won, I know he surprised Giotto with the amount of dirty moves he pulled, which is probably why the Chief stopped it when he did."

"I still can't believe how close he was to actually making me give up the match anyway," Mark replied sheepishly.

"Don't be, I taught him a lot of what he used on you over the last few years. Plus you heard what Giotto said afterwards, 'that anger or fear can give a person the extra bit they need to win a fight, if they use it correctly'. I'm pretty sure the Chief won't underestimate Bones again no matter what his 'official' combat scores are," Jim reminded him with a chuckle as they pulled into the underground parking structure that had been added under the block facing the old twentieth century courthouse. The building was now kept more as a museum to the legal history of the city and the state than a working courthouse because the structure's age and that the cost of upgrading the technology in such an old building was prohibitive. The two modernized courtrooms were used as an alternate venue for overflow cases or sensitive ones, such as McCoy's.

The echoing parking deck was for the most part deserted this early; the only people in sight were headed for the access tunnels to the Atlanta Underground on the left side of the block sized parking area.

"I think we got here unseen but we need to be sure," Martin commented as they paused in front of the doors for the lifts and stairs to street level. "Mr. Scott, if you would, head up and see if there are any reporters waiting across the street," he requested quietly. Scotty nodded and headed up the stairs. "Alright, Captain, you Sulu, Uhura, Rhymer, Chekov, and Chapel are with me in the first elevator, Admiral, you Mark and the rest are on the second car," Martin explained as the stairway door shut behind the Chief Engineer. A minute later his communicator chirped and Scotty called the all clear.

As they stepped into the second lift, Joanna closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on what Mr. Spock had showed her at the house. The doors opening broke her concentration before she could settle into the rhythm of the exercise, and she tightened her grip on her father's hand as they stepped out and joined the rest of the group. As they hurried across the street, everyone somehow missed the couple watching them intently from the far side of Mitchell St.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the courthouse doors closed behind them and they were met by Mr. Burger and Captain Logan in the center of the lobby. "Good morning, everyone," Mr. Burger greeted them. "We have roughly fifteen minutes until court convenes, that'll give us enough time to get you back into uniform."
"If you'll follow me the restrooms are this way," Captain Logan said with a smile as Jim quickly pulled the garment bag from the carrier on Pike's wheelchair leading them towards a hallway on the far side of the lobby.

"Is there somewhere I can hang this without causing problems?" Jim asked catching up with Captain Logan.

"You should be able to use the light fixture between the doors," Logan replied with a smile. "I'm sure you won't be the first to use it for that or the last."

Pike chuckled as he watched Jim carefully hang the bag on the old brass light. "That's good Jim, we need to get movin'," McCoy groused as his friend fussed with the way the bag was hanging.

"I know, Bones, but I really don't want to get a bill from the city of Atlanta because we accidently damaged a historic building," Jim replied, unzipping the bag and stepping back so that the others could get at their uniforms.

"I think the City would be understanding in this case, Captain," Burger added as Uhura and Christine pulled their uniforms out of the bag and stepped into the restroom, and Carrannelli quietly slipped away from the group to check out the courtroom.

"We'll be right back," Uhura assured them as the door swung shut behind them.

"Come over here with me, Joanna," Winona said softly guiding them both out of the way of the guys as they retrieved their uniform coats. "Once they're put together then it'll be our job to pull final inspection on them and make sure they look good."

"W-what do you mean Nana?" Joanna asked nervously as she grabbed the older woman's hand.

"I mean that since we're the only ones that don't have to do anything to be ready," Winona explained. "It's our job to make sure their uniforms are straight and that no one looks like they just rolled out of bed and forgot to brush their hair or some other silly mistake," she finished getting a small smile from Joanna.

"We're not that bad at getting ready, Winona," Pike retorted, chuckling at the dubious look she shot him. "Ok, Winona, I do remember that, but I think the Saurian brandy the night before had something to do with it." Winona simply rolled eyes and sighed making Pike break into a full laugh.

As soon as he heard his mom say inspection, Jim had to look away to hide his grin at her description. When he looked up he caught the puzzled look in Spock's face.

"It's mean to be a distraction for Joanna, Spock," he murmured. "Mom used it with me before the trial when she divorced the idiot she married when I was a kid; though I was more mad than scared," he explained to his friend.

"I understand, Captain. I take it that it produced a similar result?" Spock inquired as he finished fastening the neck of his jacket.

"Not really, but it kept me from planning how to jump the bastard as soon as they brought him in," Jim replied ruefully as they lined up.

Logan half hid a smile as she and Burger watched the 'inspection'. There was no doubt in her mind that the officers were taking advantage of it to do their best to make Joanna smile with either comments or silly little mistakes to their uniforms. What warmed her heart the most was the fact that Joanna easily interacted with each of them before moving on down the line. She'd seen many abuse victims that shied away from contact for months or years in her time on the force, but the exceptions still brought her hope that the horrors could be put behind and the victims could move on.

As he watched the others doing their best to lift Joanna's spirits, Spock wondered what he could possibly do when it was his turn. As the Captain had said turning her attention towards the rest of them was an excellent distraction, but he knew his own limitations when it came to offering comfort to humans, no matter what Nyota said to the contrary. For some reason the memory of his mother's actions whenever she'd felt that he'd needed emotional reinforcement where her normal method of embracing him would not be appropriate kept surfacing in his mind. As Joanna reached him he gently placed his hands so that he was cupping her shoulders with his thumbs on her collar bones, the same way his mother had him as a child. "You are safe Joanna. No matter how illogical or painful the proceedings may become remember we will be standing with you," he told her softly before releasing her; he wasn't prepared for Joanna to wrap her arms around his waist.

"I'll try Mr. Spock," she replied softly with a small smile as she released him.

Uhura and Christine were just leaving the bathroom when she felt the faint echo of Spock's surprise through their bond. She was just in time to see Joanna smile as she stepped back and figured out that she'd hugged Spock again. The expression on his face combined with the echoes of his emotions made her bite back a laugh though she couldn't hide her smile or the humor she knew her fiancé must be feeling from her as she watched Joanna continue down the line to Kirk.

Jim found himself relaxing as he watched Bones and Joanna relax as the 'inspection' finished. He was making a mental note to do something nice for his mom tonight and again when the trial was over for coming up with the idea when all hell broke loose.