Events conspire against a successful young woman with a dark painful past. She is forced to confront her frightening past that she has been running away from her whole adult life.

The blaring of the clocks alarm didn't shock her awake, this time. Susan and Kerry slept nearly nine hours. They knew they had a full days work of pretrial motions and proceedings, and evidence hearings.

As she was getting ready for her morning shower, Kerry called her from across the room. She was going though her suitcase when she called out, "Hey Susan, Come here please, there is something we need to talk about, its serious."

Susan walked over to where Kerry was finding one of her business suits to wear. she turned around and said, "OK. This isn't to upset you, but I am afraid there is something you need to know."

"Oh?"

"I know that you don't know too much about the law and court procedure, which was why you hired me on to help you. But, you just can't file a lawsuit to claim someone's kids. That will be one of the motions that Kathy will file against you, and the judge will agree. This is a civil case, not a family court so you must ask for some monetary award here. We can later go file for custody of her children in a family court, later, using this as ammunition. You will win there. But, You cant do that here. We have to decide what you are asking for."

"I simply want to destroy them, Kerry. Ask for such a award they will never be able to own anything again. I was also thinking, If there any way to bring in any criminal charges or has it all been too long?"

"I am afraid that it may be too long, Susan," she answered and it was clear from her voice that wasn't what she wanted to say.

"Damn!"

"The statute of limitations usually is around five to ten years for most sex crimes but there's a few lucky states where sex crimes against children have no limitations. I will check on that for you. But don't get your hopes up in case you may be disappointed. We don't need any more of that."

Susan sighed, "No, we don't."

Kerry kissed Susan on the cheek and then said, "Go on and shower. I'll be in there in a few seconds.

She headed to the shower and turned, "Kerry, I love you so much. I do not know what I would do without your love. You really did save me and you know it."

"I love you too," Kerry answered back smiling.

****

They were walking though the court house's front door together in little over an hour later. They sat next to the room waiting their turn. She saw that Kathy and her attorney was waiting, also. She saw Kathy was still very distressed by everything that had happened yesterday.

The large wooden door opened and an officer called them in. Susan and Kerry went over and stood in the defendants area and Kathy went to the plaintiffs box.

"All rise," A bailiff called out loudly to the court and they stood as the black robed judge walked in and sat down in his stand. Susan sat down.

The bailiff called, "The Honorable Judge Stephen Cramer preceding. The case number 9665 Kathy Smith verses Susan Smith is now in session."

The judge read a few of the papers that Kathy's attorney made out for him. He called out, "Will the counsels please come to the stand?"

They walked up. Ms Gladstone shot off immediately, "They can't file for kids here. Someone's children can't be any AWARD for a civil case. Come one now, Your Honor."

Kerry said nothing. She knew it was useless.

He said gravely, "I agree. The motion is granted."

Kerry said, "In that case, we ask for a award of five hundred million dollars for our counter claim."

Gladstone said shocked, "What! That is outrageous. You damn well know she doesn't have that much. Your Honor you can't allow this."

"That is not my problem counselor. The defendants motion is carried. Ms Gladstone, I see here that you have motioned for your case to be dropped, does your client still want to drop charges?"

She looked over and Kathy shook her head yes, "Yes Your Honor."

"OK. The plaintiffs claim is dropped. As for the counter claim of abuse, how do you want to proceed, Susan Smith?"

She walked up to the Judged stand and said, "My counselor and I wish to proceed with the case your Honor."

"OK. Your motion is carried. The plaintiffs claim for damages is dropped. As the defendants claim is accepted. You, Susan, are not the Plaintiff. This case is Susan Smith Verses Kathy Smith for the amount of five Hundred Million Dollars."

Kathy shouted, "What! Susan you have to be crazy."

She gazed wickedly as her sister with hateful eyes of pure evil. "I am not crazy and I warned you but you didn't listen. You should have thought of the consequences when we were young. Now its too late. I will destroy you, Kathy."

The judge had enough of the bickering in his court room and slammed the gavel down. "Order. Are there any more motions."

They both shook their heads and the judge announced, "Ok. We will have a one hour recess and you better be ready to call your first witness, Kerry."

The bailiff announced, "All Rise"

Her sister got her as soon as they left the court room. Kathy stormed up to Susan and said in anger, "How the hell can you sue me for five hundred million. Have you lost your mind?"

She turned her full presence onto her meek sister and said, "How could you do what you did Kathy? My God! How could you have treated me that way? I will destroy you one way or the other."

"But, I was just a child like you. How was I supposed to know. We were rival siblings."

"No excuse. Not for what you did. You have to pay for what you did. And by God you will! You bitch, now get out of my face!" Susan raged, her voice bellowing though the halls as she stormed off. That was satisfying.
````
After going to one of the local pasta restaurants for lunch and a quick walk, They made it back to the courthouse. It wasn't a long ride back.

The judge said, "We will now have the counselors opening statement"

Kerry stood up and went to the center of the courtroom. She looked around at the jury and the judge. "Your Honor, People of the Jury. What we have here is a girl whose life was shattered and destroyed when she was a child. This girl was not born a girl. She was born as a boy and because of a few stupid but common childhood mistakes boys make, her sister blew went way overboard and caused it to go much further than it should have. The boy was Ben. He was only twelve when that happened. The evidence will prove that between the ages of twelve and seventeen, the defendant abused, manipulated, had Ben raped and had his life totally altered to what she is today. He had his life and future as a boy stolen and striped away. Her life was destroyed by the defendant. She deserves to pay for that. " Kerry sat down beside her client.

The judge said, "We will proceed to the Defenses Opening statement now. "

Ms Gladstone stood up and gave Susan a smile. She looked around and started her opening statement. "Members of the Jury, Your Honor, What we have here is a vindictive little girl, she's not really a girl or woman at all. But that isn't important. Yes she was abused as a child. Abused worse than we can ever imagine. My Client played a small part in it but We will prove that she played a tiny little part in the entire horrible story. She was the Plaintiffs sister but what could she do. She was a year older than her brother. A massive part of the abuse was done by Bens Mother. That is what the evidence will prove and I trust when all is said and done, when all of the evidence is examined. You will see that my client did not abuse the Plaintiff. "

The judge was sitting at the bench and he announced, "The plaintiff may call your first witness."

Kerry stood up, "I call Susan Smith to the stand."

She stood up and walked over to sit in the witness stand. The bailiff came and swore her in and she sat down.

Kerry went to the center of the courtroom facing the witness, her lover, Susan and she started off, "Can you state your name for the record?"

"My name is Susan Smith," She stated.

"And what was your name before while you were living with the defendant?" Kerry asked.

"My name was Ben Smith. I was a boy, the defendants little brother," Susan answered.

"So you were born as a male," Kerry said to her.

"Yes," She knew her questioning and where it was all going before hand but that didn't make it easy.

"Can you tell the court what happened to make you into a female?"

"Objection, your honor, How she was changed has no relevance to the case at hand. That change is admittedly not the defendants crime here," Kathy's attorney shouted.

"While that is true, the defendant does share a large part in what caused it all to happen in the first place. As this witnesses testimony will show if you will allow it, your honor," Kerry stated for the judge.

"Objection over ruled. You may proceed."

"That is a long story. I made a mistake and committed a crime. I stole panties from a ladies house that caused me to be arrested. My sister was in on it in daring me, along with some neighbor boys, and I wasn't very popular. I was just a kid trying to prove I was strong. I wanted to fit in. But it all snowballed. She told everyone I was a sissy and her, along with the defendants attorney, and some other people forced me to submit to being a girl but not completely at the time."

Ms Gladstone stood up and asked, "May I approach the bench your honor."

"Granted, counsels approach the bench."

They went to the bench and Ms Gladstone said, "This is getting out of hand if they intend to talk about all the abuse she endured. It all wasn't the my clients fault. Most of it was her mother and her friends. My client in fact had very little to do with any of it."

"But your client did in fact provide the foundation, the entire motivation for it in the first place. And your client did in fact participate in it, and gladly. We have evidence I intend to introduce to prove it. If your honor will allow."

He thought it over and then said, "Objection is overruled. The witnesses testimony may proceed, on the condition that she show what part the defendant played in the abuse and how, If it is not then I will sustain the objection. Return to your places Counsels."

A sudden thought occurred to Kerry. She approached the bench again, "Your Honor can we speak in chambers. I am afraid we have a serious conflict here that we need to talk about, in reference to Ms Gladstone and the defendant. Very soon, Ms Gladstone herself will receive her own summons. We are filing a lawsuit against her for abusing my client when she was a child. I request she be removed as the defendants counsel.

She bristled, "What!"

Susan glared at the cruel woman and said in open court, "You did in fact abuse me Ms Gladstone. You, helped my mother, Ms Gladys, Jennifer. I am adding you all. The fact that you are a defendant now precludes you as able to be a defense attorney in this case. The defendant needs another attorney. "

This case was beginning to give the judge a headache. But they were right. There was a possibility of a mistrial. He announced, "We will have a recess till tomorrow at 8: AM. I will render a judgment on your plaintiffs motion for new counsel. " He stood up.

The bailiff said loudly, "All Rise."
"

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to be continued