Today was his arraignment. He was making a call to Delilah on the payphone in the court house, which must have been a rough conversation.

I was waiting in the hall when I saw the team approach Emily and start talking about the situation. But when I walked in, I was met with looks of pity and sympathy. A giant hug from Penelope did manage to lift my spirits slightly, though.

"They're calling his case," Fiona informed us.

We all filed into the court room. I sat between Penelope and Luke, grabbing both of their hands as a way to ground myself. He looked back at us before they started, a nervous look in his eyes.

"Ms. Duncan, how does your client plead?"

"Not guilty," he said with confidence. I had a feeling that's how he'd plead, but I'm glad he's content with his decision.

Watching Fiona and the other lawyer was hard. Having your husband's character be reduced down to one incident was rough.

"Actions speak louder than words, Ms. Duncan. And from what I've seen, your client presents a flight risk. Bail is denied."

In that moment, I froze. My stomach dropped and it was like I couldn't breathe as the room seemed to spin around me. I quickly stood up, Spencer turning around to find my gaze.

"Ariel, I'm so sorry. Tell Delilah I'm sorry. I love you both so much, I'm so sorry." And just like that, they were cuffing him up and leading him out of the room.

"No, th-they can't, they can't t-take him away. Please, we have a-a-a family. Please don't take him." I was choking on my own sobs, trying to plead with the judge even though it was pointless. I couldn't catch my breath, tears were streaming down my face.

All of a sudden I collapsed, and it was hard to recognize that the heartbreaking scream heard throughout the room was my own. Luke was by my side in an instant, trying to console me as the screams kept coming. "Ariel, we have to go. Can you stand up? Come on, let's go outside." The others in the court room probably thought I was crazy with how loud my sobs and screams were getting. But in that moment, I didn't give a shit about anyone else but him.

Luke managed to pull me off the floor and led me out into the hall. He pulled me into his chest, trying to muffle my sobs as best as he could. I could feel his hand running up and down my back trying to calm me down, but there was nothing anyone could do at this moment that would take away my pain.

It was like my heart was ripped out of me. I swore that I would protect him for the rest of our lives and now he's heading off to jail and there is nothing I could do.

"Ariel, what can we do? How can we help?" My legs felt like jello. The room was spinning and hundreds of worries were piling up in my head. "I'm gonna call your dad and explain everything, okay? Do you want to go home and see Delilah?" I nodded my head and Emily made the call. Another person came up behind me to try and comfort me, my guess being JJ. "What am I gonna do?" I managed to get out between sobs.

"Ariel, you've got all of our support, okay? We're gonna be there every step of the way, helping you out with anything you need. Why don't we head out to the car?" JJ spoke softly, trying to maneuver us outside. She was hurting too, they all were, and they had much better ways of hiding it in front of all the people in the hallways of the courthouse.

My screams stopped and my sobs were less harsh, but my heart was still racing and my body still trembling as we made our way to my house, where my dad and step-mom were waiting outside. My dad was at my side in an instant, pulling me into his arms and whispering reassurances into my ear. "We haven't told her much, figured it would be best if you explained it. But it's gonna be okay, honey. I'm here and I won't leave your side." I nodded and left his embrace, looking over at my daughter greeting her favorite aunts and uncles. "Mom, what's wrong?" Everyone cleared out of the room as I kneeled down to her level. How was I supposed to explain to my six year old that her father is in prison after being charged with murder? I grabbed her tiny hands in mine and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts before speaking.

"Hey, sweetie. Did you talk to daddy earlier?" She nodded, a look of worry on her face. "What did daddy tell you?"

"He said that he might not being coming home today and that I needed to be strong if that happened. Mommy, what's happening." 

"Your dad got into a bit of trouble. There are people that think he did something really wrong and they have to send him away for a while. You're not gonna be able to see him or call him for awhile. But daddy wants you to know that he's sorry... and that he loves you so much."

She started to shake her head as tears started to build up in her eyes. "No, they can't do that. They can't take my daddy away!" She started to sob into my shoulder and I had a tight grip around her. I started to sob again too, holding onto her like my life depended on it. Her sobs echoed throughout the whole house. I then noticed that Diana walked in, confusion on her face.

"Where's Spencer?" she asked. I shook my head at her, which caused her to start crying. JJ and Cassie were trying to calm her down while I rubbed my hand up and down my daughter's back. The only sound heard throughout the house were sobs. A place that was supposed to be filled with joy and love became a place of sadness and despair.

Slowly, the team started to filter out. Diana went to lie down and my dad and step mom managed to cook us a meal. Delilah was passed out on the couch next to me. I knew she wasn't gonna leave my side tonight. I was texting back and forth with Emily, explaining that I wanted to take some time off. She was very understanding and was sending me her full love and support.

My dad sat down next to me, trying to figure out what to say in order to comfort me. "I know that there is nothing I could say that is going to take this pain away. But I want you to know that I'm here for the both of you. I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

Even without realizing it, my dad had been in a similar position before. When I was a kid and him and my mom got a divorce, we'd spend plenty a night like this, holding each other and talking through our problems. But there was a big difference. My mom and her new husband were abusive towards me and my dad was my only source of comfort. But Delilah loved her dad. She had so much love for him and he was ripped away from her, away from us. He knew that this was going to be a tough time for us.

"Thanks, dad. I just don't know what to do, where to go from here."

"Whatever you do, don't be afraid to ask for help. I didn't give up on you when you were young and needed me most, and I'm not gonna give up on you now."

He pulled me into a hug. His words always managed to calm me down and make me feel slightly better about any situation.

"So Cheryl and I were talking, and she really wants to help relieve some stress. So she offered that we take care of Diana for a while. We cleaned up the guest room. Cheryl helped out her dad when he had alzheimer's and Cassie thinks it's a good idea. Spencer has done so much for you and we owe him at least this. What do you think?"

I gripped him tighter, burying my face into his shoulder. He was always so caring and his kindness is exactly what I need right now. "Thank you so much, dad. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetie. Now I'll let you two get to bed and I'll come back tomorrow to help Diana get all settled into our place."

Once he was out the door, I picked Delilah up and started towards my bedroom. She flinched, tightening her grip around me. "It's okay, baby. I'm not leaving. We'll just get you in your pajamas and you can sleep with me tonight."

We both got into our pajamas and she crawled into my bed, burying her face into my chest. "We're strong, right mommy?"

"Of course, sweetie. We're gonna get through this."

"Love you, mommy."

"Love you, too, Dee. Goodnight."

Sleep came more naturally to Delilah than it did to me last night. My brain was in overdrive the entire night. I had silently cried myself to sleep.

I was awoken to the sound of my phone ringing. It had been a couple days since the arraignment. Delilah was still asleep, still holding me in her sleep. "Hello?"

"Hey Ariel, it's Emily. Did I wake you?"

"It's okay, what's up?"

"We've got a case, but I figured I would talk to you before we leave. And I have a bit of bad news. Spencer was transferred to Milburn Correctional Facility."

It may have been early and my mind may have still been hazy, but those words woke me right up.

"Emily, that's a prison."

"I don't know what happened. Fiona is trying to figure it all out."

The line went silent as I tried to get my thoughts together. Prison? Spencer was not meant for a prison. He must be frightened.

"Before I go, I'm sure Penelope will call you later, but she's sending out letters to him after the case. So if you and Delilah have some letters, come by and drop them off."

"Thank you Emily. Stay safe."

"We'll talk more later. Bye."

Delilah started to shift next to me, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. I leaned over and brushed the hair out of her face, my hand moving to rub up and down her arm.

"Good morning baby. You wanna help me write letters to dad today?"

The hint of a smile that she gave me was enough to put me in a slightly better mood.

Fun! This was one of those chapters that I could visualize really well, but it was hard to put it into words. But I hope you guys are enjoying the story!