"You smell good."

"JJ, shut up. I'm trying to sleep."

He was quiet for a few moments and you shifted, shutting your eyes tighter. JJ also shifted, letting out a heavy sigh. You felt yourself slipping into sleep again when JJ rolled over with another breath. You popped open an eye, glaring behind you. With a breath of your own, you rolled over to face him.

JJ was lying on his back, his hands behind his neck, and staring up at the ceiling. His eyes were wide open. When you rolled over, he glanced down at you.

"Can't sleep?" He asked you, voice at a whisper..

You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hard to sleep when the bed keeps moving," you told him.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, turning onto his side to face you. You wiggled closer to him until you were just a few inches apart. "You do smell good though."

"Thanks." It was a simple compliment, but you still felt your cheeks grow warm. "You smell good, too."

JJ let out a laugh.

"No, I don't."

"No, you don't."

JJ rolled his eyes. He lifted his hand and brushed a bit of hair out of your face. Tingles ran up your spine at his touch.

"You're doing okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing okay," you told him. "You doing okay?"

"I'm okay as long as you're okay."

"You're so full of cheese, Maybank."

You couldn't help but smile. The room was dark, but through the small window by the bed, the very shreds of the new moon was peaking through. The soft moon light illuminated the gentle features of JJ's face and your heart skipped a beat in your chest.

"Aww, c'mon, Ellie," JJ whined, rolling his head away from you.

"What?" you laughed.

"You can't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

He paused and looked back at you, the blues of his irises shaded. Your stomach rolled.

"Nothing. Go to sleep."

"Are you gonna let me sleep?"

JJ pressed a quick kiss against your forehead and rolled over so his back was facing you. You couldn't help but roll your eyes.

"You suck," you huffed, tapping his calf with your foot.

"Night, night," he called to you.

"Night."

***

JJ came with you, Kid, and Lana to meet Brandon that next day. Part of you knew that JJ was coming out of jealousy and protectiveness, not wanting you to be alone with a man that he didn't trust, but it was easy enough to pretend that he came to hold your hand and make this entire thing a little bit easier.

But you knew that things weren't going to be easier when he walked into the police station and half of the department turned to look at him, eyes hard. In his usual JJ style, he waved, tipped an imaginary hat, even winked at a few officers. He walked behind you and Kid with a saunter in his step.

Shoupe guided the four of you to the interrogation room where you had met Brandon the day before. Just like then, you refused to allow yourself to hesitate, knowing you would want nothing more than to run away and drown yourself in the ocean. Before Shoupe could even say anything to encourage you, you pushed the door open and walked inside. Kid and Lana followed after you. Shoupe, however, stopped JJ before he walked inside.

"Don't think you're allowed in there," Shoupe said.

"Let him in," Kid said, settling onto a chair.

"The sheriff's right," Brandon said with a sigh. He was standing, hands on his hips. "Family only."

"He is family." Your tone was sharp.

Brandon looked at you with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm a witness," JJ said, his gaze steady.

"What?" Shoupe asked.

"What?" You echoed.

JJ turned to look at you, the hardness in his gaze falling away. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he repeated what he said.

"I'm a witness. I saw all the bruises, I saw the carving. I was there after your dad threw you down the stairs-"

"He threw you down the stairs?" Brandon asked and you cringed.

"Must have slipped my mind," you said as innocently as you could.

"Listen, I can be of use, right?" JJ said, looking between you and Brandon.

You looked over at Brandon, wondering the same thing. With a sigh, Brandon nodded his head.

"Yeah, we could probably use the testimony of someone close to you," Brandon said.

"J, can we talk about this outside really quick?" You asked, putting your hand on JJ's arm. You turned back to look at Brandon. "Just really quick."

He gave a short nod, his jaw tight. You lightly pushed JJ out into the hallway as Shoupe stepped inside the room, shutting the door.

"Are you sure?" you asked and crossed your arms protectively over your chest.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just don't know if you can be a witness at two trials at once and we've still got Ward's trial and Sarah and John B might need you-"

"Hey, woah." JJ stopped you by putting his hands on your shoulders. "You're overthinking things again. Listen, if they only let me testify at one trial, I'll testify at yours."

"But-"

"There's nothing that I know that Kie and Pope don't know."

"John and Sarah need you," you said quietly, unsure of why you were pushing so hard at him not being there at your trial.

"You need me, too," JJ said. He dropped his hands from your shoulders and shoved them into his pockets. "Hell, you need me more."

Your heart constricted and your throat tightened, but you nodded your head.

"We should go inside," you said.

"They probably think we're macking out here," JJ sighed, a coy grin on his face.

You couldn't help but smile as you rolled your eyes. The two of you stepped inside the interrogation room.

"You two done?" Brandon asked and you nodded your head. "Good. Sit please."

You did as you were told, sliding into the empty seat next to Kid. JJ stood behind you like a bodyguard, his arms crossed. Shoupe was leaned up against the back wall, watching carefully. Brandon flipped open his notebook and sighed.

"There won't be any testifying tomorrow. It's not the trial yet," Brandon started. "El, you and Lana will be there, yes?"

You could only nod.

"And Kid, you'll be-"

"Bradford," Kid said shortly.

All eyes turned toward him. Shoupe had an eyebrow raised, Lana was half shocked, but JJ looked impressed. You watched as he tried to hide a smile.

"Sorry," Brandon said slowly. "Bradford. You won't be there, I presume."

Kid looked over at you, eyes narrowed. He was still upset about your decision, you could tell, and it made your stomach squeeze.

"Yeah," he said shortly. "I'll be at Dex's."

"And Dex is...."

"My best friend." Kid slid down his chair. "Dexter Cyprus."

Brandon looked over at you and you gave a short nod of your head. He scribbled down Dex's name onto his yellow notepad.

"I won't really know how to counsel you through everything until we know how your dad pleads. But we need to talk about tomorrow." Brandon looked at you, his steel grey eyes piercing through you. "You are going to see your dad in a way that you never have before. It is not going to feel good. But the way you react tomorrow will determine how the defense team comes at you during the trial, do you understand?"

"What do you mean?" JJ asked.

Brandon heaved out a heavy breath and looked at you as if you should have pre-explained to JJ that your dad's defense team was going to try and tear you to shreds.

"If she cries too much, they'll paint her as unstable. If she's too angry, she's unhinged. If she's too happy, she's orchestrated this entire thing to get her dad's money. Too stoic, and she's an emotionless bitch."

Even you were surprised by his candor.

"Well, damn," JJ huffed.

"And now that you've volunteered to be a witness, the same goes for you," Brandon said, pointing at JJ.

"Sweet." JJ nodded his head. "I'm really good at being a perfectly emotionally balanced robot."

You turned back to look at him, your lips pressed together.

"Is now not a good time for jokes?" he asked you as if there weren't four other people in the room watching him.

You shut your eyes briefly and shook your head. With a click of his tongue and a snap of his fingers, JJ nodded his head.

"Got it. No more jokes."

You turned back to Brandon, who looked so incredibly unimpressed that you felt it in your gut.

"It is incredibly important that you keep yourself under control at all times," Brandon said to you.

"That sounds like incredibly unachievable expectations," Lana said, concerned.

"We have the burden of proof on us, Lana." Brandon's tone was harder than you were used to. "Expectations are incredibly high, yes. They are unachievable, yes. But to win this case, surrounded mostly by your father's peers, you have no room for mistakes."

"I appreciate the concern," you said, crossing your arms and leaning back in your chair. "But I've spent the better part of the past seventeen years lying to and manipulating my dad into getting what I want. I think I can handle it."

Brendon folded his hands and placed them gently on the table. Your confidence in your skills deflated when he let out a sigh.

"I admit that will help you, but you're not dealing with your narcissistic, alcoholic father anymore. He's not going to be watching you. The bloodthirsty lawyers whose paycheck comes from you losing and prolonging your suffering are going to be watching you. So, while I admire your confidence, we will still have to talk through a few things." You nodded your head. "Right, let's get into it."

~~~

You were once again exhausted by the time you got home that night. Kid was spending the night with Dex, so the house was silent and empty and dark. It was peaceful.

For all of ten minutes before another car pulled up alongside your truck.

"You didn't say anyone was coming over," Lana said as she looked up from her book.

"Didn't know anyone was."

Standing, you walked toward the door, refusing to even allow yourself to hope that it was your mom. Still, you felt your heart deflate slightly when it was Kie's dad's car sitting next to yours. That moment of disappointment faded when both Sarah and Kie stepped out, talking back and forth about something.

"Who is it?" JJ asked, his legs thrown over the arms of a chair.

"Kie and Sarah," you replied, a smile pulling against your lips as you opened the screen door and waved.

"There she is!" Kie called out happily, a bag draped over her shoulder.

"What are you guys doing here?" you asked.

Sarah stepped up onto the creaking wooden porch and dropped a bag of her own onto the ground. She looked at you with a grin.

"You can't go to court in one of JJ's smelly shirts and the same pair of jean shorts, now can you?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

You narrowed your eyes at the bag before looking back at the beaming girls.

"What did you do?"

"Well, we assumed you weren't going to go home just to get a few nice clothes," Kie said, dropping her bag next to Sarah's as she looked over at her friend. "So we raided our closets-"

"And Rose's."

"-and went out to find you some nice clothes so when you step into that courthouse, you will look like the boss bitch we all know you are."

Kie lowered herself to the ground and unzipped one of the bags as if she was hiding the gold itself in there. You could only catch a few glimpses of the fabrics of the clothes inside, but your mouth still went dry, your lips parting. Kie stood again, eyes shining.

"What do you think?" Sarah asked, looking rather smug.

There was nothing you could really say. You didn't know what you could say. Instead, you stepped forward and put your arms around both of their necks, pulling them in for a teary eyed hug.

"Oh!" Sarah exclaimed as she almost tripped over the bag at her feet.

"Thank you," you finally managed, squeezing the both of them.

"Of course," Kie whispered to you, her arm around your waist.

You sniffed as you pulled away and let out an awkward laugh.

"What's going on out here?" JJ asked, leaning against the frame of the door.

You glanced between Sarah and Kie, another smile forming on your face.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" You asked.

"I think I'm thinking exactly what you're thinking," Sarah responded, nodding.

"Hey, Thinkers," JJ said from the door. "I am very clearly not thinking what any of you guys are thinking so could you maybe fill me in?"

"Fashion show?" you asked.

Kie nodded with a shit eating grin.

"Fashion show."

If you hadn't been dressing up to figure out what you were wearing to your father's arraignment, that night would have been absolutely perfect.

Lana and JJ waited out in the living room while Kie and Sarah picked out different sets of clothes for you to wear. Some of the outfits were more for fits and giggles than anything else; a pair of Rose's hideously colored plaid pants and a patterned blouse with heeled boots or a 50's esque dress tied with a striped necktie.

JJ reminded you a lot of your brother as he critiqued all of your outfits as if he was some kind of fashion expert. Lana could do little more than laugh at all of the antics.

Kie and Sarah forced you into a ridiculously small neon yellow dress that they had bought because it was on the discount rack ("for good reason", as Lana said) and wrapped a corduroy jacket around your shoulders. They came out with you, acting as flustered costumers as JJ directed them to do crazier and crazier things. All you could do was stand there laugh and try not to fall over.

"There." JJ kissed his fingers. "Perfection."

Without standing in a mirror, you knew that you looked absolutely ridiculous. Even without Sarah and Kie laughing their asses off on the floor, you knew you looked something awful.

"Kie, Kie," Sarah managed through fits of laughter. "Go get the big one."

With a bone chilling, maniacal giggle, Kie pushed herself off the ground and ran back for your room.

"That doesn't sound good," you said to Lana. She shook her head, still trying to hide her laugh.

"Strike a pose!" Sarah said, leaning up against the wall for support.

You did so, your lips puckered and your hands placed in strange positions on your head and hip. Sarah nearly doubled over with laughter, but JJ just whistled.

"You ever consider being a model?" he asked. "Cause damn."

"Watch your mouth, boy," Lana said, though her tone was light from laughing.

"Whoops."

"I unfortunately don't date my employers," you said dramatically, resting the back of your hand against your forehead.

Before JJ could make a snarky remark that would make Lana most likely very uncomfortable, Kie came running out of the bedroom, her face red and smile wide.

"I found it," she said, holding something behind her back.

Sarah clapped excitedly.

"Found what?" you asked.

Instead of answering, Kie pulled something out from behind her and you almost instantly gagged. Hung on a hanger was the nasty, itchy, heavy dress that you wore to Midsummer's.

"Oh, no. Oh, absolutely not," you said, waving your hand in front of it and turning your face away.

"Yes, absolutely, yes," JJ countered, even standing from his chair to take it from Kie's hands. Kie and Sarah were laughing soundlessly, nearly collapsing on the ground.

"What is it?" Lana asked, leaning forward.

"This disgusting thing was my Midsummer's dress," you told her before turning back to your friends who were looking at you expectantly. "JJ, the only way you are getting me in that dress is if you try it on first."

Sarah slapped that wall, her knees buckling underneath her. Kie had stopped her laughing for just long enough to hear his answer. JJ looked completely unphased by the question and even narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"Was that a challenge?" he asked.

"Maybe so."

Kie covered her mouth with her hands. Even Sarah went silent. JJ narrowed his eyes further.

"Challenge accepted."

He turned and walked down the hall toward the bedroom, the ugly dress still in his hands. As soon as he was out of sight, the girls started laughing again.

You threw yourself into the now vacant chair where JJ had been sitting. None of you could talk as you waited for JJ to come out, the anticipation too high. The thumping sounds of JJ falling over and swearing under his breath only made Sarah and Kie laugh harder. When the door opened, you sat up eagerly. You expected JJ to shuffle out, disgruntled and upset that he had made the choice to accept your challenge.

However, he came out with his hands on his hips, strutting down the hallway as if he was Tyra Banks herself. Even Lana couldn't control her laughter as he posed and found the perfect lighting. You couldn't tell what made you laugh more; the dress on JJ or the fact that he was wearing two incredibly different socks that both had holes in the heels.

"What do you think?" He asked you, breathless.

You were shielding your face with your hands as you laughed, your cheeks hot from the excitement. You couldn't even manage to speak, stammering and stuttering.

"You look fabulous," Sarah said, a hand on her side, probably because of a cramp.

JJ nodded his head triumphantly and walked in one more circle. He finally looked over at Kie, who had her phone out, the camera pointing in his direction.

"Wait, Kie, no!" JJ tried to cover up his chest with his arms.

"This is definitely going in the groupchat," she said between laughs.

"Oh, you're dead!"

JJ tried to lunge at her, clearly not used to the restrictions of dresses.

"JJ, wait, you'll rip-"

Before you could even finish your sentence, you heard the horrific sound of the threads splitting. JJ, stopping his attack on Kie at the sound, fell to the ground. A tear ran up the back of the dress, the entire thing absolutely ruined, and it made you absolutely overjoyed to see.

"JJ, please tell me you aren't going commando today," Sarah said, her hand covering her eyes.

"He's not, I promise," you said, starting to laugh harder than you had the entire night.

"I guess my ass is just too big," JJ said with a defeated sigh as he pushed himself off the ground.

Lana was laughing too hard to correct his language. JJ sat there on the ground like a sad puppy for a few moments while everyone calmed down from the laughing.

"Does that mean I don't get to see you in the dress?" he asked you.

"Definitely not."

"Damn."

"JJ!"

"Sorry, Miss Lana."

"Alright, alright," Kie said, tucking her phone into her back pocket. "JJ, let's get you out of that ugly thing so we can actually find Elm something to wear tomorrow."

Kie helped JJ off the ground and the two of them shuffled off for the bedroom.

Even as you started to put on more serious clothing choices for the arraignment, it still didn't feel like you were preparing to walk into the lion's den.

By the time you guys finally landed on a good outfit option that satisfied everyone, Lana had fallen asleep in her chair, which meant the laughing died down and the voices turned to hushed tones to allow her to sleep peacefully.

"I think that's the pick," Sarah said, smoothing out a wrinkle in the light blue colored blouse.

"Good," you said, sagging your shoulders. "My feet hurt."

"Right, well, go take it off and we'll get out of your hair," Kie said.

"We'll clean up out here. JJ, do you mind helping her get out of those clothes?" Sarah instructed, plucking a discarded scarf off of the ground.

"It would be my utmost pleasure," he said with a coy grin.

You rolled your eyes as he followed after you, placing his hands on your hips.

"No funny business!" Kie called after you.

JJ flipped her the bird before shutting the door.

The floor was an absolute mess and it made your heart stop in your chest. Your mind clouded instantly, the only coherent thought was the need to clean. It was what your dad would expect you to do. Before you could spiral down the rabbit hole of panic, JJ tugged gently on the collar of the charcoal grey blazer and pressed a soft kiss against the exposed skin of the back of your neck. You let him pull the blazer off of you arms, moments away from asking him not to throw it on the pile with the other clothes when he started to fold it and set it down on a clear space of ground.

You closed your mouth after that. He walked back toward you, still silent, and, standing in front of you, he untucked your shirt from your pants and kissed your cheek. You let your eyes shut, afraid of what you might see if you kept them open. Your chest was painfully tight, your mind still resting on the mess at your feet. JJ took a step away from you then and moved toward the dresser, where he pulled out a sweater, his sweater, the sweater you had packed to take with you when your mother tried to take you from the island.

"I still can't believe you kept this," he said, finally breaking the silence.

Your eyes fluttered open and you felt your cheeks burn.

"I meant to give it back, loads of times," you said, fiddling with the hem of your blouse. "I just kept forgetting."

He tossed the sweater in your direction and you barely had time to catch it.

"Well, it looks better on you anyway," he said with a smile before settling himself on the floor by the mess of clothes.

"What...what are you doing?" you asked him.

"I'm going to fold these clothes while you get changed," he said as if it was obvious. He picked up one of the ugly dresses and started to fold.

For the second time that night, you found yourself speechless. It was the simplest of things, just folding some clothes, but it was the world to you. But you weren't sure if he knew just how much it really mattered.

Throat tight, you pulled off the blouse and put the sweater on over your head. After all this time, it still smelled like him. Like the ocean and alcohol.

You tried not to look at him as you shimmied out of the grey slacks and tip toed back to the dresser for a pair of pajama shorts. As awful as the day had been, you were almost glad that you had packed at least some of your clothes because it meant that you had something to wear without going back to that damn house.

JJ was still folding when you sat on the ground next to him. Pulling your hands into the sleeves of his sweater, you leaned your head against his shoulder. He continued on silently. You thought about helping him, but you weren't sure you would be able to without crying.

How stupid was that? You couldn't even handle folding a single pile of laundry without having a complete meltdown.

You pulled your knees up to your chest, trying to become as small as possible. Smaller than the pile of clothes. Smaller than the pile of bricks that weighed against your shoulders. Smaller than the weight of the consequences of the arraignment. Smaller than an atom. Smaller than nothing.

But you didn't get any smaller. The laundry pile did. And as the pile got smaller, your mind could relax more. Until you could almost breathe normally again. And then it was gone. He had folded all of the clothes, and even though it wasn't perfect, everything was sorted and piled by the dresser. And you didn't have to touch a single thing.

Before he could say anything, you turned toward him and put your arms around his neck, your chin resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you," you whispered.

He seemed almost surprised by this, taking a few moments before he put one of his arms around your back. He didn't respond, but instead, pressed a kiss just behind your ear.

"The girls probably think we're doing something scandalous," he said after a few moments.

You took that as a sign to pull away.

"You should go with them," you told him as the both of you stood.

"Are you sure?"

You nodded, rubbing your sweating palms against your legs.

"Ellie, I can stay here. You don't have to be alone," he said, putting his hands on his hips.

"I know," you told him, forcing yourself to meet his eyes. "I know. I think it would be better, though. Besides, Lana's here. I won't be alone."

"Whatever you say."

He dropped one of his hands into yours and headed for the front room. Sarah and Kie were talking quietly at the table. Sarah was telling her something and Kie was covering her mouth loosely with her hand. You watched as she chewed on her lip, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Sarah turned her head toward you as JJ neared the table.

"Is that JJ's sweater?" Kie asked.

"Um, yeah," you said, pulling at the edges. "It's comfy."

"No doubt," Sarah said, sliding out of her chair. "We should get out of your hair."

"Right," Kie said.

"Can I catch a ride back to the Chateau with you guys?" JJ asked, slipping his hand out of yours. You felt yourself grow suddenly cold.

"You sure?" Kie asked, more you than him.

"Yeah," you told her. "I'll be fine."

Sarah walked over to you and put a hand on your arm, giving you a quick peck on the cheek. You noticed Kie watching you closely.

"If you need anything, anything at all...."

"I'll call you," you told her with a small smile.

"Love you," Kie said, taking her turn to kiss your other cheek.

"Love you, too," you whispered back.

JJ stood by the door. There was no need to say goodbye to him. There never was. He was never really gone even when he left.

"We'll see you at the courthouse tomorrow," Sarah said as she walked toward the door.

"You really don't have to-"

"We'll see you there," Kie echoed, stepping out into the night.

You dropped it. There was no convincing them to stay behind. JJ was the last to leave, sending you one last wink before he stepped out and shut the screen door.

The house felt suddenly empty.

Until Lana let out a sleepy sigh. You turned to look at her, still passed out in the same chair and you felt yourself smile. You weren't alone. The house wasn't empty.

You quickly shuffled the last few folded clothes from the living room into your room with the other clothes before coming back out to Lana.

Kneeling beside her, you put your hand gently over her arm and she startled awake. Her eyes were wide for a brief second before she recognized you. A sleepy smile pulled at her lips and she blinked her eyes.

"What time is it?"

"Almost midnight."

"Where did the kids go?"

"They just left."

"Ah, I see."

"Let me help you to bed."

"I'm not that old yet, El, my dear," Lana said as she stood from the chair. Her back cracked and she grimaced. "Though, maybe I am too old to be sleeping in that chair."

You let out a quiet laugh and the two of you walked down the hall toward your rooms.

"Sleep well, El," Lana said.

"You, too."

"If you need anything-"

"I know where to find you."

"Good girl."

"Night, Lana."

"Nighty, night."

When you closed the door and dropped into bed, you thought it might be difficult to find sleep with all that should have been on your mind. But you were asleep before you could even process anything else.

Your friends had filled your night with so much love and laughter that you barely had time to think about the fact that you were going to be seeing your dad again for the first time since he tried to shoot you in your own house. You weren't sure how they had done it, but they did.

~~~~

You let Lana drive your truck to the courthouse. That morning, you had tried to get behind the wheel and do it yourself, but your hands and your knees were shaking too badly. You thought your nerves had calmed down by the time Lana parked, but with the courthouse in view, it all came rushing back and you felt yourself sick to your stomach.

"You okay?" Lana asked after sitting in silence for a while.

You managed to nod your head, but couldn't bear to lift your eyes to look at her.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

You let out a heavy sigh before speaking.

"No, it's okay. I just need a second. Go ahead," you told her, still looking at your hands.

Lana nodded, not saying anything else as she got out of the car. You finally lifted your head to watch her walk up to the small courthouse, wearing her best dress. Your gaze followed her up the stairs and past the doors until you could no longer see her. You might have lingered too long on the building and psyched yourself out of going, had your eyes not fallen on five figures standing outside of the wooden doors.

Before you could even second guess yourself, you were popping open the car door and stepping out onto the street in your black kitten heels you were borrowing from Kie. You crossed the street without looking and made for the stairs, your eyes fixed on the five waiting for you at the top.

Kie and Sarah were both wearing dresses. They looked stunning. You wished that they could look so good under better circumstances. You recognized the pants, shirt, and tie Pope was wearing as part of the outfit that he wore to his scholarship interview and your gut squeezed. He didn't get the scholarship. He had risked everything for gold you were unlikely to ever see again. His shoes and suit jacket were new though. He looked as though he could have been the lawyer defending you and Kid.

Kie and Sarah clearly didn't spare any expenses when it came to buying John B and JJ their outfits, but it seemed like most of their efforts were wasted. John B had the black suit jacket draped over his arm, the tie hanging around his shoulders untied, and the top button of his shirt undone. JJ's outfit was even more deconstructed. He had no tie or suit jacket in sight, his charcoal gray pants already wrinkling. The sleeves of his white button up were rolled up to his elbow, the top two buttons on his shirt undone. He didn't even seem to be wearing the shoes that went along with it.

And you didn't expect any more from any of them. Even them just standing there was enough, no matter what they were wearing.

They all watched you walk up the stairs, except JJ, who was looking lighter that he was flicking.

"Careful with that," Kie hissed to him as you approached. "Don't get yourself thrown out before the trial even starts."

He looked her dead in the eyes and flicked the lid again. She swiped at the lighter, but he moved out of the way just in time and tucked the gold lighter in his pocket. You almost cracked a smile.

"Looking good, Elm," John B said once you were standing in front of them.

"Wish I could say the same about you," you said with a huff.

John B stepped down and put an arm around your shoulders.

"Ms. Lana is saving seats for us," Kie told you and you nodded in response. "But we can stand outside for a little bit longer."

You tried to peer inside, see what it looked like on the inside. Almost all of the rows were full of people and it made your stomach squeeze painfully again.

"Why don't you guys go inside?" Sarah suggested, drawing all eyes toward her, even yours. She was fidgeting with her hands, but her face was solid as stone.

The eyes then turned to you as if asking if it was okay. You nodded your head at them.

"Yeah, you guys should go inside. I'll be right in," you told them, attempting to smile.

John B dropped his arm from around you and placed a hand on Pope's shoulders, the two of them walking inside together. Kie gave you the tiniest smile before slipping between the doors. JJ stepped down toward you and, putting his hand on the side of your face and pressing a kiss against your forehead. Without saying anything, he turned and walked away.

That left just you and Sarah standing on the stairs, staring up at the door. You looked over to the statue of a Liberty, her eyes covered by the cloth, her hand full of scales outstretched. She was on your side today, you knew that, yet she looked still and cold as any other stone statue. And even with her eyes covered, you couldn't help but think that she kind of looked like your mother.

Sarah drew your attention away from the statue by slipping her hand into yours, lacing your fingers together.

You turned to look at her, to find her staring up at the name of the courthouse hung above the door, her eyes swimming with tears. You stared at her until she looked back at you and almost smiled. You thought she might say something, but she didn't need to.

You weren't alone in this big, horrid thing. Even more than having a group of friends who loved you deeply, you had Sarah, who was going through something horrifically similar. Neither of you were alone. And if you could do this, you could show Sarah that she could do it, too. That both of you could survive the parents that failed so horribly in raising you. And you would do it together.

______

Thank you all so much for your outpouring of love on this story as well as ocean and alcohol. you all really mean the world to me. thank you, thank you! 

much love, 

caroline