256 and stupidamericanidioms91, you ROCK MY SOX! Thank you so much for your reviews!

Okay, here we go with Reid and Aimi's testimony. Pearl's will come up next time. I was watching "How I Met Your Mother" on DVD last night and Ted's line, "I also sat next to you guys at football games" made me laugh so hard! But you're going to want tissues when Aimi starts talking. Seriously, it'll be awful! Still, one of our favorite same-sex couples experience a turning point here, hooray!

Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. Varda Swan, however, is mine. She's Pearl's psychiatrist and a social worker. Don't worry, we won't be seeing her again. Really, I just wanted to further the plot some more.


Chapter IX: Breakaway

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do not believe in any gods, but yes, I swear."

"You may take the stand." Reid sat down.

"Please state your name and occupation to the court," Cabot began.

"My name is Spencer Gray Reid, and I work for the BAU under SSA Hotchner."

"And what are your findings on the Blaine Anderson case?"

"I found a pattern of abuse."

"How so?"

"Well, if you've seen the coroner's report on Harry Anderson's death-"

"Objection! Is it really necessary to upset the parents like this by reminding them of the loss of their only child?"

"Parents never need reminding; their existence is a reminder. If they are responsible for that loss and could be responsible for another in the future, I think they should be upset," Cabot said.

"You may proceed, prosecutor. The witness will continue his testimony."

"The coroner asked how Harry could have sustained such severe head injuries, and Lola's response was, I quote, 'Harry was trying to grab a balloon off the fan. He fell and smashed his head against a frozen potato on the kitchen table.'"

Lola wailed, and a few jurors shot her sympathetic looks. Kurt bristled, but Blaine rubbed his shoulder and the countertenor reluctantly relaxed.

"And how does that establish abuse?" Cabot asked.

"Multiple doctors have noted anal tearing and scarring on Blaine Anderson's medical file. When asked, Lola gave the same response each time, almost word for word. Blaine is playing with the fan when he falls and lands on a frozen potato on the table."

Cabot faced the jury. "The same excuse over and over. Blaine must really love those fans if he's willing to have a potato up his ass each time."

"Just like Harry tried to eat one with his ear," Stabler muttered.

"Objection!"

"I'm not making an official statement!" Stabler protested.

"It doesn't matter. You are unduly affecting the jury. You may leave this courtroom," said the judge.

Stabler huffed, but Pearl pushed him gently and he stood up to walk out.

"Any more questions for this witness?

"No, Your Honor."

"The Defense has no questions for the witness at this time, but reserves the right to call upon him at a later date."

"Granted. The witness may exit the stand."

"The People call Amanda Rosenberg to the stand."

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Aimi fingerd the delicate silver cross, glittering with small diamonds, that hung from her neck. "I do."

"You may take the stand." She did.

"Please state your full name and occupation to the stand."

"Amanda Calixte Rosenberg, and I'm a nurse at the Lima Heights Hospital."

"In what kind of capacity did you work this case?"

"I did the initial physical examination of the victim, Blaine Anderson, and I wrote the report detailing child abuse."

Blaine tapped his fingers on the railing twice, but Kurt grabbed both this hands and squeezed, so Blaine squeezed back.

"Your Honor, I would like to present People's Exhibits C and D, photos of Blaine Anderson taken when he was admitted on Friday; I would also like to present People's Exhibits E and F, photos taken when he was released on Sunday." She put up the blown-up pictures on stands that the security at the sides of the court set up for her.

Bile rose in the back of Kurt's throat. He had seen the damage before, but never in such detail. His breath came in short gasps, and Blaine rubbed soothing circles down his back as Pearl discreetly slid a plastic bag to Kurt's feet.

"Can you describe what these marks are?" Cabot pointed to thin, raised white lines all over Blaine's back.

"They're marks from being flogged, or struck repeatedly by a switch, rope, or belt."

"What about these?" Cabot pointed to the shiny, pink scars on Blaine's chest.

"Those are burns. The round ones look like they might be from cigarettes, since they're the right size. The patches are probably from a hot liquid being poured on him," said Aimi.

"How were these made?" Cabot pointed the inch-long marks that snaked around Blaine's skin.

"I see those a lot. They're stitches."

"And how about these?" Cabot asked, pointing to the small round scars that appeared in pairs all over Blaine's body.

"They look like burns, but I'm not sure what caused them."

"Alright. Thank you, Ms. Rosenberg. I have no more questions for this witness."

Lucky Sawyer, who not have looked out of place on a recruiting poster for the Aryan Nation with his blond hair and blue eyes, stood up to cross-examine. "So, you don't know what the two marks are from, do you?"

"No, I do not. I've never seen anything like them before."

Sawyer nodded. "Well, Miss Rosenberg, are you a doctor?"

"I've already said that I was a nurse."

Sawyer sneered. "Can you tell me if you've been in contact with any of the investigators in this case before working on it?"

"Yes," Aimi pointed to Pearl. "I knew Metta Jones."

"And how were you two related?"

"We were lovers," Aimi's voice was small.

"You were lesbians," Sawyer spat the word out, "and you expected me to believe that you two didn't influence each other in any way? Isn't it true that you came up with a sob story and talked your girlfriend into it?"

"We broke up before then. We haven't talked since the case began, except to argue about whether or not Blaine should have been released from the hospital as early as he was, and for her to stay away from me. If anything, the only influence we've had on each other is negative. The fact that we agree that those sick people hurt Blaine means we're convinced of it enough to put aside our differences."

Sawyer didn't look happy. "No more questions."

"Court will adjourn until 4:00 tomorrow after noon."


"Hit it, Rachel!" Puck cheered. Rachel beamed at him and began belting out her song.

"Trying hard to reach out,
But when I tried to speak out,
Felt like no one could hear me.
Wanted to belong here,
But something felt so wrong here,
So I'd pray I could break away
."

Everyone joined in on the chorus, and even Mr. Schue found himself humming along. The energy in this song was infectious, but still, something was lacking. No matter how hard he stared at Emma from across the room, he couldn't put his finger on it.


Kurt had not yet stopped sobbing, and Blaine held him tightly. Pearl occasionally reached over to take Kurt's tissue and hand him a new one, until she realized that it was her presence that kept the boys from talking.

"I have to go get more food if I'm going to be feeding two teenage boys," she muttered as she ran out the door.

"I didn't know it was so bad," Kurt murmured as soon as she was out of sight. "How did you survive?"

"I don't know," Blaine said honestly. "How did you survive the bullying? You just learn to accept it eventually, don't you? It becomes your reality, no matter how bad your reality is, and you just get used to it."

Kurt's face twisted and he reached up to kiss Blaine. It was different than the kisses Blaine got outside the courtroom today. It wasn't soft, as if Kurt was afraid he would break. This one was passionate, as if Kurt wanted so desperately to take away all his pain that it was palpable and were those stars he was seeing as they lowered themselves onto the bed?

A few hours later, Kurt and Blaine were spent and panting heavily on the bed.

"I hope I didn't push you into anything," Kurt said softly.

Blaine laughed. "No, Kurt. I need to remember that sex can be good and it's not just a weapon used to hurt me with."

Kurt looked up at him with moony eyes. "I will never, ever use sex to hurt you," he promised. "I was afraid that would happen, but now that it's clear it won't, we need to do it more often."

"No, you don't," Pearl's voice was muffled. Whether it was from mortification or mirth, the boys were not sure, but it spurred them to dress faster than they ever had in their lives. "Be glad everyone else is gone for lunch."

"We're decent!" Kurt yelled, shirt on backwards. Blaine's shirt was inside-out and sideways, and he was gave up trying to put his pants on and simply stood out of sight.

Pearl would deny whimpering when she saw the cum-stained sheets on the bed to her dying day. "Thanks a lot, boys. Do you know how much I have to travel? I will never be allowed inside this hotel again!"

Kurt's strangely loose pants suddenly made a puddle around his ankles and he realized he was wearing Blaine's decidedly bigger jeans. He looked up at Pearl, terrified she was about to faint—she was so white!—but she suddenly burst out laughing.

Soon, however, she sobered back up. "Okay, boys, we need to get ready for the trial."

"But it's not until 4:00," Blaine whined, switching pants with Kurt.

"It's past noon and neither of you boys have eaten. Now, go shower," Pearl ordered firmly. "Separately," she added with a smile. Kurt dashed into Pearl's shower and Blaine began his way to the shower in Reid and Hotch's room when he saw the stain from where he semi-accidentally burned Pearl. He turned around and helped her strip the soiled bedding off the bed.

"You can take my bed tonight," Pearl said, "since it'll actually have a blanket."

"No, Mom-I mean, Pearl, I'll be fine," he caught himself.

"No, it's okay," Pearl smiled, purposefully unspecific. "I have to get this to the laundry room," she held up the bundled sheets. She looked thoughtfully up. "Or, maybe I'll leave them on Reid's bed," a slow, mischievous smile spread across her face.

Blaine laughed at her girlish prank and left for the shower. Pearl, on her way to the laundry room, walked over to Kurt and Stabler's shared hotel room.

"Hey, Stabler, I need you to take the boys to court today, okay? I have to ask for a couple of favors from Cabot, and one of them involves doing something Blaine won't be comfortable with."

"Taking the boys won't be a problem. What are you really asking?"

Pearl was silent for a second. "You can make the excuse that you just got here and you're unfamiliar with the territory, so you got lost."

"Get lost where, Pearl?"

"Dalton Academy. Pick up a couple of Blaine's friends while you're at it."

Stabler rolled his eyes, but voiced his consent and left. Pearl started to text Reid.

Dude, where's your wife?

"I'm here," Varda said from behind, so close that she could read Pearl's texts.

Varda Swan was five feet nothing, a perfect size zero, and Pearl doubted her weight was in the triple digits. Her hair was long and black, her eyes were big and deep brown, and her face was a combination of pretty and handsome with thick eyebrows and full lips, the bottom one slightly fuller than the top.

"Varda, how exactly does a woman go about adopting a person who has family elsewhere?" Pearl asked, unruffled by the fact that her friend had materialized from thin air. "I don't know who his parents are, I don't even know if they want him back or not, but the fact that they sold him should make it okay for me to adopt him, right?"

Varda frowned. "I'm not a legal expert, Pearl."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Varda, you're married to Reid. He probably has every law of every state memorized." She cleared her throat. "Look, you're a genius. Just because you don't have the law degree you could get in a year if you wanted to doesn't mean you're not a legal expert. Now, there's a boy who needs your help to get the family he deserves. Now, I'm not saying I'm it, but I'll try my damned hardest."

Varda heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, but you owe me so big, you're not going to be able to pay me back until Guam lands a man on the moon."

Pearl pressed her finger to the petite Asian's nose. "Thanks V! You're the best!"

"And don't sell yourself short; you're going to be a great mother," Varda said kindly. The friends moved forward for another hug, and despite the fact that Varda was hugging someone half-dead, she felt considerably warmer.


"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you…um, madam, what are you doing?"

Pearl pulled out a copy of the Constitution and placed it over the Bible before she put her hand on top of it, "I figure, if I'm going to be upholding the law, the law should be sacred to me, shouldn't it, if the Bible isn't?"

"You may take the stand." Pearl did, noting with gratitude that Blaine and Kurt were absent. She for one would not be eating meat for a long time.


Redvines to anyone who understood the V-line! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself!) We'll get into Pearl's actual testimony next time. I'll start off with some humor, and then we're all going to cry. Hard. And want to throw things at Lucky Sawyer (switch the first letters and you'll have the reason I chose that name). Oh, and one important note: THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL NOT MAKE SENSE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ Little Earthquakes OR EMMA CS ME'S Acting is Just Pretentious, Temporary Suicide (which is so much better than this that not reading it should be against the law).

And Varda's description is taken word for word from a description my girlfriend (of seven years now, amazingly. Who says young love never lasts?) gave of me to her aunt so she could paint a picture of the two of us together. I'm publishing it because it sends shivers down my spine every single time I see it, and I want the whole world to know that Heather C. and I are in love!

I know the AN is waay too long, but please leave a review anyway!