Jack was at the courthouse half an hour early and did nothing but shifted on his heels and tried to keep on the opposite side of the building from the chocolate shop that sat underneath the judge's chambers. Apparently there used to be a bakery there, but it had hardly been up a day before going out of business. The next day the venue was snapped up by a E. Aster Bunnymund, known to a select few as the Easter Bunny. Seriously, that was his real civilian name. E. Aster Bunnymund, Easter Bunny. Jack still got a kick out of it. Of course, he never called the man any of these things; he preferred endearing nick names such as Cottontail, Thumper, and Kangaroo. He didn't think Aster enjoyed them as much.
Usually Jack would like nothing more than to use this half hour to bug the living daylights out of that bunny, but he was currently activating his talent at being invisible. According to Baby Tooth he wasn't even on the Guardian's radar, he didn't want the Kangaroo to sight him and suddenly get wise. No, it would be best if he remained unnoticed by that particular group. For now anyways, he had no delusion that his anonymity would last forever.
He shifted back onto his heels with a sigh, fiddling with the buttons of his coat. He was wearing the new outfit again; he'd even washed it even though it didn't really need it if you asked him. The clothes were fine. Still, he wanted to look his best for the case, just to be safe. He'd even showered before coming. It was amazing how empty High School locker rooms were in the middle of first period. He'd opted to leave his backpack in his usual hiding place, though this time his staff was still clutched in his hands. He didn't care how stupid it looked, sometimes you just needed a security blanket. Plus he'd woken to a throbbing ankle. Of course, that was probably more psychosomatic nerves than actual pain, but that was beside the point.
The teen sighed and checked his watch. Ten minutes left to go before the arranged meeting time, but if he pegged Neal and Peter right then they should be here any minute. A smirk played at his lips as he caught sight of the two walking down the street to the courthouse. Called it. He jogged over to the two, smiling as he went. "Hey."
"You're here early." Peter remarked in surprise.
The teen shrugged, attempting to throw off any nerves with the casual movement. "My morning cleared."
"Lucky for us." Neal replied wryly, though a grin played at his lips. Peter nodded before moving to enter the building.
"It's a good thing you got here early, I think Bryson would have killed you if you showed five minutes late."
"Yeah, yeah. Your lawyer doesn't like me, I get it." The teen responded with a roll of his eyes, following in behind Neal. His eyes roamed the walls of the building, taking in the art, architecture, and possible escape attempts. You know, just in case.
He recognized Bryson right away as the man pouring over notes in the bench in front of the court. The lawyer looked up when the trip neared his table, smiling at Jack though it didn't reach his harried eyes. The teen didn't say anything as the man rapidly gave him the rundown of the case and Jack dutifully promised to behave. Of course, the speech didn't prepare him of the absolute monotony of the trial and it was only ten minutes in before he found himself squirming in his seat almost groaning in frustrated boredom.
Finally all of the ceremony and tradition was completed and the defense attorney made the accusation that the crucial evidence was found using illegal means. Jack immediately perked to interest, only to slump down once more as the man continued to speak, explaining, in no uncertain terms, something or other to the court. Jack closed his eyes and fingered his staff, creaking one eye open again when Bryson started to talk, only to slip closed again when he called Peter to the stand. He listened idly with slipping attention as Peter told his story of events, interest peaking slightly as the defense attorney objected to say that neither the agent nor his CI were viable witnesses for the case, only to fall again as Bryson continued with the questioning. As such, he was nearly asleep when the words broke through the haze of his mind.
"- next witness to the stand, Jackson Frost."
The teen had just enough time to think to himself 'ooh Jackson, fancy', before jumping to his feet as though he'd been paying attention the whole time. He rose to his feet and made his way to the stand as the man continued to speak, explaining to the court that Jack had been granted immunity for the events included in his testimony. He sat down stiffly in the chair at the stand, eyes roving furiously. Finally he closed his eyes and sighed, and as the air flowed out of his noes all tension left his body until he seemed completely at ease, an actor on a stage, a conman playing his mark. He met the eyes of the only two in the room he recognized. Neal was smiling in approval while Peter watched him sternly, two very different reactions to him hiding his emotions. However, his thoughts were broken as a bible was thrust under his right hand and he realized he'd been daydreaming again.
"-whole truth and nothing but the truth?" Bryson asked, looking to Jack expectantly. Oh crap. Maybe he should have paid more attention when Peter was being sworn in, was there a special response he was supposed to give or something?
"I do?" He offered, and it seemed to be enough as the man nodded and took away the book.
"Please state your name and occupation to the court."
"Jack Fr- Jackson Frost. I- uh, I dunno thief?" He answered uncertainly, setting off a string of murmurs along the jury and those watching. The prosecutor sighed.
"Student is an acceptable response."
"I don't go to school."
The judge frowned and leaned over. "Are you homeschooled?"
"No."
"Do you have any form of education?"
"No."
The judge frowned, clearly unhappy with the answers. "As a minor are your guardians present here today?"
Jack tensed visibly at the word guardian before he realized that the man was talking about a parent. "No." He answered simply, worried about what would happen if he confessed that he was truly alone.
"Your honor," Bryson interrupted with a slightly nervous air, "This line of questioning does not pertain to the case."
The judge shot him a glare. "I have on my witness stand a young man with no guardian present, no attendance to any form of education, who thinks himself a thief. I will continue my interrogation. Now-"
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Jack interrupted, waving his hands for emphasis with a scowl on his lips. "I agreed to come here to testify, not get the third degree on my personal life. I say we either get on with it or I'm out of here."
The judge frowned at him. "If you attempt to leave the stand without dismissal you will be held in contempt of the court."
"Like you could catch me." Jack scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest to hide the white-knuckled grip on his staff. Peter was giving him a stern glare, lips pursed tersely while Neal watched him with equal parts understanding and exasperation. Jack was freaked out, completely out of control and attempting to feel on top any way he could. He hadn't signed up for this, thought he could just say his piece and go. But if the judge's line of inquiry continued, it could get into nasty territory fast, and he didn't want child services at the front of the court doors when he tried to leave. The judge and lawyer meanwhile, weren't sure what to do. They had both dealt with hostile witnesses before, but not one who was so flippant about being held in contempt. Finally, Bryson cleared his throat.
"Your honor? Permission to question the witness?"
"Permission granted." The man said after a moment of silence and the teen visibly relaxed.
"Jackson, is it true that you were the one who gave receipts to Agent Peter Burke?"
"Technically I gave it to Mrs. Elizabeth Burke, but I asked her to give it to him, so yeah."
"And how exactly did you come to obtain the vital evidence?"
"Huh?" The boy asked, tilting his head at the lofty words. "You mean how did I get it?"
"Yes." Bryson said through gritted teeth.
"It was in the guys' wallet when I swiped it."
"So it was in a wallet you stole."
"Yeah."
"And why did you steal his wallet?"
"Uh, for money?" Jack responded, eyeing the lawyer like he was an idiot.
"So you stole the wallet only for the conventional purpose of getting money, is that correct? Neither Agent Peter Burke nor Mr. Neal Caffrey enticed you to steal it for the purpose of gaining evidence."
"What? No, of course not." The teen responded, understanding dawning on his face. "I didn't even meet them until after I stole it."
"So you stole the wallet, with the receipts inside with no knowledge of who the defendant was or what he had, met Agent Burke and Mr. Cafferey for the first time, and later discovered the evidence and decided to turn it in, correct?"
"Yep. Er, that is correct." The teen said with a nod.
The lawyer nodded at the judge before moving to sit down. The judge continued to eye Jack as the teen squirmed in his seat. "So am I done now or-"
"You may now cross examine the witness." The judge interrupted, turning to the defense attorney."
The man nodded before coming up to Jack, and the white haired boy felt dread pooling up in his stomach once more. He'd really been hoping he was done. Maybe next time he would actually agree to be briefed for something like this. Not that there would be a next time.
"Mr. Frost," The lawyer began and Jack's nose scrunched at the oddness of the title. "It seems to me that it was a very nice coincidence that you just happened to meet Agent Burke right after stealing vital information for one of his open cases. What, did you meet on the street and happen to strike up a conversation, all just coincidentally."
"It wasn't a coincidence. He and Neal caught me stealing the wallets and made me give them back to them."
"Interesting. So how did you end up giving the wallets to Mrs. Burke? If you had to give the wallets, and therefore the receipt, back to the agents who should not have been looking through the stolen property? Seems like a convenient way to get around that little rule."
"I gave them back the wallets, I kept the money. The receipts were folded inside a wad of cash."
"So Agent Burke and Mr. Cafferey managed to catch you and were able to get the wallets back, but couldn't keep you from running away with the cash and evidence you conveniently returned to them later."
Jack frowned. "It wasn't their fault, I was on the fire escape."
The attorney blinked twice, confusion written on his face. "You were on the fire escape?" He asked slowly, brows knit together.
Jack nodded. "Yeah, they had me cornered in an alley but I jumped onto the fire escape from the dumpster and gave them back the wallets. But not the cash." The teen added as an afterthought.
The man blinked slowly. "I see… And um, what then prompted you to read the receipts? Seems like an odd thing to do for someone who just stole-"
"It's just a habit I have." The boy interrupted, irritation leaking into his voice from the seemingly inane questions attempting to back him into a corner. "Like a hobby, I always read the receipts. I thought it looked suspicious and decided to give it to Mrs. Burke."
The man nodded, seeming to lose steam before his head snapped up and he seemed to come to a realization. "How did you know where Agent Burke lived?"
"From the ID I found in his wallet." The boy said matter-of-factly, driving the courtroom into a confused silence once more. The boy let out an exaggerated groan, tired of the proceedings and longing to get off the bench, out of the building, and into the fresh air to play with the snow he could see falling slowly past the windows. He was starting to remember why he never spent time indoors. He didn't like the lawyer either, all this prodding and poking and distrustfulness. The whole thing had started off bad enough with the judge, and it had just gone downhill from there. He was done.
"Alright look, I was pick pocketing, stole this guy's wallet along with a dozen others, grabbed Peter and Neal's wallets, got caught, they drug me into an alley and made me give them their wallets back. I snuck a peak at his license to get a name, escaped, gave back the wallets, pocketed the cash, read the receipts over lunch, found the evidence, and brought it to the address I saw on the license. That enough of a recap for ya?" He finished, crossing his arms over his chest.
The defense attorney's open mouthed surprise quickly shifted into a grimace as he realized he had no holes in the story to poke and prod at. Finally he grit his teeth. "No further questions, your honor."
"Finally." Jack sighed, and made to stand, watching the judge as he did so to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong. However, the man's eyes never left the boy even as Jack resumed his spot on the pew.
The man cleared his throat. "Ten minute recess." He said as he brought down his gavel before gesturing to a couple of men to come up to speak with him.
Jack was the first one out the door, Neal and Peter close behind, though they got lost for a moment within the crowds flooding the aisles. By the time they made it out Jack was crouched on the ground on the balls of his feet, staff resting across his waist. His face was pointing to the sky, painted in the crystalline snow. One cerulean eye opened as the two neared and Jack sighed.
"Sorry," He mumbled. "I messed that up pretty bad didn't I? Probably should have figured out some way to meet with your lawyer before today. Sorry."
"You said what you had to, that's the important thing." Peter responded. "I'm not saying you handled it the best way possible, but the case is ours. It was fine."
"Well then," Neal said as he pulled Jack to his feet. "We should celebrate before court resumes."
Jack scoffs. "I'm not going back in there. You know as well as I do that the Judge is calling child services as we speak."
Peter frowned. "Is that such a-"
"Not happening." Jack responded with a growl. It was bad enough going in as a runaway without a past, being a confirmed thief would make it unlivable. Peter held up his hands in surrender, but the exchange had lasted long enough for Jack not to realize that Neal was ushering him into the chocolate shop he had tried so hard to avoid coming in. Crap. Oh well, no way to get out of this now without creating a scene, and that would just show everyone that he had something to hide. Making a split second decision the boy let a smile light up his face.
"Sup Kangaroo!" He called, to the man standing bent over a tray of cooling caramels, his back to the door. The man immediately spun, a growl deep in his throat.
"Frostbite! I told you the last time you showed your mug around here, yer not welcome 'round here anymore. You ain't gettin' any more freebies from me. Not after the incident of 68."
"Oh come on," Jack responded as he leaped to spy on the treats behind the glass. "You aren't still mad about that are you?"
The man growled deeply. "Of course I am, it was the day before Easter fer crying out loud and-"
"He's the guy from your story!" Neal said, enthused.
His voice brought Bunnymund up short as the man spied the two behind Jack for the first time. Jack responded to the surprise with a grin. "Besides Cottontail, I'm not looking for freebies today, treats are on them. Can I get a white chocolate egg?" He asked, pointing to the large candies filled with glorious and mysterious filling, no two completely the same. "Ohh, and some peppermint bark."
Bunnymund glowered at the boy but began packing up the treats as the boy picked them out, getting two more treats before one of the men said that four was plenty. Surprisingly, Jack didn't even attempt to argue, only snatching the dessert from Aster's hand as the other two picked up chocolates of their own. Aster glared at the boy as he wrapped up the treats, an idea he couldn't name trickling along the back of his head. However, he lightened the look when Neal came up to pay, shooting a look at the teen as he took the money.
"Look, I dunno what business you have with Frost, but I suggest you take your losses and leave."
"Excuse me?"
"Kid's nothing but trouble. Never seen him do anything but mess things up. Trust me, you don't want 'im stickin' around. Sooner or later it'll all blow ta pieces. It's just what happens 'round him. 'e can't be trusted."
Jack glared heatedly at the man, anger shining in his dampening eyes. The boy growled and spun, stalking from the store and not turning back even as Neal followed after him, yelling Jack's name. Peter stayed where he was, snatching Neal's change out of the man's hand with a speed found only in fury. He could think of no words, be they in chastisement, threat, or anger, to truly show his anger, so he settled with a promise that would fly far short of his mark.
"Don't be expecting any calls from Burke's event planning any time soon. Or ever." He snarled and left. Neal was standing a few feet from the entrance, eyeing the crowds with hopeful but non-expectant eyes. "Gone?"
"Like Frost in the sun." The CI answered.
"You gonna look for him?"
"Of course. You never passed on Elizabeth's message, after all. I don't want you to be sleeping with Satchmo tonight. It always makes you grumpy."
"Uh huh. You think you know where to fine him?"
"I've got a few ideas." Neal smiled and picked up his cell as Peter made his way back into the courtroom. "Hey Mozz, where are you?"
"Did you not read my message in the classifieds? Obviously I am waiting in the park from 11:53 to 2:19 for someone to interpret it and respond."
"Of course. Sorry." Neal replied with a roll of his eyes. "Look, call if you see Jack. We had a run in with someone who wasn't exactly a fan and he disappeared."
"Is he hurt?"
"Not physically. Look, just keep an eye out, I'm going to Nolan's to look there."
"Of course."
Inside the sweet's shop, the agent's last words were swirling around Bunnymund's head. 'Don't be expecting any calls from Burke's event planning any time soon.' He recognized that name from somewhere. "Burke…" He whispered to himself before suddenly standing, hands slamming against the table in shock. Nearly leaping through the door to the back room, he rushed for his cell phone, punching in the first number on speed dial.
"North. I know our snitch."