Author's Note: I'm so sorry this took me forever to write. I was going through some things, and I also had writer's block. I promise to try to get one a week now. Thanks to all of you who are still reading! Also, I am not sure how a trial really works and all that, but I read up on it a bit. Please forgive me if some things aren't the way a trial goes. :) xoxo- RuflyGirl

Unloveable

Chapter 10: Eric's Back and Your Gonna Be In Trouble!

Eric was numb. It was as if his body had just shut down and he was working on autopilot now.

He went through the booking and the finger printing without feeling. It seemed right now, feeling nothing was the best way to feel. If that made any sense.

They put him in a holding cell. He didn't know when he'd be called in for them to decide his bail. He wondered if he'd even get bail after what he had done. Did they give murderers bail? He somehow highly doubted it. It seemed so odd referring to himself as a murderer. He didn't remember anything after being pinned against that wall. It seemed, the harder he tried to remember, the further away his memories seemed. It was a good thing he had turned off all feeling, he thought. Because he was sure his body would be too confused to figure out if he was angry with himself for both not remembering and for killing a man, or if he was just sad that his life was basically over.

The guard came over. "You have a visitor." His tone was formal and without emotion. There was no emotion in his eyes either. Eric wondered if the whole "no emotion" thing happened to everyone in prison.

The guard opened the cell, and in walked Lily.

Lily watched as the guard locked the bars behind her.

"Call for me when you want to leave," the guard said to her before walking away. Lily then she turned back to her son. "I've gotten you the best criminal defense lawyer money can buy. He's on his way now. He'll be here in time for your arraignment."

Eric sighed, and sat down on the cold, stone bench. "Thanks, but I really don't need a lawyer. I'm pleading guilty. I'm just going to have to deal with life in prison." Eric didn't want to get off Scott-free for a crime he committed just because he was rich—especially not when the crime was taking another man's life. He always hated when people like Lindsey Lohan got off with a slap on the wrist just because they were a star. It was so unfair. So why should he get off with a slap on the wrist just because he was rich? Especially when the crime he committed was far worse than anything Lindsey Lohan had ever done.

Lily spoke so sharply, that is made Eric jump. "Eric James Van der Woodsen, I don't care how old you are, if I ever hear you talking like that again, I'm going to take you over my lap, and spank you!"

Eric shrugged. "Go ahead. I'd deserve it."

Lily sighed, then went to sit down next to Eric on the stone bench. She paused for a moment as she inspected it.

"It's fine, Mother. It's not like anyone peed on it," Eric stated.

Lily cast her gaze around the dingy cell. "In a place like this, you never know." Even so, she at down next to her son. "Eric, look at me."

"I don't want to." Eric kept his gaze to the cold, cement floor.

Lily reached out her hands and took Eric's head between them, forcing his face toward hers.

Eric sighed; annoyed. "What, Mother?"

Lily kept Eric's face between her hands. "Now you listen up! I don't care if you're legally an adult now. You are still my child, and I am still your mother. As your mother, I will not allow you to just give up. You are far too young to jus be throwing your life away over something you might or might not have even done."

Eric glared at her. Sometimes, he really wished his mother would just mind her own business. "I did it, Mother. Nobody else was there. It had to be me! Why should I get away with murder just because I'm rich?"

"Well, I'm still not entirely convinced that you did it. But even if you did, who cares?" Lily crossed her arms over her chest now. "He was going to kill you, so, as far as I'm concerned, that son of a bitch got what he deserved."

"Mother!" Eric protested.

Lily glared at him. "Well, he did! And frankly, I don't know why you're defending him."

Eric sighed. "I'm not defending him. I just don't think it's right to speak ill of the dead, no matter how they acted when they were alive."

"So, you think you should have just let him kill you then?" Lily asked.

Eric shook his head. "Of course not!"

"Well, then what did you expect to do?" Lily asked.

Eric sighed again. It seemed he had been doing that a lot lately. Not that he didn't have reason to. He had a lot of reason to sigh, come to think of it. "I just wanted to fight him off. Maybe leave him temporarily immobile—long enough for me to escape."

Lily shook her head. "He would have just kept hunting you down and finding you. You never would have been safe, Eric! Even if he ended up in prison, I'm sure he has plenty of friends that wouldn't be locked up that would be more than willing to finish the job for him. I mean, really, Eric. Do you think a guy like that has nice, innocent, churchgoing friends that wouldn't hurt a fly?"

"I never wanted him to die, Mother," Eric snapped.

Lily sighed. "Yeah, well, we can't always get what we want, can we?"

Eric looked back to the cement cell room floor. "Apparently not."

The guard came back then. "They're ready for your arraignment." He showed no more emotion than before.

Eric and Lily both stood up.

"Eric—" Lily began.

"I don't want to hear it, Mother, so just save it, all right?" Eric asked.

Lily's mouth dropped open. "Eric, I was just..." She trailed off as the bars opened, and the guard took Eric away.

"You coming out, or would you prefer to stay?" a new guard asked her with an amused smirk.

"Very funny," Lily muttered, unamused. She quickly rushed on ahead to catch up with her son. There was no way she was letting him give up his life. No way.

~GG~

The arraignment went by faster than Eric had expected. He didn't even have to plead anything. The lawyer his mother had gotten for him, EJ Scott, explained to him that he wouldn't have to give his plea until the pretrial conference, which was scheduled for the very next morning. He did end up getting bail. Eric half wondered if the judge had been paid off. He wouldn't have put it past his mother. His bail was posted for five hundred thousand dollars. Of course, coming from a wealthy family, it was no trouble at all for his mother to post his bail. He was out within the hour.

After his mother pledging her undying gratitude to EJ, and, after EJ agreed to meet them at the apartment so that they could discuss a game plan before the pretrial conference, EJ, Eric, Lily, and Rufus left the jail, and headed back to the apartment.

"I don't deserve bail," Eric muttered once they had arrived home. He plopped himself down onto the couch. "I'm pleading guilty."

"What? No fricking way!" Jenny, who had been waiting at home for him, said in shock. Rufus and Lily had talked her into staying back, telling her they thought the fewer people that went to the station, the better. She figured they were secretly afraid she'd go off on the police for arresting Eric. She knew, the truth was, she probably would have, so she had agreed to stay back. She hadn't wanted to ruin things for Eric.

Lily glared at him, then turned to her husband. "Talk to him. Please! He listens to you. I'm just his mother so of course he won't listen to me. I only cared him for nine months and went through forty hours of labor. Why should he care what I have to say? He wants to plead guilty, and take his punishment. He doesn't even want to fight!"

"Well, that's not going to happen! I'm not going to let that jerk ruin his life even from the dead," Rufus stated simply.

"Yes! That's exactly what I was trying to tell him, but he doesn't want to listen to me," Lily stated.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Hello, I'm still in the room, remember?"

Rufus sighed, and sat down on the couch next to Eric, before turning his attention to him. "Eric, don't plead guilty. I'm begging you."

Eric turned to face him. "I'm not going to lie, Rufus. I did it. I'm not going to plead not guilty."

Jenny hugged her step brother from behind. "Eric, please don't let Derek get you even from the dead. You don't deserve to go to jail! His friends are the ones who should be in jail. Please not guilty."

"Actually, I think it would be better for him to plead guilty. Admitting one's guilt will put him in the judge's favor. He has to show that he is sorry for what he did, and fessing up to it is the first start," EJ stated. "I have no doubt in my mind that, after the judge hears Eric's side of the story, he will let him off on self-defense. Eric never would have killed the man otherwise."

Rufus nodded. "All right."

"I still hate my son pleading guilty," Lily said hesitantly.

Rufus squeezed her hand. "But, Lil, if this is what will get him out of prison, don't you want to try it?"

Lily sighed. "I suppose so.I just wish there was another way."

"Unfortunately, there really isn't," EJ stated. "This is the best way to go. Any other way might prove more difficult to get him off without a criminal record."

Jenny sighed. "Well, then, I guess he should plead guilty. He's not getting a criminal record because of Derek and his lowlife thugs."

"Will you agree to this, Eric?" Lily asked, eyeing her son like a hawk.

Eric sighed, then nodded. "If that is what the judge decides, then of course I'll go for it. I don't actually want to spend the rest of my life in jail. But I don't want any special treatment just because I'm Eric Van der Woodsen either. I want a fair trial."

"Usually, my clients will do whatever it takes to get off Scott-free," EJ said with a smirk.

Lily sighed. "Yeah, well, unfortunately, my son has a conscious."

Eric rolled his eyes. Leave it to his mother to not want him to have a conscious.

They spend a little bit more time talking about the pretrial conference, then, finally, after what seemed to Eric like forever, EJ finally left. EJ was to meet them at the court room the next day at ten in the morning. The pretrial conference was at eleven, but EJ suggested he go early so they can discuss a few more things. Also, EJ said it would look good to be early. Eric didn't know what more they could possibly have to discuss, but whatever got EJ to leave...

"Can I get you anything to eat?" Lily asked, turning to her son once EJ had left.

Eric shook his head. "No thanks. I don't have much of an appetite lately. I just want to go to bed. I need to be well-rested for my pre trial conference." Eric clumped up the stairs and to his room then, thankful that his mother, Rufus, and Jenny let him go without trying to talk to him more. Eric just wished he could sleep forever. Then he could put this whole miserable nightmare behind him. Sadly, he couldn't. He had done the crime, and now, he'd probable have to do the time—ready or not.

~GG~

Eric felt like he had a huge bolder stuck in his stomach ever since he had woken up. Lily had begged him to eat some breakfast, but he had refused. How could you eat when you were going to be tried for murder?

Eric had insisted that no one go to the courthouse with him. Their presence there was only going to make it worse. He was going to have a hard enough time dealing with the judge and DA. He didn't need his crazy family there too, no matter how much he loved them.

He arrived at the court room and met up with EJ. He barely took in anything EJ had said to him. Everything was happening to him as if it were happening to someone else, and Eric was just watching. He was on autopilot, just doing what EJ told him to do, and answering questions when asked. He was going to be tried as an adult since the charge was so serious, and he was only a couple months away from being eighteen. That much he had gotten.

It was only when the district attorney said who would be a witness against his behalf that Eric snapped to it.

"We have several of Mr. Anderson's friends who have agreed to testify how Eric stalked Mitchel, and was extremely obsessed with him," District Attorney Jennifer Woods told the judge.

"Excuse me, what? Stalked him? I didn't stalk him. He and his friends bashed me, and then he tried to finish the job and kill me!" Eric exclaimed.

The DA turned to him. "But you're not the one who ended up dead, are you, Mr. Van der Woodsen? Poor Derek Anderson is dead because you killed him!"

"I was protecting myself!" Eric protested.

EJ put a hand over Eric's shoulder to calm him. "Stay calm. She's just trying to goad you."

The DA smirked at Eric. "You have quite the temper on you, don't you? I can definitely see you killing Mr. Anderson."

Eric narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't know me, nor did you know Derek. You weren't there to see what happened. You can decide anything."

The DA nodded. "You're right. We'll let the jury decide. I'm sure they will make sure justice is paid."

"Justice has already been paid," Eric said coldly. The DA was really starting to tick him off. She sure wasn't acting very professional.

"So you killed Derek in revenge because he didn't feel the same way about you as you felt about him?" DA Woods asked, an eyebrow raised.

"My client doesn't have to say anything more. Need I remind you, Jennifer, this is just the pretrial conference, and not the trial itself?" EJ asked, sounding extremely annoyed himself.

The DA held her head high. "Mr. Scott, I'd advice you not to call me Jennifer in court."

"As you wish, DA Woods," EJ said sarcastically.

DA woods, shot him a look.

The judge cleared his throat. "If you two are done bickering, I want to ask Mr. Van der Woodsen, what is your plea?"

Eric swallowed hard, then answered. He had no doubt now. "Guilty by reason of self-defense. I never would have killed a man if I wasn't defending myself."

The judge nodded. He turned to the DA. "Would you like to offer any plea bargains?"

The DA looked Eric in the eyes. "I'm prepared to offer you a plea bargain of twenty-five years in prison."

"That's insane!" EJ protested.

DA Woods smirked. "I think it's being rather generous myself. I'm taking pity on him since he has no prior record, and because he's so young. He could very well get life. If he's smart, he'll take it." She nodded at Eric.

Eric glared at her. "Because I'm smart, I'm not taking it. I'm going to fight with everything I have. I did what needed to be done to save my own life, and I will not go down for a scumbag who tried to kill me!" He clenched his fists so hard, his nails were digging into his palms. He didn't care though. For the first time since this whole situation occurred, he felt like himself again. If Derek's friends wanted to play hardball, well, they were going to get it! How dare they try to turn this on him and say he stalked Derek? Oh, it was on. Between Derek and his friends, they almost killed him twice before. He'd be damed if he was going to let them take his life away this time (so to speak). No, Eric Van der Woodsen was back, and this time, he wasn't taking any crap from anyone—not the DA, and certainly not Derek's scum bucket lying little friends.

As if reading his thoughts, EJ smiled, and gently nudged him. "Welcome back," EJ whispered to him.

Eric smiled too. "Thanks," he whispered back. It was good to be back.

"All right then. The trial will be set to take place a week from today at ten o'clock. I will see you all there." The judge banged his gavel, and that was that.

They all rose for the judge, and, when he had gone back into his chambers, they left too.

"You should have taken the deal, Mr. Van der Woodsen. Twenty-five years would be a chunk of your life, but at least it wouldn't be all of your life," the DA said in passing.

Eric nodded politely at her, doing his best to not let her get to him. "Thank you for your concern, District Attorney Woods, but I have faith in my lawyer."

DA Woods eyed him, then walked off without another word.

"It's good to see this side of you," EJ said to him with a grin.

Eric grinned. "I'm counting on you to get me out of this. I can't let those scumbags win. I can't believe they're going to lie! I mean, I knew they'd want me punished, but to lie?"

EJ raised an eyebrow. "Does it really surprise you that they'd lie when they were willing to kill you?"

Eric shook his head. "No, I guess not."

"Don't worry. I have your back. I don't want those scumbags to win anymore than you do." EJ pat Eric's back. "See you soon. I'll be in touch."

Eric nodded, and they shook hands. "See you. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," EJ said, before disappearing down the hall.

Eric sighed, then went out to hail a cab. He was sure his mother would be thrilled with his newfound sense of determination not to rot in prison.

The more Eric thought about Derek's friends' lies about him, the angrier he got. There was no way he was letting Derek's friends get off Scott free and put him in prison. No. Ficking. Way. It was about time they all learned not to mess with Eric Van der Woodsen. After all, look what happened to Derek when he had tried to mess with him. Eric smirked. They'd be sorry. He'd make sure of it, for, from that day on, he refused to be the victim any longer. This time, Eric Van der Woodsen was fighting back, and this time, he intended on winning.