Installment Four:
The Murder Trial
Part 4
-October 6, 2003-
-Courthouse-
"I am remanding bail until the court can produce all of Ms. Bennett's paperwork, proving she is no longer a flight risk. Court is adjourned until the start of next week." Laura Cabot slammed her gavel forestalling all of Billy's protests.
Maggie sighed as she looked behind her and saw David and Bianca sitting next to each other. Behind them Maggie could see Jamie sitting next to JR with Reggie and Simone. Reggie began his loud protests even as the judge stood from her perch and moved into her chambers. Maggie sighed as the bailiff came towards her.
"We'll have you out in an hour, two tops Maggie." Billy swore as he slammed closed all of his folders.
He hadn't expected the judge to show such a stern tenacity against Maggie. This was, after all, her first offense. While Kendall had been released on bail pending her trial date and this was not her first offence. Kendall's arraignment had been directly before Maggie's.
Kendall stood beside Bianca, both looking as defeated and lost as Maggie felt but refused to show.
Bianca leaned forward and touched Maggie's arm drawing Maggie's attention away from Billy. As the bailiff moved forward and hooked Maggie's hands in handcuffs once again Maggie offered Bianca a hopeful smile.
"I'll be out and about soon. Though, I was thinking with my position at the top of two major beauty corporations, I could try and make handcuffs the new thing." Maggie tried; she couldn't break down right now. It would do no one any good. She needed to be strong, so she would be.
Bianca rolled her eyes as she touched both Maggie's cheeks and pulled her girlfriend's face forward until their foreheads were touching. "I'm sure you could, but I think Miranda Priestly would have your head."
"Ah, she'd have to get in line." Maggie directed her gaze towards the new DA sitting where Jackson refused to sit and persecute anyone for the murder of Michael Cambias. He'd handed in his resignation just that morning.
"Don't worry about him." Bianca pulled Maggie's eyes back to her own and smiled softly. "I'll see you soon?"
Maggie nodded, noticing how much Bianca needed this reassurance. "Of course. Kiss for the road?" Maggie smirked as Bianca chuckled but gave in to her request and kissed her. "Mmm…now if that isn't incentive to get out of jail, I don't know what is."
"Always the smart ass…"
"Oh, and here I thought I was a charmer." Maggie called as she was none too politely pulled away from the growing crowd towards the doors. "See you in three hours?" Maggie asked hopefully as she locked eyes with Bianca, unwilling to look anywhere but into Bianca's beautiful shinning eyes.
"I'll have to check my calendar." Bianca informed, with faux seriousness.
"Now who's the smartass?" Maggie asked as the wooden doors closed before her, leaving Bianca and the rest of Maggie's supporters standing looking at them.
Bianca immediately turned to Billy and Olivia Frye who were putting away their files speaking about how they could quickly get Maggie's papers together and filed so she'd be released.
"I'll make the call to get her Passport." Livia informed, not even looking at Billy as she collected her things.
"I'll transfer the control of the Cambias Jet over to Norman Jones, the President of the Eastern branch." Billy replied as he closed his briefcase and the two lawyers spared a moment to offer a smile to each other.
"I'll see you, then." Livia touched Billy's shoulder, trying to reassure the young man with the touch that this would all turn out the way they needed it to. Nodding to the growing crowd she left to get things done so that the group could once again hold one Mary Margaret Bennett.
"Billy…" Bianca nearly prayed the name, there was such need for guidance in the name.
Billy looked down, ashamed he couldn't give this wonderful woman before him what she so clearly needed. "I'm trying. She'll be out by the end of the day."
"Promise?" Bianca asked gently and Billy looked up and met her eyes.
"I promise."
"Okay, what can we do?" Kendall asked looking from Billy to the willing group behind and around her.
"You can pray." The group turned towards Roland Pierce, the new District Attorney at the sound of his smug advice. "Your friend is going to be in jail for a long time." His smile was just as disgusting as his attitude and the group realized how deprived the city of Pine Valley was without Jackson Montgomery as their District Attorney.
"That's assuming you're as good at weaving lies together as your statistics show." Billy was not about to sit and take this arrogant assholes shit. Not now. Not when he was steaming for a fight as it was.
Roland laughed and left the room and the crowd he knew would not appreciate what he was trying to do for them. "See you on Monday, Novice."
"Woo…" Jamie and Reggie grabbed onto one of Billy's shoulders as he attempted to rush past them to the retreating form of his new nemesis.
"Forget him, man. Just forget him. Maggie can't afford to have you in the cell beside her." Jamie tried, understanding the anger towards the jackass.
Billy knew it was true, but the desire to put Roland Pierce's head through a wall was a need he was having trouble refusing.
Bianca placed her hand on Billy's shoulder and surprisingly everyone watched as the tension in his body dissipated when he whipped his head around to look at Bianca, his face hard until he caught sight of Bianca's calming visage. "She needs you to be calm."
Billy nodded, she was right. "Okay…I'm calm." Billy pulled at the collar of his suit jacket to straighten it as he stepped away from Jamie and Reggie, giving both men a nod of thanks.
"So, what's the plan?" Kendall asked again. A chorus of yeah's was heard around her and Billy wondered how Maggie could ever think she was alone in this.
"Get Maggie the hell out of jail and then show Mr. Pierce who he's messing with."
Kendall nodded her head and smirked when Billy looked to her as he took her hand. "Then it'll be a cake walk proving your innocence."
"Innocence? Ha…her innocent…oww..." Simone jerked back as her stomach was slapped almost absentmindedly by Kendall, whose eyes remained locked with Billy's.
Bianca rolled her eyes while smiling internally. "Come on you two love birds, we need to get my girlfriend out of jail."
"Right…" Billy and Kendall shook themselves and Kendall let Billy's hand fall away from hers.
"About that…" About three different voices said at the same time as the group slowly made their way out of the courtroom with a hope they had been missing since the judge ruled against Maggie.
-An Hour Later-
-Holding Cells-
Maggie rolled her neck as she sat with her legs crossed on her cot. It had been an hour since her arraignment and she hoped, truly hoped that Billy and Livia were outside right now filing her paperwork to be released.
Without Kendall it was insufferable, though she wouldn't let the older Kane know that she missed her. It wouldn't do for Kendall to think that she liked her. Nope, not even if she did. A little. Okay, maybe more than a little.
"You better hurry up Billy, before I start counting the imaginary bottles of beer that I'd figuratively drink to get rid of."
"That bored?"
"Anna…" Maggie jumped up from her seated position and rushed over to the cell bars that kept her from rushing into the embrace of the British woman.
"Maggie…"
"Where have you been?" Maggie asked, she hadn't seen Anna at the arraignment. "I heard that you gave up your position as Chief."
"You heard correctly." Anna scuffed her foot as she shook her head as she looked at Maggie. "I didn't want this for you, Maggie."
"Trust me," Maggie sighed as she let her arms fall to her sides, "I didn't want this for me either."
Anna chuckled and smirked, "No, I'm quite sure you didn't."
The two stared at each other, the silence both comfortable because it was the two of them but uncomfortable for where they found themselves.
"Are you leaving?" Maggie asked, hoping that Anna would stay.
"I am."
Maggie closed her eyes, the words like a blow.
"Not because of this." Anna insisted as she stepped forward while Maggie stepped away.
"Right, of course."
"It's just that I need to go home."
Owtch…Maggie felt that one go right to her heart. "Home…"
"To Port Charles. To Robin. She, she needs me."
Maggie's eyes glistened with unshed tears that were unfair but fit her sorrowful mood all the same. Anna needed to go to her biological daughter. Maggie was only…Maggie wasn't her daughter. No matter the bond they shared, Anna's bond with Robin would always be stronger as she was Anna's true daughter.
"I understand. I hope that everything is alright."
"Oh Maggie…" Anna reached out and her fingertips brushed the surface of Maggie's cheek, stealing away a fallen tear before it could slip down her cheek. "I want to be here as well but you have people here to help you. She doesn't have anyone. I need to be there for her now. I…" She didn't know what to say. It was a hard position to be in. "I love you, Squirt. Nothing can change that. I've done all I can do to help you."
Maggie looked up and smiled sadly up at Anna and saw the woman's tears that she was trying to hide. "I love you too."
Maggie stepped forward at the sound of Anna's sigh and the two embraced awkwardly through the bars. Anna held onto one of Maggie's shoulder while cupping her cheek and stared lovingly into the young woman's eyes. Maggie held on tightly to each of Anna's wrists unwilling to let the woman go but she knew she had to.
Anna placed a kiss to each of Maggie's closed hands and held them against her lips for a moment more before she cleared her throat and looked up at Maggie. "Goodbye, bug." Anna whispered as she stepped away from Maggie's cell.
"Goodbye, Anna."
Maggie watched as Anna left through the closing door and stared at it long after the woman had left.
Maggie stood leaning heavily against the holding bars of her cell. Her forehead moving from one spot on the cold metal to the next until her previous spot warmed with the heat of her skin.
With her eyes closed Maggie listened to the sound of her breathing and the sound of her nail tapping against the grey surface of the metal she held onto tightly.
At the sound of the doors opening and footsteps, Maggie looked up hopefully.
Maggie sighed with regret when she noticed it was only David.
"Well, don't I feel loved."
Maggie rolled her eyes and offered a meek apology as she closed her eyes once again and put her forehead onto the cylinder of another bar.
"I thought you were Billy."
"Ah, yes. Meatstick."
Maggie couldn't help but chuckle at the fake animosity in David's voice. The two men had recently formed a budding friendship. Or okay, Maggie wouldn't go so far as to say relationship. They tolerated each other. David acknowledged that Billy was one of Maggie's oldest and dearest friends and Billy acknowledged that David was Maggie's only family and both understood how she needed them both. To be in her life and to get along. So, they'd agreed to dislike each other in silence.
David's nickname of Meatstick came after Maggie explained how Billy was on the football and basketball team in high school and it didn't help the fact that Billy was a tall very muscular man as it stood in the present. Billy's nickname for David was Dr. Doom. Both always made Maggie smile because she knew, even if they didn't want to admit it, that they secretly liked each other and could be friends if they only just tried.
"He doesn't seem to be doing his job well enough for what you're paying him." David informed as he looked at Maggie as she stood in her jail cell.
David had tried, begged and pleaded really, to get Maggie to use John as her lawyer and let Billy represent Kendall. Obviously the woman hadn't taken his advice or listened to his pleadings and now look. Kendall was out and about free as a woman on bail could be and Maggie was here, in jail…still.
"The judge ruled unfairly." Maggie defended. "It's my first offense. I should have been put out on bail but the DA made it sound like I'd run away using Cambias' jet. Siting my need to attend my mother's funeral as a perfect example of how I just pack up and leave. Somehow…it worked." Maggie rolled her eyes at the absurdity of it.
"I just don't understand, Maggie." David sighed as he shook his head. "Why don't you just tell the police what you know."
"I can't." Maggie informed, a frown creasing across her face as she looked down at her shoes.
"Why not? You didn't DO this Maggie. You didn't kill him!"
"Who said I didn't kill him?" Maggie asked her head jerking up to look at David.
"You did. You told me you didn't kill him and I believe you!"
Maggie looked away from David's confident gaze before continuing, "That doesn't mean I'm not responsible for his death!" Maggie clenched her fists. "Who said I didn't plan to kill him. Because let me tell you David, I did. I planned his murder over and over and over again in my mind from the moment I held Bianca in my arms and she told me what happened." Maggie flashed to wrapping Bianca up in her yellow blanket as she kneeled on her dorm room floor after finding the girl at the bar, completely trashed and holding everyone off with a pole stick.
"I dreamed that I'd stabbed him the day of Erica's wedding and saved everyone the trouble of trying to kill him." Maggie laughed at David's surprise. "Oh, please. I know that you and Erica tried to kill him that night. I was THERE David. I was there! I know that Adam and Palmer tried to kill him too. I know about the drugged Scotch. You all want to save me because you don't know what killed him. Was it the drugs? Was it the knock to the head? Let me tell you something David, he DID drink the Scotch. I watched him drink it. I saw him hold the glass in his hand and drink from it. So, please…if you're so sure that I didn't kill him. Confess to murdering him yourself." Maggie spat.
Maggie's voice was heavy and hard and held her frustration over the entire situation. She took a deep breath as she watched David try and understand everything she had just said. With a groan Maggie ran her hand through her hair and stepped away from the bars and moved to stand in the middle of her cell.
"He wasn't killed by the drugs though." Maggie informed her back to David as she looked at the stone wall before her. "They didn't even have real time to take effect. I mean, he was having trouble seeing and faltering but he wasn't killed by the drugs."
"What killed him then?" David asked, hoping that if he kept Maggie talking about it, she'd finally say what she had kept hidden this entire time.
"My gun." Maggie informed bitterly. "The gun I bought from someone at school to kill him."
David's eyes widened and he touched the cold metal that kept him from going to Maggie as her shoulders shook with silent tears.
Maggie spun to look at David, "What would you have me do? Offer myself up?" Maggie glared at David as he looked at her through the iron bars she was now stuck behind.
"I just don't understand. You didn't kill him!" David exclaimed hitting his palms against the bars keeping him from strangling his cousin.
"I might as well have!" Maggie shouted and then looked about the lock up room suspiciously before moving over to stand closer to her cousin. "You weren't there…" Maggie's eyes glazed in remembrance. "…you just don't know."
"Then explain it to me!" David begged as he watched Maggie retreat into herself.
"I can't.." Maggie slowly withdrew from the jail cell bars until her back pushed up against the wall. Her head shook as if she were trying to shake the images out of her mind and they just wouldn't budge. "I can't…" Tears slipped through Maggie's unseeing eyes.
"Damn it! Maggie…" David slammed his hands against the bars once more before gripping them tightly. "What happened that night? Who are you protecting?"
Maggie began to laugh even as she slid down the wall till her knees were bent against her chest. "The man stabbed me." Maggie laughed and grabbed at her own hair with one hand in frustration while the other rested over the scar along her side from the wound her brother had inflicted upon her.
David's eyes narrowed, he had expected as much. Maggie had come to his cabin bleeding from a deep slash against her side. He'd tried to beg her to go to the hospital but she'd refused so he'd been forced to stitch her side with the materials he had in his home. They were both lucky the stitches hadn't gotten infected.
"Then it's self-defense." David explained hoping that now that charges had been brought up against Maggie that she would finally give up who she was protecting.
Maggie looked up at David with saddened eyes. Her chin quivering s as she looked up at her only family, David only wanted to help her but he couldn't become any more about of this than Maggie had already allowed him to be. Guilt overtook her for a moment for putting him in this position. But it had to be done. There was no way around it. Not even now, when she was being put on trial for Michael's murder.
"Not when I shot at him first." Maggie recounted before letting her forehead fall back onto her knees.
"Why should I? Hmm…you sick bastard. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now." Maggie taunted as she moved slowly to the other side of the room towards the frozen woman standing behind the couch watching as Michael moved back towards the kitchen with each step she took towards his previous position.
"25 years to life." Michael explained with what he hoped was a convincing smile.
"Ha!" Maggie bellowed as she shook her head and laughed at the announcement. "I don't think so. See…you may have quickly forgotten but I walked in on you attacking another woman after just getting off for raping another. I don't think the jury is going to believe you over me. Not anymore, not when it comes out that Bianca is pregnant with your child. It proves you raped her."
"It proves nothing but that the bitch is lucky to have slept with me…but don't worry. She won't have to worry about the baby. I'll be taking care of him. After all, who in their right mind would let a lesbian whore keep an infant?"
Maggie wondered why he still deemed it necessary to push her buttons and his luck. She was holding a gun on him and he still felt it safe to insult her best friend.
Maggie didn't mean for it to happen. She hadn't meant for her finger to squeeze the trigger. She had just been so mad and her body had tensed as his taunting and insults continued, as his voice scratched against her already fragile control. The bullet flew from her gun right to the man that froze at the sound of the gun firing as it was aimed right at him.
"Maggie…!"
"You shot me! You bitch!" Michael hissed as he held onto his bleeding shoulder.
Maggie froze, her hands now beginning to shake as she held the gun up with one hand while the other moved to block Michael from going after anyone behind her.
Maggie's eyes widened as Michael pulled a large black handle out from the knife rack and looked at her with deadly intent.
Fuck…Maggie thought as her heart began to race as he took step after step around the kitchen island towards her. "Don't…" Oh, please don't make me shoot you again "…take another step."
Michael continued to come towards her laughing, mocking her.
"Well, it looks like it's your lucky day…" Billy stopped the moment he saw David standing by Maggie's cell and heard Maggie's sobs. "What the hell is going on!" Billy rushed forward with the guard by his side. "Open the door!" He ordered as he none to politely pushed David out of the way so the guard could open the cell door.
Once it was open Billy rushed into the holding cell and fell to his knees in front of Maggie. It only took the girl a moment before she fell forward into his arms and cried on his shoulder.
"He...he wouldn't stop…he…he just kept coming." Maggie explained out loud what was only an answer to herself internally.
"It's okay, come on. You're out on bail." Billy helped Maggie stand and let her lean back against the wall for a moment to collect herself. "Let's get you home and in bed. Okay?" Billy tried as he brushed Maggie's hair back and met her watery red eyes with her deep black circles surrounding the beautiful blue of her eyes.
Billy led Maggie out from the cell and down the hallway that would lead to the emergency exit where a limo was waiting for them. Inside the limo were Stacy, Livia, John, and Bianca. All waiting to see and speak with Maggie. They were not walking out the front due to the media circus outside.
David rushed ahead of the two, slowly moving friends and opened the limo door for them.
Maggie finally looked up at Billy as she stood holding the top of the door with one leg in the limo. "I…can we get food on the way?" Maggie asked as she sniffled, her stomach grumbling with its clear frustration at not being fed.
"Of course. BJ's?" Billy asked.
"Yea, nachos with extra hot." Maggie and Billy looked into the limo at the voice that answered for Maggie.
"Bianca…" Maggie smiled brightly as she slipped into the limo and gratefully allowed the younger woman to pull her close.
Maggie closed her eyes and rested her head on Bianca's shoulder and just breathed the younger woman in. Maggie could hear a conversation going on around her but she could hardly open her eyes let alone look up and participate in the conversation.
Bianca, sensing Maggie's turmoil ran her hand through Maggie's hair, placed a kiss to her brow, and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry…just go to sleep. We'll wake you when we get home."
Maggie smiled as her breathing evened out as her ear rested atop Bianca's chest and she listened to Bianca's heartbeat.
Home…
Maggie wondered why they were going home when she knew, with every part of her, that she was already home right where she was. In Bianca's arms.
End Part Four