I can't believe it! Not only did my girlfriend of seven years PROPOSE to me the night before yesterday, but I got THREE reviews for the last chapter. I am the luckiest girl in the world! Thank you, stupidamericanidioms91, 256, and klainediva, and a GIANT thank you to Heather Calmia!
I said I'd have the verdict ready by now. I don't. Sorry folks, but now I have a future with a wonderful woman to plan. And the person who swears people in is apparently called a bailiff.
Disclaimer: I don't own the song "Missing" by Evanescence.
"Even though I'm the sacrifice,
You won't try for me, not now.
Though I'd die to know you love me,
I'm all alone.
Isn't someone missing me?"
Chapter XI: Missing
Sawyer stood up with an almost terrifying smirk on his face. "The Defense has no questions for the witness at this time, but reserve the right to call upon him at a later date." Okay, a definitely terrifying smirk on his face.
"Granted."
"Your Honor, the People rest."
"The Defense calls Dr. Reid back to the stand."
Reid, looking confused, walked back to the stand. Pearl's phone vibrated and she checked her messages. She had to read the text ten times before the full meaning hit her and she snapped her phone closed.
"Now, Dr. Reid, you had a computer analyst track down how many times the Azimios, Karofskys, Ms. Shonka, Mr. Etelpmoc, and Ms. Latot paid the Anderson, correct?" the defense, Lucky Sawyer, looked so calm, Cabot was worried.
"Yes, I did."
"And what did you find?"
Reid squirmed, "It looks like they've paid more often than the Andersons received, but they could be simply transactions for other, ah, purchases."
"What do you mean, Dr. Reid?"
Reid sighed. "Take Ms. Latot's bank statements-"
"Your Honor, I would like to present Defense Exhibit A, Elohssa Latot's banking statements," Sawyer passed out copies to the jurors. "I've highlighted $400 transactions. Underneath it, you'll find Defense Exhibit B, the Andersons' banking statements, and underneath that, you'll find Defense Exhibit C, Blaine Anderson's bank statements."
The Andersons let out a gasp. They didn't know their son had a bank account.
"You'll note that, every time the Anderson's didn't get $400 that Elohssa paid, Blaine did," Sawyer said. "No more questions for this witness."
Kurt turned to Blaine slowly. "What did you do?"
"The Defense calls Blaine Anderson back to the stand."
Blaine swallowed hard, but stood and walked to the stand with the look of someone who knew he was heading to the gallows.
"So, Mr. Anderson, your parents brought you to this country, fed you, clothed you, and provided you with a place to live."
"Yes," Blaine said, voice barely there.
"Do you think you would have gotten the same things had you stayed in Ireland?" Sawyer asked with the conviction one hand when one knows one will win.
Blaine shook his head. "No."
"All the Andersons wanted in return was some help around the house. Do they have a right to expect this?"
"It's not that simple!" Blaine exclaimed.
"Isn't it? Would your birth mother have kept you as long as the Andersons have?"
Blaine opened his mouth, but sighed and said "No." It sounded like a sob.
"In fact, the Andersons so cared about you that they made sure you always had a sitter to take care of you."
"If by sitter, you mean someone who would hurt me over and over, then sure," Blaine snapped.
Sawyer heaved a long-suffering sigh. "How many times were you at the residence of Elohssa Latot?"
"Thirty-eight."
Pearl's heart stopped pumping in her chest. Blaine was well and truly screwed, and he knew it, tapping his fingernails on the wooden stand, looking straight at her. She could stand it, and so she grabbed Kurt and walked away. Blaine watched them leave, a little bit relieved that finally, they were out of this nightmare, but suddenly completely alone.
"Why did you take me out of there?" Kurt demanded. "How can anything Blaine say now be worse than what I've already heard?"
"Kurt, we're going to lose," Pearl's voice was devastated.
"NO!" Kurt was pissed, and broke out of Pearl's grip. "How can you say that, when you're the one who fought so hard for this trial to begin with?"
"I did fight for justice, but justice doesn't always fight for us," Pearl said sadly. "Kurt, do you know what is on those bank statements?"
"No," Kurt wiped his eyes, "but whatever they are, it doesn't matter to me. I love Blaine."
"And he loves you, okay? So do I, but I also love him. I will respect his wishes, not because I'm afraid you'll hate him if you find out what I'm about to say about you and him next, but because I'm afraid he'll hate me and you'll hate yourself. So for you own sake, Kurt, stay out here when Cabot calls me back on the stand. And I've seen how responsive this town is to gays; take my phone just in case." With that, Pearl walked back, stride a little funny because she didn't forget to delete her text messages.
"How often were you with Mary Shonka?"
"Thirteen."
"The Karofskys?"
"Five."
"Do you have a bank account?"
Blaine looked miserable. "Yes."
"So, why did these people pay you directly?"
"Because I went to them."
"You went to the people who hurt you?" Sawyer asked.
Blaine heaved the sigh of a man who knew he was utterly defeated. "Yes."
"So the abuse could have come from the times you purposefully sought them out?" Sawyer asked.
"Some of them did," Blaine said.
Sawyer nodded and turned to the audience. "Blaine Anderson claims to hate my clients, but he willfully went back to them time and time again. Clearly, my clients are in the wrong for having paid for sex, but this boy is too for having sold it! No more questions for this witness, Your Honor, and the Defense rests."
Pearl walked back in.
Cabot, who had been frozen in a shocked stance since Sawyer presented the bank statements, suddenly looked relieved. "The People call Pearl Rush back to the stand."
"Thanks for lending me in your face, Diana."
"I didn't lend it to you. You copied it."
Sue chuckled. "I love crazies. You never lie, unlike Schuester's hair," she shuddered.
"Why would someone return over and over again to their molester?" Cabot asked.
Pearl sighed. "Someone who has been molested from a young age would grow up believing that it's normal. By the time they're old enough to realize that it wasn't, they're so angry at having suffered a world of pain when they didn't have to that they would ignore the issue altogether. It would eventually come out in other ways, however. For example, Blaine most likely asked Kurt to fulfill his rape fantasy in a failed effort to control the situation. Sexual abuse invariably leads to feelings of self-loathing and self-disgust. The victim fears the perpetrator, but also seeks a reason, and usually ends up blaming him or herself and seeking out self-punishment."
"So sexual abuse can lead to the victim seeking out more of it in the erroneous belief that he or she deserves it?"
Pearl nodded. "Most definitely."
"No more questions for this witness, Your Honor."
"Thank you, Agent Rush. You may step down."
"Your Honor, the People rest."
"Closing statements will begin tomorrow at noon," the judged intoned.
"I give up," Will sighed to a frustrated Emma. "The kids and I can't decide what to sing to Blaine at school when he gets back."
"What are you guys trying to sing?"
"We want to sing one of Kelly Clarkson's hit singles, but we can't find one that really speaks to us."
"What about looking at a song that might not have been a single? Just because it's not the first song doesn't mean it doesn't deserve attention," Emma wiped her grapes.
Will put his napkin down with a stunned expression on his face. It didn't look any different than his usual expression. "Why didn't I think of that? Emma, you're a genius!" he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek, but at the last second, Emma turned and he kissed her on the lips instead. Startled, he pulled away and touched his lips. Emma dropped her napkin and did the same.
"Sorry," he said.
"I'm not," Emma smiled. When he left, she ate her grapes unpolished.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you have heard the scientific evidence detailing the horrific abuse Blaine Anderson suffered at the hands of these supposedly fine and upstanding citizens. You have seen many doctors, pediatricians, and neighbors missed the crucial signs. Worst of all, you have witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of unchecked violence. But today, you have the power to do something to stop it. You don't have to power to go back and remove the pain from this boy's life, but you have the power to make sure it stops now. The defense claims that Blaine sought this out. But why would anyone who wanted to be tied up, electrocuted, whipped, burned, and raped get up on the stand to relive those moments unless he wanted it to stop? Why would someone land on a potato over and over again? Why would someone get up on the stand and tell the world he had been bought? Why, ladies and gentlemen? Because he was. But he doesn't have to any longer. Too many victims remain victims because they don't believe there is a better life out there. Send them the message that things can change. Find these defendants guilty."
Sawyer stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you have heard from the lead investigator the scientific evidence detailing the horrific abuse Blaine Anderson suffered from his supposedly beloved boyfriend. You have seen many doctors, pediatricians, and neighbors testify as to the character of my clients. Best of all, you have witnessed firsthand the incredible fact that Blaine Anderson went out and sought the clients who mistreated him. I don't know about you, but that suggests the power of will, and in accordance to the law, the presence of will means the lack of rape. Why would a couple take him out of an impoverished country unless they cared about him? Why would someone go back to people who hurt him over and over again, ladies and gentlemen? The only criminal in this room is Blaine Anderson himself. Tell him that his terrible lifestyle choices cannot be blamed on someone else. Find my clients not guilty."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Cabot demanded when they reconvened outside to wait for the jury's decision.
"I didn't know. I wasn't sure," Pearl said, gritting her teeth as she regarded Cabot with a look of betrayal. "When were you going to tell me?"
Cabot suddenly found the floor very interesting. "Tell you what?"
"When did you and Aimi start dating?"
Blaine let out a sharp intake of breath. He put his hand on Pearl's shoulder, and she didn't shrug it off.
"I bought her coffee after her testimony yesterday," Cabot admitted finally.
Pearl nodded. "She's a good person, manipulative and assumptive as hell, but determined, like you. You're going to love her."
Cabot nodded. "I already do," she said softly. Her words were drowned out by Kurt's shout. Pearl winced. He had seen the message, and now she and Cabot were caught in the middle of the hurricane he was going to become.
"You set up a scholarship fund for me?" Kurt demanded.
Blaine was caught, and he knew it. Tears sprung to his eyes and he felt like collapsing. This was it; Kurt was going to hate him for being so disgusting.
Kurt was shocked, and he knew Blaine knew it. Tears sprung to his eyes and he felt like collapsing. This was it; he hated himself for making Blaine suffer even more of the torture the Andersons had forced him to go through.
"Boys," Cabot took a step toward them, but Pearl grabbed her arm and tugged her away. "Look, we have a conversation to plow through to. We're just going to be much quieter and much, much more vicious."
"I'm not sure that's a good plan," Cabot said slowly.
Pearl jerked her head toward the screaming brewing outside the small room she had locked Cabot and herself inside. "Would you rather plan stuff to do out there?"
Cabot turned back to Pearl. "So, do you want to curse first or should I?"
"Actually, I need the adoption papers you've got in your hands."
"You went back to all those people, all that pain, so you could pay half my tuition? What, am I some sort of charity case?"
"No! I loved you, Kurt, even then, and I didn't want to see you get hurt, so I tried to make sure you wouldn't."
Kurt's eyes were pained as he looked down. "All your sacrifices...I always forget you're younger than me," he muttered.
Blaine brushed some of Kurt's hair out of his eyes, hand shaking until he realized Kurt was not going to shrink away from his touch. Then he pulled the boy into a tight hug, something in his chest uncoiling. When Pearl came outside and patted his shoulder, the tears came pouring out.
"I don't care what the verdict is," Blaine said. "As long as I have you two, and those people can't hurt anyone else, I don't care. I don't need revenge."
I'm glad he doesn't care, because I have the verdict at this point, and he's not going to like it. Next chapter, the verdict will be out, Cabot will make her final appearance, Pearl is going to make one more plea for Aimi (I haven't decided what the outcome of that is going to be yet) and the Nude Erections pick a song at last!
I've been blessed with so much support that it seems selfish to ask anything more of you guys, but I would be eternally grateful if you guys would leave a review, good or bad.
