CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A/N: We do not own these characters. The lovely people at Glee do. WARNING: Mentions of rape and bullying. Please don't read if this will bother you.

"Scandal continues to rock the House of Draculesti today as court proceedings begin in the case of David Karofsky, the young vampire accused of stalking and attacking Kurt Hummel, the Chosen One of the current heir apparent Prince Blaine Anderson. So far both Mr. Hummel, who was turned this summer after an incident involving his step-brother, and Prince Blaine have refused to comment on the situation."

-From news coverage on Wake Up Lima on WOHN Channel 8

"We now call Finn Hudson to the stand." Douglas said. Kurt watched with trepidation as his step-brother made his way to the front of the courtroom. Douglas calmly waited for Finn to sit down before beginning his examination of the witness.

"Mr. Hudson, you are Kurt Hummel's step-brother is this correct?" Douglas asked.

"Yes sir," Finn replied, swallowing nervously.

"And what is your relationship with him like?"

"Umm… kinda up and down. We've had some issues with each other, but we're working on it," Finn answered

"I see. Mr. Hudson, you attended McKinley High School with both Mr. Hummel and the defendant, correct?"

"Yes, that is correct." Finn asked, shifting uncomfortably in the button down shirt and tie that Burt had insisted he wear.

"Were you friends with him?"

"I knew him and he knew me. We played football together so, yeah I guess" Finn stated with little to no emotion.

"What about your relationship with Kurt?"

"We were step-brothers. We didn't exactly get along. I was jealous of him and did a lot of things to him that I'm not exactly proud of," Finn responded darting a quick look at Kurt.

"Were you aware of any kind of relationship between your brother and the defendant?"

"No, Kurt avoided him. Even when people said things after the attack about Kurt asking for it, I knew they were wrong, even if I got mad at Kurt sometimes and agreed with them. I heard Kurt screaming at night when he was having nightmares. He didn't ask for it."

"Isn't it correct that you welcomed Mr. Karofsky into your home for New Year's Eve party?"

"I invited all the guys from the football team, so yeah, he was there." Finn shrugged. It wasn't like he'd sought Karofsky out to offer a personal invitation.

"Were you aware of any altercations that occurred between the defendant and Mr. Hummel at this party?" Douglas asked.

"One of the guys told me that Kurt and Karofsky were in the driveway with each other and that Kurt was freaking out like a girl. I was trying to figure out what to do when the dudes from Dalton showed up." Finn answered.

"And what occurred at that time?" Douglas asked. "Please tell us as many details as you can remember."

"Well, when I came out of the house, Blaine was holding Kurt in his arms and he was crying. Blaine's friend Wes told Karofsky to go and I told him it was my house and I invited Karofsky there."

"And what happened next?"

"Wes demanded that Karofsky leave and he left but we all knew he was pissed off about it."

"And what did you do?"

"I yelled at all of them and got mad at Kurt and stormed back into the house. And then Kurt left with Blaine and the boys. I think Blaine might have had words with Karofsky, but I can't be sure."

"What words did they have exactly?"

"I really don't remember, but they weren't friendly."

"How did you know they weren't friendly?"

"Blaine looked like he wanted to kill Karofsky right there in the driveway."

"And Kurt?"

"Kurt was crying and shaking. He was really upset that Dave was there."

"Thank you Mr. Hudson. Your witness Smythe." Douglas said.

"Mr. Hudson based on what you saw, Prince Blaine was angered at the thought of another vampire showing interest in an unclaimed human?"

"He was pretty mad about it, yeah but I think he was mad because Dave was going after Kurt not just any unclaimed human." Finn shrugged.

"How did David Karofsky find out where Kurt Hummel was attending school?"

"He overheard Rachel Berry and me talking in the hall at school." Finn looked away guilty because he had unknowingly started a disaster in the making.

"Oh, so you were the one who sent my client to that school to find the one he wanted to claim. Would you say that you supported David's interest in Kurt Hummel?"

"What?" Finn was confused as he tried to make sense of the question.

Nathaniel took pity on the confused human. "Mr. Hudson, did you send David Karofsky to Dalton to specifically find Kurt Hummel so that he could make his claim?"

"No, I didn't tell him flat out and he told me he wasn't interested in Kurt anymore."

"Is that so? Or are you making things up to integrate yourself into Kurt's new family?"

"What? No. I've got my own family." Finn was defensive.

"Oh, really? Where is your mother right now?" Sylvester snorted.

"Uh…I… um… I don't really know," Finn looked away for a moment but not before Kurt saw the flash of pain in his eyes.

"And where are you living?"

"Objection! Relevance?"

"We are attempting to show that Mr. Hudson is dependent upon Kurt Hummel's family for his well-being and it is tainting his testimony."

"Overruled. Mr. Hudson, you will answer the question."

"I'm living with Burt right now."

"Burt? Burt Hummel?"

"Yeah."

"Just as I suspected. The defense is done with this witness."

"I'd like to redirect Dracul," Douglas said smoothly.

Douglas stood up from his chair. "Mr. Hudson, has either Kurt or Burt Hummel encouraged you to change your testimony so that it is more favorable to Kurt? Has Prince Blaine or any other student at Dalton Academy suggested how you should testify here?"

"No, sir. The only thing Burt has ever said about the trial is to tell the truth and Kurt and I only see each other on Friday nights for dinner at Burt's condo."

"Thank you, Finn, and just to reiterate… Would you consider David Karofsky someone your step-brother has ever shown an interest in?"

"Kurt was scared to death of Karofsky. The dude shoved him into lockers and slushied him and called him names. There's no way he would have been having a secret affair with him."

" How regularly was this happening at school or other places?"

"Daily. Kurt would come home from school and lock himself up in his room, only coming out for dinner, if we were lucky." Finn answered.

"Were you aware of any attempts Mr. Karofsky made to properly court Kurt?"

"No."

"Did Mr. Karofsky ever speak to you about any interest in Kurt, at any time?"

"No, he always was complaining about how Kurt was spreading his gay all over McKinley and how it was his duty to fix that problem."

"Hmm…so there was no interest shown as David Karofsky has claimed?"

"No sir," Finn said emphatically. "Not that I ever saw anyway."

"Mr. Hudson, do you think Karofsky and Kurt would have made a good matched couple?"

"No way." Finn vehemently shook his head.

"And why not?" Douglas asked.

"Kurt was scared of him. He could never love or trust him." Finn answered.

"Thank you Mr. Hudson. You may return to your seat." Nathaniel dismissed the young man with a wave of his hand.

"We would like to call Sue Sylvester to the stand." Douglas called.

"Another human? Really?" Sylvester Smythe snorted. "Don't we have protocols against this sort of thing? Is there really anything she can shed on these proceedings?"

"Mr. Smythe, sit down." Nathaniel ordered. "The prosecution can call any witness they choose, just as you can."

"Fine." Sylvester sat back down in his chair, an angry glare on his face.

"Please show Miss Sylvester in and have her sworn in." Nathaniel said.

Sue was shown into the courtroom and quickly sworn in.

"Miss Sylvester, can you please tell us what you know of the animosity between Kurt Hummel and David Karofsky?" Douglas asked.

"My Sweet Porcelain was being tormented by that hulking bully every day." Sue answered.

"How so?"

"He was thrown into dumpsters, shoved into lockers, called fag and lady face, they dumped so many slushies on him that when he was a Cheerio my dry-cleaning bill tripled," Sue growled.

"Did you attempt to help Kurt in any way?"

"I tried repeatedly to get Karofsky expelled for harassment, but I was overruled every time I attempted to interfere in the situation." Sue snapped. "This is what happens when you leave the peasants in control of a high school."

"So, you would say that you know Kurt Hummel pretty well, then?"

"He was one of my best Cheerios and McKinley suffered a great loss when he left. We were on track for another National Championship when Karofsky irreparably damaged one of my stars and therefore my team."

"And were you ever aware of him showing any sort of romantic interest towards Mr. Karofsky?"

"Never. That's beyond insulting to even imply that he would show interest in someone who tortured him the way Karofsky did."

"Thank you Miss Sylvester." Douglas finished. "Your witness."

"Now, Miss Sylvester…isn't it true that you are one of the staff bullies at McKinley High School?" Smythe asked.

"You have been misinformed, sir. I am the teacher that the students respect and know they can come to if they're having a problem because Sue Sylvester gets results… results that are proven."

"You seem to be proud that you get results, Miss Sylvester, but what kind of results did you get for Kurt Hummel?"

"Not the ones I wanted, but I tried which is more than I can say for the other so called educators at McKinley High School." Sue answered.

"Perhaps you didn't try hard enough because you realized that Kurt Hummel was leading David Karofsky on and you just don't want to admit it."

"How dare you!" Sue snarled. "I may not be some high and mighty vampire, but don't you dare suggest that I didn't care about Kurt or that he was in some kind of sick relationship with that bully. Hummel was terrified by Karofsky. I did all I could and I was overruled. At least this Council had sense to get Kurt into a place where he would be safe."

"Miss Sylvester, are you sure you did everything you could for Kurt Hummel?" Smythe asked. "I mean. You could have suggested other educational options for this young man, but you failed on that front."

"Yes, I did fail when it came to Kurt, but it was not for a lack of trying." Sue snarled.

"I am done with this witness." Sylvester waved his hand dismissively in the air.

Kurt felt his tension ease even more when Coach Sue stepped down. She had been an effective witness. Several of the teachers from Dalton testified next about Kurt's mental state upon his arrival at Dalton, and Kurt allowed himself to relax even more. He couldn't help but feel that tension come back double as Nick made his way to the stand. Once he was sworn in, Douglas rose to question him.

"How do you know Mr. Hummel Lord Duvall?"

"We attend school together. He's my best friend."

"And as your friend, has he talked to you about his experiences with David Karofsky?"

"Yes, we've spoken about it frequently."

"What has Mr. Hummel told you?"

"Kurt has talked to me about both of the attacks and how he has been working through the trauma of them thanks to Blaine. He has also told me about all of the violence inflicted upon him by Karofsky while he was attending McKinley. I… I've had similar experiences so we sort of bonded over it and have tried to help each other deal with the issues we have because of it," Nick admitted softly.

"Did he ever express any romantic or sexual interest in the defendant?"

"Never, only fear and revulsion," Nick said.

"And what about the relationship between Prince Blaine and Mr. Hummel?" Douglas asked. Nick smiled.

"They love each other. Anyone who spends more than a couple of minutes with the two of them together can see it. They look at each other with hearts in their eyes," he said.

"Did Mr. Hummel ever express any reluctance to you about a possible mating with the Prince?" Douglas queried. Nick shot Kurt a quick glance.

"Yes," Nick admitted. Douglas raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Did he say why?"

"Yes," Nick said looking relieved. "Kurt was worried that he was too broken by what Karofsky had done to him. He worried that he was damaged and not good enough to be Blaine's mate."

"And have you ever witnessed anything which has led you to believe that Kurt is simply using Blaine for wealth and power?" the lawyer questioned. Nick snorted.

"God no! Quite the opposite actually. He gets rather annoyed with Blaine when he feels he has gone overboard spending money on him," Nick replied. Douglas smiled.

"Thank you Lord Duvall. Your witness Smythe," Douglas said. Smythe rose with a smirk uncannily like his son's and advanced on Nick.

"Lord Duvall, you stated that you and Kurt bonded over similar experiences?"

"Yes," Nick agreed warily.

"Could you elaborate on what those were exactly?" Smythe questioned. Nick's eyes widened in panic.

"I… I…" Nick stuttered as Douglas shot to his feet.

"Objection! Relevance?"

"Mr. Smythe care to explain how Lord Duvall's past is relevant?"

"We are attempting to show that Lord Duvall is projecting his emotions on Mr. Hummel."

Nathaniel sighed. He knew if he allowed this he would not only anger his son further, but some of his closest friends as well. Closing his eyes and wishing he had allowed Andrew to handle this as he had suggested, he nodded for Smythe to continue.

"I… I…" Nick cleared his throat, looking panicked.

"Answer the question Lord Duvall," Smythe sneered.

"I was bullied and raped when I attended school in New York," Nick said dully, tears in his eyes.

"And did you prosecute those who attacked you?"

"No," Nick nearly whispered.

"I'm sorry could you speak up?" Smythe smirked.

"No," Nick said more forcefully glaring at the hateful man. "I was scared of what everyone would think... that I'd be seen as weak. I don't like to talk about it."

"And yet your friend Mr. Hummel had no problems telling you of his attack? Telling several people in fact. Doesn't this strike you as odd?"

"No. Kurt is a lot stronger and braver than I am. He has helped me significantly, more than I have him, just leading by example," Nick growled.

"And his behavior never struck you as disingenuous? You never thought his readiness to talk might be because what he was telling you was a lie?"

"Never once," Nick hissed his eyes going scarlet.

"You are very naïve and trusting young man Lord Duvall. I have nothing further."

Nick stepped down and made his way to the row of seats behind Kurt, who couldn't resist grabbing his friend and hugging him as he walked by.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Kurt whispered, choked by his tears. Nick shook his head.

"I'm not… not if it means you have the justice you deserve," Nick replied before quickly finding his seat as Jeff entered the courtroom and made his way to the stand.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Lord Jeffery Dylan Hughes Sterling," Jeff stated with a smile.

"And how do you know Mr. Hummel Lord Sterling?"

"We met when Kurtie started attending Dalton last fall," Jeff responded.

"And what is your relationship with Mr. Hummel?" Douglas asked.

"We're friends," Jeff responded. Kurt allowed himself to relax once more. Jeff it seemed was trying to be on his best behavior.

"Tell us about the day you met."

"Blaine, Nick, Wesley, and I met him at the school entrance. Tina Cohen-Chang had asked us to take him under our wings."

"I see," Douglas murmured. "And did Mr. Hummel seem happy to be taken under your wings?"

"No," Jeff snorted. "I'd say happy is sort of the opposite of how he was feeling. He seemed more terrified."

"But you eventually became friends?"

"Yes. He is one of my best friends," Jeff said. "I love him like a brother."

"Did he ever mention David Karofsky to you?"

"He told us about the first attack."

"And what was his demeanor when talking about it?" Douglas queried.

"Terrified. He was shaking and pale. His heart was going insanely fast. He was crying. It was pretty horrible to see."

"Lord Sterling, were you present at the altercation which occurred at the Hummel house on New Year's?"

"I was," Jeff agreed.

"And, in your opinion, did Kurt seem happy to see Mr. Karofsky?"

"Absolutely not."

"Did you witness the attack which occurred at the Dalton Governors Ball?"

"Yes, I did," Jeff said.

"Can you tell us about it please?"

"Noah Puckerman had told us that Karofsky was looking for Kurt so we went to find him. We knew Kurt was scared of him and we were worried that Karofsky would kill him this time. We weren't quick enough. When we found him, Karofsky was feeding from him. Kurt was screaming in pain. Blaine… he went crazy. He pulled Karofsky away from Kurt and started beating the hell out of him for touching his Chosen One. Nick and I had to restrain Kurt because he was trying to get to Blaine. He kept asking us to let him go because he had to help Blaine before Karofsky hurt him."

"Lord Sterling in your opinion, did Mr. Hummel seem to be in any way welcoming of the advances of the defendant."

"Absolutely, unequivocally not," Jeff said firmly.

"Thank you. Your witness Lord Smythe."

"Lord Sterling, you state that you and Mr. Hummel are friends?"

"Yes, we are," Jeff agreed.

"Isn't it true though that you pursued Mr. Hummel almost as ardently as Prince Blaine?"

"Not for anything other than friendship," Jeff replied.

"You didn't flirt with him, touch in a more than friendly manner, or make offers for him to sleep with you?"

"Not any more than I do any of my other friends," Jeff snorted.

"So you have no relationship other than friendship?"

"I told you Smythe he is like a brother to me. Maybe your family is deviant like that but mine is not," Jeff smirked as several people in attendance snickered at the young lord's remarks. Smythe shot Jeff a glare, but continued his questioning.

"Is that why you and Kurt struck such a close friendship Lord Sterling, because you both are rather free and easy with yourselves?"

"I'd say no. I mean, your son is the biggest man whore I know and I can't fucking stand him," Jeff said pleasantly.

"Your honor!" Smythe protested through gritted teeth.

"Lord Sterling, please keep your statements to facts relevant to this case," Nathaniel said not entirely able to hide his smirk at Jeff's answer.

"My apologies Dracul. I had thought I was, although perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned the fact that Smythe's kid has been kicked out of five schools in three years because he can't keep it in his pants. In retrospect that might have been over the line I guess."

"Dracul!" Smythe nearly screeched.

"Jeffrey!" Nathaniel glared exasperated.

"Oh dear I did it again didn't I? Whoops! My bad," Jeff smirked seeming entirely unrepentant.

"No further questions," Smythe growled. With a grin Jeff stepped down and took his seat next to Nick, Mike, Tina, Puck, Jake, Wes, David, and Cordelia.

Nick's father testified next, giving a brief factual account of the injuries he had treated Kurt for following the Governor's Ball, as well as his medical opinion that none of the injuries were self-inflicted. Much like Mike, Dr. Duvall remained unshaken by Smythe's cross examination and his testimony was quickly over. Finally it was Blaine's turn to testify.

"We wish to call Prince Blaine Vladimir Anderson to the stand." Douglas began.

A/N: I love our Jeff! Hope y'all enjoyed this one. Thanks to all you fabulous people who have and continue to review! You guys are awesome! Please keep letting us know your thoughts. Side note... any interest in a story about Nathaniel, Duncan, Andrew, Michael, and Jensen and their lives and loves? We're considering an original story about them and were curious what you guys think.

Until tomorrow… hugs!

Cindy and Heidi