Author's Note: I'm going to respond to a review here instead of through PM, because I want everybody to understand it. Don't worry, nothing bad, but for the reviewer (I'm too lazy to go look, so you know who you are) who warned me against putting too many cliffhangers? That's what gets reviews. I know I've commented on it before at some point in time, but I don't know whether or not you all realize it.
Simply put: people are more likely to review when they're left hanging. It spurs them to demand updates and what not. Don't think I do it purposely, now. I usually don't plan things out to that degree. If, as I'm writing, I find a place where it would be good to stop for the suspense, I do it. As it would so happen, that occurs frequently in this particular story.
That being said, I'm sorry if the amount of cliffhangers upsets you . . . but that's not likely to change. Just remember, the story is pretty much over at this point. You won't have to put up with it for long.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Lost
I fidgeted with the soft cotton skirt swirling around my knees, growing increasingly uncomfortable in the garment. Everything about the current situation had me on edge. The loss of control over my sibling's, as they'd always be referred to, future made me physically sick to my stomach.
At that point anything could feasibly happen, and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it.
"Max, calm down," Fang murmured, doing his best to soothe me. While I wasn't sure what my future with him would look like either, it had taken a back seat in light of more pressing matters. Besides, I didn't mind having him there for support. Despite breaking up with me for ridiculous reasons, his presence made me feel better.
"How can you ask me to calm down?" I hissed, balling my hands into fists as I took my splintering gaze off the empty doorway and turned it on him. "Angel and Gazzy's entire well being is at stake here! They could possibly go to that scum of the earth I'm revolted to call my father . . . or not my father, I guess, considering Rebecca isn't exactly my mom anymore. Regardless, he's worthless. He walked out on us as soon as he got the opportunity. He doesn't deserve a second chance."
His obsidian eyes pierced my own, simmering with a low intensity. He gripped my shoulders in his callused hands, keeping my jittery, restless limbs in place. I pressed my lips tightly together, squeezing my lids shut. He was right. I needed to relax. At some point I was going to have to go in and give my testimony or whatever, and it wouldn't do me any good to look half crazed and hysterical.
"I'm scared, Fang," I admitted, no shame in doing so. "I'm scared for them."
He pulled me closer, his arms slipping from my shoulders and around my neck. I clung to his waist, burying my head in his collar.
"I know . . . Me too," he whispered lowly at my ear.
Because the truth was, even though he had abandoned us before, Jeb could certainly provide a much more stable environment for Angel and Gazzy than Rebecca and my . . . mom, could. He had way more money and a nonexistent drug record. The ways he could use that against us were endless. Plus, he had successfully been married to his current wife for years, and they had a healthy son of their own. I'm sure, despite the mishap with our family in the past, he was the picture perfect model for a father now . . . while my mo- Rebecca was a recovering drug addict who didn't have much of a part in raising her kids even though they were technically 'in her care'.
Oh, we were a shoe in.
The creaking sound of the door opening had me leaping from Fang's arms and whirling in the direction the noise had come from. Unfortunately, it was the wrong door. The frame leading to the courtroom was still solid wood, while the one towards the outside of the building was gaping.
"Dylan," I reprimanded him through gritted teeth, sullen now that he had gotten my hopes up. It was torture not being able to sit in on the proceedings. Everybody else could, after all. I absolutely hated waiting, knowing that somewhere in there Angel and Gazzy were sitting, under the scrutiny of the judge; myself unable to protect them from whatever fate lied in store for them. "What are you doing here?"
"Chill Maxie," he said, rolling his eyes. I did my best to ignore his use of the pet name 'Maxie'. If I dwelled on it too long I was likely to punch him square in the face; something that was likely frowned upon here.
"Now really isn't the time for your twisted games," I insisted, struggling to keep my frustration in check.
"I know, okay? I just wanted to let you know that I'd be scouting the perimeter for any trouble, so when you see me lurking around through a window you wouldn't flip out," he explained seriously, then with brows furrowed: "Twisted games?"
"Just get out of here!" I ordered, shoving him towards the exit. He raised his hands in surrender, allowing me to manhandle him onto the steps. I slammed the door on his brilliantly smiling face, only hoping I could get lucky enough for it to disgruntle him.
Huffing I spun on my heel, blowing a strand of hair out of my face while I did so. I began pacing after that, stretching from one end of the small waiting room to the next. No one besides Fang and I were present, so I felt safe in doing this to blow off some steam. He tried to cut in on my path a few times, but I dodged him until he eventually gave up, settling in a chair to watch me slowly drive myself insane. I'm afraid it gave him more amusement than I would have preferred.
I stopped dead in my tracks when a door I hadn't previously noticed swung open, revealing two people. One was an older woman, her white-blond hair fashioned in a twist around the nape of her neck. She had on a chalky gray business suit; the severity of her pencil skirt cutting just above her knees. Her expression was vaguely icy, but mostly uninterested.
The other was a young boy, probably seven or eight in age. His eyes were the same blue as the woman's, and he had dirty blond hair that was mussed around his head. Upon seeing me he bowed his head quickly, like he was embarrassed, or more likely: shy.
"You're Max?" the lady asked sharply, raising a perfectly waxed eyebrow at me.
"Yeah," I said slowly, exchanging a look with Fang. "And you are?"
"Victoria Batchelder. Jeb's wife," she elaborated, staring me down like she was judging my character by just a glance.
Just to clear some minor things up as well, I changed mine and Angel and Gazzy's last names to Rebecca, and apparently my mother's, maiden name after he left. I wanted to rid myself of every part of him possible. It just didn't seem right to continue living as normal with the devil linked so closely to us all.
My gaze zeroed in on the child at her side. That meant that he was . . .
"Jeb was insistent that I bring Ari to meet you. All he does is talk about his amazing big sister anyway, not that he knows a thing about you besides the outlandish tales his father tells him. Makes you sound like some sort of martyr saint or something, sacrificing yourself for the common good and all. He brags all the time about what a success you are, and all on your own," she sniffed, sounding unimpressed by what was directly in front of her. Looks like I didn't exactly live up to the image Jeb painted of me.
Besides the very extreme initial shock that Jeb speaks about me at all. I figured I'd be some sort of taboo in his new and improved life.
"I'll just leave him here and you two can chat," she announced before I could get in a word edgewise, nudging Ari forward. He smiled bashfully up at me, scuffing the tip of his shoe into the floor; back and forth and back and forth.
She left me no room to object, fleeing from sight as soon as she could possibly disengage herself from the conversation. I had barely opened my mouth before the door had shut with a resounding bang at her back. It looked like I'd be getting personal with the little squirt without her supervision.
I glanced back at Fang, looking panicked. He took in my expression, shrugging in response. He didn't know what I was supposed to do. Was there a right way to talk to the little half brother you didn't even know you had until just recently, before then finding out that he wasn't actually your brother because your mom isn't actually your mom, so your father couldn't possibly be your actual father?
Did no one think of this besides me?
"Uhm . . . hi," I greeted him lamely, giving him a small smile. This seemed to encourage him somewhat, because he lifted his head a little and stepped closer to me. I walked over to the line of chairs against the wall, motioning for him to join me. He complied without hesitation, scampering to do my bidding with enthusiasm.
I could get used to that.
"So . . ." I mused, wracking my brain for something to talk about. "You're my little brother, huh?" Or not.
He nodded timidly.
"And that was your mom that brought you in here?" I asked, going for some easy things so that he'd warm up to me a little and, I don't know- actually speak.
"Yeah," he answered, his voice low and quiet. "She has breast cancer though, so she's probably going to die soon."
My eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, and I whipped my head around to stare at Fang. He looked minutely affect, but what could you expect from Fang? Who cares if some eight year old just announced his mommy was probably going to die sometime in the near future? That wasn't a big deal for Mr. Rock at all.
"Who told you that?" I demanded, returning my attention to Ari.
"She did," he said, his pretty blue eyes wide and innocent, gazing up at me. He didn't seem necessarily upset over the fact, so I decided it really wasn't my place to judge. I smoothly slid that little tidbit out of the way, delving into something a little less . . . morbid.
"Alright then. Tell me, how does your dad . . . treat you?" I inquired, biting my lip. This was one of the most important things for me; the thing I absolutely had to know. There was really no tiptoeing around it. I needed to know that if he had to give us up, he was at least a good father to this little boy.
"He's nice," Ari supplied, smiling. "He buys me a lot of toys and cool stuff. He doesn't play with me a lot, though. He works all the time, so I stay at home with Mommy when I'm not at school. Sometimes he takes me to the lab with him. That's fun, too."
"He takes you to work with him?" This was mildly alarming, considering if I remembered correctly, Jeb was a scientist studying genetics. The project he was working on just before he left, and forgive my eight year old mind for not committing the exact details to memory, was that of splicing human DNA with animals.
"Uhuh! The people there give me candy when he's not looking. They're really nice. He doesn't let me go into most of the places there, though. He says some of the stuff is too scary for me. I mostly play in his office or with the secretaries while he works," he explained, and I bit back a sigh of relief. So he wasn't experimenting on his own son, apparently.
Good.
"Well that's great, then."
"He talks about you all the time, too," Ari informed me, sounding pleased at the fact. I had to wonder yet again why Jeb was mentioning me so seemingly much. If he loved me as much as they were making it appear, he wouldn't have walked out on me at such a young age. It didn't make any sense.
"Yeah?" I said in interest. "What kind of stuff did he say?"
"Well . . . he just tells me how brave you are, and that you take care of the other two kids in that big room. That you shouldn't have to, but you do anyway, because you love them. I think he wishes you would love him like that, too."
"Yeah, well I don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon. But I like you a lot, so it doesn't really matter about Jeb anyway," I replied, poking his stomach. He responded with a giggle, squirming under my finger.
Someone cleared their throat, and I glanced up quickly. Having not heard the door, I was surprised to find a man beckoning for me . . . to enter the courtroom. That meant it was time to testify. My next words could be the weight to throw the deciding balance in our favor. I wanted this to end quickly and painlessly, no bitter custody battle necessary.
I came to a stand, suddenly heart achingly serious. Fang stood beside me, squeezing my hand quickly in assurance. I glanced back once to see him framed in the doorway, Ari at his side. Fang smiled crookedly at me in encouragement, and I was hard pressed to keep that image in my mind as I ventured forward.
The room was deathly silent as I made my way down the carpeted aisle, to the very front. On one side Rebecca, Val (because really, I wasn't ready to call her my mother yet), and their lawyer sat. On the other Jeb and his attorney watched my proceedings with solemn eyes. I caught a glimpse of Angel and Gazzy in the corner, waiting tentatively. I couldn't do much else but shoot them a shaky smile before I was ushered to the stand.
I wasn't sure what to expect after that, but the movies and TV shows didn't lie. I had to state my name and all that good stuff, then swear that I would tell the truth. Like I had anything to lie about. I mean, really.
Mr. Lebowitz, the lawyer Valencia hired, approached from behind their bench. He stuck his hands in his pockets, taking on a relaxed position as he stared at me with an easy, carefree expression. Either he was trying to put on a show, or he was actually that sure of his ability to win this case.
"Can you identify Jeb Batchelder for me, please?" he asked.
I suppressed a sigh, pointing directly at Jeb.
"Good. Now tell me, Jeb left you and your family when you were a mere eight years old. Gazzy being two and Angel a fragile newborn, correct?"
"Yes," I answered coldly, my eyes narrowing at Jeb's expressionless face.
"So it would be safe to assume that he didn't want anything to do with the rest of yours, and their, upbringing?"
"Objection," Jeb's lawyer insisted. "Argumentive."
"Sustained," the judge agreed, much to my displeasure.
"You were very much a vital part of these two children's raising, were you not?" Lebowitz seemed unfazed by the refusal, moving on easily.
"Yeah. They were my entire life growing up," I admitted, allowing myself a sly glance in their direction. Both were looking up at me with wide, blue eyes. Their angelic blond curls tumbled beautifully around their heads, making them look impossibly more innocent.
"You're a legal adult now, correct?"
"Yes."
"You'd be able to provide for them if need be, then?"
"Of course. I'd do it today if it meant they could stay in the right hands."
"Your view of the right hands being whom?"
"Objection." Jeb's lawyer stood again, lips set in a grim, unforgiving line.
"Overruled. Continue."
"Not Jeb. Definitely not Jeb," I insisted vehemently, wholly centered on that fact. If the raw emotion in my voice wasn't enough for that stupid handful of jury members who held the fragile future of two of the most important people in my life, I didn't know what was.
"I think it's been proven that you're in a very good place to know what's best for them then, right?"
I could tell Jeb's lawyer wanted to say something, but he held it in.
"We didn't have a lot in the past, but I made sure I could always afford what was best for them. It might not have been an ideal situation, but it's much better now," I highlighted, hoping to shed light on that feat. They had a good home where they were. They didn't need anything else.
"Is it true that Jeb could have come back at any time?"
"Yes. But he never did. Not once. I didn't see a hair on the top of his head until recently when he intruded on a very good friend of mines funeral, no less. At any point in time he could have helped us out in some way. Instead he just ignored our existence. How can it be okay for him to suddenly want to take them away from us? It's not fair."
I had enough life experience to know that things were hardly ever fair, but this just seemed cruel and unusual.
"No further questions, Your Honor." Lebowitz withdrew to their bench, looking satisfied.
"Cross-examination?"
"Yes, please," Jeb's lawyer answered pleasantly, shutting something in his briefcase before he stood, walking slowly to stand in front of me. When he did so he locked my gaze with his own, and I was nothing if not competitive, so I stared back; unflinching.
"Is it true that, under light of recent circumstances, you came to find out that Rebecca Ride was, indeed, not your biological mother? That her older sister was?"
"Yes," I replied truthfully.
"So it's also fact that Angela and Zephyr are not your real siblings?"
"With all due respect sir, they may not be directly linked to me by blood, but they will always be my brother and sister. No amount of DNA testing can say otherwise," I said strongly, grinding out the words through gritted teeth.
He nodded, jumping immediately to his next question.
"Rebecca struggled with drug addiction very soon after Jeb left, correct? That's why you were forced to raise the children while you were nothing but a child yourself?"
"Yes, but-"
"Just answer yes or no, please."
I'll answer yes or no to my fist in your face, that's what I'll do buddy.
"Yes," I said tightly, my gaze never leaving his carefully calculating one.
"You managed to go some time without any unwanted attention from social services, right?"
"Yes."
"That didn't last long, though? Eventually they were contacted and the two were admitted into their custody?"
"That's right. They omitted me because I was almost eighteen anyway. I'd be out of the system before they even got me fully in."
"I'm aware that Rebecca fully completed her rehab treatment, but is it possible for her to relapse and start using again?"
"Objection. Irrelevant. Other guardians would be immediately available," Lebowitz interjected, looking determined.
"Your Honor, the basic loss of their mother is no firm foundation for a growing child. It is relevant to the case."
"Sustained. You may continue with the line of questioning."
He glanced back at me expectantly, that being the only time his eyes left mine during the examination.
"Yes, I suppose she could. But-"
"Yes or no is all that's needed, Ms. Ride."
I pressed my lips tightly together, fighting the urge to sock him in the eye. "Yes," I begrudgingly admitted.
"I believe we're done here. No further questions."
I barely contained a growl at his retreating, triumphant back. He thought he had won this round? Oh, he had another thing coming for him. Just because Rebecca was still at an unstable time concerning her condition, it didn't mean she was going to give up the life she had just gained back. If it meant keeping Angel and Gazzy away from Jeb's clutches, I would make sure of it.
"Wait!" I exclaimed, pulling the judge and jury's attention to me. "Can I please say just one more thing?"
The judge eyed me, an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes. I gave him a pleading look, and he said gruffly, "Permission granted."
"Look," I said insistently, turning to face the jury. "Neither situation may seem ideal at one point or another, but you have to take into consideration what they want. This shouldn't be up to anybody but them. Both families are stable. On one hand you have a father that's never wanted anything to do with them, but also has the finances to finish raising them. I've heard from a very good source though, his son in fact, that he works a lot and is barely home. On the other hand you have a mother that loves them, no matter past mistakes. Plus a big sister who has, and always will, risk her life for them at any given moment. Not to mention an aunt that's sacrificed so much for them already, and will continue to do so until her dying day, that I'm sure of. How can you force them away from that without their consent?
"Let them decide," I finished in a raspy whisper, barely loud enough for the jury to hear. Their faces showed the effect my words had on them, and they unanimously decided right then and there what should be done. The judge couldn't feasibly refuse.
Angel and Gazzy would decide.
"I want to stay with Max! And Mommy and Aunt Valencia and Ella! I never ever want to have to leave them," Angel cried automatically, leaping to her feet as soon as the judgement was ruled. She raced to where I was exiting the witness podium, throwing herself into my waiting arms.
"Me too!" Gazzy agreed, following soon after his sister. Even though he was twelve now, he had no shame in burying his face in my neck. Bittersweet that he was tall enough now to even reach it, nevertheless. The kid was growing fast, all gangly legs and arms.
HA, in your face Jeb! HA HA HA!
I've only ever lost a fight once. Today definitely wasn't going to be a chance for a second.
Author's Note: No cliffhanger! You're welcome. I fully expect you to review still, though! ;)
Ahem. Anyway. I'm no lawyer, so feel free to complain about how crappy that trial/hearing thing was. I don't know anything about that stuff. I don't even know if custody is decided by a jury. I've never had any personal experience with the matter, so I was kind of winging it. Review anyway?
P.S. Who else loves crime/court shows as much as me? :)
