When I woke up Connor wasn't laying in bed, but I could smell something cooking which immediately brought a smile to my face. I wrapped myself in a sheet, savored a few more moments in the warm sunshine, and padded down the hall into the living area. What I saw to my right wasn't exactly what I wanted to see. Asher, again, snoring on our couch. I groaned. "Again? Really?"
"We caught a drink after you came home early. He needed to talk...so..." He shrugged, munching on a piece of bacon.
I sighed. "This means I need to get clothes on."
"Just a few more minutes." He grinned, his hips pinning me against the island. I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck. He brought his lips down to mine and we kissed for what seemed like ages, that was until he moved his hands to my back and slapped a knife on the floor, which immediately awoke Asher from his sleep.
"Don't touch that!" He exclaimed, sitting up abruptly.
Connor cleared his throat, and I pulled away, scurrying off back to the bedroom. I could hear Connor ask if he wanted breakfast.
After slapping on a pair of jeans and a white sweater I went back into the kitchen where Connor set up a plate of food for me. I smiled, pecking his cheek. "Thank you."
"Mmmhm." He smiled.
"Ew." Asher mumbled.
"You're ew." I commented.
He shrugged. "Wont argue with that."
After eating a bit I felt my phone buzz, so I lifted it into my palm. It was Bonnie. I answered. "Hi. What's doing?"
"Can you guys come down to the courthouse? Annalise has her first case and she wants you here."
I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Is it anything exciting, at least?"
"I guess you'll see when you get here." She stated. "See you."
"See ya." I hung up and groaned. "We have to go to the courthouse after breakfast. New case."
"Already? The woman just never stops. You get shot in the gut, and you hardly want to sit down?" Connor scoffed.
"Trust me I'd rather be home too." I finished off my food and put the plate in the sink. "But work awaits us, right?"
"Don't worry. It's gonna be fine." Bonnie said as soon as we walked into the courthouse, although I wasn't sure what it was in reference to.
"Nothing ever is when you say that." Connor sighed.
"Where's Wes?" Laurel asked.
"Dunno." I shrugged. "We called. He didn't answer."
"You didn't knock on his door?" Laurel's brows raised.
Connor sighed. "No we didn't knock on his door, we were already late, and I didn't wanna miss the showdown."
"See. I'm not the only one who thinks she hates us." Michaela mumbled.
"She doesn't hate any of you." Bonnie disagreed.
"Not even Laurel? She should." Connor said.
Frank cut in. "Enough. Just be nice when she gets here. But not too nice. You know...she hates that."
"Here she comes." Michaela sighed.
I turned, and there she was. Living...breathing...walking...so many things she was lucky to be doing right now. She walked straight passed us without even a glance, and Bonnie and Frank followed.
"Great. She hates us." Michaela stated.
"Good." Connor shrugged, grasping my hand in his. "The feeling's mutual..."
We all shuffled into the court room and the judge walked in.
"This is a plea hearing for Jason Murray, charged for the second-degree murder of Tyler Robinson. It's my understanding that the prosecution and defense have already come to an agreement-"
"An agreement you need to refuse to accept your honor." A woman stood, holding up a picture.
"Bitches be crazy." I whispered softly to Connor.
She continued. "My name is Joyce Robinson, and the defendant shot and killed my son, Tyler. And as the victim's mother I deserve to have a voice in these proceedings."
Oh shit.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Robinson, but this is not the forum to speak." The judge explained calmly.
"I tried speaking to both A.D.A. Leigh and Ms. Keating about my wishes, and neither of them have taken the time to hear me out. So I-"
"Your honor, Ms. Robinson came to me requesting a restorative justice hearing. I'm sorry, but this alternative can't be considered under a murder charge." The A.D.A. said.
"The A.D.A. is correct, Ms. Robinson." The judge stated. "Restorative justice is reserved for cases with far less severe charges."
"But why? If the victim's family want the court to offer the defendant another option-"
Annalise cut Joyce off. "Your honor, my client has already agreed to a lengthy sentence, fifteen years, and it would be unfair for the victim's family to now hijack this process."
"But what if I want a shorter sentence for Jason?" Joyce came around the pew.
Annalise scoffed. "Clearly this is a ploy to fool my client into denying this deal."
"Not to mention any shorter sentence would be a slap in the face to the actual victim." The A.D.A. pointed out.
"You meant a slap in the face to you, because you'll look soft on crime, right? And you," she motioned toward Annalise, "I think you'd jump at a chance to get a better deal for Jason."
"Your honor. If Ms. Robinson tried to contact me, I apologize. As you know, I've been in recovery." Annalise said.
"But not discussing this option with your client veers dangerously close to ineffective assistance of counsel." Said the judge.
"I have to stand up for Ms. Keating, here-"
Joyce cut off the A.D.A., "How? I don't understand why this is not a viable option."
"Enough. I'm postponing this plea, and ordering you all to hold a restorative justice hearing before any deal is reached." The judge demanded.
Once that was over we both got up. "That's insane." I said. "A guy kills her boy and she wants to get him off the hook a few years?"
"Some people are just genuinely good inside." Connor shrugged.
"If any of you want to be useful you can prep my client for this stupidity." Annalise said from behind us.
"It could be good though." Connor said. "He could get a better deal."
"Or a worse deal." Annalise pointed out. "That woman is in shock. She's gonna turn on Jason the minute she gets in front of him." She pushed through us and walked down the hallway.
"Where you going?" Asher asked.
"To take a nap." She responded hastily.
I crossed my arms. "This is what I aspired to be when I was ten."
"Regretting it?" Frank asked.
"Maybe..." I sighed, absentmindedly rubbing a hand over my abdomen.
"Where's Laurel?" Bonnie inquired.
"Lady doctor." Frank responded.
"What'd you give her, a UTI?" Asher asked.
I hid a chuckle.
"Here, I thought all the crap that's happened might make you grow up." Frank sighed.
"Okay. The hearing's set for tomorrow. First Joyce will make her statement, then Jason. They'll detail their statement of the crime, and how it's affected them. In an ideal world, but the victim and the defendant feel healed and the world's a better place." Said Bonnie.
"When in reality, Joyce is just getting to be judge and jury." Michaela stated.
"It's what the judge wants." Bonnie retorted. "And since you believe so much in this process, you get to prep Jason with me."
"Why bring a gun unless you planned to shoot the kid?" Connor scoffed.
"'cause he's a freakin gangbanger." Asher responded. "He's been arrested for possession of firearms, breaking and entering."
"No way this mom actually wants to forgive him." Connor sighed.
I shrugged. "I think she doesn't want to believe that this world is really so evil that the tabloids suddenly became her reality...I think she wants to see the light in Jason. it's a shame there isn't any."
"Or she could just genuinely want to forgive the guy. Hearts work in mysterious ways." Frank retorted.
It wasn't long before Michaela and Bonnie returned back home.
"I agree with Annalise. This is a waste of our time." Michaela said, throwing files on the table.
"Seriously." Frank said. "Lipstick the pig all you want. The guy just snapped."
"Frank." Bonnie warned, looking at Asher.
"Sorry." He apologized.
"Whatever. People snap." Asher shrugged. "No biggie."
We all went back to doing our own things, so I took that chance to waltz over to Connor and sit next to him. He smiled at me and wrapped his arm around me tightly. "Hi."
"Hi." I smiled, snuggling my head on his shoulder. "So I've got some news."
"Mmm?"
"I got an appointment." I explained quietly. "For the baby."
"Did you?" He asked softly.
"Mhm. It's for next week. You wanna go, right?"
"Of course. Of course I wanna go."
"Great." I grinned. "That means taking a few hours off work. But I'll work it out with Bonnie."
"Sounds good." He kissed my head.
I went back to reading my file but was rudely interrupted by the door bell ringing. Everyone stared at me in anticipation and I rolled my eyes, walking off to answer it. I opened the door swiftly, and who I saw was a bit of a surprise.
"Caleb?"
"Hey. Is Annalise here?" He rubbed the nape of his neck nervously.
"Yeah. Come on in." I invited him inside and shut the door behind him. I then proceeded to lead him into the main room. "Guys."
Everyone looked up, and Bonnie sat up quite quickly. "Caleb. Is there something we can do for you?"
"I need to talk to Annalise."
"I'll get her."
We stared at him in awe until Annalise came downstairs and brought Caleb into her office.
"I wonder what they're talking about." I pondered.
"Who knows. Who cares. I'm glad she dropped him." Connor muttered.
"So am I. The case was a mess, and we didn't need any part of it. I'm just saying...what if something happened?" I shrugged.
"Like what?" Michaela asked.
"I don't know. I just...I've had a bad feeling about this case since we first took it on. I can't help but wonder how it's supposed to end."
It wasn't until a little after that Caleb stormed out of the office and out of the house. Annalise came out. "What are you still doing here?"
"Working." Connor responed. "Y'know. For you?"
"Well do it somewhere else. I want my house back." Annalise scoffed.
"Still wanna pretend like everything's fine?" Michaela sat up, throwing her files down, glaring at Bonnie.
We took work back to Connor's apartment, where I also cooked us some dinner, and invited over Josie.
"Whatever it is," said Josie, walking to the kitchen with her plate. "that woman is a miracle. Being able to kill her sons killer like that...although I do see the other side of it. Thinking he might go out and kill again."
"He probably will." MIchaela muttered.
Connor glared at her, glancing at Asher.
"But!" She began. "I think people are redeemable. People have bad days...doesn't mean it should define you for the rest of your life."
Asher began to sit up, and Connor looked over his shoulder. "Where you going dude?"
"Gotta take a squirt." He muttered, walking off.
"Hey Michaela, is it just me, or is there like, a ton of chemistry between you and Asher?" Josie wiggled her eyebrows.
I gagged.
"I don't think I've ever been more insulted." She stood from the couch.
I sighed. "Josie is trying to help. I'm sick of him being here, and I want him out."
"Aw, that's cute, it's not happening." Michaela sipped her wine.
"Are you sure? I mean, his moves in that rap video were pretty good." Josie smirked. "Which means, he's probably awesome in bed. Was he awesome in bed, Leo?"
"The father of my soon to be child is sitting right next to you and you want to ask me how good another mans sex was?" I gaped.
Connor sighed. "Listen, guys, he just needs some friends right now."
"Yes, but why us?" I groaned.
"Because his moms a jerk, and-and Bonnie just dumped him. Look, I get that he's a pain in the ass sometimes, but shouldn't I be getting some credit here for trying to be a good person?" Connor asked.
"You're always a good person. This? This is not the way to show other people you aren't heartless." I patted his chest.
"No, don't show us you aren't heartless, I only like you when you're an ass." Michaela joked.
The restorative justice hearing was held. We'd found out Jason hadn't accidentally killed Tyler, it was completely purposeful. He was found guilty, and given a fifteen year sentence. We also found out that Wes was being held in a Psych ward, and Annalise wanted no part in getting him out, so the five of us decided we would go get him. That was until I got a call from Annalise.
"Hello?" I asked.
"I need to talk to you."
I rolled my eyes. "About?"
"I'm waiting outside Connor's apartment. Can you come out?"
I looked at my friends and then at my feet. "Fine."
"Who was that?" Laurel asked.
"Annalise." I sighed. "She wants to talk to me."
"That can't be good." Asher stated.
I sighed. "You guys go get Wes without me. It's better that way, you can just take Connor's SUV. I need to go hash whatever this is out with her..."
"You sure?" Connor asked.
I nodded.
He pecked me goodbye, and I went downstairs. Her black sedan was sitting out front, the engine going. I sighed, wrapping my arms around me tightly, trying to warm myself up. I got in the car slowly. "What?"
She began driving. "I expect the rest to hide things from me. Lie. Deceive. Manipulate. Not you."
"Why? Because I'm the little abused girl?" I spat.
"No. Because you have real potential. You could be me. Literally, be me." She responded.
"I don't want to be you." My words were venomous. "You've hurt me more than you've helped me."
She sighed. "You want to be what you thought I was. And I want that for you too."
"Why do you care so badly?" I scoffed.
"Because I know you don't really hate me as much as the rest do. You have the softest heart. Which can be great, and it can be a curse. You pity me, don't you?"
I rolled my eyes, looking out of the window.
"Well guess what. I don't need your pity. I just need you to continue to do what you've been doing. Getting good grades in your classes, answering my questions correctly, thinking the same way I do. We have the same genius, Leorah, I noticed that the first day you came on with the firm. I also expect you to tell me when you're pregnant."
My eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"You're terrible at hiding things. Especially Walsh. Kissing your stomach in the kitchen? Talking to it like another person? And don't try to tell me he doesn't know where your eyes are." She muttered.
I sighed, rubbing my face. 'It didn't need to be said."
"It did. I know what this job does to a pregnant woman. If anyone deserves to have a kid, It's probably you. I hope it softens Connor up a bit."
"Is that it?" I mumbled.
"I don't do this...ever."
"What?"
"Apologize." She looked over to me. "When I shoved the gun in Connor's hand, you broke. You came into my care broken, and it's not my job to shatter what was left. Let me assume you've had nightmares, night terrors maybe? Connor wakes up to find you wailing in your sleep, and he wakes you up, but when he falls back to sleep, you're too scared to go too. I did that. And I want to apologize to you."
"You don't need to apologize to me." I mumbled. "I'm not important here. Apologize to Laurel. The girl you made shoot you. She's probably more of a mess than she's letting on."
"She's not pregnant." She stated.
We were silent after that. I couldn't help but wonder what the big deal with me being pregnant was...why she cared so much. It isn't like she had any children, so what was her problem?
"Where are we going?" I asked after a few minutes passed.
"I'm going to get an ice cream. I don't know about you, but."
I nodded softly.
She did indeed buy me a waffle cone with mint chocolate chip ice cream on top. I ate it on the ride home. Connor was back, and Asher was on the couch again. I walked into the bedroom, where Connor sat in his boxers, his laptop next to him.
I smiled stripping off my pants and jumping on the bed, straddling. "Hi."
He looked up at me with a smile. "Hey. What did she want?"
"She knows about us. The baby...and she apologized."
"Apologized?" He exclaimed.
I nodded. "Don't ask me why. I don't know why. She just did..."
"For?"
"Hurting you." I responded, looking up at him. "It wasn't too exciting. She bought me ice cream...how's Wes? Did he do something stupid?"
He shook his head, pulling me closer, and rubbing my back softly. "No. He's back home now..."
"Good." I smiled. "How about you? Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I think so." He smiled too, and lifted my shirt. "And how's my baby?"
I giggled. "She's good too."
"I love that she's not any gender at this point, but we're so convinced it'll be a girl." Connor smirked, lowering my shirt.
"Me too." I brought my face down to his and pressed my lips against his own. He wrapped his palms around my cheeks and I held myself up on my forearms.
Suddenly, I heard a beep. I furrowed my eyebrows, sitting up. "What was that?"
"My computer." He responded, opening a file in his email. "What is this...?"
I shifted so I was now laying next to him, cuddling against his side so we could both watch.
"Oh my G-d." He mumbled.
"Fuck." I sputtered.
It was a video. A video from the night at the mansion...