Chapter 52 the reckoning for James

2 months later

"ok Cally you set us up for video chat, now say what you need to tell the court" says the prosecutor both sides knew this was coming eventually

"ok first I'd like to thank you for having me here" says Cally

"damn I thought she'd be too scared to testify" says James

"unfortunately for you dad I have a great group of friends that saved me, oh and you've been replaced by someone who actually cares about me" says Cally

"continue Cally, you told us you had recorded statements from your friends stating what he did to them?" says the prosecutor

"I'll play them in a moment, I couldn't get one statement because she's dead, his actions drove her to suicide, he made me watch as he raped my best friend, I have the note she left me for evidence headed your way right now, now for the statements" says Cally as she presses play and the audience listens in disgust as details are told

15 minutes later just after the videos

"ok Cally anything else" says the prosecutor

"yes one more thing, he made me shoot Selena because he lied to me my whole life, he scared me, he hit me, all of this is already in evidence, however he tried to get me thrown in jail, I now have severe PTSD, anyone touches me and I flinch, only a few people talk to me where I don't cower in fear, he did that to me he did everything to me, I guess I have to go, thanks for listening to me, I eagerly wait for the long awaited ruling" says Cally as she ends the chat

2 hours later

"Cally they reached a verdict, they wanted us to know before the public" says Jade waking over towards her as she flinches at her touch

"oh yeah, what is it, did he get away with it again" bawls Cally

"not this time, the judge said it only took ten minutes to reach a guilty on all counts verdict, that's extremely rare" says Jade

"I doubt my friends statements helped at all, he's too powerful to be that scared of me" says Cally

"did you not hear what he said when you started talking, he knew you knew he was there, he said damn I thought she'd be too scared to testify, he was definitely afraid, he knew he was done as soon as those videos played, the prosecutor asked after the trial what swayed them, can you guess what they said" says Jade

"probably audience reactions" says Cally doubting herself

"stop being down ok it was the courage of his daughter to say no more and to bring 10 people with her, they read the note in court, the judge said he could audibly hear James swear multiple times, when asked why he swore at that note he broke and said he didn't think you would do that, he said that hurting your best friend was a strategic move to keep you quiet, by that statement he admitted what he did and everyone knew the biggest person in music is done and you saved hundreds of people, he said there are more than who spoke today that refused to talk because they listened to him, he tried to say Selena was one of them, well well speak of the devil, what are you doing here Selena, I thought you'd be gone by now with demi and Jackson" says Jade

"I just wanted to say that one I'm pregnant I wanted to name her Cally because you were so strong for so many years, and he did rape me once, that's why I left, he has a grudge against me, if he gets to me somehow someway after my baby is born and I can't take care of her, we decided that Jackson would take one and take him to safety in Italy, demi would take care of me, but she didn't exactly want kids, not if one of us can't take care of them, we wondered if you'd take that Honor Cally" says Selena

"wait so you are having twins" says Cally crying

"yes both are technically Italian royalty, so would you" says Selena

"if it comes to that yes I will, let's hope it doesn't" says Cally

"will you flinch if I give you a hug" asks Selena

"unfortunately as I work through things with cat and things come to light it only gets worse, Cat says things like this get worse before they get better, Jade literally brought me good news and she rested her hand on my shoulder and I almost had a panic attack thinking it was him, so yes I probably will, doesn't mean I don't want a hug though, she says you never gave her that kiss" says Cally

"I thought it was part of the skit we were playing for everyone else to rush them to the hotel as fast as we could, it did seem out of place, but she never brought it up again" says Selena as she hugs Cally

"well someone didn't flinch" says Cat surprised

"not to Selena but I did to Jade, you need to talk to jack, his boss still hasn't talked to Jenny, she stayed in Ashley's and Jade's spare room last night, for two months she has been getting more distant, probably in fear of what Tasha is going to say, she hasn't been to work all week, now I'm afraid that I've lost her and that if she touches me anywhere now I'm going to slap her or punch her, she's been avoiding me all week, inside when I go out and walks outside when I walk in without even a glance at me" says Cally as Tasha walks off the boat

"that's why Tasha is here, she doesn't realize how distant Jenny has become, but she was not as enthusiastic in her last night of training others, Tasha noticed, then she didn't even come to work, she got board approval to allow the relationship, let's hope it's still what Jenny wants" says Cat

"where is Jenny, I have great news for her" says Tasha

"hiding from me, ever since tori caught her with her pants off two months ago she has become more distant, I'm afraid I've lost her, she won't even talk to me anymore" cries Cally

"that's not good, I wanted to wait till after the trial and the verdict so you guys would be clear headed, I guess I made a mistake, I've made many over the years, my mom even more so breaking jack and I up then killing any chance of him working anywhere in a hospital anywhere, I've moved on and so has he however because of what my mom did and how Jack handled it, I didn't like him, my mom is the reason why he can't have kids" says Tasha

"Tasha stop, they don't need to hear all that, it turned out that it was just what I needed Jenny is in Jade's spare room, not speaking or anything, she reversed the knob so I can't unlock it, Jade has a key though, you need to get through to her, Cally can't get any healing if she isn't there, she only got this far because of her" says Jack

"I'll be right back" says Tasha as she heads up to the guest room

"go away jack I'm not coming out" says Jenny

"it's me Jenny open up, we need to talk" says Tasha as the door suddenly opens

"she's changed, she flinches every time I attempt to hold her hand every time I hug her she flinches, I can't do anything without her flinching" says Jenny

"think about it for a second remember how Jane would do the same thing when you'd hug her, Jane didn't supress it like Cally has, you've helped her realize that her pain is ok but she needs to deal with it and she can't do it without you, the flinches are showing you that she feels that pain, Selena asked if she'd flinch if she hugged her, she explained things, and said yes I probably will but that doesn't mean I don't want the hugs, you can apply the same things to you, she has been avoiding cat for three days for treatment, she feels like she's lost you, she said that you've been distant since tori caught you in the kitchen two months ago, what she's going through she needs you, you can't keep doing this Jenny, flip the situation would she avoid you if you needed her" says Tasha

"Jane did flinch but I could understand that, I never thought I should compare them, I treat everyone differently based on how they feel, I thought she had changed and was avoiding me" says Jenny

"no Jenny she wasn't avoiding you, you avoided her, she doesn't like being alone, she doesn't even really like the beach because she never got to go to one, so why would she go onto the beach where you were if she wasn't trying to be near you, she was trying to say I need help Jenny help me why won't you help me" says Tasha

"oh I didn't know, she has gone out there before by herself" says jenny

"yes when she needed to think and figure things out because everyone but you was trying to help her, she felt crowded so she'd go out there to be alone, Cat would record this and keep me informed, the thing she doesn't know how to say is I need my space right now, you can help her with that, you do so well with Jane and Harriet, better than me, better than tori even, they miss you and Cally misses you, you need to come down to the kitchen and whenever she flinches you need to say it's alright I'm here" says Tasha

"I'll try" says Jenny as Tasha picks her up

"I'm not dressed Tasha stop I can walk you know" says Jenny a few seconds later

"get pyjamas on then and get down there, if you aren't down in three minutes then I'll go back up and carry you down" says Tasha as she heads back down

"is she coming down" asks cat

"you would make a great therapist cat I swear, Cally has come so far since I met her, yes she's getting dressed, don't you want to know what I told her" says Tasha

"nope, unless she tells me herself, I'll just be glad to see her out of that room, it doesn't matter what you said, I can tell you didn't yell, but I do know you told her about Jane and Harriet" says Cat

"I mentioned them yes but only to prove a point, hey Cally she was scared of your flinching every time she tried to get close to you" says Tasha

"everyone was, I thought her getting to know Jane would help her understand" says Cally

"she treats all the patients differently, that's what makes her so likeable at the hospital, she didn't realize she could compare Jane to you, she thought she wasn't supposed to do that so she didn't" says Tasha as Jenny walks down slowly not looking at anyone

"Jenny talk to me" says Cally

"I'm sorry" cries Jenny

"I thought you would learn from Jane, I know tori said you should apply things from Jane to me on your first day, why didn't you" says Cally

"I didn't want to change you, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to help you" says Jenny

"I have severe PTSD thanks to James, that doesn't mean I can't work through it, Cat showed me that, yes I've suppressed it for years Jenny but that's why it's so bad, I really need your hugs, with them I know I can get through the day, tori said Jane misses the hugs too, we all have something that stops us, why do you think I've always wanted to be a doctor Jenny I've told you this before, I want to know if you remember" says Cally

"wow that was way back, it may take me a few minutes to figure it out" says Jenny as she sings that love song

"I can tell you are a few weeks behind, I loved that song by the way" says Cally

"wait this is that love song, wow its amazing" says Jade

"I know it rivals yours, she never sang it to me though, but I followed her a few times into the library and caught her singing it" says Cally

"that's what I'm doing now calcite, man now I lost my train of thought" says Jenny as she starts over

"let's give her a few minutes while we make your lunch Cally, eggs, cheese and jam right" says Cat playfully

"no no it's eggs cheese and bread you mushroom" says Cally sarcastically

"right eggs, cheese, bread and Mushrooms got it" says Cat as Cally laughs

"wait was it that week when you brought nothing for lunch and you asked if you could have my sandwich and I winked" says Jenny

"no that was something else I don't want to say out loud" says Cally

"wait a second you never say anything sarcastically do you, that story has something to do with mushroom doesn't it" says Jenny

"I mean it is what I say instead of swearing however if you had been paying attention to cats words, she's been throwing hints" says Cally

"I was paying attention, I remember that day well" says Jake

"good afternoon good sir, would you like a egg, cheese and jam sandwich" says Cat laughing

"sure why not" says Jake winking at cat

"I don't remember, I thought I did" says Jenny

"think about it for one second did you hear the conversation between cat and I regarding my lunch, it's actually a skit version of a conversation we've had back in high school" says Cally

"how can Jake remember but not me" says Jenny

"well you did dump me, you were afraid that Cally didn't like you so you got her a calcite crystal, gave it to her homeroom teacher then skipped school that day, that conversation happened later that week" says Jake

"wait I don't remember skipping school" says Jenny

"you definitely did it was a Monday Hun, Cally told me the whole thing, she still has that crystal, maybe if I got it for you you'd remember" says Cat as she runs up to her room to get it

"it does have to do something with Mushrooms though right" says Jenny

"sort of, Jake wasn't even my friend till later that month, I definitely loved calling him a funny mushroom" says Cally

"here it is Jenny, hold it maybe you'll remember" says Cat

"I remember that crystal, I had spent my months allowance on it, oh damn, you wanted to be the light in the world that had gone out, I remember that conversation now, that comment definitely wasn't meant to be funny, Cat was playing me right" says Jenny

"yes she was how'd she do" says Cally

"I thought she did pretty well, the funniest thing about that day was when you took her Mushrooms comment seriously and made the sandwich, then she promptly had you remake it without mushrooms because she doesn't like how they taste" says Jake

"I never understood where you calling people mushrooms came from" says Jenny

"it's a coping method actually, I thought what would be the most outrageous thing I could possibly call someone instead of swearing at them" says Cally

"so what is for lunch for real then" says Jake

"hotel luncheon actually, Jess had it prepared for the trial so everyone could watch you be so strong, watching James swear and curse was pretty funny actually" says Carly as she hugs Cally

"I'm sorry I flinched" says Cally

"it's ok, I'm here for you" says Jenny as Tasha winks

"Awww come give me a kiss" says Cally

"what if I bite your lip" says Jenny

"then I have to bite your ear" says Cally

"ok I guess a kiss it is" laughs Jenny as she kisses Cally

"let's get going, people aren't going to hug you unless you say it's ok, alright" says Ashley

"hey free hugs are free hugs, I'll take what I can get" says Cally

"will they be ok if she flinches" asks Jenny

"let's deal with it as it comes ok jen, I don't want people to be afraid to hug me, they already watched the trial so they know all about why I flinch" says Cally

"they will be fine, they were requested to ask for hugs anyway because of the flinching, Cally told me she does better when she is asked ahead of time anyway" says Cat

15 minutes later at the hotel

"ok this place looks dramatically different" says Jade

"we kinda went overboard Jade, we wanted it to look like a vintage movie theatre" says Ashley

"looks like it's themed in my colors, what does the trial have to do with me" says jade

"oh I don't know maybe this article that came out last month, it says Jade West finds link between unsolved assault cases links them to James Carson case" says Sam

"Ooh how'd they possibly make that connection, is the first question asked in that article, care to answer that jade" says Carly

"I never talked to anyone but the prosecutor to get warrants for things" says Jade

"what kind of warrants" asks Annabeth

"not warrants sorry, I don't remember what they are called but it was so we were allowed to use their statements in court" says Jade

"ahh yes, not the easiest request to get from a judge for a case like that because they weren't there to give consent in person, how'd you pull it off" says Annabeth

"mass video conference?" says Jade

"Hmm, that's never been done before, interesting tactic, sorry by the way about your friend cally, you've had to deal with that pain for how long" says Annabeth

"five years, thanks Anna it's been tough and weighed hard on me, but it's finally over, I'd like to think she's thanking me for finally getting her the justice she deserves" says Cally

"wait so he did that when you were twelve" says Carly

"he would do it anytime I brought over a friend, or would call me home and force me to bring them with me, some of them technically knew what he did to my past friends but knew he'd do it to me if I didn't bring someone home, those friends didn't testify because they didn't care anymore but were ecstatic to hear he was finally being charged" says Cally

"how long did it go on for though" says Spencer

"two years before I finally said no and didn't bring any friends over, it was around the time I met Jenny and Jake that I said no I'm not subjecting my friends to this anymore" says Cally

"he pulled you out in the middle of ninth grade, jake and I cried for weeks, we'd only known you since eighth grade, yet it felt like we lost a great friend we'd known for eight years" says Jenny

"the abuse had been going on nine years strong, I was tired, frustrated and annoyed, so behind his back I informed Jess, under the code name Silly Slide, he never figured it out, I know because I said to let his plan play out, I told her that if she informed the cops too soon he'd absolutely destroy me with the abuse and they needed an inside person" says Cally

"wait is that what the whole tour was about" says Tori to Cat

"I won't confirm or deny girly" says Cat

"unfortunately you just did kitty" says Jess

"Jess you put cat as our inside agent" says Cally

"I had multiple Cally including Selena and one who kept tabs on you" says Jess

"Beyoncé yes I know, my dad refrained from attempting to abduct the big artists, he was stupid to assume I wasn't in contact with someone outside his control, just because I was scared of him doesn't mean I didn't leak information, the funny thing is, as sad as it makes me, I was free to leak more info because as he got more artists, he almost forgot me, abusing me once a day to keep my fear in place instead of dozens per day, like I said it still makes me upset that I loved the free time away from him" says Cally

"so contacting beyonce wasn't just to get andre's song back" says Tori

"no tor I initiated contact before I had heard of jess's contact with Cally, when I asked for her number jess hadn't told me yet, I heard the day before the wedding tor, hence why I had private calls, it was also why I was actually video chatting on the plane, I wanted to know how much time we had" says Cat to Tori

"it's normal to be conflicted when you were in that situation Cally, you pushed through it and survived, not everyone can say that" says Cat to Cally

"I know my best friend didn't make it, it's hard enough living without her smile as it is, stop reminding me please, unless you want a punch to the face" says Cally getting agitated

"calm down calcite, she meant in general, she wasn't attempting to bring her up at all, were you cat" says Jenny as she gives Cally a hug

"I um, I'm sorry, Carly you might want to take care of those cameras headed our way" says Cat

"got it, how'd they even get in" says Carly as she heads towards the camera people

"I'm sorry Cally, I definitely didn't want it to come across that way I was trying to be reassuring but then I saw them" says Cat pointing to people with guns

"what's going on here, why are you here" says Carly

"we wanted to speak to Cally and Selena" says the camera operators as Steven walks up

"is there a problem here, escort those people with guns out now, while I talk to these gentlemen" says Steven to some army personnel

"yes sir" says jasmine Stevens and about half a dozen troops

"ummm no not at all we were just leaving actually" says the main camera operator

"then get out of here before I learn why you were really here, Carson agents" says Steven as they run out if there pretty fast

"why do you have the army here dad" says Carly

"don't you realize they were here to kill Cally and Selena for James Carson, a crowded hotel dining area would have been the perfect place for it, knowing his type I prepared for this" says Steven

"wait so you just saved their lives, selena is pregnant, did you save them because of the assassin group darkness wants them dead" says Carly

"how do you know about darkness" says Steven

"you need to work on your secure access to the army database dad it's not exactly secured, you may want to fix that now like right now" says Carly

"you sure you've got this now" says Steven

"you think Jamie would leave me unprotected dad, his daughter literally is always right beside me" says Carly

"ahh so you are corporal Stevens, I have to go but it was nice meeting you" says Steven

"you too sir, you are a legend, enjoy you retirement please, I hope to be as good as my dad is someday" says jasmine Stevens

"at ease soldier, I'm fine for now, Sam should be here In a minute" says Carly as Sam punches someone near Selena

"what was that" asks Jasmine Stevens

"it looked like someone was hurting Selena and Sam saved her" says Carly as Sam drags one of the guys with a gun outside

"Sam just saved me, holy Mushrooms that was crazy, we need this place swept for more people with guns" says Selena

"ok guys party over unfortunately, Cat tori green coat check ok" says Carly over the speakers

"green coat check what does that mean" says Jess

"code for get Cally the hell out of here Selena was almost shot, Sam probably disarmed him or it would be a red coat check meaning armed personnel in the building get her out of here" says Cat as they all run out to their boat to head home

A/N if you were worried this took a turn for the worst, well you aren't wrong but the last chapters are calmer, as much as I'd love to kill off Selena to create another star wars reference, I obviously haven't done that have I