Thank you everyone!
ConnieLaxer12 – Hehe thanks, and thanks for reviewing!
Irishgrl33 – Yeah I love that song and have been waiting to use it. Thanks!
imaferrari – LOL thanks! I love the Cure, have done since I was a kid, so had to use this song. I wanted our girls to get to connect, and they did lol, thanks for my cyber hug!
Your Relentless Lover – This story isn't about sex…but I needed a break from writing drama lol. Glad you liked the visual…my brain was a fun place to be while I was writing it lol. Thanks!
uluvme – Well I don't live with my parents but I think my housemates would object to me and a girl spending a weekend like that at my house lol. Ah yes Spencer naked at the piano…a favourite visual of mine lol. Hehe thanks!
Born2Try, norar, LoveAsh87, Harley Quinn Davidson, DarceLynn – Hehe thanks, I needed a break from writing the drama!
WillowOn3 – Yep Tom and the lawyer are not loved. The defense attorney is just doing his job though. Hehe yeah I needed a break from writing the court room drama!
shayer – Well mission accomplished then lol. Yeah I like Ashley and Spencer's way of escaping reality lol…and you mean 'awesome song', good is not a strong enough word
30mafer04 – thanks! Will Tom get his? We'll see
mutt009 – Hehe well happy 23rd birthday for September then, all the best people are born in September lol. It was a much needed weekend, for the characters and me as a writer lol.
ashleyss27 – Wow thank you, glad you like the story! Thanks for the song tip, I'll check it out
Usual disclaimer – SoN not mine
Fear Itself
Chapter Fifty-One – A Father's Shame
Spencer's POV
So after the single most magical, sensual and amazing weekends of my entire fucking life I was off to court again. Time for day three of Tom's trial to begin. I smoothed my hands down over my black pin stripe skirt, adjusted my sky blue button down shirt and took Ashley's offered hand as we walked inside the imposing looking building.
I smiled gratefully at my Dad, brothers and Chelsea who were already waiting outside the court room before turning to scold my band members who were once again in attendance when they should be in the studio working on our debut album.
"What are you guys doing here? Not that I'm not grateful, but shouldn't you all be in the studio or something?" I asked as I stood in front of Julian with my hands on my hips and a little teasing scowl on my face.
Julian laughed and shook his head, "First of all Spence, there is no conceivable way I was not going to be here to support my best friend through this and secondly, we are not progressing our album until you and Ashley are there to progress it with us. The label gets it and is one hundred per cent supportive of this. Everything is on hold til this court case is done."
Julian smiled sweetly at me as I dropped Ashley's hand and launched myself into his arms. Julian swept me off my feet and hugged me close to him. I smiled against his muscular chest and held him close as he set me back on my feet.
While holding me tight in his arms Julian leaned in and whispered, "You totally got laid this weekend didn't you?"
I leant back so I could look up into his eyes incredulously. How the fuck had he picked up on that?
Sensing my inner thoughts Julian chuckled and leaned in to whisper, "Princess not only do you have a just been fucked glow, but you have this smile on your face which people only get after sex or winning the lottery."
I shook my head and laughed softly as I murmured, "I will neither confirm or deny your theory." Julian laughed and dropped a kiss on the top of my head.
Keeping my arm around him I turned to face everyone else with a warm smile, probably the largest one they had seen on me in a very long while. I was feeling pretty alright after my weekend with Ashley, rejuvenated and refreshed.
I guess an entire weekend of uninterrupted sex, nakedness and connecting with my really, really hot rock star girlfriend helped calm me and prepare me to face this stretch of the trial. This trial had taken its toll on me, it had tested my strength and my determination to never let Tom beat me. I had needed that weekend with Ashley to remind me that life was a beautiful thing worth fighting for.
We had locked the front door, turned off our cell phones and told all our well meaning loved ones that if they dared to interrupt us for anything other than an end of the world emergency we would cause them unimaginable pain and misery. So the only interruptions we had all weekend were the Chinese and pizza delivery guys, one of whom coped a good look at me wearing nothing at all when I wandered into the living room having not heard the knock at the door. Ashley had glared something fierce at the poor young guy who seemed to think staring at me was a good idea. Besides that, the rest of the weekend was just us.
That weekend revitalised me and gave me a fresh dose of hope and optimism. I had this little fluttering feeling in my chest, this little light feeling that was telling me that everything was going to be alright.
As long as I had Ashley, then everything was eventually going to turn out alright. How could it not?
I rested my cheek against Julian's chest and smiled over at my girl as my Dad slung his arm around her shoulders and kissed her head. It meant a lot to me that my family liked Ashley and accepted her as a part of my life. Actually she was more than a part of my life, she was my life.
We stood in a group chatting, making small talk and all that good stuff and were soon joined by Kyla and Aiden. I gave each of them a hug, grateful for their support. I have said it before, but I am very lucky to have such a big support network.
I looked forward to getting to know both Kyla and Aiden better after the trial, given everything I had not really spent a lot of time with my girlfriend's sister and childhood best friend. That would soon be remedied.
It wasn't long before we were all called into the huge, echoing court room for another gruelling day of the trial. I walked in that morning feeling strong and more determined than I had before. I don't know if it was really a weekend of uninterrupted Ashley sex time and togetherness, or if maybe I was just finding a new reserve of hope, but I had this contented feeling that everything was going to work out.
I took my seat between Ashley and my Dad, sitting tall and strong, clutching each of their hands in mine. I fixed my eyes on the door and when the guards brought Tom in I just looked at him, really looked at him for the first time since this trial had started.
I looked past the smug arrogance and the cocky bullshit swagger and just saw a sad, pathetic little man who knew he would never amount to anything and wanted the world to suffer for it. Tom was haggard and thin beneath his shoddy suit. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks and that it had been months since his last proper meal. He didn't look so scary to me in that moment. He wasn't the bogey man, he was someone to be pitied.
He had hurt me, torn me down and made me vulnerable in a way I never wanted to be again. He made me a victim and that was one thing I never wanted to experience. He took my power from me, in a way only weak people ever use, and now I was taking it back. He could not hurt me anymore.
Tom sneered over at me and I just looked at him, keeping my face expressionless. I saw his face fall for a moment at my total lack of response to his taunting gaze before he was back to smirking smugly over at me and mine in a way that made my skin crawl.
I shook my head and turned my head so that I could look into Ashley's beautiful big brown eyes. She smiled softly and leaned in to press a chaste kiss to my lips. I tilted my head and sent a loving smile her way before leaning over and resting my head on her shoulder.
Ashley dropped a tender kiss on my temple and wrapped an arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze, "I love you Baby," she whispered.
I smiled against her neck and placed a soft kiss on her silky skin, earning me a hitch in her breathing, before I murmured, "I love you too."
I stayed snuggled in her arms until it was time to rise for the judge. Judge Kramer walked in and surveyed the court room over the rim of her glasses. She looked over at me and seemed to almost smile as our eyes briefly connected. I may have been imagining it though. She took her seat and shuffled her papers as we all took our seats.
I looked up at the Judge and waited as the proceedings began. Felicity rose from the prosecution table in her perfectly tailored black power suit, intimidating me even though she was on my side. I really wouldn't ever want to get on the wrong side of Felicity Crompton! She smiled at the jury and said loudly and clearly, "the prosecution calls Mr William Brooks to the stand."
I snapped my eyes around to catch sight of the elder Mr. Brooks rising from his seat next to his wife and striding over to the witness stand. He took his seat, refusing to even glance over at his progeny, he had made his feelings about Tom very clear. The bailiff swore him in and Mr. Brooks settled in his seat and turned his steely gaze to Felicity. He looked far too composed for someone who was about to testify against his own son.
Felicity strode confidently over to the witness stand and began her questioning, "Mr. Brooks could you please state your relationship with the defendant?"
Mr. Brooks nodded and said in his strong, slightly gruff voice, "Certainly, the defendant, Thomas Brooks, is my son."
"Thank you Mr. Brooks. In a statement you gave to the police you detailed your involvement in your son and Miss Carlin's relationship, could you please tell us a little about that?" Felicity asked with a hint of a smile on her lips.
"Well I know Paula, Miss Carlin's mother, through mutual friends and we figured my son and her daughter would make a good pair. My son was in an unsatisfactory relationship with a woman who passed away during his college years and I felt it was high time he started dating a woman more in line with his social standing. After many months Paula and I were able to convince our kids that they should enter into a relationship that was mutually beneficial for both children and their families," Mr. Brooks said.
I hated the way he talked about all of this as though it was a business deal. I mean I guess in a way the relationship between Tom and I was a business deal orchestrated by my mother and Tom's father…a deal that had turned pretty fucking sour to put it bluntly.
Felicity frowned a little at Mr. Brooks, you kind of got the impression that she did not like him much at all. She folded her arms over her chest and asked, "Ok can you please tell the court how you found out about the end of your son's relationship with Miss Carlin and what happened between you and Tom later that same night?"
Mr. Brooks shuffled in his seat a little, the only obvious sign that he was uncomfortable. He was very good at keeping his composure. "Well I was out at dinner with a former business associate when I saw Spencer dining with Miss Davies. I assumed she was out for a meal with a friend and went over to say hello and to make sure she and Tom were still joining my wife and myself for dinner that coming weekend," Mr. Brooks paused and turned to look over at me briefly.
I met his unreadable gaze and held it until he turned to look back at Felicity, "Spencer seemed very confused that I assumed her and my son were still an item. She told me they had broken up a few days prior and that she was surprised he hadn't told me. I was rather surprised myself. Spencer then informed me that she was gay and that was the reason she had ended things with Tom. I will admit I was rather rude and cruel towards her following her confession, for that I am sorry," he cast his eyes over to me again and even flashed me a tiny smile.
I smiled back thinly and felt Ashley squeeze my hand comfortingly in hers. I turned and flashed her a loving smile before facing the front of the court again.
Mr. Brooks glanced at Ashley quickly before continuing, "I said some awful things to Spencer that night, which were all unacceptable. I behaved appallingly. I am sorry to say that was not the worst of my behaviour that night. Following my encounter with Spencer and Miss Davies I went to visit my son." For the first time since he had entered the court room Mr. Brooks looked over at Tom.
His expression remained unreadable as he took a moment to just gaze at his only child. He cleared his throat and let a frown wrinkle his brow, "Well I found Tom drunk, as was often the case with him of late. I was so angry and so disappointed. I felt like he must have turned Spencer gay or done something really wrong to have her leave him for another woman. He was, and is, a disgrace to his mother and myself."
A loud sniffling could be heard echoing across the court room at his words and I turned to see Mrs. Brooks crying into her handkerchief. I did feel bad for that woman, she was a quite lady, reserved and dignified, but she did love her son very much. She had put Tom up on a pedestal and for his entire life had him convinced he could do no wrong. She enabled him to be a jackass really.
Mr. Brooks looked sadly over at his wife before sliding his poker face back on and continuing, "Well I told Tom about running into Spencer and Miss Davies and yelled at him for not telling me that their relationship had ended. I felt at the time that had he told me about the relationships demise could have found a strategy to fix things between Spencer and Tom before people found out. I was just fed up with my son disappointing me. I mean he disrespected me and his mother by getting engaged to a woman we openly disapproved of and then when we found him a nice girl from a good family he couldn't even keep her." Mr. Brooks shook his head and scowled down at the floor.
"Ok Mr. Brooks what happened next?" Felicity prodded, a slight frown on her face.
"After that I said some pretty horrible things. I told Tom that he mustn't be much of a man if his girlfriend would rather live a life of sin with another woman then stay with him. Tom said he tried to get her to stay and I didn't believe him. I told him I was surprised he could even function given how monumentally stupid he was. I told him he must have tuned Spencer gay. I was so angry by this point, I was yelling a lot. I gave Tom everything. I got him into college, welcomed him back into my life after he disgraced us with his former fiancé, got him a job and got him Spencer…all of which he managed to mess up," Mr. Brooks snapped as frustration marred his expression.
He ran his hand through his steel grey hair and sighed loudly before continuing, "I gave my son every opportunity to succeed and instead of making him a better man it just made him weak. My son is a pathetic boy pretending to be a man. He would be nothing without all that myself and my wife have done for him. I told him I would no longer support him or bail him out. I was so ashamed and disappointed. From that moment on I hardly consider that man," Mr. Brooks pointed harshly at Tom who visibly winced, "my son. I left his house after that. The attempted rape is said to have occurred early the next morning. I am deeply remorseful that my son took it upon himself to hurt Spencer. I may not agree with her lifestyle choice, but I will not ever stand for violence against women. Spencer did not deserve what my son did to her."
The jury, hell the entire court room, all sat silent as they processed what Mr. Brooks had said. I swallowed around the gold ball sized lump in my throat and blinked back the tears that wanted so desperately to fall. Mr. Brooks looked over at me, a look of deep remorse in his eyes. He was a misguided old fool, but you could see that underneath his tough exterior this was breaking his heart.
Felicity let the silence hang over the room for a bit longer, giving time for the impact of Mr. Brooks' words to truly resonate with the jury members.
Finally she stepped closer to the witness stand and looked right into Mr. Brooks' eyes and asked in a clear, strong voice, "Given your knowledge of your son, his personality and his past behaviours do you believe he is guilty of the crime he is accused of?"
"Objection! Conjecture!" Mr. Farmer called out.
"I am merely asking for Mr. Brooks to tell the court if he thinks his son is capable of committing the crime that he is accused of. Having raised his son and knowing him so well, Mr. Brooks has knowledge of his son that few other people could ever have. His opinion on this is relevant," Felicity explained.
Judge Kramer looked down at Tom for a moment and then nodded, "Ok I'll allow it, but be very careful with this line of questioning Ms. Crompton."
"Thank you your honour, Mr. Brooks shall I repeat the question?" Felicity said.
"No that won't be necessary. In my opinion, based on what I know about my son…yes I think he is more than capable of doing what he is accused of," the entire court room gasped at his answer and I had to close my eyes against the tears of relief that wanted to fall. Mr. Brooks sighed and continued, "I am deeply ashamed that a son of mine could think that it is alright to use violence and force against a woman. I am ashamed that he shares my blood. I have not always been a good father, and many think me a cold hearted man, but I have always impressed on my son that violence and force used against a woman is unacceptable."
"Thank you Mr. Brooks. I have no further questions at this time your honour," Felicity said before turning back to her table. She looked up and caught my eye, sending me what I think just might have been a little look of triumph. God I hope so!
Judge Kramer looked over to the scruffy little defence attorney who was shuffling his notes around and mumbling a little under his breath, "Mr. Farmer your witness."
Mr. Farmer nodded and got to his feet to shuffle over to the witness stand nervously. He kind of looked like any loud noise was going to send him cowering under the nearest desk or table. He was definitely not an impressive or awe inspiring man.
"Thank...thank you your honour. Mr. Brooks, prior to this alleged attempted rape has your son ever been charged or accused of violence or sexual assault against a woman to your knowledge?" Mr. Farmer mumbled.
Mr. Brooks cleared his throat and shook his head, "No, not to my knowledge."
"Ok, what about violence towards anyone? Has Tom ever been accused or charged with assault or any other violent crime to your knowledge?" Mr. Farmer prodded.
"No he had not, not that I know of anyway," Mr. Brooks said with a deep frown on his face.
"What about as a child, did Tom have any disciplinary issues when it came to girls and/or violence?" Mr. Farmer asked with a raised eye brow.
"No, nothing other than reprimands for bullying in his sophomore and junior years of high school. He knuckled down senior year because we wanted him to get grades good enough to get into a decent college so he could go onto law school which was always the plan for him," Mr. Brooks answered, his usually gravelly voice even more so.
"Thank you Mr. Brooks, nothing further," Mr. Farmer said as he ambled back to his seat.
Judge Kramer looked over at Felicity, "Miss Crompton, do you have any more questions?"
"Yes I do your honour," Felicity got to her feet and strode over towards Mr. Brooks. She folded her arms over her chest and asked, "So Tom has a history of bullying and intimidating behaviour then?"
Mr. Brooks sighed and nodded, "Yes he does. Tom was disciplined numerous times for bullying at high school, as I said, and I have heard reports that he was often caught engaging in intimidating and bullying behaviour in his workplace as well."
"Hmm thank you Mr. Brooks I have nothing further," Felicity said with a soft smile before retaking her seat.
Judge Kramer released Mr. Brooks and called a short recess before the next witness was to be called.
I sent Mr. Brooks a small smile of thanks as he strode past me on his way back to his seat. A smile that, to my surprise, he returned with the most sincere smile I had ever seen grace his grumpy face.
It's nice to know he was human after all.
