A/N: Chapter fifty? Really? And we're STILL not done?

No wonder people are frustrated with this story xD

...but WOW. Last chapter was apparently very much a win! I was expecting some 'ehs' but the words 'holy' and 'shit' were quite common xDD

I didn't realize that Kyle bein' all James Bond-like was so enticing to you guys xD

Now then. This raises the point of no, I don't see Ky as completely defenseless. He just had to wait for the right time to strike. He's been my victim this whole time. It was his turn to jump up and fight. Go. Jewboy.

Anyways.

Enjoy the commotion as we lead into the ending of ending-ness. Woooooo.

And, AND: Happy birthdays to some people: tfro97. I don't know your specific bday, but you asked for this beforehand, so here ya go! Happy early birthday, my friend! =D

And of course, today is Adrenaline...or ketamine. methanol ...or Tweek...or...You. You're new name is You, You. It's You's birthday today! =D

I couldn't give him an oneshot as planned because my attempts sucked donkey balls, but here's an update for ya! Happy birthday, Dude!

Anyways. On with the chapter =p


Ken stood up from his seat, taking the ring from off of Kyle's empty chair and staring at it. He heard quiet sobbing and looked up, seeing Sheila trying very hard to keep herself calmed down but failing miserably as tears rolled down her plump cheeks.

He left the stand and walked down towards the front to go follow Kyle, but not before stopping as he was adjacent to Gerald and Mitch's table. He glared at the elder Broflovski. "If I lose my fiance` because of this...we're gonna have some problems," he growled in the midst of the booming silence. He, Stan, Cartman, and Damien all walked over and shoved the door open, looking for the runaway Jew.

"Boys?" Wendy called. "What happened?"

"Where's Kyle?" Ken demanded, looking around for any sign of the redhead.

"He just ran off," Bebe answered, standing up with Ike, Kayla, and Jacob beside her. "He muttered something about a bus and left."

"Fuck, he's running," Stan stated. "We have to get him."

"Come on," Ken motioned his head. "The bus doesn't come for two hours anyways." The boys nodded and followed him out the door. They came across Kyle's fresh footprints in the thin layer of snow, keeping their eyes on the ground as they followed them.

After a long while of awkward tension, Ken let out a soft, choked sob. He shook before blinking his tears back and turning on his heel to look at Damien. "Why didn't you tell us?!" he demanded. "Why wouldn't you tell me?!"

"I wasn't about to go and pry into Kyle's business," he explained softly. "He didn't want anybody to know."

"Why didn't you help him?! You watched them doing all that to him and you never once thought of saving him?!"

"We had to see just ho-"

"How far he would go is obvious, Damien! They...they fucking tortured him and all you did was watch!"

"From a camera," Damien sighed tiredly.

"What?" Cartman blinked.

"Ken, listen to me. I wanted him out. I really did, but my father said it was necessary. But I did all that I could to help him out. And all I could do from that point on was try to find ways to bring these guys to justice. All I could do was keep the camera battery going..." he sighed again. "I did everything I could to keep him conscious and out of a coma. Barney was right, his blood sugar should have killed him, or at least set it so his body would stop and he would already transcend to his second body. I kept him hanging on all that I could. I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

They stared at each other for a minute before Ken broke away and sniffed. "God...how could they do that to somebody?" he asked softly. "How...how can they knowingly hurt someone so much?" he looked back at them with glistening eyes.

"I don't know," Damien replied gently. He placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I have to go home to talk to my father about something. I'll be back soon. Just find Kyle."

He nodded before Damien vanished. The three remaining boys stared at each other, the tension bearing down on them immensely.

"Come on," Stan said. "We better find him."

They nodded and Ken turned again, leading them down the trail of footprints imprinted into the white crystals. He looked up at the sky and felt himself shudder. No wonder Kyle had been so secretive; so distraught...

'You think that you're getting revenge, but all you get in the end is heartache from your actions.'

He'd been so careful, never mentioning anybody besides himself, Mitch, and Barney being in the picture.

'God...he was...he was just like...oh God, Kenny...he was just like them!'

Not once had he ever said that he himself wanted them hunted down and punished for what they had done to him.

'I wouldn't say unforgivable, Stan...I mean...yeah, it was...upsetting...'

He himself had almost no idea of what had transpired as the gun was shot. He was completely derived of himself in that instance.

'I...I remember just about everything. There were a few points where either my brain wasn't cooperating or I was unconscious, but I remember a lot.'

It was perhaps the event that caused him to look at his life on a wider spectrum, to push him deeper into his depression and closer into Ken's arms.

'Think about it. We can't die. I...I wanna know just how far my body can go. What's the limitation on a human's life? Where does it finally stop? I haven't tried anything...but just the idea of seeing how far I could take it...it just makes it all the more captivating.'

'Kenny, I'm not going to hurt myself like that again. If I wanted to, I would have taken those steps already. I wouldn't have let you bring me back. I'm here because goddammit I want to be with you, alright?'

He was scared. He was completely terrified of Ken's reactions. Of everyone's reactions. So he hid. He lost his story a few times in the process, subtle differences that would have led anyone observant enough to be suspicious.

'Kyle said that they just left afterwards.'

'They passed out....I got the keys for your cuffs, called Stan, dragged you out of the place, and just waited.'

Ken bit his lip and sniffled as he thought of everything that Kyle had told him. Of how he never wanted him to know what had happened, for fear of the blonde leaving him. As said blonde looked at the ring clutched in his hand, he merely bit his lip.

Kyle really thought it was over. He thought everything was done.

Kenny froze as another thought entered his mind:

'How can you protect someone from themselves?'

"Come on," he motioned his head to the two trailing him before breaking off into a run. They followed behind him, their feet pounding against the cold, hardened ground in a mash of sounds. If Kyle thought things were bad before, there was no doubt that he believed it to be worse now. There was no telling just what he would do.

He looked to his right, seeing that they were passing through the old neighborhood. He raised his brow back at the other two, who looked just as confused. The bus station was on the other side of town. Where the hell was Kyle going?

He slowed as he came across the sight of a small redhead curled up into himself on the ground, leaning against a sign pole. He looked around, recognizing the bus stop from when they were kids. The three of them looked at each other briefly before swallowing and stepping forward. Ken came right up beside him and looked out towards the road.

"Don't you think you're a little old to ride the bus?" he asked, looking back down on him. Kyle sniffed and tried to curl up tighter. He sighed and plopped down on the ground next to him, Cartman taking his left and Stan sitting on the other side of the pole by Kyle. A few moments of silence passed before Stan sighed.

"Ky, you gotta look up sometime."

"No I don't," he mumbled from his concealed lips.

"Come on, talk to us," Ken coaxed, brushing some of his unruly curls back. "We just want to talk, Kyle."

He lifted his head from his arms, his eyes glimmering and bloodshot. "Why are you here?" he asked, trembling.

"Because you ran out and I promised I'd protect you," he shrugged. "Hard to do that when you're not there."

"Why would you protect someone like me?" he cried, a few tears cascading down his cheeks. "I...I..."

Ken wiped away the water and sighed. "Kyle, not one person in that room blames you for what you did."

"I do."

"Well you shouldn't, Stan interjected. "Kyle, Ghandi would have done what you did, alright? Don't beat yourself up over it."

Kyle looked from him to Kenny and sniffled. He looked past the blonde to the heavyweight beyond him. "What about you?" he choked out. "Where's the 'murderous Jew' commentary?"

"Even I can tell that's the last thing you need right now," he raised his brow. "I'll wait a few weeks and come up with some good material then."

Kyle just sighed and looked away, staring at the road past his curled-up knees. "None of you were supposed to know," he mumbled miserably. "I didn't want you to know...or anyone else..." his voice cracked and he buried his face again and cried lightly. "Now everybody does! God, I shouldn't have done that!" he screamed.

"Kyle, they were going to stab you to death," Stan said. "You would've been hurt way worse. They might have found out about your powers and everything because you wouldn't have died! You killed two people who were going to kill you. That's a fair trade in my book."

"Yeah," Cartman and Ken nodded.

A small pause came in-between them. Kyle looked up and stared across the road. "He knew," he whispered.

"Who's he?" Ken cocked his head. "Knew what?"

He looked at him. "I'm a horrible person," he croaked. "I...You...Barney...," he mumbled.

"What about him?" Stan asked.

"Ken...didn't kill...Barney...," he said slowly, looking at the ground.

"Uh...I'm pretty sure I did," Ken raised his brow. "Remember? Irretrievable and internal bleeding and all that?"

"No...no...," he shook his head robotically. They stared at him expectantly. "I did it," he finally whispered.

"Kyle, he was holding you down," Cartman rolled his eyes. "Ken was the one who-"

"NOT LIKE THAT!" he yelled, looking over at the boy angrily. "I told him. I...when he pulled me out of the shower....I told him that we could see ghosts. That I had the power to speak to and see the dead...," he trembled. "I killed him. Ken held the gun but I put it there in the first place."

"He thought you were delusional...." Kenny gulped before looking up at the crying Jew. "Kyle. Look at me, please?" He flickered his emerald eyes towards him. "I don't care about what you did," he said firmly.

"I killed three men and that doesn't bother you?" he sniffed.

"We've all killed people, Ky," Stan lied on his back and sighed. "We had a fucked up childhood, remember."

"Yeah, really. So you shot some people, big whoop," Cartman snorted. "I ground people up and made them into an entree`."

"But you're an asshole," Kyle sighed, lowering his legs and sitting Indian-style. "You thrive on vengeance...I don't. I'm supposed to think things through...and act accordingly."

"I'd say what you did was pretty damn according," Ken commented. "They raped you for four hours. I would've lost it after that, too."

"I would've found a knife and turned on 'em at the mention of them attacking me," Cartman gruffed.

"Same," Stan nodded. He looked up at Kyle and smirked. "And you know what a peace-loving hippie I am."

Kyle let out a small cough of a laugh before shaking his head disbelievingly. "Why are you doing this? What I did was wrong!"

"No, it wasn't," Ken assured him. "What they did was wrong. What you did was justifiable. Well, aside from one thing. I can't fucking believe that you did it, but you did and I'm pretty pissed about it."

"What?" Stan cocked his brow. Ken smirked at the trembling redhead and displayed his ring in his fingers.

"Mind telling me why you took this off?"

"I...I didn't think that you would w-want...," he stammered, completely dumbstruck. Ken laughed softly and grasped his left hand, sliding the ring back on.

"I told you that I love you and that nothing would change that...and I meant it. All this has proven to me is a few things."

"What?" he blinked.

"You're a fighter. You're controlled. I finally know why you were so terrified and why you were so secretive. And above all, I found out that you want to live," he smiled wider. "You wouldn't have done that if you were still on your suicidal phase."

He raised his brow. "I already told you I wasn't."

He kissed his hand softly. "You were so hidden from me on this whole thing, Kyle. I didn't know what to think about the whole suicide scenario. But now I know that you really don't want to leave me. And I don't want you to leave me...so I think you better keep the damn ring on."

Kyle blinked at him slowly. "You...you still want me? Even after seeing all that?"

He nodded. "My decision never changed for a second. Kyle, that doesn't matter. What matters is our future," he leaned up and kissed his forehead softly. "Surprise twenty-one." he whispered before pecking him again. Kyle pulled back and looked at him with glittering eyes. They slowly faded into a gorgeous rose and he kissed Kenny back before looking at him shakily.

"I love you...that's why I never told you..."

Kenny chuckled lightly. "I know, Babe. No more secrets. I'm right here for you, alright?"

He nodded softly. "Okay. Then I have to tell you that you're a terrible cook."

He laughed loudly, "That's not a secret, but it's a start," he winked. He sighed and took Kyle into the crook of his arm before lying them both on their backs, Cartman following suit.

"Why'd you come out here anyways?" Stan asked, looking at Kyle.

"I think I was hoping a time machine would pop out of nowhere," Kyle muttered. "Remember when we were kids and we would always be here?...Things just seemed easier. We'd do whatever we wanted to, did all kinds of insane stuff...but it just seemed so routine."

"Now everything has a purpose," Ken nodded in agreement with him. "We can't just do whatever and go on crazy adventures."

"We have to actually think about what we do when we do it and how it'll affect us," Stan sighed.

"I hate growing up," Cartman finished.

"Yeah," the other three muttered in agreement.

"We did a lot of crap back then," Stan laughed softly. "Saving people, taking down government conspiracies, meeting celebrities...now all we do is fill out college applications, beat off psycho-rapists, and have trials about a neighborhood tragedy."

"God, how many times have we been in a courtroom?" Ken groaned.

"Too many times, it was almost always because of Cartman," Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Whaddya mean by that, Jew?"

"You sued me for sexual harassment," Stan said dryly.

"You tried to make me suck your balls," Kyle added. "Which by the way, I'd still aptly refuse."

"You're a fag, they're all the same to you," he retorted.

"Nope, only ones he can put a claim to are mine," Ken winked, kissing Kyle's temple.

They all sighed together before Stan chuckled lightly. "What?" Kyle looked over at him. Stan met stares with the three of them, a grin spread over his face.

"Did anyone else learn something today?"

"Oh Jesus Christ," Cartman rolled his eyes and went back to staring at the pale grey sky. Ken and Kyle laughed with the black-haired boy.

"I think we all did," Ken smiled warmly. "What did you learn, Stan?"

"I think I learned that secrets are secrets for a reason. You didn't want us taking off after Mitch and we should have listened to you, or at least have found a better way to go about it. You shouldn't have had to be basically put on exhibit for the town. I think we scarred everybody's mind for the rest of their lives...your parents especially," he looked over again and grinned at Kyle. "But now we got that freak away from you for sure."

The redhead nodded softly. "Yeah...thanks, you guys," he said, looking up at the clouds. "I think I learned just the opposite, though."

"Whaddya mean?"

He laughed. "I think I learned that secrets shouldn't be the driving force behind who I am and what I do. I need to be more open about what happens, because otherwise it drives me fucking insane. I was completely sheltered when I didn't come out when I found out I was gay. I committed suicide when I was secretive about Ken. I was secretive about this whole thing and just look at what happened. But coming out, getting with Ken, and even this whole thing being played out...as embarrassing and humiliating as it was, I can honestly say I'm happy that it's finally out in the open. I feel like I can finally get back on the right foot and on with my life, ya know?"

"Yeah," Ken nodded happily. "I'm glad for that."

"What did you learn, Po'boy?" Cartman looked at him boredly.

"I thought that you weren't participating," Kyle smirked at him.

"It's either this or fall asleep," he shrugged.

Ken laughed lowly before staring at the sky in thought. "Hm. I think that I learned...I think this whole damn thing has taught me that I'm a completely different person than I used to be. That I'm totally changed and for the better."

"How so?" Stan asked.

"When they were talking about my criminal record...my thoughts focused on the fact that I would never even consider doing any of that shit again. Then watching everyone freak out when I announced that me and Ky are engaged made it sink in more than anything: I'm getting freakin' married. I don't know what the hell happened, but I guess I've grown up a hell of a lot more than I realized. I think I learned that everything's changing and life definitely isn't as exciting and adventurous as before, but it's still getting better everyday."

"How is it getting better?" Cartman scoffed. "You two are freaks of nature, you've been attacked, Kahl's been a walking pile of secrets, and you're in the middle of a court case. Where's the better part of that?"

He looked over at him and smirked. "Because. When this is all said and done, sometime in the future, me and Ky are getting married," he squeezed the Jew's shoulders. "We have Jacob and Kayla now, he's goin' to college, I'm gonna plan my own future...things are just gonna get better. Screw the bumps we seem to keep hitting, what matters is the big picture."

Kyle smiled up at him. "That was beautiful, Dude."

"Yeah, I have a great inspiration for it," he grinned back, kissing his lips sweetly.

"Gay," Cartman called out.

"Well duh, you idiot," Stan scoffed as Kyle and Ken continued to kiss. They pulled back and sighed softly together. Kyle sat up slowly and looked across the road in deep thought.

"What's up, Ky?" Kenny asked.

"My parents...they watched that whole thing...," he said monotonously before looking back down on him. "Do you...what do you think my father...," he trailed off and bit his lip. They all three sat back up with him.

"Kyle, they aren't going to judge you for this," Stan said firmly. "No one on the planet would. It was all in self defense. You told me that it's okay for Jews to kill in self-defense, right?"

"But I didn't even know that Trent had the knife," he retorted.

"Doesn't matter. After everything he did to you, it was self-defense," Ken reassured him. "Same for the other dude too. You're cool. Your parents will be cool, I promise."

He snorted. "Yeah. My mother. Cool. You let me know how that works out."

"You may wanna see for yourself since it's time to head back," Damien's voice came from behind them. They turned around and stared back at him.

"Already?" Stan questioned.

"Yeah," he nodded before looking at Kyle. "You okay?"

He shrugged. "I'm...disappointed. But I'll live...I guess."

He chuckled lightly. "That you will. Come on," he mentioned towards himself. The boys stood and Kenny made a grab for Kyle's hand, holding tightly as they walked over to him before fading back to in front of the courthouse. They took deep breaths and walked back in. The room stopped and stared at the small Jew as he walked up the way to his seat. He cringed lightly, but kept a steady pace.

"Head up to the stand, Kyle," Ruth nodded softly. He nodded back, separating his hand with Kenny's as the blonde turned to sit back down in his seat at the table. "This court returns to session," she declared, banging her gavel. "Mr. Dodson?"

"I have nothing to ask him," he shook his head. "I think that the video spoke for itself, did it not?"

"Alright, but I have questions of my own," she stated. He nodded and sat back in his seat. She looked down at the redhead and sighed. "Kyle Broflovski."

"Yes?"

"You swore to an oath to tell the truth, did you not?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he nodded.

"Then please explain why not one detail of that video was presented to the court by word of mouth."

He blinked at her. "Everything I said was the truth," he replied softly. "No one asked if it was only Mitch and Barney...I just...I didn't want anyone to...to know...," he looked down guiltily.

"You killed two men and you didn't report it to anyone? What of their families, Mr. Broflovski?"

"They didn't have any," he sniffed, tucking a curl behind his ear.

"And how do you know this?"

"I looked," he shrugged. "I...I made sure that they didn't have anyone left behind. I work in the library and I was able to pull up records on them. No living relatives..."

"And if they did have them?" she pressed.

He looked back up at her. "I would have told them what I had done," he said steadily. "I'm not completely without a conscious."

"You let them do these things to you...why did you snap when you did?"

"I heard the words 'dead' and 'Ken'. I thought they were going to kill him, not me. I...I panicked. Barney left his jacket in the bathroom and he kept a gun in his inner pocket. I saw the barrel as I was drying off and decided to grab it."

"Mr. Dodson told us that you were not aware of what was happening, is this true?"

"I was at the time. But my body was on autopilot," he explained tiredly. "I did it without truly realizing that I was pulling a trigger. Then once I woke up, I realized that I was covered in blood and there were two dead men on the floor."

"What did you do then?" she asked softly.

"I...I cried...," he breathed shakily. "And I...I prayed for them to be forgiven and for me as well. I had no right to take people's lives and I know that."

"You believe that what you did was wrong?" she blinked.

He nodded. "They were...I was not...," he sighed in aggravation. "This was...the worst experience of my life by a long shot. I've never been so disgusted or hurt or scared before...but they were just using me as a toy. As of then, I didn't know their intentions were to stab me to death. My brain just kept saying that they hurt me and I needed to get even....but killing them didn't make things even in my opinion....," he looked down and sniffed. "I'm still here. I have the chance to make up for what I did. They don't get that opportunity."

"You think that they would try to repent?"

"I don't know. They could try."

She took off her glasses and sighed. "Kyle...I can tell you right now that I see your actions as...let's say justifiable. You were a hostage and you merely did what you could to get out. However, I'm curious. How on Earth did you keep your wounds a secret?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his curls. "The cuts were easy to hide. I just wrapped myself up and wore some loose shirts for awhile. I never let anyone see my back or legs. The bruises...I kept that bottle of foundation that Barney told me to use. My bruises were mostly under my clothing, so I only had a few on my face to cover up. Not too hard."

"What of the gun wound?"

He paused for a moment. "Well, they all thought that I was sore from the rape. Which I was, but I could still somewhat move afterwards. I just let them all think that that's why I couldn't walk. I...I got a doctor at the hospital to stitch me up at my desecration."

"What was this doctor's name?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. "I told him that I punctured my leg on some of the hospital equipment and he patched me up for free so I wouldn't sue...," he looked away and sighed. "I could somewhat walk not long afterwards...I just never told anybody that it was only my one leg that didn't want to cooperate."

"Kyle...if you could go back during this...monstrosity," she gestured towards the screen. "Would you do anything different?"

He looked at her steadily. "I don't think so. I had...nightmares for months. I became absolutely terrified of everything...but if I were already there and I couldn't get Ken out still...nothing would be different. It's not like I could fight them or something."

"Would you bring police?"

He shook his head. "No. I didn't know what they would do if I'd brought help and I don't want to know. They had weapons, they could have used them more so if I'd decided to take the risk."

"Do you believe you should be punished for the action you took, Kyle?"

He paused and looked down for a long moment. "I...I don't know. I keep wondering what other people would do if they had a gun in their hand. Everytime...I can see someone else shooting them. I had the chance to escape and I took it. God may punish me one day but until then...I'll live with the guilt on my own unless someone decides to take it further..." he trailed off and gulped.

"Well, I'm pretty sure no court on this planet would convict you for this tape," she smiled softly at him. "Kyle, is there anything you want out in the open before we move on?"

He raised his eyes and met them with Ken before shifting his view over towards Mitch, who was looking back steadily. "I don't hate you," he said softly. "Everyone else might, but I don't. I'm sorry I killed your friends...but I'm not sorry I killed people who hurt me like that. I honestly didn't want this thing to happen. I was perfectly willing to just let it all go so neither of us would have to tell anything...," he sighed. "You ruined your own chance to get off free like you wanted. Don't blame me for this, because you're the one who came back. I don't want you dead, I just want this over and done with so I can finally fucking move on...," he trailed off again and trembled. "I'm not happy being in the limelight like this and neither are you. So let's just get this fucking thing over with so we can both move the fuck on," he shook more visibly.

Ruth nodded. "Thank you, Kyle...step down." He slowly moved to his feet and shuffled back over to his seat. Ken wrapped his arms around him and kissed his temple as he snuggled into his chest. "Mr. Broflovski?" Ruth looked at Gerald.

He looked from Mitch to Ruth and shook his head. "No...no, we're done."

"Very well," she nodded approvingly. "Mr. Dodson? Would you like to begin the defense's case?"

"We have nothing else to give," he shrugged. "Defense rests as well."

"Alright. Before the closing statements, Mitchell Derrick, do you have anything to say in your own defense?"

He looked up at her and got to his feet. "I suppose I don't," he said gruffly.

"Can you give this court any indication of why one would ever commit such a heinous crime?" she pressed.

"We wanted something. So we got it," he stated simply. "We made a rule. No one tells us no. Kyle was the first one to say no. So we did what we found necessary."

"You find that kidnapping and brutal assault was necessary?" she repeated.

"Yes," he nodded sharply. "And he got his revenge."

"He doesn't think of it as revenge, Mr. Derrick."

"It was, everyone here knows it," he rolled his eyes.

"Why did you go after him again, Mr. Derrick?" she asked lowly.

He looked over at the emerald-eyed boy. "He killed Barney. I wanted my own revenge. I was going to grab him and kill him because he took three lives of his own, I had every right to retaliate."

"How did you know of Barney being killed by the boys, Mr. Derrick?"

He smiled demonically. "Barney told me," he laughed. The courtroom looked at him in complete confusion. "He told me who had killed him...and how...and how I had to find Kyle and take our revenge. So I did."

She blinked at him. "No further questions," she said quietly. He sat back down, that sadistic grin still overshadowing his face. "Mr. Broflofski...your closing statement, please," she nodded.

Gerald looked from his client to the judge and blinked before getting to his feet and trailing up towards the front. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he started, "I started this off with asking you to think. And I still ask that of you. I ask you that you look back on that evidence you saw and think about what they're claiming. This case was for the abduction of Kenneth McCormick and the rape of Kyle Broflovski. But notice how no evidence was shown that Mr. Derrick actually committed either of those crimes. He was not shown taking Ken, he was not shown raping Kyle, correct? So if anything, his largest proven crime was that of threatening and knife and gun wounds. I mean, we all watched as Kyle stammered through his testimony, as he lied and said that it was only Barney and Mitch. How can we be sure of anything in this case? How can any of you be positively certain that he was indeed involved in what he's being accused of? Perhaps he was merely the brute who stood by and made sure that Kyle didn't get away from the others, hm? You have to look at things on a wider scale. After all, not one person suspected that Kyle had killed those other two men, how can anyone say that they know for sure that Mitchell played part in the raping? Just think about it," he nodded briskly. "Defense rests."

Ruth sighed and shook her head softly. "Oliver, please," she nodded at him/

He stood and patted Kyle's shoulder before heading onto the floor. "Really?" he started, walking to the jury. "You can really think that Mitchell didn't play part in this? Even if he didn't, what was he doing just sitting there, watching Kyle being violated as such? You really think that Barney did all that himself? No. If you re-watch that video, you hear him say certain things, act certain ways to indicate that he indeed played just as much a part in Kyle's torture as anyone else in that room sans Ken," he said firmly. "No one not completely involved would just sit there and laugh as my client was raped. No one who didn't already have a guilty conscious would just stand by, only to move when told to cut the kid. Mr. Broflovski wants you to think? Well so do I," he stated briskly. "Anyone with sensible judgement could see that this man went all out against both Ken and especially Kyle and deserves to suffer for his crime. Kyle hid the truth for the fact of he didn't know what to say. This man is hiding the truth for the fact of that he doesn't want to get caught. I'm asking you to look at what we showed you, to see that we showed you that tape for a reason. That man has damaged these boys beyond comprehension and is just trying to slide it off his shoulders and claim his innocence? Please, follow Mr. Broflovski's advice and think, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is too important to just brush off. Prosecution rests."

"Very well," Ruth nodded. "The Jury will begin their deliberations now," she banged her gavel. The twelve men and women filed out to the side of the jury box and headed down and out a door. As they left and shut the door behind them, Michaels sighed. "As the jury deliberates, you are free to move about the room and talk, but not of this case, are we understood?"

They all nodded. "Alright, go ahead," she nodded at them before looking down at her notes. The room was silent for a moment before small murmurs began echoing around the room.

"You alright?" Ken asked Kyle.

"No," he sighed, leaning into him and sniffling. Kenny cradled him and gently kissed his head time and again.

"Kyle?" a woman's voice appeared. They looked up to see Sheila staring down at them. He sniffed again and pulled away from Ken, but grabbed his hand.

"What?"

She reached down and ran her fingers along his cheek. "Kyle...," she repeated, shaking her head. "Kyle, baby..."

He frowned and pulled away from her. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"I...I..." she stammered. "Kyle...Bubbeh..."

"Don't. Call. Me. That," he hissed, standing and backing up with Ken towards Stan and Cartman's seats.

"But...but...," she blinked back tears.

"Don't try to apologize now," he said firmly.

"Kyle...," she sniffled. "I love you..."

"I'm sure," he drawled sarcastically. Ken looked around, seeing the courtroom staring at the two redheads brawl. "Because love equals booting out of the house, right? I didn't realize that love meant that we don't respect each other and that it's one way or the highway. Forgive me for being so naive," he snarled.

Gerald joined her side and they blinked at him. "And YOU," he growled at the man. "How fucking dare you! I understand that you're greedy, but of all the things in the world to do, you fucking do this to me?!" he gestured around the room spastically.

"I have a job, Kyle," he retorted lowly.

"There are other lawyers in this town, Dad. You didn't have to take this case on!"

"I never turn people down and you know it!" he yelled back.

"This should have been your exception!" he screeched.

"You! Mister!" a small voice chirped up. They looked to see Kayla tromping over and glaring at Gerald. She walked over and tugged on his jacket. "You be nice to Kyle! Your his daddy! Daddy's shouldn't be mean!"

"Kayla, come here," Kyle said gently, pulling her over to him and scooping her into his arms. Ken took up Jacob and they all four glared at the elder Broflovskis. Ike came over and stood beside Kyle, his expression set the same.

"You don't understand, Kyle...," Sheila sniffed. "We...we didn't...we raised..."

"You can't raise me to be straight, Mom," he sighed. "In actuality, you couldn't raise me to be Jewish either. But that's who I am so I stayed as such. I found that I'm more comfortable worshipping Moses than I am Jesus so I stayed a Jew. But I also found that I'm more comfortable with guys than I am with girls....," he sighed as Kayla snuggled into his shoulder. "You kicked me out just because I wasn't what you wanted for the first time in my life."

"We kicked you out because you dishonored our family, Kyle," Gerald lectured.

"Dishonored?" He repeated. "Rabbi Wertheimer was cool with it."

"That I was," the man's voice arose from behind them.

"You just didn't like that you didn't have your little puppet strings all still attached to me," he glared. "I was everything you wanted except for that one little area and you went ballistic on me."

"We supported you, at least," Gerald crossed his arms. "We very easily could have just pushed you aside and not given you the aide."

"And I do appreciate that, I suppose," he glowered. "But...you just don't understand where I'm coming from at all," his face dropped into a saddened expression.

"And what's that?" Sheila cocked her head. Kyle looked between Ken and the kids and laughed in disbelief.

"You...you really don't see it?" he shook his head.

"He's happy," Stan interjected, hopping over the bench and standing beside the small Jew. "He's finally fucking happy, Sheila."

"With what?" Gerald sighed. "He's seventeen and already planning on getting married? Just how are you planning on affording this little thing of yours?"

"We aren't doing it until we're damn well ready," Ken growled. "We're engaged but that doesn't mean we're runnin' to Vegas to get hitched. We're gonna wait until our feet are on the ground. And now with the kids, it'll take longer, but we'll get there one day."

Sheila and Gerald blinked in disbelief. "These...these children are yours?!" Sheila exclaimed.

"We adopted them," Kyle said softly as Kayla grasped onto him and nuzzled into his suit. "We found 'em not too long ago and decided that we wanted to keep them."

"Kyle...you're seventeen!" she protested.

"And I'm more responsible than you seem to think I am," he said firmly. "Me and Ken are doing well. We both have jobs, our place is always clean, there's food always on the table. We're not just two stupid kids trying to make it on spaghetti-o's and our parent's pocketbooks. Believe or not, we're both adults. I certainly don't need you to hold my hand. Not like you ever did in the first place."

"We're your parents," Gerald growled.

"I wouldn't know it," he retorted.

"You are still a Broflovski whether you like it or not, Kyle!"

"Not once me and Ken are married," he snarled back. "I'll be a McCormick. I'm done with you and I'm done with pretending to be your son!"

His words and furious breathing echoed through the room as his parents stared at him. "You're...you're taking his name?" Sheila bit her lip and trembled.

"As far as I'm concerned, I never fucking was a Broflovski," he glared. "I don't know why all this trial shit made me so upset," he laughed humorlessly. "Everything about this has taught me that you don't respect me and you don't deserve mine."

"Kyle...we love you," Sheila tried, shaking her head. "We thought that...that you were..."

"What?" he demanded.

"You were ready to be on your own," she said, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. "We couldn't teach you anything else...we knew that you could make it...and you coming out was an excuse to get you on your own."

"That's the biggest crock of shit I have ever heard," he glowered.

"No, she's being honest, Kyle," Gerald sighed. "At first, yes, it was because you came out. But we kept making those payments because we saw that you were succeeding. We...we really don't care that you're gay, to be honest. I kinda figured since you never had a girlfriend or mentioned any," he shrugged.

"Then why are you here?" Ken gritted his teeth. "If you're okay with him, then why are you cross-examining your own son?!"

He looked around before leaning in closer to the boys. "I honestly wasn't expecting to get anywhere," he said softly. "Why the hell do you think I pulled out random doctors? I was taking this case down from the inside-out. But then I pulled out the no evidence and I had to go with it. I didn't mean for it to actually start working."

Kyle pulled back and blinked at him. "You...you didn't want..."

"You really think I'd let someone who hurt my son get away with it?" he quietly raised his brow. "I figured that should anyone take this on, it should be me so you'd have a better chance of winning."

"You were fighting for...for me?" he blinked confusedly.

"Always," he nodded. "I just wasn't expecting my one stance to be so convincing...," he trailed off and sighed. "My closing statement there was pretty lame, dontcha think?" he grinned crookedly. "You have to admit that that was probably the worst argument I could have given."

Kyle shook his head slowly. "I...I don't understand this at all. Why are you...why did you act so...you came to the library and scowled and...and demanded that someone else take care of you...what was that?"

"A pretty good facade apparently," he chuckled. "Kyle, if you knew I was on your side, you'd be too comfortable, right?"

"I...I suppose so..."

"And those books I got were on reverse psychology. I figured that the more of a bad person I made you seem, only to destroy my own statements with witnesses who claimed you were good, you'd have a better chance. Why do you think I went the rabbi, your doctor, Eric, Joe, and then Stan? I finished with the person who'd put you on the highest note aside from Ken," he crossed his arms.

"Hold it, hold it, hold it," Cartman broke in. "So this was all deceitful Jew magic?"

"Shut up!" Kyle yelled, kicking him in the shin. He yelped and hopped on one foot. Red shook her head and helped him sit in a chair after smacking his head.

"What about at the hospital?" Stan glared at them. "You...you looked at him...lying there bleeding and half-dead...and you just shrugged it off."

"We're horrible people," Sheila sniffed, pulling a tissue from her pocket and dabbing her eyes. "We...we didn't know what to do. We overreacted."

"I'd say," Wendy crossed her arms. "Kyle was really hurt."

"We know," Gerald looked from her to Kyle sadly. He sighed heavily. "There's nothing we can really do anymore...except ask that you forgive us somehow."

Kyle blinked at him, then Sheila, and up to Ken. He smiled softly. "I...I guess I can't be that angry. Well, I can be, but I won't. After all...had you not done what you had done...I wouldn't have gotten Kenny," he grinned gently at them. Because you told me to get out, I got engaged," he laughed. "Kinda...a strange turn of events...but I think it worked out for the best," he stroked Kayla's back as she yawned.

"Kyle...," Sheila came up and brushed his hair out of his face. "I'm sorry."

"I know," he nodded. "But I'm still taking Ken's name."

"Can I ask why?" Ken looked over and smiled widely. "Not that I'm not ecstatic, but I'm curious."

He smirked. "I like my name with yours better than yours with mine. And besides, you're not Jewish."

"I'd convert for you," he leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Don't," he smiled. "I like you like you are," he kissed him back softly. They pulled away and looked at Gerald and Sheila, who were smiling gently at them.

"Hello, Honey," Sheila smiled at Kayla and Jacob. They hid their faces into the boys and they laughed. "What's your name?" she brushed Kayla's hair back a bit.

She looked over a bit from Kyle's chest and sniffed. "Kayla."

"What a gorgeous name," she cooed. "And you?"

"J-Jacob...," he blushed.

"They're adorable," she smiled. "Where did you find them?"

"On the streets," Ken shrugged. "They're orphans. We took 'em back to the orphanage for them to be taken care of, but we got kinda attached after a few days so we decided to keep 'em."

"Well they are precious," she grinned. "Kyle, can you put her down for just a moment?"

He blinked before handing her off to Stan.

"What?" he asked. She stepped up and embraced him gently.

"I do love you, Bubbeh," she swayed him back and forth. "I do. I...I don't want you to hate us." He blinked for a moment before sighing, bringing his arms up and returning her hug.

"I don't hate you, Ma," he said.

"You do," she cried into his chest.

"No, no I don't," he assured her. "I'm...upset. But I don't hate you. I really don't have enough justification to hate you now that I've heard all this. I don't know if all of it is true...but I'm going to choose to believe it just because I can't fucking keep this crap up anymore."

"Every word is true, Kyle," Gerald claimed, walking up and patting his shoulder. He looked up at him with his chin rested on his mother's head.

"I can't say that I trust that completely, Dad."

"And I don't expect you to," he nodded. "We've...we've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Well, one step at a time, hm?" he smiled gently at him.

"That's how us Broflovskis do it," he winked. "Step by step to the beat of our drums."

Ike broke in and hugged his mom and brother tightly. "Now I'm not the only one that's gonna be yelled at!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, but I can choose to not answer the phone," Kyle smirked at him.

"Do that and I'll hunt you down," he stuck his tongue out at him.

"Ooh, big tough Canadian," he mocked. "Imma scared," he winked, pulling back and sighing. "This has...definitely been an interesting few months."

"Yeah," Ken agreed, handing Jacob to Sheila and wrapping his arms around Kyle's waist and holding him closely. "Best few months of our lives though, hm?"

He chuckled and leaned his head back. "Yeah...videotapes aside," he shot a quick glare towards Mitch, "I wouldn't trade this for anything."

"Even for all the pasta in the world?"

He laughed, reaching up and grasping the pendant around Ken's neck. "Even for pasta," he said softly. Ken leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Love ya, Ky."

"Love you, too," he smirked. "You sissy."

"Yeah, you turned me totally gay. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"Damn straight I am," he giggled. Ken laughed and played with Kyle's hair a bit.

"Seriously, I do."

"I know," he smiled gently. "Trust me, I know." He nuzzled back into him and breathed deeply.

"So," Sheila started. "What kind of wedding are you boys planning on?"

They looked at each other then to her and shrugged. "We have no idea," Kyle stated. "The whole conflicting religion thing may come up later, but we'll take care of it when we decide that we're ready."

"How long do you think that'll be?" Ike asked.

"I'm ready to kiss my bride right now," Ken smirked. "But we're gonna hold off until we're financially...not dead," he laughed.

"We'll help pay for it," Gerald smiled. "We have no qualms with that."

"Thanks, Dad," Kyle smiled softly at him. "I really do appreciate that."

"Yeah, well, I'm your dad, it's my job," he shrugged. Ken squeezed his waist and grinned down on him. Kyle looked back up in his eyes and returned the expression.

They looked up as the jurors came piling back into the room and scurried back to their seats. Everyone watched in anticipation as they filed in and filled their chairs once more, their expressions unreadable.

"Welcome back," Ruth nodded. "Stand, Mr. Derrick." Mitch got to his feet and shifted uneasily. "We are here today in the case of Mitchell Derrick vs the state of Colorado. He has been charged with the kidnapping and assault of a Kenneth James McCormick and the assault and rape of a Kyle Isaac Broflovski. Has the jury reached a verdict?"

The foreman stood with a notecard and nodded. "Yes your honor." He looked out towards the defendant. "We find the defendant, Mitchell Derrick, guilty of all charges on the grounds of insanity."

The room froze. "Insanity?" Ruth repeated.

"Yes. We believe for his actions to be the result of a lack of reasonable thought," he nodded.

"And have you decided on a punishment?" she asked.

"If it pleases the court, we'd like for Mr. Derrick to undergo analysis at an institution for a set time and for him to undergo yet another trial to make a decision as to where he goes from there at that time."

Ruth nodded slowly, looking conflicted as she looked back out to Mitch. "Mr. Derrick, I am sentencing you to two years of time spent in the Denver Mental Institution. From there, you will undergo watch and we will decide in two year's time if you are to remain there or be transported to a federal prison," she banged her gavel. "Case dismissed."

Nobody moved. Everyone merely stared at the jurors in disbelief.

"Insanity?" Kenny mouthed, shaking his head softly as the cops led Mitch out of the room.

He looked up to see Gerald in front of them. "I..." he started. "I'm sorry, Kyle," he shook his head with Kenny.

"How...how did they get insanity from that?" Kyle looked from him to Oliver to Ken. "Did I miss something?"

"I dunno," Oliver stood after gathering his papers. They all stood with him and people began to file out the door. "Jurors...don't always make the best decisions."

"God, it's an O.J trial," Gerald sighed. "I don't get it," he walked back over and grabbed his briefcase.

"He got off the hook...," Stan came up and blinked. "He's...he's basically free, isn't he?" he looked at the lawyers.

"Essentially, yes," Gerald nodded. "He's getting the lowest form of punishment. They treat you like freaking royalty over there," he rolled his eyes.

"After all that, they seriously thought he was just insane?" Cartman scoffed. "Well I guess those assholes proved me wrong."

"Can't you call for a mistrial?" Wendy demanded.

"No," Oliver shook his head. "The verdict was decided. We're...we're stuck with what we have unless new evidence shows up."

"Goddammit," Ken growled.

"Hey, calm down," Kyle said, wrapping his arms around the blonde and swaying him gently. "We wanted him put away...and now he's getting put away. We still...we still won in a sense, right?"

"Where the FUCK did these people come up with insanity from?" Ken blinked.

"Can you guys go for a minute?" Kyle asked the crowd around them. "I'd like to talk with Ken."

"S-sure," Stan nodded. "Come on," he jerked his head and grabbed Jacob as Sheila took Kayla's hand and they all walked slowly out of the courtroom, their footsteps echoing in the wooden space and finally ending with the door slamming shut.

"Ken?" Kyle asked. "You alright?"

"That fucker is getting off for free!" he breathed, blinking back tears. "He...he hurt you like that and somehow he's not getting punished! Why?!"

Kyle cocked his head cutely and cupped his chin. "I don't know," he whispered. "They had to have had some reason...and there's not much we can do. All the evidence is pretty much gone."

"God, this isn't fair! I wanted him thrown in jail and I wanted to have the rope taken off of his soap!" he fumed. "I wanted you to have justice, not this load of shit!"

He looked up at the ranting blonde sympathetically. "Ken, look. All that matters is that he won't bother us again, okay? He's going to be in the looney bin for two years. Then they'll either keep him there or put him in jail. We'll be okay. Isn't that all that we wanted?"

"I want him punished," he sniffed. "He...he did things like that to you...he shouldn't be allowed to breathe!"

"I don't know what to tell you, Ken."

"Tell me why these people are so fucking stupid! You're the smart one, maybe you caught it!" he panted. "I mean...what did he do that flicked on the crazy alarm, huh?!"

"Well, telling the room that a dead guy told him what to do could indicate a lot," a voice echoed in the room. They shot their heads around, their eyes falling to a glowing green figure sitting upon the judge's bench. His dark brown eyes twinkled with mischief and he licked his lips. "Tell me, Red, Blondes...ain't that just the craziest thing you ever heard?"


A/N: He's baaaaaaaaaackkkkkkkkk

Mmm, I'm thinkin'...two more chapters? Somethin' close. We're hitting the edge here, kids.

Thanks for R&R-ing =D

And for reading all the way through to this, Chapter 50! *sniff* it's a proud moment indeed =)

Think we can hit 400 reviews by the end?

Probably not, but here's to hopin' xDD