Ch 8
"Order!" The judge called, banging his gavel. Order in this courtroom!"
Amid the gasps, Dillon felt the blood draining from his head. He leaned
over, whispering weakly to Alexis. She nodded.
"Your Honor, I'd like to request a brief recess for my client."
The judge looked at the pale boy and nodded. "Fifteen minutes," he granted.
"Thank you, Your Honor," Alexis replied as Dillon slipped out of his seat,
walking quickly toward the exit. As Ned twisted around to make sure his
brother was okay, he noticed another figure follow Dillon out of the
courtroom.
Dillon closed his eyes, gulping in air as the snow fell down on him. He
couldn't think or he would fall over. Dillon felt something touch his arm.
Opening his eyes, he looked down at Georgie.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
He shook his head. "I have no idea," he said. He sighed, closing his eyes
against the pounding in his head.
They stood in silence. Dillon didn't say anything. Georgie didn't say
anything. Dillon felt a brush on his hand. Slowly, he let his fingers
intertwine with Georgie's, gripping tight. Shudderingly, Dillon exhaled.
"Dillon?"
Dillon and Georgie turned their heads at the voice, still holding hands.
"I'm sorry," Ned said quietly when he saw them together. "We're
reconvening."
Dillon nodded. "Okay." He looked at Georgie, reluctant to let her hand go.
Slowly, he loosened his fingers. Almost imperceptibly, she shook her head,
keeping her grip. Dillon smiled with tired gratitude, walking back inside
behind his brother.
Ned wished he'd had a camera when he walked back into the courtroom.
Tracy's sour expression grew even more disgusted when she saw Dillon
gripping Georgie's hand tightly. When they reached the gate that led to the
witness table, Ned placed a hand on Georgie's back, guiding her into the
first row as Dillon took his seat by Alexis.
The judge pounded his gavel. "Court is back in session," he proclaimed.
"Mr. Alcazar, you understand that you are still under oath, yes?"
Alacazar nodded. "Yes Your Honor."
The judge turned to Alexis. "Proceed, counsel."
Alexis rose from her seat.
"Mr. Alcazar," she began. "You said that you had once believed that Dillon
Quartermaine was your son, is that correct?"
Alcazar nodded. "Yes."
"Could you please elaborate on that?"
"I met Tracy Quartermaine in Seville, approximately eighteen years ago,"
Alcazar began. "We...became involved, briefly."
"What caused the end of the affair?" Alexis asked.
"I met a woman who was...more suitable for me," Alcazar answered.
"And Ms. Quartermaine took the breakup badly."
"Objection!" The defense attorney called. "Leading the witness."
"Sustained," the judge replied.
"I rephrase," Alexis said succinctly. "Mr. Alcazar, what was Ms.
Quartermaine's reaction to the breaking of your relationship?"
"She was...very angry," Alcazar said.
"Mr. Alcazar," Alexis asked. "Was Tracy Quartermaine pregnant at the time
of your parting?'
Alcazar shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, no," he replied. "I was
contacted by Ms. Quartermaine four years later. She informed me that I had
fathered her three-year-old son."
Alexis nodded. "And your reaction?"
"I found out through some business associates what hospital Tracy had given
birth in. I wanted evidence of paternity-"
"-So you ordered a DNA test?"
"No," Alcazar said. "It wasn't necessary. Dillon has type AB blood. I have
type O. It's scientifically impossible for him to be my child."
"Where's your uncle?" Dillon asked, standing in the doorway, his arms
folded over his chest.
Sage raised an eyebrow. "He's not here. Did you want to come in?"
Dillon nodded, stepping inside. "Gotta admit, this place is a lot nicer
than the PCPD. How much was your bail again?"
"How about a drink?" Sage asked, ignoring him.
Dillon shook his head vehemently. "Like hell," he replied, remembering,
barely, the last time he'd accepted a drink from her.
Sage nodded. "Okay." She moved toward Dillon. "We don't have to have a
drink."
Dillon side stepped her. "This isn't a social call."
"Fine," Sage replied, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. "What is
it?"
Dillon looked around, his eyes coming to rest disdainfully on Sage. "Let me
see if I understand everything clearly," he said. "You met my mother in
Europe, you two conspired for you to seduce me, get me into bed, for you to
fake a pregnancy, thus luring me into marriage before I was out of high
school, and then the two of you would rob your uncle and take off, leaving
him with nothing and me wondering if I had a child somewhere out there?" He
shook his head in disgust. "I'm barely surprised that my mother would come
up with that, but you? Sage, you are not a nice person, but you're sixteen.
Have you even lived long enough to be that bitter and twisted yet?"
Sage smirked. "I rotted in boarding school while my father was killed in
this backwater town, and my uncle was god knows where. He could have
stopped it and he didn't."
Dillon shook his head. "If you weren't so pathetic, I'd pity you." He
turned to the door, reaching for the handle. "Okay, fine, you blame your
uncle for your father's death. You wanted revenge. I was a pawn, I accept
that. But what did Georgie ever do to you?"
Sage smirked. "Georgie. Poor, innocent, perfect Georgie, who you're so in
love with..."
Dillon didn't even flinch. "Yes. Georgie, who I'm in love with. What did
she ever do to you?" He repeated.
A smile crept over Sage's face - cruel, bitter, ironic. "She was in my
way."
Dillon just shook his head as he opened the door, stepping out into the
hall. "She's everything you'll never be," he said quietly. "And everything
I'll ever want."
He let the door slam behind him.
"Order!" The judge called, banging his gavel. Order in this courtroom!"
Amid the gasps, Dillon felt the blood draining from his head. He leaned
over, whispering weakly to Alexis. She nodded.
"Your Honor, I'd like to request a brief recess for my client."
The judge looked at the pale boy and nodded. "Fifteen minutes," he granted.
"Thank you, Your Honor," Alexis replied as Dillon slipped out of his seat,
walking quickly toward the exit. As Ned twisted around to make sure his
brother was okay, he noticed another figure follow Dillon out of the
courtroom.
Dillon closed his eyes, gulping in air as the snow fell down on him. He
couldn't think or he would fall over. Dillon felt something touch his arm.
Opening his eyes, he looked down at Georgie.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
He shook his head. "I have no idea," he said. He sighed, closing his eyes
against the pounding in his head.
They stood in silence. Dillon didn't say anything. Georgie didn't say
anything. Dillon felt a brush on his hand. Slowly, he let his fingers
intertwine with Georgie's, gripping tight. Shudderingly, Dillon exhaled.
"Dillon?"
Dillon and Georgie turned their heads at the voice, still holding hands.
"I'm sorry," Ned said quietly when he saw them together. "We're
reconvening."
Dillon nodded. "Okay." He looked at Georgie, reluctant to let her hand go.
Slowly, he loosened his fingers. Almost imperceptibly, she shook her head,
keeping her grip. Dillon smiled with tired gratitude, walking back inside
behind his brother.
Ned wished he'd had a camera when he walked back into the courtroom.
Tracy's sour expression grew even more disgusted when she saw Dillon
gripping Georgie's hand tightly. When they reached the gate that led to the
witness table, Ned placed a hand on Georgie's back, guiding her into the
first row as Dillon took his seat by Alexis.
The judge pounded his gavel. "Court is back in session," he proclaimed.
"Mr. Alcazar, you understand that you are still under oath, yes?"
Alacazar nodded. "Yes Your Honor."
The judge turned to Alexis. "Proceed, counsel."
Alexis rose from her seat.
"Mr. Alcazar," she began. "You said that you had once believed that Dillon
Quartermaine was your son, is that correct?"
Alcazar nodded. "Yes."
"Could you please elaborate on that?"
"I met Tracy Quartermaine in Seville, approximately eighteen years ago,"
Alcazar began. "We...became involved, briefly."
"What caused the end of the affair?" Alexis asked.
"I met a woman who was...more suitable for me," Alcazar answered.
"And Ms. Quartermaine took the breakup badly."
"Objection!" The defense attorney called. "Leading the witness."
"Sustained," the judge replied.
"I rephrase," Alexis said succinctly. "Mr. Alcazar, what was Ms.
Quartermaine's reaction to the breaking of your relationship?"
"She was...very angry," Alcazar said.
"Mr. Alcazar," Alexis asked. "Was Tracy Quartermaine pregnant at the time
of your parting?'
Alcazar shook his head. "Not to my knowledge, no," he replied. "I was
contacted by Ms. Quartermaine four years later. She informed me that I had
fathered her three-year-old son."
Alexis nodded. "And your reaction?"
"I found out through some business associates what hospital Tracy had given
birth in. I wanted evidence of paternity-"
"-So you ordered a DNA test?"
"No," Alcazar said. "It wasn't necessary. Dillon has type AB blood. I have
type O. It's scientifically impossible for him to be my child."
"Where's your uncle?" Dillon asked, standing in the doorway, his arms
folded over his chest.
Sage raised an eyebrow. "He's not here. Did you want to come in?"
Dillon nodded, stepping inside. "Gotta admit, this place is a lot nicer
than the PCPD. How much was your bail again?"
"How about a drink?" Sage asked, ignoring him.
Dillon shook his head vehemently. "Like hell," he replied, remembering,
barely, the last time he'd accepted a drink from her.
Sage nodded. "Okay." She moved toward Dillon. "We don't have to have a
drink."
Dillon side stepped her. "This isn't a social call."
"Fine," Sage replied, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. "What is
it?"
Dillon looked around, his eyes coming to rest disdainfully on Sage. "Let me
see if I understand everything clearly," he said. "You met my mother in
Europe, you two conspired for you to seduce me, get me into bed, for you to
fake a pregnancy, thus luring me into marriage before I was out of high
school, and then the two of you would rob your uncle and take off, leaving
him with nothing and me wondering if I had a child somewhere out there?" He
shook his head in disgust. "I'm barely surprised that my mother would come
up with that, but you? Sage, you are not a nice person, but you're sixteen.
Have you even lived long enough to be that bitter and twisted yet?"
Sage smirked. "I rotted in boarding school while my father was killed in
this backwater town, and my uncle was god knows where. He could have
stopped it and he didn't."
Dillon shook his head. "If you weren't so pathetic, I'd pity you." He
turned to the door, reaching for the handle. "Okay, fine, you blame your
uncle for your father's death. You wanted revenge. I was a pawn, I accept
that. But what did Georgie ever do to you?"
Sage smirked. "Georgie. Poor, innocent, perfect Georgie, who you're so in
love with..."
Dillon didn't even flinch. "Yes. Georgie, who I'm in love with. What did
she ever do to you?" He repeated.
A smile crept over Sage's face - cruel, bitter, ironic. "She was in my
way."
Dillon just shook his head as he opened the door, stepping out into the
hall. "She's everything you'll never be," he said quietly. "And everything
I'll ever want."
He let the door slam behind him.