As Zander stood with Emily talking with Alexis and Ric, he could feel Sonny's eyes piercing through him. His attorney came over to the table and congratulated Ric on a job well done. Ric accepted her hand and shook it graciously. Sonny got up from his chair and rubbed against Zander as he passed him on the way out of the courtroom. Zander glared in Sonny's direction as he walked out the door.
"I can't believe him. He now knows that he is my father and still has no words for me." Zander said angered by Sonny's demeanor towards him.
"You weren't expecting fatherly love from Sonny, were you?" Ric replied as he put some papers back in his briefcase.
"No but I was expecting some acknowledgement to the fact that he's my father."
"Come on, let's go grab some lunch at Kelly's, this might take a while for the Grand Jury to re-conveen." Alexis suggested as she passed behind Ric and headed towards the double doors of the courtroom.
"I want to call my parents first and check on Devon." Emily said as she and Zander followed Alexis out into the hallway, Ric bringing up the rear as he grabbed his briefcase from the table and followed.
Emily called her parents and checked on Devon as Alexis and Zander along with Ric talked amongst themselves for a few minutes till she finished her conversation on the phone. Zander gave her a look of concern when she re-joined them.
"He's fine. Alice is reading him his favorite story." Emily smiled and the four of them walked out of the courthouse onto the front steps and noticed the media frenzy that was gathering at the bottom of the cement stairs. Ric led the way around the reporters and the rest followed quietly not wanting to bring attention to themselves as they bypassed the chaos that was apparently waiting for them.
As they walked into Kelly's, Emily noticed Elizabeth at the counter and excused herself from the group to go and talk with her friend.
"Hey." Emily said as she came up behind Elizabeth.
"Hey. Big day in court for you guys, so I hear." Elizabeth replied as she glanced over to the table that occupied Zander, Alexis, and Ric.
"How's Jason?" Emily asked concerned for her brother and trying to avoid the conversation about Sonny and Zander.
"He's doing fine. It's going to take some time till he's 100 percent but he's getting along just fine. He misses you, you know."
"I know, and I miss him too. I will make a point of it to call him, it's just that with all that's going on right now .. well, you know." Emily replied she disappointed in herself for not taking the time to keep in touch with her brother.
"I know and Jason understands, I'm sure. I gotta get back to the penthouse, I don't like to leave him alone for too long." Elizabeth answered as she grabbed the take out food she ordered in her hand.
"Okay, well tell Jason that I'll call him, and soon." Emily reminded Elizabeth before she walked out the door of the diner. Emily re-joined Zander at the table.
Penny came shortly and took their lunch orders. She poured some coffee in the cups that were on the table for them while they waited for their food. Emily noticed the looks exchanged between Ric and Alexis and began to wonder just how close they really were getting.
"So what's really going on between the two of you?" she asked bluntly.
Alexis's eyes widened at Emily's boldness and looked at Ric as he shrugged off the question asked. "There's nothing going on, why would you ask that?" Alexis replied wondering herself where the question came from. She didn't think it was so obvious that there was more to the courtroom antics between them.
Ric snickered at the thought of he and Alexis becoming more then what they already were, which was nothing more then colleagues.
"And what are you smirking about? There isn't anything going on between us." Alexis repeated.
"I was just thinking of the thought of us together, you know that way." he chuckled. "It's a ridiculous idea." he added as Alexis folded her arms in front of her.
"You got that right, utterly ridiculous." she agreed.
"Uh huh." Emily smiled at the two of them, still thinking there was more to them then they were letting on.
The four of them sat and ate lunch together, they had a few hours to fill, Ric figured. The Grand Jury could take a while to return their decision, so they spent their time at the diner. As they finished up, the ringing of Ric's cell phone could be heard from his jacket pocket. He reached in and flipped it open to answer it.
"Okay, we'll be right there." he said then flipped it close again. "The Grand Jury is re-conveening in 20 minutes." he added before taking on last sip of his coffee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out enough bills to pay for lunch and they all walked out of the diner together.
As they walked into the front door of the courthouse, Zander asked .."What are the chances we'll get the decision we want?"
"I think the chances are pretty good, Zander. With your testimony and the circumstantial evidence we submitted, I think we have a good chance of a victory." Ric replied as the four of them walked down the hallway towards the courtroom.
Ric opened the door to the courtroom and they all filed in and took their seats. Alexis and Ric at the prosecution table and Zander with Emily sat behind them in the first row. Emily latched on to Zander's hand for support and he squeezed it to thank her. She smiled and leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright." he said before the bailiff appeared from the side door.
Sonny and his attorney appeared in the back of the courtroom and took their seats at the opposing table. Victoria looked over at Ric and Alexis and then sat down in her seat, seemingly nervous for her client.
"All rise. Court is now in session, the Honorable Judge Cooper presiding." the bailiff announced as Judge Cooper emerged from the side door and took his seat on the bench. Once he was seated everyone else sat down, and he opened up his court by the stroke of the gavel.
Zander's insides twisted and turned with worry that Sonny would get off once again for killing his father. He felt Emily's hand laced with his, and he knew that whatever happened in the courtroom that day, he would always have her love and she would always be there for him.
"We have re-conveened here in this courtroom because the Grand Jury has reached their decision in the case against Mr. Sonny Corinthos." Judge Cooper said as he unfolded the piece of paper in front of him. "The Grand Jury has found sufficient evidence for the prosecution to proceed with charges against Mr. Corinthos for murder in the first degree."
Rejoice from the prosecution side of the courtroom could be heard and they were quieted by Judge Cooper.
"Being that this case will be taking some time out of the docket calendar, we will begin this trial in 3 weeks from tomorrow. I'm sure all of you will be able to make it .... and counselors, please come prepared for court." the judge continued as Victoria stood up from her chair.
"There is a matter of bail, your Honor." she stated.
"Well, why don't we skip the formalities, counselor. We will settle bail right here and now."
"Your Honor, the prosecution wishes to have on record that we are objecting to bail in this case. Mr. Corinthos certainly should be considered a flight risk, he has the means and all his assets at his disposal. The prosecution recommends no bail and he be remanded to county lockup till trial." Ric spoke up.
"Your Honor, Mr. Corinthos has family ties to the community, he has a flourishing business he is a part of and he has a family waiting at home for him. Mr. Corinthos is no more of a flight risk then you or I." Victoria argued.
"Ultimately this is my decision, counselors. And I have read over Mr. Corinthos's file and have taken notice to his means and I also do believe him to be a flight risk and if I may add a threat to his new found family." Judge Cooper replied as Ric turned and looked at Zander and Emily with a smile.
"With that said, I do concur that Mr. Corinthos should be remanded to the county lock up till trial."
"Your Honor, if I may ..... If Mr. Corinthos is to be jailed till trial, we would like to suggest he be kept at the jail in the basement of the PCPD. My client would be more comfortable close to his family then 50 miles away at the county prison." Victoria replied, still pleading Sonny's case.
Judge Cooper sat and pondered the request from the defense. "Considering Mr. Corinthos's business and his connections here in Port Charles, I have to deny your request, counselor. Mr. Corinthos will spend the next three weeks in the county prison till trial."
"Your Honor, at least give Mr. Corinthos some time to get his affairs in order before leaving." Victoria replied desperately pleading with the judge to see Sonny's side of things.
"Your Honor, the State objects to the defense's request. Giving Mr. Corinthos the time to get his affairs in order would be giving him time to plan his next move to flee this jurisdiction." Ric spoke up once again objecting to Victoria's request on behalf of her client.
"Mr. Corinthos has one hour and it will be supervised by an officer of this court. After that, he will be taken to the PCPD and processed and then taken to the county jail to serve out the 3 weeks." the judge ordered and slammed down his gavel after his ruling.
Zander exhaled a sigh of relief, at least for 3 weeks, Sonny would be off the streets and away from Emily and Devon. Though still not letting his guard down, because knowing Sonny, he had plans for Zander and his family.