Chapter 27

Ok so now that I got some of the other couples out of the way I can focus more on the Sean/Em part of the story. I definitely want to finish this story up so I can start on my TWO new ones I want to post on this site. One of them is the preview I posted in the last chapter. And the other one takes place during season 5 sometime. So I guess that means there are only a few more chapters in this story. That saddens me…I remember when I first started this story. Well anyways…this chapter is going to be about Emma's day in court. I know I'm kind of rushing these last few chapters…so I'm sorry if it doesn't seem like it's good enough. But at least I'm finishing the story! Well here's the next chapter. Oh and it's the day of the hearing. And everyone knows about it.

Scene-Emma's bedroom. Her alarm just went off. She pushed snooze, groaned and pulled the covers over her head. She heard a laugh from the stairs.

"Don't laugh at me, Sean." She groaned into her pillow.

Sean just laughed again and moved towards her bed.

"Well it was just so funny…besides you have to get up and get ready. We have to leave in an hour." He said pulling her covers off of her.

Emma groaned again and buried her face in her pillow.

Sean sighed.

"Em, please don't tell me you're having second thoughts about this again." He said lying next to her on the bed.

Emma sighed and rolled over to face him.

"Well kind of. I mean I want to make Derrick pay for what he did to me…but I just wish I didn't actually have to go and see him. I just…I wish I didn't have to go through this."

"I know, baby, I know. I just wish I could take all your pain away." He said slightly touching her face with his hand.

Emma smiled sadly.

"Me too."

"So do you think you'll be ok to go today? I just…I just want you to be able to put this all behind you."

Emma smiled.

"Me too….guess I better start getting ready then."

Sean smiled back at her.

"That's my girl."

Scene-The Dot. Ellie, Craig, Alex, Jay, and Paige are all sitting at a booth.

"Weren't Emma and Sean supposed to be here? I thought this was going to be like a 'good luck' breakfast or something for Em." Alex said as Spin handed everyone a menu.

"Yeah, it was but Sean called me a little bit ago. Apparently Em had a bit of a freak out this morning and he's scared if he pushes it too much that she'll bolt and drop the charges. So I told him just to forget about it and that we'd see them at the trial." Paige said before leaning up to kiss Spinner good morning.

"But I thought we couldn't go to the trial without an adult or whatever." Jay said rolling his eyes as he patted Spinner on the head.

"Dude don't…" Spin replied to Jay's little head pat.

"Yeah but Joey is going to meet us here and take us to the trial after Snake, Spike, Emma, and Sean leave." Craig said taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Oh…ok. Well guess we better eat and just hope Emma wins. Cause if she doesn't….I'll beat the snot outta that assface." Jay said imitating punching someone in the air.

Scene-The Courthouse. Emma, Sean, Spike, and Snake have just arrived. They're standing on the steps. (AN: Like in Ghost in the Machine. Some of the court stuff is going to be just like Paige's trial.) Spike and Snake are walking ahead of Emma and Sean with Emma's lawyer.

"So…are you sure you're going to be ok in there Em?" Sean asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Yeah, as ok as I'll ever be. (Sean gave her a look) Don't worry I won't have a breakdown or anything." She said trying to reassure him.

"How can you be so sure?" Sean whispered, now getting scared for her.

"Cause I'm Emma Nelson…and I can do anything." She said smiling at him.

Sean smiled back.

"Well then let's go Emma 'I can do anything' Nelson. Let's face this thing."

Emma smiled.

"You read my mind."

Scene-The Courtroom. Emma is sitting with her lawyer on the right side of the room. And Derrick is sitting with his on the left. Emma's parents are sitting behind her. Alex, Ellie, Craig, Jay, Paige, and Spin are all sitting in the row behind Emma's parents. Sean is sitting beside Spike for support. Sean knows that when he hears the details of this thing that it'll take everything he has to restrain himself from beating Derrick to a bloody pulp. He sees Spike as a mother figure. And he knows that Spike and Emma are probably the only people that would be able to calm him down. So she promised she'd try to calm him down if he started to feel out of control. Tracker has just walked into the courtroom. Emma turns around and sees him take a seat next to Sean. She smiles and waves at him.

"Sorry I'm late, kid." Tracker whispers at her.

"It's ok…just glad you're here." She whispered back before turning to face the front.

The judge just walked into the room.

((AN: Not really sure how these things go with the judges and all so I'm just going to wing it.))

"Everyone rise." The bailiff said.

Everyone rose…and then sat again once the judge did.

"This is the hearing of Emma Nelson versus Derrick Whitman due to sexual assault charges." The judge said while looking down at some papers.

((AN: Let's just say that Derrick's lawyer's name is Mr. Thompson. And Emma's lawyer's name is Mr. Windom. And again….no idea how this court stuff goes.))

"Mr. Windom you may precede with questioning." The judge said pointing at Emma's lawyer.

Emma's lawyer stood up and picked up some bags full of evidence.

"I'd like this evidence to be put on record. This (holds up a bag) is a shirt that was worn by Ms. Nelson the night of the 'incident'…it's all torn (hands bag to the jury), this (holds up bag) is a medical report of Ms. Nelson's from the night of the 'incident' (hands bag to jury), and this (holds up last bag) is the police report filed the night of the 'incident'. (Hands bag to jury). Now I'd like to call Emma Nelson to the stand."

The judge nods and Emma stands up. The bailiff swears her in and she sits down in the stand. She nervously looks at Sean. She tries to smile at her to reassure her that everything will be ok. She slightly nods to let him know that she's ok.

"Ms. Nelson can you tell us in your words exactly what happened that night?" Emma's lawyer asks her.

Emma nods.

"Ok…well Derrick had been friends with my good friend Jimmy. And I had starting noticing that he had developed a crush on me. But I didn't think anything of it…I just figured he'd get over it. But a few days before the party he asked me on a date. And I said no. Not only because I had a boyfriend, but also because…well he just wasn't…my type. So then a few days later there was a party at my friend Paige's house. My boyfriend, Sean, and I went together. We were together pretty much the whole night. And then near the end of it one of Sean's friends from his shop class asked him to help take his drunk friends to the car. Sean said he'd help and told me he'd be right back. Not too long after Sean left, Derrick came up to me and started talking to me about some movie or something. He knocked my purse off the table. I bent down to pick it up. And then he went on talking about the movie. I just starting to drink my drink fast so I could have getting another one as an excuse to leave. But a few minutes later I started feeling really sick…and really dizzy. So I tried to leave to go find Sean. But then Derrick said he was upstairs…and then… (Emma starts to tear up) some of this is kind of blurry from there on out. But I do have occasional flashbacks of him hitting me. And I remember him trying to force himself on me. And…I'm sorry it's just kind of blurry." Emma finished wiping away stray tears.

Emma's lawyer nods his head.

"No further questions your honor." He said before taking his seat.

The judge nodded.

"Mr. Thompson you may precede your questioning." The judge said.

Derrick's lawyer stood up.

"Ms. Nelson was there alcohol at this party?" Derrick's lawyer asked Emma.

"Yes." She whispered.

"Yes? Well were you drinking any of that alcohol?" Derrick's lawyer asked smirking.

Emma looked down, ashamed.

"Yes, I was." She whispered.

"You were? Well is it possible that you really were drunk? Is it possible that my client was just trying to help you up the stairs and that you were just dreaming the rest? Imagining it?"

Emma looked up at him, with anger in her eyes.

"No, it's not possible. I had only 2 drinks the entire night. It takes at least four to get me drunk. And Sean was not upstairs, he was still outside. Derrick knew that because he saw him walk off."

"And you're saying that you had no consent in this act whatsoever?"

"I said no….I said no over and over again. And he just wouldn't stop." Emma said starting to get teary again.

"Ms. Nelson did my client hold a gun to your head, or a knife to your throat? Did he have a weapon of any kind?"

"No." Emma answered almost defeated.

"Well can you tell me how my client could have possibly hurt you so badly? You're taller than he is. And he's not as strong as some."

"He…he drugged me. It says so in the medical report." Emma said starting to gain her strength back.

"No, someone drugged you that night. How are you so sure that it was my client? How are you so sure that it wasn't your boyfriend who was 'by your side all night'?" Mr. Thompson asked smirking.

"Because, not only would my boyfriend never do that, but my drink was only out of my sight once that night. And it was went I bent down to pick up my purse. When Derrick was standing beside me."

Derrick's lawyer sighed, defeated. But then thought of something.

"Ms. Nelson how many men have you had sex with?"

Emma's lawyer stands up.

"Objection! Your honor that's irrelevant."

The judge nodded and went to speak but Emma interrupted her.

"Actually, I'd like to answer that! One person. I've only ever slept with one person, and I've been in love with that person since I was twelve. That's five years. I'd barely known Derrick for five minutes. It took five years for me to be able to trust someone enough, to love someone enough, and to share my soul with someone enough to actually give my virginity to him. And I'm still with that guy to this day. What makes you think I would intend to fuck some guy I'd just met upstairs at a house party when the guy I was in love with was just outside?" Emma practically screamed into the microphone.

Sean smiled at her.

"That's my girl." He thought to himself.

Emma's parents has surprised looks on their faces as but tried not to let it show.

Derrick's lawyer was completely dumbfounded.

"No further questioning your honor." He mumbled as he sat down.

((AN: Let's just pretend that no one else has to be called to the stand.))

"The jury will be given a lunch break to decide a verdict. Court will resume in two hours." The judge said before hitting her gavel (I think that's what they're called) and walking out of the room.

Scene-Lunch break. Emma's parents brought everyone to The Dot for lunch. Emma was just looking sadly down at her food and picking at it. Sean looked up and noticed.

"Hey, Em why don't we go for a walk?" Sean asked getting up and taking her hand.

"Ok…" Emma whispered getting up and letting Sean lead her out of restaurant.

Sean led her over to a bench outside of the Dot. They both sat down.

"Em, I am so proud of you." He said touching her cheek with his hand.

Emma smiled sadly.

"Sean I'm so embarrassed. Now the whole courtroom knows we had sex. My parents and Tracker…Derrick and the judge…and the jury. Everyone thinks I'm a slut….and that's why I'm going to lose." Emma whispered sadly.

"What? Em, no of course not! No one thinks you're a slut! Your parents will understand. I mean, come on Em just like you said…we've been in love since you were twelve and I was thirteen. And Tracker would NEVER think you were a slut Em. If anything he's proud of us for being able to be so in love that we could have lost our virginity to each other. And who the fuck cares what the judge and everyone thinks? Because I know that you're not a slut…anyone that matters knows." He said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm sorry Sean…I just…I'm just nervous about the verdict." Emma said wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him.

Sean nodded.

"I know, and don't worry about it. It's not like you planned freak boy attacking you."

Emma smiled up at him.

"You know I meant what I said in there Sean." She whispered.

Sean smiled back at her.

"I know."

Scene-Everyone is back in the courtroom in the same place they were before. The judge has just come in and sat down.

"The jury has reached the verdict. And the jury finds Derrick Whitman guilty of sexual assault and use of a date rape drug. Mr. Whitman will serve four years in a juvenile center until he reaches the age of 18." The judge slams her gravel and leaves the room.

Emma's smiled is so huge. She jumps up.

"Sean I did it!"

Sean smiles and pulls her into his arms.

"I know, baby, I know! I've never been so proud of you Em!" He said slightly twirling her around. He sets her gently down on the ground. Everyone else hovers around her and congratulates her.

"Ok, Em. Party at our house to celebrate! Caitlin's already got it all set up. She flew in just for it!" Spike said excitedly hugging her daughter.

"That's great mom! And um…about before…."

"Don't worry about it Em. We'll talk about it later. Let's just celebrate!" Spike said pulling her daughter out of the courtroom.

-X-

So what do you think? R&R and let me know! Only two more chapters left! Do you think I should set the last chapter 10 years in the future to let you all know where everyone is now? Let me know!