A/N: Another chapter! Enjoy!
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As soon as the court was called to order and Ric was seated Caroline knew this wasn't going to be an easy case. Tyler sat on the table across from her with a smirk on his face. Caroline could feel Elijah's gaze on the back of her head from where she sat. She didn't turn around, she had to be focused. She was a lawyer right now and nothing else.
There were only two places Caroline couldn't bring herself to look. The first was up in the gallery where Mikael was no doubt watching with a vicious smile. The second was where Klaus was standing, waiting for the trial to start. She couldn't bear to meet his stormy blue eyes, knowing they would have her resolve crumbling with one look.
"If I could call upon the prosecutor." Ric's voice boomed in the quiet courtroom, "Mr Lockwood, if you would like to present your opening statement to the jury?"
Tyler got up with ease, a relaxed expression on his face. He coughed once, looking at Caroline for a brief moment before speaking, "We all know why we are here." He began, addressing the jury now, "Niklaus Mikaelson is not a good man. He has been tried before a court before and no doubt will be again. He is manipulative and cruel, a man who would doesn't seem to be able to change his ways. I urge everyone in the jury to remember this as we progress through the trial. Mr Mikaelson is a dangerous man and that leaves us all wondering how far he would go to get what he wants. He got out of prison and the first thing he did was get right back into weapons dealing, not the sign of a man eager to change his ways."
"Miss Forbes?" Ric asked as Tyler made his way back to the bench, his statement was brutal as Caroline predicted it would be. She moved out of her seat, making her way towards the jury.
"What my colleague fails to realise is while Mr Mikaelson is by no means a saint perhaps in this case there is just cause for his actions. I'm sure everyone single person of this jury would result to extreme measures when it comes to the protection and safety of their family. When Marcel Gerard threatened the welfare of the defendant's family what other choice did he have? It's a dangerous world, one we can't begin to understand. Perhaps the only thing my client is guilty of is wanting to keep his family safe? Perhaps this incident spiralled out of control by forces that were deemed by other people and not Mr Mikaelson? These are things I strongly suggest you think about as we proceed. What would you have done?" Caroline finished, all eyes in the court on her as she took her seat. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly from behind and she turned round to find it was Katherine. Caroline gave her a small smile as Ric began to speak.
"Your first witness, Miss Forbes?" Ric asked, his eyes soft.
Caroline nodded, "I'd like to call Marcel's girlfriend, Sophie Deveraux to the stand."
Sophie was a small brunette girl with a hard face, Caroline felt little sympathy for her as she was escorted to the stands and sworn in. Caroline approached her calmly, like a man walking over to a wounded animal.
"Miss Deveraux, Can you please tell the court how you know the defendant?" Caroline asked, her voice softer now.
Sophie frowned slightly, "I don't really, he worked with Marcel. They were friends."
"And you were in a sexual relationship with Mr Gerard?" Caroline continued, establishing Sophie's relevance to the case for the jury.
"Yes." Came the simple reply.
Caroline nodded, "Miss Deveraux, I want you to think back to the night of the 17th April. Can you talk us through what happened when Marcel came home that night?" She opened up the folder in her hands, Damon's notes from his first meeting with Sophie were staring back at her.
"Marcel was angry," Sophie began, "He refused to tell me what was wrong but we never kept secrets from each other so I got it out of him eventually."
"And what did Mr Gerard tell you?"
"He said Klaus was back. Marcel was worried Klaus would want to reclaim his business after he had been released so he planned to offer Klaus a job with him instead." Sophie explained, her eyes darting from Klaus to Caroline to Ric as she spoke. She was clearly nervous, rubbing her palms along the material of her dress.
Caroline pressed on, "What happened next?"
"Marcel contacted Klaus and when he came back he told me Klaus turned him down. He said he didn't want anything to do with him or the business anymore."
"And that made Mr Gerard angry?" Caroline asked gently.
Sophie nodded, "Marcel felt like Klaus had betrayed him. They were partners and Klaus threw him aside. Marcel wasn't going to stand for that."
"So, Mr Mikaelson told Mr Gerard he was done and he wanted nothing more to do with his criminal activities?"
"That's what I just said." Sophie sighed, "Marcel never understood why Klaus would throw away everything he worked for because of his family."
"Was Marcel a violent man, Sophie?" Caroline asked, using her first name to sound less harsh.
"I don't understand."
"Did he ever hit you?" Caroline asked, her eyes focused on Sophie's reaction.
There was a scraping of a chair against the floor, "Objection, your honour!" Tyler cut in.
Ric turned to Caroline, "Miss Forbes I fail to see the point in this line of questioning."
"I apologize. I retract my question." Caroline said, "Miss Deveraux, I have it on record that Mr Gerard was arrested by the police a few days later and then released without charge after a few hours. Did he mention this to you?"
"Yes." Sophie replied firmly.
Caroline nodded, "What did he say?"
"He was talking about being offered a deal, the police would drop the case against him if he helped them catch Klaus Mikaelson."
Caroline smiled, that was what she was waiting for. She turned away from Sophie to face the jury again, "That's interesting. How the police were willing to let a criminal go free in order to set up another one. Perhaps it shouldn't be the defendant on trial but our own law enforcement? This all seems to be pointing to a case of police corruption stemming from a personal vendetta against my client."
"Miss Forbes…" Ric said, his tone held warning.
"No further questions, your honour."
She took her seat with a small sense of glee as she waited for Tyler to start his cross examination. Even he couldn't win this round and judging by the look on his face, Tyler realised this. Caroline's eyes met Klaus' for the first time since the start of the trial. There was a look of love and pride on his face, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
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"Mr Salvatore, can you tell us how you found yourself back in Chicago after all this time?" Caroline asked Stefan who had taken Sophie's place in the witness stand. He looked a lot more at ease there than she did but Caroline guessed that was because it was better than being where Klaus stood right now. A position Stefan himself had stood in before. Tyler's cross examination of Sophie was short lived and desperate. He didn't anticipate Caroline's line of questioning as so didn't have a counter argument ready. The jury saw his anxiety even though Tyler tried to hide it, Caroline could see from the look of determination on his face that he wasn't ready to give up just yet.
Stefan cleared his throat before answering her question, "Klaus phoned me and asked for my help."
"Why did he need your help?"
"Marcel was blackmailing him into getting back into the weapons dealing. Klaus knew he had no choice because he wasn't willing to risk his family, Marcel said if Klaus did this last job he would let him walk away." Stefan explained, folding his hands into his lap, "Klaus didn't trust Marcel though so he called me in, he wanted someone he could rely on."
Caroline nodded, "Did Mr Mikaelson say what Marcel wanted him to do?"
"He wanted Klaus to head the delivery shipment, make sure the weapons arrived and were sold properly."
"What did Marcel say what would happen if Klaus failed to do this?" Caroline pressed, she needed the jury to see what Marcel was capable of as they would have a better opinion of Klaus. It was a long shot but it was the only one she had.
Stefan sighed, looking over at Klaus, "Marcel threated to hurt Klaus' family, his son. He had someone watching them while Klaus was inside. Marcel knew exactly how to get to Klaus and manipulate him."
"Marcel was a ruthless man." Caroline concluded.
"That's putting it nicely," Stefan replied, "He loved his games. He even had Klaus beaten up as a way to teach him a lesson on betrayal. Marcel wanted Klaus back, no matter what the cost was to anyone else."
Caroline sighed, "Thank you Mr Salvatore. No further questions."
She took her seat once more, noticing Damon had snuck into the room, sitting next to Elijah. Tyler got up and walked over to Stefan, papers in his hand.
"Mr Salvatore, how long would you say you've known the defendant?" He asked breezily, beginning his cross examination of Stefan.
"10 years."
Tyler nodded, " So you are close then? You would class the defendant as a friend?"
"I would." Stefan replied cautiously, not sure where Tyler was heading. Caroline sat up right, unsure of Tyler's questioning as well.
"So is it fair to say that you would lie to protect your friend, Mr Salvatore?"
Stefan frowned, "Not on oath. I swore to tell the truth and that's what I am doing."
"Yet you were arrested for the same crime Mr Mikaelson is being tried for. So would we be idiots to take a criminal at his word?" Tyler mused.
Caroline frowned, "Objection, your honour! The witness isn't on trial here."
Ric nodded, "Mr Lockwood, if you have a question pertaining to this case then ask it."
"Mr Salvatore, you met the defendant whilst undertaking your own criminal activities, is that correct?" Tyler asked.
"I was never charged." Stefan pointed out.
Tyler nodded, "Your brother represented you and managed to convince the jury of your innocence."
"Mr Lockwood, I won't tell you again." Ric said, his patience clearly wearing thin.
"I apologize." Tyler said, "My point, Mr Salvatore, is perhaps what your brother did for you is the same thing my colleague is doing for Mr Mikaelson. Would do you think of that?"
Stefan swallowed thickly, his eyes meeting Caroline's for a moment, "I think that's ridiculous."
Tyler smirked then and Caroline felt dread wash over her at this line of questioning.
"Mr Salvatore, perhaps you can fill the jury in on who Miss Forbes is to the defendant?" Tyler asked.
Caroline froze then, the question was valid but it was seedy and not professional. Tyler was really clutching at straws with that question and they both knew it.
Stefan looked worried, his eyes darting from Klaus to Caroline, not wanting to give an answer.
"You are under oath, Mr Salvatore." Tyler pressed.
Stefan sighed, "She is the mother of his child. They are in a relationship."
"I see." Tyler said, "So it would be fair to say that Miss Forbes is painting a very lovely but very inaccurate picture of the defendant, willing to blame anyone else from a man who can't be here to make his own defence to our own police force, so she can save her own family."
Caroline couldn't speak, all eyes of the jury on her. Ric was focused enough though, calling the court to order with a harsh voice, "Let's take a break. This court will start again in one hour." He replied, standing up from his chair.
Caroline gave him a grateful look but she would need a miracle to get Klaus out of this mess now.
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Next time we have desperate times call for desperate measures as Caroline comes to a risky conclusion on how to save Klaus.