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Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Sorry if the legal stuff in this is all wrong… I don't really know anything about law and stuff.
I woke up on the Thursday and for the first time in my life, (well, at least for as long as I can remember), I felt nervous. I was shaky, and didn't eat anything for fear I'd ruin Emmett's suit with it later on. My stomach didn't need it, anyway; it was already full with butterflies I must have eaten during the night.
I got dressed in the suit I reserve especially for very attractive women and court. Today it was going to serve both of its purposes. I was glad that I'd given Jessica the week off, so that she wouldn't be able to talk about our 'date' to me in person. She would have to call me… or rather, Mike.
I had told Jasper and Emmett about my little mobile number prank and they thought it was mean. Apparently Jasper quite like Jessica, as a friend, and has decided to take her out to make up for my despicable act. What is it with Jasper and overly friendly and annoying women? Although, at least Alice has about double the IQ of Jessica. Take a HINT, girl!
When I got to the court house, the jury was sitting there, prim and proper and bored out of their brains. I sat down and nodded (perhaps it was more of a cheesy grin) to Ms Swan, who smirked back. Did she know something I didn't? Was it the butterflies that made my heart skip a beat when I saw her, the beautiful intellectual type, sitting two metres from me? I don't know, and I certainly didn't care. I just wanted her to go out with me, so the sooner opening statements began, the sooner I could try and lasso a date with her.
She looked incredibly confident, so cool and calm, whereas Emmett had notified me that I looked like James Bond with a serious hang over.
The judge came in, looking bad-tempered as always, and I got up to make my opening statement. I didn't even see Beryl; I was busy being distracted by the goddess next to her. I attempted to psyche myself out.
Come on Edward, you can do this. If you like her, then get the willpower to try and ignore her! Then you can do your case, get a date, and perhaps even see her again! Wait…Who the hell is that guy?
I looked up to see a tall, muscular man, probably as big as Emmett, with smooth dark hair tied in a ponytail walk through the back doors. He slid onto the bench next to Bella Swan and smiled at her. He smiled back, a little bit too willingly for my liking. I was distracted from the task at hand, and realised I had been staring at them for two whole minutes when the judge interrupted my goggling.
"Mr Cullen?"
"Oh, yes? Your Honour?"
"Any time now for opening statements would be nice. I'm getting old."
"Oh, of course. Sorry." Ms Swan was staring at me now, puzzled at what was wrong with me. I don't know why she would be surprised; I made enough of an impression at our last meeting.
I clear my throat and walked to the middle of the floor. This was it, now or never. I cleared Bella Swan from my mind and turned my thoughts to the case at hand.
"Sometimes, things like Beryl Smith's accident happen. People injure themselves. Today, we are not trying to convince you that Ms Smith here should receive no compensation. On the defence, we are going to convince you that the amount suggested by Ms Smith and her attorney is unnecessary, and should be decreased to the amount that my defence suggest.
"Firstly, Ms Smith is a writer. She has been for 45 years and, I believe, has no intent to alter her occupational status. Now, we have checked with a few sources," I flashed a dazzling smile and a girl in the front row of the jury, who only just managed to stop herself from smiling back, "that you do, in fact, write with your hand, not with your leg. Therefore, we believe that there should be no worker's compensation in this case."
"We were also notified that Ms Smith's health insurance company has paid all her hospital fees, so we believe that we should not have to compensate for those either."
"And finally, we should not have to compensate for any pain caused to Ms Smith, because there were paramedics on the scene in under two minutes. Thus, the only compensation we are offering here today is for general inconvenience."
"We will prove further in our case that the depth of the inconvenience of a broken leg to Ms Smith is shallow."
I walked back to my seat after elaborating a bit further, and Ms Swan looked alarmingly unperturbed.
"That was alright," Emmett said. I think he was distracted by Ms Swan, as I was. I was watching Jacob Black whisper something in her ear that she stifled a giggle at. Perhaps it was a joke about me. She got up; walked to the middle of the floor, as I had done, and began one of the best opening statements I had heard in a long time.
"Cullen Superstores," she said, not a hint of nervousness in her perfectly smooth voice, "have caused over 35 serious injuries in the past year. Thirty five. I ask you today, do you think that is a reasonable number? Do you think that thirty five people should have to suffer because Cullen superstores cannot maintain its safety regulations? Twenty eight of these thirty five have not received any compensation; the rest have received next to nothing. Basically, what it all comes down to, is that the orange juice my client broke her leg on and the owners of this company have some thing in common: They are both extremely slippery."
"Today, I ask you not to award compensation on the basis of the suffering my client has endured, but the suffering that others have endured. Make an example of my client, and let Cullen Superstores and other superstores like the Cullen's know that it is not OK to mistreat their customers."
She elaborated further, but nothing else sunk in. I couldn't believe how smart, clever, articulate and generally convincing she was. If I lost, and never saw her again, would I ever get over what might have been with this woman? I didn't know, but her skilfully argued case just made me want to win even more.
The case continued and we finished with similar closing statements. I was flabbergasted by her ability, and considered asking her to join my litigators at the company. The jury returned with their verdict, and before I knew it (I was busy watching Jacob Black as he smiled and laughed while he conversed with Bella) it was being read out.
"We award the plaintiff, in civil damages, the amount of $5 000." I smiled, and Ms Swan looked, for the first time, slightly crestfallen.
"We award the plaintiff," the bailiff continued, "In punitive damages, the amount of $50 000."
I nearly ruined Emmett's suit.
Jasper started coughing and didn't stop for about ten minutes. Emmett didn't speak for about twenty. Ms Swan got up and hugged Beryl Smith, who was still in a cast, and then Jacob Black, who hugged her back extremely tightly.
I walked, after regaining my addled senses, up to the plaintiff's bench and shook Bella's hand.
"Thank you… for a… challenging case, Ms Swan."
She smiled, and I stopped thinking about despair. But how could I lose that smile!
"Well, Mr Cullen, it was a challenge for me too."
"Ahh, Ms Swan… I was wondering if you wouldn't mind, errr…going out" She cut me off.
"What about our little bet, Mr Cullen? It looks like I get to ignore your advances from here on."
The judge walked up to us then.
"Well done, Edward, congratulations. I knew you could win," he said jovially.
"Wh… What?" Bella said.
The judge didn't seem to notice that we were shocked at all.
"Why, Edward won. If the jury didn't agree with him, then they would have awarded your client a lot more!"
I grinned smugly at her. I couldn't help it.
"Well, Ms Swan, it would appear that you owe me one date!"
At that moment, Jacob Black, tall and muscular and tanned, walked over.
"Hey Bells! What's up?"
He looked from me to her and back to me again.
"Nothing, Jake. Well, I suppose that I should tell you; I had a bet going today that if Mr Cullen won this case, I would have to go out with him. And the judge just proclaimed to us that… Mr Cullen did win."
Jacob looked me up and down and pulled a subtle face of disgust, and then laughed.
"Come on, Bells. It's not that bad!" I nearly punched him. I have never been referred to as 'it' before.
She playfully pushed Jake away, and asked me what I would like to do for our date.
"Well… um… Bella," It felt so nice to use her first name, "There is a nice restaurant… around the corner… we could go now, if you like."
I was not going to let this girl get away.
"That sounds fine."
Hi guys, thanks for reading and reviewing, but I was wondering if in your reviews you could tell me if I should do Bella's POV as well. Or Jacob's. Whatever. Thanks!