Hey it's me, I'm sorry it took so long, but this was kind of hard to write and I've been kind of busy lately. So here you go, special thanks to sorry, I kind of sped it up, but I have some plans for this fic and I kind of want to wrap it up quickly. Love you all.

Disclaimer: so I have a couple of friends, let's call them: The Goat, and Happiness, if they got hold of this show, Peddie would always be kissing, and so would JARA. So maybe it's a go—wait, that would be perfect! To bad they don't own it. On that note, neither do I, so don't sue me!

Mara walked slowly up to the stand.

I was nervous, I am pretty sure that Alfie was supposed to go before me, WHY AM I GOING FIRST? Alfie and I were sure that I would be last, so why am I first? Gah, wait, the mother is speaking,

"What is your connection with my son?" Ms. Clarke said haughtily.

"Jerome is my boyfriend, and umm possibly my best friend." I caught Jerome's eye and he smiled waveringly, but his eyes said; tread carefully.

"I see, and how long have you known him?" Her eyes searched mine.

"Since I was twelve, but we never really talked until last year."

"And when did you first learn of the… abuse, shall we say?"

"He never talked about it, he never really talked about family until a couple of months ago, then it all sort of spilled out."

"Can you describe the incident?"

"Umm yeah, Jerome was sitting alone in the common room, well, the common room was full but Jerome was alone on the couch. Jerome pulled out his phone and stared at a new text, then he threw his phone at the wall, it shattered. Everyone stopped and stared at him, he stared back as if to say: What are you looking at?

He yelled at Mick, my ex-boyfriend, but boyfriend at the time, I can't remember what he said but Mick just exploded, he said,

" Please Mara, you're always telling me this guy has 'a sensitive side' and that I shouldn't judge him, but don't you see how cold he is, he doesn't have feelings! He calls me a meathead but he's a jerk and a con! You say he's put up walls but to hide WHAT! A shriveled, shrunken, sorry excuse of a soul!" Mick screamed, and Jerome stopped in his tracks. I remember this part very clearly, he said,

"Mick, you do not know one thing about my shriveled soul." But Mick wasn't done,

"So tell us Jerome? What about that text made you so mad huh? Are you secretly a deep, caring person?" Mick laughed. Jerome took a step back, and looked around, everyone was watching, including Trudy and Victor. He and Alfie locked eyes, Alfie gave a small nod.

"My Dad left when I was five, my sister and I live with our mum. She decided that she could only take care of one kid, so to boarding school I went, she didn't visit. I go home for summer break, but I rarely see her. When I was seven she married Arthur Baur, a hopeless drunk and child abuser. When I was home I would try to protect Poppy, but I can only do so much." Quickly, he took of his shirt, revealing white scars running up and down his chest and back. Nina and Amber—My housemates-gasped "My mum still doesn't believe us. I stopped trusting after the first boarding school, started scamming at the second, I found my Dad here, thanks to Mara." He finished with a smile to me, I ran up and hugged him, Jerome gently pushed me away,

"I don't want your pity, any of you." Mick was NOT pitying him,

" And the text?"

"Arthur isn't going to let Poppy come to school next year."

I started shouting at him, " You can't say he doesn't have feelings now, Mick. He is a living, feeling person!"

"Whatever." Mick and I went to his room, there was a lot of shouting, it was pretty much our worst fight, I basically broke up with him I don't want to go very in depth about it, and it's not important anyway. Anyway, hours later, Jerome was in the same position in the common room I came down the stairs and I'm pretty sure mascara had run all over but I really couldn't care less. I looked up at him and said,

"I think it was great you know, that you finally told them all."

"I think it's great you know," he mocked me "That you finally broke up with meathead."

I'm pretty sure I had the jury completely on my side, I am a very good story-teller.

"And you believe him? Everything he said? You never questioned his motives? Perhaps to earn sympathy? It never seemed like he had many friends?"

I looked at her in disbelief, how could she say such things about her wonderful son? Call him a liar in front of the entire courtroom! I went off on her,

"How dare you say such a thing about the wonderful man that is your son? It amazes me that you wish to keep custody of him, yet you call him a compulsive liar! He is an amazing person and your 'Boyfriend' has aged him beyond his years! His dad loves him! Poppy loves him! I love him! You? Don't kid yourself." I stopped myself, breathing heavily. Then I realized what I had just admitted. I had just told the entire courtroom that I loved Jerome, not that it wasn't true but it was very unexpected, then again, was it? I had known Jerome forever and had dated him for a while now… not important anyway,

"No more questions." Jerome's mother looked shell-shocked, absolutely and completely shocked that someone could truly love her son. Unbelievable. Mr. Johnson had few questions for me. Just the general stuff, I guess he thought I had admitted enough with Joan. Surprisingly, she had no more evidence, she had no more arguments, no more fight. She stopped trying to win. The jury was out, and we all waited, and waited. Jerome sat with me on one side of the aisle, Alfie and Mick sat one chair apart, not speaking, but looking confused and unappreciated, a few rows below us, everyone else was on the other side of the aisle. Yelling and arguing.

Jerome sat with his arm around my waist, my head in the crook of his neck. We didn't speak, we didn't move. Until Jerome shifted, taking his head away from mine and making me look at him,

"You love me?" His eyes sparkled with merriment, "Sweet little Mara likes bad-ass Jerome?" I giggled

"Don't flatter yourself, your not that bad."

"So you really love me? You didn't deny it!" I looked at him in wonder,

"Did you expect me too?"

"Yes."

"Thanks." A look of amazement passed over his face,

"I am so lucky. So lucky. God, Mara I lo-" The Jury had returned. I shushed him, anxious for the answer.

"We wish to give full custody of Jerome and Poppy to John Clarke," said a bossy-looking man with red hair, "But we choose not to follow any charge against Mr. Arthur Baur." Jerome and I froze in fear.