The Storm: Safe Harbor
Chapter Seventy-Four
By Gayforkurt
Summary: Kurt and Dave have come to terms with the past but can they battle the envy and jealousy of others to make a future for themselves? This is rated M.
A/N 1: No one should take the legal proceedings in this chapter as gospel. Things are tweaked a bit as I've used some of what I've researched and just winged it afterwards. Enjoy and let me have some love, i.e., reviews, people!
Disclaimer: Messrs. Murphy, Falchuk, et al are the owners of my favourite boys. Only the OCs and situations belong to me, alas.
The week flew past after that first matinee on Sunday afternoon. Dave hadn't wanted Kurt to go on, thinking his understudy was more than capable and after a secret chat with the Artistic Director, Rex had agreed with him. Kurt, when he'd been approached, was adamant about being recovered enough to go on and his performance was, indeed, brilliant.
Dave had been relieved that his resilient lover seemed to have bounced back from all the drama, chuckling to himself as he realized that maybe Kurt did thrive on the dramatics but he personally could do without the attempts on his fiancé's life. He shook his head now as they rode together in the back of the limousine taking them to the city's venerable court house. He grasped Kurt's hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
Kurt smiled softly as David held his hand. He wasn't looking forward to this udienza preliminare as the preliminary hearing was called. Apparently the public prosecutor, Lorenzo Vezzelli had been personally hard at work on the case, no doubt because of David's connection to the case and probably not wanting adverse publicity drawn to the judicial system. Signor Vezzelli had expedited the preliminary investigation which mainly involved inquiries and examination of the witnesses, the members of the company who had observed Cooper's behaviour and Kurt's response to it in the weeks they had been in Milan.
The overwhelming evidence of Cooper's unwelcome advances to Kurt along with the assault against the singer could sway the Giudice delle Indagini Preliminari (the judge who handled preliminary hearings) to decide there was enough evidence to support the charge of aggravated assault, thereby setting a date for the actual trial. Kurt was simply hoping that everything would be taken care of as quickly as possible. He wanted nothing to intrude on his happiness with regard to his wedding preparations.
As the limo pulled up to the wide courthouse steps, it was almost cliché to see the swarms of paparazzi surge down the steps trying to get the best shots of Kurt and David as they exited the long, gleaming vehicle. Xavier and Julian jumped out first, making sure the people were well enough back so that Kurt and David had room to move. Kurt smiled serenely, almost immune to the yells and importuning from both the photogs and the journalists. He wasn't too happy to see that international news outlets were represented, too, because he didn't want his parents to worry, if they got this on the international news back home. Still, he looked at David lovingly as the man slid his hand to the small of his back as they headed steadily up the wide steps to the column-lined portico and the waiting doors.
"Kurt, Kurt, is it true Cooper Anderson was your schoolboy lover?"
"Mr. Hummel, GlobalNews, did you attack Mr. Anderson in a lover's quarrel?"
"Kurt, look up, Kurt, over here, please!"
With all the shoving and jostling, no one actually touched them but Dave was tense and furious, though his face showed none of this but his hand tightened as it slid around Kurt's waist. He kept a tight little smile and when he glanced down at his lover's serene face he actually broke out into a fond smile. Whether it was fortunate or not, several of the hordes got the picture but he didn't care. Kurt was so beautiful in his cool, calm, diva persona he couldn't help but feel his heart lighten.
Kurt knew that David was having a hard time hearing those questions being fired at them by the press but he was glad that he seemed to be handling it well. He loved, too, that David was touching him, the warmth of his hand through the fine wool coat he was wearing doing much to comfort him. He'd dressed soberly, at least for him, for this preliminary hearing, not wanting to distract from the seriousness of the situation. He knew, however, that the deep blue of his simple button down shirt went well with his ivory complexion, making his eyes and lips glow. It always helped, he felt, to put your best foot forward and for him, clothes were like armour.
The rest of his clothing down to his dress shoes was black, naturally, and he felt powerful and confident. He took in David's gleaming hazel eyes and felt his love for the man well up. He was so handsome in his suit which was so obviously expensive and Italian-made. His silver-grey shirt was enhanced by a paisley-patterned grey tie held by a diamond-stud tack. He looked understatedly elegant and rich, which added to his aura of quiet power and Kurt knew the wheeling vultures could sense that.
They entered the portico and he inadvertently tensed but he smiled up at David to reassure him that he was alright. David simply hugged him closer before turning to pull open one of the tall wooden doors. Kurt, his love for him shining in his sea green eyes, nodded his thanks, smiling up at him almost flirtatiously.
He had just stepped into the marble foyer of the old building when a voice came softly from his right and he frowned before gasping in recognition.
"Blaine!" He laughed as he moved towards the other man, his eyes taking in the same olive skin, hazel eyes and dark curly hair that he used to envy so much. "Blaine, how are you?"
David came up to the two younger men, his urbane smile making his face warm as he watched them hug in greeting. Kurt stepped back, his arm still linked with the other man's and turned to David, eyes bright.
"David, this is Blaine, we were in college together," his voice and smile dimmed slightly but he rallied. "He just happens to be Cooper's brother but, please, don't hold it against him!"
Dave couldn't help the tiny frown even as he shook the other man's smaller hand. Blaine looked nothing like his brother, save for the dark hair. He looked vaguely Eurasian and he was startlingly good-looking but his soft eyes and wide smile as he greeted Dave put him at ease.
"Hi, I'm Kurt's fiancé, David Karofsky; nice to meet you, Blaine." He released his hand but smiled softly at him. "Sorry we couldn't have met under better circumstances…"
Kurt leaned against his arm, one hand stroking it as he looked between the two men; one he loved with all his heart and one he had almost fallen in love with years before. The one thing that stood out to him was that they both seemed to have an air of directness about them. He smiled now as he looked back at Blaine.
"Wow, it's been years. Why haven't we kept in touch?" He grinned as he shook his head. "Oh, never mind! Uhm, so, what's going to happen now… with your brother, I mean."
Blaine, who had regained that unhappy look about his eyes that had been there when he first approached them, rubbed the back of his neck and then shrugged helplessly. "Well_"
He was interrupted by the imperious voice of an older woman who bore such a striking resemblance to Cooper that Kurt and David knew they were looking at his mother. A furious mother, too; whether she was furious at the situation or at them remained to be seen. She stalked toward them, a harassed little man with an attaché case hurrying after her.
"Mother_, Mom, please," Blaine's voice was anxious as he turned and held out both palms towards her in the universal sign to stop. "Please, don't do this now…"
She halted just a few feet away from them and then she looked Kurt up and down with such a coldness that Kurt felt like shrinking back against David's bulk. He stood his ground, however, and, diva that he was, lifted his chin, stared down his nose at her and let a faint sneer tug at his full lips.
He'd not liked this woman when Blaine used to invite him to their home in the Hamptons and he still didn't like her. Time had been kind to her; well, that and the doubtlessly expensive skincare treatments she obviously indulged in. Her elegant Chanel suits, expensive accessories and snarl probably intimidated quite a few people but Kurt Hummel was made of much sterner stuff.
"Catherine, I honestly can't say it's a pleasure. David," he looked up at his fiancé with a tiny smile softening his face. "This is Catherine Bingham Anderson, Blaine and Cooper's mother."
Dave nodded politely but immediately dismissed her, something she was apparently unused to as she turned red and puffed up alarmingly. He, however, had turned to greet a slender brunette who was coming toward him with a stout, red-faced man who kept mopping sweat with a large white handkerchief.
When the two reached them, Dave smiled at them and then at Kurt. "Sweetheart, this is Lynette Miles Forrester, Q.C., so don't let her apparent youth fool you," he and Kurt chuckled as Kurt shook her hand warmly.
Lynnette, with just a glance at Blaine who was leading his mother away after a backward glance full of apology at Kurt, proceeded to introduce Signor Rodolfo Tracollini of the law firm of Tracollini, Smikle and Turner.
Kurt grinned at the man as he struggled to put back his handkerchief and switch the bulging satchel he carried to the other arm so he could shake hands. Dave smiled too and thanked the man for taking them on at such short notice.
"No, no, a pleasure! Your Mr. Getrick is an old acquaintance from when I studied as a boy in England. Yes, yes, no trouble…" His voice was a little wheezy but his English was excellent. He looked towards the inner doors farther down the hall and turned to them, bowing a bit as he told them they needed to find the correct courtroom.
"It is a busy day, yes, and they will be waiting…" he smiled faintly as he moved off, Kurt hurrying to walk beside him. He wanted to go in with his counsel rather than beside David. No offense, he thought, but he didn't want people thinking he would hide behind his rich and powerful lover. Oh, no, Kurt Hummel could take care of himself, definitely.
Dave fell into step behind him with Lynnette at his side and they strode briskly towards the doors at the end of the corridor, an impassive guard watching them approach. Tracollini gave him their docket number and they were let through.
The Andersons were already seated and then, from a small, almost inconspicuous door, a guard entered with Cooper whose eyes went immediately to his family. He was still sporting bruises and his nose still had a tape on it and Kurt almost felt remorseful that he'd done that. Almost.
When everyone had settled, out through another door came the Giudice dell'Udienza Preliminare and a woman Kurt assumed to be a stenographer or court recorder. Several Italian phrases flew about rapidly, too fast for Kurt's rudimentary skills to pick out but they were informed of the date, time and location of this hearing and then the name of the judge who was presiding, Giudice Gerardo Adalfieri. The judge then looked over at Cooper impassively.
"Signor Anderson, you are charged with aggravated assault. After the preliminary investigations by the Public Prosecutor, in which he felt enough evidence was found to bring this case to trial, you now have the opportunity to plead your defense before me. How do you plead?"
Cooper, who had taken one long resentful look at Kurt and David across the room, had scowled at his mother's lawyer. The little man, looking ever more harassed, had stared down at the sheaf of paper before him, his shoulders hunching. Catherine Anderson looked as if she wanted to beat the man over his head but he stood now and addressed the judge.
"Bob, er, Robert Gaffing, Your Honor, and I am instructed to enter on Mr. Anderson's behalf, a plea of Not Guilty."
The judge stared down at the lawyer over the top of his glasses and then tilted his head towards the woman seated a little below him. "It is so entered."
The tension in the room ratcheted up a notch as the judge took his time staring at some documents before him and then he turned to Signor Tracollini. Kurt smiled as he realized his lawyer was nowhere near as nervous-looking as Cooper's.
The judged nodded at him now, asking, "Are you ready to present your case, Signor Tracollini?"
Tracollini, after a swift look down at his documents, looked up confidently at the judge. "I am, Your Honour."
"You may proceed… and Signor Tracollini, please, keep the drama down to a dull roar."
Tracollini coloured slightly as a faint titter passed through the courtroom. Kurt was surprised that so many people had been allowed into what he thought of as just a hearing. Maybe the whole 'celebrity' thing factored into it, he thought as he gazed around the room.
Lynnette, seated to Tracollini's left, shuffled through some papers and spoke quietly to him before she handed him a couple of them. Kurt settled in beside David, the man's larger hand holding his and threading their fingers together. Kurt smiled at him and was rewarded with a slight relaxation of David's shoulders.
For the next ten minutes, Tracollini outlined the interaction over the past several weeks between Kurt and Cooper. When he got to the parts where Cooper had touched or kissed Kurt uninvited, Kurt couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Blaine looked and how furious Catherine became. He shrugged at one point; Cooper was no child, they must have known what he was capable of.
Tracollini's voice seemed to have lost its earlier wheeze as he boomed dramatically: "Yet, although Mr. Hummel repeatedly repudiated Mr. Anderson's advances, even in front of several members of the theatre company, Mr. Anderson persisted."
The judge's face was the very picture of stony impassivity as his eyes passed over the two men. Whenever he looked at Kurt, Kurt would lift his chin, his eyes clear and just as impassive as the other man's. Whenever he looked at Cooper, however, the idiot would scowl and avert his eyes.
Finally, Tracollini wrapped up with the most damning incident – Cooper's throwing Kurt over the balcony. A faint horrified murmur rippled through the courtroom and a few people dashed outside. Kurt smirked; reporters were so damn predictable, he scoffed to himself.
Tracollini took his seat, proud of himself and sweating copiously once more. He and Lynnette put their heads together, her hand on several more documents. Soon it would be time for the defense attorney, the poor man, to try and save Anderson's ass from a prison sentence in Italy by getting the charges dismissed.
The judge cleared his throat and stared down at the little man. "Signor Gaffing, are you ready to present the accused's case?"
"I am ready, your honour," the man quavered with a quick glance at Catherine Anderson.
"You may proceed."
Gaffing cleared his throat and, with a faintly discomfited air, outlined his defense. Apparently, poor Cooper Anderson had been led on by the singer, Kurt Hummel, who made advances to Cooper in private but pretended otherwise in public.
There was a faintly horrified sound from Blaine but at the vindictive look on his mother's face he subsided. He threw an apologetic look across to Kurt who simply shrugged, uncaring. That line of defense was so patently ridiculous he was not going to dignify it by appearing surprised or horrified.
Dave gripped Kurt's hand as the fury rose within him and Kurt patted his arm and leaned into him. His soft whisper tickled Dave's ear but he relaxed at the quiet words. "Sweetie, they're just desperate. They don't have a leg to stand on because that judge is no fool. He won't believe it and there's no evidence of any of that, okay?"
His fiancé's equanimity in the face of such an abhorrent accusation made Dave feel proud. Kurt was a class act, a fact he was already aware of but it upset him deeply that such accusations could be made at all. He settled back to listen to the defense attorney once more.
"At this time, I would like to put Mr. Cooper Anderson on the stand, your honour."
When Cooper strutted toward the chair, he threw a triumphant glance first at his mother and then at Kurt. The singer's face was cold and clear, no sign of worry or anger, nothing. Cooper frowned at that but he took the seat and turned to face the lawyer. He didn't really like the man but he'd been on the family's payroll for years and had proved quite useful.
The judge indicated he could begin and he did. What came out of his mouth was a tissue of lies that would make any soap opera writer proud. He told the judge and the court how Kurt had been a school mate of his younger brother; how Kurt had constantly thrown himself at him, Cooper and how, when Cooper found himself working with the company, Kurt had wanted things to escalate between them.
"I-I was surprised... and flattered, Your Honour... but I didn't want to hurt his feelings. You know how temperamental those people are." Cooper smirked, apparently unaware how grotesque he looked with the tape distorting his nose and the bruises giving him a less than elegant air.
He stared defiantly around the courtroom as he gave them to understand that he was the one who had to remind Kurt that he was engaged and that it wasn't right. He finally admitted, with the hammiest acting Kurt had ever seen, that he'd given in to Kurt's advances, something he was not proud of.
Kurt bit his lip and lowered his head and to any onlookers it would have appeared that he was overcome with shame and was now totally distraught. To Dave, however, he could see the little grin that Kurt was struggling to suppress before he raised his head again to stare back at the judge with a bored look in his eyes.
After Cooper finished, the judge turned to Tracollini and gave him permission to question the accused. Kurt settled back as he patted David's arm reassuringly. This was going to be good.
Tracollini proceeded to question and demolish every statement that Cooper had made. The first one set the stage for everything else that followed.
"Mr. Anderson," he said quite politely, "isn't it true that you made a statement to the effect that: 'Kurt could do better than that nouveau riche Neanderthal'?"
"Mr. Anderson, isn't it true that on a number of occasions, in the presence of several company members, you stated that Mr. Hummel belonged, and I quote, 'on his back beneath you'?"
The gasp and murmurs that came at that were enough to have the judge banging his gavel. He'd turned to Cooper, awaiting his reply and had to instruct him that he must reply.
Minutes later, Tracollini asked: "Mr. Anderson, isn't it true that you have been accused at least five times of aggravated assault, battery and attempted rape?"
When he didn't get a response even after the judge chided Cooper who had gone quite pale, Tracollini turned to the judge, his face serious.
"Your Honour, I have here several affidavits," and his hand rested on the bulging satchel, "from members of the company, including from the Artistic Director himself, stating that from the very first day of his arrival, Mr. Anderson launched a campaign to sexually harass my client. Mr. Anderson even paid Mr. Hummel's personal assistant to pass on information with regard to Mr. Hummel's movements."
He paused and looked at Kurt who nodded at him with a little smile. "On the night of the incident for which Mr. Anderson stands before us, charged with aggravated assault, Mr. Hummel had been advised to have him charged with attempted murder."
The buzz again in the court required repeated bangings of the gavel. Tracollini waited for silence and then continued. "However, my client, Mr. Hummel, having been a friend and acquaintance of Mr. Anderson's family for many years, refused to do so and asked that Mr. Anderson be given a lesser charge."
He was about to continue when Blaine suddenly rose, his eyes pleading as he stared at the judge. "Your Honour, please, may I say something?"
The judge stared at him with his eyebrows lowered and lips pursed but whatever he saw in Blaine's face made him nod. "You may, but please keep it brief."
Blaine nodded. "Thank you, Your Honour. I wanted to say that my brother is not a murderer. My brother has a problem with his temper." He glanced down at his mother who was almost beside herself with rage, staring at Blaine with a look of betrayal. "Cooper is my mother's first child and when our father died, I think my mother spoiled him. Let me finish, mother!"
She had attempted to drag him back down into his seat but he stared angrily at her now before turning back to the judge and the fascinated courtroom, his eyes blazing.
"I think my mother in her grief spoiled my brother and all through our growing up, it didn't stop. Cooper grew up thinking that he could get anything_, anyone he wanted. I don't think he's a bad person, Your Honour, ju-just misguided." He swallowed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them. He turned to Kurt with an apologetic look.
"Kurt, you asked me years ago what was wrong between my brother and me and I-I should have told you then." He turned back to the judge, a pleading look in his large, earnest eyes. "I was ashamed and afraid that if people knew how Cooper was, I wouldn't have any friends. I-I can't tell you how sorry I am."
Tears glistened in Kurt's eyes and he pressed his head against David's shoulder so the reporters wouldn't see. His breath hitched as he sniffed as he continued to listen to Blaine, a deep silence in the room.
Blaine continued: "Your Honour, I love my brother but I know Kurt even better, although years have passed since we even talked. Kurt would never lead Cooper on, not then and not now. You can see how much in love Kurt is with his fiancé – heck, it's all over some of the tabloids, y'know, the 'Diva and the Billionaire'." He paused as a little murmur came from the reporters in the room.
He looked down at his mother before looking up at the judge. "I'll just finish by saying that my brother needs help, professional help and I hate that it took something like this for us to do something about it. No, mother, you know everything I said is true." He shook his head at her as she dug into her pocketbook for a hanky. "Please, Your Honour, let us take Cooper home so he can get the help he needs… Thank you."
Blaine looked over at Kurt and nodded before sitting back down, a hand coming up to cover his eyes. He ignored whatever his mother was saying and when he looked up again it was to stare straight at a silent Cooper.
The judge sat in silence and the courtroom had nothing to do but wait on him. Suddenly Kurt got to his feet, startling Dave who stared up at him. Lynnette turned in her seat to frown at the singer but he ignored her. He called to the judge now.
"Your Honour, may I speak… please?"
The judge frowned and peered over his glasses again. However, he nodded and waved his hand for Kurt to go ahead. "This is not a trial so go ahead, young man, if you absolutely have to." The faintly sarcastic tone was ignored as Kurt smiled grimly at him in thanks.
"I only want to say that I regret the way things have turned out." He glanced down at David, his eyes softening. "My fiancé is a wonderful man yet, from the start, Cooper Anderson has done nothing but belittle him and denigrate him. In a fit of anger, I made the decision to try and put Cooper in his place, so to speak, to make him realize that I could never want him because I loved my fiancé. It has been well-documented the number of times I have rebuffed Cooper and now that I have heard what his brother, my friend, has to say, I wish I had handled things differently."
His soft, melodious tones rang clearly through the silent courtroom and everyone was hanging on his words. He stared at the judge, an edge of determination sharpening his voice as he continued: "I think Cooper does need professional help. Incarcerating him here for years would not help him and as I am the one bringing the charges, I hope that my wishes... my concern... will carry some weight."
Kurt's eyes softened now as he pleaded with the judge. "Please, let his family take him home. If you have to place, I don't know, some kind of injunction on them to see to it that he's institutionalized or something, do so… but I don't want him to go to prison. Please…"
He stood for a second or two more and then, feeling David tug on his hand, murmured a quick 'thank you' to the judge and sat down. Dave put his arm around his shoulder and hugged Kurt to him, dropping a little kiss on his soft hair. "I really, really love you, y'know," he whispered, smiling at the faint colour that flooded the fair cheeks.
They turned back as the judge cleared his throat, all attention riveted on him as he shuffled the papers before him. He stared at Cooper for an unnervingly long time and Kurt wondered what he saw. Cooper was looking less defiant and more apprehensive, the handsome lines of his face still showing through the faint discolourations.
Finally, the judge looked at Kurt, still not much of an expression on his face. "Mr. Hummel, Mr. Anderson, while I appreciate what you have said and how important it is that Mr. Cooper Anderson get professional help, this is a criminal case. A serious charge has been brought in this court and there is enough evidence before me to take this to trial."
Another little murmur sprang up but he ignored it to continue, without even raising his voice. "There will be a short adjournment and we will meet within the hour in this courtroom. I suggest, Mr. Hummel, that you discuss things with your counsel and when we re-adjourn, if the charges are to be adjusted, you will inform me at that time. Do you understand?"
Kurt stared wide-eyed at the man but he stood up to nod quickly, "Yes, Your Honour, I understand."
The court was then adjourned and then there was a general hubbub as people headed outside, some speaking into or tapping at their smartphones quietly. Kurt, however, headed towards Lynnette and Signor Tracollini, determined to find out what his options were.
Dave hid a little sigh as he just knew where Kurt's thinking was going. Still, he would back his lover in whatever he wanted and if he managed to get in some of his own demands as well, all the better.
Kurt sat down beside the two lawyers who turned to him, faces curious. He smiled reassuringly before he began, although his eyes were slightly shadowed. "Thank you, signore, Ms. Miles Forrester; that was a really thorough presentation."
They nodded but didn't say anything, knowing that he had more to say to them. Kurt bit his lip, glancing over at David who had come to sit beside him. "I think you all might have an idea where I'm going with this."
He took a deep breath and let it out before saying, his voice resigned: "I want to drop the charges."
He closed his eyes and waited out the silence, wondering who would speak first. He was surprised when the Italian lawyer spoke up. "Er, Signor Hummel, I am to understand that you already reduced the charges from attempted murder; you now want it further reduced?"
Kurt held back a giggle at how bewildered the man sounded but he nodded. "Yes, yes, I do." He dropped his head into one hand before lifting it again to turn to David. "I really do think Cooper needs help. I remember how Blaine used to be so uncomfortable talking about him and now I know why. David, I'm just as angry as you about what happened but I can't see him in prison, not able to get help… and then what…? He comes out in a few years and continues doing the same thing?"
His words echoed around the courtroom and he realized they were all alone in there. He looked pleadingly at David as if asking for him to back him up and Dave smiled now.
"You know what, as much as I'd love to see the bastard rot in jail, I think you are right." He held up a hand as Kurt started to smile. "Wait… there will be – there have to be – conditions, though. We need to talk to that dragon, his mother."
The lawyers put forth a couple of suggestions, options for Kurt to consider and after about five minutes, Kurt nodded at David. He really hoped the judge would accommodate him but, as he'd said, this was a criminal case so he would keep his fingers crossed.
Dave got up and nodded at the silent lawyers to come with him and Kurt and they headed out into the hallway. Farther down, almost by the entrance, Blaine and his mother were in heated conversation. Dave strode swiftly towards them, his hand beneath Kurt's elbow, the lawyers trotting to keep up with him.
When Blaine looked up and saw Kurt, the anguish in his eyes made Dave realize that Kurt's decision was really the right thing to do. He never had the dubious joy of siblings but he could imagine now how he would feel, were he to be in Blaine's shoes. He stopped before mother and son and cleared his throat.
"Anderson, I want to talk to you. Well, Kurt has something to say, actually." He looked down at Kurt encouragingly, smiling when the singer nodded and straightened his shoulders as if going into battle. He swore his love could take on anybody and that was a definite turn on.
Kurt's gaze was soft when he looked at Blaine, remembering the crazy, funny stuff they used to get up to but it hardened when he turned his head towards the mother. Catherine Bingham Anderson was a bitch of the first water and Kurt wasn't going to pull any punches with her, no matter that she was older than his own father. People like her didn't have blood in their veins but vitriol. How she could have a sweet, wonderful son like Blaine was beyond him.
He stared her down now as he started speaking, his voice cool and well-modulated. "Here's the deal, Catherine." He waited for her to actually look him in the face and not past his shoulder as she had been doing since they came up to her and Blaine. She did and he continued.
"I am told that I have two options before me. Option One: I reduce the charge to simple assault, it goes to trial, I win and he goes to prison for as little as five days or as much as five years; however long the judge decides in the sentencing session."
He looked at Lynnette to see if he'd got it right. He turned back to Catherine, catching a venomous look on her face before she wiped it clean. He smirked in his mind but continued.
"Option Two: the charge remains as is, we go to trial, I win and he gets a much harsher sentence – and who knows if he will survive an Italian prison sentence of up to 15 years."
He smirked directly into the bitch's eye. "I suggest you take Option One. There is an addendum to it, however. When Cooper is eventually released, probably after 10 days, he must be institutionalized, I don't care where. You might think that you can pull one over on me, Catherine, but be warned…"
Kurt for some reason was angry now as he watched this woman who had indulged her son to a sickening degree, basically enabling his predatory behaviour over the years. She must have been the one to get all his previous charges dismissed or paid off people, something sleazy like that. Well, no more; it wasn't going to continue and he, Kurt Hummel, said so.
"I warn you: if I find out that you get him sent to one of those cushy, country club kind of place and he doesn't get the treatment he needs, I will be very, very upset." He stared down his nose at her, his usually full lips drawn into a thin line.
Catherine smirked at this upstart who dared to threaten her and her boy. She startled, however, when the other one, the fiancé, stepped forward.
Dave ignored Kurt's hand on his arm as he stepped toward the woman. His voice was low, cold and calm as he said, "Do you know what I am?"
Her eyes widened and she felt Blaine step closer to her but she shook her head. What did he mean? "Who are you?"
He enlightened her, a grim smile in his eyes. "Who I am is David Karofsky, Kurt's fiancé. What I am is a billionaire. Ignore what he just said and I will use every last penny of my considerable assets to see that your son pays for what he did to my future husband."
He stepped back when Kurt patted his arm but he kept his eyes trained on the woman. "My fiancé is very tenderhearted," and his eyes flicked to Blaine. "You know that, don't you?"
At Blaine's nod he continued, his eyes hard as he stared at the woman before him. "However, I am not. I will drag your family's name through the mud, I will humiliate you in the court of public opinion and when I'm done... I will bankrupt you."
He looked down at Kurt's wide eyes but he continued, looking back at Blaine and his mother. "Look me up, I never say anything I don't mean. Believe that."
With a nod to Blaine he turned, his hand once again beneath Kurt's elbow and they headed outside into the fresh air and sunshine. Well, as fresh as air can be in the centre of a major city but it was good enough for Dave. He just wanted to be away from that creature; the son was okay, especially if Kurt liked him. The woman was, however, everything that was wrong with members of the so-called landed gentry, the elites; they felt common decency and laws were meant for the rabble and they were above such considerations.
Dave vowed, as he and Kurt headed to the limousine, that he would make the Anderson family pay if they discounted Kurt's generosity.
Kurt ignored the swarming paparazzi and the shouted questions, his mind still reeling from David's ferocity back inside the courthouse. Still, he couldn't help but feel proud of his loving protector and now he smiled, flicking his eyes quickly at the grim-faced man beside him.
They were going to go get some lunch but somehow he felt that, no matter how this ended up, he would be happy. David had come through for him even when he hadn't expected him to and it made a warm little feeling grow behind his sternum.
Dave glanced down at him just when Kurt looked up and his whole being relaxed. His slow smile said to the world that this man beside him was his and he loved him. Everything else was secondary.
.
TBC
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A/N 2: I know that some of you think this story is too saccharine and I won't apologise for it. I will say that I'm grateful for those of you who have stuck with me and encouraged me with your often insightful and witty comments. To those people I say thank you.