This one is for those of you who are terribly concerned about the judicial system of Lima, Ohio. Fear not, my friends!

SPOV

I nervously readjust my tie in the mirror. Today, Blaine and I have a date, and it's not the kind I want. We have to appear in court today in my father's trial. I knew this day was coming when I confessed the truth to the police. But I never thought about how hard it would be. Behind me, Blaine gets himself ready. He's been home for a few weeks now. He's still going to rehabilitation, and walks with the help of crutches, but he won't need them for too much longer.

He walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You going to be okay?" he asks.

I take a deep breath before turning around. "I will be as soon as he's locked up."

He nods and kisses me softly. "Don't be nervous, okay? You got me through my time at the hospital, and I'm going to get you through this. Once this is over, we never have to worry about it again. I know you can do it."

I nod, leaning my head on his shoulder and letting his scent calm me. "I'm okay. Ready to go?"

I lead him downstairs, where Julie is waiting for us. She hugs me tightly. "Ready to finish this?"

I nod, hugging her back. "Can't wait." She leads us out to the car and starts driving. I cling tightly to Blaine's hand the whole ride there. "Here we are," I murmur.

Blaine pulls me closer. "Listen. We'll be sitting right there. When you're testifying, just pretend we're the only two in the room. You'll be okay."

We go inside, and I meet with the lawyer before taking a seat in the courtroom. Blaine and Julie sit directly behind me, behind the bar. After proceedings start, I do my best to block out the others and only focus on their presence. My family. My real family. They came to support me, and that's all I need to quiet the butterflies in my stomach. I take a deep breath when they call me to the stand, hearing Blaine's whispered "I love you" behind me.

I take my seat, so distracted by the number of eyes on me that I miss the first question. Remembering what Blaine told me, I close my eyes and take a breath. When I open them again, I focus only on him. "Could you please repeat the question?"

"Of course," the lawyer says. "Can you state your name for the court?"

Blaine smiles and I relax a little. "Sebastian Smythe."

"And how old are you, Sebastian?"

"Seventeen." At this, Blaine's smile widens for a moment, though I'm not sure why.

"Sebastian, is it true that you've been living in the home of the Anderson family?"

"Yes."

"And that Matthew and Julie Anderson are now your legal guardians?"

"Yes."

"And why is that?"

I swallow, looking at the pair of them. "They took me in after they found out I was in danger."

He nods. "Why were you in danger?"

"My father was abusing me."

"How long had your father been abusing you, Sebastian?"

Blaine doesn't take his eyes off mine. "Since I was about nine or ten."

"That was a long time before you moved into the Anderson home. Now Sebastian, I'd like to draw your attention to the events of September fourteenth of this year. That was the last day you resided with your father, is it not?"

I nod. "It was."

"On that day, there was an altercation between you and your father. One that landed you in the hospital for a week."

"Yes."

"Sebastian, can you please explain to the court what happened that day?"

Blaine nods encouragingly. "My father…he was very angry with me that morning."

"And why was that?" he prods.

"Because that was the morning I came out to him."

He nods sympathetically. "And by 'came out' you mean you told your father that you are homosexual?"

I take another breath. "Yes. He was very angry about it. He called me a lot of derogatory names, and trapped me in a corner of our kitchen."

"And what did he do after that?"

Looking only at Blaine, I am able to answer. "He began beating me. He hit me and threw me into the wall."

"Did you sustain injuries from this altercation?"

I nod. "Yes. I hit my head hard on the wall and a few of my ribs were broken."

The lawyer brings a sheet of paper to the judge. "I'd like to call the court's attention to the hospital's records of the injuries Mr. Smythe had when he arrived by ambulance. Among those listed are blunt force trauma to the head and four broken ribs. Now Sebastian, what happened next?"

This is it, the moment I have to tell them. I lock eyes with Blaine, who nods silently, and I know I have to do this for him. "After he finished beating me, he…raped me," I manage. "I was bleeding on the floor. Then he left, and I passed out."

There is a soft gasp from the room, but I manage to keep it together. "The doctors who treated Mr. Smythe wrote on his file of suspected rape," the lawyer says. "Now, you said you passed out on the floor. How did you later arrive in an ambulance?"

I relax, the hard part over. "My friend, Blaine Anderson, came over and suspected that something was wrong. He found me and called an ambulance for me. He stayed with me in the hospital because I was extremely anxious. Is that on the report?"

He nods. "It says that when separated from Mr. Anderson, you suffered a panic attack. Is that an accurate description of what happened?"

"Yes, it is."

"Now, Sebastian, this incident happened quite a few months ago. At that point, did you consider pressing charges?"

"I did consider it."

"But you did not press charges at that time."

"No. I was very afraid to have to see him again. After the incident, I was left with several anxiety conditions, which were confirmed by a psychologist in the hospital. I was also ashamed to admit that I had been raped."

Blaine smiles and mouths "Almost done".

"Very understandable issues," the lawyer says. "Did you see your father again?"

I nod. "Yes. He showed up in the Anderson home after school a little over a month ago."

"And what happened at that time?"

"He tried to force me to leave with him. When I refused, he got angry. Blaine tried to defend me, and was thrown into a piece of furniture. I managed to subdue my father and called the police."

"Did Blaine suffer any serious injuries?"

Blaine smiles at me. "Yes," I answer. "His head collided with the corner of the furniture, and there was bleeding in his brain. He was in a coma for a month."

"Was Blaine still just a friend to you at this point?"

I smile slightly. "No. We were a couple by then."

"That must have been very difficult to watch your boyfriend in that state for so long."

I nod. "It was not easy. We didn't know if he would wake up for most of that time."

"What about this incident made you decide to press charges against your father?"

Now I look directly at the judge. "I couldn't risk Blaine's safely again. I knew this was the only way to keep him safe. I wanted to make sure that my father would never hurt anyone I love ever again."

"Admirable intentions," the lawyer says before turning to the judge. "The prosecution rests."

The judge looks to the other lawyer, who stands. "The defense has no further questions, your honor."

"Very well," The judge says. "Mr. Smythe, you may step down." I walk back to my seat, and Blaine stands to hug me before he is called to testify. He tells the same story from his point of view, and then returns to his seat. "My decision will be told after a one hour recess." With that he walks out the door to his chambers, and I turn around and hug him tightly.

"You did it," he murmurs. "I knew you could."

I smile. "But Blaine, we don't even know if we won."

He shakes his head. "No matter what that judge says, you've won. You went through with this, and that's what it matters. I love you."

I kiss his forehead gently. "I love you too."

We stay like that until the judge comes back. We wait tensely until he announces that my father is guilty of all charges. Then Julie and Blaine are hugging me and each other and my father is being led away. Slowly, I understand. This is over. My father is going to jail for a long, long time. He will never hurt me or Blaine or anyone else ever again.

I snap back to reality when Blaine kisses me hard, right there in the middle of the court room. "I love you so much," he murmurs in my ear. "Come on, we're going home and celebrating!" With that he drags me out of the room.

Yay! Who's excited? :D Please review and let me know what you think? It makes me happy!

~TheSongSmith