It had been months since the twenty third of February, just about, and over a year since that night in October. Lynn took her mother's hand tightly in her own, and Regina squeezed it back. Every day in court had felt like it went on forever. And there had been so much time in between the deliverance of the sentence and the verdict. The sentence. That was what would be finally happening today. It had almost been too long. Things had not gone all that well, either. Three charges pressed. Only one of which Aria had been found guilty. It was sickening. Seeing Aria walk into the courtroom with her parents was almost worse. There were officers and their legal team with them, too, but they were the only ones who mattered to the Mills'. Leah and Stefan looked almost exactly as they had in the lives they all had led before, apart from their clothes. Regina's eyes narrowed the second she saw them. They were doing this on purpose. That had to be. Everything they had done in all of this had been on purpose. It was wrong. It was all wrong. She only softened a bit when she felt Lynn flinch badly upon seeing Aria again. No. They could not keep terrorising her like this. They could not get away with this. They had just about gotten away with murder, at least in the literal sense. Regina looked over to the Watson family, and scowled at them. She did not realise it until they all shifted further away from her on the other side of the courtroom, but the way she looked at them was the same way she had as the queen.
People like these…Regina sighed, her mind spirling. People like them, people like my first husband…they are why women kill.
"Today, this November the 5th, 2053, I will be handing down the sentence for Miss Arianne Leah Watson. I understand this has been a difficult, and long trial. Following sentencing today, there will be the opportunity for the Mills family to give their impact statements."
Lynn looked to her mother, who, still holding onto her hand, wrapped an arm tightly around her in reassurance. It was the same way she had held her when they had been first reunited after her kidnapping as a small child. They were both reeling in the same thoughts, however, the same thought that what was to happen would not be enough as justice.
"Jury, have you come to your verdict?"
"Yes."
"Please read out your verdict for each of the charges."
"For the charge of attempted first degree capital murder, we the jury in the above captioned case find Arianne Leah Watson not guilty, so say we all this September the 7th, 2053."
Lynn had screamed and started sobbing, clutching onto her mother.
"For the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, we the jury in the captioned case find Arianne Leah Watson not guilty., so say we all this September the 7th, 2053"
This time, Lynn and Regina had both let out a short, horrified scream.
"For the charge of felony negligence of which could have led to the death of another human being, we the jury in the above captioned case find Arianne Leah Watson guilty, so say we all this September the 7th, 2053."
Two months. That had been two months ago.
The interview responses the jurors gave after delivering their verdict had not been much better than their ultimate decision:
"Mills' account was difficult to follow and incoherent in many places. Her pain is one I empathise with, but the wounds she sustained could have been caused by a car accident as Watson's defence made the point of. It's a tragedy all around, and Watson absolutely should not have left MIlls to die."
"Arianne Watson was too distraught by the idea of her friend being harmed too have tried to kill her. Her account of a brutal car accident that night, too, was corroborated by medical documents her defence were able to provide. She received terrible injuries too."
"The written and anonymous testimony from a bounty hunter supposedly called on by the Watson family was not enough to suggest they tried to cover up an attempted murder. In fact, their admission they had been using the dark web led to us feeling that they could have been trying to extort the Watson family."
"Arianne Watson acted in incredibly poor taste and judgement by leaving her friend to die and save herself by flagging down a trucker, but she did not try to kill her."
"Arianne's defence made the point of Lynnetta Mills' obsession with her. Mills' diaries proved as much, what with her writing about Arianne's sex life - that was incredibly disturbing to have read. Mills had also been noted to have assaulted Arianne in the past, and admitted herself that she had been miserable before she and Arianne became friends."
"Mills absolutely deserves justice, but we issued the felony charge against Watson because that was the charge we had the most reasonable, airtight evidence for. I hope the judge will sentence Watson properly, because Mills' suffering is heartbreaking and leaving her to die was despicable."
"The Watson family was able to provide medical documents and the testimony of the trucker of what happened to Arianne. I don't doubt that Lynnetta Mills went through something horrific, and Arianne should not have abandoned her. But it appears that Mills' understanding of what was around her was massively impaired, and it cannot be proven Arianne tried to kill her."
"Mills and Watson both need time to heal, and that will take a very long time. Putting Watson behind bars for trying to save her own life under the pretence that she attempted to murder Mills would be unconciable because there simply isn't enough evidence to prove that."
"There's a difference between being guilty in conscience and guilty in the law. Watson could be considered guilty in conscience of murder by her actions, but she is not guilty of murder in the law."
"There is no real evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Watson took it in and of herself to murder Mills. Given the medical documents and testimony of that night the defence were able to present, it would be impossible to say beyond a reasonable doubt that Watson tried intentionally to kill Mills."
"The witnesses for the defence were highly credible, and they had far more witnesses than the prosecution. It seems the District Attorney's office was trying to get a high profile win rather than anything else. They took the same approach that the prosecution against Casey Anthony did, and they should have done better research, and presented better or equal evidence to the extent the defence were able to."
"It was a very hard verdict to come to. But, of all the charges pressed, the one that was airtight and most reasonable was felony negligence. I hope both girls will be able to heal and have normal, healthy lives going forward."
Her head was spinning badly, and she closed her eyes. Lynn tried not to think too much. Things had not gone the way any of them had intended. Why? How? Her mother was probably right that the Watsons had paid off about a million different people, just about. But why? How could they justify such a thing? It was just as criminal as what Aria had done. Cindy hadn't even been able to be brought to trial because her family had corroborated the supposedly open and shut alibi the Watsons had provided her. It all made her sick. She had been barely able to stand up when court was let out the day of the verdict. Aria had smiled at her and Regina when she and her parents had left the courtroom that day. She had been crying, too. Was she trying to appear apologetic? It didn't matter. They would never be even. That was completely impossible. Aria had just turned sixteen, too. Sixteen. The year she was supposed to fall into an impossible to awaken from sleep with her dreams being only of her worst regrets. That had not happened. Would it happen? She hated it. She hated that she wanted it to happen, but she hated that it had happened yet more. Her ears ringing when everything fell quiet, Lynn finally opened her eyes. She had stopped crying, too. She wasn't sure how. She still held onto her mother, who was relieved that Henry was not there to witness any of it, and was instead safely home in Storybrooke with Chloe and Sherry.
"This has been an excruciatingly difficult case to decide a sentence on," The judge finally spoke again. "I apologise for whatever more suffering may have resulted from a lack of sentence the past two months since the verdict was laid out. After a thorough consulting of the legal precedents and literature, I have come to a decision on the sentencing of Miss Arianne Leah Watson for the felony charge of negligence which could have resulted in the death of another human being."
Silence.
"Miss Watson, please stand."
Aria was swaying the second she got onto her feet. She looked unwell, too. Her hair was somewhat unkempt, even with it pinned up. There was an ankle monitor around her feet, which she had been forced to wear since the charges were officially brought with a set trial date months before. She had been let out on bail. She had continued to live a comfortable life at home. Still, she looked unwell. Regina glanced over to her. There was some satisfaction in knowing that Aria was suffering severe stress for what she had done to Lynn, but it was not enough. There was no death penalty in the state of Maine, either, the one thing Regina had thought might even the score. She had said that to no one. She had not said it to the DA's office, to any of her friends, not even to Lynn. She supposed that was a thought she had not left behind with the curse. There were only a few people she believed deserved to die to even the score, but, for them, she had no sympathy, no empathy, no mercy. Aria and Snow were the two people in the world she had ever wanted to kill to even the score. Things were even with Snow, for the most part, now. They never would be with Aria, not unless…
The curse lifted on them. I'm not sure I'll ever know how. But is it possible part of it may still be intact? Could Aria still be beholden to the curse I placed on her as a baby? She certainly deserves it far more than she ever had back then. Daddy had made me regret it for a time, then. He wouldn't take that position now. I…I suppose it's for the best he never had to see Lynn go through the worst…he already thought she had.
Aria.
Arianne Leah Watson.
Princess Aurora.
It did not matter what her name was, nor what the names of her parents were. Leah and Stefan had no idea - would never know - they had done the same thing they had always accused her of. They had always accused her of being willing to do anything to defend Lynn. They had said they would never support killing to defend their daughter. But was covering up a murder - as they had believed it - not the same thing? It might as well have been. They had to have thought Lynn was dead, given all of the lengths they had gone to in order to protect their daughter. It was absolutely despicable. Regina glanced away for a few seconds when Leah and Stefan's eyes met her own. They had remarked to her that she had given up most of her power when she had used the curse, and that she had given up her morality to do it. They were not entirely wrong. But they had never known her. They would never know her. That was something about the way they chose to view her that made her sick. They had tried to justify their daughter trying to kill hers. They were just as bad as she was. She had killed a lot of people, she knew it. In this land, she knew full well that she would be considered a serial killer. But she had not killed anyone in almost three decades, and had never wanted to after almost being executed. Apart from with Aria. She was the only person she had wanted dead in decades.
Still, Leah's words had haunted her ever since she had spoken them over the phone almost a year prior.
"…They already burned their clothes. I'm having the car cleaned by our staff today, and then professionally tomorrow."
"I'm on the phone, Stefan."
Regina had felt about ready to faint. How? How could they know the truth when Lynn never would have told them the truth unless she was forced to?
"Is my daughter," An anger Regina had not felt in a long time came into her voice. "With you?"
"Hardly," Leah had coldly replied. "I actually have no idea where she is."
"Is that so?"
"It is, your majesty. Is that what you've been waiting for me to call you for all these years?"
She had not been quite sure how she managed to get Henry to leave without him hearing something she was not ready for. She doubted she ever would be ready to tell him about life before Storybrooke. Her hand tightened around the phone.
"What," Regina had nothing but pure hatred entering her voice. "Are you talking about?"
"During one of our talks a few years ago, you dryly told me that I ought to be calling you 'your majesty' because you are, to quote, 'the Queen Of Misthaven' when I insisted you address me by my formal title, as Dr. Watson, PhD. After your daughter had first punched mine, my husband and I began to try and figure out who you are. We came up empty handed. We poured millions into that. Then, your daughter first came to sleep over at our home, and told my daughter that your family is in Witness Protection. We looked into that, and it appeared legitimate. Almost too legitimate."
Regina had doubted she ever felt as sick as she did in those few seconds.
"Then, I remembered my daughter had called you the evil queen. I won't give away our secrets, because I know you won't give away yours. But the final piece for me was that I recalled you had once said the world would burn if we chose her. I had no idea where that memory came from, or what it could pertain to until my daughter flippantly recalled what had caused her first fight with Lynn. The world would burn if we chose her. You said that to us when talking about Snow White. Your step daughter. You cursed my daughter, Aurora, as a baby because Stefan and I expressed our condolences and love for Snow. You are a murderer," Leah's voice became more forceful. "You are the evil queen. Everything fell into place for why Lynn started that fight after we realised the truth."
"What did you do to my daughter?" Regina had just about shouted. "I don't care what you think of me for what I did then or have since, if you did anything to my daughter, I will use the laws of this land to ensure you all pay for it. There is not a judge in the country that would deny me at least a restraining order against you if –"
"Aurora and her friend did what they pleased with Lynn," Leah had shouted back. "She won't ever have to worry again."
The line had gone dead. Regina had almost punched the phone back into the hook, and let out a scream, this time one that was angry. She had also started to sob, burying her face in her hands.
The judge cleared her throat, waiting for the Watson parents to calm their outrage at their daughter being forced to stand.
"She's physically weak, your honour!" Leah exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. "She won't be able to stand for more than a minute. Can't you see that? Let her sit if you're going to tell us something terrible and injust for our daughter!"
"May we hold her steady?" Stefan almost demanded. "We don't want her to suffer more than she is already going to."
"That's enough," The judge put up a hand to silence them. "Everyone has suffered a great deal in this case, and I am sorry that you and your wife are having to go through this. I recognise that you two are just about losing a child. However, you have held this up with verbal and nonverbal objections to my deliverance of the sentence for the past five minutes, and, if you continue to do so, I will have to have you escorted out of this courtroom."
Silence.
Regina and Lynn could just about feel pain from the ringing in their ears that comes when all is quiet.
It was almost too much.
"For her crimes, and the damage that has been physically, emotionally, and mentally done to Miss Lynnetta Mary Anne Mills," The judge paused, looking over towards Regina, Lynn, and the prosecutorial team. "I am delivering a sentence of fifteen years in the state's correctional facilities, with no possibility of parole until 75% of her sentence has been served."
Aria broke down into horrified sobs and screams, and she and her parents both sat down. Her parents wrapped themselves tightly around her, acting like they were going to protect her. The judge took a moment to silence them, and, eventually, spoke again:
"I will now give the Mills family a chance to deliver their impact statements."
With no hesitation, Regina stood up, and took the microphone handed to her. Her hand curled around it almost violently, and she was shaking. Her free hand reached down to take Lynn's but, to her surprise, Lynn stood up and held onto her mother's hand, standing beside her. She stepped forward a little, too. She could not bring herself to look at them, but she did her best to force them to see her left leg. Her brace. The brace she knew (and feared) she might have to wear for the rest of her life. Regina let go of her daughter's hand to wrap an arm around her again. The prosecutors and their team briefly whispered something to her. The seconds began to feel like hours. It was becoming more and more unclear how long things had been happening. Briefly, Regina's mind wandered. That bounty hunter who provided written testimony, who were they? I know they had to keep themselves anonymous out of fear of retribution and for their work, of course, but still. Who…who were they? She did not have time to dwell on that. Instead, she turned towards the Watsons, making absolutely no attempt to hide her disdain for them.
So fuck you, fuck you, and all that you do.
Those were Chloe's words, but they were not the words Regina had for them so much as her best friend's words rang true.
"While the case for attempted murder was dismissed," She began, her voice increasingly sharp. "What cannot be dismissed, what cannot be undone, is the damage done to my daughter."
Stefan shrunk away from her when he met her eyes. He quickly looked away.
"Aria Watson pretended to be my daughter's friend - her best friend - and made her feel like she was not alone after a year of hell in school," Regina went on. "And what did she decide to do when she decided she and their other friend no longer wanted Lynn in their lives? They decided - she decided - to try and kill her."
The judge sent her a pointed look.
"Allegedly," Regina bitterly corrected. "Allegedly, do not come for me."
Aria defiantly turned towards her, refusing to look at Lynn, but forced herself to stare at Regina.
The evil queen. The evil queen who decided to curse me at birth just because she did not like how my parents supported her step daughter. Her step daughter was a good person, and she…she is nothing close to that.
"I am not going to pretend that I am a perfect person, or that I'm even a good person," Regina hesitated, her voice shaking for just a second. "But I think it should go without saying that it is absolutely despicable that the Watsons are just about being rewarded for - allegedly - helping their daughter - allegedly - commit almost the perfect murder. I don't think fifteen years is enough. I would have liked to see her behind bars for life. But that is not going to happen. So, I should hope they - Aria, and her parents alike - never are able to forget that they thought wrong, and Lynn is still alive."
Lynn held tightly onto her mother, and, eventually, took the microphone from her.
I may not have done well when I was brought to the stand, but I can say something now. Right? I can…
"They were not able to take my life from me," Lynn eventually said, her voice quiet and only audible with the microphone. "But I'm going to have to live with what Aria did to me. I'm probably not going to be able to go back to things I loved, like swim team, or, at least, not in the same capacity. I'm glad I'm alive. But I'm never going to be free of what she did to me."
"You all have done irreparable damage to my daughter and our family," Regina put in after a brief hesitation. "And we will never be even. You all have gotten off far too light. We do not have the same advantages as this family, either. We were very lucky the District Attorney's office took our case pro bono, because we would not have been able to afford this if we had been forced to pay for this out of pocket. Aria will be out of prison by the time she's in her thirties, and that is a terrifying thought for me."
"I hope you're happy, now, Aria," Lynn said, her voice badly shaking. She started to cry when she met her so called best friend's gaze. "Because I don't know if I will ever be fully happy again."
Replies To Reviews:
Sammii16: when Regina and Emma first meet…Regina might give her a little more grace when Emma tells her she had tried to defend her daughter.
jasouatfan: Chloe knows her life before, just like Sherry, Regina, and Lynn (as well as Gold and Cora, of course, though they do not know that), but she has no idea that Emma is connected to Henry. as for Henry, yes, his relationship with Lynn will be absolutely integral to his formation of opinions of everyone.
barrattajennifer: i love writing Henry and Lynn's relationship; he always needed a sibling.
Coral Skipper: i'm so glad you're excited by the story! things are getting close to Emma coming into town…and that will be quite the disruption to say the least.