54
She didn't wear a dress. Rosie helped her decide what to wear, and thankfully, that wasn't a dress. Instead, she was wearing a pair of black slacks (that were still too big despite the weight she had gained) and a blue blouse that hung on her. Her hair had been washed and brushed, her teeth brushed, and she was sitting in the front seat of Rosie's car, barely hanging on. She had gotten her way when it came to the dress, but she still had to be there, still had to face him. And she didn't want to.
"You know, I've been thinking," Rosie said, drawing her attention to her. "After the trial is over, you and me . . . we should take a trip. Just us."
"Where would we go?" she asked.
"I don't know," she said, smiling. "We could go anywhere you want."
"Can we go to Disney World?"
Rosie smiled wider. "Yes! I've always wanted to go."
"Me too," she whispered, biting the inside of her lip before she looked out the window. They were parked outside of the courthouse, the very large, very scary looking courthouse. "Will you take me home? I mean back to our home in Forks . . . after . . . after the trial?" She looked back at Rosie, who was frowning. "Sorry. We don't have to. Just forget I said anything."
"If you want, we can. I just didn't think you'd want to go back there," Rosie said, softly. "I haven't been back since that night."
"Why not?" she asked.
Rosie frowned. "Because I lost everyone I loved that night, Bella, and it was . . . When I got home the next morning, and I saw the cop cars and the ambulance, I . . . I never thought Mom and Dad would be dead, that you'd be missing. You cried," she whimpered. "I was going to spend the night at Lauren Mallory's house and you cried because you couldn't go with me. You begged and pleaded, but . . . but Momma said no, and I was glad because I didn't want you there." Rosie shook her head, looking back at her. "I wish I had let you come with me. I wish . . . I wish I'd been there to help you, to . . . to stop him. I'm so sorry, Bella."
"I'm not," she whispered, unable to stop herself from bringing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "If . . . if you'd been there, Rosie, he . . ." She shook her head. "Sam Uley would have killed you, too. Marcus says he's a predator, that he made the choice to take me and once he made that choice, he wasn't going to let anyone get in his way. If you had been there, he would have . . . he would have killed you, or . . . or raped you, like he did me, and Leah and . . . Emily . . . and her."
"You're so strong, Bella." Rosie reached over, placing her hand on her knee.
She shook her head. "I'm not. I just . . . I don't want him to win anymore."
"Like I said, you're strong, honey." Rosie grabbed the door handle. "It's time."
She closed her eyes, blowing out a deep breath. "He can't hurt me, right? Never again."
"That's right," she said. "Never again."
"Okay."
Rosie met her in front of the car. She slipped her arm in with hers as they made the slow, torturous walk to the front of the courthouse. Emmett had come ahead early, saying it was important that she and Rosie had some time alone. He said it was hard enough on her without making her more uncomfortable. She appreciated the sentiment, but she wondered if he was avoiding spending any time with her. Emmett was one of her people, wasn't he?
She felt herself tense as they approached the front of the courthouse. On either side of the pathway were dozens of members of the press, being held back by police officers. They were snapping pictures and yelling questions: how did she feel? Was she hoping Sam Uley spent the rest of his life in prison? Was she prepared to face him again? Scared, no, and Hell no, but she didn't say any of that as Rosie moved her arm to around her. Kate had instructed her to not speak to the press. That wasn't a problem, at least not for her. Kate said they were fascinated by her, by her tenacity to survive, but she didn't understand. What other choice had she had? She had to live for Hope, didn't she?
"Fucking vultures," Rosie muttered under her breath as they hurried inside.
She stopped just inside the building, her mouth opening in surprise. Standing with Edward, James, Carlisle and Esme, Jasper and Alice, Marcus and Maggie, Emmett, Garrett, and Kate were the two people she hadn't expected to be there. She opened her mouth several times, her eyes shifting from them to Edward and back.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Angela and Ben shared a look before they stepped away from the others and walked up to her, stopping a few feet away.
"We, um," Angela paused. "We want to support you, Bella. You're important to us, to both of us."
"I am?" she whimpered, her eyes filling with tears and Edward was by her side immediately, his arms wrapping around her, keeping her from falling apart.
Angela smiled, reaching for her, but pulling her hand back before she could take it. "You are . . . You're our family, Bella. Ours and . . . and Vanessa's."
Her lips trembled, the tears that flooded her eyes, fell freely down her face. "Oh."
"She misses you," Ben added, tightening his arm around Angela. "Vanessa, I mean. She's been restless, and she . . . she keeps bringing us Teddy, asking for . . . asking for you. Says your name a lot. I think . . . I think she misses you, Bella."
"I miss her, too," she whimpered. "I just . . . I don't want to hurt her, you know? She . . . she deserves better than . . . than me."
"Vanessa deserves to be loved, Bella, and thankfully, she can be loved by all of us," Ben said with a smile. "If you don't want us here, we'll leave. We just . . . we just wanted to support you. Fight for you."
She nodded, her tears falling faster than she could wipe away. "Thank you. I . . . Just thank you."
"Well, it's about time," Kate said, clearing her throat and gesturing down the hallway. "Remember what I told you, Bella?"
She nodded quickly. "He . . . Sam Uley can't touch me. The guards will stop him from . . . from hurting me."
"That's right, honey." Kate smiled. "Are you ready?"
She shook her head. "But let's do it anyway."
Edward tightened his arm around her, causing her to look at him. He gave her a subtle wink, and she knew, without a doubt, that she was in love with him. She loved him so much she was willing to face the devil himself in order to be free.
—SfH—
Kate had spent more than the last ten years inside courtrooms, doing her best to convict the most heinous, devious, disgusting criminals she had ever had the displeasure of knowing. But none of them, not a single one, came close to Sam Uley, and she was scared. Terrified that she would fail Bella Swan, and Sam Uley wouldn't pay for the horrid, torture he put that sweet, amazing, strong little girl through. Failing her would be the end of her, her and so many more Kate knew as they filed into the overcrowded courtroom.
The air was thick, almost electric as everyone took their seats. Kate's side, the prosecution's side, of the courtroom was overflowing with supporters while the defendants' side was bare, empty with the exception of a handful of court-appointed reporters who covered almost all of the trials they held.
Kate gestured for Bella, Edward, and the others to settle into the two row of seats directly behind her table. She stifled the urge to roll her eyes when she saw her boss, Riley Biers seated at the table, in the number two seat at least. She should have expected him to sit second chair, given the deal he'd all but forced her to offer Eric Yorke.
"Mr. Biers," Kate quipped, tossing her brief case onto the table and placing her hands on her hips. "Didn't realize you'd be joining us this morning."
"Miss the trial of the century?" The tall, thin man with dark brown hair and eyes stood up, looking over at Bella for a moment longer than necessary before he turned back to Kate. "Figured you might need some support, Kate."
"I'm sure you did."
And before she could offer anything else, the doors to the courtroom opened in the back and everyone, including Bella, turned as Eleazar Santiago waltzed in, an air of arrogance around him that made Kate physically ill. She peeked at Bella, who was so tense, she worried that one touch and the fragile little girl would shatter.
Eleazar almost slammed his brief case on the table, loud enough for it to echo through the room before he turned and looked from Kate over to Bella, a creepy smirk spreading over his lips before he looked away.
"Definitely think you need a second chair, Kate," Riley groused, placing his hand on her elbow.
She threw his touch off, glancing at Garrett, who was glaring at Riley. It would have been a turn on, if they weren't there for to plead the case against a child rapist.
"Ms. Denali."
Kate tensed as she turned and looked back at Eleazar Santiago, who stood with his arms folded in front of him a smirk still planted on his lips. "Mr. Santiago."
"Call me Eleazar," he said, his eyes shifting to Bella once more. "I have to admit I didn't think we'd get this far before you were begging us to consider a deal."
"And why would we even consider a deal?" Kate asked, shifting so that she stood between him and Bella. "And you'd best keep your eyes of her, if you know what's good for you, Mr. Santiago."
Eleazar laughed, putting his hands up in front of him. "Sorry. Just intrigued by her, as is everyone who comes into contact with her." He tilted his head to the side. "Your case is weak, Ms. Denali. Spare that little girl even more heartache and plead my client out."
Kate laughed. Full on, belly laughed. "Plead him out? I don't think so, councilor. Why doesn't he change his plea to guilty? If you're so concerned with protecting her, that is."
Eleazar pressed his lips together.
"Oh, he thinks he'll beat this, doesn't he?" Kate stepped closer to him. "And you don't. Why defend him then?"
"Because as despicable as he is, he deserves a defense," Eleazar replied. "I don't want to hurt that little girl, Kate. I really don't, but you know I am going to, if you don't come to your senses and plead my client down."
"No," she said. "No, I don't think we will be offering him any kind of deals, Mr. Santiago. You don't want to hurt her, then don't, but Sam Uley not only killed her parents in front of her, but he kidnapped, raped her, and tortured her for eight long, exhausting years."
Kate turned and walked back over to her table at the same moment the door in the far left-hand corner of the courtroom opened and two guards led Sam Uley into the courtroom. He was wearing an expensive black suit, his hair had been cut, combed to perfection, and he looked just like the all-American boy the press had been portraying him as in their reports.
Kate glanced back at Bella, who had her arms wrapped tightly around her torso, Edward sitting on one side and Rosalie sitting on the other, both holding her as tightly as they could. Bella's eyes were wide, dark, full of fear and torment as she watched the man who snuck into her bedroom and stole her life away enter the courtroom for the first time.
The guards led Sam to Eleazar, unhooking his arm restraints before moving so that they were standing at the edge of their table. Sam looked from Eleazar to Kate, back to Bella in the span of seconds, his lips curving into a creepy, conniving smirk. Bella tore her eyes from him, her chest heaving, and Kate worried, but before she could get anyone to usher Bella out of the courtroom, a door on the far right side opened and the four woman and eight men she and Eleazar had carefully selected to be members of the jury filed into the courtroom followed immediately by Judge Phil Dwyer, who took his seat and picked up his gavel.
Here we go, Kate thought before taking a deep breath. Here we fucking go.
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