sorry for the long wait, my mind hasn't really been on FNAF lately and it's usually not a good idea to force chapters out if my head does not feels up to it.
I had to watch several small videos that explained on how a court usually went since I have (and hopefully) never been in court before.
enjoy the story!
The court day arrived and Soren feels like a wreck thanks to the nerves hitting him like a wall as they drove to the area where the court will find place. He is, however, thankful that he has people around who wants the best for him and is willing to fight, not only for his safety but his happiness as well. Even if they got hurt doing it...
Soren watches Jeremy quietly as the blond drives them to the courthouse. The man looks exhausted and he did hear him mention to Fre— uh Sean that he hasn't gotten much sleep lately.
Soren knows exactly why Jeremy has trouble sleeping. He can sense the remnants of a dark spirit's influence surrounding the man and that troubles him. The Twisted One has returned…
Soren is scared, but for once not because Jeremy is threating to become a servant for the Twisted One. No, this fear is different, it's not fear for his own well being but for Jeremy. Soren is a bit surprised that he is afraid to lose him to the Twisted One, even if he has barely spoken to the man and only has a faint understanding of who he is as a person. What little he does know about Jeremy; is that he might be gruff and harsh in words but he seems to be a very loyal man.
Unfortunately, he cannot think about that at the moment.
They arrive at the courthouse and Soren sticks close to Mike as they walk inside.
Inside the small group meet Askr, and he now looks like a real lawyer with that grey suit he's wearing. He gives each a quick greeting and a handshake before turning to Jeremy; explaining the blond. "You will be called for a witness during the trial along with the detective."
Jeremy nods he understands and Askr then turns to Soren, his voice turns softer and understanding on how scary all of this is to the kid. "I know all of this might feel scary, more so since you are charged with kidnapping. But until you are giving the chance to tell your side of the story, I ask you to stay quiet out of politeness, understand?" Soren gives him a shakily nods. Good, and lastly to the two that more or less works as a support for the kid. "I ask the same with the two of you." He speaks to Mike and the current in his human-shape form Freddy Fazbear. "If needed, I might call one of you up for a testimony."
"We understand." Mike replies with Sean nodding besides him and since he too is quite nervous how this is going to end, he asks Askr. "How are our chances to win?"
"I am optimistic about you earning the rights to Soren if he makes it clear he took Hope away from an abusive household and he wishes you to be his ward." Askr replies and briefly glances down to Soren when the boy muses. "I want that." Askr returns back to Mike. "The only thing that could stop us is if the procecutor makes the jugde believe that it is in Soren't best interest to living with his mother."
The bailiff calls for everyone to enter the room and everyone does. Soren follows Askr— who will be his lawyer at this trial and both take a seat at one of the tables. He glances to his right and feels a chill down from his spine seeing his mother again. She looks calm and normal for common people, but for Soren, all he sees is the black cloud of the Twisted One around her. Unlike Jeremy who is fighting the black spirit, his mother looks almost like she enjoys the presence of the Twisted One and that scares him.
His mother notices him and smiles rather smugly, showing any signs that she is confident that she will win and take him so she can finish the job.
He does not hear what the prosecutor said nor the judge, his mind is clouded in a pool of fear, one he felt the very first time when his own mother snapped and began screeching at him that she should never have giving birth to him, that she was better off without him. She had grabbed the knife and before he even could put down the action figure he used to the game he had with Hope. His own mother plunged the knife deep into his stomach. The shock and soon to be horror of feeling death rapidly coming for him has been the worst thing in his entire life. He is terrified of the mere thought that he might have to go back with her, having no way of getting away from her again. He… he does not want to die… not again.
A hand on his shoulder, Soren jumps and first now realizes that he has been asked a question. "I…" He casts another glance to his smug looking mother and forces himself to look at the man— the prosecutor standing before him. The man is not what he expected, thought the person who should try and make the judge think he will be better off with his mother would be a bad person, one who did not care about him. But looking into those brown eyes, Soren realizes this man does seem to care, he's simply a man doing his job. "I didn't hear what you said..." He muses and quickly adds as Askr said he should be polite. "Sorry."
The prosecutor gives him a pitiful look and repeats his question. "Did you take your niece when you left your home?"
Soren nods slowly.
The prosecutor then turns to Jeremy who is sitting beside the judge. "Please explain the mother's reaction when she saw her niece that currently was under your care."
"She was relived like any mother," Jeremy reluctantly has to reply but before the prosecutor can speak again, he continues. "but her niece wasn't happy to see her. The poor girl leaped away as if she was approached by a snake."
"How dare you." Soren's mother sneers.
Jeremy returns the glare and the only thing keeping him from giving her an earful is because they are in a courtroom. As hoped his comment did catch the judges attention. "The girl was scared?" He nods to the woman. "Yes, ma'am. Hope was terrified and seeing such a reaction: I knew I couldn't let her aunt take her."
The judge nods and turns to the prosecutor but the man simply says.
"I have no further questions." and returns to his seat. Jeremy finds that a bit strange, there is a lot of ways the prosecutor could've turned this to the crazy bitch favor, but he's not going to argue the prosecutor made things easier for them.
Askr gets up from his seat now that it is his turn to speak. "My honor, I have the full opinion that this young boy should never be in the same room with his mother." The woman glares daggers at him and looks ready to explode but kept quiet by the prosecutor. Askr hands the judge the medical papers Scott got from the doctor that treated Soren's wound. "Soren has suffered a close to a fetal wound caused by a kitchen knife. One I fully believe was caused by his mother."
The judge looks closely at the medical papers and the pictures of the knife wound. She then turns to Soren and asks the boy. "Did your mother cause this injury on you?"
Soren nods and replies, barely a whisper. "Yes." and the judge asks. "Is that the reason why you took your niece and fled the house?"
Again he nods.
The judge looks at the medical papers again and after a moment of silence, she admits. "You are very lucky to have survived." That he agrees on, if not for Eric and Hope, he wouldn't have been able to flee the house and without the encouragement from the people of Freddy's he would've died in the hospital.
"That he is." Askr agrees. It's a wonder the kid survived really. He then hands the papers of Mike seeking the rights to become Soren's ward to the judge. "During his recovery, several people took pity one Soren and offered both him and Hope a place to stay. This man-" He gestures to Mike. "-has even gone so far to become a foster parent for the two when their current caretaker." He gestures at Jeremy. "No longer was able due to a sudden illness." The blond man shifts slightly in his seat.
The judge ponders about it for a moment, then asks. "And you think it will be in Soren's best interest that Mr. Schimdt becomes Soren and Hope's ward?"
Askr nods. "Yes, ma'am."
No longer can the man she hired to get Soren back keep her quiet. "You can't have him!" Soren's mother explodes in rage. "I am his mother! He belongs to me!"
The judge had considered allowing the mother of this child a few visits but that outburst and seeing how terrified the child has become, even the prosecutor looks rattled and she knows he's quite hard to scare. It's clear that this woman shouldn't be near the child at any point. "No, you do not own your son. It is a parent's job to nurture and cares for their child, not causing them harm as you have done. Your son will be removed from your care and if he so chooses; he can stay at Mr. Schimidt that has requested to become his ward." She eyes the boy for his word in this.
"I really would like that." Soren tells the judge, so relieved that the woman will let him stay at Freddy's.
The judge nods to him before she turns to his mother with a glare he swears can chase away a normal black spirit. "I will put a date to your next court of child abuse and attempted murder. Mike Schmidt will be granted guardianship of Soren Marica and Hope Sigal." She hits the small hammer onto the table and that is apparently the sign that the court is over. He looks up to Askr and the man smiles down to him. "We won." and Soren returns the smile with his own, so relieved he no more has to be—
"NO! He is MINE!" The mother wails in fury and lunges at Soren, hands reach out to grabs him but before she can, a broad man gets in between and shoves her away. She stumbles away, does recover quickly and enraged glares daggers at the man standing in between her and Soren. "Get out of my way! I want him! You cannot have him!"
Sean does not move an inch, he will not allow this woman to get near Soren, now that he is an official part of the family. "You have to get through me first." He growls dangerously and won't hesitate to break some of her bones if she tries to get Soren. She does look like she considered in taking the chance but is stopped by the bailiff. She is lucky that happened, for he wouldn't have hesitated to hit her if she went after Soren again. With the banshee out from the room, Sean turns to the two behind him, although he mostly asks Soren this question. "You alright?"
Soren nods but keeps his gaze on his mother that gets dragged away.
Mike leaves his seat along with Jeremy and must admit as that short confrontation was quite intense. "Good thing you decided to go with us."
Sean nods and puts a hand on Soren's shoulder. "Good thing Soren in a way predicted this might would've happened." and Mike fully agrees it is glad Soren sensed that.
Askr clears his throat to get their attention and when everyone turns to him, the man tells them. "It is alright if you leave now. I can handle the paperwork, and since Sean is part of the family; I will see if I can make a discount of my service." The man adds mostly to Sean who smirks somewhat amused by that statement.
"Thanks, for helping us so much out." Mike thanks him, doubting they would've won if not for Askr's help- oh and Nathan was a great help as well as he helped in giving the statement on how unhinged Soren's mother has been. "You too, thanks Nathan."
"You can return the favor by keeping Soren from staling from the malls." Detective Willams remarks and does chuckle at how Soren turned a shade paler by the mention of his wrongdoing. He will look past it this time, but if Soren steals again, he won't be so kind.
"Don't worry, I will." Mike promises and turns to Soren. "Let's go home." Soren smiles weakly up to him and nods. "Okay."
Soren is now finally part of Freddy's crew. well sort of, he and Hope aren't in the show. I do wonder if they were, would they join the Toys then? No idea but it's fun to think about.
till next time.