Chloe pouted in the backseat as Kate drove Victoria's car to the courthouse. Even after her lengthy explanation of why she, Chloe Price, was the better driver, and finally pulling the "but it was my birthday yesterday" card, she had been booted to the backseat again. She made snide comments at Vicky's expense for most of the drive, which were eagerly returned, but Victoria seemed nervous as she stepped out of the car. Chloe saw her put on a brave face as she headed for the building, head up high in her best imitation of her conceited former self.
"Kate, just let me park it, please?" Chloe begged as they drove towards the parking garage. Kate glanced at her through the rearview, and Chloe dropped it - she looked either stressed, concerned, or both. Her worry for Victoria would have been adorable or possibly hilarious in almost any other scenario.
There were a few reporters waiting outside the courthouse as the other three made their way in, seeming to perk up the closer they got - they appeared to have recognized Kate from her testimony on Monday. Chloe automatically threw an arm over Kate's shoulders, trying to put herself between the blonde and the reporters as the microphones and questions were thrown their way. Some of the questions sounded less inquisitive and more accusatory, and Chloe had to ignore the urge to start throwing punches, instead focusing on getting Kate into the building safely.
Kate was shaking slightly as they entered the foyer, but otherwise maintained a neutral expression. As the sound of the reporters faded with the doors closing, Chloe pulled her arm back gently, hearing Kate mutter her thanks.
When the got to the courtroom, there was a moment of hesitation from Max. She turned to glance at Kate, who had taken a seat on the same bench Victoria had waited on earlier in the week. Chloe watched her girlfriend's expression for a moment before sighing, shaking her head. "Just stay with her, okay?"
Max stared at her with a confused expression. "What?"
She nodded towards the seated girl, who was trying to avoid looking at them, obviously anxious. "I'll go in for Vicky, you keep Kate company, 'kay?"
Max chewed her lip for a second, casting a glance over at Kate. "You sure?"
Chloe wrapped her into a hug. "I'm sure. I don't think she should be alone. Nothing that exciting's gonna happen in there, anyways." Max pulled away and looked at her for a minute more before nodding her approval, heading off towards Kate. Chloe hovered at the doorway of the courtroom to see Kate's appreciative smile as Max sat down next to her, before ducking into the room.
She sat as close to the witness stand as she could, in the second row behind the prosecutor's table. She didn't like the idea of being any closer to Jefferson than she had to be, but wanted to be extra visible for Victoria. She didn't know if Victoria would even be looking for her or Max, but better safe than sorry.
Just like Monday, the room felt wired when Jefferson was brought in. Up close, she thought he looked even worse than he did on Monday - she could almost see the lack of emotion in his eyes. Either everything he did at Blackwell was an act, or he's just having a real shitty time. Chloe hoped for the latter.
As Victoria was sworn in, her eyes glancing around the courtroom before settling on Chloe. She seemed to have a question in her eyes - probably wondering where Max was - but Chloe saw Victoria's shoulders relax ever so slightly. Like Kate, she seemed to be avoiding glancing at the defense's table.
The prosecutor ran through his questions, outlining the night of the End of the World Party. Victoria was, for lack of better terms, prim and proper as she responded back to him. She showed no emotional response while reiterating the events she remembered of the bunker. It was an impressive show of control, one that Chloe was frankly not surprised to see from her.
It was the defense attorney that Chloe was worried about, though. From where she was sitting, she could see him taking notes next to Jefferson, who stared straight forward. The latter didn't even seem to be listening to the testimony.
After the prosecutor thanked Victoria, Jefferson's attorney grabbed his own mic. "Miss Chase, this 'Everyday Heroes' contest meant a great deal to you, yes?"
Victoria's face twisted into a grim smile. "Yes. The winner was going to go to San Francisco and get a decent amount of exposure from the art community."
"Is it true that you attempted to influence Mark Jefferson into choosing your photo?"
Victoria's eyes darted over to the prosecutor, as if expecting him to object. He just nodded, and Chloe saw a slight flush spreading across Victoria's cheeks. "Yes, I talked with him several times about choosing my shot. I thought it was one of the best photos entered."
"You also threatened to spread rumors that Mr. Jefferson had offered to choose your photo in exchange for 'favors', correct?"
Chloe felt a little chill run down her back - it seemed like only yesterday she and Max had overheard that particular conversation at Blackwell. Strange that we're on her side, now. Then again, we didn't know Jeffershit was, well, a piece of shit.
"Th-that's correct." Victoria's face had flushed a brighter red, and Chloe could see a bit of fury in her eyes. She couldn't see Victoria's hands, but she imagined they were balled into fists.
"From previous testimony, we established that there was typically alcohol being served at the 'Vortex Parties', and the night of the tenth was no different, correct?"
There seemed to be a slight sag to Victoria's shoulders as she responded. "Yes, there was alcohol."
"There was also reports of various illicit drugs, including marijuana and cocaine - were you aware of these?" Chloe couldn't help but close her eyes. Knowing Victoria, she had at least been smoking weed that night; she could only hope that she wasn't also-
"Yes. Both you mentioned were in my system, as the hospital noted when I was taken in," she responded calmly. Her face looked flushed, though, and her jaw tightened for a second as she glanced over at Chloe. Chloe had to struggle to keep her face blank, not wanting to cause her any additional panic.
There was a slight pause from the defense attorney as he flipped through his papers. "The night of this Vortex Party, after you won the contest, did you willingly get into Mr. Jefferson's car?" Chloe had to fight to keep her face neutral before Victoria glanced in her direction.
Victoria had gritted her teeth. "Yes. I thought he wanted to talk about the trip, for the contest." Her eyes darted over to Jefferson for just a second, and Chloe saw her jaw tighten further. "He...he drugged-"
"Nothing further," the attorney said, cutting her off. For just a second, Chloe thought Victoria was going to let loose and start yelling. She wasn't use to real-life court, but Chloe was pretty sure that a witness going crazy on the stand was frowned upon. Fortunately, Victoria was able to bite her tongue, although she was not able to stop watching the attorney with a hostile stare until she was excused from the witness stand a few minutes later.
Chloe came out of the courtroom to see Max and Kate watching for her from the bench, both looking slightly nervous. She saw Max relax slightly as she came into view, although Kate still seemed tense. Chloe shoved both hands in her pockets as she walked towards them, her shoulders slouching.
"How is she?" Max asked, standing up as Chloe got closer.
"Minus her almost blowing her top at the end? She did good." She had decided before she left the courtroom that she wasn't going to bring up any of the testimony - not in front of Kate, at least. She was sure Max would wheedle it out of her later, assuming she didn't already know.
Max shook her head, glancing over at Kate. "Guessing it was the defense attorney, right?"
"Yeah. Asshat's grasping at straws to discredit you guys." She glanced around the foyer before doing a double take as she recognized a familiar figure. "Oh shit," she muttered, trying to duck behind Max. Too late, as the tall figure of James Amber was walking towards them. It wasn't surprising that he would show up here - after all, as far as this timeline knew, Jefferson was the reason his daughter was dead.
"Chloe? This is a surprise." He had crossed his arms as she stood back up to her full height, stepping out from behind Max with a slightly sheepish look on her face. "Glad to see you're alright after that storm," he added conversationally.
"Hey, Mr. Amber." Her mouth felt dry, and she suddenly felt like she was sixteen again. She never got the impression that he liked her. She couldn't even remember the last time the two of them had talked - they certainly hadn't had a full-blown conversation since Rachel was hospitalized a few years ago. "Yeah, I have some friends who were testifying this week, so figured I'd come down, you know."
He turned to look at Max and Kate, who both had hesitant looks on their face. He smiled warmly, although Chloe saw it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm James Amber, Rachel's father," he said as he reached a hand out.
Kate was first to shake his hand, a solemn expression crossing her face. "Kate Marsh. I'm really sorry about Rachel, Mr. Amber."
"Thank you, Kate," James' eyes tightened a little, but he nodded as he turned towards Max. "I feel like I've seen you before - were you a friend of Rachel's?"
Max looked confused, and Chloe felt the same way - she hadn't exactly shared photos of the two of them with him. "No, I never met her. I'm Max, Max Caulfield."
His eyes darted over to Chloe for a second, realization in them. "Ah, yes, that Max." He cleared his throat, and Chloe felt a sudden wave of hostility overtake her at his tone. What the fuck does that mean, 'that' Max? "Rachel must have had an old picture of you and Chloe. You came up a few times."
"Didn't realize Rachel still talked to you after the Merrick incident." The words were out of Chloe's mouth before she could put on her filter. She knew it was immature, but she couldn't deny the satisfaction at seeing him visibly flinch.
James was looking at her now, a cold expression in his eyes, and it took every ounce of determination for her to not look away. They sat there for a moment, glaring at each other, before he glanced down at the floor, clearing his throat. "Chloe, I know we've had our share of differences over the years, but I think we are united in the fact that all we wanted was for Rachel to be happy."
There were things she wanted to say that she had never gotten the chance to before - accusations, insults, brutal honesty - but she was well aware of Max and Kate watching her. She forced herself to take a deep breath, nodding her head. "You're right. I'm sorry." She glanced around the foyer, somewhat hoping that Victoria would appear to serve as a reason to get out of the conversation. "How much of this have you been here for?"
He sighed heavily, and Chloe could now see how exhausted he looked. "The state's handling it, so I haven't been involved from a legal level. I've been up here a couple of days as my schedule allows, just to listen in person instead of reading the reports."
"You think the state has enough to put him away?" Max asked quietly, looking nervous again.
James had a little smile on his face. "I can say that the odds of the jury finding him guilty on at least one of his charges are very good." He nodded towards the courtroom, taking a step back from the group. "I need to head back in. You girls take care, alright?"
Max and Kate waved and voiced their farewells, but Chloe followed him. She wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again, after all. "Hey, just...I'm sorry, Mr. Amber. For everything."
He had stopped walking, watching her with sad eyes for a second. "I accept your apology, Chloe, and I suppose I owe you one as well." Chloe had to fight to not gawk at him. He shrugged a little, his arm moving as if he was going to rest a hand on her shoulder before thinking better of it. "You were a good friend to Rachel, and I know I treated you unfairly. She cared about you greatly, and I wish I would have been more welcoming of you."
And how much is 'greatly' measured? Chloe bit her tongue on that, nodding instead at the gesture. "Thanks, Mr. Amber." She waved towards the courtroom, trying to smile reassuringly. "Get in there, before the, the bailiff locks the door, or something," she joked, fighting to keep the smile on her face.
He smiled back at her as he headed towards the door, nodding before turning his head to face forward. She stood there for a minute, watching him disappear into the room. There was a lump in her throat; it almost felt like she was watching his daughter slip away from her again, slipping away to a place that neither of them could follow.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Max coming up behind her until their fingers were intertwined. "You okay, Chloe?" Max asked, moving to stand in front of her so she could look up into Chloe's face.
Chloe nodded, looking down into her girlfriend's eyes. She looked so concerned, but still the inquisitive Max she had known almost her whole life. She reached a hand out to cup Max's cheek, smiling despite the lump still in her throat. "Just wanted to say goodbye, you know?" Chloe glanced back over at Kate, relieved to see Victoria had appeared, tense but starting to smile as Kate spoke to her. "Let's get the lovebirds, shall we?" Max nodded, a little smile crossing her face, and they walked back to the blonde duo.
Victoria watched them approach, a tired smile on her face. She locked eyes with Chloe for a second, looking slightly nervous, and they nodded at each other. "You good, Vic?" Chloe asked, watching her carefully.
She snorted a little, shaking her head. "Fucking hate lawyers, but yes, I'm good." She sighed heavily, looking at the ground. "Time to get out of here."
"Only if I can drive," Chloe commented, feeling a little grin crossing her face.
"Over my dead body." Despite the bite in her voice, Victoria was smiling as well.