13-Jul-2000
Category: Adventure, Angst, Friendship, Romance
Rating: G
Pairings: 3x4, 1x2.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Making no money here. Not even looking to make money.
Notes: Some at the bottom!
Quatre shifted on the uncomfortable wooden bench. He contemplated standing up and stretching his legs, hopefully getting blood to move back into his asleep posterior then he looked over at the court artist who was studying him intently, obviously sketching. Schooling his features back to impassivity, Quatre sat a little straighter and looked towards the empty jury box.
His eyes then flickered towards the three men waiting stoically behind the defendant's table. Their lawyers had tried to get them tried separately. Had tried to give up plea bargains, turning one man against the other but the evidence presented was too strong and the prosecutor had just smiled wolfishly and said 'No deal'. Now the three waited to hear the judgment of their peers.
Outside Duo paced back and forth in front of the doors. Down at the end of the hall, the press crew snapped off shots of the four pilots waiting just outside the courtroom. Duo stuck his tongue out at them.
"Duo." Heero warned in his low tone, his eyes never opening and his posture never shifting from where he leaned, just slightly hidden behind a water fountain.
"Wha? Damn vultures."
"You've gotten us in enough trouble Maxwell, sit down." Trowa growled softly from where he sat on a padded bench next to the meditative Wufei.
"Hey! I was just trying to be helpful." Duo said in a wounded tone.
"Standing up and shouting, 'Hang em high'?" Wufei deadpanned the American's nasal accent.
"They jury looked like they needed a few suggestions." Duo sniffed primly, crossing his arms and turning his back on the other three, staring at the wooden doors.
"Oh... so that's what you call what you were giving them." Trowa gave Duo's back a pointed look.
"Actually I think that was called the finger." Heero murmured from his spot on the wall.
"It was almost called 'Contempt of Court'" Wufei didn't bother to open his eyes as he spoke.
Duo glared over his shoulder at his quiet comrades and went back to staring a hole in the door.
Within, Quatre stifled the urge to shift again. Perhaps he should have left with the others. No... no he owed it to Atrick and the others to be here. Everything had fallen neatly into place, as Quatre had planned it to. The three captured gunmen had sung quite the pretty song when given the proper incentive and their verbal testimony, matched with what they had on paper had mapped out the conspiracy from it's conception.
Even Quatre had been shocked at how far it had spread and how malignant it had become. Every word he had heard in the courtroom over the past months had torn little holes in his heart. Had he been so blind as to have not seen the discontent? Had he been so preoccupied with his own life that he'd missed what was right before him? Quatre had come to a decision. He couldn't let this happen again. He needed to concentrate on his responsibilities more.
He was busy mentally mapping out his new plan of attack when the court bailiff straightened and called out.
"All rise!"
Everyone in the courtroom stood up. The judge, then the jury filed in from their respective chambers and when the judge motioned, they all sat. There was a tense silence as the judge got situated, then looked towards the jury.
"Jury foreman?"
A tall, stately woman stood, a small piece of paper in her hand.
"Your Honor."
"Have you reached a verdict?"
"We have your Honor." She passed the paper to the bailiff who carried it to the judge.
The judge opened the paper, looked at it with an expressionless face that would have done Heero proud, then he looked towards the three men.
"Would you all rise please."
Quatre heard a buzzing in his ear as he felt his chest clench. The emotions running throughout the room seemed to bombard him and he had to gasp to catch his breath. Three words pushed through the thudding of his heart in his ears.
"Guilty."
"Guilty."
"Guilty."
He closed his eyes, feeling waves of despair hit him. Whether they were his own, or from the men standing behind the table in front of the courtroom, he couldn't tell. Three men, who had served his father loyally, who had been his father's closest companions for decades, had just been found guilty of attempted, premeditated murder upon himself and firstdegree murder of the other four souls caught up in the deceit.
Quatre barely remembered to remain seated until he heard the crash of the gavel. Jumping up, he lifted his eyes and met the gaze of Paul Atrick. Surprisingly, there was no hatred in the older man's eyes. There wasn't much of anything. He gazed upon Quatre as if he were little more then a nonentity. In some ways, it was worse then if there had been hatred. Quatre felt himself pale as he stumbled backwards and out through the courtroom door.
Duo yelped as the heavy door smacked him right in the nose. Trowa shared an amused look with Wufei, before he frowned and sprang to his feet. Crossing the distance between the small bench and the door, he caught the trembling little blonde in his arms.
Quatre leaned against Trowa, taking slow deep breaths until the barrage of emotions eased. Wufei had stood up when Trowa left the bench, and Heero had moved away from the wall. They joined Duo in making a body shield between Trowa, Quatre and the reporters.
"They're going to want statements." Trowa whispered softly into Quatre's ear. "Do you feel up to it."
Quatre's shoulder's heaved. "I guess jumping out the 25th story window is out?"
"Can't. Glass is shatter proof." Heero replied dryly.
The response got the little chuckle the Perfect Solider was looking for out of Quatre and the small Arabian straightened looking up at Trowa with a weak smile.
"My tie straight?"
Trowa reached gently under Quatre's chin and performed the tie ritual with a small smile of his own.
"It is now little one."
Quatre nodded and straighten his suit jacket. "All right. I'll meet you four at the limo."
With those words he turned and headed towards the crowd of flashing lightbulbs and shouting reporters. Heero, Duo, Wufei and Trowa quickly faded into the crowd now exiting from the courtroom, each taking a back way out of the court building.
At Wufei's order, the limo sat idling in front of the building. The four other pilots were already sitting in the back, tucked towards the front of the big car, the back door sitting open waiting for Quatre to make his escape. With that finely honed sense of diplomacy, Quatre kindly told the reporters to bugger off, he'd answered enough questions and dove into the back of the limo, tugging the door shut behind him
Heero turned, gave the glass separating them from the drive a quick slap and the car was on the move. The five pilots sat, looking at each other. Quatre in a three piece suit, Wufei in dress whites, Trowa in a cashmere turtleneck sweater and tailored black pants, Heero in a white oxford and clean jeans, Duo in his dress blacks.
There was a long silence as everyone exchanged glances that hinted at emotions that none were comfortable with expressing verbally.
After a long moment, Quatre cleared his throat. "Um.... Dairy Queen?"
"Mmm."
*Snort*
"Am I still under a nut restriction?"
"Yes!"
The End
Notes: Alrighty, the end of Five as One but not the end of what's coming out of that timeline/universe. I'm afraid my experience with real courtroom procedure is nil so I apologise to anyone if I got it *totally* wrong. If it helps anyone keep things clear, remember that events written in this fic, OCT: Five as One, happened months before the events in Shades of Grey.
Laekin
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