Past Lives (Dark/Damien x Reader)

ᴛᴡᴏ: ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ

October 29, 2017

"Your Honor, I believe it is the city's right to at least investigate the property. No one has viewed it for years, and there aren't even any property tax records on this said mansion. I believe that the defendant is acting irrationally and a little suspiciously as well."

"You scamp!" She shouted, her black hair swishing as she shook her head, "You have absolutely no right to look at my property!"

"Please calm yourself, ma'am." The male judge advised, a glare hidden behind his thick reading glasses. The woman huffed out in agitation, her teeth exposed to the judge.

"My ancestors have willed this home down through generation after generation. Now, it has been bestowed upon me. You cannot break family tradition! It's morally incorrect!"

"You should have considered that before you quit paying taxes on the place." (Y/n) mentioned, causing the courtroom to erupt. In response, the judge smacked his mallet down.

"Order! Order!" He shouted. (Y/n) simply smirked, maliciously enjoying the sight that was the defendant, Celine. As (Y/n) had found out from a little digging, despite the potential criminal background in the woman's history, apparently women in her family were seen as the caretakers and leaders, so their husbands always took their last names in order to carry the family's legacy. (Y/n) had always wondered about the reasoning behind that tradition, but it wasn't of her utmost importance for the case the city of Los Angeles had put her on.

Her property wasn't in records, and this was a problem. Censuses were inaccurate simply because of the home's history - it was a burden on the city, and they wanted to be rid of it. So, they contacted (Y/n) (L/n), the leading district attorney of Los Angeles.

"Ma'am, how many occupants are in this said property that we don't know about?" The judge asked. Celine visibly tensed at his question.

"J-Just me!" She shouted out, causing (Y/n) to roll her eyes. The courtroom erupted in suspicious accusations as well, adding to the chaos.

"Your Honor-"

"Silence!" He screamed out, banging his mallet once again. The voices faded out into silence, and the lawsuit continued, "I have made my decision."

"The defendant must give up her home for the district attorney office to investigate the property. During this time, she is required to avoid the property, and if she does not comply, there will be a warrant formed for her arrest. Morals do not layer themselves above the law." He spoke out to the girl.

Instead of reacting with anger and irritability, (Y/n) saw her face begin to fall in fear. Her eyes were glued onto the judge as her lawyer shook his head. She had lost, but at to what cost?

"N-No! You can't do this!" She yelled out, getting up out of her chair to grip onto the table in front of her, "Your Honor, please-"

"It is my final decision. Ma'am, if you don't calm yourself, I will have to have an officer of the law escort you out of this courtroom."

Even though the threat was proposed to her, it seemed to only heighten her panic. She shook her head vigorously, her chin quivering as she thought about what they would discover.

"No! I will not allow you to search my home. It was given to me by my ancestors! You can't take that away from me!"

"Unfortunately, I can. Judgement for the plaintiff; your counterclaim is dismissed. Please." He looked over to the cop next to him, gesturing towards the woman who was currently collapsing onto the table below her. She balled her hands together, feeling an overwhelming amount of fear, panic, and nervousness enter her body. Her fingers were beginning to numb just at the thought of what would happen if they entered the home.

A police officer's hand gripped itself on her shoulder, and she found herself being pulled up from her position. Sensing the invasion of her vulnerable state, she began flailing and shrieking. While this was an attempt to get him off of her without physical force, it only ended up summoning several more officers standing nearby. They now had her dangling off of the ground and were pulling her through the crowd that was observing the case beforehand.

"Ms. (L/n)! You can't do this!" She shouted, catching the attention of the district attorney, "You have no idea what will happen! People will be killed!"

(Y/n) arose from her seat, watching intently as they drug the woman towards the doors of the courtroom. Her words obviously alarmed her, but it wasn't as if she could be trusted in the first place. But still, she would be sure to tread the case cautiously. One thing that Celine had seemed to speak was true: no one knew what was in the home. After no documentation for such a long time, there was no way to truly tell what had happened within the property before they went in. Of course, since she now had rights to the property records, she would be sure to dig up anything that she could about it in order to get a better sense of what this place was.

"I'm begging you!" She screamed, "Don't go into that house!"

The officers finally managed to drag her beyond the doors, and promptly shut them once they were out. After her words had sunk in within the silence, the crowd began talking among themselves with alarm and concern.

(Y/n) quietly thought to herself as she sat back down in her chair. She leaned her head on the palm of her hand, letting out a sigh of relief and confusion - at least it was over now. She was finally able to look at the records and even look at the property itself. But one question that kept flowing through her mind caused her blood to run cold and a furrowed brow to appear on her countenance. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get the burning sensation out of them as she thought:

'People will be killed?'