Stay Together For The Kids - Michael Clifford Fanfiction

Court Part One

I drum my fingers against my seat. It has felt like an eternity since we had first entered the courts, but the clock on the wall only reads 10 minutes.

We're waiting for the judge and our actual room to be ready. Plus, Michael hasn't shown up yet. I had asked Chris what will happen if he doesn't show for this, and he told me it would all be delayed, that we would have to reschedule. I hope he turns up. I don't think I can bear dragging this out too much longer.

But I am also so nervous to see Michael. What will he look like? Will he talk to me? Will he even look at me?

I'm pushed out of my worries from Chris grabbing my shoulder.

"We're ready." He smiles.

"All ready?" I ask, alarmed. "Is Michael here?"

Chris shakes his head. "Not yet."

I must look as sick as I feel, because Chris try's to reassure me. "He will be." He says softly.

I murmur something, worried if I open my mouth I'll throw up. This was happening. This is real.

I follow Chris closely into the court room. It is a small court room, with people sitting patiently in the seats behind us. I look up in front of me, and a judge is sitting sternly up, talking to a man on her right.

I feel my stomach do a flip. The judge, the woman in front, is going to determine what's going to happen to my daughter.

I sit down where Chris directs me too. It's a small bench to the right of the room, and I'm sitting next to Chris. Chris is trying to talk to me, but I'm barely listening. I keep glancing around me, my nerves hitting an all time high, I feel so sick. Where the hell is Michael?

"Lily." Chris nudges me.

I snap my gaze to him as he nods to the front. The judge is looking down at me sternly. She looks kind, a Maltese woman with a stern but fair gaze.

She introduces herself as Judge Morgan. I nod my understanding. But I can't help but fidget, constantly turning to the door to hope that Michael will show up. The judge doesn't seem to mind me fidgeting, but I know it mustn't be a good impression. Chris sits next to me, without a care in the world. How can he be so calm?

Before I know it, Judge Morgan is summoning for us to stand up, and I am being forced to stand up. I can't believe Michael isn't here. I know he would of been hurt from the charges, but didn't he want to fight for his daughter?

The judge asks us all to sit back down.

The door slams open, and we all jump and spin around. Michael and what I can only assume is his lawyer are striding towards us. The judge clicks her tongue in disapproval, but I don't care. I only have eyes for Michael.

He looks, for lack of a better word, horrible. His once sparkling eyes are dull, there is a red tinge to his face and he looks exhausted. I know it shouldn't, but it makes me feel better. Maybe I wasn't doing so bad after all. He doesn't even glance in my direction as he follow his lawyer close behind.

"We have to apologise, ma'am. We were stuck in morning traffic." Michael's lawyer says, quickly leading Michael into his seat.

The judge grunts, but she does not tell him off.

I wonder if 'morning traffic' is a pseudonym for cocaine.

"Ok, how about we try this again?" The judge asks the courts, after Michael and his lawyer have settled down.

"All rise." She repeats. We all stand up again, this time with less nerves and much more exhaustion.

The judge tells us to resume our seats and looks down at her paper.

"Michael Clifford, you are being charged for kidnap and endangerment of a minor, reckless driving, and possession of a class a drug."

The judge looks from her paper to Michael and his lawyer.

"Do you understand these charges?" She asks Michael.

Michael gives a small jerk of the head for a yes.

"Ok. Let's hear it." The judge summons Chris. Chris, in turn, stands up and thanks the judge.

"I would like to thank everyone for being here today. I'm here to represent my client, and her daughter and the defendants daughter Ruby. This is an urgent matter, due to the fact that it was his daughter that he kidnapped, and there is fear that he could do it again, due to there not being any custody agreement." He says to the court. He has an air of confidence that I'm infinitely jealous of.

"What are you asking for?" The judge says impatiently.

"I'm asking for the forwarded case of a custody agreement for my clients daughter." Chris respond swiftly.

"What are the custody agreements in stand at the moment?" The judge asks, looking to Michael quickly then back to Chris.

"There are none. That is why he was able to take Ruby and put her in danger, and we want to be able to stop Ruby for becoming hurt again."

The judge looks more interested but also skeptical.

"So you're asking for a forwarded date to discuss a custody agreement?" She ask, sounding annoyed.

Chris nods. "Yes, given the circumstances, my client and I believe this is necessary." He says. The judge looks annoyed, and I'm worried she won't agree. I hadn't even thought of the possibility.

The judge sighs slightly. "Fine, Scheduled date for 10am Friday week." She slams down her gavel, and stands up swiftly.

Chris smiles down at me and I'm somewhat relieved. It's over for now, but Friday week? That was a lot sooner then I wanted.

I stand up to follow Chris out. "This is good news Lily, this means we have time to build our case."

"Build our case?" I ask, looking away from Chris to the other side of the room. Michael is taking to his lawyer too.

"Yes, build our case. I was actually going to suggest talking to some people that would be good witnesses. People that know about Michael's drug problem." Chris continues.

The first person that comes to mind is Calum. But I doubt he would fight against Michael. Maybe, maybe if I asked.

Michael turns suddenly and our eyes lock. I can't read his expression, but I don't look away. Neither does he. And as he looks at me, I recognise his expression. It's not anger, it's not hate. It's determination.

Chris nudges me in the back and I realise I've been standing in the hall, blocking Chris from walking. I look away from Michael, and I move forward to the door.

If how Michael looked to me was anything to go by, this really was going to be a war.

I step outside my car, and into the fresh air. The whole trip back to work, all I could think was of how the hell I was going to talk to Calum, convince him to help me. If Michael was going to be determined, he had no idea what was coming.

I walk down the hall, and quietly slip into the office. I glance around me, and quickly find Caroline.

"Where were you?" She asks, as she notices me walking up to her.

"Just had to deal with some divorce stuff." I shrug. "Did you cover for me?"

Caroline rolls her eyes. "Of course."

I smile my gratitude at her, but she still seems unimpressed.

"I got you a latte." I say quickly, handing her the coffee.

Previous annoyance at me has somehow disappeared at the appearance of the beverage.

"You even remember how I like it!" She exclaims.

I roll my eyes at her, but damn do I envy her. Gone are the days coffee solved all my problems. Maybe this was growing up. Nobody had warned me how much it sucked.

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Hey guys, hope you liked the chapter, it was a bit shorter then usual but all the chapters have a place, even the shorter ones. :)