A Condemned Haven

Chapter 21

It didn't take Jack long to make it to Clarkes house, but he still felt like crap. His headache had subsided a little bit since this morning, but he was more worried about Clarke than himself right now. He hoped that Caroline was home so he could talk to her. When he knocked on the door, he waited a couple of minutes before ringing the doorbell. When it opened and Caroline popped in, he felt so relieved.

"Caroline."

"Aren't you Clarke's boyfriend? What are you doing here?" Boyfriend? He wasn't her boyfriend.

"No were just friends. I'm here to ask you to come down to the police station."

"I already talked to the detective and told him what I knew."

"You lied and now your sister is sitting in that station because your father is a douche and you're a coward."

"You don't know me?" He knew offending her probably wasn't the best way to get her to agree, but he hated that she put Clarke in this position.

"No, I don't, but I know your sister. She didn't do this and if you don't go up there and tell them the truth, they could pin this on her. She could go to jail this time for something she didn't do, again."

"Look that's not my problem. I'm just trying graduate and get out of here peacefully and what you're asking me to do is to go against my father who could make my life hell."

"She's your sister. The one you grew up with and I don't know what kind of relationship you guys have, but that has to count for something. She's family and you take care of family." Her eyes softened a bit and Jack could see he was getting to her.

"Just let me get dressed okay?"

"Thank you." She just nodded and disappeared for about five minutes before popping out of the door with keys.

"I don't have my license, but I don't want to walk."

"I do, I can drive."

"Good thing its Clarke's car and not mine."

When they got to the station Caroline didn't get out of the car immediately. Her father had gotten crueler lately and she didn't want to be the subject of his wrath. The way Clarke and he had fought last night had scared her. He'd been drinking a lot at night too, thinking nobody noticed, but she did. She noticed everything that went on in that house.

"It's okay. I'll be there every moment." Caroline saw why Clarke liked him. He was sweet and relentless in his defense of her. She almost wished he was her friend instead of being mixed up in all of this.

"Why do you defend her, I know it doesn't make things easy for you at school?"

"Sometimes it's not about easy and when someone needs my help, who am I to judge not to give it to them. Clarke is a good person and she just needs someone in her corner, and I plan on being that for her." He just shrugged his shoulders as if what he just said was no big deal. He was at a police station trying to secure Clarkes alibi and Caroline found it incredible that he didn't seem to think it was a big deal. How had her sister gotten him so wrapped around her finger?

"You said you two weren't dating?" Caroline chuckled as she saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"No. Come on we should get in there. She's been here long enough." Maybe after all of this Clarke and her could finally call a truce. She didn't know whether to believe if her sister was innocent the first time around, but now she knew.

"Before we go in can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Say I go in there and defend her, but what's to say she didn't really kill Brandon? This could be karma finally making its way around."

"I have only known her these past couple of weeks and everything I've learned so far, I just, I don't know. I believe her. You've known her your entire life, do you really think she would kill Brandon?"

"They were so close until they got to high school. She was in love with him, everyone knew except her and Brandon. When they stopped talking, I thought they had just gotten into a fight, it would be temporary you know, but then he stopped coming around and Clarke just kind of shut down. And then he died, and she changed, and I don't know if it was because she killed him or she just missed him, but something was different. Then she got arrested and I think everyone just kind of assumed her behavior was because she was guilty and not sad. When she went to juvie and got convicted, I thought I lost my sister, but now I'm realizing it was before that. She was lost the moment everyone lost faith in her. I was one of those people. How am I supposed to go in there after all this time of assuming she was guilty and tell her that I was wrong? How can she forgive me for that?"

"No one is perfect. You made a mistake and Clarke is a lot of things, but she's not unfair. She'll forgive you, it may not be today or tomorrow, but she will. That's just how family is." Caroline nodded and got out of the car prepared to accept the hell her father would no doubt give her, but it was worth it because Clarke was her sister. She hadn't been there for her the first time around, but she would be now. She wouldn't make the same mistakes.

"Hi yes, officer?" She could do this, and she would, because despite everything she loved her sister.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I would to make a statement on behalf of Clarke Holden. I'm here to corroborate her alibi." The officer didn't seem happy as Jack stared at him. They were all out to get Clarke and this was not exactly going to help them shut this case.

"I see, I'll go grab detective Vale."

"Thank you."

"Hey, Murphy can you take her to the room where Clarke Holden is being held?"

"Yeah I got. Come on guys I'll take you."