See if I Care!

Justice is Blind

A/N: Again I want to point out that the legal proceedings only are loosely, very loosely based on reality… ;) I JUST NOW found a very good document describing the whole process, but I would have needed that a few weeks ago, so yeah… also, the whole thing is speeded up for the sake of the story, I know that it often takes months or at least weeks between every step…

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Chapter 18: Justice is Blind

Lance found it hard to focus the next day. It was Thursday. Tomorrow some judge he didn't know would decide if Tony would be raised by him or some damn bigots, and there was nothing he could really do about it. Working, therefore, wasn't easy. He was glad when the phone rang and it was Mark at the other end.

"Hi! Having a lunch break?" he asked.

"More like lunch-work, but yeah," Mark answered tiredly. "So, I was gonna ask: when and where tomorrow?"

"What?"

"The hearing! When and where? We need to know when to leave the office."

"Are… Are you coming?" Lance gaped.

It got quiet at the other end for a moment, then the brunet heard a long, exasperated sigh. "Of course we are coming, idiot! Of course we're not gonna just leave you to go through that alone!"

"But you have so much to do, so-"

"Oh, shut up. We're family, right?" Mark half scolded him. "We'll be there."

"Thank you."

"Just to make sure you get the kid, so we won't get stuck with him, of course," the blond snickered.

"Hey!"

"Jake claimed he was still green in the face last night," the blond explained. "What are you feeding him? Tacos and curry?"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to feed them?" Lance joked.

"Poor kid. But it's still better than at his paternal grandparents' place."

"Quite a lot of places would be," the brunet snorted.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

There was another sigh. "Time and place?"

"Oh, right! The family court, Lafayette Street… number… sixty," Lance said as he double checked. "There's no time, though. I have to show up in the morning and wait my turn. Can take all day, just warning you… they open at 9 but I'm supposed to be there at 8.30, so… but you don't have to show up until later, really!" After giving Mark the number of the court room as well, the blond was finally content and promised to be there. He had barely hung up before the doorbell rang.

"Social Services," the two women outside introduced themselves, showing their ID. Neither of them was familiar to him, but he stepped aside and gestured for them to come in.

"Tony is out on a walk with his nanny at the moment, they will probably be back soon, shall I call her?" he asked.

"We'd like to do a house inspection and an interview first, we can start with that," one of the women let him know, and then they very efficiently scrutinized his home. Again, Lance felt helpless and nervous that they would spot anything he hadn't.

One remarked that he needed to baby proof all the electrical sockets and he wrote that down immediately so he wouldn't forget, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it before.