After - The Society Fanfic.

18.

Helena is worried. She's worried for Elle but the only way to help Elle is to help Allie and Will and helping Allie and Will is proving difficult. She'd thought the trial of Dewey had been difficult. This trial, this situation, seems to be so much more complicated. No one had seen Luke the day of Allie and Will's supposed treachery. Now, most would assume that meant he is unreliable, but Helena understood that from the people's perspective Luke holds authority. He's part of The Guard, the police of this world. Will Allie and Will being the accused, their creditability is zero and no matter at how sketchy Luke's testimony is, it'll always be higher than theirs. The only way to get around this is to find where Luke was and show the jury his lies. She had to hang and quarter her fiancé. Boyfriend. She's unsure what they are now. He said he was confused and didn't know what he wanted and yet the other day was crying in her arms fearful he'll lose her.

There are only a few days until the trial. She needed to work on Allie and Will's faces. Allie is not the best at disguising her disdain and Will, quite frankly, will lose it when provoked. They need to be likeable enough for the jury to at least consider a non-guilty verdict.

Helena rubs her face, running a hand through her hair as she studies a couple of law theory textbooks she could find in the library. She felt like she needed more theory with this case. With Dewey, she'd been thrown into it reluctantly. With this, she's had time to prepare.

She jots down a few more notes and highlights a couple of sentences. Helena reaches for her mug, only to be greeted by emptiness. She's already had it? She glances at the clock. 01:23. Wow. She had to be up in five hours to open the church.

Helena packs up the books, binders and notepads, struggling to carry it all back to her bedroom. The house had been quiet since Harry rescinded the shared house rule. She missed the hum of people throughout the house; the quiet chatter from each room, the booming laughter throughout the day. It'd been nice. She didn't mind having privacy again but just two people in this empty house is starting to make her feel lonely. Not to mention the fact that during the nights it made it feel even creepier. When the house had creaked and groaned before, she could put it down to someone moving in the house. Now she assumes it's an intruder. Especially with the town's attitude towards her.

It's weird. When she's in the church, people treat her like they always have but as soon as her footsteps out the church, it's like the world has flipped. This is the second time she's defended an accused to the town. This time she had also been investigating the claims. It made people uneasy, guarded and not a massive fan of Helena. They couldn't understand why she wasn't hurt by the "lies." If only they knew, she was, just not by Allie and Will's digressions. As she walked past people, she'd hear their whispers, their insults, their curses. It hurt Helena as she'd wanted to be an individual who they came to for comfort. She guesses they still did but it's a bit two-faced. Gwen had opened up to her, albeit drunkenly and probably doesn't remember, the comments Clark had specifically aimed at her. It's now no longer a secret they're split. How could it be? Gwen and Clark weren't really making it a secret. She didn't like Clark and she worries about his impact on Luke. Luke is smart but insecure, he wants to fit in, and he likes to be loyal. It takes a lot to push him away from his friends. So why on earth did he turn on Allie? Had they really pushed him away so much over the past few months? Is Clark smarter and more manipulative than she thought? No. He's an arse. He's a prick. He's a bastard. But he is pretty thick.

Helena had wished Allie had handled what happened to Lexie better. However, Lexie had taken it too far. Allie should have punished Clark and Jason. If Allie becomes Mayor again, she'll need to rejig them, add some restrictions. As they stand right now, they're quite corrupt.

Helena slides into the room. Luke fast asleep, slightly sprawled across his half of the bed, an arm hanging off. She loves him. She'll always love him. She'll always protect him. However, sometimes protecting him means forcing him to face the ugliness, even if it hurt him. She slips into her nightgown before crawling into bed. As much as she tries, Luke stirs, blinking sleepily towards her. She smiles and gentles brushes her fingers against his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He doesn't respond but instead holds an arm out, inviting her in for a cuddle. Helena scoots down and lets his arm swamp her, embracing her tightly. It's comforting. It reminds her of the nights before all of this. She leans into it, into sleep. Enjoying her little moment of peace and comfort before the storm comes in.