Chapter Text
Peter held tightly to Michelle’s shaking hand, being pushed through the crowd to the front doors of the courthouse. Reporters shoved their microphones and tape recorders through the arms of the guards towards them, shouting questions over the boisterous crowds.
How do you feel going to see your step father for the first time, Michelle?
Michelle, have you spoken to your mother?
Michelle, are you going to live at your home again?
Have you seen your step father recently, Michelle, Michelle?
Is it true you had a seizure at your school the other day?
As the camera’s started flashing Peter pulled Michelle’s hood over her head and shielded her eyes from the strobe lights by pulling her close to him, her head rested on his shoulder and her eyes were squinted shut as he lead her up the steps. The second they entered the doors closed behind them before anyone could follow them inside.
“You okay?” He asked as she straightened up out of his arms pulling the hood from her head.
He pushed a few loose strands of hair from her face as she answered “That was crazy” She spoke quietly, just to him. She hadn’t said a word to a single other soul that day so far.
Peters hand dropped to his side after giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze “Mhmm” he hummed with a small grin “You’re famous now” He huffed a laugh receiving a quick twitch of Michelle’s lips “Don’t forget us when you’re rolling around in you’re riches in a giant house with a pool and expensive cars” her smile grew as he continued to tease.
“Oh shut up” She laughed this time, that’s what he was aiming for. “Besides I wouldn’t have expensive cars.” He raised an eyebrow at her addition, she gave him a smug look “I would have a library full of expensive limited edition books” She hummed.
Peter crossed his arms looking her up and down in mock shock “Well, glad to know you’ve given this some thought” She rolled her eyes and went to speak again, but they were interrupted by a group of Lawyers. Five of them dressed in expensive suits and briefcases at the ready. Not one of the four old men had a hair on their head between them and they stood a beat behind the leader of the lot, Rebekah Fox. She was dresses in a dark blue pant suit her hair twisted swiftly up into a bun by the nape of her neck.
“Good morning every one, hope you all had a good nights sleep” She greeted them with a sweet smile, the one Tony had told them always wins her the case.
A murmur and a head nod from the teens followed by a loud charming hello from Stark, an eye roll at that from May before her own sweet good morning. They followed Miss Fox into a room and they went over what they had for the past three days, making sure everything was in order the way she wanted it.
By 9:57am the group were making their way into the room her step fathers fate would be decided in. They walked up the centre of the aisle between rows of filled seats, Peter watched as the initial fear he had been feeling in Michelle’s slightly trembling hands finally make its way to her face. Her eye’s opened slightly wider, she swallowed three times as they stopped at the seat Peter, Tony and May would be sitting in behind her. He heard her breaths grow shorter and faster and his ears picked up the erratic thumping in her chest.
He grabbed her arm before she walked past, stopping her at the waist height gate. She turned to face him, her lip was turning white from where it sat between her teeth. He smiled at her and placed a hand on the side of her face using his thumb to gently console her.
“I’m right behind you, I’m not going anywhere” He said and her head tilted more into the soft touch of his hand as she nodded, released the hold of her lip from her teeth and took a deep breath. His hand fell to his side and she quickly squeezed it before turning and walking two more steps to her seat.
After five minutes of the low murmurs of the surrounding reporters and observers filling their ears with light conversation the man they had been dreading to see walked into the room with his own small team of state lawyers following him closely. Peter instantly tensed, his hands clutching shut on his lap and his jaw set tight as he eye balled Justin from across the room. He felt like a heaving bull ready to stamp his foot and run full force at the smug look on the monsters face, he was seeing red and he was ready to attack.
A heavy hand laid sternly on his shoulder, he looked to his left to see Tony practically holding him in place. “Hey kiddo, you can’t do anything alright” He said quietly. Peter let out a long breath and nodded his head, his eyes never leaving Justin Hale from where he sat.
“Okay put your notes away everyone” checking his watch Mr Harrington’s drab voice carried over the room of his 24 students. The shuffle of papers and pens clicking shut was heard as he pulled down the projector screen over the board of notes at the front of the room.
“Uh, you know we have forty minutes of class left Sir?” Betty called out respectfully
Harrington hummed in response before turning around and opening his laptop “I thought we could watch this instead” He clicked a few buttons and up on the projector screen was the live broadcast of their fellow classmates hearing.
A light mummer of agreement and a shuffling of desks and chairs was present under Mr Harrington's voice “So hearings usually only last about thirty minutes, but that all depends on how many witnesses are brought to the stand. If it goes longer than this lesson I have a free period next and I know most of you do too so you’re welcome to stay and watch of you want”
He took a chair from behind a desk and brought it over to sit amongst the class, the mood was odd some of the students who hadn’t known Michelle too well were the ones sat further away and not taking to much interest in the endeavor. Others that were more acquainted on a usual basis were looking intrigued and somewhat excited. The small few that knew not just her but Peter too who was going through almost as much as she was as this point looked more on edge and nervous to watch. Ned, Flash, Betty and Cindy all sat up close where they would hear every word and see every expression.
“Is your dad testifying?” Cindy asked Flash which caught Mr Harrington’s attention. He had chosen to sit closest to their lightly huddled group knowing they would have the best information to go along with what was happening.
Flash looked over to her and nodded his head “Yeah, he uh, he didn’t tell me much though” This was the first time Harrington had noticed Flash in this suppressed state, usually he would take any opportunity to show off that he knew something like this. Yet there he was looking to the floor, his hands fumbling in knots and his leg bouncing up and down.
“What did he say?” Betty asked, always one for needing to know, today though it feels less like she’s asking from a reporters view her voice was cautious of the question she asked and her eyebrows scrunched to the middle.
Flash shrugged his shoulders and for the first time Betty didn’t push for an answer. Mr Harrington was quickly realising how much this whole ordeal was effecting his students, seeing their friend in class the other day having a seizure on the floor before them all was what really showed them how much Michelle had gone through. Gave them a small glimpse into her future, and by the looks of things Peters too.
In a way it seemed to humanise them from their usual career driven or money hungry attitudes though, maybe they are all seeing how quickly their lives can change. How life has more meaning to it than before, seeing that it really could have gone in a different direction for Michelle has really woken them up and in a way Justin Hale has broken them too. In a way Michelle has given them a sense of strength showing them that they too can do anything. In a way the way their own compassion has grown just by watching Peter be there for her. You never know what’s around the corner and that has been their biggest lesson to learn in the past few weeks.
As they sit there and watch the screen showing the distraught images of what was done to Michelle as Flash’s father speaks his testimony, Mr Harrington watches as Ned’s eyes fill with water and Betty holds his hand to comfort him. Then The police and ambulance first responders tell their stories of finding a young beaten child in an empty apartment barley breathing on the floor. That received more interest from the students at the back of the room.
The next person called to the stand was the neighbour who had called it in, telling the jury what she had heard that night as she came home from work, how she heard the cracks of bone and the cries of the girl who once babysat her children.
They all were quietly discussing what they thought to each other around the room until Ned spoke up for the first time shocking everyone “holy shit!” He cried getting the attention of the room to fall back to the screen.
A woman entered the courtroom, her frame thin and weathered with dark hair greying at its roots.
“What? Who is that?” Cindy asked Ned who’s mouth hung open in shock.
The camera shot turned to Michelle who’s eyes began to fill with water, her breath caught in her throat and she was frozen in her place with one arm still reaching out towards the glass of water in front of her staring unbelievingly at the woman who was escorted the the stand looking over Michelle with sad eyes.
Peter was seen behind her fury in his eyes, Tony Stark whispering to him.
“That’s her Mom” Ned says quietly making everyone gasp and gape and turn angry themselves. Because anyone who had been keeping up on what was happening in the news, and through reports knows that not once did she even call on anyone to find out about Michelle. How she left her by the brink of death in her apartment without even a call to anyone for help. No one even knew where she was the past few weeks.
“Mrs Jones” The TV was turned up as she swore her testimony on the bible and everyone settled closer to the device.
The room was silent through every word spoken, every answer to every question until she was leaving the room. They all watched as Michelle didn’t look up once, not acknowledging a word her mother spoke. Michelle sat still through every lie that came out of her mothers mouth stating her and Justin hadn’t been at the apartment at all that day, how her daughter must have been attacked by a bugler, shrugging her shoulders when asked why nothing had been taken, stating Michelle had run away once before and that’s why she didn’t go looking for her, denying how one time sneaking out for a few hours was not classed as sufficient evidence that she would run away for weeks without needing to be reported missing to the police.
Her mothers lies were infuriating, her reasoning behind her acts were exasperating though the jury looked to show a form of sympathy with her which was the most concerning thing of all.
Justin testified his alibi next, confirming his whereabouts with her mothers before a short break was implemented as Stark’s lawyers hadn’t expected Michelle’s mother. When they returned they were surprised to see Peter up on the stand.
“He saw Justin, that’s why he’s up there. It must have been a last minute decision” Ned said before Peters testimony came.
“You dropped Michelle off that afternoon correct?”
“Yes”
“And was Mr Hale there?”
“Yes ma’am”
“You saw him?”
“Yes ma’am he was calling for her from the balcony”
“I see, what did he call out from the balcony Mr Parker?”
“He called for Em-Michelle to go up stairs”
“And was his asking polite?”
“No ma’am”
“No, he wasn’t polite?”
“No”
“How would you say he sounded?”
“um, Demanding and Angered”
“And looking over at the man sitting there you can confidently say he was the face you saw that day”
“Yes, it was”
“Okay, thank you Peter”
“Peter you are the boyfriend of Michelle Jones yes?”
“I, yes”
“How long were you together before Michelle’s accident”
“It wasn’t an accident, She was beaten and abus-”
“Just answer the question Mr Parker”
“Officially… around three weeks”
“Three weeks, okay, and did you at any time in those three weeks see my client Mr Hale?”
“No”
“Had you ever met Mr Hale before?”
“No”
“Have you ever seen him before this day? Other than the time you say he was on the balcony?”
“No, I have in a picture though”
“An old picture”
“Well”
“Well, not a recent picture. How could you get a recent picture if Mr Hale hadn’t been around for three weeks? A lot can change in three weeks, my own husband dyed his hair only two days ago he certainly looks different than he did one week ago let alone three”
“Objection!”
“Reasoning relevant to the case, Sustained”
“Mr Parker, you said earlier the man you saw called Michelle from her balcony correct?”
“Yes”
“Miss Jones’ apartment is on the seventh floor of her building, so how is it that you saw Mr Hale from where you were standing in the parking lot?”
“I looked up ma’am”
“Okay, let me rephrase the question. You just two years ago wore glasses did you not?”
“I… yes”
“And is it safe to presume you wear contact lenses now?”
“i-it it, yes but I-”
“So how is it that a young man with your eye sight could see that man seven stories above you, not to mention looking into the late afternoon sun”
“It was him, it was-”
“No further questions your honor”
Not even Mr Harrington had anything to say, for a state lawyer they certainly weren’t going down without a fight. The last person to be called to the stand was Michelle everyone quietened down as she pledged her honesty to the bible.
“Michelle this isn’t the easiest thing to do, so just take your time and tell us your story when you’re ready okay.”
“Okay”
The court room looked motionless as Michelle took in a deep shaky breath, all eyes on her as she spoke her first words. The classroom was much the same, filled with dread to hearing what they thought they had been waiting to hear when in fact hearing it was regrettable.
“Justin called me up from the balcony that afternoon, I told Peter to go home because I didn’t want him to be dragged into it. He doesn’t deserve that. So I walked up stairs where I found Mom already passed out on the couch, there was an empty bottle of wine on the table beside her and some um drugs too, p-probably ice again I don’t know I try not to take much notice. Justin was coming inside as I put my school bag down, he looked angry and he closed the door and walked over to me.
He just started asking me questions about why, why mum told him to leave and who Peter was and just little questions but I didn’t say anything so he… he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close to his face and he just stated yelling about how I was nothing, how my Mom said she wished I was never born and I pushed him to get away and he tripped over the coffee table and fell to the floor. Mom woke up then and she got up to help Justin up asking what was going on. I tried to walk away to my room, but Justin caught up with me before I made it and yanked my arm, that’s when he grabbed me by the throat and pushed me back into the wall.
Mom hit him with the empty bottle on the table to stop him, he let go to push her back onto the couch, and yelled at her to get in their room.” Michelle looked up from her hands for the first time, looking directly at the very woman who gave her littlest effort to protect her. Her mother who was sitting at the back of the courtroom.
Michelle bore her eyes into her mother as she spoke “She got off the couch, looked at me chocking on the floor. She looked at me then turned around and walked into the bedroom and closed the door. She left me, knowing what he was going to do.” Michelle let her first tear fall down her cheek
“Justin tuned back to me when the door closed and he smiled. I tried to push my self back through my door to my room, to close the door and try and escape out the window. I was too slow. I got half way through my door and he slammed it closed on my ribs, laughing when they cracked and calling out “one, two, three” as he heard my ribs break.” Michelle wiped her eyes
“I was laying on the floor and he kicked me over and over, then he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me up walking me over to the middle of the lounge room when he threw me on the floor. He sat over the top of me holding my arms down above my head and told me what he was going to do to my Mom when he was finished with me.”
“And what was that, Michelle?” Rebakah the lawyer had to encourage her to continue as she started to cry
“He said um how he was going to take her away some place I would never see her again, how he was going to rape her until she can’t walk any more. Then when he had no more use for her he would shoot her in the head and throw her into the bottom of a lake where she belongs.” Michelle took a few moments to catch her breath
“Do you want to continue?” Fox asked and Michelle nodded her head, at this point there was not a dry eye in either the courtroom or the classroom.
“He um, he got up after that and started yelling about how he was going to kill me. He found a candle holder and started hitting me over the face with it, I tried to get away but I couldn’t move. I was scared and he just kept hitting me until I couldn’t see, my eye had swelled up and I could taste the blood as it ran down my face and over my lips. I couldn’t move, I- I couldn’t get away and he hit me one more time and then I woke up with Peter by my bed side in a hospital. I didn’t know what he had done with my mother, and when she hadn’t tried to contact me I thought she was dead.”
There was an unsettling shift in the room as she finished up her tale on her traumatic experience, back in the classroom tissues had been handed around and no one had the care to be seen the way they were right now, not even Mr Harrington who’s glasses had fogged up from his abdicable tears and in all honesty was blubbering. No one had words to share, they had all just learned the pain she experienced, the horrors of her life. They know this person, they feel a connection to the story that no one else in the world does and that is the hardest thing to realise. The fact that she was sat there with them for a majority of the year with them showing nothing of the distress she has just admitted to the world.
The feeling that they should have known, that they should have or could have done something to prevent that from happening is sickening. Knowing that they did nothing, that they knew nothing is something they will never forgive them selves for.
Back in the courtroom, Michelle had found her way back to her seat after a few more questions from both sides of the room. The Jury had set off to decide on the fate of Justin and Michelle turned around to speak to Peter, but he was already there his arms stretched out for a hug.
His eyes were as red and as wet as her own and she crashed into his embrace with relief. The moment was short lived as the lawyers wanted to briefly overview the outcomes with her though. A law student who Peter hadn’t even notice accompanying them handed a sheet over to Rebekah, a calculation of how the student believed each juror would pass judgement and according to her Michelle story won her majority of the vote.
Just seven minutes later the courtroom was silenced as the jury entered the room once again, a woman amongst them stood and began to answer the judge with the verdict.
“The Jury have decided that the defendant is Guilty” the room burst into an array of cheers.
Michelle instantly turned to her lawyer with a look of complete solace, Fox smiled and nodded her head before Michelle got out of her seat and leaned over the rail separating her from her boyfriend a laugh emitting from her lips as she did so.
“The defendant has been accused as guilty, all previously stated charges will be appointed including that of attempted murder, Justin Hale will be serving a life sentence with no chances of early release of parole. Good day everyone.” The judges words phased through her as the gavel was plastered to its mast.
Peter put his palm on both sides of her face smiling at her grin, squishing her cheeks in his excitement he placed a kiss to her forehead knowing they were still on camera. “I knew you could beat him” He said as his face was concealed with hers beneath her hair. They hugged until the room was practically emptied.
Justin was detained there on the spot by an officer in the court and ushered away, as he walked past he called out catching the attention of the few left behind. “I should have finished you while I had the chance” He seethed
Michelle tried, Tony tried, even May tried to stop Peter. Not this time, he used his strength to push through them like a breeze striding right up to Justin and before another word could escape his lips the man was out cold on the floor. Not this time, he wouldn’t let him hurt her for another second not when he can help it.
Peter walked back to Michelle who had a smug smirk on her lips “Fell better now?” She asked amused
Peter draped his arm around her waist and guided her out of the court room “Don’t you?” He said with the same playful tone leaning down and kissing her shoulder.