"Easy pretty girl." Peter coos, trying to calm her down as he smoothed her arms with his big rough hands. Standing face to face with the young deputy, she squares her shoulders.
"Who?" She growls and the deputy points out the door to the man standing near his desk drinking coffee, all clean cut and really professional, but something panged in her heart, something that irked her about him. He radiated this egotistical feeling that made her aggrivated even as she walked through earlier. He stood at the desk chatting with another officer, 'yeah, I figured if they killed each other that'd be two less criminals walking this earth. Mahuna's a pity case anyway. He's got some girl saying that they were banging that night. Yeah I know, I don't really believe it but-'. She stalks up to him, and Peter watches proudly with a smug grin on his face, as she balls a fist up and swings hard across his face, connecting with his jaw and sending a bone chilling crack silencing the masses. Peter looks on as she stomps him to the ground, and realizes she's gotta stop. So with the deputy's permission, he and the deputy step out of the room and Peter rushes her, tackling her to the ground. She gives an awful shriek and starts beating at his chest. He had a few bruises from his tousle, but they didn't seem to hurt as she pounded mercilessly against his chest.
"Hey, hey, you need to calm down." He murmurs, one hand splayed against the floor, the other splayed across her chest. "I know. I know. I know it was wrong, okay? But you can't just punch people pretty girl."
"I just did." She spits, mouth pulled down into a grimace as presses her cheek against the cold floor. She couldn't look at him, because the more she looked the angrier she became. No one should get away with this, no one. Especially not a law enforcement officer.
"I'll have you arrested, you bitch." Peter breathes out heavily, and rises from his knee to tower over the deputy.
"Listen here, you so much as look at her the wrong way ever again, I swear to god, I'll go to jail for a murder I really did commit. Too bad you won't be there to see it." He growls, giving him the most fearless, terrifying grin he could have mustered.
"I'll have you know, I am the law!"
"You are the scum of the earth. You are the kid who got dirt thrown in his face on the playground and became a cop to ruin everyone's day. You can fuck off." A low guttural sound escapes him as he picks Aisleigh off the floor and they start out the front door.
"Your suit." She states, looking back over her shoulder.
"Fuck that suit. I'll go like this." He grumbles, arm wrapped around her shoulder so coolly. Giving a heavy chuckle, he mutters, "my little badass," and kisses her forehead.
They arrive at the court dressed as though they both had just tumbled around on the floor, and in their cases she supposed they weren't wrong. Ma looks on as Peter makes his way to the front table and gives Aisleigh a wink before facing back forward.
"We'd like to call Aisleigh Keahilo to the witness stand." His lawyer calls. She sashays up to the stand, proud as can be, like she just won the olympics and sits down. "I have paperwork stating that you and Mister Mohuna were arrested the night of the twenty-seventh, is that correct?" He asks, and smiles in return as she grins.
"Yes I was."
"You were arrested the night Mister Mohuna robbed the store, is that correct?" He asks and again she responds with a yes. "You and Mister Mohuna were arrested at what time that evening?"
"Around eleven pm."
"Can you tell me why you two were caught that night?"
"We were down at the lake, these three guys left as we were getting there. So we waited until we thought they were gone before we started drinking some vodka and wine coolers that Peter stole."
"You're saying at nineteen years old, you and Mister Mohuna were drinking?"
"Yes. We were drinking to take the edge off, see me and Peter were gonna have--uhm--" Peter gives a low growl as a warning but she is quick to wave it off. "We were going to make sweet love and we would've if deputy do good hadn't caught us." He raises his eyebrows and looks down at the table, rolling pressing his lips together to try and hide the grin he felt.
"I see, so what happened after you got caught?"
"We went in and were detained all night long. There's no way Peter killed anyone that night. Because we were together the whole night." She grins. Peter gives a low, very quiet whistle and licks his lips in anticipation.
"I see. So there you have it, your honor, he couldn't have killed him because they were together the whole night that night."
"I'd like to ask a few questions if you don't mind." The other lawyer asks as he stands. She feels herself get nervous and her eyes fall in Peter for reassurance.
"You say you and Mister Mohuna were together that whole night, yet the report says that Mister Mohuna met up with you after he robbed the store. So you couldn't have been with him the whole night. Is it possible that Mister Mohuna killed Mister Stanton and then met up with you?" The man asks, all squirrel-looking with his big fish bowl glasses high on his nose.
"I mean I guess," she starts and short hush falls over the court. "Except I was in Mister Stanton's store waiting for Peter. We had a nice conversation while I was there. I suppose you could ask him, if he wasn't dead." She barks, rolling her eyes.
"Look! This is a serious offense young lady. Don't roll your eyes or give sarcastic comments." The lawyer growls, pointing a stern finger at her.
"Your honor if he plans to threaten her again, you better pull her from the stand. I won't watch her mowed over by this little dweeb." Peter jumps to his feet and snarls at the other lawyer.
"Thank you Mohuna, sit down. The defendant is right. Keep it legal." The judge snips at him.
"I just don't believe this. She's obviously in love with him, she'd lie to help him your Honour, we need a real witness not some ex-lover who still seems to hold a candle for him!"
"Hey! She'd never lie, you threaten her again and I swear."
"You'll kill me? Just like you did Mister Stanton?" He asks, turning snake-like opinion to Peter.
"Objection your Honour! We're not asking everyone their opinion, nor accusing them of something they didn't do. This is unfair." His lawyer jumps in, darting his finger towards the prosecutor.
"Look Ben, if you can't get yourself under control I'll ask you to leave." The judge growls.
"Sorry your Honour." He grumbles before returning to his table.
"Any further questions for the witness?" He asks. Ben shakes his head no, before asking to call a recess.
"We'll break for a two hour lunch and come back afterwards with a verdict. For a final time before we call break, defendant Peter Mohuna, how do you plea?"
"Not guilty." He shakes his head. They break for two hours and Peter is held in a room and given lunch while waiting for a verdict. Everyone re-enters the court, the jury all seems to have decided on a verdict for Peter. Aisleigh feels her palms sweat and knuckles ache, feels her stomach turning and rolling, as if it were putting on its own show. She believed Peter was safe, but something itched in the back of her mind that he would still be put away again. As the last few people straggle in, Jarred pokes her arm and gives her a sweet smile.
"What are you doing here?" She whispers as they bring Peter in.
"He made me promise I'd be here in case he got charged; to keep you from killing anyone." He whispers patting her arm as her were a friend.
"Well he's gonna be fine." She grumbles under her breath to him as the judge begins to speak.
"Jury is in, Myself and the jury under careful consideration find the defendant Peter Mohuna not guilty." She sits in shock staring between the judge, the roster of jury, and Peter. She couldn't believe it, the tears fall down her face as she reaches to brush them away and Peter stands to face her. Their eyes meet through the glimmering tears and Jarred edges her towards Peter.
"Go! Go on and get your ex-convict." He murmurs encouragingly. She gives him the biggest smile before racing towards Peter. Pouncing on him, she wraps her arms around his neck and Peter murmurs incoherently as he hugs her against him.
"We did it." He murmurs, kissing her cheek as ma and the boys crowd around them, all ecstatic for him to finally be free. He was free now, really free. He could feel an enormous weight lifted off his chest, breathing in Aisleigh's sweetness and pressing his lips against her forehead and knowing that they could stay together.
"We did it." She cheers as they make their way outside.
"Oh dearest, the basement is done now I plan on packing your stuff if you want it." He grumbles, putting on a show for Peter. He gains the tall, beefy man's attention as they start to chat and he steps over and puts just one shoulder in front of her partially.
"That would be great! Thank you Jarred." She smiles to her new found friend, and he beams a smile back at her.
"What's going on?" He asks, brows slightly furrowed in concern.
"Oh Peter," she murmurs, turning to face him. Her big grey eyes meet his amber ones and she gives him the biggest smile she could muster. "I'm so glad you're my best friend. But I'm sorry." She giggles, half covering her mouth. "Petey, look at me." With her petite hand, she pulls his face to look back at her. "Petey, you're my best friend and I have finally come to realize that I don't want anyone else but you. I love you." She whispers, staring into his golden orbs. He smiles down at her, his face puffy in some places, a slight split on his bottom lip and cuts across his face, but to her he was her fighter, her number one.
"Shut up." He rumbles from deep in his chest and scoops her up into his huge arms and kisses her so gently and warmly. That rush from the addiction finally hits him, like finally hitting that cigarette. He feels his heart soar as he spins her around and kisses her lips repeatedly. He couldn't believe he would ever get used to kissing her.