Princess Love

Princess Love - Chapter 17          The judge sat at his seat and waited for everyone to sit down. He rapped his gavel once and everyone shut up. The courtroom was full. There were family members, reporters and curious people who had all come to watch the trial. They had all seen the twins and they were all shocked, they didn't know what was going to happen now.
         "Okay, now let's get started. As you may have seen, there are two defendants instead of one. Please stand up." He said and looked over at the two men, who stood up. "Please introduce yourselves." He instructed and the one with the grey suit and the glasses spoke.
         "I am John Thompson." He said and Jen nodded, he didn't think he looked like her father; if that was possible.
         "I am James Thompson." Her father said and Jen reached for Nick's hand. He held it and rubbed his thumb on the palm of her hand.
         "It is going to be okay sweetheart." He whispered in her ear and she nodded.
         "I hope so." She said.
         "You may now sit." The judge said and the two men sat.
         "As you all know, this new revelation in this case may rise problems.
         We are going to recess for a week. We are still deciding on whether to have two separate trials or one trial for the both of them. Please come back next monday at 11." He said, rapped his gavel and everyone stood.
         "Get me out of here Nick." Jen said in Nick's ear and he nodded, leading her outside. "Thank you, I was afraid I was going to say something that I might regret later." She said and looked at the group that stood outside.
         "That was weird." AJ said, looking at Jen. "I thought I was seeing things."
         "You did! I never even saw that other guy before! This ruins everything, now I don't even know who killed my mother. What if one guy did both crimes or they both did one, how are the police going to figure out who did what? I mean, whoever killed my mother burnt the god-damn house down so there is not even a shred of evidence there!" She said and cried. "I am such an idiot." She said and shook her head.
         "You aren't at all." Kevin said.
         "No, you are just tired." Elizabeth said and went over to pat her on the back.
         "Plus, you spent all of these years thinking one thing and now you find out that you may have been believing the wrong thing all the time." Howie said.
         "Which isn't your fault, you didn't even know that other guy and you probably feel like you don't even know your father." Nick said and looked at her gently.
         "I didn't know my father the minute he picked up that knife and killed my mother. BUT; what if that wasn't him!?" She asked and cried again.
         "Let's go home." Kim said and they all got in the van and drove back to the hotel.    Jen took a nap and everyone else went into the room that Brian shared with AJ.
         "You think she is going to be okay?" Howie asked and Nick nodded.
         "Yeah, at least I hope so. They should have told her before she walked into the courtroom. It was hard enough to walk in and see your father for the first time in a long time, but it is another thing to see an exact repleca of him sitting next to him."
         "I am going for a walk." Valerie stood up from her spot next to Howie and left the room. Howie stood up and followed her. "I meant alone." She said and he stopped in the hallway and watched her as she walked downstairs. He walked back in the room and sat down.
         "I wish I knew what was wrong with her. She never talks to me and she doesn't seem happy anymore." Howie said and looked at the floor.
         "How long have you two been together?" Elizabeth asked, sitting next to Brian on the bed.
         "Nearly two years now." He said and looked over at Elizabeth.
         "Oh." She said, she didn't really want to say anything else. She didn't want to butt in.
         "Why?" Howie asked.
         "I was just wondering."
         "No you weren't, you were going to say something else." Howie said.
        "Yeah. Well I have a feeling that she probably feels like your relationship isn't going anywhere, maybe she wants to get married and start a family." Elizabeth said and Howie nodded.
         "But for some reason I think that there is something more.." He said and was quiet for the rest of the conversation.
         Valerie sat on the bench outside the main entrance of the hotel. She was upset, but she didn't know what to say to Howie.
         Not only did she feel like Howie didn't care about her, but she had just found out that her parents had finally found her.
         She had run away years ago and lived on her own. The years had rolled by and she thought that they wouldn't find her, but they had. She had called home to check the messages on the answering machine and she heard the voice of her mother;
         "Valerie!? Are you there? Oh my god, I hope that I found you. Please call me, I love you sweetheart and I want you to come home and be with me, your father and your brothers and sisters. We miss you." She had been crying, but Valerie didn't care, she was going to do everything that she could to stay away from them.
         She hadn't told Howie about her past, she just told him that her parents had died in a car crash and that she had been an only child. She knew she shouldn't have lied to him, but it was a lot easier to lie then to tell him the truth. Now all she had to do was find away to stay away from them...