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secretswiftymarvelfan · 1 month ago

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Court of Public Opinion - Andy Barber x Reader (Part 6)

A/N: This is the sequel series to Memory Served and will contain major spoilers for that series so go read that one first if you haven’t already!

Summary: Everything feels more normal since your trip to Florida, but now its time to get the trial started

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: Fluff! Language! Light Angst! Mention of Abduction! SMUT! 18+ ONLY! MINORS DNI!

Dividers by me!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 6

Andy woke with a wide smile on his face. Ever since returning from Florida, everything had been great, even with the trial looming in the near future everything had been great. It was the closest to normal that you’d been since you returned.

Looking over to the side he found you still sound asleep with a gentle smile on your face. He just watched you for a while, part of him just wanted to lean in and kiss you deeply, and the other part wanted you to get some more rest.

The former won out as he shifted closer, cupped your cheek and kissed you softly. You hummed quietly as a smile formed on your lips and kissed him back. As you shifted closer Andy rolled you onto your back, his hand running down your side.

“What’s got you in such a good mood” You grinned as you cupped his cheek and ran your fingers through his beard.

“Just waking up next to you,” Andy said softly, turning his head to kiss the palm of your hand.

Your face softened as you smiled up at him “What’s your plan today?” you asked after a couple of moments.

“Well first I’m gonna spend some time kissing every inch of your body and absolutely worshipping the crap out of you” Andy said dipping his head so he could kiss your neck.

“And then?” you prompted with a knowing look.

“And then I’m gonna pop over to the DA’s office and make sure everything is sorted for the trial” Andy relented “unless you want me to stay here with you?”

“No it’s fine, go, I was gonna go see Carrie this morning anyway” you smiled reassuringly “but you are still sticking to the first part of the plan right” You smirked up at him.

“Oh yeah, don’t you worry about that” Andy smirked as he dipped his head once more to press more kisses to your neck and collarbone.

He could feel you grin against his skin as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and buried your face in the crook of his neck. He felt you shift beneath him, hips lifting to meet his which made his own grin grow.

He took his time to press kisses down your neck and to your chest before sitting back, he gazed down at you, watching as you bit your lip in anticipation, lust filling your eyes. He licked his lips as he hooked his fingers beneath the waistband of your underwear and gently pulled them down to reveal one of his favourite sights. One that at one point he thought he’d never see again and would be forever grateful that he could.

He leant down to press a kiss to the inside of your thighs, a smirk growing on his face when he heard your breath catch. He took his time moving towards your core, savouring the feeling of your legs around his head. Only once he was ready and could hear your whimpers of anticipation did he press his lips to exactly where both he and you wanted.

As soon as he tasted you he couldn’t hold back any longer and dove in like a man starved. Your thighs clamped around his head as you let out a loud moan which only encouraged him more.

It wasn’t long until he felt and heard the telltale signs that you were close so he did the trick only he knew how to do to push you over that edge. He grinned victoriously as you screamed his name, thighs tensing around his head.

He waited until your breathing returned to something close to normal before he pulled away, sitting back on his ankles to watch as you came down from your high. A blissed-out smile on your face, skin glistening.

Your eyes met his and a lopsided grin grew on your face “Come here” you beckoned him closer.

Andy happily obliged, climbing over you so he could press a deep kiss to your lips. Smiling when he heard you moan into the kiss as you tasted yourself on him.

“I think we should take care of you now” You smirked as you traced your hand down his chest to his erection.

“I like your thinking” Andy grinned, but before he got the chance to action it the sound of his alarm blared through the room, he dropped his head with a heavy sigh “I gotta go get ready to go”

“You can’t be a little bit late?” you pouted.

“No” Andy sighed as he pecked your lips before climbing out of bed “Especially not with a case as important as this one” Your smile faded slightly as you nodded your head “Hey you okay?”

You nodded your head giving him a reassuring smile “Yeah, do I wish I wasn’t your case… yeah” you sighed “but I know I have the best lawyer in the world fighting in my corner so it’ll all be okay”

Andy grinned softly as he nodded and bent down to kiss you once more “You can bet everything on that sweetheart” he promised before heading off to get ready.

By the time Andy was making his way into the office, he’d shifted into a lawyer who would take no prisoners. He barely attention to everyone who glanced over at him a look of surprise on their faces, all of them keeping out of his way as he made his way to Lynn’s office.

“She busy?” he asked her assistant who looked up at him wide-eyed.

“Oh uh no but-” she stuttered.

“Great” Andy nodded as he made his way into Lynn’s office.

Lynn looked up as Andy entered “Andy, what are you doing here?” she asked as she closed the file she was reading.

Andy unbuttoned his jacket as he sat down “The preliminary hearing is in a couple of days, I’ve already been preparing but thought it would be best to make sure I have everything so-” Andy explained before Lynn held up a hand to silence him.

“Andy, this isn’t your case” she stated.

Andy furrowed his brows in confusion, sitting forward “It is, it has to be”

“Andy your girlfriend was the victim, you’re far too close, it’s a conflict of interest” Lynn explained.

“That’s exactly why I need to do this Lynn!” Andy argued, “No one knows this case as much as I do, cares as much as I do!”

“I understand Andy but I can’t let you lead this case” Lynn sighed shaking her head.

“Lynn I’m the best lawyer here!” Andy exclaimed standing up from his seat, Lynn shot him a look “Lynn please” he sighed “I have to do this, Y/N is terrified about this case and me being her lawyer is reassuring her”

“I’m sure she’ll trust me considering I’m the district attorney” Lynn stated with a hard look up at Andy.

Andy let out another deep sigh as he sat back down “Lynn I’m not doubting your abilities at all, but Drysdale he’s rich he can afford the best lawyers out there and they’ll throw everything at this, they already are” Andy shook his head remembering the wave of backlash that sent you down to Florida “if it was anyone else I’d be going into this 100% confident that we’d win, but with Drysdale, I’m not so sure and if I’m not up the fighting and he isn't found guilty it will be my fault… but if I’m up there and we still don’t win at least I’ll know I tried, that I fought”

Silence stretched between the two of them before Lynn let out a long sigh “Okay… but you’re second chair and no pulling any stunts without consulting me first” she relented.

A smile tugged at the corner of Andy’s lips as he nodded “Thank you Lynn, I promise I won’t do anything stupid that could jeopardise this trial because I care too much to make a mistake”

Lynn nodded “Okay, so show me what you’ve got and let's start prepping,” she said with a soft smile “Hopefully when Drysdale sees all the evidence we have against him he’ll officially plead Guilty and it won’t even go to a trial”

Andy nodded, he knew that was a possibility but based on what he knew about Drysdale from what you’d told him and the experience he’d had following his arrest, he knew Drysdale wouldn’t go down without a fight. Even if he knew he’d get a lesser sentence he wouldn't take it.

So Andy steeled himself and prepared himself for the fight of his life. He would show Drysdale that he picked the wrong person to fight, he would win this case and make sure Drysdale never saw the light of day again.

Andy fastened his tie as he turned around and stepped out of the closet. As he did so he spotted you standing in your bathrobe biting your thumbnail as you stared down at about five different outfits laid out on the bed. He walked over, stood behind you and placed his hands on your shoulders, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

“It's just a preliminary hearing, you don’t have to go,” Andy said quietly “The only time you have to be there is when you give your statement, that’s it”

You sighed as you leant back into him, allowing him to wrap your arms around you “I know, but… he’s trying to make me look guilty, like I’ve got something to hide but I don’t so I’m gonna prove him wrong by showing up”

Andy wrapped his arms around you tighter “You don’t have to prove anything” he muttered as he placed another kiss atop your head.

“I know…” you sighed before turning around in his arms to face him “But I’m done hiding and running, it’s time to fight and show that son of a bitch that he won’t win”

A gentle smile grew on Andy’s face, and he cupped your cheeks “I’m so proud of you” he whispered as he leaned down to kiss you softly.

You gave him a thankful smile before turning back to look at the clothes “I just need to work out what to wear, Carrie asked me if I had court outfits but I don’t, not like you, not really” you sighed.

“Outfits don’t really matter,” Andy said as he moved to stand next to you “Of course if you showed up in sweatpants and a dirty tee it would reflect badly on you, but as long as you look presentable you’re good”

You bit your lip nervously “But what about first impressions? Like I want to appear trustworthy right? But shouldn’t I also make sure I look like a victim, like not too put together” you begin to ramble, gesturing as you spoke.

Andy caught your hands as he stepped in front of you “You just need to look like you” he said softly “and pantsuits and pencil skirts aren’t you, and you’ll feel uncomfortable wearing them and you don’t want the jury to read that the wrong way so wear what you usually wear to work, that's presentable and you’re comfortable in it”

You let out a long sigh as you nodded your head “Okay, okay, I can do that” you said smiling up at him softly “Thank you Andy, I would be a mess without you”

“You’d be just fine, I’m the mess without you” Andy sighed pulling you back into his embrace.

You let out a watery chuckle as he hugged him back tightly “We’d both be a mess without each other” you amended.

Andy nodded his head as he placed a kiss on the top of your head “It’s just the prelim, and it might be as far as we go, but if not I swear it’ll all be okay” Andy reassured you.

“I know, because whatever the outcome… I know we’ll be okay and as long as we’re okay it's okay” You nodded as you looked up at him.

“We’ll be okay” Andy smiled softly.

As soon as you were ready, the both of you got in the car to make your way to the courthouse. To Andy’s relief, there wasn’t any press waiting outside the house, but that relief was shortlived when he saw the number of reporters outside the courthouse. He knew they were here for the hearing, there were no other high-profile cases on today. He tried to not let his concern show as he pulled down into the underground carpark of the courthouse, spotting Lynn, Carrie and Harrison waiting.

“The vultures are pretty thick” Carrie sighed as he climbed out of the car.

“I saw” he sighed running his hand through his beard.

“Is there an entrance here? So you don’t have to go through all that?” Harrison asked his hand rubbing Carrie’s back soothingly.

“There is… if you decide you need it” Lynn said as she looked over at Andy, the look in her eyes telling him that it was his choice, but it wasn’t.

“Sweetheart it’s up to you” Andy said softly as he took your hand.

You took a couple of deep breaths before looking up at him “Time to fight” you said quietly, Andy smiled and squeezed your hand reassuringly “Let’s go through the front door, I have nothing to hide” you said looking back at everyone else.

“Okay let’s go then, you never know they might just be waiting for Drysdale,” Lynn said before walking off towards the street.

Andy squeezed your hand once more before gently leading you out of the carpark. When the press spotted you they instantly swarmed, shouting questions and snapping pictures. Andy felt you tense but when he glanced down he was proud to see your face was impassive. He fought the smile that was desperate to break out on his face, waiting until you were inside the courthouse and away from the cameras.

Once out of view he pulled you closer and kissed you deeply “I’m so proud of you” he murmured against your lips.

You chuckled, patting his chest “I didn’t do anything”

“You fought, that’s a lot” Andy grinned.

You smiled back up at him before gesturing for him to lean down so you could whisper in his ears “I have to admit… while I wish it wasn’t this case, I’m looking forward to watching you work”

Andy grinned and winked down at you “Let’s not keep you waiting then” he said before leading you into the courtroom.

He guided you to the bench in the viewing gallery that you could sit on with Carrie and Harrison before stepping through to set his briefcase down at the prosecutor's desk. As he sat down he glanced over to the defence desk surprised to see it empty. He knew Drysdale wouldn’t be brought up until the hearing was about to start but he expected his lawyer to be here already.

“Have you heard who he’s got?” Andy whispered to Lynn.

She shook her head glancing back at the gallery and all the people gathering to listen in, many of which held cameras and audio recorders “No… that’s been kept surprisingly quiet” she muttered “I’m going to file a motion to make sure press isn’t allowed in” she huffed turning back around to scribbling in her notebook.

“Agreed, he’s already trying to win in the court of public opinion, we don’t want to enable that” Andy hummed in agreement he was about to say more when the door to the courtroom opened, the man walking in made Andy’s blood immediately boil “what the fuck is he doing here” he growled.

Lynn frowned and followed his gaze, pursing her lips in displeasure as Neil Logiudice sauntered into the courtroom “Maybe he’s observing” she said.

That hope was quickly shattered as Neil passed through the gallery and set his case down on the defence desk, sending a smirk Andy’s way.

“He’s doing this to get back at me I know it” Andy growled quietly “We have to argue it’s a conflict of interest”

Lynn just hummed noncommittally.

“Lynn we can’t let him do this” Andy whispered harshly.

Lynn held up her hand “Let me handle it”

Andy huffed in annoyance glancing back at you. You shot him a look which mirrored his thinking of ‘what the hell!?’ he returned it with a shrug of his shoulders. Carrie who was sitting beside you, holding onto your hand reassuringly looked like she was ready to commit murder as she glared at Neil. In fact, Andy believed she would probably do it if she wasn’t holding your hand.

Neither she nor Andy got the chance to do anything as the court marshal walked in to signal the start of the session. Andy stood, straightening and smoothing down his tie as the judge walked in, he breathed out a sigh of relief as it was Judge Moore. Caroline had been a judge for many of Andy’s cases and he’d built a good rapport with her, he also knew she found Neil just as irritating as he did.

Once again the small moment of joy was taken away as Ransom was led into the courtroom by his prison guards. Andy had to fight the urge to jump over the desk and pummel him when he saw Ransom throw a smile in your direction. He cleared his throat and took a couple of deep breaths before he sat down along with the rest of the courtroom

“Right I see no reason to delay this any longer” Moore said as she glanced between Andy and Neil “Defendant, how do you plead?”

Ransom stood up “Not guilty your honour” he then spared a glance over his shoulder at you, Andy’s fist clenched beneath the desk.

“Stop letting your anger show” Lynn whispered harshly in his ear.

Andy nodded returning his attention to the job in hand, he was not going to let Ransom get to him.

“Okay, let’s move onto the main focus of today then-” Moore said before Neil interrupted.

“Your honour,” he said standing up “we would like to file a motion to have Mr Barber removed from these proceedings, as the partner to the victim he has a personal stake in this case and it’s a conflict of interest”

Andy was about to shoot up from his chair to argue his case but Lynn put a hand on his shoulder and stood up “Your honour we understand that Mr Barber has a personal stake in this case, however, I will be leading and Mr Barber is only here to provide guidance and assistance, Miss Y/L/N has also signed to agree to it” Lynn said calmly “we could argue that it is a conflict of interest that Mr Loguidice is representing Mr Drysdale”

Moore tilted her head in question, glancing over at Neil who looked a bit more uncomfortable than he did before “In what manner?”

“Well it was during the period of time that our victim was missing that Mr Loguidice was fired from the District Attorney's office for making inflammatory and unsavoury comments about the victim, we could argue that Mr Loguidice has only accepted Mr Drysdale as his client not because he believes him to be not guilty but to get revenge on Mr Barber” Lynn explained, Andy didn’t miss the sharp look that Ransom gave Neil.

Moore looked over at Neil and studied him “Is that the case Mr Loguiduce?” she asked.

Neil shook his head “No your honour, I do truly believe Mr Drysdale to be innocent and will endeavour to prove it in this trial”

Moore nodded “Well as long as both parties are okay to continue I do not see fit to remove both Mr Barber and Mr Loguidice from these proceedings, I will make it clear that if arguments become personal I will not hesitate to remove you both” she warned.

Andy spared a glance over at Neil before returning his attention back to Moore, nodding his head in understanding and agreement.

“Are there any more motions either of you wish to raise now?” Moore questions.

“Yes, due to the public interest in this case we move to have media barred from the courtroom, this is a court of law, not public opinion” Lynn said gesturing to the multiple cameras at the back of the courtroom.

“Your honour we believe that it is due to the public interest in this case that media should be allowed into the proceedings” Neil argued “We want them to get the information from the horse's mouth so to say”

Moore considered it for a few moments before asking “Am I correct in understanding that Mr Drysdale’s family have already been communicating to the media about this case?”

Neil went to speak but Lynn cut him off “Yes your honour, a fact which has been incredibly distressing for our victim. This trial is already going to be distressing enough for her and her family we do not need internet sleuths throwing in their unfounded opinions and theories”

Moore nodded her head as she studied the swarm of reporters “Agreed, this is a court of law and we do want to minimise outside interference. However due to the public interest, I cannot bar the media in its entirety, therefore I will allow certain reporters that have been approved by both counsels” she decided.

Andy sighed, it was the best outcome they could have realistically hoped for. He knew it was a tough ask to completely shut the press out, but at least they could veto against media corporations that were in Drysdale’s pocket.

“Right, now that that’s all sorted shall we proceed?” Moore asked glancing between the two desks.

“Yes Your Honour” Lynn nods before grabbing her file to begin the preliminary hearing.

It felt like hours later when the preliminary hearing was over and the trial date was set for two weeks time. You watched as Ransom was led back out of the court, appreciating Carrie’s gentle squeeze on the hand as he went. It had been tough listening to all the evidence that had been presented, but it was over now and you survived it.

You were grateful that as soon as he could, Andy was back beside you, pulling you into his embrace. He gave you a gentle kiss on the top of your head, muttering how proud he was of you before he took your hand and led you out of the courtroom.

However, as you walked out you could feel the nervous energy rolling off of Andy in waves. On the outside, he looked cool and collected but you knew something was up. Your suspicions were confirmed when he gestured for Lynn to follow him into one of the council rooms away from prying eyes and ears.

“What’s wrong?” you asked as he shut the door.

“Neil is the problem” Andy sighed as he rested his hands on his hips.

“Because he tried to get you removed? He wasn’t successful though” you said shaking your head in confusion.

“That's not the problem, the fact he wasn’t removed was the problem” Andy explained running his hand down his beard.

“Andy, if we had pushed to get him removed then you would have had to have gone too, this way you’re able to stay on as second chair” Lynn reminded him crossing her arms over her chest.

Andy sighed deeply, shaking his head “I know but… he knows too much about us, our strategies and techniques, fuck I taught him everything I know, and he’ll use that against us”

Lynn let out her own deep sigh which made your nerves double. If she was worried about the same thing could it mean that they might lose this trial?

“I know, it’s less than ideal, especially on a case as important as this but I don’t know what else we could do about it” Lynn sighed shrugging her shoulders with a defeated look on her face.

Andy pursed his lips and he rested a hand against the top of a chair, his fingers drumming against the wood. You could practically see his mind wiring as he tried to think of a solution, one you trusted him to find because you knew he wouldn’t let them take a hit this early. You saw the moment an idea popped into his head, a sparkle in his blue eyes appearing.

“Lynn do you trust me?” he asked standing up straight.

Lynn arched a brow “depends on how stupid this idea you have is”

“I’m thinking we could use a little advice from the dark side, find ourselves a mole”

You watched as Lynn studied him for a moment before nodding “If you think you have someone who might help then go for it” She nodded

“Thank you, I’ll be right back” Andy smiled, quickly placing a kiss on the top of your head before stepping out of the room, phone already pressed to his ear.

Lynn went to follow but you held out a hand to stop her “Can I ask you something?” your voice was quiet just in case Andy was still close by.

“Sure” she nodded.

“How confident are you that we’ll win this case?” you asked “Andy says he feels confident but I don’t know if he’s just trying to make me feel better and I want to know, I don’t want to go into this with a false sense of security”

Lynn gave you a sympathetic look “We’ve got good evidence and good testimonies, but we know they’ll throw everything they can to undermine that, we’ll know more after discovery but I do feel confident that we have a good chance, especially with Andy in your corner”

You gave her a small smile “Thank you, it means a lot to know that”

“It's nothing, and look all this legal stuff can be confusing but Andy will talk you all through it so it feels less overwhelming” Lynn smiles putting a comforting hand on your shoulder before stepping out of the room.

As she did so Andy walked back in with a subtle smile on his face “I fancy a nice piece of cake after that don’t you?” he asked.

You tilted your head slightly knowing by the look in his eyes that wherever he was suggesting going, it wasn’t because of the cake. But you nodded and took his hand “Sounds lovely”

You let him lead you out of the courthouse, pass the crowds who gathered and back to the car. He drove you through town, in the opposite direction of the house before pulling up outside a cafe that you’d never been inside before.

He held your hand as he led you inside the cafe, raising his hand to greet the older lady sitting at the back. The lady smiled as the two of you walked over, Andy pulling out a chair for you.

“Y/N this is Joanne, Joanne this is Y/N” Andy smiled introducing the two of you.

The name rang a bell for you and you tried to recall a time when Andy mentioned someone called Joanne to you before. You then realised you had heard Andy mention the name multiple times but surely he couldn’t be asking that Joanne for help.

“Wait hold on, are you the Joanne?” you asked before turning to Andy “The one you always complain about when she’s the defence attorney?”

Joanne chuckled at that as Andy’s face turned a touch embarrassed “Yes it is, I thought we could use the advice of the best defence lawyer in the state” Andy explained.

“I am flattered Andy” Joanne smirked, “so what is it exactly I can help you with?”

“I’m sure you're aware of our current case, given its publicity” Andy started, Joanna nodded her head in answer “Well we found out that the defence lawyer is Neil Loguidice”

Joanna nodded her head in understanding “I did wonder who that trust fund prick was gonna agree to be his lawyer” she said.

Both you and Andy tilted your heads in surprise “Wait, did he approach you to be his lawyer?” Andy asked.

“You said so yourself Barber, I’m the best defence lawyer in the state,” Joanne said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Why did you turn him down?” you asked, voice quiet with surprise.

Joanne gave you a gentle smile “because I knew he was guilty as sin and that it would be a tough case to win, plus despite our many battles in the courtroom, I do like you Andy, it’s why I agreed to help you”

Andy gave her an appreciative smile “Thank you Joanne, that means a lot”

“It’s nothing so what is it you’d like from me?” She asked.

“I taught Neil everything I know and he worked with Lynn a lot too so he knows our techniques and strategies like how we select the jury and present evidence and he’s gonna use that knowledge against us” Andy explained sitting forward to rest his forearms against the table.

“So don’t let him” Joanna answered simply “use his knowledge against him, little bait and switch”

Andy nodded his head slowly “Won’t he wise up to that?” he asked.

Joanna shrugged her shoulders “Maybe, but Neil is a man of little confidence” she said making you snort with laughter “As soon as you pull the rug on him the first time, he’s gonna be looking at the floor not knowing when you’ll do it again”

A smirk grew on Andy’s face as he nodded his head “Good, the other thing we need help in, is that we need a defence lawyer” Andy said “Drysdale has shown his hand enough that we know he’s gonna try and make himself look like the victim and Y/N the perpetrator”

Joanna nodded his head “That’s how he described it to me, but we can work with that, I can come on board and help you anticipate his arguments and how best to combat them, make sure you come across as the victim” she said “I saw how you walked into the courthouse today, you handled yourself well by not hiding” she added nodding over to you.

“Thank you, Andy was the one who got me through it” you said glancing over at Andy who smiled back at you softly.

“You two make a good team, now why don’t we order some cakes and dive in,” Joanna said rubbing her hands together “I’m guessing you brought the list of the evidence you have”

Andy gave her a lopsided smile “Right here” he said pulling a file out of his briefcase.

“Great then let's get cracking, I’ll have a blueberry cheesecake” Joanne winked making Andy chuckle as he got up from the table.

“Coming right up” he grinned pressing a kiss to the top of your head before walking over to the counter.

While he was gone you watched as Joanna poured through all the evidence, grateful that she not only refused to represent Ransom but that she was helping you out too. You thought about everyone else who had gone out of their way to help you, Lynn, Frank, Lieutenant Elliot, Detective Wagner, Inspector Blanc. All these people were going above and beyond for you and it made you so much more confident that you would succeed and finally be free of ransom. You had the best fighting in your corner, you looked over at Andy as he stood at the counter a smile pulling at your lips knowing that even though he was only officially the second chair, he would be the one leading the charge since he was the very best of them all.

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