#panic! at the disco video

[fallingblueroses]

At last, the final part of the Panic! story. This is the longest part, with just over 4000 words.

The rest of the story can be found here:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

I'll be posting this story in its entirety on Ao3 as well.

***

Geoff took long, quiet breaths to calm himself as he sat in the courtroom next to Kathy. He was dressed in a gray suit with a white shirt, and Kathy was wearing a modest dark blue dress. The rest of VoicePlay and their wives and J's sister were sitting nearby, all of them dressed in similar clothes. Geoff and Kathy had left William with Kathy's parents, and Layne and Cyndi had also not brought their children to court.

Kathy squeezed his hand, and Geoff looked at her and smiled to let her know he was all right. He'd spent the past two weeks helping Layne and Kathy at PattyCake and working on a new arrangement for VoicePlay while being in a sustained panic attack. By now he was worrying that the constant anxiety was permanent. Last night he'd dreamed of being back in that horse trailer, blind, deaf, and taped up. It hadn't helped his mental state in the slightest.

The five of them had written out their statements and given them to Wilson. Geoff had spent some time looking up the charges against Tony and legal procedures. He hadn't been very encouraged when he'd read that it could take months for a case to go to trial and years for it to be resolved. When he'd told Kathy she'd reassured him that that was the worst-case scenario. "Worry about all that after the hearing." He'd nodded, but it was hard not to think about.

His eyes drifted over to the table where Tony's lawyer sat waiting. Wilson had called him young and ambitious, but Geoff would have added slimy to the description. He had the feeling that getting "justice" one way or the other didn't matter to this guy, as long as he got his share of publicity. Which is going to make this even harder than it needs to be.

The court clerk's voice broke through his thoughts. "Next case: The State of Florida versus Wakim." They all watched as Tony, wearing an orange jumpsuit and with his hands cuffed in front of him, was led in through a side door by a bailiff. His face was angry, but his eyes were on his lawyer. Geoff sighed to himself. Even Tony doesn't like this guy, and Tony's life is in his hands.

The judge, a middle-aged blond female, nodded toward the lawyers. "Mr. Lawson, I've read your motion to dismiss all charges against Mr. Wakim. Mr. Wilson, I have also read your answer to the motion. Now, Mr. Lawson, you are saying that Mr. Wakim did not get due process, is that correct?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Lawson spoke seriously. Geoff glanced at Tony and saw him hanging his head. "The police delayed contacting the public defender's office, and in that time subjected Mr. Wakim to questioning and obtained a confession."

Wilson interrupted. "Your Honor, according to the officers' statements Mr. Wakim was read his rights at the time of arrest before the questioning started. He voluntarily gave his confession without a lawyer present."

"Mr. Wakim was suffering from a diminished mental capacity at the time he made his confession," Lawson said. "He was suffering from withdrawal, and therefore not capable of fully understanding what was happening."

J muttered something under his breath that Geoff didn't quite catch, but the sentiment was clear enough.

"Your Honor," Wilson cut in. "At no time did Mr. Wakim exhibit any behavior that would have made a reasonable officer question his capacity. According to his own testimony, Mr. Wakim drove for two days to return to Orlando and give himself up to the police. Even accounting for withdrawal symptoms, that is not the behavior of a man who is not of sound mind."

Lawson held up a paper. "If I may, I would like to present this copy of Mr. Wakim's letter to Mr. Castellucci as evidence of Mr. Wakim's state of mind."

Geoff felt a fist squeeze his stomach as the judge nodded. "Go ahead, Mr. Lawson."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Lawson cleared his throat. "In particular I want to call attention to paragraph number seven where he states that Mrs. Castellucci told him to either, quote, turn myself in or kill myself, unquote." Kathy lowered her head at that, and Geoff patted her hand. He glanced over and saw that Tony had his head in his hands. "In the next sentence he admits he did indeed attempt to commit suicide."

"Your Honor," Wilson said. "The State has no doubt that Mr. Wakim was in a state of high emotion when he attempted to end his life. However, he had several days to recover from that before he turned himself over to the police. And again, according to the arresting officer's statement, Mr. Wakim was perfectly calm when he gave his statement, and showed no behavior that would have given any indication that he was not of sound mind."

"I have to agree with you, Mr. Wilson," the judge said. "Let the record show that Mr. Lawson has failed to provide any concrete evidence that his client was denied due process or that he had diminished mental capacity at the time of his arrest, and therefore I am denying his motion to dismiss the charges against Mr. Wakim."

Geoff lowered his head and took a breath. He heard the others making quiet sounds of relief as the judge went on. "As for the second matter on the agenda, Mr. Lawson, you have submitted a plea deal for Mr. Wakim."

"Yes, Your Honor. Considering the circumstances and the fact that Mr. Wakim has no prior record, we ask that the attempted murder and kidnapping charges be dropped. In exchange Mr. Wakim will plead guilty to the charges of grand theft auto and destruction of property along with paying restitution."

Wilson interrupted again. "I'm afraid the State can't agree, Your Honor. The actions Mr. Wakim took in this matter show a pattern of deliberate and malicious intent."

Lawson looked toward Wilson. "His actions were taken under the influence of a hallucinogen which he was unaware he was taking."

Wilson looked back at him. "Mr. Wakim was coherent enough to find and purchase an explosive device online. He was coherent enough to plan to attack and kidnap five men who trusted him. He was coherent enough to take one of those men hostage in his escape."

Geoff sank down in his chair and stopped listening. Kathy squeezed his hand, and he was aware that the others were leaning in to check on him. His eyes unfocused as he stared at the floor by his feet. "Tony, please. I'm begging you..." He saw Tony, looking away from him, listening to whatever the "double" had been telling him.

"You don't have a choice."

"There's nothing left to do."

The panic from the sawmill welled in Geoff's throat, and he was on his feet before he thought. Every nerve was screaming escape, but he managed to keep his pace to a walk. He heard Kathy's light, quick steps behind him as he left the courtroom.

She took his arm and guided him to a bench in the hallway. "Here. Sit."

He sat down, and she sat next to him and pulled him into a hug. He couldn't stop shaking. "I'm sorry, Kath. I should be stronger than this."

"No, don't." She rubbed his back in a comforting manner. "Just breathe. We can wait for the others out here."

He nodded. She didn't ask any questions, which he was grateful for. It was quiet out in the hallway, which gave him a chance to calm himself. He didn't know how long they sat there before the courtroom doors opened. Eli came out first with Ashley, followed closely by everyone else.

Layne saw them and walked up to the bench. Before Geoff could ask he said "The judge accepted the plea deal."

Geoff looked at him. "So it's over?"

"Not yet. They're going to schedule a sentencing hearing. But yeah, he's going to prison."

Kathy heaved a sigh of relief and briefly rested her head on Geoff's arm. He looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say or do now.

Another pair of feet joined Layne's, and he looked up to see Eli. "Hey Geoff." His voice was very gentle. "We're all going out to get drinks. You want to go?"

"No." Geoff shook his head. "I just want to go home and sleep."

Eli nodded and looked at Layne. "What about you?"

"Sure. I'll go." He looked at Geoff. "Talk to you later?"

"Sure. See you later, Eli."

"...Bye, Geoff." Eli walked off, followed by Layne. Geoff remained on the bench until Kathy pulled him to his feet and walked him to their van.

***

Tony tried to ignore his aching head as he was led out of the courtroom and to the van that would take him back to the jail. He wasn't disappointed; he had known the charges wouldn't be dismissed. He was actually surprised that the plea bargain had been accepted.

He'd glanced back at his former friends as he'd been led out of the courtroom. They had looked disappointed and angry at the outcome. He didn't blame them. He'd also noticed that Geoff hadn't been there, but he was almost certain Geoff had been there when the hearing had started. He wondered what had happened...

He got in the back of the van and stayed still as the guard cuffed him to the seat. Lawson's smirking face after the hearing came to him. "You'll be out in a year, I guarantee it."

Tony had thanked him, barely hiding the sarcasm in his voice. He knew he should be grateful that the worst of the charges had been dropped, but he'd be relieved when he didn't have to deal with that sleazeball anymore.

He sat in silence as he was driven back to the jail.

***

Geoff had to take a bit to reorient himself once he woke up. He lifted his head and saw he was in bed next to Kathy. The television was on with low sound, casting light on her sleeping face. A quick glance at a wall clock showed it was just after four in the morning.

He laid where he was for a bit, then got up and turned the television off. They'd need to get up soon anyway. He'd surprise Kathy with a quick homemade breakfast before they went to PattyCake.

He walked into the kitchen, turned on the oven, and got what he'd need to make biscuits. His spirits lifted as he measured and mixed and rolled out the dough, and his mind drifted as he worked. Embarassment tinged his cheeks pink as he remembered his panic attack at the hearing, but Kathy had been very kind to him on the drive home. "You're not going to recover in a few weeks. Especially not with all this legal stuff hanging over you. Once all the hearings and things are over you can rest."

She's been amazing through all this, he thought. He'd probably have gone insane by now if not for Kathy. I'll have to do something to show her how much I appreciate her.

He tried to think of what he could do for her, but couldn't stop his mind from going over the hearing again and what possible sentences Tony might get. He wondered if he should skip the sentencing hearing, considering how he'd reacted yesterday. If the others go, I probably should too...

He began to cut biscuits out of the rolled dough, and an idea came to him. He slowly turned it over in his mind and then nodded to himself. I could do it...

A smile came to his face as he slid the biscuit-filled tray into the oven. Once it was more normal hours, he'd have some phone calls to make...

***

Tony frowned a little as the guard led him into the little room where he'd first met with Lawson. Another guard stood against the far wall. It was five days since the hearing, and he'd expected to see the lawyer there with an update on the sentencing hearing. Instead there was a woman in a gray pantsuit and with her curly orange hair up in a ponytail. She smiled and extended her hand when Tony sat down. "Good afternoon, Mr. Wakim. My name's Laura Fletcher. I'm a certified public accountant."

Right, Tony thought. Layne probably wanted to get him out of PattyCake's business as soon as possible. "...Nice to meet you."

"I've been hired by Mr. Geoff Castellucci to discuss the sale of your share in PattyCake Productions. I've got his offer here, and we can go over it together."

Geoff? Tony hadn't expected that. Fletcher slid a packet of papers over to him. As she went over the offer Tony was surprised again; the offer was more than fair, and in Tony's favor. There was an appraisal of PattyCake included, and Geoff was offering more than Tony's half was worth. Tony would also keep any future profits from videos that had been finished before the date of sale.

Tony tried to make sense of it. He'd known he would have to get rid of his share of PattyCake anyway, and had wondered where he was going to find a buyer. But this...he hadn't expected such a generous offer, especially not from any of VoicePlay. He'd have to pay restitution to them and this would put a good dent in it...

Was Geoff trying to help him out?

"Well, Mr. Wakim?" Fletcher said. "What do you think?"

Tony swallowed. "I'll take it." He took the pen Fletcher offered him, signed where she indicated, and handed everything back to her.

"Thank you, Mr. Wakim. I'll let Mr. Castellucci know you accepted his offer. The money will be transferred to your bank account within twenty-four hours." She picked up a messenger bag from the floor and tucked the papers inside.

"...Thank you." He swallowed. "And please tell Mr. Castellucci I said thank you as well."

"Of course, sir. Have a good day." They shook hands again. Once she'd left, the guard standing against the wall led Tony back to his cell. He laid on his bunk and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

There wasn't much else he could do.

***

William started crying as Geoff's phone went off, and Geoff sighed to himself as he checked the screen. "Great timing, Layne." He sat down in the nursery's rocking chair and tried to lull his son back to sleep as he answered the phone. "Hello Layne." He put the phone on speaker and set it down on a stand near the chair.

Layne's bewildered voice came over the phone. "Geoff, what the hell are you doing?"

"At the moment, trying to put William to bed. Which I was doing a good job at until you called, so thanks." Thankfully William's cries were already softening as he snuggled into his father's arms.

"Kathy just told me. You're buying Tony out?"

"I bought him out. He signed."

"At twenty percent above market value?"

Geoff sighed. "Yep."

"And continued royalty payments?"

"Sure did."

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to do that?"

"Wasn't aware your permission was needed." He stopped rocking as William went still.

"So you're telling me that you basically screwed yourself over on a business deal. On purpose."

"Tony would have had to sell anyway to pay the restitution. This way PattyCake stays in the family. You won't have any strangers coming in and telling you what to do."

"So he's going to be paying us with your money."

Geoff sighed. "His money now."

Layne sighed as well, and Geoff could imagine the look on his face. "You're trying to help Tony."

"Maybe."

"Geoff--"

"Layne, listen." Geoff began to rock William again; the motion calmed his nerves. "I know you guys are pissed off. I don't blame you. And I...I wish I could be pissed at him too. But I can't. It wasn't Tony that did that to us. It was that drug he was taking."

Layne's voice was even. "I get what you're saying. But I can't separate them." A pause. "I keep having nightmares about what happened. I keep seeing that moment when he swung the bat at me. I see myself going through PattyCake and finding everyone's dead bodies."

Geoff's eyes stung. "I'm having nightmares too. I keep seeing the sawmill after the bomb went off. Or else I'm back in that trailer and it's just silence and darkness. But...the Tony I saw at the sawmill wasn't the one that came to see me at the hospital. It wasn't the one I saw in the courtroom. The one at the sawmill was a monster...the others were my friend."

Layne was silent, and Geoff gently rocked William while he waited. Layne finally sighed. "The others won't like it."

"They don't have to."

"I guess not."

Geoff smiled to himself. "See you at work, partner."

Layne chuckled. "Yeah. Be ready to be put to work, partner."

"Good night, Layne."

"'Night, Geoff." Layne hung up. Geoff closed his eyes and kept rocking William as his body finally relaxed.

***

The sentencing hearing was held three weeks after the last one. Geoff sat with VoicePlay in the row behind Wilson's table as they waited for the hearing to start. In a coincidence, they had all decided to leave their families at home.

It'll be over soon, Geoff told himself. He glanced at his friends, who all seemed to be as tired as he felt. Wilson had said that they would be given the opportunity to speak after the lawyers had made their arguments and had advised them to prepare statements beforehand. Instead of five separate statements they had decided to go with one, and Layne had been chosen to read it to the court. Layne was holding the paper now, his head down as they waited for things to start.

"All rise," the bailiff called out. They rose to their feet as the same judge from before came in, and then sat back down at the judge's instruction. Tony was led in, his head bowed and looking as tired as the rest of them.

Geoff barely listened as the lawyers made their arguments on what Tony's sentence should be. As far as he could tell it was a repeat of the plea hearing, with Wilson arguing for the maximum penalty and Lawson for the minimum. The judge herself almost looked bored, and Geoff had the thought that they were all just going through the motions. No doubt the judge had already made up her mind, and all of this was just a formality.

Finally it was Layne's turn to speak. He started to read from the paper, then dropped it and looked directly at Tony, who was looking back. "Tony, you were our friend. We trusted you, and you betrayed us. And Geoff might be able to forgive you, but I can't. Not when I look at this--" he gestured to his cast "--and remember the look on your face when you swung that baseball bat at me. Not when I hold my baby girl and think of the future that you almost took from us." Layne's voice cracked, and he took a moment to compose himself. Tony lowered his head. "Or when I think of the sheer terror I felt, we all felt in that sawmill when we were waiting to die."

Earl was crying quietly by now, and Eli and J didn't look too far behind. Geoff had to wipe his own eyes. Layne went on. "And to hear that it was all over some...some drug-based delusion. If you felt you'd been cheated you should have come to us. We could have talked it out. Instead you...you did all this. And we'll heal, Tony, but our scars will remain. Maybe someday our nightmares will stop, but we'll never forget this." Layne hesitated, but then sat back down. Geoff squeezed his good hand while the others patted his shoulders and back.

"Do the rest of you have anything to say?" the judge asked. The others were silent, and she went on. "Very well. Mr. Wakim, do you have anything to say before I pronounce sentence?"

"Yes, Your Honor." Tony looked at them. "I'm sorry. I wish things were different, and I understand if you can't forgive me. But I just wanted you to know that." He turned away and lowered his head.

"All right," the judge said. "Mr. Wakim, after careful consideration, I sentence you to one year in prison for the first count of grand theft auto, one year in prison for the second count of grand theft auto, and one year in prison for the count of third-degree felony destruction of property. These sentences are to run concurrently with time served. You will be transferred to the minimum-security prison at Wildwood to serve your sentences. You will also be fined five thousand dollars for each of the three counts as well as pay restitution to your victims for their expenses incurred as a result of your actions." She looked at Tony. "Do you have any questions?"

Tony's back was ramrod straight as he looked back at the judge. "No, Your Honor."

"Very well. You will be taken back to the county jail and processed for transfer within the next twenty-four hours." She slammed down her gavel and the bailiff came to lead Tony out. He looked back at VoicePlay and met Geoff's eyes, but Geoff wasn't at all sure what his own face was saying as he looked back at him.

Once they got out in the hallway they all hugged Layne in turn. Layne wiped his eyes. "Sorry, guys. I just--"

"No," J said. "That speech was better than what we wrote anyway."

Eli sighed. "It's over now, isn't it?"

"Yeah," J said. "It's over."

There was an awkward silence, and then Layne said "Why don't you all come over to my place for a while?"

They agreed, none of them feeling like being alone at the moment. When they got to Layne's they found he'd called ahead and Cyndi had prepared some light snacks for them. It was a support group session rather than a celebration, but it gave them the time they needed to process and decompress before heading back to their own homes.

***

One month later

"Wakim. You have a visitor."

Tony got off his bunk and followed the guard to the visiting room. He was not at all surprised to see Geoff waiting. He'd tried to come visit two weeks ago, but the paperwork hadn't been filled out. Guess everything's been approved now. He sat down facing Geoff across the table. "Hey Geoff."

"Hey Tony." He smiled a little. "Holding up all right?"

"Yeah, considering." Tony nodded. "How are things out there?"

"Not bad. Layne's finally got his arm out of the cast. We're about to pick up our tour again."

"Back to normal, huh?"

"Just about."

"Does Kathy know you're here?"

"No." He grinned. "You think I'm stupid? She'd shred me if she knew I was here."

Tony smiled back. He had thought there would be a lot of awkward silences, but the two of them were soon talking as if nothing had ever happened. Tony told Geoff about his job in the prison laundry, and Geoff told Tony about the new project he and Layne were planning for PattyCake and, to Tony's surprise, asked for advice. "You've been a producer for a lot longer than I have." Tony gladly gave his suggestions as Geoff nodded and took mental notes.

It was a shock when the guard announced there was five minutes left. They both stood, and Geoff hugged him. "Don't know how often I'll get to visit with the tour coming up. But I'll keep in touch."

"I'll be looking forward to it." Tony pulled back. "And Geoff...thanks for this."

"You're welcome." Geoff smiled. "You know where to reach me."

"Yeah. See you later."

"Take care, Tony." Geoff slowly turned and left, and Tony took a moment to compose himself before he went back to his cell.

[cemeterygrace]

so look what i saw on tiktok it killed me dead i think

[taylorwithluvs]

TAITV EPISODE 26 (SEASON TWO)

[duststooooorm]

i offer to you all a compilation of some of my personal favorite screenshots from 2000s movie maker bandom love stories that i’ve gathered from the span of 2016-2023:

[release-the-mccracken]

Stooop. The look that they give each other when Ryan just doesn't sing

[nofuneralplease]

05/18/2008 - Ryan Ross dedicates Northern Downpour to Pete Wentz and his happily ever after.

source: https://youtu.be/ZmYc4n3rlYY

[lobot0mmy]

"Patrick's like: "yo, I got a soul voice" and they're like: "wait, how do you have a soul voice?" And he's like: "yo, watch this. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAH" and they're like: "OMG, that sounds like soul." So they put it in a song. It was like: "WHERE IS UR BOY TONIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT." "

[morally-grey-variant]

This is Gospel for the vagabonds Ne'er-do-wells and insufferable bastards

Assembling their philosophies From pieces of broken memories

Don't try to sleep through the end of the world And bury me alive

cause they haven't seen the best of us yet

Cause I won't give up without a fight

If you love me, let me go

If you love me, let me go

Cause these words are knives that often leave scars

The fear of falling apart

And truth be told, I never was yours

The fear of falling apart

[blackfemmejeanvaljean]

but it's better if you was a better single than I write sins not tragedies

[mellow-killjoy]

Rewatching Panic! At the disco - live in Denver for the 100th time just to feel something.

their cover of Karma Police is incredible. Also listening to Ryan singing is like listening to an angel. I love how Brendon and Ryan's voices sound together

[fallingblueroses]

Part 10 of the Panic! story. I told myself this would be the last part. Apparently I was lying; there will be at least one more. The rest of the story can be found here:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

I did a little Googling to find out what the charges and possible sentences would be. Right after that I Googled "when was the can opener invented". My search history is a little interesting.

***

Kathy sighed in fatigue as she laid on the hotel room bed. It was the day after Tony's visit and Geoff had been released from the hospital that morning. Fortunately Kathy had thought to pack some clothes for him so she'd been spared from having to go shopping for some before starting the long drive home. Geoff still couldn't hear, and she couldn't text while driving, so they hadn't talked much on the way. He'd either looked out the window or slept for most of the drive.

They'd gotten some fast food just before finding the motel, and after eating Geoff had wanted to take a shower. He'd been in there a while, but she remembered this was his first shower in nearly a week. It probably felt wonderful, and she was looking forward to a hot shower herself.

She was nearly asleep when the bathroom door opened and he came out already dressed for bed. He smiled as their eyes met. "Shower's all yours."

She nodded and gathered what she'd need, then walked into the bathroom. She was too tired for anything more than a quick shower, but it felt good to clean up. When she walked back into the main room Geoff was already fast asleep curled up on his side. A fond smile crossed her face as she watched him for a few seconds, then she went to the other side of the bed and climbed under the covers, set an alarm on her phone, and then snuggled up to Geoff and held him close.

For the first time in days, she felt like she could breathe. Surely by tomorrow evening, or at least the day after that, they'd be home. She knew Geoff was eager to see William again. They'd pick him up from Geoff's parents and she'd have her family safe and sound in their own home again.

It wasn't something she'd take for granted again.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against Geoff's back. It wasn't long before she was sound asleep.

***

Tony sat in the truck outside of the police station in Orlando. He had to wonder at how he was feeling as he got out and walked toward the doors. He thought he'd be scared when this moment came, but instead he felt this overwhelming relief. As if he'd been carrying a thousand pounds on his back and could finally set it down.

He went through the double doors and waited in line to see the officer at the front desk, who greeted him with a bored expression. "May I help you?"

"Yes." The words came easily. "My name is Tony Wakim. You probably have a warrant for my arrest."

***

Layne was sitting on his living room couch with Cyndi's head in his lap as they watched some made-for-TV movie that Layne wasn't really paying attention to. It had been a long day of calling people and rescheduling, and Layne for one was tired. The girls were in bed, and he knew he'd have to sleep soon, but he wanted this quiet time with Cyndi...

His phone went off. He bit back a sigh as he pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello?"

"Good evening. This is Officer Stilton with the Orlando Police Department. Is this Layne Stein?"

His heartbeat picked up. "Yes. It is." Cyndi looked up at him when she heard his voice.

"Mr. Stein, I'm calling to let you know that Tony Wakim is in custody."

A dull shock went through him. "...He is?"

"Yes. He turned himself in a few hours ago." A pause. "I was going to call your friends who were involved, unless you'd like to tell them yourself?"

"I'll tell them." His heart was pounding thickly in his chest. He hadn't actually believed Tony would go through with it. He'd honestly thought that Tony would turn tail and run at the last second. "Thank you for calling."

"You're welcome. Have a good evening, Mr. Stein."

"You too." He hung up and stared ahead for a few seconds trying to gather his thoughts.

"Layne? Honey?"

He looked down at his worried wife. "Tony turned himself in." He wasn't sure how to feel. There was relief there, but a sadness was starting to creep in. It had been easy enough to rage at Tony when he was running. I should be celebrating. Why aren't I?

She touched his cheek. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know." He swallowed.

She sat up and hugged him. He leaned into her gratefully as she rubbed his back in reassurance. After a few seconds he pulled back and picked up his phone to text VoicePlay.

***

Kathy jumped when her phone alarm went off. She checked in disbelief as Geoff moved beside her, but it was indeed seven in the morning. She'd slept the entire night through without so much as dreaming, and she felt as if she could have slept another twelve hours.

She forced herself to sit up and stretched her back out. They had to check out by ten, which gave them plenty of time. They'd stop for breakfast on the way. Her eyes fell on Geoff, and she smiled to see he'd tucked his head under the pillow when her alarm had gone off. She was about to shake him when she realized what that meant.

She gently lifted the pillow. "Geoff?"

He groaned. "Okay, okay. I'm awake." He rolled over and looked at her with sleepy eyes.

Kathy smiled at him. "Good morning."

"Good morning." He smiled back, then blinked. "Wait. I heard that."

Her smile widened and she squeezed his hand. "Is it all the way back like normal?"

Geoff shook his head. "It's like I'm underwater." He laughed softly. "Feels weird to hear myself like this."

Kathy laughed a little and laid down for a hug. "Now you can keep me company while I'm driving."

His arms wrapped around her. "I want to listen to music too."

"Anything you want." She rested her head on his shoulder. They'd have to be careful not to fall asleep, but they could hold each other for a few minutes.

***

Tony looked up at the lawyer he'd been assigned came into the room. The room itself was straight out of a cop show--bare white walls, a table and a few chairs. The lawyer wasn't much less stereotypical--dark-haired, clean-shaven, in a suit and carrying a briefcase. He was young, and there was a sharp look in his eyes Tony didn't like.

"Mr. Wakim?" The lawyer held out his hand, and Tony reached out with his cuffed hands to shake it. "My name's Thomas Landon. I'm the public defender that's been assigned to your case." Tony nodded. "I understand you gave the police a full confession last night?"

"I did."

"You shouldn't have done that. But maybe we can make a case for them getting it unethically. Did they make any threats?"

Tony blinked. What the... "No. No threats."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure there's something I can work with."

"Wait...I think there's been a misunderstanding," Tony said. "I'm not wanting to fight this."

Landon blinked at him. "Mr. Wakim, you've been charged with five counts of attempted murder, five counts of felony kidnapping, two counts of third-degree grand theft auto and one count of third-degree felony destruction of property. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, I do." Tony nodded.

"The attempted murder charges alone come with sentences of either life in prison or the death penalty. Do you realize that?"

Tony took a breath. "I do. Do you realize who I attacked?"

"Some singing group."

The attorney's indifference grated on Tony's nerves. "They were my friends, Mr. Landon. I nearly killed them. I deserve whatever happens."

Landon's face lit up. "Remorse. Good. Keep that attitude up."

Tony's mouth dropped. "Are you even listening to me? I want to plead guilty! I promised Geoff I wouldn't make them go to court!"

"Well Geoff is just going to have to understand, Mr. Wakim. My job is to make sure you get the best deal possible. You just leave everything to me."

Tony stared at Landon as his hopes for a quick resolution were dashed. They would go to court. VoicePlay was going to be dragged onto the stand and made to relive everything while Landon tore them to shreds. Guys. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...

Landon picked up his briefcase. "Everything's under control, Mr. Wakim. I'll look over everything and see you again in a few days."

Great. Tony sighed. "Thanks."

***

Two weeks later

Geoff, Layne, Eli, J, and Earl sat in awkward silence in the waiting room at the State Attorney's office. They exchanged glances or fidgeted nervously as they waited. All any of them had been told was that the State Attorney wanted to talk to them about the case against Tony.

Life had almost begun to feel normal again. PattyCake Productions was almost fully back up and running, although at somewhat of a reduced pace. The question of what to do with Tony's share of the business was still looming. VoicePlay was on hold until everything was settled, although they had made some vague plans for future videos. Geoff's hearing was about halfway back, allowing him to arrange music again, but he hadn't made a lot of progress. He just didn't have it in him right now.

They were called back into a book-lined office. The attorney was a man named Wilson, a large man with salt and pepper hair and an expensive suit, sitting behind a desk large enough to accomodate a family of ten at dinner. He looked up as they filed in. "Good morning, gentlemen. Please be seated." They sat down, and Wilson folded his hands as he looked at them. "I understand that none of you want to be here, so we'll make this as quick as we can." Eli and J nodded back at him as he went on. "Mr. Wakim's attorney is pushing to get all charges dismissed."

"What?!" Earl barked. The others echoed similar sentiments. Geoff looked down at the floor as a sour feeling built up in his stomach.

Eli's voice shook. "How is that even possible?"

Wilson held up a hand. "There's evidence that Mr. Wakim was not of sound mind when he committed the crimes against you. Also--"

"What evidence?" J asked. "That letter he wrote Geoff?"

"Mr. Wakim's lawyer has submitted evidence that he suffered a traumatic brain injury that he was self-medicating for using a drug called Prism. It's a fairly new hallucinogenic street drug, and by Mr. Wakim's statement he bought the Prism after he was denied prescription painkillers. His lawyer is going to paint him as a victim of the failure of American health care system and the war on opioids." Wilson sighed. "If this case gets into the court of public opinion there's likely going to be a high level of sympathy for Mr. Wakim. The judge may dismiss the charges to avoid a public backlash."

"Oh, my God." J's voice simmered with anger. "So he gets away with it? He...he tried to kill us and because he bumped his head he's going to get away with it?!"

"Not necessarily," Wilson said. "The judge may reject that argument. The next step Mr. Wakim's lawyer would take is to make a plea bargain."

"What kind of bargain?" Layne asked.

"He's wanting the attempted murder and kidnapping charges dismissed. In exchange Mr. Wakim would plead guilty to two counts of third-degree grand theft auto and one count of third-degree felony destruction of property."

"That's almost as bad," J snapped.

Wilson held up a hand. "He would also be fined five thousand dollars for each count and ordered to pay restitution to all of you for your medical expenses incurred."

"How much jail time would that be?" Layne asked.

"He could get up to five years in jail for each count."

"Up to," J said.

"And if we don't accept the plea deal?" Eli asked.

"Unfortunately, the final decision isn't yours to make. It's up to the judge. But if the plea deal is rejected, then we go to court on all charges. In that case Wakim is facing the death penalty on the attempted murder charges and life in prison on the kidnapping charges. And in that case Mr. Stein and Mr. Castellucci are going to be the main witnesses since they actually saw Mr. Wakim." Wilson sighed. "I've argued in court against Mr. Wakim's attorney before. He's young and ambitious and determined to make a name for himself. If he can get the charges dropped it'll go a long way towards doing that."

There was silence, and Geoff was the one to break it. "What do we need to do now?"

"The pre-trial hearing is in two weeks. I suggest you all prepare statements, keep quiet on social media, and prepare yourselves and your families for the possible outcomes." He stood. "If anything changes our office will inform you."

They stood and shook Wilson's hand in turn before leaving the office. Earl's fists were clenched and his eyes were watering with anger. J, Eli, and Layne looked similarily upset. Geoff felt nauseous as he thought about the upcoming hearing. Prepare a statement? What was he supposed to say?

J exploded after they got to the parking lot. "I don't believe it. I don't. Fucking. Believe it." He slapped his fist against his palm. "He almost blows us up, leaves us to starve, drags Geoff halfway across the country, tries to destroy Layne's business, and if some hotshot lawyer gets a judge to feel sorry for him he's going to get off?"

Eli's arms were crossed and his face red. "His lawyer's doing his job. We have to help Wilson do his."

Geoff rubbed his temples. "Can we...can we all just take a breath and calm down? We can talk about everything later."

Eli sighed deeply. "Geoff's right. We need...we need to think about how to do this. Maybe we can get together in the group chat later."

Silence fell, and after a few seconds Layne sighed. "I need to get back to PattyCake. I'll talk with you guys later."

They murmured good-byes as Layne walked off with his head down. It wasn't long before they all went back to their cars. Geoff got in his van and sat for a long time before starting it. He wished he could be angry at all this like Earl and J were. It would be better than this anxiety that was chilling him and kicking him in the stomach.

Geoff started the van and drove home. Once he was home Kathy went to PattyCake to help Layne, leaving Geoff alone with his thoughts as he took care of William.

***

Layne excused himself to go to bed even before the girls that night. His mind was whirling and he needed some quiet. For a long time he just lay on his bed, fully dressed, staring at the ceiling while his mind drifted.

A sigh escaped him when his phone went off; somehow he wasn't surprised it was Geoff calling. "Hey Geoff."

"Hi Layne." Geoff sounded as tired as Layne felt. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Just laying here thinking about things."

Geoff chuckled. "I'm rocking William to sleep, but yeah. I've been thinking too." A pause. "It's been hard to let the little guy out of my sight lately."

"I know the feeling. Believe me." He had a feeling he already knew, but he asked anyway. "What's on your mind?"

"The meeting with the lawyer today." Geoff paused again, and Layne waited. "What do you think about what all he said? About how Tony might get off?"

"I don't know," Layne said honestly.

"Neither do I. I don't blame the guys for being pissed. I wish I could be pissed off too. But...I just feel sick. Scared. Like..."

"Like?" Layne asked when his voice trailed off.

"Like I'm grieving. Like Tony died and I'm in mourning."

Layne nodded to himself. "I get it, Geoff. It was easy to hate him when he was running. When I could picture him as this...this demon in Tony's body. But now..." Now they had to face him. Face the fact that it was their friend who had done all that.

"Yeah." Geoff's voice was thick. "I don't know how I'm going to hold up when we go to court."

"We'll be okay, Geoff. We'll have to be."

"Yeah." There was a long pause, then Geoff said "I guess there's nothing to do now but push through it."

"Yeah." Layne wiped his damp eyes. "We've gotten through so far. It's almost over."

Another pause. "I'll let you go. See you at PattyCake tomorrow."

"See you. Good night, Geoff."

"'Night, Layne." Geoff hung up, and Layne resumed staring at the ceiling, his emotions churning in his stomach.

[poptartregreteva]

also me when the following: dumb dumb - mazie Pathological Facade - Ghost and Pals - Topic The Mind Electric - Miracle Musical House of Memories - Panic! At The Disco You're Too Slow - odetari Faster n Harder - 6arelyhuman perfect nothing - GHOST Everybody Likes You - Lemon Demon Modify - Lemon Demon Digital Silence - Peter McPoland There's Something Happening - Jack Stauber Dinner is Not Over - Jack Stauber Trypophobia - Ghost I Can't Decide - Scissor Sisters Where's Yo Head At - Basement Jaxx Let's Go Creeping - Ihascupquake - Topic Grab the Knife - onionroom (there's many more but it would take forever)

are played:

[xxbloodyrists666xx]

the people told me to post this and so i did. i hope you hate it @rorytunes

[21fallouts-atmychemicaldisco]

As you can't see, I am Clancy

[alynnaatthedisco]

How to solve an addiction to a ship that doesn't even exist (ryden)