Did We All Fall Down?

*Lavender's POV*

I sat anxiously in front of Andrew's desk, waiting for Gerard to arrive. I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Andrew called. Gerard stepped inside, smiling at the both of us as way of greeting. I managed a small smile back. God, I missed him, I hadn't realized how much. I bit my lip and forced myself to hold back the tears that wanted to spill out.

Stupid hormones, making me want to burst into tears every five minutes, I thought to myself, annoyed.

"Okay, let's get started," Andrew prompted. Gerard and I nodded.

"The court date has finally been set," he told us. It took me a minute to process what he had said. And then it hit me. I was no longer planning on facing John in a courtroom, I was going to, and probably soon.

"When?" Gerard asked.

"November 2nd."

"So what do we do to prepare?" Gerard asked.

"Not much to do, just make sure we have all the details we need to present our case. John has gotten himself a new lawyer, Robert Barker. He's pretty good, but everything points to his guilt, so we should be fine. Still, this is no time to get cocky." Andrew said. I appreciated his honesty, it was comforting even if what he was saying was worrisome. I looked over at Gerard, he seemed to like Andrew's truthfulness as well.

"We should go over possible questions that will be asked during the trial and your answers." Andrew told us. He spent about thirty minutes questioning Gerard, coaching him on the best way to phrase things, but not putting words in his mouth. He asked Gerard everything as though we were already in court, giving us an idea of how it would be. Then it was my turn. My secret was about to come out. Andrew looked into my eyes, silently making sure it was alright to proceed. I nodded.

"Okay. On August 5th, after John Mathers attacked Gerard Way he came to your apartment. How did he get in?"

"On the intercom he said that he was Gerard, I couldn't tell his -- voice was distorted, I just assumed it was Gerard." I murmured. Gerard quickly looked at me, I kept my focus on Andrew.

"And how do you know Gerard Way? How do you know John Mathers?"

"Gerard and I had been dating for a year and a half. We had broken up recently. I was dating John Mathers when it happened."

"Okay, good, but avoid vague references, you're going to have to be very clear as to what you're talking about." Andrew told me. I nodded and tried again.

"After I broke up with Gerard I began dating John. I had dated him a couple of times about three years ago and then we connected again about two months ago. We were dating when he attacked Gerard and me."

A few more questions and finally the one I had been really dreading came. "What happened August 5th when John Mathers came into your apartment?"

I took a deep breath and began to speak, looking anywhere but at Gerard. "He came in, he was furious. Talking about how he thought I was cheating on him with Gerard. He told me he had gone over to Gerard's and had a talk with him. And then started beating me. A-and then he raped me."

I heard Gerard's sharp intake of breath but I still didn't look at him.

"And there's really no need to go into details. We'll have a doctor come in and talk about the exam you took when the police brought you to the hospital." Andrew said kindly.

"That's good." I said, relieved by that small comfort. A couple more questions and the meeting was over. We scheduled another one for next week and Gerard and I stood up to leave.

"Thank you, Andrew. Bye, Gerard," I said, quickly leaving the office and heading for the elevator. I could hear quick footsteps catching up to me.

"You said he didn't hurt you too badly when you came to visit me in the hospital." Gerard said, eyes filled with concern.

"Well, I guess I lied." I said, looking at my feet and pressing the down button as we reached the elevator together. I suddenly felt him wrap himself around me in a warm hug. My eyes filled with tears. I couldn't hold them back any longer. They dripped down my cheeks fast and stinging. I just let him hold me, comfort me. The elevator doors opened and we finally broke apart, stepping in together silently.