The extra guard immediately stepped in front of the car door to block the cameras as Antony crawled out and then offered me a hand to help me out. Alexandre came last carrying Mina, hidden in a blanket. Two more guards appeared along with Rory and Cornelius and surrounded us and our small group started towards the courthouse. Antony pushed my head down to help me avoid most of the media, and all I saw for a while was a jumble of legs and feet. The people in front of us must have been being pushed aside in some cases, because I heard a lot of protests amidst the shouting of my name and various questions directed at me.
"Just a few more feet Ms. Rivers." Antony's calm voice beside my ear said. I nodded, clenching my fists. We reached a flight of stairs and the congestion of people got worse.
"Move aside! Move!" I heard shouting from above us and desperately wanted to look to see what was going on, but Antony maintained a steady pressure on the back of my neck, and although I could easily slip him as a vampire, doing so in the middle of a crowd with cameras, was probably not in my best interest. I clenched my teeth and bore it.
"I said MOVE!" A voice yelled and then someone shouted a protest and I saw a uniformed officer from the corner of my eye as we passed by shoving a photographer back.
"This is police brutality! We have freedom of the press! You can't do this!" Shouted the photographer. "You're trampling our constitutional rights!"
"Your constitutional rights don't include allowing you to block others from answering a court ordered summons, you jackass, now MOVE!" The cop shot back, shoving the photographer again. "Unless you want to be arrested?!"
"For what-" But the rest of the argument was lost in the babble as one of the guards shoved open the front door to the courthouse. My heartrate tripled. Can vampires have heart attacks?
There was security inside and our security guards were only allowed to the actual court room, but not within it. Rory was also made to stay outside, while Cornelius was cleared as my 'personal physician' and Alexandre and I of course had received summons. They tried to make us leave Mina, but I gave them the look of a mother tiger and they yielded, allowing us to pass. Alexandre grabbed my hand as Cornelius opened the door, Mina still clutched in his other arm. He squeezed my hand as we looked at the crowded room.
"You'll be ok." He said softly. And together we walked through the doors to the whispers and stares of half the courtroom.
My heart beat faster as we took a place in one of the pew-like seats in the back. There were no seats left, but a nice couple noticed we had a baby with us and offered their seats to us. I felt terrible taking them, we were vampires after all, we didn't really need them. Cornelius leaned against the wall with a smirk, watching my discomfort as I argued with the couple about the seats. I lost of course. From this view, I couldn't see the Nurse, or Fran, I wasn't sure if I was happy or upset about that. I just knew that I didn't want to be here. Alexandre squeezed my hand, as if tuning in to my thoughts.
I looked around to see what kind of a crowd came to a serial killer's trial that wasn't family or friends of a victim, and suddenly realized this was the first time I had been trapped in a crowded room with this many people since my turning. There was a murmur as the judge came in and the case began. As people stood and then sat again the movements fanned scents my direction and the noise of seats, shoes, scuffling, sniffling and general grunts and groans was overwhelming. This room was assaulting my senses. So many scents and sounds! I could hear every body shift, every inhale, heartbeats thundered, seats squeaked, whispering, perfume, cologne and body odor slammed at me from all directions. Even the smells of leather from people's clothes and accessories, food items they'd brought with them or that were still on their breath, candies and gums were discernible. Sighs, soft sounds of crying, somebody blowing their nose, a child whining who was not Mina, electronic sounds from the courtroom's sound system. I found myself squeezing my eyes shut, breathing shallowly. Alexandre grabbed my hand again.
"Concentrate on me." He said softly, leaning in. His floral and parchment scent enveloped me, and I bent towards him eagerly, wanting to bathe in it, wanting it to wash away the other distracting smells. I smelled Mina too. All fresh baby smells. Alexandre placed my hand on his chest. "Just this." He whispered and I concentrated on his heartbeat and breathing. The slow, steady rhythm helped calm me. I tried to match mine to it as I did when I slept, keeping my eyes closed to block out everything else. It was a familiar, comforting feeling. I felt Alexandre pull me tight against him and kiss my temple.
"Good job Carys." Cornelius murmured behind me. I jumped slightly and looked around to see him standing, bag at the ready.
"You guys were waiting for me to freak out!" I accused quietly and Alexandre kissed my forehead.
"No, we were worried that the stress of this event, plus your first time trapped in a room with so many strangers since your accident, might strain anyone, especially someone with our particular, ahem, affliction." Alexandre murmured against my forehead.
"I.e. you were waiting for me to freak out." I crossed my arms with a huff. We were starting to get rude looks despite speaking more quietly than a normal human's whisper. I heard Cornelius chuckle.
"Give up Xan." Cornelius whispered.
"Love you." Alexandre said softly, tugging me against him once more. The thing was, I knew that. And I knew they only did all this because they loved me, but I was unreasonably angry, and I was having trouble reigning it in. I tried to concentrate on the trial. Some official something or other was already testifying about evidence. I closed my eyes.
"Carys hun, you fell asleep." Alexandre squeezed my waist gently. I woke with a jerk. I don't know how all the noise and confusion hadn't gotten to me. "They called a break. I think Mina needs you. Do you want to stay here or.."
"No, I need out of this room." I hissed, and Alexandre nodded, giving Cornelius a meaningful look.
"Cornelius will stay and call us back if we're called up before we return." Alexandre nodded to him and before I could finish shooting him a grateful look, I had squeezed through the people to escape into an empty corridor. Bless those vampire skills at times like these, it was so easy to spot patterns and flow in people's movements to anticipate openings and slip between them swiftly and almost unnoticed. I found a bench and sat down, panting. Alexandre found me a few minutes later. "Cornelius sent me a sedative, if you should need-"
"No, I just-too many people. My senses-it's like.."
"Standing in the middle of a herd of elephants somebody's trying to jam into an elevator?" Alexandre chuckled.
"Yeah, something like that." I shook my head. Alexandre handed Mina over, who had begun to squirm and let out small complaints. I unbuttoned my shirt for her and brought her to my chest. Alexandre sat beside me and pulled me close to him.
"Are you hungry?" He asked me gently, offering his neck to me inconspicuously. I gave it a gentle kiss but shook my head. "I'm proud of you Carys." He said and kissed my temple. I scoffed.
"For what? Sleeping? That's about all I've done today." I responded sarcastically. Alexandre laughed.
"Well it IS your normal bedtime." He pointed out. "But no, I just meant you've made it here, you've kept your cool and you're doing beautifully. I'm just very proud."
"Still waiting on me to freak out?" I sneered.
"Any normal person would." Alexandre commented.
"That will come later." I sighed. I leaned my head against his shoulder. "Somehow I found the last good man in the world." I murmured.
"Oh, where is he so I can beat him up for stealing my thunder?" Alexandre asked and I nudged him with my shoulder.
"I don't know if you CAN beat yourself up." I replied thoughtfully.
"Cute." Alexandre chuckled and kissed my temple again. I smiled.
The rest of the court day was just as uneventful. They never did get around to Alexandre or I, but we were told to return the next day. I was fuming by lunch, and ready to kill by the end of the day. Cornelius nailed me with another sedative on my way out the door and I snapped at him.
"Careful Carys, we have company." Rory scolded lightly, looping an arm around my shoulders. The guards had surrounded us again and this time it was Rory who kept my face hidden from the cameras. Rory dove into the backseat of the car with me and Alexandre handed Mina off.
"See you in about twenty minutes!" He called and was swept away by the crowd. The guards slammed the door after one joined us in the back and we were off. Mina was crying angrily.
"Is that..?" Rory asked
"Her angry cry? Yeah. We took her from her favorite person." I sighed, trying to comfort her.
"Wow. That is really loud in such a small space." Rory remarked.
"Uhhuh." I agreed. I started humming one of Alexandre's favorite melodies to her, bouncing her gently, but I knew it was in vain. She wasn't going to quiet until Alexandre was near her again.
"Maybe offer her a boob or something." Rory suggested, wincing.
"Won't work. She wants her papa." I sighed.
"It'd work for me." Rory mumbled.
"Well you're a pervert." I replied tartly.
"Can I try something?" Asked the guard across from us. It was the one whose nose I had bloodied. I grimaced, but nodded, handing Mina over. He grunted slightly as he took her weight. He turned her over on her stomach, supporting her along his forearm with arms folded under her, then started patting her bum while shushing loudly in her ear. Mina began to calm.
"What the-" Rory exclaimed. Mina began making her sleeping baby grunts and her face relaxed. "How did you..?" Rory asked.
"Just something I learned from my girlfriend's OB." The guard shrugged. When Mina was properly out, he placed her in the carseat beside him, and the rest of the trip was rather silent.
About twenty minutes after we had started out from the courthouse we pulled into the parking lot of fancy hotel.