Once and Again 1. Painful Memories

Love Makes You Do Crazy Things

Chapter 1. Painful Memories

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie recalls the night that led her up to being tried for murder.

Disclaimer: I only own the man who's the victim mentioned in the above summary. I will give him a name in the following chapter.

Reviews: Yes, I would like them.

Author's notes: They're pretty obvious but I thought I'd mention them anyway.

Words in italics are personal thoughts of the character at that moment. Words in all capital letters are just words I felt required more emphasis than the other words.

* * *

Present

I still remember the day when my life changed forever. We were celebrating our one year anniversary.

Flashback

"Jessie, you know I love you, right?"

"Of course, I love you too."

"No, I mean I REALLY love you. I can't even picture my life without you. What I am trying to say here is that I don't want to be without you. That's why I wanted to get you this."

I stared at her as she handed me a small, black box. The excitement on my face was obvious to everyone at the restaurant. I slowly opened it to see a beautiful, but inexpensive ring. Katie smiled as she saw my reaction. I saw she was going to speak again, but I interrupted her.

"It's beautiful, Katie, but you really didn't need to do this. This night has been wonderful already."

"No, I wanted to, and that's not all. This is a promise ring. I know you're already wearing my class ring, which is tradition with couples, but I wanted to do more. I thought it would do until I was able to buy you this."

Then Katie shocked me again. She showed me an ad from a jewelry store describing many styles of engagement rings.

"I know we're both still in high school; but by the time we both graduate. I will be able to afford to buy one of these for you."

To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I almost broke down right there. We quickly made our way out of the restaurant hand in hand. I was on cloud nine. As we got in the car, I was finally able to talk.

"Can we go some place private and talk about this some more?"

"Sure," Katie replied as we headed to a secluded spot, where you could look at the stars on a clear night.

Fortunately, the night was clear as we looked out at all of the star formations. We got out and lay on the hood of her car to get a better look. Then I began the conversation we both needed to have.

"Katie, we're too young to even talk about getting engaged. Let's not rush it. If it's meant to be, then it will happen in good time."

"Are you saying that you don't like the idea?" she asked, sounding a little crushed.

"No, that's not it all. I'm just saying I don't want us doing anything that we'll regret later."

Back to the present

If we had known then that we were being followed since leaving the restaurant, we never would have gone to that spot. After we finished talking, we saw a set of headlights, and a car pulled up along beside us. We just assumed it was another couple looking for some time alone like we were. Oh, how wrong we were.

It wasn't a couple after all. It was a man who was obviously drunk. We started to get nervous. It was pretty clear he wasn't happy with what he saw. As he got closer, we could see the look of pure hate in his eyes. There was no doubt that he was planning on seriously hurting us, if not worse. Katie was able to start the car, and we quickly headed back into town. Yet, he managed to get back in his car and catch up with us.

We were almost in town when we felt a jolt from behind us. He then decided to use his car as a battering ram. Her car had been hit twice already; but like the saying goes, the third time's the charm. It was that time that sent the car out of control. She tried avoiding it, but we ended up crashing into a light pole. I felt ok and looked over to Katie to see if she was ok, but she clearly wasn't. I could barely feel a pulse as she called out my name.

Flashback

"Jessie, are you ok?"

"Yes, just relax. I'm going to get help. You have a pretty big cut on that head, and what looks like some broken bones."

I then called 911 and told them to send an ambulance quick. As I got out of the car, I saw the same man standing outside his car.

"I hope your poor girlfriend will be alright," he said with a sinister laugh.

"What the hell is your problem?" I screamed at him.

"Just doing my best to rid the world of sick people like you."

"You don't even know us."

"I don't have know you to know what you're doing is wrong. If it takes something like this to rid the world of a few more gays, then so be it."

It was around this time that the ambulance showed up along with a police car, but it was already too late because I had already snapped and used everything I knew from my tae-kwon-do classes. The last thing I remembered before completely losing it was launching into the attack with a strong kick to the stomach. When I came back to reality, I realized that I was in the back of a police car in handcuffs. I looked out the window to see the man lying on the ground and being covered by a sheet. I then saw a small dent on the hood of his car splattered with blood.

Back to the present

That all lead up to this moment where I'm now sitting in a court of law awaiting my fate as I plead temporary insanity for the murder of the man who's responsible for this whole mess. I never thought I'd be capable of doing something this drastic. Then again nobody had ruined my life like this before. I'll never forget the looks on my family's faces when they saw me behind bars. It's probably the same look I gave when they told me Katie hadn't made it. I had apparently overlooked some injuries while seeking my revenge. As they rolled the stretcher into the hospital from the ambulance, Katie had started bleeding internally. In a matter of two minutes after reaching the emergency room, she was gone.

Flashback

"How is she?" I asked and heard my mother say the tragic words.

"I'm sorry, Jessie. She didn't make it."

"What about the guy who hit us?"

"He's dead too, Jessie. You killed him."

"I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad. I ruined everything."

"Why did you do it, Jessie?" they all asked me.

"He was trying to kill both of us, and it looks like he succeeded in killing Katie."

"Why didn't you let the cops handle it?" my father asked as he stared at me in confusion.

"Because I had already lost it by the time the cops got there. It wasn't looking good for Katie before the ambulance got there. I wanted revenge immediately."

Back to the present again

The courtroom is full of family, friends, the organization PFLAG, and news reporters for a case that is becoming high publicized.

"Miss Sammler, you are charged with first degree murder. How do you plead?"

"My client pleads not guilty by reason of temporary insanity, your honor."

"Are you Miss Sammler's attorney, Miss?"

"Karen Sammler. Yes, she is my client, your honor."

"Objection, your honor."

"On what grounds, counselor?"

"Being related to the defendant will cause a biased opinion."

"Miss Sammler, do you think you can defend your client to the best of your ability without bias?"

"Yes, I can, your honor."

"I still object, your honor."

"Overruled."

Then the D.A. calls his first witness.

"I would like to call my first witness."

"Proceed."

"I call Sarah Grasser to the stand."


	2. Disorder In The Court

Love Makes You Do Crazy Things

Chapter 2. Disorder In The Court

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie watches as her arch enemy Sarah and another witness each take their turn at the stand, while she prepares for her own.

Disclaimer: I own the victim mentioned in the first chapter. I also introduce another character, the victim's mother. Both will be given names in this chapter.

Reviews: Yes, I would like them.

* * *

Jessie's trial – witness stand

"Miss Grasser, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do, your honor."

I then watch as she shoots me an evil look, which is missed by no one.

"Miss Grasser, how long have you known the defendant?"

"I have known her for a little over a year."

"And in that time, have you known her to do anything violent?"

"No, but we have had arguments that could have broken into fights had I not kept my cool," she said with a smirk.

As Sarah and I start a stare down, several shouts of "Oh please!" are heard throughout the room. It's quickly silenced by the judge.

"Quiet in the courtroom."

"Miss Grasser, have you ever had arguments with any other students at Upton Sinclair?"

"Yes, but none like the ones I had with Jessie. I mean the defendant."

Once again, my trial was interrupted by shouts from various people. "That's a lie. Bull. Yeah, right." I couldn't help but smile as Sarah started to become uneasy.

"I said quiet in the courtroom. One more outburst and I'll clear this courtroom."

"No further questions, your honor."

"Your witness, Miss Sammler."

"Thank you. Miss Grasser, are you sure you never got any in arguments with any of your classmates like the ones with my client?"

"Yes, I am."

"I would like to enter into evidence this video taken at a high school party hosted by a fellow classmate and attended by Miss Sammler, Miss Singer, and Miss Grasser."

"I object, your honor."

"On what grounds?"

"The tape has been around long enough to be copied and edited in favor of Miss Sammler."

"My client was not aware of a video being made just as I'm sure your witness wasn't aware either."

"Overruled."

There is tension and anticipation in the courtroom as the video is played for the judge and jury. I began to get nervous of what could possibly be on that tape.

On the video

"Tad, where are Jessie and Katie?"

"Over there, Russell."

Everyone watches as the camera turns to the direction indicated by Tad. I began to get teary eyed as Russell has caught Katie, the only other person I cared about other than relatives, and I in a slightly heated lip lock. It's obvious to everyone that Katie and I are totally unaware of the video being made as loud cheers come from clearly drunk and hormonally charged boys. This is interrupted by Sarah as she roughly pulls me away from Katie, shoves me to the floor, and begins to kiss Katie. Katie shoves her away in disgust and helps me back to my feet.

"What does she have that I don't have?" Sarah screamed at her.

Katie simply responds, "All the love in my heart, and she always will."

Sarah is shocked into silence. While everyone there to offer support begins to smile and smirk into Sarah's direction, I break down into tears. I feel many hands on my shoulders and back, one obviously my mother's.

I turn to look behind me and see my father, my brother, and stepsisters looking at me. Their expressions clearly say the following. _We're here for you, Jessie._ I then see Lily crying as she hands me a few tissues. I nod thanks and turn to my right to see the jury looking at me. The women look at me with tears in their eyes. From what I can tell they all seem to be thinking the same thing without actually saying it. _That poor girl_.

"No more questions," I hear my mother speak in a very confident tone.

The D.A. declines any more questions directed toward Sarah. She leaves the stand and the room as she tries to block her face from the camera snapping in front of her. Then the mother of the deceased man is called to testify, and the interrogation begins again.

"Ms. Adams, can you tell me about your son?"

"Sure, I can."

She gives the expected speech. You know the one. "He was a good man." Blah, blah, blah. "He never did anything like what they are saying about him." Blah, blah, blah. "He didn't DESERVE what Miss Sammler did to him."

"No further questions," the D.A. says smugly.

"I have a few questions for Ms. Adams." My mother's confident demeanor is still going strong. "Ms. Adams, how often did you talk to your son on a weekly basis?"

"About two times a week. We even went to church as a family."

"Your honor, I would like to enter the contents of this box into evidence against the late Kevin Adams."

The deputy hands the evidence to the judge. He looks at it then hands it back to the deputy, who hands it to my mother.

"Ms. Adams, can you describe what you see in this box?"

The shock on the face of Ms. Adams and everyone in the jury grows with every item she pulls out of the box. I actually start to feel bad for her as she pulls out proof of two DUI's and many pamphlets of hate propaganda, focusing on homosexuals. She then breaks down into tears.

"Are you saying you knew nothing about any of this?"

"No, I didn't know anything about it. I knew he had a problem with alcohol, but he was getting help. I was never notified of any accidents or arrests."

"No further questions."

Once again, the D.A. declines further questions. Ms. Adams calmly and slowly leaves the stand to sit back down. His case is falling apart right in front of him, but he's not finished yet. A mischievous grin appears as I'm called to the stand.

"Miss Sammler, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do, you honor." My confidence is building quickly as I see the looks of my mother and everyone else in the room.

"Miss Sammler, can you describe everything that happened before and up to the confrontation with Kevin Adams?"

"Yes, I can. We were celebrating our one year anniversary with a delicious dinner and wonderful conversation. During which she gave me a promise ring."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, we decided to go someplace place more private to talk."

"Just talk?" the guy asked smugly once again.

"Objection, your honor."

"Overruled. Continue, Miss Sammler."

"Yes, we went to a secluded spot and talked about our future while we gazed up at the stars. That's when Mr. Adams confronted us. We could see the look of hate in his eyes, so we got back in the car and hurried back into town to get away from him."

"Hurried, huh? So then Miss Singer was driving recklessly?"

"Objection, your honor, purely speculative."

"Overruled."

"Well, Miss Sammler?"

"She was driving the recommended speed limit."

"Then how do you explain the serious damage done to both cars not to mention the light pole she hit?"

"He hit Katie from behind three times. Then she went to a spin, and we collided with the light pole."

"Had she been drinking at all that night?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you can ask anyone at the restaurant. But he had. I could smell it on his breath as soon as I confronted him."

"So, if you can remember that, then you must have been able to know what you were doing before you attacked him. No further questions. I rest my case."

I start feeling sick to my stomach as my mother approaches me while I'm still on the stand.

"Miss Sammler, what was running through your mind between the times you and Miss Singer got back into the car and the confrontation with Mr. Adams at the scene of the accident?"

"That I couldn't believe I had already found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and that person felt the same way."

"Do you remember the last things he said to you before you snapped?"

"Yes, I do. He said with a sinister look on his face that he hoped Katie was ok. That he was just doing his job to rid the world of sick people like me and Katie. Finally, that if it took something like that to be rid of a few more gays, then so be it."

"So that's when you snapped, Miss Sammler?"

"Yes, it is. The next thing I remember is being in the back of a police car in handcuffs."

"No further questions. I rest my case."

My mother smiled with pride as we waited for what was to come next.

"The court will reconvene in one hour where the jury will render a decision."


	3. Guilty Or Not Guilty

Love Makes You Do Crazy Things

Chapter 3. Guilty Or Not Guilty

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The chapter title pretty much says it all.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Reviews: Yes, I would like them.

* * *

The courtroom - An hour later

Everyone slowly makes their way into the room as my mother and I await my fate. The expressions on the faces of the judge and the jury are unreadable, in my opinion anyway. My mother is still extremely confident as she has been this entire trial.

She whispers into my ear to ease my nerves, "Don't worry, sweetie. You'll be free very soon."

I look back behind me once again to see everyone smiling back at me with the same confidence.

"Have you reached a decision?"

"We have, your honor."

The woman, who is apparently the head juror, hands the deputy a piece of paper with the decision on it, who then hands it to the judge. I notice a slight smirk on his face even though he's supposed to be impartial. The paper is then passed back to the head juror. _Uh oh._ I glance at my mother as I become a little bit terrified. Her words once again make me feel better.

"Like I said before, Jessie, don't worry. No matter what happens, we still and will always love you."

"Jessica Sammler, please rise as the jury reads their decision."

I rise to my feet as I feel the grip from the hand of my loving mother.

"We the jury, find the defendant, Jessica Sammler, NOT GUILTY on the grounds of temporary insanity."

The room is full of smiling people as no motions for an appeal are made by the D.A..

"Miss Sammler, you're free to go. The court is dismissed."

I barely make my way out of the courthouse before I'm almost tackled to the ground with hugs from my entire family. Then I'm congratulated by my friends and PFLAG as the entire event is captured by the local news reporters. My family and I feel almost blinded by the flash bulbs going off in our faces. Then come the stupid questions each reporter asks in situations like these.

"Miss Sammler, how does it feel to be cleared of the murder charge?"

"I feel better than I have felt for six months."

"Do you feel that justice has been served?"

"Yes, I do."

"Is there anyone you would like to thank right now?"

"I'd like to thank my family, friends, and everyone else who offered their support. Without them, I would have had a hard time getting through this, and I wouldn't have been able to make bail without them either."

I was tired of answering questions and fighting harder to get in the car to get away from them when one of them asked questions I wasn't ready to answer.

"What do you think Miss Singer would say if she could see you now? Do you think she was watching over you through this entire ordeal?"

With those last questions, I went pale, and there was complete silence. The reporter then was met with glares of disgust from everyone. Even the man behind the video camera looked disgusted at his co-worker.

"NO COMMENT!" my father snarled at him as he helped me into my mother's car, right before we sped off. The rest of my family gathered in another car and followed us home.

Two days later

It had been a hectic two days since the trial. The news we thought that would stay within the Illinois state lines had gone much further with the help of PFLAG. Apparently, some of the leaders of that organization had some pretty famous friends.

"Jessie, come to the door. You got another big order of flowers delivered to you."

"More? This house already looks like a flower shop."

"Who are they from this time?" I asked the delivery man.

"See for yourself," the man said with a smile as I handed him a tip, which he refused, "The reaction when you read the card will be good enough for me."

This caught the attention of every family member. Within seconds, everyone in the house was behind me as I was handed two dozen white gardenias.

"Read the card, Jessie," everyone shouted at me as the delivery man stood there waiting for my response. I read the card silently then fell back to my father's arms in what seemed like the beginning stage of shock.

Lily then inquired, "Who's it from, Rick?"

She was hoping he could read the card still in my hand.

Grace couldn't stand it anymore, so she grabbed the card and read it aloud, "To Jessica Sammler, We're sorry for your loss. If you need anything, just contact us. Love, Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres"

"Have a nice day," the delivery man announced as he made his way to his van and took off.

"Wow! Jessie, that's amazing," Lily stated before anyone else could say anything.

"They're beautiful. Aren't they, Karen?" my father asked my mother, who was glad she chose this time of day to visit her daughter.

"Yes, they really are. Do you know where you're going to put them?"

"I sure do."

Then I gave them a look that said it all.

The local cemetery – 20 minutes later- Katie's grave

I slowly looked at her tombstone. It was made of white marble with an angel on top. I then began to read it slowly with my family behind me at a respectful distance away

Here Lies

Katie Singer

Beloved daughter

Devoted girlfriend

Friend to all

Born: 08/15/85

Died: 04/15/03

I laid the gardenias down in front of her grave. Then I said a few prayers and some final words.

"I love you, Katie. I always have and I always will. I can hardly wait to see you again."

All of a sudden, I got a chill down my spine, followed by a warm feeling in my stomach, and finally what felt like a voice whisper into my ear, "I love you too, Billie." This made me feel a little dizzy, and I began to fall. Eli was the first to notice this and was by my side in a matter of seconds.

"Are you ok, Jessie?" he asked with worry on his face as he held me for a minute.

"Yes, thank you, Eli."

I smiled at him, quickly looked to my left, and smiled once more. Eli saw this and hugged me. We then left the cemetery with his arm around my shoulders. The rest of the family followed us without saying a word. Nothing needed to be said as we were all pretty much thinking the same thing.

The End


End file.

Once and Again, Drama, Tragedy