Chapter Text
Two weeks before the complaint
Some people say that thinking about a person brings them back into your life; how if you manifest it hard enough, the people you wish to get back around you will come back soon enough.
Other people, like Google, say otherwise.
JC was among the first kind of people —probably influenced by Zori's spiritualism—, and as he retrieved one of Ava's bras from the one spot a man would never look at unless he had a manic cleaning attack at 3 a.m. like he was experiencing at that moment, he began to ask himself if the words he said to Ava a couple weeks ago were what he felt right as he held the bra right in front of him.
Because yes, he really had loved her; Ava was an easy person to care about and an even easier person to share time with, but he had to admit he really had been an asshole to her.
Like, he cheated on her with her best friend —or supposed best friend, cause damn; Zori was cold— inside a closet of a random party they attended, just to get revenge for something that didn't even happen. And yes, maybe he should have waited for the alcohol to wear off and checked his sources before jumping into action, given that said sources didn't really like Ava that much. Randall being the main source.
He never really found out why he didn't like her, but he always seemed to close up when she showed up or straight up ignored her when she spoke. Which he had to admit was a bit rude, but he was his found family, and you should never turn your back on your family, right?
He stared at the bra with all those thoughts bubbling inside his head, sighing as he looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head, probably regretting the past couple months.
But as soon as he returned his gaze to the bra, he grinned before moving it to his face and covering his eyes with it like if it were a pair of glasses, giggling by himself as he mimicked throwing webs from his wrists.
Men... such simple creatures.
Somewhere in the middle of his Spider-Man performance, his phone buzzed against the cold counter next to the fridge, where he had surprisingly found the bra just on top of it.
JC rolled his eyes. It was probably Randall sending him photos from the glamorous party they sneaked into that night, showing off what he was missing when he declined the invitation.
To be honest, JC wasn't so keen on parties since he and Ava broke up. Maybe it was the now unpleasant sound of techno music, which reminded him of the unnecessarily loud music that was blasting and masking any moan or sound Zori and him made inside that closet. Or maybe it was just the fact that he may have matured a little.
Grabbing his phone, he turned on the screen, and just as he had predicted, Randall had sent him a few photos and videos of Zori, Chanel, and him dancing inside a packed club.
But he couldn't care less.
JC slid his finger to hide the messages and forget about them when another notification popped up on the screen.
A notification from an app JC didn't even remember having installed.
🔔 Someone is at your Front Door.
Okay, that was creepy.
He frowned and turned to look at the door; the automatic light he installed for when he came home after a party and couldn't bring himself to find the door lock in the dark hadn't turned on, so there was no way someone was outside.
Even creepier.
But wait. Now that he thought about it, he didn't have any security cameras around the house.
Huh. Weird.
Convinced that it would be a ghost notification, he unlocked his phone, ready to delete the app, but instead got redirected to the notification.
Inside, it showed the video miniature of a porch that, for some reason, looked familiar, so, more intrigued than confused, he tapped play on the video.
And for someone who believed in manifesting things and had just found Ava's bra on top of the fridge, the last thing JC expected was to see a video of his ex-girlfriend passionately making out with the judge that pleaded him guilty and made him pay over five grand a couple weeks ago.
He didn't understand why, but that video felt like a punch at the top of his stomach. But even though his heart begged him to stop watching, he couldn't look away from the phone.
Because that kiss didn't seem like one you gave someone you recently started talking to, no. It seemed like something more. Something deeper.
And as the video played before him and Ava smiled into the judge's mouth, he couldn't help remembering how she was when they started fooling around.
When he met her, she was eager to explore and thrilled to discover everything life had to throw on her plate, and JC was more than ready to help in any aspect he could.
So like any young human being who met an attractive person interested in them, they started to have sex. And only three 'dates' later, and with his brain clouded right after climaxing, JC asked her to be something more.
In retrospect, he could now understand why Ava had left so quickly that night and answered him three days later, but in the moment, it felt like the only right thing to do.
He vividly remembered how hesitant Ava was about their relationship for a couple of weeks —or rather, confused—. She still didn't know how to introduce him to her friends and was a bit unsure about cuddles and PDAs. But eventually, she relaxed, and everything seemed to go smoothly.
Or at least it was, until JC dropped her off some months later at her sister's house and asked why he hadn't met her yet.
Ava assured it wasn't about him, and some day she was going to introduce him to her family.
A day that, in the end, didn't come.
So as the video continued, his frown deepened.
Because if Ava had been so hesitant before, how long had she had to have been fooling around with the judge to be so comfortable with her?
That's when he finally recognised the porch and felt his heart drop.
That was Ava's sister's house.
The pressure around his stomach moved to the top of his neck, an uncomfortable, suffocating sensation wrapping around it.
How on earth could Ava have introduced the judge to her family already? And the most important question: since when were they a thing?
The phone began shaking in his hand as his lower lip trembled.
Was he jealous?
He was definitely not jealous, no. Or at least, that's what he told himself when he pressed call.
"Jay! Dude, you still have time to come; this party is awesome!" Randall shouted, the sound of the loud music blending with his voice.
"Another time, Randy."
JC heard him groan, annoyed that he couldn't convince him. "What's up then? I have a girl waiting for me, dude."
"Sorry, man. I just..." JC hesitated before looking at the bra, now sprawled on top of the counter, making him sigh. "Your uncle's a lawyer, isn't he?"
Four days after the complaint
Like any normal day at a courthouse, a lot of people were probably having the worst day of their lives, either because they were being sent to prison or just because they had to waste their entire day waiting there, only for their trial to be sorted out in less than five minutes.
But like the odd one out of all the people there, Judge Iglesias was having a wonderful day.
That morning, she received a message from Superion saying that she had cleared some of her cases for the afternoon. Which was odd, but Lilith wasn’t going to complain about it.
Instead, with all of her many cases for the day sorted and no interruptions from her annoying coworkers, she sighed as she sat down in her office, sipping on her cup of black steaming coffee as she finally got some rest, patiently waiting for her lunch break to arrive.
It was a rare day where neither Camila nor Beatrice had bothered her, and she was going to enjoy every bit of it for as long as she could.
She slumped back on her chair, closing her eyes and enjoying the calmness of her office, letting go of a big breath as a smile grew on her face.
Silence.
That's all she asked for when she needed to rest.
And a thing that her coworkers apparently did not understand.
Because only a short minute after closing her eyes, the door of her office got opened in a pang, startling Lilith and making her jump from her chair. “Iglesias!” Shouted Camila, hanging onto the frame of the door as she tried to regain her breath.
Lilith, with her hand on her chest as her heart raced, grunted. “Fucking hell, Camila. What do you want?”
Camila walked towards her table, sitting on the chair opposite her and placing an opened envelope on top of it as she caught her breath. "So..." she hesitated, sliding the letter towards her. "I might have peeked into your mail."
"You—you did what?!" Lilith stuttered, reaching for the letter and inspecting its envelope.
"It's for your own good. What if there was a bomb inside? I had to check."
Lilith rolled her eyes, pointing at the return address. "It explicitly says it’s from the council. I highly doubt they'd be sending me explosives."
Camila scoffed, crossing her arms. "That's what anyone with a bomb would write!"
"Opening my mail is a federal offense! How can you be so insufferable?"
Camila smirked, placing both elbows on top of Lilith's desk and resting her head on her hands. "Insufferably irresistible?" She asked, arching an eyebrow and earning a frown from Lilith.
"No, just insufferable." Lilith deadpanned, earning a pout from Camila.
The judge ignored her face and got the documents from inside the envelope, the first thing on them being the text:
COMPLAINT OF JUDICIAL MISCONDUCT OR DISABILITY.
Great, which one of her incompetent coworkers made a mistake that needed her revision now?
Lilith shook her head, continuing her read, expectant to see who had screwed up this bad to make the Council involved. But as she read its content, the name of the judge on the letter only made her furrow her brows in confusion.
"Wright-Lee got a complaint?" Lilith asked, looking up from the papers. Because from any of the judges and lawyers around, Beatrice was the least likely to get one.
Camila frowned, as if that information had been obvious from the start. "Um... yeah, she's on leave for a month."
"Huh," Lilith scoffed in surprise, slumping back on her chair. "I was wondering why she hadn't annoyed me yet today."
"She's been gone for four days! How did you not know?" Reproached Camila. "Also, how does she annoy you? She literally doesn't leave her office."
"Exactly. Our offices share a wall." Lilith pointed to the wall behind her. "And since she got herself a girlfriend, she's been as insufferable as you." She grimaced.
Once again, Camila grinned as she wiggled in her seat. "You mean insufferably adorable?"
"Again, I meant what I said when I said insufferable." Lilith rolled her eyes, getting back to reading the documents.
She flipped the page to where it specified the nature of the complaint. It seemed like Beatrice was being accused of allegedly being biassed in court and, thus, committing fraud in court with the sentence.
She couldn't help but put a face on the list of reasons why the complainant thought the judge had treated him unfairly, which made Camila laugh under her breath.
She looked up at Camila —suddenly remembering she wasn't alone in her office—, who was sneakily trying to read the papers on Lilith's hands from her seat. "Are you going to stay?"
She scoffed with a cheeky smile on her face. "Obviously. You could use my help with this; I'm literally the Avatrice encyclopaedia."
Lilith knew she was going to regret it, but she asked anyway. "Avatrice?"
"Their couple name. Ava and Beatrice? I was between Beava and Avatrice, but Yasmine told me Beava sounded like beaver. Which, by the way, is painfully accurate." She laughed, pointing between her legs, waiting for any reaction from Lilith —which there wasn't—. "Anyway, we decided Avatrice just got a different punch to it. It sounded more powerful, more profound, you know?"
Lilith waited a few seconds, not sure if Camila was done with her monologue. "I actually don't." She sighed. "How can you talk that much?"
"I guess I got it from my mom." Camila laughed, shrugging. "That's why she's in jail, actually. She couldn't even plead the fifth; she loved chit-chatting."
"Camila," Lilith interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose. "If you are going to stay, can I just get a few minutes of silence? Please?" She begged, looking up at Camila, who had an eyebrow quirked, not quite convinced. "Just until I finish reading all of this." Lilith offered, pointing at all the papers.
"Okay." Camila finally agreed, holding up her hands. "But only because you asked nicely."
"Thank you." Lilith said as she went back to the documents, but before starting to read again, she dropped the papers on the table and furrowed her eyebrows. "What does Wright-Lee's new girlfriend have to do with all of this?"
Camila showed once again her devilish grin, and Lilith knew she once again had fallen right into her trap. "Well, I need a full belly and a hot cup of coffee to tell you all the details."
"I can't leave right now. Besides, I'm not hungry." She lied, continuing her read right where she left it, making Camila cross her arms in her spot. But just like if her stomach had heard her and wanted to protest against it, it growled loudly, making her freeze.
"Sounds like someone's lying." Camila giggled, and for some reason that the judge did not understand, she blushed. "Come on, I'll ask Yasmine to prepare her famous avocado chicken wraps."
"I really can't. I have to get this done as soon as possible so Wright-Lee can come back to work."
"You can bring your papers with you. Beatrice can wait an extra day; she actually needs to rest." She said with a dismissive hand, standing up from her chair. "Please?"
And for the tenth time since Camila entered the office, Lilith rolled her eyes. "Ugh, okay."
"Yay!"
***
Unlike her, Lilith's stomach wasn’t lying. So when Yasmine sat with them to have lunch and brought with her three beautiful chicken avocado wraps, Lilith didn’t even mind that Camila and her were talking non-stop about Beatrice and her girlfriend. She even got a little invested in all the drama.
"Wait, before or after Mary caught them in the car?" Lilith asked, biting on her burrito.
Camila turned to her, shaking her head. “Lilith, please, keep up. I've already mentioned it was after that incident."
"Sorry." She whispered with her mouth full.
"So yeah, they were making out on her porch without knowing they were being recorded. And it wasn't PG-13; they almost stripped their clothes on the spot, that much I can tell you."
Yasmine gasped, amazed at all the gossip Camila was providing. "How do you know so many details?"
Camila crossed her arms, smiling smugly. “Another one of my many talents, I guess."
Lilith, having finished her burrito, arched an eyebrow. "Camila, have you hacked Superion's computer to watch the video?"
"I'll neither confirm nor deny such accusations," Camila replied cryptically. "And by the way, 'hack' might be an exaggeration. Technically, it's not hacking if I already have access to all the computers around."
"God, Camila. How many illegal things do you tend to do in a day?"
"Probably seven."
Lilith's eyes widened in horror. “Seven?!"
Yasmine chimed in, adding her take. "I'd say more like twelve."
Camila shrugged, finally taking a bite of her now-cold food. "And you are probably right."
Lilith shook her head and took that as a sign that she should go back to revising her colleague’s complaint, and as the other two kept spilling gossip and talking, she pored over the documents, her mind taking in the finer details of the matter at hand. After a thorough examination of the evidence and case history, she sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temple as she considered the evidence.
"These complaints against Judge Wright-Lee are insufficiently substantiated. There is no clear indication of bias or malice in her decision." She said, mostly to herself.
Camila, who had been halfway through another story about Beatrice and Ava’s escapades, turned her attention back to Lilith. “Well, I hoped there wasn’t. So what now?”
"I will write a response to the council, outlining the lack of merit in the complaint. Wright-Lee’s decision aligns with the facts presented during the trial. There's no evidence to support the claim of bias."
Camila nodded, satisfied with the explanation. “What about JC?”
Lilith glanced down at the case file once more, a thoughtful expression crossing her face as she flipped some pages. "JC's fine stands. He admitted Ava didn't know how to drive, and that's what the penalty was for. His confession remains valid, regardless of any personal grievances."
"Fair enough," Camila acknowledged, not much else to add after Lilith's reasoning. "I guess he'll have to accept that as the final verdict."
The three of them fell into a comfortable silence as Lilith wrote her decision and Camila and Yasmine finished their food, until the last frowned. "I still don't understand why she got suspended for a month. What's she going to do all this time?"
Camila scoffed a laugh as she confidently said, “Ava?”
Lilith paused her writing to massage her sin again. “God, you are disgusting."
“She asked!”
Shaking her head as she laughed, Yasmine stood up, clearing the table. “And... that’s my cue to get back to work; the tables won’t clear themselves.”
Lilith smiled as she helped her stack the cutlery on top of one of the plates. “Thanks for the lunch, Yasmine.”
“Yes, Yas! Thanks for lunch!” Camila sang, waving at her as she walked behind the counter.
Once the table was cleared, Lilith placed all the papers on the table and resumed her writing, checking the details as she read.
Camila, perched on the edge of her seat, peeked over her shoulder, offering an impish comment or two. "You know, for someone so stern in the courtroom, you've got a pretty elegant writing style."
Lilith sighed, too tired to scold Camila about her antics. "Thank you, I suppose. But do you mind?"
"Sorry, sorry," Camila conceded, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "I'll just sit here and be silent, like a potted plant."
And almost unbelievably and true to her word, Camila stayed relatively quiet, occasionally tapping her fingers on the armrest, seemingly lost in thought, as Lilith wrote.
After a stretch of concentrated effort, Lilith finished the response, reviewed it one last time, and nodded in satisfaction. "There we go. Ready to be sent to the council."
Camila glanced over, a grin spreading across her face. "Great! So, what now?"
"Now we make sure this gets delivered promptly," Lilith replied, standing up and gathering the documents neatly. "I'll take this to Superion's office myself."
Camila followed suit, hopping off her seat. "Mind if I join?”
“Don’t you have to work? You’ve been hovering around me for hours.”
Camila shrugged. “I’m the one in charge of supervising the mail here, after all.”
Lilith hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, let's go then.”
As they exited the cafeteria, Camila practically bounced with excitement while Lilith maintained her composed stride. They crossed the corridors of the courthouse, their steps echoing through the now-quiet halls, everyone else out on their lunch break.
As they approached Superion's office, Camila slowed down a bit, her excitement palpable. Lilith eyed the papers for a moment before giving them a final once-over, ensuring everything was in order.
Camila peeked over Lilith's shoulder, curious as ever. "So, what do you think the council's reaction will be?"
Lilith glanced sideways at Camila. "Given the lack of substantial evidence in the complaint, they should dismiss it. However, they might conduct a routine investigation just to be safe.”
Camila nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. Hey, do you think Beatrice will be okay?"
"I believe so," Lilith replied, finally arriving at Superion's office door. She knocked gently before opening it, signalling Camila to stay outside.
Superion looked up from her desk, her eyes softening at the sight of Lilith. "Judge Iglesias, to what do I owe this visit?"
Lilith stepped forward, holding out the response letter. "I've completed the response to the council regarding Judge Wright-Lee's complaint. It's ready for your review and approval."
"Excellent." Superion nodded, taking the document from her hands and scanning through it. After a moment, she looked up with an approving smile. "Even though I may already know your conclusion, would you care sharing it with me?"
"Wright-Lee's verdict was fair. There wasn’t any evidence of her being biassed, and if she was, it didn't affect the result."
"Thank you, Iglesias. I’ll ensure this gets sent promptly."
"You are welcome." Lilith acknowledged with a nod, pursing her lips as she slowly walked backwards to the door.
"Is there anything else, Judge Iglesias?" Superion inquired, catching her attention just before Lilith reached the door.
She cleared her throat. "One more thing. Um, when's she coming back?"
Superion smiled. “Missing her already?"
Lilith frowned. “Um, no. I was just... wondering."
"Well, she'll be free to return as soon as the council lifts her leave. But she'll be free to use the remainder of her days if she wants to, so it is really up to her."
"Right." Acknowledged Lilith, still not moving from her spot.
“That will be all. Thank you for your prompt action on this matter." Superion dismissed her with a nod.
Lilith nodded in return and turned to leave, gesturing for Camila to follow. As they walked down the hall, Camila seemed to vibrate with anticipation. "That's it, huh? You're done?"
"For now, yes," Lilith replied, not an ounce surprised by Camila peeking to hear her conversation with Superion. "Now, it's up to the council to decide how they want to proceed."
"Got it," Camila said, nodding as they continued down the hallway.
As they neared Lilith’s offices, Camila suddenly stopped, causing her to halt as well. "What's wrong?" Lilith asked, glancing at Camila, who wore a thoughtful expression.
"Nothing, really," Camila replied, a mischievous spark in her eyes. "I was just thinking, now that the hard part's over, maybe it's time for a celebration?"
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "A celebration?"
"Yeah, why not?" Camila smiled. “I’ll ring Bea, and we can have a couple drinks to celebrate.”
Lilith shook her head in disapproval. “We shouldn’t talk to her about it yet.”
“I wasn’t going to tell her.” She tried to defend herself with that impish look still in her eyes. “But if we go out for a few drinks, do you really think I’m going to be able to keep my mouth shut?”
Lilith seemed to think about it for a few seconds. “I guess not.”
"Then, if I’m going to meet with Bea, don’t you think I need someone who keeps an eye on me and makes sure I’m not oversharing?”
“I… suppose.”
Camila clapped her hands, excited. “Then it’s settled! Wait for me when we finish our shift.” She said, skipping her way to the mail room, as Lilith stood in shock in front of her office.
And as soon as she got to the mail room, she got her phone out of her pocket and typed a few messages furiously fast.
Camila [16:33]: BEA
Camila [16:33]: You need to get dressed right the fuck now and come get a few drinks with me after work
Camila [16:33]: I finally convinced Lilith to come!!!
***
At the agreed-upon time, Lilith found herself sitting at a dimly lit bar, nursing a glass of whiskey. She felt out of place, surrounded by the loud chatter and clinking glasses, so she took another sip out of her glass in hopes the time would go faster.
Camila had been bouncing with excitement since they arrived, checking her phone every minute for any sign of Beatrice and Ava. "They'll be here any minute," she assured Lilith for what seemed like the tenth time.
Lilith glanced at her watch, sighing. She was unsure why she had agreed to this outing. One could say she got blackmailed to join them, or perhaps she thought it would be a good chance to unwind after a long day. After all, she could have rejected the invitation anyway.
As if on cue, the door swung open, and in walked Ava, with Beatrice following her close as she held her hand. Ava scanned the bar from the door, and as soon as she saw Camila, she tugged Beatrice to run to where she was.
“Cami!” Ava shouted in a high-pitched voice, opening her arms to welcome Camila with a hug.
“Aves!” Camila screamed, hugging her tight.
Lilith, after witnessing such interaction, sighed and drank the remaining glass in a gulp. She felt like she was going to need it.
Camila gave Ava a final squeeze before moving to hug Beatrice. “I must say, I’m still surprised you said yes; you don’t normally agree to drinks.” She said, moving back to pick up her glass.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t have much else to do.” Beatrice laughed. “Ava also helped.” She confessed, hugging her by the waist and earning a kiss on the cheek.
Lilith was going to need a couple more drinks to cope with all of that, so she snapped her fingers and gestured to the barman for another whisky.
“Hey Lilith.” Greeted Beatrice. “How did she do it to get you to come?”
Iglesias shook her head, defeated. “She quite literally blackmailed me.”
Beatrice frowned. “Oh?” She asked before a glass slid in front of Lilith.
As Lilith sipped her newly arrived whisky, the alcohol started to work its magic, slightly easing her tension and inhibitions. However, it wasn't long before she found herself on her fourth glass, the warmth spreading through her body.
Beatrice's curious expression shifted to concern as she observed Lilith's quick intake of drinks. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Lilith replied a bit too quickly, a slight slur in her words that she hoped no one noticed. "Just needed a drink or two... or three." She squinted her eyes, looking at the glasses. “Or four?”
Camila, too engrossed in a conversation with Ava, didn't seem to catch Lilith's state. Beatrice, however, raised an eyebrow but didn't press further; she just gestured for the waiter to stop bringing her more drinks.
And as Lilith listened to Camila tell some story she was sure she had heard before, she prayed for Camila not to spill any information on what they had been doing that day. Because if Beatrice found out, she probably would get nervous, and future Lilith surely didn’t want to have to handle an agitated Beatrice.
Lilith angrily pouted. This was all because of the fucking complaint. All because of that guy, JC. And from what Camila had told her, he was a dick.
An idea, fueled by the alcohol and her growing anger, sparked in Lilith's mind. She leaned in closer to Beatrice, her voice low but confident. “You could sue that motherfucker, you know?”
Beatrice blinked in surprise, caught off guard by Lilith's sudden comment. "What?"
“You can sue him,” Lilith nodded, more confident than she probably should have been. “I’ll be your lawyer. We’ll sue him for slander.”
Camila slid a glass of water towards Lilith. “Okay… I think someone has had a little too much to drink.”
“I’m being serious!” Shouted Lilith, making the other three look at her wide-eyed. Lilith tried to steady herself, her words slurring just a bit. “You can’t let someone slander your name like that. I can help.”
Beatrice exchanged a surprised glance with Camila, unsure how to respond to Lilith's sudden and drunken offer. “Lilith, I appreciate it, but I don’t think…”
“No, seriously!” Lilith insisted, her passion not dampened by the alcohol. “We’ll take that guy down. Just imagine if we, the best judges in town, worked together to take someone down!”
Ava, maybe a bit tipsy and already imagining Beatrice in court again, this time as a lawyer, nodded. “I’m down.”
“Darling, I think you also had too many drinks.” Beatrice worried as she retrieved Ava’s glass from her, making her pout. “I appreciate your concern, Lilith. But it might not be that simple.”
Lilith just narrowed her eyes. “Yes it is. This might even be the easiest case of slander in my career.”
Ava, more than fine with the idea by the second, chimed in. "Come on, Bea, it could be fun! Imagine the drama in the courtroom!" She offered, and suddenly Camila also seemed convinced.
Beatrice sighed as the other three looked at her, expectant. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid.” She finally confessed.
Lilith raised her hands in surrender. "Alright then, no lawsuits... For now." She allowed, making the rest of the group laugh as if she had just cracked a joke.
Beatrice took that as a sign to order a couple of bottles of water for everyone before going home, in hopes of helping clear their heads. And not long after, and a quick trip to the bathroom later, they found themselves outside, saying goodbye to each other.
"Hey," Beatrice said softly, gently grasping Lilith's arm. "Thanks for the offer. I really appreciated it.”
Lilith nodded with a serious look on her face. “I meant it.” She admitted, returning the touch with a squeeze. “We can sue him if you change your mind.”
Beatrice pursed her lips in a smile. “I’ll think about it.”