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The Devil You Know	By : SisterWine Category: G through L > Law & Order Views: 3165 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Law & Order, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-The Devil You Know
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Part 6
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Alternate Scene
- 14-Alternate Ending 2
- 8
- 9
- 10
Trial Part 13
25 March
11:12 AM
"How would you describe your relationship with your attourney, prior to being romantic?" Ms. Cabot leaned against the edge of her table, her arms at her sides, bracing on the edge. She stared at Jake and waited for him to his answer. After a moment of them staring at each other, she broke the silence. "Mr. Martinelli."
Jake shifted in the seat and glanced from the tall blonde, over to his ex-lover, who sat in the second chair, for the Defense. "It was alright, I guess. He uh 'loosened up' after about a year or so." He smirked as he caught Erik's eye and monotonous expression. Winking at the young lawyer, he turned back to stare at Cabot.
Pushing off of the table, Alex took two steps forward and stopped. "Who initiated the relationship?"
"Erik." Another glance over to his counsel with an added smirk as Erik only blinked calmly back, never letting on his anger.
Alex watched his expressions change, every time he looked to the other side of the room. She turned back to retrieve a blown up photo of the victim, from her table. Making her way closer to him, again, she held up the photo and asked, "do you know the man in the photo?" Coming to a stop three feet from him, she waited for him to look at Aaron Jasper's driver's license photo.
"I suppose." Jake shrugged.
"Yes or no."
"Yea."
Alex turned and made her way back to her desk to retrieve another photo. This time, of Aaron Jasper after his transformation into Erik's lookalike. "How about this photo?" She held it up to show Jake and then the jury, placing the photos side by side, for comparison.
Scoffing and looking away, Jake seemed bored with the questions. "Yea, I know him."
Standing in the middle of the floor, between her table and the stand, where Jake sat, she explained to the court the person in both photos. "His name was Aaron Jasper. Thirty-two years old, from Iowa, liked older men. He used a dating service and came up with two matches, he went on several dates with; you and" she turned to motion toward the other defendant, at the table, "Justin Paxton." Pausing to turn back to Jake, she shifted on her black, three inch heel. "Whose idea was it for Aaron to look, dress and become Mr. Matthews?"
Jake shrugged. "Musta been his. I don't know."
"How many dates did you have?"
"Nine or 12." Jake glanced back over to see Erik's expression and smirked as his ex-lover closed his eyes and sighed, in defeat.
Alex cleared her throat and regained Jake's attention. "Who initiated that romance?"
"Aaron."
Before another question was asked, Justin Paxton's counsel stood and called for an objection. "Your Honour, where is this line of questioning going and what does it have to do with my client?" Henry LaRue was a middle-aged man with short, gray hair and trimmed mustache. He was not a tall man but held his ground at 5 feet and 6 inches. His gravelly voice carried loudly into the acoustics of the high ceiling. He sat one chair over, from Erik, while his client sat around the corner of the table and glared at the man on the witness stand.
Judge Judith Wyatt had been passed the baton of trying the case from Judge Marsden, as Marsden had long been tired of Martinelli's antics. "Where is this headed, Ms. Cabot?"
Alex turned and looked at the older judge. "Your Honour, my questions are placing a timeline, leading up to the rape and murder of Aaron Jasper. I am also establishing why the victim's appearance was changed to resemble that of Mr. Martinelli's counsel, Mr. Matthews."
Judge Wyatt leaned forward and raised an eyebrow at Alex before glancing in Erik's direction. "I'll allow it but, get to the point, Ms. Cabot." Short gray hair with curled ends and a rounded face suggested an even-tempered woman but, behind her thick, black-rimmed glasses sat a shrewd judge with strong judicial sense. She had been watching the three people and paid special attention to Matthews, every time Jake would smirk in his direction.
Alex resumed her questions. "Did you and Aaron Jasper start dating before or after your relationship with Erik Matthews ended?"
"I don't remember."
Erik's brow furrowed and he leaned over and whispered to his first chair. They chatted for a moment and turned back to the exchange of questions between Cabot and Jake.
Alex stood in the middle of the space between Jake and her table, shifting her weight to her right foot. "Out of the times you and Aaron Jasper were dating, how many times was Jasper inside Matthew's home?" She had been less and less impressed by Jake's lack of care, of the situation and blatant disregard for his attourney's privacy.
"A few." Jake smirked and recalled the several places, in Erik's home, that they made love.
Alex could feel a headache coming on. "Aaron Jasper was found wearing Erik Matthews' suit and had several other items, belonging to Erik Matthews, in his possession. Did he take those items on any occasion that you and he were in Mr. Matthews' home, without Matthews' knowledge?"
Shrugging, Jake shifted. "He musta had very light fingers."
"No further questions." Cabot brought them back to the present.
Lindsay Craig had been an established partner in Erik's firm and had taken over the handling of the case, releasing Erik from being over-burdened with stress. "We reserve the right to recall this witness, for a later redirect." Her voice had been neutral as she stood and projected her statements to the court. "At this time, your Honour, we request a recess."
Judge Wyatt sighed and checked her watch. "Granted. Break for lunch and reconvene in one hour. We're in recess." The gavel banged and Judge Wyatt stood up and made her way to her chambers.
As the court emptied, around him, Erik sat in his chair and stared at the empty bench. His hand curled and rested at his mouth, as if holding in a secret. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the long, oak table and stared at the Witness Stand. The empty chair had taunted him and promised release from the torment Jake had placed upon him. A hand on his shoulder startled him back to where he was. It hadn't been so much his reputation he was afraid to lose, but more his humanity. This hadn't been "just another case to deal with" but, instead, a fight between lovers that had placed him as nothing more than a ragdoll caught in the middle. He hadn't enjoyed the way his personal life had been displayed and then ripped apart as if he were an inanimate object.
"Come on, son. Let's get some dinner, huh?" Captain Anders' voice was calm and soothing as he patted Erik's right shoulder and stepped back as the young man stood and turned around to follow his father out of the courtroom and into the hall.
~~~~~~
Kapachelli's Bistro
85th and Broadway
12:05 PM
Erik sat and stared at his ham and Swiss on rye halves. He hadn't been hungry for a few days but forced himself to eat a few bites of toast or whatever else he had that was small. The sandwich, in front of him, had been over stuffed with meat, some lettuce and a few slices of Swiss. "I'm not hungry, Pop." They sat in a far corner, surrounded by full table of hungry people on their lunch breaks. His back had been to the window and his eyes wandered up and down the long line of people, waiting for their food, at the countre. His father sat across from him and chewed on his own sandwich as if their lunch was rigidly timed.
Captain Anders finished chewing the bite of a Ruben, he had ordered, and leaned back in his chair. "You wanna get it to go? Save it for later?" He wiped his mouth with the napkin he had draped over his right leg. "C'mon, you gotta eat something. Not good for you to just eat like a bird."
Erik shook his head sullenly.
Anders studied his son, for a moment. "Erik, you aren't doing anyone any good, on an empty stomach."
Erik inhaled. "I'm not five, Pop."
Anders agreed. "No, that you aren't. But, you're still my son, young man. So, come on, three bites." Nudging Erik's plate, he cleared his throat and, for a brief moment, saw Erik, as a child, staring back at him. "You know, your mother lost her appetite, after her treatments, too. She got so thin and frail, they had to put her on IVs. I'd hate to have to make that decision for you, too."
Embarrassment hit and forced Erik to turn his head and look away. As he looked up from the dirt-streaked floor, his eye caught sight of a familiar face. Elliot Stabler had been sitting at a table a few spots down, in the middle of the room, talking to a dark-haired woman, with her back to them. Their conversation had been tense but calm, as not to alarm the other patrons of the bistro. As the woman collected her purse and stood to leave, Elliot also stood but did so to prevent her from leaving, without finishing the conversation.
"William." Captain Anders asserted his tone by tapping the table and using Erik's middle name to regain Erik's attention.
Erik's sighed and turned back to acknowledge his father. Before he was told, again, he shrugged and picked up the first half of his sandwich and bit off the corner.
~~~~~~
The remainder of the day in court had been the medical examiner's explanation of Aaron Jasper's trauma and death and then the detectives' findings of Aaron Jasper's personal life. By the time the judge called for the end of the day, Erik had been physically and emotionally done. He was numb and humiliated by the proceedings that only reminded him of how much he was hated by two very different people and an innocent man was dead, because of it.
As his front door shut behind him, Erik slid down and drew his knees to his chest. Sobbing quietly into his hands, he ignored the incessant buzzing in his coat pocket. He took a few minutes to let himself cry before gasping for breath and composing himself, wiping at tears with shaky fingers. The buzzing continued and after another moment of composure, he dug into his coat's left pocket and removed his cell phone. Staring at the name, he answered it. "Yes, Ms. Cabot."
Her voice had been mute of concern she had for his state of being and, instead, cleared her throat and pressed on the matter of her call. "Erik, I wanted to see if you were still willing to testify against Jake?"
Erik wiped a hand across his face and rest his head against the door. "Yes. Fine. I've informed my co-counsel of recusing myself. I have an appointment, first thing, in the morning and then, we can go over my testimony, before court. I should be at your office by 9." He had hoped she would leave it at that and end the conversation but, a part of him wanted someone to talk to. He knew that opposing counsel was not the smartest confident to choose. "Anything else?"
Alex was silent for a moment, listening to him breathing, on the other end. "Erik, I know this seems overwhelming and humiliating but, it's almost over. Once you give your testimony, it'll be up to a jury to convict both Jake and Justin for the murder of Aaron Jasper. This is, in no way, your fault." She was silent again, listening to his breathing.
Taking a ragged breath and staring at the bottom stair, across from him, Erik closed his eyes and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Ms. Cabot. Good night." After hanging up and placing the phone on the floor, beside him, he sighed. He sat there for a long while and listened to the air around him, the sounds of the street outside, the distant murmurs of neighbours around him and then the silence of a lonely brownstone. His body relaxed and the throbbing headache, from stress, started to dissipate.
The phone, on the floor, sprang to life for the second time. This time, it had been to remind him of his medication. Picking it up and flipping it open to silence the beeping, Erik checked the time. 7:30. Pushing himself to his feet and heading to the kitchen, he retrieved the small square Tupperware from the refrigerator and opened it to find the PB&J, he had made for himself, that morning. Removing his coat and draping it over the back of a chair and eating only one half of the sandwich and replacing the other half to the refrigerator, he made his way upstairs, with a glass of water, for his evening pills.
Loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, Erik placed the glass of water on the bedside table, next to the pill container, and sat down on the bed. Robotically, he took his medication, one by one, with a sip of water after each pill. He undressed and placed his clothing in the hamper, in the bathroom, before retrieving a clean pair of winter pajamas and underwear, from his dresser. Erik sat on the bed and stared at the floor. He hadn't closed the drawer, to the bedside table which left the bottle of natural supplements in plain view. He bit his bottom lip and reached for the bottle of pills that only missed one capsule, reading the directions, carefully. He opened the bottle and dumped a single capsule into his hand. From the back of his mind, Jake's voice haunted him with taunts of unsaid desires of the male detective.
A second voice entered his mind with reassurance, from a medical standpoint, that sexual activity was not completely out of the question for cancer patients. Taking the pill with a gulp of water, Erik paused and then propped himself against the two pillows, on his side of the bed. He reclined on the bed, naked and chilled from the cool material. Inhaling and forcing himself to relax, Erik rubbed tiny circles at the base of his manhood, with two fingers of his left hand. A small moan as he eased the tiny circles up his shaft. He could both feel and see the supplements take effect. His arousal was slow, at first, but as he began to think of the kiss he shared with Detective Stabler, it had stiffened quite nicely. He closed his eyes and licked his lips, remembering the taste of the masculine detective. His breath caught as the warmth of his hand encircled and lightly squeezed the tip of his manhood, causing a gasp as he imagined easing his erection into the detective's tight and warm body. Slowly, carefully, he stroked himself. He imagined the detective kissing his neck and gripping Erik's hips, pulling him deeper inside him.
It had been so long since he had felt like a man, making love to another man, one that was actually patient with him. He stroked himself more firmly but kept the rhythm at a slow pace. Elliot had been so different from Jake; in his mind and in person. He moaned again as his mind recalled the feeling of closeness and warmth of their first embrace, in Erik's living room, how Elliot had let him hold him, for an instant, before guiding the frail, young man back down to the sofa. Looming over Erik, with concerned eyes. Front teeth bit into his lower lip as his pace quickened. His right hand cupped and warmed his neglected testes. A sharp intake of air as his mind projected Elliot's hands on him. Erik moaned a little louder as he gently squeezed himself, simultaneously.
In a final twist of cruelty, reminding him that the handsome detective was off limits, Erik imagined Elliot making love to his wife. A faceless, shapeless woman, he hadn't met, was underneath the well-toned Stabler, moaning and writhing in pleasure as he thrust himself in and out of her wet opening. He had wondered how Elliot handled himself, in bed. A forceful lion or gentle lamb? Erik became more forceful in his strokings. Wrenching his eyes tightly closed and grinding his teeth, his mouth sprung open and froze as a spray of warm semen striped his stomach and chest. Opening his eyes to see the streak of fluid, he refrained from whispering Elliot's name, as if keeping his act a secret. Streak after warm streak, Erik panted, feeling his heart pound in his chest.
With a final gasp and sigh, Erik studied the fluid on his hand and stomach. He gasped as his nose started run and dripped onto his chest. With the back of his right hand, he wiped at the wetness, on his lip and sat up with a start. Making his way into the bathroom, he grabbed a clean washcloth from the frosted sliding shower door railing and held it to his nose while using his left wrist to lift the lever and run warm water to rinse off his hand.
After a long moment, he removed the cloth from his nose, to see if the bleeding had stopped. Staring at his reflection, into his own caramel eyes, and then down, to his chest and stomach, Erik felt the shame of wanting Detective Stabler to be with him. The shame wasn't for wanting the detective but for knowing he was using the detective as a security blanket and filler from his bad romance with Jake. The feeling worsened as he told himself Stabler wasn't interested in him, as a lover.
~~~~~~~
Trial Part 22
10:14 AM
"The People call Erik Matthews, to the stand." Alex stood and announced her next witness.
Craig bolted up from her chair and demanded an objection. "Counsel was and is party to privileged information. Putting him on the stand violates confidentiality."
Judge Wyatt removed her glasses and blinked evenly at Ms. Craig. "Counsel has recused himself from this case, and as such, opened himself up to testimony. He is also a named victim of your client. Overruled." Replacing her glasses, Wyatt looked from Ms. Craig to the young man, sitting in the gallery, behind her. "Get up here, Counselour."
Sitting down, in the chair, Erik felt all eyes on him and, for the first time, a feeling of nervousness came over him. Displaying no emotion, he waited for Alex's first question. He held his breath as the tall blonde stepped closer to him.
"How did you meet Mister Martinelli?"
Erik swallowed. "My senior year at Law School, about seven years ago. I was studying for a final, at a gay bar Jake frequented. He, uh, bought me a few drinks."
Cabot nodded. "How long after your employment with Caldwell & Jameson, a firm that Jacob Martinelli's grandfather helped found, did your relationship with Jacob Martinelli, turn sexual?"
The courtroom door, behind her opened and a man slipped in to sit in the back row. Erik's attention was diverted briefly as he recognised the man that had entered. Blinking back to the woman, a few feet away, he answered. "Six months later." His heart pounded as Alex Cabot moved and Erik was able to stare at his brother's face, from across the room.
"When did your relationship end?"
"Two years later."
Alex turned away from him and took two steps back to her table. "Why?" She paused and turned back to look at him.
Erik's jaw trembled. "I was diagnosed with cancer; CML. Jake couldn't handle my being ill."
"Would you mind telling the court what CML stands for?"
Erik took a deep breath. "Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia. Stage four."
Reaching for an evidence bag that had been sitting on her table, Alex held it up for Erik and the court to see. "A condition in which the medication 'Droxia' would be offered. Correct?" Not waiting for his reply, she walked the evidence bag up to the stand and placed it on the railing. "Is this your prescription?"
Erik lowered his eyes and nodded. "Yes."
"Have you ever met Aaron Jasper?" Alex had tried to keep her tone neutral but moved her questions along as she could tell Erik was slowly fraying from the stress his testimony was placing on him.
"No."
"When did you first hear of him?"
Erik sighed. "The day Detectives Benson and Stabler questioned my client, Jacob Martinelli."
Alex paused to take a breath. "That was also the day your client raped and assaulted you. Wasn't it?"
His face flushed as he stared at his father and brother's faces, as they sat in the back row of the courtroom. "Yes."
Cabot inhaled and thought about how to ask him, in a non-hostile manner. "Would you please tell the court what happened?"
Erik closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The last thing he had wanted was for his father and brother to hear the details of his rape. When he opened them, again, he had conformed his demeanour to his attourney tone. "I um, I got home from work and just wanted to sit down and relax. Jake was drunk and high. I asked him asked him if Jasper had been in my home and, subsequently, in my bed. He refused to answer and diverted attention to a box of sex toys, he had sitting on the countre. I had never seen them before so, again, the conversation of where they had come from, was a dead end. Before I became ill, we really had no use for them. After my diagnosis, sex stopped completely."
"You were the one that mainly initiated sex?"
Erik nodded. "Yes." He paused a moment and fisted his hands to stop the trembling. He cleared his throat and steadied himself before continuing. "We tried herbal remedies and other variations but, by then, he had become upset by my lack of interest. Cancer treatments strip you of sex drive. I knew he had to have had someone on the side because, after he called it quits, he would tell me about the bars and sex clubs but wouldn't want anything to do with me. That night, we had a terrible fight. We were screaming at each other. I asked him about how many men he had been with and," taking a breath, "he exploded. He finished his beer and grabbed another. Told me 'we should get wasted, together.'" Erik deliberately stared at her, as he continued. He blinked back to her face, every time his eyes made a move to look in Jake's direction. "I told him no and he snapped and said, 'it would loosen me up.' What really set him off was the alarm on my phone, for my evening pills. He threw the bottle of beer at me and crossed the room to grab my arm, to stop me from going upstairs, where my medication is. He begged me to make love to him. When I said no, again, he got violent. He shoved me against the stairs and backhanded me. I pushed him off and tried to run up the stairs but, I got about five steps up and he wrapped an arm around my waist and threw me back down to the floor." His breath caught and forced him to stop and collect himself. After a moment of silence and Cabot asking if he was alright, Erik nodded and continued. "I begged him to stop but, he kept punching and kicking me, telling me that my illness was an excuse. Next, he um, he ripped my clothing and started to undress me. I crawled away from him but, he dragged me by my hair, into the sitting room, where he shoved me against the sofa and forced himself into me." He waited for another humiliating question but nothing came. Bowing his head, he hoped he would be dismissed. Again, nothing.
Judge Wyatt leaned over her desk and stared at him, over the tops of her glasses. "Do you feel alright, Counselour?"
"Oh. Uh." Erik wiped at his nose and stared at the red fluid on his fingertips.
Alex thought quickly for the words. "You Honour, the People request a recess....."
"Granted. We're in recess until tomorrow morning." Wyatt banged the gavel. "Get the medical unit in here!" She called to the bailiff, standing by the door.

Continued.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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The Devil You Know