The Next Stage - 21. In The Interest of Honesty

“This is a terrible idea.” Ryan sighs, standing back and watching Jasper turn himself back into a teenager with the magic of make-up and the right hairstyle.

“I’m not the one with anything to be ashamed of.” Jasper was going to walk into this courtroom looking inexcusably innocent and naïve. Even knowing better, Ryan couldn’t look at him without feeling slightly uncomfortable with Jasper’s appearance.

“It’s your self-respect, Jas. Getting up in a courtroom and saying you were too out of it to consent to sex might...”

“It’s not like they are going to call you up to the stand and ask if you’ve slept with me while I’ve been emotionally vulnerable. And even if they did, you could tell them you’ve not touched your husband since he was diagnosed with bipolar. So, you’ll be fine. Or is it you’re worried it’ll make me look bad or make you look bad for taking me back?”

“Well, if you’re just going to put words into my mouth...”

“It just really seems like you’re against this because you’re ashamed or embarrassed about something that I’ve made my peace with. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of this either, but this guy has pissed me off.”

“I’m not ashamed or embarrassed, Jas. I am just not exactly looking forward to having to re-live that time to justify a mistake. It’s not exactly my favourite memory.” Ryan admits, adjusting his suit, agitated.

“I don’t like re-living it either...”

“When I was on the flight home, all I could think was ‘I cannot wait to walk in on Jasper and Ryan having some real heated domestic'." Leo states from the doorway. The couple stop and turn to him, equally surprised. "I did knock, text, try to call and then call out from the front door before I let myself in.” Leo shrugs.

“Leo! Tell Ryan this isn’t stupid.” Jasper demands.

“And upon walking in on the domestic, I, of course, hoped to have been asked to join in.” Leo rolls his eyes. “Is this what happens when you get married?”

“This is what happens when you let your frustration cloud your judgement.” Ryan crosses his arms and checks his phone.

“You know if I step back and pay him off, it’s just going to make it look like I’m trying to hide something? Like I’m guilty.”

“And the only alternative for that is to air all the worst things about yourself that you’ve worked so hard to move forward from, to the public so that they can obsessively pick you apart for it for the next few months? You’re going to be in headlines for all the worst reasons, Jas. That’s why I care. I care because I’m the one that’s going to be here supporting you and comforting you and locking you out of your own phone again so you can’t get hurt by what is said or fuel the fire against your name by lashing out. You said it yourself, he’s a nobody. What do you lose by letting this go?” Ryan urges him to reconsider.

“People respect those who have the guts to admit they fucked up, a lot more than the ones who pay people off to cover up for their mistakes.” Jasper replies, turning and storming past Leo, out of the room.

“Am I wrong?”

“Depends what the context is? Are you wrong about what you’re saying? No. Are you wrong about how you’re going about this? Sorry, but, yeah. You need to support him in this.” Leo shrugs, leaving Ryan with that thought as he heads downstairs to find Jasper.

“You ok?” Leo asks.

“Well, no. But that’s never really stopped me before, has it?” Jasper sighs. “Is Ryan even coming?”

“Just because I don’t agree with you on this doesn’t mean I’m not standing by you.” Ryan calls out, pulling on his suit jacket as he comes down the stairs, walking straight over to Jasper and kissing him on the cheek. Jasper groans and grabs Ryan, bringing him in for a tight hug. He presses his face against Ryan’s shoulder and Ryan wraps his arms around him. They stay like this, silent and holding each other strongly for a few long, cathartic moments.

“Ok, we’re good.” Jasper lets out a sigh as he releases Ryan and steps back, adjusting his suit again and turning to Leo. “My first court appearance. This should be fun.”

*** 

“You do not know how much it thrilled me to get this phone call. ‘Damien, please come to court for me and tell everyone about my sexual indiscretions.”

“What the hell is he doing here?” Ryan asks. Jasper turns, following his gaze and giving a fake smile as he sees Damien, of all people, walking towards them in a suit.

“He’s a witness.” Jasper answers with a shrug.

“A witness?”

“I went to the bar he worked at before I met the dude. Hi.” Jasper gives a nod to acknowledge Damien.

“Hi. You look like a mistake that’s about to ruin someone’s life.”

That brings a genuine smile to Jasper’s face. “Thanks, that’s what I was going for.”

Ryan is anything but smiling over this blindsight. “So, you got him drunk and let him go home with someone? I guess at least that’s a step up from drugging him yourself.”

“Actually, he turned up drunk, and I escorted him to the staff room, refused to serve him and offered to call you to take him home. I know more than you’d think about this and I’d like to hope my part today makes a difference for the better. Really nice to see you again, by the way. I heard you’re married and on Broadway, congrats.” Damien states, biting his lip.

“Dame! No way! How are you beautiful?” Leo walks over and wraps his arms around Damien, who turns into a normal emotive human the moment Leo holds him.

Jasper looks down, trying not to laugh when he hears Ryan’s salty. “You’re not serious.”

“Lee! Oh my god I’ve missed you! Where have you been!?” Damien asks, holding Leo’s face in his hands and looking deep into his eyes. The two share a genuinely sweet kiss before Damien breaks it and frowns. “Wait, why are you here?”

“I worked for Jasper.” Leo shrugs. Damien glances at Jasper and Ryan with a horrified look on his face.

“Of course, you two have slept together.” Ryan turns away from them, shaking his head in disgust.

“Can you blame me? He’s cute as hell.” Leo shrugs with a smirk until he notices the glare from Ryan, the eye roll from Jasper, and the cringe on Damien’s face. “I’m missing something, aren’t I?”

“They dated.” Jasper states.

“He’s my ex.” Ryan says at the same time.

But, “I took Ryan’s virginity,” is the way Damien decides to sum it up, and with that, Ryan can’t stand another second of this and paces away to collect himself.

Leo’s reaction is so minimal it’s almost nice. To think all their complicated history just didn’t matter anymore was refreshing. However, when Jasper looks over at Ryan and sees the frustration on his face, it’s clear that sentiment isn’t felt by everyone.

Before Jasper gets a chance to go check in with him, Daniel is ushering Jasper aside to go over their case one more time. The doors are opened and everyone else is invited inside to take their respective places.

The moment the plaintiff enters the room, Ryan and Leo share a look like they’re wordlessly agreeing to cover each other for this guy’s murder. Jasper must have been seriously wasted for his judgement to have been so clouded. Though Ryan knew he didn’t feel bad for the guy, the moment he saw his disgusting smirk, he smiled to himself with vindication that this man was about to be destroyed and his take down would be public.

He takes a seat opposite Jasper, who doesn’t even look at him. The judge enters, everyone is seated, and the jury is sworn in. The prosecution is called to make his opening statement and the poor lawyer looks confident as he stands up to tell the court what the charge is.

Jasper is called to the stand first by the prosecution. He is sworn in and takes his seat with confidence. Ryan truly hated that they were here, but seeing Jasper in the stand, ready to be questioned, all he could think was how much he could not wait for Jasper to do what he does best. Smile and ruin someone.

“Mr Reid, can you take me through the events of the night this alleged assault took place?”

“I was at home, drinking. Went to the bar down the street from my house, I made a phone call to my PA asking him to pick me up around 7pm that evening.”

“Are you able to give more detail?”

“Sure, I was high by the time I got out of bed. I was drunk before breakfast. The rest of my day was a blur of poor decisions.” Jasper states, looking at the lawyer with a smile Ryan hadn’t seen since they quit working for Chris.

Regardless, the lawyer continues. “Do you remember this man?”

“Not really. Before he opened his mouth about all this, I wouldn’t have recognised him in passing and I’m sure he introduced himself on the night, but his name didn’t even feel familiar when I read it in the article.”

“Do you remember going home with this man?”

“Vaguely.”

“Do you remember having sex with him?”

“Thankfully, no. By his description in the article, it doesn’t sound like it was worth remembering, anyway.” Jasper shrugs. Ryan wished he hated how much Jasper enjoyed getting revenge, but the look on his face was hard to hate and the cockiness in his smartass answer happened to remind Ryan of what first drew him to this man. That unapologetic attitude was fun to watch unfold on someone deserving.

“So, for all you know, it wasn’t even him?”

“He’s your client, you tell me?” Jasper shrugs. The lawyer doesn’t reply. “Well, he wrote the article and I have a witness from the bar I visited that night who has security camera footage of me getting in a car with him, so for all I know, he could be the wrong person. Unfortunately for him, there is evidence that places him there. Otherwise, he could have denied any of it and just walked away.”

“This charge is retaliation for you, then?”

“This isn’t about retaliation. It’s about accountability. I am more than used to people twisting the truth and using my name for clout. I own who I am and what I do. Say what you want about me, I don’t care. I am here today because I was taken advantage of in a vulnerable state, manipulated into sex, and now I’m being accused of lying. I have nothing to gain from this. My image is plummeting just being in the same room as him. But I’m here to defend myself now, since I was not in a place to defend myself back then.”

With nowhere else to go with it, the prosecution dismisses Jasper from the stand and rests to review his case notes.

Daniel gets up, calling forward their first character witness, fucking Damien.

“Can you tell the court here? What your relevance is to this case?”

“I worked at the bar that Jasper frequently visited. Including on the night of the alleged assault. I was also supplying him with marijuana. Frequently.”

Ryan rolls his eyes as he hears this. Not at all surprised. But certainly, still disgusted. It made sense, though. Anyone else at that time of Jasper’s life would have said no if he’d turned to them for drugs. Damien, however, had no such care for Jasper’s wellbeing.

“Now, on the night of this alleged assault, did my client attend your bar?”

“Yes.”

“Can you recount for the jury what happened when he attended?”

“Mr. Reid came into the bar in what I believe to be an intoxicated state. I refused to serve him, as per our policies. And took him into the staff room to try and find a safe way for him to get home. I offered to contact his partner, Ryan, not realising that they were not together at that time. He refused to let me contact anyone. Insisted that he was ok and when I went to get help from my co-worker, I returned and he was gone. When we looked at the security footage, we could see that he had gone outside and was getting in the car with somebody else.”

“I’d like to present to the jury evidence in the way of security footage identifying my client getting into the defendant’s car.” Daniel states. The Judge approves it and on the screen beside them, security footage plays. Jasper just stumbling his way into the packed bar. Inside the bar, the cameras showed him being led into another room. Damien leaves the room a few moments later, finding Harley at the bar and having a discussion with him before they both head back towards the room. Moments later. Camera again focusing on outside the bar shows Jasper coming out through a back exit. He stumbles and falls over as the very clearly identified prosecutor is coming over to his side. The man helps Jasper up, and there appears to be a distraught conversation that takes Ryan’s breath away. Even with no audio, he could hear the pain in the Jasper’s body language. He had held him in that state enough times that he ached to watch it play out.

“Have you seen this man at your bar before was the irregular?” Daniel continues his questioning as the video replays.

"No. Our bar had become known for Jasper’s appearances, though, so we had a lot of unfamiliar faces visiting over these few days.”

“So it’s possible that he may have been here just to try and meet Mr Reid.”

“Very possible. As a bartender, you overhear a lot of things. Many people there were hoping to get the kind of night this man managed to get from Jasper. Part of the reason that on this occasion when he did turn up intoxicated, I was very concerned with safety.”

“Objection. This is speculation and there’s no evidence to support it.” The other lawyer calls out.

“Sustained.” The judge agrees.

“Can you tell the court what kind of relationship you have with my client?” Daniel continues his questioning.

“I hated him and he hated me for a very long time. I tried to ruin his relationship on multiple occasions. Never had a nice thing to say to him when I did see him.”

“Why is it he attended your bar, then?”

“He didn’t want to be in the company of people who cared about him.” Damien shrugs.

“So, when he was feeling self-destructive, he would go to you. And you would enable his behaviour."

“He didn’t want help. He wanted to get drunk. I did what I could for him in the way of limiting his consumption. I would limit how much alcohol he could consume at my bar as I would with any other customer. Send him home when if he’d had enough. Try to ensure that he had a safe way of getting home. But in a way, I felt like it was... I was a person that could check in on him without checking in on him, you know? He wasn’t opening up to people. I didn’t realise that he and Ryan were not still together. So being able to see him every couple of days. In a way. Made me a safe contact. I could see him going downhill, but every time he showed up at the bar or asked me to drop weed off at his apartment was another time to check that he was still alive. He opened up to me on many occasions and didn’t hold back on telling me how he was. With loved ones he held back because he never wanted to hurt them, but with me he was safe to vent and scream and grieve in whatever complicated and messy way he needed to.”

Ryan’s face holds a frown that was somewhere between sad, misunderstanding and happiness all at once. Yes, he hated hearing that during Jasper’s worst time, the time when he was pushed away and cut out of his daily suffering, he’d turned to someone whose purpose was to help him numb his mind. Though at the same time, he respected that Damien saw an importance in that role. He wasn’t just watching Jasper go downhill and enjoying it like the bitter person Ryan thought he would have been. In fact, Ryan was really pleased to hear that Damien had developed some ability to empathize. He felt a great deal of pride in a bittersweet way, that after all this time wondering how he’d ever even had feelings for someone so selfish and coldhearted, Damien finally proved that he could grow. Ryan would never be able to forgive everything else, but hearing this seemed to help in some way, to take away the anger that the thought of Damien still had the power to cause.

The next person called to the stand is Leo.

“You worked for the defendant at the time of this alleged assault. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And during this time, I’m assuming you’d have signed some pretty intense paperwork to ensure confidentiality and privacy was maintained.”

“Standard non-disclosure agreement.” Leo shrugs.

“I suppose it’s not likely of him to sue you if you’re defending him.”

“As his personal assistant at this time, I had a duty of care that negates that of an NDA. I can discuss matters regarding situations that were unsafe. I’m not here to give an opinion, I’m here to give facts that help the jury understand this situation with a holistic view.” Leo shrugs.

“Can you describe the nature of your work during the months surrounding this event.”

“I was employed as his personal assistant while Mr Reid was on a global tour with his band. Shortly after this, he employed me to continue that role, only it became less of an assistant role and more that of a carer. I was mostly checking in on him, transporting him to and from doctor’s appointments. Taking phone calls in the middle of the night where he couldn’t speak or his words were incomprehensible.”

“And you’ve been able to supply the jury with an example of this.” Daniel states, declaring a recording of one of these phone calls, the night before that in question, as evidence.

It’s three minutes of Leo talking Jasper through a panic attack. On the other end is just the sound of hyperventilating and sobbing.

This was what Ryan had been terrified of having to re-live. Again, hearing him so distraught and searching for that comfort in someone else, broke his heart and took him right back. This reminded him of the day they broke up. Of the devastation of sitting helpless against the door while he listened to Jasper falling apart. Jasper would never know how many nightmares Ryan had during those few months apart, where Jasper was broken and unreachable. Every time Ryan closed his eyes, he’d dread falling asleep because he so often woke up more emotionally drained than he’d been when he went to bed.

In the audio, the one comprehensible sentence Jasper gets out is, “I don’t know who I am anymore.”

Ryan glances towards Jasper, whose strength had faltered. He sits straight, but there’s a glossiness of tears in his eyes. All Ryan could hope was that going through all of this again wouldn’t trigger pain Jasper had managed to put behind himself. He didn’t deserve to have to suffer all over again.

The next audio played was Jasper’s phone call to Leo on the night in question.

“Was this the first time you picked him up in this condition?”

“Drunk and confused? No. Out in public with no idea of where he was? Yes.”

“And in that audio, you threatened to quit. Why?”

“I cared about his wellbeing, but I was exhausted. I’m not good at being an emotional support for people and I’d been heavily relied on for that. But I also have little patience for people that don’t want help and all the times we talked, all the distraught phone calls, he never once asked for help and if I offered it, he’d deflect or ignore it entirely. It became more than I could handle.” Leo admits.

“What condition was he in that night?”

“He was exhaustingly calm. When I picked him up, he was lying on the footpath in a dissociative state.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, he threw his shoes into my car with disrespect on a level even he, in his inebriated state, knew better than.” Leo’s answer gives the jury a laugh that they needed.

“And to you, that translates to being in a dissociative state?”

“In all my time working for Mr Reid, he was never disrespectful. So yes, I’d say he would have had to have been completely switched off to behave in such a way. But it’s more so the conversation we had in the car that concerned me.”

The conversation is submitted as another piece of evidence, and as it plays out, Jasper is once again struggling to not show his pain.

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Daniel repeats what Jasper had said in the audio. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, does that sound like a response of someone in their right state of mind, when asked what drug they ingested?” Daniel excuses Leo from the stand and takes his seat.

The other lawyer gets up and Ryan was genuinely intrigued to know how he planned on justifying his client’s actions. He calls Jasper to the stand and asks permission to approach the judge to submit his own evidence.

“Mr Reid. You’ve recently been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, is that correct?"

Jasper stiffens in his seat, his jaw clenched as he takes in the question. “Very recently, yes.”

The lawyer hands over a subpoenaed medical review of Jasper’s mental state.

“Objection. Irrelevant to the case.” Daniel calls.

“Your honour if you will. Mental illness often starts quite a while before a diagnosis is placed. I’m merely trying to understand whether there is any potential that Jasper was indeed dealing with bipolar at the time of his interaction with my client.”

“I’ll allow it.” The judge rules and Jasper's and Ryan’s hearts sink.

“Thank you, your honour.

“Mr Reid. Is it possible that on the night of this is alleged assault, you were experiencing a manic episode that could affect your interpretation of events?”

“Of course it’s possible. Though I’m not quite sure how you anyone could verify that. It’s a personal experience. Even a doctor couldn’t say for sure that I was experiencing an episode.”

“Are you on any medication?”

“I was only diagnosed and prescribed medication a couple of months ago. At the time of the alleged assault, I wasn't."

“And are you taking your medications now?”

Jasper hesitates before he answers. “No.” He admits, unable to look even closely in Ryan’s direction.

“Is it possible at the time that these tweets were made, accusing my client of assault, that you were experiencing a manic episode?”

Jasper gulps. “Yes. I was triggered by reading the comments that your client made about me on the Internet. For me, that night was a turning point in what had been the most horrendous few months of my life. And re-living it was not something I ever wanted to go through.”

“Now, Mr Reid, you have stated that you were not in your right frame of mind at the time of this alleged assault. Can you describe that to me?”

“I was emotionally vulnerable. I had depression, which I was not coping with. I’d been maintaining a state of drug and alcohol intoxication for weeks on end. The day that this alleged assault took place, I’d been reading negative comments about myself. Some of what was being said led me to feel worthless. Like I was a burden on everyone around me that still cared. I was neglecting all of my needs. Severing all of my connections with people. I was in a very lonely space and I didn’t want to be alive.” Jasper answers, his mood had changed since his first round of questioning.

“And during that period, you and Mr Kurtis were not together. Is that correct?”

“That’s correct.”

“Just for a time reference. When did your relationship end?”

“The same day my best friend was buried. Where are you going with this?” Jasper asks, frustrated by the questions.

“Between the end of your relationship. And this alleged assault, did you spend a night with Mr Kurtis? Intimately.”

“Objection.”

“Your honour. Mr Reid has confessed to a long running alcohol dependent, drug addicted state following the death of his best friend. Is it not relevant that were he to have had intimate relations with anyone else during this time, they too would be subject to an assault charge?”

“Objection. This is discussing Mr Reid’s husband, who by law is protected from providing evidence or being submitted to questioning in this case under the spousal privilege act. Therefore, any statement made in response to this question cannot be validated and considered in the ruling of this case.” Daniel calls out.

“I’m sorry. Can you define the word ‘assault’ for me?” Jasper scoffs.

“Objection sustained.” The judge rules.

“Your honour, may I take over this questioning?” Daniel requests.

“Keep it relevant.”

The lawyer takes his seat. And Daniel rises from the bench. Crossing the floor stand in front of Jasper.

“Sexual assault, by simple definition, is non-consensual contact of a sexual nature. In this case, you are arguing that you were coerced into giving consent due to mental, emotional and intoxicated state. Now, you have the right to refuse questions asked regarding other relationships. However, he does have a point. If you’re comfortable, I’d like to examine a comparison if you do have one from that period.”

Jasper stares at him confused, but hoping desperately that Daniel wasn’t about to fuck this case up and his marriage with it.

“I’ll answer the questions for the sake of comparison.” Jasper says, hoping to appear confident despite the turn this case was taking. He’d not been warned that documents regarding his mental health had been subpoenaed and his diagnosis would be made public. And he certainly wasn’t prepared to be questioned about his relationship with Ryan by his own lawyer. They’d discussed the possibility of the opposition lawyer bringing it up, and whether Ryan would be at risk of misinterpretation, but it’d never been agreed that they would discuss that in court.

“During the time you have expressed as being emotionally vulnerable, were you sexually involved with anyone other than the plaintiff?”

“Yes. And given that I’m married to the man I was involved with at that time, I think it’s safe to say the circumstances are completely different.”

“Is Mr Kurtis the only other person...”

“Yes, the only other ever.” Jasper answers.

“And what was the situation surrounding that interaction? For comparison's sake, I’m referring to your mental state and whether you were under any influences.”

“I was high and having a panic attack when I called him. I’d been pushing him away because I didn’t want him to see me struggling, but I was at my worst and I wasn’t coping. He came over to take care of me.” Jasper feels himself welling with emotion as he recalls the night. “He reassured me, comforted me and insisted that I rest. When I woke up, he had cleaned my apartment and filled my fridge with pre-cooked meals. Actually, I’m not sure I ever properly thanked him for doing all that. I didn’t feel I deserved it, but it meant everything to me.” Jasper makes eye contact with Ryan across the room and they share a bittersweet smile.

“So, you called, emotionally vulnerable, and he came over and cooked and cleaned for you?” Daniel asks with a smile, turning to the jury with a shrug before turning back to Jasper. “Did you feel that you owed him in a sexual sense?”

“Yes. But he rejected me.”

“You made a willing move, in the safety of your home and towards the man you loved who’d taken care of your environmental needs and provided you with emotional support?”

“Yes.”

“And he rejected you?” Daniel repeats for emphasis. “Did he supply you with any drugs? Alcohol? Little blue pills?” Daniel asks mockingly towards the other lawyer that no doubt made him wish he’d not brought up the possibility of this defence.

“No. I was sobering up by this point.”

“Were you emotionally vulnerable?”

“Yes. Because I’d been avoiding sobriety and all the pain that came with it. He again showed me compassion and comfort, reminded me he was there for me and we had a very difficult conversation about our feelings for one another, despite the situation we were both in. He understood I was not in a position where I could give to the relationship what he deserved. And I understood he wanted to take care of me through my depression and grief, regardless.”

“Is this when things became intimate? After discussing and clarifying what you wanted and needed from each other in your condition?”

“The love and consideration were incomparable. To suggest that interaction is on the same level as being given Viagra and taken advantage of in my lowest state. Is absolutely disgraceful.” Jasper states.

“The defence rests.” Daniel nods, heading back to sit down. Jasper is excused, and the opposition is given their opportunity to come forward with any witnesses, evidence, or a closing speech in their case.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, imagine you are in the company of a celebrity that you idolize. That they ask you to take them to your place and that they engage in an activity you believe to be consensual. Imagine this person has a platform that can damage your reputation and entire life if you do not respond to them in the way that they want. The power imbalance of being in the company of someone of that status, with that following. Mr Reid, using his platform to spread defamatory comments regarding my client, has caused him to lose his job, fear going into public spaces and receive threats and hateful messages to the point where he has had to remove himself from social media. He has caused enough hate to completely isolate my client from society. His voice was so silenced he did not feel he could even speak here today. This is the power of hate perpetuated by a person known to carelessly throw others into the spotlight just to drag them down. Mr Reid needs to face repercussions for his behaviour and treatment of others.” The lawyer takes his seat and Daniel is invited to give his closing speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my client is a human being, same as everyone else in this room. He has the capacity for pain, for sadness, for anger, for regret and, most importantly, for mistakes. His celebrity status forces him to face these feelings with no respect for privacy. We are discussing a man struggling to overcome the depression of a traumatic loss, relying on alcohol and drugs, isolating himself from everyone who cared about him and the whole world, judging him in his handling of this. He understands the consequences of social media hate. He did not want to bring this forward and subject himself to it further. Already, he has received hate and speculations towards his marriage because of this. To sit here complaining of defamation, when my client responded to an article made public against his name, is hypocritical at best. It didn’t have to come to this, but as my client stated at the start. He takes responsibility for his actions and his mistakes. His reputation is not without damage from facing this. He’s been forced to confront this traumatic and damaging time in his life. His mental illness has been aired, his marriage called into question, and his indiscretions open for judgement from every member of the jury. He’s lost more than he‘ll ever gain from bringing this into court. But in the interest of accountability and honesty, and to take a stand for his right to be treated as a human being, despite his status. The facts you of the jury must consider are not whether his celebrity status put this man at a disadvantage, but whether his actions can be judged as consensual. We have his at the time ex-partner, showing him genuine compassion, consideration and refusing to engage in sexual activity until such time as sobriety and honest conversations about what they needed, had been discussed. And finally, we have a man who found a drunk, vulnerable celebrity, took him to an unfamiliar location under false pretences of mind-altering substances, instead giving him a sexual stimulant drug in an environment where he was unable to leave due to not being aware of his surroundings, then proceeding to be sexually intimate. Ask yourselves, if this had not been made public, would this trial be anything but a sexual assault trial? If any of you were in the position Mr Reid was, moving forward in life after such an ordeal, only to find your name slandered and open to the criticisms of the public, would you pay for silence, or would you stand for justice?” Daniel closes, taking a seat again.

*** 

It’s no shock to anyone that the case is declared in Jasper’s favour, though there’s no celebration. Jasper was in a state of shut down as he makes his way from the courtroom. Ryan meets him outside the room, pulling him into a hug that they both needed. They exit the courthouse to a sea of reporters, and blinding camera flashes in every direction as security guards guide them through to Leo’s waiting car.

No one speaks on the drive home. Pensive silence from all three of them as they take in the day in privacy at least. Leo drops them home, knowing they would need at least their night alone.

Jasper goes for a shower, needing to wash away the stress of the day, while Ryan sets about organizing dinner, considering how and what to talk about with Jasper when he was finally ready to discuss some of the things brought up today.

"I feel like I need a drink." Jasper sighs as he walks into the kitchen. “I want you to let me because it’s just us and I’m home and I will only have one. But I also want you to say no because drinking when I’m like this is a habit.”

Ryan turns to Jasper and places a mug in front of him, a steaming cup of tea made with love and in preparation for Jasper wanting to drink. “You can have something else if you talk to me and I think you’re in the right headspace.” Ryan offers. Jasper nods, tears in his eyes instantly.

“I’m sorry about today and everything. All of it. I didn’t think it’d get that bad. You were right. I shouldn’t have gone through with it.”

Ryan wraps his arms around Jasper. “There’s so much I hated about today. I hated that you were hurt enough to go through with it. I hated that I had to see the guy that took advantage of you and couldn’t do anything about it. I hated that you didn’t warn me Damien would be there, and I hated finding out Leo and Damien had a thing. I hated sitting in that courtroom, hearing how lost you were and no matter how much time passes I still hate that you didn’t let me be there for you, to protect you from the situation that happened. I hated his lawyer bringing your mental health into question and ignoring that his client was in the right state of mind when he chose to take home an inebriated, depressed target. I hated all of that. Every single painful part of it. But I hate that you didn’t at least feel you could talk to me about what was going on with your meds.”

“I’m so sorry. I understand you being mad at me...”

“You think I’m mad at you for going off your meds?” Ryan asks, surprised. Jasper gives a shrug and looks up at Ryan. Ryan brushes away a tear and looks into Jasper’s eyes. “Babe. Do you know how many people with mental health issues go off their medication against doctors' direction? Just about every single one of them at some point. And you know how many people are fine off their meds until something happens? I am upset that you didn’t tell me and I am worried about you, but I’m not mad. I expected it would happen at some stage. I just thought we would have a conversation about it and a plan to manage it together.”

“I thought you would have not wanted me to look after Jazzy if I wasn’t medicated.” Jasper admits, looking away, but Ryan turns his face and forces him to hold eye contact again.

“Listen to me, you are the best daddy that little girl could ever ask for. I would never suggest otherwise. I trust you more than anyone. But you need to be honest with me about your mental state because I never want you in a position where you are struggling and alone here.” Ryan says, wiping another tear that had slipped down Jasper’s cheek.

“I would never hurt her.”

“I trust that you wouldn’t. That’s not what I’m concerned about. I’m concerned about you hurting yourself or putting yourself in a situation where someone else has to make a judgement on whether you’re a safe parent. I love you and I know I’ve not been here for you enough lately, but if you had told me, then I would have known to check in more. I see you nailing this dad thing and always having things organized at home and still having the energy to be a supportive partner, and I just think you have it covered. You need to tell me what I am not seeing.”

“See, I’ve been doing really well. I hated being on the medications. I felt useless...”

“When did you stop taking them?”

“The day Jasmyn was born. I forgot to pack them in the hospital bag and then we were there for a few days and I didn’t want to miss anything which I knew I would if I went back on them because I’d have to go through the whole adjustment period again.” Jasper sighs and his eyes meet Ryan’s shocked expression.

“I support you if you want to remain off them. Obviously, you’ve been managing ok as long as you’ve avoided triggers.” Ryan shrugs.

“Like reading that article.”

“Maybe stay offline for the foreseeable future.” Ryan suggests.

“Yeah.” Jasper sighs.

“I’m going to be home more. I promise. I’m going to take a step back from the musical...”

“No, Ry. You don’t have to do that. I don’t want to do that to you.”

“Babe, right now, this is where I want to be. Putting my focus on you, in this family you’ve given me and in us. I have the rest of my life to work. I don’t have this part of my life forever.” Ryan tells him with a smile as he leans in and presses his lips gently against Jasper’s for a loving, emotion filled kiss.