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Up From Here	By : aliciakristine Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Eminem/Marshall Mathers Views: 3454 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know Eminem (Marshall Mathers). I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
17.

Rob defended himself throughout the morning,
which passed in a blur to Tara until Bill gently told her it was time for her
to take the stand. She swallowed with much difficulty and climbed to her feet.
Marshall squeezed her hand for good luck, and the bailiff escorted her to the
witness box and swore her in.

She was shaking when she sat down, and the judge
looked down at her and smiled warmly while one of the men sitting with Rob
stood up and shuffled through some papers. Her fingers tightened around the arms
of the chair she sat in. This one was much more comfortable than the ones
around the tables on the floor, and she tried to relax herself. Keep cool,
she told herself, closing her eyes. You can do this. Do it for Cameron. Be
calm for Cameron.

Finally, the older of the two men with Rob
approached her. He smiled, but there was nothing warm or kind in his eyes. His
lips stretched and turned upwards, but it looked more like a grimace than
anything else. His hair was silver and very thin, and his eyes were small in
his gaunt face. He was nowhere near as intimidating as her own lawyer was, and
she looked down at Bill Tolbert and the eager young lawyers next to him,
drawing strength from the fact that her own legal representation was a thousand
times scarier.

"Please state your name for the
record," he said.

"Tara Allister."

"Your age, please?"

"Twenty-seven years old."

"How old were you when you realized you were
pregnant with Cameron Hensen?" He emphasized Cameron's last name, and Tara
tried to keep her face impassive.

"I had just turned eighteen."

"Were you already married to Robert Hensen
when you discovered you were pregnant?"

"No."

"Were you living with him?"

"No."

"So you became aware of your pregnancy while
you were still living in Detroit, Michigan."

"Yes."

"Did you tell Robert Hensen that you were
carrying a child before moving to Boston with him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I was too confused and afraid to talk about
it with anyone. I... I was totally unprepared for a pregnancy, and I didn't
know what to do."

"When you did tell Robert, did you admit to
him that he may not be the father of your child?"

"No."

"Was it a possibility?"

"Obviously," she said, and saw Marshall
grin out of the corner of her eye.

The lawyer frowned at her. "So why didn't
you tell him that you might be carrying another man's child?"

"Because I hoped that it was Robert's,"
she said honestly.

"Why?" he asked with a smile. The judge
leaned forward, interested.

"I was very poor, and so was Marshall. He
already had a daughter, and he was doing all he could to afford the necessities
for her. I didn't want to come back to Detroit with another kid for him to take
care of, for him to provide for."

"You couldn't have provided for your son
yourself?"

"No," she said. "I was barely
eighteen. I hadn't gotten my high school diploma yet, had no work experience,
and no family to help me out aside from my mother, who... Well, I was alone,
we'll put it that way. I couldn't have given Cameron a good life, not the kind
of life he deserved, by myself."

"So you thought it was better to lie about
his paternity?"

"If Rob had ever asked me whether or not he
was Cameron's father, I would have told him the truth. He never did. I always
thought he assumed himself to be Cameron's dad, and I didn't want to hurt him
anymore than I already had."

The questions drug on for nearly twenty minutes,
and by the time the attorney sat down beside Rob, he had a smug grin on his
face. Tara's face felt hot. He accused her of being immoral, not only for
lying, but for coming up pregnant at barely eighteen with two men being the
possible father. She avoided meeting anyone's gaze; her humiliation was
overwhelming. She had wanted to stand up to Rob's lawyer with confidence and
determination, and she felt like she had failed miserably at that.

Bill stood up and was gentler in his questioning;
he asked questions to further explain some of the points Rob's attorney had
made, but Tara's quick glances at the judge proved futile. His face was
completely unreadable. Bill also asked questions about Tara's cancer, and she
was relieved that she had, at last, an excuse for not filing a petition
earlier. But nothing could be done about the fact that his custody had gone to
court once before and Tara had never mentioned that Rob may not be Cameron's
biological father.

Marshall was much more at ease on the stand than
she had been. He had a good excuse for not coming around until now: he simply
hadn't known. Rob's attorney didn't question him for very long, partly because
there was no real way to attack him without embarrassing the defense, but also
because of the stare Marshall fixed on him as though he was daring him to say
something even remotely insulting.

They broke for recess at noon, and Tara and
Marshall stayed in the courtroom. A paralegal brought them sub sandwiches and
they called Hailie and Laney. For the time being, the girls were being tutored
at home, and Tara was glad to hear their voices in the middle of the day. They
sounded encouraging. "We've been watching MTV, Tara, they said you guys
have a good chance of winning!" Laney told her excitedly.

Tara had no idea how MTV would know something
like that, but she didn't say anything. She told the girls that she loved them
and would see them soon, and gave the phone back to Marshall.

It was impossible to tell who was winning. The
judge seemed equally kind to everyone in the courtroom, but his face was
otherwise unreadable. Bill, Thomas, and Ryan assured Marshall and Tara that
things were going great. "We've made several significant points,"
Bill said, taking a bite out of his sandwich. It fascinated Tara to watch
someone so dignified eat until she realized that Marshall was probably thirty
times as rich and powerful as he was. It was a thought that had never occurred
to her before, and it was strangely amusing that the same dork that did Clint
Eastwood impressions in his underwear was richer than everyone else in the
courtroom combined.

"I love you," she said, breaking the
silence. Everyone looked up, surprised, but Marshall only leaned over to kiss
her and tell her that he loved her, too.

"Do you think we're doing okay?"

"We're doing great, baby."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm always sure," he said, leaning
back in his chair. "You did really good up there."

"I was a wreck."

"Of course you were. You were supposed to
be."

She raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"We had to play a sympathy card," he
said, shrugging. "We did good."

"You... you made me sit through that to draw
sympathy?"

"Calm down, Turbo." It was a nickname
he hadn't called her in a decade, and it did calm her down.

Court was called back in session at 12:30, and
the judge had questions that time. The lawyers gave their most compelling
arguments yet, and by 1:30, the judge had gone back into his chambers for
deliberation. Tara thought she'd burst. "It might be a few hours,"
Bill told them. "Go back to the hotel and calm down. We'll call you when
the judge makes his decision. It might not even come today."

Tara's brow furrowed. She couldn't imagine
spending the night in uncertainty, but she didn't say anything as security
guards appeared from nowhere to surround her and Marshall. They pushed their
way through the crowd that only thickened as the day wore on and climbed into
the back of another limousine. Before they'd even pulled away from the curb,
Marshall's phone rang. It was Bill.

"Have you left yet?"

"Not yet."

"Well, come back in. He's reached a decision
already."

Going back through that crowd was torturous.
Everyone was asking questions, jamming cameras and microphones everywhere they
could fit one, screaming their names, asking where Cameron was - all Tara
wanted was a dark, silent room she could lie in for a few minutes to get her
bearings. Police officers had finally arrived to control the crowd of people, but
not even cops could make people behave in the presence of Eminem.

The courtroom was quiet. Rob hadn't returned yet,
but his lawyers were still sitting at the table. She wondered if he was with
Cameron, and her heart lurched in both pity and envy. It should be me
comforting him, she thought furiously as she took her seat.

A few minutes later, Rob came in, looking over
his shoulder at the crowd behind him in disbelief. "All this ruckus,"
he said, shaking his head. "Over what? A second-rate rap star and his illegitimate
son's mother?"

Marshall glowered. "Second-rate?"

"Your music is so profane and violent. What
judge would award custody of a child to someone so... classless?"

Displaying an amazing control over his emotions,
Marshall stared at Rob without saying a word. Tara could feel the tense muscles
in his arm beneath her hand and knew he wanted nothing more than to jump over
the rail separating them and knock Rob unconscious. "He's desperate,
Marshall," she whispered. "He's praying you'll do something to fuck
up before it's too late."

The bailiff had them all stand, and the judge
entered the room. He impatiently had everyone but Rob, Tara, and Marshall sit
back down again.

"I've reviewed this case, and the answer is
quite clear-cut. It always causes me so small amount of pain to handle a case
such as this one; nothing can break the heart quite like losing a child can,
and both sides of this courtroom stands to lose a great deal. Mr. Hensen, you
have raised this child to be a remarkable young gentleman in the five years
he's been in your care. Miss Allister, I can only imagine how raw the pain
still must feel at losing your son. And Mr. Mathers, you must be in turmoil
right now, longing to know the son you've only just discovered." He cleared
his throat, shuffled some papers, and then put them aside.

"I was deeply impressed by Mr. Hensen's
ability to love and care for a child he knew was not his own flesh and blood.
It takes a remarkable person to act so selflessly, and I have much respect and
admiration for you in that regard. And you, Miss Allister, despite doing what
some would claim to be the wrong, dishonest thing, had only the best intentions
in your heart when you left Detroit for a better life for your son. I,
personally, cannot say whether or not I agree with the tactics you chose. But
you did choose them, and that took courage. Only a strong woman could do what
you've done, and for that, I respect and admire you.

"Finally, Mr. Mathers, I must say, you've
struck me as a kind, almost sensitive man, nothing at all like the celebrity
you portray. There is no doubt in my mind that you make an excellent father. I
had the pleasure of speaking with both of your girls over the phone-"

"Laney and Hailie?" Marshall
interrupted before he could stop himself.

"Yes. They're very bright, clever girls. I
hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of speaking with them, but I
thought it was very important to establish what kind of parent you are. They
were absolutely brimming with general affection for both you and Miss Allister,
who I gathered they've only known a short amount of time. I was quite taken
with both of them. They are both very polite, charming young women. You've done
a fantastic job with them."

"Thank you," Marshall said. His face
was pink with pride.

"I always talked with Cameron. He, too, is
an outstanding young man. I will admit, he was hesitant to admit to me that he
wanted to know Miss Allister and Mr. Mathers very much. He is undoubtedly
confused, but I hope you will do everything in your power to answer his
questions."

He cleared his throat. "In case number
three-eight-nine-seven-six-four-one-zero-eight-dash-five-three, Marshall B.
Mathers III and Tara N. Allister versus Robert Hensen, I rule in the favor of
the plaintiff. Tara, Marshall, you�re awarded full custody of your son."
- 16
- 17
- 18
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