Legal Brief (a L.A. Law fanfic)

L.A. LAW

Legal Brief

A Victor Sifuentes/Maya Lopez fanfiction

Disclaimer: I do not claim any authorship to any character of L.A. Law. Steven Bochco owns it all (lucky bastard). I wish he would loan me Victor Sifuentes though because he is to-die-for. The character of Maya Lopez is mine however.

Chapter Two: See you in court

The next morning…

Victor woke up slowly. Stretching his long and lean body, he reached over to Maya. Finding her side empty, he sat up. “Maya?”

He threw his legs over the bed and stood up. For modesty’s sake, he stepped into his boxers and padded into the bathroom. Finding it empty, he called out again, “Maya? Where are you?”

He walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Where could she be? He wondered. As he stood in the middle of the kitchen pondering her disappearance, the phone rang. He picked it up on the first ring. “Hello, Maya?”

“Uh, Victor?” Michael Kuzak was a partner at McKenzie, Brackman, Cheney and Kuzak where Victor was a junior partner.

“Oh, Mike, hi,” Victor greeted, “what’s up?”

“Well, I was calling to find out where you were,” Michael answered, “the staff meeting is starting in fifteen minutes and we’re discussing your new case this morning.”

Victor glanced at the clock above the sink. Nine-fifteen! Damn, he was late! “Michael, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late. I overslept. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thirty minutes, tops.”

“Alright, man, just hurry,” Michael told him, “You know how Douglas gets when people are late.”

Victor hung up the phone and hurried to his bathroom. He turned on the shower and stepped out of his boxers. As a college studentctorctor had perfected the art of getting dressed in a hurry. He would roll out of bed thirty minutes before his first class and make it across campus with time to spare. He lathered up and shaved under the hot water.

Finishing his shower, he stepped out and toweled himself dry. He dressed quickly and within ten minutes, he was out the door. The drive to the office went quickly. Thankfully, there was hardly any traffic. At nine thirty-five, Victor pulled into his parking spot. Running his hands through his damp hair, Victor took one last look in the rearview mirror before he got out and locked the door.

The staff meeting was already in session when Victor walked into the conference room. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized, as he slid into his chair.

“Well, it’s nice of you to join us, Victor,” Douglas Brackman, the office manager, cracked.

“I said I was sorry, Doug,” Victor told him, “drop it.”

Before Douglas could needle him more, Leland McKenzie, the firm’s senior partner, spoke up. “Go on to the next case, Douglas,” he instructed.

“Ah, yes, last but not least, Thomas vs. Bennett,” Douglas said, picking up the next file. “That would be yours, Mr. Sifuentes. Are we ready for court today?”

Victor nodded. “My client is nervous, but she’s ready.”

“What is this about anyway?” Anne Kelsey inquired, turning to Victor.

“Denise Thomas is suing Roger Bennett for publishing nude photos of her without her consent,” Victor informed her.

Arnie Becker perked up. “Nude photos? Do you have any copies?”

Victor ignored him and went on. “Anyway, Denise is determined to make him pay so that’s what’s getting her through the embarrassment.”

“Well, good luck, Mr. Sifuentes,” Douglas said, closing the file. “And with that, we’re adjourned. We’re done here, people.”

Everyone started filing out. Michael fell into step with Victor as they left the conference room. “You okay, Victor?” he asked.

Victor looked over at him. “Yeah, thanks, Mike,” he assured him, “I just can’t believe I overslept like I did.”

They reached Victor’s office and walked in. “So, who’s Maya?” Michael asked. Victor stopped in his tracks. “You said her name when you answered the phone,” Michael reminded him.

Victor sighed. “I met her last night and took her home. When I woke up, she was gone.”

Michael whistled. “Wow, and you have no idea where she went?” Victor shook his head. “Well, how was she?”

“Mike, I don’t ‘kiss and tell’. Let’s just say last night was the first good night’s sleep I’ve had in ages,” Victor answered.

Michael whistled again. “Well, I’ll let you prepare for your trial today. Good luck, Victor.”

Victor glanced at his watch. Nine-fifty. He had twenty minutes to get to the courthouse to meet his client before they went into court. Stuffing his briefcase with his files, Victor left his office.

**********

Denise was pacing the floor when Victor arrived at their pre-arranged meeting place. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized, as he laid his briefcase on the table, “have you been waiting long?”

Denise shook her head and stopped pacing. “I’m so nervous, Mr. Sifuentes,” she began, as she sat down.

Victor smiled at her. “I know, Denise,” he tried to assure her, “but trust me, you’ll get through this. Remember, though, if you want to quit, just say the word. It’s up to you.”

Denise smiled. “Thank you for saying that,” she said, “but no, I don’t want to quit. I want that bastard to pay…through the nose.”

After a short meeting, Victor led his client through the corridor to the courtroom. The corridor was jam-packed as reporters milled around Roger Bennett. This was a high-profile case since Roger was almost as well-known in the publishing world as Larry Flynt. They flung questions at him and he lobbed answers and rhetoric right back. He talked about “the freedom of the press” and how great this country was to make a man like him rich after a childhood in abject poverty.

The reporters moved on when they spotted Denise. She clung to Victor as they shouted questions at her. He pushed them aside answering for her with a terse, “no comment.”

As Victor led Denise into the courtroom, Roger turned to his driver. “Where is she?” he demanded. “How freakin’ long does it take to go the ladies’ room?”

The driver shrugged. “She said she would be right here.”

Roger fumed as he walked into the courtroom. She knew that I wanted to waltz in here with mfe, fe, he ranted silently. He nodded tersely at his lawyer as he took his seat.

As Victor and Denise made their way to their table, he bumped into someone behind him when he was stopped by the large crowd. Turning to apologize, his mouth fell open in surprise. Maya stood befoim, im, looking just as surprised as he. Before he could call out to her, she turned and pushed her way through the crowd out of the courtroom.

A million thoughts ran through his mind. What was she doing there? Why did she run away? Victor’s mind reeled with the possibilities.

Meanwhile, outside the courthouse, Maya ran. She didn’t stop until she reached the bottom of the steps. She knew she’d have to pay later for skipping out on court but right now she didn’t care. She couldn’t believe HE was there. Victor. The man with whom she was already falling in love.


(Please review…come on, everyone’s doing it, you know you want to…just this once. Don’t you want to be cool??? =P )