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Jo sighed and looked out into the darkness outside the airplane window. Lina was asleep in the seat next to her, but Jo couldn’t sleep. She was too nervous about the days that were to come, having to go through it all again. She was worried that it would tear up old wounds that had begun to heal. At the same time she was more than happy to send Andy to jail. More than happy. She sighed again, shifted in the uncomfortable seat. 'It’s weird how fast you get used to flying first class...' she thought. She saw little dots of light far down, and wondered what city it could be they were flying over. She got her answer when the captain’s voice came through the speakers, announcing that they were now coming close to Stockholm, and asked them to please put on their seatbelts and sit up in their chairs. Lina woke with a groan.

“We’re there already? God this was fast.” She strapped on her seatbelt.

“Wonder why it felt short to you?” Jo raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“I’m so sorry hun, but I just can’t seem to stay awake for more than five minutes nowadays. My little girl is a tiresome one.” She smiled again and rubbed her belly.


The landing went smoothly, and before they knew it they had got their bags and were walking out into the arrival hall.

“Joanna! Lina!” Familiar voices shouted at them, and they turned around and saw their relatives.

“Mum, Dad!” Jo ran up to them and hugged them tightly.

“Jo, sweetheart, it’s so good to see you!”

“It’s so good to see you too! I’ve missed you guys!”

“Let’s see what he got you, that young man of yours.” Tina lifted Jo’s hand and looked at the ring. “My God. It’s perfect! Stephan, look!” Her father looked at the ring and smiled.

“I’ve seen it before.”

“What?” Jo and her mother gasped in unison.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Tina looked up at her husband.

“I didn’t wanna ruin the fun for you.” He smiled again. “So, why isn’t he with you? We were looking forward to meeting him again.”

“I told him not to come. I’ll explain it later. Right now I just can’t wait to come home.”

“Then let’s go.” Lina and her mother joined them as they walked through the hall. All of a sudden there were people all around them, flashing cameras and reporters with tape recorders and notebooks shooting questions at them.

“Joanna! Lina! Where do you have the boys? Why aren’t they with you? Is it true that you’re engaged to AJ McLean, Joanna? Lina, do you know what sex the baby is? When are you due? When is the wedding? Are you looking forward to the trial? What do you think the outcome is going to be?”


Jo was dumbstruck. She had come to expect the fuss when she was on tour, but she thought it would be different when she was on her own. Her father protected the two girls and Tina turned to the reporters.

“Our daughters have no comments to your questions, but as a mother I’ll give you a statement from me and her father. We are looking forward to the trial, because we want to send who did this to our daughter to prison for eternity. We are however not happy that our daughter has to relive what she went through again. That’s it, folks. Now get lost so we can go home.”

Jo couldn’t help but laugh as they got into the car. “Way to go, Mom!”


The weekend went by fast, Jo enjoyed the time she had with her parents, met her friends and even went out dancing with them one evening. On Sunday night she couldn’t sleep at all, just lay in bed staring at the ceiling, feeling as if Monday would never come. A part of her hoped that it wouldn’t, the other couldn’t wait. When she finally fell asleep she had nightmares about Andy, she relived the entire evening and all the terror she had felt. She woke up at five thirty, too scared to go back to sleep, so she got up and decided to take a shower. When she came down to the kitchen to have some breakfast, her father was already sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the morning paper. He looked up and smiled at her.

“Morning. There’s coffee on the counter. You get some sleep?”

Jo shook her head and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. “A little. Nightmares.”

“I see. You’re front page news, sweetie.” He folded the paper up and slid it across the table to her seat. She sat down and looked at it. A picture of her and Alex covered the front page, a new picture where they were walking around Atlanta hand in hand. A blurry enlargement showed her free hand, with her ring barely visible. The headline read “Local girl engaged to Backstreet superstar AJ McLean.” And underneath it a smaller text “Joanna back in Sweden to testify against rapist-ex boyfriend.” A smaller picture showed her and Andy, their arms around each other, she was smiling, and she knew he was too, even though his face had been blurred. She opened the paper and read her story, that they called a fairytale, where the girl from nowhere meets prince Charming, they fall in love and live happily ever after. They had interviewed some “close friend”, who talked about Jo’s relationship with Andy and her being a fan of the Backstreet Boys. There were more paparazzi pictures showing her and Alex in different places, always looking happy and in love, and her heart felt as if it was growing in her chest. 'Why did I make him stay at home?' she thought and felt tears rising in her eyes.

“Jo? Are you ok?”

“I just miss Alex. I shouldn’t have... I want him here.”

“I understand that sweetheart. We’ll be there for you today. Don’t worry.”

Jo took her father’s hand across the table. “I know. Thank you. I wonder who’s talked about me...”

“Don’t think about that now. Focus on what we have to do today. Nail him.”


Jo’s stomach was filled with butterflies as she entered the court room. She sat down next to her lawyer and sighed, looking through the audience for support from familiar faces. Lina wasn’t there, she was going to testify and wasn’t allowed in the room. But her mother and father were there, some of her friends, and there were two more faces that looked familiar. A guy that looked just like Alex was sitting next to her mother. He raised his hand and blew her a kiss, and it dawned on her that it wasn’t a lookalike, it WAS Alex! And Nick was sitting next to him, waving with a slightly guilty look on his face. Behind them were Big Joe and Poppa K, also waving at her. She felt tears burning her eyes, but refused to let them fall. Then a side door opened, and Andy was led into the room. He had on a grey sweatsuit, and was handcuffed. Jo stared at him, feeling all of the hatred she’d built up against him boiling inside. He looked tired and his hair was messy. She stood up with the others as the judge entered the room, then sat down again with an icy calm feeling in her gut. 'I’m gonna get through this. I have to.'


Andy was called to the stand first, and told the same story as he had on the tape that the police had showed to Jo. His lawyer asked him a line of questions, and he answered them with smiles and lies. Jo felt as if she was falling apart. Then her lawyer got to his feet and stared at Andy where he was sitting.

“You say that you love her. Still you rape her and beat her unconscious. Why?”

Andy smiled confidently. “That’s the way she liked it. Rough. I admit that I got out of hand with that unfortunate hit to the temple, but other than that, it was your regular Friday night at our house.”

Jo looked over at Alex, who was sitting in his seat with interpreting headphones on. He looked up at the last statement and shook his head at her.

“He’s full of shit!” he mouthed at her, and she nodded slightly.

“So she wanted to be beaten black and blue by you? She liked it?”

Andy’s smile shifted from confident to cocky. “She liked it. She wanted me to.”

“Why were you at the Globe?”

“I was there to see the Backstreet Boys. And as soon as she touched Swedish ground she called me, begged me to come. Said she still hadn’t forgotten about me, or stopped loving me. So I was there for two reasons. First the concert, then to meet her. Plus I live like five minutes from there.”

“You were in the US earlier this year. Why?”

“She wanted me to come.”

“So she invited you?”

“Yes. She called to invite me.”

“You threatened her at the airport?”

“Yes, her new little boyfriend was there, it was all act to not get caught.”

“It was an act?”

“Yeah.”

“By the way, if you’re such a fan of the Backstreet Boys... Give me their names.”

“Uhh... AJ. ... Brian...”

“Name a song off the latest album?”

“Uhh...”

Jo’s lawyer smiled. “No further questions.”


Next, Jo was called to the stand, and her icy calm remained. She told her story, complete with the kiss on the restaurant, how she’d doubted for a long time if she’d done the right thing to let Andy go, how she’d fallen for Alex and the deep love she had for him, the threat at the airport, and the rape. Andy’s lawyer stood up and looked her in the eyes.

“You went with Andreas to his apartment, even though he’d threatened you.”

“Yes. I didn’t want to think he is a bad person. That would make the seven years we shared a lie. He said he was over me. Told me he wanted closure. I trusted him. Thought I knew him.”

“Did Andreas ever show any tendencies of violence during these seven years you were together?”

“No. he was sweet, loving and caring. We didn’t always get along, we had some huge fights, but he never raised a hand at me.”

“No further questions.” Andy’s lawyer sat down again, a smile on his face.

Jo’s lawyer got to her feet and smiled calmingly at her. “Did Andreas like the Backstreet Boys when you were together?”

Jo shook her head. “No. He hated that I listened to them. He made fun of them, and when Alex was on Oprah he shouted that ‘those gay guys you like are on TV’. So no.”

“Did you call him to say you wanted to meet him on that night?”

“Definitively not. You’ve checked the numbers I called. You’ve checked the calls he took. There’s nothing from me there. He is lying.”

“Then what was your thought when Andreas showed up outside the Globe?”

“I wondered what he was doing there. Then we started talking, and he seemed just like his usual self again. I was happy about that. I wanted him to be happy, like I was.”

“Thank you, Joanna. No further questions.”


Jo returned to her seat and sighed as she sat down. Her lawyer patted her leg under the table.

A voice sounded through the courtroom. “The plaintiffs call witness Leighanne Littrell.” A door opened and Leigh walked in with a smile and a wink at Jo.

Jo's lawyer smiled and got to her feet again. “You’re Ms. Ericks's employer, right?”

“Yes, as well as her close friend.”

“Ms. Ericks have been living with you and your husband, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You felt like you could shed some light on this event. Tell us.”

“I took care of Jo when she came to live with us. She was homesick and longed for her loved ones. She told me about Andy, and how she missed him. She also told me about the fact that she was sure it was the right decision to let him go. She fell for my husband’s band mate, Alexander James McLean, and we talked about this as well. She is deeply in love with Alex, and I have no doubt in my mind that Andy forced himself on her. She was finished with him.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Littrell.” Jo’s lawyer smiled as a police officer showed Leighanne out.

“Plaintiffs call witness Lina Carlson.”

Another door opened and Lina walked out. She got seated and smiled at Jo.

“You are Joanna’s childhood friend?”

“Yes, I am.” Lina told her part of the story, about how Jo had called her, and how she and Nick found her crying in some bushes. “She was terrified. She was shaking and crying, and I’ve never heard of consensual sex that makes you act like that.”

“You met Andy when he came to Atlanta?”

“Yes. He called me, almost crying, and I agreed to meet with him. He asked me to talk to Jo. I said I would, but I didn’t. I saw how happy she was with Alex, and that’s all I wanted for her. To be happy.” Lina started to cry, but she kept talking. “He said that he loved her, and he did this to her.”

She turned to Andy, and Jo could see the hate shooting like red lightning bolts out of her eyes.

“We were friends. I loved you, you know. And I never thought you’d stoop so low. I never thought I would say this to you, of all people, but I hate you. I hate you for what you did to her. You raped her. You tried to kill her. I hope you rot in hell, and if I ever see you near her again...”

“Miss Carlson! This is a court room. Please watch your tongue!” The judge cut her off.

She let her head fall and nodded. The police officer came and escorted her out of the room.

“Defence calls witness Tony Wedin.”

Jo looked up as one of her and Andy’s best friends walked into the room. He didn’t look at anyone of them as he sat down. Andy’s lawyer walked up to him.

“You are friends with Andreas Nilsson, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Has he ever been a violent person?”

“No.”

“Has he ever expressed violent thoughts to you?”

“No, but...”

“Has he ever, as far as you know, thought about raping someone?”

“No, but...”

“Has he...”

“Will you let the witness talk, Mr. Reed?”

“I’m sorry, your honour. Please, proceed.”

“He has never been violent or anything, but lately he’s turned weird. Obsessed, almost.”

“With what?”

“The Backstreet Boys, and Jo.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know, he’s been sitting at the computer searching for information on the band, and they are all he ever talks about. They and Jo. And he hasn’t been saying nice things.”

“You told me he had not expressed violent thoughts.”

“Not violent. Just... offensive and mean. He never stopped talking about how Jo was a bitch to him, or how he hated ‘those gay guys’... We talked about this just a couple of days before he was arrested, me and some other friends, how we were afraid he would do something stupid. He was that far gone. We didn’t recognize him anymore.”

“No further questions.” Andy’s lawyer sat down in his chair with an unhappy look on his face. Andy whispered something to him, but he just bit his teeth together and shook his head.

“That completes our hearings. We will now be adjourned until 14.00. We will have our verdict by then.” The judge rose and walked out, and the police officer took Andy with him and exited. The rest of the people in the room started to walk out as well.. Jo’s lawyer took her hand.

“We’ve got this. You know that right?”

“I hope so. Oh my god. Andy’s parents,” Jo gasped as they came closer. She’d always been close to them, and she feared that they weren’t so fond of her anymore. She took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, Andy’s mother took her in her arms and started crying.

“Oh my God... I’m so sorry Jo! So sorry... I can’t believe he would do this to you.”

Jo didn’t know what to say. She felt the tears coming, and there was no way she could stop them. She broke down crying in Andy’s mother’s arms, and she just rocked her like a baby. Andy’s father put his hand on Jo’s back and gave her a tissue with the other one.

“I know we have to stay by Andy’s side through this, but we feel for you, Jo, and there’s no doubt in our minds that you are telling the truth.”

Jo looked up at him and dried her cheeks. “Thank you. It means the world to me. I still love you guys.”

“We love you too, dear.” Andy’s mother wiped her tears away. “I hear you’re engaged to this AJ?”

Jo held out her hand to show them the ring. “I am. I have to go now, but thank you. I wish you both the best.” She kissed them both on the cheek, then walked away, over to Alex. She fell in his arms and the tears began to fall again. “Thank you for being here. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

He just smiled and kissed her. “Of course I’m here. I love you. Where else would I be? Come on now, let’s go get some lunch.”


Two hours later they were back in the court room. Jo had Alex by her side, and he held her hand as the judge cleared his throat to read the verdict. He started talking, but Jo couldn’t make out what he was saying. She tried to focus, and succeeded just in time to hear the judge say

“We find the defendant, Carl Andreas Nilsson, guilty of rape and attempted murder. The punishment will be announced in four days.”

She felt as if she was a balloon that someone had let all the air out of. Her legs failed her and the next thing she knew she was laying on the floor staring at the ceiling. Alex was holding her feet up into the air, and her lawyer was kneeling next to her head with a big smile on her face.

“We did it, Jo. We nailed him!”