Heyy! So this is chapter one of my new fanfic for Mr. Andrew pope cody!!!!.
Chapters 1 - 4 are already posted on Ao3 (I'll link it down bottom if yall are interested).
I thought I'd post chapter one here for yall to have a gander at. Let me know what you guys think.
21 year old Amelia Evans wanted experience, not complications. As a law student shadowing a criminal defense attorney, she's determined to prove she can handle the clients nobody else wants. Then she meets Andrew "Pope" Cody. What begins as a professional observation turns into an unlikely friendship, and eventually something much more complicated. As their lives become increasingly entangled, Amelia discovers that Andrew Cody is far more than the reputation that follows him.
A slow-burn romance between a law student who believes everyone deserves a defense and a man who has spent his entire life being judged before anyone gets to know him. Pope isn't looking for redemption, and Amelia certainly isn't looking for love. Especially not with a 39 year old ex-con. As Pope's life becomes increasingly intertwined with hers, Amelia finds herself caught between the future she's worked so hard to build and the man she never expected to understand. In a world where loyalty comes at a price and every choice has consequences, the line between right and wrong becomes harder to see. And sometimes the most dangerous thing isn't falling for a criminal. It's seeing the person behind the crime.
Amelia adjusted the leather strap of her bag as she stood outside the gates of Folsom Prison shifting from foot to foot.
She pulls out her phone and checks the time on her phone for the third time in the past ten minutes.
The California sun was already warm against her skin as she stood outside the prison gates. Today wasn't just another day of classes. No. Today mattered.
For the last few years she'd spent her life studying criminal law from textbooks and case files. She could recite statutes from memory and debate legal theory for hours but right now none of that felt important standing in front of a prison.
The concrete walls stretched high into the bright morning sky, topped with coils of razor wire that gleamed in the sunlight. It looked exactly like every prison she'd ever seen in documentaries and crime shows.
Cold. Unwelcoming. Intimidating.
And yet? she couldn't stop staring.
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A week earlier Amelia sat across from David in his cluttered office, a legal pad balanced on her knee as he reviewed notes from their latest client meeting.
David Morgan had been in Amelia's life for three years. Officially, he was her professor, mentor, and internship supervisor. Unofficially, he was the person she called when she needed advice, the person who pushed her the hardest, and the person most likely to tell her when she was being an idiot. He was demanding, sarcastic, and impossible to impress, but somewhere along the way his constant presence had become something Amelia relied on more than she cared to admit.
"You did fine today," David said without looking up. "Most students spend their first few weeks trying not to say the wrong thing."
"That's because most students are afraid of the people they're interviewing." She shrugs
That earned her a glance from him.
"And you're not?" He raises an eyebrow.
Amelia leaned back in her chair. "No. They're people David. Some of them have done terrible things sure. but that doesn't mean I'm going to learn anything by treating them like they're radioactive."
A corner of his mouth twitched. "Confident."
"Realistic." She shoots back.
David set his pen down. "You realize the clients you've met so far have been relatively straightforward, right?"
His eyebrows rose. Amelia sat forward, determination shining in her eyes. "I don't want straightforward. If I'm going to be a criminal defense attorney I need to know how to handle difficult clients. The complicated ones. The people everyone else writes off."
"Most law students don't ask for that." David says sitting back in his chair looking across his desk at her.
"Most law students are trying to impress professors." Amelia says simply.
David laughs softly. "And what are you trying to do kid?" David asks
"Prove I belong here." Amelia says simply. The answer came without hesitation.
For years she'd worked harder than everyone around her. Top grades. Internships. Long nights studying while her friends went out and had lives.
She hadn't done all of that just to sit safely on the sidelines. "If I can't handle a complex client now," she continued, "then when am I supposed to learn? After I've graduated? After someones future is already sitting in my hands?"
David studied her for a long moment.
Amelia held his gaze steadily.
She wasn't nervous. Wasn't second-guessing herself. She knew she was capable. The only thing left was proving it. Finally David nodded once. "All right."
A spark of excitement shot through her.
"Really. But don't say I didn't warn you."
"Warn me about what?" Amelia frowns.
David picked up a file from the corner of his desk and tapped it against the table.
A strange look crossed his face.
"The kind of client you're asking for." David states.
She looks down at the file and reads the name "Andrew 'pope' Cody? armed robbery? David i said i wanted-"
David cuts her off quickly "I know what you said and this is what you wanted. Trust me kid" he smiles.
"Can I take this home?" Amelia motions to the file.
"Nope. You wanted complex so you'll learn on the day. Lets see just how good you are kid" David smiles.
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Amelia was standing near the prison entrance reviewing the notes she'd made the night before when a dark sedan pulled into the parking lot. A moment later, David stepped out, a leather briefcase tucked beneath one arm and a coffee in his hand.
"You're early," he remarked as he approached. Amelia smiled. "And your late."
"Yeah and i earned that right I've been doing this for twenty years."
"And I've been looking forward to this all week." Amelia shoots back with a smile.
David shook his head, though there was amusement in his expression. "That's exactly what worries me."
"I'm serious" he continued as they started toward the entrance. "Before we go in there let's just review a few things real quick."
"I know the rules." She sighs dramatically
Amelia rolls her eyes a little.
David pointed at her with his coffee cup. "You're there to observe. Listen. Take notes. That's it."
"No jumping in if you disagree with something."
"No offering legal advice."
"And no trying to prove how smart you are."
"I wasn't planning on it."
David smirked. "You always look like you're planning on it."
Amelia couldn't help laughing.
As they approached the security checkpoint David's expression grew more serious.
"This client isn't like the others you've met."
The comment only strengthened her curiosity.
"Which is why I'm reminding you that you're still a student. Today is about learning. Watch how the conversation moves. Watch what isn't said. Watch body language. Half of this job is understanding people."
Amelia nodded thoughtfully.
That at least was advice she appreciated.
"When do I get to ask questions?" she asked.
"If the meeting goes well I'll give you a few minutes at the end."
"That's incredibly specific."
"It's intentionally specific."
Amelia laughed softly and shook her head.
"You act like I'm going to interrogate him."
"I've seen the size of your notebooks. You absolutely would." David gives her a look
She couldn't even argue with that.
As they stepped through the first set of security doors, Amelia felt excitement settle in her chest.
Most students would probably be nervous.
This was exactly where she wanted to be.
Exactly what she'd worked for.
And if she impressed David along the way, well that was simply an added bonus.
For years she'd spent her time buried in textbooks and lectures. Criminal law. Constitutional rights. Due process. Words on paper. Cases in books.
Today was different. Today she was going to prove herself to David that she belonged. That she could listen. That she wouldnt crack under pressure.
Together they passed through security checkpoints and metal detectors before finally entering the attorney visitation area.
Amelia tried not to stare. Everything felt strangely normal. Correctional officers chatted near the doors. Lawyers shuffled paperwork. The room buzzed with quiet conversations.
It wasn't what she'd expected.
By the time they finally entered the private interview room Amelia's nerves had mostly settled.
The private interview room was larger than Amelia had expected. The pale concrete walls were bare interrupted only by a small security camera tucked into one corner near the ceiling. A single metal table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by a few plain chairs and the lack of furniture made the space feel strangely vast.
Every sound seemed to carry—the scrape of a chair leg, the rustle of paper, even the quiet shift of someone's feet against the floor. The emptiness gave the room an almost clinical quality as though everything unnecessary had been stripped away until only the conversation remained.
There was nowhere for the eye to wander and nowhere to hide forcing anyone who entered to focus entirely on the people sitting across from them.
"Our client should be here in a few minutes." David says calmly as he walks over and takes a seat at the table motioning for amelia to sit next to him.
"You wanted complex kid. This will be complex" David says bluntly with a hint of warning.
"Its an armed robbery David." amelia says with a slight smile.
"Hes a Cody, kid." David says with a slight sigh.
"And?" Amelia frowns confused
"You dont know about the Cody family?... jesus christ kid." David sighs "The Codys are trouble. Armed robbery. Drug trafficking. Violence. You name it."
Amelia's stomach tightened. "And Andrew?" She asks quietly. "Andrew Cody is usually called Pope."
The nickname caught her attention.
"Pope?" She frowns curiously.
"No idea where it came from."David shrugs hands her the file.
A booking photograph stared back at her. Short brown hair and hazel eyes with a blank expression. He looked Less intimidating than she'd expected. More human.
"Don't let the picture fool you," David said. "The man's dangerous."
Amelia looked at the photograph again.
The word lingered in her mind. She'd heard it used before. Dangerous the word that reduced people to nothing more than just another headline. Part of her wondered how much of it was true.
Before she could ask another question, the door opened. A correctional officer stepped inside. "Your client is here."
David nods and looks to Amelia. She instantly straightened in her chair.
A moment later the officer moved aside.
A tall man entered the room wearing prison-issued clothing.
The first thing Amelia noticed was that he wasn't looking at David. He was looking at her. Hazel eyes settled on her immediately.
Studying and assessing. She suddenly became aware of every movement she made.
Pope finally shifted his attention away from her. Pope just nods in response
Hes Quiet she thinks. Nothing like she'd expected.
David gestured toward Amelia. "This is Amelia Evans. She's a law student shadowing me."
For a second nobody spoke.
Then Amelia stands and smiles softly "Its nice to meet you Mr. Cody" she says holding out her hand to shake his.
Andrew looks at her hand and ignores it and just sits down.
Amelia takes a steady breath in and lowers her hand and sits back down.
This is going to be one long ass meeting.
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If you made it this far thank you so much for reading! This is my first time back writing in FIVE YEARS! never thought id return to writing fanfic but here i am!
As promised here is the link to the other chapters on Ao3:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/86915891
Thank you for reading! If this does good here I may post chapters here as I go along 👀.
