Thursday, September 23, 2011

Morgan Home: Living Room

It was just before dawn when he slid his key into the door and unlocked it. He pushed the door open and stepped into the home that had not been lived in for nine months. When he had walked out the previous December, he had told himself that the next time he stepped through the foyer he would know what had happened to his wife.

Or better yet, she would be at his side.

Instead, he had come home because he couldn’t justify staying away any longer. There were no more leads to follow, no more people to rustle up and interrogate. He had no idea what had happened to Elizabeth and no idea where to look next.

But he had three children that depended on him. Jake and Juliet weren’t old enough to know any better, but Cameron knew his mother was gone and he’d had enough upheaval in his life. The little boy had lost Lucky as a father figure already, and now, in the matter of a year, he’d lost his mother, the one constant in his life.

If Jason couldn’t bring Elizabeth home personally, he owed it to her and to their children to see that they were loved, cared for and raised in a way she’d be proud of.

He stepped into the living room and the first thing he saw was the large framed photograph of Elizabeth with Cameron and Jake the day of their wedding. She was leaning against the gazebo in the gardens at the Quartermaine estate, Jake in her arms and Cameron standing at her side. Her smile was wide and her eyes were sparkling.

She’d been so happy that day and Jason knew that she’d been happy each day that had followed for the next two years. Blending their lives together hadn’t been as difficult as they’d assumed. They had worked together to plan protection for their boys that each were satisfied with and by the time the wedding had taken place, even Elizabeth and Carly had found common ground. Their family was created that day and cemented in the years that had followed.

He couldn’t accept that Elizabeth had just driven away from him, their children and the life they’d fought so hard to have. She loved him and he loved her. She never would have left him. Not without a fight.

Jason put his duffel bag down next to the sofa and felt his throat constrict with every reminder of Elizabeth that he could see. The photos that she had lined the room with, the caftan blanket that draped over the sofa. A bottle of nail polish that she’d used the day she left that he’d never cleaned up. He knew Carly had been in and out over the last year, picking things up for the kids and keeping it clean and paid for but clearly, she had instructed that nothing was to be touched other than the dust.

He appreciated what she’d tried to do for him but now he wished he’d called ahead and told her to put these things away. To put these pictures and belongings and mementos in a box so that he wouldn’t have to look at reminders of a life that was no longer his.

He picked up the photo of Elizabeth and the boys. He looked at it for a long time, drinking in every line of her face, memorizing her smile and her eyes. He placed it back on the shelf and went into the kitchen. He opened the closet where cleaning supplies had been kept and dragged out an old box left over from a purchase he couldn’t remember.

Jason took the box into the living room and methodically began placing each frame inside carefully. Photos of Elizabeth with him, with the boys, with Juliet, alone, even ones that just reminded him of her – they all went in the box.

When he was done with those, he took the bottle of nail polish and the caftan and placed it on top. He closed the box and tucked it under the coffee table.

Jason grabbed his bag and went upstairs into his bedroom. He dropped his bag and then went to the closet in the hallway where Elizabeth had kept her luggage. He dragged the entire set into the bedroom. He unzipped one of the bags and opened her dresser drawer.

Jason carefully packed all the clothes that he could fit into her suitcases and then packed her makeup and hair materials into the toiletries bag. The dresses and things hanging in the closet remained in their place for now. He would arrange for permanent storage later.

By the time he called Carly later that afternoon to tell her he was home, the Morgan home had been carefully stripped of anything that would remind him of his wife. It wouldn’t drive out the memories but maybe, just maybe, it would keep him sane long enough to perform the task of raising the children she’d left behind.

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Miller & Davis: Diane’s Office

“Oh please don’t tell me you’re under investigation again,” Diane Miller sighed. She pressed her perfectly manicured hands against her desk and pulled herself to her feet.  “I think I’m getting too old for this. You’re going to have to wait until Alexis’s daughter finishes law school, which means you must be on your best behavior for the next four years.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” Jason answered, more than used to Diane’s diatribes. She was the only lawyer he’d ever had that had managed to stick around for so long but he knew she was tiring of it. Alexis had attempted to forbid Kristina from pursuing employment with the organization but Jason was aware that Diane was training Sonny’s daughter to take over for her one day.

It was just a stark reminder of how much had changed in the time Elizabeth had been gone. The morning she’d vanished, Kristina had been in elementary school talking about ponies and fairies and now she was about to enter her senior year of college.

Jason lowered himself into the chair. “There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

His sober tone worried her and Diane sat back down. “All right. I’m all ears.”

“I wanted to look into…” He stopped and shook his head. “I never wanted to do this but I think it’s time for some closure. The kids need it more than I do. Juliet still thinks…” Jason exhaled slowly. “What is the process for declaring someone legally dead?”

Diane’s lips formed a silent oh and she leaned back in her chair. “As your legal counsel, I can tell you that it would be a simple matter of filing some papers, attending a hearing and publishing a new notices. With Elizabeth being gone for over a decade, you wouldn’t find much hassle.”

“I thought so,” Jason replied quietly. “I was hoping it would be more difficult.”

“I can see why you might want to take this course,” Diane continued. “It would give a lot of people a chance to say goodbye. You could make it official with a viewing and perhaps a ceremonial stone placed—” She stopped and tilted her head to the side. “Can I be frank with you?”

“I wasn’t aware you were ever anything but,” he responded.

“I respect you for considering this,” she said. “And I admire you for waiting as long. Most men wouldn’t bother with this process. They would simply divorce their wife, citing abandonment and they would have moved on to someone else by now. But not you, Jason. You held out hope longer than anyone could have expected you to and I suspect that you haven’t given up. You just wish to do this for your children. And I respect that as well. All that aside, I don’t think you should do it.”

Jason frowned. “No?”

“I am a cynical person by nature,” Diane admitted. She spread her hands out in a careless shrug. “I don’t believe in most ideals and I think optimism is for suckers but I had the privilege of going to your wedding. And arranging your adoption of Cameron, so I have some first hand knowledge of your life with Elizabeth. I know how much you loved her then and I don’t imagine that it’s paled despite the passage of time.”

She leaned forward. “I think you should discuss this with your children. They have a right to be involved with this decision, especially if you’re doing it for them. Don’t do it because you think it’s what’s expected of you. If I had had an ounce of what you shared with your wife, I don’t know that I would ever give up hope.”

Morgan Home: Driveway

“Hand me that wrench?”

Juliet peered out over the array of tools Cam had spread out on a towel on the ground next to his car. “Which one is the wrench?”

“Jules.” He slid himself out from underneath the vehicle. “Are you kidding me?”

“Look, it’s not my fault you’re not talking to Jake and have to depend on me.” Juliet pursed her lips and picked up one. “Is that it?”

“That,” Cameron said patiently, “is a screwdriver.” He picked up another and held it in front of her. “This is a wrench.”

“Duly noted,” she said dryly, setting the screwdriver back down. Cameron slid himself back under the car and continued his work. “Are you and Jake just not going to talk all summer?”

“If he keeps acting like an asshole, it’s a distinct possibility, yes.”

“Boys are so dumb,” she sighed. She shifted into a different seating position, crossing her legs and leaned back on her hands. “You should hang out more with Spencer Cassadine.”

“What?” Cameron slid out again. “That’s a pretty random suggestion.” He narrowed his eyes. “Jules.”

“Yes?” she asked innocently.

“He’s too old for you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, good God. I’m not going to like jump him or anything. He’s not even going to be around past the summer. He’s going away to college in like London. I just think he’s nice. Aren’t he and Morgan close? They’re supposed to be cousins.”

“Morgan’s supposed to be cousins with half of the population. He barely talks to his own half-sister, you think he’s cozied up to a cousin he sees once a year for five minutes?” Cameron grabbed another tool and slid back.

“People just don’t appreciate family in this town,” she huffed. She sat up and folded her legs Indian style. “So you and Molly have been seeing each other for a couple of weeks.”

“Molly’s not close to him either,” was his pithy reply.

“Haha,” she muttered. “No, I was just inquiring if you were actually serious about this one or if she’ll be like your last summer fling.”

“She’s not—” Cameron broke off and swore under his breath. “I’m not going to discuss this with my little sister.”

“Ha, I told Lia you guys were having sex,” Juliet grinned. “You could so tell—” she was startled when her brother slid out and sat up, looking somewhat pissed off. “What?”

“What the hell are you doing discussing my sex life with Amalia?” Cameron demanded. “Whose business is it what Molly and I do?”

Juliet frowned. “We were just talking about it in passing. Everyone talks about sex, Cam, don’t be such a prude. It’s not just you and Molly. We talked about Mal and CeCe, but we don’t think they’re sleeping together, which is good because Lia and I don’t think you should give it up before you’re at least sixteen.”

Cameron pressed his lips together in angry line. “Juliet, I don’t appreciate you talking about Molly or CeCe like that. How would you like it if someone did that to you?”

Juliet hesitated. “We didn’t do it to be mean. I like Molly. I always have. And I’m glad you guys are together. I think she’s a nice match for you. We were just talking. Lia and I are the last people to spread malicious gossip. Someone wrote slut on her locker last year and she had to beg the school not to call her parents.”

“Why would someone do that?” he asked. “I was under the impression Lia doesn’t really date.”

“She doesn’t date period,” Juliet clarified. “She’s holding out for Jake and he’s got this thing about their age difference. Anyway, she thinks that she just turned down the wrong idiot but it was pretty bad for a while and she was upset about it.”

“She’s holding out for Jake?” Cameron repeated. “She could do better.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re mad at him right now.” She hesitated. “I wish he got along better with Dad. It feels like they’ve argued about everything for as long as I can remember.”

“They have.” Cameron disappeared back under the car. “Since Jake was in third grade and came home crying because someone told him that his father had killed his mother and buried the body in the backyard. Jake demanded to know what happened to Mom and Dad finally told him. Jake started to pay attention to the gossip around town about shit that happened before they got married and it just got worse from there.”

“What happened before they were married?” Juliet asked curiously.

There was a long pause if Cameron were trying to decide if he should tell her. Finally, he sighed. “You know how Mom used to be married to Lucky Spencer? That he was raising me for a while?”

“Sure. And I know that she was married to him when she had Jake, but then Dad told her he loved her and they got married right?” Juliet answered.

“Not…exactly.” Cameron slid back out and sat up. “She lied to Dad at first about who Jake’s dad was. Because Dad was seeing someone else and she thought he didn’t want him. So she let everyone believe Lucky was Jake’s dad.”

“Oh,” Juliet bit her lip. “I guess that explains why he tried to get custody of you after Mom disappeared. Maybe he was still a little angry about that.”

“Well, it kind of gets worse. Even after Dad found out the truth, he stayed with the other woman and they both continued to lie to Lucky. And even after they were both free to be together, they only saw each other in secret. Lucky was still claiming Jake, to keep him safe.”

“So how did they end up getting married after Michael and Sonny died?” Juliet asked, bewildered.

“Well, after Michael was killed, Dad tried to break off the engagement and reneged on his decision to claim Jake in public,” Cameron continued. “But after a few weeks, he and Mom decided they couldn’t do it anymore and by then, Sonny was dead. Dad decided that instead of retaliating against Johnny, they would strike a new truce. He had to do a lot of maneuvering with the other families but that’s when things started to change. When Dad felt like things were safe, he and Mom set a wedding date. Gradually, people learned the truth and by the time they were married, Dad had adopted me and claimed Jake legally.”

“So Jake’s mad at Dad not only for what he thinks happened to Mom but because he let everyone believe Jake was someone’s else’s son?” Juliet asked.

“I wish I knew,” Cameron answered. “Look, I think Jake’s got some good reasons to be a little ticked about how things went down when he was little. Maybe he feels like Mom had to force Dad into it. And maybe he thinks Dad let Mom down a lot before they were engaged. I don’t remember a lot of it, but I know she worked double shifts all the time. I know that we didn’t have a lot of money and I remember her crying about being evicted at one point. I think Dad could have done more to support her, found a way to give her some money but maybe she was too proud to accept it. I don’t know. And unless Dad decides to get chatty about it, we won’t ever know.”

“What do you think it would have been like if Mom had been around?” Juliet asked softly.

Cameron hesitated. “Well…I think we’d have a bigger family,” he said after a moment. “Definitely another sibling, if not two. Mom…she really wanted a big family. I think she wanted another sister for you, so she probably would have kept going until she had one.” He paused. “I think Jake would be happier in general. And maybe she could have explained his birth in a way he could have accepted. I think Dad would be a different person. He wasn’t…he’s a great dad, Jules, but he was different when Mom was around. He was smiling, he even laughed sometimes.”

“I wish…I wish I knew her,” Juliet said quietly. “I know a lot about her, I have these pictures but it’s just…it’s not the same.”

“She’d like you, Jules,” Cameron told her. “You would have been close. She was funny and she was loyal. She would do anything for her friends and for her family. You’ve got all that. I don’t know for sure how our family would be different if Mom had been around, but I know she loved us all and that she loved Dad.”

“You think she’s dead, don’t you?” Juliet said. “You and Jake both think she’s dead. He blames Dad for it. Do you?”

“I don’t blame anyone,” he answered. “I don’t know for sure that she’s dead, but I can’t think of any other reason why she’s not around. Can you?”

Juliet hesitated. “Yeah…actually I can.” She reached to the edge of the driveway and grabbed the large bag she hauled around everywhere. She withdrew a folder and handed it to him. “I think she was kidnapped, that Helena Cassadine did something to her to make her forget who she was and then Helena died before she could do whatever she had planned.”

Cameron stared at her for a long moment. “Jules—”

“I know what you’re going to say, Cam, and I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. This isn’t some crazy theory. I researched it. First, Helena did have a thing about Mom. She tried to make Nikolas kill her once. And Helena’s got the resources to do something like this, she did it to Laura Spencer years ago. Also, there’s an obituary from Rafina, Greece for Helena that mentions a granddaughter Maia. I asked Spinelli to look into her and there was no record of Mai before December 2010. Now she owns an arts and crafts store in Rafina – the same place where Nikolas saw a woman he thought looked like Mom last year. It all fits, Cam.”

“And the folder?” Cameron asked, arching an eyebrow. He set it down and wiped his hands free of grease so he could look at it more closely.

“It has the obituary, the article about the store and the delayed birth certificate Spinelli found for her. The parents listed? No record of them anywhere. He dug into the birth records and didn’t find anything that coincided with Maia’s past. She just appeared out of nowhere a month after Mom disappeared.”

“Why haven’t you taken this to Dad?” Cam asked, glancing at the documents inside.  “I would have thought you’d be all over flying there immediately.”

“What if Dad agrees to go look and it isn’t her?” Juliet asked. “What if I get his hopes up, and yours and Jake’s…what if we all start to believe it’s her and it turns out it isn’t? The whole reason I wanted to find out what happened to Mom is to make everyone else feel better. What if this does the opposite?”

“What if it is her, Jules?” Cam asked. “What if you never said a word and things keep going the way they are around? Sure, now we can talk about Mom in the open and ask Dad questions, but are things really any better?”

“I thought you were sure she was dead,” Juliet replied.

“I don’t know for sure, I just couldn’t figure out anyway to explain things.” He held up the folder. “This? Explains things. I bet Dad never thought about Helena Cassadine, especially since she died a few months after Mom left, and he was still concentrating on his own people at that point. Jules, I’m not saying that I definitely think this is Mom, but I think you’ve got something here that you can’t ignore. You have to tell Dad.”

He handed her back the folder. “Good work, kid.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. “I totally forgive you for trying to drown my dolls in the backyard pond when I was five.”

Morgan Home: Jake’s Room

Jake was throwing a tennis ball against his wall when he heard a knock at his window. He glanced over and nearly fell out of his desk chair. “Amalia!”

He opened the window to let her climb through. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Jules called me a little while ago. You had another fight with Cam and your dad.” Amalia closed the window behind her and plopped down on his bed, leaning back on her hands. “She thought you were upset and you wouldn’t talk to her. She thought you’d talk to me.”

“My sister is mistaken,” Jake muttered. He tossed the tennis ball in a drawer and crossed to his bedroom door. “You can take the stairs this time,” he said, opening it.

Instead, Amalia shifted until she was lying down on her stomach, propping her head with her hands. “Jules said you and your Dad argued about your grades. Apparently, you landed yourself in summer school and you didn’t bother going. The school called and your dad grounded you. He took away your car keys. Which sucks for you because you just got that car for your birthday.”

“I’m not interested in summer school. What’s the point?” Jake sat back at his desk. “Like I’ve got an actual future.”

“Oh, come on…” Amalia sat up. “You’re not going to pull that ‘I’m Jason Morgan’s Son So I’m Going To Inherit Whether I Like It Or Not’ bullshit. That’s not true and your dad would be the first to say so. What about Cam?”

“Cam’s not his biological son and everyone knows it,” Jake argued. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re a girl. No one thinks you’re going to take over your dad’s business.”

“You’re just being an idiot now,” Amalia shook her head. “You keep this up and I’m not going to wait around for you to notice me.”

“I’m not in the mood to play that game right now,” he grumbled. He turned away from her and punched a few keys on his keyboard.

She stood up and crossed to him, folding her arms on the back of his chair and leaning down. “Jake. You’re just so determined to be mad at the world for what you’ve been dealt that you’re just making up reasons to be angry. You don’t have a mother and you blame your father for it. That’s sad, but it’s not the end of the world. Your dad grounded you because he wants you to do well in school so that you can have a future that’s not about the violence. He can’t get out all the way, but he’s tried so hard to shield you guys from it. My father has done the same. They’ve worked themselves to the bone to keep us clear of danger so that we have choices.”

“His life got my mother killed.”

“Maybe,” Amalia said soberly. She twisted his chair around so he was looking at her. “But she loved him and she married him. You can’t tell me she didn’t know exactly who he was before she stood before God and swore to love him. You can’t hate him for the choice your mother made. And you can’t punish him for what happened to your mother anymore than he punishes himself. Everyone knows that he’s never forgiven himself. My mother said that if it weren’t for you guys, he would have never come home. He would have just been wandering around the world, following any lead no matter how unlikely it was. He loved her, Jake, and my mother said he would have died for her. Stop punishing him and stop making your life more difficult than it has to be.”

Jake shook his head. “Li, you just don’t understand.”

She wanted to argue with him, but her cell phone rang. She tugged it out of her back pocket and answered it. “Hey, I didn’t think I’d hear from you so soon—oh? Good. Thanks.” She closed her phone. “Lulu Spencer’s coming home on Friday.”

Jake regarded her suspiciously. “Do you really think she’s going to give you answers?”

“I’m not going to give her a choice,” Amalia said. “I don’t know what she did to make my father cheat on my mother, but I don’t believe he did it just for the hell of it. I can’t believe that.”

“Now who’s making things up in their head?” Jake asked.

Friday, July 19, 2024

Kelly’s: Lulu’s Room

Lulu Spencer yawned as she unlocked the door to her room. She really needed to stop the overnight flights—it was hell on her in the morning. She would have to schedule a stop over from now on.

She flicked the light on and a short scream spilled from her lips at the unfamiliar teenage girl seated at the small table in her usual room. “Who the hell are you?”

“My name is Amalia Zacchara,” she replied. “And you’re going to tell me how you wrecked my family and ruined my life. You owe me that much.”

Friday, December 17, 2010

Carly & Jax’s Home: Living Room

Carly had not particularly missed the part about motherhood where her toddler would wake up and demand to be fed with loud screams.

Cecily was definitely her daughter.

Carly yawned and set Cecily in her playpen where the eighteen-month-old immediately reached for her plastic piggy bank that made sounds when you slipped in the plastic coins. If it kept her daughter happy, she was all for it.

The last month had been one big blur from Jason’s first frantic call to the woman Carly had flipped out on in the restaurant lasst for speculating about Elizabeth and why she’d abandoned her family.

Carly could and had said a lot about Jason’s wife, but Elizabeth had been a mother first and foremost. It just didn’t feel like she would have left voluntarily, which left Carly with more sinister explanations.

She yawned and reached for the newspaper Jax had left. The usual headline about the missing nurse was plastered across it, but the article would say nothing Carly didn’t already know, so she bypassed that and went straight to the weather. At least that wouldn’t be slanted against her best friend.

She heard the door click open and she twisted on the sofa to find Jason standing on the landing. She shot up. “Jase—what’s up? You’re here early.”

“I need to ask you a favor.” Jason stepped into the living room and scrubbed at his eyes. He looked as though he hadn’t slept in the last month and Carly wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it was the truth. She thought he might actually be dressed in the same clothes as the morning Elizabeth had vanished. The green sweater was wrinkled and his jeans had seen better days.

“Anything,” Carly pledged.

“I need…” he paused.  “I need you to look after the kids for a while.”

“Of course,” she replied, surprised. It was unusual for her to be actually be asked to look after the Morgan children. Over the last two years, Carly and Elizabeth had fallen into a pattern of switching the children back and forth so often that she almost felt like Cameron and Jake were her boys, as well. “For how long?”

“I’m not sure,” Jason admitted. “There are some people I have to track down. I have to know if…” He shook his head.

“Jason…” She hesitated. “There’s a lot of gossip going around, a lot of stupid people opening their mouths without knowing anything about you or Elizabeth. I know you don’t believe what’s being said.”

“Which rumors?” Jason asked quietly. “The one where Elizabeth was afraid of me and planned her disappearance? The one where I killed her myself because I was tired of her? Or the one where Elizabeth didn’t want to be a wife or a mother anymore and just took off.” He shook his head. “No. I don’t believe any of it. Elizabeth didn’t disappear on her own. She was taken against her will.”

“Elizabeth and I didn’t get along much,” Carly said after a long moment. “And I’ll admit it was mostly my fault. But she loved her kids, Jason. No one who knows her listens to the idiots out there.”

“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “I have to track down some people to find out if they had anything to do with this and I don’t know how long it will take.”  He hesitated. “There are some noises coming from the Spencers. Lucky, mostly.  A little bit of Audrey and her brother Steven.”

“About the kids?” Carly demanded, her protective instincts kicking into overdrive. “Well, there’s nothing they can do about that. Jake and Jules are yours biologically and you adopted Cameron. Cam doesn’t have any blood relatives left. Lucky’s not his actual father and it’s not like Audrey really raised Elizabeth. Hell, she’s not even really Elizabeth’s grandmother.” She scoffed. “And where the hell has Steven been?”

“It doesn’t matter. I think they’re going to fight my custodial rights to Cameron,” Jason said. “I would put this off and wait until that’s resolved but I can’t let the trail get cold, Carly—”

“Of course not,” Carly replied. “You have to go find Elizabeth and bring her home. You take care of that, I’ll keep your kids safe and together. Jax and I will love them and care for them like our own. You know that.”

“I do,” Jason responded quietly. “I’m having Diane draw up papers to give you temporary guardianship. I asked her to make it as airtight as she can because I don’t know how far Lucky, Audrey or Steven will go but I want to be prepared.”

“Of course.” Carly crossed to him and put her hand on his arm. “I know how tough this last month has been and I wish there was more I could do.” She paused. “When will you go?”

“As soon as the papers are signed.”

“You’ll find her,” Carly said, in the same confident tone she’d used when Michael had fallen into his initial coma. This was different, she swore to herself. Elizabeth wasn’t lying in a hospital bed with a bullet in her head. Clearly, one of Jason’s enemies had taken Elizabeth and was toying with him before arranging for her release.

Jason would find Elizabeth and bring her home and in a year or two, no one would even remember this event.

She was sure of it.

Saturday, July 13, 2024

Port Charles Library

 

Juliet tapped her fingers against the desk before clicking on another obituary. Helena’s death had been featured in the major newspapers in the area here, but also in London, in Paris, many areas of Italy and it seemed like every single Greek newspaper in print at the time.

Almost none of them were in English, so Juliet had her translator by her side and her father’s computer guru, Damien Spinelli on a teleconference. Spinelli was in Paris at another fashion show with his significant other, Maxie Jones, but had graciously agreed to help with her search. He, of course, told her that he had done all he could at the time to assist the great Stone Cold, but all trails had been cold almost immediately.

But Spinelli told her a piece of information that gave Juliet great hope – Jason had never looked into Helena Cassadine. Helena hadn’t been in Port Charles for five years previous to her mother’s disappearance and Elizabeth had been out of the feud for almost a decade anyway. It just didn’t make sense for Helena to have kidnapped her.

But the coincidences were too great. Nikolas had spied a woman resembling Elizabeth near the estate where Helena died? Helena died mere months after the disappearance? The fact that Helena had already made a woman disappear without a trace for two years in the 1980s. How could anyone dispute this?

Of course people could. And would. They had given Elizabeth Morgan up for dead almost from the moment she’d left. Even her own brothers believed it. Only her father held out hope and Juliet realized it was more of a survival mechanism. He had had to compartmentalize his loss in order to raise the children his wife had left behind but Juliet worried what would happen to him when they were gone. Jake would be gone to college in another year and she would be gone in four.  Cam was graduating and then going on to medical school.

In just a few short years, Jason would be left alone in that house and Juliet wasn’t sure how he’d handle that.

She rubbed her eyes. “I’m not sure how many more I can read without going blind,” she confided to Spinelli. “I wish I could get this database at home.”

“Sorry, Jules,” Spinelli shrugged. “I can’t do that across the ocean. If I were in the city—”

“No, it’s okay.” She yawned and clicked on another obituary. They were all the same. Helena Cassadine, almost ninety years old. Survived by one grandson, Nikolas. One great-grandson, Spencer. No mention of Alexis or Kristina and Molly. And no mysterious female.

Searching obituaries hoping someone would list an extra woman in Helena’s life had seemed almost futile from the beginning but short of going to Greece and searching for this woman Nikolas had seen, she didn’t have much to go on.

Maybe in a few weeks, she could convince Amalia to go. She wouldn’t pull that kind of thing off without her help after all. Juliet was never  good at pulling off the grander schemes without Amalia’s devious nature. Amalia always found the holes in their plans before they ruined everything.

Juliet finally found the obituary from the village near the estate. She scanned it and she almost missed it the first time, too used to reading the same thing. But something caught her eye and she went back, almost incredulous.

…survived by a grandson, Nikolas and a great-grandson, Spencer of London, Englad.. Also survived by a granddaughter, Maia Cassadine…

Maia Cassadine. Juliet tabbed to a search engine and did a quick search. Only a few hits existed – the obituary and a small mention of the art and crafts store Maia Cassadine ran in the same village. No pictures to make life easier. But still…an arts and craft store? A mysterious granddaughter out of nowhere?

She forced herself to take a deep breath. The Cassadine family was large and varied. How could she know for sure that no such relative existed?

“Spinelli, check out this obituary – Maia Cassadine, a granddaughter.”

“That is quite coincidental,” Spinelli mused. She could see something in his eyes that told her that maybe they were really on to something. She knew Spinelli felt guilty for never finding his mentor’s wife and the failure had been with him all this time. To bring home Mrs. Stone Cold (Spinelli had long ago grown out the nickname thing but he had been calling certain people certain names for so long that she wasn’t even sure he knew their real names) would redeem him in his own eyes.

“And I found this article –” Juliet sent the link and she could see that Spinelli saw the same connection that she had. “But before I tell anyone about this, I need to be sure that this woman doesn’t actually exist.”

“I’ll check birth records and dig in deeper to her past,” Spinelli pledged. “Shouldn’t take more than a few days, Jules. I’ll transfer whatever I find.” He hesitated. “I hope this works for you. For Stone Cold and the guys, too. You all deserve this and I’ll do my best to find out if this is for real or a dead end.”

“Thanks, Spinelli. My dad’s lucky to have you in the family.” She grinned. “We all are. Tell Maxie hi for me.”

“Will do.”

Juliet signed off the teleconference. Even if she never found her mother, at least she hadn’t given her up for dead without looking as hard as she could to find the truth.

And maybe she could have a miracle and she’d find her mother alive and well somewhere. It had happened for the Spencer family, why not for hers?

Kelly’s: Courtyard

“I’m going to ban CeCe from our games,” Morgan grumbled. He dropped into a chair and huffed. “Mal is completely useless with her there and I’m not entirely comfortable with her dating him at all.”

“Oh, it’s a little late to pull the big brother routine now,” Cameron scoffed. “They’ve been dating for like three months. And if Aunt Car hasn’t vetoed it based on his parentage, then you’ve got next to no chance of getting CeCe to break up with him.”

“My mother is being mature about the situation,” Morgan said. “Which is altogether new for her. Or maybe enough time has passed since whatever Robin Scorpio did to annoy her happened and Mom’s finally gotten over it.”

“Not likely. Aunt Car doesn’t know how to get over anything that pisses her off. She still grumbles about Sam McCall and that chick has been gone for over a decade.” Cameron glanced through the window into the restaurant where Molly was serving some customers. “What do you think about Molly?”

“She’s my cousin so I don’t think about her at all,” Morgan reminded him. “That’s illegal in about eight states. Probably more.”

“No, no.” He shook his head. “Just in general. Have you heard any rumors or anything about her?”

Morgan frowned. “I don’t pay attention to that shit. Why? Did you hear something?”

“Before you showed up at the court today, Mal was saying that Molly’s…” he shrugged.  “Been around a lot.”

“And he’s still breathing?” Morgan raised his eyebrows. “So what if she’s been with some guys? You’ve not exactly the Virgin Mary yourself. Don’t be an asshole, Cam.” He shook his head. “People call my mother a slut, you know? Still, after all these years. Because it was kind of common knowledge why she moved to town in the first place. And that she had about four different fathers for my brother. And she’s been married a few times. But my dad?” He jerked a shoulder. “Impregnated almost anyone woman who looked at him and slept with the rest. No one ever said a thing about that. It’s a stupid double standard and Molly’s too nice for that.”

“It’s not that she’s been around, I knew…” Cam shifted in his chair and leaned closer to his cousin so he could keep his voice down. “I knew I wasn’t her first and that’s not a big deal to me. As long as she’s not sleeping around with anyone while else we’re together, that’s all I care about.”

“So then why bring it up?” Morgan asked. “I would have knocked the shit out of Mal Drake for opening his damn mouth and anyone else who said anything.”

“The thing is…I think maybe…” Cam hesitated. “She made the first move. On the third date. I wouldn’t have considered it at least until she’d let pick me up at her door. I think maybe she thinks I won’t go out with her if she doesn’t put out.”

Morgan paused. “I guess that might be a possibility. There are a lot of girls who think sex will keep a guy with them. And you do have a certain rep for being a player. Add to that, her mom’s crappy track record and basically her asshole father never being around, it makes sense.”

“Those psych classes are showing,” Cam joked. He tapped his fingers restlessly on the table. “I like her. We’ve got a lot in common and there’s some history there. We’ve known each other most of our lives, you know? She’s not like the other girls I’ve been with.”

“So maybe you tell her that and she knows it’s more than sex.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t sound so difficult. Then again, she is a female. They tend to make everything more complicated than it has to be.”

Zacchara Estate: Conservatory

It was nearly five minutes before Johnny realized he wasn’t alone in the room. He let the strains of a concerto trail off and looked up to find his ex-wife standing near the entrance. The last time Nadine had been in this room with him had been the last time she’d been in the house at all. She’d packed up their daughter that day, went to the house in Port Charles and that had been end of their life together.

It had seemed like they’d come full circle at the time. It was in this room that he’d found out he’d be a father, he’d proposed to her in here and it had ended here.

“The butler let me in,” Nadine said quietly. She stepped forward. “You play even better now than when we were married.” When he said nothing, she cleared her throat. “Amalia plays, you know. I wasn’t sure if she had ever told you.”

“No,” Johnny said. “I found her playing in here one day and she told me she had learned to play on the piano at your house.” He paused. “The one you gave me, in fact. I would have thought you’d burned that long ago.”

“I thought about it,” Nadine admitted. “But then I’d remember you sitting there when Li was just a baby, teaching her to play the scales. And I couldn’t.”

At least there was that. He got up from the piano bench. “Why are you here?” he asked, not really enjoying the trip down memory lane. It was a life that was out of his reach and had been for nearly a decade. He had no interest in remembering things best forgotten.

“Something’s…” Nadine hesitated. “Something has changed in my life and it affects Amalia. We need to discuss it so we can move forward with some kind of agreement.”

Johnny frowned. “Are you sick?” he demanded. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not sick—” She chewed on her lips. “Nikolas asked me to marry him and I told him that I was going to think about it.”

“Nikolas?” Johnny repeated. “Cassadine?” He shook his head. “You can’t marry him.”

“Why not?” Nadine planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “At least he’s been in my life for more than five seconds. It’s more than I can say about your second wife. Or your third. Exactly how long did you know Candy and Bambi before you married them?”

“Candace and Bailey,” Johnny corrected through clenched teeth. “And that’s not the point. They weren’t from another country.”

“Which is why we need to discuss the arrangements we’d have to make,” Nadine retorted. “I thought we might want to try leaving the damn lawyers out of things for a change, but clearly you’re not interested in working this out between us—”

“Why the hell would you want to marry him anyway?” Johnny cut in. “You barely know him!”

“Don’t be an idiot,” she snapped. “You know very well Nikolas and I have been close since his surgery. I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you. He’s a good man, he’s a good father and he’ll treat me with respect, which is more than I can say for you—”

“That’s not fair,” he said hotly. “You like to paint our marriage as one long nightmare but you and I both know that’s not the way it was! We were happy, damn it, and I treated you better than I’ve treated anyone I’ve ever known!”

“Right up until you screwed Lulu Spencer!” she threw back. “You couldn’t have her, and here I was, knocked up with your kid. I was a fucking consolation prize and that was completely clear to me when she wandered back into town!”

“Don’t you dare stand there and act like everything that happened was my fault!” He stalked towards her. “I never gave you a single reason to think that I gave a damn about Lulu, but that didn’t stop you from grilling me every time I turned around, demanding to know if I’d seen her or talked to her and as for what happened the day you lost—”

“I don’t want to talk about that day,” Nadine cut in sharply, her lower lip trembling. “I won’t talk about it. You were with her and then you just made it worse by sleeping with her. You can’t deny it—”

“I don’t deny it,” he replied. “I could have lied to you. I didn’t have to come home and tell you the truth but we were always honest with each other and I thought you’d rather hear it from me than have it come from her.”

“I’d rather you hadn’t humiliated me and not done it all!” She dragged her hands through hair. “I wasn’t going through enough at that point? Do you have any idea how hard it was just to get up in the morning? To open my eyes, to get out of bed and pretend that nothing had changed? I really didn’t need to have Lulu Spencer shoved in my face to remind me that my husband had always loved another woman—”

“How was I supposed to know how you were feeling?” he demanded. “After you came home from the hospital, you never talked to me. You never even looked at me. You moved out of our room, for Christ’s sake. How the hell was I supposed to know a damn thing? You blamed me for not being there, like it was my fault—”

“I blamed you for being with her,” Nadine snarled. She turned away from him and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. “I can’t keep doing this anymore, Johnny. It’s supposed to get easier. We’ve been divorced longer than we were together and it just gets harder to look at you, to be around you. It’s not supposed to be this way.”

“So your solution is to marry someone just to get away?” Johnny threw his hands out to the side. “Is that it?”

“No.” Nadine turned around. “I’m marrying Nikolas because he’s a good man and he cares for me. I’m tired of being alone. Any man who might have been interested always seems to back off after a date or two. I don’t know if you’re actually doing anything or maybe it’s a side effect of the Zacchara name, but I just can’t do it to myself anymore. You moved on before I even left this house, why can’t you let me do the same?”

“He lives in another country!” Johnny exploded. “You think I’m going to let you take my daughter away from me? To take her to London so that maybe I’ll get to see her in the summer? You haven’t taken enough from me, you have to take her, too?”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do,” Nadine replied, frustrated. “That’s exactly why I came here, so that we can work out something that works for both of us.”

“We already have,” he said. He crossed his arms, defiantly. “The current arrangement is fine by me.”

“Fine,” Nadine sighed. “I’ll call my lawyer. She’ll contact yours. We’ll hash this out in court. Just like we always do. I was stupid to think we could get along for five minutes.” She stared him from tired eyes. “You’re right. We were happy once. I was happy. And I’m tired of being unhappy, so I’m going to do something to change that. I’m going to marry a man who cares for me and respects me. Nikolas thought you might fight a custody arrangement—”

“Oh, did he?” Johnny scoffed.

“And he agreed that he’d stay in Port Charles for as long as it took to settle any dispute. We want to be married as soon as possible.” She started for the door.

How could she marry Nikolas? The man was stiff and proper. Probably didn’t even know how to yell or show any sort of emotion. How could she say that a marriage to him would be better than theirs?

Johnny had loved her, had given her everything inside of him he’d had to give and now she was willing to waste herself on someone who just wanted her because he wasn’t altogether fond of anyone else?

It was absurd.

He couldn’t let it happen.

Just before she reached the threshold, Johnny strode up behind her, grabbed her arm and whirled back to face him. “He doesn’t love you,” he told her, feeling somewhat desperate now. “He can’t give you love and passion, how can you settle for less?”

“Passion is overrated,” Nadine said simply. “It’s cold and it’s empty without anything to back it up.” The corner of her mouth twisted up to form a sad smile. “And I’m used to settling for less.”

She tugged her arm from him and tried to leave again. This time, Johnny didn’t try words. He grabbed her arm, pulled back and kissed her.

For just a moment, Nadine let herself forget their situation and the reason for it. She just let herself remember how it had felt once to have this man in her life and in her arms. She knew the truth now –

She’d never fallen out of love with her husband.

She jerked away and stepped back, trembling. “I don’t know you thought that would change. I’m marrying Nikolas and there’s nothing you can do stop me.”

Nadine stormed out of the room.

And Johnny remembered that their last encounter in here had ended almost the same way.  He’d grabbed her to change her mind, to convince her that he didn’t want Lulu, that he didn’t even know how it had happened, that Nadine and their life together was all he wanted and somehow, he’d failed to convey any of that.

How could she not know how much he’d loved her then? Or, to his chagrin, how much he obviously still loved her now?

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Kelly’s: Courtyard

“Can I have ice cream?”

Johnny hoisted his daughter in his arms and started towards the door of the restaurant. “For my daughter’s birthday? You can have two scoops.” Amalia giggled and clapped her small hands on his cheek, blowing him a raspberry kiss.

“With sprinkles and whipped cream?”

“Maybe even some fudge.”

“That’s an awfully big sundae for such a little girl.”

Johnny stopped, his hand on the door. He had not heard that voice in nearly five years and he was not particularly glad to hear it on this day of all days. He turned, tightening his grip on Amalia. “Lulu.”

Lulu Spencer looked much as she did the last time he saw her, except that her long blonde hair had been trimmed to a neat bob resting under her chin. She smiled at him, like she hadn’t disappeared with a short note of apology. She smiled at him like she had seen him just the day before instead of years.

He’d loved her once, or he thought he had. He loved the idea of her, the idea of someone loving him despite the dark spaces inside. Lulu had wanted him because of those spaces and he knew now what a dangerous kind of love that could have been.

He had something much better and worthwhile now.

“Hey, Johnny.” She stepped forward and took Amalia’s hand in hers. “Who is this pretty girl?”

Even at three, Amalia had perfected a skeptical look. She looked to her father as if to ask, What the hell?

“This is my daughter,” Johnny said, sliding his hand around to Amalia’s back, holding her protectively. “Amalia, this is someone I used to know. Lulu Spencer.”

“Amalia,” Lulu repeated. “That’s an…interesting name.”

“It was Johnny’s grandmother’s name.” Nadine stepped into the courtyard, still dressed in her purple scrubs. She stepped up to the trio.

Lulu stepped back, frowning. “Nadine?”

“Mommy!” Amalia said, grinning. She reached her arms to her mother and Johnny calmly transferred the toddler to his wife.

“You and Nadine?” Lulu asked. “You guys have a kid together?” She looked back and forth between them. “Wow.”

“Why don’t you take Li inside?” Johnny said to Nadine. “Put in an order for a two scoop sundae with sprinkles and whipped cream.”

“And fudge,” Amalia reminded her father. “Daddy said I could have fudge.”

“Hmm, we’ll discuss sugar intake later,” Nadine told Johnny with a smile. She cast another look at Lulu and seemed to rethink leaving them alone.

“Go on.” Johnny put a hand on Nadine’s arm. “I’ll be right in.” Eventually his wife relented and went inside.

“Wow,” Lulu repeated. “You and Nurse Nadine. How in the hell did that happen?” She planted a hand on her hip. “I can’t imagine you as a father.”

“What do you want, Lulu?” Johnny demanded. “I can’t imagine why you bothered to come back after all these years.”

Lulu shrugged. “I still have family. I came back to help Lucky. He’s having a rough time, with Sam splitting and taking the kid.” She stepped over to the window where she could see Nadine settling Amalia into a booster seat. The sunlight from the window caught a glint on the nurse’s finger and Lulu could almost feel the blood draining from her face. “You married her.”

“Four years in December,” Johnny confirmed.

“So you’re a husband and a father.” Lulu turned to look at him. “I’m surprised; most marriages for the sake of kids fail.”

“I didn’t marry her because she was pregnant,” Johnny snapped. He shook his head. “I’m not talking about my family with you.”

“Oh, come on, Johnny.” Lulu touched his arm. “We were friends once. Why can’t we be friends again?”

“Friends don’t leave in the middle of the night with nothing but a note saying you’re sorry,” Johnny said flatly. He shook her arm off. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a date with my kid.” He didn’t glance back as he strode inside the restaurant.

Lulu looked back at the window to see Johnny join Nadine and Amalia just as the large sundae was delivered. Johnny sat next to the blonde and whispered something in her ear. Nadine giggled and turned to look at him. He tucked a piece of hair out of her face, smiling at her.

He looked happy, Lulu thought to herself. She’d never seen him smile like that—without an edge to it, without a shadow in his eyes. She would never have expected someone like Johnny to be satisfied with an ordinary nurse and kid.

She’d lied to Johnny when she’d told him why she’d come back. Sure, Lucky was annoyed that his ex-girlfriend had split with their one-year-old daughter Chloe, but he was pretty sure he could track Sam down for custody so he didn’t really need Lulu’s help.

No, she’d come home because she knew she’d made a mistake in leaving and she’d come home to claim the things she’d left behind.

Johnny Zacchara was at the top of the list. She paused, wondering if maybe she should rethink getting Johnny back. He did look happy, after all.

The moment passed and she shrugged. It couldn’t hurt if she tried to get him back. If his marriage was strong enough, then it wouldn’t matter what she did. If Lulu succeeded, then well, it was for the best to find out now and she was actually doing Nadine a favor.

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Kelly’s: Courtyard

It seemed to be Lucky’s month for precocious teenage girls searching for answers about their parents. He was sipping his usual mid morning coffee, checking in on the new manager at Kelly’s when the Zacchara girl dropped into the chair across from him.

“I don’t think your father would approve,” Lucky said dryly.

“My father doesn’t do much in Port Charles anyway,” Amalia remarked. She propped her chin on her hands and smiled at him. “Your sister used to date my father.”

“Is there something in the water?” he asked. “Your best friend was just in my office a few days ago.”

“Well, seeing as how you’ve lived in the area for the last thirty years,” Amalia batted her eyelashes, “of course we would think you’d be an excellent source of information. Plus, Port Charles is practically inbred. Your sister apparently tore apart my parents and you used to be married to Jules’ mother.”

Lucky remained silent and Amalia huffed. “Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t know about my dad and your sister.”

“I can tell you that whatever happened was a long time ago and some things are best left in the past,” Lucky replied. “You’re not going to get any answers you’d be happy with, Amalia. I suggest you just leave it alone.”

“Would you?” Amalia asked. “My parents can’t be in the same room with each other.  I’ve never been able to remember a Christmas or a birthday when they’re together and not snarling at each other. They only put up with one other on the Fourth of July because Dad won’t risk offending Jason Morgan by not going and my mother is too polite to turn down the invitation. It sucks, Commissioner, and I have a right to know what role your sister played in how my life turned out.”

“What happened between the three of them,” Lucky said slowly, “is not something that I know much about.” And he was only speaking to her because she had a point. If Lulu Spencer had kept away from Johnny Zacchara a decade ago, perhaps this girl would have had a different childhood. “I know that they dated before your parents were married and my sister left town abruptly with very little warning. She didn’t come back until 2013, when you were about three years old. She was home in May and gone by August and I know that her quick exit had something to do with Johnny. I don’t know what.”

Amalia pursed her lips, unhappy with this news. She was hoping to find out that somehow her mother had been mistaken about an affair and she could take that news to them so they could forgive one another and be happy again. However, if her father had slept with Lulu Spencer, it would seriously put a crimp in her plans.

“Lulu’s home again isn’t she?” Amalia asked. “Where is she staying?”

“She’s in and out,” Lucky replied. “She’s out again for now but she’ll back in a week or two. She usually stays with me.” He hesitated. “I understand what you’re doing and it’s probably something I would do in your place. But I think you should be careful about what you find out. You may think you’re wise beyond your years, but I know that sometimes, you’re never old enough to find out a few truths. There are things about our parents that we’re better off not knowing.”

Amalia scrutinized him. “You’re probably right,” she admitted. “But I can’t stop trying to make things better because I’m scared of what I’m going to find out.”

Lucky finished his last sip of coffee. “I’ll give you a shout when she gets back,” he said finally. “Whether I think you should pursue this or not, Lu owes you for the family you might have had.”

“Thanks.” Amalia stood. “My dad said once that the worst thing that ever happened to the PCPD was Mac Scorpio retiring and you getting appointed.”

Lucky chuckled. “He never did like me much.”

“But he’s wrong,” she continued. “I think you’re perfect for it. Thanks, Commissioner.”

“Hey, Amalia—” he called after her, rising from his chair. “I hope I don’t have to arrest you at any point.”

She snorted. “Please, I’m Johnny Zacchara’s kid. You’ll see me plenty.”

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Wyndemere Estate: Stables

A lot of girls went through the pony stage. Juliet had hit it about age eight and Jason had researched it thoroughly (rather, he’d had Spinelli research it thoroughly) and when he was satisfied that she would be safe, he allowed her to sign up for lessons.

Unfortunately, it had taken six months to convince him and by that time, Juliet had left the pony stage and moved on to planting flowers and vegetables in the backyard. So she’d never been able to learn to ride a horse.

Today, watching Nikolas Cassadine and his son Spencer ride in from the fields, she was actually thankful that Jason had been so paranoid. The horses the two rode were huge! Juliet made sure to stay away from the fence. She didn’t trust those animals at all.

“Juliet…” Nikolas turned so that he would ride up against the fence. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Um, yes.” Juliet smiled shyly. She had never had a close relationship to Nikolas or his son. They were already in London when she was born and because Nikolas only came back once a year, she did not have the relationship with him that she had with her uncle Jax or even Amalia’s father Johnny. “I’m sorry to just show up—”

“Nonsense.” Nikolas handed the reigns to a groom and nodded to Spencer. “Why don’t you join Spencer and I for lunch?”

“I couldn’t,” Juliet shook her head. “I was just hoping to talk to you for a moment.”

“Spencer, go tell Magdalena to set another place for lunch,” Nikolas told his son. The dark-haired young man nodded and grinned at Juliet.

“You might as well give in,” he said and Juliet was surprised to hear an accent in his speech. Of course, he’d lived in London for almost his entire life but it hadn’t occurred to her he’d speak that way. “Dad never rests until he has his way.”

“You should know,” Nikolas said dryly. “It will be good to get caught up, Juliet. I’m afraid we haven’t spent as much time together as we might have had…” he shrugged. “Had things been different.”

She cleared her throat. “Can we talk…” She glanced at Spencer, who was clearly very interested in what was going on. “Maybe we could have a second to talk?”

“Of course. Spencer?” Nikolas nodded. “Go on up to the house. Juliet and I will be there in a moment.” Spencer hesitated but finally disappeared up the path.

“Um,” Juliet hesitated. “So, I don’t know if you’ve heard but my father recently…well, he’s relaxed a lot about my mom, so I’ve been able to ask questions.”

“Nadine mentioned that Jason’s started to talk about Elizabeth more,” Nikolas nodded. “Grief is funny—”

“It wasn’t grief,” Juliet interrupted. “She’s not dead.”

Nikolas hesitated and a look of sympathy crossed his face. “Juliet—”

“No, I mean I guess it’s possible,” she continued quickly, “and I’m certainly going to consider it but I can’t—” Juliet stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m finally able to talk about her, to ask about her. Please don’t ask me to give her up again.”

Nikolas looked down for a long moment. “When your aunt Emily passed away, I did not handle it very well. In fact, I experienced hallucinations and I could still see her as a result of a brain tumor. It was very difficult to give that illusion up and no one could convince me until I was ready to have the surgery.”

“This isn’t the same thing,” Juliet said. “I just…I just want to know about her, figure out what might have happened to her. I deserve that.”

“Of course.” Nikolas leaned against the fence post. “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know if Helena Cassadine could have kidnapped her,” Juliet said bluntly

Nikolas stared at her. “Excuse me?”

“I heard about how she kidnapped your mother,” Juliet said. “That Laura Spencer just vanished one day and no one ever heard from her until she was able to escape. If she could do it once, why not again?”

He folded his arms across his chest and considered the question. “I suppose it could have been possible. Helena was certainly capable of it. But the question of why should be asked and why would Elizabeth not contact anyone after Helena died?”

“I don’t know,” Juliet admitted. “I hadn’t really thought about that. I just think it’s weird that it’s so much like what happened to your mom. I mean what if my mother couldn’t get in contact after Helena died? Maybe the fact that Helena died is the reason Mom never came back.”

Nikolas pursed his lips. “I shouldn’t tell you this,” he said. “But I suppose there’s no harm and you do have a theory that you should be able to pursue. I was touring my estates last summer and at the estate where Helena actually died…I saw a woman who looked like your mother.”

“Wait, what?” Juliet demanded. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“Because I don’t think it was Elizabeth,” Nikolas said honestly. “I believe she is dead. I don’t think it had anything to do with your father or her past. I think it was an awful random act that we’ll never know more about.”

“That’s not true,” Juliet said firmly. “I don’t believe that after everything my mother went through in her life, that she was killed in a random act of violence. There’s too much that doesn’t fit.  Someone went to the trouble of getting rid of the car, for one thing. Who does that?”

“I’m not saying there aren’t questions that should be answered,” Nikolas replied. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes about something that is unlikely. Juliet, your mother loved you—”

“I know, I’ve heard this before,” she cut in. “My mother loved me, she wouldn’t have left me. I’ve heard it all before. But I believe there’s more to the story and I want to find out.” She paused. “I’m going to find out.”

Patrick’s Minivan

“Dad? You just passed McDonalds.”

Patrick ignored his daughter and concentrated on the road in front of him. There were just too many insane drivers on the road and he did not trust them when he had his eleven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son in the car. If that driver in the red convertible did not slow down, Patrick might experience some sort of road rage.

“Dad? Aren’t we going to McDonalds?”

What were the people at the DMV thinking when they gave these idiots licenses? Didn’t they know there were children in the other cars?

“Dad, you just passed another McDonalds.” He felt something clunk in the back of his head and he swore, jerking the wheel.

“Anna, did you really just throw something at me while I was driving?” Patrick demanded through clenched teeth.

“You were ignoring me,” Anna said, exasperated. “You told me when you picked me up from ballet that I was going to get McDonalds.”

“We’re picking your brother up first,” Patrick explained, taking the turn for the high school. “And then we will meet your mother at Kelly’s. I don’t remember anything about McDonalds.”

“Well, I asked if we could go and you just grunted,” Anna explained. “Besides, Jeff wants McDonalds.”

Jeff, who rarely got a word in with his brother and sister around, shook his head. “No, sir!” he proclaimed. “I want ice cream from Kelly’s.”

“You are no help,” Anna huffed.

Patrick pulled to a stop in front of the school and waited for Mal to get in. When the teen continued to stand there and glare, Patrick switched off the ignition, opened the car door and stalked to the spot on the concrete where his stubborn son stood.

“Do you need a royal invitation?” he demanded.

“I’m not being picked up by my parents anymore,” Mal sneered. “You can’t make me.”

“Look, I have just had a very long day. I had a five hour surgery and then Jeff had a doctor’s appointment and your sister tried to kill us all by throwing something at me while I was driving. I do not need you or your attitude,” Patrick growled. He jerked his thumb at the car. “So get in the damn car.”

“You know, you keep bitching about shit like that and maybe Jeff and Anna will figure out you didn’t want them either!” Mal shot back.

Patrick didn’t often lose his temper with his kids but the tension between them had been building for months and finally, he lost it. He grabbed Mal’s collar and jerked him up an inch to his toes. “You get to say whatever you want, because you’re too old for me to control, but you don’t spew that bullshit around your brother and sister. They don’t deserve to hear that kind of crap! You think you’ve got all the answers? You don’t know shit about anything and I am sick of having to listen to you feel sorry for yourself.”

He released him and Mal stumbled back, shocked. “You were not a mistake,” Patrick bit out. “No, you weren’t planned but you were never a mistake. Even when I want to shove my foot up your ass, I was never sorry that I had a son. A man doesn’t stick around for almost twenty years if he thinks his life was a mistake. So you think about that for a while.”

“Dad—”

“Now get in the damn car.”

Friday, July 12, 2024

 

Metrocourt Restaurant

 

“I think I should have just kept my mouth shut,” Nikolas sighed. He sipped his wine. “Because I think it’s going to hurt her in the long run.”

Nadine nodded and pushed her chicken around her plate a little. “Maybe. But I think Juliet needs some time to figure out how to deal with her mother. She’s never been allowed to ask about her, to express any kind of desire to find out what happened. And you wouldn’t feel right if you knew she was looking and didn’t have all the information.”

“That’s true,” Nikolas murmured. He set his fork down. “You know me very well, Nadine. And to think I used to believe you were the most annoying nurse GH had ever hired.”

“That’s just because you knew I was right,” Nadine smirked. She reached for her glass of wine and took a long sip.

“How long have we known each other now?” Nikolas pondered. “Close to seventeen years?”

“Something like that.” Nadine smiled quizzically. “You waxing poetic in your old age?”

“I’m hardly that old,” Nikolas replied, slightly exasperated. He cleared his throat. “Nadine. I didn’t just come home to see Lucky.”

Nadine frowned. “Oh?”

“I’ve been giving this matter some thought,” he said. “And I think the time is finally right. Neither of us…we’ve never really been able to move on from our respective spouses.”

“That’s just…” Nadine huffed. “That’s inaccurate. If you are insinuating that I still love Johnny Zacchara—”

Nikolas held up a hand. “Not at all. But you have remained single. As have I. I thought someone would come along that I could love, but no one could compare to Emily.” He sighed and wiped his mouth with a linen napkin. “Nadine, we’re both old enough to know that real love is hard to find and even if we find it, it’s not guaranteed to last.”

“True,” Nadine said slowly. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that there come a time when you need to start thinking about how you’re going to spend your time. Spencer is going off to college, Amalia is getting older. There’s no reason for either of us to continue putting our lives on hold for them.”

“That’s…” Nadine shook her head. “I haven’t been doing that. It’s just…things are complicated. No one wants to date Johnny Zacchara’s ex-wife.” She scowled. “I know he’s been scaring them off for years, whether it’s just the mention of him or maybe he’s making an actual effort to make them back off.”

“I’m not scared of Johnny,” Nikolas said simply. “Nadine, some marriages are made in fire and they last or don’t. Others, they’re founded on something stronger and more solid like friendship. I came home to ask you to marry me.”

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Zacchara Estate: Conservatory

There was something about this room that almost made Nadine feel at home. Perhaps it was because every time she was in Crimson Pointe, she and Johnny inevitably ended up in here. She would lounge on the sofa in front of the fireplace, reading medical journals or more recently, pregnancy books and listen to Johnny playing the piano.

In the last two months, she had somehow ended up at the Zacchara estate every Thursday night and stayed until Saturday morning. She’d make the drive back to Port Charles in time for her afternoon shift. The first few times, she’d slept in a guest bedroom but a month ago, after an evening of dinner and talking, Johnny had leaned forward and kissed her and since that night, they’d shared a room.

Of course, there were moments when Nadine wondered if the attraction between them was more in their imagination than in reality – if they were just making themselves end up together because neither of them were really interested in being alone and of course, there was the baby to consider. But those moments only intruded when she was feeling fat and unattractive. Most of the time, she knew that the baby had just been the reason for continued contact.

In fact, it would have been infinitely easier for both of them if he’d just agreed to financially support the baby and arrange for visitation rights once it was born. That hadn’t satisfied Johnny – he wanted to start parenthood right and had insisted on being fully involved, from doctor appointments to his own stack of pregnancy and childcare books she’d spied in his room.

“So, the baby is about five inches long,” Nadine said. She sat up and peered at him over the back of the sofa. “That seems so weird to me.” She propped the book on her chest and held up her hands to about what she thought five inches would be. “Man, that’s small.”

“Babies generally are somewhat tiny.” Johnny’s fingers paused on the keys and she didn’t have to look at him to know he was smirking. “Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Very funny,” Nadine returned easily. She picked the book back up. “The baby only weighs as much as a turnip. Five ounces. That’s barely half a pound.” She shook her head. “Wow.” She closed the book and went to join him on the piano bench. “So I was browsing the internet at work today and I found this list of things to remember each week you’re pregnant and this week it was funny because they listed both your sex drive going into overdrive and thinking you’re too unattractive so your significant other will stray. No wonder pregnant women go crazy.”

Johnny slid a curious glance at her from the corner of his eye. “I can’t decide if that was a hint, a question or just one of those trick questions you pregnant girls ask a guy to trip him up.”

“Could be all three,” Nadine grinned. “I think that’s the best thing about being pregnant—other than the obvious. Everyone is always so worried about upsetting you. Leyla and Regina are so mad at me and Elizabeth because Epiphany keeps giving them all the manual labor.”

“Elizabeth?” Johnny remarked curiously. “Jason Morgan’s wife?”

“Yep,” Nadine nodded. “She’s due in early June and I’m in late April so we’re going to hit all the major stages together. Plus, she’s been through this twice before so it’s nice to have an ally in all this.” Her eyes grew a little distant. “Wouldn’t it be the coolest thing if we both had little girls and they were, like, best friends?  She’s positive this one is going to be a girl and even though I won’t know until next week at the appointment, I think this is a girl too.”

“It’s an interesting idea, me and Jason’s kids growing up together,” Johnny mused. He glanced at her. “So that trick question slash hint earlier?”

“I was just kidding,” Nadine replied. “It was choice D. None of the above.”

“Right.” Johnny started another piece, the Beethoven he knew she loved. It was the only piece that she could tell from the others. “I was thinking about my answer to it anyway. I think it’s pretty obvious that we’ve got something here.”

“Yes, a baby,” Nadine said slowly with a grin. “Gee, you’re slow.”

“Nadine.” Johnny looked at her, slightly exasperated. “You always joke when we start talking about anything serious.”

“Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “No, I know, you’re right. Sometimes, I think it’s because I’m pregnant but most of the time, I think maybe there’s something real.” She hesitated. “Right?”

“I care about you,” Johnny confirmed. “And not just because you’re the mother of my child, though that’s pretty cool. And just for the record, I’m more than fine if your libido swings into overdrive. Anytime, you just call me. I can be in Port Charles in no time.” He grinned.

“Such a guy,” Nadine rolled her eyes, but she rested her head against his shoulder. “I care about you, too, Johnny,” she said softly. “More than I thought I would.”

“Ditto.” He pulled his fingers from the keys and she frowned, looking at up at him. “Nadine, these last two months have been the most normal of my entire life.”

“Since I know about the rest of your life,” she said, “I know that’s a good thing. I’ve really enjoyed it, too.”

“But I realized that I want more time with you,” Johnny continued, “two nights and one day a week isn’t enough. I know you’ve got a life and a career in Port Charles, so I’m willing to compromise and buy a place there for us but there’s a condition.”

“Oh, really?” Nadine could almost feel where this was going but she wasn’t sure if it was because it was simply logical or because she was so completely crazy about him that it was wishful thinking. “What’s the condition?”

He paused and licked his lips, nervously. “Will you marry me?”

She grinned, from one corner of her face to the other. “Oh, God, yes.” She threw her arms around his neck. “Definitely!”

Friday, July 5, 2024

 

Jake’s Bar

“You know, there are times when I think I should have been a doctor.” Pete Marquez, professor of English literature, threw back a shot of whiskey and set the shot glass down on the table with a thump.

“I bet those are times you have to make that alimony payment,” Ian Devlin remarked with a wicked grin. “Because you’d make more as a doctor.”

“Sometimes,” Pete agreed. “But mostly because I’m tired at looking at those idiot little faces.” He sighed dramatically. “I am burnt out.”

“He’s just annoyed because his face isn’t as pretty anymore,” Patrick taunted. He slapped his old college buddy lightly on the cheek. “The girls don’t swoon and Leila would rather rake him over the coals some more.”

“Leila,” Pete sighed. “She was excellent in bed but the second I put that ring on her finger, she was all about babies and picket fences, and why do I still flirt with the students and maybe I should stop going to the strip clubs.” He shook his head, disgusted. “It’s like she knew who I was when she married me and then she wanted to change it. Women.”

“Now, now, Pete, don’t forget,” Ian mocked, “our good friend Patrick has been happily married for like….forty years.”

“Haha,” Patrick said sardonically. “It’s been sixteen years and you know it. Some of us just know how to make marriage work.”

“Absolutely,” Pete agreed. “And your method is doing what your wife tells you to.”

“I do not do what my wife tells me to,” Patrick replied, insulted. He sipped his beer. “I merely pick my battles.”

“Uh-huh.” Ian leaned forward. “When was the last battle you picked?”

Patrick paused and tried to remember the last argument he’d bothered to have with Robin. When he couldn’t think of one, he frowned. “Maybe we’re mellowing.”

“Ha, someone has mellowed,” Pete crowed. “And it’s not the lovely Dr. Scorpio-Drake. She has got you so whipped.” He made a little whipping sound.

“Gee, you wonder why Leila took the kids and left you. I warned her and I’m pretty sure I warned you but you were in love,” Patrick teased.

“You’re such an ass,” Pete said without malice. “Hey, not everyone finds the right girl and manages to have the nice house in the suburbs with a minivan. I can’t really make fun of you because you had the good sense to find the one woman in the world that was more stubborn than you.”

“Seriously, though,” the eternally single Dr. Devlin began, “you don’t have a moment of doubt about where your life ended up?”

Patrick hesitated and brought his beer to his lips. He shrugged. “Sometimes. When Mal’s screaming at me or Anna’s stomping her foot for her ballet lessons or when Robin volunteers me to take the kids places without bothering to let me know. Yeah. I mean, sure, I didn’t really participate in any of the major decisions after I proposed. Robin set the date, she planned the wedding, she wanted to move, she wanted another kid. But most of the time, I’m okay with how things ended up.”

“You’re okay with it?” Pete echoed. “Well, if that isn’t a ringing endorsement of fatherhood.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Patrick replied, irritated. “I love Robin and I think she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m a better person because of her, and a better doctor. I love my kids and for the most part I don’t think I’m screwing up them up. But yeah, sometimes I do wonder what life would have been like if Robin hadn’t ended up pregnant.” He shrugged again. “I can’t imagine that thought doesn’t cross most married men’s minds once in a blue moon.”

“Here, here.” Ian raised his shot glass. “There’s something to be said about damn good fathers. There aren’t many of you out there. Most are more like our friend, Pete. He probably knows his kids names.” He paused and grinned. “Birth dates might be a stretch.”

“Ha, you’re very funny,” Pete muttered. “Remind me to run you over in the parking lot later.”

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Port Charles Police Department: Commissioner’s Office

There wasn’t much about Lucky Spencer that had changed over the years. As the only responsible member of the Spencer family left (Bobbie had passed away two years ago and his father had been gone for almost ten years now) he took his job as commissioner very seriously. Not that people paid much attention to the department these days. Since the bloody days of Port Charles mob had ended, the PCPD spent most of their time with petty crimes, domestic violence and traffic violations. It was good, safe work and Lucky liked to think he was making a difference.

His life was very calm, its only real complication was the ongoing custody disagreement he had with his ex-girlfriend Sam McCall, who never seemed to want him to see their daughter. Chloe Spencer-McCall was nearly eight years old now and it was really unfair that he only had her around for a handful of weeks a year. Fortunately, Sam was finally beginning to relax about letting Chloe out of her sight for more than five seconds so Lucky was going to have her for the entire month of August this year.

Life was calm, life was agreeable, but most importantly, life was predictable and Lucky was enjoying it.

Until his ex-wife’s youngest child walked into his office. Juliet Morgan resembled her mother in every way. Lucky couldn’t help but remember Elizabeth Webber at the same age though he doubted Juliet had ever drank or touched a cigarette.

“Ah, what can I do for you?” Lucky asked.

Juliet perched at the edge of the chair in front of his desk. “I was hoping you’d have a few minutes to talk to me about my mother.”

Lucky swallowed. “Does your father know you’re here?”

“No,” Juliet admitted, “but I don’t think he’d be mad. He’s a lot more open about Mom lately. He wouldn’t talk about her for the longest time but he’s finally starting to let up. He let me hang pictures up so now there’s one in every room.”

Lucky had heard rumors of how badly Jason had handled Elizabeth’s disappearance and the one where Jason never spoke of her and had boxed everything up had seemed a little far fetched but apparently it had been the truth. He cleared his throat. “No one really handled your mother’s…disappearance well.”

Juliet nodded. “Aunt Carly said you tried to take Cam away from her. And from me and Jake,” she added pointedly.

Lucky scratched the back of his neck. “Carly mentioned that? To you?”

“Well, no,” Juliet admitted. “She was talking to Uncle Jax about it once and she didn’t know I was eavesdropping.” She grinned. “You wouldn’t believe the things you adults say when you think we’re not listening.”

“Having been your age at one point, I can absolutely believe it. As for the Cameron thing…I wasn’t entirely in my right head. Elizabeth was always very important to me and a lot of people, including myself, blamed your dad for what might have happened to her. We wanted you three safe but of course, you and Jake were Jason’s biological children. Cam wasn’t.”

“He’s Cam’s dad in every way that matters,” Juliet said firmly. “Also legally. Mom let him adopt Cam when they got married, so I’m glad Aunt Carly fought to keep us together. Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“Oh, good,” Lucky said. He coughed, “I mean, I’m not particularly proud of that time period in my life.”

“Everyone says that you, Uncle Nik and Aunt Emily were Mom’s best friends,” Juliet said.

Lucky tilted his head to the side and smiled. “You call her Aunt Emily even though she died before you were born.”

“She was my dad’s sister and Mom loved her like one. Plus I’m named for her. Everyone says she would have loved me a lot,” Juliet said. “But they say that about Mom, too.”

“Your mom loved her kids,” Lucky said firmly. “A lot of people thought she just up and left because of your father. But I always knew that wasn’t true.”

“I know that she didn’t leave on purpose,” Juliet said, “and Dad seems pretty sure that he investigated every lead on his, er, side, so I guess what I really wanted to know is if you know of any enemies my mother made before she met Dad.”

Lucky frowned. “Juliet, are you, by chance, trying to find out what happened to her?”

“I know you’re going to tell me that I’m probably wasting my time,” Juliet replied, “but she’s my mother and I want to know what happened. My brothers and I deserve some answers. If it were your mom, would you ever give up?”

“No.” Lucky paused. “My mother actually had a similar experience. She disappeared without a trace for about two years. This was before I was born.”

“And no one knew where she was the whole time she was gone?” Juliet asked, curiously. “Like, did people think she was dead?”

“Yeah, I don’t know the specific details,” Lucky said, “But it was attributed to a recent rash of disappearances, I think. Eventually, she turned up. She’d been kidnapped by Stavros Cassadine and forced to marry him. That’s, unfortunately, how my brother Nikolas ended up being born.”

“Wow,” Juliet said, “I always thought Uncle Nik’s dad was just someone she married before your dad.” She pursed her lips. “So the Cassadines were able to just make your mom go poof?”

“Yeah,” Lucky agreed. “Helena Cassadine – Stavros’s mother – was not someone you wanted to cross. She was evil – pure through and through. The happiest day in Nikolas’s life was when Helena died in Greece in 2011. The last of a very dark branch of his family.”

“But what about my mother?” Juliet pushed. “Did she make enemies of the Cassadines?”

“I guess, in a general manner,” Lucky shrugged. “But your mom was out of the feud for years before she disappeared.” He hesitated. “And I see what you’re getting at, but once Helena was dead, your mom could have found a way to come back, you know? She wouldn’t have stayed gone another thirteen years.”

Juliet huffed. “I know. But I’m not really in a position to discard theories. It’s the only one I’ve got. Any other enemies?”

“No,” Lucky shook his head. “I mean, I probably would have said Carly was an enemy at one point. They used to hate each other. And Sam McCall. But no one who would have done anything to her. They both loved Jason too much.”

“Well, I guess you’ve given me something to go on.” Juliet stood. Lucky got to his feet.

“Juliet, I hope you find the answers you’re looking for,” he said honestly. “Your mother was one of the best friends I ever had in my entire life and I’ve never given up looking for her. I always keep an eye out…” he hesitated. “You know…you should talk to my brother, Nikolas. He might know something more,” he said, thinking of the strange sighting Nikolas had related to him. “He’s a great source of Cassadine information.”

“I’ll do that.” Juliet stopped at the doorway. “My mom made a lot of photo albums when she was pregnant with me and Dad just gave them to me. You’re in a lot of them, you know. So you know, she still loved you, too. As a friend,” she added quickly. “I just thought you should know.”

“Thanks,” Lucky said quietly. He watched Elizabeth’s daughter exit and sank back into his chair. Helena Cassadine. He hadn’t thought about her in years but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Helena had had something to do with Elizabeth’s disappearance. Or death. Helena had always been vicious.

And she’d always held a grudge.

Monday, July 8, 2024

Davis Home: Backyard

Kristina leaned across her raft and tugged the headphones from her younger sister’s ears. “So, are you seeing Cam tonight?”

“Maybe.” Molly grinned and slid her sunglasses down to the bridge of her nose to wiggle her eyebrows at her sister. Despite the constant comparing Alexis did between Kristina and her, Molly still loved her older sister because she knew it wasn’t Kristina’s fault Alexis couldn’t accept Molly’s decisions. “He is definitely delicious. I’m glad I made him wait this long.”

Kristina snorted and laid her head back down on her raft, kicking off the side of the pool when she floated too close. “Please. You’ve had a crush on Cameron Morgan since you were twelve. He just never had the time of day for you.”

“Details.” Molly sighed and adjusted the top of her strapless bikini to make sure that her tan would go as low as possible. “Besides, we’ve got stuff in common.”

“Absolutely. He’s girl crazy and you’re boy crazy. It’s a match made in heaven.” Kristina laughed. “And I have to say, you are handling him much better than I dealt with Kevin. He couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

“Couldn’t get away from Mom fast enough, you mean,” Molly corrected. “Cam knows how ridiculous Mom is so that solves a lot of problems.”

“She is not happy about her little girl dating a Morgan,” Kristina informed her. She sat up on her raft and tugged towards the side of the pool to grab a sip of her iced tea. “So you guys are sleeping together right?”

“Kris…” Molly rolled her eyes. “I am not telling you that!”

“Hey, we made a pact when we were in high school,” Kristina reminded her pointedly. “I told you about Remy and Kevin. And I know you’ve had sex before, so what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is…” Molly hesitated. “Yeah, we are. And I didn’t exactly make him wait all that long either.”

Kristina eyed her suspiciously. “What exactly is all that long anyway?”

“Third date,” Molly muttered, letting her hand drift into the cool water. She flicked water at her sister. “But we’ve known each other our entire lives. That matters.”

“Yeah,” her sister drew out, “but still, Mol—three dates? You don’t think he’s going to get a certain idea about your relationship? And what it’s based on?”

“Maybe,” Molly admitted. “But I also know that Cameron Morgan can pretty much date whatever girl he wants and he’s only home for the summer anyway. If I want him to date me the rest of the time, I have to give him a reason to.”

Kristina frowned. “Molly—”

“Krissy, just drop it, okay?” Molly said. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”