You walk the streets at night still looking for your reason
But you don’t wanna try
You swear the world has got you backed into a corner
But no one holds your hand to walk into a fight
You swear the light is gonna find you
But it can’t find you when you’re waiting all the time
– Something to Believe in, Parachute

---

May 2014

Crichton-Clark Institute: Lab

He had heard the rumors and the whispers but it wasn’t until Helena Cassadine swept into his office that morning that Andre fully believed that the Cassadine matriarch had returned from the dead.

“My dear Dr. Maddox,” she purred, “you look as though you’ve seen a ghost. Did my brother-in-law not keep you apprised of my recovery?”

“Hearing that Dr. Scorpio was able to achieve the impossible is one thing,” Andre said, rising to his feet. “Seeing you in person is quite another.”

“Fair enough. It’s wonderful to be up and about again. I had hoped to check in with you on our work before I leave for Greece,” Helena told him. “How are my twins?”

“Unchanged,” Andre said, a bit uneasily. “Still in a coma. I’m still not able to achieve the transfer of Patient Five’s memories into Six—”

“But you still have them,” Helen said. “Victor assured me that you’d put the project on ice.”

“Yes,” Andre said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to finish—”

“I told you a long time ago, Dr. Maddox. I merely wanted Jason Morgan removed from the field for as long as possible. I’m putting the final touches on my plans. Victor told Dr. Scorpio she could help Mr. Morgan return to his family. I’m ready to let her do that.”

“I—” Andre hesitated. “But what about Patient Five?”

Helena shrugged. “He was part of Victor’s plan—”

“But the memory adjustments you asked for—” he protested. “What was the point?”

“To see if we could, my darling Dr. Maddox! And if we’d completed the experiment on the original schedule, it would have been helpful. Alas, you were unable to come through.” She shrugged elegantly. “Now, Victor has told me I can deal with the twins as I see fit. You can do what you like with Five, but I’ll be needing Jason Morgan.”

“I—”  Andre nodded. “All right, Mrs. Cassadine. I’ll have Jason Morgan ready to turn over to Dr. Scorpio.” He watched her leave, then exhaled slowly, hoping that this Dr. Scorpio wouldn’t be able tell the difference between the brothers. There was a chance this insane plan might actually work.

And that Drew Cain would be going to Port Charles with Jason Morgan’s memories.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

General Hospital: Hallway

If they weren’t in a public place, if Elizabeth wasn’t standing right behind him as a witness that could be dragged into court, Jason might enjoy squeezing the life out of this piece of trash. This time, he’d cut the psycho into pieces that couldn’t come back from the dead, then maybe he’d set them on fire.

He was done letting Franco come back to taunt and torment the people that mattered to Jason. Why the hell was he allowed to breathe and take up space? How the hell had Carly and Elizabeth let him into their lives, into their homes—Carly had almost married him, and Elizabeth had let him live with her sons.

He would never understand how Franco was still alive.

“Can’t breathe,” Franco choked.

“That doesn’t sound like a problem to me,” Jason growled.

“Let him go,” Elizabeth said, with an air of exhausted resignation that sounded eerily familiar to him. Like the way she’d sounded when talking about Lucky Spencer—another rat bastard Jason should have shoved off a pier a long time ago. “There are too many witnesses,” she continued, restoring some of his faith in her.

“You know, three days ago, you gave a damn about me,” Franco snarled at Elizabeth as Jason slowly let the asshole down and stepped back.

“The funny thing about love,” Elizabeth said, “is that it can be turned into hate with just one flick of the match.” Her lips pressed together in a mutinous line. “You put your hands on my son. That’s the end of it. Whoever I thought you were—I was lying to myself. No one touches my kids.”

Franco hissed, but then he was distracted when someone sauntered around the corner—Cameron—who stopped dead when he saw the three of them. The plastic circular shield he’d slung over his shoulder slid down, hitting the linoleum hospital floor with a dull clatter.

“Cameron—” Elizabeth began, moving towards him.

“Felix said you were—” Cameron swallowed and tore his eyes away from Franco, turning towards his mother. “We got done early, and Michael was waiting—”

“Go back to the nurse’s station; we’ll be right there—”

“You know, if you’d taught your brats some manners,” Franco began, “and how to show some damn respect—”

This time, it wasn’t Jason that had to be held back. Elizabeth started forward, the clipboard raised in her hand as if she was getting ready to wield it like a club, but Jason grabbed the back of her scrubs and pulled her back, then stretched his arm in front of her to block another advance.

“Too many witnesses,” he said, repeating her earlier warning. He glared at Franco. “Go away. Now. Or I’ll let her go.”

Franco made a face, then slunk away, disappearing around a corner. Elizabeth’s shoulders heaved as the clipboard fell to the ground, and she put her head in her hands. “Oh my God. How could I let this happen—” She looked at Cameron, who hadn’t said a word but was just staring at her, his blue eyes wide and startled. “Cameron.”

“Mom.” He looked at Jason, then shook his head, his expression clearing. “I can take the guys home—we’re ordering pizza anyway, and they got a ton of candy already—”

“No—” Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut. “No. They trick or treat here every year. It’s tradition. He’s not taking that from me. I’m so sorry, Cameron.”

“Well, the clipboard—” Cameron said, grabbing it from the ground and scooping up his shield at the same time, “it’s not as cool as the gun, but it worked in a pinch.” With an easy grin that didn’t really reach his eyes, he handed it to her. “You’re a little scary, Mom. You get that from Jason?” He flicked his eyes to the other man, his expression urging Jason to go with it—to lighten the mood or something.

“No, she was like this when I met her,” Jason said, not at all surprised that Cameron had known exactly what to say to take that terrible look out of Elizabeth’s eyes. He’d always been the easy-going son, the one that would crawl into Elizabeth’s lap after they’d lost Jake and hug her, promising it would be okay.

“I’d better get back to the hub,” Cameron told them. “Or Joss is gonna come looking for me. I’ll keep the kids under control until you get to them.” He offered a salute, slung the shield over his shoulder, then sauntered away.

“He’s not okay, but he’s going to pretend for me. For his brothers,” Elizabeth murmured, watching him go. She sighed, then looked at Jason. “Normally, I wouldn’t say you should take Franco’s word for anything but Andre—he didn’t pull that out of air. Andre Maddox showed up right around the time Helena died, and Drew got his memories back a few months later. Andre has also been Jake’s doctor for months, helping him deal with the Chimera and Helena’s control. He was really—” Her voice faltered slightly. “He was really good to Jake, but when we went to see him after the park that day—there was just something in the way he looked at Jake—” Elizabeth frowned. “He knew Jake had seen someone, and I think maybe he knew it was you.”

“But if he’s left town—”

“Anna,” Elizabeth cut in. “She went back to the WSB after she left the police department. She and Andre were friends. You’ll want to talk to her anyway because Victor Cassadine spent years in the research department at the WSB before taking it over for a few years. She, Robert, and Frisco Jones have spent the last three years trying to clean the place up.”

“Anna,” Jason repeated. “Okay.” He glanced down the hall. “First, I want to see Jake.” He paused, meeting her eyes. “You said it was a tradition for him to trick or treat here.”

“Yeah, um, since Cam’s first Halloween, every year. My grandfather started it, and Steven brought it back.”

“I want to be part of his traditions,” Jason told her. “If that’s okay.”

She smiled, and he was relieved to see that terrible air of sadness had finally lifted. “Absolutely. Come on. They all look great, and Joss and Michael are here, too.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

When Cameron returned to the hub around ten minutes after he’d gone off in search of his mother, Trina knew something was wrong.

Just like she’d known the day before that something was off. He’d told her this morning that his mother had broken up with Franco, but Trina knew she wasn’t getting the whole story.

“Hey, where’s your mom?” Trina asked as Cameron rejoined the group by the sofas at the waiting area.

“She’ll be here in a minute. Uh—” Cameron looked at Oscar. “Jason is here. And by that, I mean—”

“The guy your mom says is Jason,” Oscar finished. “The one with my dad’s face, but who she says isn’t him.”

“Yeah, I just wanted to warn you,” Cameron said. “I think he’s here to see my mom, but he’ll probably hang out while we do the trick or treat thing.” He frowned. “Where’s Aiden and Jake?”

“They went with Michael to see if Felix has new batteries for Jake’s light saber,” Joss said, shoving a heavy piece of her white-blonde wig over her shoulder. Trina wrinkled her nose. Why the girl had to wear a damn wig when she was already blonde—drama queen. “But you look weird. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Cameron said, but looked away.

“Oh, nothing, huh? Like Friday night was nothing?” Joss demanded. “Did you tell Trina or Oscar?”

“Joss—”

“Tell us what?” Trina demanded. She knew something was going on—and of course he’d told Joss first— “What does Joss know that I don’t?”

Cameron hissed, then glared at Joss who just returned his icy stare. “You see what you started? I didn’t even want to tell you.”

“He only told me because he knew I’d break Aiden in five seconds,” Joss told Trina, who was not wild about being reassured by her boyfriend’s best friend and her mortal enemy.

“Then I guess I should go ask the Webber boys who do respect me what the hell is going on—” She turned away.

“It’s not—” Cameron growled and reached for her arm. “It’s not like that. I just don’t want this to be a big deal, okay? Seriously. The more people who know, the worse my mom is going to feel, and don’t start—” he shot at Joss who opened her mouth. “I already know your opinion.”

“I’m not people, Cameron—”

“No, I know that—” Cameron dragged a hand through his hair, then nodded. “Okay. Okay. I’m fine, but on Friday after you guys left, Franco came in and got all irritated because we were watching the videos. He and I got into it, and it was physical, okay? Franco shoved me—”

Trina’s eyes bulged. “He what—”

“Whoa—” Oscar said.

“It’s fine. Mom came home, and she got him to let me go. She pulled a gun on him and even shot at his feet. It was fine,” he repeated. “He left, and Mom called Joss’s stepdad and brother to change security.”

“Oh, a notorious serial killer attacked you, but, like it’s fine now,” Trina retorted. “Damn it, Cam—” She took a deep breath. “This is the kind of thing you tell your girlfriend!”

“I know—” He winced, and took her by the elbow towards the elevators, leaving Joss with Oscar and his brothers. “Look, my mom is feeling guilty enough—and before you say she should—”

“I wasn’t gonna,” she muttered.

“I don’t want my mom to worry about me, okay? Not with everything going on. She’s gotta focus on making sure Franco stays gone, and this whole Jason back from the dead thing—I think it’s got something to do with Jake, and she needs to focus on him—”

“She needs to focus on you—”

“I’m fine—”

“Stop protecting her!” Trina said through clenched teeth. “She’s the one supposed to be protecting you! When has she ever done that—”

“Don’t—” Cameron narrowed his eyes to blue slits, his cheeks flushed. “Don’t talk about her. You don’t know anything about my mother or what she’s been through. What people in this damn town have done to her. Me and my brothers are all she has—”

“That doesn’t mean—”

“I mean it, Trina. My mom made mistakes, okay? I know that. And she’s not perfect. But she’s my mother. She gave up everything for me. She wanted to be an artist, you know that?”

“I—” Trina frowned. “No, I didn’t—”

“And she’s really good at it. I’ve seen her stuff with Jake, and she painted murals in our rooms at our old house. But she gave it up for me. She needed a job with health insurance—”

“Cameron—”

“You weren’t there when she was crying herself to sleep over losing Jake. Four years, Trina. My brother was dead for four years.”

“I know that. I’ve known you since kindergarten—”

“No, you’ve known me for five months.” Cameron glanced back over to the waiting area, seeing that Felix and Michael had returned with his brothers, and Jake was staring at him oddly. “I told you. My family comes first with me.”

“And it’s one of the reasons I like you,” Trina told him. “I like your family. I like your mother most of the time. It’s just—” She hesitated. “You deserve to come first with someone, too, you know? That’s all I’m saying.”

Cameron scowled at her, then immediately pasted a smile on his face when his mother emerged from the hallway followed by the guy Trina had seen on the news. She immediately turned to look at Oscar who was staring at the new guy with a frozen expression.

Joss put a hand on Oscar’s arm, and her boyfriend swallowed hard.

“I need to go over there,” Cameron told her, and then left to hurry over to Oscar and Joss. Trina watched him crack a joke as Elizabeth and Jake’s dad joined them.  Taking care of someone else, just like he always did.

She just wished he’d let someone take care of him for once.

Devane Manor: Foyer

Following Jake and his brothers around the hospital as they went to a few rooms with willing patients and hospital staff, trick or treating, was the best thing that happened to Jason all day. He liked watching Jake interact not just with his brothers, but the easy way he talked to Michael and Joss, the way he fit with these other people in Jason’s life, the way Joss bantered with all three Webber boys like they were a team.

It made Jason forget for a little while what was happening outside of the hospital.

He reluctantly left when Michael drove the group home to Elizabeth’s house and she went back to work. Jason headed across town to the neighborhood where Anna Devane lived to get to the bottom of the strange story that Franco had told them about Andre Maddox.

Anna stared at him for a long moment after opening the door. She stepped back finally. “Well, you certainly look like you’re supposed to,” she said, closing the door behind him. “Did anyone check for masks?”

Jason furrowed his brows. “Actually, yeah, but—”

“Hmmm. Well, Faison was the one who put you in the water,” Anna told him, “but he did it while wearing a very realistic Duke Lavery disguise.” She sighed. “Are you here about the WSB connection? I assure you, I wasn’t part of Victor’s research projects. Neither were Robert and Frisco. Victor kept a lot of his work guarded from the agency at large.”

“Andre Maddox,” Jason said and watched as Anna closed her eyes. “You knew he was involved.”

“No, no, I didn’t,” she said softly, “but he left town in a hurry yesterday, and I knew something was up, so I asked Robert to get a background on him. The timing works—” Anna winced. “He moved to Port Charles shortly after Jake Doe’s reveal as Jason Morgan. After little Jake came home. Just before Jake Doe got the memories back. If he was involved with your kidnapping, that means he had a connection to Victor. And the WSB. Damn it.” She sighed. “What exactly did he do?”

“I don’t know. He told Franco something about putting Chimera in Jake’s head. That he’s the one that did whatever happened to me and—” Jason stopped. “I don’t trust Franco, obviously, but Elizabeth seemed to think something Maddox did the other day lines up—”

“I think it’s worth finding out for sure.” Anna went over to the phone. “I can commiserate, you know, coming back to a life that has moved on without you—a twin who has a penchant for pretending to be you and mucking about—” She stopped. “Frisco, I’m so glad I caught you. Yes—I need some intel. Does the WSB have a file on Andre Maddox, probable birth date somewhere in the mid to late 70s. Doctor of Psychiatry and Neurology—That rat bastard.” She made a face. “Can I get a copy of that? Yes—yes, we have a problem. Another Cassadine mess to clean up.”

“What did he say?” Jason demanded.

“Andre Maddox worked in WSB Special Projects from 2008 until just last spring. I didn’t—” Anna set the phone down on the hook. “I didn’t know that. He never said a word. And that—that is something to be considered. We were friends, working for the same agency and he never said a word. Frisco is sending me a copy of Andre’s personnel records, and he’s assigning Robert to this officially. Jason—”

He hesitated, then looked at her oddly at the use of his name. “You’re not waiting until the tests come back?” he asked.

“We may not know each other all that well,” Anna told him, “but you forget that I’ve had the privilege of knowing both versions of you. The way you hold yourself—the expression in your eyes—it matches the man I knew five to six years ago so much more than the man walking around with your name. Even the world’s best con artist can’t fake that kind of thing.”

She paused. “If the WSB was part of whatever happened to you and, well, I suppose your brother, then I promise you — Robert, Frisco, and I will get the answers. We’ve dedicated our lives to this agency. Sacrificed family and friends for what we believe in. Victor Cassadine has left a stain on it that can’t ever be removed.”

Harbor View Road: Driveway

Jason took out his keys as he walked to the end of the driveway to the SUV parked at the curb. Just as he slid the key in the lock as he saw a pair walking towards him, or at least in his direction. Sam, holding the hand of a young blond boy dressed as a green character Jason recognized vaguely from movies he’d watched with Michael.

Sam’s feet slowed as she stared at him, her eyes shadowed in the street lamps. “We’re—” She took a deep breath. “We’re finishing up our trick or treating. My mom lives around the corner.”

Jason nodded, his throat tight. He looked down at Danny, the little boy he’d only seen for a handful of hours before he’d been shot and shoved into the water. Jason had rescued him from Heather Webber and brought him home to Sam. He’d thought it was a chance for them to try again, to get it right—to try to make up for how badly he’d treated her—

“Hi,” Danny said with a shy smile. “I’m Danny, but tonight I’m Yoda.”

Jason nodded. “Hi,” he said, then felt a lump in his throat when Sam tightened her hand around Danny’s. What did she think he was going to do? Tell a five-year-old that he was Jason? Announce that he was the little boy’s biological father?

“This is a friend of mine from a long time ago,” Sam said finally. “What are you doing in this neighborhood?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “Sonny and Carly live almost two miles away—”

Did she even realize that she wasn’t treating him like a stranger? Like he wasn’t exactly who he said he was?

Did she even hear herself?

“I came to see Anna,” Jason said. “I didn’t know Alexis lives out here now. What happened to the lake house?”

Sam grimaced. “It’s a long story.”

“My brother is Luke Skywalker,” Danny continued, oblivious to the tension between the two adults. “So we made our sister be Princess Leia. Do you like Star Wars?”

“I’ve seen the movies,” Jason said. “It’s a nice costume.”

“Yoda is very smart,” Danny said, then smiled again. “But my brother is smarter. He’s braver than me, so he got to be Luke. Daddy was gonna be Hans, but he had to work.” The corners of his lips turned down, then looked up at his mother. “Is he coming later? Are we going to see Jake later?”

“Not tonight. I told you. We should get going, Danny.” Sam lifted him into her arms and walked away quickly, not looking back.

“Bye!” Danny said, waving at Jason over Sam’s shoulder. “Happy Halloween!”

“Happy Halloween,” Jason said, watching as Sam and her son disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Kelly’s: Courtyard

Elizabeth gripped the brown paper bag with her dinner and shoved the door open, nearly running into someone who was entering the diner. “I’m so sorry—”

“It’s fine—”

She stopped as the man put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. His blue eyes, once so dear to her, flashed. He stepped back. “Elizabeth.”

“Hi,” she said awkwardly. She moved a few feet away. “I—I meant to call or stop by but I didn’t think—”

“Why bother?” he said. He gritted his teeth. “You’ve made it clear whose side you’ve taken.”

“It’s not about sides,” Elizabeth said, with a shake of her head. “It’s about the truth—”

“The truth? You’re one to talk about the truth. How many lies have you told?”

The words bit at her and she flinched, looking away. Even if he wasn’t Jason, he had his memories somehow. He knew every time Elizabeth had lied to Jason—but more importantly—the months Elizabeth had lied directly to him in a desperate attempt to keep Jake Doe.

“Enough to know that I can’t pretend I didn’t know the truth the minute I saw him,” Elizabeth said. “I’m sorry—”

“Sorry? You’re just chasing the same thing you always have—” he threw back. “How are you any different than you were two years ago? Clinging to any desperate hope that Jason Morgan wants you—I loved you, Elizabeth. You were the one that destroyed that—”

“I know that. I was too scared to trust that you’d stay with me if you knew what Nikolas had told me,” Elizabeth calmly, but everything inside of her crumbling at this reminder of her lie. Her deepest shame. The one lie that she could never, ever, truly explain to herself or the world. “But—”

“You have a lot of nerve to stand there and talk to me about the truth, Elizabeth—” The way he elongated her name, drew out the syllables in a way that Jason never had—it cut at her. He sounded like Lucky had in those terrible days, when he’d been so angry at her he could hardly stand to look at her.

Elizabeth knew how to inspire rage and disgust in the men she’d chosen to love. “I can’t defend myself. You know that. I won’t even try—”

“Even if you didn’t believe me—” He hissed. “You owed me better this—I deserved more than this—”

“You do, but—”

“And you brought Jake into it! You’ve let that liar around our son! Bad enough you’ve let Franco live with him—Sam was right,” he seethed. “I should have gone after you for custody—”

Elizabeth forced herself to remain calm, to remind  herself that he was going through a lot. “You never would have won.”

“Really?” he drawled. “You think if I reminded everyone exactly how many lies you’ve told—how many people you’ve screwed over—”

“And that’s how I know you’re not Jason,” she said softly, and he stopped, staring her. Tears slid down her cheeks. “Even when I deserved it, and I usually did, he never treated me this way. Not after all the crap I put him through with Lucky. With Zander. The lies about Jake — he never looked at me with hatred in his eyes.”

He stared at her. “Maybe I’ve finally gotten tired of dealing with your crap—”

“And maybe you need to lash out at me because I’m in front of you. Because I’ve already done terrible things to you. Jason should have cut me off a long time ago. He never did because he always saw that no one could hate me more than I hated myself. I’m sorry you’re going through this. I hope we get the results back and you find out who you are. But you’re not Jason Morgan, and I’m done with lies.”

Webber Home: Kitchen

“So.” Michael sat down next to Cameron at the kitchen table, reaching for the last slice of pizza. “What did you do to piss off Trina? Wasn’t she supposed to come over tonight?”

“Nothing,” Cameron muttered, hunching his shoulders. “She’s just mad I didn’t tell her about Friday.” He glared at Oscar. “You mad about that, too?”

“No, but I’m not dating you either.” Oscar picked at his cheese fries. “You know girls. She’s mad that Joss knew first.” He squinted at Cameron. “It’s really not a big deal, you know. You could have told us.”

“I didn’t want it to be a thing.” He looked at Michael. “You get understand, right? Now it’s something everyone is talking about, and I didn’t want that.”

“It happened to you,” Michael said with a nod. “You have a right to decide who gets to know things. I just think you gotta ask yourself why you don’t want your best friends to know. Why your girlfriend shouldn’t know.”

Cameron hesitated. “I just—I knew they’d blame my mom. Joss and Trina both immediately had that look on their face, and they don’t get it. Mom really thought he’d changed. She wouldn’t want me to be hurt.”

“But you did get hurt,” Michael said gently. “I told you on Saturday—it’s okay if you’re mad at her.”

“Fine. Then I’ll be mad at her. But no one else gets to be, okay? They don’t understand. They didn’t see her face or how upset—I don’t want to make my mom cry. She cries too much.” He stared down at the table. “She cried all the time when I was kid. Lucky was addicted to drugs and he was always screaming at her. Having affairs. Even later, when they tried to get back together because she wanted me to have a dad again—” Cameron scrubbed his hands down his face. “Franco sort of made her happy for a while. And so did Jake Doe. I wanted her to be happy.”

“I know what you mean. Franco made my mom happy, too,” Michael told him. “For a few months. He’s good at making people believe in him. He just can’t hold on to the pretending for long. He let it slip, and I’m glad your mom saw it. That she didn’t try to make excuses.”

“You get it, but Joss and Trina don’t. Neither did Emma. And maybe it’s just because they don’t live here.” Cameron stared out into the living room where Joss was sitting with his brothers. “My mom loves me. And she feels bad enough. I don’t want a bunch of people looking at her, knowing this happened, and thinking it’s her fault. It’s Franco’s fault.”

“Of course it is,” Oscar said, loyally and Cameron flashed him a grateful look. “I don’t know your mom that well, Cam, but she was really nice about setting up that test for me, and she was totally cool with Kim not really wanting to be part of it. Kim just doesn’t want to get her hopes up, and she’s still—like—in denial about everything. I mean, she was at the hospital today and didn’t come to see us because she doesn’t want to see someone with my dad’s face who isn’t my dad.”  He paused. “But you just gotta be around your mom five minutes and you can see you and your brothers are the most important people. And I’m just sorry I didn’t get to see her firing a warning shot. That sounds pretty cool.”

“It was. She made him think she was gonna listen—” Cameron’s chest tightened because he remembered thinking in that moment his mother was going to take Franco’s side and it had gutted him— “She, like, shoved the bat at me, had the safe open, and was aiming the gun before he even knew what was going on. I knew if it was just me and her and him she might have killed him. She didn’t wanna make it worse for my brothers.”

“Joss and Trina—and Emma—” Michael said, “are just worried about you. But I get it, Cam. It’s the oldest kid of a single mom syndrome. My mom was single for a lot of my childhood. And my teen years. And even when she was dating someone, she was always really wrapped up in that. Sonny, Jax, Johnny—” He winced. “Franco.” He shrugged. “Someone has to keep things together. I had to make sure Joss and Morgan were okay. And sometimes it meant giving my mom a break even if she didn’t deserve it.”

“But—”

“It’s not exactly the same,” Michael said, cutting off Cameron’s protests. “I know that. But you spend a lot of time looking out for your brothers. And protecting your mom. There’s nothing wrong with it. But I learned the hard way, Cam. Sometimes you spend so much time protecting other people, you forget that you matter, too. I think that’s all Trina, Joss, and Emma are saying.”

“I know I do—”

“Maybe you didn’t get kidnapped for four years like Jake or for a few weeks like Aiden,” Michael continued, “but your mom wasn’t the only one who lost Jake.” His voice faltered a moment. “I know what it’s like to lose a brother.”

“I got him back,” Cam said, his eyes stinging. “It’s not the same—”

“He was gone for four years, Cam. I remember. You and I got to know each other while our parents were dating,” Michael reminded him. “And you were always watching Aiden like a hawk. Even more closely than your mom, and I don’t think anyone hovered like she did. Getting him back won’t erase that time.”

“Maybe that’s what Trina and the others don’t get,” Oscar offered. “When my dad went missing, I thought Kim was gonna send me away. I thought I would be all alone. Just because she kept me, and because my dad is alive after all, it doesn’t mean I didn’t feel scared. It’s not the same, I know—”

“No, I get it. It’s just—I need to be okay for my mom and my brothers. I know that sounds stupid. But Mom kept going back to Lucky because she wanted me and Jake to have a father, and Jason didn’t—I don’t know what his issue was. But Lucky kept promising her he wanted us. He didn’t.” Cameron’s lips thinned. “I need her to know that it’s okay that we don’t have have a dad. Or that I don’t. I don’t need anyone but her.”

Elm Street Pier

Jason sat on the bench, and stared out over the water — he could almost make out the spot on Pier 52 where he’d been ambushed by Cesar Faison—where he’d found Bernie bleeding out, struggling to breathe. He’d been such a good man—he’d deserved better.

“I guess your day didn’t get better after you left the hospital,” Elizabeth said.

He turned to find her at the bottom of the stairs, a purse over one shoulder, a bag from Kelly’s in her hand. “Hey.”

“You know, I haven’t been here in a while,” she said, sitting down on the bench. “I think maybe I stopped coming here after we broke up the last time.” She glanced at him. “We always seemed to end up here—even back in the beginning. And I knew—after that last time—we were never going to make it work.”

“I stopped coming here, too,” he admitted. Jason looked back out over the water. “One of my favorite things to do was sit here and listen to you talk about your painting. Or a class. Or Kelly’s. Then, something about Cam or the hospital.”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “Really?” she asked. “You never told me that. I always thought you mostly tuned out my rambling.”

“Sometimes I did,” he admitted, and she laughed. “But mostly —” He paused. “No matter what was bothering me, I could just listen to you—” Jason met her eyes and held them. “And it would go away.”

“I know what you mean,” Elizabeth murmured. “Because you’d sit and listen to the ridiculous ramble, and then you’d drive me home on your bike.”

His smile slid away, and he looked back out over the pier. “I don’t even know where the bike is now,” Jason said softly.

She waited a minute. “What happened at Anna’s, Jason?”

“What happened to bring you down here instead of going home to the boys?” he asked pointedly, and she made a face. “We can talk about it tomorrow,” he said. “Maybe—maybe you could just talk to me about anything other than the last few days. Maybe we both need it.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Okay.” She paused, furrowing her brow for a moment. “A few years ago, when Cam was, oh, I think he must have been twelve. He and Emma were dating the way kids do—sitting on the couch, playing video games. Spencer and Joss wanted to break them up—”

“Joss?” Jason repeated.

“Oh, yeah, they’re partners in crime now, but Joss went through a period where she decided Cameron was her soul mate. He wasn’t interested, but didn’t know how to let her down lightly. So Joss decided Emma was her mortal enemy, and at Aiden’s birthday party—I think he was turning four—Joss decided to push Emma into the pool and ruin her dress. Trina saw her heading that way and pushed Joss first. Spencer was upset on Joss’s behalf and shoved Trina in the pool—and Cam got really mad—”

“How many of them ended up in the pool?” Jason asked with a hesitant smile.

“All of them. I thought Emma would escape the whole thing, but Joss doesn’t give up easily. She waited until everyone was distracted and finished the job. Aiden thought it was a lot of fun.” Elizabeth grinned. “Carly came to pick Joss up and gave her a lecture about wasting her time on boys who weren’t interested in her. She didn’t think it was funny when I started laughing, so she tried to push me in the pool, only she slipped and fell instead.” She sighed happily. “It’s one of my favorite moments.”

Jason laughed at that, his shoulders easing. He smiled at her. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Elizabeth got to her feet. “I should get home, though. I forbid the boys from watching anything scarier than Hocus Pocus, which means—” She glanced at her watch. “Aiden should be waking up from his first nightmare right about now.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Jason said, as they went up the stairs.

“Maybe you should find out where your bike is,” Elizabeth suggested.

“Yeah, you’re still not going to drive even when I do get it back.”

“I am the mother of three—don’t you think I can handle the responsibility?”

“Nice try. No.”

I don’t have time to sabotage anything else
I don’t have time to sabotage anything else
I’ve gotta do the right thing now
I’ve gotta find the right way out
I’ve gotta do the right thing now
I’ve gotta find the right way out
– Sabotage, Amy Stroup

---

May 2013

 Crichton-Clark Institute: Andre’s Office

Andre made a face as he perused the memo from Victor. The twin experiment was officially on ice due to the recent setbacks suffered in Greece.

Setbacks. Andre snorted as he sat back, then rubbed his face. That was one way to describe what had happened over the last few weeks.

Helena Cassadine had been shot and killed by Luke and Laura Spencer after they rescued their daughter, Lulu, who had been kidnapped by Helena for her recently returned from the dead son, Stavros. Stavros had ended up dying on the island, frozen to death just like his father and uncle decades earlier.

While Andre had intended to maintain a certain distance from all of this, after meeting with Helena the first time, he knew he’d have to understand the Cassadines better if he was going to survive. It had been Helena, after all, who had selected the targets for the twin experiment, and it had been Helena who had been in charge of Patient Three, the son of Six.

Victor wanted the twins left in their comas to be dealt with at a later time, indicating that Andre should keep working on the Six implantation issue. Where Patient Three had ended up, he didn’t know.

“So this is where the magic happens.”

Andre frowned at the stranger standing in his doorway, then got to his feet. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“An interested party.” The man, tall and lanky with angular cheekbones and eyes that vaguely reminded Andre of a shark, walked in. “Have you heard the news about my mother?”

“Your mother?” Andre said slowly. He glanced down at the memo, then raised his eyes back to the man. “Would that be Helena?”

“Yes, but shhh… don’t tell anyone.” With a mocking look, he put a finger against his lips.

“Listen, uh, Mr. Cassadine—”

“Valentin.” He extended his hand. “Uncle Vic knows all about my little visit.”

Andre didn’t want to shake his hand—didn’t want to have any more contact with Cassadines, but something in the way this man held himself and the look in his eye—the hair rose on Andre’s neck. He quickly shook the offered hand, then released it. “What can I do for you?”

“Uncle Vic is being very cautious about bringing me into the larger project. He keeps telling me that my mother will be back.” Valentin shrugged lightly. “He’s probably right. After all, my darling brother Stavros has returned a few times. What’s a gunshot to the chest?”

“I—I was under the impression they were both dead. Permanently.” Had been hoping for it. Andre didn’t know much about Stavros, but what he’d learned of Helena—

“Well, dead for a Cassadine is very different than for anyone else.” Valentin waved that away. “Anyway, he told me you were working on some memory experiments.” He nodded at the light box on the far wall where Andre had been studying the latest scans from Patient Six. “A pair of twins?”

“Yes,” Andre said. “Mapping the memories, then transfer someone else’s memories into their brains. We were planning to have them switch lives. Send one brother back to live the othe’rs life, and vice versa.” Maybe Valentin could secure an agreement to release Five into Six’s life—Andre desperately wanted a real field test.

“That would be an excellent technique to have in your pocket,” Valentin murmured. “Imagine the possibilities.”

“It’s hit a snag. One of the patients has brain damage in the frontal lobe where the memories are formed. I can’t transfer his brother’s memories the same way I did for the first twin.”

“Damage, huh?” Valentin tapped the scan. “This would be the brother from Port Charles?”

“Yes, Jason Morgan. A mob enforcer of some sort.” Andre paused. Perhaps his curiosity could be sated. “Your mother was very interested in his family. She wanted certain people in his memories amplified when I transferred them into his brother.  One of them is a patient in Greece. A child. The patient’s son.”

“Ah. So, Jason Morgan is connected to my mother’s revenge plan.” Valentin rubbed his mouth with the edge of his index finger. “What do you know about the child in Greece? Or my mother’s plans?”

“Only what I’ve told you,” Andre confessed. “I only handled Patients Four through Six—and even Four was mostly clean up.” He grimaced. “Victor released that one this month. He’ll be dead in weeks if he goes untreated for the brain tumor Liesl Obrecht caused with her carelessness.”

“Oh, Obrecht. She’s always been more interested in results than finesse.” Valentin shoved his hands into his pockets. “What happens to your twin experiment with my mother out of the way?”

“It’s on hold. I’m supposed to continue working on the memory issue with Six—Jason Morgan,” Andre said, still uncomfortable with the use of the real name, “but I just don’t think it can be done.”

“Do you need, uh, Patient Six in your custody to continue working on the matter?” Valentin asked, tipping his head to the side. “Or can you manage with the information you already have?”

“I don’t understand.”

“My mother promised me something before she took this little break,” Valentin said, those unsettling dark eyes fastening on Andre. “And she didn’t deliver. She’ll be back, Dr. Maddox, make no mistake. And this little experiment of yours—it will continue at some point. I’m asking you for a favor.”

“What’s the favor?” Andre said slowly, not liking where this was going at all.

“I need some leverage to force my mother to give me what I want. What she promised me.” Valentin paused. “Give me Jason Morgan. She was more interested in him than his brother, and you can’t really use him anyway.”

“And when Victor wants him back? When Helena asks for him?”

“Give them the other one. They won’t know the difference.” Valentin’s lips curved. “That might be more fun, actually. You said that the other twin got Six’s memories? If they want him sent home—well, you’ll have your field test, won’t you? When was the last time Uncle Vic or my mother even looked in on the men?”

“Not since—” Andre cleared his throat. “But that doesn’t mean they won’t—”

“You’re telling me a smart man like you can’t figure out how to fool them? I thought better of you.” Valentin put a hand on Andre’s shoulder. “Dr. Maddox, I can tell you’re a frustrated man. You don’t need two men in the field to test your memory experiment. You just need one. I can assure you that no one cares about the other man. If anyone goes home first, it’s Jason Morgan.”

“But—”

“They’re just going to tell you to kill the other brother or send him back with his own memories. You couldn’t finish the transfer, my friend. If you want this field test, you have to make it happen.” Valentin lifted his brows when Andre remained silent. “So, we’re agreed? You’ll give me Six, aka Jason Morgan, and when the time comes, you can send Five home to live his brother’s life?”

Andre closed his eyes. Valentin Cassadine was right. He wanted this field test, but at this point, it wouldn’t happen if he didn’t make it happen. He hadn’t come this far, broken this many rules, only to see it fall apart because of some brain damage.

“We’re agreed. You take Six, and I’ll send Five to Port Charles if and when the time comes.”

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Quartermaine Mansion: Foyer

Monica’s bright smile as she let Jason into the house reassured him that he’d made the right decision to come by this morning. He would never feel truly comfortable in this house, but it wasn’t the same place it had been two decades earlier when he’d felt suffocated by the people and the expectations inside.

“What a lovely surprise. Come in.” She turned into the foyer to smile at Michael, who was emerging from the family room. “Look who it is!”

“Hey, Jason,” Michael said. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to let Monica know where I was staying,” he said. He looked at Monica. “I had a piece of property out at Queen’s Point before this happened. It’s quiet—”

“Oh, I thought you’d stay at the hotel or—” Monica winced. “At Greystone.”

“No, I wanted my own space.”

“Of course, of course. Michael told me that initial tests came back.” Monica’s hands fluttered up to her chest. “Jake and that other boy—they’re related.”

“Yeah, because of the DNA, they tested as brothers. Advanced testing will make it clear which one of us is which.”

“Well, I don’t need advanced testing to know,” Michael declared, “so it’s good to have a name for him. Drew,” he said. “That’s what Oscar said everyone called him.”

“Drew,” Monica murmured, closing her eyes. “God, if Alan had known, things would have been different. I wish he were here now. He’d probably mess it up, but, oh, he deserved to have this.”

“I can’t believe there were twins, and no one knew,” Michael said. He grimaced when Monica winced. “I’m sorry, Grandma. I know it was a bad time for all of you.”

“No, no, it’s—” she took a deep breath. “It’s fine. Can you stay for a while, Jason? I don’t have to work today.”

“Yeah, I can stay.”

“Have you thought about what you’ll do when everyone knows?” Michael asked as Jason followed them into the family room and took a seat on the sofa. “I mean, I remember that you and Sam were getting divorced when you went off the pier. Didn’t you get the penthouse originally? It’s yours —”

“So is the money, but we know which Sam will care more about,” Monica muttered.

“I don’t care about any of that,” Jason began, but Michael shook his head.

“You need to,” he said. “I know there’s a lot happening fast, but legally—those bank accounts belong to you. The penthouse belongs to you. You and Sam—the divorce didn’t get finalized, which means she’s still married to you. And there’s ELQ stock to worry about because if the other guy is a twin, then we need—” Michael stopped when he saw Jason’s faint smile. “What?”

“Nothing. I just—you sounded like Edward for a minute,” he said. “He would think about ELQ before anything else.”

“He would be so proud of Michael,” Monica said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “So would a lot of people,” she told him, and they exchanged a look that Jason didn’t understand.

“I was talking to Cam and Joss last night,” Michael went on, “and we got to talking about Ava.”

“Ava?” Monica said, her face darkening. “Why?” Jason frowned at her reaction, but Michael didn’t notice and answered her question.

“She helped Jason escape from Russia,” Michael said. “But we also think she knew that Jason knows Sonny—and you know,  about that—something else occurred to me.”

Jason squinted at Michael’s use of Sonny’s first name. “I know you and Sonny said you weren’t fans of Ava—”

“No one is,” Monica said, but Michael got to his feet and went over to the shelf where a family photo was kept. He handed it to Jason. It was the last family portrait taken before his accident. He traced a finger over Emily, then Lila’s faces.

“I’m wondering if it just wasn’t Sonny she knew about. Ava Jerome lived in the mansion for a few months,” Michael explained to him. “She saw that photo every day. Could she have known who you were when she decided to help?”

“I—” Jason hesitated. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I wore a mask that covered the bottom half of my face. The clinic didn’t want anyone to recognize me, even in Russia. I can’t remember if she ever saw me without it, but I don’t think so.”

Michael took the photo back. “With Ava, it’s better to be sure. Because she will always find a way to exploit a situation to get what she wants.”

Webber House: Living Room

Elizabeth made a face as her youngest son reached the bottom of the stairs and made a karate punching motion. “I don’t think that’s how Spiderman does it—”

“Spiderman,” Aiden said, very seriously, “can do anything. Didn’t you see him dancing in the rain?”

“No, but I’ll take your word for it—” Distracted now by Cameron standing near the front door, who had put on a Captain America t-shirt and proclaimed himself dressed for the holiday, she said, “Cam, are you sure you don’t mind taking your brothers out tonight?”

“Nope,” Cameron said. He zipped his bookbag shut. “Trina got off from work, and she’s going to be Okoye—” He made a face. “She’s making me carry the shield when we go out.”

“The things we do for love,” Elizabeth teased. “What about Joss and Oscar? Are they coming with?”

“They’re gonna try if Mrs. C lets Joss out dressed as Daenerys—” He paused and looked at her. “I know you gotta work a double, so I’ll get them to the hospital. Joss already said Michael volunteered, and he’s coming over to do a candy check because apparently, being over eighteen qualifies you to do that.”

“No, he just has more patience—” She frowned. “Where’s Jake?”

“Right here,” Jake declared as he dropped to the landing, tugging at his white Jedi costume, then brandished his lightsaber. “Mom, can we rent Scream tonight instead of Hocus Pocus?”

“You’re messing with a Webber tradition,” Cameron told him. “We always watch Hocus Pocus—”

“Because it’s your favorite,” Jake retorted. “Why can’t Aiden and I get a turn?”

“I want Michael Myers—”

“You’re not old enough for Scream, and absolutely no Michael Myers—” Elizabeth pulled out her phone to find a text message from Felix at the hospital. Two more nurses had called out. “Damn, I have to be work right now—” She focused on Cameron. “Call me when you’re on the way. I’ll make sure I get my break.”

She was out the door with a quick kiss to all their cheeks. Jake sighed, then looked at Cameron. “Let’s compromise. First Scream, then Hocus Pocus—”

“Deal, but don’t snitch on me to Mom, or I’ll toss you in the lake.”

“Wait, what about me?” Aiden demanding, following his brothers out the door to the bus stop.

Harborview Towers: Hallway

Jason stared at the door. The last time he’d knocked on this door had been nearly twenty years ago when he’d been living across the hall, and Justus Ward had lived here. He’d meant what he said to Michael that morning about not caring that Sam would probably end up with it now, but for months, Jason had been focused on getting home.

And home had been behind this door.

It was just one more thing that had changed.

Jason knocked on the door, grimacing when it was jerked open a minute later by Sam’s husband—by Drew. They stared at each other for a long moment before the other man bit out an angry, “What do you want?”

“To talk,” Jason said calmly. “That’s all. I can come back another time, or we can do it somewhere else.”

Drew dragged a hand through his sandy blond hair, then stepped back. “Danny’s already in school,” he muttered, “and Scout’s not old enough to know what’s going on. Come in.”

Jason hesitantly entered, waiting as the other man closed the door. “I know you don’t believe I am who I say am,” he began, “and I don’t expect you to believe it until the rest of the tests or the fingerprints are back.”

“Aren’t you generous?” Drew growled.

“Before I saw you at the police station,” Jason continued, not ruffled by his anger or bitterness. He had felt that way before—had had people telling him who he was and who he wasn’t and wanting to punch everyone who looked at him wrong. “I thought you were part of all of this. That you were behind it—”

“How dare you—”

“But I don’t anymore,” Jason said, and Drew fell silent. He heard a door upstairs, and they both looked up. Jason waited a moment, but Sam never came downstairs. He knew she was here, knew she was home, but she wasn’t coming down to face him.

The pain of that—her refusal to even look at him—stole his breath for a moment, but Jason put it away. He knew how to do that. He’d done it for years. He had people who believed him, who were helping him get his life back. He’d concentrate on that.

“I believe you when you say you remember your life. What you think is your life. But I have those memories, too,” Jason told him. “Jake told me—”

“Don’t go near my son—” The man closed his eyes. “I knew Elizabeth believed you, but I didn’t think she’d really let Jake be part of it until we knew for sure—”

“She does know for sure,” Jason said. “But Jake told me that he loves you. And that you told him about the day he was born. I lived that day. I thought they’d both die—”

“I lived that day—” Drew opened his eyes, burning with bitterness and anger. “You think you can just come here and steal my life?”

“No, I just wanted to come home,” Jason said. “Whoever trapped me in a coma for five years also did this to you. And now we know who you were before the accident. Oscar’s test came back positive. He’s related to Jake, which means you’re—”

“I know who I am—”

“Andrew Cain,” Jason said, and the man closed his mouth. “You were a Navy SEAL, and people called you Drew. You lived in San Diego, and you had a son.”

“I am not—” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m Jason Morgan. I have the memories. I’m living my life. I have my sons—”

“I just wanted to make it clear that I know you didn’t do this,” Jason said, “and that if you want to find out who did—”

“Thank you for your concern,” Drew muttered, glaring at him. “Now get out.”

Jason nodded, then left. The man who was probably Drew Cain rested his forehead against the closed door, listening for the footsteps he knew would be coming down.

“Jason?”

“If you really believed that—” he turned to face Sam, his wife, with the guilt etched so clearly in her expression, “then why did you stay upstairs? Why can’t you look at him?”

Sam paused. “It’s hard,” she admitted, finally, “because he still has the voice and face. And it’s harder to know for sure when he’s in the room.” She folded her arms. “I do know,” she continued, “because I know you, and I love you. But—”

“But when you see him, you doubt it.” He nodded, then yanked his coat off the back of the chair. “I have to go to work—”

“Jason—”

“Don’t—” He turned back to Sam. “Don’t call me that. You don’t even believe it.”

Then he stormed out of the penthouse, slamming the door behind him.

Metro Court Hotel: Lobby

Jason had promised Carly he’d stop by for lunch to make up for not staying at Greystone with her and Sonny. The hotel, with people looking at him, was really the last place he wanted to be, but he also knew he needed to keep Carly happy.

As Jason started towards the offices, he felt his phone buzz with a message. He took it out, then smiled at the photo Elizabeth had sent him of Jake and his brothers in front of her house. Jake was standing between his brothers, grinning brightly in some sort of white costume with a green light saber, while Aiden wore a Spiderman outfit, and Cameron was casually dressed in jeans, a blue t-shirt, holding a plastic shield in his hands.

Jason only recognized Spiderman because Cameron had gone through a phase of his own as a kid, and he’d once spent a few hours at Elizabeth’s house with her and both boys watching the movie.

“I can understand why you didn’t tell me who you were supposed to be.”

He raised his eyes to find Ava Jerome standing in the lobby with an expectant expression. “Excuse me?”

“When I asked for your name,” Ava continued, “you wouldn’t tell me. I was standing there, babbling on and on about Jason Morgan and his family—and Sonny—and you didn’t tell me you were him.”

“How do you know I am?” Jason asked. He slid his phone back into his pocket. “You never saw me without my mask, did you?”

“No,” Ava drawled, “and I suppose I don’t actually know that you are Jason. But I also didn’t get the sense you were a liar.” She sighed. “Sonny and Carly have probably told you about all of my evil deeds and why I’m the worst person in the world.”

“No, they haven’t,” Jason said, making a note to push them on this. He hated not knowing. “But Michael told me you’d lived in the mansion for a while. There are a lot of photos of me in that house.”

“I never saw more than your eyes. In retrospect, of course, I could have recognized you from those photos, but—” Ava scowled. “As far as I knew, Jason Morgan was alive and well here in Port Charles. Why would I think some random masked man in Russia was actually you? I risked my life to help—”

“I know you did,” Jason said, a bit irritated with himself for starting this. “And thank you. I never would have gotten home without your help.”

Mollified, Ava sniffed. “All right then. I’m glad it worked out, and neither of us had to get hurt. That was a terrible place.” She touched her cheek, the scarring slightly improved but still very visible. “I only wish I’d helped you after my treatment was done.”

Because it almost sounded like something Carly would say in the same situation, Jason smiled faintly. “I’m sorry. I hope you can find another doctor who can help you.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help you prove your identity,” Ava offered, “let me know.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, but thank you,” Jason said. While he didn’t necessarily see her as the threat Michael and the others did, he also didn’t really know her. She’d helped him when she didn’t have to, but he was home now. He had other people he could count on, ones he knew he could trust. “I’ll see you around.”

Ava watched Jason Morgan head towards the offices, then narrowed her eyes in deep thought. She had been telling the truth, of course, that she hadn’t known he was Jason Morgan when she’d helped him. If she had been aware, she would have escorted him home and devised a way to be given the public credit so that the next time she went to court for Avery, she’d have something to bargain with.

Unfortunately, she’d found out with the rest of the world on social media, and now she had to find a way to turn this to her advantage.

Aurora Media: Office

Curtis knocked on the open office door, and the man behind the desk jerked his head, blinking at the interruption. “Curtis.”

“Hey, man. I got your message.” He sauntered into the office, sitting down in front of the desk, stretching out his long legs. “How you doing with the news you got last night?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face, taking a deep breath. “I knew he’d turn out to be my twin, but I guess I was hoping—” He paused. “What if it’s true?”

Curtis didn’t ask what he meant. “Do you think it is?”

“Sometimes. Maybe.” He looked away for a minute. “I don’t want it to be, but—” He exhaled slowly. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Yeah. Sure. Name it.” Curtis leaned forward. “What’s up?”

“I want a deep background check on Andrew Cain. More than just what Alexis gave me. I want to know everything. Where he came from—how he ended up—” Here in Port Charles.

Was Drew Cain the man who had crashed the re-launch the party a few nights ago? Or was he sitting in this chair—

Was he Drew Cain? Is that why there had always been a voice screaming at him that something wasn’t right—

“I’ll get right on it.” Curtis stood. “Hey, man, whatever’s going on—we’ll get to the bottom of it. You’ve got my word.”

“Thanks.” He watched Curtis leave, realizing with a sinking feeling that his friend had never used his name. It was almost worse than hearing it on Sam’s lips. He didn’t know what the truth was or even what he wanted it to be.

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

“Good news,” Felix declared as he set a pile of charts on the counter next to Elizabeth, who eyed them warily. “Don’t worry—these are my insurance forms to enjoy,” he assured her.

“Is that the good news?”

“No. The good news is—” He showed her his phone. “No alerts from the Sun about anyone with the last name Webber being arrested for vandalism.”

She made a face. “It was just that one year—” When Felix sighed. “Because the year before that, Cameron told the arresting officers his name was Steve Rogers—”

“I’m just saying. It’s a tradition.”

“Well, this year, Cameron knows not to pull anything,” Elizabeth said. “He’s got his brothers, and Trina is out with them—” She checked her watch. “They’re coming by here in about a half hour to go the hospital trick or treat.”

“Oh, good. I love seeing my boys all dressed up.” He leaned against the counter. “So, how’s it going otherwise?”

“Fine. Four more hours until I can go home and sleep.” As much sleep as she’d be able to manage once one of the boys had a nightmare about the movie she’d forbidden them to watch. She knew her kids—telling them no Scream or Halloween movies was like dangling a red flag in front of them. “Do you have a specific question in mind?”

“Well, you’ve dumped the boyfriend, and the ex-boyfriend is back from the dead, so I guess I’m just checking in.”

“I’m fine,” Elizabeth repeated, completing the last of her paperwork. “The computer is all yours.”

“Fun times for me,” he muttered, taking her place. “What about tomorrow? You and the boys doing anything for your birthday?”

“Aiden and I are going to make a cake after school, and Cameron and Jake have promised to eat it. Steven sent me a gift certificate for a spa—” She missed her older brother but understood why he’d decided not to return to Port Charles after he’d finished his two-year prison sentence. “Sarah ignored it—again—and my parents actually called me last night.”

“Really?” Felix raised his brows. “Did they get you confused with your sister?”

“No, but they thought my birthday was last week, so I guess you take the good with the bad. It was fine. The boys even pretended to know who they were.” Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “My birthday is usually a disaster, and the only reason I celebrate it anymore is because my kids make me.”

“Speaking of the Undead—”

“We weren’t, and pick a nickname already,” she complained.

“You’re confusing me with Spinelli,” Felix told her. “I like spontaneity and variety.” He nodded towards the elevators. “Your ex is here.”

Because that could mean anything, Elizabeth followed his gaze and smiled, relieved to see that it was Jason and not anyone else. “Hey. You okay? You usually hate the hospital.”

“I do,” Jason said. He hesitated, looked at Felix, who wasn’t even pretending not to listen.

“This is Felix DuBois, my best friend.” Elizabeth elbowed him. “Go away, Felix.”

“Hey, I’m just standing here doing paperwork. You go away.”

“Fine.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes, grabbed her clipboard, then stepped away from the hub. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to see if you had a break,” Jason began. “You said earlier the boys were gonna be here—”

“In a little bit, yeah—” She led him down a more quiet hallway, then frowned at him. “Jason, what’s wrong?”

He sighed, shoved his hands in his pockets. “Just a long day,” he muttered. “What’s the problem with Ava?”

“Ava?” Elizabeth repeated warily. “I thought we told you that she can’t be trusted—”

“You did—”

“Michael just didn’t want to get into everything. You’ve only been back a few days, Jason. You can’t know everything right now—”

“You’re not going to tell me either?” he demanded. “I don’t need to be protected—”

“If Michael didn’t want to tell you about Ava, then he has his reasons,” Elizabeth cut in. “And knowing what I know, he’s got a right to hold back on this. Because this isn’t just a history class for us, Jason. You missed five years, and I’m sorry for that. I really am, but you can’t ask us to dredge up every single terrible thing that’s happened. What Ava did has nothing to do with you.”

Jason clenched his jaw. “It’s not up to you to decide what I can handle—”

“Doesn’t feel that great when I do it to you, does it?” she shot back, then winced. Took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I can’t begin to imagine what you’re going through, Jason, but—”

“I just want to know why everyone thinks Ava can’t be trusted,” Jason said. “Because she nearly got herself killed helping me—”

“She hurt Morgan,” Elizabeth said finally. “And she hurt Michael. Badly. Beyond that, Jason, I think it’s going to be up to Michael to decide when he wants to open that back up. I wouldn’t trust her, but you’ll have to make up your own mind about that—”

“Why am I not surprised to find the two of you together?” a mocking voice drawled from behind them. Elizabeth turned and grimaced as Franco strolled around the corner. She could practically feel Jason’s muscles tighten next to her. “I didn’t press charges the first time,” Franco warned, holding up a hand to ward off any attack from Jason. “I won’t be so nice this time.”

“What do you want?” Elizabeth asked, folding her arms over her clipboard. He fastened his dark eyes on hers, his full of regret, maybe even remorse.

He might be sorry now, but she would never forget the terror in her son’s eyes. It would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“I know you won’t forgive me—”

“Good—”

“But I’m worried about you. About him being around the boys—” Franco nodded towards Jason.

“You’re worried about me?” Jason demanded, taking a step towards Franco. Elizabeth stretched an arm in front of him, keeping him back.

“And there’s this other thing that happened. This is going to be hard to hear,” Franco warned with a sigh, “but Andre Maddox, the man you trusted with Jake’s well-being, was a part of this. He told me himself.”

Elizabeth stared at him, her heart pounding. “What are you talking about?”

“Who’s Andre Maddox?” Jason demanded.

“Andre was the doctor who put Chimera in Jake’s head,” Franco continued. “And he’s behind whatever happened to whichever twin that is—”

“Andre—” Elizabeth started to deny it. Started to reject the idea, but then she saw him in her mind, on Friday at the hospital, staring at the photograph of Jason before the accident. Before Jake Doe had come to Port Charles. “He works here at the hospital,” she told Jason, her voice barely audible. “He’s been treating Jake since the Nurse’s Ball—”

“Here?” Jason repeated. “Where’s his office—”

“Two floors down—let’s go—” Elizabeth started to turn away, but Franco reached out and snagged her arm, pulling her back. Before she could turn around and whack him with her clipboard, her arm was free, and Jason was shoving Franco against the wall.

“Don’t put your hands on her,” Jason growled, lifting the other man up by his collar. “You’re lucky you’re still breathing.”

“I just—” Franco put up his hands, all innocence. “It’s too late. Andre’s gone. He split yesterday after he told me—”

“He told you yesterday, and you said nothing?” Elizabeth cried. “You knew he hurt Jake, and you didn’t tell me? How could you do that to me? To my boys?” Tears stung her eyes as Jason slowly let Franco back to his feet. “Every single word you ever said to me was a lie—”

“You took the first chance you could to crawl back to Jason,” Franco retorted. “So which one of us is the liar now?”

My wandering soul
Found solace at last
I wanted to know
How long it would last
She’s losing control
She’s coming down fast
The heart that I stole
I’m not giving back
Never giving back
– Some of Us, Starsailor

---

December 2012

Crichton-Clark Lab: Patient Six’s Hospital Room

Andre grimaced as he clipped a scan to the lightbox and switched it on. “Nothing,” he muttered.

“What, precisely, am I looking for?” Victor asked, putting on his reading glasses and squinting. “It looks like last month’s—”

“I’ve been trying to fix the brain damage,” Andre muttered. “Or at least minimize it so that the transfer procedure will take.”

“Fix—” Victor’s brows lifted. “Is such a thing possible?”

“Apparently not.” Andre tapped the screen. “We’ve always thought brain damage was irreversible. It’s the type of cell that doesn’t reproduce or replicate. Once you kill a brain cell, once it’s damaged, it remains that way. The brain compensates,” he continues. “Six should barely be able to function, but you’re telling me he was living a full life?”

“Yes, yes. With a career of sorts, family, friends. He’s well-liked and respected. And that shouldn’t be possible?”

“He shouldn’t have any control. Over his emotions or his impulses—but his right frontal lobe has grown stronger—” Andre tapped it. “I was hoping I could replicate that. Memories aren’t just stored in one place in the brain.”

“I remember you remarked on it—”

“Explicit memories—episodic and semantic—are stored in three parts. The hippocampus, the neocortex, and amygdala,” Andre continued. “None of that is in the frontal lobe, which was the most damaged area. The frontal lobe controls speech and language, walking, running, ability to have empathy, personality—and the formation of memories.”

“The formation? Really? But not storage. This is—” Victor paused. “It’s interesting, but I’m not sure how it’s relevant.”

“Because the frontal lobe is damaged, forming memories should be more difficult, which is why implanting Five’s memories hasn’t been successful.” Andre studied the scan. “But you’re telling me that Six was able to form and access new memories normally?”

“No one has said differently. He was in a car accident at the age of twenty-two,” Victor reminded him, “and we extracted him just about his thirty-eighth birthday. To the best of my knowledge, he has memory of those years.”

“So that function has recovered,” Andre said. He narrowed his eyes. “But where? If I could find out which part of the brain was forming the memories, we could transfer memories there, and it might take.”

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

Andre exhaled slowly. “A chance, yes. But it’s not likely. ” He looked back at the man stretched out on the hospital bed. “He’s a medical miracle, but he’s not a very good candidate for this study. I can continue to work, Victor, but I would be lying to you if I said that we would be guaranteed success.”

“Well, that is disappointing,” Victor said with a grimace.

“Do you want me to reverse Five’s procedure? Return his memories—”

“Oh, no. No. There’s no point in giving up entirely. You may as well continue working on Six,” Victor told him. “My partner requires him to be gone from Port Charles as long as possible. The time isn’t right. You may as well see if it can be solved. When she wants him sent home, we’ll deal with it.”

“I—” Andre hesitated. “You want me to keep Five in a coma? It’s been over a year—”

“What’s a few more months, eh?” Victor patted his shoulder. “You mapped Six’s memories. Were you able to retrieve any from before his accident?”

“Uh—” Andre hesitated. “Yes. Actually. But you were very specific—”

“Yes, yes, but it’s very interesting to know if I wanted to play with those—” Victor sighed happily. “It’s so lovely to have options.”

Monday, October 30, 2017

General Hospital: Hallway

Jason removed the band-aid covering the location of the blow draw from his arm, then tossed it in a nearby garbage can. He leaned against the wall, waiting for Elizabeth to come out with Jake. He was hoping that Jake wouldn’t mind if he went with them to get ice cream at Kelly’s, even though he knew that Sonny—and probably Carly—expected him to check in at Greystone when the tests were done.

He knew Carly wanted answers, and Sonny wanted to start figuring what had happened—Jason wanted all of that, too. He’d thought of nothing else since he’d woken up in the Russian clinic. He had had two goals. Get home and make someone pay for what they’d done.

But he hadn’t known about Jake then. Hadn’t known his son was alive or that the whole world knew Jake was his son. He didn’t care if there were people who didn’t think he was really Jason Morgan. He knew he was, and the truth would come out eventually. He was sorry for all the problems it would cause, but Elizabeth believed him, which meant that she would let him see his son.

Right now, Jake was all he could think about.

“Jason?”

Jason straightened as Monica Quartermaine turned the corner and stopped to stare at him, her eyes wide with shock and surprise. “Monica.”

His mother walked towards him, her eyes never wavering from his, stopping just a foot away. “How—” Her voice shook slightly. “I wanted to call, but I didn’t know—I haven’t been able to catch Michael—how did this happen?”

“I don’t have a lot of answers about that yet,” Jason said carefully, “but I know who I am.”

“But he has…he has the memories,” Monica managed. “He knew me.”

“Monica—” He paused. “Mom,” he said, and her eyes snapped up to his. “Heather Webber wasn’t lying when she told us there were twins.”

“Twins,” Monica repeated. “That would mean—” Horror dawned in her eyes. “Oh my God. Oh my God. How can this be happening—”

“I don’t know how this is going to work out—” He paused, his throat tightening. Maybe he did care a little bit that some people didn’t accept him. Was this how Monica and Alan had felt when he’d woken up after the accident and rejected him?

“Grandma?”

They both turned to see Elizabeth and Jake walking out of the room, his son rubbing his arm. “Are you okay?” He shoved a lollipop in his mouth as he waited for her answer.

“Jake.” Monica pasted a smile on her face. “I’m fine. I’m just…” She frowned. “Why are you here? What’s wrong—”

“We just had Jake take a blood sample,” Elizabeth said. She ran her fingers through Jake’s hair. “They’re going to run an advanced DNA test to determine identity.”

“Of course, but—” Monica pressed her lips together. “You’re here with him. So you—”

“Yes, I’ve taken a side,” Elizabeth admitted. “Maybe I should have waited,” she realized, with another look of regret to Jason, “but I didn’t want to lie. Not again.”

“I—” Monica exhaled slowly, turning back to Jason. “Oh, Jason.” Her eyes searched his. “It’s good to see you, you know. To see Lila’s eyes again. I thought when he had the surgery—the reconstruction, but—”

“Grandma Lila?” Jake asked. He squinted at Jason. “Grandma Monica told me I got her eyes, too.”

“You do,” Elizabeth confirmed. “I knew as soon as you were born, you’d have your dad’s eyes.” She looked at Monica. “I’m sorry. I should have called.”

“No, no, it’s—I understand. Hearing the news was one thing, I could pretend it wasn’t happening. But looking at you—” Monica met Jason’s eyes again. “Of course it’s you.” She reached up, touched the scar at the corner of his eyebrow. “This is the scar you had as a little boy. You fell running in these hallways.”

Jason frowned, shook his head slightly. “You never told me that.”

“You never wanted to talk about the past, so I didn’t,” Monica said. “You must have been, oh, maybe Aiden’s age,” she said. “No more than eight. You and Steven—”

“Uncle Steven?” Jake asked. “You knew Uncle Steven?” he asked Jason.

“Before the car accident,” Jason said. “He mentioned it once.”

“Thick as thieves every time he and the girls came to visit Steve and Audrey,” Monica said fondly. “Those were some good years.” She took a deep breath. “You fell just outside your father’s office, running from Steve and Alan, and hit your head on a cart. You needed six stitches.” She pressed a hand to her abdomen. “Oh, it’s really you.” Her eyes were damp as she stepped towards him but stopped. Always hesitating. She’d never imitated any contact since the accident.

Jason embraced her, and she hugged him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re home,” she said. “We can figure everything else out—” Monica stepped back, keeping a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Oh, and Jake—what a miracle you came back to—” Her hand fluttered up to her throat. “When will we know about—about—if he’s your brother?”

“Tonight,” Elizabeth told her. “The markers will be back. We think we know who he is, I mean who he was. Not just that he’s a missing twin.”

“What?” Monica demanded. “How?”

“Apparently, Oscar Nero recognized him as his father who went missing a few months before Jason was shot in 2012,” Elizabeth said. “He’ll come by later for a test to match markers.”

“Nero,” Monica repeated with a slow exhale of air. “So he’s—”

“But Oscar’s stepmom changed his name afterward,” Elizabeth continued, “so we think the other guy is Andrew Cain.”

“Andrew—” Monica looked at Jason. “You’re sure?”

“No, but there are enough coincidences,” Jason said, “that we thought it was a good idea to test Oscar and get fingerprints from the Navy. We’ll know one way or another if he’s Oscar’s father tonight.”

“I hope he is,” Jake said. “I like cousins. I only have Michael and Joss. And Spencer, but he lives in London and he’s annoying. It’d be cool to have more. And Cam’s already friends with Oscar.”

“Of course,” Monica said. “I’m sorry—I have to get to a patient—but—” She looked at Jason, hesitant to say anything else.

“We’ll get together,” Jason promised. “I’ll—” He winced. “I’ll come by the mansion.”

Monica laughed, then left them, disappearing down another hallway.

“So are we going to Kelly’s?” Jake asked. “Because you promised me ice cream if I got a needle,” he said to his mother.

“Well,” Elizabeth began, looking at Jason, but the elevators at the end of the hall opened, Sonny and Carly stepped off, and she closed her mouth. Carly beamed as she strode away from Sonny, closing the distance between them faster than her husband.

“I’m sorry we’re late, but I’m glad we didn’t miss you,” she said. “Hey, Jake.”

“Hey, Mrs. C,” Jake said affably, pulling the lollipop out of his mouth. “We already got the tests.”

“Where’s your lollipop?” Sonny asked Jason as he joined them. “Hey, Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth,” Carly said with a stiff nod. She looked at Jason. “We’re here now if you need a ride back to Greystone. Elizabeth should probably get home.”

Jake frowned at Carly. “I’m getting ice cream, and…” He tipped his head at Jason. “He drove with us, and he might end up being my dad, so I’m gonna invite him. You can come with us, too,” he said graciously. “But I am getting my ice cream.”

“Jake, there are a lot of things—” Carly began, but Jason cut her off.

“I’ll meet you back at Greystone,” Jason told her and Sonny. “I told you didn’t need to come.”

“But—” Carly began, but Sonny shook his head.

“No, it can wait a bit,” he said. He looked at Elizabeth. “I thought of some more questions I wanted to ask about the Cassadines, so maybe you both could come over after ice cream since it’s not like Laura is going to return my calls.”

“What’d you do to Grandma Laura?” Jake asked suspiciously.

“I exist,” Sonny said easily, and this seemed to make sense to Jake because he shrugged and twirled his lollipop in his mouth.

“Uh—” Elizabeth glanced at Jason, who nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. “I just need to make sure that the boys—”

“Michael’s at the house, so he can watch me. And you know Joss and everyone will be over after school because Cam wasn’t there,” Jake told his mother. “We won’t get into any trouble, promise. Not like last time.”

“What happened last time?” Jason asked.

Carly winced. “It wasn’t Joss’s fault—”

“No, I think Cameron played a leading role in that one,” Elizabeth agreed, “with Joss as a back-up.” To Jason, she said, “it’s nothing. We were able to paint the wall, and you can barely see where the fire started.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

At barely nineteen, Molly Davis-Lansing was sure that she had figured out the entire world and could tell everyone how to live. The fact that Molly was usually proven right in the end only made her more infuriating. Neither of her sisters had weighed in on the situation when Sam had gone over to her mother’s on Saturday, but she knew they’d get around to it.

They always did.

“It’s just you?” Sam looked around the corner towards the elevator, expecting to see her other sister.

“Krissy and I drew straws, and she lost,” Molly said with a shrug. She went over to the playpen to pick up Scout, who was reaching for her aunt. “Hey, baby girl. How’s my favorite niece?” she cooed. Scout babbled and tugged on Molly’s dark hair.

“Why did need to draw straws?” Sam asked darkly.

“Because we thought it might feel like ganging up, and we very much don’t want it to be that way.” Molly said.

“Molly—”

“Mom said you were getting DNA tests done,” her sister continued. “Where’s—” She looked around the penthouse. “Where’s, um—”

“Jason,” Sam said forcefully. “We did the tests. I came home, and he went into Aurora to do the first round of interviews for a CFO position. We have to keep living our life, Molly. We can’t just stop because someone showed up with his old face.” She shrugged. “We always figured there was an air of truth to Heather’s story about a secret twin. This other guy is probably him.”

Molly set Scout back in her playpen, gave her a stuffed bear to play with. “You know, Sam, it’s okay if you aren’t sure. You can tell me. I won’t say anything.”

“I am sure,” Sam said with a confidence she didn’t really feel. Not deep down. The way her sister tipped her head was not reassuring. If Molly could see right through her, Sam was going to have to do a better job of selling it.

“Okay,” Molly drawled. “I guess we’ll figure out why this other guy is claiming to be Jason when the tests come back. I mean, it’s a risky game to play unless you’re sure that the tests won’t prove you wrong.”

“There’s a chance the tests might come back inconclusive,” Sam muttered. “There are advanced markers for paternity, but—”

“There’s the fingerprints, too. TJ said his mom said they’d be back in a few days.” Molly folded her arms. “Sam, you know better than this.”

Sam bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know you used to be a con artist,” Molly said patiently. “And I’m pretty sure a major rule is not to tell a lie you can get caught in. Why would this guy come to town, tell us he’s Jason, agree to all the tests and ways to prove it if he’s not—”

“I know who Jason is,” Sam retorted. “He’s the man who chose me, who chose our family! I know Jason better than anyone else!”

“Okay, but—”

“I was there when he got his memories back, when he remembered me, and he remembered Danny and the little girl I lost—I know who he is, Molly! And those tests—it’ll prove it!”

“I just—” She sighed. “I love you, Sam. And I like the man you’re married to. I don’t think he’s lying. I think someone is out there, trying to hurt you and him, and if you want to pretend a little longer that’s not happening—”

“I don’t need this from my own family,” Sam snarled. She ripped open the door. “And if Krissy feels this way, too, you can tell her to stay away.”

Not even fazed by her sister’s outburst, Molly’s expression softened. “I love you,” she repeated. “I just want you to be okay.”

Sam closed her eyes, the tears threatening in the back of her throat. “He is Jason,” she said. “He has to be.”

“Okay,” Molly said. She kissed her sister’s cheek. “Call me if you need anything. And give Danny hugs and kisses.”

Sam closed the door behind her, pressing her forehead against the door. Why did everyone want her to throw her life away so easily? Wasn’t that what she’d been accused of doing two years ago? When she’d walked away from Patrick and their future because she’d learned Jason was alive?

She wasn’t going to do that again. She couldn’t keep destroying her life just to chase after Jason Morgan, whoever he turned out to be.

Webber Home: Living Room

Michael narrowed his eyes when he opened Elizabeth’s front door to find his sister on the front step. “It’s barely one. How did you get out of school?”

“Listen, if you don’t ask, I won’t tell, and we can both claim ignorance,” Joss said as she sailed past her brother to find Cameron, Aiden, and Jake on the sofa. “Oh, you’re back from GH? Mom said you had DNA tests today.”

“Mom just dropped me off. She went over to your house,” Jake said as he squinted at the Nintendo Switch Cameron had let him play. “Mr. Sonny said he had Cassadine questions for her.”

“Our moms in the same room with Jason?” Joss snorted. “I really need to put a bug on her or something. I miss all the fun.” She plopped on the sofa next to Cameron and beamed at him. “Hey.”

He looked at her suspiciously. “Hey.”

“How you doing?”

“Fine,” he drawled, glancing at Michael, who just shrugged and sat back on the armchair, pulling out a portfolio to make notes for work. “How are you?”

“Good. Worried about Oscar. I saw him getting signed out by his stepmom for his test before I left.” Joss pulled her legs up and folded them as she took the controller Cameron handed her. “It’s wild to think that tonight we’ll know the score. You know, like Oscar will know if his dad is in Port Charles.”

“But his dad still won’t remember him,” Jake said. “That’s really hard. I mean, Dad might not be my actual dad, but he remembers me now. Before, when he didn’t, it was weird. And I didn’t even know him before.”

“It’s a good thing I was here for that whole Jake Doe thing because that would make zero sense to someone else,” Joss told Jake. She grimaced. “Call of Duty again? Can’t we ever play anything else? When does the Sims 4 come out for console?”

“November 17,” Aiden said. “I wanna build houses, and Cam said I could play on his Xbox.” He scowled. “Cam, you’re going the wrong way! They’re gonna cream you!”

“Not if I don’t—” Cam hissed. “Damn it.” He glanced at Joss again. “So why’d you cut school? I told you, Mom didn’t want Jake and Aiden at school until we got the markers back—”

“Well, I wasn’t going to,” Joss said, “but then I was listening to Mom and Uncle Sonny, and Mom wanted to know why Michael was going to be over here, and Sonny said that Elizabeth didn’t want to leave you guys alone.” She smiled sweetly at her brother. “I have questions.”

Michael stared at her blandly. “That’s nice.”

“And then I got here, and I recognized the SUV outside because it looks like the one Mom doesn’t think I know follows me everywhere. I wave at Milo all the time.” She raised her brows. “Why is my brother keeping you company, and why do you have a guard?”

“Because of Franco,” Aiden said before he noticed his brother’s death glare. “Oh. Never mind. Anyone want cookies? Let me get cookies.” He hopped to his feet and hurried into the kitchen.

“You didn’t tell Joss?” Jake asked Cameron, who then turned the glare on him. “Uh, I’m gonna go help Aiden.”

“What happened?” Joss said flatly. “Why are we guarding against Franco—” She twisted on the sofa again to level a suspicious look at Michael. “And since when do you count as security against a serial killer?”

“It’s not a big deal, Joss,” Cameron muttered. He flipped through the menus on his game and avoided Joss’s hurt expression.

“Trina didn’t say anything, and neither did Oscar. If it’s not a big deal,” she said, her teeth clenched, “then why didn’t you tell us? Oscar said he thought your mom broke up with Franco.”

“She did. So there, you’re caught up.”

Joss narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me.” She got to her feet and stalked into the kitchen.

“Uh, not that I’m going to tell you what to do,” Michael said, pitching his voice lower, “but she’s just going to go bug your brothers, and I know they’re loyal to you—”

“Crap.” Cameron huffed, then followed in Joss’s trail.

“I really think since I gotta live with Cam—” Jake was saying when Cameron entered the kitchen. “Oh, thank God. You gotta tell her. She’s gonna cry—”

“She is not,” Cameron said, rolling his eyes as Joss turned and made a face at him. “She just knows how to turn on the waterworks. She’s been doing it since kindergarten.” He folded his arms. “Look, after you guys left, we were watching the video. Franco came in, got annoyed. He wanted the iPad, I didn’t want to give it to him. We got into it. Mom came home. It’s done. She kicked him to the curb. It’s not a big deal—”

“Got into it,” Joss repeated. She pursed her lips. “Nope. There’s more.”

Cameron nearly growled. “Why do you always gotta do this? Not everything in my life is your business—”

Joss lifted her chin, and now the hurt he saw in her eyes was real. “No, you’re right. It’s not. But if it’s not a big deal, you’d tell me. Especially when you know I’ve been through it.”

“I know, Joss—” He sighed. “Okay. Fine. He shoved me, grabbed my shirt, and if my mom hadn’t come home, I’m not exactly sure how it would have gone. So, it was bad, but it’s okay now. I just—I didn’t tell you because I didn’t—”

He paused. “I know you, Joss. And you’re already plotting in your head—”

“Of course I am! Why is Franco still a thing? Why aren’t we all plotting his demise right now?” Joss demanded. “He put his hands on you, and your mom let him live? God, no wonder she and Jason are friends. They’re both idiots—”

“Hey—” Jake said, scowling. “That’s not nice—”

“Neither is bringing home a serial killer to live with your kids,” Joss shot back at the younger boy.

“Hey! Your mom almost married him!” Aiden piped in.

“I didn’t mean—” Joss tried to back pedal.

“Yeah!” Jake said. “And he broke up with her, not like my mom! My mom made him leave!”

She exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. That was stupid of me to say. I’m sorry,” she repeated to the younger boys, then she turned around to Cameron. “You know I like your mom.”

“I know.” Cameron rubbed the back of his neck and frowned when he saw Michael joining them. “Look, it’s—I get it, Joss. And maybe part of me just doesn’t want to deal with it because I get it. And I know how you and Michael—and Morgan,” he added quietly, “how hard it was for all of you. I wanted it to be different for my mom. I thought it was. I thought he was just a dick. I didn’t—until Friday, I didn’t think it’d be like that.”

“Until that day on the Haunted Star,” Michael said, “neither did we. That’s usually how Franco gets you. And no one blames your mom for falling for it. He’s a sociopath. They know how to mimic human emotion. He had me convinced back then, too.”

He sat down at the dining table and reached for one of the cookies from the plate in the middle of the table. “Why don’t we take a break from talking about Franco?”

“Okay.” Cameron mouthed an apology to Joss, who wrinkled her nose but nodded. They sat around the table, quiet for a minute. “Any idea what Mom and Jason are doing at Greystone?” he asked Michael.

“Uncle Sonny said Spinelli is coming to town later this week, so I guess they’re gonna go after whoever did this,” Joss said. “I’m glad they’re letting your mom help. I think she always felt bad she wasn’t part of bringing you home,” she told Jake, then looked at Michael. “I heard Mom and Uncle Sonny arguing about Ava Jerome.”

Michael grimaced. “Yeah, Ava helped Jason escape the clinic — probably because she knew he was somehow connected to Sonny. Mom wants to tell Jason everything, but Sonny says we should hold off.”

“Well, yeah, because talking about Ava probably brings up that whole other thing,” Cameron said. He broke a cookie into two, then realized no one was saying anything after a minute. He looked up to find Michael and Joss frowning at him while Jake and Aiden were trying very hard to be quiet, so no one noticed they were there for grown-up conversation.

“Other thing?” Michael asked.

“I think—” Joss said with a wince. “Cam’s talking about that whole thing where, you know, your biological dad wasn’t dead, but now he’s dead again, and there’s a reason you don’t call Uncle Sonny Dad unless you’re with him or Mom.”

“You think I should tell Jason that the brother he thought was dead turned out not to be dead, but then got murdered by Sonny, and Mom covered it up? That’s the other thing?” Michael said darkly. “You think talking about Ava gets me there? How?”

“Because Ava killed Connie,” Joss said. “And you know that’s gonna come up. It’s why Uncle Sonny hates her. And Mom hates her because of Morgan. And talking about Connie always leads to AJ.”  She shrugged. “Maybe you should just tell him, so he hears it from you.”

“Yeah, let me go right ahead with that. Hey, Jason, remember that time you lied about being my father, and then my biological father went nuts because of you, Mom, and Sonny so he kidnapped me, faked my death, and then tried to kill people? Well, he faked his death, but it’s okay. He’s really dead now. Sonny murdered him in cold blood, and then Mom helped him get away with it. It’s cool, now because the governor pardoned him.” Michael lifted his brows. “Is that how I should do it?”

“You could always bring some of Aiden’s cookies,” Joss suggested brightly. “They help.”

“Or you could just wait for someone to introduce you as Michael Quartermaine,” Cameron offered. “Or did you tell your mom you never changed your name back?”

“It would be nice,” Michael told his sister, “if you didn’t tell Cameron everything.”

“Uh, I’m sorry, what part of ‘partner in crime for life’ did you not understand?” Joss said, rolling her eyes. “Geesh.”

Michael looked like he wanted to argue with her but decided not to. “Look, I’m just—I’m not doing it. I don’t want to have that conversation with Jason right now.”

“Fine. I know what we can do,” Joss said. “You wanna take bets on how long it takes my mom to find a reason to shove your mom out the door?”

“That’s a sucker’s bet,” Cameron said. “Your mom isn’t going to wait more than ten minutes.”

“Mrs. C seemed very annoyed that Mom was going over,” Jake said with a sigh. “I don’t think she’s going to make it that long.”

Greystone: Living Room

Carly did not, in fact, make it that long. To her credit, she had been attempting to insult Elizabeth behind her back and was not facing the foyer doors when Jason and Elizabeth arrived just in time to hear the blonde complain that Elizabeth was using this to get her claws in Jason again.

“I’ve missed this,” Elizabeth said as she followed Jason into the living room. He turned to her with an exasperated expression, and she shrugged. He knew she was probably used to Carly’s barbs, but he really wasn’t in the mood for it.

Carly twisted, then gasped. “When did you show up? Max didn’t say anything—”

“Max never announced me before,” Jason said, frowning at her. “Why would he start now? Carly—”

“Let’s not get distracted,” Sonny suggested as he smoothly stepped between his wife and Jason. “Carly—”

“Fine, I’m zipping it, but—”

“No, no buts,” Sonny warned her. “Elizabeth never starts it—” Carly sniffed. “Almost never,” he amended, shooting Elizabeth an apologetic look. “And I think you’re forgetting that she really does know more about the Cassadines than we do. Don’t you want to know who kept Jason from us for five years?”

“Of course I do!” Carly sighed. “Fine. Ask your stupid questions.” Clearly, she was hoping Elizabeth would divulge her information, then leave. Jason would have to have to talk to her about this.

It had been irritating enough for Carly to mistreat Elizabeth before, but now that everyone knew the truth about Jake, the last thing Jason wanted was for his son to overhear his best friend insulting his mother. Though it was possible Jake was already aware of it. It might be something else he just didn’t know.

“I seem to remember that the Cassadines—or at least Helena—were always into memory and control,” Sonny said, gesturing for Elizabeth to take a seat. “But I wasn’t really involved during all of that. I just came in at the end to help you out.”

“What are you talking about?” Carly asked, folding her arms. She remained standing as Elizabeth sat in the armchair, and Sonny sat on the sofa. Jason paced towards the terrace, too restless to sit still.

“Helena brainwashed Lucky, but that wasn’t even the first time,” Elizabeth said. “There was something that happened when he was younger. Something with a computer game. I don’t remember the details, but yeah, Luke told me the Cassadines were always into mind control and memory manipulation.”

“I sort of remember Lucky being brainwashed,” Carly admitted, grudgingly. “What does it have to do with Jason?”

“Because I don’t think the other guy is lying about memories,” Sonny said. “Jason, you saw him on Friday. I told you I didn’t think he was part of it.”

“You think somehow he has my actual memories?” Jason asked skeptically. “How—”

“That’s why I wanted to know more about the Cassadines and their stuff on memory.” Sonny turned back to Elizabeth. “Does this sound like something Helena could do?”

“If it can be done, the Cassadines would do it,” Elizabeth said, “and Helena is always looking for a way to control people. She put that chip into Jake Doe, and with Lucky, she used the Ice Princess diamond to trigger the commands. And, well, of course, Jake.” She hesitated. “But can someone take another person’s memories?”

“We’re not just dealing with Helena, though,” Carly said, drawing their attention. “Because wasn’t the other guy part of it? The one from the WSB? Victor? He’s the one that had the other guy. He didn’t have Jason.”

“If the WSB was involved, then there were probably experiments. That makes sense. Then yeah, if it can be physically done, the Cassadines would have done it,” Elizabeth said, nodding. Carly frowned, probably surprised that Elizabeth had agreed with her.

“Helena messed with Lucky’s memories, didn’t he?” Sonny asked Elizabeth. “That’s why you left him at the altar that first time.”

“Uh, yeah. After, um, I took that poison, she—” Elizabeth sighed. “The way Lucky tells it, she erased his feelings for me, but I’ve never been that sure how I feel about that.” She made a face. “I don’t doubt she tried it, but I don’t think it works like that. More likely, she just brainwashed him to think it.”

“Great. The Cassadines are into mind control. They’re also all dead, except for Valentin, so why does it matter?” Carly asked.

“Because Helena was dead for almost two years, and Jake still almost killed an entire ballroom on her command,” Sonny said flatly. “She’s dead, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t loose ends. Jason’s a loose end. This other guy—he might be a loose end. Who knows what else is still out there?”

“And even if Helena’s plans are done, Valentin is still a problem,” Sonny said. “He sent Ava to that clinic. We’re agreed that doesn’t make sense for him to do if he was in on it, but how else would he know about the clinic?” He got to his feet and crossed to the minibar, reaching for water instead of the bottle of bourbon. “And you know what else I thought was strange about that whole Jake Doe control chip thing—”

“What?” Carly asked. “Other than the fact that it happened?”

“After he got it out,” Sonny said to Jason, who was just taking it all in, listening to them. “He remembered all the things she’d made him do. And the first thing she’d said to him was that he was Jason Morgan. She told him who he was supposed to be. Now—was she lying to him? Or did she not know? But not only that—she threatened Elizabeth and the boys, Carly, and our kids—but she never, ever, used Jake as leverage.”

“No, she didn’t, did she?” Elizabeth tilted her head. “So either she knew he wasn’t Jason, or she didn’t want to take the chance that he’d remember the conversation later.” She exhaled slowly. “She was saving Jake. She always meant to use him for the Chimera project, didn’t she? She always planned to use my baby to kill us all.”

“You said Valentin played hero that day,” Jason said, drawing their attention. “How?”

“When we managed to Jake to back down,” Elizabeth said, “men broke into the ballroom and stole the box. Valentin went after them and got it back. He turned it over to the WSB for safekeeping.”

“A lot of people were very grateful. Including me,” Carly said with a sigh, “because he saved the Metro Court a lot of bad press for security.”

“How did people know it was here?” Jason asked. “How did anyone know to come steal this box?”

Sonny blinked at him. “I don’t know. I guess we didn’t think about it—”

“He could have set it up to save the day.”

“I remember Luke talking about Valentin once, but he never came to Port Charles,” Jason said. “You didn’t say a lot about Valentin. What his story?”

“Hard to say. A lot of it is cloaked in mystery. He’s Mikkos’s supposed to be illegitimate son. He pushed Nikolas out of a window in Greece.” Elizabeth looked away. “He claimed self-defense, and the Greek authorities didn’t press charges.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said gently, knowing that she’d been close to Nikolas for most of her life. “What has Valentin done since then?”

“He showed up in Port Charles, claiming to be the rightful heir to the Cassadine fortune as Mikkos’s oldest son,” Elizabeth said. “Which stripped Spencer of his inheritance.” She paused. “After that—nothing.”

“He’s laid low.,” Sonny added. “It’s like—he got what he wanted when Nikolas died and doesn’t need to do anything else.”

“Unless—” Elizabeth frowned. “We’ve been assuming that it was just a loose end with Jake and the Chimera—a plan of Helena’s that was stalled when she died. But we never did learn who sent him that box of magic tricks with the Chimera weapon. If Valentin knew about Helena’s plans, about the suggestions she planted in his head—”

“Maybe he used them to built a little goodwill for himself,” Sonny said.

“If he knew about Chimera, then maybe he knew what Helena was planning with me,” Jason said. “And if it’s not Valentin, there’s someone else out there. It’s just a matter of figuring out how and what they want.  Someone was keeping me in that coma, and when I escaped, they were trying to drag me back to Russia. To keep me from coming home.”

“But why?” Carly asked. “And why would Valentin send Ava to that clinic if he knew you were there?”

“All we have are questions,” Sonny said with a sigh. “It’d be nice to get some damn answers.”

Devane Manor: Foyer

With a furrowed brow, Anna Devane stepped back to let Andre inside. “Was I expecting you?” she asked, closing the door. “I’ve been a bit distracted since I came back from Monte Carlo.”

“I’d heard you were away.” Andre set a bag down on the step, then faced her, his dark eyes grave and sober. “I’m leaving Port Charles.”

Anna blinked, then shook her head, a startled laugh escaping her lips. “Oh, come now,” she said, a bit nervously. “I know it’s nearly Halloween, but it’s hardly a time for jokes.”

Andre pressed his lips together, then reached into the bag to hand her a box. “I wanted you to have this,” he told her. “It’s an early Christmas gift, but since I won’t be here—”

“Andre,” Anna said sharply, not reaching for the beautifully wrapped gift, “this is ridiculous. You’re not leaving town. You have a life here, friends and a career—”

“I know,” he said heavily, dipping his eyes to the floor of the foyer. He shook his head. “I know,” he repeated, “but I have to go. I can’t explain—”

“Andre—”

He set the box on her step, then picked up his bag. “You’ve been a good friend,” he told her. “And if things had been different—”

“You’re scaring me,” Anna said, reaching for his sleeve, but he was already walking towards the door. “Andre, wait—we can fix whatever is wrong—”

“No, you can’t.” He pulled the door open, then looked back at her, the regret etched into his features. “Whatever you hear about me—”

“What is going on—”

“My friendship, my respect for you—it was real,” he told her. “Take care—”

She started after him, but he closed the door in her face. By the time Anna had wrenched it open and gone outside, the taxi at her curb was pulling away. She stared after him, open-mouth and confused.

Then went back to the stairs where he’d left the gift. Anna tore off the wrapping paper, pushed open the lid, then frowned at the ornate, crystal ornament. She lifted it out of the box, staring at it, before looking back at the door.

After a moment, Anna replaced the box, strode over to the desk where she’d left her phone and pressed a familiar contact.

“Anna?”

“Robert, I need you to do that deep background check I wouldn’t let you perform two years ago,” she said. “I need to know everything about Andre Maddox.”

Webber Home: Porch

Elizabeth could hear the sounds of the teenagers through the windows and smiled, listening to Cameron trash talk Michael about some video game while Jake cackled. “Sometimes,” she told Jason, “I stop outside here and just listen to them inside. I don’t let them have the games in their rooms, or they’d never go to sleep, but I was also worried I’d never see them.”

“It’s hard to believe how grown up they are,” Jason said, peering in through the window. “And Michael—you said he’s close with them?”

“Yeah, well, he’s Aiden’s cousin through Carly, and Jake through you,” she said. “When Jake came home, one of the things that helped him get back to some sort of normalcy was constantly keeping him around family. Cam and Joss were always friends, you know that, but I brought Jake around Monica and Michael, too.” She bit her lip. “And—”

“The other me,” Jason finished. “You can say it.”

“It’s just so strange,” she murmured, looking at him. “Until you showed up, I honestly could say I’d accepted him as you. The DNA tests—the facial reconstruction—then the memories—I told myself the doubts I had—they were because of my own guilt. The sense that if I’d told the truth when Nikolas had told me, maybe I could have saved myself so much guilt.”

“Elizabeth—”

“It was such a stupid lie,” she muttered. “Every day, I woke up and I knew it was a terrible choice. You can’t steal your happiness and keep it forever. It wasn’t real. But—now I wonder if Nikolas knew the actual truth.” She bit her lip. “He was different before he died. Darker. Twisted with some sort of hatred for the Quartermaines. He forced Tracy and Michael out of ELQ—”

“Michael works at ELQ?” Jason broke in, startled. “When did that happen?”

“Oh.” Elizabeth winced. “Well, Edward passed away not long after you disappeared, and Michael got closer to Monica,” she said, casting her eyes away. “It just—it just sort of happened. I should let him—it’s not my story to tell.”

“Oh.” Jason was quiet for a moment. “A long five years,” he said, echoing Sonny’s words. “There’s a lot I don’t know.” She didn’t respond, and he cleared his throat. “You were saying about Nikolas?”

“He forced them out of ELQ and did a lot of terrible things to keep control of it. They got the company back, but—” Elizabeth said. “Nikolas is the one that told me Jake Doe was you, and he wanted me to keep the secret. I was—I can admit it now that he’s gone—he scared me. Now I know that Jake Doe wasn’t you—” She looked at him. “I have wonder if that was part of some plan. If Helena and Nikolas wanted the world to think he was you. I’d say it doesn’t matter because they’re both dead, but they’re Cassadines.  For them—” Elizabeth sighed. “Death is usually just the beginning.”

He started to respond, then stopped when his phone rang. “Yeah?”

Elizabeth lifted her brows when he hung up after a minute. “Jason?”

“It was Diane. The marker tests are in,” Jason told her, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “It’s—we’re twins.”

Elizabeth exhaled slowly. “I knew that was going to happen, but at the same time—and Oscar? Is he your nephew? Is—is your brother Drew Cain?”

“Yeah. Yeah, Oscar and Jake’s test came back with markers that match ours.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “Diane said she’d already called Oscar’s stepmom, and Alexis was calling…Drew.”

“It’s nice to have a name for him,” Elizabeth admitted. “I just wish we had the fingerprints or advanced testing back. I want him to know and accept it, too.”

She started to open the door, but Jason stopped her, and she turned back to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Just—thank you. For believing me.”

“I’m just glad you’re home. Come on in, we’ll tell the boys.”