So sacrifice yourself and let me have what’s left
I know that I can find the fire in your eyes
I’m going all the way, get away, please
You take the breath right out of me
You left a hole where my heart should be
You got to fight just to make it through
‘Cause I will be the death of you
– Breath, Breaking Benjamin

---

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

General Hospital: Staff Room

“That’s—” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I can’t believe they found Valentin and said nothing. I mean, I know you suspected it, but—”

“I’m sorry—”

“No, don’t apologize.” She closed her locker, leaned her forehead against the cool metal. “The next time you tell me you don’t trust someone, I’m not going to doubt you. Okay. So what do you think about it now that you’ve talked to Lucky?”

“I don’t know. I think he’s mostly telling the truth, but there’s something else we’re missing. We’re going to stick around, look at that lab. See if we can find where they’re staying in the city. ”

“Okay. I’ll pass this on to Laura and Spinelli. Do you want me to call Robert or Anna?”

“Let’s hold off on that until we get back. I want to make sure there’s nothing else first.”

“Sounds good. I have to go. I’m due in surgery. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah. I’ll call you tonight my time.” There was a long pause, but he didn’t disconnect. “I wished you’d been here today,” he finally said. “I missed you.”

She smiled, warmth spreading. “Next time. You won’t be able to keep me home. I miss you, too.” This time they hung up, and she tucked the phone away in her locker. She was glad she’d taken Felix’s advice and gone to Jason that weekend, that she’d pushed to re-balance their relationship.

For the first time since that terrible day when he’d broken their engagement all those years ago, Elizabeth had a good feeling about where they were heading. And was sure that no matter what else happened, they’d face it together.

Spencer House: Kitchen

It felt like a Corn Pops kind of day, Spencer thought, perusing the collection of sugary cereals in the cabinet above the sink. Or maybe Fruit Loops. What would they taste like mixed together?

Curious, Spencer took down both boxes and filled a bowl to experiment. He was just sitting down at the table after adding milk when his grandmother strolled in.

“Good morning—” Laura paused. “What are you eating?”

“Fruity Pops. Or Corn Loops—” Spencer shoved a spoonful in his mouth. As suspected, it was delicious. “Still workshopping.”

“Right.” Laura eyed him, uncertain what to do with that answer. “Well, enjoy that.” She went to the coffee machine. “I thought we might talk about what happened last week.”

Spencer twisted in his seat, furrowed his brows. “Is the part where I apologize again, because I can do that—”

“No, it’s the part where I apologize.”

Spencer blinked. “Wait. What?” Adults didn’t apologize.

While the coffee percolated, Laura sat at the table. “Elizabeth came to talk to me yesterday. Cameron reminded her of something very important. Something that I don’t like to remember and would prefer not to be true.” Laura covered his hand with her own. “As much as I want to keep you out of this, Spencer, you’re already in it. And it’s not fair for me to ask you to be a normal teenager. I’m sorry. For not understanding that.”

“It’s—” Suspicious, Spencer tipped his head. He knew Cameron had talked to his mother, but he really hadn’t expected his grandmother to do anything with that. “Really?”

“Yes. And while I might wish that you were more like him because you’d be safer, that doesn’t mean I don’t love you just the way you are. You worry me,” Laura admitted. “Because I’m not sure you’ll be satisfied with just reading some files.”

“I just…I have a lot of questions. And I don’t know how to answer any of them. You won’t talk about it. And there’s no one else. Even if you do talk about it, you might not be able to answer.” Spencer stared at the pieces of his cereal, becoming soggy as they rested in the milk. “I’m sorry, though. For getting mad at you. And for putting Jason in the middle. That really bothered Cam, and he didn’t deserve that. And I’m really sorry for calling you crazy. You know I never meant—”

“I know, honey. I know. And I forgive you. I’m still not thrilled with the idea,” Laura said after a moment, “but I’m lifting the ban. You can go back to the garage. Elizabeth is taking the boys there today so that it looks like Jason is still in town. And—” Laura grimaced. “You can read files. But—” She held up a finger as Spencer straightened, his eyes wide. “But you can’t take them out of the office. You only read them at the garage. Nothing else. That’s the deal.”

“Yeah. Yeah. I can do that. Thank you. I appreciate this.”

Laura sighed. She left the table to fix a cup of coffee. “Don’t thank me, thank Elizabeth and Cameron. I still think this is a mistake, but, well, we’ll see.”

Nero House: Kitchen

Oscar shoved his books in his bag, then shoved a piece of toast in his mouth. “I’m going to be late,” he said.

“Chew first, talk second,” Kim admonished, barely glancing up from her tablet as she scrolled through the headlines. “We’ve only been working on that since you were eight.”

He swallowed, then shot her a grin. “And one day, I will remember. But it is not this day—”

“Very funny.” Kim glanced up. “Did you call your father and reschedule dinner?”

“Uh.” Oscar pressed his lips together. “Not yet. And before you jump on me,” he said as his stepmother sighed. “He’s out of town on some business thing. He left me a message, and Cam said something about his mom’s boyfriend going, too. So I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

Kim propped her chin on her clasped hands, her elbows on the counter. “And do you want to?”

“Kim—” Oscar made a face.

“Oscar,” she said, mimicking his tone. “We talked about this. You were completely fine with having dinner with him until you thought it hurt me. You getting time with your dad, Oscar? It’s the best part of this.”

“I just—” Oscar sighed, sat across from her at the island. “I don’t know. I don’t like the way he’s treating you—” When she sighed, he added, “You might not have been my mom from birth, but you’re my mom now. And that matters. I mean, now that I think about it, did he even try to find out if you guys could work it out—”

Kim tipped her head. “He was never interested in coming back to me, honey. But I put your dad away a long time ago. Until last November, I thought he’d died. It’s been five years for me. I will always love him, but that doesn’t mean I wanted him to work on our marriage. I had a bad week, Oscar, that’s all.”

“You say that now, but maybe—”

“What could have been isn’t important. We can only focus on what is. Drew has every right to handle this terrible, awful thing the best way he knows how. I can’t imagine what he’s going through. Not knowing who he was for an entire year, then being given this identity—those memories—and now to be told all over again that it’s not his life. He’s doing the best he can, Oscar. And so am I. So are you. And so is everyone else involved.” Kim leaned forward. “Promise me, Oscar. When he comes home, you’re going to see him.”

“I’ll call him,” Oscar said, finally. “But it’s hard. He doesn’t look like my dad. Sometimes—” He made a face. “It’s harder to be around the other guy. He looks like Dad. They don’t have the same voice or anything, but—”

“I get that. I’ve seen Jason Morgan around the hospital a few times,” Kim admitted. She poured herself another cup of coffee. “And it always takes me a minute. And Elizabeth’s son — the middle one, I think. He looks like your father. In some of the pictures Drew has from his childhood.” Kim smiled. “You always looked more like your mother, your dad said.”

“Yeah. I know. I see it in her pictures.” Oscar picked up his orange juice. “It must be so strange for Dad and Jason. To be brothers who didn’t know about each other, and Dad’s got Jason’s memories. It’s seriously whacked.”

“You’re not kidding. Drew always wanted to have a family,” Kim said wistfully. “He looked for his birth family, you know. Before he came to San Diego. But he said it always ended in dead ends.”

“Yeah, he said it was okay though. Because he made a new family. He had Mom, then me. And you.” Oscar hesitated. “Maybe it’s why it bothers me so much, you know? Because it was just us for a while after Mom died, and I don’t really remember her. But I remember what it was like for it to be just the two of us. And then he brought you home. And it was like, this is how it’s supposed to be. And we were gonna get a new house, and Dad was gonna retire, and—now we don’t get to have any of it. It’s just you and me now.”

“Saying goodbye to the life you’d thought you’d have is hard, Oscar. And you have to do it more than once. Every step forward means leaving something behind. You know, I thought maybe I’d be a ballet dancer before I went to medical school.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Kim smiled. “But I didn’t have what it took, so I left it behind. I miss it, though. And there were other guys. One I nearly married. And every time I closed a door, it was hard. But that’s growing up. I wanted the life your dad and I planned, and maybe it’ll always hurt that someone stole it from us. But you know, it helps to remember Drew didn’t do this to us. He didn’t want to hurt us. Someone hurt him and destroyed his life. Remember that, Oscar, and don’t think so much about how it worked out. Your dad loved us.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And he’ll love you again. You’re easy to love.” She raised her brows. “Now, you better get going or you’ll miss your bus.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam thanked the messenger, then closed the door. She cut the manila envelope open and slid out the paperwork from Martina, requesting that Sam review and call her with her final choice when she was ready.

She leaned against the desk and read the opening paragraphs, her stomach rolling, her pulse jittery. It was the first time she’d seen the claims in print — she knew what she’d asked Martina to do, of course, but this—

Samantha Morgan requests sole physical and legal custody of Emily Scout Morgan and Daniel Edward Morgan, and seeks to terminate the parental rights of Jason Morgan with respect to Daniel. A custody hearing to determine the legal paternity of Emily is requested along with a court order for paternity testing.

Beneath that was the petition for Drew that read almost the same — with his name substituted for Jason’s, and Danny omitted.

She could file these petitions in family court, kicking off a complicated custody battle that would force Jason and Drew to take paternity tests, landing them in court. Or she could have Martina work with Diane to come up with a joint petition that would dispose of the Scout situation, and simplified custody with Drew.

You’re the one who isn’t walking away. All this is going to do is keep you tied up.

Her mother’s words echoed in her head like a drumbeat, and Sam wanted to ignore them. Wanted to erase them from existence.

She wanted them not to be true.

Sam sat on the sofa, staring at the custody petition, wondering how it had gone so wrong. That night at the PCPD? She’d stood in that room, and she’d looked at Jason, and she’d looked at the man who was her husband, and she’d had to confront the reality that they weren’t the same person, after all.

Maybe it had been when she’d gone home, and continued to call her husband Jason, even though she knew, deep down, that wasn’t his name. Or when she’d pushed and pushed Drew until he’d walked right out the door, proving that he wasn’t going to put her first. That he was no different than his brother —

She dropped the paperwork on the table, pressed her palms into her eyes until she saw stars. It was all such a damn tangle, and it was too late to really fix anything. Wasn’t it? She’d told Drew that terrible awful truth she’d always kept hidden — that she didn’t want Jake in their lives at all — and that they’d all be better off if Jason had stayed in Russia—

Now he’d never look at her the same way again. He wasn’t like Jason. Not really. He knew how to cut people out. Hadn’t he turned his back on Elizabeth? And Sonny? Jason was the one who could forgive something like that. Could he understand her misery and confusion when he’d crashed back into their lives?

Did she want him to understand, to forgive her for not rushing to his side? What if she’d done that? What if she’d brought him home that night, or gone with him?

Sam rubbed her mouth. It was too late for any of that. Too late. Jason had done what he always did and circled back to Elizabeth. Sam didn’t know anymore who Jason really wanted or who he had settled for. He could have had Elizabeth in his life — and Jake — but he’d left them both before. He had come back to Sam while Jake was alive. And maybe he hadn’t been particularly interested in having kids with Sam, but he’d supported the surgery—

She rose to her feet, crossed to the terrace to look out over the city. Sonny had asked her what it would take to drop all her demands, to let Jason walk away from their marriage. From the life he’d promised her.

The truth of course was that Sam didn’t want him to walk away. She’d wanted him to fight for her. To choose her.  And he hadn’t.

And neither had Drew. They’d decided what they wanted was more important, and that really wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. Sam mattered. What she needed and wanted was important.

But what did she want? What did she need?

Unsure, Sam combed her hands through her hair, and went back to the paperwork she’d left on the coffee table. She picked it up, looked it over again.

What she needed was more time.

She reached for her cell phone and dialed. “Martina? Hey. I got the delivery. I still need to think about it more. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I want to do, and I can’t…. I don’t want to mess this up more than I already have. Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”

Wyndemere: Foyer

Valentin was smiling as he greeted the butler at the front door. “Benjamin,” he said. “It’s great to see you. The ladies at home?”

Benjamin, the stodgy, traditional servant, did not crack so much as a smile as he took Valentin’s coat and snapped a finger for one of the footmen to take Valentin’s bags up to his room. This was the life he was working so hard to protect, Valentin thought. An army of servants to take care of his every whim — he’d earned this life of luxury, and no one had any right to come in and threaten it.

“Madam is in the parlor,” Benjamin said. “And so is Miss Charlotte.”

“Excellent. Excellent.” Valentin rubbed his hands together, eager to move on with the next step of his plan. In just a matter of days. Klein would have transported Stefan to the lab beneath the mansion, and Valentin would hand over the protocol files so that they could work on extracting Stefan’s memories.

“My girls!” Valentin said, throwing his hands out with a wide smile. Charlotte, his beloved golden child, leapt to her feet and ran into his arms. He swept her arm in a tight hug, kissing her head. He loved this sweet girl, and it was her he was fighting for, too. She had a right to the life he’d given her. To be known as a Cassadine princess.

“Papa! We missed you!”

Valentin looked past his daughter’s head to find Nina rising slowly to her feet, one slim red brow arched. “I missed you, too. Both of you.”

“Really,” Nina murmured, those blue eyes flashing with a warning that she wouldn’t be as easily charmed. Valentin kept the smile fixed on his face, inwardly wincing. He ought to have spent more time on a cover story. Should have taken a few minutes to make her happy—

Ah, well, the damage was done. He’d have time to clean it up before Klein arrived, and after all, the strain on his family was the reason Valentin had found it necessary to move the work back to Wyndemere. He’d prove himself with what came next.

“Yes, really, and I hope you’ll give me a chance to make it up to you.” He set Charlotte on her feet then crossed to his wife. Valentin kissed her cheek, nuzzling at her ear. “I know I’ve been a bad boy,” he murmured, and he felt her tense body soften just a little. “Do you promise to punish me?”

“Valentin—”

“I promise.” He drew back, smiled at her. “I’ll explain everything later when we’re alone. For now, let’s just enjoy being back together.”

“All right. But I reserve the right to remain angry.” Nina accepted the kiss he brushed against her mouth this time, and he knew he had her. She was a soft touch, his wife. His wife and daughter would forgive his hasty departure and lack of contact, the last Cassadine secrets would soon be in his hands—

It was all falling into place.

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