Cause if one day you wake up and find that you’re missing me
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be
Thinkin’ maybe you’ll come back here to the place that we’d meet
And you’ll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street
So I’m not moving, I’m not moving
– The Man Who Can’t Be Moved, The Script

---

November 2015

Cassadine Estate: Helena’s Bedroom

It was over. After living with the specter, the phantom of his grandmother for his entire life, Nikolas had finally done what was necessary. What was right — he’d ended the nightmare for them all.

She wouldn’t be able to come back this time.

“I couldn’t do it,” he confessed softly. “I couldn’t be the man you wanted me to be. I tried. I tried to find that darkness, that evil—but it isn’t me. And now it’s over.” He removed the pillow from her face and set it on the side of the bed.

He left the room, left Helena’s body to cool, ready to get on with his life.

When the door had closed with a quiet snick, Helena’s eyes opened.  Her eyes narrowed, her mouth pinched. “You have betrayed me for the last time—”

“Now where have I heard that before?”

She shifted, turned her head slightly to find Valentin melting out of the shadows. Her heartbeat began to pick up. She hadn’t seen Valentin in several months. Since she’d learned that her body—cursed frail human body—was failing her.

“Valentin, I am so pleased you’re here. You were right, of course,” she said briskly, determined to turn this situation to her benefit. “Now, help me out of this bed—” Her hand, shaking with the effort, reached out to him. “There’s much to be done before this body fails. I must be sure—”

“Oh, Mother, I’m so sorry.” Valentin removed a syringe from his pocket and Helena focused on it like a laser.  “You see, I’m finished with your plans, with your promises.” He pressed down on her shoulder and Helena was pushed back to the bed.

“Valentin, please—”

“Whatever you wanted to happen with Jason Morgan, with the son, the Spencers, the Webber girl—it’s over. And my revenge,” Valentine said with a smile, “my justice will come from denying you yours.”

“Valentin—”

“And when you are dead—for real this time,” he added as Helena struggled, tried to force herself out of the bed, but she simply couldn’t. She didn’t have the strength. “You will die knowing that your precious Nikolas will soon follow, and I will have everything I deserve. And he will have nothing.”

Valentine uncapped the syringe, tested it. “Any final words, Mother Dear?”

“Just this. My death will begin the next stage,” she threatened. “I have already begun the rest of it. The Chimera, the revenge, my return—you can’t stop it—”

“Maybe,” Valentin considered as he picked up the line for her IV and casually inserted the needle, pressing his thumb against the plunger. “But I’ve found your trigger, Mother. Cassandra? I’ve dealt with her.”

Helena laughed then, even as she felt her heart begin to slow, her lungs begin to seize. “You—you—think she was—you think there’s just the one…foolish boy…”

Her eyes closed, and Helena Cassadine died as she’d lived, with secrets and lies on her lips. Valentin stared at her corpse for a long time before putting the syringe back in his pocket and leaving the room.

Whatever Helena had planned, he would take care of it. He would find all her secrets, dispose of the troublesome Nikolas, and finally take his rightful position — as the true Cassadine heir.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Devane Manor: Living Room

“The new position doesn’t start until February,” Robin said as her father sat down next to her on the sofa, “but that’s good because we need time to put the house on the market and turn in our notice.”

“I want you back in town,” Anna told her daughter, wincing as her bruised ribs protested. “But I also want you to be safe—”

“If you’re dealing with Cassadines, it doesn’t matter where I am,” Robin told her mother. “I’ll be safer here, where I know what’s going.”

“Well, it’s great that Patrick will have a job,” Robert said dryly, “but what will you do? You went out there for research—”

“Oh, well, that I took care of that at the Christmas Eve party you tried to keep me from going to,” Robin teased. She sipped her coffee. “I pulled in a favor from Sonny and asked him to fund my research. I’m setting up a teleconference with Laura and the board next week to finalize it.”

“About time Corinthos came in handy for something,” Robert muttered. He put his hands on his knees and looked across the coffee table at Anna. “So any word from Spinelli about those documents? We’re blind until we know what was in those files—”

“He was able to save almost everything,” Anna said, “but there’s a encryption key.” She scowled. “And Andre isn’t in the mood to do me any favors at the moment. Spinelli’s trying to sort out the files individually—”

“What are we hoping to find?” Robin asked. “I mean, we know who did this, don’t we? Valentin knew about the clinic. He sent Ava there. He did this—why can’t Frisco just—” She made a face. “I don’t know, arrest him?”

“Frisco has what he wants,” Anna told her. “Andre back in the fold. This memory experiment is on us to figure out. I’m not sure I’m interested in confronting Valentin until I know what he’s looking for. If it’s anything as lethal as the Chimera toxin last year, we don’t want him finding it first. And there’s still the matter of wondering what else Helena Cassadine has out there. There’s no telling what we’ll unleash if we act without all the information.”

Robin sighed. “It just feels like we’re going into circles, and the only lead we have is in pieces. Also—your car—”

“Don’t remind me,” Anna muttered. “I wish we knew what Helena had done with her files. I can’t believe she would have gone to her death without doing something with them—she always had back up plans—”

“Well, who would Helena have trusted?” Robin wanted to know. “Victor was dead. Nikolas is—” She paused. “He’s gone now.”

Robert furrowed his brow. “You know,” he said slowly, “we’re not thinking like Helena, we’re thinking like one of us. A good guy. We turn to allies. But if Helena wanted to protect herself from Valentin—”

“She might have turned to his enemy,” Anna said, straightening, then wincing again. “I’m getting too bloody old for this.”

“Valentin hates you, Mom—”

“But I’m not someone Helena would be interested in. And neither would your father. Helena asked Luke to help her with protection from Valentin, oh, nearly, a decade ago now.”

“I know Spencer is getting rusty in his old age,” Robert said, “but I don’t think he would have missed a message from Helena.”

“Unless he’s not telling you. Luke always did keep his own secrets,” Robin reminded him. “It’s one of the reasons you stopped working with him. He always put himself first. And if Helena wasn’t just protecting herself, but maybe Nikolas—”

“Laura.” Anna hissed as she pushed herself to her foot. “Bloody hell. It’s been sitting in front of us for ages. Where is my phone?”

“Mom—what are you talking about?”

“Helena’s will!”

General Hospital: Cafeteria

Patrick sighed as he looked around the old stomping grounds before looking across the table at his best friend, gingerly stirring her coffee. “Is the coffee is bad as it used to be?”

“You’ve only been gone for two years. You think we performed miracles?” Elizabeth asked. She smirked, then sipped the disgusting liquid. “It’s sweet that you can still have optimism.”

“Ha.” Patrick hesitated. “We haven’t really had a chance to catch up since I came back, and we’re flying back tonight—”

“I know,” Elizabeth said, with a wistful smile, “but you’ll be back in a few weeks, right? I’m so happy you’re coming home.”

“Me, too. California was good. We needed a break. Needed to get our heads on straight,” Patrick said. “You know, just me, Robin, the kids. And Noah—he’s amazing. I can’t wait for you to get to know him like you know Emma.”

“I’m going to spoil him rotten, just you wait.” Elizabeth paused. “But I know what you mean. Those last few months before you left—things were so crazy. There were so many times I just wanted to tell you what was going on—” She pressed her lips together. “But I knew you’d make me tell the truth.”

“I don’t know about that,” Patrick admitted. “I would have had the same fears about Sam. You know, exactly what ended up happening,” he reminded her. “Sam found out Jason was alive and went straight to him. I’m—” He frowned. “I’m surprised it’s not happening now.”

“I’m sure it will eventually,” Elizabeth admitted. She pushed her salad around on her plate with a fork. “I think she’s backing down on the divorce. On Christmas, Drew introduced Jason and Danny, and Sam didn’t burn down the the world, so—” She hesitated, then looked up to meet his concerned gaze. “Am I the dumbest woman alive for getting involved with Jason again?”

“Is that actually happening?” Patrick asked. “I thought you looked like you were a thing at the party, but I didn’t want to ask.”

“I mean, we haven’t—” Elizabeth stopped, trying to put together the right words. “We haven’t said anything. Or done anything. But I also know Jason. And I know me. We’ve been here before. We’re spending a lot of time together. Talking. All the things we always do right before—” She paused. “Exactly the way we were right before he decided to go back to Sam before he got shot on the pier.”

“Ah. And now Sam might be defrosting on the divorce thing—which is what she did the last time you and Jason were in this position which led you to do something very stupid,” he reminded her, and Elizabeth flushed. “Hey, no judgment here. I’m the King of Stupid. You can be the queen,” he added.

“I don’t know. Part of me thinks it’s like that,” Elizabeth admitted. “If Sam had been—I don’t know—more open to him when he came home a few months ago—if Carly hadn’t gone kind of crazy with the AJ stuff being brought up—Jason wouldn’t really have needed me—” She hesitated. “Or am I talking myself in circles again?”

“No one does it like you, Webber.” Patrick raised his water bottle to her and she clinked it with her coffee cup in a mock toast. “Look, here’s the thing — I think you will always deserve better than Jason Morgan. But I also thought that about Lucky Spencer. And Ewen. And Ric—”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Don’t start—”

“And Nikolas. And we don’t even need to talk about Franco, do we? Because that shit would not have happened if I had been here.” Patrick stabbed a finger at her. “And you didn’t tell me about it for months because you knew I would have hopped on plane, came here, and fixed it. Or dragged you to California kicking and screaming until you got your head on straight.”

“I wish you had, but Patrick—”

“Practically the only person on this planet that is good enough for you is, well, me—” He flashed her his famous dimples. “And you had your chance, baby.”

“Yeah, I was married the last time you hit on me,” Elizabeth reminded him with another roll of her eyes. “And you had the bruise from the clipboard for two days to make sure you remembered.”

“That aside, all I want is for you to be happy, Webber. That’s it. Full stop. And if this time, Jason is gonna put on his big boy pants and not run from someone who challenges him to be a better person, then maybe you need to give him a chance. I mean, he’s been through some pretty bad shit these last few years. I guess he’s earned a Mulligan on what happened five years ago. He should have picked you. Every time.”

“But he didn’t,” Elizabeth said softly. “He always went back to her. And I always went back to Lucky—”

“And did you go back to Lucky because you were desperately in love with him?” Patrick asked, raising his brows. “Or because you were lonely, he was there, and it was comfortable?” When she just looked down at her coffee, he nodded. “Sometimes it’s about love, and sometimes it’s just about not being brave enough to change. Whatever it is, if he hurts you again, I’m gonna put him back in that coma.”

“Patrick—”

“You think I’m not serious? I’m a surgeon—I can just—” Patrick made a twist with his hands. “He won’t even know it.”

“Stop.” Elizabeth smiled, then raised her coffee to her lips. “I really love you. You know that, right?”

“Right back at ya, babe. You and me, we’re gonna run this place in a few more years. The Dream Team is going to be back together.”

Kelly’s: Diner

Robin beamed at she wound her way through the busy tables to find Jason at the back waiting for her. She hugged him tightly when he stood up to greet her. “I’m so glad you could make time for me today!”

“I don’t have a lot going on right now,” Jason said easily as they took their seats. “You said you had something you wanted to tell me.”

“Well, I want to get caught up,” Robin said, “but I need to start with what my mother is working on. She’s meeting with Laura Spencer—” She checked her watch. “In about an hour.”

“Why?” Jason demanded.

“Nothing concrete yet. After Helena died, she left this key to Laura,” Robin told him. “It happened after Patrick and I moved, but Mom said it was super weird and cryptic. It was supposed to be a key to something she’d loved and lost. It ended up opening this box in the attic that was one of Scott’s law books. She worked with Kevin to try and figure it out, but then Nikolas died, and Kevin was shot—and I don’t know what happened after that. Neither did Mom.”

“But how could that—” Jason frowned. “Why would that have anything to do with this?”

“I don’t know. But Helena had to do something with her files,”  Robin said. “And the only person I think she ever loved was Stavros. And Nikolas, some of the time. Who else would protect Nikolas like Laura? If Andre hid a thumb drive full of files, why wouldn’t Helena? Mom said she or Laura would call you if they came up with something.”

Jason made a face as he picked up his coffee. He hated waiting for something to happen. “Is that it?”

“No, that’s just the new stuff. I actually wanted to follow up with something my mom said about Britt Westbourne.”

“Faison’s daughter?”

“And a general pain in the ass, yeah. Mom said she used my protocol to wake you up a few months ago, but she didn’t say why.”

“That’s what Luke and Lucky told us,” Jason said with a nod.

“The timing of this is freaking me out, and you know how I feel about timelines and things making sense. I need this to make sense,” Robin told him. “I developed that protocol in 2014. Victor wouldn’t let me near you—who I thought was you—” she added, “until I’d woken up Stavros and Helena. And I woke up Drew that June or July. The days kind of got mixed up a little, so I don’t know for sure. Victor died later that fall, but Helena had that protocol for years.”

Jason tipped his head. “So why didn’t she use it on me? Why did they leave me in the coma?”

“Do we know that they actually did?” Robin wanted to know. “I mean, Britt’s not exactly trustworthy. I believe that she woke you last year, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t awake before then. How would we know? That’s a question for another time,” she said when Jason opened his mouth. “It’s not the most important question to ask right now.”

“What is?”

“Let’s say that you were actually in that coma until last winter,” she said. “I worked with that protocol. I know how that coma worked. You wouldn’t have woken up on your own, so I believe Britt did it. But why? Was Faison actually involved, and if he was, why did he want you awake now? After all these years? Why did Klein want you awake now? Why did Valentin send Ava to the clinic? And did Klein keep it from Valentin all these months?”

“I—” Jason furrowed his brow. “Why would he do that?”

“He wouldn’t. Unless he was working for someone else which might be the person Valentin is looking for,” Robin said. “It might explain why Valentin just let everything drop after you were revealed but went after my mother when he found out we might have information from Andre Maddox.”

Jason sat back, thought it through. “We’ve wondered why Valentin would send Ava to the clinic if he knew I was up and around. I thought maybe I’d woken up on my own. But you’re right — if Britt Westbourne was using that protocol to wake me up, Valentin would have known.”

“If Valentin was the only guy in this. We can’t forget that Britt is also Faison’s daughter, and he’s the one that arranged for your kidnapping in the first place,” she reminded him. “We’ve assumed that was on Helena or Victor’s orders, but maybe Faison was working on something.” She paused. “I know this probably isn’t great news. We really don’t want to think about another big bad out there, but if we’re waiting to act on Valentin because we don’t have all the pieces—”

“We can’t complain when the pieces lead us other places. Yeah, I know. I hate the Cassadines,” he muttered. “If this were anyone else—”

“It would already be over. I know, I’m familiar with your success rate,” Robin said dryly. “But this is the Cassadines. You and I have dabbled in this, but I think we’re right to listen to people who’ve been in this longer. Laura and my dad — they’ve been doing this for decades. Elizabeth has been literally on Helena’s shit list since she was a kid. I just want to help this stop. For all our sakes.”

Davis House: Dining Room

“Well, I’m glad you came to your sense and finally told Danny the truth,” Alexis said. “It was hell on Christmas trying to pretend.”  She reached into her file folder. “You want to revise the divorce papers?”

“No.”

Alexis stopped, then stared at Sam as she sat calmly across the table, then shook her head. “I don’t understand. You don’t need the custody agreement, Sam. Danny knows Jason is his father—”

“It doesn’t matter. He told Jason and Drew he wanted to keep Drew, so that’s what we’re doing. Nothing is changing, Mom.” Sam paused. “I thought I forgave Jason for what happened when I was pregnant. I thought I’d made peace. Not just for that, but for the way we broke up the first time—and the way I always felt like I was second choice.” She bit her lip. “I always knew that me not being able to have kids was part of the reason Jason came back to me. I just don’t think I really admitted what it meant.”

“Sam—”

“I don’t think Jason ever knew why he’d done it either until I told him about the surgery, and I could see it wasn’t—” Sam sighed. “I knew he wasn’t into the idea, but I thought I could convince him, and then Jake’s accident made things insane, and well—it all went off the rails. He wasn’t interested in having kids with me, Mom. Even before he was faced with raising Franco’s son.”

“Sam, I really don’t—”

“He’d made a choice not to be a father after Jake was gone,” Sam said, “and I didn’t get it then. He didn’t think he deserved to be one, and maybe he was right. I don’t know. I didn’t listen to him, Mom. I pushed him into that surgery. We wouldn’t have made it. I know that now.” She tipped her head. “He didn’t want kids with me, Mom. He didn’t want Danny—”

“He didn’t plan Jake with Elizabeth either, Sam—”

“But he asked her to marry him when he found out she was pregnant,” Sam said softly. “And he asked her again after he found out Jake was his. He always wanted Jake. He didn’t want my child. And Danny doesn’t deserve that—”

“What happened before Danny was born is a tragedy, Sam. It really is. But it was a bad year,” Alexis reminded her. “Jason had lost Jake, and then Franco happened. He also got sick—no one was handling anything right. You and Jason weren’t just fighting about Franco or the baby. There was also Robin and John McBain—”

“And there was always Elizabeth. He almost got back together with her, Mom,” Sam said softly. “But she still had her boys, so he didn’t.”

“But he brought Danny back to you—”

“You know, we never really made any plans,” Sam remembered. “I was in the penthouse, but I hadn’t brought my things here. We were supposed to talk about it, and then he never came home. That’s my last memory of Jason, Mom. We were supposed to plan the rest of our lives, and he left because of work. I let the grief swallow me, and I forgot all the reasons we needed a new plan.”

“Then why is this happening now?” Alexis wanted to know. “You thought Jason came home two years ago—you went after Jake Doe, Sam. Not the other way around. You walked out on a life with Patrick and went right back to who you thought was Jason—”

“But he wasn’t Jason, was he?” Sam said. “He didn’t have Jason’s face. His voice. He had the memories, but it wasn’t the same. It didn’t hit me, Mom, until Drew looked at me and asked if I’d ever believed it. And I think there was a part of me that didn’t. Because when Jason came back and he looked at me, and he had that voice—and I realized I had to make a choice, I ran from him. Because I knew it was him. Of course I did.”

“Sam—”

“And I know that sounds insane. I know that doesn’t sound fair. But everything came back to me the minute you started to talk about Danny, and I realized that it meant the man I thought had left Elizabeth and Jake and agreed to have another baby with me wasn’t Jason after all—Drew wanted Scout, Mom. He wanted her. He loves her, and he loves Danny. He loves my kids. He wanted this family. Why would I ever want a man who didn’t want me when I could have something better?”

Alexis sighed. “And you realized that if the man who had wanted those kids with you wasn’t Jason—”

“I thought Scout was his way of making up for everything that happened with Danny,” Sam admitted painfully. “But if it wasn’t Jason, then it can’t be.”

“Well,” Alexis said. “I have to admit, I’m surprised to hear something that actually makes sense. And—” She paused. “It’s something I could argue in court, Sam. So why don’t we amend the papers? Jason doesn’t need to terminate his rights, but we can argue for full custody. And you know Jason would agree to it.”

“He probably would,” Sam admitted. “And I should. Because Drew—he made it clear—he doesn’t want to stay Danny’s father if this how it happens, but you know—” Her eyes burned. “I thought it was going to be different. I thought Drew had picked me and our family over Sonny and Carly and the job—and he did. But he didn’t pick me when it mattered most. I needed him to stand by me on this, and he wouldn’t. He wanted a relationship with his brother more than he wanted the life we planned together.”

Sam took a deep breath. “Danny is my son. He’s always been my son. Drew’s right. We can’t move forward. Not together. We’ll figure out something with Danny, because he comes first. But I’m never going to be a runner up. Not ever again.”

Her mother raised a brow. “And Jason?”

“The divorce goes forward. Exactly the way I filed it. If you don’t want to handle it, I’ll find someone who does.”

Webber House: Driveway

“You know,” Emma said, sliding her hands into the pockets of her fluffy pink parka. “I thought it would be cooler than this.”

Cameron scowled at his oldest friend. “We could always go over and insult your car—oh wait, no one bought you one.”

“Well, it is it kind of a junker,” Spencer told Cameron as he slid a hand over one of the dents. “Jason’s got some serious money—he got you a twelve-year-old car. This baby is almost as old as you are—”

“I’m gonna hold out for a Maserati,” Joss declared. “I can play my parents like a violin.”

“It’s a first car,” Cameron said. “And he’s not—” He hunched his shoulders. “He’s not my dad,” he muttered.

“And your mom never would have let him get anything nicer,” Oscar said loyally. Cameron perked up. “You know how she is. No way you’re getting a brand new car for your permit.”

“Yeah,” Cameron said, brightening. “See?” He jerked a thumb in Oscar’s direction. “He gets it. I’m gonna ding this up figuring out how to park, and even my mom still smacks the corners when she makes a tight turn. Webbers are terrible drivers.”

Trina put her arm through his. “It was pretty cool of Jason to do this. And hey, Oscar, does that mean your dad is gonna get you one for your birthday? You got behind the wheel in April—”

“I don’t know if we’re at cars yet,” Oscar said. “We did the movie thing, and it was fun, but, uh—” He rubbed the side of his cheek. “We’ll see how things are in April.”

“You okay?” Joss rubbed his shoulder. “You look tired.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just gotta a headache. I think the movie was too loud or something.” Oscar shifted his feet, his boots crunching in the snow. “I thought Emma said something about her iPad—”

“Oh—that’s right!” Emma slapped her gloves together, her eyes sparkling. “So, listen, I caught this recording of my grandparents and Mom talking about Helena today, and you’ll never believe what they think is going on.”

Wharf Street: Garage

By the time Michael arrived at the garage that evening, he found Elizabeth standing by herself in the large room where the garage doors had been pulled up. “Hey—where’s Jason?”

“Oh, he’s in the office over there—” Elizabeth nodded towards the corner of the building, and Michael could see his uncle and someone else at a desk. “He’s looking over the lease.”

“Sorry, I’m late. I had a late meeting.” Michael looked up at the ceiling. “This is the place we looked at a few weeks ago, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Jason just wanted to look at it again before he signed.” Elizabeth’s smile was hesitant. “The boys are really excited because of Cameron’s car. They want to come here after school when I have work.”

“They’ll love that,” Michael said. “And I like Jason getting to hang out more with them. Especially with Jake.”

“Me, too. He deserves it.”

“Especially if Sam is gonna keep pushing this crap with Danny,” Michael muttered. “I don’t get her. Jason came home. Why isn’t she happy—” He winced, looking at her. “Sorry. I know if she were happier about it—”

“I probably wouldn’t be standing here right now,” Elizabeth said with a nod. “Yeah, well, that’s not how this cookie crumbled. Jason’s not really talking about it,” she admitted. “He never really had a chance to make up for what happened before Danny was born. Then he came home to find out Danny was his son—and there’s Drew. It’s a lot.”

“Yeah, but Danny’s his son,” Michael insisted.

“Blood doesn’t make a family,” Elizabeth told him softly. “You know that better than anyone. Jason can love Danny because he’s his son, but that doesn’t mean he’s earned a right to be his father full-time. Not with Drew right there, doing all the work.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you—I thought you had my uncle’s back—”

“I do. Because he matters to me,” Elizabeth told Michael. “You know that. But I’ve know him longer than you have. I watched him lose you. All the times he lost you. He fought for visitation rights after AJ found out the truth, did you know that?”

Michael frowned. “What—no—”

“Because he loved you, and you loved him. But he realized it would just make him unhappy. He wouldn’t really get to be your father anymore,” Elizabeth said. “And it would just confuse you, so he let you go to be someone else’s son. Then you were shot, Michael.”

Michael pressed his lips together, looked back over at the office where he watched Jason with the realtor, signing paperwork. “I know that was hard—”

“He never, ever got over that. He’ll tell himself, and you and me, and the world that he gave up Jake because of the Russians, but I knew months before that he’d never really give us a chance. He didn’t want Jake anywhere near a life that had put a bullet in the head of a little boy he loved like his own.”

“Elizabeth—”

“So when I stand here telling you that your uncle is not a selfish man, that’s what I mean. Yes, he shares blood with Danny. And yes, he—and I—hope that one day things will be different. Right now—he doesn’t matter. Danny does. So as long as Danny knows Jason is here for him, that he didn’t abandon him—Jason will let Sam and Drew set the tone. Because Danny is what matters.” She paused. “Jason isn’t the only one who never got over that bullet to your brain, Michael.”

Michael exhaled slowly, fisting his hands in the pockets of his long dark, winter coat. “You’re not really going to defend my mother—”

“As long as I’ve known you—and Jason—I’ve known Carly—”

“Oh, man, Elizabeth—”

“Carly and I will never be friends,” Elizabeth continued. “But she and I have been in and out of each other’s lives too long not to look out for one another—”

“And is that what she was doing at your house a few weeks ago?” Michael demanded. “Is what what she was doing when AJ got killed—”

“She looked out for me when I got involved with Franco, I just wasn’t ready to listen.” Elizabeth met his eyes. “Morgan died last year, Michael. He was sick and hurting, and he stole a car, and he was blown up. Your mother didn’t even get to have an open casket.”

Michael closed his eyes, pain flashing across his face. “I know that—”

“I know. And because I have two little boys who buried their brother once, I know that your pain is just as important. This life—the life Sonny and Jason chose—it nearly stole you from Carly, and it did take Morgan. While she was grieving, Nelle Benson pushed your father into a break down and pretended to sleep with him so she could cause your already devastated mother more pain.”

Michael opened his eyes. “Elizabeth—”

“And that is the woman you have pushed into your mother’s face, demanding that Carly be civil because three years ago, she covered up AJ’s death to protect Sonny.”

“How can you be on her side?” Michael demanded. “After everything—”

“Because I’m a mother, too, Michael. I’m a mother who lost everything because you were shot in the head nine years ago. My boys lost the best chance they ever had a father who would stay. I lost the love of my life, and your mother lost the peace and security of thinking she could really protect her kids from her own choices. So yeah, she covered up AJ’s death. She did it to protect Sonny and because she didn’t like AJ. But you know she did it for you, too. She’s not a perfect person, Michael. Not by a mile. But what the hell did she ever do to deserve you shoving Nelle Benson in her face and then walking out of the same house where she hurt your family, calling your mother a liar?”

Michael opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. Then they both looked over to find Jason coming out of the office, his phone in his hand, his expression heightened.

“What is it? Is the paperwork okay?”

“Yeah, yeah—” Jason stared down at his phone. “Laura wants us to meet her at the bank tomorrow. To go through her safe deposit box.”

“Her safe deposit box?” Elizabeth repeated. “Why?”

“What’s going on?”

“Her inheritance from Helena,” Jason said.

“The stupid law book that didn’t mean anything? It just led Laura to the Campus Disco—” Elizabeth frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Because Anna thinks maybe Helena sent the files to Laura to protect Nikolas,” Jason told her. “And she might have hidden them in the book.”

← Chapter Thirty-Three | Chapter Thirty-Five →