Inspiration

On Tuesday or Wednesday (August 4/5 2020), my Twitter timeline was lit up with fans wondering why Jake didn’t have ELQ shares. I didn’t see the scene until Friday and realized then that we have no evidence for Jake not having shares — the way Valentin’s conversation was set up, it just looked as though he was more interested in Danny and Scout. I started to think about why that was — I think Jake either has shares that Valentin knows he could never get his hands on (controlled by Liz or Jason, both are no a go for him) or Jake doesn’t have shares which I guarantee Liz could spin as not having shares until he’s an adult or having a trust fund or something. Anyway — I just wanted to put my own spin on it.

ETA: On Tuesday, August 11, 2020 — Michael voted Jake’s shares at an ELQ Board meeting. So…VICTORY IS MINE. I wrote this on Saturday, August 8. No way I could have known it except I KNOW ELIZABETH WEBBER

Timeline and Setting

For those of you not watching the show, this could be loosely set after my Strong Enough episode tag, and I’ve written it as if Jason and Elizabeth did, at least, briefly discuss the POA at the hospital. Check out that episode tag for some information about Jason’s storyline at this point on the show and Elizabeth’s participation. For Sam, she’s currently on parole for killing Shiloh last year. Her parole officer is strictly enforcing the no association with felon part of Sam’s parole. Jason and Sam have broken up because Jason feels like it’s not worth the risk of Sam losing the kids and going to jail again.

Sam has been increasingly desperate to get this parole lifted. Valentin, meanwhile, lost control of Cassadine Industries when Nikolas returned from the dead and revealed that Valentin was not Mikkos’s son, but Helena’s bastard (I think). Valentin is trying to get control of ELQ through a hostile takeover. He has a lot of shares already and offered Sam a trade — he’ll get her parole conditions lifted in exchange for Danny and Scout’s voting proxy (knowing it was unlikely she’d sell outright.

Note: I, uh, realize that I keep referring to Elizabeth by her maiden name in these tags. I…am going to do my best to avoid any mention of the man with whom she has currently entered a legal contract. I think we’ll all be happier the longer we can pretend it isn’t a thing

I hope that helps give you guys context!

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They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I’m mad
I have a lot of regrets about that
I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere
Fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here
Pourin’ out my heart to a stranger
But I didn’t pour the whiskey

---

Thursday, August 6, 2020

 Metro Court Hotel: Restaurant

Martin Grey took a seat across the table from Valentin Cassadin and reached for the carafe of coffee in the center of the table to fill his cup. “Well, how did your meeting with Sam Morgan go?”

Valentin pressed a napkin to his lips, dabbing gently. “Encouraging. It might take a day or two for her to think it over, but I’m confident that she’ll come around.” He lifted his brows. “Were you able to find out about the last Quartermaine great-grandchild? Jake Webber?”

“I was. I’m afraid that’s likely a no go,” Martin reported with a shake of his head. “You were correct—his shares are not controlled by his mother.”

“That would actually be good news for me.” When his lawyer merely raised his brows, Valentin picked up his own coffee. “His mother despises me. That’s precisely why he was at the bottom of my list. There’s very little I can offer Elizabeth Webber.” He grimaced. “Five years ago, I could have handed her the world. I could have given Jake and Jason back to her—”

“You knew Helena had kidnapped them both?” Martin leaned back in his chair. “Just how involved were you with all of that?”

Valentin merely smiled. “That’s not important. Who controls his shares now? Jason? That’s the most likely.”

“Not Jason. As I said,” Martin replied, “it’s a non-starter.”

Kelly’s: Courtyard

“Aiden—” Elizabeth sighed as her ten-year-old son blinked at her, his ice cream cone dripping down his wrist. “Why are you like this?”

Aiden shrugged and sat on the bench while she searched through her purse for the wipes she carried around, even though her children were half-grown.

“Elizabeth—”

She glanced at up the familiar voice, then managed a smile as she saw Danny and Scout hopping onto the bench beside Aiden, and Aiden showed off his melting ice cream. She looked over at their mother, ambling up with her hands in her pockets.

“Hey. Sam. Uh—” She squinted. “What’s up?” She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d talked to Sam—

And Elizabeth actually liked it that way. Jake got to hang out with his dad, brother, and cousin, and Elizabeth could avoid all contact with Sam — finally. Drew—when they’d thought he was Jason—had seemed to think it was time for them all to move on.

Jason didn’t share that opinion.

“I was hoping you had a minute to talk about something. I—I’m having kind of a problem, and I feel like—” Sam made a face. “I feel like you might be the only person that can give me the perspective I need.”

Despite her best intention, Elizabeth nodded. “Let me just give these to Aiden before he takes a bath in that ice cream.” She gave the wipes to Aiden, then left the three kids on the bench, and joined Sam at the table.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Um, yeah. Mostly. You know, it’s been hard since I got home.” Sam bit her lip. “Since we got the parole conditions.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Did Jason tell you he’s giving his power of attorney to Carly?”

“Yeah, he mentioned it at the hospital yesterday.” Elizabeth tipped her head to the side. “Is that what this is about? Because, honestly, Sam, I’m really not here to get in the middle of it. Jason and I are friends—I have no dog in this fight—except, of course, hoping none of us ever have to worry about it—”

“Oh. No. I’m okay with all of that.” Sam waited. “That’s a lie. If it wasn’t for this stupid parole, Jason and I would be together. And this wouldn’t be happening—”

Well, this turned out to be a great idea. Elizabeth leaned back slightly. “Sam, I really—”

“But that’s not why I’m—that’s not the point. And you’re right—that has nothing to do with you.”

“Exactly. So let’s just—” Elizabeth made a circle with her finger. “Get to the point, you know? Is something wrong?”

Sam took a napkin out of the stand and started to shred it into pieces. “I remember when Jason first went into the pier. Like five minutes later, AJ came home, and he and Tracy were fighting over shares, and they wanted Jason and Danny’s shares—God, it was awful. I hated it.”

“Is there a problem with ELQ shares?” Elizabeth frowned. “I haven’t heard anything. I wasn’t involved back then. Jake got his shares a few years later—”

“That’s kind of what I wanted to ask you about. Jake’s shares. Um, he can’t control them until he’s eighteen, right? Would you—” Sam met her eyes. “Would you ever trade their proxy? For something you knew would help your entire family?”

Alarm bells began to ring in Elizabeth’s head as she took a hesitant breath. “Sam—look, you really gotta be careful. The shares—you think what happened eight years was terrible—I’ve watched the Qs use these shares as weapons for decades. Honestly. I didn’t want to be part of it—I signed away Jake’s proxy almost as soon as I took control.”

Sam furrowed her brow. “What? Why? To who? Does Jason have them? He didn’t want them when I—”

“No, I gave them to basically the only Quartermaine I actually trust,” Elizabeth told her. “I gave the proxy to Michael. He loves ELQ, and it’s his last link to AJ. I knew he’d always have ELQ’s best interests at heart, and he loves Jake. Having that out of my hair, knowing I never have to be involved—that Jake doesn’t have to think about it—it’s the best decision I ever made.”

“Michael,” Sam repeated. “That’s—you’re right. He—he loves ELQ,” she murmured. “And Jason loves Michael.”

“Sam, if someone is offering you something in exchange for the proxy—I want you to think very carefully about who’s offering it and what you’re being given. No one does anything without an ulterior motive.” She made a face. “I know you’re not supposed to talk to Jason but talk to Alexis. Or Ned. Or someone else. I’m not involved with ELQ.”

“No, but you know what it’s like to make a sacrifice for something you really want.” Sam arched a brow. “Sometimes, it’s worth it.”

“And sometimes,” Elizabeth said gently, “you learn that if you have to break someone else to get it—what I did five years ago, Sam, I paid a heavy price. Be sure you’re ready for it.” She got to her feet. “Don’t do anything you can’t take back.”

She looked over at Aiden. “Let’s get going, Aiden, Gram is expecting us for dinner.”

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