In cards and flowers on your window
Your friends all plead for you to stay
Sometimes beginnings aren’t so simple
Sometimes goodbye’s the only way, oh
And the sun will set for you
The sun will set for you
And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in grey
And the sun will set for you
– Shadow of the Day, Linkin Park

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Kiremit House: Britt’s Bedroom

The door on the ground floor slammed shut, then there was a light pair of footsteps jogging up the steps. Britt folded a pair of jeans and looked up as Lucky rounded a cramped corner to reach her doorway. “Hey. When are we leaving for the clinic?” he asked, leaning against the door jamb.

“Not until night fall. Around six.” Britt checked her dresser. “You’re back later than I thought.”

“Drew tracked me for a few blocks after I left the meeting.” He stepped inside the room, closed the door, and leaned against it.

Britt paused, glanced up, her eyes wary. “You’re sure you lost him?”

“Sure enough. I know the streets better than he does.” Lucky wandered over to the window, glanced through the filmy curtains overlooking the street. “Ducked into an alley that turned into another alley, then cut through a café. I tossed on a hat and sat in the café for ten minutes. Drew never came out of the alley.”

“He’s a former SEAL—”

Lucky turned back to her. “You don’t trust me to know if someone is on my tail?”

“Trust.” Britt smiled thinly, snapping her suitcase shut. “Funny word. I trust you as much as you trust me, which is to say, not much.”

“I haven’t told my brother what you know.” Lucky raised a brow.

“You haven’t told him because you’re still think I might be lying.” Britt snorted, then the suitcase by the door, then sat on the edge of the bed.

“I know when I’m being lied to.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe. Didn’t your wife have an affair with your brother behind your back?” Britt shrugged.

“She wasn’t my wife at the time,” Lucky muttered, then dragged a hand down his face. “And that’s none of your business—”

“Hey, I’m just pointing out you don’t exactly have a nose for these sorts of things—” She gasped when he snagged her elbow and dragged her off the bed, pulling her against him. “What the hell—”

“No, I didn’t know that my fiancée and my brother were screwing each other,” Lucky bit out. “Because I trusted her. I trusted him. You comparing yourself to them? You think you matter enough to get past my guard?”

Britt narrowed her eyes but didn’t wilt beneath the demand. She met his eyes, arched a brow, and waited an extra beat, his fingers clenched around her wrist, their chests pressed together. “No,” she said, finally. “Now you can either let me go or do something about it.”

Lucky released her, stepped back. “You keep pushing, Britt, and someone’s going to push back. Unless you’re saying I have a reason not to trust you, I don’t know what the point of this was—”

“Because I’m not—” Her eyes dropped, and she folded her arms. “Maybe I don’t believe you’d trust me over your father or your brother. I haven’t done much to earn it—”

“I didn’t know you in Port Charles,” Lucky said plainly, and she looked back at him. “Is there anything worse in your past then what you did to my sister?”

“No. I’d think that was enough—”

“I’m not proposing marriage,” he said, and she closed her mouth. “When this is over, we’ll go our separate ways. I don’t need to like you, Britt, to work with you.” He tipped his head. “I used to be addicted to drugs. Recovered or not, addicts don’t get a lot of trust either. This needs to be the last time we have this conversation. You either believe me or you don’t.”

“I do. I just—if Nikolas ever finds out—”

“He had an affair with my fiancée and worked with Helena to keep Jason away from his family,” Lucky cut in. “He’ll get over it.”

“Easy for you to say,” Britt muttered. She sat on the edge of the bed.  “Let’s go over the plan again.”

“You wait in the warehouse until I show up. With any luck, I’ve lost any tail already, and I can take over driving. Otherwise, you’ll have to drive while I navigate.” Lucky tossed a map at her. “I circled the airport and the lab. Get familiar with the area.”

“Oh, sure, in the next five hours—” Britt grumbled, but picked up the map. “Are you sure you trust me enough to do this? If I mess up, your dad still gets away.”

“Yeah, that’s the part of the plan Dad likes.” Lucky went towards the door, then stopped. “Don’t worry so much.”

“Once again, easy for you to say,” she retorted. He tossed her a grin and left, and she got serious studying the map. Lucky was the first person in years to offer her even a modicum of trust, and she wasn’t going to let him down.

Grand Ambiance Hotel: Jason and Drew’s Room

“Plane can’t take off until around eight,” Jason told Drew as his brother returned from another walk. “So we don’t have to head to the airport for another few hours.” He set his cell phone aside, considered the files he’d brought with him. “Any more, uh, memories?”

“No. No, but I think I’ll try to make some time to go to San Diego.” Drew sat on the bed, kicked off his shoes. “Maybe over spring break. I could take Oscar. He’d know some good places to go.” He reached for the tablet on the nightstand, scrolled through it for messages. “What’s the plan when we go back? You know Anna or Robert is going to make us sit through another big meeting.”

“Don’t remind me. Couldn’t you just go for both of us?”

“Absolutely not. Why should I be the only one tortured?” Drew paused. “At least now we have proof that Spencers were lying to us. What do you think they’ll say to that?”

“I don’t really care. Even though he told us about the lab and Valentin, Lucky’s still lying to us. Britt’s story doesn’t hold together. I don’t understand how her parents were involved or why either of them gave a damn what happened to me.” Jason exhaled slowly, tapped a finger against a manila folder. “They’re not actually helping us which all that matters. We’re giving them more than they’re giving us. You said as much on the plane, remember?”

“You’re ready to talk about cutting their access to the files?”

“They wasted a week following their leads. A day with our list? They found Valentin. They’re using us.” Jason shook his head. “And we don’t need them if Valentin is moving the lab back to Port Charles. They’ve been looking for Faison for two months. That’s what they told us they’d do. But Lucky told us they’ve been tracking Cassadine research facilities. So was anyone actually looking for Faison or Liesl Obrecht?”

Drew straightened, his brows furrowed. “Britt was supposedly with her old man until you came home — but Lucky just told us she hadn’t seen him since last year.”

“If Lucky knew where Faison was, I’d think he’d have told us that. To keep us out of Turkey,” Jason added. “So I don’t think either of them have the first clue where Faison or Obrecht is.” He paused. “You were right. I think we need to talk about whether or not we want to keep giving the Spencers access to the files.”

“Well, you and I are on the same page with that. But I’ll remind you of what you said on the plane. We’re gonna have an issue with Laura and Elizabeth.” Drew raised his brows. “You think it’s worth asking anyway?”

“I don’t like the idea of being used by the Spencers,” Jason said shortly. “After what Luke did to Jake, what Lucky has put Elizabeth and the boys through—Lucky thinks coming clean on a few lies while keeping back others is enough. We need to send a message. There’s no more working on their own. No more sharing information when all we get is lies in return. I’ve talked to Elizabeth. She’ll be on board. Spinelli works for me. Laura will just have to deal with it.”

Kiremit: Kitchen

Lucky closed the back door behind him and headed for the fridge. “Stashed the cars in the warehouse for tonight,” he told his father as he pulled out the ingredients for a sandwich. “I’m gonna go up and quiz Britt on the back streets and turns, but—”

“I don’t like the idea of her being in charge of the drive.” Luke twisted in his seat, his brows drawn. “You need to risk the time to get behind the wheel. I don’t see why—”

“You’re not the one in the car, so you don’t have to see.”

Luke nearly let it go, nearly didn’t push. Nothing had been right with Lucky since they’d arrived in Istanbul, and he knew exactly who to blame. He’d known that Britt Westbourne would be working overtime to get someone on her side — and Lucky was carrying enough guilt to be vulnerable.

But there was too much on the line, and he didn’t want to see his boy go down on account of a manipulative woman. “Do we have a problem, Cowboy? Everything I say, you go the opposite. And the shots about Jake and the accident—”

“Does the truth bother you?” Lucky asked, almost pleasantly. He leaned against the counter. “I take shots at you, Dad, because sometimes you need the reminder. And so does Nikolas. You both want to jump down Britt’s throat every time she opens her mouth, but neither one of you is shiny or clean in this. And neither am I. What has she done that’s worse than you?”

Luke pressed lips together. “You can’t trust her—”

“Why? Nikolas had an affair with my fiancée. You ran over my kid. Britt stole an embryo. I used to be a drug addict.” He jerked a shoulder. “What exactly makes any of us worth trusting?”

“She’s Obrecht’s kid.”

“And Nikolas’s is Stavros’s, but you trust him more than Britt. Look, Dad, you don’t have to like or trust her. No one asked you to work with her. She’s gonna unless I feel like it’s safe enough to risk switching drivers. End of story. This needs to be the last time we have this conversation. I’m done defending myself.”

“This isn’t just about Britt—something’s been off with you since we got here—”

“The last trip home.” Lucky paused, exhaled slowly and looked towards the window. “I don’t like lying to Elizabeth’s face. And I miss my kids. Cam and Jake don’t even see me as their dad anymore. This wasn’t supposed take years. How much longer am I supposed to put my life on hold for this? Until Aiden can’t be bothered with me either?”

Luke sighed, rubbed his forehead. “No one said you couldn’t have gone home. Kept your relationship with the boys—”

“Why? So another Cassadine could come out of the woodwork and go after them? No. I’m not going to rest until there’s no one left that can hurt them. Four years—” Lucky paused. “Four years, my son was dead. You think you know what’s that like because I was gone for a year. But I was sixteen. I was old enough to remember you and Mom. Helena stole Jake when he wasn’t even four years old. She screwed with his brain, warped it. Just like me. Cam’s almost the age I was when she destroyed my life. I didn’t want any of this to touch them.”

He exhaled slowly. “They’re normal. Elizabeth made sure of it. Even with all of this going on with Jason and his brother, the boys — they have friends. Cam’s an honors student. He’s never run away from home and slept under the docks. He’s never been brainwashed. No one’s tried to use computer games to hurt him.” He folded his arms. “A good father protects his kids. That’s what I did. Maybe it was the wrong way. Maybe all of that still would have happened if I stayed in the picture, I don’t know. But I did what I thought was right. That doesn’t mean I like where it ended up.”

He tossed the remains of his food into the garbage. “You know what to know what my problem is, Dad? I’m sick and tired of the Cassadines. It’s that simple. Any other questions?”

Kiremit House: Foyer

Before stashing the cars in the warehouse, Lucky had taken most of their luggage to the airport, ready for whatever destination Nikolas had determined was the right one.

Now, he stood in the foyer, checking his watch, adrenaline coursing through his veins. In just an hour, his father would be using his contacts to get Stefan out of the lab, and they’d be taking off from the lab in different directions —

It was Lucky’s job to draw the heat off his father, to clear a path to get Stefan to the airport. He was ready for it. Ready for the challenge. Ready to do something.

“All right, I’m heading to the airport to make sure everything is ready. I want to be taking off as soon as we’re all there,” Nikolas said, striding down the steps. “Is there anything we’re forgetting?”

“Hey, Britt, did I ask if you could drive stick?” Lucky said. “That was an oversight on my part.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Luke bit out. “You waited until now—”

“Son of a bitch,” Nikolas began.

“He’s screwing with you,” Britt said, rolling her eyes. “I can drive automatic or manual. It’s fine.” She slapped Lucky in the chest. “Knock it off.”

“But it’s so much fun,” Lucky said. He opened the door and the two of them headed out.

“I told you,” Luke said to Nikolas, “if she screwed with his head, I was gonna make you pay for it.”

“Let’s just get this over with.”

+9

And now I’ve been gone for so long
I can’t remember who was wrong
All innocence is long gone
I pledge allegiance to a world of disbelief
Where I belong
On a mission nowhere bound
Inhibitions underground
A shallow grave I
Have dug all by myself
– Walking Disaster, Sum 41

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Maslak Lab: Rear Entrance

Luke waited by the door, his eye trained on the pair of white vans parked in the alley. The shift change lasted ten minutes. All they needed was the security system to blink out and they’d be on their way—

“Any time now, Cowboy,” Luke murmured.

“Patience is a virtue,” came the tense reply through the ear piece. “Thirty seconds.”

Luke clenched his teeth, then looked at the security alarm just inside the door, barely visible through the clear pane of glass. The light still blinked red.

“That’s thirty and counting—”

“That’s not very encouraging. Shut up and let me work.”

And then the light blipped green. Luke snagged the door handle and tugged.

Game on.

Istanbul Airport: Departures

With the flight time and time difference, they would land in New York only two hours after they’d left. But that still meant ten hours in the air without any idea what was going on the ground beneath them. Jason hated being out of touch. But if Valentin was going to do something, wouldn’t he have already done it?

“A few minutes,” Drew said, returning from the desk. “We’ll be able to board then.” He focused on the view of the city outside the large, plate-glass window overlooking the runaways. “I know there’s not really a reason to stay, but it feels like we’re leaving something unfinished.”

“I know.” Jason hesitated. “There’s something that’s been bothering me. Something I’ve thought of a few times, but I didn’t want to bring it up. I knew Elizabeth and Laura wouldn’t   agree.”

“What?”

“Cassadines. Elizabeth said once that for them, death was only the beginning.” Jason paused. “What’s the one thing that Luke and Lucky might want to keep quiet? Even from Laura?”

Drew stilled. “You’re talking about Nikolas.”

“You were there in Greece, weren’t you? They never found his body. They never found mine. Here I am. You disappeared in a desert without a body.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” His brother grimaced. “I just—I don’t know. It’s…do you think they’d keep this from Laura?”

“Do I think Luke would lie to her if he thought he was doing the right thing? Yeah. Without question. But it might explain Lucky turning on him. Maybe he doesn’t like it.”

“I don’t—” Drew waited a moment. “It was crazy back then, you know? We found out about Nikolas’s role in Hayden’s shooting, and I was so furious about what he’d done. The lies he’d told. Dragging Elizabeth into it. And then he was suing ELQ and freezing the assets. I went to confront him on Spoon Island, and he faked his death. Pretended to have thrown himself out the window. I think he was going to frame me for his death.”

“I didn’t—” Jason blinked. “No one told me any of this.”

“It was a long five years.” Drew dragged a hand down his face. “It was around this time I think Maddox screwed with my head again. I was in the hospital after an accident, and I woke up with my memories restored, or at least I thought so. Then the thing on the island happened. Sam and I tracked Nikolas and Ava—not sure how she got involved—to Greece. We were going to force him back to clear my name. Then Laura and Kevin showed up. Lulu, too. And Valentin shows up to take us hostage. He was using a different name back then — Theo. Theo Hart.”

Drew sat back against the chair. “He put me and Sam in another room with a guard. By the time we got out and back to where the others were, Nikolas was gone. Supposedly dead. Ava said he’d signed papers turning the Cassadine fortune over Valentin, and when Valentin was going to kill them anyway, Nikolas jumped him, and he ended up going over the side.”

“But Ava’s the only one who was in the room? Where were the rest of them?”

“I don’t remember now. Uh, we looked for his body. But the drop—the ocean was below—we just—it didn’t make sense, I guess. And Laura believed—and we agreed—that Valentin was a threat to Spencer, too. Nikolas wouldn’t have left Spencer in harm’s way. He was the only Cassadine left standing, the real heir. Until that will showed up. If Nikolas faked his death again, I don’t—” He pressed his lips together. “I don’t know.”

He looked at Jason. “You’re right. Laura and Elizabeth wouldn’t buy it. They’d argue that he’d never stay gone for this long. And I have to wonder if they have a point. Why let Valentin go for so long? Why leave Spencer unprotected? What’s the point? We’re going on two years since Greece.”

“If Nikolas came back, wouldn’t there be charges in that shooting you talked about?”

“Not worth pursuing,” Drew said. “Not unless you want Elizabeth charged as an accomplice.” He paused. “I was so angry with her back then, but now I think—I wonder if she was scared. If some part of her wondered what he’d do to her if she turned him in and told the truth. He nearly killed Hayden to keep the lie going.”

“I didn’t realize how bad things were with Nikolas by the time he disappeared.”

“No, Elizabeth wouldn’t have told you any of that. She’s still convinced that there was something else at work there. Some secret war he was waging against Helena. You know how she is. Believe the best about everyone until there’s no choice. I mean, hell, she dated Franco.”

Jason grimaced, looked away. “Yeah, I know. That’s why I didn’t bring it up with her. Not seriously. Elizabeth told me the same thing about Spencer. But I can’t think of another reason Luke and Lucky would be so secretive.”

“Me either. And we’ve been asking ourselves why Faison would want you awake, and Obrecht would want to stop him. But doesn’t Britt’s story work a little better if Nikolas is involved?”

Jason considered that, exhaled in a low breath. “You’re saying Nikolas is the one that sent Britt to Russia. And Obrecht stopped her.”

“Because you coming home unravels everything, including Obrecht’s role in any of it. Britt is what connects the Spencers to any of this. Everything makes sense if it’s Nikolas behind it.”

“We’re going to need more a gut feeling,” Jason told him. “Elizabeth might be ready to consider it, but I doubt Laura will.”

Drew glanced over as the flight attendant motioned towards them. “We can talk strategy on the flight home. Let’s get out of here.”

Maslak Lab: Rear Entrance

Lucky tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, watching the back door like a hawk. In five minutes, the security system would reset, and they’d be screwed. In seven minutes, the shift change would be complete, and if his father wasn’t—

Then the back door flew open, and a stretcher was wheeled out, Luke at one end and the orderly he’d paid off at the other. And on the stretcher—

Well, holy hell. Stefan Cassadine was actually alive.

Lucky barely had time to take in the older man’s features before he was being loaded into the white van. “Come on, come on,” Lucky murmured. Tie the stretcher down, close the doors. Get in. Drive away. Lucky couldn’t do any damn thing until his father was gone.

The orderly took off down the alley way — smart man, fleeing the scene of the crime.

Luke whipped around the side and slid into the driver’s seat. Then peeled away, tires squealing as the van raced towards the main street.

“Ten, nine—” Lucky watched the rear door carefully. “Eight. Seven. Six—”

When he’d reached one, he took off, following his father’s wake. Just as he turned out of the alley way — he saw a car pull out of a garage next to the building.

“And here I was thinking we’d made a clean get away.” He pressed his foot on the gas pedal and kicked it into gear, following the first white van until Luke pulled into the first of their warehouse stops. Lucky pulled behind him — then kept driving right through while Luke’s van waited in the shadows—

“Well, Cowboy?” Luke’s voice came through the ear piece. “They just passed me—”

Lucky flicked his eyes to the rear view mirror, saw headlights behind him. “Yeah, yeah. They’re on me. Go!”

“See you at the airport.”

Lucky yanked the ear piece out — it was bothering his damn ear, and turned the van abruptly, starting his twisting and winding journey to the second warehouse where he’d exchange this jalopy for the sports car.

And finish the escape.

Atatürk Airport: Terminal 230A

It had consumed nearly every resource and contact Nikolas had in the area, but he’d managed to book a private terminal at the much smaller airport located near the Sea of Marmara. Though international and domestic flights still used the area, the larger airports had taken much of the traffic.

At this time of night, just before seven in the evening, the gate area had been largely deserted. Nikolas had purposely requested a gate at the end of the long departure terminal. He paced the small waiting area, avoiding the curious eyes of the flight attendant behind the desk.

He checked his phone, as he had obsessively since the operation had commended an hour earlier, watching as the dots representing Lucky in one car and Luke in the other drew closer to the clinic, then sat there, idling — meaning that they’d begun the extraction process.

Then the dots pulled away, one after another. With his chest tight, the dots continued to travel together until they stopped — one dot kept going, twisting and turning, and another made the turn south.

Nikolas exhaled slowly. Phase one complete.

Now he just had to hope his brother was able to escape whatever tail he’d picked up and get to the airport.

+10

There was nothing in sight
But memories left abandoned
There was nowhere to hide
The ashes fell like snow
And the ground caved in
Between where we were standing
And your voice was all I heard
That I get what I deserve
– New Divide, Linkin Park

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Maslak: Warehouse

Britt waited in the driver’s seat, the engine idling, the warehouse’s cargo door open. “Come on, come on.” Just let him get here without a tail, so Britt didn’t have to drive. The last thing she wanted was to be in charge of the final escape — she’d just screw it up. What if she crashed? What if she killed them both? What if she took the wrong turn—

Headlights flashed and a van squealed to a stop. Lucky shoved the door open and ran towards the sports car, sliding through the open window. “Go, go, go, go!” he roared. “They’re right on me!”

Britt stepped on the gas pedal and the car jerked forward. She yanked the steering wheel so that the car skirted the van and headed for the other cargo door — but before they cleared the exit, she heard a car behind them. She took a second to look in the rearview. “Holy shit, they’re right there—”

“Yeah, yeah, I got stuck behind a goddamn truck and couldn’t get around it. Faster,” Lucky bit out, twisting in his seat. “Take the first turn up here—”

Britt did as she was told, and actually felt the car tilt to the side as she did a hard bank to the right.

“Okay, maybe not that fast,” Lucky managed. “Take the next two lefts. And don’t look back. That’s my job.”

“Yeah, if they catch up to us, do we have a plan?”

“Nope, so better not let that happen.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s comforting.” Britt jerked the wheel again and wondered if the car would end up airborne at some point. “And what if the cops get on us?”

“Well, then we’re fucked. So don’t let that happen either.”

“I hate you.”

Atatürk Airport: Terminal 230A

Nikolas was still glaring at his phone, willing the Zafer to make the turn towards the airport when Luke loped up, a bag slung over his shoulder.

“No sign of Cowboy and Little Obrecht?” Luke’s tone was easy, casual, but his blue eyes were worried.

“Still east of the D100,” Nikolas said tightly, his fingers wrapped around his phone. He looked at Luke. “Where—where is he?”

Luke’s expression was somber. “He wasn’t conscious. I can’t tell you if it’s the type of coma Morgan was in or something else. We need the doc. He’s loaded onto the plane, disguised as a cargo. I watched myself before I came to the gate.”

Nikolas exhaled slowly. It would have been too easy, too simple, for his uncle to have been up, walking around. “But you saw him.”

“With my own eyes. We got him. All we need now is the doc and my boy.”

Nikolas looked down, and saw with relief, that Lucky’s car had finally crossed the D100 highway. “He’s on the highway, driving straight now. I’ll go tell them to make ready for departure. I want to be wheels up as soon as they’re on board.”

Istanbul Airport: Plane

Jason buckled himself into the seat, then leaned back to look out the window, at the dim lights of Istanbul. “Feels like we just got off the plane,” he said.

“And somehow, like it’s been a hundred years,” Drew said, fastening his own belt. “You really think Nikolas is somewhere out there, don’t you? That’s why Spinelli couldn’t track the location.”

“Lucky didn’t care if we knew Britt was with him or if we put trackers on his devices. But he made sure to shield where they were staying. Yeah, I think Nikolas was here.” The longer Jason let it sit in his head, the more sure he was that somehow, the Cassadine prince had survived his fall into the ocean.

“If he’s alive — if Lucky and Luke are working with him — ” Drew shook his head. “We’re going to need more than our gut before we bring that theory home.”

“I know. But it’s the only thing that feels right. Elizabeth will understand that, and she’ll bring Laura around.”

Drew frowned. “If Britt hasn’t been with her father, and no one has seen Obrecht in months — just where the hell are they?”

“That’s a damn good question.”

The engines below them began to rumble, and then the plane began to move, taxiing down the runaway.

And within a few minutes, they were in the air, leaving Istanbul and whatever secrets the city still held, behind them. They flew towards Port Charles, where the day still stretched ahead of them.

Atatürk Airport: Parking Lot

Her hands were still shaking as she pulled the car into the spot. She stared straight ahead, her heart pounding in her ears.

They were alive. Barely. They’d clipped a few cars, and there had definitely been a cop somewhere, but—

Lucky leaned across her, turned the key to switch off the ignition.  “You can get out now,” he said. He pushed at his door, then looked back at her. “Britt.”

“Can’t move.” Her knuckles were white, and she continued to stare straight ahead. “Can’t breathe.”

“Well, at least you waited until we were safe to lose it.” Lucky sighed and slid of the car. He walked to her side, tugged it open, and took her. “Let go. Come on, Britt. We’ve got a plane to catch.”

“How can you—” Britt finally let go of the steering wheel and let Lucky pull her out of the car. Her knees buckled and she nearly fell. Lucky caught her, braced her against his body as he nudged the car door shut. “How can you be so calm about this? I nearly killed us.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I could have.”

“But you didn’t.”

“This isn’t—” Her voice faltered. There were white spots in her vision. “I almost killed us.”

“You keep saying that. Okay. Let’s just take a second. Here…” Lucky gently lowered her to the ground, leaned her against the car, then crouched down next to her. “Hey. You did a good job. Not everyone nails their first car chase. Full marks. Tens across the board.”

She closed her eyes, resting the back of her head against the cool metal of the car. “How are you doing this? It’s like nothing happened.”

“Listen, this was my childhood, okay? Constantly on the run, always looking over my shoulder. My old man taught me defensive driving before he gave me my first condom. And he did that when I was twelve.”

“What?” Britt opened her eyes. “What?”

“Yeah, I think I was ten when he took me out in the Cadillac. Up in Canada, where we were living for a minute. He always worried they’d get him or my mom and I’d be on my own, so he taught me to drive when I was ten. And I always knew where I was supposed to go if anything happened. Straight home to Port Charles and Aunt Bobbie.”

“That’s twisted. Nice, but twisted.” She exhaled slowly. “I’m okay now.”

“Yeah? Good.” He stood, then pulled her up. She stumbled a bit, and he put his arm at her waist. “You ready? Hard part’s over, Britt. Well, except for sitting on a plane with Dad and Nikolas for a few hours. That’s not much fun.”

“No, it’s not.” She cleared her throat. “Sorry. I don’t — I don’t usually fall apart.”

“Yeah, well, at least you waited until we parked the car. Smart.”

+10

I loved you with a fire red, now it’s turning blue
And you say sorry like the angel
Heaven let me think it was you
But I’m afraid
It’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
– Apologize, OneRepublic f. Timbaland

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Wyndemere: Study

Valentin had woke that morning with a measure of optimism and happiness, sure that the good fortune of the last few days would only continue. He’d located his mother’s files, decrypted the memory protocol, repaired his relationships with his wife and daughter, and had arranged for the bulk of the research to be done at his home base. As soon as Klein was able to extract memories from Stefan Cassadine, Valentin would be able to secure his inheritance and position in the world.

He urged Nina awake in the early hours, indulged in a delightful round of lovemaking, enjoyed breakfast with his daughter before Charlotte took the launch to the mainland for school, and he’d sat down in his study to go over business details of the vast Cassadine empire he now controlled.

His good mood was shattered around noon when his phone lit up with a call originating in Turkey. With a clenched jaw, Valentin listened as a doctor reluctantly relayed the news that there had been a break in just moments earlier and somehow, Stefan Cassadine had been spirited away. Their men had given chase but had lost the car in the twisty streets of Istanbul.

Valentin growled. “How can you have no idea—what the hell am I paying you for?” He tossed the phone aside, his skin heated and his pulse racing. Damn it. Damn it.

It wasn’t just the loss of Stefan and information that could be gleaned from his memories—it was the knowledge that somehow, Jason Morgan and Drew Cain had learned where his lab was located and what he’d been storing there. They had arrived in Turkey just as Valentin had left, congratulating himself on slipping away in secrecy—and now his lab had been breached.

There must be a vulnerability in his security—a leak in the mainframe that their blasted hacker had exploited or one of the men at the lab had turned—

He shoved himself to his feet, began to pace, his mind working furiously on plans for revenge. He could destroy the bastard — Damian Spinelli might be nearly omnipotent with computers, but he was still a fragile human. He could dispose of him—that would certainly distract and punish Morgan and Cain for daring to steal from him.

He could punish the brothers personally. They had family. Friends. Children. Women they loved. Thanks to his mother’s obsessions, Valentin had more than enough information about Elizabeth Webber and Sam McCall.

All of the options were tempting, but he took an extra moment. A breath. He had to remind himself that the goal was not to blow his own cover and ruin the life he’d built in Port Charles. The brothers hadn’t taken any direct action against Valentin because they’d lacked the certainty of his involvement in the experiments. Even now, with possession of Stefan, they couldn’t prove Valentin had done anything to hold either brother hostage. Only Andre Maddox knew of his involvement, and if he hadn’t given him up yet, it was unlikely he would.

No. Going after Damien Spinelli or anyone else that the brothers had brought into their circle—it was too risky, and Valentin still had to consider his own bottom line. He’d lost his half-brother as a source, but—

His eye caught a photograph of Nina on the desk, her sultry smile beckoning him like a moth to a flame. There were other ways to ensure Jason and Drew were miserable, of course. His revenge had to be subtle. Untraceable.

And he still had his mother’s memories to mine. Valentin would just have to readjust Klein’s goals. He’d unlock Helena’s vast memories, glean the information he needed, and eliminate every last living Cassadine to ensure his own branch was all that remained.

He looked at the photo next to Nina, at his bright smiling princess as Charlotte beamed out at him from her fall school picture. Oh, Valentin knew exactly how he’d make Jason and Drew pay for their crime.

Port Charles High: Classroom

Cameron scribbled down the postulate notes from the board, only half listening as their teacher assigned independent practice for the rest of the period. He was thinking about the paper he had due in three days, the test next week, and—

“You’re going to need to explain this to me.” A notebook dropped down on his desk, and he glanced up to find Emma twisting in the seat in front of him so that she was facing him. She made a face. “Reilly had me until we got to step 3, and then I was in no man’s land.”

Cameron reached for her notes, then tapped a space on the triangle. “You labeled this wrong. That’s why it’s the angle addition postulate.”

“You know, when I moved to California, you still thought math was the enemy.” Emma grumbled, but erased and corrected her work. “What happened?”

“Talked to the guidance counselor who told me you need math to get into medical school.” Cameron flipped the page in the textbook for their practice problems. “Decided to take it seriously.”

“Yeah, that’s what you said at lunch last week, but that doesn’t really explain why you’re good at it. And why medical school? What happened to soccer?”

“I’m not exactly Lionel Messi,” Cameron said. “And don’t label that segment,” he said catching her before she could make another mistake. “I think I’m good enough to complete for a scholarship, but not MLS. Anyway, it turns out math isn’t so bad once you get to geometry. I’m more worried about chemistry next year.”

“Oh, yeah, Dad said organic chem is what nearly made him jump out a window.” Emma tipped her head. “So no professional sports in your future. Why the family business?”

Cameron hesitated. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “It just felt right. To save lives. I grew up around your parents, my mom. It’s something that matters. And I want to do that.” He tapped her notebook. “You’re wrong on Step 6 of that proof.”

“Son of a—” Emma erased it. “Okay. Okay. Don’t tell me where I messed it up. I wanna figure it out on my own.” She stared at the index card where she’d neatly written every postulate and theorem, a line forming between her brows. “Theorem 5?”

“Yeah, but why?”

“Oh, you’re the worst.” Emma sighed, studied the problem again. “Because the ratio is the same on these angles.”

“See, you got it. Just have to take your time.”

She flashed him a smile, and Cameron dropped his eyes, not entirely sure he liked the way her smile made him feel.

“Didn’t that used to be my advice to you?” Emma asked. “When did we switch places?”

“Someone had to be the logical one, and it wasn’t going to be Joss.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Oh, well, obviously not. I’m glad I moved home. It’s been hard,” she said after a moment. “Figuring out how I fit in now with, um, you know, Oscar and Trina. And Joss not being the worst. And Spencer being here—we weren’t really a quartet very long before Spence got sent to boarding school. And mostly we were trying to avoid Joss.”

“But you’re doing okay now, right?” he asked, and she smiled, though it wasn’t as genuine as the first.

“Yeah. I’m finding my way. We’d better finish before the bell. I don’t want to deal with homework tonight.”

Davis House: Living Room

“Don’t look at me,” Kristina said, as she sailed past her mother, “I’m not even here. I just need to grab one thing and I’m going right back to the hospital—” She stopped at the door to the kitchen, turned back to Alexis. “Wait, why are you home?”

Alexis, seated on the sofa and looking over paperwork, glanced at her, the reading glasses sliding down her nose. “No reason to be in the office when I’m just working on briefs. What did you forget?”

“Budget file for Laura’s meeting. I accidentally put it in my bag last night because I was in a rush to leave, and then I left it in the kitchen when I was making coffee—” Kristina leaned against the doorway. “It got mixed up with other things. I don’t know how you office people keep this straight.”

“Practice. You’ll get there.”

Kristina wasn’t so sure about that but shrugged and disappeared into the kitchen. She snagged the file from next to the coffee machine and returned to the living room, shoving it into her bag. “Well, back to the fun world of hospital administration—”

“Do you—” Alexis rose, removed her glasses. “Do you have just a minute?”

Because her mother never asked her anything in that tone, Kristina frowned, turned back to her. “Yeah. Laura’s meeting isn’t until three, and I’m on lunch. What’s up?”

“Have you talked to your sister?”

“Uh, not since we talked about it on Sunday. I figured I’d give her another day or so to calm down.” Kristina shifted her weight from one foot to another. “Why? Have you?”

“Unfortunately.” Alexis sighed. She made a face. “And I’m worried about her.”

“What else is new?” And after that conversation with Valerie, Kristina was less worried about her sister’s emotional well-being, and more concerned about what Sam would do.

“She’s talked herself right into wanting Jason back, which I suppose I should have seen coming, but I’d hoped—” Her mother made a face. “I just—I thought since you talked to her the last time, and it seemed to make her feel better—”

“I don’t know, Mom. It seems like I helped walk her right back into the old patterns.” And now Valerie’s concerns were making sense. Sam’s sense of security was being threatened, so she was backtracking and trying to get Jason back.  “I mean, you said she wasn’t likely to win her case against Jason. Especially with how hard she was going to fight. It feels like she agrees with you, and now she’s switched to the next plan. Which is getting Jason back. I think that’s a mistake.”

“I do, too—”

“Not just because of what I’ve learned about Sam’s…past with all of that. I mean, I don’t think Jason’s coming back to her. He has before, I know. But that’s…it’s different, isn’t it? He didn’t claim Jake before, and then they thought Jake was dead. And a few years ago, when we thought Drew was Jason, Drew only left Elizabeth because of the lie. He didn’t choose Sam then, you know? Mom. I’ve seen Jason and Elizabeth together. Have you?”

“No. No, I haven’t—”

“Sunday. At Kelly’s. They came in for breakfast, and they were so clearly…” Kristina lifted her hands. “They’re together. And Jason has Jake in his life now. What is Sam going to do when she realizes that?”

Alexis closed her eyes, rubbed her fist against her lips, considering Kristina’s words. “I simply don’t know,” she murmured. “Sam is anything but predictable.”

“Really? Because it feels like I can write the next chapter of this in my sleep. She was fine with staying with Drew until Jason made it clear he wasn’t picking her. And when she wanted to get revenge, she realized she wouldn’t win, and that Jason could just go on with his life. You told her that, Mom. Bifurcation. She might keep Jason in court, but it doesn’t keep him tied to her. But Danny does. She’s going to use Danny. Isn’t she? She’s going to give Jason a chance to be with his son, just like Elizabeth did with Jake.”

“Oh. Oh.” Alexis sank onto the sofa. “She said she’d let him think he’d won—” She rubbed her forehead. “What are we going to do?”

“Nothing. Sam needs to fail, Mom. You tried to talk to her, I tried to talk to her.” Kristina looked down at the file in her hands, remembering another set of files, ones that she’d handed back to Valerie, hoping never to think about them again. Remembering the cold way Valerie had dissected Sam’s past.

When her security is threatened, she goes nuclear.

 Kristina couldn’t just sit back and stay out of it. She had to do something to protect the people she cared about who would get hurt when Sam went off the rails.

 “I suppose you’re right,” Alexis said. “We may have to let this blow up in her face and pick up the pieces when it does. Maybe this time she’ll learn her lesson about Jason Morgan. You’d better get back to work.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Across town, oblivious to her mother and sister’s worries, Sam sat at her dining table, considering the next plan of action. It was amazing how much lighter she felt now that she had acknowledged the truth to herself.

She’d stayed with Drew that night in October out of fear, out of shame, really. Her instinct had been to run to Jason, just like everyone had always said. She’d chased the name two years ago, and that’s what everyone expected her to do again—she’d wanted to prove differently. And she did care about Drew. She loved him, the way she’d loved Patrick.

But she’d never been able to give up on Jason, and they’d been so close to having it all five years ago. Their son, their life together—she’d just been so angry when he’d returned, blowing up the life she’d already thought she was leading. And she knew she’d hurt him. It would take time for Jason to see that she was sorry, but she’d find a way.

The first thing of course, was to tell Martina to make the divorce from Drew as quick and as clean as possible to clear that obstacle.  Sam made that note, mentally shoving her divorce from Drew out of her mind. Jason was a different story. A trickier one. Sam had waited too long to figure out what she wanted — and Jason had started to move on. Just like before.

Just like that last summer when she’d been too broken by her grief, and Elizabeth had slid in through the cracks like she always did. But Sam had seen them kissing, and she’d known how to stop it, hadn’t she? And then the universe had given them a sign — Danny was alive, and even better, he was Jason’s son. Just the way he was supposed to be.

She’d drop the custody battle. The divorce—that had to stay it was. To stall it out until Sam had figured out how to bring Jason around to her side again so that it wouldn’t be necessary. She tapped the pencil against her yellow legal pad, where she’d been doodling out what kind of message to leave for Drew, to start the ball rolling.

Maybe she’d suggest family counseling to Jason. To build a relationship with Danny. Yes, he’d agree to that, and then they could talk about what it had been like before. And he’d remember their plans. And he’d fall in love with Danny—

Sam’s pencil stilled. He had to fall in love with Danny. He would once Jason had the chance. But he hadn’t loved him before. Not like Jake. Jason had loved that damn baby even when he’d thought it was Lucky’s kid. But Sam’s kid—

The pencil broke in her hand, and she stared blindly at the pieces. No, no. That wasn’t fair. It had been such a horrible time and only months after Jake’s accident. Jason had buried a son. And Franco had been such a nightmare.

Franco. She could use that, couldn’t she? Remind Jason how terrible it had been, how badly he’d treated her because of Franco — the same man Elizabeth had let into her lives.

Yes, that would work—and Jason would remember how terrible Elizabeth was, and he’d leave her. Sam just had to play her cards right — and she knew how to do that. She could play the long game.  No one was better than her at that.

General Hospital: Administrator’s Office

Elizabeth knocked on the open door to Laura’s office, causing Kristina to glance over from her computer. “Oh, hey, Liz.” The younger woman smiled. “You looking for Laura?”

“Is she in? I only need a minute—”

“Yeah, sure.” Kristina got to her feet and went to Laura’s closed office door. “She’s between meetings.” She knocked, then pushed it open. “Elizabeth needs you.”

“Of course.” Laura smiled warmly as Elizabeth passed Kristina and the assistant pulled the door closed behind her, leaving the two of them alone in the office. “Is everything all right?”

“Jason called just before he and Drew took off. They’ll land here around ten our time. Too late to really do anything tonight, but Jason thought maybe we could meet tomorrow.”

“I’ll call Robert and Anna.” Laura waited a beat. “Are you going to meet them at the airport?”

“I thought about it, but it’s late, and I don’t like to leave the boys—”

“Let me take them.” Laura straightened. “You can have some time with Jason, and I’ll get to spoil them with pizza and soda.”

“It’s a school night—”

“And I take Spencer to school on my way to work. It’s no problem to make a few more stops.” Laura took Elizabeth by the hands. “It’ll be good for you. And for Jason. Take some time together. Let me have my grandchildren and enjoy them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Laura made a face. “If I have to spend tomorrow talking about how terrible my ex-husband and son are acting, at least let me have my grandsons tonight to distract me.”

“All right.” Elizabeth embraced her former mother-in-law. “I appreciate it.”

“Any time.”

Saint Andrews Elementary: School Yard

Sam blew into her hands, cursing herself for grabbing the wrong jacket on her way out. She’d carelessly left her gloves in the one she’d worn to her mother’s house, and now her fingertips felt numb.

A few minutes more, and Danny would burst out of the school, eager to tell her about his day. He really was the most beautiful miracle, Sam thought. The child she’d never thought possible—

“Well, hello, Samantha.”

Sam scowled, glanced to her left as Valentin stepped up to her side. “What are you doing here?”

“Picking up my daughter. What else?” He nodded at her bare hands. “Forget something at home?”

Sam wrinkled her nose, shoved her hands deep into her pockets. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“That’s quite all right. You can just listen. You know, my mother knew so many delightful things about our family. Have you ever studied the Cassadine family history?”

“No,” she said, tightly. “And I don’t care to—”

“Hmm, well, that’s a shame. You know, my mother never cared for you, but she was quite tickled when Alexis accepted you as her daughter,” Valentin continued, and Sam went perfectly still. “You’d think the presence of—what did she always call you? When she deigned to acknowledge your existence, that is. Guttersnipe?”

Sam said nothing, but her brain was screaming.

“But you’ve built yourself quite a lovely life here as a Davis girl. With those sisters of yours. The children. You seem happy. As your mother’s daughter.”

A hundred feet away, children started to pour out of the front doors, and Sam saw Danny standing there, searching for her. His brown eyes lit up, and he started to run to her.

“I wonder, my dear cousin, what your mother would think if she learned you weren’t a Davis girl after all.” His lips were near her ear. “And that you’ve known for some time that her real daughter is out there somewhere. Did you never wonder who she was? Or were you happy to take her place? To pretend? I wonder if your mother will believe that you didn’t know. Or will she see it as just another one of your little confidence games?” He paused. “Then again, maybe I could be persuaded to forget what I know.”

Her lips were dry as she finally looked at him. “What do you want?”

“I was hoping you’d ask.”

+12

Below my soul
I feel an engine
Collapsing as it sees the pain
If I could only shut it out
I’ve come too far
To see the end now
Even if my way is wrong
I keep pushing on and on and on and on
– Nothing Left to Say, Imagine Dragons

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Quartermaine Mansion: Family Room

Tracy glanced at her phone again, her lips pressed together. Still nothing from Luke. That damned bastard hadn’t answered a single phone call in days— how was she to move forward if she couldn’t be sure that her hands were clean?

She prowled the empty room, her eyes catching family photos that hadn’t been there when she’d left a year ago. Jason and Drew’s children, Tracy realized, stopping at the mantel. School photos of Elizabeth’s boys, with Jake right in the middle — smiling back at Tracy with Lila’s blue eyes. No doubting the paternity there.

And clustered on the other side, near a photo of Emily, Danny holding his little sister. Tracy touched it, considering. What would her brother have said if he’d known about Drew? What if Monica had been able to bring him home? If they’d found a suitable cover story —

“Picking out your next victim, Mother?”

Tracy glanced over as Ned strolled in, a tablet in his hand. “Looking at all the grubby hands reaching for my father’s company,” she said coolly. “This family breeds like rabbits.”

“Charming.” Ned sat at the table, leaning back and crossing his legs. “Have you decided to let poor Michael off the hook yet? You could always go annoy Drew and give the kid a break.”

Tracy snorted, then turned. “Are you suggesting Michael can’t handle it?”

“I’m suggesting that it would be nice if you changed directions, but it’s asking too much.” Ned flicked at the screen. “What is the end game, Mother? You can’t really be that worried about the waterfront project, are you?”

“I have many concerns.” Tracy folded her arms. “This Drew character—”

“You know him—”

“I knew Jake Doe. I knew Jason Morgan. How do we even know he’s not lying or pulling a con? He was married to that grubby street urchin, wasn’t he?”

“Ah, so you do have Drew in your sights. Was Michael a diversion?” Ned lifted his brows, and Tracy sniffed. “You can relax. Drew received his ELQ shares, signed them over to Sam to vote along with Danny and Scout. He asked for one advance on his shares for the fourth quarter so he could invest in the media company.”

“How long before he held out his hand again?” Tracy demanded. “I knew it—it’s about the money—next, he’ll be trying to dump this company on you so he can flit off and move to the next mark—”

“Drew’s not interested in a merger. Aurora is his baby.” Ned set aside the tablet. “He doesn’t want ELQ, Mother. He just wants to be left alone.”

Tracy pursed her lips, sat on the sofa. “Maybe. But for all we know, he’s got more kids out there—”

“We ran a background check before we issued the shares. Andrew Cain was a decorated military officer who’s been married twice with one son. Until Scout,” Ned added. “We’ve been over this.”

“Still—”

“Whatever you’re up to, Mother, I want nothing to do with it.” Ned met her eyes. “Drew is a member of this family. Whether you like it or not. And Michael is CEO at ELQ. These are not facts you can change.”

Not that she wanted to, but she had a role to play. “That remains to be seen. I’ll be keeping my eye on all of this,” she warned, and swept out of the room, checking her phone again.

Damn it, Luke. Where are you?

Webber House: Kitchen

“You know, I bet Grandma has snacks at her place,” Cameron said, sliding onto a stool and popping open a can of soda. “She told you not to worry about it the last time we all spent the night.”

Elizabeth dropped a second bag of chips into the small cardboard box on the counter. “That was before Spencer moved in. Better safe than sorry.” She turned back to the snack cabinet, pursed her lips, and considered. “You’re sure you don’t mind? It’s a school night.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” Cameron grinned. “Spencer has an Xbox in his room, you know. So, uh, this is actually good for us.” He paused. “I guess you’ll have a lot of stuff to go over with Jason and Drew when they get back.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, glanced at her son over her shoulder. “Something like that.”

“Relax, Mom. We don’t have to talk about it. You said you weren’t gonna do anything crazy like marry Jason next week.” He sipped his soda.

“Cam—” Elizabeth exhaled slowly. “I promised you nothing would change around here because things happened with Franco barely two months ago. But—”

“I get it. It’s not like you met someone brand-new. Jason’s been around for a long time. And it helps Jake to have him be part of the picture. I’m proud of him, you know.  Jake, I mean. He handled this pretty well—”

“Because you were there every step of the way. Don’t think I don’t see how much Aiden and Jake look up to you,” Elizabeth said. “I know I put too much pressure on you, that you’re responsible for them a lot—”

“You make it sound like it’s a burden.” Cameron shook his head. “I like my brothers. And I got lucky because so do my friends. Joss pretty much considers them part of the family, you know? And Emma and Trina are great about it, too. And now we have Oscar. Mom—I know you’re still messed up because of what happened at Christmas, and maybe Jason is, too. I was kind of crazy at the party.” He rubbed his thumb against the laminate counter. “Did he ever, like, tell you what we talked about?”

“No. He only told me that you’d overheard Lucky. And I know what you told me.” She tipped her head. “Was there more than what we talked about?”

Cameron was quiet, and she waited, hoping he’d open up. “I blasted Jason, I guess. I told you that. Because I was upset and mad, and no one would just leave it alone, you know? And Joss told me about the divorce papers Sam sent—”

“How did—” Elizabeth shook her head. “Never mind. Go ahead.”

“I guess Sam is saying Jason abandoned Jake and that’s why he’ll be a shitty dad to Danny. That’s what I said to him. I asked him if he was gonna leave Danny the way he left Jake.” Cameron dropped his eyes again. “I told you all that then. The way he left us.”

“It wasn’t just Jason back then—”

“No, I figure that. I see how he is with Jake, and Michael talks about him all the time. So I know he’s good at this. I guess maybe—” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know. I was thinking about all that stuff with Dad—with Lucky.” He looked at Elizabeth. “I keep reminding myself to call him Lucky because he doesn’t deserve anything else, and mostly I can do it. Sometimes I slip, though, and I think about him that way in my head. I hate it. I’m okay with Jason being around, stepping up for Jake. And Aiden, too, I guess. But I don’t need a dad. You always thought I did.”

“He loved you so much,” Elizabeth said. “Lucky. He was your dad. He adored you. I think we both let ourselves forget that. Maybe it makes it easier. I wasn’t looking for a new father for you, Cam. Not with Jason or Drew or AJ or anyone else that came into my life. Because Lucky loved you.”

“Until he didn’t.” Cameron slid off the stool. “It’s cool, Mom, I’m dealing with it.” He offered an easy smile, one she didn’t buy for a second.

“Cameron—I know what it’s like to feel cut off from someone who supposed to love you—”

“Your parents. Yeah, I know. We talked about this—”

“We did. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sneak up on you and hurt all over again. It took me a long time to accept that there wasn’t anything I could do to fix things with my parents. They’d made a choice, and I couldn’t keep punishing myself for not being good enough.”

“Did you ever…I mean, did you ever stop thinking it though?” He bit lip. “Do you wonder sometimes what you did? Like, if you’d done just this one thing, or maybe not done something else—like, what flipped the final switch?”

“I don’t think it’s really a matter of switches.” She considered the question. “When I first moved to Port Charles, I talked to my parents all the time. Mostly my dad because we’d always understood each other better. And then I…I got hurt. And I didn’t call as much. And then I didn’t go to Europe that next summer. They didn’t call all the time because your aunt Sarah lived with them.” She tipped her head. “I remember wondering all those times they’d called, if it had just been Sarah they wanted, and I was standing next to her. That one kept me up for a while.”

“So it was distance. Like me and…like me.”

“I think that was definitely part of it. You know, you get out of the routine of being together. Of being a family. And it just got easier to keep not talking. Because it would be awkward when we did.” Elizabeth leaned over, touched his hand. “But, Cam, if you’re asking me when did I stop blaming myself for making them stop loving me, the answer is never.”

“Oh, man.” He tried to laugh, but it was just a thin, nervous hiccup of laughter as he put his head in his hands. “Never? That sucks out loud.”

“It does. Most of the time, I remember that it’s not about me. I mostly stopped believing it when I had you. They put you in my arms—” Elizabeth cradled her arms, pushing herself back to that moment. “I thought I knew what love was before that moment, but I wasn’t even close. I’d loved you since I felt you fluttering inside me—”

She waited for Cam to meet her eyes, their matching blues locked. “But when I held you, it was like the world started singing. I loved you more than anything else in the universe, and I have never stopped. I can’t imagine not having this love inside.” She fisted her hand against her heart. “Even when we lost your brother, the love didn’t fade.  But it drowned me, you know? I couldn’t come up for air. All that love, it had nowhere to go. I never stopped. I will never stop loving you. That was the turning point. Where I started to forgive myself—and my parents—I wasn’t the daughter they wanted, and they weren’t the parents I needed.”

“But you said—”

“Every once in a while, mostly when Aunt Sarah sends a letter or emails me and she slips in that Mom and Dad were in town—or I see pictures on social media of her kids with them—” Elizabeth forced herself to smile. “It passes, mostly. But I’d be lying Cam, if I told you it ever went away.”

“Okay. Okay.” He took a deep breath. “I had a few good weeks, you know. I was fine with it after Christmas and Joss wanted to dump him in the Sahara, but Jason went to Turkey, and that’s where Da—Lucky is. He’s there. And maybe I could have gone. I don’t know. It’s stupid. But maybe I could have gone and seen him. Yelled at him. It’s dumb,” he repeated. “I was never going to go. No reason to. And you’d never let me. But I had this, like, thought flash, and I thought—if I showed up, I’d see the disappointment. I’d see it in his eyes. Damn, not the son I wanted.” He cleared his throat. “It won’t happen to us. You and me. Because you talked about drifting away, and you and Aunt Sarah hate each other, so it’s almost like they chose sides. But that’s not going to happen to us.”

“Yeah? How can you be so sure?” Elizabeth asked, tilting her head with a wry smile.

“Because me and Jake and Aiden, we like each other. And we like you.”

“Oh, well—” Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. “Always nice to be liked.”

“A lot of people love their family,” Cameron said, frowning, “but liking them is harder. We love you, Mom, because you’re our mom and you take care of us, and you know, Christmas. But it’s not why my friends always hang out here. Or why I’m cool with hanging out with my brothers so you can work. We just like to be around you.”

Her eyes burned and she had to take a few deep breaths. “That might be the absolute best thing you’ve ever said to me. Except the first time you called me Mom. That’s eternally number one. But that—that’s second.”

“Good.” Cam raised his brows. “Now, about moving the Xbox to my room.”

Plane: Main Cabin

As the jet taxied from the runway towards the gate, Drew reached for his phone to connect to cell data, noting that Jason did the same. As soon as the signal engaged, notifications began to litter the screen — he had more than a dozen missed calls and a handful of voice mails. Nothing from Oscar. Or from Sam, not that he’d really expected it. But he’d hoped.

The plane came to a stop, and the airport was visible through the window. Across the cabin, he heard Jason’s voice, speaking softly. “Yeah. We landed safely. Okay. Yeah.” His brother set the phone aside and got to his feet. “Sonny said there was a car to meet us.”

Drew nodded absently. “Did you call Elizabeth?”

“It’s late. She’s probably sleeping.”

“We should get out of here. I’m exhausted.” Drew slid the phone in his pocket. They’d been gone for barely forty-eight hours by the Port Charles clock, but the time difference meant somewhere, they were missing fourteen hours. All Drew wanted to do was find his bed and sleep like the dead.

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam stepped off the bottom step, exhausted beyond words. A few hours ago, she’d been upbeat, optimistic, ready to take on whatever was next — she finally felt like she understood what was in her own head and how to fix all the mistakes she’d made for the last few months —

A few weeks ago, even a few days ago, Sam would have told Valentin to go to hell. The secret she’d held so close to her heart since Danny’s illness a few years ago had revealed they’d all been living a lie — Silas, for all his faults, had said nothing to anyone else when he’d brought it to her.

He’d told her that, somehow, Julian was a match for her son, but that he wasn’t her father. And that Alexis wasn’t her mother. The daughter they’d created that long ago night was still somewhere out there in the world. Sam didn’t know or care to find out more than that. It didn’t matter. She was a Davis girl. She had a family and a life here. The truth didn’t matter.

But now that Kristina knew about Ric, and about Jake, and oh, so many of Sam’s other mistakes — now that Molly knew — and now that her mother was looking at her with those careful, suspicious eyes—

Would they ever believe that Sam had kept quiet out of fear?

“Just keep them busy,” Valentin murmured in her ear as Danny drew closer to them. “Keep them in court. Make them miserable. Keep their children away from them. Take them for everything you can. Throw any obstacle in their way.”

“That’s all you want?” Sam asked, her voice unsteady. “Distraction? You won’t come back for me?”

 “I won’t need to. Just a little time to get what I need, Samantha. And your secret will disappear back into the Cassadine family files.”

“Until the next time you want something.”

“That’s possible,” Valentin allowed, a smile flitting across his lips. Sam looked away from her son long enough to glare at him. “But only you can decide Sam. Is that a risk worth taking?”

She looked at the photo on her desk. Taken at Christmas with her sisters and her mother. Burning the bridge with Drew and Jason or keeping her family? Would Alexis still love Sam if she didn’t have to? Would she still forgive Sam all her mistakes? Or would Alexis start to remember she’d been happy with Ric all those years ago, and if not for Sam…

Sam closed her eyes. No, it was better this way. She’d keep her family. Her mother, her sisters. Jason and Drew would have to take care of themselves.

+13

You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi
I can tell that it’s gonna be a long road
I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town, babe
Or if you strike out and you’re crawling home
Don’t read the last page
But I stay when it’s hard, or it’s wrong, or we’re making mistakes
I want your midnights
But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day
– New Year’s Day, Taylor Swift

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Port Charles Airport: Arrivals 

They exited the plane and moved through security, then bypassing baggage claim. Beyond it was the arrivals hall where families and friends waited for passengers to disembark.

Jason started to scan the crowd for a familiar guard — he figured Sonny would have sent Max or maybe Milo—but then his gaze halted — there was a group of people blocking someone—but he knew—

“Should have just parked a car in the lot,” Drew began, but Jason ignored him, walked forward—unsure if he was imagining it—if he’d just dreamed her into life—he’d done that sometimes, wishing so hard for to be in front of him, that his eyes would trick him—

But Elizabeth was there—he’d caught just the barest glimpse of her chestnut hair through the crowd and then the people around her had moved, and he could see her searching, her eyes darting around—then the smile when she found him. When their eyes met.

Jason forgot about Drew or anything—he closed the distance between them, his longer legs eating up the space faster—

“Hey,” she began. Anything else she might have said was lost when he tugged her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. He’d missed her more than he realized—had grown too used to seeing her every day—

Her fingers fisted in the material of his shirt. “Hey,” she repeated when he finally let go her go, her dreamy gaze a bit unfocused.

“Hey.” Jason tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I thought Sonny was sending Max.”

“Disappointed?”

“Never.”

Drew joined them, his lips curved into a half smile, his duffel slung over his shoulder. “This is a nice surprise,” he said. “Unless you’re here with bad news.”

“No. No. Nothing that can’t wait for tomorrow. You still okay with meeting at Laura’s?”

“As long as I get eight hours of sleep before then.” Drew rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been a long couple of days.”

“Then let’s get out of here.” Jason picked up his bag, laced his fingers through Elizabeth’s and they headed for the exit.

Spencer House: Spencer’s Bedroom

“You know, you think you understand how crazy your family is—” Spencer crawled across his bed to reach for the second controller Cameron was holding up from the floor. “But then you actually get to read witness reports about a weather machine your great-grandfather built and died in—”

“Yeah? More gruesome than you were expecting?” Cameron sat up, leaning his back against the foot the bed. He flicked a few buttons until the campaign started playing. “Whenever I heard that story, it just seemed like he’d watched one too many Bond movies.”

“And learned the wrong lessons—go down this alley,” Spencer said, furrowing his brow. “I think that’s—yeah. Good. Yeah, kind of trippy though. Apparently, there was, like, a blizzard here in Port Charles.”

“Yeah? In the middle of summer?”

“No, September. But still.” Spencer sat cross-legged. “It’s boring, though, I’ll be honest. Reading the files. I kind of thought I’d find something that we could do something with.”

“Do something?” Cameron echoed. He made a face. “Didn’t you promise Grandma that you’d just read?”

“Well, yeah, otherwise she’d never have let me. But what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Spencer shrugged. “I was talking to Trina about it when we were at the garage today, and she wanted to know how we knew Mikkos was actually dead.”

Cameron frowned, then paused the game. He twisted to look at his cousin. “Trina?”

“Yeah, she was reading with me. And you know, Cassadines don’t really die at first. Everyone gets a few false starts. My grandfather, Stavros? Died like twice before that last one.” Spencer hesitated. “Or three times. I lost count. And Grandmother, well, that’s obvious.”

“Not even sure she’s dead this time,” Cameron muttered.

“And my uncle Stefan? He faked his death, too. And they thought my dad was dead like twice before—” Spencer pressed his lips together. “Well, anyway.”

“I thought they found this Mikkos guy. The body anyway.”

“Your brother died in a hospital, Cam. With surgeons to declare him dead. They buried him.”

Cameron stared down at the black plastic controller. “Point taken.”

“Sorry, I didn’t—”

“No, you’re right. When it comes to the Cassadines—” He shrugged. “Can’t really rule anything out. What about your dad?”

“What about him?” Spencer said defensively. “He’s gone, this time for sure. We’d know if he was alive.” When Cameron said nothing, Spencer’s eyes darkened. “He’d have come back for me, Cam. Okay? He wouldn’t let me think he was dead all this time.”

“No, I know. I know. I just—I guess if we’re speculating about frozen dead guys from decades ago, it’s only fair to bring in another guy. And maybe if your dad were alive, there’s a reason he can’t come back. Like…my brother. Or Jason.”

“Maybe.” Spencer slid down onto the floor next to Cameron. “I wonder sometimes, you know. If maybe it were true.”

“I hope it is,” Cameron said. “But only if he couldn’t come back. You know? I don’t…I don’t want him to be like my dad—” He grimaced. “Like Lucky—”

“You can still call him Dad, Cam. No one’s gonna think less of you.” Spencer bumped his shoulder. “Unless you’re thinking about getting a new one.”

“No. Definitely not. I’m glad my mom’s happy. I’m glad Jason’s a good guy, and that Jake’s doing okay with all of it—” Cameron paused. “It’s stupid to think that my dad could show up and have a good reason for what he said at Christmas. For never calling or being around. There’s no reason good enough. Just like your dad. If he’s out there and not coming back — I don’t know. It just sucks. All of it. Not that I think he is—Uncle Nikolas wouldn’t do that—”

“He did some other stuff before he died, though,” Spencer said. He traded a look with his cousin, and they looked back at the screen. “So I don’t know. Doesn’t say much about me that I hope my dad’s dead or in one of those stupid comas. Because the other options aren’t great.”

“Maybe we’ll find out in those files,” Cameron suggested. “I could help read, if you want. Take a break from working on my car.”

“No, it’s cool. We need someone to be legal behind the wheels, and you’re the first one up. But thanks.” Spencer flashed him a grim smile. “I’ll let you know if that changes.”

“Well, Trina’s good for details, so you’ve already got some good on the team.” Cameron lifted his controller. “Now let’s get back to me kicking your ass.”

Morgan House: Driveway

Elizabeth pulled into the driveway behind the dark SUV, then switched off the engine. Jason paused, his hand on the handle, expecting to be dropped off while she headed home to the boys.

“Elizabeth?”

“I, um, Laura has the boys,” she said in a rush. His hand fell from the handle, and he shifted in his seat so that he could see her, though her face was only dimly lit by the security light by the front door. “I would have asked or run it past before you left but I didn’t—she didn’t offer until today—so I was thinking—if it’s okay—”

He cut off the ramble of words with his mouth, his hand on her throat, her pulse beating rapidly beneath his fingers. “You never have to ask,” he murmured against her mouth.

Elizabeth laughed, but it sounded a bit nervous and unsure, so he reached down, unsnapped her seat belt, then tugged her over the center console until she was in his lap, her back to the door and her legs still dangling over to the driver’s seat. Jason tangled his hand in her hair and kissed her again. Her nails scraped lightly down the back of his neck, and she struggled, shifting to straddle him, her hands sliding down his chest to the button—

And he rapped his elbow sharply against the window. Jason swore, and Elizabeth giggled, leaning her forehead against his. “We’re not really going to do this in the car, are we?” she asked. She leaned back, and he rested his hands at her hips. “It’s not like we’re teenagers who can’t go home.”

“There’s a bed inside,” he reminded, curling a finger in the belt loop of her jeans and tugging her back to him. She kissed him, keeping it light and soft. “And at least one room we haven’t been in.”

“That’s true—but—” She fisted her hands in his shirt and grinned. “The sofa’s closer.”

Metro Court Hotel: Suite

It was really time to prioritize finding somewhere permanent to live. He’d checked into the hotel, hoping it would be temporary. That leaving would shock Sam back to her senses and they could resolve things—

He realized now, as he slid the access key into the lock, then pushed it open, that he’d thought he’d be home by now. Instead, he was back at the hotel, considering a late call to room service and eying his neatly made empty bed with disgust. And Sam was across town, with Danny and Scout tucked away in their rooms.

He dumped his duffel next to the bed, then sank down, perching at the edge. He could call Diane and force some movement. File for custody. File for divorce. Do something that would shake the status quo.

But Drew didn’t want to do any of that. He didn’t want to burn bridges that couldn’t be rebuilt. Sam would see reason. She had to. He was a damned good father, and he knew she loved him. She’d stayed with him, hadn’t she? She’d chosen him when Jason had come home. That had to mean something.

He dragged a tired hand down his face, and let himself drift back to that moment in the airport, when he’d been walking with Jason, each of them looking for one of Sonny’s guards, and then look in Jason’s eyes when he’d found Elizabeth, when the world had fallen away and he’d gone towards her—

Drew had looked past Elizabeth, and just for one insane moment, he’d wondered if maybe Sam would be there, too. Maybe she’d missed him. But no, Sam hadn’t even known he was gone.

So instead, he’d watched Jason greet the woman he loved, and knew as Elizabeth had dropped him off in the hotel, that they’d go somewhere together. He didn’t begrudge them that happiness—how could he with all that he knew of what had come before—

But Drew wanted a piece of it for his own. So tomorrow, he’d go to see Sam and then he’d call Oscar.

It was time for all of them to stop standing still and take the next step. Wherever it led.

Morgan House: Bedroom

Elizabeth stirred, stretching her arm out across the mattress, frowning when it met nothing but air. She opened her eyes, found the space next to her empty, then rolled over, her eyes searching in the dark room.

As her vision adjusted, she made out the dim shape by the bay window overlooking the street. Elizabeth sat up, the sheets rustling. Jason turned, his shadow shifting.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay.” She cleared her throat, pushed back the comforter and found Jason’s discarded shirt by the end of the bed. She pulled it over her head and joined him at the window, sliding her arm around his waist, just above his sweatpants. She could see a bit more clearly now, and there was some light from the street lamps outside. “Jet lag?”

“A little. But you should sleep. Don’t you have to work—”

“Not until later. I have the night shift starting tomorrow.” She rested her head against his chest, his arms embracing her. She could sleep just like this, she thought, wrapped warmly in Jason’s arms, his quiet breathing lulling her into dreams—

“Drew said you’d talked to Scott about Susan Moore.”

The words jerked her back to reality, and Elizabeth stepped back. “What?”

Jason sighed, then moved away. He switched on a light by the bed, and she winced, covering her eyes. “Drew. On the flight to Turkey. He said you’d talked to Scott.”

“Weeks ago. I forgot about it, actually.” Elizabeth tipped her head. “Why is he bringing this up now? Did he find something?”

“They looked into it.” Jason sat on the edge of the bed, and she joined him, curling one leg beneath her. “Curtis found some paperwork—Drew was put into the foster system just after Susan was murdered.”

“Oh—oh, God.” Elizabeth pressed two fingers to her lips. “What does that mean? What does he think—”

“He thinks—” Jason hesitated, then looked away, towards some undefined point in the distance. “He thinks Monica and Tracy know something. One of them did it and covered for the other, or they did it together.”

“Did what? Got rid of Drew?”

“Yeah. Drew and Robert said something to her before New Year’s. Separately. And now Drew wants—I don’t know—he wants to know if we should keep going.”

“I didn’t—I would have said something if I realized—it was just some old gossip I passed to Drew, Jason. I never would—”

“I know.” He squeezed her knee, then left his hand covering it. “I know,” Jason repeated. “I don’t know what to do. Should Curtis and Robert keep going?” She waited, and he spoke again, “If we do this, and it’s true, where—what happens? Does she go to jail?”

“Do you think she should?” Elizabeth asked softly. “If she was the reason Drew ended up in the system, growing up without a family—I know you don’t think much about the Quartermaines, but—” She closed her mouth, unsure how to continue.

“Drew told me that if I don’t want to do this, he won’t go forward. He’ll put it away.” He traced a pattern on her thigh, left bare by his t-shirt. She leaned against his shoulder. “He thinks if he did it without me, it would…” He paused. “We’d never be brothers.”

She was quiet for a long moment, taking it in. “And it’s something he wants, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you?”

“I don’t—” Jason considered the question again. “I had a brother once. AJ and I—we got along sometimes after the accident, but it changed after Michael. I didn’t…I didn’t know I was throwing anything away. That it would ever matter that he hated me. I didn’t care what he thought.” He paused. “But I see the boys — the way Cameron takes care of Jake and Aiden — how they are together — and I know I made a mistake. It was like that sometimes with Emily and AJ. Before Michael.” She remained quiet, her breathing soft. Comforting. “It was like that a little in Turkey. Maybe it would be okay. If we were brothers.”

“What do you want to do about Susan? About Monica?”

“I don’t—” Jason sighed, looked at the shadows clinging to the ceiling. “I don’t know. What do I owe to a woman I don’t remember. That Drew never met? Monica’s been through so much. I can believe if she did it all those years ago, she regrets it now. Maybe that could be enough.”

“You don’t remember her, Jason, because someone murdered her,” she said, her tone gentle, and he sighed. “She made a choice to bring you into this world. What do you owe to a mother you didn’t love? I can’t answer that. But maybe you owe it to yourself. You and Drew. For the lives that you never had the chance to live. Someone made sure that he never had a family or home to call his own.”

She rested her chin on his shoulder. “But what’s keeping you up right now isn’t whether or not you should keep asking questions. You already know the answer.”

“Yeah. I know. I just—it took a long time to look at Monica and see her as my mother. But if she did this—” He exhaled slowly. “If she did this, how do I look at her again? How do any of us?”

“And maybe she didn’t do this. How can you go on without knowing?” She pressed her lips to his skin. “Pandora’s box is open, Jason. We can’t go back.”

+20

This is the best thing that could have happened
Any longer and I wouldn’t have made it
It’s not a war, no, it’s not a rapture
I’m just a person, but you can’t take it
The same tricks that, that once fooled me
They won’t get you anywhere
I’m not the same kid from your memory
Well, now I can fend for myself
– Ignorance, Paramore

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Kelly’s: Parking Lot

Elizabeth handed the helmet to Jason to stow on the back of the bike, then she looked towards the diner. “You ever think about how much time we spent here?” she asked wistfully. “When I still worked here, and you’d come by for coffee?” She folded her arms. “You and Sonny. Always tipped too much.”

“I figured I owed you like six weeks of rent,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling back against his chest. “You wouldn’t take the money any other way.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Still wouldn’t. You need to go grocery shopping if you expect me to spend more time at your place. You might not need to eat—”

“I eat,” Jason said, kissing the top of her head. “When I want to. And we’ll get food for next week.” He paused. “And yeah, I think about it sometimes. I used to come here near closing on purpose.”

“Yeah?” Elizabeth turned in his arms. “After that night at Jake’s?”

“I liked talking to you.” He kissed her, and she smiled against his lips. “And you were always up for taking the long way home. The cliff roads were always more fun with you.”

“I used to wish I’d jumped on your bike and never looked back. Until Cameron. After him, I didn’t regret so many of my choices anymore.  He was worth all the bad moments. All the regrets. I wouldn’t change anything if it meant losing him.” She closed her eyes. “But every once in a while, I used to wonder where we’d be if I’d gone with you that day.”

“I used to think about that, too. Would it have been just Italy? Or maybe we’d go somewhere else. France was good. I liked the mountains. And the beaches.” He stroked her arms. “And Greece. Egypt.”

“I’ve never seen any of those places.” Elizabeth sighed, stepped back. “I don’t even know what made me think about any of it. I didn’t go with you, and we never made it to Italy.” She frowned. “What do you think Spinelli has on Luke?”

“I don’t know. Maybe about those addresses Luke was supposed to check out. We’ll find out when we talk to him.”

Elizabeth hesitated, her fingers on the door handle. “I’ve spent years trusting the Spencers where the Cassadines are concerned. All the way back to Lucky getting involved with Helena before the fire. He was angry with Luke,” she said when Jason blinked. “And Endgame — it was Luke and Laura always setting the tone, you know? And Laura still…I still feel like I’m deferring to her. And Luke. Because it feels like we should have the same goal. But you’re telling me you don’t trust that, and you’re usually right when you tell me I’m trusting someone I shouldn’t. And Spinelli wouldn’t be dragging us together on a Sunday if he hadn’t found something that worries him.”

“I know you don’t want it to be like this.”

“‘I always pretended Luke and Laura were my family. It’s one of the reasons it was so hard to let go of Lucky. I didn’t want to lose everyone I had because of him. But if Spinelli is right—and he’s like you, he usually is—that means Luke is lying about something. And if he’s lying, so is Lucky. And I just—” Elizabeth sighed. “I hate it. And I feel like an idiot.”

“You shouldn’t. You were right, too,” Jason pointed out. “Me not liking Luke? It was personal. Because of Jake. And Lucky—well, that’s just—history. I was never sure how much I hated him because I had a reason to, or because you’d chosen him.”

“Well, my terrible taste in men, present company excluded, is known worldwide,” she muttered. She cleared her throat. “I brought it up, and now I’m putting it away again. Let’s have breakfast and enjoy what’s left of the morning.”

Quartermaine Estate: Foyer

On the other side of town, another woman was thinking about Luke Spencer—and cursing his existence.

“Damn it, Luke, where are you?” Tracy muttered, flipping through her text messages as if she could magically produce a response from her ex-husband through sheer willpower. It’d been days since she’d asked him to use his contacts to see how much trouble Tracy was in, and there had been radio silence.

“I thought I smelled sulfur,” Ned quipped as his mother strode into the family room and made her way to the breakfast buffet set up by the terrace windows. “Having a bad day?”

Tracy glared at her son. “Don’t you have a house?”

“Oh, good, I was wondering if there’d be entertainment at breakfast.” Olivia sat at the table, plucked a croissant from the table in the middle. “Don’t mind me, carry on.”

Delighted to have an outlet for her frustrations, Tracy sat down and prepared to make sure everyone was as unhappy as she was.

Kelly’s: Dining Room

Kristina made a face. “I made things worse.”

“You usually do.” Valerie broke a piece of bacon in half, popped one piece in her mouth.

“Because things were fine with my mom and Sam until I stuck my nose in it, and Sam literally said I helped her clear her head.” Her eyes pleaded with Valerie. “Help me fix it.”

“I don’t know what you think you or I can do about it. Your mom’s right. There’s always some unethical bastard out there waiting to drain a client dry. Sam will find someone else to take her case.”

“I was thinking…” Kristina bit her lip. “There’s got to be a way to get Sam to back down. I really hate the idea of her going after Jason like this. He’s not just Sam’s ex to me, you know? He really looked out for me when I was growing up. And my dad is so happy he’s home. That’s his best friend. And Danny’s in the middle of this. I know Scout is young, but Danny’s old enough to know things are bad. And he knows about Drew and Jason.”

“You’re not responsible for any of this, Kris—”

“That doesn’t mean I want my sister running around like a one-woman wrecking crew. I don’t know. I dragged up everything about the trial and what was going on during that period—I just—am I crazy for wanting her to stop? To want to help?”

“No, of course not.” Valerie picked up her cappuccino. “I know you see you and Molly in Scout and Danny, but why can you get Sam to back down when your mom can’t?”

“Well.” Kristina paused. “What’s the statute on kidnapping?”

Valerie lifted her brows. “Blackmail? Is that where we’re going?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Five years, so you’re out of luck. It’s a miracle it wasn’t found out back then. A good lawyer would have gotten Maureen to flip.” Her brow furrowed. “I wonder whatever happened with that case.”

Kristina made a face. “Figures. I guess maybe we could still use it. I mean—”

“Jason should be the one using it. Or Drew,” Valerie interrupted. “Because it proves your sister doesn’t give a shit about kids. And Jason would have a great case based on what happened to Jake and his mom’s house because of your sister. But if he wanted to go that way—”

“He’d already have done it. I don’t get it, but—” Kristina flopped back in her seat. She watched as the door to Kelly’s opened and Jason came in, followed by Elizabeth. They were laughing and smiling at each other, clearly intimate. They took a seat at a table near the jukebox.

Valerie twisted in her chair to look at them. “He really married the woman who watched his son get kidnapped. You think Elizabeth Webber knows?”

“I don’t know, but I hope so.” Kristina’s smile was wistful. “He looks happy.”

“Yeah, doesn’t really look like someone who’s yelling at his lawyer on a Sunday morning.” Valerie turned back to face Kristina. “Your mom’s right. Sam’s obsessing, trying to keep Jason in her life. He probably hasn’t thought about her since the papers got filed.”

Kristina exhaled slowly. “I just wish there was something I could do. But if the kidnapping thing is a no go—” she made a face. “My mom and Molly are right. I guess I need to just let it go and hope she comes to her senses on her own. Without doing more damage.”

“All you can do is sit back and hope for the best. It sucks, and I’m sorry, but you’re not a miracle worker.”

Metro Court: Restaurant

Maxie was bored out of her mind, but she was a good wife who went to brunch with her sister-in-law, even if she and Nina didn’t like each other very much. She picked at the remains of her omelet, only half listening to Nathan and Nina talk about something in New York, blah, blah — trust Nina to make New York City sound boring.

“I’m sorry you didn’t bring Georgie today,” Nina said, picking up her mimosa. “We should really try to get her and Charlotte together more.”

Not in this lifetime, Maxie thought, all too aware of what an asshole Charlotte was. Lulu could barely handle the little demon child, and Maxie didn’t want to spend any time with kids who weren’t her own. Not even her best friend’s daughter.

“She’s enjoying some time with my mom and Mac,” Maxie said. “But, sure, I’ll call Lu and set something up next weekend when she has Charlotte again.” She smiled sweetly at the other woman, Nina clenching her jaw at the mention of Charlotte’s biological mother. “Maybe you’ll want some alone time next week. Isn’t Valentin supposed to be back from his trip by then?”

Nina flinched, took a deep breath. “I’m not sure,” she said.

Nathan frowned. “Still? He’s been gone almost a week, Nina—”

“Don’t start with me, James.” Nina sighed, looked away, and something flashed across her face. It was easy to forget sometimes how tragic her life had been, Maxie thought. Her youth stolen from her by her greedy mother, a baby given up for adoption and still not yet located, an adulterous husband—

But just when Maxie was tempted to feel sorry for her, Nina opened her mouth and ruined it. “And if I need alone time with my husband, we’ll handle childcare. Lulu doesn’t need more time with Charlotte—”

“I think Lulu should be the judge of that.” Maxie winced when Nathan kicked her under the table. She ignored the warning. “It’s not my fault Valentin left you—”

“He did not leave me.” Nina threw her napkin on the table, incensed. “How dare you? Just because I haven’t talked to him in a few days—”

“Six but who’s counting?” Maxie said.

Nina looked like she would erupt, but instead she jerked to her feet and stalked out. Maxie smiled after her, then returned her focus to her husband. Nathan just looked at her. “Oh, what? You should thank me for getting rid of her. She’s unpleasant.”

“Maxie—”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll text her and apologize. I’ll tell her my hormones were going wild—and you can follow-up by telling her I’m pregnant—unless you think that might trigger her into stealing my baby—”

“Maxie.”

“You want me to be sorry, and I’m just not.” Maxie retrieved her phone, wiggled it. “Look, I’m texting now.”

“And try to sound sincere,” Nathan said, reaching for the check in the middle of the table.

“I am always sincere.”

But it wasn’t Nina’s number Maxie brought up, but Spinelli’s. She shot him a quick note that Valentin was still incommunicado with no ETA.

Then she composed a short apology to her husband’s sister. It wasn’t Nathan’s fault his sister was a certifiable bitch, but Maxie needed to tread a fine line between getting information for Spinelli and pissing off her husband.

Morgan House: Living Room

“Robert and Anna looked into the list Luke talked about,” Spinelli began. “You know, the addresses the WSB supposedly gave him.” He set his laptop on the table and opened it. “I wanted to see what parameters were used to construct it. I looked at all the locations — and none of them were in my files.”

Elizabeth winced. “I don’t like where this is going.”

“How did you come up with your list?” Drew wanted to know, folding his arms, and leaning against the back of the sofa. “I never asked.”

“I compiled a list of any employees on record I could find from St. Petersburg,” Spinelli said. “And I ran their backgrounds. I put any address in Istanbul connected to the lab on that list. I thought it made sense to start there.”

“And the WSB list doesn’t?” Elizabeth asked.

“The WSB list doesn’t exist.”

Jason frowned at that statement, then traded a look with Drew. “That doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t Luke be worried Robert and Anna would call him on it?”

“Luke’s not used to being questioned, and Robert and Anna didn’t have a reason to doubt Luke until then. But they were curious, too, like I said. Anna can’t find any record of it, and neither can her contact in that office. I hacked the mainframe,” Spinelli continued. “If Luke’s list came from them, there’s no record of it. None of the addresses he’s been to are on the WSB’s radar.”

“So Luke had two WSB agents who didn’t report to anyone but him. And he claims he wasn’t using Spinelli’s list until Friday. So where was he getting his information if it wasn’t from the WSB?” Sonny shook his head. “This doesn’t make sense. He was searching for something, wasn’t he?”

“Why would Luke or Lucky lie about that? Do we think they’re not trying to find Valentin?” Laura scowled. “There has to be another explanation.”

Jason exhaled slowly. “We know he had a second list. One that came from a source he trusted more than Spinelli. Whoever this source is, he doesn’t want us to know. That’s what we should focus on.”

“The first address I gave the Spencers,” Spinelli said, “is a is the Maslak I talked about on Friday.” Spinelli tapped some keys. “I put a virus into the drive. It attaches to anyone who opens the files, and I can mirror any device they use. So far, there are two laptops, two tablets, and three phones.”

“There’s a third person,” Drew realized.

“That’s where I’m leaning, yeah,” Spinelli said.  “One of the phones has been to the Maslak address three times since Friday morning.” He showed them the access log. “Three times. They didn’t use my list before then. Why wasn’t this lab on the list Luke was using? Wouldn’t they have Klein on their radar, too? And why does he keep going back to the same place? And none of the others.”

“That is…” Drew dipped his chin down to his chest. “That’s an excellent list of questions. What can you tell from the devices? Who owns what?”

“One of the phones belongs to Luke. It went to the Maslak address and other places around the city. He doesn’t have any other electronics, or so I can tell. One set of devices — a phone, laptop, and tablet — belongs to Lucky. I found evidence of your call to him,” Spinelli told Elizabeth. “And there’s photos of the boys. Videos. It’s definitely his. The second set of devices belongs to Britt Westbourne.”

“Britt—” Elizabeth’s hands fell to her side and her mouth opened. “Spinelli, are you—how can you tell? Are you sure?”

“She’s not trying to hide it. It’s her personal laptop. She logs into bank accounts, she saves documents with her name attached. It’s her.”

“Lucky said he was going to Bosnia because of a lead she’d given him,” Elizabeth said. “He told us that he’d spoken to her. I just—why wouldn’t he tell us she was in Istanbul with them? Why wouldn’t we know that she was working on this? Why hide it?”

“And why would either of them work with Britt? She has access to our files, doesn’t she?” Laura said.

“She has copies of all the records on the drive, but I see no evidence that she accessed the drive itself, which means—”

“Lucky gave her copies.” Elizabeth sank onto the sofa. “Why would he do that? She’s connected to Faison and Obrecht. And she can’t be trusted—”

“She’s supposed to have woken you up back in Russia,” Drew said to Jason. “On her father’s orders. Now she shows up in Turkey with our files and the idiots we trusted to run that leg of the operation.” He grimaced. “There’s no reason for Luke or Lucky to lie to us about Britt. Not a good one anyway.”

“I just—I don’t understand. I could see having her as a resource, but you’re suggesting she’s had her hands on the files themselves—”

“And her devices are in the same place as Lucky’s. She’s with them.” Spinelli closed his laptop. “The Maslak address being visited over and over suggests to me they found something on Friday.  And what else troubles me — I can tell when these devices are together, sharing the same network, but I can’t find that network. Lucky’s cloaked everything. I don’t know where they’re staying in the city. But they’re only hiding their location at the home base. Everywhere else? I can track them.”

“I don’t like that,” Jason said. “Why would they hide where they’re staying, but not where they’re looking?”

“Maybe they’re staying with the source of that list,” Elizabeth asked, and they looked at her. “Luke and Lucky are protecting that source. It makes sense to protect the location. And any devices that source uses.”

Laura sighed, rubbed her temples. “I want to pretend this is all a mistake. A misunderstanding. I don’t understand why they’d hold back on this. What do they have to gain? We’re all working towards the same thing.”

“We thought we were,” Drew said. “Elizabeth’s right. Whatever’s going on—someone is being protected. And if it’s not Britt Westbourne, it’s someone else Luke and Lucky don’t want us to know about.” He looked at Jason, troubled. “You know what’s next, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Jason said grimly.

“What?” Laura asked. “What’s next?”

“It’s time to go to Turkey,” Drew said. “I can clear my schedule.”

“Yeah, we don’t have a choice.” Jason looked at Sonny. “Can you get us set up with transport?”

“Yeah, sure.” Sonny rose to his feet. “I can get the airfield on the line. Hide the flight plan and all that. I’ll tell them you expect you and Drew as soon as they can get the plane ready.”

“Good—” Jason started.

“Wait, just the two of you?” Elizabeth asked, and everyone looked at her. “If we’re just going to ask questions, it should be me. Or Laura. One of us, anyway. We know Luke and Lucky better—”

“Maybe that’s why it shouldn’t be us,” Laura said gently, and she swung her eyes back to the other woman. “We’re too close—”

“I spent a lot of time being manipulated by Lucky, that’s what you’re saying. You think he’ll feed me another story and I’ll buy it,” Elizabeth said. She met Jason’s eyes, but then he looked away. “That’s not fair. It’s been years—I can handle myself.”

“You can,” Drew said, tossing Jason an irritated glare. “But we also have to think logistically. Jason and I can drop out of sight for a few days. You can’t. You don’t show up for work, the boys go to stay with someone—people might notice. We don’t know who’s watching—”

“Oh, okay. Because I’m a mother, I can’t go,” Elizabeth said. “I’m a weak, fragile little girl Lucky can play like a violin who has to stay at home with the kids—”

“No one is saying that—” Sonny started.

“Elizabeth—” Drew protested.

“That’s not—” Laura began.

Disgusted, she got to her feet, yanked her purse and coat from the post by the door. “Fine. Go to Turkey. Have a great time.” She slammed the door behind her.

Drew turned to Jason with a scowl. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything?”

Jason got to his feet and went to grab his jacket. “Because I agree with all of you,” he said shortly. “I’ll handle it. Sonny, get things set up and call me when it’s done.”

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