Written in 64 minutes.

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Sunday, September 29, 2024

Webber House: Street

Unless you don’t trust me to stay either.

Elizabeth turned her head to look at him, found his eyes on hers. “You know it isn’t that simple.”

“I think maybe it is,” Jason replied.  “Otherwise, why not give Cameron the paperwork he wants, and send him back to school? Yeah, he’ll miss a few classes staying through to Tuesday, but he’s not threatening to drop out.”

“Not yet.” Elizabeth scrubbed her hands down her face, then exhaled. “Cameron…has had to pick up the slack for my poor choices his entire life,” she said slowly. “You and I both know that I haven’t had the best judgment in men,” she added, and didn’t look at him for his reaction. He probably wouldn’t say it out loud, but he’d be thinking it. “For years, Lucky raised him like his own son, and then one day —” She flicked her wrist. “He went to Ireland, and the only son he showed even a little interest in was Aiden. And that’s suggesting Lucky has any real interest in Aiden at all. Cameron was old enough to remember that. He’s old enough to remember the way people talked about my affair with Nikolas. When you were coming around that last summer…”

Elizabeth looked at him. “And Drew — when he was Jake Doe, before he had any memories of his own, he was planning to adopt Cameron and Jake. But he found out I’d lied, and he only cared about Jake after that. I’ve had men in and out of his life promising they’d stay, and they never do. Not a parade, it’s not like I brought home every man I dated, but it was enough to teach my little boy that he couldn’t rely on the choices I made to look after his brothers. This isn’t about you, Jason. Not entirely. It’s about me and my mistakes.”

“Then let me call Diane, and have her write  up something to add Cameron to Aiden’s guardianship paperwork. We’re not going to need it,” Jason added. “You’re not going to jail—”

“You don’t know that—”

“I do know that,” he corrected, and she grimaced, looked out the window again. “You’re not going to jail,” he said again, “and I’m not going anywhere. Right now, Cameron doesn’t trust either of those statements. Let’s give him peace of mind, Elizabeth. So he can go back to the life you want him to live.”

Webber House: Kitchen

Jake watched his brother dump out the now soggy ruined cereal. “Are you trying to make things worse for Mom? Dad’s not going to walk out on Aiden if he’s promising to stay—”

“That’s not what you were saying when I was here in August.” Cameron turned, lifted his brows at his brother. “Back then, it was all, ‘Why spend time with him, he’ll just leave again.’ What happened to that?”

“What happened to being okay with my dad being around?” Jake retorted. “You’re the one that told me and Aiden they were back together. You liked the idea—”

“Sure. I like the idea. But that was two weeks ago when these charges seemed like something stupid  that would go away. It’s all so stupid I was sure that everyone would figure it out, and this would be over. That Mom would be here if and when Jason took off again to save some other idiot who gets himself in trouble. But you didn’t hear the way they were talking yesterday. They’re worried, Jake. Mom’s in real danger—”

“Then we deal with that,” Jake interrupted. “You’re not the only adult in the room, Cam, not anymore. I’m eighteen in May. Mom’s trial is months away—”

“You’re going to Spain. Mom’s right. You’re applying for this program, and you’re going. You’re not going to get stuck here—”

“Why, so you can be the damn martyr? Maybe I’ll take Aiden with me, okay? We’ll both go to Spain.”

Cameron’s smile was faint. “No, because I’ll be home in June, Jake. I got into the medical school here  at PCU. Early decision. It was a lock anyway with the Hardy/Webber connection, but I’ll be here to take care of things. It’s your turn to go out in the world, Jake.”

Jake huffed. “Well, congratulations, asshole. But that doesn’t fix this problem—”

“We don’t have a problem. Mom has my terms. I’ll go back after the hearing if they make me Aiden’s guardian.” Cameron folded his arms. “And now Jason knows exactly how I feel. Mission accomplished.”

Webber House: Aiden’s Bedroom

Danny scowled, lifted his ear away from the vent. “I can’t hear shit—”

“No, mostly because Mom and Jason left,” Aiden said. “I told you, Jake and Cam know better than to argue in the kitchen. Who do you think showed me that you can hear the living room this way?”

Danny sat at the desk chair. “Why do you think Cameron isn’t going back?”

“I don’t know.” Aiden slid back on his bed, folded his legs, and picked at a loose thread in the comforter. “It’s probably hard to be that far away with things happening here. I wanted to go to Mom’s hearing on Tuesday, and she’s like, no, I have to go to school, like I’ll be able to concentrate anyway.”

“She wants everything to be normal, I think. That’s not a bad thing.”

Aiden scoffed. “None of this is normal, Danny. My mom’s charged with murdering a guy she didn’t even really know. She wears an ankle bracelet and can’t even leave the city. Your dad’s been appointed to be, like, her baby sitter. They put her in jail, Danny. Okay?”

“At least you got to stay in your house,” Danny retorted. “My mom went to jail, and Dad dumped me and Scout with Grandma Monica. But everyone’s arguing about how to make sure you get to keep your life exactly the same.”

Aiden opened his mouth to snap back, then closed it. Because Danny had a point. “Okay. Yeah. But you were, like ten, when that happened. I don’t know why your dad did what he did—”

“He was still working for Sonny,” Danny interjected. “He doesn’t now. But it still sucked. It’s like, he couldn’t figure out which part of his life was important. It should have been me. And then, he, like died a year later, except he was never dead. What’s going on with your mom is awful and I hate it, but it could be worse, you know. And my dad’s not going to let her go to jail. He wouldn’t let Carly go either, remember? That’s how this whole dumb thing started. That’s what my mom said. He faked his death to keep Carly out of jail.”

Aiden furrowed his brow. “So…what, your dad’s gonna do something to keep my mom home? Like what? He can’t fake his death again.”

“No, but everyone’s like — they want your mom to flip on my dad, right? The Feds don’t know our parents are, like, innocent or whatever. There’s nothing to know. They just want my dad. So maybe my dad is gonna…” Danny made a hand gesture. “Take your mom out of it.”

“Oh.” Aiden weighed that realization. “Oh, well, that’s dumb if they’re both innocent.”

“Adults are stupid, what else is new.”

Kristina’s Apartment: Living Room

At the knock on her door, Kristina slapped the top of her laptop closed, and jolted to her feet, her heart pounding. She wasn’t expecting anyone—

“Mom.” She pressed a hand to her heart, stepped back to let her mother through the door. “You scared me.”

Alexis frowned as she passed her, set her case down on the chair. “I knocked.”

“Yeah, but—never mind.” There was really no way to explain the edge Kristina was living on. She knew that security footage was being subpoenaed from her apartment building that would make her alibi non-existent, that they were expecting more footage and data from Elizabeth’s neighborhood — she was almost sure she wasn’t on any of the cameras, but almost wasn’t absolutely.

At least it was Spinelli and Diane looking into the footage. They’d most likely discard her as a suspect, but that didn’t mean Kristina wasn’t trying to do research on her own. Could they find out when a trunk was opened on a car? Damn it, she should have used the key, and not the remote.  And she should have found another way of planting the gun on Elizabeth, it was just — when she’d seen the keys that morning, it had felt like an opportunity falling from the sky.

But now Kristina realized it had been an impulsive move, and she didn’t know to clear the path that might lead right to her door.

“What brings you by?” she asked, pasting a cheerful smile on her face, and looking at her mother. “I  thought you’d had enough of me after all the time we used to prep my case.”

“Well, I was on my way home from Sam’s and thought I’d pop in.” Alexis tipped her head. “You said you were looking for ways to keep yourself busy, and your sister could really use you this week. She has a parent session with Danny’s doctor.”

“Oh?” Kristina  folded her arms. “What does that mean?”

“Well, it should mean that Jason and Sam attend a session with the doctor to talk about the progress and any concerns the doctor has — without revealing specifics. But—” Alexis pressed her lips together. “It has to be separate sessions since Sam isn’t supposed to be anywhere near Elizabeth right now.”

“What does Elizabeth have to do with any of this?” Kristina demanded. “She’s not Danny’s family—”

“She’s Jason’s partner,” Alexis corrected. “Danny is living in her home. She’s his stepmother in all but name. I think Dante’s planning to go with Sam.”

“Oh.” Kristina pursed her lips. “I guess that makes sense. But I really think Jason should be leaving Elizabeth out of this. He knows how Sam feels about her. Isn’t involving her just going to aggravate Sam more?”

“It probably will, but your sister is going to have to learn how to share. Take it from me —” Alexis lifted a brow. “I worked very hard to keep Sonny out of your life, and he worked just as hard to stay in it. Who won that argument?”

“Mom—”

“I had my reasons, and I still believe in them. Mostly,” Alexis added. “But I never worried about the women Sonny brought home. You never saw Carly or Connie or Nina as mother figures, did you?”

“No,” Kristina said. “But that’s different. They knew they weren’t my mothers. Elizabeth is taking advantage of the situation.”

“Even if that were true, Sam is playing right in her hand by making the situation more difficult. Kristina—” Alexis put up a hand. “I’m not here to debate who gets to be involved in Danny’s therapy.  I just thought you might want to check in on Sam a little more this week. I have no idea what the doctor is going to say, but your sister is very sensitive right now. She needs someone more sympathetic to lean on. And that’s not me right now.”

“It’s so insane that we’re even considering Elizabeth as a maternal figure in Danny’s life. She’s been accused of murder!”

“Falsely,” Alexis said. “Even so, it doesn’t concern the court. Her charges aren’t about endangering children—”

“The kids were like a hundred feet away!” Kristina retorted. “You could hear them!” When her mother frowned, she added, “I’ve been to the boat house, Mom. I know how close it is to the house.”

“Either way, it does not matter. She’s innocent,” Alexis added. “I made it clear to Sam I was never going to use that as a reason to keep Elizabeth out of Danny’s life.” She picked up her bag. “Just check in on your sister, please? I need to go. I’m meeting Diane for an early dinner.”

Kristina followed her to the door. “How can you talk to Diane after she took Danny away from Sam?”

“Because Diane is my friend,” Alexis said, almost impatiently. “We’re in the same practice, and we both have Danny’s best interests at heart. She’s got her hands full with this ridiculous murder case, and I’m going to spending as much time as I can helping her prepare for this motion to dismiss on Tuesday.”

Kristina opened the door. “Why? Is she worried she won’t win? I thought everyone said the case was flimsy.”

“Flimsy doesn’t mean what it should. And there’s always the chance the feds will try to revoke bail. They threatened you a few times, remember? So Diane wants an extra eye on the briefs. Kristina—” Alexis looked at her daughter. “I want you to be there for your sister, but don’t play into her worries about Elizabeth—even if you personally believe them,” she added when Kristina opened her mouth. “Because those worries aren’t admissible in a court of law. The judge didn’t care about them last week, and that’s not going to change. It does no good to dwell on them. Elizabeth is in Danny’s life, and we’re all going to have to accept it.”

Kristina spent a long moment staring at the closed door after her mother’s left, considering Alexis’s final words. Elizabeth is in Danny’s life, and we’re all going to have to accept it.

She sat down at her sofa, and flipped her laptop open. “Not if I have anything to say about it,” she muttered.

Webber House: Kitchen

Elizabeth walked into the house, straight past the kitchen, and went up the stairs. When they  heard a door slam above them, Cameron winced slightly, then looked at Jason who came into the kitchen. “If you’re looking for an apology—”

“For what?” Jason wanted to know. “Are you sorry for anything you said? Do you take any of it back—”

“No, and I wasn’t going to apologize anyway—”

“I didn’t ask for one. And neither will your mother.” Jason waited a moment. “I’m not going to pretend that I understand or know everything about you and your brothers after being around for a few months. I made bad choices, and I made them over and over again for years. I knew they were the wrong choices, and I still made them. I didn’t know or see that I had other options.”

“And you do now, and now  you and Mom will live happily ever after,” Cameron retorted. “Right?”

“Cam—” Jake said with a roll of his eyes, but his father held up his hand.

“I want that to be true, but you don’t have to believe me. I don’t expect it. Either of you,” he added, looking at his son. “It wasn’t that long ago that you were angry at me for what I did. And I know there’s still a part of you that still is.”

Jake said nothing, dropped his eyes. Jason looked back to Cameron.

“I can’t make anyone believe me when I tell you I’m not going anywhere. I’ve earned your lack of trust. The only way to undo that is just to keep my promise and accept you might not ever stop waiting for me to leave.”

Cameron swallowed hard, and now he had to look away for a moment. “It’s not that I want you to go,” he muttered.

“I know. But you don’t trust me, and your mother has asked me to look after your brother. A man you don’t trust. So I’m going to call Diane, and we’re going to put your name on the guardianship contract.”

“You—” Cameron’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re really going to do that? I mean, I figured Mom would never—”

“She wants you back at Stanford, finishing your degree. She told you both weeks ago that this—this isn’t going to stop either of you from being the people you’re supposed to be. Because that would mean who ever is doing this to your mother wins. And none of us want that.” Jason folded his arms. “If you’d come home and you’d had this conversation with her — if you’d told us you overheard us talking about the hearing, we would have talked to you. She might have even accepted you staying for the hearing. But you didn’t want to do it that way. You wanted to force her hand. To take away her choice. And for that, you do owe your mother an apology. She raised you better than that.”

Written in 67 minutes.

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Sunday, September 29, 2024

Quartermaine Estate: Gate House

Willow hesitantly knocked on the open door of the small office Michael kept on the first floor. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No. No.” Michael closed the top on his laptop. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time. We were supposed to go to the main house for lunch or something, weren’t we?”

“That’s why I came to get you. The kids are ready—” Willow paused. “You should tell Jason that Danny needs to be more careful if he’s going to sneak onto the estate to see Scout.”

Michael stopped, frozen still, half bent over his desk. He straightened, met her eyes. “What?”

“Yesterday. Drew wanted me to pick Scout up from Trina — and Danny was there. I’m not going to  say anything,” Willow added, folding her arms when Michael winced. “I’m not going to apologize for telling Drew about Rocco and Danny doing drugs and drinking with Scout in the next room, but I also don’t think keeping Scout from her brother is the right decision either. I’d tell Drew that if I thought he’d listen.”

Michael let out a careful, measured breath. “I keep hoping Drew will go back to normal after the election, but he’s obsessed with optics right now. I didn’t know Danny was here yesterday.”

“I got the feeling that Cameron organized it.” Willow smiled faintly. “That doesn’t surprise me, actually. The year I had Aiden in my class, he constantly talked about his big brother.”

“He’s always been a good kid.” Michael tipped his head to the side. “You’re not telling Drew Danny was sneaking around?”

“No. No one is getting hurt. I’m sorry if you’re still angry with me about that—” Willow paused as Michael came towards her, then walked past her to leave the room. “Michael—”

“I don’t know what you want from me,” her husband said, turning back to face her. “I trusted you, and it was a mistake. If you think I knew Danny was here and wasn’t telling you, well, I didn’t. But I wouldn’t have told you.”

“Michael—”

“Jason raised me every much as my mother or Sonny,” Michael added. “Maybe more. His kids are my family. I haven’t always been able to be there for them or Jason, but he came to me for help, and I couldn’t do it. Look what happened, Willow. Scout was ripped from her home, Dante and Rocco moved out, and Sam lost both her kids—”

“I think assaulting Elizabeth probably had something to do with it—”

“Because Scout and Danny were already gone. Danny — that’s different. But Scout?” Michael shook his head. “That’s on you. Because we both knew what Drew was going to do. So, thanks for not snitching on Danny yesterday. It was literally the least you could do. What more do you want from me?”

Webber House: Living Room

Elizabeth picked up a pillow from the ground, and frowned when she saw Cameron exiting the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in his hand. “Are you sure you want to eat before we leave for the airport?”

Cameron hesitated,  stopping just before he reached the stairs, and behind him, Jake nearly crashed into his back. “Hey, what the—”

“About the airport.”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, dropped the pillow to the sofa. “What about the airport?” she said in a tone that could have frozen a tropical rain forest.

“I’m not going.”

Jake slowly stepped back, deciding the best place for him was out of his mother’s sight. He knew that look. He knew that the sound in her voice.

“Yes, you are.” Elizabeth lifted her chin. “Go upstairs and get your things.”

“I’m not going,” Cameron repeated. He set the cereal bowl on the shelf by the stairs. “I’m not twelve, Mom. You can’t make me.”

“Cameron Steven Webber.”

“Elizabeth Imogene Webber.”

Before Jake could appropriately process that his brother had just used his mother’s full name in response to his full name, the door behind them opened, and Jason came in, followed by Danny and Aiden.

“Hey, sorry, we’re late,” Jason began, then stopped when he sensed the tension in the room and stand off between Cameron and Elizabeth. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. We’re leaving for the airport in fifteen minutes, Cameron.”

“It’ll be a wasted trip,” Cameron replied pleasantly. “I cancelled my return ticket.”

“Oh, damn,” Aiden breathed, his eyes wide.

“Go upstairs,” Jason told the younger boys who’d come in with grocery bags. “Just leave them there—”

“But—” Danny began, but Aiden just shook his head. He set his two bags on the ground, and, with his head bowed, hurried across the room. Danny reluctantly followed suit, and their footsteps thudded up to the second floor.

“I already emailed my professors,” Cameron continued, “and they know I’m missing classes. It’s fine. I’m only missing one lab and my grade can handle that—”

“We’ll get another ticket at the counter.”

“Mom, it’s not happening. I’m staying—”

“Cameron, we had an agreement,” Jason said, his tone quiet but firm. “Every other weekend—”

“That was before I found out about Tuesday.” Cameron folded his arms, watched Jason’s expression tense, and his mother’s mouth twitched but she didn’t look away.

“What’s Tuesday?” Jake asked, brow furrowed.  “Your hearing, right? The motion to dismiss. The one Diane said—” He went still. “The one Diane said weeks ago she’d be able to win. Is—is that not happening—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Elizabet interrupted. “I asked you for one thing, Cameron. To stay at school and finish out the year—”

“Yeah, and I was willing to do that when I thought we were all being honest with each other. We’re not.” Cameron looked at Jake. “I was at the Quartermaines yesterday. Joss said the FBI was at the crime scene again. And Mom and Jason were talking about Tuesday like it was the end of the goddamn world yesterday morning. The FBI found something, didn’t they?”

Elizabeth closed her eyes, pressed both hands to her face. “Cameron.”

“That’s a yes. You don’t have to tell me what. I don’t actually care. It’s bullshit since you’re not guilty. But the feds don’t give a shit about that. Are they going after your bail?”

“What? They can’t do that,” Jake said before Jason or Elizabeth could. “She’s doing everything they asked—”

“If they think she’s going to run—they can petition to revoke. Which means Mom goes back to jail for months. Until the trial.”

“Cameron—” Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I’ve been making plans in case this goes badly, I promise. I told you—you and Jake — your futures stay on track. Stanford graduation in May, Spain—” she looked at Jake. “None of that goes away.”

“Except you’re in jail and I’m three thousand miles away from my brother. And don’t tell me Jason’s here to take care of things,” Cameron added before Elizabeth could say anything. “I like you, and I’m glad you’re here now, but you’ve been here before,” he told Jason. “Jake and Danny didn’t stop you from faking your death and splitting for two years. I’m not trusting you with my brothers’ futures.”

“Cameron,” Elizabeth said sharply, and he looked back at her, his eyes sober and serious.

“I love you, Mom. You know that. But I’m not a kid anymore. You want to give Jason guardianship of Aiden, that’s fine. But you’re putting me as the back up.”

“No, I’m not—”

“You are. Because if Jason doesn’t stick around, Aiden ends up with Grandma Laura who thought trying to free the sick psycho who tried to kill Trina was a great idea. Or with his worthless father. That’s not happening. You want me to go back to Stanford? Fine. Put me as Aiden’s second choice for guardian and I’ll go back after your hearing on Tuesday.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam paced the length of the penthouse, rubbing her arms. “I don’t know what to do, Mom. Dante said Rocco wants to move back in—” She looked back at her mother, sitting at the dining table with Sam’s custody paperwork sprawled across the surface. “And I want him back home. But I don’t know if that’s the right choice with Rocco’s history.”

“Or the fact that Rocco expressed a distinct and intense dislike for you.”

“Don’t remind me.” Sam stopped at the doors to the balcony, watching the rain fall outside. “Dante thinks it’s guilt about Lulu. And how I handled Jason’s return.” She made a face. “You probably agree with Rocco about the way I treated Danny.”

“My opinion on that isn’t relevant,” Alexis said. “But I think any change in your living status has to be weighed appropriately. The judge was concerned about the tension between Danny and Rocco. Has that changed since then?”

“I don’t know. Neither of them have been in school, remember? Danny’s supposed to go back tomorrow.” Sam picked at the cuticle of her thumbnail. “And Rocco’s suspended another week. I don’t think they’ve even spoken to each other.”

“And Scout’s removal was predicated upon Rocco and Danny’s substance abuse. Danny’s taking steps to mediate that with counseling. What about Rocco?”

Sam made a face. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“You—” Alexis stopped, then slid her reading glasses back on, turning her attention back to the paperwork. “I don’t know what advice to give—”

“Say what you were going to say.”

“What?”

“Don’t play stupid with me, Mom. What were you going to say about Rocco?”

Alexis sighed, looked at her daughter with weary eyes. “I wasn’t. I was going to say it about you. This is a child who has lived in your home for nearly two years. You were in a stepmother role to him. He’s suffered a similar to loss of a parent that your son did. And you know that he’s been acting out, lashing out just like Danny. And your only concern for Rocco is how it affects you.”

Sam huffed. “Oh, okay. So it’s another round about what a selfish bitch I am. That’s great.”

Alexis removed her reading glasses and slid them back in her case, then began to gather her paperwork. “Well, if the shoe fits, you ought to get used to it. Because it’s the truth.”

“Excuse me?”

Her mother got to her feet. “You’re being a selfish bitch,” Alexis said. “Stop it. Or you’re going to end up staying the way you are now. Alone and miserable.”

Webber House: Living Room

With Cameron’s ultimatum still lingering in his ears, Jason stepped forward, a hand held up as if it would stop mother and son from continuing to rip into each other. “I don’t think this is solving anything—”

“There’s nothing to solve. Cameron’s going back to California tonight. If he wants to have a conversation about his brother’s future, he can do that. Next weekend,” Elizabeth added when Cameron scowled. “Because you might want to think you’re grown, having this conversation with me right now but waiting until the last minute because you’re going to force it to be your way isn’t exactly convincing me you’d be the right person to look after your brother. If it became necessary, which it won’t. Go upstairs and get your things. Now.”

“I’m not going, Mom. There’s no conversation that’s going to change my mind.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth to retort, and Jason put a hand on her forearm. “Let’s just take a few minutes to talk, okay?” he asked. He looked at Cameron and Jake. “Put away the groceries. We’ll back.”

He pulled open the front door, and Elizabeth stalked past him, going down to the curb and yanking open the SUV door. Jason hesitantly followed, climbing into the driver’s side.

“I’m not having this argument in public. You have no right to get in between me and Cameron—”

“Normally, no, and you know I wouldn’t,” Jason interrupted her. “But his problem is with me, and you can’t ignore that.”

“Oh, so I’m a bad mother, now?”

“No one’s —” Jason flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Don’t do that. Don’t jump six feet ahead to something no one said.  Nothing Cameron said was wrong, and you know it. There’s a very real chance they’re going to try to put you back in jail after the hearing.”

Elizabeth looked away, but he could see her lip trembling in the reflection of the window. “He’s going to screw up his whole future—”

“He won’t. He’s worried that he can’t count on me to take care of Aiden. And he’s right to worry.”

“What?” Elizabeth’s head whipped back. “How can you say that—”

“Because for his entire life, Cameron’s been listening and watching me make promises to him and to you that I haven’t kept,” Jason said quietly.

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, then stared straight ahead, out the windshield. But she remained silent.

“And he’s right. I threw away years with Jake. Not just the last two. But all the ones I lost believing he was better, safer away from me,” Jason continued. “Cameron doesn’t have a problem with me, but he doesn’t trust me. I don’t get to run from the mistakes I made. I have to deal with them. You’ve forgiven me, but we both know you shouldn’t have.”

Elizabeth shook her head, flicked at an errant tear. “You don’t get to tell me what I should do. You know better.” She leaned her head back against the seat rest. “I can’t let him give up his future to take care of his brothers. It’s not his job. Or his responsibility.”

“He won’t have to. You heard him. He’ll stay for your hearing on Tuesday, and you’ll make him a backup guardian for Aiden. He’ll go back if you do that, Elizabeth. It’s up to me to make sure he doesn’t need to worry about it. Unless you don’t trust me to stay either.”

Written in 60 minutes.

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Saturday, September 28, 2024

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Sonny scratched the edge of his brow, wincing as the guard closed the door leaving him alone with his surprise guest. “Uh, I thought we were avoiding each other until this was all over.”

“We are.” Jason’s eyes swept over the familiar space, though it looked very different than the last time he’d been inside the penthouse. “I told Wally at the front desk that I was here to see Sam.”

“Oh. Right.” Sonny frowned towards the door. “I never see her. Or the kids. Not that there are any over there anymore, so I guess I mostly forget she’s even there.” He focused on Jason. “What happened? Has to be something big if you’re taking the chance of coming to me directly. And might explain Carly’s visit earlier.”

“Carly?” Jason echoed. “What did she want?”

“Oh, she’s worried you’re going to do something stupid like confess to get Elizabeth out of these charges.” Sonny had already crossed to the mini bar and missed the wince that crossed Jason’s expression. “I’m not saying you wouldn’t do that, but we’re not even at the trial yet.” He turned, lifted a brow. “So what’s happening?”

“The FBI searched the boat house again. And the woods around it.” Jason walked towards the windows that overlooked downtown. “They found the fourth bullet.”

Sonny grimaced, poured himself a bourbon. “The one that will match the gun from the trunk definitively, I’m guessing.”

“Probably.”

“That’s…not great, but you had to know that was a possibility.” Sonny joined him at the window. “You’re still months away from trial. Anything could happen between now and then—”

“Elizabeth was let out on bail after being charged with the murder of a federal agent.”

“And with you as the custodian so they could keep you under tight surveillance.” Sonny sipped his drink. “I may not be talking to you, but I’m keeping my hand in to know what’s going on. It was a gamble for Diane to name you, but she knew the Feds would never be able to resist the chance to catch you or Elizabeth red-handed. What’s changed?”

“There’s nothing to catch us in. We’re innocent. I don’t know what the hell happened to John Cates,” Jason bit out. “Other than he was trying to set me up for something. The Feds aren’t getting what they want from her out on bail. The bullet changes her flight risk. The gun goes from consistent to —”

“An almost certain match.” Sonny’s mouth tightened. “You think they’ll file to revoke the bail and put her back in jail.”

“I think it’s a possibility. So does she. They moved her into federal custody, Sonny, when they could have left her in Port Charles for the bail hearing. They did it to isolate her from me, from the boys. From everyone. They wanted to scare her into flipping on me. And they went after Jake and Danny. Questioning neighbors, the school — Sam let them question Danny.”

“Probably felt like she had no choice with Dante involved.” Sonny set the tumbler back on the mini bar. “You think they’re back to their first plan. Isolating and scaring the crap out of her until she tells whatever she knows.”

“Yeah. The FBI wants blood for what happened to the Pikeman investigation, and I don’t think care much if it’s mine or Valentin’s anymore.” Jason waited a beat. “You said you’re keeping your hand in. Do you know anything that Diane or Spinelli wouldn’t? Something I can work with—”

“There’s nothing to know. There’s not,” Sonny insisted when Jason scowled. “I had Brick pull Cates’ files — you know, the ones the FBI refuses to turn over to Diane. I thought we’d find something in there I could, you know—” He wiggled his hand. “Slip to her in some sort of safe way. But Cates had a pretty normal caseload. We couldn’t find anything that would explain the way Elizabeth’s been set up.”

Jason’s brows drew together. “What? What does that mean?”

“It’s not just that someone shot the bastard, Jase. Someone shot him, then dumped the gun in Elizabeth’s trunk. And they did it within days of the murder. This isn’t someone who came to town and then watched everyone for a while to get the rhythm of things. Elizabeth isn’t an obvious target for a frame job. On paper, she’s mostly clean. That business with Esme Prince a few years ago — no one really knows all the details outside the inner circle. Most people think Cassadine threatened her into cooperating and that’s why she turned on him. Might be why the Feds think she’d turn on you. She had a long history with him, too.”

“Maybe, but—”

“You’re talking about someone who knows Elizabeth can be used against you. Now that? Sort of common knowledge. If you’re in our world. But who would know you and her are around each other enough that it makes sense you’d put the gun in her car? You only started seeing Jake and Danny regularly these last few weeks.”

“I—” Jason blinked. “I didn’t think about it that way.”

“I’ve been thinking about it since Carly showed up here earlier. Talking about how you’d confess to protect Elizabeth, and we both know that’s a choice you’re rolling around in your head. Because Carly and me watched you do it for Michael. And what you did to protect Carly.” Sonny picked up his drink again. “People who know you, Jason, they know you’ll put yourself on the line for the people who matter. But most of the world thinks you’re Jason Morgan, violent thug. Who thinks that putting a gun in Elizabeth’s trunk is going to get you to confess? Because that’s what they want. You to confess and close this case so people stop looking.”

Jason exhaled slowly, then sank onto the sofa. Put his head in his hands. “I knew before I came back if I got the chance, I wanted to be done with all of this. I wanted to be out. I threw away years with my boys because of this life. Because of the danger and violence. I threw away a life with Elizabeth for it.” He lifted his head, looked at Sonny. “I thought I was done. That I was out. But it’s just another kind of danger, isn’t it? Because the Feds are never going to leave me alone. We get Elizabeth out from under this, Pikeman’s still going to be out there. There’s always going to be someone who wants to use her, use my kids—” He grimaced looked away.

“Don’t do that. Don’t talk yourself into confessing to something you didn’t do because the Feds are corrupt bitches,” Sonny said flatly. “You’ll just piss me off. Elizabeth will never forgive you. You’re lucky she’s even given you a chance after all this time. And Jake and Danny? They’re not going to understand.”

“Jake needs his mother with him. And Danny—” Jason hesitated, then took a deep breath. “Sam will calm down. She’ll figure things out if I’m not around. She’s a better mother when I’m not—”

“Bullshit.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Jason shot back to his feet. “The choices I’ve made — they’re always going to follow me—”

“So fucking what?” Sonny demanded. “I’ll tell you what I should have told you twenty years ago if I’d had the chance. Those choices follow you — and the people around you, they get to decide if they want to sign up for that. You think Elizabeth doesn’t know exactly what she’s in for when she hooks up with you for the fifteenth time? The same woman who took on the whole world to save your worthless life when she was eighteen years old?”

“We have children—”

“Yeah. You do. Two great boys who love you, despite how hard you’ve tried to throw that away. And they get to decide if not having you around is what they want. You’re gonna stand there and tell me you think Danny is better off without you?” Sonny demanded.

“I don’t—no. But—”

“Elizabeth has had a thousand chances to walk away from you. She took some of them, sure. And sometimes it was about the danger around you. If she wanted out of this, she’d be out. If she wanted her freedom more than you, she knows plenty about you that the Feds would love to know. Don’t be an idiot, Jason.  Neither of us deserve any of the women in our lives. What does that have to do with anything?”

Quartermaine Estate: Garage Apartment

Trina checked her watch, then went over to look at the driveway leading up to the garage apartment. Cameron had told he was just going to look at the boat house, but he was taking his sweet time, and they were coming up on the time she was supposed to return Scout to the house.

She jolted when there was a knock at the door, and spun around, confused. No one had approached their building from the main house, so—

“Hey—” Willow’s head appeared around the door. “Sorry, it was open, and Drew told me you’d volunteered to look after Scout this morning. He just called because he has to cancel the afternoon meetings, and wanted me to grab her.”

Willow. Coming from the gatehouse behind the garage. Crap. Trina’s heart pounded as she forced herself to smile. “Oh, yeah, she’s um—”

“I don’t want to go back there!” Scout cried, leaping up from behind the sofa where she and Danny had dropped down at the knock on the door. “You can’t make me!”

“Why are you—” Willow frowned, then took a few steps forward and grimaced. She closed the door. “Danny. I can see the top of your head.”

Danny slowly rose to his feet, gripping the back of the sofa. “You can’t tell Drew I was here.”

“I—”

“You can’t make me go with you. Especially if you’re going to tell on me,” Scout cut in before Willow could say anything. “I won’t go.”

Sensing disaster was imminent, Trina stepped between Willow and the younger children. “Hey. Can we talk in the hallway for a minute—”

“I—”

“Great.” Trina took Willow’s arm and because the older woman was taken by surprise, Trina was able to steer her backwards, yanking the door open.

“Trina, what are you doing with Danny here?” Willow hissed when Trina had closed the door. “Drew was very clear that he didn’t want Scout to be around—”

“Her brother? Her stepbrother? Come on, Willow. You and I both know he’s just trying to save face. He doesn’t want anyone to connect him to bad things, which is wild since I remember the time he was cosplaying a mob enforcer.” Trina folded her arms. “You can’t tell him.”

“He deserves to know what’s going on with his daughter—”

“Danny used to be his kid, too. Did you know that? No, because you weren’t really around back then. I was,” Trina added. “When Drew was acting like a real person. Even after he found out about the memory switching, and Jason was back, Drew loved Danny and Jake like they were his own kids. And then his plane went down, and he came back like a zombie. Okay? Danny’s not just some stranger off the street. Drew raised him. For years.”

Willow swallowed hard. “I — I hadn’t thought about that. It seems like a lifetime ago—”

“Because you were an adult when it happened. Danny was three when Drew found out he was supposed to be Jason. And then seven when Drew disappeared in that plane crash. Scout’s age. Can you imagine how Danny feels with the way Drew walks around talking about him? Like he’s some kind of dangerous animal who’s gonna hurt his sister. Danny’s made mistakes, Willow. Does that mean he doesn’t get to have his sister in his life?”

Willow nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay. All right. I won’t say anything. But Scout has to come with me or Drew will have questions, okay? We can’t have him wondering why when he knows how much Scout usually enjoys hanging out with her cousins.”

“All right, fine. Thank you. This sucks for everyone. All I’m trying to do is make it a little better.”

Bobbie’s Diner: Dining Room

Jake snagged the brown bag with his order from the counter and turned, only to wish he’d gone anywhere else for lunch. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Jake.” Sam stepped up to the counter, nodded at the waitress who went in the back to pick up her order. “I—I’m glad we ran into each other.”

Jake squinted, considered all the responses that sprang to his lips and decided this wasn’t really the best time for any of them. “That makes one of us. Excuse me—”

“Wait—” Sam snagged his arm, and Jake twisted out of her grasp. “Please. I just—I wanted to check on Danny—”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have been such a bitch when you had your visitation,” Jake said, turning to face her. “Actions have consequences, you know. That’s my mother always says. You know my mother, right? You tried to have her arrested last week?” he continued, enjoying the way Sam closed her eyes, wincing. “Yeah, karma’s a bitch, I know. Can I go now—”

“I’m sorry. I am. I wasn’t thinking when any of that happened, okay? I didn’t think about your mother’s case—”

“Why do you think I care what you have to say?” Jake demanded. He stepped closer to her. “You don’t like me. I always knew that, by the way. You hated me. Now we don’t have to pretend anymore.”

“I never hated you,” Sam insisted. “Please. Not you. You’re a good kid. You are. And you’ve been a good brother to Danny. You know that I believe that or I would have done more to keep you apart. It’s just—”

“My existence,” Jake finished, and Sam winced again. “You hate the fact that I exist. Which is an insane thing to say to me after seventeen years. You think that matters. That you  hate the idea of me, and not the person. Maybe it helps you sleep at night, I don’t know. But you’re the one that has to live with that, not me. I’m just sorry for Danny.”

“I love him—”

“You love the idea of him,” Jake corrected, almost sarcastically. “The miracle baby you always called him, right? The one you weren’t supposed to have, your chance to be a mother. Because that’s all that matters to you. Being a mother. Not Danny. But don’t worry about him, Sam. Because I’m going to be here for him. Me, my brothers, and when we figure out how to make it happen, we’ll be there for Scout, too. Because Danny knows who you are now.” He smirked. “Good luck with that.”

Webber House: Living Room

The house was empty when Cameron and Danny returned early that afternoon. “I don’t know where your dad is,” Cam said, dropping his keys on the table. “But Jake’s out getting lunch, so you think you can stay out of trouble for a little while? I’ve got some work to do upstairs.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to get homework done before I go back on Monday,” Danny said, following Cameron towards the stairs. “You sure you don’t want your room—”

“Nah, man, I told you.” They reached the landing on the third floor. “I don’t mind sharing with Jake right now. You need your space. Get your work done. I’ll talk to you later.”

When Danny had disappeared into Cameron’s room, Cameron snagged his laptop from the charger and sat on Jake’s bed.

He flexed his fingers and then pulled up his email account.

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

I am writing to let you know I will be missing class on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Some family business came up while I was home, and I need to stay longer. Can you tell me who I should contact in the event that I need to take a longer absence from classes?

Written in 71 minutes.

---

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Webber House: Stairwell

are we all set

On the third floor, Cameron sat on the top step, and sent the text, hoping that it wasn’t too early. Then again, this was Trina who was usually up by dawn—

operation reunification is officially on but you gotta be here before 10 drew’s supposed to have new nanny interviews at 1 and i promised to have scout back up at the house do not get me evicted.

please everyone in that house hates that man they’ll probably throw you a parade.

Trina didn’t reply with words, but sent him an emoji that had him grinning. At least there were some people in Port Charles he could still count on. She’d worked her magic to steal Scout away from the main house for a few hours — and Cameron had his excuse to head over to the Quartermaines.

He had his own reasons for wanting to help Danny, though he mostly did want to see the kid reunite with his sister. He knew what it was like to be apart from his brother, and those years without Jake couldn’t be easily fixed.

He responded to Trina’s emoji, then started to stand — but then heard a door on the floor below him open and close — and voices that weren’t Aiden’s heading towards the stairs.

“I don’t know what else we can do,” his mother was saying, and Cameron had to edge closer to the railing to hear the rumble of Jason’s voice responding — he didn’t have years of eavesdropping to rely on where Jason was concerned.

“I’m going to….Spinelli.”

“I thought you called him last night.”

Cameron crept down one step, careful to keep close to the wall so that he’d remain out of view of his mother and Jason, but might be able to hear them better.

“I did,” Jason replied. “And he didn’t really have anything. But maybe—”

“I know you’ve been trying to keep your distance, but maybe—there’s nothing Sonny knows?”

There was some silence, and Cameron crept down another step. What was the deal with Sonny, he wondered, and had Jason really stopped working for the guy? It seemed almost impossible.

“I haven’t talked to him since this started. He didn’t know anything then—but maybe—”

“I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do—”

“No, no. You’re right. Spinelli needs to stay clean. I can’t just sit around and wait for Tuesday.”

The voices moved and Cameron realized they were going downstairs. He nearly followed them, but he felt glued to the step, the wood seeping through the sweatpants he’d worn to sleep.

Tuesday was his mother’s next court date. The motion to dismiss that didn’t seem like it was going to dismiss anything. And his mother’s tone had seemed a bit more…anxious than the last time she’d spoken about any of this.

But maybe his mother had been doing what she’d always done best. Put on a brave  front to pretend everything was just fine.

What were they so worried about on Tuesday?

Penthouse: Living Room

“You’re the last person I expected today,” Sam said, stepping back to let Dante into the living room. “I thought…unless—” she closed the door, then turned to face him with dread. “Are you here to pick up more of your things?”

“No. I mean, not unless—” Dante folded his arms, then sat on the arm of the sofa. “I thought we should talk after taking a few days to….sort things out.”

Sam tipped her head, squinted her eyes. “Sort things out? Is that what we were doing?”

“I don’t know. I’m not really sure how to describe anything that’s happened in the last few weeks. The last few months.” Dante scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I know what happened between Rocco and Danny screwed things up for you in court—”

“I’d done myself no favors going into those hearings, and you know that. I…” Sam pressed her lips together. “I knew I was falling into those old, awful habits — into that mindset where I had to compete with Elizabeth to be the best—” She blew out a frustrated breath. “It was like watching a horror movie, and starring in it all at the same time. I could see myself going over the edge, and losing it, and not being able to stop it. Even now, knowing that’s what I was doing —” She made a face. “As long as Danny’s in her house, I’m not even sure I’ll be able to stop myself now.”

“I understand that—”

Sam just shook her head. “You say that, but we both know you don’t. I don’t even understand it. I don’t need to compete with her. She doesn’t have anything I want.  I need you to believe me when I say that — I don’t want to be with Jason. I don’t love him anymore, and I don’t miss the person I was with him. The live we had together. I don’t, Dante.”

“I do believe you—”

“And I don’t—” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s a better mother than me—”

“She’s been a mother longer than you, Sam. Cameron is almost ten years older than Danny. She’s had three teenagers. You’ve just had Danny. I’ve only had Rocco,” Dante reminded her, and Sam smiled faintly. “It’s experience. She’s got it, and we don’t.”

“That—” Sam brushed her fingertips against her mouth. “I hadn’t really thought about it that way. It doesn’t feel like I’ve done everything right with Danny. Every word, every choice, every idea we tried, it felt like the wrong one. And with Rocco—”

“We were in trouble before we even knew it. But that’s why I’m here. Rocco’s—he wants to come back.”

“Here?” Sam asked, her brows lifting. “You’re joking. He ran away from here—”

“It wasn’t about you. Not really. I mean, a little bit. But it was mostly me. I—I should have done more to help him get through what’s happened with Lulu. He’s messed up about that. And he resented you for keeping Danny from his dad when he sees Jason coming back as the miracle he doesn’t get to have with his mother. It just—it got out of control.” Dante got to his feet and came a few feet towards her. “But I think if we work together, we can get this back on track.”

“I just…” Sam bit her lip, shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t know. I don’t trust any choice I make right now. And the last thing I want to do is upset Rocco more.” Her eyes filled. “But I miss you. I miss all of you, and the life we thought we had. I don’t know if we can get it back, but God, I want to try. Can we please—can we please try?”

Dante’s thumb brushed her jaw as he cradled her face. “We’re going to have something better. I promise. I’m not letting go of you or the family I know we can have.”

Quartermaine Estate: Garage Apartment

Trina pulled the door open even as Danny raised his hand to knock, and then a small body barreled past her.

“Danny!” Scout clung to her brother, and Danny dropped to his knees to hug her more tightly.

“Okay, maybe we get through the doorway so we can keep this quiet,” Cameron said, edging around the pair. He flashed a grin at Trina. “Still the best friend a guy could ask for.”

“You know me,” she said, hugging him. “I’d do anything for you. Even if it’s slightly illegal.”

“Thank you,” Danny said, standing up, and holding his sister’s hand, gripping it tightly. “This is really—” He dropped his eyes, but his voice sounded a little thick. “This is seriously the best. I needed—” He stopped, shook his head.

Scout leaned against her brother. “I missed you,” she told him. “I want to go home. Can we go home now?”

“Not yet,” Danny said. He led her over to the sofa, helped her to sit down. “I got into some trouble, and it got a little crazy. So we can’t go home yet. But I promise you. We’ll figure out how to see each other more.”

Still by the door, Trina looked at Cameron with slightly worried eyes. “I’m not sure I can make this happen a lot. If Drew caught me—”

“He can’t do anything to you—”

“You think that, but he’s running for political office. And he’s, like, winning in the polls for some reason,” she added. “You might not think that carries weight, but it might. We might need to think of other ways. Or maybe a lawyer. Can’t there be some kind of demand for visitation? It seems so crazy they can just separate siblings like this.”

“I thought about talking to Drew,” Cameron admitted, “but Jake told me he’s like a different man. Not the guy we knew when we were younger.”

“He’s cold. And harsh. Unforgiving. Which is why I wanted to help you get Danny and Scout in the same room.” Trina looked back at the pair. “I don’t have siblings, but I’d like to think if someone was trying to keep me apart from them, I’d do whatever I could to stop it.” She returned her gaze to Cameron. “You’d never let Drew stop you from seeing your brothers.”

“No, I wouldn’t. We’ll think of something, Treen.” He hesitated. “I’ll be back in a little bit. There’s something I wanted to take care of while I was here. You’re okay with them?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll text you if we need to do a quick get away.”

Harborview Towers: Corinthos Penthouse

Carly made a face as she breezed through the front door. “Have I ever told you I hate what you’ve done with this place?”

“Repeatedly.” Sonny turned away from the windows and sighed. “You know, I have guards for a reason—”

“Please.” Carly tossed her bag on the sofa, and folded her arms. “I want to know what you’re doing to get this stupid case dismissed.”

“Case?” Sonny tilted his head. “What case?”

“No, don’t do that—” Carly pointed a finger at him. “Don’t pretend that I’m stupid. I’m doing everything I can to help Jason, but he’s not asking me for very much, so I need you to give me something to do or at least tell me you’ve got something that will help—”

“Uh, I hate to disappoint you—well, that’s not true,” Sonny corrected. “It’s my favorite hobby—”

“Sonny.”

“I’m not doing anything.” Sonny sat on the sofa. “Jason made it very clear that he needs any evidence to be completely clean and above board. I can’t get involved—”

“Oh, bullshit. Since when have you taken orders from Jason?” Carly erupted.

“About the same time you started listening when he tells you to stay out of his business. Looks like we’re both trying out some new ideas.”

She pressed her lips together, counted to ten, then planted her hands on her hips. “Do you understand that the FBI doesn’t want Elizabeth, they want Jason? Please tell me you know that.”

“I do. And they have no evidence against him—”

“No, they just have Elizabeth’s freedom dangling over him like a goddamn carrot. Just like they did with me. What dumb thing did Jason do to get me out of trouble even when I didn’t know or want him to?” Carly demanded. “The Feds want him to confess to get her out of this. They want Jason’s head on a pike. Just like whoever put that damn gun in her car.”

Sonny went still. “What?”

“Please,” Carly snorted. “No one wanted to frame Elizabeth Webber for murder. But Jason’s got a playbook with this sort of thing, you know? Michael went to jail, Jason confessed to protect him. I got himself into trouble, Jason played dead to work for the Feds. Everyone knows Jason sacrifices himself for the people around him. The Feds know it because they’ve already done it. So whoever did this to Elizabeth is after Jason. And we need to stop him before he does something stupid like confess to a crime he didn’t commit.”

Sonny exhaled slowly, then rose to his feet, looking a bit shaken. “You’re right. Who—whoever did this had to know Jason would sacrifice his own freedom to keep Elizabeth out of jail.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “But that doesn’t change what you and I need to do.”

“What?” Carly’s hands fell to her sides. “Sonny—”

“Jason asked us to stay out of it. He’s trusting Diane, and we’ve never had a reason not to trust her either, have we?” he asked, pointedly. Carly grimaced, then shook her head. “So we stay out of it.”

“Oh, okay, easy for you to say. You didn’t even miss Jason when he was gone. You don’t even miss him now. But I did and I’m not going to sit around while someone is trying to destroy his life. Shame on you, Sonny, for not having Jason’s back when he needs you the most.”

She yanked up her bag, then stalked towards the door. When it slammed, Sonny released a shaky breath and shook his head.

Of course. Whoever had done this wanted it to go away quietly. And what was more quiet than a confession and a closed case?

But it couldn’t be — it couldn’t have happened the way he’d feared. It wasn’t possible.

It couldn’t be.

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

How many times had he come to the lake, Cameron wondered, standing just beyond the door, staring at wood, still stained dark with the blood of the man his mother was accused of murdering.

They hadn’t done anything to remove the staining, and after nearly a month, it would be impossible. Maybe the Quartermaines would rip the deck out when this was all over—

“They released the crime scene this week.”

Cameron turned and saw Joss coming out of the woods, down the pathway from the garage house. He said nothing as she approached, climbed up the steps.

“They had tape here until the FBI came and searched again. I guess—” Joss folded her arms. “I guess they didn’t have a reason to hold on to it anymore.”

Cameron just shook his head and started to walk past her, but she caught his arm.

“Is it always going to be like this, Cam?”

He turned, looked at her, searching her eyes for any hint of the girl he’d grown up with, fallen in love with, the one who had broken him into bits and crushed them into the ground.

And found no evidence she’d ever existed. “What did you expect, Joss?”

She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know — but it’s been almost two years —”

“Yeah, it has.” He gently lifted her hand from his arm, then dropped it. “Which means I don’t think about you anymore. You should understand that better than anyone.”

She huffed. “What does that mean?”

“You stopped thinking about me a long time ago, Joss. At least I can say I waited until we broke up to get into bed with someone else.” He lifted his brows. “I don’t even think you bothered to shower between us.”

His head snapped hard to the side, his cheek stinging from where her hand had struck it.  He touched the skin, then looked at her, smiled faintly. “Nothing ever changes for you, does it, Josslyn? I come here to see the place that’s destroying my mother’s life and you’re looking for, what? Closure? Redemption?” He smirked. “You’re still the star of the show. But I’m done buying tickets.”

Written in 60 minutes.

---

Friday, September 27, 2024

Bobbie’s Diner: Kitchen

Danny set the plastic tub of dishes on the counter with a grunt, and made a face at Carly standing by the walk-in freezer, making notes on a clipboard. “Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do? This is disgusting.”

“Everyone starts as a bus boy,” Carly said not even lifting her eyes. “Even Joss.”

“Ugh.” Danny unloaded the dishes into the dishwasher, then rinsed the rub. “Don’t you, like, own a huge hotel? You don’t have to baby sit me here.”

“I had to run inventory anyway, and, from what I’ve heard—” Carly finally looked at him, smirked. “You could use some supervision. I told your dad I’d keep you out of trouble and I owe him more than I ever repay, so—”

“He was gone two years because of you,” Danny interrupted flatly, and Carly closed her mouth. “You’re the reason the FBI forced him into that deal. My mom told me.”

Carly didn’t respond right away, and Danny shifted his weight slightly. He hadn’t meant to say anything — hadn’t really known he was going to bring it up at all. But it was out of his mouth now, and in the world, so there really wasn’t anything he could do about it.

She laid the clipboard down on the shelf, carefully capping the pen she’d used, then looked at him, her eyes calm and steady. “There’s truth in that statement. I made a mistake, and the FBI used that as leverage against your father. I didn’t ask him to. I didn’t know he had done it. Like you, Danny, I thought Jason was dead, too. And when I found out what he’d done, I was furious. He had no right to do that to all of us. Did your mother tell you that part? That she was the one to tell me?”

Danny pressed his lips together, dropped his eyes. “No,” he muttered.

“No, because that doesn’t serve her narrative. You should know that by now. Sam never tells the full story. Not when it does serve the one she made up in her head.” Carly tipped her head. “Your father and I have known each other for a long time, and he’s always been someone I can to turn to. Someone I can depend on, almost without question. Even when I’ve done something that might be unforgivable, Jason never turned his back on me. It’s a gift to have someone like that in your life. But it’s also a responsibility to have someone who loves you like that. I didn’t respect it. And I abused it. And somewhere along the line, Jason decided it was his job—his responsibility to save me. To save my kids. He shouldn’t have taken the deal, Danny. He knows that.”

She waited, and when Danny said nothing, she continued. “But he would have done it for anyone he loved it. He put himself on the line over and over again for the people around him. For me, for Sonny, our children. For your mother. For Elizabeth. And all of us abused that relationship at some point.” Carly sighed. “I can’t go back and be a better friend to your dad, Danny. I wish I could. But all I can do is be one today. He asked me to keep an eye on you, and that’s what I’m going to do. Table 3 needs to be cleared.”

Highway 481

There was nothing but road stretched ahead of them, trees bordering the two lane highway, with a patch of grass separating the north and south routes. It was now the third time Elizabeth had taken this drive towards Syracuse — and one she would need to repeat every Friday until this nightmare was over.

“I’m trying not to think about what they find at the Quartermaines,” Elizabeth said, breaking the silence she and Jason had fallen into when they’d left the city limits of Port Charles. “Diane doesn’t think we have to worry about Tuesday, but—” She sighed, looked back out the window. “It’s hard not to.”

“If Diane thought there was a real risk they’d move to vacate your bail—” Jason’s fingers tightened reflexively on the wheel. “She’d tell us.”

“Would she? She’s spent all this time telling us both not to think about this. To let her and Spinelli work, and I’m trying. I am. But—”

“You’re not a flight risk. The same reasons they gave you bail still stand. And Diane said — they wanted you out here so they could get at me—”

“But they’re not getting anything from you,” Elizabeth interrupted, and he sighed. “That only works if there’s something to know. We know nothing. I don’t even know where Spinelli is getting his information.  Or if he knows everything. What if they found something else-”

“What else can they find? You didn’t do it.”

“That doesn’t seem to make a difference so far. All the evidence points right at me,” Elizabeth retorted. “I’m even the height of the shooter—”

“You have an alibi.”

Elizabeth let her head fall back against the seat, and closed her eyes. “People with alibis get convicted all the time. I just…I’m sorry. Ever since we talked to Spinelli, I feel like this—” Her throat felt tight, and she had to force the words. “I feel like there’s this weight on me, like I’m choking, and if I have to back to that jail—I can’t decide if the isolation is better or worse than being with everyone else.”

Jason didn’t respond, but she felt the SUV pick up speed, and she looked over, saw the tension in his expression. “I’m sorry. This is the worst time to have this conversation. I shouldn’t have said anything—”

“No, it’s—” Jason glanced at her quickly before focusing back on the road. “You get to feel however you feel. I’m not telling you how to feel. I just—you’re right. Reynolds put you into federal custody to put pressure on me and the boys, thinking that would make you flip. And they’re not getting what they want having me under surveillance. I’m not working for Sonny, so I can’t offer them anything.”

“They might think it’s worth going back to their first plan. Making me so miserable that I’ll turn state’s witness.” Elizabeth dragged a hand through her hair. “I know trusting Diane is the right thing to do. But I hate not being able to do anything to get myself out of this. And I know this is probably driving you insane, too.” A smile flitted on her face as she studied his profile. “You’re probably itching for someone to punch.”

But Jason didn’t seem to be in the mood to be teased. “I’m going to find a way to make all of this go away, I promise.”

She didn’t have the heart to remind him that it wasn’t something he could control. So she settled for reaching over, laying a hand over one of his on the steering wheel. He released the wheel, brought her hand to his mouth, and kissed the inside of her palm.

“In a few hours, we’ll be done in Syracuse and picking Cam up at the airport,” he reminded her. “And we can go back to ignoring all of this.”

“Sounds like a great plan.”

Penthouse: Living Room

“Hey, stranger,” Molly greeted, breezing past her sister to drop a brown paper bag on the coffee table. “I brought some lunch.”

Sam closed the door and tried to smile. “Found some time in your busy schedule? Aren’t you supposed to be fighting the U.S. government?”

Molly looked down, then sighed. “Well, not anymore. I…recused myself from the case.”

Sam frowned, tilted her head. “What? Why?” Then she grimaced. “Because of me, right? What happened last week? The same reason Dante pulled out.”

“Partly,” Molly said. She folded her arms. “Honestly, none of us were really the best choices to take on this case. We’re all related to the witnesses in the case, and no matter how hard we tried to keep it clean, it was always an issue. But no one was willing to fight—now Robert’s ready to step up, and Chase has the most distance.”

“I guess. It’s not like you to walk away from a fight,” Sam said, sitting on the sofa and reaching for the bag.

“It’s more important that justice gets done than for me to be the one to do it. I trust Robert.” Molly sat next to her sister. “And I feel awful that I haven’t been here for you.”

“Not much you could have done,” Sam said, peeling off the lid from her salad. “Wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“Maybe. But I just—I’ve been avoiding being anywhere Kristina is, and she’s been..glued to your side for the last week.” Molly avoided Sam’s gaze, busied herself with ripping a corner from the packet of salad dressing and drizzling it over her own salad. “Mom promised to keep Kristina occupied today.”

“Mol, you know…you know I’m not taking sides by spending time with Kristina,” Sam told her sister. “It’s not like that—”

“I know. And I really don’t want to talk about any of that—”

“We won’t. I just—” Sam sighed. “I’ve been really selfish. More than I normally am,” she added and Molly smiled faintly. “I know you feel like Mom and I have been more on Kristina’s side with all of us, and I can’t speak for Mom, but I promise you I’m not. I don’t like how she’s handled any of this. But she was…scaring me for a while,” Sam admitted. “And I guess I was worried she’d fall back into some old habits. You know?”

“Trusting the wrong people, getting herself into trouble, I know. The last time she was like this, she hooked up with a cult leader,” Molly replied. “And none of us really pushed to stop that until it was too late. I get it, you and Mom are trying to keep her from going off the rails again. I understand, Sam—”

“That doesn’t make any of this fair to you. At all. I shouldn’t expect you to sit around and be rational because Kristina can’t be.” Sam laid a hand on her sister’s forearm. “I’ve been where you both are. Losing a child you desperately wanted just before they come into the world. Never getting to hold them, to feel the heartbeat—” She stopped, and now Molly reached for her sister’s hand, squeezed it. “Wondering what could have been, wishing it could be different, trying to find someone to blame, it can drive you insane, Mols. And it never goes away. Never. You cling too hard to the people around you, desperate to keep them loving you, destroying yourself, hurting people.”

Molly looked down, but not before Sam caught the sheen of tears in her sister’s eyes. “And you never get over it, not really. You put it in a box, and you try not to think about it. But it comes back. I got to be a mother, you know. I got my miracle babies, and I clung too hard.  I was so desperate to keep Danny and Scout with me that I—” She swallowed hard. “That I went a little crazy. And every time someone or something threatens to take them away, I lose it.”

“Mom’s going to get them back, Sam. You and Mom are going to do what the court told you, and it’s going to be okay—”

“Custody, sure. I’ll get it back. But I can’t fix what I’ve already done. How I’ve already hurt my son.” Sam swiped at her cheek. “But I’m watching you and Kristina deal with the same horror I went through all those years ago, and I hate that I can’t fix it. I can’t make Kristina look past her own pain, or find a way to make you feel safe enough to trust me with yours. Because you won’t. I know it.”

“Sam—”

“And you’re not even wrong to feel that way. Because over and over again, Mom and I put Kristina first. Or Mom’s put me first. So you taught yourself not to need any of us. I’m sorry, Mols. I  can’t—” Sam’s smile was wobbly. “I can’t fix that. I can’t really do anything to help anyone.”

“There’s nothing that can fix this, Sam. I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk about Kristina anymore, please. Can we just—can we eat lunch and just not talk about any of it?”

Bobbie’s Diner: Dining Room

By the afternoon, Danny was miserable. His arms were aching, his feet were burning, and he’d loaded and unloaded the dishwasher so many times he wanted to rip out the cords.

So when Joss and Trina came in after their classes, with laughter and happiness, Danny wanted to throw plates at them.

“Ah, the rite of passage here at Bobbie’s,” Joss said with a bright smile, coming around the counter to pour herself and Trina glasses of soda. “I don’t miss that at all—”

“I hate you,” Danny muttered, picking up another empty tub and heading towards the tables to clear the last of the after school rush.

Trina twisted on the stool as he came around the counter. “Hey, did you talk to Cam about tomorrow yet?”

Danny frowned, one hand lifting a plate in the air. “What?”

“Cam. He’s coming home this weekend,” Trina reminded him. “And he called me.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “It just so happens I snagged myself a babysitting gig tomorrow, so maybe I’ll see you around the estate.”

Port Charles Airport: Entrance Hall

Elizabeth held Cameron in a tight hug a moment longer than normal, letting herself remember when he’d been small enough to lift in her arms and cuddle against her. When had he grown so tall and strong? When had her little boy with the messy curls and sticky fingers become a man?

Cameron kissed the side of her head as she finally released him, then extended a hand to Jason to shake. “My brothers get into any more trouble this week?” he asked Mom. “Other than Jake and Danny getting themselves kicked out of school. Do I have to smack them around?”

“No, none that I know about anyway.” Elizabeth wound her arms through his. “But you know your brothers. There’s still time.”

Written in 33 minutes.

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Friday, September 27, 2024

Chase’s Apartment: Living Room

“I bring little in the way of news, good or bad,” Spinelli said, pulling the strap of his messenger back over his shoulder and setting it on the coffee table. “Some small pieces of movement. Diane finally won her motion to get the car data released to us at the same time the Feds get it, and I’m finally going to get neighbor security footage.”

“That’s good — I’ll check with Robert to make sure we’re copied on all of that.” Chase scribbled a note on a white board. “Getting that car data report to see when that trunk was open will be important.”

“For trial purposes, I need to do analysis to link the GPS records to the trunk records to prove the car was in front of Elizabeth’s house when the trunk was opened — and link with security footage of Kristina at the door.” Spinelli hesitated. “If that’s what happened. I still want to be wrong but it’s the only theory that makes sense.”

“And she’s the same height as Elizabeth, so the bullet trajectory would fit.” Chase turned to Spinelli. “I have an update of my own, but it’s one I need to ask you not to share with anyone, including Diane.”

Spinelli bristled. “What? Why?”

“It’s not illegal,” Chase added quickly, “but brushing on the side of ethics. Diane’s an officer of the court — she’d be bound by the bar to report what I’m about to tell you.”

“Okay,” Spinelli drew out slowly. “You’re the cop, so I’m going to hold you to that. What’s happened?”

“A source in the U.S. Attorney’s Office—” Chase handed Spinelli a folder. “Diane should get a copy of this report sometime next week, but I have the preliminary results of the FBI search today.”

“You have—” Spinelli jerked the folder open, scanned, then exhaled on a slow breath. “The fourth bullet. We half-expected it to be found—but what’s this? A broken heel?”

“The day of the shooting, when Elizabeth and the others came up from the crime scene,” Chase said, “Brook told me later that Elizabeth had broken a shoe running down to the boat house. She remembers it clearly, so she’ll be a good witness.”

“They found a heel between the gardens and the boat house—” Spinelli nodded. “So it supports Elizabeth’s story.”

“The government could still twist it, but when you factor in all the witness statements and Elizabeth’s alibi, it just makes it less likely a jury is going to throw out all the reasons Elizabeth couldn’t have done this.”

“Good for us, but—” Spinelli grimaced. “This says the bullet found is in good shape and should a candidate for testing.”

“I thought you expected that to match?”

“We did—and do. But Diane was able to argue bail because they didn’t have a match. It’s a weak case, so—”

Chase nodded, the realization dawning. “Low flight risk. You make the match to the gun, all of a sudden—”

“Elizabeth has a stronger case to run. Which means they can revisit bail. New evidence, new conditions—” Spinelli slid the folder into his bag. “Diane will have some time to prep, but this just makes it less likely we’ll win the motion to dismiss, and this nightmare is going to keep going. I’ll tell Diane it’s a confidential source for now. She won’t ask any thing else.” He paused. “Your source…you trust them?”

“For now.” Chase paused. “Spinelli, you might lose the motion to dismiss, but we are making progress. We’ve eliminated all the other suspected, we’ve made it but impossible for Elizabeth to have done this—all that’s left is proving who did it, and we’re finally getting those pieces next week. We’re going to fix this. I know it.”

Quartermaine Estate: Family Room

Olivia closed the double doors partially, leaving only a small opening where they could hear the sounds of a video game and voices from Rocco and Scout. She turned to Dante, her arms folded. “I’m not sure there are any right or wrong choices here, Dante. Every option hurts someone.”

“I know. I know.” He paced to the front door, then turned back. “I can’t go back in time and not leave, you know?”

“No, time travel isn’t one of the options.” Olivia tipped her head. “I’m sorry, honey. I feel like I’m not a lot of help. Other than somewhere to rest your head.”

“Just another place I’ve dragged Rocco to. You know, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Maxie needed the space, and we didn’t. I didn’t—I mean, I obviously knew it would be difficult for Rocco—”

“Don’t let the last few weeks overshadow everything that came before,” Olivia told him. “Rocco was happy. He was doing just fine with Sam, and he loved Danny and Scout. This—this all seemed to start last year.”

“When Danny’s grades started to go down.” Dante paused. “Sam was hard on him — she just wanted better for him, you know, but maybe—” He sat on the bottom step. “Maybe it was too much pressure, right? She wanted him to have more choices, more opportunities, not to throw away so many years like she did or Jason did, and Danny just couldn’t live up to it.”

“Rocco feels solidarity with Danny—they start drinking, smoking—” Olivia perched on the step next to him, crossing her arms on her lap. “And maybe it’s working to relieve some of that pressure, you know. Then Danny gets a miracle Rocco could only dream of.”

“He gets his dad back, and Sam won’t let Danny anywhere near him.” Dante looked at his mother. “Yeah, I guess that tracks. He talked about it a little bit. But knowing how we got here — it doesn’t really help to fix it, does it?”

“No—”

“What’s the hell is going on in here?”

The angry adult voice had both rising to their feet just a moment before Drew shoved the door open. “I thought I was very clear that I didn’t want my daughter anywhere near these delinquents,” he bit out.

Rocco came up behind him, his face flushed, eyes glittering. “Hey, don’t you have a felony on your record, asshole?”

Olivia arched a  brow. “Yeah, you said it, Drew. But you weren’t home, and left Scout in the care of whoever lives here. That’s me. And I said she could see him.” She lifted her chin. “Maybe we could take our case to Monica. I wonder how’d she’d feel.”

Drew grimaced, then looked at Rocco. “Stay away from Scout. Come on,” he told his daughter, taking her by the shoulder and lightly pushing her forward. Rocco started to step forward, but Dante was already crossing the foyer to stop his son from following.

“Not a battle we can fight or win today, kid. But he’ll get his. People like him always do.”

Written in 72 minutes. The middle two scenes took longer than I wanted and then I had trouble ending the last scene. Anyway. Enjoy and see you tomorrow!

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Thursday, September 26, 2024

Jake’s Car

Jake waited until they’d pulled out of the driveway for the Davis house before he spoke. “So, how’d it go?”

“Don’t be an asshole.”

“It’s just a question.”

“Whatever.” Danny stared out the window and was quiet until Jake had left the Forest Hills neighborhood, and waited for the light to change so he could make the turn down town. “You didn’t take long to pick me up.”

“Yeah, well—I knew your visit was today, so when I decided to get a coffee after school, I went to the place in your grandmother’s neighborhood. I had a feeling.”

“Oh, so you’re a psychic now?”

“No. I just know you. And I know how we’re alike.” Jake made a turn into a parking lot, then switched off the ignition. “Part of you really wanted to go today. You haven’t seen your mom more than once in almost two weeks and that’s weird for you. You thought you’d go in, and somehow your mom would be all fixed, and it would make sense.”

Danny said nothing, kept his face turned towards the window.

“But you’re also still really pissed your mom put you in this situation. Because if she keeps her hands off my mother, she doesn’t lose the hearing, and maybe you’re back home living there. I went to get a coffee and figured worst case scenario, I’d waste twenty minutes of my life.”

“I picked a fight.” Danny looked at Jake. “It was weird, and it was awkward. Then she started talking about what other people were telling me, and I—I didn’t want to hear it. She thinks Dad and Elizabeth and you just sit around all the time trying to tell me how much my mother sucks and what an evil woman she is—and it’s just not like that. It never was.” He shook his head. “No, once I figured out how much she really hates you and your mom, it all got really clear, you know? She thinks your mom is manipulating me, using me to look good with Dad or something. She can’t even pretend there’s a chance Elizabeth just gives a damn.”

Jake exhaled slowly, stared out the windshield for a beat. “Because she wouldn’t cross the street to help me, even if I were dying.”

“Yeah. I told Grandma that, you know, and I could see her realizing it, too. Maybe she thinks it just about Mom hating Elizabeth because whatever dumbass thing happened back before we were born which I don’t care about. I just don’t. I care about what kind of person my mother is, and it turns out it’s a really shitty one.”

Jake sighed. “Danny, she’s not the worst—”

“She’s not in the top ten maybe, but she’s on the list. Whatever. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Can we just go? I just want to go home.”

Port Charles Municipal Building: Mayor’s Office

“Well, it doesn’t really matter what I think does it?” Laura asked, rounding her desk and reaching for her reading glasses. She peered up at Dante. “You didn’t want to move out in the first place, and Rocco’s giving you the heads up to do that.”

Dante gripped the back of the chair he stood behind. “That’s not fair.”

“Don’t talk to me about fair, Dante. My grandson is tearing apart with guilt because he wants something to change with his mother. For her to wake up or die — this living between—” She gripped the glasses more tightly. “My family went through it for years, but they had no choice but to go on. To keep living. I woke up to my daughter all but grown up, my husband had married someone else, and my sons were nearly unrecognizable to me. Rocco is destroyed, and the only spark he’s had since coming to stay with me is doing something for Scout, and it’s barely a blip. He’s crying out for help, and you’re looking at me for permission to move back in with your girlfriend.”

“Laura—”

“What? Does the truth hurt? Here’s some more.” Laura pushed back, got to her feet. “That girlfriend? Nearly got herself arrested for assaulting my daughter-in-law in front of a child. Her own child! And you think I want to put Rocco anywhere near that?”

Danny exhaled slowly. “I know. I know. Sam went too far—”

“Too far was the day you walked out on my daughter and Rocco to chase ghosts for the WSB. When instead of fighting to stay by her side and be healthy, you chose to leave again. I don’t know why I’m surprised. They say daughters marry their fathers, and you’re proving to be same feckless, useless man Luke was by the time I saw him last.”

Dante dropped his gaze from Laura’s burning blue eyes, the shame and guilt crawling through him. There were no lies in her statement. He’d left Lulu and Rocco, turned his back on their family, and by the time he’d been ready to come home — Lulu had been moving on. And then she was gone.

“You’re right,” Dante said roughly. “You’re right. But no one’s perfect, are they?” He looked at his mother-in-law again. “Didn’t you spend a year trying to fix your grandson’s abuser? If you’d held the ground a little bit, do you think Spencer would still be alive?”

Laura inhaled sharply. “How dare—”

“I mean, if we’re going to blame each other for horrible things that happened to the people we love outside our control—let’s do it. What else can you make my fault? The explosion at the Floating Rib? Sure. The PTSD? Of course, I brought that on myself, didn’t I? You made Spencer live in the same home as the woman who slept with his father and conceived a child just so he could be with his brother. You had influence, Laura. You could have made sure Esme ended up in jail and lost custody of that boy. And didn’t you start the process that got Heather Webber, a killer out of jail?” Dante demanded. “Heather, who tried to kill your grandson’s girlfriend. Who did kill several other people—do we really want to keep listing the terrible things we’ve done, or can we get back to the point?”

Laura’s mouth was tight, her body tense. “Which is?”

“Rocco is in trouble, and I’m not equipped to solve it. Not on my own. Maybe it is a mistake to move back in with Sam, but this is the first sign he’s even thinking of someone else. I can’t just ignore what he’s asking me to do.”

“If your mind was already made up before you walked in here, why did you bother?” Laura demanded.

“I don’t know. To get your blessing. But I didn’t realize how much you disliked me, so—” he shrugged. “I guess I don’t actually care about it.  Thanks for letting my son stay with you. But I’ll be picking him up and taking him to my mother’s. At least he can see Scout there, and we’ll see if he still wants to go back to the penthouse. Have a nice day, Laura.”

Davis Home: Living Room

“Where’s Danny?” Kristina demanded, dropping the brown bag with their dinner on the table by the door, and hanging up her purse.

“Don’t ask,” Sam muttered, slumping down in the sofa. “You’ll just get Mom started again.”

At her desk, Alexis looked up and twisted to face her daughter. “Your tone suggests the first round wasn’t successful, so maybe we need to do this again.”

Kristina came down the steps from the landing, her brow furrowed. “What’s going on?”

“It was a disaster, of course,” Sam said. She got to her feet. “And I don’t want to hear it, Mom. If you’re just going to yell at me, I can go home—”

“And sit alone? Go right ahead.” Alexis arched a brow. “Danny is a teenager with a rotten attitude who hates the world and nearly everyone in it—”

“Not everyone, Mom—” Sam closed her eyes. “Just me.”

“Then maybe stop giving him reasons to be angry—”

“Mom!” Kristina said, her eyes widening. She stared as Alexis rose and came up the steps to pick up the dinner bag. “You can’t really blame Sam for all this—”

“I can. Because she’s the one who decided to walk out on Danny at the police station—”

“Here we go again—” Sam rolled her eyes and looked to the ceiling. “A list of my greatest sins—”

“Then you denied medical treatment when I told you that it was going to end badly—”

“I thought—”

“And if all of that wasn’t enough—” Alexis dropped the bag on the dining table with a crinkle of paper. “When Danny comes to see you, to try to mend the bridges — which means Jason was on the brink of dropping the custody suit—you assault Elizabeth and threaten to have her arrested for kidnapping!”

“I wasn’t—” Sam exhaled, looked away. “I wasn’t serious—”

“In front of Danny.”

“God, can we not do this—”

“All of that already happened,” Kristina interrupted her sister. “Why isn’t Danny here today? You were supposed to visit. He was here—”

“Danny baited her. Because of course he did. He’s angry at you, Sam. Did you think it was going away because it’s been a few days?” Alexis wanted to hear.

“You know, this wasn’t fun the first time—”

“And we’re doing it again because you aren’t listening. Danny has learned how much you hate his brother. You don’t get to unring that bell—”

“What does Jake have to do with this?” Kristina asked. “I don’t understand anything that’s going on. Can someone just start from the top—”

“It’s been bothering me, you know. Why this sudden turn on Elizabeth after years of civil, even bordering on friendly at times,” Alexis said, ignoring Kristina. Sam sighed, rubbed her temple. “Why you would be so sure that Elizabeth is manipulating Danny, trying to alienate him, and use him against you? I couldn’t understand it. But as soon as Danny pointed it out—”

“Mom, he’s fourteen—”

“You were never given an opportunity to be around Jake,” Alexis interrupted. “During the brief period you and Jason were together or when Drew was still living as Jason, Jake rarely had overnight visits. Jason must have always suspected how you felt, and kept him away.”

Sam’s eyes burned. “Mom.”

“Because you do hate him. Because he was conceived the night that you destroyed any chance you ever had of really being with Jason again—”

“Mom. Don’t—”

“What am I missing?” Kristina asked, looking back and forth between the women.

“He may have forgiven you for it, as I did. But only one of us truly let it go. He was never, in a million years, going to trust you again. Not after that. But you couldn’t blame yourself. You blamed an innocent child. You’ve never forgiven that child for being born or for not dying in that car accident.”

“That is a horrible thing to say!” Sam cried.

“I think we all need to take a big step back—”

But neither Sam nor Alexis were paying Kristina any mind. Alexis continued, her eyes on her eldest daughter. “You can’t imagine Elizabeth actually gives a damn about Danny. Not the child born to Jason after she thought Jake was gone forever. Not the child Jason had with you. How could Elizabeth not hate Danny? She can’t be trying to help him out of genuine kindness and compassion for her son’s brother. Because you never would. You haven’t come nearly as far as you think you have from that destructive, narcissistic woman who did the things you did that year. And I think you know very well what I’m referring to.”

Sam opened her mouth, then closed it, taking a shaky breath as she finally spoke. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I could ignore the way I felt about Jake. Jason forgave me many things, but he never forgot any of them. And he never let me near enough to Jake for it to matter.”

“And then Jason came back, when you were already having so much trouble with Danny. You thought you could keep them apart by sheer will, but Danny kept trying. You wanted to stop being the bad guy, so you tried to make Jake the villain. Go ahead, Danny. You can see your dad, but only with Jake.”

“Jake was supposed to refuse—”

“But he loves his brother. He loves him. And he dealt with it. He spent time with his father, and so did Danny. Another reason to hate that child. And his mother for forcing it. Because she must have, of course, you thought. You told me how many times.”

Sam closed her eyes, folded her arms around her torso, tears staining her cheek. “I just wanted to keep Danny safe. That’s all I wanted, and every time I turned around they were making it impossible. And now, I know you don’t believe it, but Elizabeth finally has a chance to get her revenge—”

“Because you took your chance to get revenge, you think she’s doing that, too. Again, Sam. You keep making the mistake that Elizabeth makes the same cruel decisions that you do.” Alexis pointed at Sam with both index fingers. “You walked out on your son, you refused to listen to him, and then you put him in danger and terrified him when you attacked his brother’s mother, and for all intents and purposes, his step mother. You did this, Sam. And it’s had a terrible domino effect that’s left you without both your children. Until you face that, until you can really take accountability for what you’ve done — you’ll keep making these choices. But I won’t stand by and watch.”

She turned and walked into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind her.

Shaken, Kristina looked at her sister. “What the hell is going on?” she demanded.

“I can’t—I just—” Sam shook her head, covered her face. “I’m going home. I have to get out of here.”

“Okay, but—” Kristina snatched up her purse. “Let me—let me drive you, okay? We’ll fix this, I promise.”

Webber House: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth cross-legged on the bed, flipping through her reminders on her phone’s notepad app. “I miss my old phone,” she muttered. “It had my schedule, and the boys, and it was so organized and all my passwords—”

Jason looked over, frowned. “I thought Cam was able to get the backup last week for you. We can call Spinelli—”

“I know. But this is a different phone, and that backup was old—never mind. Are you sure you don’t want to leave Danny here tomorrow while we drive into Syracuse?” she asked him. “He’s been here alone while we’ve gone to work—”

Jason closed the book he’d been reading and set it on the night stand. “I don’t know what happened today with Sam. He won’t talk about it.”

“Except that he doesn’t want another visit,” Elizabeth said.

“Which I don’t entirely trust Alexis or Sam not to push. Or Kristina,” Jason admitted. “I thought giving them the right to supervise would make things easier. I didn’t want to keep Danny from Sam more than I had to—”

“You don’t think one of them would show up here, do you?” The thought hadn’t occurred to her, and she tensed. “Alexis knows I have to go to probation on Fridays. I told her when I was at Diane’s office the other day. It came up,” she added when he frowned. “She’d know you have to go with me—”

“Which means Danny would be on his own,” Jason finished. “It’s not a perfect option,” he admitted. “But—”

Elizabeth slid under the bedspread and slid in closer to Jason, curling into his side. “But he’ll be miserable coming with us. I know because I’m going to be miserable until it’s over and I can pick up Cameron. There’s got to be a better option.”

“We can’t ask Jake to stay home—”

“No, but—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Maybe Michael? I know he’s at the office. Maybe Danny might want to go there. Or Carly. She’s always asking to help—” She lifted her brows. “You know, Danny’s old enough to get working papers. He can work limited hours. Cam started at Kelly’s—” she stopped, forced herself to correct. “Bobbie’s now. The diner. It might be good for him. It was good for me. It gave me a lot of structure. He might not want the diner. But maybe something else.”

Jason considered, then nodded. “I think he’s got too much time on his hands, which is how he got into so much trouble.” He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering. “It’s hard to remember to call it by the new name. Maybe because it was Kelly’s for so long. Or because I don’t like to think of Bobbie being gone. But I like the idea of Danny picking up some shifts there. Like you. Cameron. Joss worked there.”

“The family business. The legal one anyway,” Elizabeth added. He grinned, then pulled her closer, and they stopped talking at all.

Written in 59 minutes. This scene did not cooperate the way I planned it, lol, but I like it so much better than I had it planned. But it also went 3x as long as it should have. Story of my life 😛

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Thursday, September 26, 2024

Davis House: Living Room

Sam nearly leapt off the sofa when her mother stepped through the front door, then to one side revealing Danny coming in behind her.

It had been nearly a week since she’d seen her son — and now she  didn’t quite know what to do now that they were in the same room. She was suddenly very aware that the last time he’d seen her, she’d been screaming at Elizabeth, demanding that someone arrest her for kidnapping.

Her feelings and convictions about Elizabeth aside — Sam swallowed. It had obviously been a terrible idea to confront her in the lobby.

Alexis hung up her purse and keys, then came down the few steps into the living room proper to rub Sam’s shoulder. “I was thinking maybe asking your sister to stop at Bobbie’s to pick up dinner. What do you think, Danny? Your usual?”

“Uh, yeah, thanks.” Danny dropped his back pack on the ground. “I have to do homework before I go ho—back,” he said, fumbling slightly.

Sam forced words past the lump in her throat, knowing it would be better to ignore the fact he’d nearly called Elizabeth’s house home. “Oh? Any  subject I can help with?”

“Not really. I, um, have to do some make up assignments to fix my grades.” Danny remained where he was, only steps from the front door. “Jake’s been helping me, though. And Dad’s pretty good at algebra.”

“He always was good with that kind of thing,” Sam managed. “And we’re really long past the days when you brought home work I understood.” Especially since she’d barely managed to scrape her GED. She looked at her mother, a little bit helpless.

What could she say? How did she even act?

Alexis picked up her phone. “I’m just going to, uh, text Kristina the order. Sam, I picked Danny up from a therapy session.” She lifted her brows. “You might ask how that’s going.”

“Oh. I didn’t know—” Sam bit her lip, looked back at Danny. “I didn’t know if I should—I mean, did you want to talk about it?”

“We can, I guess.” Danny finally moved from his spot, heading for the armchair by the sofa — choosing that so that Sam couldn’t really be next to him, she thought, but shoved it down.

It was only fair that it was awkward and uncomfortable. Sam was trying to be on her best behavior, and even if the supervision was her mom, she knew Danny could tell his attorney if she messed up. For once, she was going to have to think about what she would say.

“Do you…do you like your doctor?” Sam asked, sitting gingerly on the sofa, perching near the edge, her hands clasped together.

“Yeah. Um, more than I thought.” Danny was staring at the floor. “He kind of just…asks questions, you know. And lets me talk. I thought it’d be the opposite.”

“That’s good. Um, I know you’d asked me to go to some sessions. I don’t know if you still want that—”

“I do—” Danny lifted his head. “But…” He tensed, and averted his gaze again. “I guess it has to be when Elizabeth doesn’t go. Since Dad said you can’t go near her. That’s what the court said, right?”

Sam pressed her lips together, swallowed hard. “Yes. It’s…for the best we don’t talk or see each other right now. I’m…I’m very sorry. About what happened, Danny. I know that…I know it was a mistake. I wish I hadn’t gone downstairs.”

“Me, too.”

Sam clenched her jaw. “I don’t know…what else you’ve been told about any of this, but it’s complicated. It’s not just about you—”

“I know that.” Danny met her eyes, and there was a flicker of that old resentment. “It’s about Dad. And Jake. You hate them both. You blame Elizabeth for Jake existing. That’s fine. You don’t have to like any of them. Or Elizabeth. That’s what I talked about at the doctor today. Being okay with how much everyone hates each other. Jake doesn’t like you either.” His mouth curved slightly into a mocking smile. “Neither does Elizabeth. And you’re not on Dad’s good list either.”

Sam furrowed her brow, trying to determine if Danny was trying to bait her. “Divorce is difficult,” she said after a moment. “And there’s often a lot of friction. But your dad and I need to do better—”

“No, Dad doesn’t need to do anything—” Danny shook his head. “You just don’t get it, Mom. You never will.”

“Danny—” Alexis came to sit next to Sam. “Your mother is just trying to make peace—”

“No, she wants to pretend like she’s not the one to blame, and I’m not gonna let her do it. Look, I screwed up. And I’m dealing with how bad it was. I was a jerk to you, I know that, and I guess I’m sorry for it. And Dad leaving the way he did, that was messed up, and he knows that. But you made it harder. Dad didn’t fight you because he didn’t want this. And you figured he never would.”

“That is—” Sam bit back her first reaction when Alexis squeezed her knee. “Okay, that’s true. I knew your dad didn’t want to go to court. But that doesn’t mean what’s happening now is the right choice—”

“Mom. You punched Elizabeth in the face and tried to have her arrested when she drove me over to see you. She wanted to help. And I know, I know, she’s just trying to make herself look good, right? That’s what you’re gonna say. That’s why she let me come stay at her house, and why she found me a doctor — she’s trying to prove she’s better than you. That’s what you’re gonna say right? That’s what you told the court, my attorney said so.”

Sam opened her mouth, then closed it. “There’s just no winning with you, is there, Danny?”

“What do you want me to say, Mom? Hey, thanks for giving Elizabeth a black eye and nearly getting her bail revoked so she’d go back to jail.” Danny got to his feet. “This is stupid. So what if Elizabeth is trying to prove something? It doesn’t change what happened. She still drove me to see you. Because I wanted to see you. I wanted to fix things.”

“Danny—” Sam and Alexis both got to their feet.

“No, I’m sick of this. Because you’ve been doing this for months. You don’t care what I want. You just care about you. I have to have perfect grades because you screwed up your life and I’m supposed to be better than you. I can’t see my dad because he’s made stupid choices, like all yours are so fucking fantastic, and my brother’s mom is a bitch because she’s nice to me and only wants to make you look bad —” His face was flushed and there were tears glimmering at the corner of his eyes. “Dad made sure that Grandma or Aunt Kristina was our supervision, right? And said he didn’t care how often I could see you. But he’s still the asshole, right?”

Sam fisted both hands her hair, squeezed her eyes closed. “Danny. Can you just let me talk—”

“No, how does it feel? Huh? To be told how to feel, and how to act, and how think? How does it feel to have someone else trying to control your life?”

“Danny, let’s just take a step back—” Alexis came around Sam and put a hand up. “Okay, honey. Your mother isn’t blameless and she knows it.” She threw Sam a look, then returned her focus to Danny. “So let’s just take a deep breath.”

“What’s the point?”

“Because I think there’s progress to be made here. You’re upset, and you should be.” Alexis turned slightly, her back now to Sam, her attention fully on her grandson. “I know how awful Saturday was. I’ve seen the video. I can’t imagine how it felt to be there.”

“It was my idea,” Danny said, his voice breaking slightly. “Okay? I wanted to fix things so Scout could come home. We were trying to fix things for Mom. I knew I messed up with the drinking and the weed, and Dad was going to talk to Grandma Monica, and Elizabeth was just going to sit in the lobby. I don’t understand how it’s so bad. She wanted to help, Mom. And you were going to have her arrested. They would have put her in jail and the FBI is awful. They would have put her back in that jail hours away. Jake and Aiden and Cam would all lose their mom. Is that what you wanted? Because I was with Dad, you figured Elizabeth should lose her kids, too?”

“No!” Sam said forcefully. “Is that what she said? That’s such bullshit!”

“No. That’s what I think. What Jake thinks. And probably his brothers. But, hey, you can’t pass up the chance to blame Elizabeth for something else, huh? I told you,” he said, looking at his grandmother. “She can’t stop thinking about anyone but herself. She never will.”

“Danny—”

“Dad said these visits last as long as I want them to. Well, I don’t want any more today.” He jerked out his phone.

“Danny, please, just—” Sam held out both hands. “Please. Okay, you’re right. You’re right! I hate Elizabeth so much that it blots everything else out, and I can’t think straight? Is that what you want to hear?” she demanded.

Danny lowered the phone, looked at his mother. “Only if it’s true.”

“Sam—” Alexis began, but Sam shook off her mother’s hand.

“No, he wants the truth, right? Well, fine. He can have it. I hate Elizabeth Webber, and I have since she decided to have an affair with my fiance,” Sam bit out. “She took advantage of Jason when he was upset, when we were broken up—”

“So not an affair, then.”

“Damn it, Danny—”

“Do you think I don’t know how to do math, Mom? I know from the pictures that you and Dad were together before Jake was born. And after. Dad told me that you guys were broken up for a while and that’s where Jake comes in. But I guess that’s part of you hating Elizabeth so much you can’t see straight, think straight, or even tell the truth.”

Sam exhaled slowly. “You’ll understand when you’re older. They were absolutely having an emotional affair. I absolutely get to hate the woman who destroyed my relationship with your father and ruined any chance we ever had to be a family—”

“Except we were a family, Mom. You threw Dad out after the Floating Rib explosion,” Danny retorted, and Sam scowled. “You started dating Dante before Dad ever went to Greece.”

“Okay, this conversation is going nowhere—” Alexis started.

“No, I think we learned something really important. At least I did.” Danny lifted his chin, glaring at his mother. “You said it yourself. You hate Elizabeth so much that no one else matters. Especially not me.”

“Danny—”

“You told me over and over again that I’m supposed to do better than you, that I need to make better choices than you, that I shouldn’t make your mistakes — that’s all I am to you. Your miracle baby that’s supposed to be some kind of evidence that you’re a better person. You don’t care about me.”

“That is not true—” Sam lunged forward as Danny headed for the door, but Alexis blocked her.

“Give me a second. Let me go talk to him, Sam.”

Alexis followed Danny out the door, found him on the porch, his phone in hand. “Danny—”

“I’m not going back in there—”

“I’m not asking you to.”

Danny grimaced, looked at his grandmother, tears still glinting in his eyes. “Don’t tell me to let this go.”

“I’m not asking that either.” She closed the door so that it was just the two of them. “I’m not really sure what I should say because everything that’s coming to mind will sound like a defense of your mother to you, and I think you’d probably just start running.”

Danny looked away, towards the woods and the road. But he remained in one place, so Alexis continued. “I don’t deny that your mother has put a lot of pressure on you. Grades, behavior, all of that. And I know she’s worried that you’ll make the same choices she did. Or your father.”

“Grandma—”

“And it’s natural for you to rebel. To push back. And to pick fights to avoid uncomfortable conversations,” Alexis continued. “You might not have meant for it to get this bad, but you can’t stand there and tell me you weren’t pushing her buttons.”

Danny grimaced. “So what if I was? I wanted her to admit what she did. She still probably thinks what happened last weekend is Elizabeth’s fault. Elizabeth shouldn’t have hit her back, she told me that. And she thinks she should have left, and let Dad come and handle it.”

Alexis rubbed her temple. “And I suppose Elizabeth took accountability the same day, so listening to your mother make excuses a week later isn’t exactly helping.”

“It’s like Mom can’t believe Elizabeth might give a damn about me. Like I’m not worth caring about—”

“Danny—”

“Because it’s how she feels about my brother. She knows if the situation was reversed, she’d have told Jake to kick rocks,” Danny retorted, and Alexis closed her mouth. “That’s why she can’t believe Elizabeth wants to help me. She knows she’d never be that nice to Jake. So it must be a lie. It must be a trick.”

“There is…” Alexis pursed her lips. “Some truth to that statement, Danny. It’s a long, complicated history — a lot of bad blood between them—”

“And Mom’s the only one who makes it my problem. What am I supposed to do with that?”

“I don’t know.” Alexis folded her arms. “I don’t know. I promise you, I’m going to do whatever I can to help. Your mother loves you, Danny.” Danny scoffed, and she bit her lip. “Is your father coming to get you?”

“No, Jake is. Unless you think Mom’s going to throw rocks at his car and accuse him of kidnapping me,” Danny said.

“No, I think you’re safe.” She paused. “How are you doing? Honestly. And just between us,” she added when he sighed.

“Fine, I guess.  I like living with Dad,” he said, looking at her, a bit of challenge in his eyes, as if daring her to disagree. “And Jake. But not just them. I like living with Elizabeth and Aiden. And Cameron’s coming home this weekend because he’s worried about his mom. I like it. Dad helps me with homework, and I started to understand it when he explained it.”

“That’s good. I mean it. Jason was always a good father, and I’m not surprised that you’re enjoying more time with him. And your brother.” Alexis tipped her head. “The therapy? Is that helping?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. It’s only been two sessions. I told him about Mom and the fight, and—” Danny shook his head. “I don’t like making Mom unhappy, okay? I hate that Scout’s with her dick father, and he’s not letting me see her either. I know Rocco’s being an ass, and I’m not trying to make it worse, I’m not. But I’m just angry all the time, Grandma. I used to hide it by getting high or drunk. I’m not allowed to do that anymore.”

“Come here.” Alexis tugged on his sleeve, and he reluctantly went into her arms, then relaxed against her. This was his grandmother after all, and he’d known her all his life. “I love you so much, sweetheart. All I want is for you to safe, healthy, and happy.” She pulled away, then held his head in her hands. “I’m going to work on your mother, and we’ll figure out a way to do these visits that isn’t going to make you both miserable. But that’s not your problem to fix. It’s mine. You take care of yourself, all right?”

“All right,” Danny said. He heard a car pull into the drive. “Thanks, Grandma. I…I love you, too.” He stepped back, picked up his back pack. “Um, tell Mom I’m sorry I guess. We’ll try again some other day.”

Alexis waved at the car as Danny jogged towards the passenger side, and Jake waved back at her somewhat hesitantly.

As her grandson pulled away with his brother, Alexis turned back to the house, took a deep breath, and went inside.

Written in 56 minutes. Both scenes ended up a little longer than I planned, so there’s only two. See you tomorrow!

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Thursday, September 26, 2024

Metro Court Hotel: Restaurant

Carly beamed when Jason slid into the chair across the table. “I can’t believe you actually showed up. I figured you’d be too busy.”

Jason frowned, picking up the menu and skimming it even though he didn’t really care. “I said I would.”

“I know, but—never mind.” Carly gestured for the server to take their orders. “I don’t want any interruptions.”

That didn’t exactly bode well, but Jason didn’t say anything. Once the server had left, Carly folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “I doubt Spinelli told you this, but I went to see him yesterday—”

Jason lifted his brows. “Is this going to ruin my day?”

“No. Because you already know the details. I mean you know what I’m going to say, I just don’t know if you know that I know. Except I talked to Elizabeth and maybe she brought it up—”

“Carly.”

“Right. Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “I know Gia Campbell is on the case.” When Jason’s head snapped up, she continued. “Michael recognized her name when he saw the warrant, but couldn’t remember anything other than she’d worked for me. Which makes sense, he’d been really young when she was around. And I don’t even know if she was around, but I definitely talked about her a lot at home—right, getting to the point,” she said when she saw Jason’s expression. “I know Gia’s on the case. I talked to Elizabeth and Spinelli, and they both seemed to think this was under control. I did get Spinelli to say he’d look into it, but I doubt he can make it a priority—”

“And he shouldn’t. Diane knows. We’re following her advice—”

“Jason. Please don’t tell me you think it’s a coincidence that Gia Campbell shows up out of nowhere as second chair on Elizabeth’s case. We both know that’s not how this works. She’s here to make trouble.”

“Maybe,” Jason allowed, shifting slightly. “But she’s limited in what she can do—”

“I can’t really tell you what Gia can do, but I can tell you if she’s anything like she was then, she’ll be ruthless and take every opportunity to go after Elizabeth. She did in that competition. She played dirty.”

“I know—”

“You don’t, but that’s not my point either. Maybe you’re right. Maybe legally, she can’t offer much. But I’ve been thinking about nothing else for the last twenty-four hours—”

“That’s terrifying to hear.”

“Jason.” Carly tipped her head. “The FBI doesn’t want Elizabeth. They want you.”

Jason exhaled slowly, then nodded. “I know that. We’ve known that all along—”

“Gia knows exactly how far Elizabeth would go to protect you. I went home last night, and I pulled out everything I have from Deception, and I talked to Maxie—”

“Carly—”

“Just listen. I asked Maxie to pull out the Face of Deception records, anything she could find which wasn’t much, but I think I’d forgotten exactly when all of that was. Or what else was going on. Until I saw the date. February 2001. The warehouse fire. Do you remember?”

Jason nodded slowly. “I do—”

“You came home that winter to help Sonny deal with something in the business. I don’t remember if I ever know more than that. But I also remember that no one even knew you were in town at that point. It came out later you’d been staying with Elizabeth, right? Keeping your return quiet. And she’d lied to Lucky.”

“She—yeah.”

“Jason, everyone knew that. You know that, right? Including Gia. Gia knew that she’d lied to her boyfriend to keep you safe. That’s not something in those PCPD files, is it?”

“I don’t see why that matters—”

“The feds are going after Elizabeth to get to you. They either think she’s going to turn on you, which I doubt she would even if she had something to offer—which is the nicest thing I’ve ever said about her honestly. Or they think you’re going to confess to get her off the hook. And Gia knows enough to make sure they believe that. You can guarantee that Nikolas whined to her about you and how you took advantage of her that first time in her studio. Do you know if he knows you were shot then?”

“I don’t—” Jason squinted. “Carly, I’m not sure why any of this matters.”

“Gia’s not going to do damage in the court room, I trust Diane to handle that. But if Gia tells that Reynolds guy everything she knows or might know— including that Elizabeth will and has broken laws to protect you—she did that when she was a eighteen-year-old kid, Jason. Do you think they’ll ever believe she wouldn’t now, twenty-five years later when the two of you have this history, a child, and a relationship now?”

Jason absorbed that, but still shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. They already think she’s hiding something—”

“I don’t care about them.”

“Then what are we doing here—”

“I care about you and what you are planning to do. Because the FBI isn’t going away. Even if the PCPD finds out who really killed John Cates — they don’t care. Do you think Cates was the only one pissed about  how the Pikeman investigation fell out?”

“No, but—”

“Jason. Can you really sit there and tell me you don’t have an endgame in mind?”

Jason looked away. “No.”

“That’s why it bothers me this woman is on the case. Because she can give them more ammunition. More conviction that Elizabeth would protect you at risk to herself. They’re not going to give up. If Diane doesn’t win at this hearing, then we’re talking about a trial. And a jury.”

“I know.” Jason waited a beat. “I don’t want you to worry about any of this, Carly.”

“Okay, well, now you’re just being stupid. Because who better than me knows what kind of suicidal mission you’ve got in your head? You gave up two years of your life to protect me, which I never asked for. And I’m still pissed about,” she added. “You give up what’s left of your life to protect Elizabeth from a crime she didn’t commit, she’s going to be just as angry.”

“She can be angry and free,” Jason said finally. “Just like you—”

“What’s stopping me from telling Elizabeth about this conversation? About what you’re obviously planning if this starts to go south?”

Jason looked at her, and Carly fidgeted, but didn’t break the gaze. “You can tell her. It won’t change anything.”

“Except piss her off. You want to live with that over your head?”

“Carly.” Jason stopped, unsure exactly how to proceed. “It’s not something I want to  do, okay? And it’s not like I’m thinking about it today. Or next week. Just—it’s an option.”

“It’s a stupid option.”

“Your opinion is noted—”

“And the second I think you’re going to put this stupid plan into action, you’d better believe I’m going to tell Elizabeth. And she’ll kick your ass.”

“Can we be done with this conversation now?”

“For now.” Carly sat back as the server approached with their lunch orders. “But not forever.”

Chase’s Apartment: Living Room

“Is there a reason we’re meeting at your residence?” Gia asked, her eyes skimming the entire room, including the whiteboard with the details of the case displayed. Except for suspects, she noted. The basic details, witness statements—but nothing about who had done this except a list at the corner with those who had been eliminated.

“You said we needed to be discreet.” Chase closed the door. “This is discreet.”

“I’m not doing anything wrong,” Gia said, turning back to face him. “I’m allowed to talk to the investigators, local and federal.” She slid the strap of her bag off her shoulder and set it on the table. “But this isn’t a conversation I think my boss would appreciate me having.” She tipped her head. “And why are you working here?”

“You never know who’s listening.” Chase folded his arms. “You asked for this meeting. Why?”

Gia was quiet for a moment then unzipped the bag she’d set down to extract a manila folder. “To deliver the preliminary report. Diane Miller isn’t getting that until at least Monday, so if you could keep it to yourself or make sure it doesn’t get back to my superiors — that would be great.”

Chase took the folder, but didn’t open it. “Why are you giving me a preview?”

“Because I have doubts about this case, and so far — neither Caldwell or Reynolds seem all that interested.” She paused. “I took this case because I used to live in Port Charles. Because I knew some of the participants twenty years ago. I knew Elizabeth.”

“That’s a conflict of interest—”

“Says the man married to Jason Morgan’s cousin.”

“It’s not the same thing and you know it.” He lifted his brows. “And you’ll be out of luck at that hearing when Elizabeth sees you—”

“Do you think Diane Miller didn’t do a search on my name the moment she saw it on the docket? She knows I used to live here. My connection, as brief as it is, is public. I was engaged to Nikolas Cassadine, and Elizabeth and I competed against each other in a modeling competition. That alone would be enough to recuse me if Diane requested it. She hasn’t.” Gia paused. “I took this case because I knew Elizabeth, I know the kind of work Jason and Sonny are — or were — involved in. And I knew Elizabeth would do anything to protect Jason. I don’t think I ever thought she was the shooter, but I was almost positive Jason was.”

“Was?” Chase echoed.

“Your witness statements. It…I started to ask questions. And Reynolds wasn’t interested in the answers. He doesn’t care Elizabeth isn’t the shooter. And doesn’t care that Jason probably wasn’t either.” She sat on the arm of the sofa. “I think somewhere in their minds, they’ve convinced themselves that Jason hired someone or knows what happened. Maybe that’s true. But that’s not the facts he put in evidence. Or the argument he intends to make to a jury. And that bothers me.”

Chase opened the folder, skimmed it, then lifted his gaze back to the lawyer. “They found the fourth bullet?”

“Yes. And its condition is good enough to send for testing.”

“I expect it to match. Someone planted the car in Elizabeth’s trunk. They’re not doing that if it’s not the murder weapon.”

“You’re sure it was planted?” Gia asked as Chase went to his board, started to make some notes. “How do you know?”

“The tip that came in, pointing the feds in that direction — it was a fake.” Chase looked back at Gia. “Whoever created the tip used an AI generator to mimic a real nurse who works at the hospital, Amy Driscoll. She used to be a gossip columnist. You know the tip, right?”

“I do.”

“Elizabeth and Amy were never anywhere near each other the only day they both worked at the hospital. We have both their time covered from the beginning to the end of their day. Not only that — Jason never goes to the hospital. You have to sign in at the front desk. He’s not there or on any security footage that entire week. The tip is junk. Someone wanted us to look in that trunk.”

“Okay. That—I can follow that. Caldwell—there’s no follow investigation on the tip,” Gia admitted. “He took it, and ran with it. And I’m not sure he cares it’s false.” She nodded. “Okay, so the bullet doesn’t seem to be a problem.”

“The other item you noted — a broken heel. Several witnesses related that Elizabeth came back to the house with a broken sandal. They found out when they came back that Caldwell had grabbed the boys, and Elizabeth sent Michael for her sneakers that she’d brought with her. But they weren’t going to wait. Michael remembers throwing the sneakers through a window as they were pulling out.”

“She broke it running towards the gunshots. Reynolds plans to argue it was running to get to the spot in time — ” Gia winced. “I’m not supposed to tell you that.”

“The heel supports her story. And Michael isn’t the only member of the family that remembers this. One of the uniforms took my wife’s statement. She remembers the broken shoe clearly — because to get to the car and get over the gravel, Jason had to carry Elizabeth.” Chase smiled slightly. “Brook’s a romantic.”

“Okay. Okay.” Gia blew out a breath. “This is kind of crazy,” she admitted. “I got involved in this case because I was sure Elizabeth was involved. It seemed like the kind of stupid mess she’d get involved with because of Jason. I could tell you so many stories—” She smiled faintly. “And I’m sure Elizabeth thinks I got involved because of our past. That was part of it. I never really liked her. And maybe I wanted to be on the sidelines when she finally got what was coming to her.”

“But you’re here, having this conversation with me—”

“I became a lawyer because I wanted do something good with my life. To be better than I was before. I like the challenge. I don’t mind taking a case to trial even if it’s a longshot. But I’m a little funny — because I want my defendants to be guilty. There’s no victory in watching Elizabeth go down for something she didn’t do.” Gia got to her feet. “Just my luck. I finally get a chance for a little bit of revenge, and my conscience won’t let me enjoy it. Reynolds wants payback for the Pikeman investigation falling apart. He’s not going to quit until we force him to. Are you interested?”

Sorry! We had a power outage and it took ten minutes for everything to come back up, and then the Liason scene ran long — anyway. Written in 85 minutes.

Oh, and I forgot the chronology of the Face of Deception stuff. I don’t remember what Carly and Gia knew and when, and I’ve decided I don’t care, lol.

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Wednesday, September 25, 2025

 Webber House: Living Room

Though he’d done little more than sit in a court room while important decisions in his life were decided by other people, there was still a tinge of fatigue that swept over Jason as he closed the front door behind him, and dropped his keys on the table next to the door.

A veteran of several murder trials as a defendant and countless other hearings, it never got easier to place his life or the ones he cared about in someone’s hands, but Sam had left Jason no choice. He knew that — but that still didn’t offer much peace of mind.

He heard the thudding of sneakers on the steps and looked over just as Danny crashed around the corner and hit the landing, catching himself before he went tumbling. “Sorry,” he said. “I slipped on the last few steps. Uh—” He folded his arms, cleared his throat. “How did it, um, go?”

“Exactly as Diane said it would,” Jason said, and Danny’s shoulders slumped. He looked away. “I’m sorry. Your attorney told the court that you were conflicted, that you felt guilty, but that ultimately you didn’t feel safe with your mom.”

“Yeah, I figure that’d be the deal breaker,” he muttered. Danny dropped to sit on the landing, dragging his hands through his hair. “Do you know what happened with Scout?”

“The same. I’m sorry.”

“You’re not the one who punched Elizabeth with security cameras filming everything.” Danny raised his eyes to his father. “Is…is Mom okay?”

Jason came towards him, leaned against the back of the sofa. “She was upset. But there wasn’t a lot of choices, Danny. The one good thing that came from this—the judge is going to let me decide how much visitation your mom gets.”

Danny furrowed his brow. “What?”

“It just has to be supervised. I don’t much care who’s there,” Jason added. “I figure your grandmother or your aunts are good. Dante if he wants to. And if there are other choices, we can talk about them. And you can see her as much as you want.”

“Oh.” His son looked at the ground, processed that information. “That’s…not so bad. I—I could see her tomorrow?”

“Your grandmother is calling me tonight to set up the details. Danny, this was never about taking you away from your mom—”

“I know. I know. And I asked you—” Danny climbed to his feet. “I asked you to do something, right? I wanted to see the doctor, and you said you’d make it happen. I know Mom made it harder. But—”

“She’s your mother.”

“Yeah.” Danny paused. “Will—can she see Scout, too? Or—”

“Drew’s going with supervised visits from family services. Two hours a week. It’s not fair,” Jason added when Danny scowled. “But we can’t do anything right now to change it. Your mom has to do a few things for the court, but if you stay on the right track, if maybe we can get your grades a little better, when we go back to court in December—it’ll be different.”

“Thanks. I know this sucked for you—”

“I don’t matter, Danny, you do.”

“Still.” Danny approached him, somewhat awkwardly, almost as if he wanted to hug his father, but hung back at the last minute. “I’m gonna call Grandmom. See what time tomorrow.”

He turned and a few minutes later, Jason heard the thudding of sneakers in the opposite direction. He hoped that this would be end of problems with Sam, but he couldn’t be that lucky.

Metro Court Hotel: Restaurant

Spinelli stepped out of the elevator and spied his quarry across the room behind the bar. “Valkyrie, as you requested.”

Carly threw up her hands. “Thank God! I’ve been waiting forever – not your fault. I just can’t seem to sit still. Did you know the FBI searched the crime again today?”

“I did. Michael keeps us well-informed.” Spinelli slid onto the stool, wondering what mischief Carly was intending to stir up. “We expected it—”

“Elizabeth told me that Diane already knows that Gia Campbell — who came to the search — is on the case. That you’re handling it, but Spinelli, neither of you knew Gia. I did—”

“She worked for you at Deception, yes?”

“I only stayed with the company for another six months or so after the competition, and she was there for another year—but that’s not the important. It’s the competition itself. I’m sure if you did your research you know that we initially chose Elizabeth as the Face of Deception and that Gia took over when Elizabeth stepped back.”

“It was in one of the articles. Elizabeth suggested the relationship was hostile—”

“Gia hated Elizabeth. Like full-out sabotage-level hatred. She was ruthless.” Carly grimaced. “At the time, I approved of all of it, you know? I knew Gia was better suited for the job, and I really didn’t like Elizabeth. Well, that’s not true. I don’t like her now. I hated her then.” She paused. “Well, I don’t not like her. I just—”

“Valkyrie.”

“Right. Not the point. At the time, I was really amused. And it felt like Gia and I were a team because we had a common enemy. I campaigned hard for her to get the job, but Laura had the deciding vote and she played favorites. Elizabeth was a pretty girl, but she didn’t always photograph well. You know, a little flat. She probably would have improved, but it didn’t get that far. She had one photoshoot, and quit almost immediately.”

“This is all information we know—”

“This is probably where I’m the asshole, and it’d be great if you didn’t, you know, mention any of this information came from me.” Carly paused. “Gia was angry when she didn’t get the job. She did whatever she could to delay or sabotage Elizabeth — including locking her out on the roof of the building when we were announcing the winner. And she told me that she’d tried to convince Elizabeth in other ways.” She bit her lip. “Gia and Nikolas were dating at the time, and he’d told her something particularly…private about Elizabeth. Several years earlier, Elizabeth had…she’d been attacked by a photographer.”

Spinelli tipped his head to the side. “What?”

“She was sixteen or something. Young. Too young. Not that you’re—” Carly shook her head. “Anyway. Gia tried to use it against Elizabeth — you know, how can you stand to have your picture taken, yada yada. I just know it didn’t work — but then I—” she swallowed hard. “I told Gia I had an idea. Something to convince Elizabeth once and for all she couldn’t do the job. I booked her first photo shoot at a studio…where Tom Baker had held her hostage. Not where he’d…hurt her. This was almost a year later. But it’s where she found out…”

“You…” Spinelli had to stop. “You booked the studio on purpose?”

“I didn’t—I just wanted her to see it wasn’t the right—okay, it was awful. Terrible. But Gia and I planned it together.” Carly pressed a hand to her stomach. “I was awful to her during the shoot. Insulting her appearance. Throwing her off. She ran out, upset, and quit the next day. Gia and I toasted to our victory.”

“That’s…okay.” Spinelli rubbed his temple. “Okay. That’s a lot.”

“I’m not dragging up ancient history because I enjoy it — it’s obviously not something I’m proud of, but I’m telling you this story because Gia delighted in causing her pain. She intentionally made things worse with Lucky and Elizabeth, telling him that she was cheating with Jason — she thought if she made Lucky break up with her, Laura would drop her support of Elizabeth. There was nothing Gia wouldn’t do to get what she wanted. Elizabeth was in her way.”

“That does put a different spin on it, and it makes sense Elizabeth didn’t go into that kind of detail. She…didn’t know it.” Spinelli paused. “But you’ve lived long enough to regret these actions. How can we know Gia Campbell didn’t?”

“Maybe she’s moved on. But she was also pretty jealous of attention Elizabeth got from Nikolas. Nikolas, who went on to have an affair with Elizabeth? Who set up a scholarship in her name? As someone who’s held grudges for far less, I just don’t know if that’s a risk you should be taking. Because if Elizabeth is in actual danger of going to jail—Jason’s going to do something really stupid, like confess to a crime he didn’t commit.”

“Perhaps you’re right. We ought to be a bit more interested in Gia Campbell. I’ll take the message to Diane—”

“Spinelli —” Carly held out a hand. “I’m serious. Please…please don’t tell Jason about any of this. It was a lifetime ago, and I feel awful about it. He probably wouldn’t hold it against me, but the thought of him knowing how petty and nasty I was back then — probably wouldn’t be a surprise,” she muttered to herself. She sighed. “Never mind. Do whatever you have to do with the information. Keeping Jason from being a martyr is our first priority.”

“Understood.”

Even after Spinelli was gone, Carly was still not convinced she’d done enough. There had to be something more she could to curb whatever danger Gia brought to the table. She tapped her fingers on the bar for another minute, then snatched her phone from the purse beneath.

“Maxie? Hey, it’s Carly. I have an amazing idea for Deception. Let’s set up a meeting.”

Chase’s Apartment: Living Room

Chase made a few more notes beneath Sonny’s name, then stepped back to consider the new suspect he’d added to the board. There was little hope that they’d ever be able to tie the gun to Sonny. Even if the FBI was able to raise the serial number, it wouldn’t be traced to Sonny.

But the thought that Sonny Corinthos might be covering up for Kristina after the fact was an interesting one. He didn’t think Sonny had sent Kristina to deal with Cates — that didn’t fit with the way Chase had seen him treat women. Sonny was quick to anger — and quick to throw away women he felt had betrayed him. He’d divorced Nina Reeves over very little.

But as a father, if he suspected Kristina was involved, what would he do? Keep the security footage that would torpedo her alibi from being handed over, absolutely. Fabricate an artificial tip? One that would lead to a planted gun in someone else’s car?

If Kristina had hoped to frame Jason, would Sonny sit by and let that happen? Chase hadn’t been around for the peak of the pair’s power, but he could read articles, look at records. Jason had been Sonny’s right hand man for nearly all the years the man could remember. Sonny prized loyalty — but over his own child?

It was just hard to tell — and too many unknown variables.

Chase’s phone rang, and he reached into the pocket of his jeans. “Detective Chase.”

“Oh, I’m glad I caught you before you were done for the day. We spoke a few days ago? I’m Gia Campbell from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

Chase frowned, turned away from his board. “Ms. Campbell, yes. I sent you copies of our witness interviews, but there’s not much more I can or intend to share.”

“I understand that. I would still like to set up a meeting. Are you interested?”

Webber House: Jake’s Bedroom

Danny sat at Jake’s desk, the chair turned towards the bed where Aiden and Jake were sitting, both their backs against the headboard. “I really don’t have to be here—”

“It’s dialing,” Jake said. He sat up, laid the laptop on the bed, turning it slightly so that all three of them could see it. A moment later a video box came up, and Cameron was there. “Hey, sorry we’re late.”

“You’re good. I only have ten minutes before I have to go out—” Cam leaned forward slightly. “Today was the big day, right, Danny? How’d it go?”

“Me? Oh.” Surprised that Cameron knew about the custody hearing or cared enough to ask, Danny answered, “The way my dad said it would. But I get to see my mom as much as I want. With supervision.”

“That’s pretty fair. Still a crappy situation, but it could have been worse.” Cameron’s gaze flicked to his other brother. “I hope Aiden made fun of you when you got suspended. It’s not as bad as getting arrested, but—”

“Hey, I still don’t have a criminal record,” Jake said. “I think out of the four of us, I’m still winning.”

“My name wasn’t on the police report,” Aiden pointed out.

“No, but Mom’s address is on some dispatch report, so—” Jake flicked his brother’s shoulder. “You still coming this Friday?”

“Yeah.” Cameron grimaced. “I tried to talk Mom into letting me stay until after that motion hearing next week, but it wasn’t even a question. There’s no way she’s gonna let Aiden go — so our mission this week is to get you in that room.”

“We got to go to her bail hearing,” Jake said. “But yeah, that was Dad’s call. And it was more for Mom to see us on the dumb little Zoom screen. I’ve already got a plan if she tells me now. I talked to Michael, and he’s gonna pick me up after Mom and Jason leave for Syracuse. He figures he’ll take heat for it, but he says he’d want to be there for his mom.”

“Good. I still wish I could be there, but this is as good as we can get. I know Mom and Jason mean well, but I don’t really trust them to tell us how bad this really is straight. Mom’s like, go live your life and be normal, but she’s got federal charges of murder over her head.” Cameron almost sounded disgusted. “I’m supposed to think about microbiology? No. And Michael would probably make it sound less bad.”

“Okay, sounds like a good plan. Oh, hey—” Jake said. “I know you and Joss are still frosty, but you and Trina are good, right?”

“Why?” Cameron asked, furrowing his brow with suspicion.

“Because Danny is being forbidden from even talking to his sister, and I figure with Trina living on their estate, maybe we could smuggle him or something.”

Danny sat up, surprised by the request. “What?”

“Oh. Well, you should have led with that. Yeah, I’ll call Trina and see what we can manage. I gotta go, though. See you in a few days.”

Cameron’s video disappeared, and Jake closed his laptop. Aiden slid off the bed, but Danny was still stuck in his position. “You didn’t have to do that. I didn’t know you were going to do that.”

“Look, if someone was keeping me from one of my brothers, I’d be pissed.” Jake got to his feet, laid his laptop on his desk and went over to his artist’s table, sitting on the stool. “Drew’s being a dick because, apparently, he got some kind of lobotomy in the slammer. He’s almost never around. I feel pretty confident we could figure out a way to get you guys in contact. And maybe we could give her a sort of fake phone you could text or call her on. I’m still working on that one.”

Danny swallowed hard. “Thank you. I—thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Still have to get away with it.” Jake cracked his knuckles. “But I’m interested in the challenge.”

Webber House: Elizabeth’s Bedroom

Elizabeth sat on the bed, still rubbing lotion into her hands with her eyes narrowed at the doorway. “The boys are up to something.”

Jason, already in bed, sitting up against the head board with his legs stretched out, looked at her. “What?”

“They were very quiet at dinner. Danny’s always quiet. But Jake and Aiden were, too, tonight. I don’t now what it is — but it’s something.” She curled one leg beneath her. “You were a little quiet, too. I know today must have been hard.”

Jason hesitated, then shook his head. “Annoying. But not hard. I warned Sam over and over again that if she pushed me, I’d have to push back. I hate that I had to do this — or that Danny’s been upset by it. Or his sister. But you know how Danny had an attorney assigned to him?”

“Yeah?”

“When Sam first suggested that I could see Danny with supervision, I was willing to deal with it. And I didn’t question it when she said she wanted it to be Jake,” Jason said. “I should have, but I knew you and Sam were civil, I knew that Jake and Danny were close. And I knew it might be difficult because Jake didn’t really want to be around me, but he was willing to do it for Danny. And as long as you were with us.” Jason looked at us. “I didn’t question it,” he repeated. “But it’s clear to me now — Sam never meant for those visits to happen. She assumed Jake would refuse — because he’d been refusing most of the summer. And that it would be the end of it.”

“She didn’t account for Jake being willing to make himself unhappy for his brother,” Elizabeth replied, and Jason shook his head. “I didn’t know that. I thought it was her idea from the start — that Jake and I would be part of it. That’s how Jake framed it — but maybe he thought I’d try to force you guys to go alone. I didn’t question it either.” She paused. “What made you think about that?”

“She never meant for those visits to happen,” Jason repeated, “and every time they did, she interrogated Danny about everything that happened or was said.”

Elizabeth made a face, but remained silent, and he sighed. “I wish I’d know that,” he said. “It bothers me. No, today was irritating because I hate sitting around listening to people talk about me, but it wasn’t difficult. Not when Diane and Danny’s attorney listed all the reasons Sam was making Danny miserable.”

“That’s a good way of looking at it.” Elizabeth slid beneath the comforter, and leaned over to switch off her light. But Jason didn’t turn off his, which made her roll back with her brows lifted. “Are you okay?”

“Just thinking. Now that the hearing is over and Danny’s doing better, I’m going to talk to Spinelli tomorrow.  I know I can’t go around punching people,” he added, and she sat back up. “But there has to be something I can do for your case. I don’t like being shut out of it—” He paused. “What? Why are you looking at me that way?”

She bit her lip, then laid back down, staring at the ceiling. “Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” Jason shifted to his side, leaning on his elbow. “What?”

“The custody hearing was eight hours ago. And you’re already looking for the dragon to slay.” She sighed. “And that sounds awful because it’s my case you’re worried about, and obviously I want it all over, but you can’t even wait a full day before looking for another problem to solve.” She twisted her head slightly to meet his eyes, but they were shadowed, from the darkness on her side of the room and the dim light on his. “You’re mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Frustrated.”

“Stop trying to—” Jason sat up, and she came up as well, holding herself slightly apart. “This is about what we talked about at the warehouse, isn’t it? How I always want to go save someone?” He looked at her. “Maybe I’ve gone too far in the past, but this is your life. Your freedom at stake. I’m not going to apologize for wanting to help end it.”

She pressed her lips together, considered her answer carefully. “It’s my life and my freedom. And we’ve placed it in Diane’s hands. Diane who has steered you through a murder trial and managed to get you acquitted. With much more damning evidence, I might add,” she said, and he sighed. “You told me we could trust Diane, didn’t you? That if we followed her advice, this would be okay.”

“Yes—”

“Her advice is sit back and let her handle it. Let Spinelli investigate within the confines of the law. I’m not in any danger, Jason. We’re months away from trial. The FBI wants me out on bail to get to you—”

“And when they figure out there’s nothing to get either of us for with you out here?” Jason wanted to know. “They’ll want to put pressure on you again—”

“They might. And if—” Elizabeth paused, because the thought was almost too awful to bear. “If they end up putting me back inside until the trial, that would be awful. And I would hate every minute of it. But I got through it before. I can do it again. They still have to convict me, Jason.”

“I know—”

“Diane told us how to handle this. It’s not easy for me, either, you know. The boys are stressed about it. I know they won’t admit it, but they are. Cameron’s wasting his time coming home every other weekend because he can’t stand to be away, and I can’t argue with him because—” She bit her lip “Because you’re right. The feds might try to revoke my bail. And I want all the time with my boys I can stand. Jason, I know it’s hard to do nothing. Especially for you. You need the mission, and the one Diane gave us isn’t enough for you.”

Jason shook his head. “It’s not. That’s why—”

“Fine. Ask Spinelli for something to do. Maybe you can sort paper or something.” Elizabeth laid back down, rolled over on her side away from Jason.

“Now you’re the one that’s mad.” His voice came from near her ear. He’d laid down, curling his body around her, his warmth flooding through her.

“I’m not mad. I’m just—I’m scared,” Elizabeth admitted. She rolled onto her back so that she could see his face. “You were distracted by everything with Danny and Sam, and now that’s over, and you’re immediately looking for the next task. Your next adrenaline rush. But it’s not always like that. Sometimes my life is boring. It’s getting up and going to work, and coming home and being the boys, and then doing it again the next day. And you’re bored in the first twelve hours—” She stopped when he tugged her across him, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him. She braced her hands on his chest so she could sit up slightly. “This is my life, Jason. Especially right now.”

“Then this is my life, too.” When she made a face, he continued, “I’m not bored. But you’re right. I need a problem to solve. And I don’t know what to do with myself without one. That’s something I need to work on. But I can do it. Because I want this. Being with you, getting up, going to work, being with the boys at night, and then doing it all again. I want it—”

“But can it be enough?” she asked softly. “Is it enough to want it? It never has been before.”

“I’ll make it enough.”

She might have protested again, but he kissed her, rolling them so that she was beneath him again and she let it go. Better to focus on the here and now.

Tomorrow was soon enough to worry about everything that came next.