November 11, 2004

L & B Recording Studios: Rehearsal Room

Brooke tapped at the piano keys, her voice hushed. “And I wanna believe you, when you tell me that it will be okay. Yeah, I try to believe you. Not today, today, today, today, today. Tomorrow it may change…”

“That’s beautiful,” Maxie murmured from the doorway. Brooke snapped her head up and met the eyes of one of her best friends. They’d seen each other at the hearing yesterday but hadn’t spoken. “You must hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.” Brooke switched off the synthesizer and set aside her sheet music. “I just…I don’t know how I feel,” she admitted.

Maxie clasped her hands behind her back. “I’m sorry I didn’t visit you in the hospital. I didn’t know what to say and I wasn’t sure how I would…I would feel.”

The corner of Brooke’s mouth lifted in a humorless smile. “Disgusted?”

“No. No,” Maxie shook her head. “No, that’s not–you’re my best friend, Brooke. But this has never–I’ve never known anyone who went through this. I mean, you hear about it and you know it happens…but I never really thought about what it would be like for it to happen to someone I know. And it scares me, Brooke. It terrifies me that anyone can do this to a person, even if you trust them.”

“Maxie…” Brooke sighed. She shook her head. “This isn’t about you.” She stood and shoved her work into her shoulder bag.

“No, and that’s why I couldn’t go to see you while this was in my head,” Maxie said. “But I talked to Georgie last night and she told me to just be honest with you. So…” she took a deep breath. “We were all alone with him, Brooke. You, me and Georgie. We all spent time one on one with him and it’s terrifying to know that he had that in him all the time and it makes me feel so ashamed to be glad it wasn’t me.”

Brooke stared at the miserable blonde and tried to shove the hurt aside. A natural reaction, she told herself. She herself would have felt it. “That doesn’t mean you’re glad it was me,” Brooke said, struggling to understand Maxie’s mind. “I hope you’re not dumb enough to think that’s what you were feeling.”

“No but…” Maxie sighed. “I’m selfish, it’s not much of a surprise to you, I guess. And I feel like such a shitty person for feeling this way. This is such a terrible thing to happen and all I can think of is I’m glad it wasn’t me.”

“You get to feel how you want to feel,” Brooke said. “I can’t control any of it. I can’t control that Dillon wants to kill Diego, that Georgie’s willing to do anything–even see Diego–if she thinks it’ll help and Lucas…” she sighed heavily. “And I can’t help that the thought of Lucas touching me makes me shiver inside and not the way it used to.”

She lifted the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “I know that while it happened physically to me, that it’s happening to all of you. I know that it’s affecting everyone, from my parents to you guys and I’m trying to deal with that. But don’t get too busy dealing with this to forget that all you guys have to do is process it.” Her lips pressed together. “But I’m the one that’s gotta remember it. To get on the stand and testify. To tell people. This did not happen to you. It happened to me. Everyone else is just a bystander.”

She stalked past Maxie and into the hallway.

Courtney’s Loft: Living Room

Courtney slid her foot into a pair of white flats and looked around for her coat. She was late for a meeting with Social Services and the last thing she had needed this morning was for her alarm clock to break.

There was a quiet knock at the door. “Come in!” Courtney called distractedly as she went into the partitioned area where the bed was. “Is that you, Jax?”

“Uh, no,” Jason said, uncomfortably.

Courtney came back into the living room, her meeting forgotten. “Jason. What are you doing here?”

“I’m…I have to talk to you.” He shifted. “And I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else.”

Her heart constricted. He was going to get married again. She could feel it. To that slut, Sam. Even though she’d lost her baby, that little home wrecker still had her claws in Jason. “Jason, I don’t–”

“Cameron Webber is my son and he was conceived while we were engaged,” Jason said in one sentence, which had to be the longest one he’d said to her in months.

Courtney opened her mouth but there was no sound. She blinked. Closed her mouth and tried to process it. Cameron Webber. Son. Conceived. Engaged. The words didn’t make sense in the same phrase because if they were used together it meant…no, she had heard wrong. She must have.

“Cameron Webber is Elizabeth’s son,” Courtney said slowly. “And Zander Smith is his father.”

“No. That’s what everyone thought until her due date was readjusted.” Jason exhaled impatiently. Say it quick, Carly had advised. Like ripping off a bandage instead of peeling it slowly. “He’s my son, Courtney. My biological son.”

Okay, that was getting through but the rest of it had to be wrong. She’d asked Jason about this. She’d begged him to tell her that he didn’t love Elizabeth, that he didn’t want her and he–

He had never answered. The memory of that day was clear in Courtney’s mind, despite the haze that settled over her memories of that time. He’d said that they were engaged. But he’d never denied it.

Which was always Jason’s way of not telling the truth. Just avoiding the question. Oh, Jesus.

“I was right,” Courtney murmured. “You wanted her. The whole time. I was just–I was substitute.” Oh–and Elizabeth had given him a child. The child Courtney had been unable to. Something inside her curled up and died at that thought. She’d accused him of it–never dreaming that it would be the truth. “You married me because you couldn’t have her. You were with me because she left you.”

She’d thought she’d felt pain before. When she’d found out AJ was stalking her, when she and Jason had been broken up, when she’d lost their child. Ending their marriage. She’d thought she understood what pain was like.

But hearing–understanding–that despite it all, that no matter what they’d had together, it had never been enough. She had never been enough for him. It would always be Elizabeth for him.

There was no pain like having your heart ripped out and shredded into pieces.

There was a buzzing behind her eyes, she wasn’t quite sure what was happening outside her head. Was he saying something? Was she? Dimly, she was aware that she was crying, that the tears were sliding down her cheeks and streaking her mascara and eyeliner.

She sat because her legs would no longer support her. He’d slept with Elizabeth, had never told her–her thoughts broke off abruptly and she focused on him. “The accident. It was after the accident. A baby never would have survived.”

Jason sighed, almost as if he himself didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to delve into the memories. “It was before and after the accident,” he admitted. “We had–it was over before we were married but it was not a one night thing.”

“An affair,” Courtney said slowly. “You had an affair with her while I was going through an addiction to pain killers, while I was dealing with my miscarriage. While I was planning our wedding, you were sleeping with Elizabeth Webber.”

And while Elizabeth was dealing with her breakup with Jason, you were sleeping with him, a nasty voice in her brain said. While she was confiding in you, treating you like a friend, you were screwing him. You threw your husband out and slept with his brother two weeks later in the bed you’d shared.

She clapped her hands over her ears. “Get out,” she said. “Get out!” Her voice rose. “Get out!” she finally shrieked. “I want you out!”

Jason dipped his head into his chest, exhaled slowly once before turning and leaving. It was better that she knew the full truth, he told himself as he left the loft and headed for the stairs. Better that she didn’t question, didn’t wonder. It was better this way.

Somehow, someday, he was sure he would believe that.

Audrey Hardy’s House: Living Room

“He appears to be recovered from his little sickness,” Audrey remarked, propping her great-grandson on her lap and cooing at him. “I can’t believe how fast he’s growing.”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth sighed. “Seems like only yesterday he was still inside me.” Her eyes clouded for a moment. “Before you know it, he’ll be running around and then he’ll be going to college, having a life of his own.” She exhaled slowly. “It goes so fast, Gram. And all you can do is live every day the best you can.”

“Well, he has an excellent mother.” Audrey tugged at Cameron’s shirt, smoothing it out. “Have you given any thought to what we discussed? A father figure for Cameron?”

“Gram…” Elizabeth sighed. “I know you think he needs someone in his life, a male influence.”

“I don’t think you need to get married to give him a father, but just someone to look up to,” Audrey said. “Someone other than his uncle.”

“I know.” Elizabeth twisted her fingers. “There is someone, Gram.”

“Oh?” Audrey arched an eyebrow. “And who is that?”

“Cameron’s father.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Jason.”

Audrey stilled. Her fingers tightened around Cameron’s midsection for a moment before she raised her eyes to her granddaughter. “I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t quite catch that.”

“Jason Morgan is Cameron’s father. His biological father,” Elizabeth said softly. “I discovered that before I left for California and when I came home, I told Jason immediately. We chose to keep it between us for a while. He was just coming off a divorce and…the situation with Sam…” She exhaled slowly. “I love him, Gram. I hope that you can finally accept that. We’re a family–Jason, Cameron and myself.”

Audrey stood and set Cameron firmly in his mother’s arms. She walked around the back of the couch and wandered towards the mantel, where photos of the family were kept. “When I was your age, my darling, I had only just arrived in Port Charles, flushed with my independence and a golden future. I thought I do anything, be anything that I wanted. And when I met Steve…oh…how lovely it all was…” She turned, a soft smile on her face and the memory of her love for her long gone husband in her eyes. “You know that your grandfather was the love of my life.”

“I know that,” Elizabeth said. “I love Jason that way, Gram.”

“From the time I was a young girl, flushed with all the sweetness and innocence of my first real love to today, there has never been anyone that I loved quite the same way, with the same depth and passion.” Audrey sighed and twisted her slim wedding band. “We didn’t have a smooth road and it took many mistakes before I realized that I was meant for Steve, and he for me. By that time, and during that period in time, we were past the age where we could have children of our own. Part of me has always grieved for that though Tom became Steve’s son.”

“Gram…”

“You’ve been through so much in your young life, Elizabeth. More than I have experienced in my long one,” Audrey continued. “You ought to know your own heart by now and if you truly believe that Jason Morgan owns it, then I trust you with that decision.” Audrey picked up a photo of herself and Steve on their second wedding day, twenty-seven years ago. “He was always a good father to Michael, I can’t imagine he’s any less for Cameron. And though I never thought he was right for you, I can’t disagree that he cares for you.”

Elizabeth stood and shifted Cameron to rest on her hip. “So…you’ll accept him?”

“Yes.” Audrey nodded. “Yes, I will. Though I reserve my judgment until he agrees to come to dinner one night soon.”

The tension left her shoulders and Elizabeth sighed in relief. “Thank you, Gram. You don’t know how much it means to me to know you’re going to give him a chance.”

General Hospital: Kristina’s Room

Alexis flipped through the snap shots of the houses Ric had gotten from their realtor. They were either the wrong location, the wrong size and in one case of lime green, the wrong color. She was beginning to think her apartment sounded like a nice place to live for the rest of their lives.

“Mama,” Kristina chirped. She held her hands out for the stack Alexis held her in her hands. “Gimme.”

Alexis held up a picture of a split level home five blocks from downtown Port Charles but still firmly residential. “How does this look, Princess?”

Kristina frowned. “What dat?”

“Well…it could be our new home,” Alexis said slowly. “You’d get a swing set.”

“Swing!” Kristina clapped her hands. “Swing, swing, swing!”

“And possibly a tricycle,” Alexis continued, though she still had doubts about putting her baby on anything that could move away from her. “That’s a bike with three wheels.”

“Bike?” Kristina’s eyes dark eyes grew wide. “Bike! Like on TV!”

“Yes, like on TV,” Alexis said, slightly irritated that her baby-sitter had let her watch so much television. She should have been read fairy tales instead of watching whatever daytime soap the baby sitter was currently addicted to.

“We live there,” Kristina decided. She reached for the picture and hugged it to her chest. “Home.”

“Yeah, okay. We’ll go see the inside of it,” Alexis compromised. “If Mommy doesn’t like it, we’re not doing it.”

“Home,” Kristina repeated. She looked down at the picture. “Krissy get swing, swing right?”

“Yes, Krissy get swing swing,” her mother repeated, charmed by the obvious attachment her daughter had to the image. Though she was not going to pick a house simply because her two-year-old daughter liked the way something looked.

She really wasn’t.

Club 101: Carly’s Office

“And make sure that the bottles aren’t broke,” Carly told her assistant. “The last shipment was full of cracked wine bottles.”

“Yes, Mrs. Corinthos,” the young man nodded. He marked that down and was about to bring up the next topic when there was a knock on the door. Without waiting for an invitation, Sonny pushed it open and held up a sheaf of papers.

Carly swallowed. The divorce papers. “We’re done for now, Roger. Come back in about an hour.”

Roger hurried to leave them alone. “What took you so long?” Carly asked as she shuffled some papers into a useless pile.

“The messenger delivered them to the warehouse and today was the first day I went in.” Sonny set them on her desk. “The terms are unacceptable.”

Carly sighed heavily. “Listen, we both know that this is over. I don’t see why we have to hurt each and drag it out.”

“I intend to see that my boys have their own home. You can’t live with your mother indefinitely,” Sonny chided.

“Why not?” Carly asked. “Mama’s already agreed to move her shifts around so she can be with the boys when I can’t. I can bring Morgan to work with me, pick Michael up from school.”

“Then what would we pay Leticia for?” Sonny asked pointedly.

“Nothing,” Carly answered. “I let her go.”

“What?” Sonny demanded. “Without speaking to me?”

“I don’t need a nanny,” Carly argued. “I want to raise my boys, I want to be their mother. If Morgan spends any more time with Leticia, he’ll be calling her Mom rather than me. If you want to keep her on for when you have the boys at the penthouse, that’s fine but you’re not going to tell me how I’m going raise my own children. We are staying with my mother until I feel we’re ready to move on and there’s nothing you can say to change that. Sign the papers and let’s get this over with.”

“And the child support is too low,” Sonny said. “You couldn’t feed them on what you’re asking for–”

“I’m not a child, Sonny. I can feed and clothe my own children. I only asked for child support because it’s standard. I don’t even want alimony–”

“What kind of bullshit is that?” Sonny exploded. “Since when do you turn down money?”

“Since I remembered that I grew up without any and I survived. I can take care of myself, Sonny and I don’t need you standing there judging my every move. I’m not Mrs. Sonny Corinthos anymore and for the first time, I feel damn good about myself.” Carly stood, her tone matching his. “I don’t want your money, I don’t want you in my life anymore Sonny. I’m tired of all of this. I’m tired of stepping on eggshells, tired of pretending to be someone I’m not–”

“What does that mean?” Sonny demanded.

“It means that before you came along, I didn’t need anyone. And I’m tired of depending on someone else. Get out of my office, Sonny. From now on, you deal with my lawyer.”

Cottage: Nursery

Elizabeth closed the fairy tale she’d been reading to Cameron and smiled when she saw him fast asleep. There were days when he’d refuse to go down for his nap which only made the days when he just slipped into sleep all the more sweet.

“Is he already asleep?” Jason asked from the doorway. She turned, surprised to see him. “I tried to make it over before his nap.”

“He just went down,” Elizabeth murmured. She tucked the blankets in more tightly around him. She set the book back onto the shelf and left the room, closing the door behind her. “I–I told my grandmother today.”

“Really?” Jason asked, surprised. He followed her down the stairs and into the living room. “How did it go?”

“A lot better than I thought it would,” Elizabeth admitted. “I think part of her knew.” She smiled ruefully. “It seems the people in my life knew at least that Zander wasn’t Cameron’s father. Can you believe Emily thought Lucky was?” she laughed and shook her head. “God.”

“I told Monica,” Jason said. He leaned against the arm chair and watched her start to fold a load of Cameron’s clothing. “Sam suggested that I should and I’m glad I did.”

“Monica loves you,” Elizabeth said. “I hope you told her she’s welcome to come by anytime to see him.”

“I did.” Jason hesitated. “I, ah, she wants to throw a baby shower because she didn’t get to while you were pregnant.”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose and smiled at him. “I bet you turned that down fast. You and the Quartermaines, at a party together…” she trailed off and laughed. “What an idea that is.”

“I told her that it would be fine, that it was even a good idea. She pointed out that while we tell our families, that the only way to really announce it is to do it in a public way and I guess there’s no real more public way than a Quartermaine party.”

Elizabeth lowered a green shirt back into the basket and stared at him. “Are you…are you serious? You agreed to…you agreed to a Quartermaine party?”

Jason nodded. “I told you that I was going to make this up to you, Elizabeth. And I can’t really think of a better way to prove that I’m willing to put Cameron first. The Quartermaines aren’t the same and Monica deserves to have at least one of her grandchildren in her life.”

“Jason, I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to. I know how you feel about them–”

“But I know that you like them,” Jason cut in. “And I trust you. Besides, with everything that was going on last year, did you have a baby shower?”

“No,” Elizabeth said, her lips curving slightly. “No, I didn’t get that chance.” Her eyes were sparkling now. “It does sound like a good idea and I bet no one gives gifts like the Quartermaines.”

“Good. Then when Monica descends on us tomorrow with party plans, I can leave that part of it completely to you.” Jason shifted. “Elizabeth, I told Courtney this morning.”

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked away. “How did that go?”

“It went,” Jason said. “She knows the truth. She was upset and she told me to get out but–she knows.” He shifted again, uncomfortable with the memory of the morning’s incident. “I don’t know how she’s going to react in public but–everyone knows now.”

“I guess they do.” Elizabeth sighed. “Well, it’s over at any rate. We can start with the rest of our life.” She finished folding the last of the clothes and crossed the room to him, standing between his legs and resting her hands on his thighs. “What are you doing with the rest of the day?”

“I have to go to the warehouse–there are some loose ends I need to tie up and I need to talk to Sonny. I haven’t seen him since Tuesday when I just…dropped it on him.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t know how he’s handling this. The job, Cameron, you and part of me wonders…” he trailed off.

“Wonders what?” Elizabeth murmured. She ran her fingers through the soft hair by his ear.

“I wonder why it matters so much. What he thinks, more than Carly, more than Courtney.”

“He’s your best friend.” Elizabeth had long ago come to terms with that while he loved her, that he loved his son, he also loved Sonny. “He’s been more than friend–he’s been your father. You don’t want to disappoint him and you think you have by not being what he wants.”

“I guess. He’s just been so different since I came home this last time and I don’t think it’s ever going to be the way it used to be. I don’t think I’m ever going to be person I used to be.”

“Well, that’s okay,” Elizabeth said, winding her hands around his neck. He gripped her waist and was just so relieved that this still felt comfortable, that this still felt right. After all he’d put her through and how much they’d been through together, there was still this between them. She always knew what he was thinking, what he was really trying to say and she was the only person who’d been there for him–and not for someone else first. “I kind of like who you are now.” She kissed his chin and smiled up at him. “Will you stay tonight?”

“I wish I could,” Jason sighed heavily. “But I just–” He shook his head. “I have things I need to finish before I can stay in this house again, before I’ll feel like I have a right to.”

Elizabeth exhaled slowly. “All right. I won’t pretend I wish you felt differently. I miss you, Jason.” She tucked her head under his chin and closed her eyes. “I love you,” she murmured.

Warehouse: Sonny’s Office

Sonny was shuffling through paperwork when Jason entered his office. He didn’t knock and didn’t announce his presence, just stood and waited for his friend and former partner to look up.

Sonny finished the form he was filling out before looking up though he was aware of Jason from the moment he’d stepped in. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“I thought we should talk,” Jason said.

Sonny nodded and sat back. “You, ah, dropped quite the bomb yesterday.” He folded his hands on the desk and peered up at Jason. “I’d like to tell you that I’m happy for you. All other things aside, that is something I’d like you to be aware of. Elizabeth is a wonderful woman and Cameron is a beautiful boy.”

“Thank you,” Jason nodded. “I know how lucky I am.”

“I’m sorry you feel like you have to quit your job to have what you need but if you feel that this is what you really need, what you really want, then I support it and I’ll do what I can to make it happen.”

Jason frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Before we’re partners, we’re friends,” Sonny said. “And I think sometimes we both forget that. I’m sorry you felt like you had to hide this. I’m sorry that my sister was hurt in the process but it’s happened. We have to deal with it.” He cleared his throat. “Have you told Courtney yet?”

“This morning.” Jason looked away. “She didn’t take it well.”

“She’s having a rough time of it,” Sonny remarked. “I’ll take care of her, don’t worry. Carly knows?”

“Everyone knows,” Jason said. “I’m tired of hiding it, of hiding Elizabeth. She doesn’t deserve that.”

Sonny stood. “Are we okay then?”

“I guess we are.” Jason offered a hand and Sonny shook it. Their friendship would never, could never be the same. But maybe, just maybe, it would be better after this day.

PCMB: Brianne’s Office

“I’m going to call Dr. Webber, Brooke, Ned, and one of Brooke’s friends as witnesses,” Brianne told Lucky. She shoved a folder across the desk. “I just haven’t decided which kid though I’m leaning towards Lucas Jones because he has the cleanest record. I’m also going to interview a few more people connected to this case.” She hesitated and tapped her pen against a notepad. “Would Elizabeth Webber be cooperative?”

Lucky blinked and shifted in his chair. “What does she have to do with this case?”

“She’s spoken to Brooke. She’s not a licensed rape counselor so her conversations aren’t confidential. I just want to check what Brooke’s said to her.”

Lucky narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. “Do you think Brooke’s keeping something back? Lying?”

“No, no,” Brianne shook her head and looked back at her notes. “Brooke’s being truthful but she may have said something to Elizabeth in a moment of emotion that she might not have felt in the room with me. I just want to have all the details.” Her blue eyes met his, hers full of a surprising intensity. “I want the cell locked so tightly on this piece of scum that there’s no hope of him going free.”

It was the first piece of real emotion that Brianne had shown and its appearance made him sit back a little, surprised. “It’s what we all want but I’m not sure Elizabeth will feel comfortable divulging anything Brooke said.”

“I want to question her anyway.” Brianne flipped a page in her notes. “Did you go back today and re-interview the stronger witnesses at the high school?”

“I have ten affidavits,” Lucky answered. He held out a manila folder for her to take and watched as Brianne took the edge and set it down on her desk. “From different groups at the school. Some athletics, some academics, couple of in betweens, a few slackers. I wanted to cover all bases. They pretty much say the same thing. Sanchez was new to the school, barely attended. They saw him in the company of Brooke and her friends. They all assumed it was because she felt sorry for him. No one saw any behavior on her part that would even suggest she felt more than friendly towards him.”

“Good, good.” Brianne stood and went over to a filing cabinet where she removed a few files. “That’s it on the Sanchez case. Thank you for your help, Sergeant Spencer, but that’ll be all for today.” She flicked a glance towards him. “I don’t think we’ll need much more investigation from the PCPD so other than preparing you for the witness stand, we’re done here.”

Lucky nodded. “Elizabeth’s an old friend of mine. She might talk to me more easily than you–”

“I can do my job,” Brianne interrupted briskly. She took the files back to her desk. “Thank you, Sergeant,” she repeated.

Lucky hesitated and nodded. “Fine.” He stood and started for the door. His cell phone chirped and he paused to answer it. “Spencer.”

“It’s Scorpio,” Mac reported. “Sanchez made bail.”

“What do you mean he made bail?” Lucky repeated. “Where the hell did he get a hundred grand?”

Brianne’s head snapped up and she stood. “Sanchez is out?”

“His lawyer appealed the amount of the bail and it was lowered to ten thousand which the sister met. Are you still with ADA Joyce?”

“Yeah, how come she wasn’t aware of this?” Lucky demanded. He turned back to see Brianne’s pale face staring back at him. “Shouldn’t she have been present at something like this?”

“She should have been which is why I’m worried. I’m going to talk to Lorenzo Alcazar. I’m putting a man on Brooke Lynn at all times. I want you to stick close to the ADA.”

“Why?” Lucky asked suspiciously. “Do you think Sanchez is that stupid he’d go after Joyce?”

If it were possible, the pallor of the woman in question faded even more.

“I’m not interested in taking chances. I’ve got the okay from DA Lansing. Until we locate Sanchez and put someone on him at all times, I want all the principals protected. Diego Sanchez has connections in this town and if it wasn’t Alcazar who sprung him, I want to know who. Corinthos wouldn’t put his neck out for him.”

“He’d have no reason,” Lucky murmured. “I’ll stick close until you tell me otherwise.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

Lucky dropped his phone back in his pocket. “Looks like you can’t get rid of me that easily, Ms. Joyce.”

Brianne sat down slowly. “How did he make bail?” she demanded, color rushing back to her cheeks.

“Seems Hartman appealed to have the bail lowered. Diego Sanchez’s sister paid ten thousand to spring him.”

“No, no, any motions would have to go through this office. We have to be made aware even if we choose not to fight it.” Brianne’s hands were shaking as she reached for the phone. “There’s some mistake.”

He took the phone from her hands and ignored the way she froze when their hands brushed. He hung the receiver up. “There’s no mistake, Brianne. Sanchez is out on bail. Mac is putting someone on Brooke and he wants me to stay with you until we have a line on Sanchez and can pin him down.”

“I just–I don’t understand.” She shook her head. “He’s a minor. He’s seventeen, he has to be released into someone’s custody. Social Services, maybe. They wouldn’t give him back to Courtney Matthews.” Her eyes met his. “Would they?”

“Not after Ned Ashton served them with papers this morning for reckless endangerment.”

“Lorenzo Alcazar didn’t sound like he’d fight for his son’s defense yesterday.” Brianne stood and moved to the windows. “Where would Diego Sanchez’s sister get ten thousand dollars?”

“I don’t know. But until we nail down what happened and get Sanchez back behind bars, I’m not leaving you alone.” Lucky clasped his hands behind his back and waited for her to argue. She’d been in a hurry to get rid of him just ten minutes ago, she wouldn’t want him to be sticking so close now.

But he had made up his mind that he wouldn’t listen, no matter what she argued. He had a job to do and Mac Scorpio was right. Diego Sanchez was unpredictable and without scruples. He wasn’t about to let Brianne go unprotected.

“That’s a good idea,” she murmured. “Better the devil you know.”

He frowned. “What does that mean?”

“What?” Brianne turned. She shook her head. “I have to go to the courthouse. I have to challenge the bail.” She pulled her arms through her black coat and grabbed her purse.

Lucky continued to frown but followed her through the door. He was beginning to understand that the way a woman’s mind worked would always remain a mystery.

Note: The lyrics snippet at the beginning of the chapter is Avil Lavigne’s Tomorrow.

November 10, 2004

General Hospital: Sam McCall’s Room

Sonny paced and moved to the window. “How could he lie to me?” he muttered.

Sam glanced up from the cheesy talk show she was watching on the television. “Lie? What kind of crack are you on?”

“He has a son that was conceived while he was married to my sister,” Sonny said. He turned and looked at her. “He’s leaving his job to be with Elizabeth.”

“Mm…” Sam took a cup of water from the stand next to her and sipped through a straw. “They were engaged, you’ve said yourself that you didn’t think he was over Elizabeth, and he’s leaving his job because it doesn’t make him happy.”

“And what about him just dropping that on me yesterday and leaving?” Sonny continued, pretending to ignore her words. “Doesn’t he have any respect for me, for our friendship?” Sam arched an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me like that. This isn’t my fault.”

“You don’t pay a lot of attention to him so I’m going to let that slide.” Sam set aside her water. “Jason has respect for you. Too much, if you ask me. He kept this a secret because he didn’t want to hurt you. And in the end, he hurt Elizabeth. Now, if you ask me, his loyalties are screwed up.”

Sonny sighed. “He should have told me then. He should have avoided all of this. And I’m sorry he didn’t and hurt her. She’s the last person in the world that deserves something like this.” He grimaced. “After what Ric did to her.”

“Well, okay, then we’re on the same page. Look, just because Jason’s leaving the business it doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends. He’ll still be across the hall.” Sam hesitated. “Well, maybe not for long if he works things out with Elizabeth. But he’s still your best friend.”

Sonny frowned. “He hasn’t talked to you about the penthouse yet?”

“He said something stupid about deeding it to me but that’s just his guilt talking.” Sam waved her hand. “That’s his home. It’s not mine. I didn’t work for it and while it’s been nice to live there but I’m done with the handouts.” She let a hand rest on her belly. “It’s just me again. And I know how to take care of myself. I’m going to stay there for a little while longer until I get back on my feet.”

Sonny looked away. “Dr. Quartermaine says you can be released Monday, provided you promise to rest. I thought we could schedule Adella’s viewing for Tuesday.”

Sam bit her lip and stared at her blanket. “That sounds fine. I–I’m glad you don’t blame Jason anymore for this. I think he blames himself more than enough.”

“He shouldn’t.” Troubled, Sonny turned his gaze towards the windows with a view that overlooked the parking garage of General Hospital. “But it’s my fault he feels that way.”

Sam glared at the back of his head. “Between you and Jason, I don’t suppose there’s enough room in this situation for me to feel guilty.”

“Why would you need to feel guilty?” Sonny demanded. He turned. “No one could have prevented this. Monica said as much.”

“That’s true,” Sam allowed. “But you know I had the opportunity to induce the labor. What if I had done that? Would she have lived? Will I ever know for sure? What should I do with that information, huh?”

“This is not your fault,” he said forcefully. He strode towards the bed and jammed a finger in her direction. “I don’t want to hear you saying anything so ridiculous again, do you hear me?”

“Well then don’t let me hear you or Jason blaming yourself either because out of the three of us, I’m the only who had any opportunity to truly prevent this,” Sam said hotly.

Monica Quartermaine pushed the door open and frowned. “Are you arguing with my patient?” she asked Sonny, with a teasing tone.

“He’s being stupid,” Sam muttered. She leaned back. “Hello, Dr. Quartermaine.”

“Sam.” Monica opened her chart. “I just wanted to let you know that your tests came back. I consulted with two other gynecologists and they both agree with me.”

Sam held her breath and glanced at Sonny–these tests would tell her if she would be able to conceive again. Sam had never thought herself the maternal type but the last few months had awakened a yearning inside to give love to another. To her own child. She wasn’t sure if she could handle the knowledge that it might never be possible.

“What do they say?” Sam asked softly.

“They see no reason you couldn’t conceive again and carry a baby to term,” Monica said with a smile. “You’re young, you’re relatively healthy, you had a good pregnancy.” Her eyes clouded. “The baby was perfectly formed.”

Her mouth dry, Sam blinked. “Is she still here? I haven’t seen her–I just–I want to hold her. Can…can that happen?”

“She’s scheduled to be–” Monica stopped abruptly. No one wanted to talk about services, funerals or anything of the sort in conjunction with a baby and she especially wanted to avoid this with Sam’s child. “Let me see what I can do. It won’t be like holding a…” she hesitated.

“A living baby,” Sam supplied softly. “She’ll be cold. Her eyes won’t be open, she won’t cry, she won’t even wrap her hand around one of my fingers.” Tears filled her eyes. “But I still want to hold my daughter once.”

“Of course,” Monica nodded. “I’ll arrange it and come to get you.”

“Thank you,” Sam said. When she was gone, she exhaled slowly. “I can conceive again. That’s good.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sonny asked quietly. “I saw Adella after she was born. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do, Sam.”

“She is my daughter and I have the right to say good bye in my own way,” Sam replied stiffly. Her shoulders were squared, a light of determination flickered in her brown eyes. “I have to do this, Sonny. I know you mean well but please don’t ask me not to do it.”

He nodded. “All right. I should go–make the arrangements for Tuesday.” He squeezed her hand and kissed her forehead before leaving the room.

Port Charles Courthouse: Court Room A

Brooke Lynn slid into a seat in the empty court room and looked around apprehensively. Brianne had told her that she would most likely not have to testify but she would need to be present. She would need to be in the same room as Diego Sanchez.

Part of her was unsure if she could handle it. Part of her wanted to go home, to go into her room and curl underneath the covers until ten years had past and this was all over. She knew from meeting with Elizabeth Webber that there was something worth reaching for, that there was a reason to keep living her life and striving for normalcy but Brooke didn’t think there was any shame in wishing she could get to the rest of her life and skip the recovery.

The door creaked open and footsteps entered the room. Lucas slid into the seat next to her. “Georgie, Dillon, Maxie and I skipped school today. We wanted to know if it would help if we were in here today.”

Brooke couldn’t turn and look at him. To let him see straight on the bruise that was just beginning to heal on her face. She wore a black turtleneck and a long black skirt to cover all her other bruises but no matter how much cover up she’d put on this morning, the purple and yellow pigments couldn’t be hidden. “If you want to be here, I can’t tell you not to.”

Lucas exhaled slowly and clasped his hands between his knees. He made sure to look at her, to hide the anger boiling just underneath the skin at the bruise covering the left side of her face. “I just wanted to make something clear between the two of us in case you thought otherwise. I have no intention of ending things between us.”

Brooke whipped her head to look at him, wariness cloaking her dark eyes. “What?”

“I mean, if you want to, that’s up to you. But I don’t want to. I care about you, Brooke and it has nothing to do with the physical side of it,” Lucas said quietly. “I can understand if you’d be more comfortable scaling things back so that we were just friends but I don’t want you to do it because you think I pity you. I don’t.”

“Of course you do,” Brooke replied stiffly. She swung her eyes to the defense table where in just a short hour, Diego would be seated. “I can see it in your eyes. In Georgie’s. Even in Dillon’s. And even though Maxie hasn’t gotten around to seeing me,” she said bitterly, “I know she would too. You pity me. All of you. My family. The police. Even the ADA. You all think I’m some poor little girl, some little victim.”

“Hey, it sucks what happened and whether you like it or not, you are a victim,” Lucas shot back.

Her eyes were burning with indignation. “I’m no one’s victim. He can’t make me afraid of him. I’m going to get on that stand and I’m going to tell the jury what he did to me. And I’m not going to ever let him forget it. Every parole hearing, I’ll be there until he’s served his full sentence. He’s not taking the rest of my life from me. I am not a victim, Lucas Jones, so don’t you dare sit there and cast me in that role.”

“Good,” Lucas said simply. He stood. “We were going to the vending machines out front. Dillon wants to try and experiment. Something about pouring water over the hot dogs you buy out there and seeing if they fizz. He says he saw it in New York City. Maxie bet him ten bucks it won’t happen. You want to come?”

Brooke hesitated for a moment but offered a hand. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. For the first time in a week, Brooke Lynn Ashton did not flinch when someone touched her.

Cottage: Living Room

“Look at Morgan,” Michael said to Cameron, who was sprawled out on a blanket in the middle of the floor. “He can walk.”

Cameron stared at his cousin with an unblinking stare. Michael sighed and pointed to his brother who was toddling around the room. “Look!” he directed. “You try it!”

Cameron just continued to stare. Michael grimaced. “You look just like Uncle Jason when you do that and he never does what I want him to do when he gets that look.”

Carly watched from the doorway and smiled to herself. Cameron did resemble his father at that moment, his beautiful blue eyes focused on her eager son. She turned and took the cup of coffee Elizabeth offered her. “Thanks for inviting us over today. Cam seems more open to playing.”

“Yeah, he seems to be mostly over his cold. The ear infection only seems to pain him when I need to sleep,” Elizabeth sighed with an indulging smile. “So you said Jason told Sonny yesterday.”

“Yep. Sonny called me after Jason left the hospital. Seems Jason dropped the bomb about both Cameron and his job and just left Sonny to deal with it. Sonny’s still processing it but I think part of him appreciated the way he was told. He said, and I quote, ‘It was like listening to him a few years ago. No excuses. No explanations. Just–here’s the situation. Now you deal with it.’ ” Carly laughed. “What I would have given to see his face when he found out.”

Elizabeth sipped her hot chocolate. “When do you think he’ll tell Courtney?” she asked reluctantly.

“Soon,” Carly said after considering it. “People know. Steven and I know, Sonny knows, I’m assuming he told Sam at some point. You mentioned Emily knows, which means Nikolas either does or will and that means the rest of the Spencers will. It’s only a matter of time. I just wonder how she’s going to take it.”

“I’m sorry if it hurts her,” Elizabeth admits. “But it’s really for the best if Jason tells her himself.”

“Yeah…well she brought it on herself,” Carly decided. “Michael, Cameron’s only a few months old. He’s not ready to tackle walking,” she called when Michael stood and attempted to pull Cam to his feet. “Crawling,” she suggested. “Show him how to crawl.”

“What do you mean, she brought it on herself?” Elizabeth asked. “It’s not like she shoved Jason in a room with me and stripped us both.”

“Well…she kissed him two weeks after you walked out on him. Even I had my doubts in the beginning if this was something that should be happening.” Carly shrugged. “But he seemed okay and she was thrilled so I encouraged it.” Her lips twisted into a grimaced smile. “It was nice to have some pull with one of Jason’s women for a change. Robin and you just were not controllable.”

Elizabeth laughed then and looked at the trio of boys on the floor. Michael was slivering on his belly and Cameron was just giggling. “No. I guess that should have been a clue.”

“Yep. The second I have any control in Jason’s life, something must not be right.” Carly sipped her coffee. “I haven’t spoken to Courtney since I moved out of the penthouse. She’s going through her own thing now and didn’t agree with me leaving and serving Sonny with divorce papers, so it seems like you’re my last female option.”

“Option?” Elizabeth said skeptically. “What does that mean?”

“It means I need some to vent about men with and Jason just does not fit that bill,” Carly remarked. “Though I will refrain from speaking about your brother with you.”

“My brother?” Elizabeth repeated. “I didn’t realize you and Steven were all that close.”

“We’re not. But he seems nice and he doesn’t treat me like I’m a five year old so he’s step above my husband and he doesn’t treat me like a disaster waiting to happen which is a step above Jason.”

“At least Jason’s right,” Elizabeth pointed out with a smirk.

“Bite me, Shorty,” Carly grumbled.

General Hospital: Morgue

Monica wheeled Sam into the cold room and stopped in front of a smaller table. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.

Sam nodded. “I think it’s something I need to do–to accept it.”

Monica sighed and lifted the sheet back to reveal a tiny baby laying on the table. She lifted her and set her in Sam’s arms.

“Oh…” Sam breathed, the tears slipping unnoticed down her cheeks. She was so cold, so still. But so perfect. Her little nose, her little lips. She touched her hand. Such small fingers and minuscule finger nails. Ten fingers, ten toes. Two eyes. She was so beautiful. “She would have been such a good little girl,” she murmured, raising her wet eyes to Monica, whose own eyes were watering.

“Her name is Adella Leigh and I think I would have called her Addy. She would have been so sweet and she would have given hugs to anyone who wanted them. She would have grown up safe, with a mother and father who loved her. She never for one moment would have doubted her worth, her future, her goals. I would have done anything to make her happy.” She leaned down and kissed her daughter for the first and last time on the forehead. “I’m so sorry I never got the chance to know you, Addy. Sweet princess.”

She lifted Adella out to Monica, who cradled her for a moment before setting her back on the table. She raised the sheet to cover her once more. “You would have been a good mother,” Monica murmured. “It’s the people who never expected to have such capacity for love that make the best parents. Jason didn’t know he could love like that either.”

“Well, he got a second chance.” Sam wiped her eyes and smiled up at her. “With the woman he really loves. I can only hope I have that sort of luck.”

Monica’s smile faltered and she shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“You will.” Sam reached up and squeezed Monica’s hand. “Thank you for being here, Dr. Quartermaine. I think it’s better I had another woman present who understood what I was going through. Because…you lost Jason too.”

“I was luckier,” Monica said after a moment. “I had twenty-two years of memories and you have but a few months.”

“I felt her kick inside me,” Sam said softly. “I felt her move, I felt her living inside of me. That’s enough. It’s more than some get.”

Port Charles Courthouse: Court Room A

Brianne set her bag on the table to the left of the judge and took a deep breath, surveying the empty courtroom. This would be her first preliminary hearing on a felony charge. Until this point, she had prosecuted misdemeanors and pleaded cases down. She had never first chaired a trial.

“You ready for today?”

Ric’s voice at her shoulder startled her and she jumped. “DA Lansing, ” she pressed a hand to her chest. “I didn’t see you there.”

“It’s Ric,” he corrected. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m as ready as possible,” Brianne replied. “Sanchez has a public defender but I assume that will change by trial since I found out that Lorenzo Alcazar is his father.”

“I don’t know about that,” Ric replied, slipping his hands into his pants pockets. “Alcazar didn’t bail him out and visited him only once. Perhaps there is a limit to fatherly love.”

“Anyhow, it’ll be bound over for trial,” Brianne said confidently. “We have a solid case on medical evidence and Brooke Lynn’s statement not to mention Mike Corbin’s. And for the trial, well–” she hesitated. “As long as Brooke testifies, we’ll be fine.”

Ric nodded. “Well, I wanted to speak to you now because I have an appointment with a realtor after the hearing so I’ll have to duck out. Ned Ashton called the office yesterday after you and Sergeant Spencer left.”

Brianne tensed. “He did,” she said slowly, stating it rather than asking.

“He was very impressed with your handling of a delicate situation yesterday–of which he did not go into–and wanted to let me know that it was nice that I appeared to have some common sense after all.”

“I merely prevented his ex-wife from taking Brooke Lynn out of the room during an important moment of her statement,” Brianne said. She shifted some folders around and pretended to be reading the medical report.

Spectators began to filter in, the Quartermaines first and then the Jones sisters along with their cousin Lucas. When Ned Ashton, his ex-wife and his daughter entered, there was a bit of hushed silence while Brooke left her parents to sit next to her friends. Lois made a move to follow her but Ned pulled her back to sit with the adults.

Nikolas Cassadine entered next, with his fiancé Emily Quartermaine and their friend Elizabeth Webber. Brianne remarked her from her report as someone Mac had suggested Brooke speak with. Since the woman was not a counselor, Brianne made a note to question her.

A thin young man barely old enough to out of law school came through the double doors and went to the defense table. Brianne recognized him from one of her misdemeanor drug cases and remembered that he was quick to deal–especially when the evidence was clearly stacked against his client.

An officer led Diego Sanchez in from a back room. Brooke stiffened–only slightly. Lucas felt it and so did Dillon. Lucas wrapped an arm around here shoulders while Dillon squeezed her hand. If looks could kill, the left side of the courtroom would be on trial. Diego just smirked and winked at Brooke, who wanted to vomit.

“The State of New York and the city of Port Charles versus Diego Sanchez is now called to order. The Honorable Winston Solomon presiding. All rise.”

An older man entered, dressed in the black judicial robes. He settled himself behind the tall bench. “Be seated.”

Brianne took a deep breath and sat down slowly, her back straight, her eyes pinned to the judge.

“The defendant is charged with rape in the first degree and assault in the first degree.” Solomon looked up and peered at Diego. “You have not entered a plea.”

“Not guilty,” Diego said, with a smirk.

“Christopher Hartman for the defense, Your Honor.” Hartman stood. “My client was not arraigned and was denied his due process. I move that the charges be dismissed.”

“What?” Georgie hissed. She glared at her father, who sat a few rows in front of them. “I’ll kill him!”

“Shh,” Maxie ordered.

“Says here your client had his one phone call, refused his right to be arraigned and had to be assigned an attorney. Motion denied.” Solomon turned his attention to Brianne. “You. Speak.”

Brianne stood. “Brianne Joyce for the State, Your Honor.” She picked up a report. “The state believes there is more than enough evidence to bind the defendant over trial. We have a medical report–”

“I’ve read it all,” Solomon said. He picked up his own copy of the medical report. “Says here that victim Brooke Lynn Ashton suffered from among other injuries, a concussion, some broken ribs and a broken nose.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“There’s also the results of a rape kit, positive for semen that matches one Diego Sanchez.” Solomon turned a page. “Some internal bruising and bleeding. All pretty self-explanatory, Ms. Joyce. And with Ms. Ashton’s statement, I agree. There is plenty of evidence.”

Brianne hid her smile. “Yes, Your Honor. We ask that bail continued to be denied for Diego Sanchez–”

“Your Honor, that is absurd,” Hartman interrupted. “This not a murder charge, it’s a rape charge–”

“Some would say it’s worse,” Solomon cut through harshly. “Leaving a victim alive to remember rather than killing them.”

Brooke paled and felt the bile rising in her throat. She needed to get out of here. Now.

“However, I have never denied bail for anything less than a murder or manslaughter charge,” Solomon continued.

“Your Honor, Diego Sanchez has no ties to the community. His own foster mother is not present and his father has more international ties than domestic–”

“His father has no plans to bail him out,” Lorenzo Alcazar remarked from the back of the room.

Ned whirled in his seat. “What the hell?”

“Oops,” Lois muttered. “Ah, Ned, sweetie, there’s something–”

“Order!” Solomon barked, rapping his gavel. “Who the hell are you?”

“Lorenzo Alcazar, the defendant’s father,” Lorenzo said. “I’m sorry for the interruption but I’d hate for anyone to get the idea I would be bailing him out.”

Diego paled and for the first time, he began to understand that this time–there was no rescue coming.

“Sit down,” the judge ordered. “Bail is set at a hundred thousand dollars.”

Pleased, Hartman sat. He’d only wanted the judge to set bail, he never expected to get a number his defendant could pay.

Brianne sat as well. Bail meant a trial.

“This defendant is bound over for trial,” Solomon said. “Trial is be set for January 5, 2005. Is that satisfactory?”

“The defendant has a right to a speedy trial,” Hartman complained. “That’s two months away–”

“The defendant can have his case tried right now if you’d like,” the judge remarked caustically. “I have some free time. I’m sure the State wouldn’t object.”

The State would, but Brianne just smiled at her colleague. Hartman glared at her before turning his attention back to the judge. “That’ll be fine,” he muttered.

General Hospital: Monica Quartermaine’s Office

Jason, just fresh from a visit with Sam where he’d been yelled at for not telling his mother about his son, knocked on Monica’s slightly ajar door. “Monica?”

“Jason.” Monica sprang up and kept her hands at her side. “I didn’t know–how are you?” she asked awkwardly.

“I’m fine. Do you have a minute?” he asked.

She nodded and watched as he entered the office and closed the door behind him. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you how sorry I am about Adella,” Monica said.

“Sam said you took her to the morgue to see her,” Jason said. “That you helped her–I wanted to thank you for that. I think she needed to talk to a woman.”

“I only told her the truth.” Monica hesitated, thought about asking him what Sam meant about how he’d found his second chance, but decided not to.

“I’m also here to tell you that you have a grandchild,” Jason said after another moment. “I have a son.”

“A son–” Monica pressed a hand to her mouth and bit her lip hard. She’d wondered–part of her had looked at that little boy’s eyes and remembered another face. It seemed almost another lifetime. “Cameron.”

Jason frowned. “How–how did you know that?”

“I–” Monica lifted her hands. “I saw him at the hospital and he just–he looked so much like you did.” She yanked open a desk drawer and withdrew a picture. She hesitated. “I know you can’t see–”

“I’m better with pictures,” Jason said. She handed the framed photo to him and he saw a professional portrait of a baby, not much older than Cameron was now. And he realized it could be his son’s twin. “This…this is me?”

Monica nodded, fighting the tears. “You were about eight months old. Susan had it taken–she was still alive then. She gave it to Alan and he gave it to me after the accident. I–I wanted to put all the pictures of you in one place so you wouldn’t run into them all over the house. But you moved out–and it didn’t matter.” Her voice faltered and she looked away.

She cleared her throat. “I saw Cameron and I was reminded of you. Since it was Elizabeth, I did wonder. And when you said you had a son, I just–I knew.” Her smile was weak but it was genuine. “I’m so very happy for you, Jason–and so grateful that he’s Elizabeth’s son as well.”

“Why?” Jason asked, frowning. “Why does that matter?”

“Because she’ll never take him from you. And she’s mature enough to handle a child, unlike…Courtney,” Monica muttered. “Elizabeth is a good person and I always–I always hoped you would end up together. I remember what you went through when she was missing.”

“We haven’t told many people,” Jason said, awkwardly. “It’s–it’s not easy information. But you’re welcome to visit him at the cottage at any time and Elizabeth will probably–she’ll probably let the rest of the family see him. She’s a little more tolerant than I am,” he admitted.

“A baby in the family,” Monica clasped her hands together. “We have to have a baby shower–some sort of celebration. We haven’t had a reason to be happy in so long. Would you mind terribly if I brought it up to Elizabeth?”

“Well, like I said–not everyone knows,” Jason reminded her. “So…it’s not something you can do right away–”

Monica waved him away. “What better way to announce to the world that he’s yours?” she asked. “You can tell the people that matter beforehand and then everyone else at the party.” Her eyes pleaded with him.

And Jason realized that it might just be the answer he’d been searching for. His way of making this up to Elizabeth. A Quartermaine party was never thrown without publicity, without some sort of fanfare. He would prove to her that he loved their son and that he loved her.

And if he had to deal with the Quartermaines to do it, well then she might just believe it.

November 9, 2004

Wyndemere: Conservatory

Emily hung up the phone and smiled to herself, checking the phrase head gardener off her list of employees to hire. The mansion and the island would be returned to its former glory if Emily had to work day and night to see to it.

She’d already hired an army of maids to open all the closed rooms and give them a thorough cleaning. She’d contracted a decorator to give the whole place a brighter and friendlier look. The house may be Gothic in design but there was no point in having it be so dark and dreary.

“Miss Emily.”

At the sound of the new butler’s voice, Emily turned to the doorway. “Yes, Richards?”

“There is a gentleman to see you…Jason Morgan.” Richards was an older man with a stiff British upbringing. Nikolas had liked him from the first interview–the man had reminded him of a butler he’d had in Greece as a boy. He wore a crisp black suit and styled his silver hair slicked back. The first time Emily had seen him, she had immediately pictured Anthony Hopkins in Remains of the Day and made up her mind to hire him. He just…looked like a butler ought to.

“That’s my brother, Richards,” Emily said. She stood from her desk and set her lists aside. “He’s to be admitted immediately at any time.”

“Very good, Miss.” Richards bowed and disappeared from the room. Emily smiled and turned to look at the view outside her window. It overlooked one of the south gardens on the estate and she had a wide view of the river as it drained into the Atlantic. The view was the reason she’d chosen this room as her sanctuary.

“Jason Morgan, Miss,” Richards said as he stepped aside to let Jason into the room. “Shall I tell Master Nikolas your brother has arrived?”

“Yes, but don’t interrupt him.” Emily smiled briefly at Jason as Richards made his exit. “He’s of the mind that the master of the house must know who is in it at all times.”

“Right.” Jason shook his head and looked at his sister. “The place looks…different.”

“Better?” Emily prompted. “I’ve been working for the past week to clean it up. Since Connor Bishop was taken into military custody, I’ve had to have something to put my mind on.” She sat on the reupholstered sofa and patted the cushion next to her. “Sit.”

He did and looked around the room. “Seems you’ve done a lot in a week.”

“Well, money can do quite a bit but you’re not here to discuss any of that.” Emily shifted. “Have you spoken to Elizabeth since yesterday?”

He nodded. “Last night. Cameron has a cold and an ear infection. She called to tell me about it so I went over.”

Emily waited and glared when he didn’t continue. Talking to her brother was like pulling teeth. “Did she mop the floor with you or did you actually talk?”

“I told her that I loved her, that I didn’t want her to give up on us.” Jason smiled faintly. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Pleased, Emily smiled. “Yes. Thank you. So…did you come to talk to Nikolas about the job?”

“Yes,” Jason said. “I’m not promising you anything. I just came to listen. If I don’t like what I hear, then I’m not doing it, so don’t get your hopes up.”

Emily nodded. “All right. I’m just glad.” She hesitated. “This is the first time in a long time that I feel like I’m talking with my brother.” She stood and moved away. “Since I came home, you haven’t really been acting like yourself. One of my favorite things about you, Jason, was your honesty. I could count on you to tell me the truth; even if it was something I didn’t want to hear. You didn’t see the point in lying because you knew in the long run, a lie was worse.”

Jason sighed heavily. “Emily. I didn’t lie because I didn’t know how.” He stood and slid his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “When I came home two years ago, I came home to nothing. You were gone. Robin had been gone for three years. Michael was Sonny’s son. I only had Sonny and Carly in my life.” His eyes softened and he looked passed her for a moment. “And Elizabeth.”

“Jason, you always had me,” Emily informed him. Her eyes narrowed. “So, what? You bent over backwards to keep Sonny and Carly in your life? Let them walk all over, take advantage of you? And why do that for them and not for Elizabeth?”

“Because she is and always was too good for me,” Jason said simply. “I know it’s her decision to do what she wants but back then, I wanted to protect her. So when she walked away, I let her. Emily–”

“I know that Robin hurt you,” Emily murmured. “I know that losing Michael nearly broke you. But that’s no excuse to cut yourself off from the people who still love you and that’s what you’ve been doing since you left that April. You surrounded yourself with people who would always ask for your help. Sonny, Carly, Courtney, Sam…” Emily smiled sadly and looked away. “Me.”

“Emily, I want you to come to me when you need me,” Jason said forcefully. “You’re my sister.”

“I know that. But by surrounding yourself by people who need you, you haven’t let yourself need anyone. And that’s what worries me. Because for all the people who love you, Jason, I’m so afraid you’ll end up alone.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Elizabeth loves you. You deserve the life she wants to give you. Why don’t you let her give it to you?”

“I think I should speak with Nikolas now,” Jason remarked abruptly. She sighed and went to the hallway. Richards was standing by the door.

“Richards, could you please see if Nikolas is free to speak with Jason? He’s expecting him this week.”

Richards nodded and moved down the corridor to Nikolas’s office. “Jason,” Emily said, turning back to him. “I just want what makes you happy. You know that, right?”

He sighed and kissed her forehead. “I know that. But trust me to know what it is and how to get it, all right?”

“All right,” Emily said. She folded her arms. “I only meddle because I love you.”

General Hospital: Kristina’s Room

“Jax!” Alexis smiled, pleased to see him outside her daughter’s room. “I can hardly remember the last time I saw you.”

“Too long,” Jax said. He kissed her cheek and looked towards the room. “I came by to see about Kristina. I should have been here earlier. When you were suffering.” He frowned. “When you made the very odd decision to marry that…lawyer.”

“It was an odd decision,” Alexis agreed. She moved to look through the window at her daughter. “But it’s one that agrees with me. We’ve all done strange and crazy things in our lives, Jax. I can no more judge him than he can judge me.”

“Yes, we’ve done bizarre things but Alexis, love, I never locked a pregnant woman in a room,” Jax remarked. “Nor drugged the one I was married to.”

“But I’ve killed a man. Plotted to kill Helena, God knows how many times. I’ve dressed like a man, and quite honestly–that is only at the tip of my transgressions. What Ric has done–he’s done. I don’t mean to say that I understand them and I’m certainly not going to forget about them. But I have the right to see who he is today.”

“Yes, well you were also in love with Sonny Corinthos.” Jax smiled ruefully. “Your line of men worries me.”

“You were in that line, I might remind you.” Alexis sipped her coffee. “Sonny was a mistake. And I deeply regret the loss of our friendship. But he gave me my little girl and nothing, no one has ever meant more to me.”

“I’m so very happy that she will continue,” Jax said. “She’s a beautiful child and you have been blessed. I’ve missed you, Alexis. If Ric Lansing is what you have chosen, who you wish to spend your life, then I will not only support it, I will celebrate it. I’ve made inquiries–Kristina will be home by December 1?”

“Yes, if all continues well.” Alexis smiled at him. “Why?”

“Well, as you know, I’ve been rebuilding the Port Charles Hotel for the last few months.” Jax smiled briefly. “I was going to rename it, but it doesn’t seem right. The Hotel was such a part of this town’s history, its heritage. It seems only right to continue that. We reopen December 15. I wish to give you and your husband a party in celebration.”

“That’s a very touching thought and I’d like to do you one better,” Alexis said. “Ric and I married with only Nikolas and Emily present. While they, of course, are important, we both agreed that when Kristina was healthy and safe again, we would have a bigger ceremony. Perhaps I could schedule it at the hotel?”

Jax grinned. “What better way to kick off a new chapter in the hotel’s history than a wedding?” He kissed her hand. “You’ve got it. Provided I get to grill the groom.”

“No.”

“Just a little.”

“Absolutely not.” A smile tugged at her lips. “Leave him alone.”

“I promise not to harm him,” Jax held up his hand as if taking an oath. “I solemnly swear on the Boy Scout motto that I won’t leave any marks. Visible ones.”

“When were you a Boy Scout?” Alexis asked suspiciously. “You’re from Australia. Do they even have Boy Scouts Down Under?”

Gate House: Front Walk

Lucky was waiting for the blonde attorney at the gate to Ned’s home. She was dressed in a plain black suit with a long skirt and a thick black pea coat. Her blonde hair pulled tightly back from her face. She carried a thick leather bag at her side. “Sergeant Spencer.”

“Ms. Joyce.” He nodded and gestured for her to go first. She did so and knocked on the door.

Ned Ashton opened the door. “Miss Joyce?”

“Hello, Mr. Ashton.” Brianne avoided the hand he placed out for her to shake and entered the house. “Sergeant Spencer and I have come by to question you, your ex-wife and Brooke Lynn.”

“Lois and Brooke are in the other room. I thought we could get me out of the way first.” Ned nodded to Lucky as he entered and shut the door. “How long have you been working at the DA office?”

“Nearly two years,” Brianne remarked. She set her bag on the floor and removed her jacket. “I hope you don’t think my age is a problem.”

“No, of course not.” Ned took her coat and waved towards the seating area. “Have a seat.”

Brianne sat in the arm chair and took out a clean legal pad. She uncapped her pen. “Now, Mr. Ashton, I would like to apologize in advance for some of the questions I will have to ask your daughter.”

Ned frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Well, I seem to have run into some problems when I ask about the nature of Brooke Lynn’s relationship with Diego Sanchez. I anticipate the defense will say that that the sex was mutual and that he will say they were dating.”

“That’s ridiculous. Brooke would never date him–”

“I understand that, Mr. Ashton, but if I don’t ask the question and don’t cover every angle, I run the risk of missing an important detail. It is extremely important to me that this does not happen,” Brianne said briskly. “So I wish to apologize in advance and assure you I only want the truth.”

Ned nodded. “All right.”

“Until recently, Brooke Lynn and her mother loved in Brooklyn, New York City. Under what circumstances did she move here and how has your relationship been since then?”

“Brooke ran away from home,” Ned admitted. “Lois, while an extremely generous and loving mother, tends to be overbearing at times. She merely wants the best for her of course and they tend to differ on what this is. Brooke ran away. She came here and Lois and I decided it was time I had more of a presence in her life.”

“Up until this point, you’ve had little contact with your daughter then.”

Ned bristled, but understood the question and saw the sympathy in the young woman’s eyes where there was none in the no nonsense tone. “No. Lois and I divorced when she was little and it wasn’t always easy with our schedules to coordinate visits. I missed out on watching her grow up and I regret that. Since she moved here, I’ve done the best I can to make up for it.”

“When did you meet Diego Sanchez?” Brianne asked.

“Ah, sometime in late September. He dropped Brooke off and I asked her who she was. Just a friend from school, she told me.”

“Did you know Diego Sanchez very well?” Brianne continued. “Have solo conversations with him? One on one?”

“No,” Ned sighed. “I thought about it. I discussed it with Lois. I didn’t like him. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t like him. One might say I was being a snob, that I didn’t want my daughter to associate with a foster child. But I wasn’t comfortable her being around him. But Lois convinced me that Brooke was an intelligent girl, that she was headstrong. She would do what she needed to do and we needed to pick our battles.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “So, no I never spoke with him alone. I didn’t know him at all beyond what I knew of him. I knew that he was a foster child taken in by Courtney Matthews.” He sneered. “What a mistake that was.”

Brianne smiled thinly, “I assure you that if the defense calls her as a character witness, I have enough information to tear her to shreds.”

Lucky smirked. “Little children in the park know about Courtney Matthews.”

“You were in the hospital room when Brooke awoke after attack.”

“Yes. She was disoriented. Unsure of where she was. She moved her arms and it began to flood back. She, ah, turned to Lois and said ‘Mama, I couldn’t stop him.'” Ned’s voice faltered for a moment and he had to look away.

Brianne’s pen trembled slightly but that was her only outward reaction. “And?”

“She said that she’d told him no, that she’d screamed…that she thought he’d been her friend. She said no name at first and I was terrified at was going through my head. I thought of Lucas and I’m sorry for that. He was her boyfriend and I suppose it’s every father’s worst nightmare that the boy they trust with their little girl will hurt her.” He exhaled slowly and looked to Lucky. “But I asked her who because I could never believe he could do that and that’s when she told me it was Diego.”

“I think that’s all the questions I have for you, Mr. Ashton,” Brianne murmured. “If I could speak with Brooke and Ms. Cerullo?”

“Of course.” Ned stood but paused for a moment. “I believe that I will look forward to seeing you try this case in a courtroom, Miss Joyce.”

Brianne frowned and watched him disappear into one of the other rooms. “What does mean?” she asked Lucky.

“He respects you,” Lucky said. “He doesn’t give that easily.”

Cottage: Foyer

Elizabeth swung the door open and frowned. “Carly.”

“Hello,” Carly pushed past her armed with Morgan in the stroller and Michael at her side. “I hope you don’t mind but when Michael found out about his cousin, he was anxious to meet him.”

“Right.” Elizabeth blinked. She closed the door and watched Carly settle Morgan into the playpen she kept in the living room for Cameron. “Well, he’s napping right now.”

“Oh.” Michael frowned. “For how much longer?” he asked disappointed. “I wanted him to meet his cousins.”

Touched, Elizabeth knelt in front of him. “Well, he’s due for a dose of medicine in about twenty minutes so if you’d like to wait around.”

“Can we, Mom?” Michael asked.

“Sure. Go play and watch Morgan while I talk to Elizabeth in the kitchen.”

“Cool.” Morgan took a hand held video game from the bag hanging from the stroller and settled in front of the playpen to watch his little brother.

Still somewhat flustered, Elizabeth followed Carly into the kitchen. “I wasn’t expecting you to embrace Cameron like this.”

“I firmly believe the children shouldn’t pay for the sins of their parents,” Carly said, sitting at the table. “Jason is an uncle to Michael. He’s part of the family and Michael wouldn’t understand why his son wasn’t.”

“I’m glad though,” Elizabeth sat across from her. “Michael and Morgan mean so much to Jason. I know he’ll be happy to hear that Cameron means a lot to them.”

“I want to tell you that I’m sorry for being one of the reasons Jason kept this all a secret.” Carly shrugged. “And I have to admit that if I had known, my reaction would have been worse than either of you could imagine. I’m a selfish person, Elizabeth. It’s quite obvious to everyone else that I think Jason belongs to me, that I should always come first.” She waved her hand. “All that and probably more would have been spewed at you.”

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side. “But you don’t believe that do you?” she asked softly.

Carly frowned. “Of course I do. Don’t you know me at all?”

“No,” the other woman said slowly. “I don’t believe many people do. I don’t think you believe that about Jason at all.”

“Well, no I don’t think he belongs to me. Jason has and will always belong to himself. It’s just that…he offers unconditional love. Unconditional friendship, support.” Carly shrugged and looked away. “It can be so easy to take advantage of that and not even realize. He’s always there when you need him. He’s so strong, you know? I just didn’t realize how much I depended on him until I realized what I was costing him.” Carly sighed. “Look, we don’t like each other. I don’t see why that has to change simply because Jason is in love with you and you have a son. I will be cordial to you. We might end up with some kind of civility thing going here. I will love and adore your son because he’s Jason’s. But I don’t expect either one of us to become best friends.”

“I don’t expect it either.” Elizabeth shifted and looked at the baby monitor. “Would you like to come up and see Cameron?”

Carly nodded. “Sure. I haven’t had a chance to see him up close.”

Gate House: Living Room

Brooke sat where Ned had before, her mother next to her and Ned pacing restless behind the couch. “Hi,” the teen said softly.

Brianne stared for a moment at the girl’s battered face but quickly averted her eyes. “Hello, I’m Brianne Joyce. I’m with the DA’s office.” She didn’t extend her hand and looked away when Lois offered hers.

“I’m Brooke Lynn but most people just call me Brooke.” She shifted nervously. “So you have to ask me some questions.”

“Yes.” Brianne turned to a fresh sheet in her pad. “I’m sorry, but they’re going to be difficult for both of us. I wish I didn’t have to ask you but I assure you, if I don’t ask it on direct, the defense will on cross. And they’ll make it worse.”

Brooke nodded and Brianne turned to her list of prepared questions. “When did you meet Diego Sanchez?”

“September,” Brooke remarked. “Maybe it was October.” She hesitated. “Early October,” she decided. “He seemed okay. Rough around the edges.” She thought for a moment. “He never really fit in with our friends.”

“How so?” Brianne asked.

“Well, he always wanted to better than everyone else. Be tougher. He wanted to work for Sonny Corinthos and when that didn’t work, he wanted to work for Lorenzo Alcazar just so he could feel big and bad.”

“What type of relationship did you have? Was it close, was it distant? Do you think there’s anything you said that gave him reason to think you felt more?”

Lois made a growling sound. “So what if she did? This isn’t her fault–”

“No, Ma…” Brooke squeezed her mother’s hand. “If she doesn’t ask, they will. And they’ll make it sound like I did lead him on, even though that doesn’t matter.” She focused on Brianne again. “I thought we were friends. We didn’t know each other very well and I felt a little sorry for him. He was dealing with a new foster home, a new city. I have always been a wealthy kid so I always feel bad when I come in contact with someone who isn’t. I was friendly with him, I don’t think I said anything to make him think it was more but I don’t know how he thought.” She shrugged. “You read all the time about these people who have obsessions with people they don’t even know because of some small interaction.”

“That’s a good answer,” Brianne nodded. “I want you to remember that for the trial.” She shifted in the chair. “November 2. You were at Kelly’s. You were alone.”

“Mike stepped out and asked us to watch the place for a bit. There were no other customers so it didn’t feel like a big deal.” Brooke swept a hand through her hair. “He wanted to work for Lorenzo Alcazar or for Sonny Corinthos and even a conversation with Jason Morgan wouldn’t change his mind. I–I was worried. I didn’t see the point in him choosing such a dangerous life. He was only seventeen. He had other options.”

“And then?” Brianne prompted.

Panic knotted and coiled inside Brooke as she prepared to speak in detail about that night. She licked her dry lips and took a deep breath. “He kissed me. I pushed him away. I was angry. He knew I was dating Lucas.” She swallowed hard. “I–he was angry. He couldn’t understand–he didn’t think we were friends. He said ‘You think I wanted to be your friend?’ I asked him to let me go but then he just started…” Her breath was coming in quick small gasps.

“Ssh, baby,” Lois murmured. She looked to Brianne. “We should finish this another time.”

“Lois, Ned, why don’t we go in the kitchen?” Lucky stood. “I think Brooke will do better if the room isn’t crowded.”

“No,” Lois said. She wrapped her arm around Brooke’s shoulders. “Why don’t you take a nap or–”

“Ms. Cerullo, I’ll have to ask you to follow Sergeant Spencer into the kitchen,” Brianne broke in. “The preliminary hearing is tomorrow and I need your daughter’s statement. It might be better if you weren’t in the room.”

“Can’t you see this is upsetting her?” Lois snapped.

“Lois,” Ned said softly. “We have to cooperate.”

“Oh, don’t you start!” Lois stood and glared at him before turning her anger on the ADA. “You have the nerve to come in here and ask my daughter insulting questions and then when she’s obviously upset by them, you just keep on going,” she seethed with mounting rage. “Do you have any compassion, any heart?”

Brianne flinched but before she could defend herself, Ned strode forward and took Lois by the arm, shaking her a little. “Do you think a defense attorney is going to be any gentler?” he demanded contemptuously. “Do you think he’s going to stop and wait for her to gather her thoughts before asking for more details? He’s going to try and break her on the stand, Lois–”

“What the hell do you care?” Lois spat with burning, reproachful eyes. “You’re barely even her father, you–”

“Stop it, just stop it!” Brooke cried, miserably. She sprang to her feet and glared at her parents. “This isn’t about either one of you. Do you think it makes any better for the two of you tear each other part?” She shoved her father away from her mother. “Go sit down,” she ordered before whirling to Lois. “And stop trying to protect me! You can’t! You can’t keep bad things from happening. They already have and I have to do this, no matter how much it hurts.”

Lois pressed her lips together and sat down hard. “Fine,” she said shortly. “Carry on.”

Brooke sat down slowly. “He pulled me into the kitchen,” she continued. Her voice was hushed and thick with tears–both from the confrontation of a few moments ago and memories of a night that had never really ended. “He shoved me against the counter so hard that I have bruises here,” she rubbed the small of her back.

She breathed in air almost greedily before continuing. “He tried to tear my shirt but it wouldn’t rip. He tried to kiss me again but I scratched his face and he hit me. It was so hard, I could feel my teeth rattle.” She touched her cheek where the bruise still bloomed dark purple. “He went for my shirt again but it still wouldn’t rip so he started yanking at my skirt.”

Lucky slowly sat back down, his knees feeling slightly week. Across the room, Ned began to pace. If he was ever in the same room as that scum….

“I heard the zipper on my skirt but I kept fighting and I hit him again. I tried to knee him but he hit me again. He threw me to the floor and I hit my head against the side of the stove.” Brooke hesitated. “It’s not really clear after that. I guess I might have blacked out. They said I had a concussion. The next thing I remembered, the kitchen was empty, my skirt was torn and my–” she swallowed and colored a little. “My panties were gone. I was sore all over but especially…between my legs.” She clenched her hands into fists. “That’s when Mike came back.”

Brianne exhaled slowly and closed her legal pad. “Brooke, tomorrow is the preliminary hearing where the judge decides if there’s enough evidence to be bound over for trial. I don’t want you to worry about that.” Her hands were shaking just a little as she slid the pad into her bag. “There’s enough physical evidence without me having to put you on the stand. I just wanted to get your statement today in case I had to. He will be bound over for trial, there’s no doubt in my mind about that.”

“And that’s when he’s going to tell people that I like rough sex,” Brooke said in a small voice. “Can he really get on the stand and say that? Lie?”

“Yes. He’s allowed to put a on a defense. However, thanks to Sergeant Spencer, we’re ready for him. We have a list of rebuttal witnesses, including your own boyfriend who are ready to testify that there was nothing but friendship. We have the doctor’s report that says you were raped. And honestly, we have your background working for us.”

“Because I’m a Quartermaine and he’s a foster kid,” Brooke said resigned.

“At least being a part of this family is good for something,” Ned muttered.

“Essentially.” Brianne stood and put her coat on. “The hearing is tomorrow at 9 AM. I’ll need you and your family to attend. To put a face on the statement, so to speak.”

Brooke nodded. “That’s fine, right Ma?” she asked, turning to Lois.

“It’s fine.” Lois looked at Brianne coolly. “If you cross examine that little scum half as well as you interrogated my daughter, we should be fine.”

Brianne remained silent, looping her bag over her shoulder and heading for the door. Lucky stood and said his goodbyes and followed her.

“She’ll hold up on the stand,” Lucky said as he followed her down the walk. Brianne ignored him and continued past the Quartermaine mansion to where her car was parked on the estate’s driveway. He hesitated a moment and stared after her before quickening his pace.

His long stride put him in front of her and Lucky slipped in to block her hand from opening the car door. “Hey, wait a second–”

Brianne jerked away. “I have to go.” She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms. “I have to get back to work.”

“You can take five seconds.” Lucky cocked his head to the side. “Lois is just upset. She didn’t mean what she said.”

Brianne huffed. “Of course not. Her daughter was brutally raped and beaten. She’s allowed to lash out.” She inched away from him. “What is your problem?”

“Nothing.” Lucky stepped back. “Are you going to interview any other of the other witnesses today?”

“Yes but I won’t need you.” Brianne turned and yanked her car door open. “Thank you very much. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lucky’s hand shot out and he gripped the edge of the door to keep her from simply getting in the car and driving away. “Lucas is my cousin. He trusts me. And Georgie and Maxie are his cousins. They’ll cooperate more if I’m there.”

“You can’t be there all the time. You can’t protect them. Bad things happen all the time and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Brianne said stiffly. “So back off and let me do my job.”

Lucky blinked. Stepped back again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Joyce.”

She got into the driver’s seat, slammed the car door shut and started the car. With a roar of an engine and the squealing of some tires, Brianne pealed out of the driveway, leaving Lucky to stare after her.

Wyndemere: Nikolas’s Office

“Hey, Jason.” Nikolas stood as Richards showed Jason into the newly renovated office. Stefan had used it when they first bought the Gothic mansion and Nikolas had it closed up when his uncle left for Greece. He felt ready, now, to embrace that part of his past. “I’m glad you came by.”

“I told Emily not to get her hopes up,” Jason remarked. He shook Nikolas’s hand and sat in the chair in front of Nikolas’s thick mahogany desk. “I was only coming to hear about the job.”

“Right, right.” Nikolas took his seat. “Well, since my uncle’s death last year, I’ve been working to rebuild the empire my family used to possess. I haven’t been able to put my full attention into it but I’ve had advisors doing most of it. We’ve got a lot of properties overseas. And we’re doing some work for other agencies, hence the need for a securities expert.” He shuffled through some papers. “In addition to overseeing the security for every building owned by Cassadine Industries, you would be expected to fly out and be present for the larger jobs or any emergencies. You would have the Cassadine Jet at your disposal of course.”

“And why exactly do you think I’d do well at this?” Jason asked after a long moment.

“Providing security has always and will always be one of your best personality traits,” Nikolas said. “When Emily suggested you, I immediately agreed. You have experience with a lot of the technology, you seem to have the capacity to expand on that and you don’t strike me as someone who’s afraid to try something new. Something better. What’s at your core, Jason, is someone who knows how to make people safe. Or at least feel that they are.”

Jason hesitated. He stood and moved towards the fireplace, where a fire was crackling. He stared into the flames for a moment before looking back at Nikolas. “Emily would have told you about Elizabeth.”

“That Cameron is your son, yes.” Nikolas shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I knew.” When Jason’s expression stilled, Nikolas let his lips curve into a smile. “I’m not stupid, Jason. I knew he wasn’t Zander’s son. When Elizabeth came home in June, I hadn’t yet regained my memory. When I had, I was upset that I had missed Cameron’s birth. You know how much she loves him and I was sorry that I’d missed something so important. I was worried that he’d been born in early May. Which meant she’d been pregnant barely seven months. I inquired into his health and Elizabeth told me he’d been full term. A slip on her part, but it didn’t take long to understand that when Cameron was conceived, Emily and Zander were still together. Elizabeth was still parted from Ric.”

“You knew months ago?” Jason asked, suspiciously. “And you said nothing.”

“This was Elizabeth’s secret. I didn’t know that she’d told you and I haven’t always been deserving of her trust. I kept it to myself.” Nikolas laced his fingers together. “What I do want to know is if you intend to fix things between the two of you.”

“Yes,” Jason said. “I do. But I don’t want that to have anything to do with this job. It’s important that my job be separate from my personal life.”

Nikolas nodded slowly. “Have you told Sonny you’re leaving the organization?”

“No.” Jason paused. “I only decided over the weekend. Part of my problems with Elizabeth stemmed from my job. I want to remove that from the equation. I want regular hours–emergencies not included.”

“Naturally. And when you do have to travel, you can always take her with you.” Nikolas stood. “I trust Elizabeth to know what she’s doing and while she’s made choices I don’t always understand, I don’t hold them against her. She’s made the choice to be with you more times than I personally think you deserve. But only she knows why she’s doing it.” He held Jason’s gaze with dark, sober eyes. “Don’t make her regret it.”

Jason held his hand out. “Do we have a deal?”

Nikolas shook it. “Welcome to Cassadine Industries.”

General Hospital: Sam McCall’s Room

Sam smiled faintly when she saw Jason enter the room. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hey.” He sat in the chair next to her bed. “I was here for a few hours last night but you were asleep.” He shifted. “How are you?”

“Empty.” She sighed and rested her head against the pillow, closing her eyes. “Did you work things out with Elizabeth that morning?”

Jason sighed and bowed his head. “I am so sorry I wasn’t there–”

“Hey, hey…” Sam shook her head. “I told you to go. I wanted you to fix things with her. No one could have seen this coming.” A hand came up to rest on her abdomen, still swollen from pregnancy. “The doctor said that there wasn’t much of a chance that she would have survived no matter how fast I was rushed to the hospital.”

“But there was one–”

“Sure,” Sam sighed. She rubbed her eyes. “Jason, I don’t blame you. And if Sonny did, well–he doesn’t now. The only person left who blames you is you.” She reached her hand out to him and he took it. “Did you work things out?” she repeated.

“Not so much,” Jason admitted. “I’ve hurt her so much, Sam.”

“People recover from being hurt,” Sam murmured. “If you’re hurt, you can feel. And if you can feel, you’re human. It’d be nice not to have to hurt anyone, Jason, but it’s not a promise you can ever make and…what a boring life it would be if we never had our heart broken once in a while.” She squeezed his hand. “You’ll fix it with her, right?”

“Yeah.” Jason exhaled slowly. “I’m going to fix it.”

General Hospital: Vending Machines

Sonny was getting some coffee when Jason strode up to him. “Hey, have you been to see Sam?” he asked.

Jason nodded and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Do you have a minute?”

“Sure.” Sonny sipped the coffee and grimaced. “This tastes awful,” he muttered.

“There’s no easy way to say this and I’m tired of trying to find the right words for everything.” Jason took a deep breath. “Cameron’s my son. Biologically, legally and in every other way that matters.”

November 8, 2004

Gatehouse: Living Room

Elizabeth sat down in the arm chair and smiled nervously at Lois Cerullo. “I wasn’t sure if Emily mentioned I’d be by today.”

“She did.” Lois played the hem of her pink sweater nervously. “I appreciate whatever you can do for my daughter, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth nodded but inside, she wondered if she’d be any good to Brooke right now. She felt empty. Hollow. Jason had been gone when she came back downstairs on Friday and she’d spent two days waiting for the second shoe to fall. No word from Jason, no inkling he’d told anyone the truth.

“Seeing you gives me hope,” Lois broke into Elizabeth’s thoughts. “This–this happened to you and you’ve risen up. You have a son, a life. You smile. If Ned hadn’t told me what happened, I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“It wasn’t overnight,” Elizabeth said, though the words warmed her heart. She had risen above her tragedy. Overcome it. She wasn’t the girl in the park any longer. “But I had an incredible support system. I hear that Brooke has one as well.”

“She’s got me and Ned,” Lois nodded. “And her family. Her friends. Dillon, the Jones girls, and her boyfriend has just–Lucas has never wavered.”

“He’s a good kid,” Elizabeth nodded. She looked up as Ned led Brooke into the room. She kept her face calm and composed but the bruises on the girl’s face broke her heart. No one should have to go through this. “Hey.”

“Thank you for coming, Elizabeth,” Ned said. He kissed his daughter’s cheek and tried to ignore the flinch. He looked to Lois. “We should give them some time.”

“I–” Lois hadn’t been that far from her daughter’s side since it happened but perhaps now would be a good chance to tell Ned about Lorenzo’s connection to Diego before anyone else could. “All right. Brookie, if you need me, we’ll be up at the main house.”

Brooke nodded and sat in her mother’s vacated seat. When they were gone, she smiled nervously at Elizabeth. “Hey.”

“Hey. I know–I know we don’t know each other but Emily asked me to come by and see if I could offer anything,” Elizabeth said uncomfortably.

“My dad said it happened to you,” Brooke said after a moment. She stared at her hands while she asked this.

“It did,” Elizabeth admitted softly. “I was a little younger than you. Fifteen.”

Brooke yanked her startled eyes to Elizabeth’s calm ones. “Fifteen?” she repeated. “That’s so horrible.”

“It’s horrible no matter when it happens,” Elizabeth said softly. “Seventeen, fifteen, twenty-five–it’s always horrible.”

Brooke nodded. “Did–did they ever find him? Did you know him?” she asked hesitantly.

“I did all the wrong things when it happened,” Elizabeth said, almost wistfully. “I showered. I refused to go to the police. By the time I reported it, the case was cold and it was later ruled inactive. So for a long time, I didn’t think I would find him. And I think I might have slowly gone mad. Believing every man I saw might have done it.” She took a deep breath. “But eventually, through a coincidence we found him. He went to prison on another crime but he’s serving time now.”

Brooke exhaled slowly. “Was it someone you knew?”

“Not really. I mean, he was someone Emily knew. It was her photographer,” Elizabeth admitted. “But not someone I was personally acquainted with.”

“Diego…he was supposed to be my friend,” Brooke said in a small voice. “Do you think it’s worse if it’s someone you know, someone you trusted?”

Elizabeth hesitated. “In a way…probably.” She joined Brooke on the couch. “I think it’s different for everyone. I couldn’t tell anyone and I didn’t even tell my own family for almost a month. Lucky Spencer found me that night and his father knew, his aunt. But I refused to tell anyone and didn’t tell my closest friends for months. I couldn’t bear for anyone to know. I thought–” she hesitated. “Before I was raped, I dressed in tight clothing. Short skirts, tight jeans, anything I thought might get Lucky’s attention. So part of me thought they would blame me. Say that I had brought it on myself.”

Brooke nodded, her throat tight. “I thought maybe I led Diego on someway. Like…let him think I felt that way for him. I didn’t–I never thought he was more than friend. I have a boyfriend you know.” She swiped at her eyes. “Not that he’s really my boyfriend anymore.”

“Why?” Elizabeth asked softly. “Has he said anything?”

“No,” Brooke admitted. “But–well, don’t you think it’s only a matter of time?”

“I know why you feel it has to be,” Elizabeth admitted. “It was almost a year before I let Lucky kiss me. Six months before I could really stand anyone’s touch. And it was nearly three years before I became intimate with Lucky. See…I was a virgin when it happened to me.”

Brooke cleared her throat and her dark watery eyes met Elizabeth’s warm blue ones. “Me too.”

Elizabeth went with instinct and put her arms around the younger girl. Brooke pressed her face into Elizabeth’s neck and started to sob.

General Hospital: Sam McCall’s Room

Sam blinked. She moved her head to the side and smiled faintly when she saw Sonny slouched in a chair at her side. “That can’t be comfortable,” she murmured.

He sat up at her voice and rubbed his eyes. “Sam. You’re awake.”

“Mmm…I feel so groggy,” she said softly. She tried to sit up, but pain spread through her lower body. Her eyes darted to her abdomen and instantly she knew what was different. What was wrong. “Where is she?” Sam asked softly.

Sonny hesitated. “Friday morning, you were rushed to the ER. You were bleeding.”

Sam stared at him. “Where is she?” she repeated.

“She was stillborn,” Sonny said after a long moment. “She–she was deprived oxygen and she died.” He took a deep breath. “Sam, I’m–I’m so sorry.”

“No.” Sam shook her head. “No, I won’t–I won’t accept that. No!” she yanked her hands away from him as he reached for them. “Where’s Jason?” she demanded shrilly. “He’ll tell me the truth!”

“He’s not here right now.”

“I want Jason,” Sam said. “He should be here. She was his, too.” Tears slid down her cheeks, but she didn’t seem to register that. “How could you let her die?” she demanded.

“Sam–”

“Don’t touch me!” she cried, smacking his hands. “I don’t want you to touch me. I want to see my daughter!”

Sonny stood and took her hands in his almost forcefully. “Calm down,” he ordered. “You’ll tear your stitches.”

“I don’t care!” Sam struggled to pull her hands from his strong grasp. “Where’s Jason?”

“I’ll call him,” Sonny sighed. He let her hands go. “And I’ll tell the doctor you’re awake.” He stood and looked at her intently for a moment, then strode to the door.

“Sonny–” Sam swallowed hard. He turned in mid stride. “Did she suffer?” she asked quietly. “Did she hurt?”

“She never drew a breath,” Sonny sat back down. “She didn’t feel anything.”

“What day is it?” Sam clenched the sheets of her bed. “Saturday?”

“Monday,” Sonny corrected. He brushed her hair out of her eyes with a sad faint smile. “You’ve been in a coma.”

“Did you see her?” Sam asked. She brushed at the tears. “Was she beautiful?”

“She was,” Sonny replied. “We wanted to wait until you woke up to talk about arrangements. Names.”

Sam nodded slowly. “Adella Leigh,” she whispered. “Adella Leigh Corinthos. That’s what we should name her.”

Sonny exhaled slowly and nodded. “All right then. Adella Leigh. I’ll get a doctor.”

PCPD: Squad Room

Brianne set her file on Lucky Spencer’s desk. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said, tugging her black pea coat off and draping it across the chair that sat in front of the desk. “My alarm didn’t go off this morning.”

“It’s fine.” Lucky waited until she was seated. “Mac gave me his notes. I’m not sure why you needed to meet with me.”

Brianne sighed. “I’m going to meet with Brooke Lynn tomorrow and I want to make sure I’ve got all my bases covered. The preliminary hearing is Wednesday. I’ll be calling the investigating officer.”

“He’ll be bound over for trial, there’s no chance he won’t,” Lucky replied. His eyes darkened. “The sick twisted little bastard.”

She rubbed her temple. “I’m the lawyer, you’re the cop. Let’s just pretend for a second that I know what I need to happen in that court room, okay?”

He smirked. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. What do you need from me?”

“First of all, I need an exact run down of her injuries.” Brianne uncapped her pen and poised it over her legal pad.”

Lucky flipped to the medical report. “Brooke had a broken nose, a broken arm, a concussion. Three of her ribs were bruised and she had various bruising and cuts on her face and arms. The doctor ran the rape kit at the hospital and Mac supervised. The kit was positive for semen which later matched Diego Sanchez’s DNA. We also have photographs of all her bruising and surface injuries.”

Brianne nodded and finished writing that down. “Diego has said she consented and her injuries are a result of rough sex. Is there any evidence that points that way?”

“You know Mac said you’d ask something stupid like that,” Lucky muttered.

Brianne set her pen down and leveled a cool stare at him. “He’s going to be saying that in court. His lawyer is going to attack that poor girl on the stand. I owe it to her to ask first and to be ready for it. I’m sorry that you and Commissioner Scorpio don’t seem to understand that.”

“No,” Lucky said reluctantly. “I’m sorry. You’re absolutely right. It just–it’s irritating to think he could even get to say that in public.” He shook his head. “There’s no evidence that backs that up. Brooke was dating Lucas Jones, had been for about two months. Her friends say Diego was just a friend. I stopped by the high school on Friday,” he told her. “And I talked to some kids–with parental permission of course. Diego had only been in school for a month. The only person they really saw Brooke with was Lucas. She, Georgie and Maxie Jones, Lucas and Dillon Quartermaine had a little group and Diego was really only on the edges. I got the impression they thought she felt sorry for him.”

“Good, good.” Brianne noted that. “I’ll need a list of names of those kids. If we need rebuttal witnesses.”

He slid a sheet of paper towards her. “Have you ever first chaired a case before?”

“No,” Brianne admitted. “Have you ever worked on a case like this before?”

“Not officially,” Lucky said cryptically. He leaned back in his chair. “Why would you pick something like this for your first case?”

“Because it’s an important case,” Brianne remarked. She slid her legal pad in her bag. “The Quartermaines are attached to it. And it appears that Lorenzo Alcazar is as well. It’d be a good way to make a name for myself.”

He nodded. “It would.” He paused. “But I don’t think that’s why.”

She stood and pulled her coat back on. “Well then I guess it’s a good thing I don’t care what you think.” She slid the bag over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We have an appointment to meet with Brooke Lynn at ten o’clock and I think it would help if you were present.”

“I’ll see you there.” He watched with considering eyes as the assistant district attorney walked briskly out of the squad room.

Kelly’s

Emily found her brother sitting at a corner table back near the counter. She pulled off her scarf and gloves as she made her way back there. She planted the scarf and gloves on the table and her coat on the chair. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to wait to talk to you about this. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it all myself, so–”

“You can save it. I talked to Elizabeth yesterday,” Emily said briskly. A waitress came over and she ordered a hot chocolate. Jason ordered black coffee. When they were alone again, she continued, “I can’t say that I don’t feel bad about the way things happened. I think I may have had a little to do with it. I said some things to Elizabeth I shouldn’t have and I know her brother may have had something to do with her change of heart. However, I whole hearted applaud her newfound backbone.”

Jason stared at her. “I’m not really sure what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying you treated her like dirt and I am so very disappointed in you. This isn’t the brother I’ve loved and respected for so many years. And then when she stands up for herself, gives you the ultimatum you so damn well deserved, you leave her.” Emily accepted the cup of hot chocolate and sipped it. “She’s devastated naturally.”

Jason didn’t even register the coffee set in front of him. “She threw me out.”

“You didn’t really live there. You don’t really live anywhere,” Emily murmured. Her brisk tone fell to the wayside and she peered at him through dark watery eyes. “I feel so very sorry for you, Jason. You had everything and you chose nothing instead.” She set the cup down and took a deep breath. “She told me that you were going to deed the penthouse to Sam. That’s a good idea. There aren’t a lot of happy memories there anyway. So you’ll need somewhere new to live. In a good neighborhood for Cameron.”

Jason blinked and looked away. “You’re right,” he said roughly. “I woke in the hospital seven years ago with no memory, no family, no friends. I had nothing. And despite everything between, that’s all I have now.”

“No.” Emily shook her head. “You’re still my brother, Jason. And I still love you. I’m just not that thrilled with you.” She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. “You have always been my rock. Always there for me, never failing, never faltering. Let me be that for you.”

“I’m not going to work for Sonny anymore,” he said after a long moment. “I don’t think it’s done anything good for me in years and I think it’s time I left the organization for good.”

“I think that would be an excellent idea,” Emily said. She sat back and a smile crossed her face. “But I know the Cassadine Industries could use a security expert to oversee everything. Nikolas has been expanding the business over the last year and it’s quite the little empire. It’d be challenging which I think would be something you’d want. But more, it would be safe. For a family.”

Jason studied his sister for a moment. “You’ve talked this over with Nikolas already.”

“I talked to him on Friday. It was obvious something in your life was going to have to change. I didn’t think you’d decide to leave Sonny just now but I had hoped to offer this alternative to you.” Powerful relief flooded her veins as Emily realized her brother was actually considering this. “Nikolas would have the rest of the details and when I suggested you fill the position, he was really happy about it.”

“Emily, I appreciate it. I do. But I–”

“No, no, don’t say no yet.” Emily leaned forward. “Talk to Nikolas first. Just talk to him. If you’re really not interested, then okay. But please just give it a chance, okay?”

“Okay,” Jason said after a moment. “Would you help me find an apartment?”

Emily sat back and sighed. “You’re really going through with this.”

“I have to be in Cameron’s life,” Jason said, his voice resigned. “After the way I treated Elizabeth, she had every right to throw me out. I don’t deserve to ask her for her more.”

“What about what she deserves?” Emily asked softly. “She deserves a family. Someone who loves her. Elizabeth deserves you, Jason.”

“Not now,” Jason shook his head. “I have nothing to offer her.” He paused a moment. “Will you help me find an apartment?”

“All right,” Emily replied. She leveled one last glare at him. “Idiot.”

General Hospital: Board Room

Alexis tapped a pen against a note pad and sat straight when Ned entered. “Ned. What’re you doing here?”

“There’s a board meeting.” Ned rounded the table and took a seat next to the head of the table, across from Alexis. “I heard you’d been reappointed the counsel to the hospital.”

She nodded slowly. “You’ve heard about Kristina.”

“I’m glad she’s all right,” Ned told her. “It was a good thing a donor was found.”

She bit her lip. “I was sorry about Brooke Lynn. I–I can’t imagine what that must be like.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ned said briskly. He opened a folder. “So Sonny knows the truth. Has he filed for custody yet?”

“No,” Alexis said, a little stung. She sat back and shifted in her seat. “We agreed that we would wait until she was recovered and back at home before we talked about that. That Kristina’s welfare came first.”

“He agreed to that?” Ned remarked caustically. “I’d watch my back, Alexis. He does nothing that’s not in his own interest.” He flipped through the papers idly, not really looking at them. “I hear congratulations were in order.” He glanced at her naked finger. “No ring.”

“It was rather sudden.” Alexis covered her left hand with her right. “We haven’t had time for traditional things.”

“Ric Lansing.” Ned looked at her and though his face remained expressionless, Alexis had the feeling he was mocking her. “And I had my issues with Sonny.”

“I’m not sure you have room to judge,” Alexis said, a little haughtily. She tapped her pen more incessantly against the legal pad. “Five seconds after you realized Skye wasn’t your cousin, you were trying to sleep with her. And might I add, Faith Roscoe wasn’t one of your better choices.”

“Says the woman who’s only healthy relationship is with her profession,” Ned replied with heavy irony.

She bit down hard on her lower lip and trapped her words back. He was going through a difficult time as a parent. He needed to lash out, Alexis reminded herself. They’d been friends once. Good friends. She took a deep calming breath. “He makes me feel a little less alone,” she murmured. “A little less isolated.”

Ned closed the manila folder slowly. “Brooke was sitting in her room this morning,” he said slowly, “and she was staring at a blank white wall. I called her name for almost a full minute before she heard me. I came here in a rotten mood and I took it out on you, Alexis. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. I’ve taken things out on you plenty of times.” She offered him a faint smile. “Who else can you treat like dirt if not your friends?”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Desk

“Clean bill of health,” Elizabeth remarked as she met her grandmother at the nurse’s desk. She leaned over and touched her son’s cheek. “Was he okay?”

“He was a perfect angel,” Audrey beamed. She looked at her great-grandchild with pride. “He has his great-grandfather’s nose.”

Cameron had a pudgy nose that looked nothing like her grandfather’s but Elizabeth merely smiled and let her grandmother have her beliefs. “Steven says I’m just fine and I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”

“Good. I have tomorrow off and it would be my pleasure to sit with Cameron.” Audrey crouched down next to the carriage and trailed a finger down his chubby cheek. She frowned and pressed her hand more fully to his skin. “Elizabeth, darling, he’s warm.”

Elizabeth’s smile faded. “Warm?” She knelt in front of her son and touched his cheek. Cameron did indeed feel warm. His face was mildly flushed. Slightly panicked, Elizabeth lifted him into her arms and searched for a doctor.

“He’s probably just got a little case of the sniffles,” Audrey said with a nervous smile. “I’m sure he’s fine.” But she rounded the nurse’s desk and paged Steven.

Her brother stepped off the elevator a moment later and frowned when he saw Elizabeth’s glassy eyes. “Bits? What’s wrong? Did you run into Jason?”

“Jason?” Audrey questioned. “What does Jason have to do with anything?”

Ignoring her grandmother, Elizabeth shifted Cameron to Steven’s arms. “He’s warm. And he’s flushed.”

“All right, all right.” Steven adjusted Cameron in his arms and peered into the infant’s face. “His eyes do look a little bright. He may have a small cold.”

“May?” Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and poked him directly in the chest, her red finger nail digging into the white fabric of his lab jacket. “Listen, Doogie, I don’t have the patience for maybes and might bes. You fix him, and you fix him now.”

“Okay, okay.” Mildly amused now, Steven shifted Cameron higher into his arms. “You haven’t called me Doogie in years.”

If flames could have shot out of her eyes, they very well would have as Elizabeth and her grandmother followed Steven into an examining room.

After a brief examination, Steven deduced that his nephew did indeed have a cold and ear infection. He wrote Elizabeth a prescription for Cameron–ear drops and a cough syrup to handle the rest.

“You’ll want to keep him inside, so you probably should take the week off instead of coming back to work,” Steven told her.

“See, everything is just fine, darling.” Audrey kissed Elizabeth’s cheek and squeezed Steven’s shoulder. “Now I have to start my shift. You call me if you need anything, all right?”

“Right, Gram.” Elizabeth watched her grandmother disappear out the door. “I–I’m sorry I snapped at you, Steven. I just–he’s the most important person in the world to me.”

“I totally understand.” Steven kissed Cameron’s forehead and ruffled the baby’s soft dark hair. “He’s pretty important to me, too, Bits.”

She smiled faintly at the nickname. “And don’t mention Jason in front of Gram. Not yet. I’m trying to think of the best way to tell her.”

“You know…” Steven hesitated. “Jason not telling Sonny or Carly…is almost like you not wanting to tell Gram. Or wanting Mom, Dad or Sarah to know about Cameron at all. You know that they won’t accept it. Won’t understand. So you don’t tell them.”

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. “Playing Devil’s advocate?”

“I’m just saying I do understand his initial reasons for keeping this all to himself,” Steven remarked. He put Cameron into the carriage and secured him. “My issue isn’t with the secret. It’s the way he keeps it. The way he treats you. His son. I honestly believe he loves you so it’s hard to understand why he’d do it.”

“Steven, I don’t really want to dissect Jason’s mind right now. I want to take my son, go home and forget about the whole thing.” She grimaced. “Except for where I have to call Jason and tell him Cam’s sick.”

Brownstone: Living Room

Carly came down the steps and smiled hesitantly at Jason. “Morgan’s napping and I managed to keep Michael upstairs by promising you’d stop up before you go.”

Jason nodded and remained standing next to the sofa. “Bobbie at work?”

“She’s got a late shift.” Carly folded her arms and looked at the ground. “So, listen, Jase, I know I haven’t always been the kind of friend you wanted me to be.”

“I never wanted you to be anyone but yourself,” Jason corrected quickly.

“Well…you’re a better person than me.” She met his eyes. “I know you’ve been seeing Elizabeth. That you were with her the morning Sam lost the baby.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I–I was talking with Steven Webber when Mama told us they couldn’t find you. He said he had to make a call and left. Jase…the only person you and Steven have in common is his sister. He wouldn’t confirm it, so don’t be mad at him.”

“I’m not,” Jason said after a moment. “I came here to tell you that.”

She nodded. “I know that you kept it from me, from Sonny. And I know that you expected me to throw some sort of hissy fit about how she’s not good enough for you and all that stuff.” She shrugged. “Two weeks ago, you may have been right.”

“Carly–”

“But it’s okay,” she hurried on. “I–I’m glad that you’ve found someone. And though I don’t really like her, she’s always put you first. And I think that’s something you need–”

“We’re not together anymore,” Jason interrupted abruptly.

Carly closed her mouth and frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“We were.” Jason took a deep breath. “Carly, Cameron’s my son.”

“I–” Carly exhaled slowly. “Your son.”

“Yes. Last fall…Elizabeth and I–I don’t know how to describe it,” Jason hesitated. “It wasn’t an affair. We were both–I was going to break things off with Courtney but she was still recovering from the miscarriage…and the pills. I didn’t know how to do it. And when Courtney set the date for the wedding, Elizabeth thought–” he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We broke things off. She didn’t realize Cameron was mine until the doctors readjusted her due date.”

“And you’ve been sneaking off to be with him, with her,” Carly murmured. Memories of not being able to reach Jason on his phone, of his strange and sudden disappearances began to filter through her mind. “Was it her idea to keep the secret or yours?”

“Mine,” Jason said with some regret. “Elizabeth agreed and we both thought it was temporary. But one day after another passed and before I realized it, she was telling me that as far as she was concerned I wasn’t being a father to Cameron and she couldn’t be with someone she didn’t respect.”

“Jason…” Carly let her hands fall to side. “When did this happen?”

“Friday.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “And she was right. So I’m telling you the truth. I’ll tell Sonny about Cameron, but he found out about Elizabeth Friday morning.”

“And Courtney?” Carly asked.

“I’ll deal with that. I don’t want to hurt her. But I don’t want her to hear it from anyone else,” he told her. “Carly–are you okay with this?”

“Well, let’s see.” Carly folded her arms again and took a few steps towards him. She turned and took a few steps away. She faced him. “You have a son. A little boy that probably looks like you, that’s going to grow up and know you’re his father. And if I can give Elizabeth any credit at all, she’s not going to keep you from him. I’m very happy for you,” Carly continued, “but I wonder if there’s anything I can do regarding the rest of it. Can I talk to her? What?”

Some of tension bled from his shoulders and Jason relaxed a little. “No. No, I’ll handle that. But I’m sorry that I underestimated you. I thought you’d take this differently.”

“Well, Jason, I’m sorry to burst your little bubble there but you pegged me pretty right. If you had told me about this months ago, I would have. But things have changed.” She smiled faintly. “I suppose I have.”

Jason’s cell rang and he took it from his pocket, noting he had a missed message. He flipped it on. “Hello?”

“Jason…” Elizabeth paused. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He shifted, turned away from Carly. “Are you–is everything okay?”

“Yeah…well…Cameron’s got a cold…and an ear infection.” There was another pause and he could almost see her, sitting on the sofa in the cottage trying to decide what to say to him. “He’s all right, I mean we’ve got medicine and he’s sleeping. I thought you should know.”

“I’ll be right over,” Jason told her. “We–we have to talk.”

“I know.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I’ll see you when you get here.” There was a click and he knew she’d hung up. Jason clicked to listen to his one message. When it finished, he slid the phone in his pocket and turned to Carly, who was trying to hide her curiosity.

“The message was from Sonny. Sam woke up.” He stared past her, out the window and into the street. “She isn’t taking the whole thing very well and she asked for me.”

“And what did Elizabeth say?” Carly asked.

“How’d you know it was her on the phone?” Jason asked.

“Your voice.” Her lips curved. “It changed. It was very cute, Jase, by the way. What did she want?”

“Cameron. He has a cold. An ear infection.” He met her eyes. “I told her I’d be over.”

“Well, you should go,” Carly said. “Sam’s a big girl. Sonny’s with her.” Her lips twisted into a wry smile. “And I can’t believe I said that without wanting to be sick.” She shook her head. “But you already know what you should do.”

Cottage: Living Room

It was nearly midnight when Jason got to the cottage. Elizabeth was curled up in a ball, on the corner of the couch, watching the local news. She turned as he stepped off the front landing into the living room. “I expected you a few hours ago,” she murmured. She took a glass of water from the table next to the sofa and sipped it. “Cameron’s been up and down most of the night. You should go see him.”

“Sam woke up,” Jason said after a long moment of silence. “I stopped by the hospital to see her. I only intended to stay a minute but…” he shook his head. “No excuses. I should have called.”

Elizabeth stared into the glass. “Is she all right?”

“Physically, yes. Sonny’s still with her.” Jason shifted and stared down at the top of her head. “I spoke to Carly today. I told her about Cameron.”

She glanced up sharply. “You did?”

“She knew part of it.” He rounded the sofa and sat gingerly at the other end. “She thought what Sonny had. That we were seeing each other after you got back from Napa Valley.”

“But now?” Elizabeth prompted.

“She’s okay with it.” He stared at the television, not registering what was on the screen. “I’m trying to find the right moment to tell Sonny, I promise you. He’s just lost his daughter. He’s got Kristina to deal with. Sam…I’m not putting it off–”

“Jason…I don’t expect you to run right out and do it. I know Sonny’s going through some stuff.” Elizabeth curled her legs underneath her. “I’m not asking you to make Cameron your only priority. I’m just asking for him to be your first.”

“I know.” He looked at her. “What about you?”

“What about me?” she murmured.

“What happened between us Friday afternoon…” Jason hesitated and looked away. “It doesn’t change anything. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Elizabeth said softly. “But it doesn’t ever seem to be enough.”

“This time, that’s my fault.” He stood and faced her. “I talked about making you and Cameron the number one priority in my life. I said that I loved you, that I wanted a family. I broke my own rule, Elizabeth. My words meant nothing. I never wanted that.” He shook his head. “I never used to be like that.”

“You meant them when you said them,” Elizabeth murmured. “I don’t think you know what you want, Jason. Or how to make it happen.”

“I know that I love you,” he said solemnly. “And that I’m not willing to just…let this go. I’ve done that. I’ve let you go too many times and we always seem to end up back here. I’m not doing this again. I have to ask you for something. I don’t deserve it but–”

“What is it?” Elizabeth asked. She looked up at him, met his eyes and held them.

“Don’t give up on us yet,” Jason said. “Please.”

“As long as you don’t get married,” Elizabeth said, only half-joking. She stood and touched his cheek. “I love you Jason. I won’t give up.”

He nodded and then stepped back from her. “I should go see Cameron.”

She nodded and watched him leave the room. She should feel relieved but somehow, she only felt sad.