Written in 66 minutes. For obvious reasons, the final scene had to be just right.

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Port Charles Courthouse: Holding Room

Justus glanced over at the deputy with raised brows. “You really have to leave him cuffed? Come on, man—”

“I’ve got my orders.” The deputy just lifted his hands in surrender, then backed out of the room.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jason said, though he hated when they went a step further, shackling his cuffed hands to his matching cuffs around his ankles, preventing prisoners from sprinting to freedom. “You said bail looked good, so I’ll be out of here anyway.”

“I said that if Scott was serious about wanting your cooperation, he’d be smart not to put up resistance to basic bail,” Justus said. “We’re about to find out exactly how on the level Baldwin is playing this. After all, he did make you wait almost the entire seventy-two hours before this hearing.” He lifted his briefcase, headed for the door connecting the room to the court room. “Look, by the way, Elizabeth was released from the hospital last night.”

“Released—” Jason shook his head. “No—it’s too early—”

“Maybe not. It’s a good sign, Jason. She’s out there with her grandmother. I just didn’t want you to be surprised—”

“She should be resting,” Jason muttered.

“It’s another sin we’ll lay at Baldwin’s feet, because no doubt, she’d be at home if you weren’t in here.” Justus knocked on the door. “We’re ready.”

The courtroom was filled—Jason was used to that, though he was less enthused when he realized about half the occupants were members of the Quartermaine family, including the old man. Nikolas Cassadine sat behind Elizabeth, and was leaning forward, talking to her in a low voice. Emily wouldn’t be there, Jason knew that, but Zander was sitting in the back corner, ostensibly to report back to her.

And Elizabeth sat in the front row, flanked on either side by her grandmother and Bobbie. Mike sat next to Bobbie, and Felicia Jones on the other side of Audrey.

Scott had no one on the prosecution side, save for himself, and Mac Scorpio sitting at the table.

Elizabeth looked pale, Jason thought, dressed in a simple blue dress with a sweater opened in the front. On the right, the shoulder of the sweater hung loose over her arm, pulled up in a blank sling. But she looked better than when he’d left her in the hospital, and for that, he had to be grateful.

“Jason…” Elizabeth rose as the deputy brought Jason to his seat. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. I wanted to come yesterday, but—”

“I said no,” Audrey said firmly, rising alongside her granddaughter, placing a steadying arm around her waist. “Because we had an agreement, didn’t we?”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose, then looked at Jason. She held out her hand, and Jason took it, squeezing it. “I promise. I’m okay. We’re both okay.”

“I trust you. I’ll be out of here soon.” He didn’t want to release her hand, but he had no choice in order to take their seats. Still, as much as he wished she were at home, that she were anywhere else, knowing where she was, having her safe in the same room—for the first time since he’d been arrested, he could breathe a little more easily.

Three days had been lost because of Baldwin’s antics. Three days of not knowing what the hell was going on with Sonny, with Carly, of not being there for Elizabeth—was her arm better? Was there improvement? And Michael. How was he handling everything—

Jason barely heard the bailiff call the court to order, only rising when Justus prompted him. The judge took his seat, and Jason sat.

“Case of New York versus Jason Morgan, one count of attempted murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon,” the clerk said, handing the file to the judge who skimmed the contents.

“All right. Appearances?”

“Scott Baldwin for the district attorney’s office,” Scott said, rising and buttoning his jacket.

“Justus Ward for the defense, Your Honor.”

“I’ll hear the prosecution on bail.”

“Your Honor, the DA’s office has no opposition to a reasonable bail being set for Mr. Morgan. He has ties to the community, and we don’t expect him to be a flight risk.”

Jason frowned, looked over at Scott. What game was he trying to pull?

And clearly Scott’s request had surprised the judge who peered at him over his reading glasses. “Mr. Baldwin, didn’t your office try to deny bail for Mr. Morgan just a year ago when he was arrested for the murder of Luis Alcazar?”

Scott blinked. “Oh, Your Honor, forgive me. I didn’t realize that, you, ah, had presided over that case. Well, as you know, that was an unfortunate miscarriage of justice which the DA’s office was more than happy to remedy. As you know, Mr. Morgan was set free—”

“To apparently commit further acts of violence. According to you,” the judge said dryly. “Do I have the facts correct? Attempted murder of an assistant district attorney, shooting wildly in a courtyard, injuring two pregnant woman, one of whom is still in a coma?”

Scott opened his mouth, then closed it, considering his words carefully. “Ah, well, yes, those would be the facts.”

“Case file says there are two witnesses, that you have  the weapon used in the crime registered to Jason Morgan—”

Jason snapped his head to look at Justus, who just shook his head. That was news to him, too, Jason thought grimly.

“I’m actually surprised we’re not talking about a plea deal. It’s a very strong case from what I can see—”

“Your Honor, the defense has not yet had a chance to test any of that evidence,” Justus interrupted. “Two witnesses with very dubious credibility, I might add. The gun in question has not been tied successfully to this crime, at least not that I’ve seen, and my client has an alibi—”

“One of the women he’s accused of shooting is his mistress pregnant with his child, Mr. Ward. Should I let him out so he can finish the job? What’s the matter, Mr. Morgan, not interested in child support?”

Shaken, Jason just looked at Justus who seemed a bit dumbfounded by the turn in the bail hearing. Would the judge refuse to set bail? What would he do—

“That’s not true,” he heard Elizabeth hissing from behind him. “No, it’s not—”

“Silence, or I’ll clear the court room,” the judge said, banging the gavel. “Mr. Baldwin? Are these not the facts in the case?”

“Those are the facts read in the worst light,” Scott said slowly. He smoothed his hand down his shirt front. “The PCPD turned up no evidence that Carly Corinthos or Elizabeth Webber were intentional victims. It seems as if they were in the wrong place in the wrong time. And there is some questions of fact that a jury is entitled to determine. Mr. Morgan is free to plead not guilty, which I assume he plans to do, and as you’ve pointed out, he’s not new to the criminal justice system. Despite the resources available to him, he’s never failed to fail up for a court appearance.” Scott cleared his throat. “And as such, bail is not meant to be a punishment in itself, only an assurance that the accused completes the process. Furthermore, you’ve never held a defendant without bail in anything less than a capital case. Which this is not.”

The judge tipped his head. “Mr. Baldwin, that’s a very eloquent defense of Mr. Morgan. Have you changed sides while I wasn’t looking?”

“I represent the constituents of my district. All of them. Jason Morgan is, unfortunately, one of them,” Scott said. “And he’s entitled to due process and a fair, impartial hearing of the evidence. Your Honor.”

“All right. Mr. Ward, any other thoughts?”

“Mr. Morgan would surrender his passport in addition to reasonable bail. I share Mr. Baldwin’s view of the situation. My client is not a flight risk. He’s eager to absolve himself of these scurrilous charges, and I look forward to embarrassing the district attorney in court as soon as possible.”

“All right. I don’t want hear any complaints when Miss Webber has another mysterious accident that puts a child at risk. No editorials about womens’ right,” the judge said with distaste. “Bail is set a five hundred thousand dollars. Next case.”

Port Charles Courthouse: Hallway

“I will have that son of a bitch removed from office by end of day,” Edward Quartermaine thundered as he stalked from the room, heading for the elevators, followed by Alan and Monica. “The insult, the audacy—” His furious voice disappeared when the doors slid closed.

Elizabeth lingered outside of the court room, waiting for Justus to finish with Jason, for him to be processed and released. Her throat tightened. “Did you hear the way the judge spoke about him? It’s so awful—why would anyone—”

“It’s all right, darling. Let’s go sit down. We’ll wait for Jason over here.”

“Jason would never hurt me or Carly. Never! He loves this baby—”

“I know he does, sweetheart.” Mike came to Elizabeth’s other side, guided her over to the bench, a bit more forcefully than Audrey. “Sit down, let’s all take a deep breath. The judge, as Scott said, looked at the facts in the worst light. We all know the truth.”

“I’m sorry—” She bit her lip, looked at Mike. “I mean, I know this—Courtney—”

“Don’t you worry about that right now, all right?” Mike patted her shoulder, then went back over to where Bobbie and Felicia were talking to Nikolas. “What the hell is Scott Baldwin pulling? That judge was ready to throw Jason to the wolves—”

“Election year,” Felicia said. She rubbed her forehead. “And he took a beating in the press two years ago when he released a man accused of domestic abuse. I remember Mac was just furious—the man violated the restraining order. Put the woman in the hospital.”

“And he doesn’t want more bad press,” Bobbie said. “Well—”

“I’m sorry, perhaps I’m still playing catch up,” Nikolas said, “and believe me, I’m sure there’s something I don’t know. But are we not listening to the part where there are witnesses and they have the gun? Whatever case Scott has, the judge didn’t throw it out. It’s not as flimsy as you had me believe—”

“Oh, Nikolas, do you really think Jason shot Elizabeth and Carly?” Bobbie said, with a roll of her eyes. “I thought you’d agreed to let go of all of that—”

“I believe he hated Ric enough to do something stupid,” Nikolas said, dryly. “He’s not perfect—”

“Shut up.” Bobbie jabbed a finger in his chest. “Shut up right now, Nikolas Cassadine. I don’t want to hear any word from you that isn’t how can I help? Because this isn’t what Elizabeth needs right now, damn it.”

“I only meant—”

“If you have a single doubt in your head right now that Jason is being railroaded, then you need to get out of my sight. Because you’re accusing me of lying if you believe Jason did this. He was standing right to me when those damn bullets ripped through the night, when my daughter was shot in the head, Jason was with me—” Bobbie broke, put her hands on her face, turning away.

“Come on, let’s go take some fresh air,” Felicia said, putting an arm around Bobbie’s trembling shoulders. She threw Nikolas a dirty look, then guided the redhead away.

“I forgot,” Nikolas said. “I forgot Bobbie—” He looked to Mike. “I forgot.”

“You said you wanted to help, to be here for Elizabeth, and that’s fine. I won’t speak for her,” Mike said. “But you might want to think about what you say before you put it into the world. Because that girl has been through more than enough these last few days. And Bobbie’s already buried one child. Do you really think she’d protect the man who might take another from her?”

“No, no, of course not. And if you’re standing by Jason despite being Courtney’s father, then I can’t do any less. I’m sorry.”

Mike opened his mouth to respond, but then Jason came around the corner, Justus on his heels. Elizabeth saw him, too, and to Audrey’s dismay, all but jumped to her feet, rushing to him. Jason caught her against him, carefully to one side so he didn’t jar her injured shoulder, then buried his face in her neck, clinging to her.

“I take it all back,” Nikolas murmured. Mike looked at him. “But if he didn’t do it, then who the hell are these witnesses? And how did they get the gun?”

“You should be at home, resting.” Jason smoothed her hair back from her face, drawing back to press his lips to her forehead. “You and the baby are more important—”

“I would have gone crazy being at home, and I’m glad I came because that judge was so out of line, and Justus—” Elizabeth looked past to Jason’s lawyer. “You should get him thrown off the case. He was so unfair.”

“Hoping it won’t come to that.” Justus touched Jason’s shoulder. “Remember what we talked about, all right? And get me those files.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thank you.”

“I’ll talk to you later.” Justus picked his briefcase up, headed away. “Mrs. Hardy, why don’t we take the elevator before Jason and Elizabeth? Give them a minute.”

“Of course. Elizabeth, I’ll be in the parking garage. And Jason, you’re welcome to come to the house if you like,” Audrey said. “We should find Bobbie and Felicia,” she said as she and Justus left. Mike and Nikolas following.

“Let’s sit down for a minute, all right? Humor me,” Jason said, when Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest. He led her over to the bench. “How are you feeling? Really,” he added. “Don’t sugarcoat it.” He reached for the fingertips of the hand in the sling.

“I’m tired. Sore,” Elizabeth admitted. “Better than yesterday. Gram’s cooking is better. And my bed at her house is better than the sofa in the studio. But if you’re asking about my hand—my arm—nothing yet.”

“Nothing—” Jason stopped. “Nothing at all?”

“Tony says it’s not uncommon for temporary paralysis of the nerves, based on where the bullet was located. It’s—it’s possible that once the healing is done, the swelling has gone down, that it’ll be fine. But…” She picked at loose thread in her skirt. “There’s also a just as likely possibility that while I’ll get feeling back, full control might not  be possible. Especially fine motor skills.”

Like picking up a paintbrush, holding it for a hours. Jason exhaled slowly. “But not definitely. There’s medications. Physical therapy. We’ll try it all, okay? Everything. I don’t care—”

“I’m not—I’m not going to focus on that right now.” Though her grim smile told him that it was easier said than done. “It’s the baby and you, in that order. Finding out who did this so they’ll leave you alone, and we can worry about everything else.”

“That’s what I’m going to do. Justus and I have a plan.”

“I’m so glad Bobbie called him. Luke always said Justus was the best, and you told me how much you trusted him. So this is good. It’s a good thing. Tell me everything. What are they talking about? What witnesses? How did they get a gun registered to you? What are you and Justus going to do?”

Jason sighed, looked away for a moment, then brought his gaze back to hers. “I can’t tell you any of that.”

Port Charles Hotel: Suite

She’d had second thoughts, of course. Third, fourth, and fifth. And now, today, as Courtney paced the length of her hotel room, glancing occasionally at the newspaper laying across the remains of the breakfast she’d barely been able to touch.

Jason was being arraigned today. He’d been arrested, charged, and now he was out on bail. What had she done? What had she done? She kept asking herself that over and over and over— she’d thrown in her lot with her brother’s enemy, with Carly’s tormenter—and while giving Ric Lansing Elizabeth’s schedule had been a minor crime—

Helping him frame Jason for Carly’s shooting was another.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror, her wide blue eyes, disheveled hair. And it was so stupid, she thought. She’d told a story that could fall apart at any minute. But she’d been so angry, so furious that Jason was giving Elizabeth child she could no longer have that all Courtney could think about was revenge.

Until the newspaper this morning made it real. On her word, on Ric’s word alone, they’d arrested Jason.

The knock came at her door, and Courtney went towards it with some trepidation. If Jason made bail, he’d come straight for her, wouldn’t he? He had to know by now that she was behind it—

Maybe if she came forward, maybe if she stopped it, he’d be able to understand how she’d just lost her mind for a little while. Temporary insanity. Just like Sonny, right?

But when she pulled the door open, it wasn’t Jason standing there—

It was Lorenzo Alcazar, his brows raised. He had one arm against the doorframe, leaning forward slightly. “Well, well, we’ve been up to a little bit of mischief, haven’t we, Miss Matthews?”

“What do you want?” Courtney demanded.

“Oh, so many things. I’m particularly disappointed that you’ve decided to give Jason all the credit when I tried so very hard to make sure Sonny took the fall.”

She stepped back, her mouth slightly parted. “What?”

“But you’ve ruined everything with your little petty vengeance.” He came forward, and she backed up fast. He closed the door. “The only question is—do I make you pay for that or is there a way for you to make it up to me?”

She blinked rapidly, but her throat was closed. No words could come out.

“And I thought—” Alcazar continued, pulling a gun from the inside of his suit jacket. “What’s the best way to use this to my advantage? How can I put this back on the right track? And it came to me, of course. Thank you. For your service.”

And before Courtney even realized what he intended, he’d aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.

She was dead before she hit the ground.

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