Written in 61 minutes.

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Aiden figured he had hit pay dirt when his aunt’s best friend’s face paled and she stared at him for what felt like a comically long time, her mouth gaping.

“You know something, right? I mean you have to know something. You and Aunt Lu were practically attached at the hip,” Aiden said, hurrying over to scoop the shards of the lamp into a pile. “She told you everything.”

“Right, right, um—” Maxie pressed two fingers to her forehead. “She did—does—did—but that’s a wild question to just—” Her other hand flew in the air, made a swooping gesture. “And, like, you’re a child—”

Aiden bristled. “I’m fifteen, okay? My dad was basically living on his own at my age—”

“And look where that got him,” she retorted, almost snottily. “Also it was all before you were even born, so it’s not even your business—”

“So that’s a yes,” Aiden said flatly. He rose to his feet, dumped the remains of the lamp on the table behind the sofa.

“You—I never said that!” Maxie jabbed a finger at him, her eyes wide. “I never said anything like that, so don’t you tell anyone I told you anything, and how would you even know to ask about it? And—”

Aiden fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Okay, fine. So you’re not going to give me details, but you—”

“You should go. Go ask your parents questions, that’s their job to answer, not mine.” Maxie ushered him towards the front door. “Because I didn’t tell you anything, and I’m not going to tell you anything—”

“If it had been no, you’d have said that. If you didn’t know anything, you’ve have said that, too.” Aiden turned to face the older woman. “But you didn’t. You freaked out and you’re throwing me. That’s fine. You don’t have to say anything else.”

“Look, kid, we don’t even know each other—” Maxie closed her eyes, took a deep breath. If your aunt was here, you’d be asking her these things, and I get it, but you should be asking your dad—”

“He’s not returning my calls.”

“Your mother—”

“Says it’s not her story to tell.”

Maxie lifted her brows. “You’re telling me Elizabeth isn’t jumping to make herself look good? I didn’t know hell had frozen—never mind, never mind. If they don’t want to talk about it, maybe you should take a hint—”

“Would you?” Aiden challenged. “What if it were your kids? Would you want Georgie finding out stuff about you from someone else?”

Maxie opened her mouth, then closed it with a scowl. “No, but I’m not your parents. So go annoy them. So ask them and leave me out of it.”

Then slammed the door in his face.

—

Unaware that her youngest son was reigniting an old rivalry, a few miles away, and a few hundred feet in the air at Vista Point, Elizabeth tugged off the helmet and handed it to Jason. “You know,  the last few times you’ve taken me out on this—” She touched the handle. “It really does feel like some of the years have melted away. But then you turn off the engine—”

“And it’s still today.” Jason stowed the helmet on the back seat. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

She smiled faintly, folding her arms, and headed towards the observation deck. Twilight was descending, the gray clouds mixing with the streaks of pink and purple and the muddy blue waters of the lake—

She’d always meant to bring her watercolors up here and try to paint what Spoon Island looked like from this view, but there had never been a good moment. Time had marched on, and she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d owned a set of watercolors.

“You said you had to talk to me?” Jason asked, coming up behind her at the guard rail. “Everything okay at the hospital?”

“The building, yes. The staff?” she looked at him, tipped her head. “I know you said you didn’t want to get into it, but if I guess the reason you and Drew fought the night before the funeral, would you confirm it?”

Jason’s mouth tightened, and she was sorry to see some of the lightness fade from his gaze. He looked out over the harbor, towards the hulking mass of Spoon Island, rising up from the  water. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Willow.”

When he just looked at her, she exhaled slowly and turned around, leaning her back against the rail. “Yeah, okay, I had a feeling. Michael looked sad at the house the other day, and not just because of why we were there. And he’s angry at Drew, too. Then today—” she made a face. “I saw them together at the hospital. Just talking,” she added when he tensed, looked at her sharply. “But I have a little experience being inside that bubble. Having an affair with someone I shouldn’t.” Troubled again, she looked down at the ground, digging her toe into the mixture of dirt and gravel. “Just the way they looked, the tension—anyway.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for Michael. I know how important his family is to him, and how much he loves Willow.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m surprised,” Elizabeth said, and he frowned at her, “that you’d find out this kind of information and do what you did. Starting a fight in the middle of the Quartermaine foyer? With the kids upstairs. I thought when I found out why, I’d understand better. I don’t. It’s not like you.”

“How would you know?” he bit out, then winced when she flinched, looked away. “That’s—”

“An honest answer,” she said, and he sighed, not arguing with her. “You’re right. I don’t know. I’d like to,” she added. “Three years ago, you wouldn’t have done that in your mother’s house with the kids upstairs. You were always so careful about who saw that side of you. Who you lost control around—”

“If I’d lost control, he’d be dead,” Jason cut in, and she pressed her lips together. “I left him in one piece, didn’t I?”

“Fair enough. I’m criticizing, Jason. I’m not,” she insisted when he shook his head. “I’m just asking. You don’t have to answer. And anyway, you came to see me. So we can change the subject and—”

“No, I—Drew’s part of it, I guess, we might as well finish this.” Jason looked grim when he shifted to face her, leaning his side against the railing. “It was in the nursery.”

“The fight? I thought—”

“No. He and Willow. That’s how Michael found out. A nanny cam activated by motion.”

Elizabeth tensed, her fingers curling around the iron railing. “Oh, God. That’s awful—”

“The night Sam died. The night Danny and Scout lost their mother and were just a room away—” Jason looked back out over the water. “I don’t know.  There just seemed to be something wrong—”

“Obscene, almost,” she murmured, and he met her eyes again. “While his daughter was grieving such an immense loss, Drew was sleeping with his nephew’s wife. I can understand that, I can,” she repeated. “And I’m so sorry Michael’s dealing with it. I know how hard it is for you when he’s hurting.”

“Yeah, well.” Jason made a face, then shook his head. “But you’re right. Three years ago, I wouldn’t have done that. Ten years ago. Even twenty. But there was a time when I wouldn’t have given a damn who was watching or what they thought.”

“After the accident.”

“Yeah. And while I was gone.” He was quiet for a long moment. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. What I said to you at your place the other day. About it being easier.”

“Jason, you don’t have to—”

“I meant it,” Jason cut in, and she closed her mouth. “I know it sounds awful, and I guess I’m sorry if it hurts to hear it, but it was easier not being here. Not being Jason Morgan.”

—

Jake wasn’t really sure how to keep avoiding his mother, but he had a feeling his little brother wasn’t going to keep their conversation that morning to himself, and Jake was going to be a dead man when she found out what he’d done. Or worse, she’d be upset but she’d swallow it, and pretend she wasn’t mad because Jake was still angry with her. And then he’d really feel like an ass.

But she was supposed to be at the hospital at work, and if he found a way to stay out until after dinner, maybe he’d be able to sneak in late.

So he found himself at Bobbie’s, planning to grab some food and then go hang out with some friends the rest of the night —

Which had seemed like a great idea until he was halfway across the diner and didn’t realize that one of the customers at the counter was, in fact, his former…

Father? Step father? Adopted pretend father? Other deadbeat dad?

Lucky Spencer had too many labels for someone who had mattered so little in Jake’s everyday life, he thought bitterly, and nearly turned around—

But Lucky spotted him first, and from his face — he’d spoken to Jake’s mother.

Great. How much had Mom told him and how did he get out of this conversation?

“Jake.” Lucky met him in the middle of the diner. “I’m glad I ran into you.”

“You are?” That couldn’t be right. “Why?”

Lucky’s mouth tightened. “Because I want you to hear what really happened. And not just from Jason or your mother. They probably made me sound like a loser junkie. You need to know the truth.”

—

Jason wasn’t really sure what reaction he’d expected from Elizabeth — she was rarely predictable. But if he’d thought she’d be angry, he was dead wrong. In fact, if he had to describe the tilt to her head, the expression in her eyes —

Curiosity?

“I know it sounds awful,” he repeated, a bit warily now. “But—”

“There’s a freedom in not being who you are,” she said softly, and he stopped. “Do you really think that’s so impossible to understand?”

Jason hesitated. If he’d told Carly he was relieved to be gone and away from her, she’d have made his life a miserable hell. “Yes?”

“We talked about this. I told you that I wasn’t surprised or even angry. That I don’t think it means you love Jake or Danny or any one else in your family less.” She seemed a little impatient now, and he didn’t know what to do with that. “I’m not interested in making you feel guilty. It’s not like you planned to fake your death, and you always planned to come back, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” If he hadn’t died in the process. “But—”

“But nothing. Do you think I wanted you to be miserable for every day that you were gone?” Elizabeth asked.

“I—” Jason cleared his throat. “Okay, so you’re not mad.”

“Jason. I need you to give me a little bit of credit. After all these years, after all the ways you’ve forgiven me and taken me for who I am, mistakes and terrible choices, did you really think this was going to be the deal breaker?” she asked. “I’m not Sonny.”

“No. No, you’re not.” And now that they were having this conversation, now that it was in the open, some of the tension in his chest eased. “I know that. It’s just—”

“You didn’t really come all the way to the hospital to have another conversation about this, did you?” she asked, folding her arms. “Because, you know, it’s not necessary.”

“No. No, it’s not—” Jason took a deep breath, reordered his thoughts. “No, but it’s part of it. Admitting that, putting a name on the way I felt, it…changed something. Because I’m angry with myself for letting this happen. For…sitting back,” he decided. “Reacting. I was too impulsive after the accident. If I felt something, if I wanted something or someone, I took it, and I put myself at the center. No one else mattered. I had to—I had to stop living that way. I hurt people. Robin, mostly. And Emily, and my grandmother. So I learned to think first, to let things happen. I just…”

“Went too far in that direction,” she said.

“Yeah, I guess. I let people matter too much. What they wanted, what they needed. I made that more important than what I wanted. And it’s stopping. I’m stopping it.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth lifted her brows expectantly. “And how are you starting that?”

“With Alexis, and what she wants to do. I’m fighting. Molly asked to take my case, for her own reasons, and I agreed. I want Danny to live with me, and—” he paused. “I want Jake to live with me, too. I want them both. That’s what I came to tell you. That Jake should live with me.”

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