Quick Notes: Set in Fall 2016, about three years after the last story ended. Most of the intervening three years will be established in the first few parts. If you haven’t reread the first two stories in a bit, here are the highlights: Jason & Elizabeth reunited in 2012 after she helped him expose Tea’s son was actually Sam’s son. Sam and Jason have gone their separate ways, while Jason & Elizabeth moved in together. They learned Jake was alive and being held in Greece by Helena Cassadine, so Laura, Jason & Elizabeth headed across the ocean with Spinelli & Sonny to get their son back. It got complicated after that as Patrick, Robert and Anna joined to rescue Robin, Nikolas faked his death, Lucky stabbed Elizabeth — but Elizabeth and Jason were reunited with their son and returned home to Port Charles where they got engaged.

*deep breath* Okay. Got it? Great. Let’s go.

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Written in 53 minutes. Did a quick readthrough and spell check. Hopefully caught most of the typos.

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September 2016

General Hospital: Employee Locker Room

Elizabeth Morgan took a deep breath and exited the bathroom, stopping short when she saw the room was no longer empty. “Oh, hey. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Robin Scorpio-Drake turned as she opened her locker. “Sorry, did I surprise you? I thought you were done working these night shifts.” She checked her watch. “It’s almost five—”

“I switched with Felix. He had a date.” Elizabeth sat on the bench. “You’re early for yours.”

“Yeah, I have a ton of paperwork to go over, and then Patrick and I have an appointment later with Britt.” Robin closed her locker. “We’re going to start IVF. I mean, today. It’s my first procedure.”

“IVF?” Elizabeth repeated. “Oh, that’s amazing! I didn’t know you were thinking about having another baby.”

“Well, we weren’t but then Patrick found a new gray hair and we both realized—I mean, we always wanted more,” Robin clarified. “But…things kept getting in the way.”

Things like Lisa Niles and Cassadines. Elizabeth nodded. “I know what you mean.”

“Anyway, I know Patrick was probably going to tell you at some point, but we were keeping it to ourselves for a bit. I mean, we’re kind of at the older end, and even though my viral load is nonexistent, we thought IVF would be the safest and quickest—” Robin paused. “We’re not really telling anyone except family.”

“No, I completely—actually—” Elizabeth laughed slightly as she reached into her scrubs pocket and took out a white stick. “That’s why I’m in here.”

“Oh my God! Are you—”

“I don’t know. Two more minutes.” Elizabeth exhaled on a rush of air. “We’ve been trying for a year,” she admitted quietly. “I’ve never had trouble getting pregnant before but I’m thirty-six—and, well—”

“Jason’s forty-two. I know. It feels weird to think of us as getting old,” Robin admitted. “I keep waiting to feel like an adult. You know?”

“I know! I keep looking around for the adult in charge, and it’s usually me.” Elizabeth shuddered. “It’s not that I don’t like getting older, I just thought I’d feel older. Most of the time, I don’t—but this last year—every month—” She rubbed her heart. “If I’m not pregnant this time, I think we might give up.”

“Hey…” Robin touched her shoulder. “You could see doctors—”

“We could. And we could do what you’re doing with fertility treatments—but I just—maybe it’s not meant to be. I just…the boys are getting older, and I’m not ready to be done being a mom. And Jason hasn’t really had a lot of time to be a dad. I know they’ll always be our babies—”

“I get it. I missed so much of Emma’s first year, and then even more time with her with the Cassadines and Africa. You and Jason haven’t been able to do this together from the beginning. Patrick and I are looking forward to doing everything together. No separations. No postpartum because I’ll be on top of it this time—” Robin smiled at her. “And if you’re pregnant, hopefully I will be soon, too. So—” She nodded at the stick. “You ready?”

Spencer House: Living Room

“Aiden!” Laura Spencer’s voice rose an octave as she repeated her youngest grandson’s name for the third time. “Aiden, it’s time to go!”

“One more minute!”

“He said that five minutes ago,” Laura told Jason Morgan who just shrugged. “I told him it was time to go, that you were on your way, but—”

“Video games,” Jason said. He checked the clock over her mantel. “I’ll go get him if he’s not done in another couple of minutes. Thanks for grabbing him after school.”

“I love spending time with my babies,” Laura said, wincing as she heard Cameron and Spencer arguing from upstairs. “Sometimes they even like each other.” She paused as she picked up one of the toys under the coffee table. “Elizabeth told me that the papers were coming in this week?”

“Alexis got the word yesterday that it was finalized.” Jason shifted. “I’m sorry, Laura. I know you were hoping—”

“That Lucky would swoop in at the last minute like his old self, and stop the adoption.” Laura offered a weak smile. “Three years, you’d think I’d give up on that. The last Luke heard, Lucky was still with Nikolas tracking Mikkos. I don’t think either of my sons are coming back any time soon, Jason. Aiden deserves a full-time dad, and he’s got that.”

“I don’t blame you for wanting it to be Lucky,” Jason said, even though he’d be happy to never see the little bastard again. The last time he’d been in a room with Elizabeth’s ex-husband and Aiden’s biological father, Lucky had stabbed Elizabeth, aiming for Jason. The injury had nearly killed Elizabeth.

“And I can’t blame you for being glad Lucky is far away with apparently zero interest in his own son.” Laura’s lips thinned. “Every time I think I’ve come to terms with it—” She took a deep breath. “I think of my little boy. My sweet boy who idolized family. Helena killed that boy a long time ago.” She paused. “I imagine you changed Aiden’s last name.”

“We did,” Jason said, with a bit of regret. “Aiden wanted to be like the rest of us. We talked about Elizabeth staying Webber when we got married, having the boys share that name—”

“No, I know. Elizabeth and I talked about it, too. The Webber name never meant a lot to her. Not the way it did to me once. Her parents have never made her feel like she was part of that family. I’m glad she and the boys have you.”

“They have you, too,” Jason reassured her. “And maybe Nikolas will give up hunting down Mikkos and come back.” Lucky could stay in Siberia for all he cared, but he’d always liked and respected Laura. She’d never once treated Cameron or Jake like they weren’t her grandchildren.

“Maybe.” But Laura didn’t believe that anymore than Jason did. She looked up the stairs again. “Aiden! I’m only going to say this—”

“Ugh, why doesn’t Cameron have to go?” Aiden demanded as the six-year-old stomped down the stairs. “How come I’m the baby?”

“Because you were born last and can’t walk home by yourself,” Jason said as his son reached the bottom of the stairs.

“What if you tell Mom, though?” Aiden asked. He sat on the bottom step and fought with his shoelaces. “If you tell Mom I can walk home—”

“I agree with Mom,” Jason told him. He knelt down and helped guide Aiden’s tiny fingers so that he could tie his own shoes. “Cam knows the rules, and when you’re fourteen, you’ll get more freedom.”

“But that’s forever away, Dad!” Aiden huffed. “Grandma, tell him I’m grown up.”

“Not a chance,” Laura said. “If I had my way, I’ll wrap all my babies in cotton and never let you out.”

Aiden’s eyes widened in horror and he looked at Jason. “You’re not going to do that, are you?”

“No, but I’m tempted to.” Jason pulled Aiden to his feet. “Come on, since your brothers are both out with friends, you get to pick what we have for dinner.”

“Haha, suckers!” Aiden bounced over to grab his jacket and his bag. “Adios, Grandma!”

“Bribery,” Laura said with a smile as she followed Jason to the door. They both watched Aiden dart down the front steps to the driveway where Jason’s SUV was parked. “I don’t resent you adopting him, Jason. Or his taking your name and calling you Dad. Please don’t think that—”

“I don’t,” Jason assured her. “I know it’s hard. I’m sorry it had to be this way—”

“Don’t lie to make me feel better,” Laura said gently. “This is the best outcome for you and Elizabeth. And the boys. They have happiness, stability, and everything I ever wanted for them.” She patted his arm. “Give Elizabeth my love, and I’ll ship Cameron home in about an hour.”

Port Charles Police Department: Commissioner’s Office

Jordan Ashford strode into the office and went behind her desk, two of her detectives taking the chairs in front. “Did we hear back from DOC on the Hornsby transfer?”

“Yeah,” Dante Falconieri assured her. “He’s cooling his heels in protective custody.”

“The ADA said it might be a few months before we get to trial. Maybe longer,” Nathan West offered. “They gotta find a special prosecutor since our current DA—”

“Is an accused serial killer.” Jordan made a face and sat down. “Well, at least that’s done. I have a ton of paperwork to get through—” She sighed at the pile on the her desk. “So many things fell through the cracks—”

“Bound to happen—”

“There’s a bunch of new parolees and prisoners on work-release,” Jordan told Dante. She unearthed a file. “It came in two weeks ago, but I put it aside. Go through the cases, see if there’s anyone we need to keep our eyes on.”

“I don’t think there were any high profile guys or the media would have picked it up,” Dante assured her, but he scanned the list of names in the folder. “Yeah, none of these are ringing a bell. Mostly some petty crimes—” He frowned. “One felony release.”

“Who is it?” Jordan asked. She turned to her keyboard. “I’ll check the records.”

“Pled guilty to extortion and attempted kidnapping. Served ten years—out on parole as of last week,” Dante said. “Thomas Baker.”

“I got a few Thomas Bakers,” Jordan said as she perused the list. “Ah—here it is.” She tapped a few keys. “Baker was arrested October 1998, accused of holding Emily Quartermaine and Elizabeth Webber hostage in a photo studio.” She looked at Dante. “You know Elizabeth, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but this was 1998,” Dante reminded her. “I didn’t move here for another decade, and I never met Emily. What about the extortion?”

“Blackmail photos,” Jordan murmured. “There’s a note on this file to contact the arresting officer.” She frowned. “Marcus Taggert. This was his case.”

“Maybe he wanted to warn Elizabeth and Emily that Baker was gonna be out,” Nathan suggested. “He didn’t plead to a violent crime. Attempted kidnapping doesn’t rate a contact from the parole board.”

“It’s been almost twenty years,” Jordan pointed out. “Do you think Elizabeth would still care?”

“Doesn’t hurt to call Taggert and get his read,” Nathan said. “You worked with him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, we were partners at the DEA and he’s still around to see his daughter.” Jordan reached for her phone and went through her contacts. “Let’s find out where Baker is. He might be holding a grudge and might not realize Elizabeth got herself married to the mob while he was in Pentonville.”

| Flash Fiction: Scars – Part 2 →