Monthly Archives: January 2021

January 10, 2021

This entry is part 14 of 18 in the Flash Fiction: Shot in the Dark

Written in 48 minutes. I didn’t think I’d be able to start and finish the next scene in 12 minutes so I just stopped writing here since it was a good place. Checked for spelling but not typos.

Luke shot to his feet when Jason opened the door to the small room on the plane where Lucky was being kept. The younger man was slumped in chair, his hands shacked in a pair of cuffs attached to one of the chairs, and then both his feet were individually cuffed to the bottom. Lucky’s head lolled to the side, his face still bruised and bloody from whatever fight he’d been in with Robert and Luke who had dragged him away earlier that day—

Had it only been that morning?

“How’s Elizabeth?” Luke asked, stepping between his son and Jason. “Cowboy’s still out of it—“

“When he wakes up,” Jason said evenly, “you’re going to take him out of the country, and I never want to see him again. Elizabeth never has to see him again. He’s done.”

Luke swallowed hard. “Aiden—“

“Aiden doesn’t know him. If Elizabeth wants that to change one day, that’ll be up to her, but right now?” Jason arched a brow. “You want him to keep breathing, Luke? You’ll get him away me and my family.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Luke said, his voice tinged with desperation as Jason turned away. “I wanted Laura and Elizabeth to help me save him. To save Jake—“

“You wanted them to do the work because you knew you couldn’t,” Jason retorted. “You know, people talk a lot about the hero you used to be. But I’ve never met the man who saved the world from Mikkos Cassadine. I’ve never met the man who took down Frank Smith. The only man I’ve ever known is the coward who couldn’t support his wife after she’d been raped and tortured at the hands of the Cassadines and made a teen aged girl responsible for his son.”

Luke swallowed hard. “I never was a hero,” he admitted in a low voice. “That was always Laura. She thought I was a good man. I wanted to be the man I saw in her eyes. I was for a little while. You know about that, Morgan. About the love of a woman who thinks you’re better than you are.”

Jason stared at him, then nodded. “I do.”

“Sometimes you can be,” Luke continued. “But it’s not in me. Luke and Lulu—they’re all the good I ever did in the world. My boy—“ He turned to look at Lucky, his eyes anguished. “You knew him once. You knew what I was trying to save. What would you do for your boy? For Jake? For Michael?” His mouth firmed and then Luke faced Jason. “What lines would you cross to save them?”

Jason took that in, then nodded. “All of them,” he admitted. “But Elizabeth wasn’t just a person, Luke. She’s not someone you should have been able to sacrifice. After everything she’s done for your family—you kept Jake from us. After what you did to him—“

“I needed her to save Lucky,” Luke said simply. “And you don’t get to stand there in judgment of me, Morgan, when I know your crimes aren’t better than mine. You hurt Elizabeth more than I ever did—“ He paused when Jason clenched his jaw. “I’m not talking about the accident. Not that. But everything else. You left your family, Morgan. Just like I did. You’re no better.”

There was enough truth in those words that Jason couldn’t find it in himself to argue. “You take him out of the country,” Jason repeated. “And the next time I see you or him will be because Elizabeth wants it.”

“Yeah, okay.” Luke exhaled slowly. “Can I finish the job?” he asked. “Laura will want to know about Nikolas. She deserves that—“

“If Laura wants your help, she can have it.” Jason opened the door and started away again—but Luke’s words stopped him.

“I wanted to be the man Laura saw when she looked at me, but I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t strong enough. I walked out on my family a long time before she got sick. Don’t make my mistake, Morgan. Be the man Elizabeth already thinks you are. She deserves it.”

—

Laura folded her arms, then brought her fingers to her mouth, her eyes intent on the satellite images as Spinelli scanned the island again for heat signatures. For any signs of life. It had been nearly three hours since the explosion—they were flying over France, and would be coming closer to the Atlantic.

And she still didn’t know if her son was alive.

“He might have gotten off the island,” Robert reminded her. Laura nodded absently. “Robin says it was the plan after all.”

“I know, but—“ Laura sighed. “Jason was right. If Stavros caught up to them that fast, then it’s likely—“ She closed her eyes. “How will I ever explain this to Spencer?”

“Spencer knew that his father was helping Jake,” Jason said as he rejoined them. “When we caught them trying to get Jax’s plan, Elizabeth told Spencer that Nikolas was trying to make things right.”

“If Nikolas doesn’t come home from this,” Sonny added, “then you tell Spencer his father gave his life to make sure the worst evil this world has ever known couldn’t come back again. You make him a hero, Laura.”

“It won’t be enough,” Laura murmured. “But it’ll be something.” She turned to Jason. “What did Luke say?” She paused. “What are you going to do about Lucky?”

“You can do whatever you want with them,” Jason said. “But Elizabeth doesn’t ever have to deal with either of them again if she doesn’t want to. She’ll decide how to handle things with Aiden, but he’s done with Cam and Jake. They’re mine.”

“I know,” Laura said softly. “And thank you. For letting him live when I know—I know it’s not what you want.”

“It’s not up to me,” Jason muttered. “And it’s not—there’s a chance it’s not all his fault,” he added with an irritated growl. “If Helena’s still brainwashing him—“

Laura’s breath released in a rush of air. “Thank you.”

“But you don’t ask Elizabeth for a single piece of help. She’s going to wake up,” Jason said, firmly, “and then we’re going home. If she wants to offer it later, that will be her decision. Luke already knows not to ask. She loves you, Laura. Don’t ask her.”

“I won’t. She’s going to wake up,” Laura said, with a nod. “And you’ll bring Jake to her. She’s done enough for the Spencers. I started this a long time ago. It’s on me to end it.”

Jason started back the hallway towards the room where Elizabeth was resting, when Sonny snagged his elbow. “You know there’s not a chance in hell Elizabeth is going to let Laura deal with alone.”

“No, and I’m not done with the Cassadines either,” Jason told Sonny in a low voice. “They took Jake from us and they put Elizabeth through hell for years. I’m not going to rest until every single one of them is dead. But Luke and Laura don’t need to know that yet.”

Sonny smirked, released Jason, then stepped back. “Letting them twist a bit. Good. They deserve it. Go sit with Elizabeth. Jake is resting. When he wakes up, I’ll come get you.”

“Thanks.”

—

He knew she would wake up. From the moment he’d realized that she was still breathing, Jason had known that Elizabeth would be okay. That she would make it to New York where he could get her to a hospital — but he’d never doubted her.

Two hours after he’d gone to sit with her, her lashes fluttered slightly and her head slowly moved—turning towards him. “What….” Her voice drifted in and out, the word rusty and nearly inaudible.

Jason took Elizabeth’s hand more tightly in his, leaning forward. “Elizabeth. Hey. Can you look at me? Please. Open your eyes. That’s all I need.”

Her lids drifted up slightly, just a sliver of those beautiful blue eyes peeking out before they disappeared. Her tongue darted out, the tip touching her dry lips. “What…happ…”

“Jake. We got him off the island. He’s safe. You’re okay. We got away,” Jason told her. “Elizabeth—“

Her eyes opened again, and this time she managed to hold them. “Jake. Jake. Not…not a dream. Oh—“ Elizabeth squeezed her eyes. “Oh, everything hurts.”

“You need something. I’ll get Patrick and Robin.” Jason kissed the palm of her hand. “I’ll get them. And then Jake. He wants you. He asked for you.”

“He asked…” A tear slid down her cheek. “He asked…”

“He did. I’ll get Patrick—“

Not wanting to be more than a few feet away from her, Jason went to the open doorway and called for Elizabeth’s best friend. Patrick came less than minute later, his wild hair and eyes matching Jason’s as he all but lunged to Elizabeth’s side. He reached for Elizabeth’s wrist to check her pulse.

“Patrick…” Elizabeth licked her lips. “On fire.”

“I bet,” Patrick muttered. “Pulse is racing.” He pressed a hand to her cheek. “Burning up. I think infection is setting in—“

“What—“ Jason’s breath quickened. “But she woke up—“

“No, no—it’s—“ Patrick closed his eyes, took a deep breath. “It’s okay. We can—she’s running a fever to fight the infection. That’s good. We can work with that. We have—we have some things we can give her.” He looked at Elizabeth. “You gave me a hell of a scare, Webber. Don’t do that.”

“Sorry.” Elizabeth’s smile was faint. “Was it bad?”

“Bad enough,” Patrick said, “but you’re strong enough to run the fever. That’s good, Jason,” he told the enforcer. “The transfusion worked. She’ll make it to GH.”

“Jake’s out there?” Elizabeth asked. She winced, pressing her hands flat against the sheet, almost if she was trying to lift herself up. “Robin. I remember Robin. And Nikolas. Did they—“ She saw Jason’s face. “What happened?”

“Robin got out,” Jason assured her, as Patrick continued to search through his medical kit until he found a bottle of pills. “But there was an explosion after we reached the airport. We’re—there’s no sign of Nikolas.”

“Oh, God.” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Oh, no.”

“We’ll sort that out. Here, take this.” Patrick slid two pills between her lips and brought a glass of water to her lip. “That’s an antibiotic and some pain meds. To take the edge off.”

“I want to see Jake. Can I see him? Will I scare him? He’s been through so much—“ Elizabeth reached for Jason’s hand. “But I just want to see my little boy—“

“He needs to see you, too,” Jason told her. He put his other hand on top of hers, engulfing her smaller one between his. He brought her fingertips to his lips again. “He talked to Cam. He was very impressed by the attempt to steal a plane to rescue him.”

Elizabeth laughed, then winced. “Oh, man.”

“I’ll go get Jake,” Patrick said, then left.

“The next time someone tries to stab me,” Jason told her roughly, “you let them. Do you understand me?”

“No problem,” Elizabeth said. She met his eyes. “Just as long as you agree that the next time someone tries to stab me, you let them.”

“That—“ Jason scowled. “That’s not the same.”

“Feels like it is.”

“Don’t—“

“Mommy!”

A burst of energy shot through the door and nearly launched himself onto the bed, but Jason caught the little boy before he could land his full weight on Elizabeth.

“Whoa, whoa,” Jason said, with a surprised burst of laughter, pulling Jake back into his lap. “Mommy just woke up and she’s still hurt. Let’s take a minute, okay?”

“Jake.” Elizabeth stared at him, then reached out a hand to trace the curve of his cheek. “You’re here.”

“Mommy, I was scared that you wouldn’t wake up. But you did, and Cam said you were awesome, and I’m gonna like my room—“ Jake’s voice wobbled slightly. “Uncle Nik isn’t here.”

“I know. Daddy told me.” Elizabeth reached for his hand. “But he brought you to us so we could get you away. He was so brave.”

“He said you wanted me to come home so much. That you cried all the time.” Jake sniffled, swiped his hand over his nose. “Did you get hurt helping me?”

“Sort of,” Elizabeth said. “But it’s okay. It’s worth it to see you. Oh, God, Jake—“ She leaned up, ignoring the pain in her side as she gathered Jake into her arms, and brought him down to lay beside her, tucked into her arms. “My baby.” She pressed her lips to his blond head. “My beautiful baby.”

“I saw pictures of you, Mommy,” Jake told her, his voice muffled where it was tucked into the crook of her neck. “You and Daddy with my brothers at Christmas. You were at a park in the snow. And you looked sad. Uncle Nik said it’s because you love Christmas but I wasn’t there.”

“We went to the tree lighting,” Jason told Jake, running a hand down his back, as Elizabeth just closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks. “And we were remembering you. We have presents for you at home. Christmas and birthday.”

“Uncle Nik said he’d bring me home and we’d be a family, all of us. That you’d be okay when I came home.” Jake leaned up to look at his mother. “Are you okay now? I’m home.”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth managed. “Yeah, you’re home. I’m perfect.”

January 9, 2021

Your Update Link – A King’s Command, Part 12

Thanks for all the support in coming back! I know how many of you guys really do enjoy the flash fiction, and I love writing it. It was hard to shelve it for a few months, but it was just really important for my own mental health and happiness to focus on one thing. Four series at the same time I was doing an alpha draft — complete insanity. I have learned a valuable lesson. I’m also much happier with the quality of the 60 minute entries, so this is definitely going to stay like this.

I misspoke last night when I said that I had deconstructed the first 24 chapters of FMT — it turns out that I had only done the first 19. I still had like 14 chapters to do. I’ve been working on it most of the afternoon, and I have about five chapters left. I’m typing this at at about 6:11 (I prep this post early so that it’s ready to publish at 8 PM), so that might be closer to 1-2 by the time I start Flash Fiction. I’ll update this note if it that changes.

EDIT: I actually managed to finish just before I started my timer. So it’s 36 chapters. 

This process is me taking the scenes from the alpha draft and putting them into the beta draft — adding new chapters or scenes, moving scenes around from chapter to chapter, etc. Just getting a handle on how many changes I’m making and how much work. Once I know that, I can set a target of how many chapters to edit per week. Then I’ll know for sure if that Feb 23 date works. I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow with my final update for the weekend.

In other news — I updated the Flash Fiction page so that it has the correct schedule now.

This entry is part 12 of 27 in the Flash Fiction: A King's Command

Written in 56 minutes. Did a spell check, but did not reread for typos.

After they ate supper at the inn, Elizabeth insisted they go to the bonfire in the town square even though Jason thought it might upset her further.

He didn’t know her that well, this woman he’d taken to wife only days ago, but he thought he’d learned enough to realize that whatever terrible burning she’d seen as a child was twisted up in her relationship with her father—

And that brought him back to the moment in the common room when she’d opened her mouth as if to say something important—and Johnny and Francis had arrived. She slipped away, and whatever she’d planned to say had gone with her.

“We don’t have to stay long,” he told her, bracing her elbow as she stepped over some uneven stones on the cobbled streets. The small, close streets of Perth were lit with the torches on the on buildings and ones carried by the towns people as they came to the square where the larger fire sat.

“I’m all right,” she insisted. “It was…upsetting today, but it’s over. And tomorrow, we’ll continue north.” Elizabeth smiled. “Will you tell me more about Braegarie? And the people? I—I would like to be ready.”

Ready. He furrowed his brow, nearly ready to answer, when they stepped into the square and the bonfire was in front of them.

Johnny and Francis were several people behind the laid and his new wife, and Francis scowled at Johnny who was glaring at the back of Elizabeth’s head. “I thought you said you were done with this.”

“I am,” Johnny muttered. “But ‘tis something strange about how afraid she is of the witch hunters. She’s a Morgan. And Jason is the most powerful laird in the region. No one is coming after her.” He paused. “Maybe the witch she saw burned as a child was related to her.”

Francis squinted. “Huh.”

“A witch in the family—Jason would be able to set her aside—“

“You don’t believe in witches—“

“Not the ones that get burned, no,” Johnny muttered. “But I believe in stupid people who think any woman who breaks the rules is a witch. You think that’s the secret?”

“Mayhap.” Francis shrugged. “Can you live with that?”

“Aye. If that’s the secret.”

——

“You asked me about Braegarie.”

Jason’s voice was quiet in the darkness of their room at the inn, the candle having burned down to the tallow. Elizabeth had been drifting into a light sleep, comfortable and warm, feeling safe and happy with the man in her bed.

“I did.”

“You will be happy there.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes again, smiling as she tucked her chin into the crook of his neck and his arm tightened around her waist, drawing her more closely into his side. “Aye,” she murmured.

“I will make sure of it.”

And he would. She could feel it radiating from him. Whatever secrets he thought she was hiding, whatever thin layer of distrust she’d sensed from him in the days since their marriage, he’d put them away. Jason had decided to accept her into his life.

“Elizabeth?”

“Mmm?” her voice was barely above a whisper as she hovered between dreams and sleep.

“I promise you.”

“I know,” she sighed, as she slid beneath that final layer. “You never break a promise. No matter what your sister told you.” And then she fell asleep.

And Jason opened his eyes, frowned, and looked down at the tousled hair of his wife with confusion. Had Francis or Johnny told her about the last time he’d seen Emily? Determined to interrogate the idiots in the morning, he closed his eyes and followed his wife into slumber.

—

Jason had cautioned Elizabeth that the trail would grow harder after Perth—and she knew he was planning to pick up the pace slightly, but she assured him that she was ready for it. She could ride longer distances, and she was hardly the same woman that had left the inn in Edinburgh.

He had grinned at that, and her cheeks had felt so heated she’d gone to splash them with water.

“It should be a week,” Jason told her at noon the first day, when they broke for lunch by the River Tay. They’d follow the river for part of the day, then travel overland to the next source of water, the River Ericht.

“Do you always stick so close to the water?” she asked. “You don’t need to—“

He shook his head. “We could make it in three or four days if we were traveling straight,” he admitted. “But I would take this longer route even if it were my sister or my aunt who’d grown up in the Highlands. Don’t let Johnny make you think differently.”

“All right, but I—“

“I won’t have you getting ill on the way to the keep,” Jason said, stubbornly. “We’re picking up the pace, but—“ he paused. “It would be too soon to tell,” he continued, taking her hand in his. “But every time we share a bed—“

“Right.” Elizabeth bit her lip, nodded. Of course. He had told her he’d share the tent with from now on, and she was happy to hear it—she’d quite enjoyed their nights in Perth and thought it had brought them closer together. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if the glimpse of the little boy she’d seen that day by the loch was not just a dream but a true vision?

A future that could already have started. Perhaps she’d even know for sure by the time she arrived in Braegarie, and wouldn’t that bring her closer to Jason’s people? To bring the next generation of Morgan sons?

“I won’t argue any further,” Elizabeth said. “I just—“ She glanced at at the other end of the clearing where Johnny was sullenly checking the horses. “I only wish he would give me a chance to prove myself.”

“Johnny is suspicious by nature,” Jason told her. “He has promised to behave, and I will hold him to it.” He leaned down to kiss her gently and she sighed. “He’ll get to know you.”

Jason left Elizabeth to finish her luncheon and wash up and went to find Francis checking on their pack horses. “I had a question for you,” he asked,” pitching his voice low so that neither Johnny or his wife could hear.

“Aye?” Francis frowned. “Is something amiss?”

“No, but—Elizabeth said something strange to me last night. About knowing that I keep my promises no matter what my sister says.” Jason tipped his head. “She would have no way of knowing that and I didn’t think Johnny would have told her—“

“Why would I tell Elizabeth about that?” Francis asked. “It was over a year ago, and Emily apologized to you by letter. You said so. The matter was closed.”

Jason furrowed his brow. “But if you said nothing to her—“ He scowled, turning to find Johnny walking towards Elizabeth, offering to help her pack up her things to get back on the trail.

“He might have said something in passing,” Francis admitted, “when he was trying to get you to set her aside. To keep her from trusting you. But he’s given that up, Jason. I promise. He’s been better today, hasn’t he?”

“Aye,” Jason said, still a bit troubled.

“And it’s obvious that whatever secrets she’s carrying—you were correct. They’re not likely to be the sort to mean harm for us. At least not deliberately. And you—“ Francis paused. “You seem content.”

“I am,” Jason said, firmly. “The regent has done us a good turn. He had his reasons, and I am sure we will learn what they are when we least expect it, but she is not part of it.”

“I am loyal to you,” Francis told him. “You’ve made your choice, and we stand with you.”

They broke that evening for camp just as the sun dipped below the trees. Johnny had wanted to go a bit further, but Jason reminded them that they were turning away from the water, and that Elizabeth didn’t have a lot of experience traveling in the dark.

“I can go a bit longer,” she began, but Jason shook his head. This was the last safe place to camp by the water, and they’d have to push hard tomorrow be able to camp on Ericht.

“You should not argue with him, lass,” Johnny told her gruffly, but not unkindly as he removed the tent from the pack horse. “He’s determined to have you reach Braegarie in one piece, and you’ll not convince him differently.”

“I do appreciate the kindness,” Elizabeth hurried to say, her face flaming. “And I hope I don’t appear ungrateful.” She looked at Jason who had come up behind them. “I’m not. I know you do this for me. I just—“ She pressed her lips together, then sighed. “I don’t wish to be a burden.”

“You’re a lone woman traveling with three men,” Johnny told her. “We would be home by now if you were not here. That’s not a criticism,” he added as Jason’s nostrils flared. “Just a fact. It does not make you burden. My lady,” he added as an afterthought. “I’ll go set up the tent.”

“I’ll help,” Jason muttered. It had been one thing to leave the tent to Johnny when just Elizabeth had been sleeping alone, but he was clearly uncomfortable with being treated like the lord of the major and his men serving him.

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose and went over to see if she could help Francis with the evening meal. “I just want something to do,” she complained. “I want to help.”

“Then count the apples,” Francis said absently, handing her a bag. “I meant to do so before we left Perth, and I did not have the moment.”

Happy, Elizabeth settled next to the fire with her task, watching as Jason and Johnny set up the tent where she’d be sleeping with her husband for the first time. It had been such a lonely existence, those first few nights, but would it be strange now to share a pallet with Jason with Johnny and Francis by the fire?

Would they share the pallet the way they had in the inn? She hoped they would, but would it be strange or embarrassing? Oh, how she wished her mother had lived long enough to explain all of this to her—or that she’d been closer to Sarah or had someone else to ask—

“You did not enjoy the apples?” Francis asked dryly as he sat on the log next to her. He handed her a chunk of cheese.

“Oh. No, I did. We have thirty-six,” Elizabeth told him. “Is that enough?”

“Aye. Nine each for each of us. One a day for the noon meal,” he added. “I always buy a bit extra. Most of the time, we’re faster, but—“

“But I might add another day Jason hasn’t calculated,” Elizabeth said. “Thank you. You—and Johnny have been very patient. Even when he did not like me, he hid what I imagine was the worst of the frustration. I know you stayed in Stirling—and Perth—for me.”

“We did,” Francis said, “but it was worth it. You and Jason needed more time before you came to Braegarie. You will be better for it. And Johnny couldna come home the way he was acting. You’re doing fine,” he added. “For a lass from the Lowlands.”

Pleased, Elizabeth beamed at him. “That is the loveliest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“What was?” Jason said, sounding slightly suspicious as he and Johnny joined them. Francis handed over their own rations of cheese.

“I’m doing fine for a Lowlands lass,” Elizabeth reported. “Francis said so.”

“Well, it could be worse,” Francis said when Johnny rolled his eyes. “She could be an actual Sassanach. Could you imagine an English miss being dragged through the Highlands by the likes of us?”

Johnny snorted. “We’d have dumped her in the loch the first night. Even if she’d even made it out of Edinburgh.” He nodded at Elizabeth. “Francis is right. You’ve done…all right.”

“High praise,” Elizabeth said, lifting her chin and feeling very happy in this moment, in the middle of a dark forest with three brawny Highlanders. She grinned at her husband. “Mayhap in another year, they might mistake me for a Highland woman.”

“You get to Braegarie in one piece,” Jason told her, with a smile and glint in his eye, “you’ll be on your way.”

January 8, 2021

Your Update Link: A Shot in the Dark – Part 13

So. Hey. How are you?

It’s been a minute since we did a Flash Fiction post, and I almost forgot how to set these things up, LOL. Thanks again for your patience, particularly since this story left on sort of an explosion and gunshot wound that left Elizabeth bleeding out while tryin to rescue Jake from the Cassadine Estate. Super good cliffhanger for like two months.

*bats eyes*

ANYWAY. We’re back, and starting our new schedule. I’ll mostly be doing these at 7 PM, except on weekends when my nieces talk me into staying over. The eldest launched a sneak attack last week, and the middle child decided it was her turn and it was all I could to convince to wait until next week. They’re sisters, so right now they’re too busy hating each other but man, if they ever figure out they’re stronger together, watch out world.

In other news, uh, so this week, huh? It’s been a lot. You know, there was the normal stuff that makes me want to scream all day. My pipes are still having clogging issues, I was finishing a class cycle and starting over, my kids are wonderful but they refuse to listen to the simplest of directions, and NJ is still getting 5-6k positives when we’re supposed to find out sometime in the next ten days if we’re still going back into the building on Feb 1 and my county can’t get vaccine supplies even if I were eligible to get it yet which I’m not.

And that was before Wednesday.

I turn off my social media and Internet during school hours usually, and not being in the classroom means I’m like cut off from the world. On my lunch, my best friend from college and my fellow political history addict texted me to let me know she had some time before a meeting and would watch the EC vote if I could take over after class was over at 2:30. Told her fine, text me if there was a civil war.

YOU GUYS I WAS JOKING AND THEN SHE TEXTED ME THAT THE SENATE WAS EVACUATED.

So, that happened and my week has been kind of trying to recover from the batshit insanity of all of that because I lost like eight straight hours to a panic attack from a girl who has spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME reading and writing about failed democracies for my history degree.

But you’re not here for a peak inside my dark and twisted mental health — you want to know how the writing is going.

Uh.

Listen.

It’s going.

Honestly, it was fine on Monday. And Tuesday. And then…welp. Basically, the big thing that’s not done is the Fool Me Twice Beta Draft Construction. This just means I’m not done figuring out how much of it needs work. I’m organizing the chapters, and I think I’m at Chapter 24 or something. I’ve got about eight more to do. I’m going to finish that tonight or tomorrow morning. And then I’ll be kicking off the actual beta writing on Monday.

The good news is that it’s not a lot of changes. It’s clean up, it’s a few extra scenes, a few extra chapters. I’m still on target for that Feb 23 date. Broken Girl is going well, and everything is fine. In the writing.  I wanted to be done the FMT Beta Construct on Tuesday, but it’s not a huge deal. We’ll all live, and that’s one of the reasons I gave myself extra time with the 23 date and not 16.

If you made it down here, I LOVE YOU. I am insane, I am aware. Try to survive until tomorrow, and I’ll see y’all then. Same time, same bat cave.

This entry is part 13 of 18 in the Flash Fiction: Shot in the Dark

Written in 54 minutes. Checked for spelling errors, but not reread for typos.

There was nothing else that Jason could do.

He’d carried her to the edge of the shore, onto the bed, into the van, and then laid her down in the back room of the plane where a pale Patrick and Robin were hurriedly arranging the emergency supplies to stop the bleeding —

He’d wanted to stay in the room, to hold Elizabeth’s hand, to do something—but Robin had gently put a hand on his chest and pushed back until Jason was on the other side of the door.

“Right now,” Robin told him, her brown eyes somber, “Elizabeth would want you to be with the scared little boy who just got pulled off that island.”

Jason exhaled sharply, then nodded. “Okay. But if you need anything—“

“I know where to find you. Jason, she’s ours, too. And Patrick isn’t giving up.”

With that, she turned and closed the door.

Jason returned to the main part of the plane where Sonny was sitting on the sofa next to Jake.

Jake.

His son was sitting on the sofa next to Jason’s oldest friend, his cheeks stained with tears, his blonde hair ruffled and his face stained with dirt and soot—a scratch on his cheek probably from a passing branch as Sonny had carried him through the woods to safety.

“How is she?” Laura asked, leaving Spinelli, Robert, and Anna at a table, looking over satellite images.

“I—“ Jason shook his head. “They won’t tell me anything. Do you—“ Nikolas had tried to buy them time and if Stavros had shown up—if the island had blown up—

Laura had come here to save her children, too. He couldn’t forget that.

“We don’t know anything. And Robin is a little busy,” Laura murmured. She turned to look at the sofa, putting a hand on Jason’s arm. “When I saw Lucky for the first time,” she said, “I was so afraid to talk to him. To touch him. I was afraid that he would disappear. That I was imagining him.”

“He knew us,” Jason managed. “Nikolas told him about us. About me. He called me—he knew me.” He met Laura’s eyes. “I hope he got out.”

“Me, too.”

With that, Laura returned to the computers and Jason finally managed to go over to the sofa, kneeling down in front of Jake. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Jake studied him carefully. “Mommy’s hurt, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is, but Robin and Patrick are doing everything they can. She missed you so much, Jake.” Jason reached out to touch Jake’s cheek, but his hand faltered halfway, falling back to his side.

He didn’t dream, but he still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe this was their son sitting in front of him like the last two terrible years hadn’t happened.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked instead. “You got cut—“

“Sorry,” Sonny said, with a wince. “I didn’t—we were going to the boat—“ He pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll get something—“

Jason also stood. “Sonny—“ He cleared his throat. “Thank you. For getting him to the boat.”

“I didn’t want to go without you, but—“ Sonny shook his head. “Elizabeth made Laura promise she’d go as soon as Jake was safe, and I guess Laura—“

“It was the right choice,” Jason said. “Elizabeth knew the risks. We both did.”

Sonny went to find a first aid kit, and Jason gingerly perched on the edge of the sofa next to his son—his son—searching for the words.

He’d never been Jake’s father. Not when it had mattered. Not when Jake could have remembered. Elizabeth had brought this miracle into the world and had done every ounce of the work since that moment.

He’d never brought anything to Jake’s life, and now Jason didn’t even know where to start.

“Is Uncle Nikolas okay?” Jake asked. He rubbed a hand under his nose. “He said I was gonna go home before I was six, but then he left, and I don’t know where he is.”

“We’re looking for him,” Jason promised. “He was very brave today. He knew it was your best chance to go home. That it was Robin’s best chance to get back to her family.”

“But I wanted Mommy,” Jake admitted in a small voice. “Uncle Nik showed me pictures of you, and I know you’re my daddy, and you seem nice. You made sure Mommy got on the plane. Uncle Nik said when I came home, we’d be a family. But—“ Tears spilled over his lashes, sliding down his cheeks as his chest hitched and his voice broke. “I want Mommy.”

“I want her, too,” Jason admitted. He reached for his son and Jake launched himself into Jason’s arms, clinging tightly, his arms around Jason’s neck, the tears soaking into the shoulder of his shirt. Jason folded Jake into his arms, rocking him slowly as his son sobbed.

Sonny stopped just a few feet away, the kit in his hands as he took in the sight of Jason finally holding the son he’d believed to be lost for so long. He glanced over to find Laura watching them, tears glinting on her cheeks.

“I left her on that island,” Laura said softly so that no one but Sonny could hear her, “and I know it was the right choice. But I asked her to help us one more time with Lucky. Just once more.”

“You thought we could find out information,” Sonny began, but Laura shook her head.

“She came here to get her son, and my son might have killed her.” Laura looked at him. “Did she even get to see him? To look at him? Touch him, hold him?”

Sonny pressed his lips together, and Laura closed her eyes. “No,” he admitted. “She was bleeding before we got to the house, and we didn’t know this—but Jake recognized Jason. Elizabeth didn’t even have to be there. Jason gave me Jake, and took her.”

“If one single Cassadine made it off that estate,” Laura said, tightly, “I will spend the rest of my life hunting them down and eliminating them.”

“You and I agree on that,” Sonny promised. He turned at the sound of his voice, softly spoken from the back room. He hurried back, terrified that maybe Robin was telling him that Elizabeth hadn’t survived and he needed to help prepare Jason—

Oh, God, how was he—

But Robin didn’t give him that news. She pulled him into the room, and pushed him into a chair. “You and Elizabeth. You have the same blood type, right?” she asked. “I remember this. She donated to you once, didn’t she? You said—“

“Yeah. Yeah.” Sonny cleared his throat. “A lifetime ago.” He looked at Elizabeth, on the bed, a sheet covering her chest, her abdomen still bloody, and the wound that hadn’t looked so bad before they’d left on the boats—

He swallowed hard and focused on Robin. “What do you need?”

“A blood transfusion. She’s not going to make it, Sonny, otherwise. We can stitch her up again, but she’s so weak from the blood loss, she’ll go into shock—“

“Stop—“ Sonny rolled up his sleeve. “Take whatever you need. Take it all. She goes home with Jake or Jason. Alive. They get to be a family.”

—

It was some time before Jason realized that Sonny hadn’t returned. Jake had continue to cry for several more minutes, but they’d slowed into hiccups after a while, and then Jake had pulled back.

“Uncle Nik said my brothers missed me.”

“A lot,” Jason told him. “You know your cousin Spencer? He and Cameron and some of their friends tried to steal a plane because we wouldn’t let them help. And then they tied up Aunt Lulu and her friend to head to the airport. That’s how much Cam wants you to come home.”

“But Mommy—“ Jake looked towards the door where he knew his mother was. “She was hurt. Really hurt. Why didn’t that lady wait for you?”

“Because your mother wanted you safe,” Jason told him roughly. “We came here to bring you home. She got hurt before we got to you. All that matters is getting you home.” He paused, looked at Laura who had clearly overheard Jake’s question and was pale, her eyes haunted. “And that lady is your grandmother. She promised your mother.”

“That’s Mommy’s mom?” Jake asked, furrowing his brow. “I don’t—I thought that was Uncle Nik’s mom.”

“I am,” Laura told Jake, sitting on his other side. “But the universe brought your mother into my life, and she’s mine, too. The daughter of my heart. So yes, I am your grandmother. I wanted to wait for your mother. But I know what she wanted. We keep promises in this family.”

“Promises are important,” Jake said with a nod. He made a face as his stomach rumbled. “I didn’t eat lunch,” he admitted.

“Why don’t I take you over to the galley?” Laura offered, holding out a hand to him. “Jason, you can check in with Spinelli or Robin if she’ll let you.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Jason scrubbed his hands over his face, then pushed himself to his feet. He could focus on Jake and shove Elizabeth out of his head when his son was there, but now his mind was racing as he joined Spinelli and the pair of WSB agents at the computers. “Where are the other Spencers?”

“In another room,” Robert said flatly. “The kid is still knocked out, but Spencer didn’t trust it.” He looked at Jason. “He’s sick over this, Morgan—“

“He can stay sick. What do we know?” Jason demanded. “Who was on the island?”

“Not much yet,” Spinelli admitted. “News media says the main estate is still engulfed in flames, and being on an island, hard to get much emergency help out there. No survivors have been reported yet, but seeing as how most of the people on that island are legally dead—“

“Robin said,” Anna said tightly, “on the way to get Elizabeth, that the plan was to blow up the island once Nikolas had gotten Jake and Robin to safety. They hadn’t been trying to reach Patrick very long. Nikolas was supposed to get Jake and Robin out, and Stefan was supposed to set the bombs.”

“Stefan,” Robert muttered. “I forgot about him.”

“He brought Robin her meals, and passed messages. To the extent he was an ally—“ Anna sighed, rubbed her eyes. “And there’s Valentin. Robin doesn’t think he was on the island yet. So he’s still out there—“

“If Stefan was supposed to trigger the bomb—“ Jason closed his eyes. “By the time we got to the cottage, Nikolas was already rushing to us. Stavros followed us. That’s why Nikolas wasn’t with us. He gave us Jake, and then went to stop him.”

“But you said—“ Spinelli twisted in his seat.

“Elizabeth couldn’t keep going. I had to rewrap her wound,” Jason continued. “I sent Sonny ahead, and Stavros caught up to us. Faster than I expected. Elizabeth shot him. And it was a head shot with brain matter. He’s not coming back this time,” he added to Robert and Anna. “He thought she wasn’t a threat, and she took the gun from my holster when he wasn’t looking.”

“Men underestimating us is always their downfall,” Anna murmured. “But he’d caught up to you. Which means Nikolas either went straight to the house—“

“Or Stavros stopped him.” Jason grimaced, looking towards the galley where he could just Laura handing Jake a sandwich. “We need to find out for sure. His son deserves to know what happened.”

“Jason?”

Jason turned to find Robin behind him, wiping her hands on a towel. “Robin, is she—“

“Come into the back.”

Patrick was just pulling a sheet over Elizabeth’s chest, tucking it under her shoulders as Robin led him in. Next to bed, Sonny was slowly rolling down his sleeve, his face pale.

“What—“

“Patrick,” Robin told her husband, “can you help Sonny to the kitchen? He needs to eat. And to rest.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Patrick dragged a hand through his hair, and Jason remembered that Elizabeth’s best friend hadn’t slept in days—just like the rest of them. There hadn’t been a quiet moment since Laura had arrived at the Webber House.

Had it just been a few days ago when he’d gone to the hockey game, and watched Patrick and Elizabeth scream at referees?

“What’s wrong with Sonny—“ Jason started to ask as Patrick walked behind Sonny, making sure the other man made it down the hall.

“Patrick and I have done what we can right now,” Robin told him. “But by the time she got to the plane, Jason, she’d lost so much blood—“

“Robin—“ Jason stared at her, his breath hitching. “No—“

“She was going into shock,” Robin continued, “and once that happens, the organs start to shut down, you know that—“

“But I can—“ He looked at Elizabeth, at her pale skin, her still figure—but her chest—it was rising. Falling.

Rising. Falling.

“She’s alive,” he said in a rush.

“She is,” Robin said. “But I don’t know if she’ll stay that way. She needed a transfusion, and Sonny’s a match. He donated all he could safely. And he wanted us to keep going. But we couldn’t.”

Jason pressed his lips together. “She hasn’t even seen him.”

“I know.”

“You need—what can I do?”

“Sit with her. Keep her company. She might wake up,” Robin told him. “It’s just—we don’t know,” she admitted. “We don’t have monitors. We don’t have the testing. We could barely take in her pulse and heart rate. We don’t know,” she repeated. “How bad it was. She could be hanging on by a thread. She could be recovering.” She swallowed hard. “I’d never forgive myself if I told you she was okay, and then she never went home.”

Jason cleared his throat, then sat down on the edge of the bed, took Elizabeth’s slim hand in his. “She killed Stavros, you know.”

“Mom said.”

“She knew she’d sent Jake away, maybe never to see him again, and she was probably in so much pain she couldn’t breath.” Jason pushed Elizabeth’s hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, letting his fingers drift down her cheek. “And she still got my gun, and saved my life.”

“She knew one of you had to get back to Jake.”

“It should be her,” Jason said tightly. “She nearly died to give him life. You remember?”

“I do—“

“She went into a fire for him.”

“I remember.”

“And losing him—“ Jason closed his eyes. “This isn’t how it ends. Not for her.”

“I don’t want it—“

“No.” Jason looked at Robin. “This isn’t how it ends,” he repeated. “Elizabeth doesn’t die from a stab wound meant for me because of the Cassadines. She doesn’t die before getting to be with Jake. She goes home to her boys. That’s how this ends.”

“I hope it will—“

Jason shook his head, returned his gaze to Elizabeth. “No.”

“Jason, you know better than that. You know sometimes we don’t get a miracle—“

“It’s not about a miracle,” he said roughly. “It’s about Elizabeth. And how strong she is. She made it to the beach. On to the boat. She’s still breathing now.” He nodded. “You got her the blood she needed. And when she wakes up, I’ll bring Jake to her one more time. That’s what I do. It’s all I’ve ever done. Jake gets kidnapped, and I bring him back to her.”

“Okay.” Robin nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Okay. You’re right. Elizabeth is too stubborn. She’ll fight. And we’ll fight with her.”

“Right.” Jason got to his feet. “But first, it’s time to deal with the man who put her here.”

January 3, 2021

Hey guys! It’s been a few months since I put Flash Fiction on hiatus, and I am grateful to you guys for your patience 🙂 I mentioned in my 2021 Preview post and video that Flash Fiction would be returning on weekends going forward, and I’m here to tell you that it starts this Friday night!

Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7 PM!

On Fridays & Sundays, I’ll be updating A Shot in the Dark — that’s about two, maybe three parts away from being completed. On Saturdays, I’ll be updated A King’s Command. Once A Shot in the Dark is completed, I’ll put King’s Command on Fridays & Sundays, and bring back Not Knowing When on Saturdays. When A King’s Command is over, I’ll shift Not Knowing When to Fridays & Sundays, and bring back the final flash fic, Signs of Life.

I’m also bringing back the 60 minutes because the quality of those parts are better than the 20 minute ones, and will be easier to revise in the future. That’s the main reason we’re keeping Flash Fiction on weekends when I don’t work all day.

In other news, I’m really excited to tell you that my holiday break was a success — both Mad World and For the Broken Girl were completely broken down by chapter and scenes. All that’s left for both is to soundtrack them. I also started working on Fool Me Twice’s beta draft. I’m really happy with it so far. I’m adding two chapters early on, and I know there’s definitely a chapter I’m adding later, but overall, I’ll mostly be working on the flashbacks and make them more cohesive.

In February, I’ll be starting the alpha draft for Broken Girl, and I think I’m setting a tentative release date for Fool Me Twice for February 23. I’m hoping I can actually make it earlier on the 16, but I want to make sure I have enough editing time.

I’ll see you guys on Friday night for the return of Flash Fiction!

January 1, 2021

Note: This is not a transcript of the video. I wrote it before I filmed the video. It’s the basic facts. I get into more detail and whatnot in the video if you’re interested.

Recapping 2020: The General Gist

  • 2020 was, uh, a year that happened which is probably the best I can say at this point.
  • In all seriousness, outside of the world falling apart and the pandemic, for me, personally, 2020 had a lot of ups and downs personally and career wise. I took over my parents’ house at the end of 2019, but 2020 was the year where I definitely proved I could handle it financially, even on the reduced income I was making last year as a long-term sub.
  • Professionally, I worked every day over the last two academic years which is great. Last year, I worked as a long-term substitute in one district, then was fortunate to find full-time district employment in a new school this year. I have a steady paycheck, paid holidays, more sick and personal time, and health insurance. It’s a one-year contract but the odds are in my favor that as long as this position is here next year, I should get an invitation to return.
  • Writing wise, this was also my best year on record. I spent a lot of the year studying my own process and refining it so that I could be more productive and make firmer promises about release dates and quality.  I wrote more this year than any year since I started writing Liason fanfiction in 2002 and 2003.

Recapping 2020: Site & Channel

  • The site underwent massive renovations which are continuing through next year. I moved the site to its new home on a domain which allowed me to create sub-sites for my larger stories and create a more immersive experience for each story. I also began reorganizing how my stories are presented and making an effort to make the site more user friendly and easier to navigate.
  • I started the YouTube channel last December, then relaunched in February with a firmer idea of how it would be used. I have a quasi-schedule with monthly site & story status updates as well as individual story vlogs. I did a few livestreams as well. It was my goal to be more accessible to the community since I decided to start releasing my projects all at once so I might disappear for a few weeks or months between releases.

Recapping 2020: Promises Kept

  • Last year, I made two big promises. I said that you would get For The Broken Girl, Book 1, and Mad World, Book 3. I kept both those promises. Broken Girl was released in May and June, and Mad World Book 3 was my first giant, all-at-once release, which I think went over pretty well.
  • I also said I wanted to write more flash fiction and short stories. I did both of those things, particularly during the summer with daily flash fiction.
  • I’m really proud of myself for setting realistic goals and then holding myself to general deadlines. I might have missed some internal deadlines for first drafts and releases, but once I gave you guys firm dates for releases, I kept them.

What’s Next in 2021: General Life

  • In 2021, I hope to continue my professional success. If I get invited back next year, I’m on the tenured track which would be amazing. I’m looking into getting additional certificates in middle school ELA, Science, and French to make myself more useful to the district and my observations this year have led me to believe that as long as – A, the position is here and B, I don’t mess up somehow, I’m in good shape to return.
  • I have a lot of personal projects to work on in the house I took over — as soon as I’m on tenure track, I’m going to buy the house from my parents and start making renovations — painting, working on the bathroom, kitchen, and making my office and bedroom even more suited to my needs.
  • Writing wise, I’m going to continue my 2020 approach:  tracking my process to make adjustments, being kind and generous to myself by taking time off when I need it, and keeping firm promises to the community.

What’s Next in 2021: Site & Channel

  • I plan to continue working on the site renovations which are detailed in the Crimson Glass Facelift post I put together. I have some larger projects (the sub-sites) to work on. I also want to relaunch some of my older ebooks by cleaning them up and redesigning them. I want to offer more ebooks as well.
  • The channel is going to have more regular content. As I get better with editing, it becomes easier to do that. We’ll keep the monthly site & story status updates, and I’ll be adding weekly vlogs for whatever project I’m working on.
  • I’m also interested in doing more GH commentary on the channel in 2021. One of my resolutions this year is to put GH and Days back in my daily schedule. I fell off this year because I was busy with work, but I do miss my soaps.
  • I’d be interested in doing an Live Q&As if that’s something anyone wanted.

What’s Next in 2021: New Promises

  • This coming year, I will be publishing three novels which is realistic since one of them is already drafted. General release dates are as follows:
    • Fool Me Twice, Book 1: February 2021
    • For the Broken Girl, Book 2: June 2021
    • Mad World, Book 4: October 2021
  • I also plan to work on the following projects
    • Fool Me Twice, Book 1:
      • Revisions: January & February 2021
    • For the Broken Girl
      • Discovery: January 2021
      • Alpha: February-March 2021
      • Revisions: April-May 2021
    • Mad World, Book 4 (this might change — I’ll keep you updated)
      • Alpha: June-July 2021
      • Revisions: August-September 2021
    • Fool Me Twice, Book 2
      • Discovery: August-September 2021
      • Alpha: October-November 2021
      • Revisions in 2022. Expected release February 2022.
  • Flash Fiction & Short Stories
    • I don’t have a firm date to reintroduce and complete in progress flash fiction at this time. I’m spending part of my holiday break thinking it over.
    • Once they do come back, we’ll probably be doing one story at a time on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until all are complete.
    • I won’t be writing any new flash fiction until the stories I’ve posted have been revised and republished.