Written in 68 minutes. Went a bit over because I ended up adding some stuff with Danny I wasn’t planning, but I’m happy with it, sooo….

See you on Monday!

Danny fidgeted as they approached the front entrance of the Quartermaine mansion, and looked back at his father. “You’re sure he’s not here?”

“I’m sure,” Jason repeated, reaching around Danny and pushing the door open. “Tracy wouldn’t let him through the door—”

He stopped when he realized the foyer wasn’t empty and that the double doors to the living room were open where more people were waiting. He glanced back at Elizabeth, Jake and Aiden. “Did Michael say something to you?”

“No, but I’m not surprised—”

“It’s about time you got here,” Tracy said sauntering forward, one hand on her hip. “We need to talk strategy.”

“Be afraid,” Michael warned coming from the hallway behind the staircase, Amelia in his arms. “Grandma gave her free reign.”

Dante ignored all of this and came forward to hug Danny. “Hey kiddo, you okay?” He ruffled Danny’s hair. “Chase and Mac took good care of you?”

“Yeah. Yeah. It wasn’t so bad. I was a little—” Danny made a face when Lois appeared at Dante’s side and turned his face to the side.

“That’s one hell of a shiner you’ve got there. Drew thinks he can get away with goin’ after you, he’s lost his mind—”

“Ma, you’re crowding him,” Brook Lynn said, trying to tug her mother back.

Jason swallowed the urge to turn around and leave, the memories of how overwhelming this family could be rising up. He felt a hand on his shoulders, and looked down to find Elizabeth at his side.

“On the bright side, every single person in this room hates Drew as much as we do,” she said. Then she made eye contact with Michael, lifted her brows meaningfully.

“Right. Right.” He handed Amelia to whoever was standing next to him — it happened to be Gio, then came to the center of the foyer. “Okay, I know everyone wants to show Danny our support, and to figure out what to do next, but we really don’t need everyone for this.” He folded his arms. “Danny, why don’t you and the rest of the kids head upstairs. Scout’s upstairs in the nursery with Wiley.”

“But this is about me—” Danny started to protest.

“We’ll catch you up,” Jason promised. “But we need to get your things. Drew is probably filing an injunction against that order right now, and if that happens before your charges are dropped, you can’t come back.”

“And I can’t see Scout.” Danny nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

“Good.” Michael looked at the rest of the crowd. “And honestly, while everyone’s opinion and input is important, the only people who need to be involved in this are Jason, Elizabeth, Dante, and Aunt Tracy—”

“And you,” Jason said to Michael. “You said you and Brook Lynn were going to try to keep custody of Scout if the judge didn’t want to leave her in Monica’s care.”

“Right. Then, I guess Brook and I should stay.”

“But—” Lois began.

“I really think I could be helpful,” Ned said at the same time.

“If we’re talking about character witnesses—” Olivia added.

“I think I could add some insight,” Chase argued.

“Michael’s right,” Gio said, hitching Amelia higher in his arms. “The fewer voices in this, the better for everyone. I, for one, am going to bother Sasha in the kitchen for some snacks for the kids upstairs. Amelia, you wanna help?” he asked the toddler, not waiting for her answer as they headed back down the hallway towards the kitchen.

“I’ll go help them in the kitchen,” Aiden said. “Sasha said she had a baklava recipe she wanted give me anyway.”

“The only ones with any sense around here aren’t even related to this family. What is this world coming to?” Tracy muttered, turning and heading for the living room.

Jason just shook his head, took Elizabeth’s head, and reluctantly followed. Danny, Jake, and Rocco jogged up the stairs, their heavy thudding footsteps rumbling through the room.

“I did not miss the sound of teenagers in this house,” Tracy grumbled. She gestured at her granddaughter. “Make yourself useful and get me a martini.”

Brook Lynn rolled her eyes, and obeyed as Michael pulled the doors shut.

“I saw Alexis pull you over after the hearing,” Michael said to Jason. “What did she say?”

“She wanted to talk to me, but I told her getting Danny settled was more important. I don’t know if she’s changing her mind about me, but I expect her to double down on getting custody of Scout from Drew.”

“You’d think that would work in our favor,” Tracy said, taking a seat on the sofa and accepting the martini. She sipped it. “But I don’t trust her. And you shouldn’t, either. Look at how she turned on you after everything you did for that guttersnipe daughter of hers—”

“Granny, is that really necessary?” Brook Lynn demanded. “The woman’s dead.”

“And I popped the champagne out of the sight of the children. I’m not a monster,” Tracy said with a snort. Dante scowled.

Jason grimaced, then rubbed his temple. “Look, I don’t know what the point of any of this is. Alexis isn’t going to win in family court. Not with Danny.  He’s made it clear to her where he wants to live, and—”

“And you and Liz are pretending to be engaged, which is only going to strengthen your case,” Michael added.

“Pretending to be what?” Tracy got back to her feet. “When did this happen?”

“That’s risky, don’t you think?” Dante asked. “You don’t think a judge is gonna figure it out?”

“No, because we’re not pretending,” Jason said.

“Wait, you’re actually engaged?” Brook Lynn demanded. “Holy crap.” She whacked Dante’s chest. “I told you!”

“Never going to let this go,” he muttered, casting his eyes to the ceiling. He removed his wallet from his pocket, flicked out a ten. “Yeah, yeah. You win.”

“Should have bet double—”

“Can we please get back on topic?” Elizabeth interrupted. “As much as I hate to agree with Tracy—and I do,” she added when Tracy just raised her martini glass. “I don’t think we should bank on Alexis changing her mind. We’ve thought she’d see reason after what happened at the penthouse, and nothing changed. And Drew is going to fight the order.”

“And he’ll win if we can’t convince him to let Scout stay with us. Grandma isn’t…her health isn’t what it used to be,” Michael admitted. “She’s resting today. And Aunt Tracy—well, she might work, but we have to be ready.”

“We’ve got two offers on the table,” Brook Lynn told Jason. “One is obviously to just award emergency custody to Michael on his own, but we’re worried, ah, that the rumors about Willow will sour that situation. Sorry,” she added with a wince.

“Which is why Brook Lynn and Chase are a good substitute. Our first choice was Dante since he’s been her stepfather for the better part of two years, but—”

“But I’m not a blood relation,” Dante said, his voice a bit rough. “Sam and I…we were engaged for maybe an hour. I don’t think that’d help us in court.”

“I think Brook Lynn and Chase are a really good idea,” Elizabeth said. “You guys were so wonderful with Violet, and you already know Scout. I’d be happy to say so in any affidavit supporting the petition.”

“Good, that’s settled. Scout will stay here where she belongs.” Tracy sipped her martini. “Now. How do we destroy that pathetic excuse of a man she calls a father?”

—

Danny felt like he was moving at half speed, bunching up clothes and shoving them in a duffel bag. He’d barely brought anything here in the first place, and now he was packing them up again to go somewhere new.

Scout was sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching him with quiet, dark eyes, while Jake lingered by the window, one hand in his pocket.

“What was all of that in court?” he finally asked, drawing Jake’s attention. “I know what Dad said at the police station, but, like, are they serious? Are they actually getting married?”

“Who’s getting married?” Scout wanted to know.

Jake sighed. “Yeah, Aiden and I had questions last night. They told us it’s for real. That it’s something they’d been talking about, and I guess I’m not that surprised. I mean, you used to say it all the time, that I couldn’t get away with anything because my parents check with each other on everything.”

“I guess. I just—I’m gonna live with you guys? Like all the time? Even after you go back t Spain?”

“Danny’s supposed to come back here,” Scout said, her voice small. “I thought he was going to stay overnight. Y-you’re going away again?” Her eyes glimmered.

“I don’t have a choice, Scout. Your dad wants me to go to jail, so the judge only let me out if I go stay with Jake’s mom. Because they’re getting married and she’s supposed to be my stepmother.”

Scout’s lower lip trembled. “You…you’re gonna live with Jake and Aiden and ‘Lizabeth? You’re gonna have a new mom?”

“No!” Danny said forcefully. “It’s just for right now, okay? Dad bought a house, and we’re gonna live there. And Elizabeth isn’t my mother. She won’t ever be my mother.”

“Hey, come on—” Jake came closer. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen when this all cools off, but I think my parents are serious about the getting married thing. I don’t think living with Dad is gonna happen — not the way we talked about. But it’ll be okay. You like my mom—”

“I liked my mom—” Danny threw off the hand his brother tried to put on his shoulder. “This isn’t what we talked about! This isn’t fair! You guys are changing everything!”

“Hey, calm down—” Jake grimaced when Danny shoved him again. “Hey, dickhead, my mom stayed up half the night worried about your dumb ass, and Dad only, like, slept for ten minutes. All they could talk about was bringing you home—”

“It’s not my home! Scout won’t be there, will she?” Danny demanded, gesturing at his sister. “Rocco and Dante and my mom! They’re not there. So it’s not my home!”

“Fine, it’s not your home! But you’re the idiot who took a swing at a Congressman, not me! And all anyone can talk about is how to clean up the mess you made—”

“Shut up—” Danny shoved Jake again, and Jake pushed back, sending his brother towards the post of the bed.

“Stop stop stop stop stop stop!” Scout  scrambled off the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Stop fighting! Stop fighting!”

Gio appeared in the open doorway, frowning. “Uh, we can hear you down the hall—whoa—” he backed up as Scout flew past him. “What’s going on?”

“You happy?” Jake demanded, shoving Danny again, then taking off after his cousin.

Danny’s chest was heaving, his eye was burning, and his lip stung like a mother fucker. He swiped at his eyes, his shoulders hitching, and the sob that crawled up his throat couldn’t be swallowed. He crumbled to the side of the bed, drew his legs up to his chest.

—

Ric knocked at the door, and had to act fast to stop Alexis from slamming it in his face. “Give me five minutes—”

“I wouldn’t give you five seconds, you filthy son of a bitch—”

“I withdrew as his lawyer,” Ric interrupted, and Alexis closed her mouth. She didn’t shut the door — but didn’t hold it open more than a foot. “I tried to get him to drop the charges last night, and I couldn’t convince him. And this morning—well, I can’t get into a lot of it. But I realized if I stayed on this case, if I helped him even a little—Molly would never forgive me.”

“That’s if she forgives you for taking the case in the first place,” Alexis said flatly. “After you took Ava’s—”

“Ava is innocent,” Ric added, and Alexis rolled her eyes. “But that’s not what I’m here to do. I just—I want to see my daughter. She’s not at home, or answering my calls. Is she here?”

—

“Hey man…” Gio’s voice was closer now, and Danny peered out of his one good eye to see that Gio was crouched down next to him. “Not having a great twenty-four hours, huh?”

“What do you know?” Danny said sullenly. “You just play the violin and smile all the damn time.”

Gio grinned then sat down, stretching his legs out. “My mom died, you know that, right?”

Danny grimaced. “Shit, I forgot—”

“You’re good, dude. It’s not easy, I get it. You have this world that seems perfect, you know? Especially when you got a good mom, like me. We were a team. Me and her against the world.” Gio hesitated. “Then she got sick, and the world stopped making sense. We thought she was gonna get better, and then she just—” He gestured with his hand in a descending motion. “It went bad, like, overnight, or at least that’s how it felt to me. I was twelve. A little younger than you,” he added. “And I had to leave everything. One second, I had a mom, and a life, and room, and a world. And then the next, I was living with Aunt Lois and Aunt Gloria, tryin’ to figure out a whole new situation. And none of it was fair.”

Danny sniffled, rested his forehead against his knees. “I like Jake’s mom. I just don’t want her to be mine.”

“Felt like Aunt Lois was trying to be my mom when I first came to live with them. She still hovers too much, and smothers me. But no one is ever gonna be your mom, Danny, except your mom.”

“It’s happening too fast. Too much. Mom was here, and then she wasn’t, and now I gotta move again, and m-maybe I-I gotta go to jail—” his breathing hitched again.

“You won’t go to jail. I overheard the last part of what your brother said. His mom up worrying all night with your dad? So was everyone here. You got a lot of people in your corner, Danny. Except the one person you want the most in the world because she’s gone. It sucks. And it never stops sucking, I’m sorry about that.”

Danny swiped at his eyes, wincing when he hit the bruised skin. “I know everyone just wants to help. I should—I should have been the one to go after my sister. It’s my job to take care of her.”

“Yeah, but you’re not the only one who can do that. It’s okay to let someone else clock in on that job. It’s okay not to be okay, Danny.” Gio got to his feet, held out his hand. Danny took it, let Gio pull him to his feet. “You can sit up here and keep sulking, or you can go down to check on your sister.”

—

“I can’t come back to this house for at least a week,” Jason muttered, folding his arms at the bottom of the stairs, tossing another dark glare at the closed double doors.

“Yeah, they’re a lot on a good day. And today—” Elizabeth sighed. “Today is not a good day.” She stroked his biceps. “But they’re on your side right now. We can avoid them later.”

“Yeah. And Michael’s plan is crazy enough to work, I just—I don’t know what Alexis is gonna want to do—” Jason stopped when they heard footsteps above them. They both looked towards the staircases in time to see Scout hurtling herself down the steps, Jake hot on her heels.

“Whoa, whoa—” Elizabeth met them at the bottom of the stairs, snagging Scout’s shoulder as she came past. “What happened? Are you okay?” The little girl’s face was swollen from crying, and Elizabeth snapped her fingers at her son who sighed and trotted over to fetch a box of tissues. “Scout, what happened?”

“D-Danny and J-Jake were f-fighting, and I wanted them to stop, and I want Danny to stay, and I don’t wanna go to DC, and you can’t make me! Danny’s getting a whole new family and a n-new mommy, and I don’t have a mommy anymore, and he has a daddy who likes him, and mine h-hates me—” the words poured out in a jumbled mess that ended on a wail, and Elizabeth instinctively pulled Scout into her arms, looking at Jason with alarm.

“Jake?” Jason prompted. “You and your brother were fighting?”

Jake grimaced. “I should have kept my cool, but I was tired, and he was being a jackass—it’s just a lot, Dad, you know? Getting arrested, in jail, and then finding out about you and Mom, then he has to go live with us—I know you guys didn’t want it this way, and he’ll get that it when he has a chance to cool off, but Scout’s…” He looked down at his cousin with a grim expression. “She’s getting a shitty end of the stick, you know? At least Danny’s got you on his side. Her dad sucks ass.”

Jason exhaled slowly, put an arm around Jake’s shoulders. “I know. We’re working on all of that—”

“Why can’t she come with us?” Jake wanted to know. “I mean, Scout’s not wrong. Her dad’s awful to her. And if Grandma Monica can get emergency custody, why can’t you and Mom? So Danny and Scout can stay together?”

Scout looked up, her breathing hitched. “C-Can you do that?” she asked Elizabeth. “I wanna stay with D-Danny. I don’t wanna go to DC, I wanna stay home. I w-want my mommy. Please don’t make me go! Please!”

There was another set of footsteps and Jason lifted his eyes to find Danny at the top. He shuffled down slowly, stopping a few steps above Scout, sitting down. “I know you’re all doing this because of me and what happened with Uncle Drew. But I don’t wanna come live with you. Not without Scout. You said I could stay with her until she went to DC.”

“Danny—”

“And I know you said things have changed, but not the one thing that should. Scout needs to be here. With me and people who love her. She needs to be with us.” Danny lifted his chin. “So either we come to live with you together or I don’t wanna come at all.”

+32

Written in 58 minutes.

Molly breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator doors slid open and Jason emerged, stepping to the side and holding the door open so that Elizabeth and her sons could follow him out. Elizabeth stopped and straightened the tie her youngest son wore, even as Aiden made a face, and Jake snickered behind his back. Behind them, Jason tugged at his own tie, then stood obediently when Elizabeth, satisfied that both boys looked presentable, turned her attention to him and fixed the lapels of his suit jacket.

If anyone else had been looking at the quartet, it would be hard to guess that a week ago, there’d been no engagement, no hint that anything permanent would form though Molly knew enough about her sister’s ex-husband to know Elizabeth Webber had always lurked in the wings — even if it was just the memory of something Sam couldn’t erase.

She didn’t know how she felt about Danny being absorbed into that picture — being another boy that Elizabeth would dote on, gently molding and pushing him towards adulthood. That it might be Elizabeth at the important moments — graduations, weddings, the birth of children — when it should have been Sam.

Molly fisted her hand against her middle, the swell of grief rising so sharply that she had to look away. It should be Sam, she told herself, but it couldn’t be. It wouldn’t be. And all that mattered, all that should ever matter was the best interest of Sam’s kids. And there was no argument that Elizabeth was an excellent mother with whom Danny would thrive.

Resolved, she forced herself to smile and approach the four of them. “I’m so glad you changed your mind and brought Jake and Aiden. You both are a huge part of the petition I filed,” she told the teenagers. “I don’t think he will, but are you both all right answering questions if the judge has any?”

“Whatever you need to get Danny home,” Jake said. He elbowed his brother. “Right?”

“Well, what if he asks about the living situation? Room assignments,” Aiden added when Molly frowned. “I tried to get that sorted last night, but everyone said it wasn’t important—ow—” He winced when Jake flicked him. “What? It might come up—”

“Ignore them. They know how to act normal when they have to,” Elizabeth said, silencing both boys with a lethal glare. She looked to Molly. “And the room situation isn’t an issue. We have Cam’s empty room. He’s not due home for another week or so, and that will give us time to make final decisions. Unless you think the judge—”

“No, as long as we have space for him, that should be enough.” Molly stopped when the elevators opened again and Drew stepped up, followed by another man she didn’t recognize. She tensed and didn’t miss how Elizabeth subtle shifted so that she stood between Drew and Jason.

Drew adjusted his tie, arched a brow in their direction, then headed for the court room. Molly followed his progress, noticing the other man followed him. Where was her father?

“We should get inside. I think everyone else is already here, and I don’t want to keep the judge waiting,” she said, shaking off her concern. All that mattered was Danny and getting him out of here. She’d worry about her father later.

—

Michael shifted on the hard courtroom bench, then got to his feet when he saw his uncle arrive with Molly, Elizabeth and the boys. “Hey. Hey.” He came out of the row,  and hugged Jason. “I’m sorry about last night—”

“No explanations needed,” Jason told him. “Is—is everything okay?”

“That depends on your definition—” he paused when he saw Willow come into the courtroom, followed by her mother. They locked eyes for a moment, then Willow and Nina sat in the final row. “I told Mom to stay home. I hope that was the right choice.”

“And she listened?” Jason asked, surprised.

“So far. We’ll see if she pops up. Uh—” he gestured at the row behind where Brook Lynn was seated with Dante and Gio. “Drew came to the mansion last night. Tried to pick up Scout. But Grandma and Aunt Tracy had already been cooking up a plan. She slapped with an order of protection.”

“An order—” Molly blinked. “Against Drew?”

“Yeah. Grandma has temporary custody, pending the investigation by CPS. I don’t have all the details yet, but Drew will challenge it. Definitely because of Grandma’s health, but Brook and I—we’re gonna try and see if one or both of us can get custody instead. At least for right now. But I know Danny worried—and I’m sure you did, too,” he said to Molly.

“I did. I’m…stunned,” she admitted. “But relieved. If Drew can’t go back to the Qs, and he doesn’t have Scout, that makes things a little easier for Danny if we can get him out of here today.” She saw her mother lingering in the doorway, looking uncertain. Molly nearly waved her forward to join them, but then Kristina appeared at her side, whispered something in Alexis’s ear, and they went to sit near Willow and Nina.

The door behind the judge’s bench opened, and a bailiff led Danny in. Overnight, the bruise had bloomed into a sickening black and purple mark that crawled up most of his cheek, with a deep cut on his bottom lip.

Molly made a sound, and Jason tensed up, glaring at Drew who had taken a seat on the other side of the court room. The other man made a show of examining his tie, keeping his eyes from meeting anyone’s.

Elizabeth touched Jason’s arm. “He doesn’t have a scratch on him,” she said to him softly. “And yet he’s trying to claim self-defense. This can only help us. He wants you to react.”

“We’d better take our seats,” Molly said, moving aside so that Jason, Elizabeth, and the boys could take their seats in the front row, directly behind the table where the bailiff had led her nephew. Michael slid into his seat next to his cousin.

“I believe in the law, I believe in the law,” Dante muttered, and Brook Lyn squeezed his hand.

“His day is gonna come, Dante. You heard what Liz said to Jason. Drew wants us to react. Our only shot at keeping those kids away from him and where they belong is show him we’re better than that.”

“At least for now,” Michael muttered, leveling another dark glare at the man who’d torn through the family like a one-man wrecking crew.

Molly embraced her nephew, then touched the bruise on his cheek. “Hey, baby. You doing okay?”

“I guess.” Danny looked impossibly small in the clothes they’d given him — the juvenile detention kids wore an ugly shade of gray and they’d given him a jump suit that was one size too big. He was fourteen, and taller than his aunt, but somehow he seemed like the little boy with a gap-toothed smile asking for another hug.

“We’re going to get you out of here today.” Molly gestured at the row behind them, and Jason was on his feet, hugging Danny over the bench, and Jake managed to get one in before the bailiff cleared his throat. “You let me handle everything,” she told Danny, then turned—stopping when she realized who was sitting at the other table.

Justine Turner had a pair of reading glasses on, examining a brief. The ambitious ADA who everyone knew planned to challenge Robert in the next election. She only worked high-profile felony cases. Not family court or juvenile offenses.

“Aunt Molly?” Danny asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah.” She looked at him, flashed a smile that she didn’t really feel. She looked back at the front row, and saw Jason looking at the prosecutor’s table, too, his brow furrowed. Did he also realize who Turner was? Did he know that things had just taken a very nasty turn?

“Order, order. All rise,” the bailiff barked, ripping Molly’s attention back to the front of the room. She swallowed hard. Whether she was ready or not — they were out of time.

—

“What’s wrong?” Elizabeth murmured, feeling Jason’s forearm behind her hand tense so tightly, he might as well as have been made out of stone.

“The ADA.” He looked at her, and she saw a flash of fear in his eyes. “She works felonies.”

Elizabeth inhaled sharply, then looked at the judge, shuffling through paperwork. An ADA who worked felonies handling a juvenile misdemeanor assault? No. She was here to prosecute the son of Jason Morgan. The crime didn’t matter.

The judge, an older man with a thick cap of white hair, slid his glasses down his nose to peer at the those gathered. “Whose representing the minor?”

Molly got to her feet. “Molly Lansing-Davis, representing Daniel Edward Morgan, Your Honor.”

“Justine Turner for the city, Your Honor.”

“Ms. Turner?” The judge’s brows lifted. “I don’t recall ever seeing you in my courtroom before. Did you lose your way? The press office is on the first floor.”

Justine’s lips parted in surprise, and Elizabeth drew in her first easy breath. She squeezed Jason’s hand. The judge didn’t seem happy to see the ADA, and maybe it would work in their favor.

“Your Honor, the case might seem minor, but the victim is Congressman-elect Andrew Quartermaine—”

“Yes, I’m familiar with him. Saw his all his commercials and posters. Former Navy SEAL and devoted father.” The judge lifted a brow. “I see you’ve joined us today, Congressman-elect.”

“Yes, Your Honor.” Drew rose, buttoning his suit jacket. “I appreciate your support.”

The judge pursed his lips. “Are your injuries documented? I didn’t see any in the file. Just, ah, the assailant’s bruises.” He looked at Danny,  then looked back at Drew. “Do you have some where we can’t see them?”

“Your Honor, I don’t think that’s pertinent to this hearing,” Justine said, flashing a tight smile. “This is merely a bail hearing. Whether the Congressman has any visible injures, there are more than a few witness statements—including the accused—who say the first punch was thrown by the minor. That is assault.”

“Yes, I’m familiar with the charge, ADA Turner.” The judge adjusted his glasses, then picked up a petition. “You’re asking to deny bail and to hold young Mr. Morgan in a juvenile detention center pending the outcome of trial. You don’t think that’s a little harsh considering the circumstances and his clean record?”

“No. I don’t. Daniel Morgan has a family with vast resources who can transport him somewhere extradition treaties won’t reach. And there’s a history in his family of disappearing off the face of the Earth with no trace—”

“Your Honor, if I may—” Molly interrupted, earning a dirty look from Justine. “Daniel has no criminal history whatsoever. Until October, he lived in a home with a decorated PCPD detective acting as stepfather. We ask that you release him on his own recognizance into the custody his father and his future stepmother.”

“And that would be who you described in this petition?” the judge asked. “Jason Morgan, whose, ah, history is colorful and long, and Elizabeth Webber?”

“Exactly, Your Honor. Ms. Lansing-Davis would have you return this child to the man who inspired this kind of behavior. Since the return of Jason Morgan from God knows where, Daniel Morgan has had an unstable living situation with no legal address—”

“Daniel Morgan’s mother died five weeks ago,” Molly snapped, then flushed when the judge lifted his brows at her. “Samantha McCall died from complications of a liver donation surgery. At that time, Mr. Morgan was ready, willing, and able to step up and take full custody of his son. But it was agreed by everyone involved what was best for Daniel and his sister was to remain with his younger sister for as long as he could. The Congressman intends to take his daughter to DC at the beginning of the year. He lives in the family home, where Mr. Morgan was raised, and where he is a frequent visitor. The home is filled with relatives who adore Daniel and his sister. The only instability has come from the so-called victim in this case.”

Molly didn’t even wait for the judge to take a breath before she continued. “Mr. Morgan is engaged to Elizabeth Webber, and plans to make a permanent home for Danny with her. She has three sons, one of whom she shares with Mr. Morgan. She is an excellent mother. Her oldest son is a Stanford pre-med student on a scholarship where he plays soccer. It’s one of the best teams in the country, and Cameron Webber—”

“Your son is Cameron Webber?” the judge interrupted, and Molly turned to find Elizabeth blinking in surprise.

“Ah, yes. He’s…in his junior year at Stanford—”

“I remember Mr. Webber. He had a little trouble a few years ago. Silliness,” the judge added. “He was trying to help a friend with cancer?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said. “He was young, impulsive, and he took the punishment the court gave him. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt his chances at Stanford.”

“Always thought it was an overreach. Just as this is,” the judge said, switching his attention back to ADA Turner.

“Your Honor, perhaps you should recuse yourself—”

“ADA Turner, maybe you don’t know how things work here in family court. You ought to have asked a colleague before taking this case. You’ve got a young boy, grieving the loss of his mother with bruises on his face, and an adult pressing charges of assault. I’d think very carefully before you push this forward.”

“Your Honor—” Turner tried again.

“I’m releasing Daniel Morgan into the custody of his father and his fiancee. And Congressman—I hope you weren’t looking to be re-elected once this hits the papers. Court is adjourned.”

+42

Went a little over 🙂

The role of Michael Corinthos is now being played by the scrumptious Rory Gibson.

With a trembling hand, Willow twisted her key in the lock, and released the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding when it turned easily. Michael hadn’t changed the locks. Maybe he hadn’t thought of it, maybe he hadn’t been able to get anyone out on such short notice, but Willow would take it as a small sign that she hadn’t completely destroyed her marriage.

Though it was on life support and fading fast.

The living room was silent, shades still drawn to block out even the weakest of the December light gradually spreading across the estate as the sun rose higher in the sky. Wiley was usually awake by now, getting ready for school, begging to go to the main house for Sasha’s cooking rather than the basic cereal and fruit he’d happily eaten before she’d taken the job as the Quartermaine cook.

But there was no small, boisterous boy bouncing around with that bottomless well of energy that only children seemed able to tap into. And if not for the small rustling from the kitchen, Willow might have thought no one was home at all.

She set her purse on the table next to the door, laid her keys next to it, the metallic clinking making her wince though surely Michael — if it was Michael in the kitchen — would have heard the door.

He was at the counter, leaning back against it, a mug of coffee in his hand. One that Willow had given him last summer for Father’s Day. She could remember making it with their son, having Wiley draw a picture for his father, with Amelia’s scribbling, and her neat hand writing proclaiming World’s Best Dad, then sending it away to be placed on the mug.

Had that only been a few months ago?

She stood in the threshold of the kitchen, and he said nothing, just looked at her. Watched her with a careful expression. His shoulders tensed — just the slightest movement beneath the white button-down shirt he wore, and a muscle in his jaw clenched.

Finally Michael broke eye contact, set the mug on the counter, cleared his throat. “How’s Drew?”

Willow inhaled a shaky breath, because why wouldn’t he think that? Why wouldn’t he believe she’d run from him to the man she’d broken their vows with?

“I don’t know. I was with my mother.” She folded her arms tightly across her middle, heat crawling up her neck. “I don’t know what to say. Don’t how to act. How to look at you and not…I don’t know what happened. I can’t explain it. I-I’m s-sorry.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I’m so ashamed, Michael. That— that doesn’t even begin to describe it, but it’s the b-best I can do right now.” She dragged a hand through her hair, rumbled from a sleepless night. “I don’t know how it started or how it—I don’t understand.”

“I’m sure you don’t.” He picked up the mug again, but didn’t drink. He stared down at it, his thumb rubbing against the Amelia’s purple scraggly lines. “He’s my uncle, Willow.”

“I-I k-know. I know that it makes it s-so much worse, and I can’t—” She squeezed her eyes shut. “He was sleeping with my mother.”

If she’d been looking at him, she would have seen the first real reaction — Michael nearly dropped the coffee, catching it at the last minute, but the liquid sloshed over the sides, burning his skin. He hissed and set it down, reaching the faucet and twisting it on to cold water.

Her eyes flew open. “Oh—did—” She came forward, then stopped, when he flashed her a warning look not to come closer. “Can I get something—cream or—”

“It’s fine,” he bit out. He yanked the dishtowel from the hook to dry his hand. “What did you just say?”

“Nina—she told me last night. I—I didn’t know I could feel worse, you know? That there was something lower than how I felt. The man I thought he was — I made him up in my head. The whole time I thought—he was sleeping with Nina. And God, that would be bad enough, but what he did to Danny—I don’t understand. I don’t know how I didn’t see it.” Her voice broke. “How did I throw us away for something that doesn’t exist?”

Michael tossed the towel aside. “I don’t know. And I don’t really have time to talk about any of it. I have to go to family court.”

“Oh, Danny—” Willow stepped aside as he came closer. “What happened? Is he all right?”

“He spent the night in the PCPD lockup, Willow. And there’s a small chance that the judge won’t release him to Elizabeth’s custody today.” He stopped when they were little more than a foot apart. “Weeks I’ve known what you did that night. And it’s been days since I found out Drew was forcing Scout to lie and trying to blackmail Jake into keeping quiet—”

Willow pressed a fist to her mouth. “Oh, God—”

“I didn’t act. I didn’t do anything to protect my cousins, because I thought protecting my kids was the right choice. But I was just—” He pressed his lips together. “I was just protecting myself. From this moment. From what has to be said.” He met her eyes. “The night I found about you and Drew—the first time—the kiss—before Sam died. I went to the bar. And I slept with someone.”

Willow flinched, dropped her eyes to the tiled floor. She said nothing, could say nothing. The flash of anger had to be swallowed. Because she’d started this, hadn’t she? She’d cracked her marriage first. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Yeah, me either.”

And then he left, the gatehouse front door slamming a few beats later.

—

Jake stifled a yawn as he came down the steps, trying to step lightly, knowing—hoping—his father had managed to get some sleep on the sofa, though he couldn’t imagine how. Jake had tossed and turned, only dozing off a few times but always being jerked away at the thought of his brother being behind bars.

He stopped at the landing, where he could see that his father was still sitting up, his legs stretched out, but Jason’s head was tipped to the side, his eyes closed. Jake’s mother was curled up next to him, his father’s arm around her shoulder,  her head on his chest. Neither of them stirred at the sound of his footsteps, and he didn’t know what to do. Continue to the kitchen to get something to eat? Wake up them for court?

He thought of his father’s words the night before, remembering that as his parents had tried to explain their sudden engagement, that he’d said something unexpected, something else that had kept Jake up throughout the night.

“I don’t think it’s that much of a surprise. Not to me. And if you think about some of the things we’ve talked about, Jake, it’s probably not to you. Yes, the custody case has sped up something that would have happened later. But I want to make it very clear that it’s not why.”

His dad had talked about regrets a lot the last few weeks, Jake remembered. Especially when they’d talked about his childhood and when he’d been born, and he’d mostly thought that Jason meant he regretted not being more present for Jake, not stepping up as his father.

“I made a mistake. I was too scared to hold on, and your mother was tired of waiting. And by the time I realized it—she hadn’t put her life on hold. So I tried to move on. I did for a long time. I’m not sorry I married Sam because I have Danny, and I love him. But I will regret for the rest of my life that I was too scared to hold on to you. That we lost all those years.”

Jake had just figured we was him and his dad, but maybe it was his mother, too. And what if that was true? What if his dad regretted both choices? What would it be like if they were really married? Any maybe—maybe it wouldn’t be that different, Jake thought. After all, hadn’t he told Jason that his parents were like most divorced parents who had co-parent? They’d always been a team when it came to him—and pretty much in general. Always defending his each other, looking out for each other—

Maybe most things wouldn’t change, Jake thought, except his dad would live with them and so would Danny. And everyone might be happier.

It was something to think about. But first—

Jake crept back upstairs, stood at the top for a moment, then came back down in his usual fashion, thundering down them so fast he was almost skipping a few by the time he reached a bottom, and this time when he reached the landing, his parents were awake, sitting up, his mother stifling a yawn.

First, they had to bring Danny home.

—

With an uncharacteristic heavy heart, Ric knocked lightly on the open office door with Drew’s name emblazoned the name plate, above the word CEO. Behind the desk, Drew sat scribbling something on a yellow legal pad. “I came as soon as I got your message.”

Drew glanced up, then got to his feet, his mouth pinched. “How long will it take to get Tracy’s order of protection thrown out? I want to get my daughter out of there before they can poison her more—”

“I imagine,” Ric said slowly, “I could probably file an injunction pending the outcome of the CPS investigation. The right judge would probably grant it, so maybe two days.” He paused. “But you’ll have to find another lawyer.”

Drew scowled, came around the side of the desk. “I thought we were on the same page. I thought we understood each other.”

“I understood that you hated Jason Morgan nearly as much I as I do.” Ric tipped his head. “And until yesterday, I let that be enough for me.”

“I know—” Drew put up his hands, his expression easing. “I know that was difficult, and believe me, I didn’t enjoy it. I love Jake and Danny—”

“Hard to see it,” Ric said dryly. “And I don’t think anyone in that room would believe it either.”

“Jake’s a good kid. An excellent one. Elizabeth—you know I think the world of her, I do. And under other circumstances, if Jason weren’t in the picture, hell, I might even let her take point on Scout when I’m DC. I loved her once, too—”

“You threatened to throw Jake in jail last night, Drew. Danny spent the night in lockup, and with the wrong judge today, he’ll be sent to juvenile detention.” Ric exhaled slowly. “It was one thing to champion you when this whole idea was academic. When the kids were just pawns on the chess board, but safe at the Quartermaines or with Alexis. The only reason I took your case if because you told me you wanted to destroy Jason’s case so you could have both kids with Alexis. Now you’re playing damage control, trying to butter me up by singing Elizabeth’s praises, but I was there last night, Drew.”

“You think I wanted any of this?” Drew demanded, the sneer returning to his mouth. “You think I wanted Sam to be dead, to have those kids be used this way? She should be alive, damn it. And with her kids. But I don’t get to have things the way I want them. I don’t get to have any of it the way it should be. I can’t go back and not get on that damn plane, okay? Or to take that stupid plea deal for Carly and lose more time—”

“Well, if you’d called me back then, I’d have told you that was pretty dumb,” Ric muttered. “Never sacrifice for Carly. Always ends badly.”

“You—” Drew stabbed a finger at him. “You don’t get to stand there in any moral superiority. You chained her to a wall and threatened to take her kid—”

“And give her to Elizabeth, so let’s not pretend Morgan wouldn’t still be alive if I’d succeeded.” Ric ignored the roll of Drew’s eyes. “You don’t like the hand you’re dealt, fine. Me either, buddy. The stunt I pulled back on you with Hayden cost me the last chance I’ll ever have with Elizabeth—”

“And you certainly didn’t earn yourself any points for standing there with me last night,” Drew shot back. “We’re both in shit, Ric, so you can either work with me to dig out, or—”

“You’re right. I’m in the dog house not just with Elizabeth, where I’m pretty sure I’ll be living permanently, but with my daughter. Molly. The last person on the planet that gives a damn about me. And you know what, Drew? It’s going to be pretty easy to get myself out of trouble. I drop you and walk away. It’s called cutting your losses. Why don’t you try it?”

“Not when I’m almost where I need to be. Jason’s been around for five minutes, and both his kids took swings at me. Jason’s put me against a wall. It’s going to be a slam dunk keeping Danny away from him—”

“You’ll have to do without me.”

—

“I don’t remember the last time I wore one of these,” Jason said, reluctantly holding up his arm so that Elizabeth could button the cuffs at his wrist. “I hate this. What do my clothes have to do with what kind of person I am? It doesn’t make be a better father to put on ties—”

“No, but it means you understand how to follow rules. To respect authority.” She lifted her brows. “And you need all the help you can in that area, we both know that.” She smoothed a hand down his light blue shirt, then lifted the tie from her dresser, winding it around his neck and going to work on the knot.

He made a face, but it was impossible to argue with that logic. He had enough working against him today, and knew what Elizabeth hadn’t said — that no matter how amazing she was — there was still a chance the judge would see the son of Jason Morgan in front of him on assault charges and throw the book at him.

“I don’t want this for Danny or Jake.”

Elizabeth frowned, lifting her eyes to his, her hands still on the tie. “What? Suits?”

“This life. Going to court. Being arrested. I’ve—I’ve never cared about my record. Even when they were younger. I don’t care what people think about me. I never did. But I should have. I should have—” His throat felt tight. “It reflects on the people around me. How they’re treated. What if they don’t look at Danny? What if the district attorney and the judge, what if all they see is the last name? What if I’m the reason Danny can’t come home today?”

Elizabeth hesitated, dropped her eyes, and his stomach lurched when she didn’t immediately reassure him. She slid her hands down his chest, smoothing the shirt, then straightened his tie one more time, before moving away from him to find the jacket still on the hanger he’d tossed on her bed behind him.

“You were so young when you went to work for Sonny,” Elizabeth said, handing the jacket to him. “I know you weren’t thinking about the day, nearly thirty years later when you’d have to look at the consequences of that choice in the face.”

“I didn’t care about the future,” Jason muttered, whipping the jacket around, shrugging into it, grimacing at the way it didn’t stretch easily over his frame. “It didn’t exist for me. But I could have changed my mind at any point. We could have left Port Charles. I thought about it.”

She looked at him, tipping her head to the side, the ends of her hair carefully curled in the way that made him want to run his hands through them, straighten them and watch them curl back into position. “We’re not your only family, Jason. We weren’t then, and we aren’t now. Even with Michael in a coma, you would have worried about him. About Morgan. And Carly and Sonny—”

“I should have put my son first—”

“Jason.” She adjusted the lapels of his jacket, flicking away an errant piece of lint, then touched his temple. “Up here, you know Michael isn’t your son. Not biologically or legally. But here—” She pressed a hand against his heart. “He’s always been yours. And he loves you, too. You’ve been a steady constant for him when his world was chaos. You put your sons first in the only way that made sense to you. You knew Jake was safe with me, that I would guard him with my life, and love him with my whole heart. You knew Danny was safe with Sam, that she would do anything to keep him whole and happy.”

Her lips curved into a sad smile. “But we both know Michael has never had that guarantee, as much as Carly might wanted it. I regret the time we lost with Jake, the time we lost together, but I will never regret the time and love you’ve given to Michael. I’m so indebted to that little boy who taught you how to love with your whole heart, and I would never resent him for the love and attention you gave him. Look at who he grew up to be. What a wonderful father, son, brother—how can either of us look at Danny, Jake, or Michael, at who those boys grew up to be and think we could have done better?”

Jason wanted to speak, wanted to find the words to express what her words meant to him, the truth he wanted to believe so much, but he couldn’t speak past the tightness in his throat. He raised her hand to his lips, kissed the inside of her palm. “But today—”

“Today we’re going to court as a united front. You and I, with the future we’re planning. With the boys I’ve raised as an example of the home Danny can hope to live in, and with the full force and might of the Quartermaine name and ELQ behind Michael when he shows up. We’re going to bring Danny home today.”

And when she said it, he could believe it. “And then I’m going make Drew sorry he ever threatened my sons.”

“Oh, count on it. That’s step two today.” She smiled again, one that reached her eyes. “Let’s go bring Danny home.”

+41

Written in 69 minutes. Went way over, but I was at 58 minutes before I got to the last Liason scene, and well, I figure you won’t mind.

Drew sauntered up to the entrance of the mansion, flipping through his keys to locate the correct one. Though he’d been hoping for Jason to actually take a swing in the squad room earlier, having both boys try to attack him was a decent second place. A few more pushes, Jason would lose control, and he’d be in a position to make a deal with Alexis that would benefit them both.

It couldn’t have gone better if he’d planned it.

Just as he found the correct key to fit into the lock, the door swung open and Tracy stood there, one hand wrapped around the edge of the door, and the other holding a martini. “Oh, did you think you still lived here?” she asked with an arch of her brow.

Drew smiled thinly. “You can’t evict me without notice, Tracy—”

“You know what, you’re right.” Tracy turned to someone who wasn’t visible, traded her martini for legal petition. “I have something better. Well, I have a two for one special.”

He ripped the petition from her hand, then scowled, as he skimmed the action. “An order of protection—” Drew whipped his gaze up to hers. “What the hell?”

“That has been in the works for several days. Since you put your hands on Monica’s granddaughter.” Tracy reached out, and her martini reappeared in her hand. “Your things were already packed and they’re waiting for you at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. In the lobby. You’ll also have to get your own room. I can’t do everything for you.”

“This—” Drew clenched his jaw. “You can’t file on behalf of my daughter—”

“See—that’s where you’re wrong. Not a very bright boy, are you? It makes me nostalgic for AJ, honestly. At least he was quicker.” She sipped her martini. “Monica, as her grandmother, can do whatever she wants.”

“You can’t keep me from my daughter, Tracy—” Drew took a step forward, but then Tracy stepped away, and Drew saw who had been just out sight.

Dante stood just to the left the door, his arms crossed, and his jaw clenched. “Take one step over that threshold, I’m begging you,” he said. “Do me a favor and violate that order. I can’t wait to arrest you.”

Drew crumpled the petition in his hands. “I barely touched her—”

“Saturday, maybe. But that’s for a judge to decide. And we have more evidence of your violence against children. You see—” Tracy smiled, though the glint in her eyes was anything but humorous. “You punched a child today, and dragged Scout bodily out of a house, kicking and screaming. There were witnesses. A very helpful police report you insisted on so you could charge Danny with assault.”

Drew cleared his throat. “Tracy, there are things going on you don’t understand—”

“No, you don’t seem to understand.” Dante stepped up next to Tracy. “You might have won for the night, Drew. And maybe for a few days. But you’re not going against one man and his kid. Danny’s got a family who loves him.”

“And like it or not, Jason is a member of this family, and given the choice between the two of you?” Tracy shrugged. “I choose him. Now, will you leave willingly or you know what—Dante,” she said, looking at him. “I think I’d like him to try to come inside. Maybe he’ll resist arrest.” Her smile had disappeared when she focused on Drew again. “I’d like to see you with the same damage to your face.”

“This isn’t over, Tracy. I’ll be back for my daughter—”

“Please, make more threats, Drew. In front of the lovely detective.”

Drew hissed, then turned, stalking off towards the driveway, his footsteps crunching on the gravel.

Tracy swung the door closed, then turned to beam at Dante. “You played your part marvelously. It might be the first time I’m grateful that my son married your mother.”

Dante’s lips twitched, but then he went to the window, watched Drew’s headlights disappear down the drive. “He’s not wrong, Tracy. This isn’t over by a long shot.”

“Of course not. Our fun has just begun.” Tracy sipped her martini. “Shame he didn’t give you a reason to punch him.”

—

Elizabeth didn’t answer Jake right away, instead choosing to shed her coat and hang her purse on the hooks by the door. She held her hand out for Jason’s coat, and he reluctantly stripped it off, handed it over.

“Mom—” Jake made a face. “It’s not that I’m mad if it’s all a ploy to get Danny out, it’s just—”

“It’s not a ploy,” Elizabeth said, turning to face him, and her son fell silent, looked at his father, then back at her. “I told you at the station. It’s not the way we wanted any of you to know, especially you and Danny. But if it helps him home faster, I guess it’s worth whatever reaction you both have.”

Jake opened his mouth, then closed it, and looked at Aiden who looked down at the paper in his hands. “Okay, so I guess it’s my turn.” He squinted. “I can’t read your writing, so I’ll choose one of mine,” he told Jake. “Where are we going to live?” he said, lifting his eyes to his mother. “You bought a house and stuff. And Jake said it had three bedrooms, so it’s not big enough for all of us. Which I guess is related to another question — will we have to share rooms?”

“That’s your first question?” Jake demanded.

“I’ve never shared before, so it’s important—I have a lot of stuff, man! And so do you and Cam, where does it go?”

“Ridiculous—” Jake snatched the list from Aiden’s hand. “You’re not in charge of any of this anymore. So it’s real,” he said to his mother. “Fine. Let’s just say that’s true—”

“Jake,” Jason said, his voice low and a bit tense. “Pick another tone. Right now.” Elizabeth looked at him, startled, but then Jake swallowed hard.

“Okay, yeah, I know. I’m—I’m just—come on, this is all insane, right? You have to admit this wasn’t on the radar. At least not for me or for Aiden, and definitely not Danny—like, the timing of this—” Jake closed his mouth, furrowed his brow. “Is it for the custody case? Because—”

“It might feel like it came out of nowhere, and maybe for you, I guess that’s not wrong,” Elizabeth said. She folded her arms. “And okay, maybe the custody case is why it became a topic—” She stopped when Jason held up a hand.

“I don’t think it’s that much of a surprise,” Jason said. “Not to me. And if you think about some of the things we’ve talked about, Jake, it’s probably not to you. Yes, the custody case has sped up something that would have happened later. But I want to make it very clear that it’s not why.”

Jake didn’t seem to know what to say to that, and honestly, neither did Elizabeth. Aiden seized the opportunity to snatch back the list. “Okay, but I still didn’t get my turn. About the room situation—”

“We don’t have any of that worked out right now. Not longterm, I guess.” Elizabeth took a deep breath. “And we’d planned, I guess, we’d thought we’d have more time to make those decisions. But right now, Aiden, Danny will probably use Cam’s room. Because all that matters tonight, and tomorrow is getting him out of there.”

“Yeah, okay, I can get on board with that,” Jake said. “And obviously, Danny’s the priority. But—but there’s Scout. I don’t—Drew’s got her.”

“Not tonight he doesn’t,” Jason said. “We called after we left you, and Tracy said they’d pulled some strings. There’s an order of protection keeping Drew from taking Scout out of Monica’s custody. He’ll probably contest that, and it might not hold. But tonight, she’s safe.”

Jake visibly relaxed, nodded. “Okay. Good. Good. And Danny—”

“He’s okay for tonight. Not an ideal situation.” Elizabeth approached him, and was relieved when he let her slid an arm around his shoulders. “We’re going to fix this, Jake. No one is going to let Danny or Scout get hurt anymore than they already have.”

—

Willow paced in front of the window, her phone clutched in her hand. She looked at her mother. “He’s not answering my texts.”

Nina took the phone from her, replaced it with a glass of water. “Take a deep breath, and drink that. Of course he’s not answering tonight. You both need to take a minute. To take stock of what’s happened.”

Willow’s hands were trembling too hard, and she sat the glass down with a thud on the table, water sloshing over the edges. “What’s happened?” she demanded, her voicing climbing to a pitch that had her mother wincing. “What’s happening is I set my marriage on fire, okay? I had a man—a perfectly good man, a wonderful—” Her voice broke, and she pressed her hands to her mouth. “A wonderful father. And he loved me. I know he did.”

“He still does, honey. Or he would have said something weeks ago.” Nina put an arm around Willow’s shoulders, guided her to the sofa. “And you love him, or you would have left him.”

“He doesn’t love me now. Not after what he saw — after tonight—” She closed her eyes, squeezed her hands into fists in her lap. “I was still telling him Drew was a good man—I still wanted to believe it—” Her voice faltered again. “But he’s not, is he?”

“No.” Nina’s voice was heavy. “He’s not.”

“If…he put his hands on a child. Danny’s just a boy, really. You’ve—you’ve seen him. And Drew is—oh, God, he punched Danny, claiming Danny hit him first! Have you ever heard anything more vile?”

“Very little.”

“Danny’s fist would have felt like a fly—a-and—” Willow squeezed her eyes shut. “And they said Drew was dragging Scout out of her grandmother’s, as she was kicking and screaming, crying. This is the man I threw away my marriage for? How could I do that?” Tears streamed down her face, and she looked at her mother, begging her to find a way to explain the inexplicable. “How could I think we had a connection?”

“Oh, it’s my fault, baby. It’s my—” Nina turned away from her, pressing her fist to her mouth. “I should have told you ages ago, the moment you told me about the Fourth of July.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”

“I was so furious when you told me—” Her mother looked at her again, misery etched in every line of her face. “So humiliated. Because I’d just learned that the man I’d been sleeping with for months preferred my daughter.”

—

TJ winced when he saw Molly rip the top from another energy drink and reached to take it away before she could take a sip. Since they’d left the hospital and returned home, Molly had dove into her computer, into legal research, taking page after page of notes, the table by the window littered with yellow legal pages torn from the pad.

“Mols, you need some sleep. You have to let some of this wear off. You need to be your best self tomorrow,” he added when she started to protest. “Danny’s counting on you.”

“That’s not—that’s not fair. I just—I have to make sure I account for everything, a-and I know Tracy was able to get that order of protection, but Drew will contest it—”

“The Quartermaines have lawyers on retainer and will probably find the best family court attorneys in the state.” He plucked the pencil from her fingers. “Baby. Scout is safe. Danny will be safe tomorrow. And no one is served if you kill yourself trying to fix something you didn’t break.”

“I—”

“You took Jason’s case because it was the right thing to do. That’s it. Your mother—no doubt egged on by your sister,” he added with an edge to his tone that had her frowning. “Your mother started this. And for whatever reason, Drew has decided to escalate it. Creating that scene with Scout over the weekend, going after Jake and Danny today—it’s like he wants Jason to live up to his reputation—” He closed his mouth, looked at her as the realization dawned in her expression, too.

“He said he wanted to be on my mother’s side. My dad—my dad said Drew was willing to do whatever he had to do in order to get Danny away from Jason. Oh, God, is this what he meant?”

Trying to wrap her head around that possibility, she missed the first knock on the door, but TJ heard the second one, and left the table to open the door.

Where her mother stood, her cheeks tear-stained. Molly got to her feet, wary. “Mom.”

“Molly. We need—we need to talk. We—” Alexis closed her eyes. “I need to fix this.”

—

Danny pressed the ice pack to his face, wincing as the chill hit his skin. “You don’t have to keep apologizing,” he said through the bars to Chase as the older man set up his own cot. “You didn’t punch me.”

“No, but I feel like we should have been able to come up with a better solution,” Chase muttered. He nodded at the tablet on Danny’s cot. “But you’ve got whatever streaming services you want. A-And I bet Mac could get a TV or something rolled in for a video game—”

“I just want my sister to be okay.” Danny dropped the ice pack to his lap, stared at it. “I don’t care about anything else.”

“Hey—” Chase’s voice was closer, and when Danny looked up, he found the detective perched on the edge of his cot. “I talked to Brooklyn. Scout’s okay. Brook calmed her down, and she had dinner. Wiley and Amelia are hanging out with her tonight, and you know she loves that.”

Danny’s lips curved into a tiny smile. “She gets to be the oldest.”

“Exactly. Everyone is on your side, Danny. You and Scout are the top priority. Your dad and Elizabeth are working with Molly to get you out of here tomorrow, and Tracy and your grandmother are working to keep Scout safe, too. We’re going to make this okay.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I— I know what everyone is trying to do, and I—I’m not trying to be, like, ungrateful, you know?” He sniffled, then dragged his forearm across his face to wipe his nose. “But everyone said my mom would be okay. They said it was okay, that they had it handled, and so I left. I took Scout and I—I never saw her again. I c-can’t ever talk to her a-again and maybe Drew won’t let me talk to Scout ever again either—”

He heard movement from Chase’s side, and the sliding of the bars a moment before a weight settled next to him. “I won’t promise you everything will turn out the way you want it to,” Chase said, and Danny looked at him. “You’re right. There’s a lot that could go wrong, and you know that more than anyone. But you’ve got people on your side, Danny. People who love you and that are going to fight for you. What would your mom say if she was here?”

“She’d say—” Danny paused, considered it, trying to bring his mother’s voice to his mind. “She’d tell me to take things one at a time. To not be like her and rush into everything without thinking.” He grimaced. “She’d probably be mad I ended up in here. She always worried I’d end up going to jail like my dad.” He paused. “Or like she did. She didn’t want me in here.”

“No parent would. But you stood up for your sister, and that’s what the family court is going to understand. But your mom would be right. We’re going to take this one thing at a time. First, sleep. And then, tomorrow—”

“Tomorrow, I should get to go home.” Danny exhaled. “Yeah, okay. Okay.”

—

Elizabeth dropped a folded blanket on the sofa next to Jason, the lights around the room dimmed. “I don’t know why I’m bothering with these,” she said, sitting on the sofa next to him. “You won’t use them.”

“My son’s in jail,” Jason muttered, though she knew the tone wasn’t directed at her. “I’m not going to sleep while he’s in a cell.”

“Fair enough.” Elizabeth kicked off her shoes, drew her legs up on the cushion. “I’ll keep you company.”

Jason looked at her, his eyes a bit softer now. “You don’t have to do that. One of us should get some sleep.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll skip up the stairs, and lay down in my bed, knowing you’re down here worrying.” She arched a brow. “Would you if the situation was reversed?”

“No.” Jason shook his head. “No. Of course not.” He reached for her hand, twisting the ring he’d placed on it a back and forth on her finger. “I’m sorry. That it’s…it’s like this again.”

“What, you mean, the second we get engaged, the phone rings and world falls apart?” She sighed, slid closer to him until she was curled into his side. He let his head tip to the side so that it touched hers. “It’s not the same at all. The situation is different, and…so are we. We made a deal, didn’t we? We’re in this together. Tonight, Danny needed us. If it had been Aiden or Cam, you’d have felt the same way, and we’d be on this sofa for them.”

He acknowledged that with a nod, bring her palm to his lips, pressing them against the soft skin. “How do you think Cam’s going to take this?”

“Oh. No way to tell with him.” She smiled, thinking of it. “He’ll either just go with the flow, or he’ll be like Aiden, making a list of questions. Just depends on we tell him.”

“We could call him. Tomorrow. After court. If—if it goes well.”

“That sounds like a great idea.” She sighed, then eased her head into the cradle of his shoulder, closing her eyes. “Four boys. God help us.” He laughed, and she could feel it rumble through his body. She smiled, and somehow slid into sleep.

Jason shifted her weight slightly, wrapped an arm around her shoulders so she was more comfortable, then sat back to wait for morning.

Daily M-F updates start next Wednesday, June 25! See you then!

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Written in 60 minutes.

The interior of the SUV was deathly quiet as the vehicle traversed the distance between the PCPD and waterfront neighborhood where the house Jason had bought was located. Elizabeth had left her car there, and she had an inkling that Jason planned to drop the trio of them there, then spend the night alone, brooding over the scene at the PCPD.

He didn’t know it yet, but she wasn’t going to let that happen.

They’d left a pale and terrified Danny in Mac’s care, with his reassurances he’d look after him, and then had gone out to the lobby where Aiden was waiting alone. He’d related the stunning developments between Michael and Willow — and had been disappointed that it was old news to the three of them.

Jason parked behind Elizabeth’s car, then shifted slightly to look at her. “Tomorrow—” he began, but she was already fishing in her purse for her keys.

“Jake, I want you to take my car and go home with your brother. He has school in the morning—”

“I don’t really have to go to that, do I? I mean, come on, Mom!”

“—and then Jason and I will be there in a little bit to answer whatever questions you have.” She turned, holding out the key ring to her middle son. “Does that work for you?”

“Yeah, I guess. You should have let me get arrested,” Jake muttered. “Then I could be with Danny, and make sure he’s okay—”

Elizabeth turned shifted again so that she could face Jake more directly, waited for her son to look at her. “Mac is putting him in the women’s section tonight where they don’t have anyone in lock-up and Chase is taking the cell next to him so he’s not alone. Everyone except Drew knows what a mistake this is.”

“Yeah, but—” Jake closed his mouth, looked out the window. “It doesn’t matter. If I got tagged now, you’d just be mad and I guess we don’t have time for me to get charges, too. Probably wouldn’t help get Danny out tomorrow.”

“No, it wouldn’t. We’ll be just behind you, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Jake reached for the door handle.

—

Jason watched the red taillights on Elizabeth’s car turn on the next block, then looked down at the quiet woman next to him, only to find her already studying him. “I thought maybe if I asked Mac again, he’d let me—”

“He’s already gone above and beyond, Jason, you know he’ll say no.” She tipped her head. “Come home with us tonight. You can have the sofa or Cam’s room for the night. But I don’t want you to sit alone and brood about this.”

“I don’t—” Jason closed his mouth when she just arched a brow. “I don’t brood,” he finished on a mutter. He exhaled slowly. “What if it doesn’t work? What if a judge says Danny has to stay, and Mac can’t stop family court from forcing a transfer—” He swallowed hard, looked out towards the end of the block. The street ended at the water front, and the sounds of the harbor could be heard faintly. Water lapping against wooden piers, horns of ships navigating the lake’s shipping lanes.

“You didn’t used to think about what ifs.” She touched his face, and he reluctantly looked back at her. “You taught me that. Looking forward to all the things you can’t control or looking back at what you can’t change — you said you wanted to find the pieces of your old self, right? Then let’s do that.”

“It was easier then. I didn’t—” His chest felt too tight, and it was a struggle to force the words through. “I didn’t know that much. It’s different when you can look back at decades of mistakes, and — what Michael went through at Pentonville—Elizabeth—” His voice faltered.

“It won’t happen to Danny. Not tonight. We can know that much, and I hope you find comfort in that. Chase is right there with him, and Danny knows him, doesn’t he? They live in the same house. And tomorrow, we’re going to tell that judge what Danny’s been through. I know it’s hard to trust the system. It’s not easy for me, either. I’ve seen it fail too many people, including Michael. But tonight? Tonight Danny is safe. Tomorrow—” She pressed her lips together. “If they don’t let us take him home, well, then we’ll talk about a country without an extradition order or something.”

The laugh that slipped out surprised them both, and he had to smile. He reached for her hand, touched the ring he’d given her only hours earlier. “I’m sorry. That’s not—that’s not how I wanted the kids to find out.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t want it that way either, but if it helps us bring Danny home sooner, then we can live with it. But that’s why I want you to come with me. Jake has questions, and we can practice some of our answers on him before Danny gets his turn.” She tugged on his hand, leading him towards the car. “We’ll stop at Bobbie’s, pick up a few things. And then face the music with Jake.”

He let her guide him to the driver’s side, but then stopped her before she went around to her side. “Hey.”

Elizabeth looked at him, her brows drawn together quizzically. “What? Did you leave something inside—”

He kissed her, cutting off the question. He could do that now, he thought. Any time the thought popped in his head, and for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t shoving his hands in his pockets to stop himself from touching her, sliding his hands through her silky hair, cupping the back of her head, tipping it back so he could deepen the kiss for just a brief moment, before drawing back.

“Thank you.”

She opened her eyes, then licked her lips. “For what?” Elizabeth asked.

“For reminding me why I never should have walked away from you in the first place.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “You keep me grounded. When I look at you, when you say it’ll be okay, I believe you.”

“We take turns at that.” She rested her forehead against his chest, and they stood there for another long moment, just listening to each other breathe, and he wondered at how easy it was to fall back into each other, into this moment, and why it didn’t feel awkward.

“The boys are waiting for us,” Jason said, pressing his lips to the top of her head. He rubbed her shoulders. “And it’s getting cold. We should get home.”

Elizabeth squeezed his hand, then headed around the SUV to the passenger side. “Let’s go.”

—

Michael stepped into the quiet foyer, all the primary lights dimmed indicating the family had gone to their rooms for the night. He looked around, wondering what to do. Though Willow had only left the PCPD moments before he had, she’d been gone when he reached the sidewalk, and she wasn’t at the car.

He’d driven home, almost trance-like, making turns and following traffic guidelines automatically.  How many times had he traveled between the Quartermaine estate and the PCPD? Too many. And he’d gone back to the main house, assuming the kids were up there since he and Willow had left them there.

But now he stood in the middle of this room, uncertain what to do. It wasn’t that late, but for Amelia and Wiley, they’d be long asleep by now. And if he went down to the gatehouse, he would just see Willow everywhere.

How had it gone so wrong? Where had it gone crazy? When had he lost his wife? Shouldn’t you know when your marriage shattered? How could that happen when you weren’t looking?

“Michael?”

He blinked, looked up and saw his cousin, saw Brooklyn standing in the entry to the sitting room. He cleared his throat. “Is—everyone—are they—”

“They went to bed. Not without a fight,” she added with a wry smile. “Granny had to nearly twist Aunt Monica’s arm, but it worked. And Scout—well, it helped to have Wiley and Amelia here. They’re upstairs, asleep. I figured you’d be okay with that.”

“Yeah.” He dragged a hand down his face, then went past her, heading for the mini bar. “Yeah. I, uh, I didn’t wait to see Jason at the PCPD after he saw Danny. How did that—are  they keeping him tonight?”

“They are, but Mac found a loophole to keep Danny at the station tonight, and Chase is taking the cell next to him. They also put Danny in the women’s section. He’s safe there.”

Michael’s hand bobbled a little as he poured the vodka. “Chase is….Chase is a great guy.”

“Don’t I know it.” Brook came up to him, but kept her distance. “Hey. Not that I care all that much, but…did Willow go to the gatehouse, or—”

“I don’t know where she is.” Michael tossed back the vodka, the burn of the liquor scorching a trail down his throat. “I don’t care.”

“Do I—do I get to ask why? You can say no—”

Michael looked at her, then poured another shot. “She wanted me to try and understand that Drew is a good man. That we could find a way to fix all of this. My little cousin—our little cousin—” he corrected, “— is in jail, and she’s defending the man who—” He closed his mouth. “I couldn’t stop myself. Couldn’t keep it in anymore.”

“Michael—”

“It wasn’t just one kiss.” Michael looked at Brook again. “They slept together. The night Sam died. In the nursery.”

“In the—” Brook stopped. “You better pour me one of those. And then start at the beginning.”

—

Willow hadn’t gone far after dashing out of the PCPD — had stumbled and sobbed the five b locks to her mother’s building, shakily begging over the intercom to be let into the building, then practically fell into Nina’s arms.

“Oh, God, oh, God, he knows, he knows—” Her breathing hitched and she hiccuped, dragging in a deep breath, trying to find control again, but she couldn’t. It was all breaking apart, jagged pieces raining down and pricking her skin — she was burning all over—

“Sit down, sweetheart—” Nina guided Willow to the nearest sofa. “Whatever it is, we can fix it—”

“N-No—” She looked at her mother, little more than a blurry mess. “No, we can’t. I slept with Drew. And Michael knows. Oh, God, he’s known all along—” Her stomach lurched, remembering the video, then she jumped up, and ran to the nearest bathroom, making it just in time to vomit.

—

TJ found Molly waiting on the roof of General Hospital, staring out over the city skyline, hugging herself. He was already dragging off his lab coat, intending to drape it over the thin long-sleeved she wore when Molly turned and he saw her swollen eyes, the tears staining her cheeks. “Mols. What happened—”

“My family—it’s—it’s so destroyed. So broken. Danny—oh, God, he’s in jail.” She reached for him, gripping the fabric of his scrubs, twisting it in her fingers. “Is this my fault? Did I start this? Did I make this happen? What do I do? What do I do?” And then she crumbled, falling against him, sobbing so hard that her body trembled from the force of it, sobbing harder than she had in weeks, months, maybe even years.

And all TJ could do was hold her tightly, and hope the storm would pass.

—

The lights were visible in the living room as Jason and Elizabeth approached the front door. She wrinkled her nose. “So much for hoping they’d fall sleep before we got here.”

Jason seemed steadier after their conversation, and she was rewarded with a slight smile. “I haven’t been around teenage boys as much as you have, and even I knew that wasn’t going to happen.”

“Time to face the music, I guess.” She pushed the door open, unsurprised when she found her sons on the sofa, a half-eaten pizza in a box on the coffee table. “Hey. Sorry, that took longer than we thought it would.”

“No problem.” Jake tossed his crust into the box, then got to his feet. “Aiden and I had time to think.”

“And make a list,” his brother added, a piece of paper in his hand. “You wanna start?”

“Yeah.” Jake lifted his chin, folded his arms. “Now that we’re not at the PCPD, are you pretending to be engaged to get Danny out, or is this, like, real?”

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