Sorry! We had a power outage and it took ten minutes for everything to come back up, and then the Liason scene ran long — anyway. Written in 85 minutes.

Oh, and I forgot the chronology of the Face of Deception stuff. I don’t remember what Carly and Gia knew and when, and I’ve decided I don’t care, lol.

---

Wednesday, September 25, 2025

 Webber House: Living Room

Though he’d done little more than sit in a court room while important decisions in his life were decided by other people, there was still a tinge of fatigue that swept over Jason as he closed the front door behind him, and dropped his keys on the table next to the door.

A veteran of several murder trials as a defendant and countless other hearings, it never got easier to place his life or the ones he cared about in someone’s hands, but Sam had left Jason no choice. He knew that — but that still didn’t offer much peace of mind.

He heard the thudding of sneakers on the steps and looked over just as Danny crashed around the corner and hit the landing, catching himself before he went tumbling. “Sorry,” he said. “I slipped on the last few steps. Uh—” He folded his arms, cleared his throat. “How did it, um, go?”

“Exactly as Diane said it would,” Jason said, and Danny’s shoulders slumped. He looked away. “I’m sorry. Your attorney told the court that you were conflicted, that you felt guilty, but that ultimately you didn’t feel safe with your mom.”

“Yeah, I figure that’d be the deal breaker,” he muttered. Danny dropped to sit on the landing, dragging his hands through his hair. “Do you know what happened with Scout?”

“The same. I’m sorry.”

“You’re not the one who punched Elizabeth with security cameras filming everything.” Danny raised his eyes to his father. “Is…is Mom okay?”

Jason came towards him, leaned against the back of the sofa. “She was upset. But there wasn’t a lot of choices, Danny. The one good thing that came from this—the judge is going to let me decide how much visitation your mom gets.”

Danny furrowed his brow. “What?”

“It just has to be supervised. I don’t much care who’s there,” Jason added. “I figure your grandmother or your aunts are good. Dante if he wants to. And if there are other choices, we can talk about them. And you can see her as much as you want.”

“Oh.” His son looked at the ground, processed that information. “That’s…not so bad. I—I could see her tomorrow?”

“Your grandmother is calling me tonight to set up the details. Danny, this was never about taking you away from your mom—”

“I know. I know. And I asked you—” Danny climbed to his feet. “I asked you to do something, right? I wanted to see the doctor, and you said you’d make it happen. I know Mom made it harder. But—”

“She’s your mother.”

“Yeah.” Danny paused. “Will—can she see Scout, too? Or—”

“Drew’s going with supervised visits from family services. Two hours a week. It’s not fair,” Jason added when Danny scowled. “But we can’t do anything right now to change it. Your mom has to do a few things for the court, but if you stay on the right track, if maybe we can get your grades a little better, when we go back to court in December—it’ll be different.”

“Thanks. I know this sucked for you—”

“I don’t matter, Danny, you do.”

“Still.” Danny approached him, somewhat awkwardly, almost as if he wanted to hug his father, but hung back at the last minute. “I’m gonna call Grandmom. See what time tomorrow.”

He turned and a few minutes later, Jason heard the thudding of sneakers in the opposite direction. He hoped that this would be end of problems with Sam, but he couldn’t be that lucky.

Metro Court Hotel: Restaurant

Spinelli stepped out of the elevator and spied his quarry across the room behind the bar. “Valkyrie, as you requested.”

Carly threw up her hands. “Thank God! I’ve been waiting forever – not your fault. I just can’t seem to sit still. Did you know the FBI searched the crime again today?”

“I did. Michael keeps us well-informed.” Spinelli slid onto the stool, wondering what mischief Carly was intending to stir up. “We expected it—”

“Elizabeth told me that Diane already knows that Gia Campbell — who came to the search — is on the case. That you’re handling it, but Spinelli, neither of you knew Gia. I did—”

“She worked for you at Deception, yes?”

“I only stayed with the company for another six months or so after the competition, and she was there for another year—but that’s not the important. It’s the competition itself. I’m sure if you did your research you know that we initially chose Elizabeth as the Face of Deception and that Gia took over when Elizabeth stepped back.”

“It was in one of the articles. Elizabeth suggested the relationship was hostile—”

“Gia hated Elizabeth. Like full-out sabotage-level hatred. She was ruthless.” Carly grimaced. “At the time, I approved of all of it, you know? I knew Gia was better suited for the job, and I really didn’t like Elizabeth. Well, that’s not true. I don’t like her now. I hated her then.” She paused. “Well, I don’t not like her. I just—”

“Valkyrie.”

“Right. Not the point. At the time, I was really amused. And it felt like Gia and I were a team because we had a common enemy. I campaigned hard for her to get the job, but Laura had the deciding vote and she played favorites. Elizabeth was a pretty girl, but she didn’t always photograph well. You know, a little flat. She probably would have improved, but it didn’t get that far. She had one photoshoot, and quit almost immediately.”

“This is all information we know—”

“This is probably where I’m the asshole, and it’d be great if you didn’t, you know, mention any of this information came from me.” Carly paused. “Gia was angry when she didn’t get the job. She did whatever she could to delay or sabotage Elizabeth — including locking her out on the roof of the building when we were announcing the winner. And she told me that she’d tried to convince Elizabeth in other ways.” She bit her lip. “Gia and Nikolas were dating at the time, and he’d told her something particularly…private about Elizabeth. Several years earlier, Elizabeth had…she’d been attacked by a photographer.”

Spinelli tipped his head to the side. “What?”

“She was sixteen or something. Young. Too young. Not that you’re—” Carly shook her head. “Anyway. Gia tried to use it against Elizabeth — you know, how can you stand to have your picture taken, yada yada. I just know it didn’t work — but then I—” she swallowed hard. “I told Gia I had an idea. Something to convince Elizabeth once and for all she couldn’t do the job. I booked her first photo shoot at a studio…where Tom Baker had held her hostage. Not where he’d…hurt her. This was almost a year later. But it’s where she found out…”

“You…” Spinelli had to stop. “You booked the studio on purpose?”

“I didn’t—I just wanted her to see it wasn’t the right—okay, it was awful. Terrible. But Gia and I planned it together.” Carly pressed a hand to her stomach. “I was awful to her during the shoot. Insulting her appearance. Throwing her off. She ran out, upset, and quit the next day. Gia and I toasted to our victory.”

“That’s…okay.” Spinelli rubbed his temple. “Okay. That’s a lot.”

“I’m not dragging up ancient history because I enjoy it — it’s obviously not something I’m proud of, but I’m telling you this story because Gia delighted in causing her pain. She intentionally made things worse with Lucky and Elizabeth, telling him that she was cheating with Jason — she thought if she made Lucky break up with her, Laura would drop her support of Elizabeth. There was nothing Gia wouldn’t do to get what she wanted. Elizabeth was in her way.”

“That does put a different spin on it, and it makes sense Elizabeth didn’t go into that kind of detail. She…didn’t know it.” Spinelli paused. “But you’ve lived long enough to regret these actions. How can we know Gia Campbell didn’t?”

“Maybe she’s moved on. But she was also pretty jealous of attention Elizabeth got from Nikolas. Nikolas, who went on to have an affair with Elizabeth? Who set up a scholarship in her name? As someone who’s held grudges for far less, I just don’t know if that’s a risk you should be taking. Because if Elizabeth is in actual danger of going to jail—Jason’s going to do something really stupid, like confess to a crime he didn’t commit.”

“Perhaps you’re right. We ought to be a bit more interested in Gia Campbell. I’ll take the message to Diane—”

“Spinelli —” Carly held out a hand. “I’m serious. Please…please don’t tell Jason about any of this. It was a lifetime ago, and I feel awful about it. He probably wouldn’t hold it against me, but the thought of him knowing how petty and nasty I was back then — probably wouldn’t be a surprise,” she muttered to herself. She sighed. “Never mind. Do whatever you have to do with the information. Keeping Jason from being a martyr is our first priority.”

“Understood.”

Even after Spinelli was gone, Carly was still not convinced she’d done enough. There had to be something more she could to curb whatever danger Gia brought to the table. She tapped her fingers on the bar for another minute, then snatched her phone from the purse beneath.

“Maxie? Hey, it’s Carly. I have an amazing idea for Deception. Let’s set up a meeting.”

Chase’s Apartment: Living Room

Chase made a few more notes beneath Sonny’s name, then stepped back to consider the new suspect he’d added to the board. There was little hope that they’d ever be able to tie the gun to Sonny. Even if the FBI was able to raise the serial number, it wouldn’t be traced to Sonny.

But the thought that Sonny Corinthos might be covering up for Kristina after the fact was an interesting one. He didn’t think Sonny had sent Kristina to deal with Cates — that didn’t fit with the way Chase had seen him treat women. Sonny was quick to anger — and quick to throw away women he felt had betrayed him. He’d divorced Nina Reeves over very little.

But as a father, if he suspected Kristina was involved, what would he do? Keep the security footage that would torpedo her alibi from being handed over, absolutely. Fabricate an artificial tip? One that would lead to a planted gun in someone else’s car?

If Kristina had hoped to frame Jason, would Sonny sit by and let that happen? Chase hadn’t been around for the peak of the pair’s power, but he could read articles, look at records. Jason had been Sonny’s right hand man for nearly all the years the man could remember. Sonny prized loyalty — but over his own child?

It was just hard to tell — and too many unknown variables.

Chase’s phone rang, and he reached into the pocket of his jeans. “Detective Chase.”

“Oh, I’m glad I caught you before you were done for the day. We spoke a few days ago? I’m Gia Campbell from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

Chase frowned, turned away from his board. “Ms. Campbell, yes. I sent you copies of our witness interviews, but there’s not much more I can or intend to share.”

“I understand that. I would still like to set up a meeting. Are you interested?”

Webber House: Jake’s Bedroom

Danny sat at Jake’s desk, the chair turned towards the bed where Aiden and Jake were sitting, both their backs against the headboard. “I really don’t have to be here—”

“It’s dialing,” Jake said. He sat up, laid the laptop on the bed, turning it slightly so that all three of them could see it. A moment later a video box came up, and Cameron was there. “Hey, sorry we’re late.”

“You’re good. I only have ten minutes before I have to go out—” Cam leaned forward slightly. “Today was the big day, right, Danny? How’d it go?”

“Me? Oh.” Surprised that Cameron knew about the custody hearing or cared enough to ask, Danny answered, “The way my dad said it would. But I get to see my mom as much as I want. With supervision.”

“That’s pretty fair. Still a crappy situation, but it could have been worse.” Cameron’s gaze flicked to his other brother. “I hope Aiden made fun of you when you got suspended. It’s not as bad as getting arrested, but—”

“Hey, I still don’t have a criminal record,” Jake said. “I think out of the four of us, I’m still winning.”

“My name wasn’t on the police report,” Aiden pointed out.

“No, but Mom’s address is on some dispatch report, so—” Jake flicked his brother’s shoulder. “You still coming this Friday?”

“Yeah.” Cameron grimaced. “I tried to talk Mom into letting me stay until after that motion hearing next week, but it wasn’t even a question. There’s no way she’s gonna let Aiden go — so our mission this week is to get you in that room.”

“We got to go to her bail hearing,” Jake said. “But yeah, that was Dad’s call. And it was more for Mom to see us on the dumb little Zoom screen. I’ve already got a plan if she tells me now. I talked to Michael, and he’s gonna pick me up after Mom and Jason leave for Syracuse. He figures he’ll take heat for it, but he says he’d want to be there for his mom.”

“Good. I still wish I could be there, but this is as good as we can get. I know Mom and Jason mean well, but I don’t really trust them to tell us how bad this really is straight. Mom’s like, go live your life and be normal, but she’s got federal charges of murder over her head.” Cameron almost sounded disgusted. “I’m supposed to think about microbiology? No. And Michael would probably make it sound less bad.”

“Okay, sounds like a good plan. Oh, hey—” Jake said. “I know you and Joss are still frosty, but you and Trina are good, right?”

“Why?” Cameron asked, furrowing his brow with suspicion.

“Because Danny is being forbidden from even talking to his sister, and I figure with Trina living on their estate, maybe we could smuggle him or something.”

Danny sat up, surprised by the request. “What?”

“Oh. Well, you should have led with that. Yeah, I’ll call Trina and see what we can manage. I gotta go, though. See you in a few days.”

Cameron’s video disappeared, and Jake closed his laptop. Aiden slid off the bed, but Danny was still stuck in his position. “You didn’t have to do that. I didn’t know you were going to do that.”

“Look, if someone was keeping me from one of my brothers, I’d be pissed.” Jake got to his feet, laid his laptop on his desk and went over to his artist’s table, sitting on the stool. “Drew’s being a dick because, apparently, he got some kind of lobotomy in the slammer. He’s almost never around. I feel pretty confident we could figure out a way to get you guys in contact. And maybe we could give her a sort of fake phone you could text or call her on. I’m still working on that one.”

Danny swallowed hard. “Thank you. I—thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Still have to get away with it.” Jake cracked his knuckles. “But I’m interested in the challenge.”

Webber House: Elizabeth’s Bedroom

Elizabeth sat on the bed, still rubbing lotion into her hands with her eyes narrowed at the doorway. “The boys are up to something.”

Jason, already in bed, sitting up against the head board with his legs stretched out, looked at her. “What?”

“They were very quiet at dinner. Danny’s always quiet. But Jake and Aiden were, too, tonight. I don’t now what it is — but it’s something.” She curled one leg beneath her. “You were a little quiet, too. I know today must have been hard.”

Jason hesitated, then shook his head. “Annoying. But not hard. I warned Sam over and over again that if she pushed me, I’d have to push back. I hate that I had to do this — or that Danny’s been upset by it. Or his sister. But you know how Danny had an attorney assigned to him?”

“Yeah?”

“When Sam first suggested that I could see Danny with supervision, I was willing to deal with it. And I didn’t question it when she said she wanted it to be Jake,” Jason said. “I should have, but I knew you and Sam were civil, I knew that Jake and Danny were close. And I knew it might be difficult because Jake didn’t really want to be around me, but he was willing to do it for Danny. And as long as you were with us.” Jason looked at us. “I didn’t question it,” he repeated. “But it’s clear to me now — Sam never meant for those visits to happen. She assumed Jake would refuse — because he’d been refusing most of the summer. And that it would be the end of it.”

“She didn’t account for Jake being willing to make himself unhappy for his brother,” Elizabeth replied, and Jason shook his head. “I didn’t know that. I thought it was her idea from the start — that Jake and I would be part of it. That’s how Jake framed it — but maybe he thought I’d try to force you guys to go alone. I didn’t question it either.” She paused. “What made you think about that?”

“She never meant for those visits to happen,” Jason repeated, “and every time they did, she interrogated Danny about everything that happened or was said.”

Elizabeth made a face, but remained silent, and he sighed. “I wish I’d know that,” he said. “It bothers me. No, today was irritating because I hate sitting around listening to people talk about me, but it wasn’t difficult. Not when Diane and Danny’s attorney listed all the reasons Sam was making Danny miserable.”

“That’s a good way of looking at it.” Elizabeth slid beneath the comforter, and leaned over to switch off her light. But Jason didn’t turn off his, which made her roll back with her brows lifted. “Are you okay?”

“Just thinking. Now that the hearing is over and Danny’s doing better, I’m going to talk to Spinelli tomorrow.  I know I can’t go around punching people,” he added, and she sat back up. “But there has to be something I can do for your case. I don’t like being shut out of it—” He paused. “What? Why are you looking at me that way?”

She bit her lip, then laid back down, staring at the ceiling. “Nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” Jason shifted to his side, leaning on his elbow. “What?”

“The custody hearing was eight hours ago. And you’re already looking for the dragon to slay.” She sighed. “And that sounds awful because it’s my case you’re worried about, and obviously I want it all over, but you can’t even wait a full day before looking for another problem to solve.” She twisted her head slightly to meet his eyes, but they were shadowed, from the darkness on her side of the room and the dim light on his. “You’re mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“Frustrated.”

“Stop trying to—” Jason sat up, and she came up as well, holding herself slightly apart. “This is about what we talked about at the warehouse, isn’t it? How I always want to go save someone?” He looked at her. “Maybe I’ve gone too far in the past, but this is your life. Your freedom at stake. I’m not going to apologize for wanting to help end it.”

She pressed her lips together, considered her answer carefully. “It’s my life and my freedom. And we’ve placed it in Diane’s hands. Diane who has steered you through a murder trial and managed to get you acquitted. With much more damning evidence, I might add,” she said, and he sighed. “You told me we could trust Diane, didn’t you? That if we followed her advice, this would be okay.”

“Yes—”

“Her advice is sit back and let her handle it. Let Spinelli investigate within the confines of the law. I’m not in any danger, Jason. We’re months away from trial. The FBI wants me out on bail to get to you—”

“And when they figure out there’s nothing to get either of us for with you out here?” Jason wanted to know. “They’ll want to put pressure on you again—”

“They might. And if—” Elizabeth paused, because the thought was almost too awful to bear. “If they end up putting me back inside until the trial, that would be awful. And I would hate every minute of it. But I got through it before. I can do it again. They still have to convict me, Jason.”

“I know—”

“Diane told us how to handle this. It’s not easy for me, either, you know. The boys are stressed about it. I know they won’t admit it, but they are. Cameron’s wasting his time coming home every other weekend because he can’t stand to be away, and I can’t argue with him because—” She bit her lip “Because you’re right. The feds might try to revoke my bail. And I want all the time with my boys I can stand. Jason, I know it’s hard to do nothing. Especially for you. You need the mission, and the one Diane gave us isn’t enough for you.”

Jason shook his head. “It’s not. That’s why—”

“Fine. Ask Spinelli for something to do. Maybe you can sort paper or something.” Elizabeth laid back down, rolled over on her side away from Jason.

“Now you’re the one that’s mad.” His voice came from near her ear. He’d laid down, curling his body around her, his warmth flooding through her.

“I’m not mad. I’m just—I’m scared,” Elizabeth admitted. She rolled onto her back so that she could see his face. “You were distracted by everything with Danny and Sam, and now that’s over, and you’re immediately looking for the next task. Your next adrenaline rush. But it’s not always like that. Sometimes my life is boring. It’s getting up and going to work, and coming home and being the boys, and then doing it again the next day. And you’re bored in the first twelve hours—” She stopped when he tugged her across him, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him. She braced her hands on his chest so she could sit up slightly. “This is my life, Jason. Especially right now.”

“Then this is my life, too.” When she made a face, he continued, “I’m not bored. But you’re right. I need a problem to solve. And I don’t know what to do with myself without one. That’s something I need to work on. But I can do it. Because I want this. Being with you, getting up, going to work, being with the boys at night, and then doing it all again. I want it—”

“But can it be enough?” she asked softly. “Is it enough to want it? It never has been before.”

“I’ll make it enough.”

She might have protested again, but he kissed her, rolling them so that she was beneath him again and she let it go. Better to focus on the here and now.

Tomorrow was soon enough to worry about everything that came next.

Written in 80 minutes. The court scene took a bit, and I had to rewrite it slightly (still not right but oh well), and I wanted to get the planned scenes in since I really wanted to end on this beat.

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Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Quartermaine Estate: Foyer

Michael had the door already open before Caldwell could knock or ring the doorbell. He’d seen the cadre of vehicles enter through the estate gates —a few unmarked dark sedans and two white vans with the FBI logo on the side.

“How kind of you to greet us personally,” Caldwell remarked, passing by Michael into the foyer where he locked eyes with Tracy who lifted her chin in defiance. He turned back to face the young man. “But it wasn’t necessary.”

Michael grimaced, started to close the door, but a smaller, more delicate hand slapped against it, and a slender woman slid through, her dark hair coiled at her nape with a cool smile playing faintly on her lips. “Not so fast, Mr. Corinthos.”

He furrowed his brow — he knew her, didn’t he? Something about her face—

“As you’re aware by now, the FBI doesn’t need a warrant to search the premises, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell has prepared one anyway. Just to be careful.”

She held out the legal paper, but Michael ignored it, looked at the FBI agent. “You’re not going to find anything that makes Elizabeth or my uncle look guilty. Because they’re not. Elizabeth and I heard the gunshots. We were together. We ran towards them, and Elizabeth tried to keep Cates alive until the ambulance could get here. She tried to help him—”

“Michael.” His great-aunt came towards him, touched his sleeve. “There’s no point in arguing. Let the agents do their job so they can leave and never come back.”

“I’ll just leave this here,” the woman said, laying the warrant on the table. “Caldwell, if you’re ready?”

“Been ready for weeks. After you, Gia.”

When they’d left, Michael retrieved his phone. “Gia Campbell,” he muttered, tapping it into the Google Search screen.

“I know that name.” Tracy frowned. “Why do I know that name?”

“Worked for the government a number of years — no, no, not that — here! I knew it. She worked for my mother. A long time ago. She was a model at Deception.”

“A model?” Tracy folded her arms. “What are the odds a model from Port Charles would be on this case? And when did your mother work at Deception?”

“For about two years a life time ago.” Michael tapped a few keys.

Hey mom do you remember Gia Campbell?

Port Charles Courthouse: Family Court

Jason hadn’t been lying to Danny when he’d told him that this entire situation sucked, and the hearing would only make it worse.

Sam had come in a few minutes after him, followed by her mother, her expression pale and drawn. She’d had a hearing an hour before this one with Drew — and while Diane hadn’t gathered the specifics, she knew that Drew had retained custody.

His ex-wife’s hands were trembling slightly when she took her seat at the other table, and Jason looked away, straight ahead at the judge’s bench and witness stand. He and Sam might be on the opposite ends of the world right now, and it was hard to remember when he’d been in love with her — but they had loved one another once. And he knew how much she’d wanted to be a mother. How she’d grieved her stillborn daughter —

His resolve to go through with this hearing, to gain primary custody, hadn’t changed. But he wasn’t enjoying putting Sam through this.

“Good morning.”

The judge’s brisk tones brought Jason back, and he focused on the man sitting on the bench,  his chest tight, his hands clenched in his lap.

“We’re here on the matter of Jason Morgan versus Samantha McCall, with the respondent’s return following the issuance of a temporary emergency custody order…” The judge continued laying out the plan for the hearing, and Jason didn’t pay close attention after that. He wasn’t required to speak unless spoken to, and Diane would take point. It was a relief, he knew, to not have to testify.

“Ms. Miller, you may proceed.”

“Thank you, Your Honor.” Diane rose to her feet. “I’ll keep my remarks brief as the petition is detailed, and Your Honor has already indicated you’ve reviewed it. My client is not seeking to terminate the minor child’s contact with his mother. That wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interests. But Ms. McCall’s actions over the past few months, and specifically the last few weeks have suggested that she is not the best custodial parent at this time. I described her attempts at parental alienation, limiting and even forbidding contact, abandonment of the minor during a legal situation, refusal to consent to medical treatment, and unfortunately, a physical altercation instigated by Ms. McCall in the minor’s presence. With the addition of the physical fight between the minor and the other teenager in Ms. McCall’s home, Mr. Morgan seeks to be named as the primary custodian with Ms. McCall having supervised and limited contact with her son until the court has determined she is more stable.”

“I’ve read your petition and reviewed the attached affidavits.” The judge peered at the other table. “Ms. Davis?”

“Your Honor.” Alexis rose to her feet. “Ms. McCall admits freely that she has not handled the situation of her ex-husband’s return to Port Charles well. Though Mr. Morgan was working undercover with the FBI for a worthy cause, I’d like to remind the court that his family — including his sons — believed their father had died. There was a funeral. A stone to visit in a cemetery. Ms. McCall worried for her son’s emotional and physical safety, understandably. She learned of her son’s substances issues and made mistakes in how she handled that as well. But she has done everything she can to support her son, despite her worries that Mr. Morgan’s live in partner is attempting parental alienation of her own. We ask that the court order a more equal custodial arrangement, perhaps trading weeks with each parent.”

“And Ms. Graber? As the attorney for the child, what would you like to offer?”

A woman sitting in the jury’s box rose to her feet, and Jason watched her, unsure what weight her testimony would offer — and how Danny’s voice would be heard.

“The minor is extremely conflicted, as one might expect. He loves his mother and he feels guilty. The details of our conversation are in the report, covering the period of the summer when his mother limited and even forbid contact, interrogated him after every visit that did occur, the incident that led to her abandonment, the refusal to consent for treatment—” She paused. “And the incident on September 21 when Ms. McCall assaulted Ms. Webber for bringing the minor to Ms. McCall’s residence. He expressed fear for the first time of what his mother might do. He had wanted to ask her to be part of his therapy, and Ms. Webber was supporting him. And in return, his mother had become furious, took his phone so he couldn’t warn anyone, and went to confront Ms. Webber. Ms. McCall assaulted Ms. Webber, the details of which are in the police report and security camera footage.” She paused. “The minor would like to remain in his father’s custody, though he hopes he can see his mother.”

The judge nodded, shuffled some papers. “I see that none of the details or arguments have shifted since we last spoke.” He looked at Alexis, at Sam. “I can understand Ms. McCall’s concern after her ex-husband returned from the dead, so to speak. And if she had come to the court at that point to ask for relief, to restrict visitation, this might have ended very differently.”

Sam let out a small sound and her mother reached for Sam’s hand, squeezing it.

“But it’s not six months ago, Ms. McCall, and I have Mr. Morgan who has affidavits from the FBI supporting that he was working undercover and helped to uncover a very dangerous criminal. He has reestablished himself as a father in his other son’s life, as a man with a full-time job and stable household. The minor child has expressed fear remaining in your custody, and you have constructively abandoned him, refused him medical treatment, and committed a violent act in his presence. Your home is not fit for him, Ms. McCall.”

“Your Honor,” Alexis began, but the judge held up his hand.

“My mind is made up, Ms. Davis. This court rules that the custody order continues. Daniel Morgan will remain in Jason Morgan’s primary custody. His mother may have supervised visitation. Additionally, Ms. McCall, I am ordering you to complete two months of anger management. You should be thanking Ms. Webber for not pressing charges. The video footage is very concerning. Your minor son is clearly distressed and upset, and you showed little to no awareness that he was even present.”

Diane got to her feet. “Your Honor, on the subject of supervision—”

“Ms. Miller?”

“My client would like to make this as painless as possible for his son. We would be satisfied with Ms. McCall being supervised by her mother, either of her sisters, or anyone else Ms. Davis chooses as often as Danny is comfortable with.”

The judge lifted his brows, then looked at Alexis and Sam again. “Once again, Ms. McCall, consider yourself lucky. I’ll leave the schedule up to Mr. Morgan, with a hearing to reconsider set for December. Court is adjourned.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Elizabeth made a face when she saw Carly step out of the elevator — and head straight for her. She’d hoped to avoid this conversation for as long as possible, and maybe Carly had waited out of courtesy, but that didn’t mean she was looking forward to it.

“Hey! I figured you’d be working today. You’re always working,” Carly said, reaching her. “Can you take a few minutes?”

Elizabeth pursed her lip. “Wasn’t that the same reason you were so sure Lucky was the father? Because I hadn’t immediately quit my job to enjoy the gravy train?”

Carly wrinkled her nose. “Do we have to talk about ancient history today? I mean, we do because that’s why I’m here, but that’s not the event I wanted to discuss. It’s something much more important.”

“I’m sure it is.” Elizabeth clicked a few screens, then stepped out from behind the counter gesturing for Carly to head over to the cluster of sofas. “How can I help you?”

“I’m here to help you. The FBI is at the Quartermaines,” Carly told Elizabeth. “They’re searching again—”

“They lifted injunction yesterday and it’s not raining, so we knew that would happen. If that’s it—”

Carly snagged Elizabeth’s elbow to stop her from returning to work. “Aren’t you interested in who came to search? Because it’s an old friend. Well, not friend, I suppose. But enemy.”

Elizabeth hesitated, then turned to face Carly fully. “What do you mean?”

“Gia Campbell. Michael remembered that she worked with me, so he let me know she was there. He doesn’t remember that you knew her at all, so of course he was wondering why some model from his childhood is showing up at the estate today.” Carly raised her brows. “But you know and I both know she hated your guts.”

Elizabeth released a breath. “Oh. Yeah, we knew Gia was on the case. We found out last week, and no, we don’t know why. Diane’s got a plan, so—”

“Good. Good. Because maybe you don’t remember or know, but Gia really hated you.” Carly folded her arms. “She and I had a lot in common back then — not the hating of you, except sure. But I knew she was as greedy and as ambitious as I was, you know? So if you need anyone to testify about what a horrorshow she was and how she’s absolutely holding a grudge because Laura picked you when Gia was the better choice, I’ll do it.”

“I can’t decide if you’re insulting me or not, because you’re right. Gia should have won. And she ended up taking the job, so—”

“But she was runner-up, and she knows it.” Carly made a face. “And you weren’t the worst model, okay? I just really hated you. That one ad campaign you did — we did pretty well.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth, then closed it, confused. “Did you just—are you being nice to me?”

“It’s uncomfortable for me, too, don’t worry. But Jason gets to be with Jake, and that’s all I ever wanted for him. And I guess he likes you, too, and I’ve given up trying to get rid of you, so—” Carly paused. “I know what you’re going through sucks. But you’re listening to Diane, right? You’re doing everything she tells you to?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Good. I didn’t,” Carly added almost as an afterthought. “And it was the worst mistake of my life. I thought I knew better, and I tried to take a deal when Nelle was framing me, and I—” She swallowed hard, folded her arms, and looked away. “I ended up somewhere that nearly destroyed me, so—don’t go to prison. Because if you end up there, Jason will do what he did with Michael and confess to get you out, so just—don’t be stupid.”

Kevin & Laura’s Condo: Living Room

Dante stared down at the phone in his hand, then at Rocco sprawled out on the living room sofa. He approached his son, and sat on the edge of the coffee table. “Maybe you don’t care anymore, but Sam lost her hearings.”

Rocco didn’t look at him, kept his eyes trained on the ceiling above. “Both of them?”

“Yes. Drew and Jason have primary custody until at least December. Drew’s only going to let Sam have one two-hour visit a week. With some stranger from family services. Jason’s letting Danny see Sam with her grandmother or aunts as much as he wants.”

Rocco grimaced. “That…” He sat up, leaned back against the sofa. “Doesn’t really seem fair. Danny was screwing up more. Scout—she’s—she probably really hates this.”

“Yeah. It doesn’t.” Dante paused. “I know you don’t like Sam. I’m sorry I didn’t see it before—”

“I don’t—” Rocco shook his head. “I don’t hate her. I just—I mean, she’s not exactly my favorite, okay? But it was just how she was treating Danny, okay? And you know she’s been mental about it. I didn’t like it.”

“I didn’t like it either, and I should have tried hard to mediate. I should have seen you were unhappy. That doesn’t make anything you’ve done right, Rocco. Don’t think you’re off the hook.”

“Yeah, whatever. I don’t even care anymore.”

Dante waited a moment. “Your grandmother told me she took you to Silver Water. That you’re…struggling with your mother’s condition—”

“Struggling. That’s like Grandma. Always making something seem better than it is. I told her I wanted Mom to die. To turn off the machines and just let it happen.” His eyes were damp and Rocco dropped them to his lap. “And I’m not sorry. It’s how I feel.”

“You think that makes me angry?” His son’s only respond was the jerking of his shoulder, and Dante sighed. “You don’t want your mother to die, Rocco—”

“Don’t tell me what I want!” Rocco snapped, raising his head, his eyes glimmering with fury. “I know—”

“You want her to wake up. And you think that’s not an option. You want to stop living in the gray space. The middle where we get nothing. There’s no closure. How do you grieve someone who isn’t dead? But she’s gone all the same. So you want it to be over. There’s no shame in that, Rocco. No shame in resenting Sam because she’s not your mother. No shame in resenting Danny because he got his father back.”

Rocco dragged his forearm under his eyes. “I just…it’s too hard, Dad. All of it. And I want it to go away. So I make it go away.” He met his father’s gaze. “I make it go away however I can, and I’m not sorry for that.”

“I get it now. I didn’t before, and I’m sorry. I’m here now, and I’m ready to deal with this however you need me to. It might take me a few weeks to get a place of our own or maybe we can go to Grandma Olivia’s—”

“If we go back to the penthouse—” Rocco pressed his lips together. “If I knock my shit off and Sam stops punching people, will Scout get to come home?”

“I—” Dante tilted his head. “What?”

“Scout. Her father’s an asshole. Like a giant one who’s never given a shit about her, and she’s like—she doesn’t deserve this. Maybe Sam’s an asshole about Danny, but she’s not—Scout shouldn’t be part of any of this. I can’t—” He stopped. “I can’t fix Mom. Or you or Sam. Or Danny. But Scout’s just a kid. I can make that better, can’t I?”

“I—” Dante exhaled slowly. “It means a lot to me that you’re thinking about her at a time like this. Let’s…let’s talk about this more. Maybe we can do something to help her that isn’t going to make you unhappy, too. But I’m proud of you for thinking of her.”

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

Gia couldn’t remember now if she’d ever actually been to the Quartermaine estate during her short tenure in Port Charles. She and Emily had never truly made peace in the year they’d known each other, so she’d never been invited —

She stood on the deck at the boat house, looking at the crime scene photos, then at the deck again, trying to get a better sense of what had happened here. While the crime scene unit had done their search, she’d walked through Elizabeth and Michael’s statement again — their trek from the terrace to the gardens —

“Gia.”

She looked up to find Caldwell climbing the stairs towards her, a plastic evidence bag in either hand. “We find something?”

“Jackpot. The missing bullet — we think,” he said, holding one bag up higher. “Gotta get it to match the fourth casing. But it’s not damaged as bad as the others. Might be able to match it.”

“That’s—that’s promising—” Gia looked at the other bag, frowned. “And that?”

“Not really sure. But we told the techs to bag anything that wasn’t trash.” He lifted it. “We think it’s a—”

“Heel.” Gia took the bag, examined it more closely. “From a woman’s shoe. Where’d you find it?”

“Pathway from the gardens.”

We ran…

“Webber came in to the PCPD that night in sneakers. I figured she’d ditched her shoes because they had blood on it,” Caldwell continued, and Gia looked at him. “We should get a search warrant to match them—”

“It broke when she ran down to the boat house,” Gia said, and he frowned. “That’s what her statement said. What Michael Corinthos has always said. They heard the shot and ran. I’ve—” She looked back at the wooded path. “I’ve run in heels before. They break pretty easily if you put the wrong pressure on them. It snapped when they ran towards the gunshots.”

The agent didn’t respond, and she looked at him. “She’s not lying. None of them are.”

“We…we don’t know that.”

“Don’t we?” Gia handed the bag back, rubbed her forehead. “Process it. Prepare a report. And get a warrant for Webber’s house — but don’t—don’t serve it yet. Let me think about this.”

Written in 54 minutes.

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Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Penthouse: Kitchen

Sam watched the remains of her coffee drain out of the sink, then switched off the faucet. “I appreciate you staying over last night, but you really didn’t have to—”

“I told you. Now that my case is over, I’m going to focus on you completely,” Kristina told her sister, leaning against the kitchen counter, her own coffee grasped in both hands. “I need something to think about that isn’t the dumpster fire of everything else in my life.”

Sam sighed, and turned away from the sink, heading towards the doorway and the rest of the penthouse. “I don’t know how I feel about being someone’s charity case—”

“You’re my sister, not charity. And how many times have you put everything on hold for me?” Kristina demanded, following her. Sam turned at the sofa to face her sister. “Do you think I’ve forgotten how you got wrapped up with Shiloh and the Dawn of Day in the first place?”

Sam rubbed her arms, grimaced. “He went after you because of me, Krissy. Because of what I did to his father—”

“But I’m the weak moron who thought he could fix me. I was fragile and useless, and I put everyone in danger because of it. You went to jail, Sam!” Kristina shook her head. “No, you’ve been there for me every step of my life. I’m not going to let you go through this alone. Everyone else might have abandoned you — and don’t think I won’t be getting on Dante for moving out—”

“He did what he needed to do for his son.” Sam scrubbed her hands down her face. “Rocco hates me.”

“He doesn’t. Hey, he doesn’t Sam. He just hates anyone who isn’t his mother.” Kristina folded her arms. “He’s a teenager. I thought I knew everything then, and I didn’t listen to what Mom said. She was right, and I refused to believe that. Rocco will realize his father is doing the best he can, and maybe then you and Dante can piece things back together. But until then, I’m sticking to you like glue.”

“I just—Mom’s gone over what’s going to happen today, and I know—I know she’s going to try to plead my side of things, but she doesn’t believe the words she’s saying.” Sam’s voice thickened. “She can’t see what I see, and she won’t be able to make the judge see. And God, it doesn’t even matter. Because none of it is a legal defense. I really screwed things up, Krissy. Last Saturday. I should have just—” She pressed her lips together. “I should have realized Danny wouldn’t see it the way I do. He thinks Elizabeth is on his side. I should have just pretended to be grateful she gave him a ride, and let him go. But I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t see past the fact that she was doing everything she could to make me look like the crazy one, and I had to go give her and Jason all the ammunition they needed to take my son away.”

“Danny might not see it now,” Kristina said, “but I promise you, a few more weeks of living in that house, he’ll start to understand how Elizabeth twists everything into making herself the victim. I went to talk to her about all of this weeks ago — after you and Jason had that huge fight at the station, right? I just wanted to try to and make peace. And she picked a fight that made me feel like I was wrong. Started talking about her five minutes of experience being a surrogate like it compares in any way to carrying my daughter for all those months—” Kristina took a deep breath. “Danny might not see it now, Sam. But he will. Until then, Mom’s right. We need to play this by the rules. We have to let this play out in court.”

“Supervised visitation,” Sam muttered. “Elizabeth probably loves this, you know? She hated   when I made Jason do that with Danny.” She paused. “I thought if I made Jason agree he could only see Danny with Jake — that it would make Jason back down from forcing it. Because I knew Jake would refuse.”

“Elizabeth probably made Jake go through with it,” Kristina said, and Sam wrinkled her nose. “Didn’t she suggest being there to help Jake handle it? Manipulating everything from the beginning, Sam. But she’s not going to win, okay? Danny will realize she’s pulling the strings, Jason will get bored playing house like he always does, and hey, maybe the FBI will shove her back in jail for a few weeks.”

Sam frowned, looked at her sister. “Why would they do that? She’s out on bail until trial, and she’s—I mean, I’m furious at the whole thing, but I don’t want her in jail. I’ve been there. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.” She got to her feet. “But you’re right. I have to be patient. Take my visitation, and hope Danny sees what I do. And if Jason does get bored with being a househusband, he’ll get the itch to go out and risk his life — and the court will have to see I’m more stable. I just—I have to let things play out. I used to be good at that. Playing the long game. I was a pretty good con artist back in the day. Not something to be proud of,” she admitted, “but there are lessons I can take from it. The board’s been set up, and we just have to let everyone play the roles they’re meant for.”

“Exactly. Everything will take care of itself, Sam, you’ll see.”

Sam smiled, a bit more genuinely now. “I better get ready. Like a lamb to a slaughter, right? Gotta look the part.”

She headed for the stairs, and Kristina watched her go.

Sure, Sam was right — eventually it would all go back the way it was meant to. But sometimes the first domino needed a little help to fall.

Kristina just had to figure out which one to push.

Webber House: Kitchen

Danny slid his cereal bowl to the middle of the counter, the remains of the Lucky Charms becoming little more than a soggy mess. “But I don’t understand why I can’t go. This is about me.”

“I get it.” Jason took the bowl, dumped the remains and rinsed it before putting it in the dishwasher with the rest of the dishes from everyone else who had eaten breakfast more than an hour ago and left for work or school. “And if I were you, I’d want to be there, too. But it’s not how any of this works.”

“But—”

“Danny.” When his son just glared at him, Jason rubbed the corner of his eyebrow with his thumb. “Listen. It’s not that I’m telling you no. The court has strict rules about this kind of thing. They assigned you that lawyer you talked to yesterday. They’re going to go argue on your behalf. Your voice is in the room. They just don’t want you to be there. It’s upsetting—”

“It’s worse to sit at home—”

“It’s worse in the room,” Jason interrupted. “Because Diane needs to stand up and talk about why you need to be with me, why your mother’s house isn’t the right place, and then your grandmother will get up and talk about me and why I’m terrible option for you. It’s things you’ve heard before, I know. But it’s different in a court room. You’re not allowed to react when you want, the way you want. It’s awful, and I don’t want you there for it.”

Danny looked away. “I hate all of this.”

“I know you do.” Jason tipped his head. “I hate it, too. And I did everything I could avoid doing it this way. And, believe it or not, so did your mother. But trying to figure it out on our own — we made it worse. You’ve been put in the middle in a way I never wanted.” He stopped. “Are you worried the attorney they gave you won’t be honest about what you said?”

“I dunno. Maybe she’ll only tell you what she wants. She made it pretty clear,” Danny muttered. “Asked me to describe the last year and then the last few weeks, and she was like, do you feel safe at home, and I—” His voice changed, thickened. “I didn’t answer her. Mom would never, ever hurt me.”

“No, she wouldn’t. I’ve never once worried about that, Danny. I don’t like how she’s handling a lot of things, okay, but I’ve never worried she’d lay a hand on you.”

“But—” Danny lifted his gaze to his father’s. “I was scared. When she didn’t listen to me. When she got on that elevator, and she was so angry. She took my phone and I couldn’t warn Elizabeth. I thought Mom was gonna hurt her. And then she did. I couldn’t stop her. I couldn’t stop either of them. I know Liz is sorry about it, and I guess I don’t really blame her. Mom hit her first, and she was gonna get her arrested.” Danny looked down. “Once I told the attorney that, it kind of felt like she had an opinion.”

“I don’t like what happened that day either,” Jason said after a moment. “And if we could do it again, your mother should have gone with Jake, and I should have driven you to your mother’s. It would have been different. But I honestly thought if she was in the lobby, and Sam never knew she was there—and that’s not your fault for giving her enough information that she guessed it, Danny. It’s not,” he repeated when Danny looked unconvinced. “Your mom lost her temper in front of you. There are consequences for that. Especially in court. But I promise you. I’m not trying to make this worse. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you can see her as soon as possible, and as much as you want.”

“But it’s up to the court now because of Saturday. Because the cops got involved, and then Rocco and me got in a fight. Yeah, I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Chase’s Apartment: Living Room

“I was surprised to get your call,” Chase said, stepping back to allow Spinelli through the front door. He closed it. “You pretty much know what we do, so there’s not a lot I can give you.”

“I know, but—” Spinelli squinted. “Why are we meeting here anyway? I thought you and Brook Lyn were living on the estate.” He took in the room — where the sofa had been shoved to one side and a large whiteboard was in the center — but the side facing him was blank.

“Well, that was supposed to be temporary,” Chase said. “Until my niece went to live with Finn. But I wanted a place to put things together that isn’t…open to everyone else.” He perched on the arm of the armchair. “Diane Miller has made it clear to you that you have to play by a certain set of rules, right? To have anything you get be admissible, right?”

“Yeah. And she’s taken a step further. I’m not supposed to talk about the investigation with anyone I don’t trust.” Spinelli shoved his hands in pockets. “The problem is that list is pretty short right now. I know Dante’s off the because of Rocco and Danny, and that’s fine. But you’ve made me think you’re taking this seriously. That you’re investigating everything. No matter where it leads.”

“Elizabeth is innocent. Period. But it’s not enough for me to know that,” Chase said. “I have to prove it. Which means I need whoever actually did this. Or I have to do enough to prove the FBI doesn’t have jurisdiction. If we can get this kicked out of federal court, Robert wouldn’t refile locally. I don’t care who did this, Spinelli. Or who they’re connected to.”

“Then let me run something past you and see how it sticks.” Spinelli went to his tote bag, removed a manila folder. “The first thing I did was watch the security footage at Elizabeth’s house. I don’t have the view of the trunk — that’s still tied up in court and the Feds are making it a pain. I don’t think they want me to have it. Or the techstream data from her car to show when the trunk was opened. I was supposed to have both of that this week — and somehow, both of those subpoenas were delayed for another week. The Feds are playing games because they think Elizabeth knows something about Stone Cold, and they’re trying to force her into turning on him.”

“Which is a problem because he doesn’t know anything either,” Chase said, and Spinelli relaxed. “I believe Jason might have wanted Cates out of the picture. I just don’t think he was willing to kill him to do it. And if he had been — this isn’t how he’d do it. You started with the security footage. So did we. And the only thing I have that’s not normal is Kristina. She comes the day after the murder, stays a short period. Elizabeth leaves a few minutes after Kristina. And Kristina comes back to the door. Then leaves again. She had motive, opportunity — and I’ll never prove it, I’m sure she had the means.”

Spinelli closed his eyes, nodded. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or horrified that Chase had followed the same line of evidence. He looked at the detective. “Yeah. When Kristina was asked about the visit, she said something about wanting to help Sam and Jason make peace. There’d been an argument the night before after the kids were questioned. It was a hostile conversation — and Kristina left. Elizabeth doesn’t know Kristina’s my suspect. No one does. But Kristina told me herself that it was a short conversation. That Elizabeth was on her way out.”

“And her reason to go back?”

“To get Elizabeth not to mention that she’d called the baby Adela and not Irene. It’s a sore point between Molly and Kristina — understandably. But not one Kristina has ever showed any evidence of giving a damn about it. Just that one day.”

“And she came back after knowing Elizabeth intended to be leaving.” Chase exhaled slowly. He went to the board, and flipped it over, revealing the division between Alexis and Kristina. “We can’t verify her alibi. She’s meant to be at her apartment — but he’s refusing to hand over footage without a court order, and Sonny’s got a lawyer who isn’t Diane playing games in court.”

“I…was worried about that,” Spinelli said slowly. “Not because I knew Sonny’s lawyer was holding off — but because — I know he knows the details of the case. He knows the weapon and ammunition.”

Chase furrowed his brow. “He does?”

“I can’t prove that in court, but he’s talked to Jason and he had that information in hand. And again, I can’t prove this in court because it’s not really evidence. But I’ve seen inside the safe at Sonny’s office at the restaurant. He keeps the unregistered guns there. The ones without serial numbers.”

Chase looked at his board. “Do you think I’ve got the wrong parent up there?”

“I think Alexis would cover up for Kristina without blinking,” Spinelli said. “But she’d never frame someone as a first choice. Neither would Sonny. But if Kristina had already set up the frame job — I think either of them would cover for her. I think Sonny’s already started.”

“Which means if he finds out she’s an actual suspect—” Chase rubbed his mouth. “Shit. How do we investigate her without Sonny shipping her out of the country?”

“I don’t know. I never—” Spinelli swallowed hard. “I’ve known the family a long time. To think that Sonny is allowing Elizabeth to go through this — I want to think he believes Diane will make this go away. But if you’re telling me his lawyer is delaying footage that would help us eliminate Kristina—I’m not sure of anything anymore.”

“Whatever we do next — we need to do it very carefully,” Chase said. “Or this blows up in our faces.”

Written in 84 minutes. Sorry! I wanted to get all these scenes in this update so I can start a new day in the next part 😛 Merry Christmas!

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Tuesday, September 24, 2025

Pozzulo’s Restaurant: Dining Room

Sonny exhaled with relief, then set his phone aside. “Kristina’s case was dismissed.” Across the table, Michael leaned back, grimaced. “That’s good news,” his father added when Michael said nothing.

“Sure. I just—” Michael shifted, then reached for his fork to push his salad around the plate. “I don’t know. Do you know what she and Alexis were planning with the baby?”

Sonny squinted. “Planning? When? What?”

“Before the accident. Before she fell. Alexis drew up custody papers. She was going to sue TJ for custody. She was going to back out of the surrogate agreement.”

Sonny looked away, dropped his eyes, and Michael tilted his head. “You didn’t know, but you also don’t look surprised.”

“The way she’s, ah, handled everything,” Sonny said, with a slight wave of his hand. “She’s been hard on Molly. And I didn’t miss that she’s calling the baby Adela.” He picked up his bourbon. “Never should have let her go through with this. Just a mistake from beginning to end.”

“There’s a reason they don’t recommend first time mothers become surrogates,” Michael said. “Once Kristina started to feel that baby grow—”

“It’s deeper than that,” Sonny insisted. “She’s…she’s like me. Family—we get obsessive. We do everything to hold them close, even when we should be keeping our distance.” He stroked his jaw. “Even if she’d handed that baby over, she’d have never stopped thinking about it. And we’d have gone on for years. Not that I think it’s some kind of blessing what happened to her—”

“No one thinks, Dad.” Michael shook his head. “I just hope she can move on. To start really healing. Molly can’t heal until Kristina does.”

“Well, Molly should have known better than to let Kristina go through with this,” Sonny retorted, and Michael lifted his brows. “I want my daughter to move on, and stop acting like a fool. Getting into messes that the rest of us have to clean up.” He set his drink down. “Acting on impulse, and making everything worse. She needs to grow up.”

Corinthos & Morgan Warehouse: Main Floor

Jason heaved a sack of coffee beans to one side, then caught sight of a familiar figure winding her through through the main floor towards the cargo dock. “Hey,” he said, greeting Elizabeth with a one-armed hug and a brush of his lips against his temple. “Everything okay? I thought you were on shift until eight—”

“I am, but I took a long lunch. Dante asked to meet with both of us,” she said. “And I figured this was probably the best place—and before you ask—he said it’s not about the case, so I didn’t call Diane. She’s got enough on her plate.”

Jason took her hand, and they headed towards his office, tucked in the corner of the warehouse. “She’s definitely earning her retainer and more.” He held the door open for her, then saw Dante coming through the door at the other side. He gestured for the other man to join them.

“We’re going to owe her a shopping trip in Milan by the time this is done,” Elizabeth said. She dropped her bag on the desk, and waited for Dante to join them.

“Sorry about the short notice,” Dante said when Jason closed the door behind him and went to adjust the blinds. “And thanks for agreeing to meet me.”

“You said it’s not about the case?” Jason asked, leaning against the desk, folding his arms. “Then it’s about Danny.”

“I’m…being removed from the investigation,” Dante said, and Elizabeth frowned. “It was always a little dicey having me on it — but it should have been okay. Our investigation eliminated both of you almost immediately, which meant living with Danny wasn’t an issue.” He paused. “But the boys getting into that fight—it just makes it all little…more complicated. I asked to step side, but the request was coming.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Elizabeth said. “Whatever we’ve been dealing with personally, you’re a good cop, Dante, and I felt better knowing you and Chase were on this. Is…is Chase staying on?”

“Yeah. For now. Like I said, we’re confident in eliminating you guys, and we’d been working on our own list. Chase can follow up from there. But I can’t keep sidestepping all of that, and doing right right by Danny and Rocco.”

“No, the boys—they’re a priority, and they should be. How’s…how’s Rocco doing?” Elizabeth asked. “Aiden was disappointed he couldn’t do more.”

“He’s—” Dante took a moment, collecting his thoughts. “Not great. You know, kids—they’re resilient. Or you think they are. I thought Rocco was handling what happened to his mom, and I thought—” He looked away, pressed his lips together and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m gonna figure out how to get him through this. I, uh, I was gonna testify tomorrow in Sam’s favor,” he told them. “But…Alexis told me it wouldn’t make a difference. And I’m not sure…” He paced away a few steps. “I’m not sure custody should go back the way it was. Not with Danny.” He looked back to Jason. “I left my family, too, you know. But I didn’t let my kid think I was dead. Sam’s never gonna forgive you for that.”

“I’m not concerned with her forgiveness,” Jason said, his tone almost flat.

“You should be. She was the one raising your kid while you were gone. She went too far, putting Danny in the middle of it. But I heard him crying one more too many nights because his father was dead,” Dante retorted. “Maybe it’s easier for Elizabeth to forgive it—”

“Don’t speak for me,” Elizabeth cut in sharply, and he looked at her. “Because I was angry, too. And so was Jake. That’s not what these last few months have been. Don’t do what everyone has done for Sam her whole life. You’re making excuses for her. You think Jake didn’t mourn his father? You think I didn’t have to deal with that? You think I wasn’t mourning the loss of one of my best friends? Sam wasn’t angry about Jason faking his death and you know it.”

Dante scowled. “Don’t tell me—”

“She was pissed that he did it to protect Sonny and Carly, so she took it out on Danny. Just like she’s punishing Danny because she’s angry with me. I’m sorry she has an inferiority complex, Dante. But if you’re here to ask Jason for mercy tomorrow, you’re in the wrong place. She tried to have me arrested for kidnapping, Dante. Do you know what the FBI would have done with that?”

Dante exhaled slowly. “Revoked your bail.”

“You’re damn right. And you said it yourself — you’ve eliminated me. So Sam was willing to take me away from my kids for months, maybe forever — because I sat in the lobby so her son could extend the olive branch. You said you wanted to meet with us both. Why?”

“I thought if we could just talk—”

“I’d forget what Sam’s done for the last few months?” Jason interrupted. “She insisted that Elizabeth supervise visits with Danny and that I could only see him with Jake, and now she’s angry that Danny sees Elizabeth as someone to trust. Because she wanted to punish me, force Jake into visits he wasn’t ready for — it backfired on her. Jake and Danny want to stay together. Sam’s been creating her own problems since the day I met her. She makes herself the victim and then waits for someone to run to her rescue, then wants to complain about how you do it. I know she loves Danny. I know she’s generally a good mother, and I let her set the terms. But that’s over now.”

“Fine. You’ve both made up your minds.” Dante held up his hands in mock surrender. “But  just so you know — Rocco and I are moving out because Rocco doesn’t want to be there either. So tomorrow, after you win your case, and Drew swoops in like a vulture, Sam’s going to be left without any of her kids. But I guess you think she deserves it. She did all the damn work for both their lives, and then both you assholes think you come in and take over. It’s bullshit.”

He slammed the door when he left so hard the glass rattled.

Hanley Federal Building: U.S Attorney’s Offices

Gia knocked on Reynolds’ office door. “I’m heading to Port Charles tonight so I can supervise the crime scene search tomorrow.” She leaned against the door frame. “I heard your other PC case was dismissed.”

“I dropped the charges,” Reynolds said, getting to his feet. “It was always a weak case meant to bolster Cates’ goal in antagonizing Sonny Corinthos. I’ll be able to focus the rest of my attention on this case—”

“Good. We’re going to need it.” Gia paused. “You know the locals are running a parallel investigation, and one of the detectives — he sent me a file with witness interviews. Said he thought we should be aware of what Diane Miller has.”

“It’s local corruption—Corinthos and Morgan have those cops in their pockets. He’s related to one of the investigators—”

“Harrison Chase? He’s married to Brook Lynn Quartermaine. I don’t know if something has changed in twenty years, Noah, but Jason Morgan didn’t give a damn about most of that family, much less extended cousins he didn’t grow up with. And if I remember right, Brook is almost twenty years younger than him.”

Reynolds squinted. “Is there something in these interviews we should know about?”

“The alibi for Elizabeth—” Gia pursed her lips, looked down at her notes. “It’s tight. Really  tight. She’s got a bunch of teenagers who tell the same story — she goes down to the gardens with Michael Corinthos and the shots are heard within five minutes.”

“It’s enough time—”

“Maybe. But I can’t get over Corinthos being the 911 caller,” Gia continued. “If he doesn’t call right away — it’s harder to pin point that. The gunshot witnesses — why are they giving times that make it so tight? Especially when we’re talking about the son of the defendant? Jake Webber could have said the shots happened with his mother still in eye sight.”

“Gia—”

“Noah. These are witnesses we’re going to have to destroy in a trial. And I’ve watched the Webber kid’s interrogation. He holds up. He held up when Caldwell went to his school, his mother was in jail—”

“He’s Jason Morgan’s son. He’s been coached well—”

“What’s the point of being on this case if you won’t listen to me,” Gia interrupted. “I told you that I knew how things worked in Port Charles. I was there when Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos were at their peak of power. I’m telling you this doesn’t smell right.”

Reynolds waited a long moment. “We know Jason Morgan is involved. If you’re right, and Webber isn’t pulling the trigger, then she knows something. The gun was in her car. She was on scene when the Cates died. And Morgan just so happens to be right inside the house so his boys could perfectly alibi him? Cates was making his life difficult. I’ve read the Webber file. She’s been in and out of his life since she was her son’s age. I think she’d lie for him. I think she’d do anything to protect him.”

Gia bit her lip. She couldn’t deny that — she knew that Elizabeth was loyal to Jason above pretty much anything else. Or she had been. She’d hid the man in her studio for weeks, lying to Lucky, hadn’t she? And clearly they were still involved.

“I’m just saying I don’t know if we win at trial. Not without really destroying some of these kids on the stand. So if we’re trying to get to the answers, Noah, we’d better hope we find something at the Quartermaines tomorrow.”

Rice Plaza: Office Towers

Danny climbed into the passenger seat. “Took you long enough.”

Jake shifted the SUV from park into drive, then pulled away from the curb. “Hey, I could be enjoying my one day vacation, and I have to spend it dragging you around town. You should be grateful.”

“If it weren’t for me, you’d be vacationing at work and Dad would have taken the car to work.”

Danny wasn’t wrong, but Jake wasn’t gonna admit it. “How’d it go?”

“How do you think?”

“I don’t know. I never had to talk to a lawyer.” Jake paused at a red light. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

Danny hesitated, then jerked a shoulder. “She’s got her mind made up. She watched the security video from Saturday, and some social worker already wrote a report that said Mom’s house is unstable,” he said, the final words were a bit of a mocking tone. He slid a glare out of the corner of his eye. “You agree, so don’t bother to pretend you don’t.”

“Your mom slugged mine, and then was gonna have her charged with kidnapping, Danny. You met that asshole from the FBI. You think he wouldn’t have my mom back in that jail by night time? So yeah, I think your mom is fucking mental which is what you’ve saying for weeks.”

“I hate it. Scout’s at her dad’s, and he won’t even let her talk to me,” Danny bit out. “Mom’s at home, Rocco’s at his grandmother’s. It’s all fucked up, and it’s my fault—”

“You get like twenty percent of the blame, okay? Mom gets five for being dumb enough to try to help, Dad gets like twenty for leaving for two years and your mom gets what’s ever left.” Jake turned onto Elm Street. “I know it sucks, Danny. She’s your mom, and you love her. But do you wanna go back to how it was before? When you could only see Dad for like two hours? Supervised?”

“It’s how it’s gonna be now. Mom’s gonna get supervised visits, the attorney said.” Danny leaned back against the head rest. “I guess it’s fair, right? She did it to Dad, and now karma’s making it happen to her. I just wish we hadn’t gone to that dumbass party. It wasn’t worth it. Now everything’s ruined.”

Jake pulled up to the house, switched off the ignition. “I get it. I do,” he insisted when Danny rolled his eyes. “You think it’s always been easy at my house? Yeah, Mom’s great. Always has been. But she has shitty taste in men. I get older, and I look back at Franco, and I think she married him because he was nice to me. But he was always getting in trouble, and she spent all her time on him. Then he died, and Finn the asshole came along — all I’m saying is — you deal with the hand you’re dealt. Your mom is getting a wake up call. The same one mine got when she got wrapped up with that stupid Esme shit last year. Mom got her act together, and then we drop kicked Finn into rehab and we never have to think about him again. Your mom will figure it out, you’ll get visits with her, and she’ll get you and your sister back by Christmas. If not sooner. Because you know Dad’s not out for blood.”

“Yeah.” Danny exhaled slowly. “Yeah. Dad didn’t want to do this. I used to be mad he wasn’t fighting back, but now that he is, I get why he didn’t want to do this. I didn’t—” His voice shook slightly. “I didn’t want to tell her all the stuff Mom said about Dad, about Elizabeth. About you, you know? She’s my mom, it’s like—”

“It’s disloyal.”

“Yeah.” Danny looked at his brother. “And she told me to be honest, and I had to like — I had to say I like it at your house. I always did. And I like living with Dad. He’s there when I wake up, and when I go to bed, and I never had that before. I know that’s his fault, you know? But I still like it. And you’re an asshole, but—”

“I like how things are, too,” Jake agreed. “I’m just sorry your mom had to go crazy and mine had to get arrested, but you had to be honest. It’ll be okay. Trust Dad to make it okay.”

Danny smiled slightly. “Remember like three months ago when I was like, Dad’s a good a guy and you punched me? How’s it feel to be wrong?”

“Shut up.”

Corinthos & Morgan Warehouse: Jason’s Office

Elizabeth dropped into the chair by Jason’s desk, crossed one leg, and folded her arms. “I can’t believe he dragged me all the way down here so he could plead Sam’s case. My God. The arrogance—” She met Jason’s gaze as he leaned back against the desk. “But it probably looked familiar to you.”

“Trying to save Sam from a situation she created? Unfortunately.” Jason shook his head. “I didn’t want it to be like this. I really—I tried so hard to keep Jake and Danny from going through any of this. I never wanted them to dragged through the system the way Sonny and Carly did to their boys—”

“You didn’t start this, Jason,” Elizabeth said gently. “You did everything Sam wanted, and it was never enough—”

“I did start this,” he interrupted. “I—” He paused. “I took for granted that Jake and Danny would be okay without him. Because they had mothers who loved them. I convinced myself I couldn’t bring anything to their lives that wasn’t violence. That my life would destroy them if I was around all the time.” He got to his feet, paced to the door, then to the other side of the office. “I told myself it would be enough to be there when you asked for me. I came running any time you did,” he said, looking at Elizabeth. “I looked for reasons to help.”

“I know.” Elizabeth rose, but didn’t come towards him. “You’ve always done that.”

“I told you—when I told you that day that I couldn’t be with you and Jake—and Cam—I never meant to be with anyone else,” he told her. “I didn’t mean to make that a lie.” She sighed, looked away. “I’m sorry—”

“You’re allowed to want something in your life, Jason. And honestly—” Elizabeth tilted her head to the side, smiled faintly. “I’m not surprised it was Sam. She was a lot like Carly, you know? They both create disasters that you have to fix. Over and over again. I watched you repeat that cycle again and again, and I knew that I could never give you want you needed—”

“That’s—”

“I never wanted you to save me,” Elizabeth said softly. “I never needed or wanted it. And I wasn’t ever going to put myself in danger just to get your attention. I watched you do that with Courtney, and then I watched you do it with Sam. You just said it, Jason. You don’t think you have anything else to offer, so you couldn’t be happy with someone who didn’t need you to be the hero.”

He swallowed hard, but it was hard to argue with the way she’d put that together. He looked away. “I’m not proud of that—”

“I don’t think you did it on purpose, Jason. And I didn’t see it then. Not until much later, until after Jake was kidnapped by the Russians, and he nearly died. You blamed yourself. You decided it was your life that had brought him to that point. Not Lucky or Sam who got in over their head. Not me who didn’t listen to you and put myself and the boys in danger because I was so scared. You couldn’t see it logically. Because you decided a long time ago that your legacy was pain and violence.”

“It is—”

“Part of it. You worked for Sonny for a very long time,” she said and now she approached him. “And that will always be part of you. But you forget how long I’ve known you,” she said. “You absolutely have tried to create a balance and put good in this world. You nearly died saving people in the hotel fire, you traveled halfway around the world to get the antidote for the virus—” She laid a hand on his chest. “More than either of his parents, when I see Michael, I see the warmth and compassion that he learned from you. And you’re bringing that to your sons, to Cameron and Aiden. I wish that you could believe that’s enough. That being good father, present and empathetic— that it’s enough.”

“I’m working on it,” he said, covering her hand with his.

“A lifetime ago,” Elizabeth said, meeting his gaze, “a bunch of doctors who thought they had all the answers told you that you were damaged. You’ve spent your entire life trying to prove them wrong. When will it be enough?”