Written in 60 minutes.

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Sonny scratched the edge of his brow, wincing as the guard closed the door leaving him alone with his surprise guest. “Uh, I thought we were avoiding each other until this was all over.”

“We are.” Jason’s eyes swept over the familiar space, though it looked very different than the last time he’d been inside the penthouse. “I told Wally at the front desk that I was here to see Sam.”

“Oh. Right.” Sonny frowned towards the door. “I never see her. Or the kids. Not that there are any over there anymore, so I guess I mostly forget she’s even there.” He focused on Jason. “What happened? Has to be something big if you’re taking the chance of coming to me directly. And might explain Carly’s visit earlier.”

“Carly?” Jason echoed. “What did she want?”

“Oh, she’s worried you’re going to do something stupid like confess to get Elizabeth out of these charges.” Sonny had already crossed to the mini bar and missed the wince that crossed Jason’s expression. “I’m not saying you wouldn’t do that, but we’re not even at the trial yet.” He turned, lifted a brow. “So what’s happening?”

“The FBI searched the boat house again. And the woods around it.” Jason walked towards the windows that overlooked downtown. “They found the fourth bullet.”

Sonny grimaced, poured himself a bourbon. “The one that will match the gun from the trunk definitively, I’m guessing.”

“Probably.”

“That’s…not great, but you had to know that was a possibility.” Sonny joined him at the window. “You’re still months away from trial. Anything could happen between now and then—”

“Elizabeth was let out on bail after being charged with the murder of a federal agent.”

“And with you as the custodian so they could keep you under tight surveillance.” Sonny sipped his drink. “I may not be talking to you, but I’m keeping my hand in to know what’s going on. It was a gamble for Diane to name you, but she knew the Feds would never be able to resist the chance to catch you or Elizabeth red-handed. What’s changed?”

“There’s nothing to catch us in. We’re innocent. I don’t know what the hell happened to John Cates,” Jason bit out. “Other than he was trying to set me up for something. The Feds aren’t getting what they want from her out on bail. The bullet changes her flight risk. The gun goes from consistent to —”

“An almost certain match.” Sonny’s mouth tightened. “You think they’ll file to revoke the bail and put her back in jail.”

“I think it’s a possibility. So does she. They moved her into federal custody, Sonny, when they could have left her in Port Charles for the bail hearing. They did it to isolate her from me, from the boys. From everyone. They wanted to scare her into flipping on me. And they went after Jake and Danny. Questioning neighbors, the school — Sam let them question Danny.”

“Probably felt like she had no choice with Dante involved.” Sonny set the tumbler back on the mini bar. “You think they’re back to their first plan. Isolating and scaring the crap out of her until she tells whatever she knows.”

“Yeah. The FBI wants blood for what happened to the Pikeman investigation, and I don’t think care much if it’s mine or Valentin’s anymore.” Jason waited a beat. “You said you’re keeping your hand in. Do you know anything that Diane or Spinelli wouldn’t? Something I can work with—”

“There’s nothing to know. There’s not,” Sonny insisted when Jason scowled. “I had Brick pull Cates’ files — you know, the ones the FBI refuses to turn over to Diane. I thought we’d find something in there I could, you know—” He wiggled his hand. “Slip to her in some sort of safe way. But Cates had a pretty normal caseload. We couldn’t find anything that would explain the way Elizabeth’s been set up.”

Jason’s brows drew together. “What? What does that mean?”

“It’s not just that someone shot the bastard, Jase. Someone shot him, then dumped the gun in Elizabeth’s trunk. And they did it within days of the murder. This isn’t someone who came to town and then watched everyone for a while to get the rhythm of things. Elizabeth isn’t an obvious target for a frame job. On paper, she’s mostly clean. That business with Esme Prince a few years ago — no one really knows all the details outside the inner circle. Most people think Cassadine threatened her into cooperating and that’s why she turned on him. Might be why the Feds think she’d turn on you. She had a long history with him, too.”

“Maybe, but—”

“You’re talking about someone who knows Elizabeth can be used against you. Now that? Sort of common knowledge. If you’re in our world. But who would know you and her are around each other enough that it makes sense you’d put the gun in her car? You only started seeing Jake and Danny regularly these last few weeks.”

“I—” Jason blinked. “I didn’t think about it that way.”

“I’ve been thinking about it since Carly showed up here earlier. Talking about how you’d confess to protect Elizabeth, and we both know that’s a choice you’re rolling around in your head. Because Carly and me watched you do it for Michael. And what you did to protect Carly.” Sonny picked up his drink again. “People who know you, Jason, they know you’ll put yourself on the line for the people who matter. But most of the world thinks you’re Jason Morgan, violent thug. Who thinks that putting a gun in Elizabeth’s trunk is going to get you to confess? Because that’s what they want. You to confess and close this case so people stop looking.”

Jason exhaled slowly, then sank onto the sofa. Put his head in his hands. “I knew before I came back if I got the chance, I wanted to be done with all of this. I wanted to be out. I threw away years with my boys because of this life. Because of the danger and violence. I threw away a life with Elizabeth for it.” He lifted his head, looked at Sonny. “I thought I was done. That I was out. But it’s just another kind of danger, isn’t it? Because the Feds are never going to leave me alone. We get Elizabeth out from under this, Pikeman’s still going to be out there. There’s always going to be someone who wants to use her, use my kids—” He grimaced looked away.

“Don’t do that. Don’t talk yourself into confessing to something you didn’t do because the Feds are corrupt bitches,” Sonny said flatly. “You’ll just piss me off. Elizabeth will never forgive you. You’re lucky she’s even given you a chance after all this time. And Jake and Danny? They’re not going to understand.”

“Jake needs his mother with him. And Danny—” Jason hesitated, then took a deep breath. “Sam will calm down. She’ll figure things out if I’m not around. She’s a better mother when I’m not—”

“Bullshit.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Jason shot back to his feet. “The choices I’ve made — they’re always going to follow me—”

“So fucking what?” Sonny demanded. “I’ll tell you what I should have told you twenty years ago if I’d had the chance. Those choices follow you — and the people around you, they get to decide if they want to sign up for that. You think Elizabeth doesn’t know exactly what she’s in for when she hooks up with you for the fifteenth time? The same woman who took on the whole world to save your worthless life when she was eighteen years old?”

“We have children—”

“Yeah. You do. Two great boys who love you, despite how hard you’ve tried to throw that away. And they get to decide if not having you around is what they want. You’re gonna stand there and tell me you think Danny is better off without you?” Sonny demanded.

“I don’t—no. But—”

“Elizabeth has had a thousand chances to walk away from you. She took some of them, sure. And sometimes it was about the danger around you. If she wanted out of this, she’d be out. If she wanted her freedom more than you, she knows plenty about you that the Feds would love to know. Don’t be an idiot, Jason.  Neither of us deserve any of the women in our lives. What does that have to do with anything?”

Quartermaine Estate: Garage Apartment

Trina checked her watch, then went over to look at the driveway leading up to the garage apartment. Cameron had told he was just going to look at the boat house, but he was taking his sweet time, and they were coming up on the time she was supposed to return Scout to the house.

She jolted when there was a knock at the door, and spun around, confused. No one had approached their building from the main house, so—

“Hey—” Willow’s head appeared around the door. “Sorry, it was open, and Drew told me you’d volunteered to look after Scout this morning. He just called because he has to cancel the afternoon meetings, and wanted me to grab her.”

Willow. Coming from the gatehouse behind the garage. Crap. Trina’s heart pounded as she forced herself to smile. “Oh, yeah, she’s um—”

“I don’t want to go back there!” Scout cried, leaping up from behind the sofa where she and Danny had dropped down at the knock on the door. “You can’t make me!”

“Why are you—” Willow frowned, then took a few steps forward and grimaced. She closed the door. “Danny. I can see the top of your head.”

Danny slowly rose to his feet, gripping the back of the sofa. “You can’t tell Drew I was here.”

“I—”

“You can’t make me go with you. Especially if you’re going to tell on me,” Scout cut in before Willow could say anything. “I won’t go.”

Sensing disaster was imminent, Trina stepped between Willow and the younger children. “Hey. Can we talk in the hallway for a minute—”

“I—”

“Great.” Trina took Willow’s arm and because the older woman was taken by surprise, Trina was able to steer her backwards, yanking the door open.

“Trina, what are you doing with Danny here?” Willow hissed when Trina had closed the door. “Drew was very clear that he didn’t want Scout to be around—”

“Her brother? Her stepbrother? Come on, Willow. You and I both know he’s just trying to save face. He doesn’t want anyone to connect him to bad things, which is wild since I remember the time he was cosplaying a mob enforcer.” Trina folded her arms. “You can’t tell him.”

“He deserves to know what’s going on with his daughter—”

“Danny used to be his kid, too. Did you know that? No, because you weren’t really around back then. I was,” Trina added. “When Drew was acting like a real person. Even after he found out about the memory switching, and Jason was back, Drew loved Danny and Jake like they were his own kids. And then his plane went down, and he came back like a zombie. Okay? Danny’s not just some stranger off the street. Drew raised him. For years.”

Willow swallowed hard. “I — I hadn’t thought about that. It seems like a lifetime ago—”

“Because you were an adult when it happened. Danny was three when Drew found out he was supposed to be Jason. And then seven when Drew disappeared in that plane crash. Scout’s age. Can you imagine how Danny feels with the way Drew walks around talking about him? Like he’s some kind of dangerous animal who’s gonna hurt his sister. Danny’s made mistakes, Willow. Does that mean he doesn’t get to have his sister in his life?”

Willow nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay. All right. I won’t say anything. But Scout has to come with me or Drew will have questions, okay? We can’t have him wondering why when he knows how much Scout usually enjoys hanging out with her cousins.”

“All right, fine. Thank you. This sucks for everyone. All I’m trying to do is make it a little better.”

Bobbie’s Diner: Dining Room

Jake snagged the brown bag with his order from the counter and turned, only to wish he’d gone anywhere else for lunch. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Jake.” Sam stepped up to the counter, nodded at the waitress who went in the back to pick up her order. “I—I’m glad we ran into each other.”

Jake squinted, considered all the responses that sprang to his lips and decided this wasn’t really the best time for any of them. “That makes one of us. Excuse me—”

“Wait—” Sam snagged his arm, and Jake twisted out of her grasp. “Please. I just—I wanted to check on Danny—”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have been such a bitch when you had your visitation,” Jake said, turning to face her. “Actions have consequences, you know. That’s my mother always says. You know my mother, right? You tried to have her arrested last week?” he continued, enjoying the way Sam closed her eyes, wincing. “Yeah, karma’s a bitch, I know. Can I go now—”

“I’m sorry. I am. I wasn’t thinking when any of that happened, okay? I didn’t think about your mother’s case—”

“Why do you think I care what you have to say?” Jake demanded. He stepped closer to her. “You don’t like me. I always knew that, by the way. You hated me. Now we don’t have to pretend anymore.”

“I never hated you,” Sam insisted. “Please. Not you. You’re a good kid. You are. And you’ve been a good brother to Danny. You know that I believe that or I would have done more to keep you apart. It’s just—”

“My existence,” Jake finished, and Sam winced again. “You hate the fact that I exist. Which is an insane thing to say to me after seventeen years. You think that matters. That you  hate the idea of me, and not the person. Maybe it helps you sleep at night, I don’t know. But you’re the one that has to live with that, not me. I’m just sorry for Danny.”

“I love him—”

“You love the idea of him,” Jake corrected, almost sarcastically. “The miracle baby you always called him, right? The one you weren’t supposed to have, your chance to be a mother. Because that’s all that matters to you. Being a mother. Not Danny. But don’t worry about him, Sam. Because I’m going to be here for him. Me, my brothers, and when we figure out how to make it happen, we’ll be there for Scout, too. Because Danny knows who you are now.” He smirked. “Good luck with that.”

Webber House: Living Room

The house was empty when Cameron and Danny returned early that afternoon. “I don’t know where your dad is,” Cam said, dropping his keys on the table. “But Jake’s out getting lunch, so you think you can stay out of trouble for a little while? I’ve got some work to do upstairs.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to get homework done before I go back on Monday,” Danny said, following Cameron towards the stairs. “You sure you don’t want your room—”

“Nah, man, I told you.” They reached the landing on the third floor. “I don’t mind sharing with Jake right now. You need your space. Get your work done. I’ll talk to you later.”

When Danny had disappeared into Cameron’s room, Cameron snagged his laptop from the charger and sat on Jake’s bed.

He flexed his fingers and then pulled up his email account.

Dear Dr. Bernstein,

I am writing to let you know I will be missing class on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Some family business came up while I was home, and I need to stay longer. Can you tell me who I should contact in the event that I need to take a longer absence from classes?

+39

Written in 71 minutes.

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Webber House: Stairwell

are we all set

On the third floor, Cameron sat on the top step, and sent the text, hoping that it wasn’t too early. Then again, this was Trina who was usually up by dawn—

operation reunification is officially on but you gotta be here before 10 drew’s supposed to have new nanny interviews at 1 and i promised to have scout back up at the house do not get me evicted.

please everyone in that house hates that man they’ll probably throw you a parade.

Trina didn’t reply with words, but sent him an emoji that had him grinning. At least there were some people in Port Charles he could still count on. She’d worked her magic to steal Scout away from the main house for a few hours — and Cameron had his excuse to head over to the Quartermaines.

He had his own reasons for wanting to help Danny, though he mostly did want to see the kid reunite with his sister. He knew what it was like to be apart from his brother, and those years without Jake couldn’t be easily fixed.

He responded to Trina’s emoji, then started to stand — but then heard a door on the floor below him open and close — and voices that weren’t Aiden’s heading towards the stairs.

“I don’t know what else we can do,” his mother was saying, and Cameron had to edge closer to the railing to hear the rumble of Jason’s voice responding — he didn’t have years of eavesdropping to rely on where Jason was concerned.

“I’m going to….Spinelli.”

“I thought you called him last night.”

Cameron crept down one step, careful to keep close to the wall so that he’d remain out of view of his mother and Jason, but might be able to hear them better.

“I did,” Jason replied. “And he didn’t really have anything. But maybe—”

“I know you’ve been trying to keep your distance, but maybe—there’s nothing Sonny knows?”

There was some silence, and Cameron crept down another step. What was the deal with Sonny, he wondered, and had Jason really stopped working for the guy? It seemed almost impossible.

“I haven’t talked to him since this started. He didn’t know anything then—but maybe—”

“I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do—”

“No, no. You’re right. Spinelli needs to stay clean. I can’t just sit around and wait for Tuesday.”

The voices moved and Cameron realized they were going downstairs. He nearly followed them, but he felt glued to the step, the wood seeping through the sweatpants he’d worn to sleep.

Tuesday was his mother’s next court date. The motion to dismiss that didn’t seem like it was going to dismiss anything. And his mother’s tone had seemed a bit more…anxious than the last time she’d spoken about any of this.

But maybe his mother had been doing what she’d always done best. Put on a brave  front to pretend everything was just fine.

What were they so worried about on Tuesday?

Penthouse: Living Room

“You’re the last person I expected today,” Sam said, stepping back to let Dante into the living room. “I thought…unless—” she closed the door, then turned to face him with dread. “Are you here to pick up more of your things?”

“No. I mean, not unless—” Dante folded his arms, then sat on the arm of the sofa. “I thought we should talk after taking a few days to….sort things out.”

Sam tipped her head, squinted her eyes. “Sort things out? Is that what we were doing?”

“I don’t know. I’m not really sure how to describe anything that’s happened in the last few weeks. The last few months.” Dante scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I know what happened between Rocco and Danny screwed things up for you in court—”

“I’d done myself no favors going into those hearings, and you know that. I…” Sam pressed her lips together. “I knew I was falling into those old, awful habits — into that mindset where I had to compete with Elizabeth to be the best—” She blew out a frustrated breath. “It was like watching a horror movie, and starring in it all at the same time. I could see myself going over the edge, and losing it, and not being able to stop it. Even now, knowing that’s what I was doing —” She made a face. “As long as Danny’s in her house, I’m not even sure I’ll be able to stop myself now.”

“I understand that—”

Sam just shook her head. “You say that, but we both know you don’t. I don’t even understand it. I don’t need to compete with her. She doesn’t have anything I want.  I need you to believe me when I say that — I don’t want to be with Jason. I don’t love him anymore, and I don’t miss the person I was with him. The live we had together. I don’t, Dante.”

“I do believe you—”

“And I don’t—” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s a better mother than me—”

“She’s been a mother longer than you, Sam. Cameron is almost ten years older than Danny. She’s had three teenagers. You’ve just had Danny. I’ve only had Rocco,” Dante reminded her, and Sam smiled faintly. “It’s experience. She’s got it, and we don’t.”

“That—” Sam brushed her fingertips against her mouth. “I hadn’t really thought about it that way. It doesn’t feel like I’ve done everything right with Danny. Every word, every choice, every idea we tried, it felt like the wrong one. And with Rocco—”

“We were in trouble before we even knew it. But that’s why I’m here. Rocco’s—he wants to come back.”

“Here?” Sam asked, her brows lifting. “You’re joking. He ran away from here—”

“It wasn’t about you. Not really. I mean, a little bit. But it was mostly me. I—I should have done more to help him get through what’s happened with Lulu. He’s messed up about that. And he resented you for keeping Danny from his dad when he sees Jason coming back as the miracle he doesn’t get to have with his mother. It just—it got out of control.” Dante got to his feet and came a few feet towards her. “But I think if we work together, we can get this back on track.”

“I just…” Sam bit her lip, shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t know. I don’t trust any choice I make right now. And the last thing I want to do is upset Rocco more.” Her eyes filled. “But I miss you. I miss all of you, and the life we thought we had. I don’t know if we can get it back, but God, I want to try. Can we please—can we please try?”

Dante’s thumb brushed her jaw as he cradled her face. “We’re going to have something better. I promise. I’m not letting go of you or the family I know we can have.”

Quartermaine Estate: Garage Apartment

Trina pulled the door open even as Danny raised his hand to knock, and then a small body barreled past her.

“Danny!” Scout clung to her brother, and Danny dropped to his knees to hug her more tightly.

“Okay, maybe we get through the doorway so we can keep this quiet,” Cameron said, edging around the pair. He flashed a grin at Trina. “Still the best friend a guy could ask for.”

“You know me,” she said, hugging him. “I’d do anything for you. Even if it’s slightly illegal.”

“Thank you,” Danny said, standing up, and holding his sister’s hand, gripping it tightly. “This is really—” He dropped his eyes, but his voice sounded a little thick. “This is seriously the best. I needed—” He stopped, shook his head.

Scout leaned against her brother. “I missed you,” she told him. “I want to go home. Can we go home now?”

“Not yet,” Danny said. He led her over to the sofa, helped her to sit down. “I got into some trouble, and it got a little crazy. So we can’t go home yet. But I promise you. We’ll figure out how to see each other more.”

Still by the door, Trina looked at Cameron with slightly worried eyes. “I’m not sure I can make this happen a lot. If Drew caught me—”

“He can’t do anything to you—”

“You think that, but he’s running for political office. And he’s, like, winning in the polls for some reason,” she added. “You might not think that carries weight, but it might. We might need to think of other ways. Or maybe a lawyer. Can’t there be some kind of demand for visitation? It seems so crazy they can just separate siblings like this.”

“I thought about talking to Drew,” Cameron admitted, “but Jake told me he’s like a different man. Not the guy we knew when we were younger.”

“He’s cold. And harsh. Unforgiving. Which is why I wanted to help you get Danny and Scout in the same room.” Trina looked back at the pair. “I don’t have siblings, but I’d like to think if someone was trying to keep me apart from them, I’d do whatever I could to stop it.” She returned her gaze to Cameron. “You’d never let Drew stop you from seeing your brothers.”

“No, I wouldn’t. We’ll think of something, Treen.” He hesitated. “I’ll be back in a little bit. There’s something I wanted to take care of while I was here. You’re okay with them?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll text you if we need to do a quick get away.”

Harborview Towers: Corinthos Penthouse

Carly made a face as she breezed through the front door. “Have I ever told you I hate what you’ve done with this place?”

“Repeatedly.” Sonny turned away from the windows and sighed. “You know, I have guards for a reason—”

“Please.” Carly tossed her bag on the sofa, and folded her arms. “I want to know what you’re doing to get this stupid case dismissed.”

“Case?” Sonny tilted his head. “What case?”

“No, don’t do that—” Carly pointed a finger at him. “Don’t pretend that I’m stupid. I’m doing everything I can to help Jason, but he’s not asking me for very much, so I need you to give me something to do or at least tell me you’ve got something that will help—”

“Uh, I hate to disappoint you—well, that’s not true,” Sonny corrected. “It’s my favorite hobby—”

“Sonny.”

“I’m not doing anything.” Sonny sat on the sofa. “Jason made it very clear that he needs any evidence to be completely clean and above board. I can’t get involved—”

“Oh, bullshit. Since when have you taken orders from Jason?” Carly erupted.

“About the same time you started listening when he tells you to stay out of his business. Looks like we’re both trying out some new ideas.”

She pressed her lips together, counted to ten, then planted her hands on her hips. “Do you understand that the FBI doesn’t want Elizabeth, they want Jason? Please tell me you know that.”

“I do. And they have no evidence against him—”

“No, they just have Elizabeth’s freedom dangling over him like a goddamn carrot. Just like they did with me. What dumb thing did Jason do to get me out of trouble even when I didn’t know or want him to?” Carly demanded. “The Feds want him to confess to get her out of this. They want Jason’s head on a pike. Just like whoever put that damn gun in her car.”

Sonny went still. “What?”

“Please,” Carly snorted. “No one wanted to frame Elizabeth Webber for murder. But Jason’s got a playbook with this sort of thing, you know? Michael went to jail, Jason confessed to protect him. I got himself into trouble, Jason played dead to work for the Feds. Everyone knows Jason sacrifices himself for the people around him. The Feds know it because they’ve already done it. So whoever did this to Elizabeth is after Jason. And we need to stop him before he does something stupid like confess to a crime he didn’t commit.”

Sonny exhaled slowly, then rose to his feet, looking a bit shaken. “You’re right. Who—whoever did this had to know Jason would sacrifice his own freedom to keep Elizabeth out of jail.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “But that doesn’t change what you and I need to do.”

“What?” Carly’s hands fell to her sides. “Sonny—”

“Jason asked us to stay out of it. He’s trusting Diane, and we’ve never had a reason not to trust her either, have we?” he asked, pointedly. Carly grimaced, then shook her head. “So we stay out of it.”

“Oh, okay, easy for you to say. You didn’t even miss Jason when he was gone. You don’t even miss him now. But I did and I’m not going to sit around while someone is trying to destroy his life. Shame on you, Sonny, for not having Jason’s back when he needs you the most.”

She yanked up her bag, then stalked towards the door. When it slammed, Sonny released a shaky breath and shook his head.

Of course. Whoever had done this wanted it to go away quietly. And what was more quiet than a confession and a closed case?

But it couldn’t be — it couldn’t have happened the way he’d feared. It wasn’t possible.

It couldn’t be.

Quartermaine Estate: Boat House

How many times had he come to the lake, Cameron wondered, standing just beyond the door, staring at wood, still stained dark with the blood of the man his mother was accused of murdering.

They hadn’t done anything to remove the staining, and after nearly a month, it would be impossible. Maybe the Quartermaines would rip the deck out when this was all over—

“They released the crime scene this week.”

Cameron turned and saw Joss coming out of the woods, down the pathway from the garage house. He said nothing as she approached, climbed up the steps.

“They had tape here until the FBI came and searched again. I guess—” Joss folded her arms. “I guess they didn’t have a reason to hold on to it anymore.”

Cameron just shook his head and started to walk past her, but she caught his arm.

“Is it always going to be like this, Cam?”

He turned, looked at her, searching her eyes for any hint of the girl he’d grown up with, fallen in love with, the one who had broken him into bits and crushed them into the ground.

And found no evidence she’d ever existed. “What did you expect, Joss?”

She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know — but it’s been almost two years —”

“Yeah, it has.” He gently lifted her hand from his arm, then dropped it. “Which means I don’t think about you anymore. You should understand that better than anyone.”

She huffed. “What does that mean?”

“You stopped thinking about me a long time ago, Joss. At least I can say I waited until we broke up to get into bed with someone else.” He lifted his brows. “I don’t even think you bothered to shower between us.”

His head snapped hard to the side, his cheek stinging from where her hand had struck it.  He touched the skin, then looked at her, smiled faintly. “Nothing ever changes for you, does it, Josslyn? I come here to see the place that’s destroying my mother’s life and you’re looking for, what? Closure? Redemption?” He smirked. “You’re still the star of the show. But I’m done buying tickets.”

+40

Written in 60 minutes.

Friday, September 27, 2024

Bobbie’s Diner: Kitchen

Danny set the plastic tub of dishes on the counter with a grunt, and made a face at Carly standing by the walk-in freezer, making notes on a clipboard. “Are you sure there’s nothing else I can do? This is disgusting.”

“Everyone starts as a bus boy,” Carly said not even lifting her eyes. “Even Joss.”

“Ugh.” Danny unloaded the dishes into the dishwasher, then rinsed the rub. “Don’t you, like, own a huge hotel? You don’t have to baby sit me here.”

“I had to run inventory anyway, and, from what I’ve heard—” Carly finally looked at him, smirked. “You could use some supervision. I told your dad I’d keep you out of trouble and I owe him more than I ever repay, so—”

“He was gone two years because of you,” Danny interrupted flatly, and Carly closed her mouth. “You’re the reason the FBI forced him into that deal. My mom told me.”

Carly didn’t respond right away, and Danny shifted his weight slightly. He hadn’t meant to say anything — hadn’t really known he was going to bring it up at all. But it was out of his mouth now, and in the world, so there really wasn’t anything he could do about it.

She laid the clipboard down on the shelf, carefully capping the pen she’d used, then looked at him, her eyes calm and steady. “There’s truth in that statement. I made a mistake, and the FBI used that as leverage against your father. I didn’t ask him to. I didn’t know he had done it. Like you, Danny, I thought Jason was dead, too. And when I found out what he’d done, I was furious. He had no right to do that to all of us. Did your mother tell you that part? That she was the one to tell me?”

Danny pressed his lips together, dropped his eyes. “No,” he muttered.

“No, because that doesn’t serve her narrative. You should know that by now. Sam never tells the full story. Not when it does serve the one she made up in her head.” Carly tipped her head. “Your father and I have known each other for a long time, and he’s always been someone I can to turn to. Someone I can depend on, almost without question. Even when I’ve done something that might be unforgivable, Jason never turned his back on me. It’s a gift to have someone like that in your life. But it’s also a responsibility to have someone who loves you like that. I didn’t respect it. And I abused it. And somewhere along the line, Jason decided it was his job—his responsibility to save me. To save my kids. He shouldn’t have taken the deal, Danny. He knows that.”

She waited, and when Danny said nothing, she continued. “But he would have done it for anyone he loved it. He put himself on the line over and over again for the people around him. For me, for Sonny, our children. For your mother. For Elizabeth. And all of us abused that relationship at some point.” Carly sighed. “I can’t go back and be a better friend to your dad, Danny. I wish I could. But all I can do is be one today. He asked me to keep an eye on you, and that’s what I’m going to do. Table 3 needs to be cleared.”

Highway 481

There was nothing but road stretched ahead of them, trees bordering the two lane highway, with a patch of grass separating the north and south routes. It was now the third time Elizabeth had taken this drive towards Syracuse — and one she would need to repeat every Friday until this nightmare was over.

“I’m trying not to think about what they find at the Quartermaines,” Elizabeth said, breaking the silence she and Jason had fallen into when they’d left the city limits of Port Charles. “Diane doesn’t think we have to worry about Tuesday, but—” She sighed, looked back out the window. “It’s hard not to.”

“If Diane thought there was a real risk they’d move to vacate your bail—” Jason’s fingers tightened reflexively on the wheel. “She’d tell us.”

“Would she? She’s spent all this time telling us both not to think about this. To let her and Spinelli work, and I’m trying. I am. But—”

“You’re not a flight risk. The same reasons they gave you bail still stand. And Diane said — they wanted you out here so they could get at me—”

“But they’re not getting anything from you,” Elizabeth interrupted, and he sighed. “That only works if there’s something to know. We know nothing. I don’t even know where Spinelli is getting his information.  Or if he knows everything. What if they found something else-”

“What else can they find? You didn’t do it.”

“That doesn’t seem to make a difference so far. All the evidence points right at me,” Elizabeth retorted. “I’m even the height of the shooter—”

“You have an alibi.”

Elizabeth let her head fall back against the seat, and closed her eyes. “People with alibis get convicted all the time. I just…I’m sorry. Ever since we talked to Spinelli, I feel like this—” Her throat felt tight, and she had to force the words. “I feel like there’s this weight on me, like I’m choking, and if I have to back to that jail—I can’t decide if the isolation is better or worse than being with everyone else.”

Jason didn’t respond, but she felt the SUV pick up speed, and she looked over, saw the tension in his expression. “I’m sorry. This is the worst time to have this conversation. I shouldn’t have said anything—”

“No, it’s—” Jason glanced at her quickly before focusing back on the road. “You get to feel however you feel. I’m not telling you how to feel. I just—you’re right. Reynolds put you into federal custody to put pressure on me and the boys, thinking that would make you flip. And they’re not getting what they want having me under surveillance. I’m not working for Sonny, so I can’t offer them anything.”

“They might think it’s worth going back to their first plan. Making me so miserable that I’ll turn state’s witness.” Elizabeth dragged a hand through her hair. “I know trusting Diane is the right thing to do. But I hate not being able to do anything to get myself out of this. And I know this is probably driving you insane, too.” A smile flitted on her face as she studied his profile. “You’re probably itching for someone to punch.”

But Jason didn’t seem to be in the mood to be teased. “I’m going to find a way to make all of this go away, I promise.”

She didn’t have the heart to remind him that it wasn’t something he could control. So she settled for reaching over, laying a hand over one of his on the steering wheel. He released the wheel, brought her hand to his mouth, and kissed the inside of her palm.

“In a few hours, we’ll be done in Syracuse and picking Cam up at the airport,” he reminded her. “And we can go back to ignoring all of this.”

“Sounds like a great plan.”

Penthouse: Living Room

“Hey, stranger,” Molly greeted, breezing past her sister to drop a brown paper bag on the coffee table. “I brought some lunch.”

Sam closed the door and tried to smile. “Found some time in your busy schedule? Aren’t you supposed to be fighting the U.S. government?”

Molly looked down, then sighed. “Well, not anymore. I…recused myself from the case.”

Sam frowned, tilted her head. “What? Why?” Then she grimaced. “Because of me, right? What happened last week? The same reason Dante pulled out.”

“Partly,” Molly said. She folded her arms. “Honestly, none of us were really the best choices to take on this case. We’re all related to the witnesses in the case, and no matter how hard we tried to keep it clean, it was always an issue. But no one was willing to fight—now Robert’s ready to step up, and Chase has the most distance.”

“I guess. It’s not like you to walk away from a fight,” Sam said, sitting on the sofa and reaching for the bag.

“It’s more important that justice gets done than for me to be the one to do it. I trust Robert.” Molly sat next to her sister. “And I feel awful that I haven’t been here for you.”

“Not much you could have done,” Sam said, peeling off the lid from her salad. “Wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“Maybe. But I just—I’ve been avoiding being anywhere Kristina is, and she’s been..glued to your side for the last week.” Molly avoided Sam’s gaze, busied herself with ripping a corner from the packet of salad dressing and drizzling it over her own salad. “Mom promised to keep Kristina occupied today.”

“Mol, you know…you know I’m not taking sides by spending time with Kristina,” Sam told her sister. “It’s not like that—”

“I know. And I really don’t want to talk about any of that—”

“We won’t. I just—” Sam sighed. “I’ve been really selfish. More than I normally am,” she added and Molly smiled faintly. “I know you feel like Mom and I have been more on Kristina’s side with all of us, and I can’t speak for Mom, but I promise you I’m not. I don’t like how she’s handled any of this. But she was…scaring me for a while,” Sam admitted. “And I guess I was worried she’d fall back into some old habits. You know?”

“Trusting the wrong people, getting herself into trouble, I know. The last time she was like this, she hooked up with a cult leader,” Molly replied. “And none of us really pushed to stop that until it was too late. I get it, you and Mom are trying to keep her from going off the rails again. I understand, Sam—”

“That doesn’t make any of this fair to you. At all. I shouldn’t expect you to sit around and be rational because Kristina can’t be.” Sam laid a hand on her sister’s forearm. “I’ve been where you both are. Losing a child you desperately wanted just before they come into the world. Never getting to hold them, to feel the heartbeat—” She stopped, and now Molly reached for her sister’s hand, squeezed it. “Wondering what could have been, wishing it could be different, trying to find someone to blame, it can drive you insane, Mols. And it never goes away. Never. You cling too hard to the people around you, desperate to keep them loving you, destroying yourself, hurting people.”

Molly looked down, but not before Sam caught the sheen of tears in her sister’s eyes. “And you never get over it, not really. You put it in a box, and you try not to think about it. But it comes back. I got to be a mother, you know. I got my miracle babies, and I clung too hard.  I was so desperate to keep Danny and Scout with me that I—” She swallowed hard. “That I went a little crazy. And every time someone or something threatens to take them away, I lose it.”

“Mom’s going to get them back, Sam. You and Mom are going to do what the court told you, and it’s going to be okay—”

“Custody, sure. I’ll get it back. But I can’t fix what I’ve already done. How I’ve already hurt my son.” Sam swiped at her cheek. “But I’m watching you and Kristina deal with the same horror I went through all those years ago, and I hate that I can’t fix it. I can’t make Kristina look past her own pain, or find a way to make you feel safe enough to trust me with yours. Because you won’t. I know it.”

“Sam—”

“And you’re not even wrong to feel that way. Because over and over again, Mom and I put Kristina first. Or Mom’s put me first. So you taught yourself not to need any of us. I’m sorry, Mols. I  can’t—” Sam’s smile was wobbly. “I can’t fix that. I can’t really do anything to help anyone.”

“There’s nothing that can fix this, Sam. I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk about Kristina anymore, please. Can we just—can we eat lunch and just not talk about any of it?”

Bobbie’s Diner: Dining Room

By the afternoon, Danny was miserable. His arms were aching, his feet were burning, and he’d loaded and unloaded the dishwasher so many times he wanted to rip out the cords.

So when Joss and Trina came in after their classes, with laughter and happiness, Danny wanted to throw plates at them.

“Ah, the rite of passage here at Bobbie’s,” Joss said with a bright smile, coming around the counter to pour herself and Trina glasses of soda. “I don’t miss that at all—”

“I hate you,” Danny muttered, picking up another empty tub and heading towards the tables to clear the last of the after school rush.

Trina twisted on the stool as he came around the counter. “Hey, did you talk to Cam about tomorrow yet?”

Danny frowned, one hand lifting a plate in the air. “What?”

“Cam. He’s coming home this weekend,” Trina reminded him. “And he called me.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “It just so happens I snagged myself a babysitting gig tomorrow, so maybe I’ll see you around the estate.”

Port Charles Airport: Entrance Hall

Elizabeth held Cameron in a tight hug a moment longer than normal, letting herself remember when he’d been small enough to lift in her arms and cuddle against her. When had he grown so tall and strong? When had her little boy with the messy curls and sticky fingers become a man?

Cameron kissed the side of her head as she finally released him, then extended a hand to Jason to shake. “My brothers get into any more trouble this week?” he asked Mom. “Other than Jake and Danny getting themselves kicked out of school. Do I have to smack them around?”

“No, none that I know about anyway.” Elizabeth wound her arms through his. “But you know your brothers. There’s still time.”

+39

Written in 33 minutes.

Friday, September 27, 2024

Chase’s Apartment: Living Room

“I bring little in the way of news, good or bad,” Spinelli said, pulling the strap of his messenger back over his shoulder and setting it on the coffee table. “Some small pieces of movement. Diane finally won her motion to get the car data released to us at the same time the Feds get it, and I’m finally going to get neighbor security footage.”

“That’s good — I’ll check with Robert to make sure we’re copied on all of that.” Chase scribbled a note on a white board. “Getting that car data report to see when that trunk was open will be important.”

“For trial purposes, I need to do analysis to link the GPS records to the trunk records to prove the car was in front of Elizabeth’s house when the trunk was opened — and link with security footage of Kristina at the door.” Spinelli hesitated. “If that’s what happened. I still want to be wrong but it’s the only theory that makes sense.”

“And she’s the same height as Elizabeth, so the bullet trajectory would fit.” Chase turned to Spinelli. “I have an update of my own, but it’s one I need to ask you not to share with anyone, including Diane.”

Spinelli bristled. “What? Why?”

“It’s not illegal,” Chase added quickly, “but brushing on the side of ethics. Diane’s an officer of the court — she’d be bound by the bar to report what I’m about to tell you.”

“Okay,” Spinelli drew out slowly. “You’re the cop, so I’m going to hold you to that. What’s happened?”

“A source in the U.S. Attorney’s Office—” Chase handed Spinelli a folder. “Diane should get a copy of this report sometime next week, but I have the preliminary results of the FBI search today.”

“You have—” Spinelli jerked the folder open, scanned, then exhaled on a slow breath. “The fourth bullet. We half-expected it to be found—but what’s this? A broken heel?”

“The day of the shooting, when Elizabeth and the others came up from the crime scene,” Chase said, “Brook told me later that Elizabeth had broken a shoe running down to the boat house. She remembers it clearly, so she’ll be a good witness.”

“They found a heel between the gardens and the boat house—” Spinelli nodded. “So it supports Elizabeth’s story.”

“The government could still twist it, but when you factor in all the witness statements and Elizabeth’s alibi, it just makes it less likely a jury is going to throw out all the reasons Elizabeth couldn’t have done this.”

“Good for us, but—” Spinelli grimaced. “This says the bullet found is in good shape and should a candidate for testing.”

“I thought you expected that to match?”

“We did—and do. But Diane was able to argue bail because they didn’t have a match. It’s a weak case, so—”

Chase nodded, the realization dawning. “Low flight risk. You make the match to the gun, all of a sudden—”

“Elizabeth has a stronger case to run. Which means they can revisit bail. New evidence, new conditions—” Spinelli slid the folder into his bag. “Diane will have some time to prep, but this just makes it less likely we’ll win the motion to dismiss, and this nightmare is going to keep going. I’ll tell Diane it’s a confidential source for now. She won’t ask any thing else.” He paused. “Your source…you trust them?”

“For now.” Chase paused. “Spinelli, you might lose the motion to dismiss, but we are making progress. We’ve eliminated all the other suspected, we’ve made it but impossible for Elizabeth to have done this—all that’s left is proving who did it, and we’re finally getting those pieces next week. We’re going to fix this. I know it.”

Quartermaine Estate: Family Room

Olivia closed the double doors partially, leaving only a small opening where they could hear the sounds of a video game and voices from Rocco and Scout. She turned to Dante, her arms folded. “I’m not sure there are any right or wrong choices here, Dante. Every option hurts someone.”

“I know. I know.” He paced to the front door, then turned back. “I can’t go back in time and not leave, you know?”

“No, time travel isn’t one of the options.” Olivia tipped her head. “I’m sorry, honey. I feel like I’m not a lot of help. Other than somewhere to rest your head.”

“Just another place I’ve dragged Rocco to. You know, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Maxie needed the space, and we didn’t. I didn’t—I mean, I obviously knew it would be difficult for Rocco—”

“Don’t let the last few weeks overshadow everything that came before,” Olivia told him. “Rocco was happy. He was doing just fine with Sam, and he loved Danny and Scout. This—this all seemed to start last year.”

“When Danny’s grades started to go down.” Dante paused. “Sam was hard on him — she just wanted better for him, you know, but maybe—” He sat on the bottom step. “Maybe it was too much pressure, right? She wanted him to have more choices, more opportunities, not to throw away so many years like she did or Jason did, and Danny just couldn’t live up to it.”

“Rocco feels solidarity with Danny—they start drinking, smoking—” Olivia perched on the step next to him, crossing her arms on her lap. “And maybe it’s working to relieve some of that pressure, you know. Then Danny gets a miracle Rocco could only dream of.”

“He gets his dad back, and Sam won’t let Danny anywhere near him.” Dante looked at his mother. “Yeah, I guess that tracks. He talked about it a little bit. But knowing how we got here — it doesn’t really help to fix it, does it?”

“No—”

“What’s the hell is going on in here?”

The angry adult voice had both rising to their feet just a moment before Drew shoved the door open. “I thought I was very clear that I didn’t want my daughter anywhere near these delinquents,” he bit out.

Rocco came up behind him, his face flushed, eyes glittering. “Hey, don’t you have a felony on your record, asshole?”

Olivia arched a  brow. “Yeah, you said it, Drew. But you weren’t home, and left Scout in the care of whoever lives here. That’s me. And I said she could see him.” She lifted her chin. “Maybe we could take our case to Monica. I wonder how’d she’d feel.”

Drew grimaced, then looked at Rocco. “Stay away from Scout. Come on,” he told his daughter, taking her by the shoulder and lightly pushing her forward. Rocco started to step forward, but Dante was already crossing the foyer to stop his son from following.

“Not a battle we can fight or win today, kid. But he’ll get his. People like him always do.”

+38

Written in 72 minutes. The middle two scenes took longer than I wanted and then I had trouble ending the last scene. Anyway. Enjoy and see you tomorrow!

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Jake’s Car

Jake waited until they’d pulled out of the driveway for the Davis house before he spoke. “So, how’d it go?”

“Don’t be an asshole.”

“It’s just a question.”

“Whatever.” Danny stared out the window and was quiet until Jake had left the Forest Hills neighborhood, and waited for the light to change so he could make the turn down town. “You didn’t take long to pick me up.”

“Yeah, well—I knew your visit was today, so when I decided to get a coffee after school, I went to the place in your grandmother’s neighborhood. I had a feeling.”

“Oh, so you’re a psychic now?”

“No. I just know you. And I know how we’re alike.” Jake made a turn into a parking lot, then switched off the ignition. “Part of you really wanted to go today. You haven’t seen your mom more than once in almost two weeks and that’s weird for you. You thought you’d go in, and somehow your mom would be all fixed, and it would make sense.”

Danny said nothing, kept his face turned towards the window.

“But you’re also still really pissed your mom put you in this situation. Because if she keeps her hands off my mother, she doesn’t lose the hearing, and maybe you’re back home living there. I went to get a coffee and figured worst case scenario, I’d waste twenty minutes of my life.”

“I picked a fight.” Danny looked at Jake. “It was weird, and it was awkward. Then she started talking about what other people were telling me, and I—I didn’t want to hear it. She thinks Dad and Elizabeth and you just sit around all the time trying to tell me how much my mother sucks and what an evil woman she is—and it’s just not like that. It never was.” He shook his head. “No, once I figured out how much she really hates you and your mom, it all got really clear, you know? She thinks your mom is manipulating me, using me to look good with Dad or something. She can’t even pretend there’s a chance Elizabeth just gives a damn.”

Jake exhaled slowly, stared out the windshield for a beat. “Because she wouldn’t cross the street to help me, even if I were dying.”

“Yeah. I told Grandma that, you know, and I could see her realizing it, too. Maybe she thinks it just about Mom hating Elizabeth because whatever dumbass thing happened back before we were born which I don’t care about. I just don’t. I care about what kind of person my mother is, and it turns out it’s a really shitty one.”

Jake sighed. “Danny, she’s not the worst—”

“She’s not in the top ten maybe, but she’s on the list. Whatever. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Can we just go? I just want to go home.”

Port Charles Municipal Building: Mayor’s Office

“Well, it doesn’t really matter what I think does it?” Laura asked, rounding her desk and reaching for her reading glasses. She peered up at Dante. “You didn’t want to move out in the first place, and Rocco’s giving you the heads up to do that.”

Dante gripped the back of the chair he stood behind. “That’s not fair.”

“Don’t talk to me about fair, Dante. My grandson is tearing apart with guilt because he wants something to change with his mother. For her to wake up or die — this living between—” She gripped the glasses more tightly. “My family went through it for years, but they had no choice but to go on. To keep living. I woke up to my daughter all but grown up, my husband had married someone else, and my sons were nearly unrecognizable to me. Rocco is destroyed, and the only spark he’s had since coming to stay with me is doing something for Scout, and it’s barely a blip. He’s crying out for help, and you’re looking at me for permission to move back in with your girlfriend.”

“Laura—”

“What? Does the truth hurt? Here’s some more.” Laura pushed back, got to her feet. “That girlfriend? Nearly got herself arrested for assaulting my daughter-in-law in front of a child. Her own child! And you think I want to put Rocco anywhere near that?”

Danny exhaled slowly. “I know. I know. Sam went too far—”

“Too far was the day you walked out on my daughter and Rocco to chase ghosts for the WSB. When instead of fighting to stay by her side and be healthy, you chose to leave again. I don’t know why I’m surprised. They say daughters marry their fathers, and you’re proving to be same feckless, useless man Luke was by the time I saw him last.”

Dante dropped his gaze from Laura’s burning blue eyes, the shame and guilt crawling through him. There were no lies in her statement. He’d left Lulu and Rocco, turned his back on their family, and by the time he’d been ready to come home — Lulu had been moving on. And then she was gone.

“You’re right,” Dante said roughly. “You’re right. But no one’s perfect, are they?” He looked at his mother-in-law again. “Didn’t you spend a year trying to fix your grandson’s abuser? If you’d held the ground a little bit, do you think Spencer would still be alive?”

Laura inhaled sharply. “How dare—”

“I mean, if we’re going to blame each other for horrible things that happened to the people we love outside our control—let’s do it. What else can you make my fault? The explosion at the Floating Rib? Sure. The PTSD? Of course, I brought that on myself, didn’t I? You made Spencer live in the same home as the woman who slept with his father and conceived a child just so he could be with his brother. You had influence, Laura. You could have made sure Esme ended up in jail and lost custody of that boy. And didn’t you start the process that got Heather Webber, a killer out of jail?” Dante demanded. “Heather, who tried to kill your grandson’s girlfriend. Who did kill several other people—do we really want to keep listing the terrible things we’ve done, or can we get back to the point?”

Laura’s mouth was tight, her body tense. “Which is?”

“Rocco is in trouble, and I’m not equipped to solve it. Not on my own. Maybe it is a mistake to move back in with Sam, but this is the first sign he’s even thinking of someone else. I can’t just ignore what he’s asking me to do.”

“If your mind was already made up before you walked in here, why did you bother?” Laura demanded.

“I don’t know. To get your blessing. But I didn’t realize how much you disliked me, so—” he shrugged. “I guess I don’t actually care about it.  Thanks for letting my son stay with you. But I’ll be picking him up and taking him to my mother’s. At least he can see Scout there, and we’ll see if he still wants to go back to the penthouse. Have a nice day, Laura.”

Davis Home: Living Room

“Where’s Danny?” Kristina demanded, dropping the brown bag with their dinner on the table by the door, and hanging up her purse.

“Don’t ask,” Sam muttered, slumping down in the sofa. “You’ll just get Mom started again.”

At her desk, Alexis looked up and twisted to face her daughter. “Your tone suggests the first round wasn’t successful, so maybe we need to do this again.”

Kristina came down the steps from the landing, her brow furrowed. “What’s going on?”

“It was a disaster, of course,” Sam said. She got to her feet. “And I don’t want to hear it, Mom. If you’re just going to yell at me, I can go home—”

“And sit alone? Go right ahead.” Alexis arched a brow. “Danny is a teenager with a rotten attitude who hates the world and nearly everyone in it—”

“Not everyone, Mom—” Sam closed her eyes. “Just me.”

“Then maybe stop giving him reasons to be angry—”

“Mom!” Kristina said, her eyes widening. She stared as Alexis rose and came up the steps to pick up the dinner bag. “You can’t really blame Sam for all this—”

“I can. Because she’s the one who decided to walk out on Danny at the police station—”

“Here we go again—” Sam rolled her eyes and looked to the ceiling. “A list of my greatest sins—”

“Then you denied medical treatment when I told you that it was going to end badly—”

“I thought—”

“And if all of that wasn’t enough—” Alexis dropped the bag on the dining table with a crinkle of paper. “When Danny comes to see you, to try to mend the bridges — which means Jason was on the brink of dropping the custody suit—you assault Elizabeth and threaten to have her arrested for kidnapping!”

“I wasn’t—” Sam exhaled, looked away. “I wasn’t serious—”

“In front of Danny.”

“God, can we not do this—”

“All of that already happened,” Kristina interrupted her sister. “Why isn’t Danny here today? You were supposed to visit. He was here—”

“Danny baited her. Because of course he did. He’s angry at you, Sam. Did you think it was going away because it’s been a few days?” Alexis wanted to hear.

“You know, this wasn’t fun the first time—”

“And we’re doing it again because you aren’t listening. Danny has learned how much you hate his brother. You don’t get to unring that bell—”

“What does Jake have to do with this?” Kristina asked. “I don’t understand anything that’s going on. Can someone just start from the top—”

“It’s been bothering me, you know. Why this sudden turn on Elizabeth after years of civil, even bordering on friendly at times,” Alexis said, ignoring Kristina. Sam sighed, rubbed her temple. “Why you would be so sure that Elizabeth is manipulating Danny, trying to alienate him, and use him against you? I couldn’t understand it. But as soon as Danny pointed it out—”

“Mom, he’s fourteen—”

“You were never given an opportunity to be around Jake,” Alexis interrupted. “During the brief period you and Jason were together or when Drew was still living as Jason, Jake rarely had overnight visits. Jason must have always suspected how you felt, and kept him away.”

Sam’s eyes burned. “Mom.”

“Because you do hate him. Because he was conceived the night that you destroyed any chance you ever had of really being with Jason again—”

“Mom. Don’t—”

“What am I missing?” Kristina asked, looking back and forth between the women.

“He may have forgiven you for it, as I did. But only one of us truly let it go. He was never, in a million years, going to trust you again. Not after that. But you couldn’t blame yourself. You blamed an innocent child. You’ve never forgiven that child for being born or for not dying in that car accident.”

“That is a horrible thing to say!” Sam cried.

“I think we all need to take a big step back—”

But neither Sam nor Alexis were paying Kristina any mind. Alexis continued, her eyes on her eldest daughter. “You can’t imagine Elizabeth actually gives a damn about Danny. Not the child born to Jason after she thought Jake was gone forever. Not the child Jason had with you. How could Elizabeth not hate Danny? She can’t be trying to help him out of genuine kindness and compassion for her son’s brother. Because you never would. You haven’t come nearly as far as you think you have from that destructive, narcissistic woman who did the things you did that year. And I think you know very well what I’m referring to.”

Sam opened her mouth, then closed it, taking a shaky breath as she finally spoke. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I could ignore the way I felt about Jake. Jason forgave me many things, but he never forgot any of them. And he never let me near enough to Jake for it to matter.”

“And then Jason came back, when you were already having so much trouble with Danny. You thought you could keep them apart by sheer will, but Danny kept trying. You wanted to stop being the bad guy, so you tried to make Jake the villain. Go ahead, Danny. You can see your dad, but only with Jake.”

“Jake was supposed to refuse—”

“But he loves his brother. He loves him. And he dealt with it. He spent time with his father, and so did Danny. Another reason to hate that child. And his mother for forcing it. Because she must have, of course, you thought. You told me how many times.”

Sam closed her eyes, folded her arms around her torso, tears staining her cheek. “I just wanted to keep Danny safe. That’s all I wanted, and every time I turned around they were making it impossible. And now, I know you don’t believe it, but Elizabeth finally has a chance to get her revenge—”

“Because you took your chance to get revenge, you think she’s doing that, too. Again, Sam. You keep making the mistake that Elizabeth makes the same cruel decisions that you do.” Alexis pointed at Sam with both index fingers. “You walked out on your son, you refused to listen to him, and then you put him in danger and terrified him when you attacked his brother’s mother, and for all intents and purposes, his step mother. You did this, Sam. And it’s had a terrible domino effect that’s left you without both your children. Until you face that, until you can really take accountability for what you’ve done — you’ll keep making these choices. But I won’t stand by and watch.”

She turned and walked into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind her.

Shaken, Kristina looked at her sister. “What the hell is going on?” she demanded.

“I can’t—I just—” Sam shook her head, covered her face. “I’m going home. I have to get out of here.”

“Okay, but—” Kristina snatched up her purse. “Let me—let me drive you, okay? We’ll fix this, I promise.”

Webber House: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth cross-legged on the bed, flipping through her reminders on her phone’s notepad app. “I miss my old phone,” she muttered. “It had my schedule, and the boys, and it was so organized and all my passwords—”

Jason looked over, frowned. “I thought Cam was able to get the backup last week for you. We can call Spinelli—”

“I know. But this is a different phone, and that backup was old—never mind. Are you sure you don’t want to leave Danny here tomorrow while we drive into Syracuse?” she asked him. “He’s been here alone while we’ve gone to work—”

Jason closed the book he’d been reading and set it on the night stand. “I don’t know what happened today with Sam. He won’t talk about it.”

“Except that he doesn’t want another visit,” Elizabeth said.

“Which I don’t entirely trust Alexis or Sam not to push. Or Kristina,” Jason admitted. “I thought giving them the right to supervise would make things easier. I didn’t want to keep Danny from Sam more than I had to—”

“You don’t think one of them would show up here, do you?” The thought hadn’t occurred to her, and she tensed. “Alexis knows I have to go to probation on Fridays. I told her when I was at Diane’s office the other day. It came up,” she added when he frowned. “She’d know you have to go with me—”

“Which means Danny would be on his own,” Jason finished. “It’s not a perfect option,” he admitted. “But—”

Elizabeth slid under the bedspread and slid in closer to Jason, curling into his side. “But he’ll be miserable coming with us. I know because I’m going to be miserable until it’s over and I can pick up Cameron. There’s got to be a better option.”

“We can’t ask Jake to stay home—”

“No, but—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Maybe Michael? I know he’s at the office. Maybe Danny might want to go there. Or Carly. She’s always asking to help—” She lifted her brows. “You know, Danny’s old enough to get working papers. He can work limited hours. Cam started at Kelly’s—” she stopped, forced herself to correct. “Bobbie’s now. The diner. It might be good for him. It was good for me. It gave me a lot of structure. He might not want the diner. But maybe something else.”

Jason considered, then nodded. “I think he’s got too much time on his hands, which is how he got into so much trouble.” He kissed her forehead, his lips lingering. “It’s hard to remember to call it by the new name. Maybe because it was Kelly’s for so long. Or because I don’t like to think of Bobbie being gone. But I like the idea of Danny picking up some shifts there. Like you. Cameron. Joss worked there.”

“The family business. The legal one anyway,” Elizabeth added. He grinned, then pulled her closer, and they stopped talking at all.

+43