Got me second guessin’ everything you say
Thinkin’ that I know you, but you’re really a stranger
Doin’ what you gotta do to get your way
You’re reckless and selfish and you can’t help it
Say you’re talkin’ to me honestly
But you’re lyin’ to me constantly
All the bullshit, I don’t need it
And honestly, I don’t believe it
– Honestly, Gabbie Hanna

---

Fall 2014

Cassadine Island: Gardens

Nikolas shoved open the terrace door and stormed out into the garden that adjoined his study. He was irritated by his own mood, by the argument that his grandmother had baited him into, and by the sinking feeling that she was right.

He had dumped Spencer in a London boarding school and fled to Greece to lick his wounds, smarting from the humiliating one-two punch of trusting Britt Westbourne with any piece of his trust or heart and pushing Elizabeth away when she’d finally held out a hand to him.

Helena had told him to just go back to Port Charles and get himself together, but Nikolas wasn’t ready to go back to the place that held such terrible memories. Nothing had gone right in his life since he’d moved there as a teenager.

Since the love of his life had been coldly and brutally murdered at the hands of a psycho while Nikolas had been blacking out from the brain tumor that had nearly taken his life less than a year later. If he hadn’t held that ball, if he had listened to Emily about seeing a doctor—

Would she be here now?

He looked out of the vast grounds of his childhood home, the waves of the Aegean Sea crashing against the rocks on the shore. Would he and Emily have made their second marriage work?

Nikolas dragged his hands over his face, forcing himself to throw off the crushing weight when he thought of Emily. All these years later, and it still threatened to cut him at the knees. Would he never truly put her behind him?

Helena, for all her malice and cunning, was right. Nikolas was still running. He’d been running since the day Emily had died, since he’d cradled her limp body and rocked her, feeling her warmth drain away.

He turned and went back into the study, but Helena had left. Nikolas made a face and went into the hall. He snagged the elbow of a passing maidservant. “Excuse me,” he said in Greek. “Have you seen my grandmother?”

“Naí,” the woman said, nodding her head. She hesitated, and Nikolas waited for her to continue.

“Where is she?”

Flustered, the woman shook her head. “I cannot say. Madam—”

“Where did she go?” Nikolas asked again, narrowing his eyes. “My grandmother might live here full-time,” he said sharply, “but this is my house. Where is my grandmother?”

“The west wing,” the maid said, her voice timid. She scurried away when Nikolas released her arm.

The west wing. The part of the house he had closed off years ago when he’d taken control of the estate. His father had kept his mother there once. Why would—

Now Helena’s encouragement to return to Port Charles didn’t seem like the concerned insight of a grandmother but the warning of a villain.

She was hiding something.

Nikolas went up the sweeping staircase to the second floor and made his way through the hallways and adjoining stairs to reach the west wing. The last time he had been here, there had been dust and cobwebs, the furniture in the halls covered with protective covers.

It had been cleaned and scrubbed, the furniture revealed. And down the hallway, close to the master bedroom where Stavros had kept his mother hostage, Nikolas could hear voices.

“But I wanna go now.”

It was the voice of a child younger than his Spencer. A chill slithered down Nikolas’s spine. It sounded familiar.

“Not yet, my darling. I haven’t located your mother. You must promise me, poppet, that you will stay in your rooms while my grandson visits—”

Nikolas hurried down the hallway and thrust open the door to discover his grandmother sitting primly at a child-sized table while a blond-haired boy with familiar blue eyes turned to look at him.

His arms and limbs felt frozen, the chill spreading throughout his body. Nikolas stared at the little boy who had died three years earlier.

“Hi,” Jake Webber said with a sunny smile. “Are you Mrs. Cassadine’s grandson? Do you know me? She’s trying to find my mommy.”

Nikolas cleared his throat, slowly turned his head to look at his grandmother. Helena’s lips curved into a smile, and she lifted her chin.  “Ah, Nikolas. Tell young Jake that, unfortunately, we have not located his family.”

“I—” He couldn’t find the words, couldn’t make his brain cooperate. “What?”

“Oh.” Jake’s face fell, and he put his head in his hands, propping his elbows on the table. “Okay. Soon, though, right? You said I could go home soon.”

“I hope so, my darling.” Helena sighed. Stunning Nikolas, she lightly ruffled the boy’s hair, the affectionate gesture alien to him. “But I will see you later, darling. Do as Tana tells you.”

She swept towards the door, the light in her eyes chilling as she approached. As she passed Nikolas, she paused and lowered her voice to a nearly inaudible whisper. “If you speak of this to anyone, I will murder her in her sleep.”

“And what stops me from doing the same to you right now?” Nikolas said, returning the threat in the same soft tone while Jake went over to play with his fire truck. “What have you done—”

“You think that ending my life would stop anything? Shall we find out?” Helena arched a brow. “Murder me tonight, and his mother and brothers will be dead in twelve hours.” She leaned in, her breath hot on his cheek. “You cannot fathom the destruction that my death will unleash. I will not rest. Not even in death.”

And because he believed her, Nikolas stepped away from Elizabeth’s son and followed his grandmother into the hallway.

“What have you done?” Nikolas demanded as he closed the door. “This has to end now—”

“My darling, we have only just begun.”

Thursday, December 21, 2017

General Hospital: Hospital Room

In the twelve hours since her father’s frantic phone call had reached Robin in Berkeley about Anna’s car accident, she had been a ball of anxiety and stress. She had even snapped at Emma and Patrick when they had taken longer than eight seconds to pack and cancel everything so they could fly to Port Charles a day earlier than planned.

She needed to be in New York. She needed to be with her mother.

Robin should have known that the indomitable Anna Devane wouldn’t be taken down by a silly car accident and that all of that anxiety had been wasted. When she, Patrick, and Emma reached Anna’s hospital room after leaving the baby with Felicia, they found her sitting up, fuming at Mac.

“What do you mean the insurance company won’t cover the cost?” Anna demanded. “I pay those premiums every month—”

“Yes, you do, but you didn’t have collision—Anna—” Mac sighed. “I told you that you need to pay attention to paperwork—” He turned to Robin, relief written across his features. “Robin—”

“Hey, Uncle Mac.” Robin embraced him tightly, then turned to her mother, who was accepting a light hug from Emma. “Mom, leave Uncle Mac alone. You know you hate paperwork—”

“I don’t have time for this sort of thing,” Anna muttered. “Mac—”

“I’ll make a few calls.” Mac shook Patrick’s hand. “Good to have you two back in Port Charles. It’s been too long.”

“Definitely,” Patrick said, glancing over his shoulder towards the hallway. “Uh, did I see Franco lurking around here?”

“He’s an art therapist,” Mac said dryly. “Don’t get me started,” he continued when Patrick opened his mouth. “You left town, and it was like the whole place lost its damn mind. Anna, I’ll talk to the insurance agent.”

“And if they won’t cover it, you tell Frisco he’s on the hook!” Anna called after him. She sighed, then leaned back against the pillows. “I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow—”

“You were in a car accident,” Robin said, widening her eyes. “By the time we knew you were okay, I’d already booked the tickets.” She reached out to squeeze her mother’s hand. “What happened?”

“Mom,” Emma interrupted, holding up her phone. “I’m talking to Cam, and he said his mom is about to leave for the day. She can drop me at his place—”

“Oh, good, we want to come by later to see Elizabeth and Jason anyway,” Robin told her, looking at Patrick. “She said he’ll be there for dinner.”

“Robert’s right. Everything went insane,” Patrick muttered. Emma just rolled her eyes, then left, passing her grandfather, who was on his way. She offered him a wave.

“Where’s she off to in such a hurry?” Robert asked.

“Cam’s,” Robin said impatiently. “Mom—”

“I was run off the bloody road like a green agent,” Anna retorted. “That’s what happened—I was arguing with your father—”

“That’s not how I remember it,” Robert said, frowning.

“And the next thing I knew, there was an SUV heading right for me—” She looked at Robert. “Well? Did they find it?”

“They did,” Robert admitted. “But it’s damaged.”

“Find what?” Patrick asked.

“Andre Maddox, like any good Bond villain,” Anna said flatly, “put all his files and records onto a thumb drive, which he hid inside a Christmas ornament. He gave it to me on his way out of town but neglected to tell me that he was doing so. It accidentally got donated to the rummage sale, and I was hit on the way home—”

“How did someone know about the ornament? Did you tell someone?” Robin demanded. “Who knew?”

“Just the others,” Robert said. “And I don’t see any of them diming out Anna. The Spencers knew, and so did Corinthos, Elizabeth, and the Wonder Twins.”

“Maybe they just realized you were up to something,” Patrick suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, didn’t you say Robert was off handling Maddox?”

Robert snapped his fingers. “That’s right—if someone tipped off Valentin that Andre was getting moved, he might have been watching you and decided to take you out—”

“Well, he failed, didn’t he? I’m still here. How bad is the damage to the thumb drive?”

“Well, I might have told Frisco it was beyond repair,” Robert said, “seeing as how he now has Maddox, and that was all he wanted. But I don’t know, to be quite frank. I gave it to Spinelli.”

“Oh, well, if it can be salvaged, Spinelli will take care of it.” Robin wrinkled her nose. “I hate being in California away from all of this—” She glared at Patrick. “Why did you make me move three thousand miles away?”

“Uh, it was your idea,” Patrick reminded her.

“Well, it was a dumb one,” Robin muttered.

Aurora Media: Drew’s Office

Drew stared at the remains of the thumb drive on the conference table. He put his head in his hands for a minute before looking at Spinelli. “You’re telling me there’s a chance you can put that back together?”

“I might not be able to reconstruct all the files,” Spinelli told him, “but I’m not going to give up. This is the first concrete, physical lead we’ve had in weeks.” He looked over at Jason. “You’re sure Anna is okay?”

“Banged up pretty bad, some bruised ribs,” Jason answered. “But Elizabeth said she’d be released tomorrow. I think—” He checked his phone. “Yeah, that’s Elizabeth now. Patrick and Robin are at the hospital now.”

Drew scrubbed a hand across his face. “If we had just left this alone,” he said slowly, “would this have happened?”

Jason frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean—” Drew met his brother’s confused expression. “You were back for weeks. Nothing happened. The men chasing you disappeared. No one made any moves. But now, Anna’s been run off the road. What if they don’t go for the WSB agent next?”

“You think we riled things up by looking into the clinic, sending people after Faison?” Jason asked. “I thought you were on board—”

“I am. Especially knowing what happened to Jake. Christ, knowing that Elizabeth actually saw him? That she wasn’t hallucinating? I don’t care that they weren’t my memories, I can see her in my head, Jason.” Drew pushed himself up from the table. “And I want some damn answers. We’re owed that much. But I also don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

“And I do?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Drew said as Jason also got up. “Look—Anna put herself on the line for this, but that’s her job. I’m just—Jake’s been through enough—”

“What if there’s another trigger somewhere?” Spinelli said, drawing both their attention. “Do we even know they’re all done with Little Stone Cold? He was home for almost two years before the Nurse’s Ball.”

“Or what if there’s another trigger in my head?” Drew said with a heavy sigh. “Or yours,” he pointed out to Jason. “Just because Maddox couldn’t do the memory implantation, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t do other shit to us. I just—” He stared at the floor for a long moment. “I want answers. I just don’t want it at the cost of everything else that matters.”

“I don’t know about what’s in my head or anyone else’s,” Jason said after a moment. “And I get worrying about safety. It’s all I’ve done since Jake was born. But if we stop now, we’ll never know for sure it’s over. I need to know that. Don’t you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“Well, now that this crisis of confidence has been averted,” Spinelli said, cheerfully cutting through the tension in the room as he carefully packed up the damaged thumb drive and put it away. “I’m gonna head home to have dinner with my daughter.”

“Jason—” Drew stopped his brother as he was about to follow the younger man out of the office. “You’re supposed to go to Elizabeth’s for dinner with Robin and Patrick, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yeah.” Jason frowned. “What’s up—”

“Lucky’s still in town, isn’t he?”

Jason tilted his head. “Yeah, I think so. Why—”

“Look, we have the same memories, so we both know that Lucky is an asshole,” Drew said dryly. “But I had the unfortunate pleasure of having to deal with him over the last few years, and I think there’s something you should be aware of since you’re spending a lot of time with the boys.”

“I know that Lucky raised Jake for the first few years—I can handle that—”

“That’s what I’m talking about. After you were gone, but before I was—” Drew shrugged a shoulder. “Before I was you, Lucky mostly kept in touch by phone and email with Aiden and Cam. He did an okay job with it, but not great. Then he brought Jake home.”

“So—”

“He stayed a total of two days,” Drew continued, and Jason closed his mouth. “And to the best of my knowledge, Lucky never once called Jake or Cam again. He wrote to Aiden, he called Aiden. But after Jake came home, Lucky stopped even pretending he was their father, too. And from what Jake’s said, even the contact to Aiden has fallen off. He canceled on Aiden last summer and doesn’t call according to any schedule. But when he does get in contact, it’s with Aiden only.”

Jason exhaled slowly. “I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“He even told Elizabeth that it would be okay if I adopted them. Both of them,” he added when Jason’s frown only deepened.

“Lucky brought Jake home,” he repeated, “then cut all ties with him? That’s—that doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know.” Drew turned back to him. “And that’s something else I was thinking about. We’re handing off a big piece of this to the Spencers, but I don’t trust them. I doubt you do, either. Nikolas told Elizabeth I was supposed to be Jason Morgan, but I’m not convinced he didn’t know the truth. That would suggest he was lying to Elizabeth.”

“And you think there’s a possibility Lucky knows more than he’s saying,” Jason continued. “That might explain why he disappeared on Jake and Cameron.”

“It’s just something to think about. We should watch Luke and Lucky closely. I’ve never met a Spencer I could trust for very long. They always end up watching their own back more.”

Wyndemere: Study

Valentin paced the length of his study, then glared at the flames of the fireplace.

He didn’t know what Maddox had told Anna, and the infuriating woman had survived the car accident. Worse — she’d lived to tell anyone who would listen that she’d been run off the road, which meant any chance Valentin had at keeping himself under wraps was shot to hell.

He knew he’d be the number one suspect for everyone involved—in fact, he was surprised that no one had confronted him yet. Not even Laura Spencer, though the woman had given him several dirty looks the last few times she’d seen him.

So either Jason Morgan, Drew Cain, Robert Scorpio, and Anna Devane were drooling imbeciles without a brain cell to rub together, or they didn’t know enough to come after him. That was hardly comforting — at some point, the status quo would change.

And Valentin couldn’t stand that someone would get to Helena’s files before he did—that someone would discover he wasn’t actually the Cassadine heir or that they might locate the true heir.

No. He had to find the files first. He had to track down every damn Cassadine and make sure they were eliminated so that no one could come between him and what he was owed. What he earned.

He hissed, then stalked back to his desk to grab his cell phone. “Klein? No, I don’t want to hear any damn excuses. You have a new assignment. You’re going to Bosnia to talk to our friend at the WSB. I want to know where the hell Andre Maddox is being held.” He scowled. “Yes, in addition to finding those files and my mother’s lab. Do what you’re told.”

He hung up before the doctor could respond and gripped the phone tightly in his hand. He had to find Andre, get the damn files, and eliminate the doctor for good.

Andre knew too much.

Webber House: Kitchen

“Lucky, you promised Aiden you’d be here until Christmas,” Elizabeth complained as she pulled a meatloaf out of the oven and set it on the cooling rack. “You haven’t seen him in almost six months as it is—”

“I’m sorry,” her ex-husband said, perching on the edge of the stool at the counter. “But this lead came up in Bosnia—Britt said she’d let us know if she hooked up with her father, and there’s action on his accounts there—”

“Britt,” Elizabeth repeated, “can’t be trusted with anything. You know what she did to Lulu and Nikolas—”

“You want me to find Faison, don’t you?” Lucky demanded. “That’s what you want. You want answers for Jason and his brother—”

She took a deep breath. “I’m glad you’re helping, Lucky, but that’s not really an excuse for not keeping your promises to Aiden. You can’t stand the sight of me, that’s fine—”

“That has nothing to do with it,” Lucky told her. “I got over all of that years ago.”

“Then what is it?” she demanded. “You come to town twice a year, spend a day or two with Aiden, and he comes to you for a week in Ireland—but you canceled this last summer, Lucky. Aiden is seven years old, and he barely knows you—”

Lucky stared down at his hands and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I never thought I’d be the kind of father that disappears for months a time.”

“Lucky…”

“You know, my dad—he crapped out on fatherhood at a certain point. I think probably when Mom got sick. He showed up sometimes for Lu, but you know…” He met his eyes. “I never thought I’d be a worse father than Luke Spencer.”

Elizabeth bit her lip. Lucky’s smile was sad. “You’re not disagreeing with me.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” She lifted her hands a bit helplessly. “I mean, I know you and I had a difficult relationship, and I lied to you about Jake, but you told me you wanted to raise Cam and Jake. You wanted to give them your name.”

“I did.”

“But not anymore,” Elizabeth said softly. “When did that change? When did that end for you?  I can’t really understand it—”

“When Cam was a baby, it was easier. But then he turned six.” Lucky paused. “I looked at him, he smiled at me, and I could see Zander.”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. “What are you telling me, Lucky?”

“I could pretend Jake and Cameron were mine,” Lucky said, “but the older they got, the more they looked like Zander and Jason. And I guess—I couldn’t stop myself from thinking—from remembering that they weren’t mine.”

Elizabeth’s eyes burned as she stared at him. “That is bullshit, it’s bullshit, Lucky! You always knew Cameron wasn’t your biological son. There was never a chance he was—what, are you saying you were lying all those years?”

“No, I do love them. I do,” Lucky stressed, “but I don’t—I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to,” he said after a moment. “I know that makes me a terrible person, Elizabeth. Why the hell do you think I just left town?” He scowled. “And this is partially your fault. You were the one that lied to me about Jake—”

“You knew the truth years ago, Lucky! You promised me it wouldn’t matter!”

“I thought it wouldn’t!” Lucky shoved himself off the stool, throwing his hands up in the air. “I  worked my ass off to bring Jake home—but then I saw him in Greece—”

“And he looked like Jason,” Elizabeth said acidly.

“Don’t say it like that—”

“What am I supposed to say? Two little boys that you knew didn’t share your blood don’t look like you, Lucky. Big freaking deal. You had a choice to make. You chose not to love them. Not to raise them—”

“It’s not like they needed me,” he complained. “Nikolas told me—” He pressed his lips together as Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.

“What did Nikolas tell you?” she demanded. She rounded the island counter to step up to him. “Did he—” Her eyes widened. “He told you that Jake Doe was Jason.”

“Yeah. He told me that—” Lucky looked away. “And he told me you and Jason were gonna raise Jake. Even if Jason didn’t know it. Jason likes Cam. I knew it was okay to go. It’s not my fault you screwed that up—”

“What else did Nikolas tell you?” Her eyes were narrowed into slits. “Did he tell you that Jake was alive? Is that how you found out?”

Lucky hesitated. “No—” He grimaced, looked away.

“You know something,” Elizabeth accused. “What is it?”

“Nikolas,” Lucky said, his expression uneasy as he stepped back. “He told me that he thought Helena was up to something. That he’d appreciate it if I could go to the island in Greece and find out. He—”

“He sent you to Greece where you found out Jake was alive,” Elizabeth finished. She pressed a fist to her mouth. “Because Helena wanted him found. Wanted him brought home because Chimera was supposed to happen.”

“Elizabeth—”

“That’s what Andre meant when he said it wasn’t done right. Jake was supposed to kill us all years ago when he came back, but she died first.”

“Nikolas never would have—”

“Really? Because Nikolas told me the so-called truth about Jake Doe, and then made sure that I never told anyone else after he shot Hayden in the head,” Elizabeth retorted. “So don’t tell me what Nikolas would or wouldn’t do. Because we both know at the end of the day, he was a Cassadine.”

She dragged a hand through her hair. “And none of that matters,” she murmurs. “Because he’s gone.”

Elizabeth looked back at Lucky. “Well, at least now, I don’t have to wonder if it was something I did to make you disappear and disappoint my boys. It wasn’t my affair or my lies, it was just you being a selfish coward. Just like your father. He couldn’t bring himself to love Nikolas either, and look what happened. He lost your mother. Cameron and Jake never did a damn thing to deserve you dropping out on them the way you did. Nothing more than looking like their fathers.”

Lucky swallowed hard. “I’m sorry—”

“Don’t bother. Jake and Cameron will always have me, and I will find a way to make that enough for them. Go to Bosnia, Lucky. Go chase the adventure like your father. You’ll end up miserable and alone. Just like him.”

Lucky gritted his teeth, then slammed his way out of the house. Elizabeth returned to finishing dinner.

And neither of them noticed that Cameron was sitting just out of sight on the stairs, Emma perched next to him as he listened to Lucky admit what Cam had always known deep inside — Lucky didn’t love him anymore and hadn’t for years.

Greystone: Kitchen

Carly walked over to the fridge to pour herself something to drink, then turned, frowning as she saw Joss sitting at the table, staring at her phone with an irritated expression. “What’s up?”

“Oh!” Startled, Joss looked up, her eyes wide. “Mom, I didn’t hear you come in—”

“What’s wrong?” Carly asked. She took a seat across from Joss. “You look upset? Is Oscar okay?”

“Yeah. Well,” Joss rolled her eyes, “as okay as you can get. He’s managing. Drew’s trying really hard, you know. I knew he would. He’s a good guy. I hope Drew comes to the party,” she continued, “but I don’t know if he will.”

“I don’t know either,” Carly admitted. “I invited him, but I’m going to reach out again. I haven’t—” She stared at the glass of water in front of her. “I know I’m not always the easiest person to be around, Joss.”

“Mom—”

“I really am sorry that you and Cameron—and well, the entire world came in when I was arguing with Elizabeth—” Carly pursed her lips. “When I was yelling at Elizabeth,” she corrected herself, and Joss tilted her head. “You know I’m not an angel or the town sweetheart, Joss, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try hard to keep you from seeing that—”

“I just don’t get it, Mom. I really don’t.” Joss shook her head. “Cam’s mom has never been anything but super nice to me. And, yeah, like, Jake didn’t donate the kidney that saved my life, but his mom didn’t know that. And she’s been great to Michael—”

“I think maybe,” Carly said slowly, “that’s why she drives me crazy. She’s a good person, and she’s been good to the people who matter to me. She doesn’t have to try. She usually does the right thing. Or feels guilty when she doesn’t.” Carly looked at Joss. “I have to work harder. I have to think about the right thing. I don’t even always know it when I should. It’s a constant battle for me, Joss, and sometimes, it’s exhausting.”

“I get that,” Joss admitted. “I mean, sort of. Like — when we were kids, you remember that Trina and Emma didn’t really like me? And sometimes I drove Cameron nuts, too. Like all the time. I used to team up with Spencer to get what I wanted, and it always ended in tears. But, like, it just got really annoying to always have to apologize. Trina still doesn’t like me much, but Cam and I are tight, and even Emma doesn’t think I’m the worst anymore.” She stared down at her phone. “But sometimes I have to stop and think, too. Like — right now—” She held up her phone. “Emma texted me that Lucky Spencer is being the worst again, and I’m sitting here, thinking of all the ways I can destroy him—”

“Destroy Lucky?” Carly repeated. She raised her brows. “My cousin Lucky? Your cousin?”

“Uh, well, I guess technically.” Joss wrinkled her nose. “But, like, also Cam’s terrible stepfather. You know how it is when he’s in town. Especially since Jake came home. He spends all this time with Aiden and ignores Jake and Cam. Cam tries to act like it doesn’t bother him, but it does, and it’s so stupid.”

Carly pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry. Cam really is a great kid. I’ve always thought he was a good friend to you.”

“He is. So, like, I just want to make anyone who hurts him pay, you know? And I look at my life. Uncle Sonny doesn’t have to give a crap about me, but he’s pretty solid as stepdads go. And Michael isn’t his bio kid, but you’d never really know that. And Dad always took care of Morgan and Michael. And look at you and Avery! Blood doesn’t make a family. Love does.”

“That’s absolutely right,” Carly said softly. “And sometimes we’re really lucky, and we get to choose our family. Jason’s taken care of me and your father and all of you for most of his life. And he’s only really tied to Michael. But he chose us. I’m sorry Lucky’s decided not to choose Jake and Cam. That’s his loss, baby. And one day, Aiden’s gonna see it, too. That will be the revenge you want, Joss. Because if Lucky doesn’t change, he’s going to get old one day, look around, and realize he threw it all away.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Joss pursed her lips. “But also, it takes a long time, and I don’t know if I can wait like thirty years.”

“And that’s usually how I get in trouble,” Carly said with a sigh as she got to her feet. She paused, looked at Joss. “I really am sorry about what happened, Joss.”

“If you want to make it up to me,” Joss said, her eyes somber, “you’ll promise me that you won’t start anything at the Christmas party. Cam worships his mother, and he’s already having a lousy year with his grandmother dying and all that crap with Jake last year—plus Franco. Just—please. Be nice to his mom at the party.”

“Well, I was already planning to try,” Carly told her. “Because I know I have to do better, but yeah, for Cameron, I can do it.”

Pozzulo’s Restaurant: Back Office

Jason walked into the room, staring at the envelope in his hand, then glanced up to find Sonny behind his desk. “Hey. Sorry. I can’t stay long—”

“No, I heard. Dinner with Robin and Patrick at Elizabeth’s. That sounds like a good time,” Sonny said, gesturing for Jason to take a seat. “Let Robin know she’s welcome to the party on Christmas Eve. The more, the merrier—”

“You want to invite Robin to Carly’s house?” Jason asked skeptically. “Aren’t we trying to give Carly less stress and anxiety?”

“That’s true,” Sonny said slowly, “and you don’t really have a way to know this, but Carly usually does okay with Robin—and Elizabeth—around other people. Joss invited Emma and Cameron’s a regular at the house. Carly promised she’s going to try to do better, Jason.”

“She can’t do much worse,” Jason said with a sigh, “but I know Michael said she was upset that the kids overheard it, and she’s left messages apologizing over and over again, so fine.” He looked down at the envelope again.

“What’s that?”

Jason didn’t answer for a moment, then slowly, he slid the envelope open and drew out a sheaf of papers. “Divorce papers,” he said finally. “I was served when I left Aurora earlier. Uh, from Sam. I told her that I was going to call Diane after Christmas, but I guess—”

“You told Sam you were filing?” Sonny lifted his brows.

“It was going to happen eventually,” Jason said. “I didn’t think it was fair to anyone to keep putting it off—” He scanned the first page, then just stared.

“Jase?” When Jason didn’t answer, Sonny leaned forward. “Jason? What is it?”

“Uh—” Jason shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Trying to process it. “It’s—I guess she was pretty angry when I—she’s—” He pressed his lips together. “She’s demanding half of everything since we don’t have a prenuptial agreement.”

“Well, that sounds like Sam,” Sonny muttered. “But that’s just money—”

“She also wants the penthouse, and, uh—” Jason’s chest tightened. “She wants me to terminate my parental rights to Danny.”

“Terminate—” Sonny lunged to his feet. “What the hell?”

“She’s—” Jason could hardly form the words. “Her argument states that I am an unfit parent based on neglect and abandonment.” He closed his eyes. “Because of Jake.”

“She’s…planning to demand full custody of Danny because you walked away from Jake? That is some goddamn bullshit—”

“Yeah, uh—” Jason forced air into his lungs. “I think, maybe, I guess I could see that argument—”

“God damn it, Jason—”

“I didn’t—I wanted Jake. I always wanted him. I just—” He closed his eyes. “I didn’t neglect him. I gave Elizabeth money. And I—”

“Jason, look at me—”

Jason opened his eyes, met the dark, angry eyes of his best friend. “I know she’s doing this because she’s hurt—”

“Stop excusing Sam from the terrible things she does,” Sonny bit out. “You and I both know that this is bullshit and that if anyone wanted to talk about being an unfit parent, Sam would have her own list of fucking crimes. How about that crap she pulled when Jake was a baby? With Maureen Harper? You let her off the hook for that, didn’t you?”

“Sonny—”

“Sam specializes in knowing just how to hit you where it hurts the most. You know that, Jason. You’ve been here before. And what the hell did you do to deserve this?” Sonny demanded. He stalked around the desk to yank the papers from him. “You were in a coma for five years, trapped in your own body. You nearly got yourself killed to come home — and what has Sam done? Nothing. Has she even said she’s glad you’re alive?”

“I don’t—” Jason finally felt some pressure release inside as he admitted what he’d known for weeks. “I don’t think she is. I think things were better for her. Before.”

“Well, that’s her problem. Not yours. You tell Diane that the only divorce settlement you’ll consider is the one that was good enough for her in 2012,” Sonny retorted. “And don’t you dare give an inch on Danny—”

“I just need some—” Jason shook his head. “I need a minute to think about this. I can’t just—”

“Then take a minute, but don’t let her get away with making you feel guilty about coming home. I don’t care that it made problems for her. It’s a goddamn miracle, and if she’s too selfish to see it, then you’re better off without her.”

Penthouse: Living Room

Sam strode out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishtowel, with a smile on her face. “Hey. Scout down for the night?”

“Yeah,” Drew said. “Danny’s playing a video game—” He paused as he moved some magazines to the side and saw some legal papers underneath them. He pulled them out. “Oh. You finally filed—”

“Give me those—” Sam lunged forward to reach for the papers, but Drew had already seen the initial list of demands. He raised his eyes to look at her, stunned. “Drew—”

“What the hell is this?”

“I told you what I was asking for—” Sam made another reach for it, but Drew stepped back, continuing to scan—then he started to flip through the paperwork, searching for the custody section.

“What the absolute fuck is this?” Drew demanded, shaking the papers at her. “You’re asking him to terminate his rights to Danny because he neglected Jake?”

“Well—” Sam lifted her chin. “That’s not the only reason, but yes. Jason had eight months of being a decent father to Michael, but he’s never been a father since. He could have had Jake. He ran—”

“That is not how it happened, and you know it,” Drew said, his voice low and dangerous. “And worse, I know it. I still have his memories, Sam. I know exactly what happened with Jake—”

“Drew—”

“He did what he thought was best for Jake, and you damn well know he always loved him. It drove you insane, remember?”

Her eyes were damp with tears, but Drew couldn’t find it in himself to give a damn. “You watched as Jake got kidnapped, you sent men with guns after him, you put him in danger with your goddamn Russian investigation and nearly got him blown up—and then two years ago—”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen! I never meant for him to get  hurt!”

“No, but you didn’t care either. When I still thought I was Jason, do you know that I knew I could never have custody of Jake if anything happened to her? Because I had chosen you,” Drew said with a snarl, and she flinched, “and Elizabeth didn’t want Jake anywhere near you. And you’re demanding Jason give up any rights to Danny, now or in the future because he didn’t raise Jake?”

Sam exhaled slowly. “It’s not that I don’t understand how it all happened,” she said. “I just—I don’t think Jason deserves to be in Danny’s life, and the only way I can convince a court is to make this argument—”

“And what do you think is going to happen, Sam? Do you think that I’m just going to raise my brother’s son for the rest of my life and lie to him about who I am?” Drew demanded. “I can be his stepfather, I can be his uncle. But we both know—” He took a deep breath, lowered his voice. “We both know I am not his biological father.”

“Jason hasn’t even asked me about Danny—”

“Really?” Drew said with derision. “How would you expect him to? I’ve done more to reach out to him than you have, and I have more of a reason to resent him than you do!” He tossed the papers on the table. “You wish Jason was still in Russia, locked inside his own mind, trapped in that bed, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course not!” Sam’s tears streamed down her face. “I’m not angry he came back—I just don’t know why everything has to change—”

“Everything has already changed, Sam. I’m not Jason! Someone stole my life, and you’ve done nothing but wish we could go back. And you’re punishing Jason for coming back—demanding half his estate? We don’t need it—”

“You don’t have a say! I told you, this is my divorce—”

“No, I might not have a say in your divorce,” Drew cut in sharply. “But I do have a say in my relationships, don’t I? I’m not going to raise Danny. Not like this. So you can either drop this attack on my brother, or that’s it.”

Sam stared at him. “What? You can’t—”

“I’m not doing this to him. And I’m not doing this to myself or Danny. You might think Jason’s the enemy, but you’re the only one who sees it that way. So what’s it going to be, Sam? Do you want to punish Jason, or do you want a future with me? You can’t have both.”

Sam’s eyes burned into his. “You have no right to tell me how to raise my son—”

“No, but I have every right to decide how to be a part of his life, and I’m not going to lie to him. I love him too much.” Drew nodded. “Fine. You’ve made your choice. I’ll move my things into the guest room.”

“Wait—Drew—” Panicked, Sam grabbed his arm. “Please, please. You don’t understand. Jason can’t love Danny the way you do—he won’t—he won’t love him—I have to protect him—”

“You’re only protecting yourself,” Drew said gently as he removed her fingers from his sleeve. “But you’re so busy taking care of yourself, Sam, that you don’t even see the damage you’re doing to the rest of us.”

← Chapter Twenty-Eight | Chapter Thirty →