As the sun shines through it pushes away
And pushes ahead
It fills the warmth of blue
And leaves a chill instead and
I didn’t know that I could be
So blind to all that is real
But as illusion dies
I see there is so much to be revealed
– Twilight, Vanessa Carlton

---

December 2012

Crichton-Clark Labs: Patient Five’s Room

Andre hadn’t considered this part of the experiment—he was disappointed that he hadn’t foreseen this complication.

He had wanted to keep himself separate from these men—he’d given them numbers, he’d refused to learn their true names, and he hadn’t done anything but look at the hard data produced by the scanning.

But now, he was waiting for Patient Five to emerge from his induced coma, and when he opened his eyes, he would either remember being the Navy SEAL or the mob enforcer. He was hoping for the mob enforcer—that was the point of this entire debacle.

Patient Six was proving to be more of a challenge. Andre never would have selected him as a test subject with that damage to the frontal lobe. He’d been able to map the memories, but he was relatively convinced that transferred Five’s memories into his brother would be almost impossible.

“Good. I haven’t missed it.”

Andre glanced over to find the man in question entering the room. “Victor. I didn’t think—”

“Well, it’s our first real test of the new protocol, and I also—” the WSB director smiled, folding his arms. “I’m intrigued to see if you were able to implement the suggestions I asked for.”

“Yes—” Andre grimaced. “You wanted the scan to focus on certain people, to emphasize them in the transferred memories. There’s really no way to know that until we put him into the field—”

“Of course, of course. And this is the first step. We don’t want Ja—” When Andre whipped his head to look at Victor, the man smiled again. “Patient Five won’t be returning to the field just yet. I want to send them both at the same time, and Six can’t return quite yet.”

“I thought you wanted them to be returned as soon as possible—”

“I do, but I am not the only partner in this project,” Victor said. “Relax, Dr. Maddox—” He nodded at the man stretched out in the bed, watching as the monitors picked up an increasing heartbeat and brain waves, which indicated that he was waking up. “When Five wakes up, we’ll see who he thinks he is, and then we’ll put him back to sleep and reassess.”

Andre clenched his jaw. He’d been looking forward to having Five wake up as the mob enforcer and shipping him to Port Charles. He wanted to have some real, practical evidence—

The man’s eyes fluttered, and his head fell to the side. A moment later, he blinked and focused on Andre. “What—what’s going…” His voice was rusty and thick from lack of use over the last six months.

“Hello,” Andre said, his heart pounding. This was it. This was his moment. “You’ve had an accident. We need to know who you are so we can contact your family.”

“Fam…” Five closed his eyes, then opened again. “Family.”

“Yes, do you have a family? A wife? Children? Who can we call? What is your name?” Damn it. Would they need to let him stay awake for a few days to let him get oriented?

“No…children.” Five opened his eyes again. “Not anymore.”

Andre frowned. Why was that—he turned to Victor, who looked pleased. “I don’t know the answer to that,” he admitted.

“What’s your name?” Victor asked.

“Jason—” Five coughed. “Morgan. Jason Morgan.”

“And who should we contact about your accident? Your wife? A family member?”

“Elizabeth,” Five mumbled. “Webber.” He coughed. “I can’t—I can’t—everything keeps…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything,” Victor said, soothingly. He nodded to Andre. “We have what we need.”

“Need—” Five frowned, looked at Andre, who had the syringe in his hand, preparing to insert it into the IV. “What—”

“I’ll get you back to your family,” Andre told him. “As soon as we can.”

“But—” Five’s eyes drifted close even as he scowled.

“Well done,” Victor murmured. “Our adjustments to his memory were successful.”

“What—what do you mean?”

“Jason Morgan,” Andre said slowly, nodding at Patient Five, “had a child whom he believes to be dead. Car accident, very tragic—”

“A child—that he believes—” Andre’s eyes widened. “Patient Three. I saw those records—it’s a five-year-old boy—”

“Yes, yes, Patient Three is his son. What’s very interesting is that on the eve of his extraction, he appeared to have reunited with his estranged wife and her child.”

Andre did not want to know about this—he really didn’t. “This Elizabeth?”

“No. Another woman. She’s not important. But Five here—his thoughts when you asked him about family went straight to his lost son and that boy’s mother.” Victor’s lips curved into a smile. “Precisely what we wanted.”

“I don’t want to know anymore. I can’t—” Oh, God—they’d taken Six, his brother, and his son—

How many people were tied up in this? What the hell had he gotten himself into?

“Now that we’re assured the experiment has been completed for Patient Five, it’s time to turn our attention to Six.”

Monday, October 30, 2017

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Sam blinked in surprise when she found her mother at the dining table when she returned that morning from dropping Danny off at school. “Mom, hey. Did I know you were coming over?”

“No, Jason asked me to come by,” Alexis said, drawing off her reading glasses. “We wanted to start, ah,” she glanced at him.

“In the unlikely event that these DNA tests we’re taking later today come back—” Jason paused, shook his head. “I just need to understand what could happen.”

Sam tilted her head to the side. “I don’t understand. We know how it’s going to come back—”

“I talked to Sonny yesterday,” Alexis said. “He met with, uh, your, well, the other guy,” she said finally, “on Saturday to talk over his story. And to talk about what’s been going on since you went off the pier in 2012.”

“So—”

“Well, whatever is happening, it’s clear that the Cassadines are involved,” Alexis interrupted. “Jason agrees with me.”

“Either they brainwashed this guy, or they screwed with my head—” Jason scrubbed his hands over his face. “Elizabeth agreed to test Jake.”

“Oh. Well, we thought she would, didn’t we?” Sam said. She sat across from her mother, next to Jason, and reached to squeeze his hand. “Thank you for understanding about Danny.”

“Elizabeth said that Jake does better in the hospital since he spends time with her there,” Alexis continued. “The plan is to test you and this…person,” she said. “By the end of the day, we’ll have enough markers to know whether or not the twin story is the truth.”

“I mean, we’re sure that’s probably the case, but I can’t understand how Victor Cassadine got his hands on Jason or his twin brother when no one knew he existed. No one other than, apparently, Heather Webber.”

“Betsy knew,” Jason said. “She had to.”

Sam grimaced. “Still.”

“The advanced testing we’re running on Jake might take a few days. We’re putting a rush on it,” Alexis continued.

“That’s much quicker than it used to be,” Sam said. “Do you remember when these things took weeks?”

“Technology has come a long way. And, of course, money helps.” Alexis scanned her notes. “There’s also someone else getting tested today. I’m assuming you haven’t talked to him.”

“No. Not since this happened.” Jason frowned. “Why?”

“The night of the relaunch, when your face was revealed—someone recognized your old face as belonging to their missing father,” Alexis told him. She reached into her portfolio and removed a folder. Pinned to the front was a photo of a man in a Navy dress uniform.

Jason stared at it, and Sam’s eyes widened. It was Jason—his old face. Exactly his face. “Oh my God—”

“Meet Chief Andrew Cain, a Navy SEAL out of San Diego. Disappeared in July 2012 from Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Married twice. Cara Sanders in 1998. She died in—” Alexis squinted at her notes. “2005. He remarried Kimberly Nero in 2011. One son—”

“Son—” Jason’s head snapped up. “Wait. Nero—”

“I know that name—” Sam started.

“Kim kept custody of Drew’s son. No family on either side. She changed his last name, and they moved to Port Charles about six months ago. Oscar Elliott Cain, born October 12, 2001. He just turned sixteen.”

“Oscar Nero—” Sam picked up the photo of Drew Cain. “My God, you really do have a twin out there,” she murmured. “If I didn’t know you’d never been in the army—”

“He’s being tested today?” Jason asked. “Like Jake—”

“Yes. What it will do is give added weight to the markers. By the end of the day, we expect the DNA to tell us that you and the man from Friday are related. We will also know if one of you is Andrew Cain. And Jordan seems to think she’ll have fingerprints from storage by Wednesday. GH thinks they might have the advanced test by then, as well..”

“What about the Navy?” Sam asked. “Wouldn’t they have Drew’s prints on file—”

“Jordan is also putting in the request. Diane and I are joining it. Either way, it looks like one of us represents Drew Cain.”

Jason’s mouth tightened. “Diane does—”

“I’m sorry. I’m trying—” Alexis sat back. “I’m trying to make this easier, but I don’t think anything ever will.” She raised her brows. “Did the name Drew Cain mean anything to you?”

Sam looked at her husband, and he looked down at the photo. When he said nothing, she leaned forward. “Jason.”

He blinked at the sound of her voice. “What?”

“The name. You’d never heard it before, had you?”

“Uh, no.” Jason took a deep breath. “No, I don’t think so.” He paused, then focused on Alexis, setting the Cain file aside. “So we’ll know by Wednesday. What did Elizabeth tell Jake about the test?”

“Oh. I don’t—” Alexis frowned. “The truth, I assume. I got the impression all three boys knew what was happening.”

“Does Jake know what side Elizabeth is taking?” Jason asked. “I’m assuming since she hasn’t called me, she hasn’t changed her mind about him.”

“Jason, I really—” Alexis cleared her throat. “Look, I think Elizabeth is probably doing the best she can with all of this. Jake is older than Danny, and he was with Cameron and his friends, so she never had a chance to keep it from him—”

“But she doesn’t have to make Jake more confused,” Sam retorted. “She could have just told him she doesn’t know—”

“But she thinks she does know,” Alexis said gently, “and I know she thought it would help Jake to be part of making the truth come out to everyone. I didn’t ask, Jason, but I’ve known Elizabeth a very long time. I imagine she would have made it clear that even if she believes this other man is his biological father, that the evidence isn’t clear yet.”

“Because Elizabeth is so well known for telling the truth,” Sam said, shoving away from the table. “I told you, Jason—”

“‘I’m not having this argument again,” he snapped at her. “I just—I don’t want Jake upset. I trust Elizabeth to handle that.”

“You—”

“At any rate, Jake and the other party are scheduled to go in at eleven,” Alexis said. “I think Elizabeth said she’s keeping the boys at home so that things don’t get worse today. She’s hoping it will die out tomorrow—”

“They’re getting tested at the same time?” Jason asked. He nodded. “Okay. Well, that answers my question—”

“Jason—”

“Just stop. What time am I going in?”

“Twelve. I thought it might be easier if we staggered it,” Alexis told him. “I can reach out to him if you want—”

“No. No.” Jason made a face. “When we know—when he gets the news—we’ll deal with it then. But I just—I’m not interested.”

“Okay. And Oscar will be tested at one. Marker results will be in around five,” Alexis said. “Brad Cooper is drawing the blood, but I asked Finn to watch over him and walk the case through personally.”

“Finn? Why?”

“Well, Diane and I felt that nearly every other long-term staff member has a connection or relationship to Elizabeth and that there was no bias with him. Finn might have been married to Hayden, but she and Elizabeth weren’t that close. Not that we think that’s an issue, but—”

Jason nodded. “Fine. I’ll be at the hospital at noon. For now, I’m going into the office.” He looked at Sam. “You coming? I’m starting interviews for the CFO.”

“Oh.” Sam frowned. “I haven’t found a nanny yet for Scout. We were going to do that this week—”

“Fine. I’ll see you at the hospital later.”

He left the penthouse, and while he didn’t slam the door, it almost felt like he had. Sam winced, then looked back at her mother.

“He’s handling it as well as I guess anyone would,” she said.

“At least we’ll have some answers today, and hopefully, by the end of the week, we’ll know more.” Alexis got to her feet. “The thing is, Sam—”

“Mom—”

“You and I both know how these tests are going to come out, and I haven’t even met the other man yet. I do know the Cassadines, and this sounds right up their alley. I just—make sure you’re making the right choices.”

Port Charles High: Hallway

Trina poked Joss’s shoulder. “Hey. Truce for five minutes.”

“Oh, good. It’s always easier when you ask for one.” Joss turned away from her locker, closing the door. “Cam, right? Something’s up.”

“He didn’t talk to you, either?” Trina wrinkled her nose. “Damn. I thought—” She chewed her bottom lip. She reached over to snag Oscar as he was heading down the hallway— “Hey, did you talk to Cameron this weekend?”

“Yeah, we played Call of Duty on Saturday. He had to watch his brothers while his mom went to deal with the Jason stuff.” Oscar frowned at them. “Why?”

“Did you go to his house? Were things okay?”

“Uh, no, we played on headsets with Spencer and Emma. I repeat,” he said, “Why?”

“Because I kept texting him all weekend, and he was like—things are fine, but really short, and I don’t know. I think something happened because Uncle Sonny has been all weird—” Joss wrinkled her nose. “I mean, more than usual.”

“And he’s barely texted me at all,” Trina said. “You think Jake is freaking out?”

“No, Jake was in the background on Saturday, he sounded okay. Maybe he’s just tired or something. Friday was a lot. He said none of them got a lot of sleep.” Oscar shrugged. “Cam’s cool, guys. He’d tell you.”

“Oh, he would absolutely not tell me, but he would tell Emma,” Joss muttered. She took out her phone, then sighed and looked at Trina. “She likes you better than me.”

“Uh, not by much. She and Cam only stopped dating because she moved to California, and when she found out I started dating him this summer, she blocked me on Insta for a week.”

“You are all insane,” Oscar declared. “And weirdly obsessed with Cameron. Lay off. If he wants to talk to you, he will.”

Joss narrowed her eyes but then sighed. “You’re probably right. I just hate knowing something is bugging him, and he won’t say anything because he’s got this superhero must be strong for the brothers thing going. You’ll get irritated by it very fast,” she told Trina. She turned back to Oscar. “Did his mom arrange your test? What did your stepmom say?”

“She’s, uh, doing that stoic military wife thing. Evidence supports it, blah, blah, tests will reveal, blah—” Oscar shook his head. “She’s mostly trying to hide how much this is all freaking her out. I mean, we moved to Port Charles to get away from San Diego and, like, memories of Dad.”

“Yeah, super weird she ended up here where your dad was, but lucky for you,” Trina said. “When’s the test?”

“Kim handled it with Cam’s mom. I’m going over to GH around one, Kim’s going to sign me out.” Oscar shrugged. “They said we’ll know about relationships today. Like, tonight. Whether or not they’re twins and if one of them is my dad.”

“Well, that’s good—”

“Yeah. I’m just trying not to think about it too much, I guess.” Oscar paused. “Look, not that I want to give you any reason to worry, but I did hear Aiden say something about Franco not coming home anymore. I think Cam’s mom broke up with him.”

“Oh. Well, maybe that’s what’s upsetting him,” Trina said. “I know he hated Franco, but maybe his mom argued with him in front of Cam and his brothers.”

“I’ll go to his house after school. He won’t be able to get away from me then,” Joss declared. “You guys in? We’ll ambush him.”

“What did I just say?” Oscar demanded as they started down the hall towards homeroom.

Webber Home: Living Room

Elizabeth stepped out of the kitchen. “Hey. We’re going to leave for the hospital in a little while,” she told the boys. “Cam, I was thinking. I know you can handle Aiden, but—”

“You left me alone with both of them on Saturday,” Cameron reminded her as he reached for his game controller. “And didn’t Mr. Corinthos say the guards were hanging out for a few days?”

“Yeah. I know.” She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, unsure how to explain her discomfort. It had been a few days, and she hadn’t heard a word from Franco.

Not that she’d wanted to—but she knew that a quiet Franco was probably not a good thing either. She didn’t want to think of him as biding his time, watching the house—

Cameron glanced over at her, squinting. “Mom?”

“I just…I’d feel better if we stayed together. Today. Tomorrow, I’ll find a way to deal with it.” She hesitated, then looked at Jake. “There’s something else. I asked Jason if he wanted to drive over to the hospital with us. And when I say Jason—”

“You mean the other guy with Dad’s old face,” Jake said. He studied her. “You think he’s my biological dad.”

“I—” Elizabeth knew that she shouldn’t confirm her own beliefs—that she should try to play neutral with Jake until she knew for sure—

But she did know. If she hadn’t known on Friday night, spending half the afternoon on Saturday going over what happened with Franco and the last five years—she felt it in her bones. She’d always known Jason. And the small part of her that had always had strange doubts and feelings about Jake Doe being Jason Morgan—

That voice had finally been silenced.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said finally. “I think he is your biological father. I’m sorry, Jake. I know this isn’t easy.”

Jake absorbed that, looked at Cameron for a moment, then refocused on his mother. “Do I have to call him Dad? Like today?”

“No,” Elizabeth said immediately. “And Jason would never demand it of you. I want you to be okay more than anything else. We’ll get the answers, we’ll make sure that your…that our old Jason is okay being Drew if that’s who he is.”

“Remember that makes Oscar your cousin,” Cameron said. “More family for you—”

“For all of us,” Jake said with an edge in his voice. “You’re my brother.”

Elizabeth frowned at the byplay between them—something going on there she didn’t quite understand, but before she could root it out, there was a knock on the door. She got to her feet. “I’ll be back.”

She pulled open the door, her heart skipping as she saw Jason—her Jason—standing there, Michael beside him. She didn’t know how long it would take to get used to seeing his face again.

“Hey.” Elizabeth folded her arms, bracing herself against the chilly morning. “Michael, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Uh, well—”

“Michael offered to hang out with Cam and Aiden while we went to the hospital.” Jason shifted.

“Yeah, I mean, things are quiet,” Michael said. “At least that’s what Dad says, and you know you’ve got the guard out here, but—” He met her eyes. “I’d feel better, you know?”

“Oh.” Elizabeth realized that some of her anxiety did ease. Michael was resourceful and could take care of himself and the boys. “Thanks. I was thinking of taking them to the hospital, but this works better. Um—” She pushed the door open. “Can I talk to Jason for a minute?” she asked Michael. “The boys are playing video games.”

“Sure.” Michael went inside and closed the door. Elizabeth turned to Jason, still trying to get used to the sight of his face—that particular face—and realizing now that the other man didn’t even really have his eyes. How had they ever accepted him?

“You’re not mad, are you?” Jason said hesitantly. “I should have called about Michael—”

“Jason,” she said, relishing his name on her lips. “You just came home and found out the serial killer you thought was dead is alive and was—” Elizabeth bit her lip. She glanced towards the house. “And Michael is close with the boys.” She hesitated because she didn’t think anyone would have mentioned AJ, which was how Michael had gotten to know Cam and Aiden in the first place. “I mean, everyone knows you’re Jake’s father, so Michael’s kind of—he’s been a cousin to them all.”

Jason looked past her into the small window next to the door where the boys were visible. “He’s really in there,” he murmured. “I saw him in the park, but I can’t—” He focused on Elizabeth. “He knows?”

“He knows,” she confirmed. “And I told him that I believe you’re Jason. But the thing is—”

“I didn’t raise him,” Jason finished with a tinge of regret. “He did.”

“He did. And Jake loves him. I don’t know how that’s going to end up,” Elizabeth said slowly, “and I don’t know if we’ll ever really know what’s going on, but if he’s not—if it turns out he was a victim like you—”

“I’m not here to make Jake’s life harder. I just—” Jason rubbed his chest, his hand closing into a fist. “I never should have given him up. And I just don’t want to miss this chance. If you’ll—”

“I never should have asked you to let him go in the first place,” Elizabeth said, with a shake of her head. “You might have given him up, but I got the ball rolling with my lies. We’re both getting a second chance with him. Come on in and meet your son.”

General Hospital: Andre’s Office

“You listened about staying quiet and out of it. Good.”

Andre flinched, looking up to find the Cassadine at his door. Valentin closed it, then took a seat. “They’re doing a DNA test today.”

“A DNA test,” Andre repeated. “That won’t tell them much. Jason knew there was the possibility of a twin out there, ever since Heather told that lie about Franco—”

“They’re bringing in Patient Three,” Valentin said coolly. “For advanced testing. And another kid, I’m told, but I don’t know who. Maybe one of Samantha’s little urchins—”

“We don’t want that,” Andre said, with a shake of his head. “This gets worse if they’re tested—we need to know who else is being tested—”

“I’ll find out,” Valentin said, but he didn’t seem that concerned. “But I need you to get back in the game. Patient Three,” he repeated. “My mother played with his mind—”

“And you nearly killed everyone,” Andre said. “He’s just a little boy—Helena is dead. Why did you even bother to finish her plan?” He’d been furious when he’d realized what had almost happened—he’d thought Jake was safe—he hadn’t dreamed Chimera could still be triggered. Once Helena was dead—

“It was never about finishing her plan.” Valentin got to his feet. “I needed this town to trust me. Playing the hero, rescuing everyone from the big bad Chimera—that made everyone give me a second look. I don’t care about my mother’s grudge against Elizabeth Webber. Helena is dead. And so is everyone else that ever gave a damn about her revenge. All I want is what I was promised.”

“You have that—”

“Not enough. Not all of it. You never found the last one,” Valentin said. “The only other person who can get in my way.”

“I thought Klein was taking care of that—”

“He’s trying to, but it occurs to me that if Mother played with little Jake Webber’s mind to give him the command to kill his entire family, including those insufferable brothers—she might have planted other secrets.”

Andre shook his head. “My part of this is done. You promised me if I came to town, if I put Jason Morgan’s memories into Drew Cain again, I could be finished, but there’s always one more thing—”

“You’re finished when I say you are. I need Patient Three’s secrets,” Valentin hissed. He put his hands on the desk, leaning over. “And you’re going to get them for me.”

General Hospital: Nurse’s Station

Elizabeth glanced up from the paperwork for Jake’s test and looked over at Jake and Jason, patiently sitting in the waiting area. Jake had his iPad out and was showing his father something.  Their meeting at the house had been fine, mostly because Jake always felt more confident when he was with his brothers, and Jason wasn’t going to push.

Maybe she shouldn’t have left them alone, but the only way Jake was going to get comfortable with Jason was if Elizabeth did the pushing.

It was the least she could do after being the reason Jason and Jake had never had a relationship to begin with.

She didn’t really understand how she could accept this man as Jason so quickly when she’d torn herself apart trying to make Jake Doe stay with her, but she also couldn’t argue with the way that she felt.

Everything in her life had changed over the last few days, and Elizabeth didn’t really know what to do about it other than put one foot in front of the other and keep her head above the water.

“So—”

She blinked at the new voice and turned to find Felix standing there, his brows raised. “How’s it going?”

“Uh—” Elizabeth pursed her lips. “Interesting,” she said finally.

“I can see that,” Felix said, nodding towards the waiting area. “Jake doing okay with this?”

“He’s trying to be,” Elizabeth said. “You know, Jake looks to Cameron to set the tone, and Cam is doing his usual ‘everything is under control, I’ve got this’ routine.” She paused. “I’m worried about both of them.”

“We’ll keep our eyes on them,” Felix promised. They both looked at the waiting area. “And it looks like we won’t be the only ones.”

Waiting Area

Jason couldn’t stop looking at him. Even as Jake bowed his head and did something with the tablet he was holding, Jason kept staring at him, looking at the strands of his blonde hair and the length of his fingers—his legs—he was so much taller now.

Joss had told him that Sam’s son, Danny, was his biological son. Jason was still letting that roll around in his head, wondering how different things might have been if that had been known—if they’d never believed him to be Franco’s son—then rejecting the thought because there was no point in thinking about that right now.

He didn’t even know if Sam was going to let him near Danny—she’d looked angry, almost hostile that night at the PCPD. Even when she had proof of who Jason was, would she leave the other man? She’d looked at him in the commissioner’s office, then turned away.

Jason put that away, too. He could only think about the things that he could control, and right now — he was sitting next to Jake, the little boy he’d buried and grieved. And he wanted to know everything.

“Can I ask you something?” Jake raised his head, met Jason’s eyes. “Mom says—Mom says you’re my dad. By blood. You’re the one that—she said you were there when I was born. You saved her life because she got sick. We both almost died.”

“Yeah.” Jason exhaled slowly. He’d been terrified that day, watching Elizabeth bleed, hearing those alarms, watching her eyes close, wondering if they’d ever open again— “I am. I know that might be hard—”

“But the other guy—” Jake took a deep breath. “He doesn’t have your face, but he says he’s you. And everyone else said he was you. He says he remembers that day, too.”

“I know.”

“Is he lying?” Jake said. He stared down at the tablet again.

“I—” Jason thought back to that night at the PCPD and the angry eyes of the other man—not just angry. But terrified. “I don’t think so,” he said before. “I thought he was, but then I met him. I think he’s confused. I think someone lied to him.”

“Maybe someone played with his head?” Jake asked. “Because Helena Cassadine did that to me.” He rubbed a spot on his arm. “She almost made me hurt a lot of people,” he said in a low voice. “My mom, my brothers. I’d never hurt them.”

“Jake—” His stomach twisted, remembering the story of the Chimera that Elizabeth had related the other day, and the memory ate at Jason like acid. He’d wanted Jake to be safe, to be happy. He’d walked away to make it happen. Instead, Jake’s life had been filled with trauma and violence.

Jason never should have walked away. He should have been at his side to protect him.

“She could definitely make someone believe they’re someone else so much they have memories of it.” Jake said this as a statement, and Jason sighed, because as wild as it sounded—he’d been around the Cassadines long enough not to doubt anything. Not after what he’d seen Lucky Spencer put Elizabeth through nearly twenty years ago.

“Probably.”

“Could it be you?” Jake asked. “Could she be lying to you?”

“I—” Jason paused. “I don’t think so,” he said carefully. “But that’s why we’re having these tests. Why we’re asking you and your brother’s friend. If one of us is Drew Cain, we need to know. And this will tell us.”

“I think Mom’s right,” Jake said. He looked at his mother, deep in conversation with a man behind the desk Jason didn’t know. “She made a mistake with Franco, but he was really good at pretending. He was really nice to me a while ago. I was—things weren’t okay, and I was mad and angry, and I went to art therapy, and he was nice to me. He helped me.”

Jason didn’t know what to say to that, but then Jake continued. “And Mom was really sad back then. Dad was so mad at her—everyone was really mad at her and yelling at her all the time, and Sam was mean, too. She was mad at me because I wanted them back together, and she was always following me—”

Jason frowned at that. “Jake—”

“And Franco was nice. For a long time,” Jake added. “But not Friday.” He raised his head again. “He pushed Cameron. He was gonna hurt him. He never ever did that before. Mom had to make him leave. How can someone be so nice for so long but just be a big fat liar?”

“I don’t know,” Jason said after a minute. “I’m sorry that happened to you. And to Cameron.” He paused. “Jake—”

“Anyway, Mom was wrong about him, but he was a good liar. I don’t think she’s wrong about you. Mom didn’t know Jake Doe was supposed to be you until Uncle Nikolas told her, and she was around him all the time. But you just came home, and she knows.” Jake paused. “If the other guy, my other dad, if he’s just someone else Helena hurt, is it okay if I still want him around?”

“I don’t want you to lose anyone that matters to you,” Jason said. “I just want to get to know you. I thought—” He had to take a breath, to gather himself. “I thought you were gone, Jake. I’m still not sure I can believe you’re here.”

“Mom says that, too,” Jake said. “She grabs me and hugs me a lot. I’m lucky,” he said as Elizabeth finished at the nurse’s station and started over. “Lots of people don’t have moms that would shoot people for them. I think Mom would have done it.”

“Your mom would do anything for you,” Jason said as Elizabeth joined them. “Everything ready?” he asked her.

“Yep. Time for the needle.”

Jake winced. “Man, I hate needles. You better not forget you owe me ice cream when this is done.”

General Hospital: Lobby

The minute Carly had learned Jason was going to GH for DNA tests and that he’d gone to Elizabeth’s house with Michael, she’d decided that she was going to the hospital, too.

And as soon as Sonny learned she was heading downtown, he’d invited himself along because he was worried she’d do or say something that would upset Elizabeth or Jason.

Carly had gritted her teeth when he’d said that, determined not to let his crap get to her today. She’d already let her temper talk her out of going to the meeting on Saturday, and she was damned if she was going to be pushed out of this.

Someone had hurt Jason and stolen him for five years, and Carly was going to make them pay. They were already late for appointment, and she was worried they had missed him. She needed to be part of helping Jason get his life back. After everything he’d done for her, he deserved her help.

“Why did Jason have to go to her house? He could have asked us,” Carly muttered as she and Sonny walked towards the elevators. “He could have seen Jake at the hospital.”

“Carly—”

“Because you know Elizabeth is going to use this to get back into Jason’s life—” She already was, from the looks of it. Elizabeth had seen Jason more than she had, goddamn it—

“She doesn’t need to use anything,” Sonny said impatiently. “She’s the mother of his child—she’s got an open door—”

“Well, I need to make sure she knows she can’t just use it whenever she wants,” Carly began. “Even if she finally did see the light and get rid of Franco—”

“Sometimes you really give me a headache,” he muttered. Carly’s nostrils flared as the elevator doors opened and a couple walked out. They both stopped in their tracks as Jason—Carly stopped herself—as Sam and her husband walked out.

The man lifted his chin. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Listen, it doesn’t have to be like this,” Carly said, feeling a twinge of regret. She’d been so unfair to him, and she felt even worse about their last meeting now that she knew he wasn’t Jason. “We were friends before you thought you were Jason—”

“I am Jason—”

“You’re not,” Carly said so calmly and softly that she almost didn’t recognize her voice. “And I’m sorry for not pretending until the results were clear. Maybe this would be easier if we all made believe that we didn’t know.” She looked at Sam, who dropped her eyes to the floor. “If we all just put off taking a side until the tests came back—”

“Damn it—”

“But I looked at you for months before the truth came out,” Carly said, “and you were never Jason. You and Sam hated each other. You and Sonny hated each other. You barely connected with anything that made Jason who he was. Until we shoved the name on you. We were so desperate to have him back that we ignored all the signs.”

“I got the memories—”

“I don’t know how it’s possible,” Sonny said to him. “I get that you’re scared. Because if you’re not Jason Morgan, then who are you? And what happened? But I can’t lie and tell you that I didn’t know the truth the minute I saw Jason, too.”

The other man flinched then looked at Sam. “Well?” he demanded, and her head snapped up. “Do you agree with them?”

“Of course not,” Sam said, and Sonny had to hand it to her—those con skills were coming in handy because she said it so genuinely that it almost felt real. “I know who you are. And the tests will prove it.”

Satisfied, he nodded at her, then looked back at Sonny and Carly. “I made the right choice to get away from you,” he said shortly, and then they walked away.

“I don’t blame him,” Carly admitted. “This is gonna hurt when it all comes out.”

“Diane said that Alexis was going to tell him about the Drew Cain thing, so at least he’ll know who he is when this is all over.”

General Hospital: Andre’s Office

Andre was shoving things into his bag when Franco stalked in, slamming the door. “You need to help me figure out how to fix this,” the artist said, throwing himself into the chair. “I did something dumb on Friday, and Elizabeth is never—” He stopped, then stared at Andre. “You going somewhere?”

Andre stared at him for a long moment, then came to a decision. He needed to tell someone—needed to soothe his conscience a little bit, and if he told Elizabeth himself, she’d rip him to shreds.

Literally.

“You need to keep an eye on Jake.”

Franco frowned. “What? Why? What’s going on?”

“I was working for Helena Cassadine,” Andre said. He went to his computer, started to tap some keys. “Don’t ask. I can’t get into it right now. After she died, Valentin took over—”

“Valentin—”

“And now that Jason Morgan is back, his whole plan is blowing up in his face. By the way—it was Jason Morgan who tried to kill you. He’s the real deal.”

Franco hissed. “Damn it—and Elizabeth is already mixed up with him. She believed him the minute she saw him—I knew she was just desperate, waiting for a chance—” He narrowed his eyes. “What does Jake have to do with it? Were you the one—”

“Yes,” Andre snapped impatiently. He turned to grab some papers from his printer. “Yes, I’m the one to blame. I did it all. I put Chimera in Jake’s head. I stole Jason’s memories and put them into his twin brother. I did it all. But I’m done. They promised me I was out of it. I’m not going near Jake again.”

Not now that he knew the little boy, knew his mother, his family—

“Here. Give these to Elizabeth. This will clear up a lot of the information, and it will help her find the rest. Warn her—” Andre picked up his bag. “You want to make sure Elizabeth stays with you? Keep protecting Jake.”

“But—”

Then Andre left, heading for the service stairs.

Franco followed him out, his mind whirling as he sifted through the paperwork. Could he use this to prove to Elizabeth he’d just made a mistake? She’d tried to shoot him, so maybe they could call it even or something.

He could even manage a half-sincere apology about Cameron because he shouldn’t have shoved the little shit—he was usually better at keeping his temper around her annoying little brats. They should have sent the older one to military school, he thought sourly.

He stopped as he came into view of the nurse’s station and saw Elizabeth standing at the counter, smiling at someone. He loved her so much. She was the only person that really understood him—really accepted all his dark spaces—if he could hold on to her, he’d never have to go back to his old life—he was only whole when he was with her—

Franco squared his shoulders, prepared to beg and grovel to get her back, even pretend to love her kids a little bit more, even if Jake was the only one who didn’t annoy him on a daily basis. Just as he started to walk forward, Jason came into view, Jake at his side. Franco narrowed his eyes at the way Jason put a hand on Jake’s shoulder. Then Jason smiled, said something to Elizabeth—who smiled back at him.

Franco looked down at the paperwork in his hands, saw the trash can, and then ripped it all into tiny little shreds, tossing it away.

Let Elizabeth take care of her little monsters on her own. If she survived whatever Valentin Cassadine had planned, Franco might help her clean up the pieces—or pay for betraying and lying to him.

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